Replacing part containing consumable part and image forming apparatus using replacing part

• US 6,748,182 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2001
• Issued: 06/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Yoshida, Takashi, Tamamoto, Junichi, Yamashita, Taichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): BEATTY, ROBERT B
• Application Number:
  US09/960,281
• Publication Number:
  US 20020085847A1
• Time in Patent Office: 988 Days
• Field of Search: 399/12, 399/27, 399/8, 399/262, 399/258, 399/24, 399/30, 347/86, 340/612, 340/617
• US Class Current: 399/12
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/0855 the concentration being measured by optical means
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/0862 the level being measured by optical means
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/0863 provided with identifying means or means for storing process- or use parameters, e.g. an electronic memory
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/0865 Arrangements for supplying new developer
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/5079 for maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/55 Self-diagnostics; Malfunction or lifetime display
• 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 2215/00109 Remote control of apparatus, e.g. by a host
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/0888 Arrangements for detecting toner level or concentration in the developing device

Abstract

A low cost and high accuracy replacing part identification system capable of detecting and excluding the dishonest use of an image forming apparatus containing a consumable. A memory storage device having a particular ID number stored therein is attached to a toner cartridge. If the toner cartridge is used, hysteresis data (data that cannot be re-written to its original value) is stored in the memory storage device and the ID number is stored in an ID storing unit to prevent the cartridge from being able to be used by other apparatuses. Since a control unit detects the number of time of use and a toner level detecting unit detects the data of a toner level in the toner cartridge to store as the hysteresis data in the memory storage device, a toner cartridge which imitation toner was refilled can be detected and prevented from being used.

Claims

1. A replacing part containing a consumable and including identification means for storing therein identification data, comprising:

an identification data storing unit for outputting peculiar identification data in accordance with a reading-out request made from the outside of said part; and

a hysteresis holding unit for after having responded to the reading-out request, holding an initial read-out hysteresis in which the identification data is read out.

2. A replacing part according to claim 1, wherein said hysteresis holding unit includes an additional storage type memory.

3. A replacing part according to claim 1, wherein said hysteresis holding unit is another identification data storing unit and peculiar identification data is stored in said another identification data storing unit.

4. A replacing part according to claim 3, wherein after an initial reading-out request has been made from the outside to said identification data storing unit, said hysteresis holding unit becomes unable to read out the identification data of said another identification data storing unit.

5. An image forming apparatus to which a replacing part containing a consumable including identifying means for storing therein identification data is loaded, and which has a reading-out unit for reading out the identification data from said replacing part,

wherein said replacing part comprises an identification data storing unit for outputting peculiar identification data in accordance with a reading-out request made from said read-out unit;

and a hysteresis holding unit for after having responded to the reading-out request, holding an initial read-out hysteresis in which the identification data is read out, and

wherein said image forming apparatus comprises;

a hysteresis processing unit for after the identification data has been read out from said identification data storing unit, executing the processing of holding an initial read-out hysteresis, in which the identification data is read out, for said hysteresis holding unit;

an identification data storing unit in which identification data of said replacing part is stored; and

a replacing part identification processing unit for comparing the read-out identification data with the identification data stored in said identification data storing unit, and if said hysteresis holding unit does not hold the read-out hysteresis when the identification data is not stored in said identification data storing unit, storing therein the read-out identification data in said identification data storing unit to permit the use of said replacing part.

6. An image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said hysteresis holding unit includes an additional storage type memory.

7. An image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said hysteresis holding unit is another identification data storing unit and peculiar identification data is stored in said another identification data storing unit.

8. An image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein after an initial reading-out request has been made from the outside to said identification data storing unit, said hysteresis holding unit becomes unable to read out the identification data of said another identification data storing unit.

9. An image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein if said hysteresis holding unit holds the read-out hysteresis when the read-out identification data is stored in said identification data storing unit, then said replacing part identification processing unit permits the use of said replacing part.

10. An image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein if said hysteresis holding unit holds the read-out hysteresis when the read-out identification data is not stored in said identification data storing unit, then said replacing part identification processing unit does not permit the use of said replacing part.

17. An image forming apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising an identification data inputting unit for storing therein additionally the identification data in said identification data storing unit through a portable storage medium from the outside of said image forming apparatus.

11. An image forming apparatus to which a replacing part containing a consumable including identifying means for storing therein identification data is loaded, and which has a reading-out unit for reading out the identification data from said replacing part,

wherein said replacing part includes an identification data storing unit for outputting peculiar identification data in accordance with a reading-out request made from said reading-out unit, and a hysteresis holding unit for storing data of a consumable level, and

wherein said image forming apparatus comprises:

an identification data storing unit in which identification data of said replacing part is stored;

a consumable level detecting unit for measuring a consumable level; and

a replacing part identification processing unit for when after the identification data and the data of the consumable level have been respectively read out from said identification data storing unit and said hysteresis holding unit, the read-out identification data matches the identification data stored in said identification data storing unit and also the read-out consumable level matches the measured consumable level, permitting the use of said replacing part to store the data of the measured consumable level in said hysteresis holding unit.

12. An image forming apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said replacing part identification processing unit does not permit the use of said replacing part when the read-out identification data does not match the identification data stored in said identification data storing unit, and when the read-out consumable level is compared with the measured consumable level and as a result the measured consumable level is increased.

15. An image forming apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said replacing part includes an identification data storing unit for outputting peculiar identification data in accordance with a reading-out request made from said reading-out unit, and a hysteresis holding unit for storing therein the data of the consumable level and the data of the number of sheets required for the image processing, and

said replacing part identification processing unit counts the number of sheets required for the image processing with as an initial value the data of the number of sheets required for the image processing read out from said hysteresis holding unit from a time point when the consumable level has been equal to or lower than a setting value, stores the data of the counted number of sheets required for the image processing in said hysteresis holding unit, and when the number of sheets required for the image processing becomes equal to or larger than the setting value, does not permit the use of said replacing part.

16. An image forming apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising an identification data inputting unit for storing therein additionally the identification data in said identification data storing unit through a network from the outside of said image forming apparatus.

13. An image forming apparatus to which a replacing part containing a consumable including identifying means for storing therein identification data is loaded, and which has a reading-out unit for reading out the identification data from said replacing part,

wherein said replacing part includes an identification data storing unit for outputting peculiar identification data in accordance with a reading-out request made from said reading-out unit, and a hysteresis holding unit for storing data of the number of sheets required for the image processing, and

wherein said image forming apparatus comprises:

an identification data storing unit for storing therein identification data of said replacing part; and

a replacing part identification processing unit for when after the identification data and data of the number of sheets required for the image processing have been respectively read out from said identification data storing unit and said hysteresis holding unit, the read-out identification data matches the identification data stored in said identification data storing unit, permitting the use of said replacing part, counting the number of sheets required for the image processing with the read-out number of sheets required for the image processing as an initial value and storing the counted number of sheets required for the image processing in said hysteresis holding unit.

14. An image forming apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the read-out identification data does not match the identification data stored in said identification data storing unit and when the number of sheets required for the image processing becomes equal to or larger than a setting value, said replacing part identification processing unit does not permit the use of said replacing part.