# US 11,442,380 B2 · Controlling toner refill by using toner refill cartridge > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,442,380 B2 - Document ID: US11442380B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/279,258 - Filed: 2019-08-07 - Published: 2022-01-06 - Granted: 2022-09-13 - Earliest claimed: 2019-03-06 - Assignees: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. - Applicants: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. - Inventors: Jea Hong Park; Jang-Geun Kim - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11442380B2 ## CPC - G03G 15/0894: {Reconditioning of the developer unit, i.e. reusing or recycling parts of the unit, e.g. resealing of the unit before refilling with toner} - G03G 15/0863: {provided with identifying means or means for storing process- or use parameters, e.g. an electronic memory} - G03G 15/0865: {Arrangements for supplying new developer} - G03G 15/5075: {Remote control machines, e.g. by a host} - G03G 15/5079: {for maintenance} - G03G 15/55: {Self-diagnostics; Malfunction or lifetime display} - G03G 21/1892: {for presence detection, authentication} - G06F 21/44: Program or device authentication - B41J 2/17546: {electronically} - G03G 21/181: {Manufacturing or assembling, recycling, reuse, transportation, packaging or storage} - G03G 2215/00987: Remanufacturing, i.e. reusing or recycling parts of the image forming apparatus - G03G 2215/066: Toner cartridge or other attachable and detachable container for supplying developer material to replace the used material - G03G 2215/0697: being an electronically readable memory - G03G 2221/1823: Cartridges having electronically readable memory - G03G: ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - B41J: TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS ## Abstract An example image forming apparatus includes a main body, a toner refilling portion, and a controller. On the main body, a development cartridge is mounted. The toner refilling portion is connected to the development cartridge and a toner refill cartridge inserted through a communicating portion of the main body and thus receives, from the toner refill cartridge, authentication information obtained from the toner refill cartridge, thereby adjusting a toner inflow from the toner refill cartridge to the development cartridge. A controller determines whether to allow a toner refill using the toner refill cartridge based on the authentication information obtained from the toner refill cartridge and authentication information obtained from the image forming apparatus and controls the toner refilling portion according to a determination result. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An image forming apparatus comprising: a main body on which a development cartridge is mounted; a toner refilling portion to connect the development cartridge to a toner refill cartridge inserted through a communicating portion of the main body, to obtain authentication information from the toner refill cartridge, and to adjust a toner inflow from the toner refill cartridge to the development cartridge; and a controller to perform a toner refill operation using the toner refill cartridge based on the authentication information obtained from the toner refill cartridge matching authentication information obtained from the image forming apparatus, wherein the authentication information obtained from the image forming apparatus includes authentication information previously received from the toner refill cartridge during an initial refill operation and stored in the image forming apparatus based on an initial connection by the image forming apparatus to the toner refill cartridge and genuine product authentication of the toner refill cartridge by the image forming apparatus. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the authentication information obtained from the toner refill cartridge and the authentication information obtained from the image forming apparatus comprises identification information based on an authentication key generated based on at least one of product identification information of the toner refill cartridge and or identification information of a toner provider. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The image forming apparatus of claim 2, wherein the controller is further to: perform toner provider authentication by using the identification information of the toner provider obtained from the toner refill cartridge, through an authentication managing server external to the image forming apparatus; compare the identification information based on an authentication key obtained from the toner refill cartridge with identification information based on an authentication key obtained from the image forming apparatus; and perform the toner refill operation using the toner refill cartridge according to whether the identification information based on the authentication key obtained from the toner refill cartridge matches with the identification information based on the authentication key obtained from the image forming apparatus. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The image forming apparatus of claim 2, wherein the controller is further to: perform toner provider authentication by using the identification information of the toner provider which is obtained from the toner refill cartridge, through a user interface device of the image forming apparatus; compare identification information based on the authentication key obtained from the toner refill cartridge with identification information based on the authentication key obtained from the image forming apparatus; and as a result of the comparison, perform the toner refill operation using the toner refill cartridge according to whether the identification information based on the authentication key obtained from the toner refill cartridge matches with the identification information based on the authentication key obtained from the image forming apparatus. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus of claim 1, wherein the authentication information obtained from the image forming apparatus is stored in one of a data manager of the toner refilling portion or a non-volatile memory of the controller. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus of claim 1, wherein, before the toner refill cartridge is connected to the image forming apparatus, the authentication information obtained from the toner refill cartridge is transmitted to the toner refill cartridge from a host device and stored in the toner refill cartridge. ### Claim 7 A toner refill method using a toner refill cartridge, the toner refill method comprising: connecting a toner refill cartridge to an image forming apparatus through a communicating portion of a main body of the image forming apparatus; obtaining authentication information from the toner refill cartridge; and performing a toner refill operation using the toner refill cartridge based on the authentication information obtained from the toner refill cartridge matching authentication information obtained from the image forming apparatus, wherein the authentication information obtained from the image forming apparatus includes authentication information previously received from the toner refill cartridge during an initial refill operation and stored in the image forming apparatus based on an initial connection by the image forming apparatus to the toner refill cartridge and genuine product authentication of the toner refill cartridge by the image forming apparatus. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The toner refill method of claim 7, wherein each of the authentication information obtained from the toner refill cartridge and the authentication information obtained from the image forming apparatus comprises identification information based on an authentication key generated based on at least one of product identification information of the toner refill cartridge or identification information of a toner provider. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The toner refill method of claim 8, wherein the performing of the toner refill operation comprises: performing toner provider authentication by using the identification information of the toner provider obtained from the toner refill cartridge through an authentication managing server external to the image forming apparatus; comparing the identification information based on an authentication key obtained from the toner refill cartridge with identification information based on an authentication key obtained from the image forming apparatus; and as a result of the comparison, performing the toner refill operation using the toner refill cartridge according to whether the identification information based on the authentication key obtained from the toner refill cartridge matches with the identification information based on the authentication key obtained from the image forming apparatus. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The toner refill method of claim 8, wherein the performing of the toner refill operation comprises: performing toner provider authentication by using the identification information of the toner provider which is obtained from the toner refill cartridge through a user interface device of the image forming apparatus; comparing identification information based on the authentication key obtained from the toner refill cartridge with identification information based on the authentication key obtained from the image forming apparatus; and as a result of the comparison, performing the toner refill operation using the toner refill cartridge according to whether the identification information based on the authentication key obtained from the toner refill cartridge matches with the identification information based on the authentication key obtained from the image forming apparatus. ### Claim 11 (depends on 7) The toner refill method of claim 7, wherein the authentication information obtained from the image forming apparatus is stored in one of a data manager of a toner refilling portion on which the toner refill cartridge is mounted when the toner refill cartridge is connected to the image forming apparatus or a non-volatile memory of the image forming apparatus. ### Claim 12 (depends on 7) The toner refill method of claim 7, wherein, before the toner refill cartridge is connected to the image forming apparatus, the authentication information obtained from the toner refill cartridge is transmitted to the toner refill cartridge from a host device and stored in the toner refill cartridge. ### Claim 13 A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon instructions executable by a processor, the non-transitory computer-readable recording medium comprising: instructions for connecting a toner refill cartridge to an image forming apparatus through a communicating portion of a main body of the image forming apparatus; instructions for obtaining authentication information from the toner refill cartridge; and instructions for performing a toner refill operation using the toner refill cartridge based on authentication information obtained from the toner refill cartridge matching authentication information obtained from the image forming apparatus, wherein the authentication information obtained from the image forming apparatus comprises authentication information previously received from the toner refill cartridge during an initial refill operation and stored in the image forming apparatus based on an initial connection by the image forming apparatus to the toner refill cartridge and genuine product authentication of the toner refill cartridge by the image forming apparatus. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium of claim 13, wherein each of the authentication information obtained from the toner refill cartridge and the authentication information obtained from the image forming apparatus comprises identification information based on an authentication key generated based on at least one of product identification information of the toner refill cartridge or identification information of a toner provider. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium of claim 14, wherein the instructions for performing the toner refill operation comprise: instructions for performing toner provider authentication by using the identification information of the toner provider obtained from the toner refill cartridge through an authentication managing server external to the image forming apparatus; instructions for comparing the identification information based on an authentication key obtained from the toner refill cartridge with identification information based on an authentication key obtained from the image forming apparatus; and instructions for, as a result of the comparison, performing the toner refill operation using the toner refill cartridge according to whether the identification information based on the authentication key obtained from the toner refill cartridge matches with the identification information based on the authentication key obtained from the image forming apparatus. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium of claim 14, wherein the instructions for performing the toner refill operation comprise: instructions for performing toner provider authentication by using the identification information of the toner provider which is obtained from the toner refill cartridge through a user interface device of the image forming apparatus; instructions for comparing identification information based on the authentication key obtained from the toner refill cartridge with identification information based on the authentication key obtained from the image forming apparatus; and instructions for, as a result of the comparison, performing the toner refill operation using the toner refill cartridge according to whether the identification information based on the authentication key obtained from the toner refill cartridge matches with the identification information based on the authentication key obtained from the image forming apparatus. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium of claim 13, wherein the authentication information obtained from the image forming apparatus is stored in one of a data manager of a toner refilling portion on which the toner refill cartridge is mounted when the toner refill cartridge is connected to the image forming apparatus or a non-volatile memory of the image forming apparatus. ### Claim 18 (depends on 13) The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium of claim 13, wherein, before the toner refill cartridge is connected to the image forming apparatus, the authentication information obtained from the toner refill cartridge is transmitted to the toner refill cartridge from a host device and stored in the toner refill cartridge.