Abstract: A sheet feeder, which is included in an image forming apparatus, includes a sheet loader, an air blowing device, a regulator, a sheet attracting device, and a sheet conveying body. The sheet loader loads a sheet bundle including a sheet and a subsequent sheet placed below the sheet. The air blowing device blows air and lifts the sheet over the sheet bundle. The regulator regulates movement of the subsequent sheet, and includes an opposing portion located upper end and separated from the sheet loader toward the downstream side of the sheet conveying direction and an inclined portion upwardly inclined relative to a vertical axis from a same position as the sheet loader to the downstream side of the sheet conveying direction. The sheet attracting device attracts the sheet lifted over the sheet bundle. The sheet conveying body conveys the sheet in a sheet conveying direction.

Abstract: A sheet feeder, which is included in an image forming apparatus, includes a sheet loader, an air blowing device, a regulator, a sheet attracting device, and a sheet conveying body. The sheet loader loads a sheet bundle including a sheet and a subsequent sheet placed below the sheet. The air blowing device blows air and lifts the sheet over the sheet bundle. The regulator regulates movement of the subsequent sheet, and includes an opposing portion located upper end and separated from the sheet loader toward the downstream side of the sheet conveying direction and an inclined portion upwardly inclined relative to a vertical axis from a same position as the sheet loader to the downstream side of the sheet conveying direction. The sheet attracting device attracts the sheet lifted over the sheet bundle. The sheet conveying body conveys the sheet in a sheet conveying direction.

Abstract: A sheet separating device includes: a lifting nozzle configured to blow air against an end portion of a sheet bundle placed on a sheet loading portion to lift sheets; a separating nozzle configured to separate the sheets; a lifting-nozzle shutter member configured to open and close the lifting nozzle; a separating-nozzle shutter member configured to open and close the separating nozzle; a lifting-shutter driving mechanism configured to drive the lifting-nozzle shutter member; a separating-shutter driving mechanism configured to drive the separating-nozzle shutter member; and an open/close control unit configured to control the lifting-shutter driving mechanism and the separating-shutter driving mechanism such that the lifting-nozzle shutter member and the separating-nozzle shutter member are opened or closed simultaneously.

Abstract: There is provided a method for measuring a laminated iron core. The method includes preparing a laminated iron core in which two or more kinds of metal plates with different shapes are laminated and a deformed part is formed inside a hole continuing in a lamination direction of the laminated iron core, acquiring a surface profile data indicating a surface shape of the deformed part through an inlet of the hole by a non-contact sensor located in an outside of the hole, and calculating a size of the deformed part by a calculator based on the surface profile data.

Abstract: A paper feeding apparatus includes: a sheet loading unit for loading a bundle of sheets; a separation unit that separates a topmost sheet of the bundle of sheets loaded on the sheet loading unit, from the bundle of sheets; a conveyance unit that conveys the separated topmost sheet; an end fence that is movable in a sheet conveyance direction, abuts trailing ends in the sheet conveyance direction, and positions the bundle of sheets in the sheet conveyance direction; and a pressing unit that is provided in such a manner as to protrude from the end fence, and is able to press the trailing ends in the sheet conveyance direction of at least an upper part of the bundle of sheets, wherein the pressing unit has different pressing forces at an upper and a lower portion thereof, and has the lower pressing force stronger than the upper pressing force.

Abstract: Provided are a floating restricting member restricting the floating position of a bundle of sheets; and a holding mechanism holding the floating restricting member relative to a side fence. The floating restricting member includes a sheet contact section being brought into contact with the sheets from above; and a sheet-floating restricting section restricting the floating position of the floating sheet that is floated while air is blown thereto. The holding mechanism sets the floating restricting member in the initial state where the sheet-floating restricting section restricts the floating position of the sheet, in the sheet-placing time retracted state where the sheets are pushed against the sheet contact section so that the floating restricting member is retracted, and in the sheet-ejecting time retracted state where, when the sheets are to be removed, the sheet is pushed against the sheet contact section from below so that the floating restricting member is retracted.

Abstract: A copolymer comprising structural units derived from a monomer represented by formula (1) and structural units derived from another monomer (A). (In formula (1), ring Z1 represents a C3-10 ring structure optionally having an oxygen atom at any position formed together with two carbon atoms on ?-butyrolactone. R1 represents a hydrogen atom or C1-10 alkyl group.

Abstract: A sheet feeder, which is included in an image forming apparatus and an image forming system, includes a sheet loader on which a sheet bundle is loaded, an air blower to blow air to the sheet bundle loaded on the sheet loader and float upper sheets of the sheet bundle, a loader elevation device to lift and lower the sheet loader, a reflective optical detector including a first reflective optical detector to detect the upper sheets floated by the air blower and a second reflective optical detector to detect multiple floating sheets located below the floating sheets detected by the first reflective optical detector, and a controller configured to control the loader elevation device to perform a lifting operation of the sheet loader based on a combination of an output value of the first reflective optical detector and an output value of the second reflective optical detector.

Abstract: A paper feeding apparatus includes: a sheet loading unit for loading a bundle of sheets; a separation unit that separates a topmost sheet of the bundle of sheets loaded on the sheet loading unit, from the bundle of sheets; a conveyance unit that conveys the separated topmost sheet; an end fence that is movable in a sheet conveyance direction, abuts trailing ends in the sheet conveyance direction, and positions the bundle of sheets in the sheet conveyance direction; and a pressing unit that is provided in such a manner as to protrude from the end fence, and is able to press the trailing ends in the sheet conveyance direction of at least an upper part of the bundle of sheets, wherein the pressing unit has different pressing forces at an upper and a lower portion thereof, and has the lower pressing force stronger than the upper pressing force.

Abstract: A sheet discharging device includes a shift tray 202 on which a sheet P1 is stacked, a discharging roller 6 that discharges a sheet P2 onto the shift tray 202, a blowing device 230 that sends air to a lower surface of the sheet P2 discharged by the discharging roller 6, a blocking member 231 that blocks air sent to the lower surface of the sheet P2 from a blowing port 230-2 of the blowing device 230, and a control unit that controls the blocking amount of the blocking member 231. The blocking amount is determined based upon sheet information including sheet-type information, sheet-size information, and sheet-thickness information, for example.

Abstract: A paper feeding apparatus includes: a sheet loading unit for loading a bundle of sheets; a separation unit that separates a topmost sheet of the bundle of sheets loaded on the sheet loading unit, from the bundle of sheets; a conveyance unit that conveys the separated topmost sheet; an end fence that is movable in a sheet conveyance direction, abuts trailing ends in the sheet conveyance direction, and positions the bundle of sheets in the sheet conveyance direction; and a pressing unit that is provided in such a manner as to protrude from the end fence, and is able to press the trailing ends in the sheet conveyance direction of at least an upper part of the bundle of sheets, wherein the pressing unit has different pressing forces at an upper and a lower portion thereof, and has the lower pressing force stronger than the upper pressing force.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to a method of manufacturing a laminated core. The manufacturing method includes the steps of feeding a belt-like core material to a progressive die, stamping out core pieces having a first shape from the core material, stacking more than one of the core pieces having the first shape to obtain a first laminate block, stamping out core pieces having a second shape from the core material, stacking more than one of the core pieces having the second shape to obtain a second laminate block, discharging a laminate including the first laminate block and the second laminate block from the progressive die, changing the lamination order of the laminate blocks constituting the laminate, and integrating the laminate after the lamination order of the laminate blocks are changed.

Abstract: Provided are a break-resistant copolymer having high transparency and heat resistance and also having a high tensile strain at break, and a molded article. A copolymer contains 80% by mass to 98% by mass of structural units derived from a methacrylic ester monomer and 2% to 10% by mass of ester structural units derived from a cyclic ketene acetal monomer. The copolymer has a weight average molecular weight of 80,000 or more and a molecular weight distribution of 1.75 to 3.80.

Abstract: A sheet material conveying device includes: a sheet material housing unit; a sheet material conveying unit that conveys each sheet material to a predetermined conveyance target position; a separating/feeding unit that separates a sheet material from sheet materials in the sheet material housing unit and conveys the separated sheet material alone to the sheet material conveying unit; a multi-feed detecting unit that detects whether multi-feed occurs in which a plurality of sheet materials are fed from the separating/feeding unit to the sheet material conveying unit; and an internal sheet material detecting unit that detects presence of the sheet material in the sheet material conveying unit. The sheet material conveying device performs multi-feed failure detection control for detecting whether a failure occurs in the multi-feed detecting unit before notification of a detection result of the internal sheet material detecting unit.

Abstract: A paper sheet conveyance device includes a plurality of conveyance members and conveys a paper sheet while performing temporary stop of conveying and then restart of conveying. Two paper sheets sequential in a conveyance direction stop together in a state of the temporary stop, driving a first transfer member to which a preceding first paper sheet that is one of the two paper sheets is opposed and a second conveyance member to which a following second paper sheet that is the other paper sheet is opposed is stopped and restarted synchronously for the temporary stop and the restart. A stop position information acquisition unit acquires information on a position on the conveyance path at which the second paper sheet stops in the state of the temporary stop, and a timing for stopping the conveying after the conveying is restarted is controlled according to the acquired information.

Abstract: There are provided a plurality of slide rails that are attached to a sheet feeding device; a box-shaped pullout unit that is movable toward an image forming unit on the slide rails; a slide unit and an extended tray that are arranged in the front and back positions in a direction in which the pullout unit moves; a slide bottom plate that is movable up and down by a loading unit and that is slidable on the pullout unit in a horizontal direction; a front-edge sheet positioning unit that raises up when the slide bottom plate is pulled out in a horizontal direction and that falls down when the slide bottom plate is pushed in a horizontal direction; and a connection unit that connects to a handle for pulling out the pullout unit in a horizontal direction when the slide bottom plate is located at a lowest point.

Abstract: Provided is an acrylic acid ester derivative which, when used as a constituent unit of a polymer which is included in a photoresist composition for a semiconductor, exhibits excellent lithography characteristics such as LWR and the like. Specifically, provided is an acrylic acid ester derivative represented by the following general formula (1). Furthermore, provided are an intermediate of the acrylic acid ester derivative and a process for producing the same; a polymer containing the acrylic acid ester derivative as a constituent unit; and a photoresist composition for a semiconductor containing the polymer. wherein, R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R7, R8, R9, R10, R11, R12, R13, m, x, and y are as defined in the text of Description.

Abstract: A sheet discharging device includes a shift tray 202 on which a sheet P1 is stacked, a discharging roller 6 that discharges a sheet P2 onto the shift tray 202, a blowing device 230 that sends air to a lower surface of the sheet P2 discharged by the discharging roller 6, a blocking member 231 that blocks air sent to the lower surface of the sheet P2 from a blowing port 230-2 of the blowing device 230, and a control unit that controls the blocking amount of the blocking member 231. The blocking amount is determined based upon sheet information including sheet-type information, sheet-size information, and sheet-thickness information, for example.

Abstract: A sheet feeding device includes: a sheet feeding tray attached to a casing in a manner slidable into and out from the casing and including a stacking plate on which sheets are stacked; a conveying unit configured to convey the sheets in a direction orthogonal to both a sliding direction of the sheet feeding tray and a stacking direction of the sheets; an optional extension unit configured to be removably attached to an upstream side of the stacking plate in a conveying direction, and including an extension plate configured to extend the stacking plate; and a first locking unit configured to be capable of being held in a first lock position where the sheet feeding tray cannot be slide when the optional extension unit is attached while, when the optional extension unit is removed, held in a first unlock position where the sheet feeding tray can be slid.

Abstract: A sheet feeding device includes: a sheet stacking member; an air blowing unit configured to blow air onto the sheet bundle placed on the sheet stacking member to suspend multiple sheets of the sheet bundle; a lifting/lowering unit configured to lift/lower the sheet stacking member; an optical reflection sensor configured to detect a suspended sheet suspended by the air blowing unit; and a control unit configured to control the lifting/lowering unit based on an output value of the optical reflection sensor. The optical reflection sensor is configured to be capable of detecting an area corresponding to multiple sheets in a sheet suspension zone extending between a non-suspended sheet bundle and a conveying member configured to convey an uppermost sheet of the multiple suspended sheets. The non-suspended sheet bundle is made up of sheets not suspended during a period when air is blown by the air blowing unit.