Electrophotography – Diagnostics – Unit or part identification
Reexamination Certificate
2002-09-16
2004-01-13
Chen, Sophia S. (Department: 2852)
Electrophotography
Diagnostics
Unit or part identification
C399S084000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06678482
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile, or a printer, and more particularly to an image forming apparatus having a scanner section for reading image information mounted in its apparatus main body and a replaceable component which is detachably attached relatively to the apparatus main body, and to a technique for determining a suitability of the replaceable component, that is, for judging whether or not the replaceable component is a genuine product.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventionally-known electrophotographic image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile, or a printer is typically provided with a plurality of developing devices, each of which accommodates a developer including toner of predetermined type and is arranged face to face with an image carrier, so as to visualize a latent image formed on the image carrier. In a toner supplying section of the developing device, for example, at the time of carrying out maintenance for supplying toner, a toner supplying container, namely, a replaceable component such as a toner cartridge or a toner bottle is loaded externally.
Frequently, instead of a genuine toner supplying container, a similar or forged product is inadvertently used. To prevent this, various constructions have been proposed that function to prevent inadvertent insertion of a component unsuitable for the image forming apparatus, that is, misinsertion preventive mechanisms.
Examples of such a misinsertion preventive mechanism have been disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publications JP-A 4-1682 (1992) and JP-A 4-62564 (1992). In the mechanism proposed, information reading means such as a bar code reader is disposed in a toner supplying section. The information reading means reads bar code information displayed on a toner cartridge or the like, and, based on the results of the reading operation, a misinsertion preventive shutter is driven to operate so as to prevent misinsertion.
Another proposed example of the misinsertion preventive mechanisms is as follows. When a toner supplying container having an information storage medium such as an non-volatile memory is placed in the toner supplying section, an electric circuit is formed in between the developing device and the toner supplying container. In this case, information stored in the toner supplying container is fed to the developing device or to the apparatus main body as an electric signal, and, based on the results of judgment on the information, misinsertion is prevented.
However, in the case of adopting the misinsertion preventive mechanism designed for a toner cartridge, as disclosed in JP-A 4-1682, in an image forming apparatus having a plurality of developing devices arranged face to face with an image carrier, a bar code needs to be separately provided for each toner cartridge, and also information reading means such as a bar code reader needs to be separately provided for each toner supplying section. Consequently, a larger number of constituent components are required, resulting in an increase in the cost.
Moreover, being exposedly placed in the vicinity of developer or toner, the bar code displayed on the toner cartridge is prone to contamination. Optical information reading means such as a bar code reader is also susceptible to developer or toner contamination. This inconveniently causes problems such as reading errors.
On the other hand, in the case of adopting another method in which an electric circuit is formed in between the developing device and the toner supplying container provided with an information storage medium, such as a non-volatile memory, so as to transmit and receive the information stored in the toner supplying container as electric signals, the contact points are exposed to toner or developer and are thus prone to contamination. This inconveniently causes problems such as improper contact or abrasion.
In light of the foregoing, the applicant of the present application has already proposed, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 2000-187415 (2000), a construction in which a detachable unit including a toner supplying container, for use in an image forming apparatus, is designed to perform data communication with the image forming apparatus main body by means of electric waves.
According to this construction, since data transmission/reception between the toner supplying container and the apparatus main body is carried out in a non-contact state, occurrence of the aforementioned communication trouble can be prevented. In addition, improvement in design flexibility, enhancement of durability, increase in operation efficiency, space saving, and cost reduction can be achieved.
Employing the aforementioned data communication, however, poses a problem as follows. When a to-be-loaded toner supplying container has proved to be unsuitable for the image forming apparatus, it is impossible to judge whether the toner supplying container is merely a nonconforming product or a forged product fabricated in imitation of the specification of a genuine toner supplying container.
If the forged product contains toner of poor quality, the image forming apparatus, as well as its image forming process, may possibly be adversely affected. To avoid this, the reject needs to be extracted and taken out so as not to be reused. Another problem is that an additional structure is required for carrying out data communication.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention has been devised in view of the above-described problems with the conventional art, and accordingly an object of the invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of making an exact judgment on suitability of a replaceable component such as a toner supplying container with use of its existing mechanism, without additionally providing a data storage component designed for a consumable product which is detachably attached to the apparatus, or a data reading component to be placed in the image forming apparatus main body. Another object of the invention is to provide a method for determining suitability of a replaceable component.
To achieve the above objects, the invention is practiced as follows.
The invention provides an image forming apparatus comprising:
an apparatus main body including an original platform for placing thereon a target to be read out, and image reading means for reading image information on the target to be read out, to which a replaceable component is detachably attached; and
control means for determining suitability of the replaceable component, the control means driving the image reading means to optically scan the replaceable component, which has been placed on the original platform prior to being loaded into the apparatus main body, to read image information, and then judging whether or not the replaceable component is suitable for the image forming apparatus based on the reading result.
Image reading means, such as a scanner section, provided in a commonly-used image forming apparatus is capable of speedily reading not only a planar configuration, but also a stereoscopic configuration of an article placed on the original platform, with high accuracy.
According to the invention, it is possible to make a highly-accurate judgment on suitability of a replaceable component which is detachably attached to the image forming apparatus main body, based on data, namely, image information read out from the replaceable component, with use of an existing mechanism originally provided in the image forming apparatus, for example image reading means, without additionally providing data reading means.
Image information belonging to the replaceable component can include data about particulars of its stereoscopic configuration complicated to an extent that would prevent copying. This makes it possible to surely protect the image forming apparatus and the genuine product, that is, the replaceable component.
In the invention, it is preferable that the replaceable component is placed
Fukudo Naoki
Kawamoto Hiroshi
Masuda Jitsuo
Narimatsu Masayasu
Sakai Masahiro
Chen Sophia S.
Gleitz Ryan
Nixon & Vanderhye P.C.
Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
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