Patent ID: 7773889
Filing Date: 2010-08-10
Classification: G03G

Abstract:
1. An image forming system, comprising: a consumable cartridge for an image forming apparatus that includes a tag memory and stores information in the tag memory as to whether the consumable cartridge is a ordinary consumable cartridge or a low price consumable cartridge; and an image forming apparatus in which the consumable cartridge for an image forming apparatus is loaded, wherein the image forming apparatus can take two forms, one of which is a low price consumable cartridge disabled image forming apparatus which cannot use the low price consumable cartridge, and the other of which is a low price consumable cartridge enabled image forming apparatus which can use the low price consumable cartridge, the low price consumable cartridge disabled image forming apparatus can be irreversibly shifted to the low price consumable cartridge enabled image forming apparatus, the low price consumable cartridge disabled image forming apparatus can operate properly at the time when the ordinary consumable cartridge is loaded and can operate limitedly when the low price consumable cartridge is loaded, and the low price consumable cartridge enabled image forming apparatus can operate properly in both cases when the ordinary consumable cartridge is loaded and when the low price consumable cartridge is loaded.