Abstract: An ink-jet printer in which drive data for a print head is converted into a light signal by a first light-emitting diode provided in a control circuit. The light signal is transmitted, through an optical fiber, to a first photo-diode provided in a receiver circuit. The light signal received by the first photo-diode is converted into an electric signal. Data concerning the status of a print head unit is converted into a light signal by a second light-emitting diode provided in the receiver circuit. The light signal is transmitted from the second light-emitting diode, through the optical fiber, to a second photo-diode provided in the control circuit. The light signal received by the second photo-diode is converted into an electric signal.

Abstract: An ink-jet recording apparatus includes an ink tube and an air discharge tube which has a cylindrical shape and an inside diameter that is larger than an outside diameter of the ink tube. The air discharge tube is provided so as to surround the ink tube. Therefore, a circular enclosed space is provided around the ink tube, between the air discharge tube and the ink tube. A pressure reducing device is connected with the enclosed space to reduce pressure therein. By actuating the pressure reducing device, the pressure in the enclosed space is reduced. Thus, air contained in ink is sucked into the enclosed space, in which the pressure is reduced, through a wall of the ink tube, and thus, generation of air bubbles are restricted in the ink tube.

Abstract: An ink-jet printer in which drive data for a print head is converted into a light signal by a first light-emitting diode provided in a control circuit. The light signal is transmitted, through an optical fiber, to a first photo-diode provided in a receiver circuit. The light signal received by the first photo-diode is converted into an electric signal. Data concerning the status of a print head unit is converted into a light signal by a second light-emitting diode provided in the receiver circuit. The light signal is transmitted from the second light-emitting diode, through the optical fiber, to a second photo-diode provided in the control circuit. The light signal received by the second photo-diode is converted into an electric signal.

Abstract: An ink jet printer uses an ink tank storing ink to be supplied to a print head, an ink tube, an ink chamber mounted on a carriage to store ink to be supplied from the ink tank to the print head, and a connecting member that includes an ink outflow port connected to the ink chamber and an ink inflow port where ink flows from the ink tube. At an intersection of the ink inflow port and the ink outflow port, a direction of a flow of ink from the ink inflow port is changed. Further at the intersection, a cushion is provided to absorb pressure waves generated in the ink tube on an extended line in an initial direction where ink flows in the ink passage over the intersection.

Abstract: An ink jet printer uses a print head that has at least one ink nozzle and performs printing on a recording medium by ejecting ink from the ink nozzle. An air chamber is connected to the print head to trap air generated in an ink passage. A purge device discharges the air trapped in the air chamber from the ink nozzle. A filter member divides the lower portion of the air chamber into a first chamber and a second chamber. The air chamber traps and stores air in the top portion of the air chamber and the filter member passes ink there through when the print head performs printing. The air trapped in the air chamber is discharged when the purge device generates an ink flow that goes over the filter member.

Abstract: A device for preventing contamination of a print sheet and the reduction in the effectiveness of a scorotron type charger by free toner and paper particles. The device includes a paper dust eliminator extending the length of a photosensitive member and a wiping mechanism at each end of the photosensitive member for removing free toner that has accumulated there. Further, a partition that separates the developing section from the charger can be provided to further reduce free toner from attaching to the charger.

Abstract: A charge unit 26 includes a charge wire 71. The wire 71 has a wire body 71A and a layer 82 coated on the outer peripheral surface of the wire body 71A. The layer 82 is formed from a cellulose resin binder 81 in which is dispersed particles of electrically conductive molybdenum disulfide. The charge unit 26 is used for forming a uniform charge on the surface of a photosensitive drum 25 in a process unit 7 of a laser printer 1.

Abstract: A packet recording/reproducing system is provided which records or reproduces packets on or from tracks formed in time sequence on a magnetic tape. In a recording operation, the packet recording/reproducing system adds to input packets time stamps whose values are synchronous with packet arrival time control clocks produced by the system. The timing with which the packets are recorded on the magnetic tape is controlled by the arrival time control clocks so that a given number of the packets inputted at high data rate are recorded within a one-track area, a two-track area, or a one-track over area defined across at least two of the tracks, thereby minimizing the loss of capacity of the magnetic tape.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a subcutaneous needle in which a needle body and an adhesive tape are reliably secured together with a resin material enabling the operation to be correctly executed, and a method of producing the same. The subcutaneous needle is constituted by an adhesive tape, a separate paper, a needle body and a resin material. The adhesive tape has a hole formed in the central portion and has an adhesive surface on one side thereof. The separate paper has a hole in the central portion and is stuck on the adhesive surface of the adhesive tape. The needle body is bent in an L-shape and its top end side protrudes penetrating through the holes of the adhesive tape and of the separate paper. The base end side of the needle body is arranged nearly in parallel with a nonadhesive surface of the adhesive tape. The resin material is injection-molded onto the nonadhesive surface of the adhesive tape so as to cover and secure the base end side of the needle body.

Abstract: A developing roller 19 is formed of a blend material produced of silicone rubber and EPDM, which has good abrasion proof, and subjected to a rubbing process to rub a surface of the developing roller 19 until convex portions 19A formed on the surface become less than two times a particle diameter (5-10 .mu.m) of toner T, i.e., 10-20 .mu.m. Accordingly, the surface condition of the developing roller is not changed for a long time and thus the toner T can uniformly be carried on the surface of the developing roller 19, forming a uniform thickness toner layer, thereby enabling to uniformly charge the toner layer. Uniformly charged toner layer on the surface of the developing roller 19 thus makes it possible to develop an electrostatic latent image formed on a photosensitive drum 12 with uniform toner density, causing no difference in toner density. When the developed image on the photosensitive drum 12 is transferred to a sheet 50, a resultant image with uniform image density can be formed on the sheet 50.

Abstract: A developing device is provided with: a photosensitive body; a developing roller for performing an electro-photography on the photosensitive body at a predetermined developing position of the photosensitive body by using charged toners; a moving device for moving the developing roller and the photosensitive body such that the developing roller performs the electro-photography on the photosensitive body at the developing position and that, after the electro-photography is performed, the photosensitive body transports the toners, which have never been used for the electro-photography and remain on the photosensitive body, to the developing position where the transported toners adhere from the photosensitive body onto the developing roller so as to recover the transported toners from the photosensitive body onto the developing roller; and a collecting device opposed to the developing roller for collecting impurities mixed in the recovered toners on the developing roller by contacting with the developing roller.

Abstract: A toner supply device for use in an image forming apparatus is constructed such that a length of the extruding portion 24A of the L-shaped blade 24 is determined to 2 mm or less and a distance of the gap Y is determined to 3 mm or more, the gap Y being formed between the contact portion 19A and an intersection point where an imaginary straight line passing a rotating center of the toner supply roller 20 and the contact portion 19A intersects the surface of the toner supply roller 20 namely, between the lower surface of the extruding portion 24A and the outer peripheral surface of the toner supply roller 20. With this structure, a toner supply path G is formed linearly around the toner supply roller 20 and the developing roller 19 without making a large detour in the developing roller 19 side, so that the flow of toner can be made smooth in the toner supply path G, preventing toner clogging therein.

Abstract: A developing device is provided with: a developing roller for performing an electro-photography on a photosensitive body by using charged toners; a supplying roller for supplying the toners to the developing roller, the supplying roller being pushed against the developing roller so that an outer circumference of the supplying roller be deformed in a radius direction of the supplying roller; and a rotating device for rotating the supplying roller and the developing roller in directions opposite to each other at a contact portion between the supplying roller and the developing roller so that the toners be supplied from the supplying roller to the developing roller. A deformation amount in the radial direction of the supplying roller is not less than 0.5 mm, and a value of dividing an absolute value of a line speed on an outermost circumference of the supplying roller by an absolute value of a line speed on an outermost circumference of the developing roller is less than 0.

Abstract: A developing device for use in an image forming apparatus is constructed such that a pair of upper and lower auger rollers 35 and 34 are arranged in the vicinity of a toner supply port 21A, thereby to transport toner from the toner supply port 21A through a spiral tooth 34A of the lower auger roller 34 toward both ends of the supply roller 20 and from the both ends through a spiral tooth 35A toward the toner supply port 21A, thus circulating toner above the toner supply roller 20 in its both side directions, and that a position of the toner supply port 21A of a toner cartridge 21 corresponds to respective center positions 35C and 34C of the upper and lower auger rollers 35 and 34.

Abstract: A method for detecting deterioration of solder paste printing includes defining a check pattern region on a portion of the printed circuit board PC separated from the electrical circuit, forming fine pitch check through-holes 8a in the metal mask 7 with a pitch finer than that of the electrical circuit within a region of the metal mask corresponding to the check pattern region, printing solder paste 9 onto the check pattern region through the fine pitch check through-holes of the metal mask, monitoring for defects in the printed check pattern and detecting a defect in the check pattern region before the solder paste printing onto the electrical circuit has deteriorated. The method enables maintenance of the best condition of the solder paste printing onto the electrical circuit.

Abstract: The toner supply roller 20 is so constructed that the outer diameter L of the toner supply roller 20 is set in a range of 10-13 mm, the outer diameter M of the roller shaft 20B is set in a range of 5-6 mm, and a difference between the distance between the rotating center E1 of the toner supply roller 20 and the rotating center E2 of the developing roller 19 and the sum of the radius R1 of the toner supply roller 20 and the radius R2 of the developing roller 19, i.e., the compression amount is set in a range of 0.5-0.8 mm so that there is a good balance between the rigidity of the roller shaft 20B and the rigidity of the roller member 20C. Accordingly, this makes it possible to use the toner supply roller 20 having a small roller diameter L and to supply just sufficiently toner to the developing roller 19. As a result, a resultant image excellent in image quality can be formed for a long period.

Abstract: In order to prevent any possible electrical discharge between a lower electrode and a grounded member through a backside gas supply conduit when performing a plasma treatment with a supply of a backside gas such as He gas to the backside of a semiconductor wafer being held by an electromagnetic chuck on the lower electrode for the generation of a plasma within a plasma treatment chamber, the gas supply conduit is fitted therein with cylindrical flowpath members made of two types of electrically insulating materials each having a multiplicity of axially extending small-diameter conduction holes, at a position within an electrically insulating body disposed between the lower electrode and a grounded member. The small diameter conduction holes in the backside gas flowpath serve to increase an electrical discharge start voltage for the prevention of electrical discharge. The formation of the multiplicity of conduction holes provides a large conductance.

Abstract: A liquid crystal device of this invention is constituted by a display cell, a compensation cell, and a pair of polarizing plates. The display cell is designed such that electrodes are respectively formed on the opposing surfaces of a pair of substrates, arranged to oppose each other through a predetermined gap, to be perpendicular to each other, alignment films are respectively formed to cover the electrodes, and a first liquid crystal material is sealed between the substrates to be twisted at a predetermined angle. The compensation cell is arranged to be stacked on the display cell. The compensation cell is designed such that a second liquid crystal material is sealed between a pair of substrates, subjected to alignment processing, to be twist-aligned in a direction opposite to the twist direction of the first liquid crystal material. The pair of polarizing plates are arranged to sandwich the display and compensation cells. A refractive index anisotropy .DELTA.n.sub.

Abstract: A copying machine has a cartridge loading hole for detachably receiving a cartridge for accommodating a roll of photosensitive sheet. The cartridge comprises a cylindrical core with the photosensitive sheet wound thereon, a rear flange secured to one end of the core in close contact with an one end face of the roll of photosensitive sheet for shielding light from the same, a cylindrical core cap secured to the other end of the core and having a lock pawl capable of elastic deformation, a cover flange for covering the other end face of the roll therewith, the cover flange having two grooves engaged with the lock pawl in close contact with the other end face of the roll at a first position and engaged with the lock pawl in a state separated from the other end face thereof at a second position by pushing the core relative to the cover flange. Thus, no exclusive casing is needed.

Abstract: A video signal frame search apparatus for selecting a frame from a video signal recorded on a magnetic tape, e.g. for supplying the frame to a video printer, is based on a system controller which controls playback and rewind operations of a VTR during a frame search operation. When a desired frame is displayed during such a frame search operation, actuation of a switch by the user causes a plurality of frames adjcent to and including the desired frame to be stored in a memory and then displayed simultaneously, enabling the user to specify to the system controller the precise position of the desired frame.