A toner supply container includes a memory portion, a container portion, a discharging portion, and a shutter. The memory portion includes a memory for storing information and an electrode having an exposed surface. The discharging portion is disposed on one end side of the container portion with respect to a first direction. The shutter is configured to rotate around an axis extending in the first direction. As viewed along the first direction, the exposed surface is disposed inside of an imaginary circle that passes through an outer end of the shutter with the axis as a center of the imaginary circle.

A device to supply printing material to a printing material container of a printing apparatus includes a container including a plunger and to contain the printing material, a portal couplable to a refill port to the printing material container. The portal includes a discharge port through which the printing material is transferrable from the container, and a connector to receive power to move the plunger, to cause a transfer of the printing material contained in the container to the printing material container through the discharge port.

A connection structure includes a receiving port for a developer, that is provided in a developing machine, a supply port for a developer, that is provided in a replenisher, a connecting portion that is provided in a vicinity of the supply port of the replenisher and connects the developing machine and the replenisher to each other in a state where a developer is suppliable from the supply port to the receiving port in a case where a portion in a vicinity of the receiving port of the developing machine is inserted, a leading surface that is provided at the connecting portion and leads the portion in the vicinity of the receiving port of the developing machine to the connecting portion, an opening and closing member that opens and closes the receiving port by moving in an insertion direction of the developing machine, and a contact member that is provided at the opening and closing member and comes into contact with the leading surface in an elastically deformed state in a case where the developing machine and the replenisher are connected to each other.

An image forming device and a method of operating an image forming device are provided. The method includes detecting a coupling of a first toner refill kit to an image forming device, obtaining, based on a first electrical signal generated in the first toner refill kit, first authentication data corresponding to the first electrical signal, obtaining a first authentication key used to authenticate the first toner refill kit from the first authentication data, applying the first authentication key to a predetermined criterion used to determine validity of an authentication key of a toner refill kit to confirm whether the first toner refill kit is genuine, and controlling a toner refilling operation of the first toner refill kit based on whether the first toner refill kit is genuine.

A development cartridge which is mountable in an image forming apparatus includes a toner container portion to store toner and a toner refilling portion to receive, from a toner refill cartridge mountable to the toner refilling portion, toner to be stored in the toner container portion. The toner refilling portion includes an inlet shutter rotatable to an inlet position at which the toner is capable of being received by the toner refilling portion from the toner refill cartridge, and a shutter protrusion provided on a surface of the inlet shutter to, while the inlet shutter is rotated, contact an object and cause feedback indicating the inlet shutter is rotated to the inlet position.

An example image forming apparatus includes a mainbody, a toner refilling portion, and a controller. On the mainbody, a development cartridge is mounted. The toner refilling portion is connected to the development cartridge and a toner refill cartridge inserted through a communicating portion of the main body and thus receives, from the toner refill cartridge, authentication information obtained from the toner refill cartridge, thereby adjusting a toner inflow from the toner refill cartridge to the development cartridge. A controller determines whether to allow a toner refill using the toner refill cartridge based on the authentication information obtained from the toner refill cartridge and authentication information obtained from the image forming apparatus and controls the toner refilling portion according to a determination result.

A cartridge includes: a housing; a storage medium having an electrical contact surface; and a holder movable relative to the housing. The holder includes a first holder member. and a second holder member movable relative to the first holder member. The first holder member includes at least one pawl and holds the electrical contact surface at one end surface of the first holder member in a first direction crossing the electrical contact surface. The second holder member includes at least one corner part engageable with the at least one pawl to provide an engaging portion therebetween. The second holder member has a through-hole that is open at another end face of the second holder member in the first direction. The engaging portion is accessible from an outside of the holder through the through-hole.

A developer cartridge includes accommodating container, a pump that is variable in volume, a feeding path member of which one end is connected to the pump and the other end is provided with a discharge outlet, the feeding path member being configured to form a path for feeding developer between the pump and the discharge outlet, and a transporting member configured to communicate the developer and the accommodating container and to transport the developer from the accommodating container to the feeding path member. The transporting member includes a moving mechanism configured to move a holding member between a first position where the holding member is capable of being filled with the developer from the accommodating container by accommodating the container and the holding member and a second position where the holding member and the feeding path member communicate with each other.

A developing agent filling device includes a jig retaining a developing device with a filling inlet oriented upward, the developing device including a stirring chamber, a bladed wheel that stirs a developing agent stored in the stirring chamber, a developing roller that retains the developing agent stirred by the bladed wheel, the filling inlet located at an end portion of the stirring chamber in an axial direction of the bladed wheel and opened in the axial direction, a support member supporting a shaft of the bladed wheel inside of the filling inlet, a regulation blade opposed to an outer circumferential surface of the developing roller, and a biasing member that presses the regulation blade against the developing roller, a pressure relief device that releases the developing roller from a pressure of the regulation blade, against the biasing member, and a vibration generating device that vibrates the developing device.

A toner refill cartridge includes a body to contain toner and having a toner discharge port provided at a first end portion of the body, a memory unit including an external electric contact which faces away from the body, a piston disposed in the body to be movable in a longitudinal direction of the body from a top dead position adjacent to a second end portion of the body to a bottom dead position adjacent to the first end portion to push the toner to the toner discharge port, and a plunger to push the piston in the longitudinal direction and movable to a folded position in which the plunger is parallel with the body and covers the external electric contact and to an extended position in which the plunger is aligned with the piston in the longitudinal direction.