Image forming apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12346040-B2
Application number	US-202418628276-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 5, 2024
Priority date	Apr 14, 2023
Publication date	Jul 1, 2025
Grant date	Jul 1, 2025

Abstract

A target selection portion selects one target attachment portion out of a plurality of attachment portions, and selects, when a detection state regarding a target storage unit attached to the target attachment portion out of a plurality of developer storage units changes from a developer-remaining state to a developer-empty state, a new target attachment portion as the target attachment portion. A notification processing portion executes, when a first notification mode is selected, empty state notification processing for outputting information representing the developer-empty state to a notification destination every time the developer-empty state of the target storage unit is detected. The notification processing portion executes, when a second notification mode is selected, the empty state notification processing when the developer-empty states of some of the plurality of developer storage units are detected.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An image forming apparatus, comprising:
a printing portion which forms an image on a sheet;
a plurality of attachment portions to each of which a plurality of developer storage units can be attached, the plurality of developer storage units storing developer of a same color that is to be supplied to the printing portion;
a remaining amount detection portion which detects a remaining amount of the developer in each of the plurality of developer storage units attached to the plurality of attachment portions;
a target selection portion which selects one target attachment portion out of the plurality of attachment portions, and selects, when a detection state of the remaining amount detection portion regarding a target storage unit attached to the target attachment portion out of the plurality of developer storage units changes from a developer-remaining state to a developer-empty state, a new target attachment portion as the target attachment portion;
a supplying mechanism which supplies the developer from the target storage unit to the printing portion;
a notification mode selection portion which selects one of a first notification mode and a second notification mode according to a selection operation; and
a notification processing portion which executes, when the first notification mode is selected, empty state notification processing for outputting information representing the developer-empty state to a preset notification destination every time the developer-empty state is detected by the remaining amount detection portion for each of the plurality of developer storage units, and executes, when the second notification mode is selected, the empty state notification processing when the developer-empty state of some of the plurality of developer storage units is detected by the remaining amount detection portion.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a display device capable of displaying information,
wherein the notification destination includes the display device.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a communication device capable of communicating with a plurality of external devices,
wherein the notification destination includes some of the plurality of external devices.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , comprising:
a plurality of attachment portion sets which respectively correspond to different development colors and each include the plurality of attachment portions, wherein
the target selection portion selects the target attachment portion for each of the plurality of attachment portion sets, and
the notification processing portion executes the empty state notification processing corresponding to the mode selected by the notification mode selection portion for each of the plurality of attachment portion sets.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , comprising:
one black-color attachment portion set which corresponds to the developer of black and includes the plurality of attachment portions; and
a plurality of chromatic attachment portion sets which respectively correspond to the developer of a plurality of chromatic colors and each include the plurality of attachment portions, wherein
the notification mode selection portion is capable of selecting one of the first notification mode and the second notification mode independently for the one black-color attachment portion set and the plurality of chromatic attachment portion sets,
the target selection portion selects the target attachment portion for the one black-color attachment portion set and each of the plurality of chromatic attachment portion sets, and
the notification processing portion executes the empty state notification processing corresponding to the mode selected by the notification mode selection portion for the one black-color attachment portion set and each of the plurality of chromatic attachment portion sets.

Assignees

• Kyocera Document Solutions Inc

Inventors

• Yoshioku Shinobu
• Morita Keiko
• Maeda Tetsuya
• Maeda Ryota

Classifications

• G03G15/5016

  User-machine interface; Display panels; Control console · CPC title

• G03G15/0867

  cylindrical developer cartridges, e.g. toner bottles for the developer replenishing opening · CPC title

• G03G15/553

  Monitoring or warning means for exhaustion or lifetime end of consumables, e.g. indication of insufficient copy sheet quantity for a job · CPC title

• G03G15/556 Primary

  for toner consumption, e.g. pixel counting, toner coverage detection or toner density measurement · CPC title

• G03G15/0121

  for developing · CPC title