1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image formation device such as a printer, a facsimile, a photocopier or the like which creates images using an electronic photographic technique, and, more particularly, relates to such an image formation device which can change startup mode in a simple and easy manner.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, with an image formation device such as a printer, a facsimile, a photocopier or the like which creates images using an electronic photographic technique, image formation is performed by creating an electrostatic latent image according to image data, supplying a toner (which is a developer) to this electrostatic latent image so as to develop a toner image, and transferring this toner image to the medium which is to be the object of transfer. With this type of device, the toner cartridge which contains the above described toner is made so as to be installed in a removable manner; and, normally, a toner cartridge containing black toner is installed to a device which performs image formation in monochrome, while toner cartridges containing toners of a plurality of colors (for example a four color toner cartridge containing yellow Y, magenta M, cyan C, and black K) are installed to a device which performs image formation in color.
As such an image formation device, there is one (for example, the device described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication 2004-233850, and the like) which can be used both as a device which performs image formation in monochrome as described above, and also as a device which performs image formation in color; and normally, based upon the contents of the toner cartridge or cartridges installed upon startup, such a device is started up as the appropriate device.
In more concrete terms, in the case of a device which has a monochrome mode in which it performs monochrome printing in a state in which a single toner cartridge of K (black) toner is installed, and a color mode in which it performs color printing in a state in which four toner cartridges are installed, one each for YMCK (yellow, magenta, cyan, and black) toner, the user decides by himself what toner cartridge or cartridges are appropriate for the mode in which he desires to start up the device and installs this appropriate toner cartridge or cartridges; and thereafter, according to requirements, he performs startup of the device by pushing a switch upon the device. It should be understood that, here, this mode which depends in this manner upon the toner cartridge or cartridges installed will be termed the startup mode.
In the same manner, when he desires to change over between these startup modes, the user performs the job of changing over to a toner cartridge or cartridges upon which he has decided by himself, so as to establish the state in which that toner cartridge or cartridges are installed which is required for that startup mode to which he desires to switch, and thereafter he performs a re-startup of the device, thus putting it into the desired startup mode.
However, with an image formation device like the one described above, there is a current tendency for the freedom in the colors and numbers of the toner cartridges which can be installed to increase, so that it may be expected that the number of startup modes of which a single image formation device is capable also will increase. Due to this, with a method such as one in which, as in the prior art, when changing over between startup modes, the user decides by himself upon the required toner cartridge or cartridges and performs the changeover, the burden upon the user becomes high, and moreover it also becomes easy for mistakes to occur. Accordingly, recently, improvement of such a device is desired in relation to changeover of the startup mode.