Electrophotographic image forming apparatus comprising a main body control means using information stored and held in advance under a predetermined condition to make an image forming operation by a process cartridge possible when interference occurs to cartridge-apparatus communication or a controller for controlling an image forming operation on the basis of main body information stored in advance

Abstract

An electrophotographic image forming apparatus on the main body of which a process cartridge is detachably mountable and for forming an image on a detachably mountable and for forming an image on a recording medium includes (a) a mounting device for detachably mounting the process cartridge having an electrophotographic photosensitive member, a process device for acting on the electrophotographic photosensitive member, and a cartridge radio communication device having a memory element for storing therein information necessary for the image forming operation performed by the process cartridge when the process device is caused to act on the electrophotographic photosensitive member to thereby form an image on the recording medium, and radio-communicating to the main body the information stored in the memory element, (b) a main body radio communication device having a controlling portion for effecting the reading and writing of the information to the memory element of the cartridge radio communication device, and radio-communicating to the cartridge radio communication device the information for the controlling portion to effect reading and writing to the memory element, and (c) a main body control device using the information stored and held in advance under a predetermined condition to make the image forming operation by the process cartridge possible when interference occurs with the radio communication by the cartridge radio communication device and the main body radio communication device.