SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR EMPLOYING A CUSTOMER REPLACEABLE UNIT (CRU) TO ALTER AN INSTALLATION TYPE FOR THE CRU IN AN IMAGE FORMING DEVICE

A system and method are provided for employing a customer replaceable unit (CRU) to modify its own installation type when installed in an image forming device, including an image forming device operated under a managed service contract. A database centric CRU inventory control architecture is provided for managing image forming device information through interactive communication with CRU monitoring modules (CRUMs) associated with CRUs installed in many and widely deployed image forming devices. The disclosed systems and methods make use of the CRUMs embedded in CRUs offered by a manufacturer or supplier along with a device management application offered by the manufacturer for on-site use by a customer to implement an inventory tracking and control system that reduces inventory overhead.