Claims
- 1. An image forming apparatus for forming images on a recording material, comprising:an electrophotosensitive member; developing means for developing a latent image formed on said electrophotosensitive member using a developing agent; a developing agent container for containing the developing agent; a memory for storing information with respect to an amount of consumption of the developing agent; computing means for computing a number of printable recording materials in accordance with the information with respect to the amount of consumption of the developing agent and consumption rate information of the developing agent; and information output means for outputting information of the number of printable recording materials computed by said computing means.
- 2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information with respect to the amount of consumption of the developing agent includes at least one of a number of printed recording materials, a driving time of said electrophotosensitive member, an amount of an image information, and a time for which a voltage for developing is applied to said developing means.
- 3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said developing agent container and said memory are made into a single unit, which is detachably mountable to a main body of said image forming apparatus.
- 4. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said developing agent container, said memory, said electrophotosensitive member, and said developing means are made into a single unit, which is detachably mountable to a main body of said image forming apparatus.
- 5. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said information output means also outputs information of an absence of developing agent when the information of the number of printable recording materials becomes zero.
- 6. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising displaying means for displaying the information of the number of printable recording materials outputted by said information output means.
- 7. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information of the number of printable recording materials outputted by said information output means is displayed by a computer communicated to said image forming apparatus.
- 8. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said memory includes at least one of a RAM, a ROM, a magnetic storage medium, a magnetic bubble memory, and a magneto-optical memory.
- 9. A method of informing a number of printable sheets in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, which includes an electrophotographic photosensitive member, developing means for developing a latent image formed on said electrophotographic photosensitive member, and a developer containing portion for containing developer to be used for developing the latent image formed on said electrophotographic photosensitive member by said developing means, said method comprising the steps of:detecting a residual amount of the developer remaining in said developer containing portion by a detecting means; storing consumption information with respect to an amount of consumption of the developer in a memory means; calculating the number of printable sheets on a basis of the consumption information stored in said memory means and consumption rate information of the developer; and informing the number of printable sheets on a basis of a result calculated in calculating the number of printable sheets.
- 10. A developer container detachably mountable to a main body of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, said developer container containing a developer to be used for developing a latent image formed on an electrophotographic photosensitive member by a developing means for developing the latent image formed on the electrophotographic photosensitive member, the main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus including calculating means, detecting means for sending developer consumption information with respect to an amount of consumption of the developer in said developer container to the calculating means, and displaying means, said developer container comprising:a developer containing portion for containing the developer; and memory means for storing consumption amount information with respect to the amount of consumption of the developer, the consumption information stored in said memory means being to be sent to the calculating means, wherein, by sending the consumption amount information from said memory means to the calculating means, the calculating means is enabled to calculate a number of printable sheets on the basis of the consumption amount information and the developer consumption information and the displaying means is enabled to inform the number of printable sheets on a basis of a calculated result.
- 11. An image forming apparatus for forming images on a recording material, comprising:an electrophotosensitive member; developing means for developing a latent image formed on said electrophotosensitive member using a developing agent; a developing agent container for containing the developing agent; a memory for storing information with respect to an amount of consumption of the developing agent; computing means for computing a residual amount of the developing agent in said container in accordance with the information with respect to the amount of consumption of the developing agent and consumption rate information of the developing agent; and information output means for outputting information of the residual amount of the developing agent computed by said computing means.
- 12. An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the information with respect to the amount of consumption of the developing agent includes at least one of a number of printed recording materials, a driving time of said electrophotosensitive member, an amount of an image information, and a time for which a voltage for developing is applied to said developing means.
- 13. An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said developing agent container and said memory are made into a single unit, which is detachably mountable to a main body of said image forming apparatus.
- 14. An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said developing agent container, said memory, said electrophotosensitive member, and said developing means are made into a single unit, which is detachably mountable to a main body of said image forming apparatus.
- 15. An apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising displaying means for displaying the information of the residual amount of the developing agent outputted by said information output means.
- 16. An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the information of the residual amount of the developing agent outputted by said information output means is displayed by a computer communicated to said image forming apparatus.
- 17. An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said memory includes at least one of a RAM, a ROM, a magnetic storage medium, a magnetic bubble memory, and a magneto-optical memory.
- 18. An image forming apparatus for forming images on a recording material, comprising:a unit detachably mountable on a main body of said image forming apparatus, said unit having a memory for storing information with respect to an amount of consumption of said unit; computing means for computing a usable amount of said unit in accordance with the information with respect to the amount of consumption of said unit and consumption rate information of said unit; and information output means for outputting information of the usable amount of said unit computed by said computing means.
- 19. An apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the information of the usable amount of said unit is information of a number of printable recording materials.
- 20. An apparatus according to claim 18, said unit further having a container for containing a developing agent, wherein the information of the usable amount of said unit is an information of a residual amount of the developing agent in said container.
- 21. An apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the information with respect to the amount of consumption of said unit includes at least one of a number of printed recording materials, a driving time of an electrophotosensitive member, an amount of an image information, and a time for which a voltage for developing is applied to a developing means.
- 22. An apparatus according to claim 18, further comprising displaying means for displaying the information of the usable amount of said unit outputted by said information output means.
- 23. An apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the information of the usable amount of said unit outputted by said information output means is displayed by a computer communicated to said image forming apparatus.
- 24. An apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said memory includes at least one of a RAM, a ROM, a magnetic storage medium, a magnetic bubble memory, and a magneto-optical memory.
- 25. An image forming apparatus for forming images on a recording material, comprising:a unit detachably mountable on a main body of said image forming apparatus, said unit including a container for containing a developer and a memory for storing information with respect to an amount of consumption of said unit; and computing means for computing a residual amount of the developer in said container in accordance with the information with respect to the amount of a consumption of said unit and an amount of consumption of a developer per sheet of the recording material; wherein the amount of consumption of a developer per sheet of the recording material is data computed on the basis of a print history.
- 26. An image forming apparatus according to claim 25, said computing means further computing a number of printable recording materials in accordance with the residual amount of the developer computed by said computing means and the amount of consumption of the developer per sheet of the recording material.
- 27. An image forming apparatus according to claim 26, further comprising an information output means for outputting information relating to at least one of the residual amount of the developer and the number of printable recording materials.
- 28. An image forming apparatus according to claim 27, further comprising a display for displaying the information outputted by said information output means.
- 29. An image forming apparatus according to claim 27, wherein the information outputted by said information output means is displayed by a computer communicating with said image forming apparatus.
- 30. An image forming apparatus according to claim 25, wherein the information with respect to the amount of consumption of said unit relates to at least one of a number of printed recording materials, a driving time of an electrophotosensitive member, an amount of an image information, and a time for which a voltage for developing is applied to a developing means.
- 31. An image forming apparatus according to claim 25, wherein said unit further includes an electrophotosensitive member and developing means for developing a latent image formed on said electrophotosensitive member.
- 32. An image forming apparatus according to claim 25, wherein said unit further includes a developing means for developing a latent image formed on an electrophotosensitive member.
- 33. An image forming apparatus for forming images on a recording material, comprising:a unit detachably mountable on a main body of said image forming apparatus, said unit including a container for containing a developer and a memory for storing information with respect to an amount of consumption of said unit; and computing means for computing a number of printable recording materials in accordance with the information with respect to the amount of a consumption of said unit and an amount of consumption of a developer per sheet of the recording material; wherein the amount of consumption of a developer per sheet of the recording material is data computed on the basis of a print history.
- 34. An image forming apparatus according to claim 33, further comprising an information output means for outputting information relating to the number of printable recording materials.
- 35. An image forming apparatus according to claim 34, further comprising a display for displaying the information outputted by said information output means.
- 36. An image forming apparatus according to claim 34, wherein the information outputted by said information output means is displayed by a computer communicating with said image forming apparatus.
- 37. An image forming apparatus according to claim 33, wherein the information with respect to the amount of consumption of said unit relates to at least one of a number of printed recording materials, a driving time of an electrophotosensitive member, an amount of an image information and a time for which a voltage for developing is applied to a developing means.
- 38. An image forming apparatus according to claim 33, wherein said unit further includes an electrophotosensitive member and developing means for developing a latent image formed on said electrophotosensitive member.
- 39. An image forming apparatus according to claim 33, wherein said unit further includes a developing means for developing a latent image formed on an electrophotosensitive member.
Priority Claims (2)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
7-299342 |
Oct 1995 |
JP |
|
7-299343 |
Oct 1995 |
JP |
|
Parent Case Info
This is a continuation of allowed U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/736,128, filed Oct. 24, 1996, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,923,917.
US Referenced Citations (15)
Foreign Referenced Citations (3)
Number |
Date |
Country |
61-185761 |
Aug 1986 |
JP |
62-062352 |
Mar 1987 |
JP |
63-212956 |
Sep 1988 |
JP |
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
08/736128 |
Oct 1996 |
US |
Child |
09/352202 |
|
US |