Information processing system and program

Abstract

To prevent a genuine product from being erroneously determined as a non-genuine product even when an environmental condition of a target product changes, in determining whether or not the target product is the genuine product on the basis of a determination of whether a frequency spectrum waveform of electric noise generated by the target product falls within a set determination range or not.SOLUTION: After confirming that a currently-attached toner cartridge 20 is a genuine product, a control device 12 obtains information showing a frequency spectrum waveform and a current environmental condition of the toner cartridge 20 again. The control device 12 generates upper and lower limit data by adding or subtracting a preset margin value to and from the obtained frequency spectrum waveform and stores the data as an environment table while associating the data with information showing the environmental condition. The control device 12 calculates the number of frequency points whose signal intensities do not fall within a determination range, of a plurality of frequency points in the frequency spectrum waveform obtained from the toner cartridge 20 to be determined.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing system and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an information generation circuit in which an identification information generation circuit of an authentication chip possessed by a subsystem receives both electrical noise generated by a subsystem connected to the system main body and electrical noise generated by the system main body via a coupler, acquires a frequency spectrum from the received electrical noise, and generates identification information for authenticating the subsystem based on the acquired frequency spectrum, thereby preventing the subsystem from acquiring or reading the identification information on its own, thereby improving tamper resistance. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2015-177237 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] An object of the present disclosure is to provide an information system and program that can prevent erroneous determination that a genuine product is a non-genuine product even when the environmental conditions of the target product change when determining whether the target product is a genuine product based on whether the frequency spectrum waveform of electrical noise generated by the target product falls within a set determination range. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The information processing system of the first aspect includes a processor, Determine whether the target product is genuine or not based on whether the frequency spectrum waveform, which indicates the electrical noise generated when the memory unit installed in the target product is operated, falls within a set judgment range; After confirming that the currently installed target product is a genuine product, the frequency spectrum waveform of the target product and information showing the current environmental conditions are acquired again, generating information on a judgment range consisting of upper and lower limits for each frequency by adding or subtracting a preset margin value from the acquired frequency spectrum waveform, and storing the information in a memory in association with the information indicating the environmental state; The number of frequency points at which the signal strength of a frequency spectrum waveform does not fall within a determination range is calculated from a plurality of frequency points in a frequency spectrum waveform acquired from a target product for which it is to be determined whether it is a genuine product or not.

[0006] The information processing system of the second aspect is the information processing system of the first aspect, The processor determines that the target product is not a genuine product if the number of frequency points in a frequency spectrum waveform acquired from the target product at which the signal strength of the frequency spectrum waveform does not fall within a judgment range is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value.

[0007] The information processing system of the third aspect is the information processing system of the first aspect, The processor, When determining whether the currently installed target product is a genuine product, information on the current environmental condition of the target product is obtained, Reading out from the memory information on a determination range corresponding to the acquired information on the environmental state; Using the read information on the determination range, it is determined whether the target product is a genuine product or not.

[0008] The information processing system of the fourth aspect is the information processing system of the third aspect, the information indicating the environmental condition includes temperature information of a device in which the target product is installed, The processor acquires information on a current temperature state of the target product, and reads information on a determination range corresponding to the acquired information on the temperature state from the memory; Using the read information on the determination range, it is determined whether the target product is a genuine product or not.

[0009] An information processing system according to a fifth aspect is the information processing system according to the first aspect, An image output unit that outputs an image onto a recording medium, The target product is a cartridge part filled with an image forming material for outputting an image on a recording medium, the information indicating the environmental condition is either one or both of temperature information of a device in which the cartridge part is mounted and output number information which is the number of recording media output from the image output unit after the start of use of the cartridge part; The processor generates information on the determination range for each temperature, output number, or combination of temperature and output number, and stores the information in a memory.

[0010] An information processing system according to a sixth aspect is the information processing system according to the fifth aspect, The processor, If the number of frequency points where the signal strength of the frequency spectrum waveform obtained from the cartridge part does not fall within the judgment range increases as the number of output sheets increases, and if it is predicted that the number of frequency points that do not fall within the judgment range will exceed a preset threshold value if the number of output sheets continues to increase, a warning is given to the user that there is a possibility that the currently installed cartridge part will be erroneously determined to be a non-genuine product. 6. An information processing system according to claim 5.

[0011] An information processing system according to a seventh aspect is the information processing system according to the sixth aspect, If it is predicted that if the number of output sheets continues to increase, the number of frequency points that do not fall within the judgment range will exceed a preset threshold value, a notification is sent to the user requesting him or her to remove the imaging material adhering to the periphery of the connection terminal of the cartridge part.

[0012] An information processing system according to an eighth aspect is the information processing system according to the fifth aspect, The processor, When the number of frequency points at which the signal strength of the frequency spectrum waveform acquired from the cartridge part does not fall within the judgment range increases with an increase in the number of output sheets, and it is predicted that the number of frequency points that do not fall within the judgment range will exceed a preset threshold value if the number of output sheets continues to increase, a terminal abnormality flag is set to an ON state, confirming a connection state between the cartridge part and a storage unit mounted thereon; If the connection with the memory unit cannot be confirmed, and if the terminal abnormality flag is on, a notification is issued requesting the user to remove any imaging material adhering to the area around the connection terminal of the cartridge part, and if the terminal abnormality flag is off, a notification is issued indicating that the memory unit has failed or that the memory unit is not attached to the cartridge part.

[0013] An information processing system of a ninth aspect is the information processing system of the first aspect, The storage unit to be mounted in the target product is a ferroelectric memory, and the genuine target product is equipped with a ferroelectric memory manufactured by the same manufacturing process.

[0014] The program of the tenth aspect is determining whether the target product is a genuine product based on whether a frequency spectrum waveform indicating electrical noise generated when a storage unit attached to the target product is operated falls within a set determination range; After it is confirmed that the currently installed target product is a genuine product, acquiring again the frequency spectrum waveform of the target product and information indicating the current environmental state; generating information on a determination range consisting of upper and lower limits for each frequency by adding or subtracting a preset margin value to or from the acquired frequency spectrum waveform, and storing the information in a memory in association with the information indicating the environmental state; A step of calculating the number of frequency points in a frequency spectrum waveform acquired from a target product to be judged as to whether it is a genuine product, the number of frequency points in which the signal strength of the frequency spectrum waveform does not fall within a judgment range; A program for causing a computer to execute the following. Effect of the Invention

[0015] According to the information processing system of the first aspect, when determining whether a target product is genuine or not based on whether the frequency spectrum waveform of the electrical noise generated by the target product falls within a set judgment range, it is possible to prevent erroneous determination that a genuine product is non-genuine even when the environmental conditions of the target product change.

[0016] According to the information processing system of the second aspect, even if all frequency points of the frequency spectrum waveform do not fall within the determination range, it is possible to determine that the target product is a genuine product.

[0017] According to the information processing system of the third aspect, it becomes possible to determine whether or not the target product is a genuine product by using the determination range corresponding to the current environmental state of the target product.

[0018] According to the information processing system of the fourth aspect, it becomes possible to determine whether or not the target product is a genuine product by using the determination range corresponding to the temperature environment in which the target product is currently placed.

[0019] According to the information processing system of the fifth aspect, it is possible to determine whether the cartridge part being judged is genuine or not by using a judgment range corresponding to the current temperature environment of the cartridge part, the number of sheets output, or a combination of temperature and the number of sheets output.

[0020] According to the information processing system of the sixth aspect, it is possible to issue a warning to the user before the currently mounted cartridge part is erroneously determined to be a non-genuine product.

[0021] According to the information processing system of the seventh aspect, it is possible to request the user to remove imaging material adhering to the periphery of the connection terminal of the cartridge part before the currently installed cartridge part is erroneously determined to be a non-genuine product.

[0022] According to the information processing system of the eighth aspect, when the connection with the memory unit cannot be confirmed, different notifications can be given depending on whether this is due to the adhesion of imaging material around the connection terminal of the cartridge part, a malfunction of the memory unit, or the memory unit not being attached to the cartridge part.

[0023] According to the information processing system of the ninth aspect, it is possible to determine whether or not a target product is genuine based on whether or not the frequency spectrum waveform of electrical noise generated by a ferroelectric memory attached to the target product falls within a set determination range.

[0024] According to the program of the tenth aspect, when determining whether the target product is genuine or not based on whether the frequency spectrum waveform of the electrical noise generated by the target product falls within a set judgment range, it is possible to prevent erroneous determination that a genuine product is non-genuine even when the environmental conditions of the target product change. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a control device 12 in an image forming apparatus main body 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 3] 4 is a diagram showing an example of a frequency spectrum waveform acquired by a spectrum conversion unit 33. FIG. [Figure 4] 11 is a diagram showing an example of authentication determination data in which an upper limit value and a lower limit value are set for each specific frequency of a frequency spectrum waveform. FIG. [Diagram 5] 11A and 11B are diagrams for explaining a theoretical value method and an automatic adjustment method when registering authentication determination data as initial values. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a process of registering an initial value of authentication determination data. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a change in a frequency spectrum waveform due to an increase in the number of printed sheets. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an environment table stored in the data storage unit 13. [Figure 9] 9 is a flowchart for explaining an operation when performing authentication processing of the toner cartridge 20 using the environment table as shown in FIG. 8. [Figure 10] 13 is a flowchart for explaining a process for storing new upper and lower limit data in an environment table. [Figure 11] 11 is a flowchart for explaining a process using a trend of change in measurement data of a frequency spectrum waveform. [Figure 12] 13 is a diagram for explaining how the number of waveform deviation points is predicted; FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a warning notification screen presented to a user as a result of a warning flag being turned on. [Figure 14] 13 is a flowchart for explaining a connection confirmation process of a CRUM using a warning flag. [Figure 15] 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating an example of a notification screen displayed to a user during contact error processing. [Figure 16] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing how the value of one frequency point in the measurement data of the frequency spectrum waveform changes due to toner removal. [Figure 17] 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating an example of a change in a frequency spectrum waveform due to toner removal. [Figure 18] 11 is a flowchart for explaining a process during authentication in response to a sudden change in a frequency spectrum waveform caused by toner removal. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0026] Next, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0027] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 1, an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes an image forming apparatus main body 10 and a toner cartridge 20.

[0029] The image forming apparatus of this embodiment is a so-called multifunction device having multiple functions such as a printing function, a scanning function, a copying function, a facsimile function, etc. The image forming apparatus of this embodiment is configured so that when a toner cartridge 20 is mounted in an image forming apparatus main body 10, an image is output on a recording medium such as printing paper using toner supplied from the toner cartridge 20.

[0030] The toner cartridge is manufactured and sold by the manufacturer of the image forming device and is provided to the market. When the user of the image forming device runs out of toner, which is a consumable item, the user can continue printing by purchasing a new toner cartridge and replacing it.

[0031] However, when it comes to cartridge parts such as toner cartridges, in addition to genuine products, there are also non-genuine compatible products. Here, genuine products refer to products manufactured or sold by the manufacturer of the image forming device. Non-genuine products, that is, compatible products that are not genuine products, refer to products manufactured or sold by parties other than the manufacturer of the image forming device, and are not recommended or permitted for use by the manufacturer of the image forming device.

[0032] Therefore, in the image forming apparatus of this embodiment, when the toner cartridge 20, which is a cartridge part, is replaced, the replaced toner cartridge 20 is treated as the target product and a determination is made as to whether it is a genuine product or a non-genuine product.

[0033] The toner cartridge 20 is provided with a Customer Replaceable Unit Memory (CRUM) 21, which is a non-volatile memory for determining whether the toner cartridge 20 is a genuine product or not.

[0034] For example, certain specific code information is stored in this CRUM 21, and by determining whether or not this code information is stored when the toner cartridge 20 is installed in the image forming apparatus main body 10, it is possible to determine that the installed toner cartridge 20 is a genuine product. However, if this code information is leaked to a third party, it may be possible for the code information to be stored in a non-genuine product.

[0035] Therefore, in this embodiment, whether or not the toner cartridge 20 is a genuine product is determined based on whether or not the frequency spectrum waveform indicating the electrical noise generated when CRUM21, a memory unit attached to the toner cartridge 20, which is the target product, is operated, falls within a set judgment range.

[0036] Here, the CRUM21 attached to the toner cartridge 20 is composed of a non-volatile memory such as FeRAM (Ferroelectric RAM), and a genuine toner cartridge 20 is equipped with a ferroelectric memory manufactured by the same manufacturing process as the CRUM21.

[0037] The image forming apparatus main body 10 includes a display unit 11, a control device 12, a data storage unit 13, a communication IF (interface) 14, a non-volatile memory 15, an image output unit 16, a temperature sensor 17, and a noise judgment circuit 30.

[0038] The control device 12 is capable of reading data from the CRUM 21 and writing data to the CRUM 21 via the communication interface 14. The control device 12 writes information on the number of sheets printed by the image output unit 16, that is, the number of output sheets, to the CRUM 21.

[0039] Next, the hardware configuration of the control device 12 in the image forming apparatus main body 10 of this embodiment is shown in FIG.

[0040] 2, the control device 12 has a CPU 41, a ROM 42, a RAM 43, and a communication interface (abbreviated as IF) 44 for transmitting and receiving data to and from an external device, etc. These components are connected to each other via a control bus 45.

[0041] The CPU 41 is a processor that executes a predetermined process by executing a control program stored in the ROM 42 to control the operation of the image forming apparatus. The RAM 43 temporarily stores data and programs as a data working area. In the present embodiment, the CPU 41 is described as reading and executing the control program stored in the ROM 42, but is not limited to this. The control program may be provided in a form recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. For example, the program may be provided in a form recorded on an optical disc such as a CD (Compact Disc)-ROM or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc)-ROM, or in a semiconductor memory such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory or a memory card. The control program may also be obtained from an external device via a communication line connected to the communication interface 14.

[0042] When the image forming device performs color printing, a toner cartridge is provided for each color, namely, C (cyan), M (magenta), Y (yellow), and K (black), but for simplicity in this embodiment, only one toner cartridge 20 will be used.

[0043] The display unit 11 is controlled by the control device 12 to display various information to the user. The data storage unit 13 is controlled by the control device 12 to store various data. The image output unit 16 outputs an image onto a recording medium such as printing paper based on the control of the control device 12. The toner cartridge 20 is a cartridge part filled with toner, which is an image forming material for outputting an image onto a recording medium in the image output unit 16. The temperature sensor 17 detects the temperature inside the image forming apparatus.

[0044] The noise determination circuit 30 is configured to determine whether the toner cartridge 20 equipped with the CRUM21 is a genuine product or a non-genuine product based on the electrical noise generated when the memory unit CRUM21 is operated, and to transmit the determination result to the control device 12.

[0045] When the control device 12 determines that the installed toner cartridge 20 is a genuine product based on the determination result from the noise determination circuit 30, the control device 12 executes a printing process by the image output unit 16 using the toner supplied by the toner cartridge 20. When the control device 12 receives a determination result from the noise determination circuit 30 that the installed toner cartridge 20 is a non-genuine product, the control device 12 executes a process such as notifying the user via the display unit 11, etc., that the installed toner cartridge 20 is a non-genuine product.

[0046] Next, there will be described the operation of the noise determination circuit 30. As shown in Fig. 1, the noise determination circuit 30 includes an amplifier 31, an ADC (Analog Digital Converter: A / D converter) 32, a spectrum conversion section 33, and a determination section .

[0047] The amplifier 31 amplifies the electrical noise from the CRUM 21 received by the communication interface 14. The ADC 32 converts the electrical noise amplified by the amplifier 31 into digital data. The spectrum conversion unit 33 performs FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) processing on the digital data converted by the ADC 32 to convert the data from the time domain into the frequency domain and acquires a frequency spectrum waveform.

[0048] Here, authentication determination data is stored in advance in the non-volatile memory 15 by the control device 12. This authentication determination data is information on a determination range consisting of upper and lower limit values ​​for each frequency, for determining whether the acquired frequency spectrum waveform is that of a genuine toner cartridge 20.

[0049] An example of a frequency spectrum waveform acquired by the spectrum conversion unit 33 is shown in FIG.

[0050] In the spectrum authentication used in this embodiment, whether or not a target product is a genuine product is determined using the frequency characteristics of electrical noise, which is a voltage change when accessing the CRUM21 composed of FeRAM. The frequency characteristics of this electrical noise depend on the semiconductor manufacturing equipment and manufacturing method used to manufacture the FeRAM. Therefore, frequency spectrum waveforms obtained based on electrical noise generated by FeRAM manufactured by the same manufacturing process in a specific factory will match each other. However, they will differ from frequency spectrum waveforms obtained based on electrical noise generated by FeRAM manufactured by a different manufacturing program manufacturing process in another factory.

[0051] Therefore, by equipping genuine toner cartridges with FeRAM manufactured using the same manufacturing process at a specific factory as the CRUM, it is possible to determine whether the toner cartridge installed is genuine or non-genuine using the frequency spectrum waveform.

[0052] However, even frequency spectrum waveforms obtained based on electrical noise generated by FeRAMs manufactured using the same manufacturing process at a specific factory do not always match perfectly due to individual differences, etc. Therefore, as shown in Figure 3, upper and lower limits are set for the signal strength value of the electrical noise in the frequency spectrum waveform obtained from a genuine CRUM, and the judgment range defined by these upper and lower limits is set as the authentication judgment data.

[0053] Specifically, as shown in Fig. 4, upper and lower limit values ​​are set for each specific frequency of the frequency spectrum waveform to form the authentication judgment data. Note that, for simplicity of explanation, in Fig. 3 and Fig. 4, the number of frequency points in the frequency spectrum waveform is described as 16, but in reality, the number of frequency points may be more than 130, and judgment may be performed using these frequency points.

[0054] Then, the judgment unit 34 of the noise judgment circuit 30 judges whether the toner cartridge 20 being judged is a genuine product or not based on whether the frequency spectrum waveform indicating the electrical noise of the CRUM 21 acquired from the spectrum conversion unit 33 falls within the judgment range set by the authentication judgment data stored in the non-volatile memory 15.

[0055] Note that the determination unit 34 does not have to determine that the toner cartridge 20 being determined is a genuine product only when the signal strengths of all frequency points of the frequency spectrum waveform being determined are within the determination range. The determination unit 34 may determine that the toner cartridge 20 is a genuine product if the signal strengths of a predetermined percentage or more of the frequency points being determined are within the determination range. For example, the determination unit 34 may determine that the toner cartridge 20 is a genuine product if 12 or more frequency points out of 16 frequency points are within the determination range.

[0056] [Setting the initial value of authentication judgment data (first time)] Here, when performing such spectrum authentication, it is necessary to register authentication determination data as an initial value in the image forming apparatus.

[0057] There are two methods for registering authentication judgment data as initial values ​​on a production line, etc.: a theoretical value method and an automatic adjustment method, as shown in Fig. 5. The theoretical value method is a method for registering common authentication judgment data without considering the individual differences of each image forming device. The automatic adjustment method is a method for registering authentication judgment data that is adapted to the individual differences of each image forming device.

[0058] In the theoretical value method, as shown in Fig. 5, preset upper and lower limit data is registered in non-volatile memory 15 as authentication judgment data. In the automatic adjustment method, a frequency spectrum waveform is acquired with a genuine toner cartridge installed on a production line or the like, and the signal strength of each frequency point of the frequency spectrum waveform is used as measurement data. Then, a preset margin value is added or subtracted from this measurement data to generate upper and lower limit data consisting of upper and lower limit values ​​for each frequency, and the upper and lower limit data is registered in non-volatile memory 15 as authentication judgment data.

[0059] The process of registering the initial value of the authentication determination data will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0060] First, in step S101, the control device 12 judges whether the theoretical value method or the automatic adjustment method is set as the rewriting method. Whether the theoretical value method or the automatic adjustment method is set as the selection method is set for each destination and model of the image forming apparatus in the production line.

[0061] If it is determined in step S101 that the automatic adjustment method is set as the rewriting method, the control device 12 acquires, in step S102, from the spectrum conversion unit 33, frequency spectrum waveform data obtained by sampling the electrical noise of the CRUM 21.

[0062] Next, in step S103, the control device 12 generates upper and lower limit data by adding or subtracting a margin value to or from the acquired frequency spectrum waveform data.

[0063] Then, in step S104, the control device 12 registers the generated upper and lower limit data in the non-volatile memory 15 as authentication determination data.

[0064] If it is determined in step S101 that the theoretical value method is set as the rewrite method, the control device 12 registers the preset upper and lower limit data in the non-volatile memory 15 as authentication determination data in step S105.

[0065] Here, the theoretical value method does not take into account the individual differences of devices, so the judgment range is set broadly. Therefore, the theoretical value method has the advantage that it can judge a product to be genuine even if some irregular values ​​occur in the frequency spectrum waveform. However, on the other hand, the theoretical value method has the disadvantage that it may erroneously judge a non-genuine product to be genuine.

[0066] In addition, the automatic adjustment method can set a narrow judgment range because the authentication judgment data is set based on the measurement data actually measured. Therefore, the automatic adjustment method has the advantage of being able to reduce the possibility of misjudging a non-genuine product as a genuine product. However, the automatic adjustment method has the disadvantage that, because the judgment range is set narrow, it cannot respond to sudden changes in the environment, and there is a possibility that a genuine product may be misjudged as a non-genuine product.

[0067] [Rewrite authentication judgment data (second time onwards)] In an actual environment where an image forming apparatus is actually used, an authentication process is executed to determine whether the installed toner cartridge 20 is genuine or non-genuine based on the initial value of the authentication determination data registered by the above-mentioned method. However, even if the installed toner cartridge 20 is recognized as genuine, if the temperature inside the apparatus changes thereafter or the state of the connection terminal electrically connecting the toner cartridge 20 and the image forming apparatus main body 10 changes, the acquired frequency spectrum waveform may change and the toner cartridge may be determined to be non-genuine. In particular, when the image forming apparatus repeats printing processes, toner dust generated inside the apparatus causes toner to adhere to the connection terminal electrically connecting the toner cartridge 20 and the image forming apparatus main body 10, and the electrical connection state between the toner cartridge 20 and the image forming apparatus main body 10 changes.

[0068] Figure 7 shows an example of the change in frequency spectrum waveform due to an increase in the number of printed sheets.

[0069] 7, it can be seen that the frequency spectrum waveform when the number of printed sheets is 5,000 changes compared to the frequency spectrum waveform when the number of printed sheets is 0. In addition, in the judgment range set based on the frequency spectrum waveform when the number of printed sheets is 0, it can be seen that when judging the frequency spectrum waveform when the number of printed sheets is 5,000, the signal strength falls below the lower limit at four frequency points. If the number of frequency points outside the judgment range exceeds a certain threshold, the installed toner cartridge 20 will be erroneously judged to be a non-genuine product.

[0070] Therefore, in the image forming device of this embodiment, by performing the processing described below, it is possible to prevent a genuine product from being mistakenly determined to be a non-genuine product even if the environmental conditions of the target product, toner cartridge 20, change.

[0071] In this embodiment, after confirming that the currently installed toner cartridge 20 is a genuine product, the control device 12 again acquires the frequency spectrum waveform of the toner cartridge 20 and information indicating the current environmental state.

[0072] Next, the control device 12 generates upper and lower limit data, which is information on the judgment range consisting of upper and lower limit values ​​for each frequency, by adding or subtracting a predetermined margin value to the acquired frequency spectrum waveform, and stores the data in the data memory unit 13 as an environmental table in correspondence with information indicating the environmental condition.

[0073] The control device 12 acquires information about the current environmental state of the toner cartridge 20 during authentication processing to determine whether the currently installed toner cartridge 20 is a genuine product.

[0074] The control device 12 reads out the upper and lower limit data corresponding to the acquired environmental condition information from the data storage unit 13. Then, the control device 12 uses the read out upper and lower limit data to determine whether the toner cartridge 20 is a genuine product.

[0075] During the authentication process, the control device 12 calculates the number of frequency points in the frequency spectrum waveform acquired from the toner cartridge 20 whose authenticity is to be determined, at which the signal strength of the frequency spectrum waveform does not fall within the determination range.

[0076] Then, if the number of frequency points in the frequency spectrum waveform acquired from the toner cartridge 20 at which the signal strength of the frequency spectrum waveform does not fall within the judgment range is equal to or greater than a preset threshold value, the control device 12 determines that the toner cartridge 20 is not a genuine product.

[0077] Here, the information indicating the environmental condition includes, for example, temperature information of the image forming apparatus in which the toner cartridge 20 is mounted. In this case, the control device 12 acquires information on the current temperature condition of the toner cartridge 20, and reads out upper and lower limit data corresponding to the acquired temperature condition information from the data storage unit 13. Then, the control device 12 registers the read upper and lower limit data in the non-volatile memory 15 as authentication determination data, and uses the read upper and lower limit data to determine whether or not the toner cartridge 20 is a genuine product.

[0078] The information indicating the environmental condition may be either or both of temperature information of the image forming apparatus in which the toner cartridge 20, which is a cartridge component, is mounted and print count information, which is the number of recording media output from the image output unit 16 after the start of use of the toner cartridge 20. Then, the control device 12 generates upper and lower limit data for each temperature, print count, or combination of temperature and print count, and stores the data in the data storage unit 13.

[0079] An example of the environment table thus stored in the data storage unit 13 is shown in FIG.

[0080] In the example environmental table shown in FIG. 8, for each combination of temperature and number of prints, upper and lower limit data consisting of upper and lower limit values, and measurement data which is signal strength data for each frequency point in the frequency spectrum waveform obtained from electrical noise are stored.

[0081] Referring to FIG. 8, it can be seen that measurement data, upper limit values, and lower limit values ​​are stored for each temperature range of 0 to 10°C, 11 to 20°C, and 21 to 30°C, and for each print count range of 0 to 4999 sheets, 5000 to 9999 sheets, and 10,000 sheets or more.

[0082] Next, the operation of performing authentication processing for the toner cartridge 20 using the environment table shown in FIG. 8 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0083] First, in step S201, the control device 12 acquires information on the current temperature and the number of printed sheets. Specifically, the control device 12 acquires current temperature information inside the device from the temperature sensor 17. The control device 12 also acquires information on the number of printed sheets after the toner cartridge 20 is replaced from the data storage unit 13, which stores and manages the information.

[0084] Next, in step S202, the control device 12 searches the environment table based on the information on the current temperature and the number of printed sheets to obtain upper and lower limit data corresponding to the current temperature and the number of printed sheets. For example, if the current temperature is 16°C and the number of printed sheets is 3000, the control device 12 obtains the upper and lower limit data corresponding to a temperature of 11 to 12°C and a number of printed sheets of 0 to 4999 in the environment table shown in Fig. 8 as the upper and lower limit data.

[0085] Then, in step S203, the control device 12 rewrites the authentication determination data in the non-volatile memory 15 with the acquired upper and lower limit data.

[0086] Then, in step S204, the determination unit 34 performs authentication processing on the frequency spectrum waveform acquired from the spectrum conversion unit 33 based on the rewritten authentication data, and transmits the authentication result to the control device 12.

[0087] In step S205, the control device 12 determines whether the authentication result from the determination unit 34 is a success or not.

[0088] If the authentication result from the determining unit 34 in step S205 is a success, the control device 12 determines in step S206 that the installed toner cartridge 20 is a genuine product.

[0089] Furthermore, if the authentication result from the determining unit 34 in step S205 is an authentication failure, the control device 12 determines in step S207 that the installed toner cartridge 20 is a non-genuine product.

[0090] Note that the environment table shown in Fig. 8 does not initially store all the upper and lower limit data corresponding to the combinations of temperature and number of printed sheets. The control device 12 stores new upper and lower limit data in the environment table based on the frequency spectrum waveform data acquired in accordance with an increase in the number of printed sheets and a change in temperature.

[0091] The process performed by the control device 12 to store new upper and lower limit data in the environment table will now be described with reference to the flow chart of FIG.

[0092] First, in step S301, the control device 12 acquires information on the current temperature and the number of printed sheets.

[0093] Next, in step S302, the control device 12 acquires from the spectrum conversion unit 33 frequency spectrum waveform data obtained by sampling the electrical noise of the CRUM 21.

[0094] Then, in step S303, the control device 12 generates upper and lower limit data by adding or subtracting a margin value to or from the acquired frequency spectrum waveform data.

[0095] Finally, in step S304, the control device 12 stores the acquired frequency spectrum waveform data and the generated upper and lower limit data in the environment table in the data storage unit 13 in association with the temperature information and the print count information.

[0096] In this way, after the image forming apparatus is installed in the actual usage location, it is used in various temperature environments, and data for each combination of temperature and number of prints is stored in the environment table.

[0097] [Processing using the tendency of changes in frequency spectrum waveforms with increasing number of printed sheets] The above-mentioned frequency spectrum waveform may change as the number of printed sheets increases due to toner dust adhering to the vicinity of the connection terminal connecting the toner cartridge 20 and the image forming apparatus main body 10. For example, in the example frequency spectrum waveform shown in Fig. 7, it can be seen that the overall signal strength decreases as the number of printed sheets increases from 0 to 5,000.

[0098] Therefore, by grasping the tendency of changes in the frequency spectrum waveform accompanying an increase in the number of printed sheets, the following processing can be carried out using the grasped tendency of changes.

[0099] For example, if the number of frequency points where the signal strength of the frequency spectrum waveform obtained from the toner cartridge 20 does not fall within the judgment range of the upper and lower limit data increases as the number of printed sheets increases, and if the number of printed sheets continues to increase, the number of frequency points that do not fall within the judgment range is predicted to exceed a preset threshold value, the control device 12 warns the user that there is a possibility that the currently installed toner cartridge 20 will be mistakenly determined to be a non-genuine product.

[0100] In addition, if the control device 12 predicts that the number of frequency points that do not fall within the judgment range will exceed a preset threshold if the number of printed sheets continues to increase, the control device 12 may also notify the user to remove the toner, which is an image forming material, that has adhered to the area around the connection terminal of the toner cartridge 20.

[0101] Next, a process using the tendency of change in the measurement data of such a frequency spectrum waveform will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0102] First, in step S401, the control device 12 acquires information on the current temperature and the number of printed sheets.

[0103] Next, in step S402, the control device 12 refers to the environment table and determines whether or not there is data showing different numbers of prints in the same temperature range. If it is determined in step S402 that there is no data showing different numbers of prints in the same temperature range, the control device 12 ends the process.

[0104] If it is determined in step S402 that data exists for different numbers of printed sheets within the same temperature range, the control device 12 counts the number of waveform deviation points when comparing the measurement data for a certain number of printed sheets with the upper and lower limit data for another number of printed sheets in step S403. Here, the waveform deviation points refer to the number of frequency points that do not fall within the range of the upper and lower limit data.

[0105] Furthermore, in step S404, the control device 12 predicts the number of waveform deviation points when the number of printed sheets is further increased.

[0106] Then, in step S405, the control device 12 determines whether or not the predicted number of waveform deviation points exceeds a preset threshold value.

[0107] If it is determined in step S405 that the predicted number of waveform deviation points exceeds a preset threshold value, the control device 12 turns on a warning flag in step S406.

[0108] Moreover, if it is determined in step S405 that the predicted number of waveform deviation points does not exceed the preset threshold value, the control device 12 ends the process.

[0109] The above-described process of predicting the number of waveform deviation points will be described with reference to FIG.

[0110] As described above, the control device 12 turns on a warning flag, which is a terminal abnormality flag, when the number of waveform deviation points, which is the number of frequency points at which the signal strength of the frequency spectrum waveform acquired from the toner cartridge 20 does not fall within the judgment range, increases with an increase in the number of printed sheets, and when it predicts that the number of waveform deviation points will continue to exceed a preset threshold value.

[0111] For example, as shown in FIG. 12, when the measurement data where the number of printed sheets is 0 and the temperature range is 11 to 20°C is compared with the upper and lower limit data where the number of printed sheets is 0 to 4999 and the temperature range is 11 to 20°C, the number of waveform deviation points is 0.

[0112] Then, suppose that the number of waveform deviation points is 4 when the measurement data when the number of printed sheets is 0 and the temperature range is 11 to 20°C is compared with the upper and lower limit data when the number of printed sheets is 5000 to 9999 and the temperature range is 11 to 20°C.

[0113] Then, based on the tendency that the number of waveform deviation points increases as the number of printed sheets increases, the control device 12 predicts that if the number of printed sheets exceeds 10,000 sheets, the number of waveform deviation points will reach 8. Also, assume that the preset threshold for the number of waveform deviation points is 6. In other words, the predicted future number of waveform deviation points, 8, exceeds the threshold of 6, so the control device 12 turns on the warning flag.

[0114] Then, the control device 12 notifies the user that there is a possibility that the currently installed toner cartridge 20 may be erroneously determined to be a non-genuine product by turning on the warning flag, and requests the user to remove the toner adhering to the periphery of the connection terminal of the toner cartridge 20. Specifically, the control device 12 notifies the user by displaying characters as shown in FIG.

[0115] Fig. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a warning notification screen shown to the user when the warning flag is turned on. Referring to Fig. 13, the message "If this continues, the toner cartridge currently being used may be erroneously determined to be a non-genuine product. Please remove the toner adhering to the area around the connection terminal between the toner cartridge and the main body" is displayed, informing the user of the possibility of erroneous determination as the number of printed pages increases, and requesting the user to remove the toner.

[0116] Furthermore, by using the warning flag described above, even if the control device 12 cannot confirm the connection with the installed toner cartridge 20, it can distinguish whether the cause is an abnormality in the CRUM 21 itself or poor contact due to toner adhering to the connection terminal.

[0117] Specifically, the control device 12 checks the connection state with the CRUM 21 attached to the toner cartridge 20, and if the connection with the CRUM 21 cannot be confirmed or the warning flag is on, it determines that there is a high possibility of poor contact due to toner adhering to the connection terminal. In this case, the control device 12 notifies the user to remove the toner adhering to the periphery of the connection terminal of the toner cartridge 20.

[0118] Furthermore, when the control device 12 cannot confirm the connection with the CRUM 21 and the warning flag is in the OFF state, it notifies the user that the CRUM 21 is broken or that the CRUM 21 is not yet attached to the toner cartridge 20 .

[0119] The CRUM connection confirmation process using such a warning flag will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0120] When the controller 12 detects that the toner cartridge 20 is attached, the controller 12 checks the connection with the CRUM 21 via the communication IF 14 in step S501.

[0121] Then, in step S502, the control device 12 determines whether or not the connection with the CRUM 21 has been successful.

[0122] If it is determined in step S502 that the connection with the CRUM 21 has been successful, then in step S503, the control device 12 executes authentication processing for the CRUM 21. The authentication processing for the CRUM 21 executed in step S503 is the processing shown in the flowchart of Fig. 9, and therefore details thereof will be omitted.

[0123] Then, if it is determined in step S502 that the connection with the CRUM 21 has not been successful, the control device 12 determines in step S504 whether or not the warning flag is in the ON state.

[0124] If it is determined in step S504 that the warning flag is not on, that is, is off, the control device 12 executes a non-attachment error process in step S504. Here, the non-attachment error process means a process of notifying the user that the CRUM 21 is broken or that the CRUM 21 is not attached to the toner cartridge 20.

[0125] If it is determined in step S504 that the warning flag is on, the control device 12 executes contact error processing in step S505. Here, the contact error processing means processing for notifying the user that a contact failure has occurred due to toner adhering to the connection terminal.

[0126] An example of the notification screen shown to the user during this contact error processing is shown in Figure 15. Referring to Figure 15, the message "The toner cartridge cannot be recognized. Please remove the toner adhering to the area around the connection terminal between the toner cartridge and the main body" is displayed, notifying the user that a contact failure has occurred due to toner adhering to the connection terminal, and requesting the user to remove the toner adhering to the area around the connection terminal.

[0127] [How to deal with sudden changes in frequency spectrum waveforms caused by toner removal] When the user is requested to remove the toner adhering to the vicinity of the connection terminal by the notification as described above and the user removes the toner adhering to the vicinity of the connection terminal, the obtained frequency spectrum waveform may change suddenly. Even if the notification as described above is not given, when the user removes the toner cartridge 20 from the image forming device main body 10 and then installs it back into the image forming device main body 10, the toner adhering to the vicinity of the connection terminal may be unintentionally removed, causing a change in the connection state.

[0128] For example, FIG. 16 shows how the value of one frequency point in the measurement data of the frequency spectrum waveform changes due to toner removal.

[0129] Referring to FIG. 16, it can be seen that the signal strength at a certain frequency point gradually decreases as the number of printed sheets increases from 0 to 5,000 to 10,000. Even in this case, the upper and lower limits change with the increase in the number of printed sheets, so that the signal strength falls within the judgment range. However, if the toner adhering to the vicinity of the connection terminal connecting the toner cartridge 20 and the image forming apparatus main body 10 is removed for some reason, the signal strength at this frequency point will return to the value when the number of printed sheets was 0. Then, even though the number of printed sheets is 10,000, the signal strength at this frequency point suddenly becomes the value when the number of printed sheets was 0, exceeding the upper limit value and falling outside the judgment range. Then, there is a risk that the toner cartridge 20 will be erroneously judged to be a non-genuine product even though it is a genuine product.

[0130] In reality, there are cases where an erroneous judgment does not occur if the signal strength at only one frequency point is outside the upper and lower limits, but if the signal strength at multiple frequency points is outside the upper and lower limits, the possibility of an erroneous judgment occurring increases.

[0131] An example of such a change in frequency spectrum waveform is shown in Figure 17. Referring to Figure 17, the frequency spectrum waveform when the number of printed sheets is 0 is shown in Figure 17(A), the frequency spectrum waveform when the number of printed sheets is 5,000 is shown in Figure 17(B), and the frequency spectrum waveform when the number of printed sheets is 10,000 is shown in Figure 17(C). Also, referring to Figures 17(A), 17(B), and 17(C), it can be seen that as the number of printed sheets increases, the signal strength at one frequency point gradually increases, and the signal strength at another frequency point gradually decreases.

[0132] Now, suppose that when the number of printed sheets is 10,000, for some reason the toner adhering to the vicinity of the connection terminal connecting the toner cartridge 20 to the image forming apparatus main body 10 is removed. Then, the frequency spectrum waveform suddenly changes from the state shown in Fig. 17(C) to the state shown in Fig. 17(D). This frequency spectrum waveform shown in Fig. 17(D) is almost the same as the frequency spectrum waveform in Fig. 17(A) when the number of printed sheets is 0.

[0133] In this way, when the judgment range is changed according to the number of printed sheets, if the condition of the toner adhering to the connection terminal changes suddenly, there is a possibility that a genuine product may be erroneously judged to be a non-genuine product. Therefore, in this embodiment, the following processing is performed to prevent a genuine product from being erroneously judged to be a non-genuine product even if the environmental condition of the toner cartridge 20, which is the target product, changes.

[0134] Even if the control device 12 determines that the acquired frequency spectrum waveform does not fall within the judgment range, if the acquired frequency spectrum waveform falls within the judgment range of either the upper or lower limit data in the environmental table stored in the data storage unit 13, the control device 12 determines that the toner cartridge 20 being judged is a genuine product.

[0135] Specifically, even if the control device 12 determines that the frequency spectrum waveform acquired from the toner cartridge 20 does not fall within the judgment range corresponding to the current environmental conditions, if the acquired frequency spectrum waveform falls within a judgment range of the upper and lower limit data in the environmental table stored in the data storage unit 13 that differs only in terms of the number of printed pages, the control device 12 determines that the toner cartridge 20 is an authentic product.

[0136] Then, when the acquired frequency spectrum waveform falls within a judgment range of the upper and lower limit data stored in the data storage unit 13 that differs only in terms of the number of printed sheets, the control unit 12 stores the upper and lower limit data in the environmental table in the data storage unit 13 as upper and lower limit data corresponding to the current number of printed sheets.

[0137] The process for authentication in response to the sudden change in the frequency spectrum waveform caused by toner removal as described above will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0138] 18 differs from the flowchart shown in FIG. 9 only in that steps S601 to S603 are added, and therefore only these steps will be described.

[0139] If the authentication result from the determination unit 34 is a failure in step S205, the control device 12 searches the environment table for measurement data that is similar to the current frequency spectrum waveform data in step S601.

[0140] Then, in step S602, the control device 12 determines whether or not the environmental data contains measurement data that is similar to the current frequency spectrum waveform data.

[0141] If it is determined in step S602 that the environmental data contains measurement data that is similar to the current frequency spectrum waveform data, the control device 12 acquires upper and lower limit data of the similar measurement data in step S603, and proceeds to step S203.

[0142] In step S203, the control device 12 rewrites the authentication determination data in the non-volatile memory 15 with the acquired upper and lower limit data.

[0143] In other words, the authentication process is re-executed using the upper and lower limit data based on the measurement data that is similar to the current spectrum waveform data as the authentication judgment data. If the current spectrum waveform is judged to be within the judgment range in this authentication process, the toner cartridge 20 is judged to be a genuine product.

[0144] If it is determined in step S602 that the environmental data does not contain any measurement data that is similar to the current frequency spectrum waveform data, then in step S207, the control device 12 determines that the installed toner cartridge 20 is a non-genuine product.

[0145] In each of the above embodiments, the term "processor" refers to a processor in a broad sense, including general-purpose processors (e.g., CPU: Central Processing Unit, etc.) and dedicated processors (e.g., GPU: Graphics Processing Unit, ASIC: Application Specific Integrated Circuit, FPGA: Field Programmable Gate Array, programmable logic device, etc.).

[0146] In addition, the operations of the processor in each of the above embodiments may be performed not only by one processor, but also by multiple processors located at physically separate locations working together. Furthermore, the order of the operations of the processor is not limited to the order described in each of the above embodiments, and may be changed as appropriate.

[0147] In this embodiment, the term "system" includes both a system made up of multiple devices and a system made up of a single device.

[0148] [Variations] In the above embodiment, a toner cartridge attached to an image forming device main body is described as a target product for determining whether it is a genuine product or not. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this, and the present disclosure can be similarly applied to cases where it is determined whether a target product attached to various information processing devices or information processing systems is a genuine product or not.

[0149] [Note] Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below.

[0150] (((1))) A processor is provided. The processor, Determine whether the target product is genuine or not based on whether the frequency spectrum waveform, which indicates the electrical noise generated when the memory unit installed in the target product is operated, falls within a set judgment range; After confirming that the currently installed target product is a genuine product, the frequency spectrum waveform of the target product and information showing the current environmental conditions are acquired again, generating information on a judgment range consisting of upper and lower limits for each frequency by adding or subtracting a preset margin value from the acquired frequency spectrum waveform, and storing the information in a memory in association with the information indicating the environmental state; Calculating the number of frequency points in a frequency spectrum waveform acquired from a target product for which it is to be determined whether it is a genuine product, the number of frequency points in which the signal strength of the frequency spectrum waveform does not fall within a determination range; Information processing system.

[0151] (((2))) The information processing system described in (((1))) wherein the processor determines that the target product is not an authentic product if the number of frequency points in a frequency spectrum waveform acquired from the target product at which the signal strength of the frequency spectrum waveform does not fall within a judgment range is equal to or greater than a preset threshold.

[0152] (((3))) The processor, When determining whether the currently installed target product is a genuine product, information on the current environmental condition of the target product is obtained, Reading out from the memory information on a determination range corresponding to the acquired information on the environmental state; The information processing system according to ((1))) or (((2))) determines whether the target product is a genuine product by using the read information on the determination range.

[0153] (((4))) the information indicating the environmental condition includes temperature information of a device in which the target product is installed, The processor acquires information on a current temperature state of the target product, and reads information on a determination range corresponding to the acquired information on the temperature state from the memory; Using the read information on the determination range, it is determined whether the target product is a genuine product or not. The information processing system according to (((3))).

[0154] (((5))) An image output unit that outputs an image onto a recording medium, The target product is a cartridge part filled with an image forming material for outputting an image on a recording medium, the information indicating the environmental condition is either one or both of temperature information of a device in which the cartridge part is mounted and output number information which is the number of recording media output from the image output unit after the start of use of the cartridge part; the processor generates information on the determination range for each temperature, each output number, or each combination of the temperature and the output number, and stores the information in a memory; 1. An information processing system according to any one of ((1))) to (((3))).

[0155] (((6))) The processor, When the number of frequency points where the signal strength of the frequency spectrum waveform acquired from the cartridge part does not fall within the judgment range increases with an increase in the number of output sheets, and it is predicted that the number of frequency points that do not fall within the judgment range will exceed a preset threshold value if the number of output sheets continues to increase, a warning is given to the user that there is a possibility that the currently installed cartridge part may be erroneously judged to be a non-genuine product. The information processing system according to (((5))).

[0156] (((7))) The processor, If it is predicted that the number of frequency points that do not fall within the judgment range will exceed a preset threshold value if the number of output sheets continues to increase, a notification is issued requesting the user to remove the image forming material adhering to the periphery of the connection terminal of the cartridge part. The information processing system according to (((6))).

[0157] (((8))) The processor, When the number of frequency points at which the signal strength of the frequency spectrum waveform acquired from the cartridge part does not fall within the judgment range increases with an increase in the number of output sheets, and it is predicted that the number of frequency points that do not fall within the judgment range will exceed a preset threshold value if the number of output sheets continues to increase, a terminal abnormality flag is set to an ON state, confirming a connection state between the cartridge part and a storage unit mounted thereon; When the connection with the storage unit cannot be confirmed and the terminal abnormality flag is in an on state, a notification is given to request the user to remove the image forming material adhering to the periphery of the connection terminal of the cartridge part, and when the terminal abnormality flag is in an off state, a notification is given to the effect that the storage unit is broken or that the storage unit is not attached to the cartridge part. The information processing system according to (((5))).

[0158] (((9))) An information processing system according to any one of ((1))) to (((8))), in which the memory unit to be installed in the target product is a ferroelectric memory, and the target product which is a genuine product is equipped with a ferroelectric memory manufactured by the same manufacturing process.

[0159] (((10))) determining whether the target product is a genuine product based on whether a frequency spectrum waveform indicating electrical noise generated when a storage unit attached to the target product is operated falls within a set determination range; After it is confirmed that the currently installed target product is a genuine product, acquiring again the frequency spectrum waveform of the target product and information indicating the current environmental state; generating information on a determination range consisting of upper and lower limits for each frequency by adding or subtracting a preset margin value to or from the acquired frequency spectrum waveform, and storing the information in a memory in association with the information indicating the environmental state; A step of calculating the number of frequency points in a frequency spectrum waveform acquired from a target product to be judged as to whether it is a genuine product, the number of frequency points in which the signal strength of the frequency spectrum waveform does not fall within a judgment range; A program for causing a computer to execute the following.

[0160] The effects of the above configuration are described below.

[0161] According to the information processing system (((1))), when determining whether a target product is a genuine product based on whether the frequency spectrum waveform of electrical noise generated by the target product falls within a set determination range, it is possible to prevent erroneous determination that a genuine product is a non-genuine product even when the environmental conditions of the target product change.

[0162] According to the information processing system of (((2))), even if all frequency points of the frequency spectrum waveform do not fall within the determination range, it is possible to determine that the target product is a genuine product.

[0163] According to the information processing system (((3))), it is possible to determine whether or not the target product is a genuine product by using a determination range that corresponds to the current environmental state of the target product.

[0164] According to the information processing system (((4))), it is possible to determine whether or not the target product is a genuine product by using a determination range corresponding to the temperature environment in which the target product is currently placed.

[0165] According to the information processing system of (((5))), it is possible to determine whether or not the cartridge part being judged is a genuine product by using a judgment range corresponding to the current temperature environment of the cartridge part, the number of sheets output, or a combination of temperature and the number of sheets output.

[0166] According to the information processing system of (((6))), it is possible to warn the user before the currently installed cartridge part is erroneously determined to be a non-genuine part.

[0167] According to the information processing system of (((7))), it is possible to request the user to remove imaging material that has adhered to the periphery of the connection terminal of the cartridge part before the currently installed cartridge part is erroneously determined to be a non-genuine product.

[0168] According to the information processing system of (((8))), when the connection with the memory unit cannot be confirmed, different notifications can be given depending on whether this is due to the adhesion of imaging material around the connection terminal of the cartridge part, a malfunction of the memory unit, or the memory unit not being attached to the cartridge part.

[0169] According to the information processing system of (((9))), it is possible to determine whether or not a target product is a genuine product based on whether or not the frequency spectrum waveform of the electrical noise generated by a ferroelectric memory attached to the target product falls within a set determination range.

[0170] According to the program (((10))), when determining whether a target product is genuine or not based on whether the frequency spectrum waveform of electrical noise generated by the target product falls within a set judgment range, it is possible to prevent a genuine product from being erroneously determined to be a non-genuine product even when the environmental conditions of the target product change. [Explanation of symbols]

[0171] 10 Image forming device body 11 Display section 12 Control device 13 Data storage unit 14 Communication IF (Interface) 15 Non-volatile memory 16 Image output section 17 Temperature Sensor 20 Toner Cartridge 21 CRUM 30 Noise judgment circuit 31 Amplifier 32 ADC (A / D converter) 33 Spectrum conversion section 34 Judgment section 41 CPU 42 ROM 43 RAM 44 Communication IF (Interface)

Claims

1. A processor is provided. The processor, Determine whether the target product is genuine or not based on whether the frequency spectrum waveform, which indicates the electrical noise generated when the memory unit installed in the target product is operated, falls within a set judgment range; After confirming that the currently installed target product is a genuine product, the frequency spectrum waveform of the target product and information showing the current environmental conditions are acquired again, generating information on a judgment range consisting of upper and lower limits for each frequency by adding or subtracting a preset margin value from the acquired frequency spectrum waveform, and storing the information in a memory in association with the information indicating the environmental state; Calculating the number of frequency points in a frequency spectrum waveform acquired from a target product for which it is to be determined whether it is a genuine product, the number of frequency points in which the signal strength of the frequency spectrum waveform does not fall within a determination range; Information processing system.

2. 2. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the processor determines that the target product is not a genuine product when a number of frequency points in a frequency spectrum waveform acquired from the target product, the number of frequency points at which the signal strength of the frequency spectrum waveform does not fall within a judgment range, is equal to or greater than a preset threshold value.

3. The processor, When determining whether the currently installed target product is a genuine product, information on the current environmental condition of the target product is obtained, Reading out from the memory information on a determination range corresponding to the acquired information on the environmental state; 2. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the read information on the determination range is used to determine whether the target product is a genuine product.

4. the information indicating the environmental condition includes temperature information of a device in which the target product is installed, The processor acquires information on a current temperature state of the target product, and reads information on a determination range corresponding to the acquired information on the temperature state from the memory; Using the read information on the determination range, it is determined whether the target product is a genuine product or not.

4. The information processing system according to claim 3.

5. An image output unit that outputs an image onto a recording medium, The target product is a cartridge part filled with an image forming material for outputting an image on a recording medium, the information indicating the environmental condition is either or both of temperature information of a device in which the cartridge part is mounted and output number information which is the number of recording media output from the image output unit after the start of use of the cartridge part; the processor generates information on the determination range for each temperature, each output number, or each combination of the temperature and the output number, and stores the information in a memory; 2. The information processing system according to claim 1.

6. The processor, When the number of frequency points where the signal strength of the frequency spectrum waveform acquired from the cartridge part does not fall within the judgment range increases with an increase in the number of output sheets, and it is predicted that the number of frequency points that do not fall within the judgment range will exceed a preset threshold value if the number of output sheets continues to increase, a warning is given to the user that there is a possibility that the currently installed cartridge part may be erroneously judged to be a non-genuine product.

6. An information processing system according to claim 5.

7. The processor, If it is predicted that the number of frequency points that do not fall within the judgment range will exceed a preset threshold value if the number of output sheets continues to increase, a notification is issued requesting the user to remove the image forming material adhering to the periphery of the connection terminal of the cartridge part.

7. The information processing system according to claim 6.

8. The processor, When the number of frequency points at which the signal strength of the frequency spectrum waveform acquired from the cartridge part does not fall within the judgment range increases with an increase in the number of output sheets, and it is predicted that the number of frequency points that do not fall within the judgment range will exceed a preset threshold value if the number of output sheets continues to increase, a terminal abnormality flag is set to an ON state, confirming a connection state between the cartridge part and a storage unit mounted thereon; When the connection with the storage unit cannot be confirmed and the terminal abnormality flag is in an on state, a notification is given to request the user to remove the image forming material adhering to the periphery of the connection terminal of the cartridge part, and when the terminal abnormality flag is in an off state, a notification is given to the effect that the storage unit is broken or that the storage unit is not attached to the cartridge part.

6. An information processing system according to claim 5.

9. 2. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the storage unit mounted in the target product is a ferroelectric memory, and the target product, which is a genuine product, is mounted with a ferroelectric memory manufactured by the same manufacturing process.

10. determining whether the target product is a genuine product based on whether a frequency spectrum waveform indicating electrical noise generated when a storage unit attached to the target product is operated falls within a set determination range; After it is confirmed that the currently installed target product is a genuine product, acquiring again the frequency spectrum waveform of the target product and information indicating the current environmental state; generating information on a determination range consisting of upper and lower limits for each frequency by adding or subtracting a preset margin value to or from the acquired frequency spectrum waveform, and storing the information in a memory in association with the information indicating the environmental state; A step of calculating the number of frequency points in a frequency spectrum waveform acquired from a target product to be judged as to whether it is a genuine product, the number of frequency points in which the signal strength of the frequency spectrum waveform does not fall within a judgment range; A program for causing a computer to execute the following.

Images