Patent ID: 8526833

Claim:
An image forming apparatus, comprising: an apparatus main unit that forms an image on a recording medium based on image data; and a cartridge that contains a developing agent and is detachably mountable with respect to the apparatus main unit, wherein the cartridge is provided with: a wireless tag that stores classification information of the cartridge; and a magnet that is arranged in a different position on a board of the wireless tag according to a type of the cartridge, and wherein the apparatus main unit is provided with: a communication section that read the classification information of the cartridge stored in the wireless tag by using wireless communication; a magnetoelectric transducer that is arranged in a position that intersects a magnetic flux of the magnet arranged on the board of the wireless tag with which the cartridge is provided when a cartridge that is certified in advance is mounted to the apparatus main unit, and detects the magnetic flux of the magnet to output a detection signal; a storage section that stores classification information of the apparatus main unit; and an identifying section that identifies the mounted cartridge as a certified product when the classification information of the cartridge read by the communication section and the classification information of the apparatus main unit stored in the storage section are in agreement and the detection signal has been outputted from the magnetoelectric transducer.