JP2009092751A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus which is equipped with a container to store a content for development such as toner or developer therein, and where information on the container is recorded by an easy system, and then read. <P>SOLUTION: The image forming apparatus includes the container equipped with an aperture 57 for supplying the content for development to the outside, and a seal member 56 for sealing the aperture 57, wherein the content is supplied from the aperture 57 to the outside of the container by pulling out the seal member 56 in a predetermined direction E. The apparatus includes an information recording part 61 which is provided on the seal member 56 and on which predetermined information is recorded, and an information reading means 62 which is disposed on a pulling-out path of the seal member 56 and reads the predetermined information. The predetermined information is recorded by forming a reference part 63 showing a predetermined value and a difference part 64 showing a value different from the predetermined value in a direction E. When pulling out the seal member 56, the information recorded on the information recording part 61 is read by the information reading means 62. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile machine, a printer, and the like, and includes a container containing development contents such as a toner or a developer containing toner and a carrier, and information on such a container is recorded in particular. And an image forming apparatus configured to read this information.

  Image forming apparatuses such as copiers, facsimiles, and printers include a container that contains the contents for development as a part of the developing device and the process cartridge. Such a container, when containing toner, is generally configured to be detachable from the developing device, the process cartridge, and the image forming apparatus main body as a toner cartridge. When a developer is accommodated, it may be built in as a part of a developing device or the like.

  Even if the container is provided in the image forming apparatus in any form, for the convenience of transportation and storage, the opening for supplying the contents for development to the outside is sealed by a member called a seal member. Until the start of use, the contents for development are prevented from leaking or being exposed from the opening.

  On the other hand, generally, a toner cartridge, a process cartridge, and the like that are detachable from the main body of the image forming apparatus are replaced over time as maintenance for toner consumption, member deterioration, and the like. [Patent Document 1] and [Patent Document 2] because, when the toner cartridge or the like is replaced, a predetermined process such as an initial setting operation such as image density adjustment is required in the image forming apparatus. ], The toner cartridge or the like may have predetermined information such as being new, and the image forming apparatus may perform processing for reading such information at appropriate times. Similar processing is required even when a container containing the contents for development is built in as a part of the developing device. If such a process is performed, the manual input operation of the information can be omitted.

  In addition, when the opening of the container containing the contents for development is sealed, it is necessary to remove the member that seals the opening before the use of the contents begins. Because work is not a frequent task, it is easy to forget. However, if the removal work is forgotten, the contents will not be supplied and development will not be performed correctly.

  Thus, in [Patent Document 3] and [Patent Document 4], a technique for preventing forgetting to remove such a member is proposed, and in [Patent Document 5], the opening is sealed. A technique has been proposed in which predetermined information unique to a cartridge can be read by removing the seal member. Therefore, in the technique described in [Patent Document 5], the removal of the seal member, which is indispensable for starting the use of the cartridge, is performed, so that the information is surely input.

JP-A-9-197788 Japanese Patent No. 3384933 JP 2003-20802 A Japanese Patent No. 3450569 Japanese Patent No. 3817368

  However, the medium on which the predetermined information described in [Patent Document 1], [Patent Document 2], and [Patent Document 5] is recorded is an electrical circuit component and has a problem that the cost is increased. In addition, when such a container is a consumable item to be replaced, the circuit component is also replaced with the replacement of the container, which may cause a problem from the viewpoint of environment and resource saving. Furthermore, even if the predetermined information is simple such as only being new, for example, when an IC chip is used as the medium, waste is large.

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile machine, a printer, and the like, and includes a container that stores development contents such as toner or a developer containing toner and a carrier, and a method for simplifying information on the container. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus that is recorded and read by the computer.

  In order to achieve the above object, an invention according to claim 1 includes a container having an opening for supplying the contents for development to the outside, and a seal member for closing the opening, and the seal member is arranged in a predetermined direction. In the image forming apparatus in which the contents can be supplied from the opening to the outside of the container by being pulled out, an information recording unit provided on the seal member and recording predetermined information, and an extraction path of the seal member Provided with an information reading means for reading the predetermined information, the predetermined information being different from the predetermined value and a reference portion indicating a predetermined value when read by the information reading means The difference portion indicating the value is recorded by being formed along the predetermined direction, and is recorded in the information recording unit when the seal member is pulled out along the predetermined direction. There the predetermined information to the image forming apparatus for reading by said information reading means.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect, the seal member is attached to the upstream side in the predetermined direction with respect to the reading position of the predetermined information by the information reading unit in the drawing path. It has a wiping means for wiping off the contents.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the second aspect, the wiping means is provided on the image forming apparatus main body side.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the second or third aspect, the wiping means is provided on the container side.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the information recording unit magnetically records the predetermined information, and the information reading unit includes: The predetermined information is magnetically read.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the information recording unit records the predetermined information by unevenness, and the information reading unit includes: The predetermined information is read in contact with the information recording unit.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, the information recording unit optically records the predetermined information, and the information reading unit includes: The predetermined information is optically read.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, the seal member includes a seal portion that closes the opening, and a downstream side of the seal portion in the predetermined direction. And the information recording part is provided in the non-seal part.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, the difference portion can indicate a plurality of values different from the predetermined value.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, the difference portion can have a plurality of lengths along the predetermined direction. .

  The present invention includes a container having an opening for supplying the contents for development to the outside, and a sealing member that closes the opening, and the contents are removed from the opening by pulling out the sealing member in a predetermined direction. In the image forming apparatus that can be supplied to the outside of the container, an information recording unit that is provided on the seal member and records predetermined information, and information that is disposed on a drawing path of the seal member and reads the predetermined information. Reading means, and when the predetermined information is read by the information reading means, a reference portion indicating a predetermined value and a difference portion indicating a value different from the predetermined value are The predetermined information recorded in the information recording unit is recorded by the information reading means when the seal member is pulled out along the predetermined direction. Since the information on the container is recorded and read in a simple manner, it is advantageous in terms of cost reduction, environment and resource saving, and can be easily specified. It is possible to provide an image forming apparatus to which the above information is input.

  Such a container has a wiping means for wiping the contents adhering to the seal member on the upstream side in the predetermined direction from the reading position of the predetermined information by the information reading means in the drawing path. Information is recorded and read in a simple manner, cost is reduced, and it is advantageous from the viewpoint of environment and resource saving. Predetermined information is easily input and information reading means Even if the cleaning operation is not particularly performed, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus that prevents or suppresses the information reading unit from being contaminated by the contents and the like and has high accuracy in reading predetermined information.

  Assuming that the wiping means is provided on the image forming apparatus main body side, information relating to the container is recorded and read in a simple manner, so that the cost can be suppressed even when the wiping means is not replaced. It is also advantageous from the viewpoints of environment and resource saving, and it is easy to input predetermined information and prevent the information reading means from being contaminated by the contents without specially cleaning the information reading means. In addition, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus that is suppressed and has high reading accuracy of predetermined information.

  If the wiping means is provided on the container side, the cost can be suppressed, and it is advantageous from the viewpoint of environment and resource saving. Even if the cleaning operation is not particularly performed, the information reading means is well prevented or suppressed by the wiping means positioned with high precision, and the wiping function is improved by exchanging the wiping means. By being maintained, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus with high reading accuracy of predetermined information.

  If the information recording unit magnetically records the predetermined information, and the information reading unit magnetically reads the predetermined information, information on the container is recorded in a simple manner. In addition, it is possible to control costs by reading, and it is advantageous from the viewpoints of environment and resource saving. If predetermined information is easily input and the content is a non-magnetic material, information reading is possible. The reading accuracy of the predetermined information by the means is not affected by the contents, and a good image forming apparatus can be provided.

  If the information recording unit records the predetermined information by unevenness, and the information reading unit reads the predetermined information in contact with the information recording unit, information on the container can be simplified. Recording and reading with this method is advantageous in terms of cost reduction, environmental and resource saving, and even when predetermined information is easily input and the seal member is slightly contaminated. Therefore, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus capable of avoiding the influence of the information reading unit on the reading accuracy of predetermined information.

  The information recording unit optically records the predetermined information, and if the information reading unit optically reads the predetermined information, information about the container is recorded in a simple manner, In addition, it is possible to control the cost by reading, and it is advantageous from the viewpoint of environment and resource saving. Predetermined information can be easily input, and predetermined information can be recorded and read easily and inexpensively. An image forming apparatus that can be configured as described above can be provided.

  The seal member has a seal portion that closes the opening, and a non-seal portion that is located downstream of the seal portion in the predetermined direction, and the information recording portion is provided in the non-seal portion; If this is done, the information about such containers is recorded and read in a simple manner, which is advantageous in terms of cost reduction and environmental and resource saving, and predetermined information can be easily input. At the same time, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus that prevents or suppresses the information recording unit from being contaminated by the contents, and that has good reading accuracy of predetermined information by the information reading means.

  If the difference portion can indicate a plurality of values different from the predetermined value, the information on the container is recorded and read in a simple manner, so that the cost can be suppressed, and the environment and the environment can be saved. This is also advantageous from the viewpoint of resource utilization, and it is possible to increase the amount of information of the predetermined information by a simple method in which the predetermined information can be easily input and the value indicated by the difference part can take a plurality of values. It is possible to provide an image forming apparatus capable of recording various information and reading the information and performing more appropriate processing.

  If the difference portion can have a plurality of lengths along the predetermined direction, the cost can be suppressed, and it is advantageous from the viewpoint of environment and resource saving, and predetermined information can be easily input. In addition, the amount of the predetermined information can be increased by a simple method that the length of the difference portion along the predetermined direction can have a plurality of lengths, and more complicated information can be recorded. An image forming apparatus capable of reading and performing more appropriate processing can be provided.

  FIG. 1 shows an outline of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied. The image forming apparatus 100 is a multifunction peripheral of a copying machine, a printer, and a facsimile machine, and can perform full color image formation. When the image forming apparatus 100 is used as a printer or a facsimile, the image forming apparatus 100 performs an image forming process based on an image signal corresponding to image information received from the outside.

  The image forming apparatus 100 forms an image on a sheet-like recording medium that is a recording sheet, in addition to plain paper that is generally used for copying, OHP sheets, cardboard, cardboard, cardboard, and envelopes. It is possible to do.

  The image forming apparatus 100 includes a main body 99 that occupies a center position in the vertical direction, a reading device 21 that is positioned above the main body 99 and that reads a document, and is positioned on the upper side of the reading device 21 and loaded with a document. An automatic document feeder 22 called ADF that sends out the document toward the reading device 21, and is transported toward the intermediate transfer belt 11 between the photosensitive drums 20 </ b> Y, 20 </ b> M, 20 </ b> C, 20 </ b> BK located below the main body 99. A sheet feeding device 23 serving as a sheet feeding table on which the transfer sheet S as a transfer medium as a recording medium is loaded.

  The image forming apparatus 100 is a cylindrical photosensitive member that is a latent image carrier as a plurality of image carriers that can form images as images corresponding to colors separated into yellow, magenta, cyan, and black. This is a tandem structure adopting a tandem structure in which body drums 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK are arranged side by side, in other words, a tandem type, that is, a tandem type image forming apparatus.

  The photosensitive drums 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK have the same diameter, and are endless belts that are disposed almost at the center inside the main body 99 of the image forming apparatus 100, and are intermediate transfer belts that rotate in the direction of arrow A1. Are arranged at equal intervals on the outer peripheral surface side of the transfer belt 11, that is, on the image forming surface side.

  The photosensitive drums 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK are arranged in this order from the upstream side in the A1 direction. The photoconductive drums 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK are image stations 60Y, 60M, 60C, and 60BK, which are image forming units as image forming units, for forming yellow, magenta, cyan, and black images, respectively. Is provided.

  The transfer belt 11 is movable in the A1 direction while facing the respective photosensitive drums 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK. The visible image, that is, the toner image formed on each of the photosensitive drums 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK is superimposed and transferred to the transfer belt 11 that moves in the A1 direction, and then transferred to the transfer paper S at a time. It has become.

  In the superimposing transfer to the transfer belt 11, the toner images formed on the photosensitive drums 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK are transferred to the same position on the transfer belt 11 while the transfer belt 11 moves in the A1 direction. As described above, voltage application is performed by primary transfer rollers 12Y, 12M, 12C, and 12BK as transfer chargers disposed at positions facing the respective photosensitive drums 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK with the transfer belt 11 interposed therebetween. , The timing is shifted from the upstream side toward the downstream side in the A1 direction, and the transfer is performed at a transfer position that is opposite to each of the photosensitive drums 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK and the transfer belt 11.

  The transfer belt 11 is an elastic belt whose entire layer is formed using an elastic member such as a rubber agent. The transfer belt 11 may be a single-layer elastic belt, may be an elastic belt using a part of the elastic belt, or a conventionally used fluorine-based resin, polycarbonate resin, or polyimide resin. Or an inelastic belt may be used.

  The image forming apparatus 100 is an intermediate transfer apparatus that includes four image stations 60Y, 60M, 60C, and 60BK, and is disposed below the photosensitive drums 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK, and includes a transfer belt 11. A transfer belt unit 10 as a certain belt unit, and a transfer member that is disposed opposite to the transfer belt 11 and contacts the transfer belt 11 and rotates in the same direction as the transfer belt 11 at the contact position with the transfer belt 11. And a secondary transfer roller 5 as a transfer device which is a paper transfer belt.

  The image forming apparatus 100 also includes a cleaning device (not shown) as an intermediate transfer belt cleaning device that is disposed opposite to the transfer belt 11 and includes an intermediate transfer cleaning blade that cleans the transfer belt 11, and image stations 60Y, 60M, And an optical scanning device 8 as a writing device as an optical writing device which is a writing means arranged facing the upper side of 60C and 60BK.

  The image forming apparatus 100 also transfers the transfer paper S conveyed from the sheet feeding apparatus 23 at a predetermined timing in accordance with the toner image formation timing by the image stations 60Y, 60M, 60C, and 60BK. A registration roller pair 13 that is fed toward the transfer portion between the next transfer rollers 5 and a sensor (not shown) that detects that the leading edge of the transfer sheet S has reached the registration roller pair 13 are provided.

  The image forming apparatus 100 also includes a fixing device 6 as a roller fixing type fixing unit for fixing the toner image onto the transfer sheet S that has entered the toner image transferred and conveyed in the direction of arrow C1, and fixing. A sheet discharge roller 7 for discharging the transfer sheet S passed through the apparatus 6 to the outside of the main body 99 and a sheet discharge for stacking the transfer sheet S disposed on the upper portion of the main body 99 and discharged to the outside of the main body 99 by the sheet discharge roller 7. A paper discharge tray 17 as a printing unit, an operation panel (not shown) for operating the image forming apparatus 100, a control means (not shown) for controlling the operation of the entire image forming apparatus 100, and a front side of the paper surface by rotation (not shown). And a front panel.

  The image forming apparatus 100 is an in-body discharge type image forming apparatus in which the discharge tray 17 is positioned above the main body 99 and below the reading device 21. The transfer paper S stacked on the paper discharge tray 17 is taken out downstream in the direction D1 corresponding to the left side in FIG.

  In addition to the transfer belt 11, the transfer belt unit 10 includes primary transfer rollers 12Y, 12M, 12C, and 12BK, and a transfer roller as a secondary transfer counter roller that is wound around an intermediate transfer belt 11. 73 and a tension roller 74 which is a driven roller. The drive roller 72 is rotationally driven by driving a motor as a drive source (not shown), and thereby the transfer belt 11 is rotationally driven in the A1 direction.

  The fixing device 6 includes a fixing roller 62 having a heat source therein, and a pressure roller 63 pressed against the fixing roller 62. The fixing sheet 62 carrying the toner image is transferred to the fixing roller 62 and the pressure roller 63. By passing through a fixing portion that is a pressure contact portion, the carried toner image is fixed on the surface of the transfer paper S by the action of heat and pressure.

  The optical scanning device 8 scans and exposes the surfaces to be scanned formed by the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK, and forms a laser beam based on an image signal for forming an electrostatic latent image. The beams LY, LM, LC, and LBK, which are laser beams of the above, are emitted.

  The optical scanning device 8 is detachable with respect to the main body 99. When the optical scanning device 8 is detached, process cartridges 40Y, 40M, 40C, and 40BK, which will be described later, respectively provided in the image stations 60Y, 60M, 60C, and 60BK, are independent of each other. 99 can be taken upward.

  The sheet feeding device 23 includes a paper feed tray 15 on which the transfer paper S is stacked, and a paper feed roller 16 that sends out the transfer paper S stacked on the paper feed tray 15.

  The reading device 21 is located above the main body 99, and is integrated with the main body 99 so as to be rotatable by a shaft 24 disposed on the upstream end of the image forming apparatus 100 in the D1 direction. The first opening / closing body that can be opened and closed with respect to the main body 99 is provided.

  The reading device 21 has a gripping portion 25 as a first gripping portion for gripping when the reading device 21 is opened with respect to the main body 99 at the downstream end portion in the D1 direction. The reading device 21 is rotatable about a shaft 24 and opens with respect to the main body 99 by gripping the grip portion 25 and rotating it upward. The opening angle of the reading device 21 with respect to the main body 99 is approximately 90 degrees, and access to the inside of the main body 99, work for closing the reading device 21, and the like are facilitated.

  The reading device 21 includes a contact glass 21a on which a document is placed, a light source (not shown) that irradiates light on the document placed on the contact glass 21a, and a first light source (not shown) that reflects light reflected from the light source. A first traveling body 21b that includes a reflector and travels in the left-right direction in FIG. 1; a second traveling body 21c that includes a second reflector (not shown) that reflects light reflected by the reflector of the first traveling body 21b; An image forming lens 21d for forming an image of light from the second traveling body 21c, a reading sensor 21e for receiving the light passing through the image forming lens 21d and reading the contents of the document are provided.

  The automatic document feeder 22 is positioned above the reading device 21, and is integrated with the reading device 21 by a shaft 26 disposed at the upstream end of the image forming apparatus 100 in the D1 direction. Is provided as a second opening / closing body that can be opened and closed.

  The automatic document feeder 22 has a gripping portion 27 as a second gripping portion for gripping the automatic document feeder 22 when the automatic document feeder 22 is opened with respect to the reading device 21 at the downstream end of the D1 direction. Yes. The automatic document feeder 22 is rotatable about a shaft 26. The automatic document feeder 22 is opened with respect to the reading device 21 by gripping the gripping portion 27 and rotating upward to expose the contact glass 21a.

  The automatic document feeder 22 includes a document table 22a on which a document is placed and a drive unit having a motor or the like (not shown) that feeds a document placed on the document number 22a. When copying using the image forming apparatus 100, the document is set on the document table 22a of the automatic document feeder 22, or the automatic document feeder 22 is turned upward to manually move the document onto the contact glass 21a. After the document is placed on the automatic document feeder 22, the automatic document feeder 22 is closed and the document is pressed against the contact glass 21a. The opening angle of the automatic document feeder 22 with respect to the reading device 21 is approximately 90 degrees, and the work of placing a document on the contact glass 21a, the maintenance work of the contact glass 21a, and the like are easy.

The operation panel has a start button for starting copying, a numeric keypad for inputting the number of copies, a mode selection key for selecting an image forming mode such as whether to perform full color image formation or black single color image formation, etc. It has.
The control means includes a CPU, a memory as a storage means, and the like.

  With reference to FIG. 2, the configuration of the image stations 60Y, 60M, 60C, and 60BK will be described as a representative of the configuration of the image station 60Y including the photosensitive drum 20Y. Since the configuration of the other image station is substantially the same, in the following description, for the sake of convenience, a reference numeral corresponding to the reference symbol assigned to the configuration of the image station 60Y is attached to the configuration of the other image station. Further, detailed description will be omitted as appropriate, and those with Y, M, C, and K at the end of the reference numerals are configurations for forming yellow, magenta, cyan, and black images, respectively. Will be shown.

  The image station 60Y including the photosensitive drum 20Y cleans the shutter mechanism 80Y of the photosensitive drum 20Y and the photosensitive drum 20Y around the photosensitive drum 20Y along the rotation direction B1, which is the clockwise direction in the drawing. Cleaning device 70Y as a cleaning means for charging, charging device 30Y as a charging device as a charging device for charging the photosensitive drum 20Y to a high voltage, and developing means for developing the photosensitive drum 20Y And a developing device 50Y as a developing device.

  The photosensitive drum 20Y, the shutter mechanism 80Y, the cleaning device 70Y, the charging device 30Y, and the developing device 50Y are integrated to form a process cartridge 40Y. The process cartridge 40Y is detachable from the main body 99. Making a process cartridge in this way is very preferable because it can be handled as a replacement part, so that the maintainability is remarkably improved.

  The shutter mechanism 80Y attaches the process cartridge 40Y to a predetermined position of the main body 99, and opens to the left in the figure to expose the photosensitive drum 20Y to the outside of the process cartridge 40Y. When the process cartridge 40Y is not mounted at a predetermined position of the main body 99, as shown in the figure, the shutter mechanism 80Y does not expose the photosensitive drum 20Y to the outside, and the process cartridge 40Y is stored and transported. In this case, the photosensitive drum 20Y is protected.

  The cleaning device 70Y is in contact with the photosensitive drum 20Y and scrapes the cleaning blade 71Y as a blade for scraping off and cleaning unnecessary toner, carrier, paper dust, and the like on the photosensitive drum 20Y, and the cleaning blade 71Y. A waste toner tank 72Y that stores unnecessary materials such as waste toner generated by being removed and removed, and a waste toner tank 72Y that transports unwanted materials in the waste toner tank 72Y toward an unnecessary material storage portion (not shown). And a discharge screw 73Y constituting a part of the waste toner path.

  The charging device 30Y includes a charging roller 31Y that contacts and rotates with the photosensitive drum 20Y, a blade-shaped charging roller cleaner 32Y that contacts the charging roller 31Y and scrapes off unnecessary materials attached to the charging roller 31Y, and a charging roller 31Y. A voltage applying unit (not shown) is connected to charge the surface of the photosensitive drum 20Y to a predetermined polarity by the charging roller 31Y.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the optical scanning device 8 shown in FIG. 1 irradiates a region between the charged region and the developing region on the photosensitive drum 20Y with a laser beam LY that is light-modulated according to image information. The surface of the photosensitive drum 20Y after being charged by the charging roller 31Y is exposed to form an electrostatic latent image that is visualized as a yellow toner image by the developing device 50Y.

  The developing device 50Y includes a developing roller 51Y as a developer carrying member that is disposed in close proximity to the photosensitive drum 20Y and carries a two-component developer (hereinafter referred to as a developer) including toner and a carrier, and a developing roller. An agitating roller 52Y that is disposed in contact with 51Y and agitates the developer, a developer tank 53Y as a container for accommodating a new developer, and the contained yellow toner is supplied to the developing roller 51Y and the agitating roller 52Y. A toner tank 54Y as a container to be used, an agitator 55Y which is disposed in the toner tank 54Y and feeds the toner in the toner tank 54Y toward the developing roller 51Y and the stirring roller 52Y, and in the developing device 50Y. The space outside the developing tank 53Y and the toner tank 54Y, that is, the space in which the developing roller 51Y and the stirring roller 52Y are accommodated. It has a certain developing unit G, a toner concentration detecting sensor (not shown) as a toner density detecting means for measuring the toner concentration in the developer.

  With the configuration described above, the surface of the photosensitive drum 20Y is uniformly charged by the charging device 30Y as it rotates in the B1 direction, and corresponds to the yellow color by the exposure scanning of the beam LY from the optical scanning device 8. An electrostatic latent image is formed. The electrostatic latent image is formed by scanning the beam LY in the main scanning direction, which is a direction perpendicular to the paper surface, and performing sub scanning in the circumferential direction of the photosensitive drum 20Y by rotating the photosensitive drum 20Y in the B1 direction. This is done by scanning in the direction as well.

  In the developing device 50Y, the developer supplied from the developer tank 53Y and the toner supplied from the toner tank 54Y are stirred and mixed in the developing unit G by the rotation of the developing roller 51Y and the stirring roller 52Y. The toner is charged and the developer is carried on the developing roller 51Y. By the rotation of the developing roller 51Y, the carried developer moves to a region facing the photosensitive drum 20Y.

  To the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 20Y formed as described above, charged yellow toner contained in the developer carried on the developing roller 51Y adheres and is developed to yellow. The toner image, which is a visible image of yellow color that has been visualized and developed, is primarily transferred to the transfer belt 11 moving in the A1 direction by the primary transfer roller 12Y, and foreign matters such as toner remaining after the transfer are removed. The photosensitive drum 20Y is scraped and removed by the cleaning device 70Y, and used for the next charging by the charging device 30Y.

  Similarly, toner images of the respective colors are formed on the other photosensitive drums 20C, 20M, and 20BK, and the formed toner images of the respective colors are transferred to the A1 direction by the primary transfer rollers 12C, 12M, and 12BK. 11 is sequentially transferred to the same position on the head.

  The toner image superimposed on the transfer belt 11 moves to the transfer portion that is the secondary transfer portion that is the position facing the secondary transfer roller 5 as the transfer belt 11 rotates in the A1 direction. Secondary transfer is performed on the transfer paper S.

  The transfer sheet S conveyed between the transfer belt 11 and the secondary transfer roller 5 is fed out from the sheet feeding device 23 and is transferred onto the transfer belt 11 by the registration roller pair 13 based on the detection signal from the sensor. The toner image is sent out at the timing when the leading end of the toner image faces the secondary transfer roller 5.

  When the toner images of all colors are collectively transferred and carried on the transfer paper S, the transfer paper S is transported in the C1 direction and enters the fixing device 6 and passes through the fixing portion between the fixing roller 62 and the pressure roller 63. The carried toner image is fixed by the action of heat and pressure, and a color image which is a composite color image is formed on the transfer paper S by this fixing process. The fixed transfer paper S that has passed through the fixing device 6 passes through the paper discharge roller 7 and is stacked on the paper discharge tray 17. On the other hand, the transfer belt 11 that has finished the secondary transfer is cleaned by a cleaning device to prepare for the next primary transfer.

  In such an image forming process, each member and developer constituting the process cartridges 40Y, 40M, 40C, and 40BK deteriorate, and toner is consumed. Therefore, the process cartridges 40Y, 40M, 40C, and 40BK are new ones. Will be replaced. The process cartridge 40Y of the process cartridges 40Y, 40M, 40C, and 40BK will be described as a representative. For the convenience of transportation and storage until the start of use, the process cartridge 40Y is a developer content, that is, a developer in the developer tank 53Y. As shown in FIG. 2, the seal members 56aY and 56bY are mounted until the start of use so that the toner in the toner tank 54Y does not leak outside the developing device 50Y.

  The seal member 56aY closes the opening 57aY through which the developer tank 53Y supplies the developer therein to the outside of the developer tank 53Y, and the seal member 56bY has the toner tank 54Y that puts the toner inside the toner tank 54Y outside. The opening 57bY to be supplied is closed.

  Until the seal members 56aY and 56bY are removed, the spaces inside the developing tank 53Y and the toner tank 54Y are sealed, and the spaces inside and outside the developing tank 53Y and the toner tank 54Y are kept isolated. The developer is not present.

When the seal members 56aY and 56bY are removed, the developer in the developer tank 53Y is supplied into the developing unit G by dropping, and the toner in the toner tank 54Y is supplied into the developing unit G by the rotation of the agitator 55Y. In the developing unit G, as described above, the developer and the toner are agitated and mixed by the rotation of the developing roller 51Y and the agitating roller 52Y, whereby the toner is charged and the developer is carried on the developing roller 51Y. .
The same applies to the other process cartridges 40M, 40C, and 40BK.

  Hereinafter, the seal members 56aY and 56bY are referred to as the seal members 56 without distinguishing each other and without distinguishing which process cartridges 40Y, 40M, 40C, and 40BK are provided. Further, the openings 57aY and 57bY are appropriately referred to as the openings 57 without distinguishing from each other and without distinguishing which process cartridges 40Y, 40M, 40C, and 40BK are provided. The same applies to the illustration.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the seal member 56 includes a seal portion 58 that closes the opening 57, and a non-seal portion 59 that extends integrally with the seal portion 58. The seal portion 58 is detachably bonded to the peripheral edge of the opening 57 with an adhesive so as to seal the opening 57. The non-seal part 59 is bent with respect to the seal part 58 so as to be folded over the upper surface of the seal part 58.

  The entire seal part 58 and most of the non-seal part 59 except for the tip part are located in the developing devices 50Y, 50M, 50C, and 50BK, but the tip part of the non-seal part 59 is the developing device 50Y, 50M, 50C, 50BK and process cartridges 40Y, 40M, 40C, 40BK are exposed to the outside through slits (not shown) to form grippable ears.

  Therefore, when the front end portion, that is, the ear portion of the non-seal portion 59 is gripped and pulled in the predetermined direction, that is, the E direction corresponding to the right side of the drawing, the seal portion 58 is directed from the upstream portion toward the downstream side in the same direction. Then, the film is sequentially peeled off from the periphery of the opening 57 and pulled out from the slit. Accordingly, the toner or developer can be supplied to the outside through the opening 57 by pulling the seal member 56 in the E direction and pulling it out from the developing devices 50Y, 50M, 50C, 50BK and the process cartridges 40Y, 40M, 40C, 40BK. It becomes. The slit constitutes a drawing path for the seal member 56.

The seal member 56 is made of a resin film in consideration of strength such as tensile strength and ease of molding.
The direction E coincides with the direction of the front side of the paper in FIGS. 1 and 2, and the front panel is opened to open the front side of the paper in FIG. The leading end of the non-seal portion 59 is exposed from the process cartridges 40Y, 40M, 40C, and 40BK thus made, and the seal member 56 can be pulled out.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the seal member 56 integrally includes an information recording unit 61 that records predetermined information. In addition, in the following drawings including this figure, for convenience of explanation, the seal member 56 is shown expanded so that the seal part 58 and the non-seal part 59 are located on the same plane. However, if the seal member 56 can be pulled out from the developing devices 50Y, 50M, 50C, and 50BK and the process cartridges 40Y, 40M, 40C, and 40BK, they may be installed in the developing devices 50Y, 50M, 50C, and 50BK in the same state. .

  The predetermined information recorded in the information recording unit 61 is read by a sensor 62 as information reading means. The sensor 62 is disposed on the extraction path of the seal member 56, and reads the predetermined information when the seal member 56 is extracted along the E direction. The signal shown in FIG. 5 or the like generated and output when the sensor 62 reads predetermined information, in other words, an output waveform is input to the control means.

  The sensor 62 may be provided on the main body 99 side as long as it is disposed on the drawing path of the seal member 56, or may be provided on the container side having the opening 57, that is, the developing tank 53Y having the opening 57, the toner tank 54Y, and the like. You may provide in the process cartridge 40Y, 40M, 40C, and 40BK side integral with a container. For example, in the configuration in which the sensor 62 is provided on the process cartridge 40Y side, the sensor 62 is electrically connected to the main body 99 side by mounting the process cartridge 40Y at a predetermined position in the main body 99, and the output signal of the sensor 62 is controlled. It will be in the state which can be input into a means.

  Here, the main body 99 side refers to an object to be attached to and detached from the container having the opening 57 that the sealing member 56 closes. In this embodiment, the developing tank 53Y and the toner tank 54Y are integrated with the developing device 50Y and cannot be attached / detached, and the developing device 50Y is integrated with the process cartridge 40Y and cannot be attached / detached. Therefore, the main body 99 side is the side of the portion constituted by the portions excluding the process cartridges 40Y, 40M, 40C, and 40BK.

  When the container is fixed with respect to the main body 99 and cannot be detached, there is no distinction between the container side and the main body 99 side. In the case where there is a distinction between the container side and the main body 99 side, if the sensor 62 is provided on the main body 99 side, the opportunity for replacement of the sensor 62 accompanying the replacement of the container is reduced, which has an advantage of cost reduction. When the sensor 62 is provided on the container side, the information reading performance is updated because the sensor 62 is replaced with a new one, and the information reading accuracy is high because the positioning accuracy of the seal member 56 with respect to the extraction path is high. There is an advantage that is high. Further, when the members constituting the sensor 62 include members located on the front side and the back side of the seal member 56, these members may be provided separately on the container side and the main body 99 side.

  On the other hand, when the developing tank 53Y and the toner tank 54Y are detachably attached to the developing device 50Y, the portion excluding the developing tank 53Y and the toner tank 54Y of the developing device 50Y is also on the main body 99 side, and the developing device 50Y is connected to the developing tank 53Y and the toner. When the process cartridge 40Y is detachably integrated with the tank 54Y, the portion of the process cartridge 40Y except for the developing device 50Y is also on the main body 99 side.

  When the predetermined information recorded in the information recording unit 61 is read by the sensor 62, the reference unit 63 indicating a substantially constant predetermined value indicated by “High” in FIG. 5 and “Low” in FIG. The difference part 64 which shows the value different from the reading value of the reference | standard part 63 shown in a pulse form is shown by being formed along E direction. In addition, the reading value of the reference | standard part 63 and the reading value of the different part 64 may produce disorder in the range which can be distinguished from each other.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the information recording unit 61 optically records predetermined information, and the sensor 62 optically reads the predetermined information. The figure shows a cross section of the sensor 62 and the seal member 56. In the same figure, the reference | standard part 63 is comprised by the transparent part of the resin film, and the different part 64 is comprised by the black part marked by painting out a part in the E direction of a resin film black.

  In the example shown in FIG. 5A, the transparent portion of the resin film constituting the reference portion 63 has a property of transmitting light, and the sensor 62 is constituted by a transmissive photosensor. ing. In the example shown in FIG. 5B, the transparent portion of the resin film constituting the reference portion 63 is glossy by its own property or surface processing, and has a property of reflecting light. And the sensor 62 is constituted by a reflective sensor.

  5A and 5B, the read value of the difference portion 64 is smaller than the read value of the reference portion 63 due to the optical density difference between the reference portion 63 and the difference portion 64. The waveform shown is obtained, and the information recorded in the information recording unit 61 is read by the control means based on this waveform. The content of the read information is stored in the memory as necessary.

The information recording method in the information recording unit 61 is not an optical method, but may be a method using unevenness as shown in FIG.
In this case, the reference portion 63 has a substantially planar shape, and the different portion 64 is configured by a protrusion that protrudes from the plane.

  The sensor 62 has a contact portion 62 a that is biased toward the seal member 56. Further, the surface of the seal member 56 opposite to the side where the contact portion 62a contacts is supported by a substantially planar support member 65 so as to maintain a substantially flat surface.

  Accordingly, the sensor 62 obtains the waveform shown in FIG. 5 by reading the displacement of the contact portion 62a that has contacted the seal member 56, and the information recorded in the information recording portion 61 is read by this waveform.

The difference portion 64 may be configured by a concave shape.
The difference portion 64 may be constituted by an opening, that is, a hole. This case is also included in the unevenness formation mode. When the difference portion 64 is constituted by a hole, in order to secure the strength when the seal member 56 is pulled, a seal member 56 having a strong strength is selected or the peripheral portion of the hole is reinforced. It is desirable to do. In this case, the formation position of the detail 64 is a position described later shown in FIG.

  When the difference portion 64 is configured by a hole, a protrusion having a size equal to or less than the size of the hole is provided on the support member 65 side, and the protrusion moves when the seal member 56 is pulled out and overlaps the position of the protrusion. It may be configured to project from the contact portion 62a and be detected by the contact portion 62a.

  In addition, as a recording method of information in the information recording unit 61, a magnetic method may be used, the sensor 62 may be a magnetic sensor, and information recorded in the information recording unit 61 may be read magnetically. This configuration has an advantage that the reading accuracy of information by the sensor 62 is not affected by the content when the content is a non-magnetic material such as non-magnetic toner.

  Regardless of which method is used, as shown in FIG. 8, the optical recording mode, the unevenness forming mode, and the magnetic recording mode described above are reversed between the reference portion 63 and the difference portion 64. The output relationship between “High” and “Low” by the reference unit 63 and the difference unit 64 may be reversed.

Thus, the different part 64 or the reference | standard part 63 should just perform the process different from another part, and read this with the sensor 62. FIG.
Thereby, for example, by causing the difference portion 64 or the reference portion 63 to perform pulse-like output, the control means that the new container is mounted and the process cartridges 40Y, 40M, 40C, and 40BK are replaced. Thus, the image forming apparatus 100 can recognize the image.

  In any case, the reference portion 63 and the difference portion 64 may be formed by printing on the seal member 56. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. The sheet 66 on which the portion 64 is formed may be integrated with the seal member 56. The sheet 66 can be made of a material such as paper or film, and can be integrated with the sheet member 56 by an adhesive, welding, or the like. In this case, the sheet 66 forms the information recording unit 61.

  FIG. 10 shows a foreign substance W that may interfere with information reading such as toner and developer adhering to the sealing member 56 on the upstream side in the E direction from the information reading position by the sensor 62 in the extraction path of the sealing member 56. The example of composition which arranged wiping means 67 for wiping off is shown.

  FIG. 6A is an example in which the wiping means 67 has an elastic body that sandwiches the sealing member 56 from the front and back, and FIG. 5B shows a check valve shape in which the wiping means 67 sandwiches the sealing member 56 from the front and back. It is an example which has the member of. By providing the wiping means 67, the sensor 62 is prevented or suppressed from being contaminated with toner, developer, etc., without particularly performing the cleaning work of the sensor 62, and the information reading sensitivity of the sensor 62 is maintained.

  The removal of the foreign matter W is particularly effective when the sensor 62 reads the optically recorded information as shown in the figure, and the sensor 62 is recorded by unevenness as shown in FIG. It is also effective when reading information by contact.

  The disposition position of the wiping means 67 may be on either side when there is a distinction between the container side and the main body 99 side. However, if the wiping means 67 is provided on the main body 99 side, the wiping means 67 can be replaced when the container is replaced. Since the opportunity is reduced, there is an advantage of cost reduction. When the wiping means 67 is provided on the container side, the wiping performance is updated because the wiping performance is updated because the container is replaced with a new one. There is an advantage that the positioning accuracy with respect to the drawing path is high and the wiping performance is high. Further, among the members constituting the wiping means 67, the members located on the front side and the back side of the seal member 56 may be provided separately on the container side and the main body 99 side, respectively.

  As shown in FIG. 11, a plurality of different portions 64 may be provided along the E direction. In this case, the information recording unit 61 can have a larger amount of information. For example, by causing the difference portion 64 to perform pulse-like output, in addition to mounting a new container, as shown in FIG. 12, depending on the number of pulse-like outputs, the color of the toner as its contents It is possible to cause the image forming apparatus 100 to recognize information based on the determination of the control unit. In the figure, the number of received signals corresponds to the number of pulsed outputs. A table corresponding to FIG. 12 is stored in the memory of the control means, and this determination is made by comparing the output waveform of the sensor 62 with the table.

  When a plurality of different portions 64 are provided along the E direction, the timing at which a pulse-like output is obtained or the pulse-like output is obtained as shown in FIG. 13 according to the drawing speed of the seal member 56. The length of time that is changed. FIG. 11A shows a case where the drawing speed of the sealing member 56 is large and constant, and FIG. 11B shows a case where the drawing speed of the sealing member 56 changes. Shows the case.

  As described above, the waveform obtained by the sensor 62 changes depending on the extraction speed of the seal member 56, but the number of times that a pulse-like output is obtained does not change, and if this is counted, the recorded information is reproduced, Necessary information can be obtained.

  As a method of giving a large amount of information to the information recording unit 61, as shown in FIG. 14, the magnitude of the output value obtained by the difference unit 64 indicates a plurality of values different from the output value obtained by the reference unit 63. To get it. In the example shown in the figure, in addition to the above “High” and “Low”, the difference portion 64 can indicate “Mid” which is an intermediate value thereof.

  In this way, by causing the difference portion 64 to perform pulse-like output, in addition to mounting a new container, the two difference portions 64 are used to generate two different values of pulse-like output. By doing so, the image forming apparatus 100 can be made to recognize the content of the newly attached container, for example, as shown in FIG. 15, depending on the magnitude and order of the output values.

  A table corresponding to FIG. 15 is stored in the memory of the control means, and this determination is made by comparing the output waveform of the sensor 62 with the table. In the case shown in the figure, the output value in the reference unit 63 corresponds to “High”. Further, the number of different portions 64 is not limited to two, but may be one or three or more.

  As a method for giving the information recording unit 61 a large amount of information, as shown in FIG. 16, it is possible to change the time required for obtaining the signal obtained by the difference unit 64, that is, the pulse-like output. Therefore, as shown in the figure, the different portion 64 can have a plurality of lengths along the E direction.

  However, in this case, as is apparent from the description along FIG. 13, the time during which a pulse-like output is obtained varies depending on the extraction speed of the seal member 56, and therefore the extraction speed of the seal member 56 is set to a predetermined speed. Is required to be constant.

  In this way, by causing the difference portion 64 to perform pulse-like output, in addition to mounting a new container, the two difference portions 64 are used to output pulse-like outputs of two different lengths. As a result, the image forming apparatus 100 can recognize the color information of the toner that is the contents of the newly attached container, for example, as shown in FIG. It becomes possible.

  A table corresponding to FIG. 17 is stored in the memory of the control means, and this determination is made by comparing the output waveform of the sensor 62 with the table. In the case shown in the figure, the output value in the reference unit 63 corresponds to “High”. Further, the number of different portions 64 is not limited to two, but may be one or three or more.

  In this configuration, in order to satisfy the above-described requirements, the image forming apparatus 100, such as the container side or the main body 99 side, is provided with a pulling means having an automatic winding function for pulling the seal member 56 at a constant and predetermined speed. It is desirable to do. The pulling means can be constituted by a motor or the like provided with a winding shaft that locks and winds the tip of the seal member 56.

The above-described methods for providing the information recording unit 61 with a large amount of information can be combined as appropriate. With this combination, when the image forming apparatus 100 has a clock function and a calendar function, such a signal is transmitted. By recording the received date and time, it is possible to record various information related to the container, such as information for managing the mounting date and time of the container, in other words, the use start date and time.
A method for recording / reading information in the information recording unit 61 can also be employed by appropriately combining the above-described methods.

Furthermore, although the information recording unit 61 is disposed at the sealing portion 58 in each of the above-described examples, the information recording unit 61 may be disposed at the non-sealing portion 59. If the arrangement position of the information recording unit 61 is the seal unit 58, the seal unit 58 may be contaminated by the foreign matter W as shown in FIG. As shown, the output value from the sensor 62 may be disturbed. However, if the information recording unit 61 is disposed at the non-seal portion 59, the information recording unit 61 is affected by the foreign matter W as shown in FIG. The sensitivity of reading by the sensor 62 is maintained and secured.
In the example shown in FIG. 18, the number of the different portions 64 is two, but the number of the different portions 64 is not limited to two, and can be applied to one case. Is also applicable.

  According to the configuration described above, when the seal member 56 is pulled out at the start of use of the image forming apparatus 100 or when the process cartridges 40Y, 40M, 40C, and 40BK are replaced, the toner or the developer is discharged from the opening 57 to the outside. In addition, the information recorded in the information recording unit 61 is read by the sensor 62 and the content of the information is judged by the control means, whereby process control is performed to adjust the toner density and the image. Appropriate processing is performed in the image forming apparatus 100 according to the content of information, such as adjustment of density.

  Therefore, the removal of the seal member 56 is an incidental operation for the replacement of the process cartridges 40Y, 40M, 40C, and 40BK, which is generally performed by an end user rather than a dedicated operator such as a service person, and the contents in the container Necessary and simple work for starting use of an object ensures that necessary information is surely input to the image forming apparatus 100 without performing troublesome input work on the operation panel, and necessary processing is reliably performed in the image forming apparatus 100. Is called.

  Therefore, it is possible to reliably obtain an image of good quality from the start of use of the image forming apparatus 100 or from the first image formation after the replacement of the container. In addition, since the information is recorded on the seal member 56 in a simple manner, the cost is low, and it is preferable from the viewpoint of environment and resource saving.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments, and the present invention described in the claims is not specifically limited by the above description. Various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the above.

  For example, the image forming apparatus is not a so-called tandem type image forming apparatus, but a so-called one-drum type image forming apparatus that sequentially forms toner images of respective colors on a single photosensitive drum and sequentially superimposes the respective color toner images to obtain a color image. The present invention can be similarly applied to an image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus may be capable of forming only a monocolor image.

  In any type of image forming apparatus, the toner image of each color may be directly transferred onto the transfer paper S or the like without using an intermediate transfer member. In this case, the toner images on the plurality of image carriers are directly transferred to the sheet.

  The image forming apparatus may not be a copier, a printer, and a facsimile machine, but may be a single unit thereof, or may be a multi-function machine of another combination such as a copier and printer. .

  The image forming apparatus is not limited to the so-called electrophotographic image forming apparatus described above, and may be an image forming apparatus using ink such as an ink jet system or a printing apparatus such as a stencil printing apparatus. . In this case, the ink corresponds to the contents for development.

  The effects described in the embodiments of the present invention are only the most preferable effects resulting from the present invention, and the effects of the present invention are limited to those described in the embodiments of the present invention. is not.

1 is a schematic front view of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a schematic front view showing a configuration around one image carrier among a plurality of image carriers provided in the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1. It is a partial cross section figure which shows the arrangement | positioning aspect of the sealing member shown in FIG. It is a top view which shows the structure aspect of the information recording part provided in the sealing member shown in FIG. 2, and the arrangement | positioning aspect of an information reading means. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the waveform of the signal when the information recorded on the information recording part shown in FIG. 4 is read by the information reading means. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of information reading means when information is optically recorded in the information recording unit illustrated in FIG. 4 and accompanying this. It is the schematic which shows the example of a structure of the case where information is recorded on the information recording part shown in FIG. 4 by the unevenness | corrugation, and the information reading means accompanying this. It is a top view which shows the other structural example of the information recording part shown in FIG. It is a top view which shows the other structural example of the information recording part shown in FIG. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the example which has arrange | positioned the wiping means. It is a top view which shows the example which provided the several different part in the information recording part shown in FIG. It is a chart which shows the example which recorded complicated information by the information recording part by the number of different parts. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the example from which the output waveform of an information reading means changes with the extraction speed of a sealing member. It is the top view which showed the example in which a different part shows a some value. It is a chart which shows the example which recorded complex information by the information recording part with the number of values which a difference part shows. It is the top view which showed the example in which a different part has several length along the extraction direction of a sealing member. It is a chart which shows the example which recorded complicated information by the information recording part by the length of the difference part in the extraction direction of a seal member. It is a top view which shows the example which provided the information recording part in the non-seal part.

Explanation of symbols

53Y, 54Y Container 56aY, 56bY, 56 Sealing member 57aY, 57bY, 57 Opening 58 Sealing part 59 Non-seal part 61 Information recording part 62 Information reading means 63 Reference part 64 Difference part 67 Wiping means 99 Image forming apparatus main body 100 Image forming apparatus E Predetermined direction

Claims (10)

A container having an opening for supplying the contents for development to the outside;
A sealing member that closes the opening;
In the image forming apparatus in which the contents can be supplied from the opening to the outside of the container by pulling out the seal member in a predetermined direction.
An information recording unit provided on the seal member and recording predetermined information;
An information reading means disposed on a drawing path of the seal member and reading the predetermined information;
When the predetermined information is read by the information reading means, a reference portion indicating a predetermined value and a difference portion indicating a value different from the predetermined value are formed along the predetermined direction. Is recorded by
An image forming apparatus that reads the predetermined information recorded in the information recording unit by the information reading unit when the seal member is pulled out along the predetermined direction. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.
An image forming apparatus comprising: a wiping unit for wiping off the contents attached to the seal member on an upstream side in the predetermined direction from a reading position of the predetermined information by the information reading unit in the drawing path. apparatus. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2.
An image forming apparatus, wherein the wiping means is provided on a main body side of the image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 or 3,
An image forming apparatus, wherein the wiping means is provided on the container side. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The information recording unit magnetically records the predetermined information,
The image forming apparatus, wherein the information reading unit magnetically reads the predetermined information. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The information recording unit records the predetermined information by unevenness,
The image forming apparatus, wherein the information reading unit reads the predetermined information in contact with the information recording unit. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The information recording unit optically records the predetermined information,
The image forming apparatus, wherein the information reading unit optically reads the predetermined information. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The seal member has a seal portion that closes the opening, and a non-seal portion that is located downstream of the seal portion in the predetermined direction, and the information recording portion is provided in the non-seal portion. An image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the different portion can indicate a plurality of values different from the predetermined value. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the different portion can have a plurality of lengths along the predetermined direction.

Images