IMAGE FORMING DEVICE, CARTRIDGE, AND STORAGE DEVICE INSTALLED ON CARTRIDGE Russian patent published in 2008 - IPC G03G15/08 G03G21/18 

FIELD: physics.

SUBSTANCE: image forming device has a first image forming mode to form an image on an image transfer element using developer in a first fixed state of image forming, and a second image forming mode to form an image on an image transfer element using developer in a second state of image forming, which is different from said first fixed state of image forming and is predefined so as to ensure developer consumption in the second image forming mode lower than that in the first image forming mode for the same image. At that, said device includes a storage to store information on used capacity of the image transfer element, an image processing controller to process the image on the basis of size of concentrated pixel area in the image information when the second image forming mode is set, and a control means to change the second image forming state in the second image forming mode depending on results of the processing carried out by the image processing controller and on the information stored in the storage. The cartridge contains an image transfer element. The storage includes the first storing area to store information on used capacity of the image transfer element, which is used in combination with the image information depending on results of the processing carried out by the image processing controller in order to change the second state of image forming. At that, the information for changing the second state of image forming is the information, which is used in the second mode of image forming, but not in the first mode of image forming.

EFFECT: provision of image forming device and cartridge capable to reduce consumption of developer while keeping stable image peculiarities regardless used capacity of image transfer element; provision of storage device to be installed on cartridge.

31 cl, 32 dwg