The present disclosure provides a consumable chip, a consumable, and a communication method between the image forming apparatus and the consumable chip. The consumable chip is capable of being installed on the consumable, and the consumable is capable of being detachably installed on the image forming apparatus. The consumable chip includes a first storage unit and a chip control unit. The first storage unit is configured to store first fixed data representing attribute information of the consumable. The chip control unit is configured to receive an authentication request sent by the image forming apparatus, obtain the first fixed data and first variable data representing consumption information of the consumable, generate authentication data by performing a calculation on the first fixed data and the first variable data according to a first preset algorithm, and send the authentication data for determining whether the consumable meets expectation to the image forming apparatus.

An image forming apparatus comprises a main unit, a main unit memory, a drum cartridge, a toner cartridge, and a controller. The main unit memory stores printer identification information. The drum cartridge comprises a drum memory that stores drum identification information. The toner cartridge comprises a toner memory that stores toner identification information. The controller is configured to store in the main unit memory the drum identification information stored in the drum memory and store in the drum memory the printer identification information stored in the main unit memory, if it determines that the drum cartridge installed in the main unit is new, and store in the main unit memory the toner identification information stored in the toner memory and store in the toner memory the drum identification information stored in the drum memory, if it determines that the toner cartridge installed in the main unit is new.

An image formation apparatus according to one or more embodiments includes: an engagement part to which a replacement unit with a first communication part is detachably attachable; a second communication part configured, in a state where the replacement unit is attached to the engagement part, to communicate wirelessly with the first communication part of the replacement unit; and a control unit programmed to control the second communication part. In a process of causing the second communication part to communicate wirelessly with the first communication part a plurality of times, the control unit detects a change in a response from the first communication part.

An image forming apparatus includes a main casing and a controller. A cartridge is to be attached to the main casing. The cartridge includes a memory stores usage status information indicating whether the cartridge is a new cartridge or an old cartridge which indicates a used product. The controller reads the usage status information stored in the memory in a case that attachment of the cartridge to the main casing is detected. The controller determines, based on the usage status information, whether the cartridge is the new cartridge or the old cartridge. The controller rewrites the usage status information to information indicating that the cartridge is the old cartridge in a case that the cartridge is determined to be the new cartridge. The rewriting is performed before the controller receives a print instruction and before the material or the part of the cartridge is consumed.

In an image forming apparatus a toner cartridge includes a toner memory storing toner identification information. The toner cartridge is detachably attachable to a drum cartridge. The drum cartridge includes a drum memory storing drum identification information. The drum cartridge is detachably attached to the main-body casing. A controller performs a request process to request execution of a density correction process to correct a density of developer, in a case where a toner identification information determination process determines that the toner identification information stored in the toner memory does not match the toner identification information which is stored in the main-body memory in a toner identification information storing process or a drum identification information determination process determines that the drum identification information stored in the drum memory does not match the drum identification information which is stored in the main-body memory in the drum identification information storing process.

A printing apparatus is provided. A mount unit is able to mount a consumable. A communication unit is able to communicate with a server system. A request unit requests, to the server system via the communication unit, service-related information related to the consumable. A reception unit receives, via the communication unit, the service-related information transmitted from the server system with respect to the request. A determination unit determines, in a case in which a state of the communication unit has shifted from a first state in which communication with the server system is disabled to a second state in which communication with the server system is enabled, whether a request for the service-related information by the request unit is required, based on a reception history of the service-related information of the reception unit.

The present disclosure provides an electrical parameter detection method, a chip, a consumable, and an image forming apparatus. The electrical parameter detection method includes: configuring an installation detecting pin to be at a high level by an image forming control unit; controlling a voltage of an installation detecting terminal to be at a low level by a chip control unit, such that a current loop is formed between the image forming apparatus and the chip; and determining, by the image forming apparatus, whether the image forming apparatus is in a desired contact with the chip according to an electrical parameter of the current loop.

Provided is an image processing apparatus to form an image on a sheet of paper, including a main body and a submodule detachably disposed on the main body. The main body includes an asynchronous serial bus and a master control unit. The submodule includes a slave control unit. An interactive asynchronous serial communication is performed between the master control unit and slave control unit. The master control unit includes a detection timing changing unit. The detection timing changing unit changes a scheduled timing to detect a second signal. The slave control unit includes a transmission signal changing unit. The transmission signal changing unit changes a state of the second signal from a first state detectable by the master control unit at a first timing to a second state detectable by the master control unit at a second timing.

This image forming apparatus determines, in accordance with state information indicating the state of the image forming apparatus, whether or not a timing for executing an authentication process of a removable cartridge has arrived. Furthermore, if the timing for executing a cartridge authentication process has arrived, this image forming apparatus obtains authentication information regarding authentication from the cartridge, and determines, from the authentication information, whether or not an authentication process is required to be executed. When an authentication process has been executed, an authentication result is written in a storage area of the cartridge.

In an image forming apparatus, a control device functions as a controller and a user presence/absence determiner. When accepting an instruction to execute a print job through a touch panel, the controller controls operations of a sheet feed device, a conveyance device, and an image forming device to allow a document image represented by image data generated by a document reading device to be formed on a sheet to make a printed matter and allow the printed matter to be discharged to a sheet output tray. When the user presence/absence determiner determines that a user is present, the controller controls, before printing for at least a last sheet in the print job, the operations of the sheet feed device and the conveyance device to allow a sheet to be discharged to the sheet output tray without allowing the image forming device to form the document image on the sheet.