Method, device, system and recording medium for detecting improper cartridge, and cartridge

• US 20040234279A1
• Filed: 06/15/2004
• Published: 11/25/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ito, Yoshihiro, Watanabe, Takeshi, Okoyama, Kazuo
• Granted Patent: US 7,027,755 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 399/12
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/553 Monitoring or warning means for exhaustion or lifetime end of consumables, e.g. indication of insufficient copy sheet quantity for a job
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/556 for toner consumption, e.g. pixel counting, toner coverage detection or toner density measurement
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 21/1889 for auto-setting of process parameters, lifetime, usage
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2221/1823 Cartridges having electronically readable memory

Abstract

A cartridge is set in a printer main unit, and has a remaining toner measurer which measures toner in a toner chamber upon setting of the cartridge. A cartridge memory stores information of a remaining toner amount measured previously. CPU compares the remaining toner amount measured newly with the remaining toner amount measured previously and read from the cartridge memory. If there is an increase in the toner, the cartridge is determined as improper cartridge reloaded with the toner. An alarm signal is generated. Also, printing is inhibited. In another preferred embodiment, shortage information is assigned to the cartridge upon using up the toner. The cartridge, if it has the shortage information, is determined as improper. If a characteristic of the toner is not within a reference range, the cartridge is determined improper. In another preferred embodiment, an upper limit of the number of times of toner reloading is predetermined. The cartridge is determined improper if the reloading time number comes up to the upper limit. The improper cartridge is set in a state in which operation is inhibited. Also, when the cartridge is disassembled, the improper cartridge is inhibited from operating.

Claims

1. A cartridge loaded in an image forming apparatus comprising:

a cartridge body for containing expendable material for use in image forming; and

a memory, attached to said cartridge body in an externally removable manner, for storing information.

2. A cartridge as claimed in claim 1, wherein said information includes discernment information for cartridge discernment.

3. A cartridge as claimed in claim 1, wherein said memory is removed when recycling by reloading said expendable material.

4. A memory for storing information, wherein said memory is removably disposed on a cartridge body of a cartridge, said cartridge being loadable in an image forming apparatus and including expendable material contained in said cartridge body for image forming.

5. A memory as claimed in claim 4, wherein said information includes discernment information for discernment of said cartridge.

6. A memory as claimed in claim 4, wherein said information includes removal information representing removal of said cartridge from said image forming apparatus.

7. A memory as claimed in claim 4, wherein said information includes shortage information representing shortage of said expendable material after being used up.

8. A memory as claimed in claim 4, wherein said information includes apparatus operating information of said image forming apparatus.

9. A memory for storing information, wherein said memory is separably disposed on a cartridge body of a cartridge, said cartridge being loadable in an image forming apparatus and including expendable material contained in said cartridge body for image forming.

10. A memory as claimed in claim 9, wherein said information includes discernment information for discernment of said cartridge.

11. A memory as claimed in claim 9, wherein said information includes removal information representing removal of said cartridge from said image forming apparatus.

12. A memory as claimed in claim 9, wherein said information includes shortage information representing shortage of said expendable material after being used up.

13. A memory as claimed in claim 9, wherein said information includes apparatus operating information of said image forming apparatus.