Patent ID: 7526581

Claim:
An image forming apparatus, comprising: an exchangeable part that can be attached to and detached from a main body of the apparatus, the exchangeable part including a memory configured to store a maintenance identification (ID) of the exchangeable part and to store information relating to the exchangeable part; and a processor configured to: read out the maintenance ID of the exchangeable part from the memory, determine that the information relating to the exchangeable part stored in memory is encrypted information or decrypted information based on the maintenance ID read out by the processor, encrypt the information relating to the exchangeable part stored in the memory when it is determined that the information relating to the exchangeable part stored in memory is decrypted, and decrypt information encrypted by the processor when it is determined that the information relating to the exchangeable part stored in memory is encrypted, wherein encryption and decryption of information is performed by the processor in order to control the security of internal data of the exchangeable part when the exchangeable part is detached from the main body, and wherein the processor is further configured to: detect whether the exchangeable part is in a process of being detached from the image forming apparatus, and encrypt the information relating to the exchangeable part stored in the memory when the processor detects that the exchangeable part is in the process of being detached from the main body of the apparatus but before such process of being detached is ended.