US 12,306,555 B2
Image forming apparatus and determination method
Junji Murauchi, Toyokawa (JP)
Assigned to KONICA MINOLTA, INC., Tokyo (JP)
Filed by Konica Minolta, Inc., Tokyo (JP)
Filed on Jul. 21, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/356,796.
Claims priority of application No. 2022-131071 (JP), filed on Aug. 19, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2024/0061360 A1, Feb. 22, 2024
Int. Cl. G03G 15/08 (2006.01); G03G 15/00 (2006.01); G03G 15/10 (2006.01)
CPC G03G 15/0868 (2013.01) [G03G 15/104 (2013.01); G03G 15/556 (2013.01); G03G 2215/00611 (2013.01); G03G 2215/0695 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An electrophotographic image forming apparatus comprising:
a replacement detector that detects that a toner bottle has been replaced;
a developer that develops an electrostatic latent image by using a toner supplied from the toner bottle and stored;
a fog detector that detects a fog amount; and
a determiner that determines whether or not the detected fog amount continuously exceeds a predetermined threshold fog amount value in a state where a toner supplied from a toner bottle before replacement and a toner supplied from a toner bottle after replacement are mixed in the developer by determining whether or not a number of consecutive times that the detected fog amount exceeds the predetermined threshold fog amount value is greater than a predetermined count value.