Image forming apparatus

Abstract

To provide an image forming apparatus that more reliably encourages the use of genuine image forming material housings. [Solution] The image forming apparatus is capable of mounting an image forming material storage unit having a first storage unit for storing information. The image forming apparatus comprises a transport unit, an image forming unit, a communication unit, and a control unit. The image forming unit forms an image on a printing medium using image forming material supplied from the image forming material storage unit. The communication unit reads the information stored in the first storage unit of the image forming material storage unit. This information includes genuine product information indicating that the image forming material storage unit is a genuine product. When the image forming material storage unit is mounted on the mounting unit, the control unit reads the information from the first storage unit of the image forming material storage unit mounted on the mounting unit via the communication unit, and performs a first operation including special operations that can be performed when the image forming material storage unit is a genuine product.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to an image forming apparatus. Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there has been known an image forming apparatus having a function of encouraging the use of a genuine toner cartridge. Prior Art Documents Patent Documents

[0003] Patent Document 1 Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2013-142765 Summary of the Invention Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Conventionally, in conventional image forming apparatuses, the encouragement of using a genuine toner cartridge has not been sufficient, and the advantages that users can obtain by using a genuine product have sometimes not been well known to users.

[0005] A problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus that can more reliably encourage the use of a genuine image forming material container. Means for Solving the Problem

[0006] The image forming apparatus of the embodiment is an image forming apparatus to which an image forming material storage unit can be attached, the image forming apparatus having an image forming material storage unit that houses an image forming material and stores information. The image forming apparatus comprises a transport unit, an image forming unit, a communication unit, and a control unit. The transport unit transports a printing medium. The image forming unit has a mounting unit to which the image forming material storage unit is attached, and uses the image forming material supplied from the image forming material storage unit attached to the mounting unit to form an image on the printing medium transported by the transport unit. The communication unit reads the information stored in the first storage unit of the image forming material storage unit attached to the mounting unit. The control unit controls the transport unit, the image forming unit, and the communication unit. The information includes genuine product information indicating that the image forming material storage unit is a genuine product. When the image forming material storage unit is attached to the mounting unit, the control unit reads the information from the first storage unit of the image forming material storage unit attached to the mounting unit via the communication unit, and performs a first operation including special operations that can be performed when the image forming material storage unit is a genuine product. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] This figure shows an example of the configuration of the image forming apparatus 1. [Figure 2] This figure shows an example of the functional configuration of the control unit 110. [Figure 3] This figure shows a first example of the processing flow in which the image forming apparatus 1 performs its first operation. [Figure 4] This figure shows a second example of the processing flow in which the image forming apparatus 1 performs its first operation. [Figure 5] This figure shows a third example of the processing flow in which the image forming apparatus 1 performs its first operation. [Figure 6] This figure shows a fourth example of the processing flow in which the image forming apparatus 1 performs its first operation. [Figure 7] This figure shows a fifth example of the processing flow in which the image forming apparatus 1 performs its first operation. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] An image forming apparatus according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In each figure, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals. As an example of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment, image forming apparatus 1 will be described as an example.

[0009] (Configuration of an image forming apparatus) Referring to Figure 1, the configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 will be described. Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the image forming apparatus 1.

[0010] Image forming apparatus 1 is a device that forms an image on a printing medium (PP) in response to an operation received from the user. For example, image forming apparatus 1 is a multifunction printer. Image forming apparatus 1 may be any other device capable of forming an image on a printing medium (PP). Instead of a multifunction printer, image forming apparatus 1 may be any other type of image forming device, such as a laser printer, inkjet printer, ink ribbon printer, thermal transfer printer, or dot matrix printer. As an example, the case in which image forming apparatus 1 performs monochrome printing will be described. Image forming apparatus 1 may also be configured to perform color printing.

[0011] The printing medium PP is the medium on which the image forming apparatus 1 performs processing such as image formation. The printing medium PP can be any sheet-like medium on which an image can be formed on at least one of its front and back surfaces. For example, the printing medium PP can be printing paper, plastic film, etc. The front surface of the printing medium PP is the surface predetermined as the front of the two surfaces that the printing medium PP has. The back surface of the printing medium PP is the surface predetermined as the back of the two surfaces that the printing medium PP has.

[0012] The image forming apparatus 1 can be fitted with an image forming material storage unit CT, which has a first storage unit CTA for housing image forming material and storing information. The image forming material is a material used to form an image on a printing medium PP, and in this example, the image forming apparatus 1 is a multifunction device, such as a laser printer. For this reason, in this example, the image forming material is toner, but is not limited to this. For example, if the image forming apparatus 1 is an inkjet printer, the image forming material is ink. For example, if the image forming apparatus 1 is a thermal transfer printer, dot matrix printer, etc., the image forming material is an ink ribbon. The image forming apparatus 1 forms an image on the printing medium PP using the image forming material housed in the image forming material storage unit CT.

[0013] The first memory unit CTA is a storage device that stores information, and is, for example, a wireless tag including an IC (Integrated Circuit) chip capable of writing and reading information by radio waves, but is not limited to this. For example, the first memory unit CTA may be a storage device capable of contact communication. In this case, for example, the first memory unit CTA may be an IC chip, an SSD (Solid State Drive), an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc., but is not limited to these.

[0014] At least genuine product information indicating that the image forming material container CT is a genuine product is written in the first storage unit CTA. When the image forming material container used as the image forming material container CT is a non-genuine product, the image forming material container is not provided with a member corresponding to the first storage unit CTA, or genuine product information is not written in the member corresponding to the first storage unit CTA. Therefore, the image forming apparatus 1 can determine whether the image forming material container attached as the image forming material container CT is a genuine product based on that it includes the first storage unit CTA and genuine product information is written in the first storage unit CTA. That is, the image forming material container CT is a genuine image forming material container among image forming material containers attachable to the image forming apparatus 1.

[0015] The image forming apparatus 1 includes, for example, a printer unit 11, a control panel 12, and a discharge tray TB. The image forming apparatus 1 may be configured to include other members such as a manual feed tray, other devices, etc. in addition to the printer unit 11, the control panel 12, and the discharge tray TB.

[0016] The printer unit 11 includes a control unit 110, a paper feed cassette 111, an image forming unit 112, a laser optical system unit 113, an attachment unit 114, and a communication unit 115.

[0017] The control unit 110 controls the entire image forming apparatus 1. In other words, the control unit 110 controls each of the printer unit 11, the control panel 12, the image forming unit 112, and the laser optical system unit 113. In FIG. 1, the control unit 110 is shown at a position different from its actual position to simplify the drawing.

[0018] The paper feed cassette 111 accommodates a print medium PP of a type desired by a user.

[0019] The control panel 12 includes an operation reception unit and a display unit. In FIG. 1, the control panel 12 is shown at a position different from its actual position to simplify the drawing.

[0020] The operation accepting unit accepts an operation from a user. The operation accepting unit is an input device, and is, for example, a touch pad, an input key, or the like. The operation accepting unit outputs information indicating the operation accepted from the user to the control unit 110.

[0021] The display unit displays an image according to an operation accepted via the operation accepting unit. The display unit is an image display device, and is, for example, a liquid crystal display, an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display, or the like. The display unit may be configured integrally with the operation accepting unit as a touch panel.

[0022] The image forming unit 112 conveys a print medium PP and forms an image represented by image data acquired from the control unit 110 on the print medium PP in accordance with control from the control unit 110.

[0023] The image forming unit 112 includes at least a photosensitive drum 20, a charger 21, a developing device 22, a transfer / separation charger 23, a pre-cleaning static eliminator 24, a cleaner 25, a sheet conveyance mechanism 26, a fixing device AD, and a discharge roller 27. The image forming unit 112 may be configured to include other members such as other rollers and a duplex printing apparatus, other apparatuses, and the like.

[0024] In the image forming unit 112, the charger 21, the developing device 22, the transfer / separation charger 23, the pre-cleaning static eliminator 24, and the cleaner 25 are arranged around the photosensitive drum 20. The transfer / separation charger 23 faces the photosensitive drum 20.

[0025] The image forming unit 112 charges the photoreceptor drum 20 with the charger 21, and then the photoreceptor drum 20 is exposed by the laser optical system unit 113. As a result, the image forming unit 112 forms an electrostatic latent image on the photoreceptor drum 20. For this reason, the image forming unit 112 may be configured to include the laser optical system unit 113. After the electrostatic latent image is formed on the photoreceptor drum 20, the image forming unit 112 causes the electrostatic latent image on the photoreceptor drum 20 to be developed by the developer 22. The developer 22 uses toner to develop the electrostatic latent image on the photoreceptor drum 20 as a toner image. The transfer / peel charger 23 transfers the toner image thus formed on the photoreceptor drum 20 onto the printing medium PP, and immediately thereafter peels the printing medium PP from the photoreceptor drum 20. After this transfer and peeling, the pre-cleaning static elimination device 24 removes any remaining charge on the photoreceptor drum 20. Then, after the charge remaining on the photoconductor drum 20 is removed, the cleaner 25 removes the toner remaining on the photoconductor drum 20.

[0026] The paper transport mechanism 26 can be any mechanism that is capable of transporting the printing medium PP on which the toner image has been transferred to the fuser unit AD.

[0027] The fuser unit AD is a device that fixes the toner image onto the printing medium PP after the toner image has been transferred by the transfer / peel charger 23. More specifically, the fuser unit AD heats and pressurizes the printing medium PP while transporting it with rollers. In this way, the fuser unit AD fixes the toner image that has been transferred onto the printing medium PP to the printing medium PP. As a result, an image is formed on the printing medium PP.

[0028] The discharge roller 27 discharges the printing medium PP, on which the image has been formed by the fixing device AD, to the discharge tray TB.

[0029] Here, the paper transport mechanism 26, the fixing device AD, and the discharge roller 27 constitute a transport section H for transporting the printing medium PP. The transport section H may also include other components such as rollers, which are not shown. Part or all of the transport section H may be configured separately from the image forming unit 112.

[0030] The laser optical system unit 113 irradiates laser light in response to a request from the control unit 110 to form an electrostatic latent image on the photoreceptor drum 20 of the image forming unit 112.

[0031] The mounting portion 114 is a component to which an image forming material housing, such as the image forming material housing CT, which can be attached to the image forming apparatus 1, is attached. The image forming material housing attached to the mounting portion 114 supplies the image forming material it houses to the developer 22. For this reason, the mounting portion 114 is connected to the developer 22 by a supply path (not shown). The supply path is the route through which the image forming material passes.

[0032] The communication unit 115 reads the information stored in the first storage unit CTA of the image forming material housing unit CT attached to the mounting unit 114. The communication unit 115 may also be configured to write information to the first storage unit CTA of the image forming material housing unit CT attached to the mounting unit 114. The communication unit 115 is, for example, a wireless tag communication device having an antenna that emits radio waves to the first storage unit CTA when the first storage unit CTA is a wireless tag, but is not limited to this. The communication unit 115 is, for example, a contact communication device that performs contact communication with the first storage unit CTA when the first storage unit CTA is a memory device that performs contact communication, but is not limited to this.

[0033] The discharge tray TB is a tray from which the printing medium PP, transported by the image forming unit 112, is discharged.

[0034] (Functional configuration of the control unit) Next, the functional configuration of the control unit 110 will be described with reference to Figure 2. Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the control unit 110.

[0035] As shown in Figure 2, the control unit 110 is connected to the printer unit 11 and the control panel 12 in a communication manner. The control unit 110 includes an arithmetic unit 1101, a storage device 1102, a data receiving unit 1103, and an image data processing unit 1104.

[0036] The arithmetic unit 1101 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). The arithmetic unit 1101 controls the printer unit 11 and the control panel 12 respectively, according to various programs stored in the memory device 1102.

[0037] The storage device 1102 is composed of ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), HDD (Hard Disk Drive), SSD (Solid State Drive), etc. The storage device 1102 may be separate from the control unit 110.

[0038] The data receiving unit 1103 receives print data (for example, data written in a page description language) indicating the image to be printed from a host such as a PC (Personal Computer), and stores the received print data in the storage device 1102.

[0039] The image data expansion unit 1104 determines printing conditions from the print data stored in the storage device 1102 by the data receiving unit 1103, expands it into printable data (for example, raster data) for the printer unit 11, and stores it in the storage device 1102.

[0040] In image forming apparatuses with configurations different from that of image forming apparatus 1 described above, the use of genuine toner cartridges is not adequately encouraged, and the benefits that users can gain from using genuine products are not always made known to them. The toner cartridge is a component of the image forming apparatus that corresponds to the image forming material housing CT in image forming apparatus 1.

[0041] Therefore, when an image forming material housing is attached to the mounting part 114, the image forming apparatus 1 determines whether the image forming material housing attached to the mounting part 114 is a genuine product. In other words, the image forming apparatus 1 determines whether the image forming material housing is an image forming material housing CT. Specifically, the image forming apparatus 1 attempts to read genuine product information from the image forming material housing, and if it is able to read the genuine product information, it determines that the image forming material housing is a genuine product and performs a first operation, including a special operation that can be performed when the image forming material housing is a genuine product. That is, the user can cause the image forming apparatus 1 to perform the special operation by attaching the image forming material housing CT to the mounting part 114. For this reason, the special operation functions as an incentive to get the user to use a genuine image forming material housing CT. In other words, the image forming apparatus 1 can more reliably encourage the use of a genuine image forming material housing CT. Details of the special operation will be described later.

[0042] (Process in which the image forming apparatus performs its first operation) Referring to Figure 3, the process by which the image forming apparatus 1 performs its first operation will be described. Figure 3 is a diagram showing a first example of the flow of the process by which the image forming apparatus 1 performs its first operation. For example, each time an image forming material housing that can be attached to the image forming apparatus 1 is attached to the mounting part 114, the image forming apparatus 1 repeatedly executes the process of the flowchart shown in Figure 3. The method by which the image forming apparatus 1 detects that the image forming material housing has been attached to the mounting part 114 may be a known method or a method to be developed in the future.

[0043] After the image forming material housing unit, which can be attached to the image forming apparatus 1, is attached to the mounting part 114, the control unit 110 determines whether the image forming material housing unit attached to the mounting part 114 is a genuine product (ACT 110). For example, if the control unit 110 does not have a component corresponding to the first storage unit CTA in the image forming material housing unit, it determines that the image forming material housing unit is a non-genuine product. For example, if the component is provided in the image forming material housing unit and genuine product information cannot be read from the component, the control unit 110 determines that the image forming material housing unit is a non-genuine product. On the other hand, for example, if the component is provided in the image forming material housing unit and genuine product information can be read from the component, the control unit 110 determines that the image forming material housing unit is a genuine product. That is, in this case, the control unit 110 determines that the image forming material housing unit is an image forming material housing unit CT. The control unit 110 may also be configured to determine whether the image forming material housing unit is a genuine product by other means. Figure 3 shows the processing of ACT110 as indicated by "Genuine Part?".

[0044] If the control unit 110 determines that the image forming material housing attached to the mounting part 114 is a non-genuine product (ACT110-NO), it displays warning information on the display unit of the control panel 12 (ACT130). This warning information may be any information that warns that the image forming material housing attached to the mounting part 114 is a non-genuine product. In Figure 3, the process of ACT130 is shown by "display of warning information".

[0045] Next, the control unit 110 starts the second operation (ACT140) and finishes the processing of the flowchart shown in Figure 3. The second operation is an operation performed by the image forming apparatus 1 that includes the operation of forming an image on a printing medium in response to an operation received from the user. This operation may be the reception of print data from the host. For example, the second operation is the normal operation of the image forming apparatus 1. However, the second operation does not include the aforementioned special operation. In this embodiment, the processing flow of the second operation started in ACT140 may be a known flow or a flow to be developed in the future, so the explanation is omitted. The second operation may not include the operation of forming an image on a printing medium in response to an operation received from the user, but may include an operation to stop the image forming apparatus 1. In this case, the image forming apparatus 1 stops operation if it determines that the image forming material housing is a non-genuine product. This makes it possible for the image forming apparatus 1 to more reliably encourage the use of a genuine image forming material housing as the image forming material housing CT.

[0046] Here, we will explain the bonus operation. The bonus operation may be any operation that can improve user convenience by being used. The bonus operation may include, for example, an operation that increases the maximum number of print media PPs that the image forming unit 112 can form an image on per unit time. The unit time is, for example, 1 minute, but may be a shorter time or a longer time. In this case, the maximum number of print media PPs that the image forming unit 112 can form an image on per unit time in the first operation including the bonus operation is the first sheet. The first sheet is, for example, 53 sheets, but may be a number less than 53 or a number more than 53. On the other hand, the maximum number of print media PPs that the image forming unit 112 can form an image on per unit time in the second operation is the second sheet, which is less than the first sheet. The second sheet is, for example, 50 sheets, but may be a number less than 50 or a number more than 50, as long as it is less than the first sheet.

[0047] For example, the bonus operation includes an operation to shorten the first distance to the second distance. The second distance is the distance along the transport path between multiple printing media PPs transported by the transport unit H in the second operation. The first distance is the distance along the transport path between multiple printing media PPs transported by the transport unit H in the first operation. As a result, the bonus operation can increase the maximum number of printing media PPs on which the image forming unit 112 can form an image per unit time. In other words, the image forming apparatus 1 can increase the maximum number of printing media PPs on which the image forming unit 112 can form an image per unit time by shortening the first distance to the second distance in the bonus operation.

[0048] On the other hand, if the control unit 110 determines that the image forming material housing attached to the mounting part 114 is a genuine product (ACT110-YES), it starts the first operation (ACT120) and terminates the processing of the flowchart shown in Figure 3. The first operation is one of the operations performed by the image forming apparatus 1, which includes the operation of forming an image on the printing medium in response to an operation received from the user, as well as a bonus operation. In this embodiment, the processing flow of the first operation started in ACT120 may be a known flow or a flow to be developed in the future, so its explanation is omitted.

[0049] As described above, when an image forming material housing is attached to the mounting part 114, the image forming apparatus 1 determines whether the image forming material housing attached to the mounting part 114 is a genuine product, and if the image forming material housing is a genuine product, it performs a first operation including a special operation that can be performed when the image forming material housing is a genuine product. In this way, the image forming apparatus 1 can more reliably encourage the use of genuine image forming material housing CTs.

[0050] (Modification of Embodiment 1) A modified example of the embodiment 1 will be described. In modified example 1 of the embodiment, the image forming apparatus 1 may be configured to execute the process of ACT210 between the process of ACT110 and the process of ACT120 shown in Figure 3. Figure 4 is a diagram showing a second example of the flow of processing in which the image forming apparatus 1 performs the first operation. The processes of ACT110 to ACT140 shown in Figure 4 are the same as the processes of ACT110 to ACT140 shown in Figure 3. For this reason, a detailed explanation of the processes of ACT110 to ACT140 shown in Figure 4 will be omitted. As an example, a case will be described in which the image forming apparatus 1 is configured to store usage history information indicating the history of use of the image forming material storage unit attached to the mounting unit 114 in the storage device 1102 each time the image forming material storage unit is used. The method by which the image forming apparatus 1 stores the usage history information in the storage device 1102 each time the image forming material storage unit is used may be a known method or a method to be developed in the future. The use of the image forming material housing unit includes, but is not limited to, the attachment of the image forming material housing unit to the mounting unit 114, the use of the image forming material housing unit by the image forming apparatus 1, and the removal of the image forming material housing unit from the mounting unit 114. The usage history information includes information indicating the date and time the image forming material housing unit was attached to the mounting unit 114, information indicating whether the image forming material housing unit is a genuine product, and information indicating the remaining amount of image forming material housing unit immediately before it was removed from the mounting unit 114. The method by which the image forming apparatus 1 identifies the date and time may be a known method or a method to be developed in the future. The method by which the image forming apparatus 1 detects the remaining amount may be a known method or a method to be developed in the future. The method by which the image forming apparatus 1 detects that the image forming material housing unit has been removed from the mounting unit 114 may be a known method or a method to be developed in the future. If the usage history information is stored in the storage device 1102, the control unit 110 can, for example, calculate the percentage of genuine parts used in the image forming material storage section of the image forming apparatus 1 based on the usage history information stored in the storage device 1102.

[0051] If the control unit 110 determines that the image forming material housing attached to the mounting part 114 is a genuine product (ACT110-YES), it determines whether the first condition regarding the usage history of the image forming material housing is met (ACT210). In Figure 4, the process of ACT210 is indicated by "First condition met?".

[0052] The processing of ACT210 will be explained in detail. For example, the control unit 110 calculates the proportion of genuine image forming material housing units CTs among a predetermined number of image forming material housings most recently attached to the mounting unit 114, based on the usage history information stored in the storage device 1102, as the proportion of genuine image forming material housings used in the image forming apparatus 1. The predetermined number is, for example, 5, but may be less than 5 or more than 5. For example, if 4 of the 5 image forming material housings most recently attached to the mounting unit 114 are genuine image forming material housing units CTs, the control unit 110 calculates the proportion of genuine image forming material housings used in the image forming apparatus 1 as 80%.

[0053] The first condition is that the proportion of genuine parts used in the image forming material housing is equal to or greater than a first threshold. The first threshold is, for example, 80%, but it may be lower or higher than 80%. This allows the image forming apparatus 1 to prevent the user from receiving the benefits of preferential operation even if genuine parts are used sporadically. As a result, the image forming apparatus 1 can encourage the user to continue using genuine parts in the image forming material housing.

[0054] If the control unit 110 determines that the first condition is not met (ACT210-NO), it transitions to ACT140, starts the second operation, and terminates the processing shown in the flowchart in Figure 4.

[0055] On the other hand, if the control unit 110 determines that the first condition is met (ACT210-YES), it transitions to ACT120, starts the first operation, and terminates the processing shown in the flowchart in Figure 4.

[0056] As described above, when an image forming material housing is attached to the mounting part 114, the image forming apparatus 1 determines whether the image forming material housing attached to the mounting part 114 is a genuine product. If the image forming material housing is a genuine product, the image forming apparatus 1 determines whether the first condition regarding the usage history of the image forming material housing is met based on the usage history information stored in the storage device 1102. If the first condition is met, the first operation is performed. This allows the image forming apparatus 1 to encourage the user to continue using genuine image forming material housings.

[0057] The first condition described above may be, for example, that the intermediate replacement rate, which is the percentage of image forming material housings that are replaced before being fully used, is equal to or greater than the first threshold. In this case, the control unit 110 calculates the intermediate replacement rate of image forming material housings in the image forming apparatus 1 based on the usage history information stored in the storage device 1102 in ACT210. The intermediate replacement rate of image forming material housings is the percentage of image forming material housings that were replaced before being fully used out of a predetermined number of image forming material housings that were most recently attached to the mounting unit 114. For example, if the control unit 110 calculates the intermediate replacement rate of image forming material housings in the image forming apparatus 1 as 20% when the number of image forming material housings that were replaced before being fully used out of the five image forming material housings that were most recently attached to the mounting unit 114 is 1. This is useful because it helps to suppress the increase in losses for the provider of the image forming material housing CT when using the image forming material housing CT under a lease agreement where the image forming material housing CT can be replaced freely for a fixed price, such as a subscription.

[0058] (Modification of the embodiment 2) A second modification of the embodiment will now be described. In this second modification of the embodiment, the image forming apparatus 1 may be configured to perform the ACT310 process between the ACT210 process and the ACT120 process shown in Figure 4. Figure 5 is a diagram showing a third example of the process flow in which the image forming apparatus 1 performs the first operation. The processes ACT110 to ACT140 and ACT210 shown in Figure 5 are the same as the processes ACT110 to ACT140 and ACT210 shown in Figure 3. For this reason, a detailed explanation of the processes ACT110 to ACT140 and ACT210 shown in Figure 5 will be omitted.

[0059] If the control unit 110 determines that the first condition is met (ACT210-YES), it determines whether the second condition regarding the usage history of the image forming material housing is met (ACT310). In Figure 5, the process of ACT310 is indicated by "Second condition met?".

[0060] The processing of ACT310 will be explained in detail. As mentioned above, the control unit 110 can also calculate the rate of intermediate replacement of the image forming material container in the image forming apparatus 1 based on the usage history information stored in the storage device 1102. For this reason, the second condition is that the intermediate replacement rate, which is the percentage of image forming material containers that are replaced before being used up, is equal to or greater than the second threshold. The second threshold is, for example, 80%, but it may be a lower percentage or a higher percentage. This allows the image forming apparatus 1 to suppress the increase in environmental burden caused by the replacement of image forming material containers before they are used up, and also suppresses the increase in losses for the provider of image forming material containers when using image forming material containers under a lease agreement where image forming material containers can be replaced as many times as needed for a fixed price, such as a subscription.

[0061] If the control unit 110 determines that the second condition is not met (ACT310-NO), it transitions to ACT140, starts the second operation, and terminates the processing shown in the flowchart in Figure 5.

[0062] On the other hand, if the control unit 110 determines that the second condition is met (ACT310-YES), it transitions to ACT120, starts the first operation, and terminates the processing shown in the flowchart in Figure 5.

[0063] As described above, when an image forming material housing is attached to the mounting part 114, the image forming apparatus 1 determines whether the image forming material housing attached to the mounting part 114 is a genuine product. If the image forming material housing is a genuine product, it determines whether the first condition regarding the usage history of the image forming material housing is met based on the usage history information stored in the storage device 1102. If the first condition is met, it determines whether the second condition regarding the usage history of the image forming material housing is met. If the second condition is met, it performs the first operation. This allows the image forming apparatus 1 to suppress the increase in environmental burden caused by the replacement of image forming material housings before they are fully used, and to suppress the increase in losses for the provider of image forming material housings in the case of lease agreements where image forming material housings can be replaced unlimitedly for a fixed price, such as a subscription.

[0064] (Modification of Embodiment 3) A third modification of the embodiment will now be described. In this third modification of the embodiment, the image forming apparatus 1 may be configured to perform the ACT410 process between the ACT310 process and the ACT120 process shown in Figure 5. Figure 6 is a diagram showing a fourth example of the process flow in which the image forming apparatus 1 performs the first operation. The processes ACT110 to ACT140, ACT210, and ACT310 shown in Figure 6 are the same processes as those shown in Figure 3. For this reason, a detailed explanation of the processes ACT110 to ACT140, ACT210, and ACT310 shown in Figure 6 will be omitted.

[0065] If the control unit 110 determines that the second condition is met (ACT310-YES), it determines whether or not to use the first operation (ACT410). In Figure 6, the process of ACT410 is indicated by "Use first operation?".

[0066] The processing of ACT410 will be explained in detail. In ACT410, the control unit 110 displays a first operation availability / reception image on the display unit of the control panel 12. The first operation availability / reception image can be any image that can accept an operation to specify whether or not to perform the first operation. If the control unit 110 receives an operation to perform the first operation via the first operation availability / reception image displayed on the display unit, it determines in ACT410 that the first operation should be used. On the other hand, if the control unit 110 receives an operation to not perform the first operation via the first operation availability / reception image displayed on the display unit, it determines in ACT410 that the first operation should not be used. This prevents the image forming apparatus 1 from starting the first operation unintentionally. The control unit 110 may be configured to determine whether or not to use the first operation by other means.

[0067] The image for receiving confirmation of whether the first operation can be used may include a message regarding events that may occur if the first operation is used. This is to notify the user in advance of any malfunctions or other events that may occur if the image forming apparatus 1 is burdened by performing the first operation. Whether or not such a burden is placed on the image forming apparatus 1 depends on the design of the image forming apparatus 1. Therefore, such a message does not necessarily have to be included in the image for receiving confirmation of whether the first operation can be used.

[0068] If the control unit 110 determines that the first operation is not to be used (ACT410-NO), it transitions to ACT140, starts the second operation, and terminates the processing shown in the flowchart in Figure 6.

[0069] On the other hand, if the control unit 110 determines that the first operation should be used (ACT410-YES), it transitions to ACT120, starts the first operation, and terminates the processing shown in the flowchart in Figure 6.

[0070] As described above, before performing the first operation, the image forming apparatus 1 displays a first operation availability confirmation image on the display unit of the control panel 12, and performs the first operation if it receives an operation specifying the use of the first operation via the first operation availability confirmation image. This prevents the image forming apparatus 1 from starting the first operation unintentionally.

[0071] The ACT410 process may be executed between the ACT110 process and the ACT120 process in the flowchart shown in Figure 3.

[0072] The ACT410 process may be executed between the ACT210 process and the ACT120 process in the flowchart shown in Figure 4.

[0073] The ACT410 process may be executed between the ACT310 process and the ACT120 process in the flowchart shown in Figure 5.

[0074] (Modification of Embodiment 4) A fourth modification of the embodiment will now be described. In this fourth modification of the embodiment, the image forming apparatus 1 may be configured to perform the ACT510 process instead of the ACT110 process shown in Figure 3, and the ACT510 process instead of the ACT130 process shown in Figure 3. Figure 7 is a diagram showing a fifth example of the flow of processing in which the image forming apparatus 1 performs the first operation. The ACT120 and ACT140 processes shown in Figure 7 are the same as the ACT120 and ACT140 processes shown in Figure 3. For this reason, a detailed explanation of the ACT120 and ACT140 processes shown in Figure 7 will be omitted.

[0075] After the image forming material housing unit, which can be attached to the image forming apparatus 1, is attached to the mounting unit 114, the control unit 110 determines whether the second condition is met based on the usage history information stored in the storage device 1102 (ACT510).

[0076] The process of ACT510 will now be explained. The image forming apparatus 1 wants to prevent the image forming material housing attached to the mounting part 114 from being replaced before it is fully used, regardless of whether the housing is a genuine part or not. Replacing the image forming material housing before it is fully used can lead to an increased environmental burden. Replacing the image forming material housing before it is fully used can also lead to increased losses for the provider of the image forming material housing in the case of lease agreements where the image forming material housing can be replaced as many times as needed for a fixed price, such as a subscription. For these reasons, in the process of the flowchart shown in Figure 7, the image forming apparatus 1 executes the process of ACT510 instead of the process of ACT110.

[0077] If the control unit 110 determines that the second condition is not met (ACT510-NO), it displays warning information on the display unit of the control panel 12 (ACT520). This warning information may be any information that warns that the second condition is not met. This warning information may also be information that prompts the user to replace the image forming material container after it has been used up. In Figure 7, the process of ACT520 is shown by "display of warning information". After the process of ACT520 is performed, the control unit 110 transitions to ACT140, starts the second operation, and finishes the process shown in the flowchart in Figure 7.

[0078] On the other hand, if the control unit 110 determines that the second condition is met (ACT510-YES), it transitions to ACT120, starts the first operation, and terminates the processing shown in the flowchart in Figure 7.

[0079] As described above, when an image forming material housing is attached to the mounting part 114, the image forming apparatus 1 determines whether the second condition is met based on the usage history information stored in the storage device 1102, and if it determines that the second condition is met, it performs the first operation. This prevents the image forming material housing attached to the mounting part 114 from being replaced before it is fully used, regardless of whether the housing is a genuine product or not, and also prevents an increase in losses for the provider of the image forming material housing when the housing is used under a lease agreement where it can be replaced as many times as needed for a fixed price, such as a subscription.

[0080] The matters described above may be combined in any way. The display of warning information described above may also be via audio output, flashing lights, or other means.

[0081] (Note) [1] Image forming apparatus to which an image forming material storage unit can be attached, the image forming unit having an image forming material storage unit and a first storage unit for storing information, the image forming apparatus comprising: a transport unit for transporting a printing medium; an attachment unit to which the image forming material storage unit is attached, the image forming unit forming an image on the printing medium transported by the transport unit using the image forming material supplied from the image forming material storage unit attached to the attachment unit; a communication unit for reading the information stored in the first storage unit of the image forming material storage unit attached to the attachment unit; and a control unit for controlling the transport unit, the image forming unit, and the communication unit, wherein the information includes genuine product information indicating that the image forming material storage unit is a genuine product, and the control unit, when the image forming material storage unit is attached to the attachment unit, reads the information from the first storage unit of the image forming material storage unit attached to the attachment unit via the communication unit, and performs a first operation including a special operation that can be performed when the image forming material storage unit is a genuine product. [2] The image forming apparatus according to [1], wherein the control unit reads the information from the first storage unit of the image forming material housing attached to the mounting unit via the communication unit when the image forming material housing is attached to the mounting unit, and performs a second operation which does not include the special operation when the image forming material housing is a non-genuine product. [3] The aforementioned bonus operation is an operation to increase the maximum number of print media on which the image forming unit can form an image per unit time, wherein the maximum number of print media on which the image forming unit can form an image per unit time in the first operation is the first, and the maximum number of print media on which the image forming unit can form an image per unit time in the second operation is the second, which is less than the first, as described in [2]. [4] The image forming apparatus according to [3], wherein the unit time is 1 minute, the first sheet consists of 53 sheets, and the second sheet consists of 50 sheets. [5] The aforementioned bonus operation is an operation that increases the maximum number of print media that the image forming unit can form an image on per unit time by making the distance on the transport path between the plurality of print media transported by the transport unit in the first operation shorter than the distance on the transport path between the plurality of print media transported by the transport unit in the second operation. This is the image forming apparatus according to [3] or [4]. [6] The image forming apparatus according to any one of [1] to [5], further comprising a second storage unit that stores usage history information indicating the usage history of the image forming material storage unit attached to the mounting unit, wherein when the image forming material storage unit is attached to the mounting unit, the control unit reads the information from the first storage unit of the image forming material storage unit attached to the mounting unit via the communication unit, and if the image forming material storage unit is a genuine product, determines whether a first condition regarding the usage history of the image forming material storage unit is met based on the usage history information stored in the second storage unit, and if the first condition is met, performs the first operation. [7] The first condition is that the proportion of genuine products used in the image forming material housing is equal to or greater than a first threshold, as described in [6], the image forming apparatus. [8] The first condition is that the intermediate replacement rate, which is the percentage of the image forming material storage section that is replaced before it is completely used up, is equal to or greater than a first threshold, as described in [6]. [9] The image forming apparatus according to [7] or [8], wherein the first threshold is 80%.

[10] The control unit reads the information from the first storage unit of the image forming material storage unit attached to the mounting unit via the communication unit when the image forming material storage unit is attached to the mounting unit, determines whether a first condition regarding the usage history of the image forming material storage unit is met based on the usage history information stored in the second storage unit if the image forming material storage unit is a genuine product, determines whether a second condition regarding the usage history of the image forming material storage unit is met based on the usage history information stored in the second storage unit if the first condition is met, and performs the first operation if the second condition is met, the image forming apparatus according to any one of [6] to [9].

[11] The second condition is that the intermediate replacement rate, which is the percentage of the image forming material storage section that is replaced before it is completely used up, is equal to or greater than a second threshold, as described in

[10] .

[12] The first storage unit is a wireless tag, The image forming apparatus according to any one of [1] to

[11] , wherein the communication unit is a wireless tag communication device having an antenna that emits radio waves to the first storage unit.

[13] The image forming apparatus according to any one of [1] to

[11] , wherein the communication unit is a contact communication device that performs contact communication with the first storage unit.

[14] The image forming apparatus according to any one of [1] to

[13] , wherein the image forming material is toner.

[15] The image forming apparatus according to any one of [1] to

[13] , wherein the image forming material is an ink.

[16] The image forming apparatus according to any one of [1] to

[13] , wherein the image forming material is an ink ribbon.

[17] The control unit reads the information from the first storage unit of the image forming material housing attached to the mounting unit via the communication unit when the image forming material housing is attached to the mounting unit, and if the image forming material housing is a genuine product, displays a first operation availability acceptance image on the display unit that accepts an operation to specify whether or not to perform the first operation, and if an operation to perform the first operation is accepted via the first operation availability acceptance image, performs the first operation, the image forming apparatus according to any one of [1] to

[16] .

[18] The image forming apparatus according to

[17] , wherein the image receiving notification of whether the first operation can be used includes a message relating to events that may occur when the first operation is used.

[19] The control unit receives an operation to specify whether or not to display the first operation availability confirmation image, and when the image forming material housing is attached to the mounting part, it reads the information from the first storage unit of the image forming material housing attached to the mounting part via the communication unit, and if the image forming material housing is a genuine product and an operation to specify to display the first operation availability confirmation image is received, it displays the first operation availability confirmation image on the display unit, and if an operation to specify to perform the first operation is received via the first operation availability confirmation image, it performs the first operation, and if the image forming material housing is a genuine product and an operation to specify not to display the first operation availability confirmation image is received, it performs the first operation without displaying the first operation availability confirmation image on the display unit, as described in

[16] or

[17] .

[20] The image forming apparatus according to [2], wherein the first operation and the second operation include operations to form an image on the printing medium in response to an operation received. [twenty one] The image forming apparatus according to [2], wherein the first operation includes an operation to form an image on the printing medium in response to an operation received, and the second operation includes an operation to stop the image forming apparatus, but does not include an operation to form an image on the printing medium in response to an operation received.

[0082] While several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be carried out in a variety of other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as in the claims and their equivalents.

[0083] A program for realizing the function of any component in the apparatus described above (for example, image forming apparatus 1) may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the program may be loaded into a computer system and executed. Here, "computer system" includes hardware such as an OS (Operating System) and peripheral devices. "Computer-readable recording medium" refers to portable media such as flexible disks, magneto-optical disks, ROMs, CD (Compact Disk)-ROMs, and storage devices such as hard disks built into a computer system. "Computer-readable recording medium" also includes volatile memory (RAM) inside a computer system that acts as a server or client when a program is transmitted via a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line, which holds the program for a certain period of time.

[0084] The above program may be transmitted from a computer system that stores this program in a memory device or the like to another computer system via a transmission medium or by transmission waves within the transmission medium. The "transmission medium" used to transmit the program refers to a medium that has the function of transmitting information, such as a network (communication network) like the Internet or a communication line (communication line) like a telephone line. The above program may be intended to implement some of the functions described above. The above program may also be a so-called differential file (differential program) that can implement the functions described above in combination with a program already recorded in the computer system. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0085] 1…Image forming apparatus, 11…Printer unit, 12…Control panel, 20…Photoreceptor drum, 21…Charger, 22…Developer, 23…Transfer / peel charger, 24…Pre-cleaning static eliminator, 25…Cleaner, 26…Paper transport mechanism, 27…Discharge roller, 110…Control unit, 111…Paper feed cassette, 112…Image forming unit, 113…Laser optical system unit, 114…Mounting unit, 115…Communication unit, 1101…Calculation unit, 1102…Storage unit, 1103…Data receiving unit, 1104…Image data development unit, AD…Fusing unit, CT…Image forming material storage unit, CTA…First storage unit, H…Transport unit, PP…Printing medium, TB…Discharge tray

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus to which an image forming material housing unit can be attached, the housing unit housing an image forming material and having a first storage unit for storing information, A transport unit that transports the printing medium, An image forming unit having a mounting portion to which the image forming material housing portion is attached, and using the image forming material supplied from the image forming material housing portion attached to the mounting portion, forms an image on the printing medium transported by the transport unit, A communication unit reads the information stored in the first storage unit of the image forming material housing unit attached to the mounting unit, A control unit that controls the transport unit, the image forming unit, and the communication unit, Equipped with, The aforementioned information includes genuine product information indicating that the image forming material housing is a genuine product. When the image forming material housing is attached to the mounting portion, the control unit reads the information from the first storage portion of the image forming material housing attached to the mounting portion via the communication unit, and performs a first operation including special operations that can be performed when the image forming material housing is a genuine product. Image forming apparatus.

2. When the image forming material housing is attached to the mounting portion, the control unit reads the information from the first storage portion of the image forming material housing attached to the mounting portion via the communication unit, and if the image forming material housing is a non-genuine product, it performs a second operation that does not include the special operation. The aforementioned bonus operation is an operation that increases the maximum number of print media on which the image forming unit can form an image per unit of time, The maximum number of print media on which the image forming unit can form an image per unit time in the first operation is the first sheet. The maximum number of print media on which the image forming unit can form an image per unit time in the second operation is the second, which is less than the first. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.

3. The aforementioned bonus operation is an operation that increases the maximum number of print media on which the image forming unit can form an image per unit time by shortening the distance on the transport path between the multiple print media transported by the transport unit in the first operation compared to the distance on the transport path between the multiple print media transported by the transport unit in the second operation. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2.

4. The mounting portion is equipped with a second storage unit that stores usage history information indicating the usage history of the image forming material housing unit attached to the mounting portion, When the image forming material housing is attached to the mounting portion, the control unit reads the information from the first storage portion of the image forming material housing attached to the mounting portion via the communication unit, and if the image forming material housing is a genuine product, it determines whether the first condition regarding the usage history of the image forming material housing is met based on the usage history information stored in the second storage portion, and if the first condition is met, it performs the first operation. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.

5. When the image forming material housing is attached to the mounting portion, the control unit reads the information from the first storage portion of the image forming material housing attached to the mounting portion via the communication unit, determines whether the first condition is met based on the usage history information stored in the second storage portion if the image forming material housing is a genuine product, determines whether the second condition regarding the usage history of the image forming material housing is met based on the usage history information stored in the second storage portion, and performs the first operation if the second condition is met. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4.

6. When the image forming material housing is attached to the mounting portion, the control unit reads the information from the first storage portion of the image forming material housing attached to the mounting portion via the communication unit, and if the image forming material housing is a genuine product, displays a first operation availability acceptance image on the display unit that accepts an operation to specify whether or not to perform the first operation, and if an operation to perform the first operation is accepted via the first operation availability acceptance image, performs the first operation. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.

7. The control unit, The system accepts an operation to specify whether or not to display the first operation availability confirmation image. When the image forming material housing is attached to the mounting portion, the information is read from the first storage portion of the image forming material housing attached to the mounting portion via the communication portion, and if the image forming material housing is a genuine product and an operation specifying the display of the first operation availability confirmation image is received, the first operation availability confirmation image is displayed on the display portion, and if an operation specifying the performance of the first operation is received via the first operation availability confirmation image, the first operation is performed, and if the image forming material housing is a genuine product and an operation specifying the non-display of the first operation availability confirmation image is received, the first operation is performed without displaying the first operation availability confirmation image on the display portion. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6.

Images