IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS TO AND FROM WHICH CONTAINER CONTAINING DEVELOPER CAN BE MOUNTED AND REMOVED

• US 20190094781A1
• Filed: 09/25/2018
• Published: 03/28/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2017
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Eda, Hiroyuki, Sakaguchi, Ryou, Oikawa, Toshifumi
• Application Number:
  US16/140,644
• Publication Number:
  US 20190094781A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/0856 Detection or control means for the developer level
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/0865 Arrangements for supplying new developer
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/16 of a toner pattern, e.g. a powder pattern , e.g. magnetic transfer
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/5016 User-machine interface; Display panels; Control console
• 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

Abstract

An image forming apparatus prevents a situation in which in place of a container in which developer remains, a container other than the container is mounted. A toner bottle containing developer to be replenished to the developing device is mounted to a toner replenishment section. A sensor detects amount of developer in the developing device, and in a case where the detected amount of the developer is smaller than a predetermined amount, a first screen for prompting a user to replace the toner bottle is displayed. In a case where the toner bottle is removed without determining that the toner bottle satisfies a replacement condition, a second screen for prompting the user to remount the removed toner bottle is displayed. In a case where the detected amount of the developer is smaller than the predetermined amount while the second screen is displayed, the second screens continues to be displayed.

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:

an image forming unit including a developing device that contains developer and configured to form an image using the developer in the developing device;

a portion to which a container is mountable, the container containing developer to be replenished to the developing device;

a replenishment unit configured to replenish developer in the developing device from the container mounted to the portion;

a sensor that detects an amount of the developer in the developing device;

a display configured to display a first screen for prompting a user to replace the container mounted to the portion, in a case where an amount of the developer, detected by the sensor, is smaller than a predetermined amount; and

a determination unit configured to determine whether or not the container mounted to the portion satisfies a replacement condition,

wherein in a case where the container mounted to the portion is removed while the replacement condition is not satisfied, the display displays a second screen for prompting the user to remount the removed container, and

wherein in a case where the amount of the developer, detected by the sensor, is smaller than the predetermined amount while the second screen is displayed, the display continues to display the second screen.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in the case where the amount of the developer, detected by the sensor, is smaller than the predetermined amount while the second screen is displayed, the display prevents the first screen from being displayed.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in the case where the amount of the developer, detected by the sensor, is smaller than the predetermined amount while the second screen is displayed, the display displays the first screen in such a manner that the visible state of the second screen is not obstructed.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a controller configured to control the image forming unit so as not to cause the image forming unit to stop image formation, until it is determined that the amount of the developer is smaller than the predetermined amount, even after it is determined that the replacement condition is satisfied.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein in a case where it is determined that the replacement condition is satisfied while it is not determined that the amount of the developer is smaller than the predetermined amount, the display displays a third screen indicating that the container can be replaced.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in a case where the amount of the developer becomes smaller than the predetermined amount, if an output from the sensor does not change even after a predetermined replenishment operation for replenishing the developer from the mounted container to the developing device is performed by the replenishment unit, the determination unit determines that the replacement condition is satisfied.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in a state in which the second screen is not displayed, the display reduces brightness of the display on condition that a predetermined time period elapses without any operation on the display, whereas in a state in which the second screen is displayed, the display does not reduce the brightness of the display even after the predetermined time period elapses without any operation on the display.