Patent ID: 9405222
Filing Date: 2016-08-02
CPC Classification: G03G

Claim Text:
1. An image forming apparatus comprising: a print portion which performs printing with a toner; a toner storage member which is removable with respect to the image forming apparatus, to which a substrate portion is attached and which supplies the toner to the print portion; a terminal portion which communicates with the substrate portion; a determination portion which determines, based on information received via the terminal portion from the substrate portion in the toner storage member, whether or not the toner storage member is a genuine product and which detects a remaining amount of the toner in the toner storage member; and a notification portion which notifies a state of the apparatus, wherein the substrate portion is one substrate, and includes, on the one substrate, a memory, a remaining amount detection portion which detects the remaining amount of toner, and a communication terminal portion, the remaining amount detection portion includes a differential transformer and a detection circuit which processes an output of the differential transformer, the memory stores security information determines whether or not the toner storage member is the genuine product and an empty output value indicating an output value of the detection portion when the toner storage member is in an empty state, the communication terminal portion transmits details stored in the memory and delivers the output value of the detection circuit to the determination portion, the determination portion recognizes a magnitude of the output value of the detection circuit and compares the empty output value stored in the memory with the output value of the detection circuit to determine whether or not the toner storage member is in the empty state, and when the determination portion determines that the toner storage member is in the empty state, the notification portion notifies that the toner storage member is empty.