Image forming apparatus and method for acquiring information of toner container
AssigneesKabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorMasaaki Wakamatsu
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Abstract
An image forming apparatus includes a toner container attaching unit to which a toner container is to be attached, the toner container attaching unit including an apparatus-side terminal that comes into contact with a container-side terminal of the toner container and an apparatus-side coupling that engages with a container-side coupling of the toner container, and a control unit. The control unit is configured to execute a first process to acquire information of the toner container via the apparatus-side terminal, and cause the apparatus-side coupling to be rotated based on a result of the first process.
Claims20
An image forming apparatus comprising:
- a toner container attaching unit to which a toner container, having an auger extending inwardly thereof, is to be attached, the toner container attaching unit including an apparatus-side terminal that comes into contact with a container-side terminal of the toner container, and an apparatus-side coupling that engages with a container-side coupling that is fixed to an end of the auger;
- and
- a control unit configured to execute a first process to acquire identification information about the toner container via the apparatus-side terminal, and cause the apparatus-side coupling to be rotated or not rotated based on a result of the first process.
A method for acquiring identification information about a toner container, having an auger extending inwardly thereof, being attached to a toner container attaching unit of an image forming apparatus, the toner container attaching unit including an apparatus-side terminal that is arranged to come into contact with a container-side terminal of the toner container, and an apparatus-side coupling that is arranged to engage with a container-side coupling that is fixed to an end of the auger, the method comprising:
- executing a first process to acquire the identification information about the toner container via the apparatus-side terminal of the image forming apparatus;
- and
- rotating or not rotating the apparatus-side coupling of the image forming apparatus based on a result of the first process.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.