Abstract: The present invention relates to a portable terminal device, such as a cellular phone, which has a screen display section, such as an LCD module, in its upper part and a key manipulation section having an array of plural keys in its lower part. The portable terminal device has a removable battery and is highly protected from water especially in a battery area. There is provided a pair of inner housings, that are a backside inner housing and a front side inner housing, which form a battery compartment having an opening for battery insertion/removal. A key manipulation sheet is disposed on the front side inner housing, and the whole components are covered with a pair of outer housings.

Abstract: The present invention provides a polynucleotide cleavage agent switched on by photo-irradiation and a method of cleaving or decomposing a polynucleotide such as DNA or RNA using this agent switched on in this manner. More specifically, said polynucleotide cleavage agent switched on by photo-irradiation comprises cyclopropane or a 2,2-dihalogeno-cyclopropane ring between “A” unit and “B” unit, wherein said “A” unit is an aromatic group having an electron withdrawing property and is excited by photo-irradiation, and said “B” unit is a hydrophilic functional group. Said polynucleotide cleavage agent may further contain “C” unit which can recognize DNA sequences, and also a spacer molecule, if desired.

Abstract: A portable terminal apparatus which can be folded by having a movable portion thereof that rotatably moves with respect to a main body portion thereof in means to accommodate the increasing multiple functions of the portable terminal apparatus and to improve operability.

Abstract: An image forming device has a charger including a charging wire and a wire cleaner for cleaning the charging wire. The wire cleaner has a pair of legs, and cleaning members are provided inside the legs to be able to squeeze the charging wire between them. A stub is provided on the outside of each leg, and the wire cleaner can rotate round the stub, with the result that the cleaning members can move between a regular position in which they are placed on two sides of the charging wire and a step-aside position in which they are farther from the charging wire than in the regular position.

Abstract: A slide-rotating collar integrally mounted on a resin shaft is configured to have a projected portion at one end of a metallic plate and a recessed portion at the other end thereof such that both ends engageably face each other without aligning in a shaft line direction. The shaft may be used in an electrostatic developing device in an image forming apparatus.

Abstract: This invention relates to a device for detecting when the magnetic toner in the developing unit of an image formation device is empty, and prevents erroneous detection of empty toner even when the fluidity of the magnetic toner becomes poor. The developing device (3) has a stirring unit (30) having a cleaning member (22) for cleaning the position of a toner sensor (10), a toner accumulation section (24), and a magnetic metal member (21). The magnetic metal member (21) and toner accumulation section (24) for preventing erroneous detection of the toner-empty alarm are located at the sensor position of the stirring unit, so it is possible for the toner sensor to synthetically generate output that toner is detected, and thus making it possible to prevent erroneous detection that the toner is empty.

Abstract: This invention relates to a device for detecting when the magnetic toner in the developing unit of an image formation device is empty, and prevents erroneous detection of empty toner even when the fluidity of the magnetic toner becomes poor. The developing device (3) comprises a stirring unit (30) having a cleaning member (22) for cleaning the position of a toner sensor (10), a toner accumulation section (24), and a magnetic metal member (21). The magnetic metal member (21) and toner accumulation section (24) for preventing erroneous detection of the toner-empty alarm are located at the sensor position of the stirring unit, so it is possible for the toner sensor to synthetically generate output that toner is detected, and thus making it possible to prevent erroneous detection that the toner is empty.

Abstract: A slide-rotating collar integrally mounted on a resin shaft is configured to have a projected portion at one end of a metallic plate and a recessed portion at the other end thereof such that both ends engageably face each other without aligning in a shaft line direction. The shaft may be used in an electrostatic developing device in an image forming apparatus.

Abstract: Disclosed is a recording system in which an operation performed on the side of a printer unit in order to change over recording density is delayed while a recording operation is in progress. When a recording density changeover command is received during a recording operation, the density changeover is performed after the recording operation ends. A control unit which controls the printer unit is informed of the fact that the measures for changing over the recording density have been completed on the printer unit side.

Abstract: The invention provides an interunit communication system which comprises a main unit and a plurality of subunits and executes a communication between the units by a microcomputer of each unit. The system comprises: power producing means, provided for each subunit, for producing a driving power for the microcomputer of the subunit by a power which is supplied from the main unit through a power line; resetting means, provided for each subunit, for resetting the microcomputer of the subunit in the case where the power supply was restarted after the power supply from the main unit had been shut off; detecting means, provided for the main unit, for detecting a runaway of the microcomputer of the subunit on the basis of a reception state from a signal line for communication; power shut-off means, provided for the main unit, for shutting off the power supply to the subunit when the detecting means detects the runaway of the microcomputer; and power restarting means for restarting the power supply to the subunit.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a movable image bearing member; an image forming device for forming an image on the image bearing member; a transfer device for transferring an image from the image bearing member onto a recording material at a transfer position; a detector for detecting a recording material conveying passage from a recording material feeding station to the image transfer position; and a controller responsive to the detector to form blanks at a leading and trailing edges of the recording material by controlling image forming operation of the image forming device.

Abstract: A heating apparatus comprising a heating member, energization element for energizing said heating member, a temperature detection member for detecting a temperature of said heating member, a first switching element for turning on/off energization by said energization means on the basis of the temperature detected by said temperature detection member, abnormal current detection element for detecting an abnormal current flowing through said heating member, a second switching element for turning off energization by said energization element, and energization stop member for operating said second switching element to turn off energization.

Abstract: An image recording apparatus operated in synchronism with a vertical synchronization signal from an external device comprises a unit for sending out to the external device a signal indicating a status to accept the vertical synchronization signal, and switching device for switching between a plurality of operation modes related to an elapsed time from the send-out of the signal by the signal sending unit.

Abstract: The present invention provides an image forming apparatus with a sheet supply cassette which can contain a plurality of recording members and can be removably mounted within the image forming apparatus, an image forming device for forming an image on the recording member with toner to form a toner image, fixing rollers having a heater for thermally fixing the toner image on the recording member, remaining amount detecter means for detecting the remaining amount of the recording members in the sheet supply cassette or/and a remaining amount of the toner and generating a detection signal, and energization stopping control for stopping the energization of the heater on the basis of the detection signal.

Abstract: A temperature control device for controlling a surface temperature of a member to be heated at a predetermined temperature includes a detector for detecting the surface temperature, and a control unit for controlling current supply for a heating source for heating the member to be heated so that a result of detection by the detector is maintained at a predetermined value. The control unit controls a time of current supply for the heating source during a constant temperature control according to data relating to peak temperatures of the surface temperature during the constant temperature control.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit for forming an undeveloped image on a recording material, heating fixing unit for fixing the undeveloped image on the recording material by heating. The heating fixing unit includes a heating member heated by a heater, a temperature detector for detecting a temperature of the heating member, and a current-supply control unit for controlling current supply to the heater so that the temperature detected by the temperature detector is maintained at a predetermined control temperature in a standby state. The apparatus further includes an electric-power reduction unit for reducing or cutting electric power supplied to the heater when an image forming signal is not input for a predetermined time period after the completion of an image forming operation, and a discriminating unit for discriminating the frequency of image forming operations.

Abstract: A system for measuring a traveling direction of a vehicle includes a geomagnetic sensor and a gyro sensor. The system utilizes first and second indicies for deriving the vehicle traveling direction. The first index is indicative of disturbance of a geomagnetic field on a short interval basis, and the second index is indicative of disturbance of the geomagnetic field on a long interval basis. The system further utilizes a correction value indicative of a drift error caused by the gyro sensor for deriving the vehicle traveling direction. The system varies a rate of dependence upon an output of the geomagnetic sensor and an output of the gyro sensor based on the first and second indicies and the correction value when calculating the vehicle traveling direction.

Abstract: A navigation system for an automotive vehicle includes a map data storage unit. The storage unit stores first known target points and adjoining target points preselected for each of the first target points from the first target points. The storage unit further stores a first data group associated with each of the first target points. Each of the first data groups includes a second data group corresponding to each of the adjoining target points of the corresponding first target point. Each of the second data groups includes an abstract configuration of the corresponding first target point and a travel information required at the corresponding first target point for going to the corresponding adjoining target point. The system selects second target points from the first target points to define a vehicle travel route. The system further selects one of the second data groups based on third and fourth target points selected from the second target points.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming device for forming an image on a recording material, the image forming device including an image bearing member, a movable charging member for charging the image bearing member and a power source for supplying electric power to the charging member; a constant current controller for supplying the charging member with a predetermined constant level of electric current; and a second controller for controlling an image forming condition by the image forming device on the basis of plural voltage provided at different points of time during a constant current control operation with the same constant current level by the constant current controller.

Abstract: A positioning apparatus for positioning a reciprocally movable member, such as a guide member for a sheet of recording paper, between a reference position and a predetermined position. The apparatus includes a detector for detecting that the movable member is in the proximity of the reference position, and a counter for counting the amount by which the movable member is shifted while the detector is detecting that the movable member is in the proximity of the reference position. A controller stores the value counted by the counter, and controls drive of the movable member when the movable member is being returned to the reference position based on the count in the counter and the stored count value. A second counter may be provided to count the amount by which the movable member is shifted from the reference position to the predetermined position.