Image forming apparatus, component, component checking method, control program, and storage medium

The present invention is an image forming apparatus that functions using mountable functional components.<u style="single">、</u>Whether the functional component can be used in the image forming apparatus<u style="single">Judgment</u>Of functional parts to<u style="single">Judgment</u>It relates to a method, a control program for causing a computer to execute the determination method, and a storage medium in which the control program is stored.

In general, an image forming apparatus (recording apparatus) such as an inkjet printer has a cartridge type functional component (hereinafter, also simply referred to as "cartridge") for accommodating consumables such as ink and a recording medium with respect to the image forming apparatus main body. It is installed interchangeably. Such a cartridge is distributed and sold as a single unit separately from the image forming apparatus main body. As for the image forming apparatus, new products are manufactured and released in a short period of time such as every year or half a year, and improvements for improving the performance are rarely made after the release. On the other hand, since the cartridge continues to be supplied while the image forming apparatus using the cartridge is used in the market, it can be manufactured and sold for much longer than the image forming apparatus main body, for example, for 10 years or more. Since cartridges continue to be manufactured and sold for many years in this way, improvements and improvements are often made during that time. For example, when developing a new ink and selling a cartridge (ink cartridge) that contains it, the new cartridge can be used for image forming equipment released in the past, and a smooth transition from the old cartridge can be made. It is not uncommon to try.

However, it is often difficult to adapt the new cartridge to all image forming devices that were compatible with the old cartridge. For example, when the image forming apparatus is an inkjet printer, it is difficult to take measures such as a control for ejecting ink and a recovery apparatus for preventing clogging of nozzles for ejecting ink. Also, the shape of the new consumable cannot be changed from the shape of the old consumable in order to make the new cartridge compatible with the image forming apparatus sold in the past.

As a technique for solving these problems, Patent Document 1 describes a method of storing and using ID information (identification) in a cartridge. That is, by identifying the ID information stored in the cartridge by the image forming apparatus, it is possible to prevent an inappropriate cartridge from being attached to and used by the image forming apparatus. Further, Patent Document 2 describes a method of storing and using driver information compatible with the cartridge in the cartridge. That is, by determining the compatibility between the driver information stored in the cartridge and the printer driver of the image forming apparatus, it is possible to prevent an inappropriate cartridge from being attached to the image forming apparatus and being used. In addition, by identifying and using a printer driver that matches the driver information, it is possible to correctly use the new cartridge even in the image forming apparatus released in the past.

<patcit num="1"><text>Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-246921</text></patcit><patcit num="2"><text>Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-225307</text></patcit>

<p> However, in the case of the method described in Patent Document 1, the image forming apparatus released in the past cannot correctly identify the ID information of the new cartridge. Further, in the case of the method described in Patent Document 2, a new cartridge can be correctly identified by collating the driver information with the printer driver in the image forming apparatus released in the past. However, for that purpose, a computer (host device) equipped with a printer driver and communicating with the image forming apparatus is required. In recent years, there is an image forming apparatus that directly connects a digital camera and an image forming apparatus and records an image taken by the digital camera without using a computer. Further, a multifunction type image forming apparatus having a scanner function, a fax function, a copy function, and the like has become common. A method as in Patent Document 1, which is premised on connection with a computer, cannot be applied to such an image forming apparatus that does not require a computer. </p><p> An object of the present invention is an image forming apparatus capable of accurately determining the compatibility between an image forming apparatus and functional components that can be attached to the image forming apparatus.<u style="single">、</u>Of functional parts<u style="single">Judgment</u>To provide methods, control programs, and storage media.</p>

<p> The image forming apparatus of the present invention is an image forming apparatus that functions by using a wearable functional component, and the functional component stores identification information of the functional component as first information, and the functional component is stored in the functional component. The identification information of at least one usable image forming apparatus is stored as the second information, and the image forming apparatus stores the identification information of the image forming apparatus as the third information and can be used in the image forming apparatus. A storage means for storing identification information of at least one functional component as fourth information, a reading means for reading the first and second information from the functional component mounted on the image forming apparatus, and the first And compare the second information with the third and fourth information<u style="single">With comparison means to</u>、<u style="single">The comparison result by the comparison means is</u>When the fourth information includes the first information, or when the second information includes the third information, it is determined that the functional component mounted on the image forming apparatus can be used, and the second information is determined. 4 When the information does not include the first information and the second information does not include the third information, the determination means for determining that the functional component mounted on the image forming apparatus cannot be used, and<u style="single">The comparison result by the comparison means is such that when the fourth information does not include the first information and the second information includes the third information, the first information is added to the fourth information. A writing means for writing the first information to the storage means, and</u>It is characterized by having.</p><p> Of the functional components of the present invention<u style="single">Judgment</u>The method determines whether or not the functional components mounted on the image forming apparatus can be used in the image forming apparatus.<u style="single">Judgment</u>Of functional parts<u style="single">Judgment</u>In the method, the functional component stores the identification information of the functional component as the first information, and stores the identification information of at least one image forming apparatus capable of using the functional component as the second information.<u style="single">Keep</u>, The image forming apparatus stores the identification information of the image forming apparatus as the third information, and stores the identification information of at least one functional component that can be used in the image forming apparatus as the fourth information.<u style="single">Keep</u>、<u style="single">The comparison step of comparing the first and second information with the third and fourth information and the comparison result of the comparison step show that the fourth information includes the first information, or the second information is When the third information is included, it is determined that the functional component mounted on the image forming apparatus can be used, the fourth information does not include the first information, and the second information includes the third information. When the information is not included, the comparison result of the determination step of determining that the functional component mounted on the image forming apparatus is unusable and the comparison step shows that the fourth information includes the first information. It also has a step of storing the first information in the image forming apparatus so as to add the first information to the fourth information when the second information includes the third information.</u>It is characterized by that.</p><p> The control program of the present invention determines whether or not the functional components mounted on the image forming apparatus can be used.<u style="single">Judgment</u>The functional component stores the identification information of the functional component as the first information, and the identification information of at least one image forming apparatus capable of using the functional component is used as the second information. The image forming apparatus stores the identification information of the image forming apparatus as the third information, and stores the identification information of at least one functional component that can be used in the image forming apparatus as the fourth information. And<u style="single">Said</u>Compare the 1st and 2nd information with the 3rd and 4th information<u style="single">With comparison steps</u>、<u style="single">The comparison result by the comparison step is</u>When the fourth information includes the first information, or when the second information includes the third information, it is determined that the functional component mounted on the image forming apparatus can be used, and the second information is determined. 4 When the information does not include the first information and the second information does not include the third information, the step of determining that the functional component mounted on the image forming apparatus cannot be used.<u style="single">When</u>、<u style="single">The comparison result by the comparison step is such that when the fourth information does not include the first information and the second information includes the third information, the first information is added to the fourth information. Steps to be stored in the image forming device and</u>Is characterized by having a computer execute the above.</p><p> The storage medium of the present invention is a storage medium that stores a program code that can be read by a computer, and is characterized by storing the above-mentioned control program.</p>

<p> According to the present invention, the functional component stores the identification information (first information) of the functional component and the identification information (second information) of at least one image forming apparatus that can use the functional component. Further, the image forming apparatus stores the identification information (third information) of the image forming apparatus and the identification information (fourth information) of at least one functional component that can be used in the image forming apparatus. Then, when the fourth information includes the first information or the second information includes the third information, it is determined that the functional component mounted on the image forming apparatus can be used. On the other hand, when the fourth information does not include the first information and the second information does not include the third information, it is determined that the functional component mounted on the image forming apparatus cannot be used.</p><p> As described above, the present invention presents the image forming apparatus and the functional components that can be attached to the image forming apparatus by comparing the first and second information stored in the functional component with the third and fourth information stored in the image forming apparatus. And, the suitability can be accurately determined. Further, for example, by including the identification information of the image forming apparatus sold in the past in the second information stored in the newly manufactured and sold functional component, the functional component can be used without any modification of the image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus that can be used can be set appropriately and freely.</p>

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Not all of the concepts included in the following embodiments are described in the claims. However, such a concept is not intentionally excluded from the technical scope of the patented invention, but may have an equal relationship with the patented invention.

[First Embodiment] In the first embodiment below, a case where one cartridge (ink cartridge) for accommodating ink is mounted as a functional component in an image forming apparatus (recording apparatus) that forms an image using ink will be described. However, the present invention does not limit the number of cartridges mounted on the image forming apparatus to only one, and the cartridge is not limited to only an ink cartridge that stores ink, and stores various consumables such as a recording medium. It may be a cartridge. Further, the cartridge is only one form of a functional component, and may be a storage medium for storing programs, data, and the like used in the image forming apparatus.

As the ink cartridge mounted on the image forming apparatus, there is a two-cartridge type that separately stores black (K) ink and cyan (C), magenta (M), and magenta (Y) ink. Alternatively, there is also an individual type that separately stores C, M, Y, K inks and all other inks. Regardless of which type of ink cartridge is used, the image forming apparatus usually does not form an image unless all the ink cartridges to be mounted are usable. Therefore, in the image forming apparatus to which a plurality of ink cartridges are mounted, the processing described later is performed on all the ink cartridges, and the image forming apparatus operates normally only when it is determined that all the ink cartridges can be used.

FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view for explaining a configuration example of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention can be applied. The image forming apparatus of this example is a serial scanning type inkjet recording apparatus, and an ink cartridge 54 and an inkjet recording head are detachably mounted on a carriage 53 that reciprocates in the main scanning direction of arrow A. The ink cartridge is a cartridge 54 that stores ink as a consumable item. The inkjet recording head can eject the ink supplied from the ink cartridge 54 from a plurality of ejection ports, and an electric heat converter (heater), a piezo element, or the like can be used as an energy generating means for ejecting the ink. it can. When an electrothermal converter is used, the ink is foamed by the heat generated by the electrothermal converter, and the ink can be ejected from the ejection port by using the foaming energy. The ink cartridge 54 may constitute an inkjet cartridge together with the inkjet recording head.

The carriage 53 is movably guided by guide shafts 51 and 52 in the main scanning direction of arrow A. The carriage 53 is reciprocated in the main scanning direction by a driving force transmission mechanism such as a carriage motor and a belt for transmitting the driving force thereof. Paper P as a recording medium is inserted through an insertion slot 55 provided at the front end of the apparatus, its transport direction is reversed, and then is conveyed by the feed roller 56 in the sub-scanning direction of arrow B. The recording device 50 repeats a recording operation of ejecting ink toward the paper P while moving the recording head 10 in the main scanning direction and a conveying operation of conveying the paper P in the sub-scanning direction, thereby repeating the paper P. Images are recorded sequentially on top. The recording operation at this time is how to eject the ink toward the print area of the paper P on the platen 57 while moving the recording head 10 in the main scanning direction. The transport operation is an operation of transporting the paper P in the sub-scanning direction by a distance corresponding to the recording width of the image recorded by the recording operation.

A recovery unit (recovery processing means) 58 facing the formation surface of the discharge port of the recording head 10 mounted on the carriage 53 is provided at the left end in FIG. 2 in the moving region of the carriage 53. The recovery unit 58 is provided with a cap capable of capping the discharge port of the recording head 10 and a suction pump capable of introducing a negative pressure into the cap. The recovery system unit 58 sucks and discharges ink from the discharge port 15 by introducing a negative pressure into the cap that covers the discharge port, and recovers the ink in order to maintain a good ink discharge state of the recording head 10 ("" It is also called "suction recovery process"). In addition, recovery processing (also referred to as "ejection recovery processing") may be performed to maintain a good ink ejection state of the recording head 10 by ejecting ink that does not contribute to the image from the ejection port toward the inside of the cap. it can.

FIG. 1 is a block configuration diagram of a control system of the image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment.

The image forming apparatus 100 can be configured in the same manner as the inkjet recording apparatus of FIG. 8 described above. The image forming unit 109 in the image forming apparatus 100 is a portion that executes an image forming operation. In the case of the inkjet recording apparatus of FIG. 8 described above, the image forming unit 109 is mechanically required to eject ink from the inkjet recording head and record an image while relatively moving the inkjet recording head and the paper P. Includes components. Its components also include a carriage motor for driving the carriage 53 in the main scanning direction, a PF motor for transporting the paper P in the sub-scanning direction, motor drivers thereof, and the like.

The communication unit 101 of the image forming apparatus 100 communicates with a host computer (host apparatus) 200 such as a personal computer, a digital camera, or the like by USB or IEEE1394. The control unit 102 is an arithmetic unit for controlling the operation of the entire device according to the control program stored in the ROM 104. The ROM 104 is a non-volatile, non-rewritable storage device that stores ID information of the image forming apparatus 100, a control program that executes a later-described process executed by the control unit 102, and the like. The RAM 105 is a volatile storage device, which is used as a work area when the control unit 102 executes a control process, and temporarily stores various data. The PROM 106 is a rewritable non-volatile storage device, and stores cartridge ID information and the like, which will be described later.

The cartridge mounting unit 103 includes a connection portion with the cartridge connection terminal 302 of the cartridge C, which will be described later, and reads and writes information from the storage device 301 of the cartridge C. In the case of the inkjet recording apparatus of FIG. 8 described above, the ink cartridge 54 corresponds to the cartridge C, and the cartridge mounting portion 103 corresponds to the mounting portion of the ink cartridge 54 in the carriage 53.

The display unit 107 informs the user of the state of the image forming apparatus by means of an LED, a liquid crystal panel, or the like. The communication unit 101, the control unit 102, the cartridge mounting unit 103, the ROM 104, the RAM 105, the PROM 106, the display unit 107, and the image forming unit 109 communicate with each other via the shared bus 108. It is also possible to omit the ROM 104 and let the PROM 106 take on all the roles. Further, all the information that can be stored in the ROM 104 can be stored in the PROM 106.

The host computer 200 includes a RAM 201, a control unit 202, a communication unit 203, an external storage device 204, and a display unit 205, which are connected by a bus 206.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the cartridge 200 according to the present embodiment. Cartridge C is a cartridge that houses consumables such as ink and recording media. The cartridge C of this example is an ink cartridge that stores ink in the same manner as the ink cartridge 54 of FIG. 8 described above.

The cartridge C of this example includes a main body 300 for accommodating ink and a storage device 301 such as an IC chip for recording information. A cartridge connection terminal 302 that can be connected to the cartridge mounting portion 103 of the image forming apparatus 100 is connected to the storage device 301. Information exchange between the storage device 301 and the image forming apparatus 100 can also be realized by a non-contact type communication means using electromagnetic waves or the like, instead of such a contact type communication means.

3 (a) and 3 (b) are explanatory views of information stored in the PROM 106 of the image forming apparatus 100 and the storage device 301 of the cartridge C, respectively.

The ID information (third information) D3 of the image forming apparatus 100 itself and the ID information (fourth information) D4 of at least one cartridge C that can be used in the image forming apparatus 100 are written in the PROM 106. .. In FIGS. 3A and 3B, "B" is written as the ID information (third information) D3 of the image forming apparatus 100. Further, as the ID information (fourth information) D4 of the cartridge C that can be used in the image forming apparatus 100, "1" is written in the case of FIG. 3 (a), and "1" is written in the case of FIG. 3 (b). "1" and "2" are written. The image forming apparatus 100 is shipped with the ID information D3 and D4 written in the PROM 106 in this way. It may not be necessary to rewrite the ID information D3 of the image forming apparatus 100 itself. In that case, the ID information may be stored in ROM 104 (see FIG. 1).

On the other hand, the ID information (first information) D1 of the cartridge itself and the ID information (second information) D2 of one or more image forming devices 100 that can use the cartridge C are written in the storage device 301 of the cartridge C. It has been. In FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b), "2" is written as the ID information (first information) D1 of the cartridge C, and the ID information (second information) of the image forming apparatus 100 that can use the cartridge C. "A" and "B" are written as D2. The cartridge C is shipped with the ID information D1 and D2 written in the storage device 301 in this way.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the cartridge identification process in the present embodiment. Such identification processing is executed by the control unit 102 according to the control program stored in the ROM 104 of the image forming apparatus 100.

First, in step S600, the image forming apparatus 100 reads the ID information (cartridge ID) as the first information D1 stored in the storage device 102 of the cartridge C from the cartridge C mounted in the cartridge mounting unit 103. .. In step S601, the image forming apparatus 100 confirms whether or not the cartridge ID (fourth information D4) is stored in the PROM 106, and if it is stored, the cartridge ID (fourth information D4) is stored in the PROM 106 from the PROM 106. Read (step S602). Then, it is determined whether or not the cartridge ID (fourth information D4) read from the PROM 106 matches the cartridge ID (first information D1) of the cartridge C (step S603). If they match, the cartridge C mounted on the image forming apparatus 100 can be used. Therefore, in this case, the present identification process is terminated.

In the determination of step S603, if the cartridge IDs do not match, the process returns to step S601, and it is determined whether or not the PROM 106 has a cartridge ID (fourth information D4) that has not been read yet. If there is a cartridge ID that has not been read yet, the cartridge ID is read and the process of steps S602 and S603 described above is performed. If there is no cartridge ID that has not been read yet, the ID information (image forming device ID) of the image forming device 100 itself as the third information D3 is read from the ROM 104 of the image forming device 100 (step S604).

In the next step S605, it is determined whether or not the image forming device ID (second information D2) is stored in the storage device 301 of the cartridge C. If the image forming apparatus ID is stored, it is read out (step S607), and the image forming apparatus ID (second information D2) and the image forming apparatus ID read out from ROM 104 of the image forming apparatus 100 (step S607). It is determined whether or not the third information D3) and the third information D3) match (step S608). If they match, the cartridge C mounted on the image forming apparatus 100 can be used. In this case, the process proceeds to step S609, the cartridge ID is written to the PROM 106 of the image forming apparatus 100 so that the next identification process can be performed with fewer steps, and the present identification process is terminated.

For example, when the relationship between the image forming apparatus 100 and the cartridge C is as shown in FIG. 3A, the cartridge ID 2 is stored as a usable cartridge in the fourth information D4 of the image forming apparatus PROM106. Not. However, in the second information D2 of the storage device 301 of the cartridge C, "B" of the image recording device ID is written as an image forming device that can use the cartridge C. In such a case, in step S608, it is determined that the cartridge C having the cartridge ID 2 can be used in the image recording device 100 having the image recording device ID B. Then, in step S609, as shown in FIG. 3B, a new cartridge ID 2 is written in the fourth information D4 of the PROM 106 of the image forming apparatus 100.

In the determination of step S608, if the image forming apparatus IDs do not match, the process returns to step S605, and it is determined whether or not the storage device 301 of the cartridge C has an image forming apparatus ID (second information D2) that has not been read out yet. To do. If there is an image forming apparatus ID that has not been read out yet, it is read out and the processing of steps S607 and S608 is performed. If there is no image forming apparatus ID that has not been read out yet, the cartridge C mounted on the image recording apparatus 100 cannot be used in the image processing apparatus 100. In this case, the user of the image forming apparatus 100 is notified that the mounted cartridge C does not correspond to the image forming apparatus 100, and the present identification process is terminated. As a notification method in that case, for example, there is a method of blinking an LED or the like on the display unit 107 in a form different from the usual one, or a method of displaying a character string on a liquid crystal panel.

[Second Embodiment] The image forming apparatus in the first embodiment is configured to identify whether or not various cartridges including a new cartridge can be used. Further, it is possible to urge the user to update the software (driver) that instructs the image forming apparatus to form an image without changing such a basic configuration. A cartridge having an ID different from the cartridge used conventionally is often a cartridge (ink cartridge or the like) containing consumables (ink or the like) having different characteristics from the conventional one. In such cases, a printer driver (software) different from the conventional cartridge is required in most cases. Usually, the printer driver is mounted on the host computer 200, and the image forming apparatus 100 is controlled by using the printer driver.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the cartridge identification process in the present embodiment.

Steps S600 to S609 are the same as those in the first embodiment described above. In the case of the present embodiment, in step S610 after step S609, a new cartridge is attached to the image forming apparatus 100 from the image forming apparatus 100 to the host computer 200 connected to the communication unit 101 thereof. Notify that. That is, when the new cartridge ID is written to the PROM 106 (step S609) due to the mounting of the cartridge, the cartridge is determined to be a new cartridge, and the host computer 200 is notified of the information indicating that.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining a processing example of the host computer when such a notification is received.

First, in step S700, the information notified from the communication unit 203 of the image forming apparatus 100 is acquired. Then, it is identified whether or not the notified information indicates that a new cartridge has been installed (step S701). When the notified information is a notification indicating the installation of a new cartridge, the display unit 205 prompts the user to update the printer driver (step S702). FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a display example prompting the user to update the printer driver. When the dialog shown in Fig. 7 is displayed and the "Update" display button is selected by the user, a Web browser such as Internet Explorer or Netscape is started to download the printer driver. Display a web page. The user can download the printer driver to the host computer 200 from the Web page.

The processing procedure of FIG. 6 is stored as software in the external storage device 204 of the host computer 200, read into the RAM 201 by the control unit 202, and then executed by the control unit 202.

[Other embodiments] In the above-described embodiment, in order to simplify the subsequent identification process, the cartridge ID of the cartridge confirmed to be usable is written in the PROM of the recording device. However, those skilled in the art will understand that this writing process is not always necessary. That is, the process of writing the cartridge ID of the cartridge confirmed to be usable to the PROM of the recording device is merely an option.

The present invention can be widely applied to various devices to which a cartridge can be mounted, and as the cartridge, a cartridge accommodating various consumables can be used. For example, in addition to an ink cartridge that stores ink, a cartridge that stores recording paper and the like can also be used. Further, the cartridge may be a functional component that not only stores consumables used in the image forming apparatus (recording apparatus) but also stores information (including programs and data) used in the image forming apparatus.

Further, the present invention is not limited to the serial scan type recording device as described above, and can be applied to various image forming devices, and the recording method is not limited to the inkjet method and is arbitrary.

The present invention can be widely applied to an information processing system composed of a plurality of devices such as a host computer and an image forming device, and an information processing device composed of one device such as an image forming device. More specifically, it can be applied to scanners, printers, scanners, PCs, copiers, multifunction devices, facsimile machines and the like. That is, the present invention can be widely applied to various devices in which a cartridge is mounted and used.

Further, the present invention can also be achieved by a method other than executing the control program stored in the ROM 104 of the image forming apparatus 100 by the control unit 102. For example, in the present invention, the computer incorporated in the image forming apparatus 100 or the host computer (host apparatus) 200 constituting the image forming system together with the image forming apparatus 100 reads and executes the program code of the software program supplied from the outside. It can also be achieved by doing so. The software program is a software program (a program corresponding to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 5 and 7) that realizes each function of the above-described embodiment, and can be supplied directly or remotely to the system or device. Therefore, in order to realize the functions and processes of the present invention by a computer, the program code itself installed in the computer also realizes the present invention. That is, the computer program itself for realizing such a function / process is also one of the present inventions. In that case, the form of the program is not limited, and may be, for example, object code, a program executed by an interpreter, script data supplied to the OS, or the like.

Storage media for supplying programs include, for example, flexible disks, hard disks, optical disks, optical magnetic disks, MOs, CD-ROMs, CD-Rs, CD-RWs, magnetic tapes, non-volatile memory cards, ROMs, and DVDs. (DVD-ROM, DVD-R) etc. can be used.

Another method of supplying the program is to connect to the home page of the Internet using the browser of the client computer. In this case, the computer program itself of the present invention or a compressed file including the automatic installation function can be downloaded from the homepage of the connection destination to a recording medium such as a hard disk and used. It can also be supplied by dividing the program code constituting the program of the present invention into a plurality of files and downloading each file from different homepages. That is, a WWW server that allows a plurality of users to download a program file for realizing the processing function of the present invention by a computer may also be a constituent requirement of the present invention.

Further, the processing function of the present invention can also be realized by encrypting the program of the present invention, storing it in a storage medium such as a CD-ROM, and distributing it to users. In this case, a user who clears the predetermined conditions is made to download the key information for decryption from the homepage via the Internet, and the encrypted program is executed by using the key information. It can be installed on your computer.

In addition to realizing the functions of the present invention by executing the read program by the computer, the OS running on the computer performs a part or all of the actual processing based on the instructions of the program. This also makes it possible to realize the functions of the present invention.

Further, it is possible to use the memory provided in the function expansion board inserted in the computer or the function expansion unit connected to the computer. That is, after the program read from the recording medium is written in those memories, the CPU provided in the function expansion board or the function expansion unit performs a part or all of the actual processing based on the instruction of the program. Do. The function of the present invention can also be realized by the processing.

<figref num="1">It is a schematic block block diagram of the image forming apparatus in the 1st Embodiment of this invention.</figref><figref num="2">It is the schematic perspective view of the cartridge which can be attached to the image forming apparatus of FIG.</figref><figref num="3">It is explanatory drawing of (a), (b), the relationship between the image forming apparatus of FIG. 1 and the storage data of the cartridge of FIG.</figref><figref num="4">It is a flowchart for demonstrating the cartridge identification process in 1st Embodiment of this invention.</figref><figref num="5">It is a flowchart for demonstrating the cartridge identification process in 2nd Embodiment of this invention.</figref><figref num="6">It is a flowchart for demonstrating the processing of the host computer in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention.</figref><figref num="7">It is explanatory drawing of the display example of the display part in the process of FIG.</figref><figref num="8">It is the schematic perspective view of an example of the image forming apparatus to which this invention is applied.</figref>

Code description

100 image forming device 101 Communication Department 102 Control unit 103 Cartridge mounting part 104 ROM 105 RAM 106 PROM 107 Display 108 bus 109 Image forming part 200 Host computer (host device) 300 cartridge body 301 storage device C cartridge (functional parts) D1 Cartridge ID (1st information) D2 image forming device ID (second information) D3 image forming device ID (3rd information) D4 Cartridge ID (4th information)