An example lubricant application device includes a rotatable applicator to apply a lubricant from a solid lubricant source to a rotating member, a support member to support the solid lubricant source in contact with the rotatable applicator, a near-end detection member and an end detection member coupled to the support member. The near-end detection member is coupled to the support member such that it comes in contact with the rotatable applicator after a first amount of the solid lubricant source has been consumed. The end detection member is coupled to the support member such that it comes in contact with the rotatable applicator after a second amount of the solid lubricant source has been consumed.

An image forming apparatus includes a main casing, a cartridge, and a controller. The cartridge is attachable to the main casing. The cartridge includes a cartridge memory configured to store identification information. The controller is configured to perform a rewriting process to rewrite the identification information to information indicating that the cartridge is the normal cartridge, in a case where the controller receives a cancellation instruction to instruct to cancel the service contract and the identification information, which is stored in a cartridge memory of the cartridge attached to the main casing, indicates that the cartridge is the contract cartridge.

A method for scheduling a depletion of a supply material in a printing system including a print engine capable of printing at a settable print velocity while using the supply material, a control unit for controlling a print job queue comprising at least one print job scheduled to be printed by means of a scheduling scheme while using the supply material, a supply material output holder for holding the supply material, and a user interface for interacting with a user of the printing system. The method includes determining a plurality of moments in time that the supply material output holder is full, and simultaneously scheduling for each determined moment in time of the plurality of moments in time a depletion event of emptying the supply material output holder in the scheduling scheme. The plurality of moments in time is determined by taking into account the total planned usage of the supply material according to print job specifications of the at least one print job scheduled in the print job queue and a capacity of the supply material output holder with respect to the properties of the supply material. Each of the determined moments in time is established on the basis of the settable print velocity of the printing system with respect to the at least one print job in the print job queue.

An image forming apparatus has a photosensitive drum configured to bear a developer image, a developing apparatus having a developing roller that bears developer and a developing blade that regulates the amount of the developer on the developing roller, and a detection portion that detects information on the amount of the developer stored in the developing apparatus. The image forming apparatus performs a discharging operation for discharging a coating agent, applied to a developing roller in an unused state, from the developing apparatus to the photosensitive drum, while varying an operational condition for the discharging operation varied based on the information.

Provided is an image formation device including a photoreceptor configured to carry a toner image and a developer configured to form the toner image on a surface of the photoreceptor and configured such that the developer is a replaceable development unit, the image formation device including: a development bias application section configured to apply a development bias to between the photoreceptor and the developer; a stabilization control section configured to perform image stabilization control of determining a development bias value to be used in future by changing the development bias while measuring a density of the toner image formed by the developer, thereby obtaining the toner image with a target density; and a life determination section configured to determine expiration of use of the development unit when the development bias value determined by the stabilization control falls outside a preset acceptable range.

A printing device comprises a housing, a communication interface configured to communicate with a server, and a controller. The printing device is configured to operate either in a contract mode or in a normal mode. The housing is configured such that one or more consumables including a first type consumable and a second type consumable are attachable. The first type consumable is dedicated for the contract printing, and the second type consumable is usable for printing in both the contract mode and the normal mode. The controller is configured to activate the contract mode in response to an activation instruction from the server. In a case where the second type consumable is attached to the housing when the contract mode is activated, the controller changes a state of the printing device to a contract printing state in which the contract printing is activated after activating the contract mode.

A server apparatus including a first communication device and a first computing device. The first communication device communicates with an image forming apparatus via a network. The first computing device includes a processor, and acts as a data acquirer, a dimension reduction processor, and a residual service life calculator, when the processor executes a first control program. The data acquirer acquires observation data of a first number of dimensions from the image forming apparatus, via the first communication device. The dimension reduction processor converts the observation data of the first number of dimensions into characteristic data of a second number of dimensions fewer than the first number of dimensions. The residual service life calculator calculates a residual service life of a replaceable unit in the image forming apparatus, on a basis of the characteristic data.

An image forming apparatus includes an exposure unit provided with a rotatable polygon mirror including a plurality of reflecting surfaces for scanning a light beam emitted from a light source to expose a photosensitive member with the light beam according to image information. A determining unit determines an end of lifetime of the exposure unit based on a detecting result of density of a toner image detected by two detecting units at a first timing and a detecting result of density of the toner image detected by the two detecting units at a second timing after the first timing.

An example system may include a plurality of print devices, a supply attachment, and a device remote to the plurality of print devices. The plurality of print devices may receive the supply attachment. The device remote to the plurality of print devices may receive signals via the supply attachment that are indicative of print device information data from the plurality of print devices.

According to at least one embodiment, a failure prediction server includes an interface, a memory, and a processor. The interface is configured to communicate with equipment including a component that deteriorates over time. The memory is configured to store measurement data acquired from the equipment. The processor is configured to set a monitoring start condition for failure prediction in the corresponding equipment based on the measurement data acquired as initial data from the equipment, accumulate the measurement data acquired from the equipment in the memory after the monitoring start condition is satisfied, and predict a failure of the component based on the measurement data accumulated in the memory.