Image forming apparatus capable of optimum outputting according to the grade of consumables

• US 7,315,700 B2
• Filed: 05/25/2004
• Issued: 01/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: S-Printing Solution Co., Ltd. (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Han, Jeong-soo, Kim, Yong-geun
• Primary Examiner(s): BEATTY, ROBERT B
• Application Number:
  US10/852,262
• Publication Number:
  US 20050008375A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,316 Days
• Field of Search: 399/12, 399/31, 399/24, 399/25, 399/26, 399/27, 399/29
• US Class Current: 399/12
• 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

Abstract

An image forming apparatus capable of satisfying various demands of a user by enabling the user to determine a grade of consumables in a single image forming apparatus, and the method of employing the same. The printing method of an image forming apparatus which has a recognition device to print according to grades of consumables, comprises the steps of checking a grade of at least one consumable by the recognition device, searching a setup condition of the apparatus, through which the optimum printing can be obtained by combining the mounted consumables, setting up a printing condition which is preset by the combination of the consumables, and printing with the setup condition by a user'"'"'s printing command. The image forming apparatus that operates according to grades of consumables, comprises a recognition device capable of recognizing the grades of the consumables, a memory storing image printing information with respect to combinations of the plurality of consumables, and a main control unit the determines the grades of the consumables through the recognition device, and prints the image with the information read from the memory.

Claims

1. A printing method of an image forming apparatus which has a recognition device to discriminate mounted consumables according to respective grades, the method comprising the steps of:

storing at least one preset printing condition with respect to at least one combination of consumables as a correlation table reflecting printing conditions, consumable grades, and consumable combinations;

determining a grade of at least one mounted consumable by a recognition device;

searching for a preset printing condition of the apparatus, through which a printing condition can be selected, with the mounted consumable combination and determined grade information of the at least one mounted consumable;

setting a preset printing condition for the mounted consumable combination and determined grade of the at least one mounted consumable; and

printing according to the selected printing condition.

2. The printing method according to claim 1, wherein the selected preset printing condition comprises:

a condition ranging from an optimum printing condition, regardless of cost and time to print, to a cost-effective printing condition, regardless of print quality.

3. The printing method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining at least one printing condition with respect to at least one grade of at least one mounted consumable; and

storing the determined at least one printing condition with respect to different grades and combinations of at least one mounted consumable in a memory storage device in the image forming apparatus.

4. The method of printing according to claim 3, wherein the step of storing the determined at least one printing condition with respect to different grades and combinations of at least one mounted consumable in a memory storage device in the image forming apparatus comprises:

storing the determined printing conditions in a table format comprising at least one type of print quality versus at least one different grade of at least one different consumables.

5. The printing method of claim 1, wherein the recognition device determines the grade of the consumables using a memory chip and/or a structural shape.

6. The printing method of claim 1, wherein the consumables are at least one of a developing roller, a toner, and a transfer roller.

7. An image forming apparatus which operates according to grades of at least one consumable mounted therein, comprising:

a recognition device for recognizing grades of at least one mounted consumable;

a memory storage device for storing at least one preset image printing condition with respect to combinations of mounted consumables as a correlation table reflecting printing conditions, consumable grades, and consumable combinations; and

a main control unit for determining the grades of the mounted consumables through the recognition device, searching the memory storage device for a preset image printing condition using the determined grade information of the at least one mounted consumable and mounted consumable combination, and printing the image with a selected image printing condition read from the memory storage device.

8. The image forming apparatus of claim 7, wherein the recognition device determines the grade of the consumables using a memory chip and/or a structural shape.

9. The image forming apparatus of claim 7, wherein the consumables are at least one of a developing roller, a toner, and a transfer roller.