JP2004220054A - Cartridge and memory - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To detect an inappropriate cartridge in which consumption articles such as toner and ink or the like are refilled, whereby to prevent utilization of such a cartridge. <P>SOLUTION: A toner room into which toner is filled up is provided on a cartridge. Operating information of a printer is written into a memory provided on the cartridge. When inappropriate filling-up of toner is conducted for the cartridge and it is installed on the printer main body, it is made based on the information written into the cartridge memory to determine whether the cartridge is an appropriate one or the one to which toner is inappropriately filled-up. When it is determined to be an inappropriate cartridge, warning is displayed and printing is inhibited. When it is determined to be an appropriate cartridge, normal printing is conducted. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a cartridge for storing a consumable used for image formation and a memory provided in the cartridge.

  For example, in an electrophotographic printer, a toner cartridge filled with toner is used as a development medium. This toner cartridge is filled with a certain amount of toner at the time of manufacture, and is set to be replaceable in a printer. When there is almost no toner in the toner cartridge, the printer display indicates that the toner has run out, and the toner cartridge is replaced with a new one.

  The out-of-toner state is detected by measuring the remaining amount of toner with a remaining toner measuring device. As a toner remaining amount measuring device, for example, as described in Patent Document 1 below, a device in which a light source and a photosensor are arranged in a cartridge chamber in which a toner cartridge is loaded is known. Since transparent windows are formed on both side walls of the toner cartridge, light from the light source enters the photosensor through the pair of transparent windows. Since the output of the photo sensor increases as the remaining amount of toner decreases, it is determined that the toner has run out when the output of the photo sensor reaches a certain value.

  The toner cartridge does not require replenishment of toner from the replenishing bottle into the toner storage chamber in the printer, so there is no fear of hands and clothes becoming dirty with toner, and only the toner cartridge needs to be replaced. There are advantages such as being simple.

  There is also known a process cartridge in which the toner cartridge is further developed and a photosensitive drum, a charging roller, a developing roller, a cleaning unit and the like are attached. In this process cartridge, the amount of toner corresponding to the life of the photosensitive drum and the like is filled, and the photosensitive drum and the like are also replaced at the same time as the replacement of the toner, so that maintenance is simple and no maintenance contract is particularly required. Therefore, it is widely used for personal printers.

  Used cartridges are collected by a printer manufacturer through a cartridge vendor. The printer manufacturer disassembles used cartridges, inspects each part and reuses normal parts from the viewpoint of environmental pollution prevention and effective use of resources, and plastic parts are melted and pelletized to produce plastic materials. Reusing. In addition, by recycling this cartridge, the selling price of the cartridge is reduced.

  Instead of returning all used cartridges to the printer manufacturer, some of them are sent to a toner refiller. The toner refiller contracts refilling at a predetermined charge, disassembles the cartridge, and replenishes appropriate toner. In addition, there is a toner refilling company that purchases a used cartridge and replenishes it with toner, and then sells it as a remanufactured cartridge to a general user at a considerably lower price than a new cartridge.

  The toner (genuine product) filled at the time of manufacture of the cartridge determines the toner component in consideration of the printer process characteristics (photosensitive drum characteristics, charging voltage, cleaning characteristics, fixing characteristics). However, since the toner used by the toner refilling company is different in composition from genuine toner, the print quality may be deteriorated. In addition, the toner may stick to the fixing roller and damage the fixing roller.

  When the print quality deteriorates or a failure occurs, the user often misunderstands that there is a cause in the printer despite the cause in the replenished toner. As a result, the reliability of printers built up steadily is lost. Also, some users may not trust the manufacturer that manufactured the printer, and may be disgusted by all the products handled by the manufacturer.

  In order to maintain the reliability of the printer manufacturer, measures such as preventing refilling of consumables such as toner and ink by a refiller in advance, or preventing improper cartridges with refilled consumables from being reused, etc. (For example, see Patent Document 2, Patent Document 3, Patent Document 4, Patent Document 5, and Patent Document 6 below).

  As a measure for preventing refilling of consumables, Patent Document 1 described above describes a process cartridge provided with a counter for counting the number of printed sheets and an electromagnetic brake for preventing the rotation of the developing roller. In this process cartridge, the amount of toner consumed is indirectly checked from the number of printed sheets. When the number of printed sheets reaches a certain value, it is estimated that the toner has run out, and the electromagnetic brake is activated. Since this electromagnetic brake prevents the developing roller from rotating, once the toner runs out, the process cartridge cannot be used regardless of whether or not the toner is replenished. Therefore, it can be determined that the process cartridge in which the toner is contained but the electromagnetic brake is applied is a refilled product of toner.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-28320 JP-A-3-220572 JP-A-10-69139 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-133528 JP-A-10-133529

  However, in the conventional measures for preventing refilling of consumables, the process cartridge has to be provided with an electromagnetic brake and a counter. Therefore, there is a problem that the process cartridge is complicated and large, and the cost increases. In addition, since the state where the electromagnetic brake is applied can be known immediately, the electromagnetic brake can be removed or the brake can be turned off when the process cartridge is disassembled, which is not an effective refill prevention measure.

  An object of the present invention is to reliably detect an improper cartridge in which consumables such as toner and ink are refilled with a simple and inexpensive configuration without increasing the size of the cartridge.

  The cartridge of the present invention is a cartridge that stores consumables that are loaded in an image forming apparatus and used for image formation, and is characterized in that a memory for storing information is detachably provided in the cartridge body.

  The memory is removed, for example, when the consumable is refilled and recycled.

  The memory according to the present invention is a memory for storing information, and is detachably provided in a main body of a cartridge that stores a consumable that is loaded in an image forming apparatus and used for image formation.

  The information includes, for example, at least one of cartridge identification information, removal information indicating that the cartridge has been removed from the main body of the image forming apparatus, empty information indicating that the consumable has been used up, and printer operation information. It is.

    As described above in detail, the present invention is a cartridge for storing consumables that are loaded in an image forming apparatus and used for image formation. Since a memory for storing information is detachably provided in the cartridge body, the present invention can be recycled. Is desirable.

  FIG. 1 shows an electrophotographic printer to which the present invention is applied. In the printer 10, a cartridge 12 is set in the printer main body 11 so as to be replaceable. In addition to the toner chamber 14 filled with the toner 13, the cartridge 12 is provided with a photosensitive drum 15, a charging roller 16, and a developing roller 17, which are in the form of a so-called process cartridge.

  The photosensitive drum 15 is provided with a photoconductive film on the outer peripheral surface of a metal cylinder. The charging roller 16 includes a metal shaft, a foamed urethane cylinder fitted on the outer periphery thereof, and a semiconductive plastic tube fitted outside the foamed urethane. The charging roller 16 is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 15 by the elasticity of urethane foam. Further, in order to apply a constant voltage between the photosensitive drum 15 and the charging roller 16, the cylindrical body of the photosensitive drum 15 and the shaft of the charging roller 16 are connected to a power supply circuit in the printer main body 11. For this connection, the cartridge 12 and the printer main body 11 are provided with electrical contacts (not shown).

  A plurality of recording sheets 21 are set on the sheet feeding tray 20. The recording paper 21 at the top of the paper feed tray 20 is pulled out by the paper feed roller 22 and fed toward the pair of transport rollers 23. The conveying roller pair 23 nips the recording paper 21 and conveys it to the transfer position. A transfer roller 24 is disposed at this transfer position, and comes into contact with the photosensitive drum 15 when the cartridge 12 is set.

  At the time of printing, the photosensitive drum 15 rotates clockwise at a constant speed. When the photosensitive drum 15 passes while contacting the charging roller 16, the outer peripheral surface is uniformly charged. The semiconductor laser 26 is driven according to image data and generates intensity-modulated laser light. This laser light is incident on the rotating photosensitive drum 15 through the polygon mirror 27. The polygon mirror 27 performs raster scanning by oscillating laser light in the axial direction (main scanning direction) of the photosensitive drum 15. Since the photosensitive drum 15 is neutralized at the portion irradiated with the laser beam, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the outer periphery thereof.

  The toner 14 in the toner chamber 13 adheres to the outer periphery of the rotating developing roller 17 and is conveyed. The toner 14 passes through the regulating blade 28 (see FIG. 4) while being adhered to the developing roller 17 and being conveyed. During this passage, the toner 14 is charged with a polarity opposite to that of the photosensitive drum 15 due to friction with the regulating blade 28. When the toner 14 is conveyed to the photosensitive drum 15, it is attracted to the photosensitive drum 15 by electrostatic force, so that the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 15 is visualized as a toner image.

  As the photosensitive drum 15 rotates, the toner image moves to the transfer position. At this transfer position, the recording paper 21 is sandwiched between the transfer roller 24 and the photosensitive drum 15 and moved at the same speed as the peripheral speed of the photosensitive drum 15. Since the transfer roller 24 is biased to a potential opposite to that of the toner image, the toner image on the photosensitive drum 15 is transferred to the recording paper 21.

  The recording paper 21 onto which the toner image has been transferred is conveyed toward the fixing device 29. The fixing device 29 includes a pair of fixing rollers 30 and a heater (not shown), and heats and melts the toner. The melted toner is adsorbed on the recording paper 21. The fixed recording paper 21 is discharged from the printer main body 11.

  2 to 4 show an example of the cartridge. FIG. 2 shows the upper cartridge, and FIG. 3 shows the lower cartridge. FIG. 4 shows the assembled state. The main bodies 34 and 35 of the upper cartridge 32 and the lower cartridge 33 are black plastic molded products.

  2 and 4, a toner chamber 13 is formed in the upper cartridge 32, and a predetermined amount of toner is filled at the time of manufacture. An elongated toner supply port 13a is formed below the toner chamber 13, and is sealed with a seal tape (not shown) before use. Further, a filling port (not shown) for filling the toner is provided on the side surface of the toner chamber 13 and sealed with a cap 37 after the toner is filled. Reference numeral 38 denotes a top plate of the toner chamber 13 and is bonded to the upper cartridge body 34.

  The charging roller 16 is rotatably attached to the upper cartridge body 34. An exposure opening 39 is formed at a position close to the charging roller 16, and laser light enters the photosensitive drum 15 through the exposure opening 39.

  In order to couple the upper cartridge 32 to the lower cartridge 33, the upper cartridge body 34 is formed with two locking claws 40 on the toner chamber 13 side and two locking claws 41 on the charging roller 16 side. ing. Note that reference numerals 42 to 44 denote sponge tapes for closing the gaps so that the toner 14 does not enter the exposure chamber 45, as is apparent from FIG.

  3 and 4, a photosensitive drum 15 and a developing roller 17 are rotatably attached to the lower cartridge main body 35. The lower cartridge body 35 is provided with a driven gear 46 that meshes with a drive gear (not shown) provided in the printer body 11. The rotation of the driven gear 46 is transmitted to the developing roller 17 through the gear 47 and further transmitted to the photosensitive drum 15 through the gear 48. An opening 49 is formed in a portion located below the photosensitive drum 15. The transfer roller 24 enters through the opening 49 and contacts the photosensitive drum 15.

  A cleaning blade 51 is attached to the tip of the support plate 50 and scrapes off excess toner adhering to the photosensitive drum 15. A squeeze sheet 53 is attached to the lower cartridge body 35 in order to collect the scraped toner in the waste toner chamber 52. The waste toner chamber 52 is partitioned by a support plate 50, a cleaning blade 51, and a squeeze sheet 53.

  Since the upper end of the support plate 50 is in contact with the sponge tape 44, the waste toner chamber 52 and the exposure chamber 45 are partitioned so that the used toner does not leak from the cartridge 12 through the exposure chamber 45. Yes. Further, the sponge tape 42 is in contact with the inside of the lower cartridge body 35, and the sponge tape 43 is in contact with the upper end of the regulating blade 28. By partitioning the toner chamber 13 side and the exposure chamber 45 by these sponge tapes 42 and 43, unused toner 14 is prevented from leaking out of the cartridge 12 through the exposure chamber 45.

  The lower cartridge body 35 is provided with an engagement hole 56 and a locking projection 57. When the upper cartridge 32 is fitted into the lower cartridge 33, the locking claw 40 of the upper cartridge body 34 is fitted into the engagement hole 56, and the locking claw 41 of the upper cartridge body 34 is engaged with the locking projection 57. The upper cartridge 32 and the lower cartridge 33 are integrally assembled by the locking claws 40 and 41, the engagement hole 56, and the locking projection 57.

  In FIG. 5 showing the electrical configuration of the printer, the printer main body 11 is provided with a CPU 60, a memory 61, a print unit 62, a display 63, and a print number counter 64. The cartridge 12 is provided with a memory 65. In order to electrically connect the memory 65 and the CPU 60, an electrical contact (not shown) is provided on the outer surface of the cartridge 12, and an electrical contact (not shown) is also provided on the printer main body 11. . As the memories 61 and 65, EEPROMs that do not require backup are used.

  The print number counter 64 is for counting the number of printed recording sheets, and is incremented every time one sheet is printed. The average amount of toner used per sheet is calculated empirically. Therefore, since the amount of toner to be filled in a new cartridge is determined, if the number of sheets printed is known, it is possible to predict the approximate amount of toner remaining. In the printer 10, the number of printable sheets is set as a predetermined value in advance according to the amount of toner filled in a new cartridge.

  The CPU 60 uses the count value of the print number counter 64 as printer operation information, predicts that the remaining amount of toner has decreased to a predetermined amount or less based on the count value, and when the count value becomes a predetermined value or more, Judge out of toner. When the cartridge removal operation is performed in a state where it is determined that the toner has run out, empty information is written in the memory 65 or 61 in the form of a flag.

  Further, the CPU 60 performs sequence control of each unit of the printer 10 and determines whether or not the toner cartridge is improperly refilled based on the presence or absence of empty information. If it is determined that the cartridge is improperly refilled with toner, the display 63 displays that it is refilled, that it should be replaced with an appropriate cartridge, and that printing is prohibited. The operation of the printing unit 62 is prohibited. The display device 63 is provided on the outer surface of the printer main body 11 together with an operation panel (not shown).

  In a memory (hereinafter referred to as a printer memory) 61, when identification information (ID) is given to each cartridge, the ID of the cartridge that has been set in the printer main body 11 and its empty information are stored. It is preferable to protect the information appropriately so that the information such as the ID is encrypted or a special encryption is used to read the information so that the information cannot be read or rewritten by the refilling company.

  The print unit 62 includes a recording system such as a laser 26 and a polygon mirror 27, a fixing device 29, a motor that drives the transfer roller 24, the cartridge 12, the paper feed roller 22, and the transport roller 23, and a power source that applies a voltage to the charging roller 16. It consists of a circuit and the like.

  Empty information is written in a memory (hereinafter referred to as a cartridge memory) 65. The above-mentioned protection should be aimed at this information. If an ID is given to each cartridge, the ID is written in the cartridge memory 65 at the time of manufacture.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the above configuration will be described with reference to flowcharts. FIG. 6 shows an example in which empty information is written in the cartridge memory 65. In order to load the cartridge 12 into the cartridge chamber (not shown) of the printer main body 11, the lid of the cartridge chamber is first opened. Next, the cartridge 12 is inserted into the cartridge chamber. When the cartridge 12 is completely loaded in the cartridge chamber, the cartridge memory 65 is connected to the CPU 60, and the photosensitive drum 15 and the charging roller 16 are connected to the power supply circuit of the printing unit 62.

  When the printer power is turned on, the cartridge 12 is checked. When the printer power is already turned on, the CPU 60 receives a signal from a switch (not shown) for detecting that the lid of the cartridge chamber is closed, and determines that the cartridge 12 is set. Check. First, the CPU 60 checks whether the cartridge memory 65 is present. In addition to the empty information, a flag indicating that there is a cartridge memory is written in the cartridge memory 65. When this flag can be read, the CPU 60 determines that the cartridge is a regular cartridge provided by the printer manufacturer.

  On the other hand, if it is not a regular cartridge, the cartridge memory 65 may not be provided. Such a cartridge cannot read the flag. This non-regular cartridge is handled in the same way as an improper cartridge refilled with toner, and the CPU 60 displays a warning and does not accept a print request from a personal computer or the like. The printing operation of the printing unit 62 is prohibited.

  In the case of a regular cartridge, empty information data is read from the cartridge memory 65. Empty information is not written in the cartridge memory 65 for a new cartridge or a cartridge that has been used but has never run out of toner. On the other hand, empty information is written in the cartridge memory 65 once the toner has run out. If the empty information data is falsified, the fact of toner refilling cannot be detected. Therefore, in order to prevent the data from being falsified, it is preferable to use the encrypted data and decode it by the CPU 60 or use a special protocol for reading the data.

  When the empty information is not written in the cartridge memory 65, the CPU 60 determines that the cartridge is a proper cartridge that has not been refilled with toner. If empty information is written, it is determined that the cartridge is an improper cartridge that has been refilled with toner.

  When the CPU 60 determines that the cartridge is an improper cartridge that has been refilled with toner, the CPU 60 warns that the toner is refilled, print quality is deteriorated, an appropriate cartridge should be loaded, and the like. Prohibits printing.

  On the other hand, if the CPU 60 determines that the cartridge is an appropriate cartridge that has not been refilled with toner, the CPU 60 allows the printing operation of the printing unit 62. When there is a print request from a personal computer or the like, the CPU 60 controls the printing unit 62 to record images and characters on the recording paper 21.

  During normal operation of the printer 10, the print number counter 64 is incremented every time one sheet is printed. When the count value reaches a predetermined value, it is determined that the toner has run out, and the display 63 displays that the cartridge should be replaced. Even if the replacement display is made, since a predetermined amount of toner 14 actually remains, the printer can be operated as it is to print an appropriate number of sheets.

  When replacing the cartridge, first, the used cartridge 12 is taken out from the printer main body 11. Open the cartridge chamber lid and operate the cartridge lock lever to unlock the cartridge. A switch for detecting the opening operation of the lid or the operation of the cartridge lock lever is provided to detect that the preparation operation for removing the cartridge has been performed. Upon receiving a signal from this switch, the CPU 60 checks the print number counter 64 and writes empty information in the cartridge memory 65 if the count value is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. On the other hand, when the count value does not reach the predetermined value, the empty information is not written.

  As described above, the writing of the empty information to the cartridge memory 65 is performed in conjunction with the operation of taking out the cartridge 12. At this time, the count value of the print number counter 64 is checked. This is to prevent empty information from being written when the in-use cartridge 12 with sufficient toner remaining is removed. Thus, even if the cartridge 12 in use is set again in the printer, empty information is not written in the cartridge memory 65, so that it is not determined that the cartridge is inappropriate.

  Next, the seal tape is peeled off from the new cartridge to open the toner supply port 13a. When the toner discharge port 13 a is opened, the toner 14 in the toner chamber 13 can be supplied to the developing roller 17. When the new cartridge is loaded into the cartridge chamber and then the lid of the cartridge chamber is closed, the presence or absence of empty information is checked as described above. Since the empty information is not written in the new cartridge, the printer can be operated normally as described above.

  Some users may request a refiller to refill toner for an empty cartridge. The refiller removes the locking claw 40 from the engagement hole 56 and the locking claw 41 from the locking projection 57 to disassemble the cartridge 12 into the upper cartridge 32 and the lower cartridge 33.

  After disassembling the cartridge 12, each part is cleaned, and then a sealing tape is applied to the toner discharge port 13a of the upper cartridge 32 to close it. Next, the cap 37 of the upper cartridge 32 is removed, and the toner is replenished into the toner chamber 13. After the toner is replenished, the cap 37 is fitted again, and the toner chamber 13 is sealed. After refilling the toner, the refiller assembles the upper cartridge 32 and the lower cartridge 33, wraps the assembled cartridge 12 and sends it to the user.

  When an improper cartridge returned from the refiller is set in the printer main body 11, the empty information is checked as described above. In this refilled product, the toner has run out, so empty information is written in the cartridge memory 65. For this reason, the CPU 60 determines that the cartridge has been refilled with the wrong toner, displays a warning, and prohibits printing.

  In the print prohibition state, even if a print request is received from a personal computer or the like, the printer 10 does not execute the print operation, so that an inappropriate cartridge with toner refill cannot be used. As a result, the user abandons the toner refilling request and uses an appropriate cartridge provided by the printer manufacturer. This prevents a decrease in print quality due to inappropriate use of toner and contributes to prevention of printer failure. Further, in the process cartridge, it is possible to prevent parts such as the photosensitive drum 15 from being used after the quality guarantee period has elapsed, and to prevent deterioration in print quality due to this.

  FIG. 7 shows an example in which an ID for identifying a cartridge is assigned to each cartridge, and empty information is stored in the printer memory 61 together with the ID. Also, in this example, for the cartridge that has been used once and is determined to be out of toner, take-out information is written in the cartridge memory 65 instead of empty information.

  When the setting of the cartridge 12 is detected, the CPU 60 checks the presence / absence of the cartridge memory 65 in the procedure as described above. If the cartridge memory 65 is not provided, it is determined that the cartridge is not a regular cartridge. Even if the cartridge memory 65 is provided, if the ID cannot be read, it is determined that the cartridge is not a regular cartridge.

  Further, by using the ID encrypted or using a special protocol for the reading procedure, the ID cannot be read out even if the cartridge memory 65 is provided except for the regular cartridge. In these cases, a warning is displayed and the printing operation is prohibited.

  Next, in the case of a regular cartridge, the ID and the removal information are read out. Of the read information, ID verification is performed first. In this verification, first, it is checked whether the ID is a regular ID from the data format of the ID. After checking the ID itself, it is checked whether this ID is stored in the printer memory 61. This is because the ID of the cartridge that has been used once is stored in the printer memory 61, so whether the cartridge is a new cartridge or has been previously set in the printer main body 11 by ID verification. To be judged.

  If it is determined by the ID verification that the cartridge has been used once, empty data is read from the printer memory 61 based on 1D. If there is empty information, it is determined that the cartridge is an improper cartridge with refilled toner, and a warning display and printing are prohibited. On the other hand, when there is no empty information, it is determined that the cartridge is a proper cartridge that has not been refilled with toner, and the printer 10 is operated normally.

  If the IDs do not match due to the ID collation, the presence / absence of extracted information is checked next. If there is eject information, it is determined that the cartridge is improper and a warning display and printing are prohibited. On the other hand, if there is no take-out information, it is determined that the cartridge is a new proper cartridge, and the ID is written in the printer memory 61. In this case, the printer can operate normally and print.

  Thus, by checking the take-out information together with the ID collation, it is possible to distinguish between a new cartridge and a cartridge that has been used once by another printer. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the diversion of the cartridge in which the cartridge that has been refilled with toner is used in another printer.

  When the printer number counter 64 reaches a predetermined value during normal operation of the printer, empty information is written in the printer memory 61 in association with the ID, and it is displayed that the cartridge should be replaced.

  Writing of the removal information to the cartridge memory 65 is performed in conjunction with the cartridge removal preparation operation. Therefore, even if empty information is written in the printer memory 61, as long as the cartridge is not taken out, the printer can be operated as it is to print an appropriate number of sheets.

  When the cartridge 12 is taken out from the printer main body 11, empty information is checked. When empty information is written in the printer memory 61, the extracted information is written in the cartridge memory 65. When the empty information is not written in the printer memory 61, the extraction information is not written. Therefore, if the taken out cartridge 12 in use is set in the printer main body 11 again, the printer can be operated normally.

  Used empty cartridges are collected by a printer manufacturer via a cartridge vendor and recycled. The printer manufacturer disassembles the cartridge and cleans it before inspecting each part. Normal parts are reused, and parts that have failed or have expired are returned to the material for reuse. Also, if each part is normal and the entire cartridge can be used as it is, it can be filled with genuine toner. In this case, empty information and take-out information written in the cartridge memory 65 are erased. In the case of storing the ID in the cartridge memory, a new ID is written. Those filled with genuine toner are handled as proper cartridges.

  When the information itself in the cartridge memory 65 is encrypted, or when writing or erasing is protected by encryption, when the printer manufacturer fills the toner, the printer manufacturer encrypts when the information itself is written by encryption. To clear the information, and when writing and erasure are protected by encryption, the information is written and erased after the protection is canceled by the encryption input.

  Also, only the cartridge memory may have failed. In such a case, it is desirable for recycling that only the cartridge memory can be easily replaced. Therefore, it is preferable that the cartridge memory can be removed from the cartridge.

  In the above example, in order to prevent the diversion of the cartridge, the take-out information is used together with the cartridge ID in the cartridge memory. In addition to this, the same effect can be obtained by using a method of storing the printer ID and empty information in the cartridge memory. In this case, first, when a cartridge is set in the printer, the ID of the printer is written in the cartridge memory. When it is determined that the toner has run out, empty information is written in the cartridge memory.

  When the cartridge is set, the printer reads the printer ID from the cartridge memory. If the printer ID is not set, it is determined that the cartridge is a new cartridge and the printer is operated normally. On the other hand, when the printer ID is set, the printer ID is collated. If the IDs do not match, it is determined that the cartridge is diverted. If there is a match, check for empty information. If there is empty information, it is determined that the toner has been refilled, and if not, the printer is operated normally.

  In the above example, the number of printed recording sheets is used as the operation information of the printer, and this is counted by the print number counter, so that it is predicted that the remaining amount of toner has decreased to a predetermined amount or less. ing. In addition to this, as the printer operation information, for example, as shown in FIG. 8, a cumulative value of the number of data printed by the printer is used to predict that the remaining amount of toner has decreased to a predetermined amount or less. You may do it.

  In the above example, printer operation information is counted by the CPU on the printer side, and empty information is written in the cartridge memory based on the count value. In addition to this, for example, a CPU and a cartridge memory may be provided on the cartridge side, and empty information may be written on the cartridge side. In this case, the printer sends data to the cartridge every time one sheet is printed. When the cartridge CPU receives this data, it updates the number of prints in the cartridge memory. This cartridge CPU writes empty information to the cartridge memory when the number of prints reaches a predetermined value.

  Although the above example is a process cartridge, the present invention can also be used for a toner cartridge containing only toner. The present invention can also be applied to an ink cartridge containing ink for an ink jet printer, a ribbon cartridge containing an ink ribbon for a dot printer, a ribbon cartridge containing an ink ribbon for a thermal printer, and the like. The present invention is also applied to an image forming apparatus such as a facsimile machine and a copying machine in addition to a printer.

  FIG. 9 shows an example in which a program for detecting and prohibiting use of a refill cartridge stored in a storage medium (CD, floppy (registered trademark), IC memory, MO, etc.) is installed in the printer. The printer 80 is connected to a personal computer 81, and character data and image data of the personal computer 81 are sent to the printer main body 80 and printed on recording paper.

  When the rechargeable cartridge detection / use prohibition function as shown in FIGS. 6 to 8 is not provided to the printer main body 80, the use of the refilled cartridge cannot be prevented. For such a printer main body 80, it is necessary to install a refill cartridge detection / use prohibition program.

  For example, a program for executing the flowchart shown in FIG. 7 is stored in the storage medium CD82. This CD 82 is set in a CD drive (not shown) of the personal computer 81. The personal computer 81 reads the program stored in the CD 82 and writes it in the hard disk 83 of the printer main body 80.

  The CPU 84 of the printer main body 80 executes the program written in the hard disk 83 to detect the cartridge refilled with toner as described above, and warns and prohibits use.

  The input device 85 is for inputting image data and character data from a scanner, a digital camera, or the like. The ROM 86 stores a program for controlling the printing operation of the printing unit 87, a program for image processing, and the like. The RAM 88 is used for temporarily storing data.

  Note that the CD 82 may be directly set in the printer main body 80 and a necessary program may be written in the printer main body 80. Further, it is also possible to use the CD set in the printer main body 80 and execute a program read from the CD to determine the toner refill cartridge.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an electrophotographic printer. It is a perspective view of an upper cartridge. It is a perspective view of a lower cartridge. It is sectional drawing of the cartridge which assembled the upper cartridge and the lower cartridge. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an electrical configuration of an electrophotographic printer. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example in which empty information is written in a cartridge memory. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example in which an ID is stored in a cartridge memory and empty information is written in a printer memory. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example in which a print data accumulation number is used as printer operation information. FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating an example of installing a refill cartridge detection / prohibition program from a storage medium into a printer.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Printer 11 Printer main body 12 Cartridge 13 Toner chamber 14 Toner 32 Upper cartridge 33 Lower cartridge 64 Print number counter

Claims (7)

  A cartridge for storing consumables that are loaded in an image forming apparatus and used for image formation, wherein a memory for storing information is detachably provided in the cartridge body.   The cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the memory is removed when the consumable is refilled and recycled.   A memory for storing information, wherein the memory is detachably provided in a main body of a cartridge that is loaded in an image forming apparatus and stores consumables used for image formation.   4. The memory according to claim 3, wherein the information includes cartridge identification information.   5. The memory according to claim 3, wherein the information includes take-out information indicating that the cartridge has been taken out from the image forming apparatus main body.   The memory according to claim 3, wherein the information includes empty information indicating that the consumable is used up.   The memory according to claim 3, wherein the information includes printer operation information.

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