Patent ID: 8238767
Filing Date: 2012-08-07
Classification: B41J,G03G

Abstract:
1. An image forming apparatus comprising: an image carrying body on which an electrostatic latent image corresponding to image information is formed; a developing unit that visualizes the electrostatic latent image formed on the image carrying body with a toner; a developer container that contains a developer including the toner; a developer supplying unit that supplies the developer from the developer container to the developing unit through a developer transport passage; a developer transport passage filling unit that fills the developer transport passage with the developer supplied from the developer container at a predetermined time; a control unit; a display unit that displays a remaining quantity of the developer in the developer container; an empty state detecting sensor that detects whether or not the developer container is empty; and a developer container checking unit that judges whether or not the developer container is unused; and a state storing unit that stores information indicating the remaining quantity of the developer, wherein the control unit calculates a remaining developer ratio based on an operation amount of the developer supplying unit, the control unit performs an operation of controlling the display unit to display the remaining quantity of the developer in the developer container, based on the remaining developer ratio, the control unit performs an operation of controlling the display unit forcibly to display information indicating that the developer container is full regardless of the remaining developer ratio, when the developer transport passage filling unit fills the developer transport passage with the developer supplied from the developer container at the predetermined time, and the display unit displays the remaining quantity of the developer in the developer container, wherein the predetermined time indicates a time after the empty state detecting sensor has detected that a previous developer container is empty, when the developer container checking unit judges that the developer container is unused, wherein the developer container checking unit judges whether or not the developer container is unused based on the information read from the state storing unit, wherein the remaining developer ratio is calculated by the following equation, where a first operation amount is a cumulative amount of the operation of supplying the developer by the developer supplying unit, a second operation amount is an amount of the operation of filling the developer transport passage with the developer by the developer supplying unit at a predetermined time, and a warning threshold is an amount of the operation of supplying the developer by the developer supplying unit until the developer container is empty, and the state storing unit that stores information indicating the remaining quantity of the developer, the warning threshold, the first operation amount, and the second operation amount.