An image forming apparatus includes an image bearer to bear a latent electrostatic image thereon, a developing device to supply a development agent to the latent electrostatic image to obtain a visible image, a transfer roller to contact the image bearer to transfer the visible image to a recording medium, a replenishing device to replenish the developing device with the development agent when a density value read from a density detection pattern formed on the image bearer by the developing device is equal to or less than a threshold, a processing device to conduct a predetermined processing to reduce attachment of the development agent to the transfer roller, and a control device to control the number of times the predetermined processing is performed or processing time in performing the predetermined processing for the processing device, based on whether there is replenishment of the development agent to the developing device.

A method of remanufacturing an imaging cartridge comprising a toner hopper having a toner bag and not having a seal port, the method comprising forming a seal port in the toner hopper; disposing a replacement toner container in the toner hopper, the replacement toner container including a removable seal having a seal tail; inserting a portion of the seal tail through the seal port and repairing a broken doctor blade contact

Methods of recoating a developing member such as the doctor blade, developing member bar or a developing sleeve, of an electro-photographic image forming apparatus, such as a laser printer toner cartridge, methods of re-using the original components by re-coating them, to cut the cost of using new aftermarket parts and to reduce waste, which methods include close quality control and “tailoring” of formulations to a specific developing system, thus achieving better print quality in terms of density, page yield, and uniformity for the repaired or remanufactured toner cartridge.

There is provided a manufacturing method of manufacturing a cartridge by using a cartridge having a rotator, a frame that supports the rotator, an elastic member that is provided in a concave portion formed in the frame along a rotation axis direction of the rotator, and a sheet member that has one end fixed to the elastic member and the other end abutting on the rotator along the rotation axis direction of the rotator, and the manufacturing method includes: detaching the rotator from the frame; detaching the sheet member from the frame; detaching the elastic member from the frame; and attaching another sheet member to the frame via an adhesive member that is attached to an adhesive member attachment portion formed in the concave portion of the frame.

A cartridge includes a rotating body, a blade that extends in an axial direction of the rotating body and is disposed on the rotating body, a supporting member that is fixed to the blade and configured to support the blade in such a manner that the blade protrudes toward the rotating body in a shorter direction crossing the axial direction, a frame body including a placing surface that supports the supporting member, and a fixed portion that is disposed on the placing surface via the supporting member and fixed to the frame body. The supporting member includes a cut portion extending in the axial direction. The fixed portion includes a deformed portion deformed by given energy, and the deformed portion engages with the cut portion so that movement of the supporting member with respect to the frame body is restricted.

An image forming apparatus is disclosed. The image forming apparatus includes a print engine to perform a printing job using toner filled in a toner cartridge, a communicator to communicate with a memory chip attached to a toner refill apparatus which refills the toner cartridge with toner, a memory to store group information corresponding to a plurality of image forming apparatuses for sharing the toner refill apparatus, and a processor to determine whether or not the toner refill apparatus is usable based on information stored in a memory chip of the toner refill apparatus and group information stored in the memory.

Provided is an image forming apparatus to and from which a replenishment container accommodating toner is attachable and detachable and which is configured to form a toner image on a recording material, the image forming apparatus including an image bearing member, a developer container, a developing bearing member, a replenishment port through which the developer container can be replenished with toner, a restriction member capable of transitioning to an allowance state in which a rotation of the replenishment container is allowed and to a restriction state in which the rotation of the replenishment container is restricted, a notification portion configured to notify a replenishment procedure for replenishing the developer container with toner from the replenishment container, and a controller configured to cause the notification portion to notify at least one step of the replenishment procedure.

Provided is a toner cartridge. The toner cartridge includes a body, a plunger, a memory unit, and a holder. The body is to accommodate toner and includes a toner discharge portion. The plunger is provided in the body and to push the toner outside of the body via the toner discharge portion. The memory unit includes an electrical contact portion including at least one electrical contact point. The holder facilities loading of the memory unit therein and being rotatable relative to the body between a home position and a rotated position.

A toner refill cartridge includes a main body including an inner space in which toner is received and a toner discharge portion through which the toner is discharged, a piston coupled to the main body to be movable in a first direction along the inner space and configured to push the toner to the outside of the main body through the toner discharge portion, a plunger configured to push the piston in the first direction, the plunger including a plurality of segment members. At least two adjacent segment members are switchable from a retraction state where the at least two adjacent segment members overlap each other in the first direction and an extension state where the at least two adjacent segment members extend in a second direction opposite to the first direction. A first locking portion locks the at least two adjacent segment members in the extension state.

A printer includes a main body including a communicating portion, a development cartridge attachable to and detachable from the main body, the development cartridge to supply toner contained in a toner container to an electrostatic latent image formed on a photoconductor, to form a visible toner image, and a toner refilling portion connected to the toner container. The toner refilling portion includes a mounting portion into which a toner cartridge insertable from outside the main body through the communicating portion to be mountable, a toner inlet portion provided in the mounting portion to receive toner from the toner cartridge when the toner cartridge is mounted to the mounting portion, and an inlet shutter switchable between a blocking position where the toner inlet portion is blocked from receiving toner, and an inlet position where the toner inlet portion is open to receive toner. The printer includes a first latch member switchable between a first position where the inlet shutter is locked from switching between the blocking position and the inlet position and a second position where switching of the inlet shutter is allowed to switch between the blocking position and the inlet position, and a switching unit to switch between the first latch member between the first position and the second position.