Toner cartridge with memory for image forming apparatus

• US 9,081,326 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2014
• Issued: 07/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba America Business Solutions Incorporated (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation), Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Homma, Toru, Hashidume, Hiroshi, Ajima, Hisanobu, Tohata, Nobuo, Nakajima, Takahiro, Hatano, Takumi
• Primary Examiner(s): HYDER, G.M. ALI
• Application Number:
  US14/320,260
• Publication Number:
  US 20140314428A1
• Time in Patent Office: 379 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/0849 Detection or control means for the developer concentration
• 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 15/0868 Toner cartridges fulfilling a continuous function within the electrographic apparatus during the use of the supplied developer material, e.g. toner discharge on demand, storing residual toner, acting as an active closure for the developer replenishing opening
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 21/1878 Electronically readable memory
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 21/1889 for auto-setting of process parameters, lifetime, usage
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/0697 being an electronically readable memory

Abstract

An image forming apparatus mounted with a toner cartridge having a memory unit includes a toner cartridge which stores a plurality of control data depending on toner in the memory unit, an acquisition unit which selects one of the plurality of control data in the memory unit and acquires image formation-related information and a setting unit which sets image formation parameters on the basis of the image formation-related information.

Claims

1. A toner cartridge for use with an image forming apparatus having a selecting unit configured to select a table from a plurality of tables stored in the toner cartridge, the plural tables including information corresponding to image formation process parameters;

a reading unit configured to read the information from the selected table; and

a control unit configured to control an image forming process based on the information to change the image formation process parameters, the toner cartridge comprising;

a memory storing the plural tables including the information corresponding to the image formation process parameters dependent on at least one of a toner characteristic and an ambient condition.

2. The toner cartridge of claim 1, wherein the memory stores identification data of the toner cartridge, and when the toner cartridge is mounted in the image forming apparatus, an acquiring unit of the image forming apparatus acquires the identification data of the toner cartridge from the memory with the control unit of the image forming apparatus.

3. The toner cartridge of claim 2, wherein the memory stores the identification data of the toner cartridge, and when the acquired identification data of the toner cartridge matches identifying data previously stored in the image forming apparatus, the control unit controls the image forming process based on the information.

4. The toner cartridge of claim 1, wherein the memory stores the image forming process parameters, a measuring unit of the image forming apparatus measures toner resistance, and the selecting unit acquires the table in which the image forming process parameters are dependent on the toner resistance.

5. The toner cartridge of claim 1, wherein the memory stores the information, and an extracting unit of the image forming apparatus extracts the information from the selected table in which a plurality of data are set depending on environmental temperature.

6. The toner cartridge of claim 1, wherein the memory stores the information, and an extracting unit of the image forming apparatus extracts the information from the selected table in which a plurality of data are set depending on environmental humidity.

7. The toner cartridge of claim 1, wherein the memory stores the information, and an extracting unit of the image forming apparatus extracts the information from the selected table in which a plurality of data are set depending on life time.

8. The toner cartridge of claim 1, wherein the memory stores the information, and an extracting unit of the image forming apparatus extracts the information from the selected table in which a plurality of data are set depending on number of printed sheets.

9. The toner cartridge of claim 1, wherein the memory stores the toner characteristic which is toner resistance.

10. The toner cartridge of claim 1, wherein the memory stores the toner characteristic which is a particle diameter of toner.

11. The toner cartridge of claim 1, wherein the memory stores the toner characteristic which is a lot number for the toner.

12. The toner cartridge of claim 1, wherein the memory stores the information which is color information.

13. The toner cartridge of claim 1, wherein the memory stores the information, a measuring unit of the image forming apparatus measures toner resistance, and the control unit controls the image forming process based on the information and the measured toner resistance.