An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion, a toner storage container, an odor generator, an odor sensor, and a control portion. The image forming portion includes an image carrying member and a development device that develops an electrostatic latent image formed on the image carrying member into a toner image, and forms the toner image based on image data. The toner storage container stores toner for forming the toner image, and is removably mountable in a main body of the image forming apparatus. The odor generator is provided on the toner storage container, and carries an odor substance. The odor sensor is provided in the main body of the image forming apparatus, and senses the odor substance diffusing from the odor generator. The control portion identifies the type of toner storage container based on the odor substance sensed by the odor sensor.

A system with a container including a protrusion, and a receiver to receive the container. The receiver includes a slide block that is movable relative to a body of the receiver, the slide block including two surfaces, a first surface, initially contacted by the protrusion of the container during insertion of the container into the receiver, having a first slope to resist movement of the container towards the receiver, and a second surface, subsequently contacted by the protrusion of the container during the insertion of the container into the receiver, having a second slope to interact with the protrusion of the container to assist movement of the container towards the receiver. This construction provides the user with a changing insertion force to indicate proper mounting of the container.

A cartridge comprises a housing configured to hold a color erasable material which is erasable by heating to a color erasing temperature. The cartridge further comprises a temperature sensing unit configured to detect a temperature of the housing and a recording section configured to record the detected temperature of the housing.

A replenishing system includes a first image forming apparatus including a first image forming portion, a first accommodating portion and a first mounting port, a second image forming apparatus including a second image forming portion, a second accommodating portion and a second mounting port different from the first mounting port in a shape, a first accommodating device including a first interface portion and accommodating a consumable agent, a second accommodating device including a second interface portion different from the first interface portion in a shape and accommodating a consumable agent. The first interface portion is mountable on the first mounting port, the consumable agent accommodated by the first accommodating device is capable of being replenished, the second interface portion is not mountable on the first mounting port, each of the first and second interface portions is mountable on the second mounting port, and the consumable agent accommodated by the first and second accommodating device are capable of being replenished each other.

An electrophotographic image forming apparatus includes: a replacement detector that detects that a toner bottle has been replaced; a developer that develops an electrostatic latent image by using a toner supplied from the toner bottle and stored; a fog detector that detects a fog amount; and a determiner that determines whether or not the detected fog amount continuously exceeds a predetermined threshold value in a state where a toner supplied from a toner bottle before replacement and a toner supplied from a toner bottle after replacement are mixed in the developer.

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming device, a container loading portion, a plurality of toner sensors, an access cover, an open/close sensor, and a control device that functions as a controller. The container loading portion is capable of being loaded with a plurality of toner containers containing the toner of the same color to be supplied to the image forming device. The access cover makes an opening/closing movement to open or close an interior of the container loading portion in replacing each of the toner containers loaded into the container loading portion. When, during execution of image formation of the image forming device, the open/close sensor detects that the access cover is open and none of the plurality of toner sensors detects an empty state of the associated toner container, the controller suspends the image formation of the image forming device.

An image forming apparatus includes a main casing, a cartridge, and a controller. The cartridge is attachable to the main casing. The cartridge includes a cartridge memory configured to store identification information. The controller is configured to perform a rewriting process to rewrite the identification information to information indicating that the cartridge is the normal cartridge, in a case where the controller receives a cancellation instruction to instruct to cancel the service contract and the identification information, which is stored in a cartridge memory of the cartridge attached to the main casing, indicates that the cartridge is the contract cartridge.

A replenishing system includes a first image forming apparatus including a first image forming portion, a first accommodating portion and a first mounting port, a second image forming apparatus including a second image forming portion, a second accommodating portion and a second mounting port different from the first mounting port in a shape, a first accommodating device including a first interface portion and accommodating a consumable agent, a second accommodating device including a second interface portion different from the first interface portion in a shape and accommodating a consumable agent. The first interface portion is mountable on the first mounting port, the consumable agent accommodated by the first accommodating device is capable of being replenished, the second interface portion is not mountable on the first mounting port, each of the first and second interface portions is mountable on the second mounting port, and the consumable agent accommodated by the first and second accommodating device are capable of being replenished each other.

A toner cartridge comprises a toner container which contains toner, a driving member which rotationally drives a conveying member, an agitating member which agitates a toner in the toner container while being rotated, a driven member which rotates in association with the driving member which is for rotationally driving the agitating member, and a rotational body which rotates according to rotation of the driven member, has a plurality of slits in rotational circumference for identifying a type of the toner cartridge, and has 1/K or more of the slits when a ratio of a rotational speed R1 (rad/s) of the driving member and a rotational speed R2 (rad/s) of the driven member is K=R2/R1.

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion, a toner storage container, an odor generator, an odor sensor, and a control portion. The image forming portion includes an image carrying member and a development device that develops an electrostatic latent image formed on the image carrying member into a toner image. The toner storage container is rotatable, stores toner for forming the toner image, and is removably mountable in the image forming apparatus. The odor generator is provided at a position where it is rotatable together with the toner storage container, and carries an odor substance. The odor sensor senses the odor substance diffusing from the odor generator. The control portion rotates the toner storage container after its mounting in the image forming apparatus before toner supplying operation, and senses the odor substance at a sensing position where the odor generator is closest to the odor sensor.