# US 12,547,101 B2 · Image forming device to notify of guiding message showing guidance on recycling cartridge > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,547,101 B2 - Document ID: US12547101B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/680,301 - Filed: 2024-05-31 - Published: 2024-12-26 - Granted: 2026-02-10 - Earliest claimed: 2023-06-26 - Assignees: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha - Applicants: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha - Inventors: Satoru Oki; Tetsunori Mori; Taichiro Kimoto; Sadaaki Miyazaki - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12547101B2 ## 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 15/55: {Self-diagnostics; Malfunction or lifetime display} - G03G 15/5016: {User-machine interface; Display panels; Control console} - G03G 15/556: {for toner consumption, e.g. pixel counting, toner coverage detection or toner density measurement} - G03G 21/181: {Manufacturing or assembling, recycling, reuse, transportation, packaging or storage} - G03G 15/0863: {provided with identifying means or means for storing process- or use parameters, e.g. an electronic memory} - G03G 15/5075: {Remote control machines, e.g. by a host} - G03G 2215/00987: Remanufacturing, i.e. reusing or recycling parts of the image forming apparatus - G03G: ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY ## Abstract An image forming device includes an image forming unit, a notification device, and a controller. The image forming unit is configured to print an image on a sheet with colorant accommodated in a cartridge mounted on the image forming device. The notification device is configured to notify of information. The controller is configured to perform, at a prescribed time, a recycling potential determination process to determine whether the cartridge can be recycled. The controller is configured to perform, when the recycling potential determination process determines that the cartridge can be recycled, a guiding process to control the notification device to notify of a guiding message showing a guidance on recycling the cartridge. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An image forming device comprising: an image forming unit configured to print an image on a sheet with colorant accommodated in a cartridge mounted on the image forming device; a notification device configured to notify of information; a plurality of mount units in which a plurality of cartridges is configured to be mounted; a main storage; and a controller configured to perform: at a prescribed time, a recycling potential determination process to determine whether the cartridge can be recycled; and when the recycling potential determination process determines that the cartridge can be recycled, a guiding process to control the notification device to notify of a guiding message showing a guidance on recycling the cartridge, wherein the controller is configured to perform the recycling potential determination process on the basis of at least attribute information stored in a cartridge storage provided in the cartridge, the attribute information being related to an attribute of the colorant accommodated in the cartridge, wherein the attribute information indicates selected at least one of a first property and a second property different from the first property, wherein the controller is configured to further perform: a first determination process to determine whether the attribute information stored in the cartridge storage of the cartridge indicates the first property or the second property, the first determination process determining that the cartridge cannot be recycled when the attribute information indicates the first property whereas the first determination process determining that the cartridge can be recycled when the attribute information indicates the second property; a storing process when the first determination process determines that the cartridge cannot be recycled, the storing process being to store, in the main storage, unrecyclable information in association with a mount unit in which the cartridge is mounted among the plurality of mount units; and a second determination process to determine whether the cartridge is mounted in a specific mount unit that is a mount unit associated with the unrecyclable information among the plurality of mount units, the second determination process determining that the cartridge cannot be recycled when the cartridge is mounted in the specific mount unit whereas the second determination process determining that the cartridge can be recycled when the cartridge is mounted in a mount unit not associated with the unrecyclable information among the plurality of mount units, wherein the recycling potential determination process determines that the cartridge can be recycled when a prescribed condition is satisfied, the prescribed condition including at least a condition that the first determination process determines that the cartridge can be recycled and a condition that the second determination process determines that the cartridge can be recycled. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The image forming device according to claim 1, wherein the guiding message includes one of a message showing a method to allow the cartridge to be collected and a message confirming whether to allow the cartridge to be collected. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The image forming device according to claim 1, wherein the controller performs the recycling potential determination process on the basis of at least a recycle count, the recycle count being stored in the cartridge storage provided in the cartridge, the recycle count indicating the number of times that the cartridge has been recycled. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The image forming device according to claim 1, wherein the controller performs the recycling potential determination process on the basis of at least an elapsed time from a reference time, the reference time being stored in the cartridge storage provided in the cartridge. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The image forming device according to claim 1, wherein the controller performs the recycling potential determination process on the basis of at least a recycle count and an elapsed time from a reference time, the recycle count being stored in the cartridge storage provided in the cartridge, the recycle count indicating the number of times that the cartridge has been recycled, the reference time being stored in the cartridge storage provided in the cartridge. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The image forming device according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to perform the first determination process, the storing process, the second determination process, and the recycling potential determination process on each cartridge of the plurality of cartridges mounted in a corresponding mount unit of the plurality of mount units. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The image forming device according to claim 1, wherein the guiding message shows the guidance on recycling so that the cartridge can be reused in the image forming device, wherein the controller is configured to further perform: when the recycling potential determination process determines that the cartridge cannot be recycled, a second guiding process to control the notification device to notify of a second guiding message showing a guidance on a different process different from a process to recycle the cartridge to be reused in the image forming device. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The image forming device according to claim 7, wherein the different process includes a thermal recycling process to heat the cartridge. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The image forming device according to claim 1, further comprising: a residual quantity sensor configured to detect a residual quantity of the colorant accommodated in the cartridge, wherein the prescribed time is based on the residual quantity detected by the residual quantity sensor. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The image forming device according to claim 9, wherein the prescribed time is a time when the residual quantity detected by the residual quantity sensor is less than or equal to a prescribed threshold value. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The image forming device according to claim 1, further comprising: a cartridge sensor configured to detect removal of the cartridge from the image forming device, wherein the prescribed time is a time when the cartridge sensor detects removal of the cartridge from the image forming device. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The image forming device according to claim 1, wherein the guiding message varies according to cartridge attribute information stored in the cartridge storage provided in the cartridge, the cartridge attribute information being related to an attribute of the cartridge. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The image forming device according to claim 12, wherein the cartridge attribute information indicates whether the cartridge is an initial cartridge mounted in the image forming device. ### Claim 14 An image forming system comprising: a terminal device; and an image forming device configured to communicate with the terminal device, the image forming device comprising: an image forming unit configured to print an image on a sheet with colorant accommodated in a cartridge mounted on the image forming device; a notification device configured to notify of information; a plurality of mount units in which a plurality of cartridges is configured to be mounted; a main storage; and a controller configured to perform: at a prescribed time, a recycling potential determination process to determine whether the cartridge can be recycled; and when the recycling potential determination process determines that the cartridge can be recycled, a transmission process to transmit information indicating a result of the recycling potential determination process to the terminal device, wherein when the terminal device receives the information from the image forming device, the terminal device is configured to notify of a guiding message showing a guidance on recycling the cartridge, wherein the controller is configured to perform the recycling potential determination process on the basis of at least attribute information stored in a cartridge storage provided in the cartridge, the attribute information being related to an attribute of the colorant accommodated in the cartridge, wherein the attribute information indicates selected at least one of a first property and a second property different from the first property, wherein the controller is configured to further perform: a first determination process to determine whether the attribute information stored in the cartridge storage of the cartridge indicates the first property or the second property, the first determination process determining that the cartridge cannot be recycled when the attribute information indicates the first property whereas the first determination process determining that the cartridge can be recycled when the attribute information indicates the second property; a storing process when the first determination process determines that the cartridge cannot be recycled, the storing process being to store, in the main storage, unrecyclable information in association with a mount unit in which the cartridge is mounted among the plurality of mount units; and a second determination process to determine whether the cartridge is mounted in a specific mount unit that is a mount unit associated with the unrecyclable information among the plurality of mount units, the second determination process determining that the cartridge cannot be recycled when the cartridge is mounted in the specific mount unit whereas the second determination process determining that the cartridge can be recycled when the cartridge is mounted in a mount unit not associated with the unrecyclable information among the plurality of mount units, wherein the recycling potential determination process determines that the cartridge can be recycled when a prescribed condition is satisfied, the prescribed condition including at least a condition that the first determination process determines that the cartridge can be recycled and a condition that the second determination process determines that the cartridge can be recycled.