Image forming device

Claim 2

An image forming device comprising a plurality of consumable working parts including at least a developing unit, a drum unit, a fixing unit, and a transfer unit, the image forming device further comprising: a means for integrating a working time of each consumable working part respectively; a memory means for storing said integrated working time of each working part; a lifetime setting means by which a predetermined lifetime of each working part is set and; a means for generating exchange require­ment signals for said working parts when said integrated working time thereof reaches said lifetime of said working parts.

Claim 3

An image forming device according to claim 1, wherein said device further comprises a display means for dispaying at least one of said exchanging requirment signal of each working part.

Claim 4

An image forming device according to claim 1, wherein said device further comprises a predicting means for predicting a possibility of a generation of said exchange requirement signal for at least one of said working parts to be exchanged after a predetermined number of sheets has been processed in cooperation with said exchange requirement signal generating means, when said exchange requirement signal generating means does not generate said exchange requirement signal for said working parts, and a memory and display means for storing and displaying a predicted exchange requirement signal generated by said predicting means.

Claim 5

An image forming device according to claim 1 or 3, wherein said device is characterized in that said means for integrating said working time of each of said working parts comprises a counting means for counting said integrated working time of each working part respectively with a weighting factor depending upon conditions under which said working parts are operated.

Claim 6

An image forming device according to claim 1 or 3, wherein said counting operation for counting said integrated working time of each working part of said device is carried out by counting said clock pulse generated by a clock pulse generator, starting when an electric power is applied to drive said device and stopping when said electric power is not applied to said device.

Claim 7

An image forming device according to claim 1 or 3, wherein said data counted as said integrated working time of each working part, said exchange requirement signals for respective working parts and said predicted exchange requirement signals for respec­tive working parts are stored in a non-volatile memory.

Claim 8

An image forming device according to claim 1, wherein said device is further characterized in that said display for exchanging a working part is carried out by a process comprising the steps of; supplying power to said device to generate a pulse from a pulse generator, counting this pulse by said integrating working time means for a working part, to determine said integrated working time of said part, storing said counted number of pulses to said memory means for said part, comparing said counted number of pulses with said predetermined lifetime of said working part and stored in said lifetime setting means, generating said exchange requirement signal for said working part when said counted number of pulses reaches said predetermined set number, storing said exchange requirement signal in a memory, repeating said steps for each of several other working parts, succes­sively one by one, displaying at least one of said exchange requirement signals at said display means when the counted numbers of pulses of at least one of said working parts has reached said predetermined set number, utilizing said exchange requirement signal stored in said memory above for said working part.

Claim 9

An image forming device according to claim 7, wherein said display step is further characterized in that at least one of the predicted exchange requirement signals for predicting said possibility of said genera­tion of said exchange requirement signal, to exchange a working parts after a predetermined number of sheets has been processed, generated by a predicting means when said exchange requirement signal is not generated for a working part, is displayed together with said exchange requirement signal generated for another of said working parts.

Claim 10

An image forming device according to claim 1, wherein said device is further characterized in that said display for an exchange of a working part is carried out by a process comprising the steps of; supplying power to said device to generate a pulse from a pulse generator, counting this pulse by said integrating working time means for a working part, to determine said integrated working time of said part, storing said counted number of pulses to said memory means for said part, comparing said counted number of pulses with said predetermined lifetime of said working part and stored in said lifetime setting means, generating said exchange requirement signal for said working part when said counted number of pulses reaches said predetermined set number, storing said exchange requirement signal in a memory, predicting a possibility of said generation of said exchange require­ment signal for an exchange of said working parts after a predetermined number of sheets have been processed when said counted number of pulses does not reach said predetermined set number, generating a predicted exchange requirement signal for a working part when it is predicted that an exchange requirement signal will be generated after a predetermined number of sheets have been processed, and storing said predicted exchange requirement signal in a memory, repeating the above steps for each of several other working parts, succes­sively one by one, and displaying said exchange require­ment signal at said display means when the counted number of pulses of one of said working parts reaches said predetermined set number and simultaneously, displaying said predicted exchange requirement signal when at least one of said working parts for which said exchange requirement signal is not generated is predicted to need exchanging after a predetermined number of sheets has been processed.

Claim 11

An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a medium wherein said apparatus comprises; a driving source a plurality of processing devices for forming an image on said medium and each of them being rotatably driven by said driving source and being consumable and exchangeable; a means for integrating a working time of each of the processing device respectively. a memory means for storing said integrated working time of each processing device respectively therein; a life time setting means in which a predetermined life time of each processing device is set out respectively and; a means for generating an exchanging requirement signal for said processing device when said integrated working time thereof reaches at said life time of said part, set out in said life time setting means.

Claim 12

An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a medium wherein said apparatus comprises; a driving source a plurality of processing devices for forming an image on said medium and each of them being rotatably driven by said driving source and being consumable and exchangeable; a means for integrating a working time of each of the processing device respectively. a memory means for storing said integrated working time of each processing device respectively therein; a life time setting means in which a predetermined life time of each processing device is set out respectively and; a means for generating an exchanging requirement signal for said processing device when said integrated working time thereof reaches at said life time of said part, set out in said life time setting means.

Claim 13

An image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said processing devices rotatably driven are connected to said driving source through a driving force transmitting means so as to be rotated in accordance with the driving motion of said driving source;

Claim 14

An image forming apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said processing devices include an image carrier, a means for forming a latent image on said image carrier, a developing means for developing said latent image and for forming a toner image thereof, a transfer means for transferring said toner image to the medium, a cleaner means for cleaning a residual toner remained on the surface of said image carrier and a fixing means for fixing said toner image on the medium.

Claim 15

An image forming apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said processing devices rotatably driven, includes an image carrier, a developing means, a cleaner means for cleaning a residual toner remained on the surface of said image carrier and fixing means.