Kyocera Document Solutions Patente

A sheet feeding device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a pick-up roller (31), a sensor (32), and a sheet feeding controller (130). The pick-up roller (31) draws out a plurality of sheets one by one from a sheet table (11) on which the plurality of sheets are loaded. The sensor (32) detects presence or absence of the sheet. The sheet feeding controller (130) controls drive to raise the pick-up roller (31) on the basis of a detection result of the sensor (32).

A document conveying device (1) includes a roller holder (27), a cover portion (29), a pair of wall portions (31, 32), a hook portion (33), and a linking portion (36). The roller holder (27) rotatably supports a pickup roller (25) and is provided so as to be rotatable about a rotation shaft (26A) of a sheet feed roller (26). The cover portion (29) is provided so as to be openable and closable relative to a document guide portion (28). The pair of wall portions (31, 32) face each other in the axial direction of the rotation shaft (26A) with the cover portion (29) interposed therebetween. The hook portion (33) is provided at one end portion of the cover portion (29) in the axial direction so as to be capable of advancing and retracting along the axial direction, and engages with an upper surface portion (31A, 32A) of the wall portion (31, 32). The linking portion (36) rotates the roller holder (27) in conjunction with the advancing and retracting of the hook portion (33).

A document reading device (10) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a pick-up roller (45), a sensor (143), an operation section (115), and a sheet feeding controller (130). The pick-up roller (45) draws out a plurality of sheets one by one from a sheet table (11) on which the plurality of sheets are loaded. The sensor detects presence or absence of the sheet. The operation section (115) receives an operation of a user. The sheet feeding controller (130) controls drive to raise the pick-up roller (45) on the basis of a detection result of the sensor and an operation instruction from the operation section (115).

A sheet conveying apparatus (120) includes a feed roller (46), a separation pad (48), a separation roller (47), and at least one groove (48A). The feed roller (46) feeds at least one sheet (G) from a sheet feeding tray (36) in a predetermined conveying direction (Z). The separation pad (48) is provided on a downstream side of the feed roller (46) in the conveying direction (Z). The separation roller (47) holds the at least one sheet (G) fed by the feed roller (46) between itself and the separation pad (48) and conveys the at least one sheet (G) in the conveying direction (Z). At least one groove (48A) is provided on a surface of the separation pad (48) with which the at least one sheet (G) comes into contact.

A sheet conveying apparatus includes a feed roller (46), a separation pad (48), a separation pad holder (50), a conveying guide member (39A), a separation roller (47), a first vibration damping member (61), and a second vibration damping member (62). The conveying guide member (39A) guides a conveyance of the sheet (G) and supports the separation pad holder (50). The separation roller (47) holds the sheet (G) fed by the feed roller (46) between itself and the separation pad (48) and conveys the sheet (G) in the conveying direction (Z). The first vibration damping member (61) is provided between the separation pad (48) and the separation pad holder (50). The second vibration damping member (62) is provided between the separation pad holder (50) and the conveying guide member (39A).

An ink includes: a quinacridone pigment; a pigment dispersion resin; and an aqueous medium. Maximum absorbance at a wavelength of 300 nm or more and 350 nm or less in an ultraviolet-visible light absorption spectrum of a 25-fold diluted solution of a supernatant liquid obtained by centrifuging the ink at 23°C and 140,000 rpm for 3 hours is 0.16 or more and 0.40 or less, and absorbance at 429 nm is 0.002 or less. In the ink, the number of coarse particles having a particle diameter of 500 nm or more is 4.0 × 10<8>/mL or less. A 50-fold diluted solution of the supernatant liquid has a phosphorus concentration of 1.0 ppm or more and 16.0 ppm or less.

An electronic apparatus includes a storage device that includes a non-volatile memory, and a controller. The controller is configured to be able to set a power supply mode of the electronic apparatus as a sleep mode that maintains power supply to the storage device. Further, when the controller changes the power supply mode to the sleep mode, the controller transmits a shutdown notification command to the storage device and thereby stops a confirmation operation of a data status of the storage device.

An image forming apparatus (100) includes an image carrying member (1a to 1d), a charging device (2a to 2d), an exposure device (5), a developing device (3a to 3d), a toner container (4a to 4d), a toner concentration sensor (31), a toner charge amount detection portion (81), and a control portion (80). The developing device (3a to 3d) includes a developer carrying member (30) carrying a two-component developer and develops an electrostatic latent image into a toner image. The toner concentration sensor (31) detects a toner concentration in the developing device (3a to 3d). The toner charge amount detection portion (81) detects a toner charge amount in the developing device (3a to 3d). Based on a result of detection by the toner concentration sensor (31), the control portion (80) controls replenishment of the developing device (3a to 3d) with the toner from the toner container (4a to 4d). Based on the toner charge amount detected by the toner charge amount detection portion (81), the control portion (80) executes first target value changing control of changing a target value of the toner concentration.

In an image forming apparatus, an image forming unit can be replaced. An outer cover becomes in an open status when the image forming unit is replaced. An inner cover becomes in an open status with a manual operation with taking a predetermined time after the outer cover becomes in an open status when the image forming unit is replaced. A cover open/close sensor detects open and close statuses of the outer cover. The image forming unit includes a non-volatile unit memory. Further, the controller (a) performs data communication with the unit memory, and (b) if data communication with the unit memory is ongoing when the cover open/close sensor detects that the outer cover becomes in an open status, completes the data communication and cuts off power supply to the image forming unit before the predetermined time elapses.

An image forming apparatus (100) includes an image carrying member (1a-1d), a charging device (1a-2d), an exposure device (5), a developing device (3a-3d), an intermediate transfer belt (8), a cleaning brush (23), an image density sensor (50), and a control portion (90). The control portion (90) executes calibration including: a first adjustment process of changing an image forming condition based on a result of detection of a first reference image (Y1, Y') formed on the intermediate transfer belt; a first bare-surface-measurement process of detecting, after execution of the first adjustment process, a first-reference-image (Y1, Y1') formation area; and a second adjustment process of changing, after execution of the first bare-surface-measurement process, the image forming condition based on a result of detection of a second reference image (Y2, Y2') formed on the first-reference-image (Y1, Y1') formation area. In a case where an output value of the image density sensor (50) in the first bare-surface-measurement process is equal to or less than a threshold value, the second adjustment process is executed.

An image carrying member unit (50a-50d) includes an image carrying member (1a-1d) and a cleaning device (23a-23d). The cleaning device (23a-23d) has a cleaning blade (53) that makes line contact with the outer circumferential surface of the image carrying member (1a-1d) under a predetermined pressure and that is formed of an elastic material in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped and scraping off residual toner on the image carrying member (1a-1d), and a supporting member (55) to which the cleaning blade (53) is fixed in a state projecting upstream in the rotational direction of the image carrying member (1a-1d). When the free length over which the cleaning blade (53) projects from the support member (55) is L [mm], the thickness of the cleaning blade (53) is t [mm], and the contact pressure of the cleaning blade (53) against the image carrying member (1a-1d) is W [gf/cm], then 7.5 * (L / t) - 23.9 ≤ W ≤ 24 and 12 ≤ W.

An image forming apparatus (10) includes a reader (15) and a setting section (16). The reader (15) reads a sheet with a printed barcode as image data. The setting section (16) sets a setting related to storing of the image data to first job setting information that is information related to storing of the image data, the first job setting information being given to the barcode.

A connector support structure (18) includes a connector (22) and a support part (40). The connector (22) attached to the support part (40) is turned so as to change a posture of the connector (22) from the first posture to the second posture while allowing the connection port (24) to enter the clearance space (S) to disengage the engagement of the pair of engagement parts (30) with the pair of protruding portions (44). The connector (22) attached to the support part (40) allows the part of the pair of engagement parts (30) to be arranged between the pair of protruding portions (44) and the pull-out prevention portion (45) and then slid toward one side in the third direction to be detached from the support part (40).

A sheet conveying device (3) includes a plurality of switching portions (30) each having a plurality of branch paths (30a) configured to branch off from a standard conveying path (2) and a plurality of sheet collection portions(30b) configured to collect sheets at a later stage of the plurality of branch paths (30a); The plurality of switching portions (30) can selectively execute a normal conveying process in which each of a plurality of sheets is conveyed along the standard conveying path (2), and an emergency conveying process in which each of the plurality of sheets is conveyed to each of the plurality of sheet collection portions (30b). The control device (8), when a jam is detected, causes an upstream terminating end switching portion, which is located farthest downstream in the sheet conveying direction among upstream switching portions having a path branching from an area downstream in the sheet conveying direction relative to the jam area, to execute the emergency conveying process, and causes portions other than the upstream terminating end switching portion to execute the normal conveying process or the emergency conveying process.

A processor (51) causes a display device (3b) to display a graph image (G2) in which a plurality of graph elements (G21), each of which represents data of an operation status of a target device, are arranged. The processor (51) causes a target data image (G4) including text relating to the data of the operation status corresponding to a target graph element (G21x) to be displayed at a position corresponding to the target graph element (G21x) in a specific area (A1). When a drag operation for moving the target data image (G4) is detected, the processor (51) changes the display position of the target data image (G4) in a direction of the drag operation. The processor (51) changes the target graph element (G21x) and changes the display of the target data image (G4) in accordance with the change in the display position of the target data image (G4).

Magnetic one-component toner has toner particles including: a toner base particle containing at least a binder resin and a magnetic powder; and an external additive attached to the surface of the toner base particle. The toner base particle contains a nigrosine dye. The external additive contains strontium titanate particles of which the surface is hydrophobically treated. The amount of nitrogen element in toner particles is 0.5 mass% or more but 5 mass% or less. The Abs value representing the amount of nigrosine dye that dissolves when toner particles are immersed in methanol as expressed in terms of light absorbance is 0.2 or more but 2.0 or less. The volume resistivity of strontium titanate particles is 1.0E+7 [Ω·cm] or more but 1.0E+10 [Ω·cm] or less.

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion (Pa, ..., Pd), a sheet feeding portion (60), a discharge portion (17), a sheet conveyance passage (19), a branch conveyance passage (20), a conveyance guide (65), and a pair of assist rollers (64). The conveyance guide (65) forms part of the conveyance surface of the sheet conveyance passage (19) at the intersection between the sheet conveyance passage (19) and the branch conveyance passage (20). The pair of assist rollers (64) conveys a recording medium (P) along the sheet conveyance passage (19). The conveyance guide (65) is supported to be swingable about a swing axis (65a) in a direction in which it retracts from the conveyance surface of the sheet conveyance passage (19). One (64b) of the pair of assist rollers (64) is fixed to a shaft (64c) extending parallel to the swing axis (65a) and is rotatably supported on the conveyance guide (65).

A controller (51) controls a first lifting device (22) and thereby changes a height position of the feeding tray (11), and controls a second lifting device (23) and thereby changes a height position of an ejection port (15) correspondingly to a sheet amount on an output tray (12). If an output lift upperlimit sensor (41) detects that the ejection port reaches an upperlimit height position, the controller temporarily stops document sheet transportation. When the controller tries to lift the ejection port to a height position corresponding to the sheet amount, if a height position of the ejection port does not become the height position corresponding to the sheet amount and the output lift upperlimit sensor does not detect that the ejection port reaches the upperlimit height position even though the second lifting device operates for predetermined time, then the controller temporarily stops document sheet transportation until document sheets on the output tray are removed.

A magnet member (20b) is non-rotatably secured inside a developing sleeve (20a), and includes a plurality of magnetic poles (N1, S1, N2, ...) arranged along a rotation direction of the developing sleeve (20a). The magnetic poles (N1, S1, N2, ...) include a main pole (S1) facing the image carrying member (1a), and a peeling pole (N3) that is disposed downstream of and adjacent to the main pole (S1) in the rotation direction of the developing sleeve (20a) and that peels off the developer carried on the developer carrying member (20). A magnetic-flux-density peak-position of the main pole (S1) is located below a horizontal line (L1) passing through a rotation center (P3) of the developing sleeve (20a), and as viewed from an axial direction, an angle that a line (L2) extending from the magnetic-flux-density peak-position of the main pole (S1) to the rotation center (P3) of the developing sleeve (20a) forms with respect to the horizontal line (L1) passing through the rotation center of the developing sleeve is 40° or larger but 80° or smaller.

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion (Pa, ... Pd) and a sheet feed unit (60). The sheet feed unit (60) has a pickup roller (62), a feed roller (63a), and a retard roller (63b). The pickup roller (62) makes contact with a recording medium (P) stored in a sheet feed cassette (61) and feeds out the recording medium (P). The feed roller (63a) conveys the recording medium (P) fed out by the pickup roller (62). The retard roller (63b) is kept in pressed contact with the feed roller (63a) to form a nip portion and conveys the recording medium (P) while separating one sheet of it from the rest. The feed roller (63a) is covered at least partly from above by a first charge elimination member (71). The first charge elimination member (71) is grounded.

A fusing unit (5b) includes an opposing surface (55c) that is opposite to a portion of a heating unit (5a) and is formed in a first direction. A heating unit (5a) includes an adhesion surface (54c) and an elastic seal member (57). An adhesion surface (54c) is opposite to the opposing surface (55c) and is formed in the first direction. A seal member (57) is arranged with the first direction as a longitudinal direction, is adhered to the adhesion surface (54c), and is sandwiched between the opposing surface (55c) and the adhesion surface (54c) when the heating unit (5a) is located at a proximity position. The seal member (57) has a structure in which a first foam member (571) adhered to the adhesion surface (54c), a resin sheet (572) adhered to the first foam member (571), and a second foam member (573) adhered to the resin sheet (572) are stacked.

A conveying mechanism (3) sequentially conveys document sheets placed on a document sheet placing portion (21) to a document sheet discharge portion (22) through an image reading position at which an image is read from each of the document sheets. The document sheet discharge portion (22) is provided below the document sheet placing portion (21). A raising and lowering mechanism (4) raises and lowers the document sheet placing portion (21). A first determination processing portion (231) determines whether or not any of the document sheets is placed on the document sheet placing portion (21). A second determination processing portion (232) determines whether or not any of the document sheets is placed on the document sheet discharge portion (22). A raising and lowering processing portion (234) controls raising and lowering operations by the raising and lowering mechanism (4) on the basis of results of determinations made by the first determination processing portion (231) and the second determination processing portion (232).

An electronic apparatus according to the present technology includes a resist unit (31) and a control part (10). The resist unit (31) includes a resist roller (32) that feeds a recording medium (2) to a processing part (40) that performs processing on the recording medium (2) and a correction motor (38, 39) capable of moving the resist roller (32) to correct a deviation of the recording medium (2). The control part (10) drives the correction motor (38, 39) with a first pulse signal having a first frequency, and then drives the correction motor (38, 39) with a second pulse signal having a second frequency, which is a frequency lower than the first frequency and is a frequency capable of applying to the resist unit (31) vibration components of a phase opposite to a phase of vibrations in the resist unit (31).

A cooling apparatus (7) includes a main tank (70) and a replenishment apparatus (73) that replenishes a refrigerant liquid in the main tank (70), a waste liquid tank (76), a waste liquid pipe (75), and a liquid detection apparatus (77). The waste liquid tank (76) is arranged at a position lower than the main tank (70). The waste liquid pipe (75) is connected to a discharge port (70c) formed in the main tank (70) and forms a flow channel extending to the waste liquid tank (76) from the discharge port (70c) via a specific position. The liquid detection apparatus (77) detects the refrigerant liquid in the waste liquid pipe (75) at the specific position. The specific position is a position higher than the discharge port (70c) and lower than an upper end (70a) of a region capable of storing the refrigerant liquid in the main tank (70).

A retard roller (64) includes a roller main body (641), a shaft (642), a torque limiter (644), a holding member (643), and a restriction member. The roller main body (641) rotates about a rotation axis (J2). The shaft (642) is attached to the roller main body (641) and extends along the rotation axis (J2). The torque limiter (644) switches the roller main body (641) between rotation and stopping. The holding member (643) is disposed on one side of the roller main body (641) in an axial direction thereof and supports the shaft (642). The restriction member is disposed on the other side of the roller main body (641) in the axial direction thereof, includes a locking portion (6442) locked to the shaft (642), and restricts movement of the roller main body (641) in the axial direction thereof. The roller main body (641) is swingably supported via a first support portion (6433) provided in the holding member (643) and a second support portion (6441) provided in the restriction member, and is pressed against the feed roller (63).

An inkjet recording apparatus (10) includes a cooling device (6), a current sensing device (88), and a determination device (8c). The cooling device (6) includes a centrifugal pump (64) and a motor (64a) that drives the centrifugal pump (64). The current sensing device (88) senses a current flowing to the motor (64a). The determination device (8c) determines whether or not air entrainment and liquid leakage occur in the circulation path in the cooling device (6) by comparing the current sensed by the current sensing device (88) and a current reference range.

A transfer unit (9) includes a switching cam (50)and a fixed cam (52). The fixed cam (52) includes a second guide hole (65), a positioning groove (66), and a cam positioning recessed portion (69). The second guide hole (65) is formed to overlap a first guide hole (63) and is engaged with a first and a second engaging portion (43a, 45a). The positioning groove (66) is formed in an outer peripheral part of the second guide hole (65) along the radial direction and is engaged with, when a first roller (40) is arranged opposite an image carrying member (8), the first engaging portion (43a) and, when a second roller (41) is arranged opposite the image carrying member (8), the second engaging portion (45a). The cam positioning recessed portion (69) is formed in the outer peripheral part of the second guide hole (65) along the radial direction and is engaged with the second engaging portion (45a) when the first engaging portion (43a) engages with the positioning groove (66).

An output roller (23) outputs a sheet bunch on a processing tray (23) after a postprocess through an ejection port (24a). In a waiting transportation path (10b), a subsequent sheet (211) can wait while the postprocess is performed for the sheet bunch (111). The transportation roller (12) draws a subsequent sheet to the waiting transportation path and transports the subsequent sheet from the waiting transportation path to the processing tray. A controller (41) performs concurrent transportation, and in the concurrent transportation, (a) when the sheet bunch is outputted through the ejection port, transports the subsequent sheet to the output roller and causes the subsequent sheet to protrude from the ejection port such that the subsequent sheet partially overlaps the sheet bunch, and (b) after a rear end of the sheet bunch passes through the ejection port, reverses the output roller and transports the subsequent sheet to the processing tray.

In a document conveying apparatus (2), a stop processing portion (25) executes a stop process to stop a document conveying operation by a conveying mechanism (3) in a case in which a second detection processing portion (24) determines that an amount of documents placed on the document discharge unit (22) has reached a specific amount. The stop processing portion (25), in a case in which a first detection processing portion (23) detects that no document is placed on the document discharge portion (22) when the specific job is started, limits execution of the stop process during execution of the specific job.

A transportation device is configured to transport a document sheet along a transportation path. An image sensor is configured to optically scan an image at a predetermined scanning position in the transportation path and generate a scanned image that includes an image of the document sheet. An opposing member is arranged oppositely to the image sensor at the predetermined scanning position. An oblique motion detecting unit is configured to detect oblique motion of the document sheet on the basis of a shadow image of the document sheet that appears in a scanned image obtained by the image sensor. Further, the oblique motion detecting unit (a) derives a threshold value on the basis of a density of an image of the opposing member in the scanned image, and (b) detects the shadow image on the basis of the derived threshold value.

An image forming apparatus (1) includes a drive motor (151), a transmission switching portion, a conveying processing portion (162), and an abnormality determination processing portion (163). The conveying processing portion (162) drives the drive motor (151) while the image forming portion (13) is not executing an image forming process for forming an image on a sheet (P), and executes a lift raising process for switching the transmission switching portion to a transmission state in which the driving force of the drive motor (151) is transmitted to the lift mechanism (230). The abnormality determination processing portion (163) determines absence or presence of a sheet conveying abnormality on a conveying path (140) along which the sheet (P) is conveyed by the conveying rollers (141) when the lift raising process is executed by the conveying processing portion (162) without executing an image forming process in which an image is formed on the sheet (P) by the image forming portion (13).

A processing unit performs a postprocess for a sheet bunch on a processing tray. In a waiting transportation path, a subsequent sheet can wait while the postprocess is performed for the sheet bunch. If sheet transportation is suspended, a controller determines whether concurrent transportation is performed or not on the basis of whether there is the sheet bunch on the processing tray and whether there is the subsequent sheet in the waiting transportation path. In the concurrent transportation, when the sheet bunch is outputted through an ejection port, the controller transports the subsequent sheet to an output roller and causes the subsequent sheet to protrude from the ejection port such that the subsequent sheet partially overlaps the sheet bunch, and after a rear end of the sheet bunch passes through the ejection port, the controller reverses the output roller and transports the subsequent sheet to the processing tray.

A cleaning solution includes: an organic solvent having a ClogP value of -1.0 or less; an amphoteric surfactant having a betaine structure; a polycarboxylic acid polymer having an average molecular weight of 2000 or more and 50000 or less; and water, the content of the organic solvent being 10 parts by mass or more, the content of the polycarboxylic acid polymer being 0.1 part by mass or more and 1 part by mass or less, and the content of the water being 30 parts by mass or more, the percentage of the content of the amphoteric surfactant to the content of the organic solvent being 0.5% or more and 1.5% or less.

An inkjet ink includes: a pigment; a pigment dispersion resin; and a surfactant represented by the following general formula (1). In the inkjet ink, the number of coarse particles having a particle size of 0.6 µm or more is 1.0 × 10⁹/mL or more and 1.0 × 10¹¹/mL or less.(in the general formula (1), m and n represent positive integers satisfying the following relationship of 9 ≤ m + n ≤ 10 and x and y represent integers satisfying the following relationships of 5 ≤ x ≤ 15, 7 ≤ y ≤ 10, and 1.5 ≤ y / x ≤ 2.0.)

An inkjet ink includes: a pigment; 3-methyl-1,5-pentanediol; triethylene glycol monobutyl ether; trimethylolpropane; a pigment dispersion resin; and water.

An ink includes: a white pigment formed of titanium oxide; a resin binder; a surfactant having an HLB value of 10 or more; and water. In this ink, by blending the resin binder, it is possible to improve the adhesion of a white image to a recording medium. Further, in this ink, by blending a surfactant having an HLB value of 10 or more, high dispersibility of the white pigment formed of titanium oxide in an aqueous solvent is achieved and the dispersed state of the white pigment in the aqueous solvent is easily maintained for a long period of time.

A cleaning solution is a cleaning solution for cleaning an ink ejection surface (F) of a recording head (2) of an inkjet recording apparatus, including: water; a water-soluble organic solvent; an amphoteric surfactant having a betaine structure; a silicone surfactant; a nonionic surfactant other than the silicone surfactant; and an inorganic salt having a pH buffering effect. The cleaning solution has viscosity at 25°C of 2.5 mPa·s or less. The cleaning solution has a static surface tension of 25 mN/m or less. The cleaning solution has a pH of 8.0 or more and 9.5 or less after being sealed and allowed to stand at room temperature for one year.

A pretreatment liquid is used for pretreating an impermeable medium on which an image is recorded with a water-based ink. A polarity component of surface free energy of the impermeable medium is 10 mJ/m² or less. The pretreatment liquid contains 10 mass% or more of 2-ethylhexyl acrylate.

An image forming apparatus (1) includes a photoconductor drum (4), an intermediate transfer belt (5) that moves in contact with the photoconductor drum (4), and a primary transfer roller (31) that transfers a toner image on the photoconductor drum (4), therefrom to the intermediate transfer belt (5). A part of a first contact region (4S) between the intermediate transfer belt (5) and the photoconductor drum (4), and a part of a second contact region (1S) between the intermediate transfer belt (5) and the primary transfer roller (31), are made to overlap with each other. A summit of the primary transfer roller (31), closest to the photoconductor drum (4) in a direction in which the photoconductor drum (4) and the primary transfer roller (31) are aligned across the intermediate transfer belt (5), is set to intrude on the photoconductor drum (4), via the intermediate transfer belt (5). An intrusion amount (Kr) of the summit of the primary transfer roller (31) on the photoconductor drum (4), relative to an overlapping amount, is set within a predetermined proper range.

An image forming apparatus (100) includes an air intake fan (41), a duct (44), and a guide portion (54). The air intake fan (41) is provided at a side of a housing (1) in a first direction (D5). The duct (44) includes an air blowing port (51) that opens toward an image forming portion (3) at a position spaced apart from the air intake fan (41) in the direction orthogonal to the first direction (D5), an extending portion (52) that extends from the air intake fan (41) to the air blowing port (51) along a side wall portion (1A) of the housing (1) in the first direction (D5), and a connecting portion (53) that connects the extending end (52A) of the extending portion (52) and the air blowing port (51). The guide portion (54) guides part of airflow into the connecting portion (53) to the upstream side of the air blowing port (51) in the extending direction of the extending portion (52).