Abstract: A fixing apparatus to fix unfixed toner carried on a surface of a recording medium by attaching a fixing solution capable of softening toner onto the unfixed toner is provided. The fixing apparatus includes a sprayer to spray the fixing solution; a fixing solution charging part to charge the fixing solution; a first electrode to rotate and provided on a same side of the recording medium as the surface carrying the unfixed toner; a second electrode provided on an opposite side of the recording medium to the surface carrying the unfixed toner; and a voltage applying part to generate an electric field between the first electrode and the second electrode so that the fixing solution sprayed by the sprayer and charged by the fixing solution charging part moves toward the second electrode.

Abstract: A temperature control unit that maintains a temperature of a fixing liquid includes a container, some or all of which is formed of a heat conservation member, configured to store the fixing liquid that dissolves or causes a toner to swell, a heater provided to an image forming apparatus for heating the container through the heat conservation member, a temperature sensor for detecting a temperature of the fixing liquid in the container, a controller for controlling an amount of heat that is transferred from the heater to the heat conservation member of the container based on a detection result provided by the temperature sensor, and a fixing liquid applicator for supplying the fixing liquid in the container to a toner on a recording medium so as to fix the toner onto the recording medium. The image forming apparatus includes the temperature control unit.

Abstract: A lubricant supplier, installable in a process cartridge or an image forming apparatus, includes a ridge line extending crosswise to a longitudinal axis of the image forming member and contacting the surface of the image forming member at a non-perpendicular angle to the longitudinal axis of the image forming member, a first face opposed to the image forming member and located upstream from a contact portion of the ridge line and the surface of the image forming member in a direction of movement of the surface of the image forming member, and a second face opposed to the image forming member and located downstream from the contact portion in the direction of movement of the surface of the image forming member. The first face and the second face intersect at the ridge line and form an obtuse angle therebetween.

Abstract: The invention aims at providing a container for refill that enables transfer of the contents with one action and successfully secure the self-supporting property of the container for allowing the safe transfer. The opening portion (2A) of body (2) of a cup-shaped container is provided internally with a hopper (3) tapering toward the opening portion (2A). Ribs (12) are integrally provided between the outside of the hopper (3) and the inside of a ring (3A) and arranged circumferentially at predetermined intervals. Height H from the top surface of the rib (12) to the opening (3C) of hopper (3) is approximately a quarter or more of diameter ? of the opening (3C) of hopper (3).

Abstract: A disclosed fixing device fixes unfixed toner onto a recording sheet with the use of toner fixing liquid including a softening agent for softening toner. The fixing device includes a sprayer configured to spray the toner fixing liquid as liquid droplets and a liquid droplet charging unit configured to apply an electric charge to the sprayed liquid droplets. The sprayer sprays the liquid droplets onto the unfixed toner placed on the recording sheet. The liquid droplet charging unit applies, to the sprayed liquid droplets, an electric charge of an electric charge polarity that is the same as that of the unfixed toner.

Abstract: A blade of a cleaning device includes two surfaces: an upstream side surface and a downstream side surface. The two surfaces adjoin each other with respect to a contact edge of the blade. The upstream side surface has a longer dimension in the direction orthogonal to the contact edge than that of the downstream side surface. A horizontal portion of a blade holder that restricts a warp in the blade is bonded on an opposed surface to the upstream side surface of the blade. The blade is held via the horizontal portion with a vertical portion of the blade holder supported by the main body of the cleaning device in a downstream of a normal line to a contact point on a photoconductor surface in contact with the contact edge, in the photoconductor-surface moving direction.

Abstract: A replacement unit having a toner bottle and a fixing liquid bottle integrated with each other is attached to a printer main body (image forming apparatus main body). Toner particles accommodated in the toner bottle are allowed to be supplied to a development device of the image forming apparatus main body. A sheet member (sealing unit) of a liquid supplying port of the fixing liquid bottle is broken by an insertion pin provided in the printer main body in synchronization with the attachment of the replacement unit to the printer main body. A toner fixing liquid including a softening agent for softening the toner particles and a solvent for dissolving or dispersing the softening agent is supplied from the fixing liquid bottle to a fixing liquid storage of a fixing device of the printer main body.

Abstract: A fixing apparatus to fix unfixed toner carried on a surface of a recording medium by attaching a fixing solution capable of softening toner onto the unfixed toner is provided. The fixing apparatus includes a sprayer to spray the fixing solution; a fixing solution charging part to charge the fixing solution; a first electrode to rotate and provided on a same side of the recording medium as the surface carrying the unfixed toner; a second electrode provided on an opposite side of the recording medium to the surface carrying the unfixed toner; and a voltage applying part to generate an electric field between the first electrode and the second electrode so that the fixing solution sprayed by the sprayer and charged by the fixing solution charging part moves toward the second electrode.

Abstract: A cleaning device including a cleaning blade configured to clean a surface of a cleaning target that is moving. A leading edge which is formed between lower and leading surfaces of the cleaning blade is obtuse-angled with respect to the lower surface and is in contact with the surface of the cleaning target during use. The leading surface of the cleaning blade is curved outward when the cleaning blade is not in contact with the cleaning target.

Abstract: A temperature control unit that maintains a temperature of a fixing liquid includes a container, some or all of which is formed of a heat conservation member, configured to store the fixing liquid that dissolves or causes a toner to swell, a heater provided to an image forming apparatus for heating the container through the heat conservation member, a temperature sensor for detecting a temperature of the fixing liquid in the container, a controller for controlling an amount of heat that is transferred from the heater to the heat conservation member of the container based on a detection result provided by the temperature sensor, and a fixing liquid applicator for supplying the fixing liquid in the container to a toner on a recording medium so as to fix the toner onto the recording medium. The image forming apparatus includes the temperature control unit.

Abstract: A replacement unit having a toner bottle and a fixing liquid bottle integrated with each other is attached to a printer main body (image forming apparatus main body). Toner particles accommodated in the toner bottle are allowed to be supplied to a development device of the image forming apparatus main body. A sheet member (sealing unit) of a liquid supplying port of the fixing liquid bottle is broken by an insertion pin provided in the printer main body in synchronization with the attachment of the replacement unit to the printer main body. A toner fixing liquid including a softening agent for softening the toner particles and a solvent for dissolving or dispersing the softening agent is supplied from the fixing liquid bottle to a fixing liquid storage of a fixing device of the printer main body.

Abstract: A lubricant supplier, installable in a process cartridge or an image forming apparatus, includes a ridge line extending crosswise to a longitudinal axis of the image forming member and contacting the surface of the image forming member at a non-perpendicular angle to the longitudinal axis of the image forming member, a first face opposed to the image forming member and located upstream from a contact portion of the ridge line and the surface of the image forming member in a direction of movement of the surface of the image forming member, and a second face opposed to the image forming member and located downstream from the contact portion in the direction of movement of the surface of the image forming member. The first face and the second face intersect at the ridge line and form an obtuse angle therebetween.

Abstract: A disclosed fixing device fixes unfixed toner onto a recording sheet with the use of toner fixing liquid including a softening agent for softening toner. The fixing device includes a sprayer configured to spray the toner fixing liquid as liquid droplets and an electrode configured to apply an electric charge to the sprayed liquid droplets. The sprayer sprays the liquid droplets onto the unfixed toner placed on the recording sheet. The electrode applies, to the sprayed liquid droplets, an electric charge of an electric charge polarity opposite to that of the unfixed toner.

Abstract: A blade of a cleaning device includes two surfaces: an upstream side surface and a downstream side surface. The two surfaces adjoin each other with respect to a contact edge of the blade. The upstream side surface has a longer dimension in the direction orthogonal to the contact edge than that of the downstream side surface. A horizontal portion of a blade holder that restricts a warp in the blade is bonded on an opposed surface to the upstream side surface of the blade. The blade is held via the horizontal portion with a vertical portion of the blade holder supported by the main body of the cleaning device in a downstream of a normal line to a contact point on a photoconductor surface in contact with the contact edge, in the photoconductor-surface moving direction.

Abstract: A contactless IC card having an antenna, a transmit/receive circuit for recovering data (clock) and electric power from a carrier signal received by the antenna, a logic circuit operated with the electric power supplied thereto from the transmit/receive circuit, and a memory. The transmit/receive circuit has a rectifier circuit for outputting data (clock) and rectifier circuits for electric power in such a manner that the carrier signal is inputted to each of the rectifier circuit for outputting data (clock) and the rectifier circuit for electric power. With this configuration, high frequency matching can be optimized separately for the rectifier circuit for outputting data (clock) and the rectifier circuit for electric power. It is also possible to separately optimize adjustments to a voltage of recovered data (clock) and a recovered supply voltage.

Abstract: A contactless IC card having an antenna, a transmit/receive circuit for recovering data (clock) and electric power from a carrier signal received by the antenna, a logic circuit operated with the electric power supplied thereto from the transmit/receive circuit, and a memory. The transmit/receive circuit has a rectifier circuit for outputting data (clock) and rectifier circuits for electric power in such a manner that the carrier signal is inputted to each of the rectifier circuit for outputting data (clock) and the rectifier circuit for electric power. With this configuration, high frequency matching can be optimized separately for the rectifier circuit for outputting data (clock) and the rectifier circuit for electric power. It is also possible to separately optimize adjustments to a voltage of recovered data (clock) and a recovered supply voltage.

Abstract: A contactless IC card having an antenna, a transmit/receive circuit for recovering data (clock) and electric power from a carrier signal received by the antenna, a logic circuit operated with the electric power supplied thereto from the transmit/receive circuit, and a memory. The transmit/receive circuit has a rectifier circuit for outputting data (clock) and rectifier circuits for electric power in such a manner that the carrier signal is inputted to each of the rectifier circuit for outputting data (clock) and the rectifier circuit for electric power. With this configuration, high frequency matching can be optimized separately for the rectifier circuit for outputting data (clock) and the rectifier circuit for electric power. It is also possible to separately optimize adjustments to a voltage of recovered data (clock) and a recovered supply voltage.

Abstract: A discharge lamp comprising an arc tube containing a pair of electrodes in a light-emitting portion and an outer tube that envelops the light-emitting portion and is at least partly fused to the arc tube, wherein the outer tube comprises silicon dioxide in the range from 90 to 99.88 wt. % and boron in the range from 0.12 wt. % or more. The discharge lamp can inhibit the arc tube from deforming when the outer tube and arc tube are fused to each other by adjusting a softening temperature of the outer tube to an appropriate temperature and can realize a high accuracy of luminous intensity distribution.

Abstract: A lamp comprises a glass substrate and a shading film. The shading film is formed by applying a greensheet comprising an inorganic pigment and an inorganic matrix compound to a surface of the glass substrate and then, firing the greensheet. The formed shading film has a portion whose thickness is 90% or more of the maximum thickness of the shading film within the range of 0.5 mm from an edge of the shading film.

Abstract: A discharge lamp for an automobile headlight has a light color that lies in a region common to the following three regions: a region bounded by an ellipse with a color point (u, v)=(0.224, 0.331) as a center thereof, a major axis of 0.080, a minor axis of 0.024, and an angle from a u axis of 35 degrees in the CIE 1960 UCS diagram; a region bounded by an ellipse with a color point (u, v)=(0.220, 0.332) as a center thereof, a major axis of 0.060, a minor axis of 0.022, and an angle from a u axis of 15 degrees in the CIE 1960 UCS diagram; and a region bounded by an ellipse with a color point (u, v)=(0.235, 0.335) as a center thereof, a major axis of 0.060, a minor axis of 0.030, and an angle from a u axis of 30 degrees in the CIE 1960 UCS diagram.