Abstract: An active material slurry 12a obtained by a mixing a powder of the active material with a binder and a solvent for the binder is heated to a predetermined temperature inside a slurry reservoir 20, and the heated active material slurry 12a is coated and adhered to an electrically conductive core body 11. The resulting body is then fed inside a drying furnace 28 to dry the coated and adhered active material slurry 12a by heating, and is rolled to a predetermined thickness by passing it through a pair of rolling rolls 29, thereby obtaining an electrode for alkaline batteries comprising an active material layer 12 on the both sides of the electrically conductive core body 11.

Abstract: An ink jet recording system for recording using a recording head which discharges heated ink onto a recording medium through discharge ports includes temperature detection of ink discharged through the discharge ports, position of the recording head so that a temperature of ink discharged through the discharge ports can be detected, detection of discharge or non-discharge of ink based on the temperature detection, variation of discharge of ink droplets, and control of the variation during discharge detection.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus is provided with a conveying roller for conveying a recording sheet, and a carriage that enables a recording head for recording on the recording sheet by discharging ink droplets to the recording sheet to reciprocate in the direction intersecting the conveying direction of the recording medium along a guide shaft having a substantially circular lateral section. The bearing portion of the carriage is structured to be in contact with the guide shaft at two points A and B on the upstream side and downstream side in the aforesaid conveying direction with respect to the vertical line running through the center of the guide shaft.

Abstract: There is provided a recording apparatus which detects the gap between a recording head and the back surface of a recording medium and can record the optimum images according to the detected gap. To this end, an ink-jet recording apparatus according to the present invention includes a carriage for serially moving a recording head, position detecting means for detecting the position of the carriage, changing means for adjusting a gap between the recording head and a back surface of a recording medium located at a position opposing the recording head, and recognizing means for recognizing a state of the changing means based on information from the position detecting means.

Abstract: After coating a hydrogen absorbing alloy slurry obtained by kneading a hydrogen absorbing alloy powder 12a, a polyethylene oxide (PEO) powder as a binder 12b, and a suitable amount of water (a solvent for binder) to both surfaces of a metal core plate (active material holder) made of a punching metal, the core plate is dried. Then, after removing the active material layer 13 from the core plate 11 by a means such as cutting and the like, a definite amount of water (a solvent for binder) is sprayed to the cut surface (the exposed surface of the core plate 11) to attach the water to the cur surface followed by drying to provide a hydrogen absorbing alloy electrode 10, which is disposed at the outermost side of the electrode group.

Abstract: If one page of recording is terminated, a carriage moves to a position at which a recording head is located opposite a cap. Then, the ink is discharged through nozzles of the recording head onto temperature detecting element within the cap. Temperature change of the temperature detecting element upon contact with the ink is output from a detecting circuit, and the normal discharge of ink is detected by discharge detecting means. In this way, the decrease in the ink remain or the detection of ink undischarge can be securely made.

Abstract: A cord holding buckle is formed of a cord holding device, and an end stopper to be attached to an end of a cord. The cord holding device includes a body portion, a through-hole formed in the body portion for allowing the cord to pass therethrough, a fixing member for fixing the cord relative to the body portion, and a first coupler attached to the body portion. The end stopper includes a second coupler detachably attached to the first coupler, so that the end stopper can be detachably fixed to the cord holding device.

Abstract: A zipper handle structure is formed of an attaching member to be swingably attached to a slider main portion of a zipper and having an opening and a side portion, a handle member having a through hole at one side, and a connecting member for connecting the attaching member and the handle member. The connecting member includes a first end portion with an engaging shaft, a second end portion with an engaging hole to be detachably engageable with the engaging shaft, and a center portion between the first and second end portions. When the connecting member connects the attaching member and the handle member, the first and second end portions are overlapped to engage the engaging shaft with the engaging hole, while the side portion of the attaching member is held between the first and second end portions adjacent the center portion and the engaging shaft is located in the through hole of the handle member. The handle member is swingably connected to the attaching member.

Abstract: An electrode for the alkaline storage battery according to this invention includes a binding agent containing thermoplastic xylene-formaldehyde resin. Since the thermoplastic xylene-formaldehyde resin is non-aqueous, it will be not dissolved into water in the air or the alkaline electrolyte within the battery. In this case, the removal of the active material during the process of manufacturing the electrode or within the battery can be prevented by any of the techniques of immersing the active-material-applied or -filled electrode substrate in the solution of the thermoplastic xylene-formaldehyde resin dissolved; immersing it in the emulsion of the thermoplastic xylene-formaldehyde resin with an emulsifier; and applying or filling the active material slurry with the emulsion of the thermoplastic xylene-formaldehyde resin to or in the electrode substrate.

Abstract: A buckle of the invention is formed of a hollow female member, which is provided with an inserting hole and first engaging portions, and a male member provided with a collar portion and elastic pieces disposed at both end portions of a front surface of the collar portion. Each of the elastic pieces includes a second engaging portion at a distal end thereof, and the elastic pieces are disposed to face each other and inserted into the inserting hole of the female member. The both end portions of the front surface of the collar portion are respectively provided with concave portions, so that the collar portion and the elastic pieces are overlapped in a longitudinal direction thereof. Accordingly, an entire length of the male member is shortened while a length of the elastic piece and bending margin are obtained as required.

Abstract: A method of conveying bar-like bread dough pieces is provided. By it a bar-like bread dough piece being conveyed on the conveying face of a conveyor, with its axis being perpendicular to the direction of the conveyance thereof, is caused to rotate about the axis at a point downstream of the conveyor, and then the bar-like bread dough piece having a straight shape is moved to the next step. Further, an apparatus for conveying bar-shaped bread dough pieces is provided. It comprises a conveyor, and an engaging member provided near the conveying face of said conveyor, at a point downstream of said conveyor, for allowing a bar-like bread dough piece being conveyed on the conveying face of the conveyor to rotate about its axis while the engaging member contacts the bar-like bread dough piece, the distance between the engaging member and the conveying face being adjustable.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a sheet feeding apparatus comprising a sheet supporting mechanism, a sheet feeding mechanism, a driving mechanism, a sheet detecting device, and a drive control device for controlling the driving mechanism in such a manner that, even when the driving mechanism is operated at a predetermined speed for a predetermined time period, if the sheet is not detected by the sheet detecting device, the driving mechanism is operated at a speed slower than the predetermined speed.

Abstract: The present invention provides a recording apparatus comprising recording means for forming an image on a sheet, discharge means for discharging the sheet on which the image was formed by the recording means, and an outer cover for convering a body of the recording apparatus. Wherein a deep recess is formed in a side wall portion of the cover, and the discharge means is arranged in a deep area of the recess, and the sheets discharged by the discharge means are stacked on a bottom surface of the recess. Whereby, the visual observation of the discharged sheet can be made more easy, the removal of the jammed sheet can be facilitated, and the recording means can easily be exchanged.

Abstract: A fixing mechanism for fixing a ink on a recording medium which is discharged by a recording device includes a first fixing area onto which heat sufficient to fix the ink is applied to the recording medium, a second fixing area which is closer to the recording device than the first fixing area and where a lower heat than the heat applied to the recording medium in the first fixing area is applied to the recording medium, and a conveyor for conveying the recording medium into the second fixing area and conveying it out of the first fixing area.

Abstract: If one page of recording is terminated, a carriage moves to a position at which a recording head is located opposite a cap. Then, the ink is discharged through nozzles of the recording head onto temperature detecting element within the cap. Temperature change of the temperature detecting element upon contact with the ink is output from a detecting circuit, and the normal discharge of ink is detected by discharge detecting means. In this way, a decrease in the ink remaining or the detection of ink nondischarge can be securely made.

Abstract: An ink detecting device capable of detecting the amount of ink in an ink tank uses a light emitting device to shine light toward a transparent member in a wall of the ink tank. The ink tank is used in a recording apparatus and is moved relative to a recording medium as a recording head ejects ink onto the recording medium A light receiving member receives light reflected on an inner surface of the transparent member when ink is not in contact with that surface. However, if ink is in contact with the inner surface, no light is reflected to the light receiving member. Thus, a reliable indication of the presence of ink in a movable ink tank, or plural movable ink tanks, can be obtained in the absence of physical contact therewith.

Abstract: A recording unit cartridge includes as a unit: a recording head for ejecting ink to effect recording; an ink supply system for supplying the ink to the recording head; a capping member for covering an ink ejection side surface of the recording head; an ink collecting member for the ink discharged to recover the recording head and not used for recording; a cleaning member for cleaning the ink ejection side surface of the recording head; and a casing for containing as a unit the head system and members, wherein the unit cartridge is detachably mountable to a main assembly of a recording apparatus.