JP2013104948A - Image forming apparatus, method, system, and printer driver - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent inconsistency in printed matters ejected and paper ejection jam without impairing convenience for a user even when a non-genuine product is used for replacement component.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus 100 includes: an image forming unit 103 that forms images; a non-genuine product determination unit 101a that determines whether or not a toner cartridge 108a that is a replacement component of the image forming unit 103 is a non-genuine product; and a control unit 101 that controls the image forming unit 103. When the non-genuine product determination unit 101a determines that the toner cartridge 108a of the image forming unit 103 is a non-genuine product, the control unit 101 limits a part of paper ejection functions such as a fullness detection function and an offset ejection function.

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, method, system, and printer driver, and more particularly to an image forming apparatus, method, system, and printer driver having a function of determining whether or not a replacement part is a non-genuine product. .

  Replacement parts such as photosensitive drums, transfer belts, and toner cartridges used in image forming apparatuses such as multifunction peripherals supply genuine supplies to ensure the print quality. There are an increasing number of cases where third parties other than sales manufacturers sell supplies as compatible parts. Although the compatible parts are supplied at a low price, the printing quality is not guaranteed at all, and the equipment is not maintained by the seller of the compatible parts. In general, multifunction devices are not designed to support even non-genuine supplies, so when using non-genuine products, printing may be blurred due to environmental conditions such as high temperature / high humidity, low temperature / low humidity, Fogging or the like has occurred remarkably, and a reduction in print quality has been a problem.

  On the other hand, for example, Patent Document 1 describes an image forming apparatus that can identify whether or not a replacement part is a genuine product. The image forming apparatus reads the toner manufacturer company name information from the memory tag built in the toner cartridge, compares the read company name information with the company name information stored in advance, and if they match, the image forming apparatus is attached. The toner cartridge is determined to be a genuine product, the company name information is displayed on the display unit, and the image density correction operation is executed. If they do not match, the installed toner cartridge is a non-genuine product. The company name information is not displayed on the display unit, and the image density correction operation is not executed.

  Patent Document 2 describes an image forming apparatus that can select a first mode that presumes the use of genuine consumables and a second mode that permits the use of non-genuine consumables. The image forming apparatus includes: a consumables determination unit that determines whether a mounted consumable is genuine or non-genuine; a print job reception unit that receives a print instruction; and a print job reception when the first mode is selected. If the consumables used to reproduce the color instructed to print by means include consumables determined to be non-genuine by the consumables determination means, without using the consumables determined to be non-genuine, An image is formed using only consumables determined to be genuine.

JP 2010-266588 A JP 2009-300694 A

  Here, some of the above-described multifunction peripherals have a special paper discharge function such as a full detection function and an offset paper discharge function. First, the full detection function will be described. Since the discharge tray of the multifunction peripheral normally has a limited space for storing printed materials, there is an upper limit on the number of sheets that can be printed. If the discharge of the printed matter is continued beyond the upper limit number, the height of the discharged printed matter becomes higher than the position of the discharge outlet of the printed matter. In this case, the leading end of the discharged printed matter collides with the side surface of the previously discharged printed matter, and the printed matter discharged earlier is pushed out, and correct alignment cannot be performed. Further, when the discharge port is blocked by the printed matter that has been discharged first, the discharge of the printed matter is hindered, resulting in a discharge jam.

  On the other hand, the full detection function is a function for detecting that the number of printed materials discharged to the paper discharge tray has reached a preset upper limit number. When it is detected that the number of printed materials discharged to the paper discharge tray has reached the upper limit number, the printing operation is temporarily stopped to prompt the user to take out the printed materials, thereby avoiding the above problem. . The upper limit number of full detection functions is determined on the assumption that genuine toner is used.

  However, when using non-genuine toner, an appropriate fixing temperature in the fixing process is not certain. For this reason, there is a case where the setting of the multi-function peripheral is changed so that proper printing is performed, and the fixing temperature is raised as compared with the case of genuine toner. When such measures are taken, even if a desired printed product is obtained, the fixing temperature is raised, and therefore the printed product that has passed through the fixing process tends to be curled. When discharging such a large curled print to the paper discharge tray, even if the number of sheets is the same, the bulk increases compared with the case of genuine toner. It is considered that there is a high possibility that misalignment or paper discharge jam will occur.

  Next, the offset paper discharge function will be described with reference to FIG. With this offset paper discharge function, when multiple copies of a multi-page printed matter are discharged to the paper discharge tray, each part is offset (shifted) in the short direction so that both ends in the longitudinal direction are not aligned. ) A function for discharging paper. In the example of FIG. 11, 401 indicates a printed matter by continuous copying before interrupt copying, 402 indicates a printed matter by interrupt copying, and 403 indicates a printed matter by continuous copying after interrupt copying. The printed materials 401 to 403 discharged in units of copies are offset so that the ends in the longitudinal direction are not aligned at the respective sections. Thereby, the user does not need to sort by copy, and can reduce the labor of sorting work.

  However, when non-genuine toner is used, a large curl is generated in the printed matter due to an increase in the fixing temperature, as in the above-described full detection function. And when ejecting large curled prints to the paper output tray, it is difficult to align the prints evenly just by aligning both ends. However, there is a concern that the printed matter is discharged in pieces.

  On the other hand, the techniques described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 cannot perform good printing when detecting that the toner cartridge is a non-genuine product. When image quality is required, printing is performed using only genuine products without using non-genuine products, but the above problems are not taken into consideration. In addition, when a non-genuine product is used, there is a method of prohibiting the printing operation, but if it is uniformly prohibited, the convenience for the user is greatly impaired.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and even when a non-genuine product is used as a replacement part, inconsistencies in the discharged printed matter without impairing the convenience of the user. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus, a method, a system, and a printer driver capable of preventing a paper discharge jam and the like.

  In order to solve the above problems, the first technical means of the present invention includes an image forming unit that forms an image, a non-genuine product determination unit that determines whether or not a replacement part of the image forming unit is a non-genuine product, An image forming apparatus including a control unit that controls the image forming unit, and when the replacement part of the image forming unit is determined to be a non-genuine product by the non-genuine product determination unit, the control unit includes: A part of the paper discharge function when discharging the printed material on which the image is formed by the image forming unit to a paper discharge tray is limited.

  According to a second technical means, in the first technical means, a part of the paper discharge function is full to detect that the number of printed materials discharged to the paper discharge tray has reached a preset upper limit number. It is a detection function, and the control unit limits the upper limit number of full detection functions smaller than when the replacement part is determined to be a genuine product.

  According to a third technical means, in the first or second technical means, a part of the paper discharge function is a function of separating a plurality of prints made of a plurality of pages into the paper discharge tray by separating each part. An offset paper discharge function for discharging the paper by offsetting each part in the short direction so that both ends in the direction are not aligned, and the control unit prohibits the setting of the offset paper discharge function. .

  According to a fourth technical means, in any one of the first to third technical means, the control unit displays the item of the offset paper discharge function when the item related to the paper discharge function is selectably displayed. It is characterized by controlling to hide.

  According to a fifth technical means, in any one of the first to third technical means, when the control unit displays the item relating to the paper discharge function in a selectable manner, the item of the offset paper discharge function is set. It is characterized by controlling so that it is displayed in gray out.

  According to a sixth technical means, in any one of the first to fifth technical means, when the control unit restricts a part of the paper discharge function, the replacement part of the image forming unit is a non-genuine product. It is characterized by notifying that it is restricted because of being.

  The seventh technical means includes an image forming unit that forms an image, a non-genuine product determination unit that determines whether or not a replacement part of the image forming unit is a non-genuine product, and a control unit that controls the image forming unit. The non-genuine product determination unit determines whether the replacement part of the image forming unit is a non-genuine product, and the control unit determines the determination. A paper discharge function restriction step for restricting a part of the paper discharge function when the printed matter image-formed by the image forming unit is discharged to a paper discharge tray as an image forming condition when determined as a non-genuine product in the step. And an image forming step for forming an image based on the image forming conditions.

  An eighth technical means is an image forming system in which an information processing apparatus in which a printer driver is installed and an image forming apparatus controlled by the printer driver are connected via a network, and the image forming apparatus includes: An image forming unit that forms an image, a non-genuine product determination unit that determines whether or not a replacement part of the image forming unit is a non-genuine product, and a communication that transmits a determination result by the non-genuine product determination unit to the information processing apparatus A printer driver of the information processing apparatus, when the determination result from the image forming apparatus is a non-genuine product, when the printed matter imaged by the image forming section is discharged to a discharge tray A part of the paper discharge function is limited.

  A ninth technical means is a printer driver that can be installed in the information processing apparatus constituting the image forming system in the eighth technical means.

  According to the present invention, when it is determined that a non-genuine product other than a genuine product supplied by the manufacturer is used in the apparatus, a part of the paper discharge function (full detection function, offset paper discharge function, etc.) is provided. By limiting, it is possible to prevent inconsistencies in the discharged printed matter and paper discharge jam without impairing the convenience for the user.

1 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment in which an image forming apparatus according to the present invention is configured as a multifunction peripheral. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a main part of an image forming apparatus and an information processing apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a toner cartridge that is a replacement part. It is a flowchart for demonstrating an example of the image forming method by the image forming apparatus of this invention. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of an appearance of an operation panel included in the image forming apparatus. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the initial screen at the time of copy mode. It is a figure which shows an example of the paper discharge function setting screen which displays the item regarding a paper discharge function so that selection is possible. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a print condition input screen displayed by a printer driver of the information processing apparatus. FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating another example of a printing condition input screen displayed by a printer driver of the information processing apparatus. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating another example of a printing condition input screen displayed by a printer driver of the information processing apparatus. It is a figure for demonstrating an offset paper discharge function.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of an image forming apparatus, a method, a system, and a printer driver according to the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment in which an image forming apparatus according to the present invention is configured as a multifunction peripheral, and illustrates an example of an image forming apparatus configured as a multifunction peripheral having a scanner function.
The image forming apparatus 100 forms an image on recording paper by transmitting image data transmitted from the outside or read by a scanner (image reading means), and includes an apparatus main body 130 and an automatic document processing apparatus 120.

The apparatus main body 130 includes an exposure unit 1, a developing device 2, a photosensitive drum 3, a cleaner unit 4, a charger 5, an intermediate transfer belt unit 6, a fixing unit 7, a paper feed cassette 81, a paper discharge tray 91, and the like.
A document placing table 92 made of transparent glass is provided on the upper portion of the apparatus main body 130, and an automatic document processing device 120 that automatically conveys the document to the document placing table 92 is attached on the upper side. The automatic document processing device 120 is configured to be rotatable in the direction of arrow M, and the document can be placed manually by opening the document table 92.

  The apparatus main body 130 has an image reading unit 90 accommodated in a housing. The image reading means 90 is a reduction optical system image reading means composed of a light source unit 93 that holds the light source and the first mirror, a mirror unit 94 that holds the second and third mirrors, and a lens and the CCD 95. . In addition, the apparatus main body 130 is provided with an operation panel (not shown) so that a user can input an operation. Further, the apparatus main body 130 includes means for inputting image data from an externally connected apparatus, or means for reading image data from a portable recording medium (none of which is shown).

  The image data handled in the image forming apparatus 100 corresponds to, for example, four color images of black (K), cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y). Accordingly, four each of the developing device 2, the photosensitive drum (image carrier) 3, the charger 5, and the cleaner unit 4 are provided so as to form four types of latent images corresponding to the respective colors. An image station is configured.

The charger 5 is a charging means for uniformly charging the surface of the photosensitive drum 3 to a predetermined potential. In addition to the charger type as shown in FIG. 1, a contact type roller type or brush type charger is used. Sometimes used.
The exposure unit 1 is configured as a laser scanning unit (LSU) provided with a laser emitting portion, a reflection mirror, and the like. The exposure unit 1 includes a polygon mirror that scans a laser beam and optical elements such as a lens and a mirror for guiding the laser beam reflected by the polygon mirror to the photosensitive drum 3. In addition, as the exposure unit 1, for example, a method using an EL or LED writing head in which light emitting elements are arranged in an array can be employed.

  The exposure unit 1 has a function of forming an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image data on the surface thereof by exposing the charged photosensitive drum 3 according to the input image data. The developing unit 2 visualizes the electrostatic latent images formed on the respective photosensitive drums 3 with toners of four colors (Y, M, C, K). The cleaner unit 4 removes and collects toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 3 after development and image transfer.

The intermediate transfer belt unit 6 disposed above the photosensitive drum 3 includes an intermediate transfer belt 61, an intermediate transfer belt driving roller 62, an intermediate transfer belt driven roller 63, an intermediate transfer roller 64, and an intermediate transfer belt cleaning unit 65. I have. Four intermediate transfer rollers 64 are provided corresponding to each color of Y, M, C, and K.
The intermediate transfer belt driving roller 62, the intermediate transfer belt driven roller 63, and the intermediate transfer roller 64 are driven to rotate while the intermediate transfer belt 61 is stretched. Each intermediate transfer roller 64 provides a transfer bias for transferring the toner image on the photosensitive drum 3 onto the intermediate transfer belt 61.

  The intermediate transfer belt 61 is provided in contact with each photosensitive drum 3. Then, the color toner images (multicolor toner images) are formed on the intermediate transfer belt 61 by sequentially superimposing and transferring the respective color toner images formed on the photosensitive drum 3 onto the intermediate transfer belt 61. The intermediate transfer belt 61 is formed in an endless shape using, for example, a film having a thickness of about 100 μm to 150 μm.

  Transfer of the toner image from the photosensitive drum 3 to the intermediate transfer belt 61 is performed by an intermediate transfer roller 64 that is in contact with the back side of the intermediate transfer belt 61. A high-voltage transfer bias (a high voltage having a polarity (+) opposite to the toner charging polarity (−)) is applied to the intermediate transfer roller 64 in order to transfer the toner image. The intermediate transfer roller 64 is a roller whose base is a metal (for example, stainless steel) shaft having a diameter of 8 to 10 mm and whose surface is covered with a conductive elastic material (for example, EPDM, urethane foam, or the like). With this conductive elastic material, a high voltage can be uniformly applied to the intermediate transfer belt 61. In this configuration example, a roller shape is used as the transfer electrode, but a brush or the like can also be used.

  As described above, the electrostatic images visualized according to the respective hues on the respective photosensitive drums 3 are stacked on the intermediate transfer belt 61. The stacked electrostatic images are transferred onto the recording sheet by the rotation of the intermediate transfer belt 61 by a transfer roller 10 which is a secondary transfer mechanism unit disposed at a contact position between the sheet and the intermediate transfer belt 61 described later. The The secondary transfer mechanism is not limited to a transfer roller, and a corona charger or a transfer belt can also be used.

  At this time, the intermediate transfer belt 61 and the transfer roller 10 are pressed against each other at a predetermined nip, and a voltage for transferring the toner onto the paper is applied to the transfer roller 10 (the polarity opposite to the toner charging polarity (−)). (+) High voltage). Further, in order to obtain the nip constantly, the transfer roller 10 uses either the transfer roller 10 or the intermediate transfer belt drive roller 62 as a hard material (metal or the like) and the other as a soft material (elasticity such as an elastic roller). Rubber roller, foaming resin roller, etc.).

  Further, as described above, the toner adhered to the intermediate transfer belt 61 by contacting the photosensitive drum 3 or the toner remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 61 without being transferred to the recording paper by the transfer roller 10 is used in the next step. Therefore, the intermediate transfer belt cleaning unit 65 is configured to remove and collect the toner. The intermediate transfer belt cleaning unit 65 includes a cleaning blade as a cleaning member that comes into contact with the intermediate transfer belt 61. The intermediate transfer belt 61 that comes into contact with the cleaning blade is supported by an intermediate transfer belt driven roller 63 from the back side. ing.

  The paper feed cassette 81 is a tray for storing recording paper (sheets) used for image formation, and is provided below the exposure unit 1 of the apparatus main body 130. In addition, recording paper used for image formation can also be placed in the manual paper feed cassette 82. A paper discharge tray 91 provided above the apparatus main body 110 is a tray for collecting printed recording sheets face down.

  In addition, the apparatus main body 110 includes a substantially vertical sheet conveyance path S1 for feeding the recording sheets of the sheet feeding cassette 81 and the manual sheet feeding cassette 82 to the sheet discharge tray 91 via the transfer roller 10 and the fixing unit 7. Is provided. In the vicinity of the paper transport path S1 from the paper feed cassette 81 or the manual paper feed cassette 82 to the paper discharge tray 91, pickup rollers 11a and 11b, a plurality of transport rollers 12a to 12d, a registration roller 13, a transfer roller 10, and a fixing unit. 7 etc. are arranged.

  The transport rollers 12a to 12d are small rollers for promoting and assisting the transport of the recording paper, and a plurality of the transport rollers 12a to 12d are provided along the paper transport path S1. The pickup roller 11a is provided near the end of the paper feed cassette 81, picks up recording paper one by one from the paper feed cassette 81, and supplies it to the paper transport path S1. Similarly, the pickup roller 11b is provided near the end of the manual paper feed cassette 82, picks up recording paper from the manual paper feed cassette 82 one by one, and supplies it to the paper transport path S1.

  The registration roller 13 temporarily holds the recording paper that is being transported through the paper transport path S1. The recording paper is transported to the transfer roller 10 at the timing when the leading edge of the toner image on the photosensitive drum 3 is aligned with the leading edge of the recording paper.

  The fixing unit 7 includes a heat roller 71 and a pressure roller 72. The heat roller 71 and the pressure roller 72 are configured to rotate with the recording paper interposed therebetween. The heat roller 71 is set so as to reach a predetermined fixing temperature by a control means based on a signal from a temperature detector (not shown). It has the function of fusing, mixing, and pressing the multicolor toner image transferred to the paper, and thermally fixing the recording paper. An external heating belt 73 for heating the heat roller 71 from the outside is provided.

  Next, the recording paper conveyance path will be described more specifically. As described above, the image forming apparatus 100 is provided with the paper feed cassette 81 and the manual paper feed cassette 82 that store recording paper in advance. In order to feed the recording paper from these paper feed cassettes 81 and 82, pickup rollers 11a and 11b are respectively arranged so as to guide the recording paper one by one to the paper transport path S1.

  The recording paper conveyed from each of the paper feed cassettes 81 and 82 is conveyed to the registration roller 13 by the conveyance roller 12a in the paper conveyance path S1, and the timing at which the leading edge of the recording paper and the leading edge of the image information on the intermediate transfer belt 61 are aligned. The image information is written on the recording paper. Thereafter, the recording paper passes through the fixing unit 7, whereby the unfixed toner on the recording paper is melted and fixed by heat, and is then discharged onto the paper discharge tray 91 through the conveying roller 12 b disposed thereafter.

  The above-mentioned transport path is for a single-sided printing request for recording paper. On the other hand, for a double-sided printing request, the single-sided printing is completed and the recording paper after passing through the fixing unit 7 as described above. When the end is gripped by the final transport roller 12b, the transport roller 12b rotates in reverse to guide the recording paper to the transport path S2 in which the transport rollers 12c and 12d are arranged. Then, the conveyance path S2 joins the conveyance path S1, and the recording paper is conveyed from the registration roller 13 to the transfer roller 10. At this time, since the front and back sides of the recording paper are reversed at the stage of joining from the conveyance path S2 to S1, the transfer roller 10 performs printing on the back side of the recording paper. Then, the recording paper printed on the back surface is fixed by the fixing unit 7 and discharged to the paper discharge tray 91.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a main part of the image forming apparatus and the information processing apparatus according to the present invention. The image forming apparatus 100 is configured as, for example, the above-described multifunction peripheral, and controls the functions of the image forming apparatus 100 and is realized by a microcomputer having a CPU, ROM, RAM, and the like, and an operation unit 102a. And an operation panel 102 including a display unit 102 b, an image forming unit 103 that forms an image of image data on recording paper according to the control of the control unit 101, and a communication unit 104 for connecting to the information processing apparatus 200 via the network N. A storage unit 105 such as a hard disk, a reading unit 106 that reads ID information from an IC chip attached to the toner cartridge 108, a sensor circuit 107 that includes various sensors and peripheral circuits that process signals from the sensors, and replacement parts Toner cartridge 108, which is an example, and detects temperature and / or humidity Constructed and a detection unit 109 that.

  The operation panel 102 includes an operation unit 102a and a display unit 102b. The operation unit 102a receives an operation input by a user and outputs the operation input to the control unit 101. The display unit 102b displays an operation screen and various information. The operation unit 102a and the display unit 102b constitute a touch panel that can perform an input operation on the operation screen.

  Further, the information processing apparatus 200 is, for example, a general-purpose PC (personal computer), and controls the communication unit 201 for connecting to the image forming apparatus 100 via the network N and each function of the information processing apparatus 200. An arithmetic processing unit 202 including a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, and the like, a storage unit 203 such as a hard disk in which a printer driver 203a is installed, an input unit 204 such as a keyboard and a mouse, and a display unit 205 such as a liquid crystal display. It is prepared for. The printer driver 203a is software (program) for controlling the image forming apparatus 100 to execute image forming processing (printing processing). The printer driver 203 a is read from the storage unit 203 by the arithmetic processing unit 202 and executed on the RAM of the arithmetic processing unit 202 when printing is performed.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The main object of the present invention is to prevent misalignment of discharged printed matter and discharged paper jam without impairing user convenience even when a non-genuine product is used as a replacement part. There is. As a configuration for this, the image forming apparatus 100 includes a non-genuine product determination unit 101 a that determines whether or not the replacement part of the image forming unit 103 is a non-genuine product, and a control unit 101 that controls the image forming unit 103. When the non-genuine product determination unit 101a determines that the replacement part of the image forming unit 103 is a non-genuine product, the control unit 101 removes the printed material on which the image is formed by the image forming unit 103 (for example, FIG. 1). A part of the paper discharge function when paper is discharged to the paper discharge tray 91) is limited. Note that the non-genuine product determination unit 101 a is realized as a function of the control unit 101.

  A part of the paper discharge function is, for example, a full detection function that detects that the number of printed materials discharged to the paper discharge tray has reached a preset upper limit number. The full detection function is enabled by default. Specifically, for example, a printed matter detection sensor (not shown) is provided in the paper discharge tray, and when the printed matter is detected by this sensor, the number of printed matter is continuously counted during the detection. If it is detected that the printed matter has been removed from the paper discharge tray during the counting, the count is reset and the counting is restarted from the beginning. When the counted number reaches the upper limit number, the printing operation is temporarily stopped, and a warning or the like for prompting the user to take out the printed matter is performed.

  When the toner cartridge 108 is determined to be a non-genuine product, the control unit 101 restricts the upper limit number of full detection functions to be smaller than when the replacement part is determined to be a genuine product. Usually, the upper limit number of the full detection function is set in advance to 500, for example, on the assumption that the replacement part is a genuine product. When the non-genuine product determination unit 101a determines that the toner cartridge 108 is a non-genuine product, the control unit 101 limits the upper limit number of full detection functions to, for example, 400. These upper limit numbers may be stored in the storage unit 105 in advance.

  Also, a part of the paper discharge function is used to offset each part in the short direction so that both ends in the longitudinal direction are not aligned at the end of each part when discharging multiple copies of multiple pages to the discharge tray. An offset paper discharge function for paper may be used. In this case, the control unit 101 prohibits the setting of the offset paper discharge function when the non-genuine product determination unit 101a determines that the toner cartridge 108 is a non-genuine product.

  In the above, the replacement part is a part that constitutes a part of the apparatus from the viewpoint of function and whose performance can be recovered and maintained by replacement. For example, in the case of the image forming apparatus 100, the toner cartridge (or developing cartridge), the photosensitive member cartridge, the cartridge in which the developing member and the photosensitive member are integrally formed, the ink cartridge, the ink tank, and the print head are integrally formed. A cartridge, a thermal transfer type ink sheet cartridge, and the like correspond to this. These replacement parts may be called supplies. In the description of this embodiment, the toner cartridge 108 is described as an example of a replacement part, but the present invention is not limited to this.

  In FIG. 2, the non-genuine product determination unit 101 a determines whether the toner cartridge 108 attached to the image forming apparatus 100 is a genuine product or a non-genuine product. The non-genuine product determination method is realized using the techniques described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 described above, and conventionally known techniques such as JP-A-2002-202697 and JP-A-2009-145396. The method is not particularly limited. Hereinafter, as an example of a non-genuine product determination method performed by the non-genuine product determination unit 101a, a case where determination is performed in the image forming apparatus 100 will be described as an example. Also good.

  The toner cartridge 108 records unique ID information that can individually identify the toner cartridge 108. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, it is mounted as an IC chip 108a, and ID information is recorded in advance in a nonvolatile memory such as an EEPROM or a ferroelectric memory. Alternatively, this ID information may be configured by a simple method such as a barcode. The ID information may be the manufacturer's identification number or the like because it is sufficient to know that the manufacturer is at least a genuine manufacturer. The reading unit 106 differs depending on the form of the ID information given to the toner cartridge 108. In the case of a barcode, the reading unit 106 is a barcode reader. In the case of an IC chip, the reading unit 106 is constituted by reading means using electrical or high frequency. Is done.

  The storage unit 105 stores ID information of genuine products of the toner cartridge in advance. When the replacement of the toner cartridge 108 is confirmed, the non-genuine product determination unit 101a is read by the reading unit 106. The ID information of the toner cartridge 108 and the genuine product ID information stored in the storage unit 105 are compared to determine whether or not they match. Note that the manufacturer of the image forming apparatus 100 may store all ID information of genuine toner cartridges in the storage unit 105 at the manufacturing stage. When the ID information matches, it is determined as a genuine product, and when the ID information does not match, it is determined as a non-genuine product. It should be noted that some non-genuine products may not be provided with ID information. Therefore, even if the reading unit 106 cannot read the ID information, the product is determined to be a non-genuine product.

  The replacement mounting of the toner cartridge 108 can be detected by the sensor circuit 107. As described above, the sensor circuit 107 includes various sensors and peripheral circuits that process signals from the sensors. The sensor includes a mechanical or optical door sensor and a cartridge sensor. The door sensor is a sensor that detects whether the door of the image forming apparatus 100 is open or closed, and the cartridge sensor is a sensor that detects whether or not the toner cartridge 108 is attached to the image forming apparatus 100. Peripheral circuits include a waveform shaping circuit for shaping the waveform of the sensor output, a filter circuit, a binarization circuit, a voltage level adjustment circuit, and the like. The sensor output is converted into a digital signal having a logic level of, for example, 0-5V. Convert.

  If the sensor circuit 107 detects that the toner cartridge 108 has been replaced, the control unit 101 accesses the IC chip 108a and instructs the reading unit 106 to read the ID information. Then, the non-genuine product determination unit 101a compares the ID information read by the reading unit 106 with the ID information stored in the storage unit 105, thereby determining whether the replaced toner cartridge 108 is a genuine product or not. Judge whether it is a genuine product. In this manner, the non-genuine product determination unit 101a can determine whether the ID information matches or does not match. Even when the reading unit 106 cannot read, it is determined that there is a mismatch, that is, a non-genuine product.

Hereinafter, the full detection function of the image forming apparatus in the image forming system of the present invention will be described by taking the copy mode as an example.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining an example of an image forming method by the image forming apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of an appearance of an operation panel provided in the image forming apparatus, and FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of an initial screen in the copy mode. In this example, a case where an ID information read command is generated when the sensor circuit 107 detects the mounting of the toner cartridge 108 based on the configuration of the image forming apparatus 100 in FIG. 2 will be described.

  First, the control unit 101 determines whether or not an ID information read command from the sensor circuit 107 is generated with the mounting of the toner cartridge 108 (step S11), and determines that an ID information read command is generated (step S11). If YES, the reading unit 106 is instructed to read the ID information of the toner cartridge 108 (step S12). If it is determined in step S11 that no ID information read command has been issued (NO), the process shifts to a standby state in step S11.

  Next, the control unit 101 (non-genuine product determination unit 101a) compares the ID information read by the reading unit 106 with the ID information (registered ID information) stored in the storage unit 105 (step S13). . Then, it is determined whether or not they match (step S14). If they match (YES), the toner cartridge 108 is determined to be a genuine product, and the image forming apparatus 100 performs a normal operation according to a copy operation by the user. An initial screen is displayed (step S15).

  Here, the normal initial screen is, for example, the initial screen 300 as shown in FIG. 6A in the copy mode, and various copies at the time of copying together with a message 301 “Reading a copy”. It is a screen for accepting setting of conditions from a user. This initial screen 300 is displayed on the display unit 102 b of the operation panel 102. As shown in FIG. 5, the operation panel 102 includes an operation unit 102a and a display unit 102b, and the display unit 102b is a touch panel. The display unit 102b can accept an input by a user's touch operation via the touch panel. For example, when performing a copy, the user normally presses the copy mode selection button 102d of the operation unit 102a to copy. An initial screen 300 in the mode is displayed on the display unit 102b.

  Next, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the print button (start button) 102c on the operation panel shown in FIG. 5 has been pressed (step S16). When the print button 102c is pressed in step S16 (in the case of YES), the image forming unit 103 forms an image on the recording paper based on the copy condition input in step S15, with the upper limit number of full detection functions being the default. This is performed (step S17). If the print button 102c is not pressed in step S16 (NO), the process waits until it is pressed.

  In step S14, if they do not match or cannot be read by the reading unit 106 (in the case of NO), the toner cartridge 108 is determined to be a non-genuine product, and the image forming apparatus 100 follows the copy operation by the user. An initial screen with a message indicating that the upper limit number of sheets for the full detection function is reduced and printing is added is displayed (step S18). Here, the initial screen to which a message indicating that the upper limit number of sheets for the full detection function is reduced is added is, for example, an initial screen 300 ′ as shown in FIG. 6B in the copy mode. , A screen for accepting the setting of various copy conditions at the time of copying from the user, together with a message 303 that “the toner cartridge is a non-genuine product and printing is performed with the lower limit of the full detection function”. As described above, when a part of the paper discharge function (full detection function in this example) is restricted, a message indicating that the toner cartridge 108 is restricted because it is a non-genuine product so that the user can understand the reason. It is desirable to display and notify.

  Next, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the print button (start button) 102c on the operation panel shown in FIG. 5 has been pressed (step S19). When the print button 102c is pressed in step S19 (in the case of YES), the upper limit number of full detection functions is reduced, and the image forming unit 103 forms an image on the recording paper based on the copy condition input in step S18. It performs (step S20). If the print button 102c is not pressed in step S19 (NO), the process waits until it is pressed.

  The determination result in step S14 is transmitted from the image forming apparatus 100 to the information processing apparatus 200 as genuine product determination information. The genuine product determination information is stored in the storage unit 203 of the information processing apparatus 200 and is referred to when the printer driver 203a is activated. Thereby, it is possible to determine whether or not the toner cartridge 108 is a non-genuine product even on the information processing apparatus 200 side. The determination result in step S14 may be stored in the storage unit 105 of the image forming apparatus 100 as genuine product determination information. In this case, when the printer driver 203a is activated in the information processing apparatus 200, the information processing apparatus 200 requests the image forming apparatus 100 to transmit genuine product determination information, and the image forming device 100 receives the genuine product determination information. get. Based on the genuine product determination information acquired from the image forming apparatus 100, the information processing apparatus 200 can determine whether the toner cartridge 108 is a non-genuine product. When it is determined that the toner cartridge 108 is a non-genuine product, the printer driver 203a restricts a part of the paper discharge function. In this example, the upper limit number of full detection functions is set small.

  Here, when the toner cartridge 108 is determined to be a non-genuine product, the setting of the offset discharge function described above may be prohibited in addition to the limit of the full detection function or instead of the full detection function. Good. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a paper discharge function setting screen that displays items relating to the paper discharge function in a selectable manner. A discharge function setting screen 304 in FIG. 7A is an example of a finishing setting screen included in a copy condition input screen (also referred to as a copy condition setting screen), and a finishing button 302 on the initial screen 300 in FIG. This is a screen displayed on the display unit 102b when is pressed. That is, this screen is displayed when it is determined that the toner cartridge 108 is a genuine product. In the example of FIG. 7A, sorting, stapling, punching, and offset paper discharge 305 can be selected and input as items related to the paper discharge function.

  Also, the paper discharge function setting screen 306 in FIG. 7B is an example of a finishing setting screen included in the copy condition input screen in which the paper discharge function is restricted, and the finishing of the initial screen 300 ′ in FIG. This is a screen displayed on the display unit 102b when the button 302 'is pressed. That is, this screen is displayed when it is determined that the toner cartridge 108 is a non-genuine product. In the example of FIG. 7B, as an item related to the paper discharge function, the offset paper discharge 305 is not displayed and cannot be selected, and a message 307 that “offset paper discharge cannot be set because the toner cartridge is a non-genuine product”. Is displayed. Note that the offset paper discharge 305 may not be selected by grayout display instead of non-display.

  Here, whether to execute both the process of limiting the upper limit sheet number of the full detection function to a small value and the process of prohibiting the setting of the offset paper discharge function or only one of them can be appropriately determined by the user setting. What should I do?

  In FIG. 7B, when the offset paper discharge is not displayed on the paper discharge function setting screen 306, the user can press the “Cancel” button. In this case, the user recognizes from the message 307 that the offset discharge cannot be set because the toner cartridge 108 is a non-genuine product, and therefore replaces the non-genuine product toner cartridge 108 with a genuine product again. It is conceivable to take measures such as When the toner cartridge is replaced with a genuine toner cartridge, the flow of FIG. 4 is executed again, and it becomes possible to set the offset paper discharge and perform image formation.

  Here, in FIG. 2 described above, the image forming apparatus 100 includes, for example, a detection unit 109 that detects temperature and / or humidity in an environment where the image forming apparatus 100 is installed. When it is determined that the toner cartridge 108 is a non-genuine product and the temperature and / or humidity detected by the detection unit 109 is not within the predetermined range, the control unit 101 inputs input image forming conditions. May be prohibited so that the image forming process cannot be executed. When the toner cartridge 108 is a non-genuine product, it is difficult to perform a good image forming process under a high temperature / high humidity exceeding a predetermined range or a low temperature / low humidity environment. Accordingly, by prohibiting all input of image forming conditions, useless image forming processing is prevented from being executed. In this case as well, it is desirable to notify the user of the reason why the image forming process cannot be executed and to urge the user to replace the toner cartridge with a genuine product.

  Next, a print processing example by the image forming system including the image forming apparatus 100 and the information processing apparatus 200 will be described. In FIG. 2 described above, the image forming apparatus 100 includes the communication unit 104 that transmits the determination result by the non-genuine product determination unit 101a to the information processing device 200. When the determination result from the image forming apparatus 100 is a non-genuine product, the printer driver 203a of the information processing apparatus 200 limits a part of the paper discharge function. The part of the paper discharge function is, for example, the above-described full detection function and offset paper discharge function. The printer driver 203a displays a print condition input screen (also referred to as a print condition setting screen) on the display unit 205, thereby presenting various image forming conditions to the user and responding to input operations from the input unit 204 by the user. To set image forming conditions. The image forming conditions are sent together with the print data to the image forming apparatus 100 via the communication unit 201, and the image forming apparatus 100 prints the print data on the recording paper by the image forming unit 103 according to the image forming conditions.

  In the above description, the determination result by the non-genuine product determination unit 101a is transmitted from the image forming apparatus 100 to the information processing apparatus 200 as genuine product determination information. The genuine product determination information is stored in the storage unit 203 of the information processing apparatus 200 and is referred to when the printer driver 203a is activated. Thereby, it is possible to determine whether or not the toner cartridge 108 is a non-genuine product even on the information processing apparatus 200 side. The determination result by the non-genuine product determination unit 101a may be stored in the storage unit 105 of the image forming apparatus 100 as genuine product determination information. In this case, when the printer driver 203a is activated in the information processing apparatus 200, the information processing apparatus 200 requests the image forming apparatus 100 to transmit genuine product determination information, and the image forming device 100 receives the genuine product determination information. get. Based on the genuine product determination information acquired from the image forming apparatus 100, the information processing apparatus 200 can determine whether the toner cartridge 108 is a non-genuine product.

  Hereinafter, screen examples of the printer driver 203a of the information processing apparatus 200 in the printing process of the image forming apparatus 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a print condition input screen displayed by the printer driver 203 a of the information processing apparatus 200. If the printer driver 203a determines that the toner cartridge 108 is a non-genuine product, the printer driver 203a limits the upper limit number of full detection functions to a small value. Then, the printer driver 203a displays a message 311 on the printing condition input screen 310 in FIG. 8 that “the toner cartridge is a non-genuine product and the upper limit number of sheets for the full detection function is reduced” is printed. Informs that the upper limit number of full detection functions has been lowered.

  9 and 10 are diagrams illustrating another example of the print condition input screen displayed by the printer driver 203a of the information processing apparatus 200. FIG. If the printer driver 203a determines that the toner cartridge 108 is a non-genuine product, the printer driver 203a may prohibit the offset paper discharge function. The screen example in FIG. 9 shows a screen display example when the toner cartridge 108 is a genuine product. In the print condition input screen 312 of FIG. 9, the offset paper discharge 313 is displayed as selectable items as a paper discharge function item, and the user can select and set the offset paper discharge 313. On the other hand, the screen example of FIG. 10 shows a screen display example when the toner cartridge 108 is a non-genuine product. In the print condition input screen 314 of FIG. 10, the offset paper discharge 313 is not displayed as a paper discharge function item, and a message 315 “cannot set offset paper discharge because the toner cartridge is non-genuine” is displayed. The That is, the offset paper discharge function is hidden so that it cannot be selected. In this case as well, the offset paper discharge function may be displayed in gray and disabled.

  When the “OK” button is selected on the print condition input screens 310, 312, and 314 in FIGS. 8 to 10, as described above, the image forming conditions set by the printer driver 203 a are displayed together with the print data and the communication unit 201. In the image forming apparatus 100, print data is printed on a recording sheet by the image forming unit 103 in accordance with the image forming conditions.

  As described above, according to the present invention, when it is determined that a non-genuine product other than a genuine product supplied by the manufacturer is used in the apparatus, a part of the paper discharge function (full detection function, offset paper discharge function) Etc.), it is possible to prevent misalignment of the discharged printed matter, paper discharge jam, and the like without impairing user convenience.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Exposure unit, 2 ... Developing device, 3 ... Photoconductor drum, 4 ... Cleaner unit, 5 ... Charger, 6 ... Intermediate transfer belt unit, 7 ... Fixing unit, 10 ... Transfer roller, 11a, 11b ... Pickup roller, 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d ... conveying roller, 13 ... registration roller, 61 ... intermediate transfer belt, 62 ... intermediate transfer belt driving roller, 63 ... intermediate transfer belt driven roller, 64 ... intermediate transfer roller, 65 ... intermediate transfer belt cleaning Unit: 71 ... Heat roller, 72 ... Pressure roller, 73 ... External heating belt, 81 ... Paper feed cassette, 82 ... Manual paper feed cassette, 90 ... Image reading means, 91 ... Paper discharge tray, 92 ... Document placement table, 93 ... Light source unit, 94 ... Mirror unit, 95 ... CCD, 100 ... Image forming apparatus, 101 ... Control unit, 101a ... Non Authentic product determination unit, 102 ... operation panel, 102a ... operation unit, 102b, 205 ... display unit, 103 ... image forming unit, 104, 201 ... communication unit, 105, 203 ... storage unit, 106 ... reading unit, 107 ... sensor circuit , 108... Toner cartridge, 108 a. IC chip, 109... Detection unit, 120... Automatic document processing apparatus, 130.

Claims (9)

An image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming unit that forms an image; a non-genuine product determining unit that determines whether or not a replacement part of the image forming unit is a non-genuine product; and a control unit that controls the image forming unit. There,
When the non-genuine product determination unit determines that the replacement part of the image forming unit is a non-genuine product, the control unit discharges the printed material on which the image has been formed by the image forming unit to the paper discharge tray. An image forming apparatus, wherein a part of a paper function is limited.   A part of the paper discharge function is a full detection function for detecting that the number of printed materials discharged to the paper discharge tray has reached a preset upper limit number, and the control unit is configured to The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the upper limit number of the full detection function is limited to be smaller than a case where it is determined as a genuine product.   A part of the paper discharge function is to offset each part in the short direction so that both ends in the longitudinal direction are not aligned at the end of each part when discharging a plurality of printed matter consisting of a plurality of pages to the paper discharge tray. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus has an offset paper discharge function for discharging paper, and the control unit prohibits setting of the offset paper discharge function.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the control unit performs control so that the item of the offset paper discharge function is not displayed when the item related to the paper discharge function is displayed in a selectable manner. apparatus.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the control unit performs control so that the item of the offset paper discharge function is grayed out when the item related to the paper discharge function is displayed in a selectable manner. .   6. The control unit according to claim 1, wherein when restricting a part of the paper discharge function, the control unit notifies that a replacement part of the image forming unit is restricted because it is a non-genuine product. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1. An image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming unit that forms an image; a non-genuine product determination unit that determines whether a replacement part of the image forming unit is a non-genuine product; and a control unit that controls the image forming unit. An image forming method comprising:
The non-genuine product determination unit determines whether or not the replacement part of the image forming unit is a non-genuine product;
When the control unit determines that the product is a non-genuine product in the determination step, the image forming condition includes a part of a paper discharge function for discharging the printed material image-formed by the image forming unit to a paper discharge tray. Paper output function restriction steps to be restricted,
An image forming method comprising: an image forming step in which the image forming unit forms an image based on the image forming conditions. An image forming system in which an information processing apparatus in which a printer driver is installed and an image forming apparatus controlled by the printer driver are connected via a network,
The image forming apparatus includes: an image forming unit that forms an image; a non-genuine product determination unit that determines whether or not a replacement part of the image forming unit is a non-genuine product; A communication unit for transmitting to the processing device,
When the determination result from the image forming apparatus is a non-genuine product, the printer driver of the information processing apparatus has a paper discharge function for discharging the printed material image-formed by the image forming unit to a paper discharge tray. An image forming system characterized in that a part thereof is limited.   A printer driver that can be installed in an information processing apparatus constituting the image forming system according to claim 8.

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