JP2008058741A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To not only display, on an operation panel or the like, the result of whether a toner cartridge and a process cartridge are genuine or not but also securely inform a user of the result. <P>SOLUTION: The image forming apparatus 1 includes: a process unit 2 in which a photoreceptor 10, charging means 11, developing means 13 and cleaning means 16 are integrated; an exposure means 12; a transfer means 14; a peeling means 15; and a fixing means 18. In the image forming apparatus 1, a reading means 25 is disposed near a recording medium 24 attached to the process unit 2. A comparison determination means compares and determines a read result which is display information relating to product liability read from a recording medium 24, and comparison information stored in the storage part of a control means (not shown). The read result and the result of the comparison determination are displayed on a display means. In addition, according to the result of the comparison result indicating that the unit 2 is not a genuine product or recommended product, a printing control means informs and displays the result by printing it on an image non-formation area of the printed and output recording medium. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus.

  An electrophotographic image forming apparatus is widely used as a printer, a copier, a facsimile machine, a multi-function machine thereof, or the like. In the image forming apparatus, a processing unit capable of exchanging and recycling toner cartridges, process cartridges, and the like is mounted, further enhancing the convenience of the image forming apparatus. These processing units are preferably genuine products or recommended products (licensed products by the manufacturer) which are supplied from the manufacturer of the image forming apparatus, a manufacturing contractor, etc., and whose operation and performance have been confirmed by the manufacturer. However, recently, unconfirmed products that have not been confirmed for operation and performance by manufacturers have been distributed. Many unconfirmed products are of lower quality than genuine or recommended products. Image quality of the image formed by the image forming device is degraded, the image forming device is broken, the processing unit replacement time is significantly different, and the service life is shortened. May cause an accident. Nevertheless, since the price is significantly lower than that of genuine products or recommended products, the distribution volume of genuine products tends to increase gradually. Some users use it while knowing that it is an unconfirmed product because of its low price, but many users use an unconfirmed product without knowing the difference between a genuine or recommended product and an unconfirmed product.

  For this reason, the manufacturer clarifies the difference between genuine or recommended products and unconfirmed products and the warranty liability for the user by displaying the product liability information to the user based on the product liability law. To do. Information related to product liability includes product name, serial number, manufacturer name, raw material name, content, remaining amount, expiration date, cumulative number of printings, number of recycling, manufacturer contact, maintenance management contact, date of manufacture , Genuine products or recommended product types. Such information is displayed to the user by being described in the product body, the packaging material, the instruction manual, etc., but is often difficult to understand for the user, and most of them are overlooked. Therefore, in the field of image forming apparatuses, various proposals are made in order to thoroughly inform users about product liability and to prevent failures caused by the use of unconfirmed products.

  For example, when a replaceable part is used in the image forming apparatus, a non-volatile memory (NVRAM) storing a digital certificate corresponding to information relating to product liability is attached to the part, and the image forming apparatus main body A method is proposed in which the CPU authenticates a part using the digital certificate (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this method, if the CPU is successfully authenticated, the part is a genuine product or a recommended product. If the CPU fails authentication, it is determined that the part is not a genuine product or a recommended product, and a warning message is displayed on the operation panel or the like. However, simply displaying the warning message may not allow the user to notice the warning message, and the effect of preventing the user from using an unconfirmed product is not sufficient. Patent Document 1 does not describe any means for making the user aware of the use of unconfirmed products other than displaying a warning message.

  In addition, an image forming apparatus including a reading unit, a storage unit, a comparison unit, and a display unit is proposed (for example, see Patent Document 2). In the image forming apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 2, the reading unit includes a storage medium that stores display information related to product liability, and reads display information of a replaceable processing unit that is attached to the image forming apparatus and is involved in the image process. . The storage means stores comparison information for determining display information of the processing unit. The comparison unit compares the reading result (display information) by the reading unit with the comparison information stored in the storage unit. The display means displays information read by the reading means and / or a comparison result by the comparing means. Even in the technique of Patent Document 2, even if the comparison means determines that the product is not a genuine product or a recommended product, only the result is displayed. Therefore, in order to prevent the use of unconfirmed products by the user, further well-known thorough means are desired.

  On the other hand, the following printing system is proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 3). In a printing system in which a plurality of printing apparatuses are connected to a network and additional information (master information) relating to processing of print data is registered in a specific printing apparatus, the printing apparatus that has received the print data analyzes the print data and Acquire information (document time stamp, file size, personal identification number, etc.) included in it, acquire additional information via the network, and determine whether the information acquired from the print data matches the additional information. In the case of a mismatch, the printing system performs illegal copy printing (printing characters of illegal copying on a copy). However, Patent Document 3 does not describe any technical idea for informing the user of the determination result of whether a replaceable processing unit is a genuine product or an unconfirmed product by printing a message on a recording medium. Absent.

  In addition, when an unauthorized access to a communication network is detected in a printer that performs printing in response to a print command from a plurality of computers connected via a communication network, a warning is printed by printing a report indicating that the communication network has been detected. A technique is proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 4). However, even in Patent Document 4, there is no technical idea to be known by determining whether or not a replaceable processing unit is a genuine product and printing the determination result.

JP 2005-202364 A JP 2006-003536 A JP 2003-266863 A JP 2004-005030 A

  An object of the present invention is not only to display on a control panel or the like whether or not a toner cartridge and a process cartridge, which are replaceable processing units in an image forming apparatus, are genuine products, but also to the user for the determination. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus capable of reliably transmitting a result and preventing various inconveniences caused by using unconfirmed products.

The present invention
An image forming unit that includes a process cartridge and / or a toner cartridge that is detachably attached to the image forming apparatus and includes a storage medium that stores display information;
Reading means for reading at least display information relating to product liability from display information of the toner cartridge or process cartridge;
Storage means for storing comparison information for determining read information read by the read information;
A comparison determination unit that compares the read information read by the reading unit with the comparison information stored in the storage unit to determine whether the toner cartridge and / or the process cartridge is a genuine product or a recommended product;
Display means for displaying read information read by the reading means and / or a comparison determination result by the comparison determination means;
In order to notify the user of the comparison determination result to a portion of the recording medium to be printed that does not form an image in accordance with a comparison determination result that the toner cartridge and / or process cartridge is not a genuine product or a recommended product by the comparison determination means. An image forming apparatus comprising: a printing control unit that controls the image forming unit to print the notification display.

The image forming apparatus of the present invention also has
The print control means
The image forming means is controlled so that a notification display is printed every predetermined number of times on a portion of the recording medium to be printed out where an image is not formed.

Furthermore, the image forming apparatus of the present invention is
The print control means
The image forming means is controlled so that a notification display is printed on a portion of the recording medium to be printed out where an image is not formed, and only the notification display is printed on another recording medium.

Furthermore, the image forming apparatus of the present invention is
The print control means
A notification display is printed at a predetermined time on a portion of the recording medium on which printing is output, and one or two or more selected from the content of the notification display, print size, font, color, and density are changed at a predetermined time. The image forming means is controlled as described above.

Furthermore, the image forming apparatus of the present invention is
A notification stop unit for stopping the printing operation of the notification display by the image forming unit, and a display unit further including a button for operating the notification stop unit;
The printing operation of the notification display by the image forming unit is stopped when the user touches a button for operating the notification stop unit in the display unit.

Furthermore, the image forming apparatus of the present invention is
The portion where no image is formed is a void area on the printing surface of the recording medium.

Furthermore, the image forming apparatus of the present invention is
The portion where the image is not formed is a printing blank portion in the image portion of the printing surface of the recording medium.

Furthermore, the image forming apparatus of the present invention is
The portion where the image is not formed is a surface opposite to the printing surface of the recording medium.

Furthermore, the image forming apparatus of the present invention is
Display information and comparison information related to product liability include product name, serial number, manufacturer name, raw material name, content, remaining amount, expiration date, cumulative number of printings, number of recycling, manufacturer contact information, maintenance contact information and It is one or more pieces of information selected from the date of manufacture.

  According to the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus including an image forming unit, a reading unit, a storage unit, a comparison / determination unit, a display unit, and a print control unit. The image forming means includes a process cartridge and / or a toner cartridge that includes a storage medium that prints on a recording medium, is detachable, and stores display information. The reading unit reads display information relating to product liability from display information of the toner cartridge or the process cartridge. The storage means stores comparison information for determining read information read by the read information. The comparison determination unit determines whether the toner cartridge and / or the process cartridge is a genuine product or a recommended product by comparing the read information read by the reading unit with the comparison information stored in the storage unit. The display means displays the reading information read by the reading means and / or the determination result by the comparison determining means. The print control means determines the comparison determination result in a portion where the image of the recording medium to be printed is not formed according to the comparison determination result that the toner cartridge and / or the process cartridge is not a genuine product or a recommended product by the comparison determination means. The image forming means is controlled to print a notification display for informing the user of the image forming apparatus. According to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, it is determined whether or not the cartridge is a genuine product or a recommended product by extracting information relating to product liability from a storage medium included in the toner cartridge or the process cartridge itself. The determination result is displayed according to the determination result, and a notification display is printed on a portion of the recording medium to be printed out where an image is not formed. As a result, the user can be surely informed that the currently used cartridge is an unconfirmed product, and problems such as failure of the image forming apparatus due to the use of the unconfirmed product can be prevented.

  According to the present invention, a notification display is printed on a portion where an image is not formed for every predetermined number of recording media to be printed out, so that it can be used efficiently without displaying a notification on all printed matter. Can be recognized.

  According to the present invention, a notification display is printed on a portion of the recording medium that is printed out and does not form an image, and only the notification display is printed on another recording medium and printed out. The user can be further surely informed that the cartridge to be used is an unconfirmed product.

  According to the present invention, the notification display is printed every predetermined time, and one or two or more selected from the content, print size, font, color, and density of the notification display are changed every predetermined time. The notification display can be made even more reliable to the user. In addition, the approximate elapsed time after the first notification display is printed can be grasped, and the information is advantageous for maintenance management of the image forming apparatus.

  According to this invention, you may take the structure which further contains a notification stop means and an operation panel. The notification stop means stops the notification display printing operation. The operation panel includes a button for activating the notification stop unit. When the user touches a button that activates the notification stop means of the operation panel, the printing operation of the notification display is stopped. For example, when an important meeting material is copied, it is inappropriate to print a notification display. Therefore, it is more convenient for the user to have a function of stopping the printing of the notification display for convenience.

  According to the present invention, by printing a notification display on the void area on the printing surface of the recording medium, the printing blank portion in the image portion of the printing surface of the recording medium, or the surface opposite to the printing surface of the recording medium, The notification display can be printed without damaging the image to be printed.

  According to the present invention, display information and comparison information related to product liability include product name, serial number, manufacturer name, raw material name, content, remaining amount, expiry date, cumulative number of prints, number of recycles, manufacturer contact It is preferable that the information is one or more information selected from the destination, the maintenance contact information, and the manufacturing date. With such information, it is very easy to determine whether the product is a genuine product or a recommended product.

  FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a configuration of an image forming apparatus 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The image forming apparatus 1 forms an image on a recording medium 3 such as recording paper in accordance with image information included in a print command from an external device. As the external device, an electric / electronic device that can form or acquire image information and can be electrically connected to the image forming apparatus 1 can be used. For example, a computer, a digital camera, a television, a video recorder, a DVD recorder And facsimile machines. The image forming apparatus 1 includes a process cartridge 2, an exposure unit 12, a transfer unit 14, a peeling unit 15, a fixing unit 17, a reading unit 25, a control unit (not shown), and a display unit (not shown). The process cartridge 2, the exposure unit 12, the transfer unit 14, the peeling unit 15 and the fixing unit 18 serve as image forming units.

  The process cartridge 2 includes a photoconductor 10, a charging unit 11, a developing unit 13, a cleaning unit 16, a housing 17, and a storage medium 24. In the process cartridge 2, the photosensitive member 10, the charging unit 11, the developing unit 13, and the cleaning unit 16 are accommodated in the housing 17, and a storage medium 24 is attached to the outer wall of the housing 17. Removably mounted. When the process cartridge 2 is mounted in the image forming apparatus 1, each member included in the process cartridge 2 is electrically connected to the control means by an electric circuit provided in the image forming apparatus 1 in advance.

  The photosensitive member 10 is a roller-like member having a photosensitive layer on which a latent electrostatic image and a toner image are formed on a surface of the photosensitive member 10 supported by a driving unit (not shown) so as to be rotatable around an axis (in the direction of the arrow 26). . As the photosensitive member 10, for example, a photosensitive member including a conductive substrate (not shown) and a photosensitive layer (not shown) formed on the surface of the conductive substrate can be used. As the conductive substrate, a conductive substrate having a cylindrical shape, a columnar shape, a sheet shape or the like can be used, and among them, the cylindrical conductive substrate is preferable. Examples of the photosensitive layer include an organic photosensitive layer and an inorganic photosensitive layer. The organic photosensitive layer includes a laminate of a charge generation layer which is a resin layer containing a charge generation material and a charge transport layer which is a resin layer containing a charge transport material, and the charge generation material and the charge transport material in one resin layer And a resin layer containing. Examples of the inorganic photosensitive layer include a layer containing one or more selected from zinc oxide, selenium, amorphous silicon and the like. A base film may be interposed between the conductive substrate and the photosensitive layer, and a surface film (protective film) for mainly protecting the photosensitive layer may be provided on the surface of the photosensitive layer.

  The charging unit 11 is discharged by receiving a voltage from the power source 20 and charges the surface of the photoreceptor 10 to a predetermined polarity and potential. In the present embodiment, a non-contact type corona charger that does not contact the surface of the photoconductor 10 is used as the charging unit 11, but is not limited thereto, and a brush type charger, a charger type charger, a charging roller, or the like is used. it can.

  The exposure unit 12 irradiates the surface of the photoconductor 10 with signal light 12a corresponding to image information to form an electrostatic latent image. In this embodiment, the exposure unit 12 uses a laser scanning unit (LSU) (not shown) including a laser emitting unit, a laser reflecting unit, an auxiliary laser emitting unit, and an auxiliary laser reflecting unit. The laser emitting means emits signal light 12a corresponding to the image information. The laser reflecting means reflects the signal light 12 a emitted from the laser emitting means to reach the surface of the photoconductor 10. As a result, an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image information is formed on the surface of the photoreceptor 10. The auxiliary laser emission means is controlled by a print control means described later, and corresponds to a predetermined notification display according to a comparison determination result that the toner cartridge and / or the process cartridge by the comparison determination means described later is not a genuine product or a recommended product. Signal light (not shown) is emitted. The auxiliary laser reflecting means reflects the signal light emitted from the auxiliary laser emitting means, and causes the signal light to reach a portion of the surface of the photoconductor 10 corresponding to a portion on the recording medium 3 where an image is not formed. As a result, an electrostatic latent image corresponding to a predetermined notification display is formed on a portion of the surface of the photoconductor 10 corresponding to a portion of the recording medium 3 where an image is not formed. Although a semiconductor laser is used for the laser emitting means and the auxiliary laser emitting means, the present invention is not limited thereto, and an electroluminescence (EL) element, a light emitting diode (LED) element, or the like can be used. A reflection mirror or the like can be used for the laser reflecting means and the auxiliary laser reflecting means.

  The developing means 13 includes a developing roller 13a, a developing tank 13b, a supply roller (not shown), and a stirring roller (not shown). The developing roller 13 a is provided so as to be separated from the surface of the photoconductor 10 with a gap. The developing roller 13 a carries a developer on the surface, and the electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photoconductor 10 is closest to the photoconductor 10. Supply toner to the image. Further, the developing roller 13a has an electrostatic latent image formed in a portion corresponding to a portion of the recording medium 3 on the surface of the photosensitive member 10 where an image is not formed in the longitudinal direction of the photosensitive member 10. Also, those having dimensions sufficient to supply toner are used.

  The developing tank 13b accommodates the developing roller 13a, the supply roller, and the stirring roller in its internal space so that their respective axes are parallel to each other and parallel to the axis of the photosensitive member 10, and are rotatably supported. It is a container-shaped member which accommodates. The developer may be either a one-component developer containing only toner or a two-component developer containing toner and carrier. The developing tank 13b is replenished with toner from a toner cartridge (not shown) or a toner hopper via a toner replenishing pipe (not shown) according to the toner consumption status. The toner cartridge is detachably mounted at a position facing the developing tank 13b through the housing 17. The toner cartridge is a container-like member whose internal space is filled with replenishing toner. A storage medium (not shown) is attached to the outer wall of the toner cartridge. An IC tag can be used as the recording medium. The storage medium stores at least display information related to product liability for the toner cartridge. The display information related to product liability is the same as that stored in the storage medium 24 described later. Further, at a position where the toner cartridge is mounted on the image forming apparatus 1, a reading unit (not shown) is provided in the vicinity of the storage medium attached to the outer wall of the toner cartridge. The reading means will be described in detail later. On the other hand, the toner hopper is not a detachable type like a toner cartridge, but a container-like member installed inside the image forming apparatus 1. The toner hopper communicates with a toner receiving port provided on the upper surface in the vertical direction of the image forming apparatus 1, and only toner is supplied from the outside of the image forming apparatus 1.

  The supply roller and the agitation roller accommodated in the developing tank 13b are roller-like members provided so as to be rotatable around an axis line by a driving means (not shown). The supply roller charges the developer by its rotation and feeds it around the developing roller 13a. The agitation roller uniformly mixes the toner replenished from a toner hopper (not shown) according to the toner consumption state and the developer in the developing tank 13b. The stirring roller may be a screw-like member. According to the developing means 13, toner is supplied to the electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photoreceptor 10 to form a toner image.

  The transfer means 14 is a roller-like member that is rotatably supported by a support means (not shown), is rotatably provided by a drive means (not shown), and is provided so as to come into pressure contact with the photoreceptor 10. For the transfer means 14, for example, a roller-shaped member including a metal core with a diameter of 8 to 10 mm and a conductive elastic layer formed on the surface of the metal core is used. As the metal forming the metal core, stainless steel, aluminum, or the like can be used. As the conductive elastic layer, a rubber material in which a conductive material such as carbon black is blended with a rubber material such as ethylene-propylene rubber (EPDM), foamed EPDM, or foamed urethane can be used. A pickup roller and a registration roller (not shown) are fed from a paper feed tray (not shown) to the pressure contact portion (transfer nip portion) between the photosensitive member 10 and the transfer unit 14 in synchronization with the toner image being conveyed by the rotation of the photosensitive member 10. The recording media 3 are supplied one by one. As the recording medium 3 passes through the transfer nip portion, the toner image on the surface of the photoreceptor 10 is transferred to the recording medium 3. A power source 21 is connected to the transfer unit 14, and when transferring the toner image to the recording medium 3, a voltage having a polarity opposite to the charging polarity of the toner constituting the toner image is applied. As a result, the toner image is smoothly transferred to the recording medium 3. According to the transfer unit 14, the toner image on the surface of the photoreceptor 10 is transferred to the recording medium 3.

  The peeling means 15 is a plate-like member provided so as to extend in parallel with the longitudinal direction of the photoconductor 10 and so that one end in the short direction abuts the surface of the photoconductor 10. The peeling unit 15 prevents the recording medium 3 after the toner image transfer from being wound around the photoconductor 10 and is fed toward the fixing unit 17.

  The cleaning unit 16 includes a cleaning blade 16a and a toner storage tank 16b. The cleaning blade 16 a is a plate-like member provided so as to extend in parallel with the longitudinal direction of the photoconductor 10 and so that one end in the short direction abuts the surface of the photoconductor 10. The cleaning blade 16 a removes toner remaining on the surface of the photoconductor 10 from the surface of the photoconductor 10 after the toner image is transferred to the recording medium 3. The toner storage tank 16b is a container-like member having an internal space, and temporarily stores the toner removed by the cleaning blade 16a.

  The casing 17 is a container-like member having an internal space, and is formed of, for example, a synthetic resin. A storage medium 24 is attached to the outer wall of the housing 17. Although a general storage medium can be used as the storage medium 24, an IC tag is used in the present embodiment. The storage medium 24 stores at least display information related to product liability. Display information relating to product liability includes, for example, the product name, serial number, manufacturer name, raw material name, content, remaining amount, expiration date, cumulative number of prints, and number of recycling of the genuine or recommended process cartridge 2 , Manufacturer contact, maintenance contact, date of manufacture, etc. The storage medium 24 stores one type or two or more types selected from display information related to these product responsibilities. The storage medium 24 stores display information related to product liability as shown in Table 1, for example.

  The fixing unit 18 includes a fixing roller 22 and a pressure roller 23. The fixing roller 22 is a roller-like member that is rotatably supported by a support unit (not shown) and is rotatable about an axis by a drive unit (not shown). The fixing roller 22 has heating means (not shown) inside, and heats and melts the toner constituting the unfixed toner image carried on the recording medium 3 conveyed from the transfer nip portion to fix it on the recording medium 3. Let As the fixing roller 22, for example, a roller-shaped member including a cored bar and an elastic layer is used. The core metal is formed of a metal such as iron, stainless steel, or aluminum. The elastic layer is formed of an elastic material such as silicone rubber or fluorine rubber, for example. In the present embodiment, a roller-like member having a diameter of 40 mm in which a silicone rubber layer is formed on the surface of an aluminum core is used as the fixing roller 22. The heating means generates heat when a voltage is applied from a power source (not shown). A halogen lamp, an infrared lamp or the like can be used as the heating means.

  The pressure roller 23 is a roller-like member that is rotatably supported and is provided so as to come into pressure contact with the fixing roller 22 by pressure means (not shown). The pressure roller 23 rotates following the rotation of the fixing roller 22. A pressure contact portion between the fixing roller 22 and the pressure roller 23 is a fixing nip portion. The pressure roller 23 promotes fixing of the toner image to the recording medium by pressing the toner in a molten state against the recording medium when the fixing roller 22 heat-fixes the toner image to the recording medium. A roller-like member having the same configuration as that of the fixing roller 22 can be used for the pressure roller 23. In the present embodiment, a roller-like member having a diameter of 40 mm in which a silicone rubber layer is formed on the surface of an iron core bar is used as the fixing roller 22. A heating means may also be provided inside the pressure roller 23. As the heating means, the same heating means as in the fixing roller 22 can be used.

  According to the fixing unit 18, the toner image is transferred to the recording medium 3 by passing the recording medium 3 onto which the toner image has been transferred through the fixing nip, melting the toner constituting the toner image, and pressing the toner on the recording medium 3. Fix and print the image. The recording medium 3 on which the image is printed is discharged and stacked on a paper discharge tray provided on a vertical upper surface or a vertical side surface of the image forming apparatus 1 by a conveying unit (not shown).

  The reading unit 25 is provided in the vicinity of the storage medium 24 attached to the outer wall of the process cartridge 2. In the present embodiment, a non-contact type reader / writer is used for the reading means 25. When current is supplied to the reader / writer, electromagnetic induction occurs, whereby the IC tag that is the storage medium 24 is activated, and the display information related to the product liability stored in the IC tag is converted into an electrical signal, which will be described later. Sent to the means and input to the storage unit of the control means as a read result. At the same time, part or all of the read result is displayed on the display means described later. The display contents at this time may be determined by the initial setting, or may be set by using the operation unit of the display unit described later by the user of the image forming apparatus 1. This display allows the user to easily view the reading means. In the present embodiment, a non-contact type reader / writer is used as the reading means 25, but it is not particularly limited as long as it can read the display information of the IC tag. For example, a contact type magnetic card, non-contact type magnetic Cards can be used. Considering that the process cartridge 2 is attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus 1, a non-contact type is preferable. Although not shown, a reading unit is also provided in the vicinity of the storage medium attached to the outer wall of the toner cartridge. This storage medium and reading means also have the same configuration as the storage medium 24 and reading means 25.

  Although not shown, for example, the display unit is provided on the upper surface in the vertical direction of the image forming apparatus 1. The display means includes, for example, a display unit (not shown) and an operation unit (not shown). The display portion includes a display that displays characters, images, sounds, and the like, a speaker, and the like. The operation unit includes a touch panel for the user to perform various operations related to the image forming apparatus 1. The operation unit may be provided with a button for operating a notification stop unit described later. A display, a touch panel, etc. are formed, for example with a liquid crystal. The reading information and the comparison determination result are displayed on the display means. The display / non-display of the read information and the comparison determination result may be configured to be selectable by the user. In that case, the operation unit may be provided with a button for selecting display / non-display. Each of the read information and the comparison determination result may be a character display having a meaning or a meaningless character, a symbol display, or a color display. Moreover, you may provide a small indicator lamp as display means other than the said display means. The small indicator lamp may be normally turned off, and the small indicator lamp may be turned on or blinked only when the comparison determination result is a comparison determination result that is not a genuine product or a recommended product. Although the installation position of the small indicator lamp is not particularly limited, the upper surface in the vertical direction of the image forming apparatus 1 is preferable in consideration of visibility by the user.

  The control means is provided, for example, in the upper part of the internal space of the image forming apparatus 1 and includes a storage unit, a calculation unit, and a control unit. The storage unit serves as storage means for storing comparison information for determining read information read by the reading means. The comparison information stored in the storage section includes the product name, serial number, manufacturer name, raw material name, content, remaining amount, expiration date, cumulative number of prints, and recycling of genuine and recommended process cartridges and toner cartridges. Number, manufacturer contact, maintenance contact, date of manufacture, etc. Furthermore, in the storage unit, various setting values set via a display unit (not shown) arranged on the upper surface of the image forming apparatus 1, detection results from sensors (not shown) arranged at various locations inside the image forming apparatus 1, Image information included in a print command from an external device is input. In addition, programs for executing various means are written. Examples of the various means include a comparison determination means, a print control means, and a notification stop means. As the storage unit, those commonly used in this field can be used, and examples thereof include a read only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), and a hard disk drive (HDD). The calculation unit retrieves various data (image formation command, detection result, image information, etc.) input to the storage unit and programs of various means, and performs various determinations. A control part sends a control signal to an applicable apparatus according to the determination result in a calculating part, and performs operation control. A control part and a calculating part are processing circuits implement | achieved by the microcomputer provided with a central processing unit (CPU, Central Processing Unit), a microprocessor, etc., for example. The control means includes a main power supply together with the storage unit, the calculation unit, and the control unit.

  The control means not only controls the operation of each member arranged inside the image forming apparatus 1, but also functions as a comparison determination means, a print control means, and the like. The comparison determination unit takes out the reading information read by the reading unit and the comparison information stored in the storage unit from the storage unit and compares them, and the process cartridge 2 and / or the toner cartridge mounted on the image forming apparatus 1 are genuine products or Determine if it is a recommended product. The comparison determination by the comparison determination unit is performed when a new process cartridge 2 and / or a toner cartridge is mounted on the image forming apparatus 1. The mounting of the process cartridge 2 and the toner cartridge to the image forming apparatus 1 can be easily detected by providing a sensor (not shown). Comparison by means of comparison judgment means product name, serial number, manufacturer name, raw material name, content, remaining amount, expiration date, cumulative number of printing, number of recycling, manufacturer contact, maintenance contact, date of manufacture With the product name, serial number, manufacturer name, raw material name, content, remaining amount, expiration date, cumulative number of printings, number of recycling, manufacturer contact, maintenance contact, date of manufacture, etc. This is done by checking whether or not to do so.

The comparison determination unit performs the comparison determination based on the data shown in Table 1 above, for example. Table 1 shows display information related to product liability stored at addresses “0000H to 003FH” of the storage medium 24. First, from the display information stored in the storage medium 24, the information M1 related to the product name and the production number is read by the reading means 25. Here, the product name and production number of the information M1 are assumed to be “A unit, A0001”. Next, information for comparing the information M1 is extracted from the comparison information stored in the storage means. Here, for example, it is assumed that information for comparison with addresses “0000H to 0002H” of comparison information shown in Table 2 below is stored. Table 2 shows some addresses of the comparison information input to the storage unit and their contents. Then, the information M1 “A unit, A0001” is compared with the information of the comparison information addresses “0000H to 0002H”. Here, as shown in Table 2, since the information of the address “0000H” in the comparison information matches “A unit, A0001” of the information M1, it is determined that the process cartridge 2 is a genuine product or a recommended product. . Of course, if they do not match, it is determined that the process cartridge 2 is an unconfirmed product.

  The comparison determination result by the comparison determination unit is input to the storage unit and displayed on the display unit. As a result, whether or not the process cartridge 2 and / or the toner cartridge can be applied to the image forming apparatus 1 is confirmed surely and easily by the user. The results of the comparison are, for example, “This process cartridge is an unconfirmed product. If you continue to use it, we will not guarantee the operation or equipment” or “There is a possibility that the equipment may be damaged.” It is conceivable that this is a notification display for. Further, a list of genuine products and recommended products in the image forming apparatus 1 may be displayed to the user, such as “This product can normally use toner cartridges of... In this embodiment, the comparison determination result is displayed when the process cartridge 2 and / or the toner cartridge is an unconfirmed product. However, the process cartridge 2 and / or the toner cartridge is a genuine product or a recommended product. Even in some cases, the comparison determination result may be displayed.

  The print control unit prints a notification display on a portion of the recording medium 3 to be printed out where an image is not formed in accordance with a comparison determination result that the process cartridge 2 or the toner cartridge is not a genuine product or a recommended product by the comparison determination unit. In this manner, the image forming unit is controlled. Here, the image forming unit includes a photoreceptor 10, a charging unit 11, an exposure unit 12, a developing unit 13, a transfer unit 14, a peeling unit 15, a cleaning unit 16, and a fixing unit 18. In most cases, the notification display is printed at the same time as the image corresponding to the image information included in the print command is formed. Therefore, the formation of the electrostatic latent image corresponding to the notification display by the exposure unit 12 is controlled. In this case, a normal image forming operation may be executed for each unit other than the exposure unit 12. Of course, finer control may be performed for each means other than the exposure means 12.

  More specifically, the print control unit appropriately selects notification display information such as a type of notification display and a print position, converts the notification display information into an electric signal, and sends the information to the exposure unit 12. By this control signal, the auxiliary laser emitting means of the exposure means 12 emits signal light (not shown) corresponding to the notification display information. This signal light is emitted in synchronization with the emission of the signal light 12 a corresponding to the image information by the laser emitting means 12. This signal light is reflected by the auxiliary laser reflecting means, reaches the portion of the recording medium 3 on the surface of the photoreceptor 10 where an image is not formed, and an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the notification display information is formed. The electrostatic latent image is supplied with toner from the developing unit 13, transferred to the recording medium 3 together with the toner image corresponding to the image by the transfer unit 14, and fixed to the recording medium 3 together with the toner image by the fixing unit 18. In this way, a notification display is printed on the recording medium 3 together with the image. Here, the type of notification display includes the content of notification display (character display with meaning or content, character display without meaning or content, symbol display, etc.), print size, font (typeface), image density, and these two. There are combinations of more than species. If the image forming apparatus is a color image forming apparatus, the type of notification display includes “color”. In addition, when only the process cartridge is not a genuine product or a recommended product, when only the toner cartridge is not a genuine product or a recommended product, or when both the process cartridge and the toner cartridge are not a genuine product or a recommended product, the cases can be distinguished. Thus, it is preferable to change the type of notification display.

  Further, the print control unit may control the image forming unit, particularly the exposure unit 12 so as to print a notification display for every predetermined number of portions of the recording medium 3 to be printed out. The print control means prints the notification display on a portion of the recording medium 3 to be printed and does not form an image, and prints only the notification display on another recording medium 3 and prints it out. You may control. When there are a plurality of recording media 3 to be printed out, a notification display is printed on each of the plurality of recording media 3 or a notification display is printed every predetermined number of the recording media 3. Then, after the printing of the plurality of recording media 3 is completed, only the notification display is printed on another recording medium 3 and printed out. The notification display printed on another recording medium 3 may be the same as or different from the notification display printed on a plurality of recording media 3. The print control unit controls the image forming unit to print a notification display at a predetermined time on a portion of the recording medium on which print output is not formed and to change the type of the notification display at a predetermined time. May be.

  The portion where the image is not formed on the recording medium 3 is, for example, a void area on the printing surface of the recording medium 3. The void area is a width equal to the peripheral edge of the recording medium 3 (the width in the direction perpendicular to the short direction at the peripheral edge in the short direction of the recording medium 3, and the width perpendicular to the longitudinal direction at the peripheral edge in the longitudinal direction of the recording medium 3. Non-printing area (area where no image is printed). In a rectangular recording medium 3 such as A3, A4, B5, or B4, when a page number is printed on one of the four peripheral portions, the void area is outside the page number. By printing the notification display in the void area, it is possible to reliably notify the user of the comparison determination result without damaging the image that the user intends to print. Further, the portion of the recording medium 3 that does not form an image may be a printing blank portion (a portion that is not printed) in an image portion (a portion other than the void area) of the printing surface of the recording medium 3. Image information included in a print command input from an external device to the control unit is stored in the storage unit. Since the image information includes the position, shape, dimensions, and the like of the print blank portion in the image to be printed, the print control unit can accurately grasp the print blank portion. The print control means determines the type of notification display according to the shape, size, etc. of the print blank portion. When printing the notification display in the void area or print blank area, the print control means looks for a rectangular blank area (non-print area) having a predetermined size in the void area or print blank area and notifies the blank area. The display is preferably printed. The rectangular blank area is about 1 to 2 cm on one side and about 4 to 8 cm on the other side, and may be vertically long or horizontally long. The blank area is not limited to a rectangular area, and may be, for example, a circle or a triangle. Further, the portion of the recording medium 3 where no image is formed may be the surface opposite to the printing surface of the recording medium 3. If it is the surface opposite to the print surface, the print position of the notification display is not particularly limited, but it is preferably the peripheral portion.

  The control unit can also function as a notification stop unit. The notice stop means cancels the sending of the notice display print operation command by the print control means, and stops the notice display print operation. In this case, it is preferable to provide a button for operating the notification stop means (hereinafter referred to as “stop operation button”) in the operation unit of the display means. With this configuration, for example, the following operation is possible. When the comparison determination unit obtains a comparison determination result indicating that the process cartridge and / or the toner cartridge is not a genuine product or a recommended product, the comparison determination result is displayed on the display unit. If the user sees this display and wants to stop the printing of the notification display, the user presses the stop operation button on the display means. Thus, the notification display printing operation is stopped, and only the image printing operation can be executed. Further, a start button (print start button) (not shown) that is always provided in the image forming apparatus may have a function of a stop operation button (a print operation canceling function for notification display). That is, the start button may function as a stop operation button only when the comparison determination result is displayed on the display means. Also in this case, if the user presses the start button, only the image printing operation is executed. On the other hand, it is preferable that a notification display is automatically printed if the user does not press the stop operation button for a predetermined time with respect to the display of the comparison determination result. In addition, even when a notification display is printed in continuous printing, if the user touches the stop operation button, only the notification display printing operation is stopped without stopping the continuous printing operation. obtain. By providing the notification stop means and the stop operation button in this manner, the user can be more surely recognized that the process cartridge 2 or the toner cartridge is not a genuine product or a recommended product.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart schematically showing a notification display printing operation in the image forming apparatus 1 shown in FIG. At the start of step S0, the attachment of the new process cartridge 2 to the image forming apparatus 1 is detected by a sensor (not shown), and the detection result is input to the control means. That is, the mounting of a new process cartridge 2 is detected by the control means. In step S1, a control signal is sent from the control means to the reading means 25, and the operation of the reading means 25 is started. The reading unit 25 reads at least display information related to product liability from the storage medium 24 attached to the outer wall of the process cartridge 2. The read result is input to the storage unit of the control unit. In step S2, the reading result obtained in step S1 is displayed on the display unit, and the user of the image forming apparatus 1 is made to recognize the reading result. In step S3, the comparison determination unit compares the read result obtained in step S1 with the comparison information input in advance in the storage unit of the control unit to determine whether the process cartridge 2 is a genuine product or a recommended product. To do. If the comparison determination result is Yes (the process cartridge 2 is a genuine product or a recommended product), the process proceeds to step S4. If the comparison determination result is No (the process cartridge 2 is not a genuine product or a recommended product), the process proceeds to step S6.

  In step S4, a print command is input to the control unit. In step S5, a control signal is sent to the image forming means by the control unit in response to the print command, and an image printing operation is executed. An image corresponding to the image information included in the print command is printed on the recording medium 2.

  In step S6, a comparison determination result that the process cartridge 2 obtained in step S3 is not a genuine product or a recommended product is displayed on the display means. In step S7, it is determined whether or not the notification display printing operation can be performed. If the user of the image forming apparatus 1 does not press the stop operation button for a predetermined time, the process proceeds to step S8. When the user of the image forming apparatus 1 presses the stop operation button or presses the start button having the stop operation function, the process proceeds to step S9. In step S8, a print command for notification display is issued by the print control unit, and at the same time as a control signal is sent from the control unit to the image forming unit in step S5, a print command for notification display is sent from the print control unit in the control unit. The control signal is sent and an image and a notification display are printed on the recording medium 3. In step 9, the notice stop means cancels the sending of the notice display print operation command by the print control means and stops the notice display printing. At the same time, only the image printing operation in step S5 is executed, and only the image is printed on the recording medium 3. With this configuration, when the user overlooks the display of the comparison determination result on the display unit, the notification display is printed on the recording medium 3, so that the user can reliably recognize the comparison determination result.

  In the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the process cartridge and / or the toner cartridge is a genuine product or the toner cartridge based on the display information of the process cartridge and / or the toner cartridge and the comparison information stored in the storage unit of the control unit. Judge whether it is a recommended product or not. However, for genuine and recommended products of process cartridges and toner cartridges, display information related to product liability may be updated due to specification changes, development of new products, and the like. Updating information means deleting part of the information, adding part of the information, changing part or all of the information. In this case, it is necessary to update the comparison information. Therefore, the image forming apparatus 1 preferably includes a comparison information update unit that updates the comparison information. The program for the comparison information updating unit is input to the storage unit of the control unit of the image forming apparatus 1 and executed by the arithmetic unit and the control unit of the control unit. The comparison information update means, for example, takes new comparison information from the external device into the control means, and overwrites the comparison information previously stored in the storage unit with the new comparison information. As a result, the comparison information is rewritten with new comparison information, and even if there is a new product or specification change, the comparison determination can be performed accurately and without any problem. The external device is a computer connected to the image forming apparatus 1 over a network. New comparison information is acquired and stored in the computer from the manufacturer of the image forming apparatus 1 via the Internet, e-mail, or the like.

  In the present embodiment, the image forming apparatus 1 that prints a monochrome image has been described. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, four color toner images of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black are superimposed to form a color toner image. The configuration of the present invention can also be applied to a color image forming apparatus in which a color image is printed by fixing it on a recording medium.

1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a flowchart schematically showing a notification display printing operation in the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 2 Process cartridge 3 Recording medium 11 Charging means 12 Exposure means 13 Developing means 14 Transfer means 15 Peeling means 16 Cleaning means 17 Housing 18 Fixing means 22 Fixing roller 23 Pressure roller 24 Storage medium 25 Reading means

Claims (9)

An image forming unit that includes a process cartridge and / or a toner cartridge that is detachably attached to the image forming apparatus and includes a storage medium that stores display information;
Reading means for reading at least display information relating to product liability from display information of the toner cartridge or process cartridge;
Storage means for storing comparison information for determining read information read by the read information;
A comparison determination unit that compares the read information read by the reading unit with the comparison information stored in the storage unit to determine whether the toner cartridge and / or the process cartridge is a genuine product or a recommended product;
Display means for displaying read information read by the reading means and / or a comparison determination result by the comparison determination means;
In order to notify the user of the comparison determination result to a portion of the recording medium to be printed that does not form an image in accordance with a comparison determination result that the toner cartridge and / or process cartridge is not a genuine product or a recommended product by the comparison determination means. An image forming apparatus comprising: a print control unit that controls the image forming unit to print the notification display. The print control means
2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming means is controlled so that a notification display is printed every predetermined number of times on a portion of the recording medium to be printed out where no image is formed. The print control means
The image forming means is controlled so that a notification display is printed on a portion of the recording medium to be printed out where an image is not formed, and only the notification display is printed on another recording medium and printed out. The image forming apparatus according to 1. The print control means
A notification display is printed at a predetermined time on a portion of the recording medium on which printing is output, and one or two or more selected from the content of the notification display, print size, font, color, and density are changed at a predetermined time. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming unit is controlled to do so. A notification stop unit for stopping the printing operation of the notification display by the image forming unit, and a display unit further including a button for operating the notification stop unit;
The image formation according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a printing operation of a notification display by the image forming unit is stopped by a user touching a button for operating a notification stop unit in the display unit. apparatus.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a portion where an image is not formed is a void area on a printing surface of a recording medium.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the portion where no image is formed is a print blank portion in the image portion of the print surface of the recording medium.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the portion on which no image is formed is a surface opposite to the printing surface of the recording medium.   Display information and comparison information related to product liability include product name, serial number, manufacturer name, raw material name, content, remaining amount, expiration date, cumulative number of printings, number of recycling, manufacturer contact information, maintenance contact information and The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information is one or more pieces of information selected from a manufacturing date.

Images