Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus body in which an image forming section that forms an image on a recording material and a drive mechanism that generates a rotational driving force are provided; a fixing section that transports the recording material while receiving the rotational driving force and fixes the image on the recording material, the fixing section being held by the apparatus body at two axial ends thereof; and a transmission mechanism that is provided at one of the two axial ends of the fixing section and is connected to the drive mechanism, the transmission mechanism transmitting the rotational driving force from the drive mechanism to the fixing section. When a pulling force is applied to a recording material that is present in the fixing section, the drive mechanism and the transmission mechanism are disconnected from each other.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a heating rotatable body; a rotatable endless belt having inner and outer peripheral surfaces; and a presser component having first and second presser portions and a recess. The first presser portion is provided within the inner peripheral surface and presses the outer peripheral surface onto the rotatable body to form a fixation nip, through which a recording medium passes, between the endless belt and the rotatable body. The second presser portion guides the recording medium by pressing the endless belt toward the rotatable body at an upstream side of the fixation nip in a recording-medium transport direction to bring the recording medium into contact with the rotatable body at the upstream side of the fixation nip. The recess is spaced apart from the endless belt and is located upstream of the first presser portion and downstream of the second presser portion in the transport direction.

Abstract: A unit mounting and dismounting mechanism includes a unit mountable in and dismountable from an apparatus body, an engaging portion provided in one of the apparatus body and the unit, a pressing member provided in the other of the apparatus body and the unit, the pressing member engaging with the engaging portion and pressing the unit against the apparatus body with a biasing force of a biasing member in a mounting direction of the unit when the unit is mounted in the apparatus body, and a release member provided in the unit, the release member being operated in a direction different from a dismounting direction of the unit from the apparatus body so as to move the pressing member against the biasing force of the biasing member in a direction to release pressing.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a heating rotating body that heats a developer image formed on a recording medium, a pressurizing rotating body that pressurizes the recording medium by nipping the recording medium between the pressurizing rotating body and the heating rotating body, a pair of support plates that rotatably support both ends of one of the pressurizing rotating body and the heating rotating body, and a release member including an attachment portion attached to the support plates to hold the support plates from both sides in a thickness direction, and an operating portion. When an external force in a predetermined direction acts on the operating portion, the release member releases pressing of the one of the pressurizing rotating body and the heating rotating body against the other by moving the support plates in a direction away from the other.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a cylindrical rotating member rotating in a circumferential direction thereof and having a slot at an end thereof and a protruding section extending along an edge of the slot at a front side in a rotational direction of the rotating member, the rotating member receiving a rotational driving force via the slot; a pressing member pressing a recording medium bearing an unfixed toner image on a surface thereof by nipping the recording medium together with the rotating member so as to fix the toner image onto the surface; a heat source heating the recording medium; and a driving member having an engagement section engaged with the slot and in contact with the protruding section at a position separated from a peripheral wall of the cylinder by a certain distance, the driving member imparting the rotational driving force to the rotating member via the engagement section.

Abstract: To prevent defective molding, a base member is set between split molds of a metal mold, a molding rubber material is injected into an endless shape cavity defined between the base member and the split mold, an injection amount thereof is made such that the molding rubber material fills the cavity and thereafter flows from an air vent hole open to a confluence position in the cavity into a surplus material reservoir provided downstream but does not fill the surplus material reservoir, pressure drop due to flow resistance is caused to the molding rubber material flowing into the surplus material reservoir, and thereby pressure in the cavity is maintained to be not lower than pressure required to mold a gasket and lower than pressure causing leakage from the cavity.

Abstract: The invention provides a plate-integrated gasket which can reduce a width necessary for installing seal members provided in a plurality of plates which are laminated on each other, and can achieve an improvement of productivity. In order to achieve this purpose, in the plate-integrated gasket, one plate and the other plate are laminated on each other, an outer peripheral surface of the one plate is fitted or loosely fitted to a stepped surface which is formed in the other plate, and a seal member made of an elastic material having a rubber-like elasticity is integrally formed astride both of the one plate and the other plate, and has a fixed portion filled in a seal fixing groove which is formed between the one plate and the other plate.

Abstract: To effectively prevent deformation of an MEA and shift of GDLs, first GDLs, second GDLs, and separators are layered in order at both sides of the MEA in the thickness direction thereof, the gaskets which sandwich an end portion of the MEA outside the first GDLs and the second GDLs are made from rubber or a synthetic resin material having rubber-like elasticity and integrally provided on the separators respectively, the first GDLs have end portions which are formed so as to protrude beyond outer peripheries of the second GDLs, and the gaskets have support step portions which can position and support the end portions of the first GDLs at the same height as the support height by the second GDLs.

Abstract: A fuel cell seal structure includes a GDL which is formed by a porous body and a gasket which is integrally formed with a peripheral edge of a GDL. The GDL includes a rubber impregnation portion and an impregnation stopping portion. The gasket is integrally formed with a gasket body portion having a thickness dimension larger than a thickness dimension of the GDL and an overlap portion overlapping with the GDL in a plane other than a portion impregnated by the GDL. The rubber impregnation portion of the GDL includes an inner portion which is provided between the impregnation stopping portion and an outer portion overlapping with the overlap portion of the gasket in a plane so as not to overlap with the gasket in a plane.

Abstract: A printing apparatus configured to perform printing by supplying an ink from a main tank to a sub tank and ejecting the ink in the sub tank from a printing head is allowed to execute an agitating operation to appropriately eliminate sedimentation of a pigment component without being complicated in structure and increased in cost. The printing apparatus includes a diaphragm provided in an ink supply path, and a driving mechanism for driving the diaphragm to thereby change an internal volume thereof. In the ink supply path, a resistance value of a flow path from the diaphragm to the printing head is set greater than that of a flow path from the diaphragm to the sub tank. The diaphragm is driven to generate bidirectional ink flow between the diaphragm and the sub tank to eliminate pigment component sedimentation at a bottom of the sub tank.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a heating rotatable body; a rotatable endless belt having inner and outer peripheral surfaces; and a presser component having first and second presser portions and a recess. The first presser portion is provided within the inner peripheral surface and presses the outer peripheral surface onto the rotatable body to form a fixation nip, through which a recording medium passes, between the endless belt and the rotatable body. The second presser portion guides the recording medium by pressing the endless belt toward the rotatable body at an upstream side of the fixation nip in a recording-medium transport direction to bring the recording medium into contact with the rotatable body at the upstream side of the fixation nip. The recess is spaced apart from the endless belt and is located upstream of the first presser portion and downstream of the second presser portion in the transport direction.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a rotatable body; a rotatable endless belt having inner and outer peripheral surfaces; a first presser portion within the inner peripheral surface and pressing the outer peripheral surface onto the rotatable body to form a first nip, through which a recording medium passes, between the endless belt and the rotatable body; and a second presser portion within the inner peripheral surface and pressing the outer peripheral surface onto the rotatable body to form a second nip through which the recording medium passes. The first nip decreases in length in a recording-medium transport direction from a central area toward opposite ends in an axial direction. The second nip increases in length in the transport direction from a central area toward opposite ends in the axial direction, and has an upstream edge, in the transport direction, whose central area protrudes upstream relative to the opposite ends.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus body in which an image forming section that forms an image on a recording material and a drive mechanism that generates a rotational driving force are provided; a fixing section that transports the recording material while receiving the rotational driving force and fixes the image on the recording material, the fixing section being held by the apparatus body at two axial ends thereof; and a transmission mechanism that is provided at one of the two axial ends of the fixing section and is connected to the drive mechanism, the transmission mechanism transmitting the rotational driving force from the drive mechanism to the fixing section. When a pulling force is applied to a recording material that is present in the fixing section, the drive mechanism and the transmission mechanism are disconnected from each other.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a cylindrical rotating member rotating in a circumferential direction thereof and having a slot at an end thereof and a protruding section extending along an edge of the slot at a front side in a rotational direction of the rotating member, the rotating member receiving a rotational driving force via the slot; a pressing member pressing a recording medium bearing an unfixed toner image on a surface thereof by nipping the recording medium together with the rotating member so as to fix the toner image onto the surface; a heat source heating the recording medium; and a driving member having an engagement section engaged with the slot and in contact with the protruding section at a position separated from a peripheral wall of the cylinder by a certain distance, the driving member imparting the rotational driving force to the rotating member via the engagement section.

Abstract: Provided are a method and a device for efficiently decomposing gas hydrate pellets and extracting gas. That is, provided is a method for decomposing gas hydrate characterized by supplying gas hydrate pellets to a decomposition vessel, damming and gathering densely the pellets on a downstream side in the decomposition vessel, and passing hot water through this pellet layer which is in a densely gathered state, to thereby decompose the pellets into water and gas.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a rotatable fixing roller, an endless fixing belt, a pressing unit having first and second pressing members that press a surface of the fixing belt against the fixing roller, a fixed support member that supports the fixing roller rotatably, a movable support member that supports the first pressing member in a fixed state and supports the second pressing member such as to be movable closer to and away from the fixing roller, a first pressure spring that presses the movable support member closer to the fixing roller, a second pressure spring that presses the second pressing member closer to the fixing roller, and a switch mechanism that switches between a first state in which the first and second pressing members are pressed against the fixing roller and a second state in which only the second pressing member is pressed against the fixing roller.

Abstract: The present invention provides an inkjet printing apparatus capable of achieving thorough stirring by producing a flow in a main tank and a sub tank. The inkjet printing apparatus includes a printing head, a main tank, and a sub tank. The apparatus includes an ink reservoir unit formed of a flexible member, disposed between the sub tank and the printing head. The ink is supplied from the sub tank to the printing head by increasing the volume of the ink reservoir unit, and air in the sub tank is sent to the main tank by reducing the volume of the ink reservoir unit.

Abstract: In order to inexpensively provide gaskets which have good sealing performance, and which fulfill various applications by simply stamping out sheet-like gaskets in accordance with specifications, a gasket is obtained by integrally forming, with a sheet-like base material, a gasket part made of a rubber-like elastic material on at least one surface of the base material, said gasket part being composed of continuous protrusions provided with a fixed pattern. The sheet-like gasket parts produced in this manner are capable of inexpensively providing gaskets which fulfill various applications by simply stamping out the sheet-like gasket parts in accordance with various specifications.

Abstract: In a method for producing a molded gasket having a surface treated layer on one surface of a substrate and integrally formed with a gasket body constructed by a rubber-like elastic body on the other surface, a first step of integrally molding the gasket body on the substrate, a second step of temporarily placing the molded piece on a placement stand, and a third step of removing a burr portion from a production portion by punching the molded piece are sequentially executed. For preventing foreign material attachment, pollution and scratching, the first step integrally forms a projecting leg portion constructed by a rubber-like elastic body at a position corresponding to the burr portion in the molded piece, the second step brings the molded piece into contact with the placement stand by the leg portion, and the third step removes the leg portion as a part of the burr portion.

Abstract: A gasification apparatus is provided which enables gas hydrate pellets to be transported and gasified in the same vessel and enables a gas to be generated by pellet decomposition in a controlled amount. The apparatus is free from bridging. The apparatus includes a heat-in-saluted vessel main body and, disposed therein, a tubular structure which is open at the top and bottom. This tubular structure holds therein gas hydrate pellets obtained by compression-molding a gas hydrate produced by the hydration reaction of a raw-material gas with raw-material water. The tubular structure becomes wider in diameter from the upper opening toward the lower opening. A channel for passing a heat carrier therethrough has been disposed between the lower end of the tubular structure and the inner bottom surface of the vessel main body.