Image forming apparatus counting system using individual and collective counters

Abstract

A counting device for counting a number of image forming operations of an image forming apparatus. The counting device includes a registering device for registering a plurality of identification codes and a comparing device for comparing an identification code stored in a portable memory card with the plurality of identification codes registered in the registering device. A first memory counter counts a number of image forming operations of the image forming apparatus when the comparing device matches the identification code stored in the portable memory card with at least one of the plurality of identification codes registered in the registering device. A second memory counter counts a number of image forming operations of the image forming apparatus when the comparing device does not match the identification code stored in the portable memory card with any of the plurality of identification codes registered in the registering device. Thus, the number of copying operations can be both collectively and individually counted.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.