Abstract: The present invention provides a toner for electrophotography having a capsule structure including a core and a shell that covers the core, wherein the core contains a colorant, a releasing agent, an amorphous resin, and a block polymer containing a crystalline part and an amorphous part, the weight-average molecular weight of the block polymer is 10,000 or more, the weight-average molecular weight of the resin used in formation of the amorphous part of the block polymer is 1000 to 5000, and the weight-average molecular weight of the resin used in formation of the crystalline part of the block polymer is at least 2 times the weight-average molecular weight of the resin used in formation of the amorphous part of the block polymer, a method of manufacturing the same, a developer for electrophotography including the toner and a carrier, and an image forming method using the developer for electrophotography.

Abstract: An image reading device includes a memory unit for storing positional information of a sensor for moving by a drive unit to read an image of a document and a control unit for controlling the drive unit to move the sensor based on the positional information stored in the memory unit. The control unit drives the drive unit by an amount of driving sufficient for an image reading unit to move in a predetermined direction to abut the stop members, controls the drive unit to move the sensor so as to detect the position mark, and updates the positional information of the memory unit to a predetermined initial value based on the detection of the position mark by the sensor. The image reading device can store data of a reference position promptly even if a photo-interrupter is not provided when the data of the reference position is not stored in a memory unit.

Abstract: An image reading device includes a memory unit for storing positional information of a sensor for moving by a drive unit to read an image of a document and a control unit for controlling the drive unit to move the sensor based on the positional information stored in the memory unit. The control unit drives the drive unit by an amount of driving sufficient for an image reading unit to move in a predetermined direction to abut the stop members, controls the drive unit to move the sensor so as to detect the position mark, and updates the positional information of the memory unit to a predetermined initial value based on the detection of the position mark by the sensor. The image reading device can store data of a reference position promptly even if a photo-interrupter is not provided when the data of the reference position is not stored in a memory unit.

Abstract: Provided are a toner for developing an electrostatic image comprising a crystalline resin having an ester bond and at least one of a sulfide bond or a disulfide bond in the main-chain, an electrostatic image developer and an image-forming process by using the same, a method of producing the toner for developing electrostatic image, and a resin particle dispersion using the same.

Abstract: An existing printer arranged to print data from a PC (personal computer) is used as the printer unit of a facsimile apparatus. The PC uses a printer driver dedicated to an existing printer (capable of performing the same processing as the printer unit of the facsimile apparatus) as a module, serving as application software for a facsimile-apparatus control unit, for printing the data from the PC. When printing data from the PC, a command uniquely directed to the facsimile apparatus is added to the printing data generated by the PC's printer driver, and the resultant data is transmitted to the facsimile apparatus. Upon receipt of the transmitted data, the facsimile apparatus removes the added command, thus restoring the printing data generated by the printer driver, and transmits the restored data to the printer unit to perform printing.

Abstract: To provide a compact sensor device for the automatic door assembly, which can be mounted and dismounted easily to a support member and be effective to secure the safety in the doorway vicinity, a activation sensor (1) for opening a door (3) and a safety sensor (2) for keeping the door (3) open are supported in a fashion overlapped one above the other in a direction conforming to the direction in which they are secured to a support member (5).

Abstract: First and second scanning and reading systems are arranged on the both sides of the document transport path. The image reading region by the first scanning and reading system is positioned on an upstream side of an image reading region by the second scanning and reading system. The document images on the surfaces are read while illuminating with light from light sources of the scanning and reading systems the main and back surfaces of the document being transported on the document transport path. Until the document image reading by the second scanning and reading system is ended, the light amount of the light source of the first scanning and reading system is maintained constant thereby preventing the reception-light amount in the second scanning and reading system from changing.

Abstract: In accordance with the state of a document tray upon powering on a power source, the elevation operation of a document tray is controlled. In the case that the document tray is located not at the highest position, not at the lowest position, but at a middle position upon powering on the power source, the document tray is allowed to remain at the middle position as it is without performing the elevation of the document tray. In the case that the document tray is located at the highest position, the document tray is moved down. By reducing the wasteful operation (the initial operation) after powering on the power source, it is possible to reduce the operation time and the efficient sheet processing can be realized.

Abstract: A recording method is provided which enables formation of an image with high image density and low graininess. The recording is conducted by using a recording method using a first aqueous ink for higher-density recording and a second aqueous ink for lower-density recording, characterized in that the first aqueous ink comprises at least water, a water-insoluble coloring material, and plurality of water-soluble organic solvents, the plurality of water-soluble organic solvents including a good medium or good mediums for the water-insoluble coloring material and a poor medium or poor mediums for the water-insoluble coloring material, the ratio B/A in the second aqueous ink being less than the ratio B/A the first aqueous ink, where A denotes the total content (mass %) of good medium based on the total mass of the aqueous ink and B denotes the total content (mass %) of poor medium based on the total mass of the aqueous ink; and the second aqueous ink has the same hue as the first aqueous ink.

Abstract: The present invention aims to provide an ink which has a sufficiently large area factor even in a small ink droplet quantity and can obtain images having a high image density, and further has a superior storage stability. According to the present invention, a cyan ink is provided which is used in an ink set having four kinds of aqueous inks consisting of a cyan ink, a magenta ink, a yellow ink and a black ink in which each ink comprises at least water, a water-insoluble coloring material, and a plurality of water-soluble organic solvents having a good medium or good mediums for the water-insoluble coloring material and a poor medium or poor mediums for the water-insoluble coloring material, wherein, the ratio B1/A1 is from 0.5 or more to 3.

Abstract: There is disclosed a conductive resin film comprising a conductive substrate layer and a low-resistance layer with a volume resistance of 0.1 to 1.0 ?cm including a fine carbon fiber and a resin in a thickness direction on at least one of its outermost layer. This film exhibits good conductivity even with a low mixing rate of the conductive material and good acid resistance.

Abstract: Disclosed is an aqueous ink comprising at least water, a plurality of water-soluble organic solvents and a coloring material. The coloring material is a pigment, and, it contains a pigment particle having at least one ionic group bonded to a surface of the pigment particle directly or via another atomic group. The plurality of water-soluble organic solvents have a good medium or good mediums for the pigment and a poor medium or poor mediums for the pigment. The poor medium does not solvate perfectly or substantially the pigment. The ionic group undergoes perfectly or substantially no ionic dissociation in the poor medium. Also, among the respective Ka values of the plurality of water-soluble organic solvents as determined by the Bristow method, the Ka value of the poor medium is maximum.

Abstract: An aqueous ink comprises water, a water-insoluble coloring material, and plurality of water-soluble organic solvents and the plurality of water-soluble organic solvents including a good medium or good mediums for the water-insoluble coloring material and a poor medium or poor mediums for the water-insoluble coloring material. The ratio of the content of the poor medium and the content of the good medium is in a specific range. A water-soluble organic solvent showing the maximum Ka value out of respective Ka values of the plurality of water-soluble organic solvents is the poor medium. When the aqueous ink is in contact with a specific reaction liquid, the dissolution state or dispersed state of the water-insoluble coloring material in the ink is made unstable. As a result, an image which has a sufficiently large area factor even with a small amount of ink droplets and is excellent in image density, bleeding resistance, and fixability can be obtained.

Abstract: When a document detector provided on a document tray is ON (S11: YES), a controller judges whether or not a document is of a standard size, on the basis of a document size table stored in a storing unit (S12). When the document is of a standard size (S12: YES), after a predetermined time has elapsed (S13: YES), the controller elevates/lowers the document tray on the basis of a detection output of a guide-in roller position detector and causes the document tray to wait in a state capable of supplying and conveying the topmost layer of documents immediately. An image forming apparatus thus constructed can make a judgment as to whether or not to execute supply and conveyance of documents, according to the mount state of the documents.

Abstract: A membrane 12 that exhibits superior condensation resistance regardless of the type of moisture-permeable resin, that has satisfactory adhesion between a porous film and a reinforcing member, and that can be manufactured in a simple manner. The membrane 12 is a laminated article 23 containing a porous film 20 and a reinforcing member 40, and the reinforcing member 40 has a moisture-permeable resin layer 30 on the side of an interface 50 with the porous film 20. To reliably form the moisture-permeable resin layer (moisture-permeable resin film) 30, the average pore diameter of the porous film 20 is preferably 0.01 to 10 ?m, and the porosity of the reinforcing member 40 is preferably 30 to 95%. According to the membrane 12 of the present invention, even if the moisture-permeable resin is water-soluble (for example, polyvinyl alcohol), condensation resistance is still satisfactory.

Abstract: An aqueous ink, by which stable ink-jet recording can be conducted irrespective of printing environment, a substantially even image having abrasion resistance can be formed, no image soiling is caused even upon double-side printing, and a high-quality image improved in unclearness at a contour portion of the image and free from occurrence of color bleed can be provided, is provided. The aqueous ink is an aqueous ink used in a system that a reaction liquid containing at least a polyvalent metal and an aqueous ink containing at least a pigment dispersion, in which a pigment is dispersed with an anionic polymer dispersant, are used to form an image, wherein the aqueous ink satisfies specific condition.

Abstract: An electrophotographic toner having a core-shell structure including a crystalline resin in its core region or a sea-island structure including a crystalline resin in its island region, wherein the toner has 1) a resistance of 5.0×1012 ?·cm or higher, 2) a dynamic viscosity coefficient of 3×103 Pa·s or higher at a temperature which is 50° C. higher than a melting point of the crystalline resin, and 3) a dynamic viscosity coefficient of 1×105 Pa·s or lower at a temperature which is 10° C. higher than the melting point of the crystalline resin.

Abstract: In a joint structure for coupling a first component (21) to a second component (22) in a joint portion of a fluid flow passage, the second component (22) has a portion thereof inserted into the first component (21) to engage with the first component (21). The second component (22) is provided with a flange portion (26), which is disposed adjacent to a bottom surface of the first component (21) and welded or bonded to the bottom surface, so that these components (22, 21) are coupled with each other in an easy and a fluid-tight manner in a condition in which they are prevented from rotating relative to each other without using any locking pin. There is no fear that the components (22, 21) dissolve in a fluid or gaseous material passing through the fluid flow passage. The joint structure is easy in maintenance.

Abstract: In a siphon tube (1) of a reservoir, even when a front end of tube (1) is in the vicinity of the bottom of the reservoir, there is no fear that slurries are sucked by tube (1) which: reaches the bottom of the reservoir to draw a liquid contained therein out of the reservoir is characterized by a liquid-inlet opening (3) directed normal to a longitudinal axis of tube (1). Tube (1) has its front end formed into: an inverted T-shape provided with opposite end openings in a laterally extending portion thereof, each of which openings forms the liquid-inlet opening (3); or, an L-shaped curved form a front end of which forms an opening directed normal to the longitudinal axis of tube (1); or, is closed with a cap so that an opening is disposed adjacent to an upper surface of the cap to serve as the liquid-inlet opening.

Abstract: The present invention provides an image forming method for efficiently thermoelectrically transferring and fixing a toner image formed on an electrostatic latent image carrier without scattering of the toner. The image forming method comprises the steps of charging a surface of an electrostatic latent image carrier; exposing the charged surface of the electrostatic latent image carrier to a light beam using optical data corresponding to image data to form a latent image; developing the latent image formed on the surface of the electrostatic latent image carrier with a developer for electrophotography containing a toner for electrophotography to form a toner image; and thermoelectrically transferring the toner image formed on the surface of said electrostatic latent image carrier onto a surface of a recording medium and simultaneously fixing thereon. The toner for electrophotography is comprised of a crystalline polyester resin, the surface temperature of a fixing unit therein is higher by 10° C.