JP2006195284A - Image forming consumables identifier, and toner container, photoreceptor and ink cartridge with image forming consumables identifier, and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming consumables identifier by which even a consumer or a trader can confirm an article as a genius one by an easy method, and to provide a toner container, a photoreceptor and an ink cartridge on which the image forming consumables identifier is put, and an image forming apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: The image forming consumables identifier 1 put on image forming consumables has parts 2 to 5 where micro letters 2m whose width or height is 0.01 to 1mm are arrayed and printed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming consumable item identification object, and a toner container, a photoreceptor, an ink cartridge, and an image forming apparatus to which the image forming consumable item identification item is attached.

  In image forming apparatuses such as electrophotographic printers, facsimiles, and copying machines, toner containers filled with powder toner, photoreceptors, and the like are used as image consumables. Inkjet recording image forming apparatuses also use ink. A cartridge or the like is used as an image forming consumable and is replaced with a new one depending on the consumable state.

  Here, since the conditions under which the image forming consumables are used vary depending on the method, model, etc., the image forming consumables are genuine products originally designed and manufactured to be compatible with the image forming apparatus. Need to use.

  In particular, among the image forming consumables, it is difficult to distinguish the toner stored in the toner container from the appearance, but toners having different characteristics such as chargeability or toners having different materials are stored. If the toner containers are used in a mixed manner, there may occur problems that an image is not formed, image characteristics are poor, and the image forming apparatus itself is damaged.

  In recent years, imitated products that imitate genuine imaging consumables (counterfeit products) have been distributed, and there is a possibility that they may be damaged if they are purchased and used by consumers by mistake. . Furthermore, since a product imitating an identification label for identifying the image forming consumable is attached to the counterfeit product, the consumer is more likely to mistake the counterfeit product as a genuine product.

  Therefore, as a method for managing these image forming consumables, an IC tag ID chip in which an IC chip having a CPU, an input / output interface unit, a ROM and a RAM is embedded in or covered with a tag member has been proposed (for example, , See Patent Document 1).

  In addition, identification symbols and handling symbols for managing these image forming consumables have been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

JP 2002-6691 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-6604

  However, these management methods have a problem that the cost per ID chip is high, a special device is required for identification, and the third party can rewrite the identification information. there were.

  It is also important for consumers to be an identification object that can easily determine whether or not an image forming consumable is a genuine product. Further, the identification object is inexpensive, and it is required that the identification object does not peel off even when used in an image forming apparatus.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems in the prior art, and can be used to identify an image forming consumable that can be easily confirmed to be a genuine product even by a consumer or a dealer using a simple method. It is an object of the present invention to provide a toner container, a photosensitive member, an ink cartridge, and an image forming apparatus to which an object and an image forming consumable item identification object are attached.

  The present invention provided to solve the above-mentioned problems is an image forming consumable product identification object having a portion printed with a collection of micro characters having a width or height of 0.01 to 1 mm ( Claim 1).

  Here, the interval between the micro characters is preferably 0 to 0.2 mm.

  The set of micro characters is preferably arranged obliquely with respect to the entire printed portion of the micro characters.

  Further, the printed portion of the micro character may constitute a drawn line, or the printed portion of the micro character may constitute a figure.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the arrangement of the micro characters includes information that proves that the image forming consumable is a genuine product. For example, the manufacturer name of the image forming consumables and the product name of the image forming consumables are printed using micro characters.

  Furthermore, it is preferable that the micro characters are formed by waterless printing.

  The present invention provided to solve the above-mentioned problems is a toner container for storing powder toner used in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, and is provided on the outer surface of the container according to any one of claims 1 to 7. A toner container to which an image forming consumable item identification object described above is attached (claim 8).

  The present invention provided to solve the above problems comprises a cylindrical substrate having a photosensitive layer on the outer peripheral surface, and a flange attached to both ends open holes of the substrate. An image forming consumable item identification object according to any one of the above items is attached to the photoconductor (claim 9).

  The present invention provided to solve the above problems comprises an ink container filled with ink for ink jet recording, and a housing for housing the ink container, wherein the housing is any one of claims 1 to 7. The ink cartridge is characterized by being attached with the image forming consumable item identification object described in claim 10 (claim 10).

  The present invention provided to solve the above-mentioned problems comprises the toner container according to claim 8, wherein the toner in the toner container is used to form an image on a sheet by electrophotography. An image forming apparatus (claim 11).

  The present invention provided to solve the above problems comprises the photoreceptor according to claim 9, forms a toner image on the photoreceptor by electrophotography, and forms an image on a sheet based on the toner image. An image forming apparatus that forms the image (claim 12).

  The present invention provided to solve the above-mentioned problems comprises the ink cartridge according to claim 10, wherein an image is formed on a sheet by an ink jet recording method using ink in the ink cartridge. An image forming apparatus (claim 13).

According to the image forming consumable item identification object of the present invention, the image forming consumable item identification object is attached by magnifying and observing the area to be printed with a magnifying glass such as a nearby magnifying glass. It is possible to easily determine whether the image forming consumable is a genuine product. That is, if the arrangement of micro characters is observed, it is a genuine product, and if not, it is a counterfeit product.
According to the toner container of the present invention, since the image forming consumable item identification object is attached, it can be easily understood whether or not the toner container and the toner contained in the toner container are genuine products.
According to the photoconductor of the present invention, it is easy to know whether or not the photoconductor is a genuine product by attaching the image forming consumable item identification object.
According to the ink cartridge of the present invention, it is easy to know whether the ink cartridge is genuine or not by attaching the image forming consumable item identification object.
According to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, since an authentic product can be reliably used as an image forming consumable (toner container, photoconductor, ink cartridge), an image is normally formed without causing an apparatus abnormality. be able to.

The image forming consumable item identification object of the present invention will be described below.
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an image forming consumption identifier according to the present invention.
The image forming consumable item identification object 1 is attached to the image forming consumable item in order to identify the image forming consumable item, and micro character printing portions 2 to 5 are printed on the main surface (FIG. 1). (A)). Here, it is not necessary that all the micro character print portions 2 to 5 are printed, and any one of them may be printed.

  The shape of the image forming consumable item 1 is not particularly limited as long as it can be attached to the image forming consumable item, but at least has a surface for printing information for identification. Therefore, it is preferable that the sheet is a so-called label.

  Further, the base material of the image forming consumable item identification object 1 can be micro-printed and does not deteriorate in an environment where the image forming consumable item to be attached is exposed. Paper may be used, for example, synthetic paper (material polypropylene).

  The micro character print portions 2 to 5 are recognized as drawn lines or figures (5) such as ruled lines (2, 3) and barcode frame lines (4) by the naked eye (FIG. 1 (a)). When enlarged at a magnification of tens of times, it can be recognized as an array of micro characters. This is shown in FIGS. 1 (b) and 2. FIG.

  In FIG. 1B, the micro character printing portion 2 (or 3, 4) is observed in a state where the micro characters 2m are arranged and printed. As the micro characters 2m, characters in any language such as hiragana, katakana, alphabet, kanji may be used, and the form (font) of the characters is not limited. Here, the micro character string “ABCD” is repeatedly printed. Moreover, although the state where the drawn line is formed by one line as the micro character string is shown, the drawn line may be formed by a plurality of lines.

  Here, the width w or height h of the micro character 2m is 0.01 to 1 mm, and preferably 0.1 to 0.5 mm. If the width w or height h of the micro character 2m exceeds 1 mm, it is easy to be imitated, which is not preferable. In addition, if the width w or height h of the micro character 2m is smaller than 0.01 mm, it is not preferable because identification becomes difficult even with a magnifying glass.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the space | interval d of 2 m of micro characters is 0-0.2 mm. That is, the micro characters 2m may be in contact with each other or overlap as long as they can be recognized as the micro characters 2m when enlarged and observed. Further, it is not preferable that the distance d exceeds 0.2 mm because it cannot be recognized as a drawn line with the naked eye. In addition, it is preferable that the space | interval of a micro character string and a micro character string, what is called the distance between lines is also 0-0.2 mm.

  In FIG. 2, the micro character printing portion 5 is observed in a state where the micro characters 5m are arranged obliquely with respect to the entire micro character printing portion 5 and the micro character string is printed over a plurality of lines. By arranging the micro characters 5m diagonally, the micro characters 5m are not easily recognized as characters by the naked eye, and the entire micro character print portion 5 is recognized as a figure. This also prevents counterfeiting.

  Here, the width w or the height h of the micro character 5m is 0.01 to 1 mm, and preferably 0.1 to 0.5 mm.

  Further, the interval d between the micro characters 5m may be 0 mm. Moreover, the upper limit of the space | interval is accept | permitted as long as the state which the micro character 5m gathered can be visually recognized as a figure. That is, when the interval is small, the figure is recognized as a completely filled state, and when the interval is large, for example, it is recognized as a state where dots are gathered or a halftone printed state. Note that the distance between the micro character strings and the so-called line spacing is the same as that between the micro characters 5m.

  The character line widths of the micro characters 2m and 5m are made smaller than the width w or height h of the micro characters. For example, when the width w of the micro character is 0.11 to 0.20 mm and the height h is 0.15 to 0.17 mm, the line width may be significantly reduced to 0.02 mm. As a result, the size is hardly readable with the naked eye.

  It is preferable that the arrangement of the micro characters in the micro character printing portions 2 to 5 includes information that proves that the image forming consumable is a genuine product. For example, the manufacturer name of the image forming consumables, the product name of the image forming consumables, or a logo thereof may be displayed using micro characters. Thus, the consumer can easily recognize that the image forming consumable is a genuine product simply by enlarging and reading the arrangement of the micro characters.

  Moreover, you may arrange | position a micro character at random in the micro character printing parts 2-5. This may be a proof of authenticity.

  The micro characters are preferably formed by waterless printing.

  In the past, small letters have been used to prevent counterfeiting, such as certificates, but for image forming consumables, conditions such as humidity and temperature are harsh as the environment in which they are exposed. Since it deteriorates, it could not be used. Further, the conventional identification object is printed by offset printing (offset printing with water). However, the resolution of printed characters is poor and it is difficult to realize the present invention.

  On the other hand, in the waterless printing, as shown in FIG. 3, the printing plate structure 90 has an oleophilic photosensitive layer 92 and an oil repellent silicon layer 93 on a support 91 such as an aluminum plate. An intaglio plate is obtained by exposing and developing a portion having a stickiness to remove the silicon layer 93, and an ink 94 is attached to the concave portion to form an image line portion. In waterless printing, printing is performed without using ink as in the prior art by creating a portion where ink is not applied using the ink repelling property of the printing plate itself.

In this way, since the immersion water is not used in the printing process and the ink does not bleed with water, the reproducibility of fine lines and the like can be improved, and high-definition printing is possible. Micro characters can be realized.
Here, it is preferable that the concave portion from which the silicon layer 93 for waterless printing is removed has a depth of 20 μm or less.

  In addition, as an incidental effect by waterless printing, there is an effect of reducing the environmental load associated with the treatment of the exhaust solvent. In the conventional printing plate process, waste liquid of strong alkaline developer was generated, and in the printing process, waste liquid treatment was indispensable due to the generation of a large amount of immersion water containing harmful substances, but in the printing plate process / printing process of waterless printing, This is because the developer and the immersion water are not used.

  In addition, in waterless printing, adverse effects on the atmosphere can be eliminated by using non-VOC inks that contain soybean oil and have acquired SOY marks. Furthermore, UV hybrid SOY ink for waterless printing is excellent in deinking property and has no problem in recycling. In addition, high-quality printed materials can be obtained with non-spray powder, and printed materials with excellent cosmetic properties can be obtained even in post-processing such as film application and press coating, leading to an improved working environment.

  The image forming consumable item identification object 1 may be further provided with an overcoat layer after the printing of micro characters as a countermeasure against humidity and temperature during long-time transportation by ship. This overcoat layer is preferably a layer having excellent friction resistance that increases strength by being crosslinked by UV or EV.

Hereinafter, an aspect of the image forming consumable item to which the image forming consumable item identification object of the present invention is attached will be described.
(1) Toner Container FIG. 4 shows an example in which the image forming consumable item identification object 1 of the present invention is applied to a toner container.
The toner container 70 is formed by a blow molding method or the like, and a base portion 71 made of a resin or the like provided with a toner discharge portion is provided with a flexible resin made of resin such as polyethylene or nylon of about 80 to 200 μm or made of paper. A bag 72 made of a single layer or multiple layers is fixed. The toner container 70 has a sealed structure, and a powder toner used in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus is stored in a bag body 72. The base 71 of the bottom is provided with a seal valve 73 made of a self-closing elastic body, preferably a foamed sponge, as a toner discharge portion. The toner container 70 is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-194907.
The image forming consumable item identification object 1 of the present invention is attached to the outer surface of the bag body 72 of the toner container 70 via an adhesive layer, for example.

(2) Photoconductor FIG. 5 shows an example in which the image forming consumable item identification object 1 of the present invention is applied to a photoconductor.
The photosensitive member 40 has a cylindrical shape (cylindrical drum shape) and a base 40b having a photosensitive layer made of an organic photosensitive material (OPC) corresponding to an electrophotographic system on the outer peripheral surface, and open holes at both ends of the base 40b. It consists of a flange 40f to be mounted. The image forming consumable item identification object 1 of the present invention is attached to the outer surface of the flange 40f, for example, via an adhesive layer.
Here, the image forming consumable item identification object 1 as shown in FIG. 1 may be attached, but the image forming consumable item identification item 1 on which only the micro character printing portion 5 in FIG. 1 is printed is pasted. May be.

(3) Ink Cartridge FIG. 6 shows an example in which the image forming consumable item identification object 1 of the present invention is applied to an ink cartridge.
The ink cartridge 80 includes an ink bag 81 filled with ink of an ink jet recording method, and a housing 83 for storing the ink bag 81. The casing 83 includes a first casing 84, a second casing 85, and a third casing 86, and the side surface of the ink bag 81 is protected by the first casing 84 and the second casing 85. A casing portion serving as a protective cover is configured. That is, the casing 83 is divided into a first casing 84 and a second casing 85 that store the ink bag 81 on a surface parallel to the ink supply direction (ink discharge direction).
The casing 83 of the ink cartridge 80 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped by combining the divided substantially similar first casing 84 and second casing 85 and fitting the third casing 86 into the lower portion of the front surface thereof. It is assembled. The ink jet cartridge 80 is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-358802.
The image forming consumable item identification object 1 of the present invention is attached to the outer surface of the housing 83 via an adhesive layer, for example.

  When the ink cartridge 80 is used, the ink cartridge 80 is installed in a fixed portion of the ink jet recording apparatus main body, and the tip of the supply pipe is inserted into the ink discharge section 81a from the recording apparatus main body side through the supply pipe. Ink is supplied to the carriage.

The image forming consumable of the present invention is used in the following image forming apparatus.
A basic configuration example of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied will be described below.
FIG. 7 shows a tandem type indirect transfer type electrophotographic apparatus. In the figure, reference numeral 100 is a copying machine main body, 200 is a paper feed table on which it is placed, 300 is a scanner mounted on the copying apparatus main body 100, and 400 is further above it. An automatic document feeder (ADF) to be attached to the document.

  The copying machine main body 100 is provided with an endless belt-shaped intermediate transfer member 10 at the center. In the intermediate transfer member 10, a base layer made of a material that hardly stretches, such as a canvas, is formed on a base material such as a fluorine-based resin with a small elongation or a rubber material with a large elongation, and an elastic layer is provided thereon. The elastic layer is made of, for example, fluorine rubber or acrylonitrile-butadiene copolymer rubber. The surface of the elastic layer is, for example, coated with a fluorine resin and covered with a smooth coat layer.

Then, as shown in FIG. 7, in the illustrated example, it is wound around three support rollers 14, 15, and 16 so as to be able to rotate and convey clockwise in the figure.
In this illustrated example, an intermediate transfer body cleaning device 17 for removing residual toner remaining on the intermediate transfer body 10 after image transfer is provided on the left of the second support roller 15 among the three.
Further, among the three images, four images of yellow, cyan, magenta, and black are arranged on the intermediate transfer member 10 stretched between the first support roller 14 and the second support roller 15 along the conveyance direction. The tandem image forming apparatus 20 is configured by arranging the forming units 18 side by side.

  Each image forming unit 18 includes a charging device 60, a developing device 61, a primary transfer device 62, a photoconductor cleaning device 63, a charge eliminating device 64, and the like around the drum-shaped photoconductor 40 of the present invention. It is.

An exposure device 21 is further provided on the tandem image forming apparatus 20 as shown in FIG.
On the other hand, a secondary transfer device 22 is provided on the side opposite to the tandem image forming apparatus 20 with the intermediate transfer body 10 interposed therebetween. In the illustrated example, the secondary transfer device 22 is configured by spanning a secondary transfer belt 24, which is an endless belt, between two rollers 23, and is pressed against the third support roller 16 via the intermediate transfer body 10. The image on the intermediate transfer body 10 is transferred to a sheet.

  A fixing device 25 for fixing the transfer image on the sheet is provided beside the secondary transfer device 22. The fixing device 25 is configured by pressing a pressure roller 27 against a fixing belt 26 that is an endless belt.

  The secondary transfer device 22 described above is also provided with a sheet transport function for transporting the image-transferred sheet to the fixing device 25. Of course, a transfer roller or a non-contact charger may be arranged as the secondary transfer device 22, and in such a case, it is difficult to provide this sheet conveying function together.

  In the illustrated example, a sheet reversing device 28 for reversing the sheet so as to record an image on both sides of the sheet is provided below the secondary transfer device 22 and the fixing device 25 in parallel with the tandem image forming device 20 described above. Is provided.

  Now, when making a copy using this color electrophotographic apparatus, a document is set on the document table 30 of the automatic document feeder 400. Alternatively, the automatic document feeder 400 is opened, a document is set on the contact glass 32 of the scanner 300, and the automatic document feeder 400 is closed and pressed by it.

  When a start switch (not shown) is pressed, when the document is set on the automatic document feeder 400, the document is transported and moved onto the contact glass 32, and then the document is set on the other contact glass 32. At that time, the scanner 300 is immediately driven to travel the first traveling body 33 and the second traveling body 34. Then, the first traveling body 33 emits light from the light source and further reflects the reflected light from the document surface toward the second traveling body 34, and is reflected by the mirror of the second traveling body 34 and passes through the imaging lens 35. The document is placed in the reading sensor 36 and the original content is read.

  When a start switch (not shown) is pressed, one of the support rollers 14, 15, and 16 is driven to rotate by a drive motor (not shown), and the other two support rollers are driven to rotate to convey the intermediate transfer member 10. To do. At the same time, the individual image forming means 18 rotates the photoconductors 40 to form black, yellow, magenta, and cyan monochrome images on the photoconductors 40, respectively.

  Here, each of the plurality of photoconductors 40 is provided with a developing device 61, and a single color toner image is formed on each photoconductor 40 by attaching toner from the developing device 61 according to the latent image formed by the exposure device 21. is doing. Then, along with the conveyance of the intermediate transfer member 10, the single color toner images are sequentially transferred to form a composite color image on the intermediate transfer member 10.

FIG. 8 shows a configuration of an apparatus for supplying toner from the toner container to the developing device 61.
The developing device 61 is provided with a developing sleeve 61a, a first agitating screw 61b, and a second agitating screw 61c that are disposed to face the photoreceptor 40 as an image carrier. In the developing device 61, the developer is circulated by the first stirring screw 61b and the second stirring screw 61c. During this circulation, the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive member 40 is developed by the developer toner transferred to the developing sleeve 61a in the middle of the conveyance path.

  Further, the toner container 70 of the present invention is configured as a unit separate from the developing device 61, and is disposed at an appropriate position in the image forming apparatus main body. A toner transfer means 76 is provided between the toner container 70 and the developing device 61, and the toner transfer means 76 and the developing device 61 are connected by a tube 77, and the toner container 70 and the toner transfer means 76 are connected. The space is connected by a tube 78 as a transfer portion. The toner in the toner container 70 is supplied to the developing device 61 through the tubes 78 and 77 by the toner transfer means 76.

On the other hand, when a start switch (not shown) is pressed, one of the paper feed rollers 42 of the paper feed table 200 is selectively rotated, and the sheet is fed out from one of the paper feed cassettes 44 provided in multiple stages in the paper bank 43, and the separation roller 45. Then, the sheets are separated one by one into the paper feed path 46, transported by the transport roller 47, guided to the paper feed path 48 in the copying machine main body 100, and abutted against the registration roller 49 and stopped.
Alternatively, the sheet feed roller 50 is rotated to feed out the sheets on the manual feed tray 51, separated one by one by the separation roller 52, put into the manual feed path 53, and abutted against the registration roller 49 and stopped.

  Then, the registration roller 49 is rotated in synchronization with the composite color image on the intermediate transfer member 10, the sheet is fed between the intermediate transfer member 10 and the secondary transfer device 22, and transferred by the secondary transfer device 22. A color image is recorded on the sheet.

  The image-transferred sheet is conveyed by the secondary transfer device 22 and sent to the fixing device 25. The fixing device 25 applies heat and pressure to fix the transferred image, and then the switching roller 55 is used to switch the discharge roller. The paper is discharged at 56 and stacked on the paper discharge tray 57. Alternatively, it is switched by the switching claw 55 and put into the sheet reversing device 28, where it is reversed and guided again to the transfer position, and an image is recorded also on the back surface, and then discharged onto the discharge tray 57 by the discharge roller 56.

  On the other hand, the intermediate transfer body 10 after the image transfer is removed by the intermediate transfer body cleaning device 17 to remove residual toner remaining on the intermediate transfer body 10 after the image transfer, so that the tandem image forming apparatus 20 can prepare for another image formation.

  Here, the registration roller 49 is generally used while being grounded, but it is also possible to apply a bias for removing paper dust from the sheet.

It is the schematic which shows the structure of the image formation consumable goods identification material which concerns on this invention. It is an enlarged view of a micro character printing part. It is sectional drawing which shows the printing plate structure used for waterless printing. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a toner container according to the present invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the photoconductor of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the ink cartridge of this invention. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a toner supply device.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming consumables 2-5 Micro character printing part 2m, 5m Micro character 18 Image forming means 20 Tandem image forming apparatus 21 Exposure apparatus 22 Secondary transfer apparatus 23 Roller 24 Secondary transfer belt 25 Fixing apparatus 26 Fixing belt 27 Pressure roller 28 Sheet reversing device 30 Document table 32 Contact glass 33, 34 Traveling body 35 Imaging lens 36 Reading sensor 40 Photoconductor 40b Base body 40f Flange 42, 50 Paper feed roller 43 Paper bank 44 Paper feed cassette 45, 52 Separation roller 46, 48, 53 Paper feed path 47 Conveyance roller 49 Registration roller 51 Manual feed tray 55 Switching claw 56 Ejection roller 57 Ejection tray 61 Development device 61a Development sleeve 61b, 61c Stirring screw 62 Primary transfer device 70 Toner container 71 Base 7 2 Bag body 73 Seal valve 76 Toner transfer means 77, 78 Tube 80 Ink cartridge 81 Ink bag 81a Ink discharge portion 83 Housing 84 First housing 85 Second housing 86 Third housing 90 Plate 91 Support plate 92 Photosensitive Layer 93 Silicon layer 94 Ink 100 Copier main body 200 Paper feed table 300 Scanner 400 Automatic document feeder

Claims (13)

  An image forming consumable product identification object having a printed portion in which micro characters having a width or height of 0.01 to 1 mm are arranged.   The image forming consumable item identification according to claim 1, wherein an interval between the micro characters is 0 to 0.2 mm.   2. The image forming consumable item identification according to claim 1, wherein the micro characters are arranged obliquely with respect to the entire printed portion of the micro characters.   2. The image forming consumable item identification object according to claim 1, wherein the printed portion of the micro character constitutes a drawn line.   2. The image forming consumable item identification according to claim 1, wherein the printed portion of the micro characters constitutes a figure.   2. The image forming consumable item identification according to claim 1, wherein the array of micro characters includes information proving that the image forming consumable item is genuine.   2. The image forming consumable item identification according to claim 1, wherein the micro characters are formed by waterless printing. A toner container for storing toner powder used in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus,
A toner container comprising the outer surface of the container, and the image forming consumable product identification object according to claim 1 attached thereto. It consists of a cylindrical base having a photosensitive layer on the outer peripheral surface, and a flange attached to both ends open holes of the base,
An image forming consumable product identification object according to any one of claims 1 to 7 is attached to the flange. An ink container filled with ink for ink jet recording, and a housing for storing the ink container,
An ink cartridge, wherein the casing is provided with the image forming consumable item identification object according to claim 1.   An image forming apparatus comprising the toner container according to claim 8, wherein an image is formed on a sheet by electrophotography using toner in the toner container.   An image forming apparatus comprising the photoreceptor according to claim 9, wherein a toner image is formed on the photoreceptor by electrophotography, and an image is formed on a sheet based on the toner image.   An image forming apparatus comprising the ink cartridge according to claim 10, wherein an image is formed on a sheet by an ink jet recording method using ink in the ink cartridge.

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