Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.

Minolta Company, Ltd.

Konica Minolta, Inc.

Atsushi Kawai

Kazuo Okunishi

Tetsuya Sakai

Masaki Tanaka

Hideo Mae

Tatsutoshi Yamada

Yoshihiko Yoshizaki

Yoshiaki Takano

Akira Murakawa

Yukihiko Okuno

Masazumi Ito

Mie Kawabata

Naoyoshi Kinoshita

Toshifumi Watanabe

Hideaki Komiyama

Hideyuki Matsuda

Kentaro Nagatani

Hironobu Nakata

Hideki Hino

Kentaro Katori

Hiroshi Nishikawa

Kohei Hayashi

Koji Shakushi

Kou Yamada

Yasufumi Naitou

Toshiyuki Tokuno

Yasuji Watanabe

Hiroshi Sakakibara

Hideki Matsumoto

An image forming apparatus includes: a reception part that receives specification of a print mode and specification of a sheet type to be used for printing; a sheet supply part that sends a sheet to a sheet conveyance path; a detection part that detects a type of a sheet sent to the sheet conveyance path; and a hardware processor that controls a printing operation, wherein when a sheet type received by the reception part is a type for which printing in the print mode received by the reception part is allowed, the sheet supply part sends a sheet to the sheet conveyance path, the hardware processor determines whether or not the print mode received by the reception part is a prohibition mode, when it is determined that the print mode is the prohibition mode, the detection part detects a type of a sheet sent to the sheet conveyance path.

Image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes: a sheet feeding tray that stores a sheet; a sheet thickness measurement device that measures a sheet thickness of the sheet fed from the sheet feeding tray; a hardware processor that: determines a type of the sheet of which the sheet thickness is measured, a sheet type associated with each of sheet thickness ranges, and the sheet thickness measured by the sheet thickness measurement device; and adjusts a first sheet thickness range to cause the first sheet thickness range to be expandable to at least one of an upper limit value side or a lower limit value side; and an image former that forms an image on the sheet fed from the sheet feeding tray under image forming conditions corresponding to the sheet type determined by the hardware processor.

Image forming apparatus, sheet type determination method and program in the apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes: a sheet feeding tray that stores a sheet; a sheet thickness measurement device that measures a sheet thickness of the sheet fed from the sheet feeding tray; a hardware processor that: determines a type of the sheet of which the sheet thickness is measured, a sheet type associated with each of sheet thickness ranges, and the sheet thickness measured by the sheet thickness measurement device; and adjusts a first sheet thickness range by expanding the first sheet thickness range to at least one of an upper limit value side or a lower limit value side; and an image former that forms an image on the sheet fed from the sheet feeding tray under image forming conditions corresponding to the sheet type determined by the hardware processor.

An image forming apparatus comprises an expendable item having a specific function, installed replaceably with respect to a main body of the image forming apparatus, wherein there are several types of expendable items, and an engine control unit. The engine control unit judges end of lifetime of the expendable item by using one of a plurality of lifetime judgment methods. The engine control unit selects a lifetime judgment method used in the judgment, according to a type of the expendable item. It makes possible to provide an image forming apparatus capable of appropriately determining the reaching of the lifetime end of expendable items.

Image forming apparatus to judge lifetime end of expendable item

An image forming apparatus includes: a photosensitive member; a charger that charges a surface of the photosensitive member; an exposure device that forms a latent image; and a developing device that applies toner to the latent image, wherein the photosensitive member is incorporated in a detachable photosensitive member unit, and the developing device is incorporated in a detachable developing unit, the image forming apparatus including: an optimization controller that performs optimization of a charging bias of the charger and a developing bias of the developing device; and a replacement determiner that determines which of the photosensitive member unit and the developing unit is to be replaced when an optimized developing bias is out of a predetermined allowable range, wherein the replacement determiner determines that the developing unit is to be replaced, and determines that the photosensitive member unit is to be replaced.

Image forming apparatus and program for image forming apparatus

The present invention includes a first post-processor equipped with a paper turn-over unit for paper and a paper surface processing unit adapted to process a paper surface of the paper; a second post-processor configured to be different from the first post-processor and located downstream of the first post-processor in a paper transport direction; and a controller adapted to control the first post-processor and the second post-processor, wherein the controller determines whether to use the paper turn-over unit, according to a combination of a post-processing mode which uses the first post-processor and a post-processing mode which uses the second post-processor.

Post-processing apparatus and image forming system

An image forming system includes an upstream apparatus for forming an image on a sheet, a downstream apparatus for applying sheet processing to the sheet on which the image is formed by the upstream apparatus, an exclusive communication path for communicating information which is necessary only for an operation of each apparatus in a state in which a communication partner is fixed between the upstream apparatus and the downstream apparatus, and a general-purpose communication path for communicating information in a state in which a communication partner is selectable between the upstream apparatus and the downstream apparatus. The exclusive communication path and the general-purpose communication path communicate information which respective paths can handle by sharing the information with each other.

Image forming system and image forming system communication control method

A replacement consumable unit management apparatus is provided with: a receiver which receives consumable unit replacement information indicating that one consumable unit of one color or more than one consumable unit of different colors has been replaced with a new one, from one or more than one image forming apparatus which the replacement consumable unit management apparatus can access via a communication circuit; a consumable unit manager which manages the remaining amount information or the life information of the one or more than one consumable unit, and stock information indicating the states of the stocks of replacement consumable units for the one or more than one consumable unit; a determiner which, if the receiver receives the consumable unit replacement information while a consumable unit which cannot be replaced with a new one because of no stock and a consumable unit whose remaining amount information or life information is smaller than a first predetermined value are both used at the same place as the new consumable unit most recently loaded, makes a first determination that a first replacement consumable unit of the same color as the consumable unit which cannot be replaced with a new one because of no stock and a second consumable unit of the same color as the consumable unit whose remaining amount information or life information is smaller than the first predetermined value should be delivered together; and a transmitter which outputs a delivery instruction as determined by the determiner.

Replacement consumable unit management apparatus and image forming apparatus

A replacement toner cartridge management apparatus is provided with: a receiver which receives toner cartridge replacement information indicating a toner cartridge loaded on one or more than one image forming apparatus which the replacement toner cartridge management apparatus can access via a communication circuit has been replaced or needs to be replaced with a new one; a life information obtainer which obtains the life information of a consumable unit other than the toner cartridge causing the toner cartridge replacement information received by the receiver, a replacement consumable unit for which will be delivered to the same delivery address as a replacement toner cartridge for the toner cartridge causing the toner cartridge replacement information; a determiner which determines a right type of replacement toner cartridge for the toner cartridge causing the toner cartridge replacement information, based on the life information obtained by the life information obtainer; and a transmitter which outputs an instruction to deliver the right type of replacement toner cartridge determined by the determiner.

Replacement toner cartridge management apparatus, replacement toner cartridge management system, image forming apparatus, replacement toner cartridge management method, and recording medium

An image formation device for use with a consumable removably loaded therein, the consumable including a non-volatile consumable memory, the image formation device including: a non-volatile device memory; an abnormality detection unit detecting an abnormality pertaining to the consumable; a detection registration unit registering abnormality detection data into both memories when the abnormality pertains to the consumable and no relevant abnormality data are registered in either memory, the abnormality detection data representing the detected abnormality; a confirmation registration unit registering abnormality confirmation data after the consumable has been exchanged and new abnormality detection data pertaining to a new abnormality detected by the abnormality detection unit are registered in only one of the memories, the abnormality confirmation data replacing the new abnormality detection data in the appropriate memory; and a confirmation notification unit making a notification of abnormality confirmation when the abnormality confirmation data are registered by the confirmation registration unit.

Image formation device

A controlling system comprising an image forming device and a controlling device for the image forming device, the image forming device having an indicating device which can indicate that a toner cartridge is in a toner near empty state and a communication part for communicating with the controlling device via a communication network, and when the toner near empty state of the toner cartridge is detected, the communication part transmits the information to the controlling device. The controlling device has a controlling condition table in which a controlling condition set for each image forming device to be controlled is recorded, and when a toner near empty signal is received from the image forming device to be controlled, the controlling device refers to the controlling condition of the image forming device recorded in the table, and outputs or does not output a toner near empty indication instruction signal depending on the controlling condition. When the image forming device receives the toner near empty indication instruction signal, it displays so on the indicating device.

Image forming device, device and system for controlling an image forming device, and recording medium

A replacement toner cartridge management apparatus is provided with: a receiver which receives first information indicating that a toner cartridge has been replaced with a new one and second information indicating that the remaining amount of toner contained in a toner cartridge reaches a predetermined value, from one or more than one image forming apparatus which the replacement toner cartridge management apparatus can access via a communication circuit; a determiner which determines the right type of a replacement toner cartridge to be loaded in place of the toner cartridge causing the first information or the second information, depending on which is received by the receiver, the first information or the second information; and a transmitter which outputs an instruction to deliver a replacement toner cartridge of the type determined by the determiner.

In the image forming apparatus including a developing device that develops an electrostatic latent image on an image carrying member by using toner, a first toner empty stop condition and a second toner empty stop condition for prohibiting printing because of a lack of the remaining amount in the toner are provided. The first toner empty stop condition and the second toner empty stop condition are switched in response to the state of the device.

Image forming apparatus that detects consumable supplies

Provided is an inventory management device, connected over a network to groups of image processing devices, for managing inventory, by device group, of consumable supplies used in the image processing devices. The inventory management device includes an inventory information storage unit that stores inventory information by device group and an inventory supplement selection unit that selects supplies to supplement the inventory. The inventory information includes, in association for each supply, an inventory amount, an image processing device identifier, a device group identifier, a maximum inventory amount for the device group, and a projected replacement timing. When a supply is replaced, the inventory supplement selection unit refers to the inventory information for the device group of the image processing device in which the supply was replaced to select supplies to supplement the inventory without exceeding the maximum inventory amount, starting from the supply with the earliest projected replacement timing.

Inventory management device and inventory management method

A replacement toner cartridge management apparatus is provided with: a receiver which receives toner cartridge replacement information indicating a toner cartridge loaded on an image forming apparatus which the replacement toner cartridge management apparatus can access via a communication circuit, has been replaced with a new one; an information obtainer which obtains remaining toner information of the toner cartridge removed from the image forming apparatus, when the toner cartridge replacement information is received by the receiver; a time determiner which, if the remaining toner information obtained by the information obtainer indicates a value smaller than a predetermined value, determines that an instruction to deliver a replacement toner cartridge should be outputted when the toner cartridge replacement information is received, or if the remaining toner information indicates a value larger than or equal to a predetermined value, determines that an instruction to deliver a replacement toner cartridge should be outputted at a different time; and a transmitter which outputs a delivery instruction according to the determination made by the time determiner.

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Toyokawa, Japan

Atsushi Kawai