Abstract: In designing integrated circuits such as FPGAs, a design support environment including the quality of design data is improved and the design efficiency is improved. An integrated-circuit design support apparatus that supports designing of an integrated circuit having a plurality of pins is provided. The apparatus includes a processor (a central processing unit) that forms a pin layout matrix (a matrix sheet) by unifying pin layout information of the integrated circuit using a common format and arranging the pin layout information in coordinates. The processor creates an integrated-circuit design library from the pin layout matrix.

Abstract: The present invention provides an image forming apparatus main body for forming an image on a recording medium using consumable items removably attached thereto by at least two operation modes. The image forming apparatus main body comprises a communicating unit that communicates with a consumable item which retains switching information to change the operation mode of the image forming apparatus main body and a controller that switches among the operation modes according to the switching information retained in the consumable item when the consumable item is attached to the image forming apparatus main body, and restores the previous operation mode before switching when a predetermined validity condition has fulfilled.

Abstract: An image-forming apparatus in which a replacement part is loaded includes a discrimination unit that discriminates whether or not identification data registered in the loaded replacement part correspond to either inherent data or group data registered in the image-forming apparatus; a determination unit that, when no correspondence is found in the discrimination unit, determines in accordance with a registration condition whether or not a value of the identification data is registered as the group data; and an establishment unit that establishes approval or disapproval of use of the loaded replacement part on the basis of a result of discrimination performed in the discrimination unit or determination performed in the determination unit.

Abstract: An inputting device which includes an image input section for inputting an image of a containing areas in which information to be inputted is filled in and patterns representing at least reference positions to define the positions of corresponding areas and size information of corresponding areas; a memory section for storing the image of the input by the image input section; a pattern recognizing section for detecting the reference positions from the patterns in the image which is stored in the memory section and recognizing size information of the areas; an area specifying section for specifying the positions of the areas from the reference positions detected by the pattern recognizing section and the size information of the areas; and an area inputting section for inputting images in the areas defined by the area specifying section.

Abstract: A semiconductor device includes: a SOI substrate having a SOI layer, a buried oxide layer and a support substrate; multiple first separation trenches on the SOI layer; multiple MOS transistors, each of which is surrounded with one first separation trench; a second separation trench on the SOI layer including n-ply field trenches; and multiple field regions such that a k-th field region is surrounded with a k-th field trench. One MOS transistor is disposed in each field region. The MOS transistors are connected in series. The first MOS transistor has a gate terminal as an input terminal. The n-th MOS transistor is connected to the power source potential through an output resistor. The n-th field region has an electric potential, which is fixed to the power source potential.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a main body, a main body storing portion provided at the main body, a unit attachable to the main body, a unit storing portion provided at the unit, a reading section to read first information in the unit storing portion to the main body storing portion, an updating section to update second information in the main body storing portion, a writing section to write the second information to the unit storing portion, and a determining section to determine whether the second information can be written to the unit storing portion based on the first information and the second information before writing the second information to the unit storing portion.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus of the present invention includes: a background density distribution estimating part 12 that estimates density distribution of background pixels; an area density distribution estimating part 13 that estimates density distribution in each of areas into which an input image is divided; an entry existence judging part 14 that judges the existence or not of the entry of predetermined information based on the density distribution of the background pixels and the density distribution in the relevant area; and a judgment result output part 15 that outputs a judgment result indicating whether or not there exists the entry of the predetermined information in the area being the judgment target of the entry existence judging part 14.

Abstract: The present invention provides an image forming apparatus main body for forming an image on a recording medium using consumable items removably attached thereto by at least two operation modes. The image forming apparatus main body comprises a communicating unit that communicates with a consumable item which retains switching information to change the operation mode of the image forming apparatus main body and a controller that switches among the operation modes according to the switching information retained in the consumable item when the consumable item is attached to the image forming apparatus main body, and restores the previous operation mode before switching when a predetermined validity condition has fulfilled.

Abstract: In designing integrated circuits such as FPGAs, a design support environment including the quality of design data is improved and the design efficiency is improved. An integrated-circuit design support apparatus that supports designing of an integrated circuit having a plurality of pins is provided. The apparatus includes a processor (a central processing unit) that forms a pin layout matrix (a matrix sheet) by unifying pin layout information of the integrated circuit using a common format and arranging the pin layout information in coordinates.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus is mounted with a replacement component having a storage device and includes a processing unit that controls operation of the image forming apparatus by executing a control program and a reading/writing device that writes and reads data to and from the storage device under control of the processing unit. The processing unit generates a command with an error detection code to be transmitted to the storage device and supplies the generated command with the error detection code to the reading/writing device. The reading/writing device performs an error detecting operation on the command with the error detection code received from the processing unit, and informs the processing unit of detection of an error if detecting the error by the error detecting operation and sends the received command with the error detection code to the storage device if not detecting an error by the error detecting operation.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus has a replacement part equipped with a storage device installed therein. The apparatus has a code adding part adding an error detecting code to target data to be written in the storage device, and an encrypting part encrypting the data having the error detecting code added thereto in the code adding part, to generate encrypted data. In addition, the apparatus has a writing part writing the encrypted data to the storage device.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a main body, a main body storing portion provided at the main body, a unit attachable to the main body, a unit storing portion provided at the unit, a reading section to read first information in the unit storing portion to the main body storing portion, an updating section to update second information in the main body storing portion, a writing section to write the second information to the unit storing portion, and a determining section to determine whether the second information can be written to the unit storing portion based on the first information and the second information before writing the second information to the unit storing portion.

Abstract: Silicon-containing peroxyester compounds, for example, represented by the following formula: ##STR1## useful as a polymerization initiator, which compounds can produce vinyl chloride polymers having a high quality in a high yield and in a short reaction time.

Abstract: A water soluble water absorption preventing agent mainly comprising an organic silicon compound and/or its partial hydrolytic condensate, represented by the following general formula: ##STR1## wherein R.sup.1 denotes an alkyl group with 1-20 carbon atoms and with a linear chain or branched chain for which a halogen can substitute for part or all of the hydrogen atoms, R.sup.2 denotes a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group with 1-10 carbon atoms and with a linear chain or branched chain, R.sup.3 denotes a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group with 1-8 carbon atoms and with a linear chain or branched chain, m denotes an integer 1-2 and n denotes an integer 1-3 where m+n=3 or 4, p denotes an integer 1-50, and q denotes an integer 0-25.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an opening portion that opens toward a photosensitive body and has a stagnant portion in which discharge products produced by a discharging means stagnate. A partition member is disposed in the vicinity of an opening of the opening portion, the opening opposing a photosensitive body, the partition member preventing discharge products that fall from the stagnant portion from falling directly into contact with the photosensitive body.

Abstract: A transfer material detecting device contains a transfer material carrier that detachably carries a transfer material to transport the transfer material to a transfer region where a toner image of an image carrier is transferred to the transfer material; and transfer material sensors that are disposed in a moving path of the transfer material carrier and detect the existence of the transfer material carried by the transfer material carrier. The device contains at least two transfer material sensors arranged in a moving direction of the transfer material carrier at intervals that are shorter than the minimum size of the transfer material to be detected; and a device for outputting a transfer material detection signal when at least two of the transfer material sensors simultaneously detect the existence of the transfer material.

Abstract: A paper folding member and a jam sensor are disposed downstream of the position at which a transfer drum confronts an image carrying body and in proximity to the transfer drum. The paper folding member is a platelike member substantially assuming a right-angled triangle, and has an edge that projects more to the upstream side at a position closer to the transfer drum pulling side. When a paper jam occurs, engagement between gears for transmitting a driving force from the image carrying body to the transfer drum is released, so that the transfer drum becomes freely rotatable in its normal rotational direction. When the transfer drum is pulled, a recording sheet is gradually taken out of a cleaning device first from its portion on the side opposite to the transfer drum pulling side, and is inserted between the paper folding member and the transfer drum as the transfer drum is rotated. As a result, the recording sheet can be taken out of the apparatus without getting separated from the transfer drum.

Abstract: A diorganopolysiloxane terminated only at one of the molecular chain ends with a (meth)acryloxyalkyl group bonded to the terminal silicon atom is prepared, instead of the prior art method in which a diorganopolysiloxane obtained by the anionic ring-opening living polymerization reaction of, for example, hexamethyl cyclotrisiloxane by using a lithium catalyst is subjected to a desalinating condensation reaction with a (meth)acryloxyalkyl dimethyl chlorosilane, by a novel method in which the diorganopolysiloxane obtained by the anionic ring-opening living polymerization reaction of, for example, hexamethyl cyclotrisiloxane is hydrolyzed and the thus obtained monofunctionally silanol-terminated diorganopolysiloxane is reacted with a (meth)acryloxyalkyl dimethyl dialkylamino silane to effect a deamination reaction.