Electrophotography – Diagnostics – Unit or part identification
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-13
2001-11-27
Grainger, Quana M. (Department: 2852)
Electrophotography
Diagnostics
Unit or part identification
C399S024000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06324350
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a printer which forms images using a reusable unit containing expendable materials such as toner, ink or a photoconductive material, and more particularly to a reusable unit and an image forming apparatus using the reusable unit which realize less emission of wastes and excellent imaging quality.
2. Description of the Related Art
An electrophotographic image forming apparatus (such as a laser printer, a copying machine) has been known as an apparatus for forming images using toner. Such a image forming apparatus generally comprises a photoconductive unit and an image developing unit each of which is detachably installed in a main component of an image forming apparatus. The photoconductive unit comprises a photoconductive element on which electrostatic latent images are formed. The image developing unit develops the electrostatic latent images.
Generally, the photoconductive unit is replaced with a new one and dumped when the photoconductive element no longer works. The image developing unit is also replaced with a new one and damped when the toner in it is fully exhausted. The new unit is usually supplied by the manufacturer of the image forming apparatus.
Because such units are expendable, not only the manufacturer of the image forming apparatus but also third parties produce such the units. Since those units produced by the third parties are not genuine products, some of them have crude quality which may damage the image forming apparatus.
As described above, those units are designed as expendable products to be dumped. However, some of the wasted units have been resold for reuse nowadays. The resellers collect the wasted units and refill toner in the image developing unit or replace the photoconductive element in the photoconductive unit.
Such reselling activity is helpful for less emission of wastes. However, the toner to be refilled or the photoconductive element to be replaced is not a genuine product because they are produced by third parties. That is, some of the resold products have crude quality like the above mentioned copy products. The crude quality of the resold units may cause quality deterioration of resultant images. Moreover, the image forming apparatus may be damaged by scattered toner, irregularly remaining toner on a fixing roller, and the like. In practice, it is difficult to judge whether such problems are caused by the image forming apparatus or the non-genuine unit installed therein.
If the cause of the problem is unknown, it is unclear who should take responsibility for the problem. In such a case, the manufacturer of the image forming apparatus has no means to solve the problem. And if the problem remains unsolved, and similar problems occur in following products, users may come to believe that the image forming apparatus itself is the cause of the problem. Such a misunderstanding may affect the manufacturer's reputation.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,761,566 discloses a technique which inhibits an irregular cartridge from being used. According to the disclosure in this patent, an uneven patterned logo mark is formed on a surface of a cartridge which contains expendable material. The logo mark is incorporated with a resin frame. And detection switches are provided in an image forming device to detect projected portions of the logo mark, so that it can be determined whether the cartridge is genuine or not.
However, manufacturing such a cartridge is expensive because forming such a logo mark is complex work. Moreover, the disclosed technique will be helpful for inhibiting the above mentioned copy products from being used, however, it is not effective in preventing use of the reused products, because they use genuine cartridges whose contents are replaced. As a result, problems caused by such reused products will be unsolved.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a reusable unit and an image forming apparatus using the reusable unit which realizes less emission of wastes and eliminates disadvantageous matters such as image quality deterioration.
To accomplish the above object of the present invention, a reusable unit according to the present invention is detachably installable in an image forming apparatus main component and includes expendable elements to be exhausted by image forming. The reusable unit comprises:
a displaying medium on which a predetermined pattern is displayed,
wherein a material of the displaying medium is able to cause illegibleness of the specific pattern with externally supplied energy.
In the thus structured reusable unit according to the present invention, the displaying medium causes illegibleness of the specific pattern when energy is supplied from the image forming apparatus main component.
The above described reusable unit according to the present invention may further comprise a pattern processor which causes illegibleness of the specific pattern displayed on the displaying medium based on a signal supplied from the image forming apparatus main component.
In the above described reusable unit according to the present invention, it is preferable that the displaying medium is discolored with applied heat to cause illegibleness of the specific pattern. The displaying medium may be discolored when electricity is applied into the displaying medium or when charges are applied onto the displaying medium to cause illegibleness of the specific pattern.
In the above described reusable unit according to the present invention, it is preferable that the specific pattern represents a trademark.
To also accomplish the above object of the present invention, an image forming apparatus according to the present invention is an image forming apparatus in which the reusable unit having expendable elements to be exhausted by image forming is detachably installed, wherein the reusable unit comprises a displaying medium on which a specific pattern to be illegible by externally supplied energy is printed, and
the image forming apparatus comprises:
a pattern processor for causing illegibleness of the specific pattern printed on the displaying medium by supplying the energy to the displaying medium;
a reader for reading the specific pattern printed on the displaying medium; and
a control unit for determining whether the specific pattern read by the reader coincides with a predetermined pattern, and for allowing the image forming apparatus to execute image forming when the read specific pattern represents the predetermined pattern.
The thus structured image forming apparatus according to the present invention may comprise a life detector for determining whether a life of the reusable unit remains or not,
wherein the control unit activates the pattern processor when the life detector determines that the life of the reusable unit does not remain.
In the above described image forming apparatus according to the present invention, it is preferable that a material of the displaying medium is discolored with externally supplied heat so as to cause illegibleness of the specific pattern, and the pattern processor is a heating device which applies thermal energy to the displaying medium. The displaying medium may be discolored when electricity is applied into said displaying medium to cause illegibleness of the specific pattern, and the pattern processor may be an electricity supplier which applies the electricity into the displaying medium, or the displaying medium may be discolored when charges are applied onto the displaying medium to cause illegibleness of the specific pattern, and the pattern processor may be a discharging device which applies the charges onto the displaying medium.
In the above described image forming apparatus according to the present invention, it is preferable that the specific pattern represents a trademark.
To also accomplish the above object of the present invention, an image forming apparatus according to the present invention is an image forming apparatus in which a reusable unit
Igarashi Kenji
Ikeda Masayuki
Ito Kenzo
Kobayashi Kenji
Noguchi Kazutami
Casio Computer Co. Ltd.
Frishauf, Holtz Goodman, Langer & Chick, P.C.
Grainger Quana M.
LandOfFree
Reusable unit displaying a specific pattern and an image... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Reusable unit displaying a specific pattern and an image..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Reusable unit displaying a specific pattern and an image... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2599146