# US 2021/0278788 A1 · Image forming apparatus that controls a fixing temperature of a toner cartridge > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2021/0278788 A1 - Document ID: US20210278788A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/810,884 - Filed: 2020-03-06 - Published: 2021-09-09 - Earliest claimed: 2020-03-06 - Assignees: Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha - Applicants: Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha - Inventors: Takahiro Nakajima - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210278788A1 ## CPC - G03G 15/2039: {with means for controlling the fixing temperature} - G03G 21/1875: {provided with identifying means or means for storing process- or use parameters, e.g. lifetime of the cartridge} - G03G 21/1889: {for auto-setting of process parameters, lifetime, usage} - G03G 21/20: Humidity or temperature control {also ozone evacuation; Internal apparatus environment control} - G03G: ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY ## Abstract According to one example, an image forming apparatus includes a detection unit that detects temperature information on a temperature of a toner stored in a toner cartridge, an image forming unit that forms a toner image on a sheet with the toner supplied from the toner cartridge, a fixing unit that fixes the toner image formed on the sheet by the image forming unit, and a control unit that controls a fixing temperature in the fixing unit according to the temperature information detected by the detection unit and an accumulated time in which the temperature information is detected. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An image forming apparatus, comprising: a detector that detects temperature information of a temperature of a toner stored in a toner cartridge; an image forming device that forms a toner image on a sheet with the toner supplied from the toner cartridge; a fixing unit that fixes the toner image formed on the sheet by the image forming device; and a controller that controls a fixing temperature in the fixing unit according to the temperature information having a longest accumulated time and an accumulated time from a combination of the temperature information detected by the detector and the accumulated time in which the temperature information is detected. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller acquires characteristic information determined by characteristics of the toner, and the characteristic information comprises information for correcting the fixing temperature based on the combination of the temperature information and the accumulated time. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein characteristic information is stored in a non-transitory storage medium provided in the toner cartridge, and the controller acquires the characteristic information from the non-transitory storage medium. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the non-transitory storage medium stores information for determining whether the toner cartridge is a genuine toner cartridge. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein characteristic information comprises information for correcting the fixing temperature to be higher as at least one of the temperatures indicated by the temperature information is higher or the accumulated time is longer. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detector detects information indicating a temperature in the image forming apparatus in which the toner cartridge is stored as the temperature information on the temperature of the toner. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detector detects a temperature inside the image forming apparatus. ### Claim 8 A toner cartridge for storing a toner, comprising: a non-transitory storage medium that stores characteristic information for correcting a fixing temperature when a toner image formed on a sheet is fixed by a toner supplied from the toner cartridge, wherein the characteristic information comprises information for correcting the fixing temperature according to temperature information having a longest accumulated time and an accumulated time from a combination of the temperature information detected by a detector and the accumulated time in which the temperature information is detected. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The toner cartridge according to claim 8, wherein the characteristic information comprises information for correcting the fixing temperature to be higher as at least one of a temperature indicated by a temperature information on a temperature of the toner stored in the toner cartridge is higher or as an accumulated time in which the temperature information is detected is longer. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The toner cartridge according to claim 8, wherein the non-transitory storage medium stores information for determining whether the toner cartridge is a genuine toner cartridge. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The toner cartridge according to claim 8, wherein the temperature information comprises information indicating a temperature in an image forming apparatus in which the toner cartridge is stored. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The toner cartridge according to claim 8, wherein the characteristic information comprises information for correcting the fixing temperature based on the combination of the temperature information and an accumulated time in which the temperature information is detected. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The toner cartridge according to claim 8, wherein the non-transitory storage medium comprises a dynamic random access memory. ### Claim 14 An image forming method, comprising: detecting temperature information of a temperature of a toner stored in a toner cartridge; forming a toner image on a sheet with the toner supplied from the toner cartridge; fixing the toner image formed on the sheet; and controlling a fixing temperature according to the temperature information having a longest accumulated time and the accumulated time from a combination of the temperature information detected and the accumulated time in which the temperature information is detected. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The image forming method according to claim 14, further comprising: acquiring characteristic information determined by characteristics of the toner, the characteristic information comprises information for correcting the fixing temperature based on a combination of the temperature information and the accumulated time. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The image forming method according to claim 15, wherein the characteristic information is stored in a non-transitory storage medium provided in the toner cartridge, and further comprising: acquiring the characteristic information from the non-transitory storage medium. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The image forming method according to claim 16, wherein the non-transitory storage medium stores information for determining whether the toner cartridge is a genuine toner cartridge. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The image forming method according to claim 15, wherein the characteristic information comprises information for correcting the fixing temperature to be higher as at least one of the temperatures indicated by the temperature information is higher or the accumulated time is longer. ### Claim 19 (depends on 14) The image forming method according to claim 14, further comprising: detecting information indicating a temperature in an image forming apparatus in which the toner cartridge is stored as the temperature information on the temperature of the toner. ### Claim 20 (depends on 14) The image forming method according to claim 14, wherein the detecting the temperature information comprises detecting a temperature inside an image forming apparatus.