A toner cartridge comprises a toner container which contains toner, a driving member winch 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 (rack) of the driven member is K=R2/R1.

A printer apparatus comprises one or more ports (201.sub.1 to 201.sub.M) for receiving one or more colorant units (INK.sub.1 to INK.sub.N), and a processing unit. The processing unit is adapted to determine which one or more colorant units (INK.sub.1 to INK.sub.N) have been loaded into the printer apparatus. The processing unit is adapted to retrieve colorant information from each loaded colorant unit (INK.sub.1 to INK.sub.N), and determine an ink-set configuration using the colorant information retrieved from each loaded colorant unit (INK.sub.1 to INK.sub.N). Operation of the printer apparatus is configured according to the determined colorant-set configuration.

A printer apparatus comprises one or more ports (201.sub.1 to 201.sub.M) for receiving one or more colorant units (INK.sub.1 to INK.sub.N), and a processing unit. The processing unit is adapted to determine which one or more colorant units (INK.sub.1 to INK.sub.N) have been loaded into the printer apparatus. The processing unit is adapted to retrieve colorant information from each loaded colorant unit (INK.sub.1 to INK.sub.N), and determine an ink-set configuration using the colorant information retrieved from each loaded colorant unit (INK.sub.1 to INK.sub.N). Operation of the printer apparatus is configured according to the determined colorant-set configuration.

A process cartridge mountable in and dismountable from an image forming apparatus includes a frame, a storing portion provided on a mounting surface of the frame and configured to store information on the process cartridge, a projection projecting outwardly of the mounting surface in a direction normal to the mounting surface, and an electrical contact portion mounted on the projection and electrically connected to the storing portion.

A developing cartridge includes: a casing; a first gear; a second gear; a cover; a link; and an urging member engaging with the second gear and the link. The second gear is rotatable from a first position to a second position in accordance with the first gear when the second gear engages with the first gear. The link is movable together with rotation of the second gear and pivotally movable relative to the second gear. The link has: a first state where a distal end portion of the link contacts the cover; and a second state where the link pivotally moves relative to the second gear. The first state is provided due to resilient deformation of the urging member in the first position of the second gear. The second state is provided due to a restoring force of the urging member in the second position of the second gear.

A developer cartridge comprises a first gear. The first gear may include a first protrusion extending in a radial direction of the first gear. The first protrusion may be positioned at a circumference of a column of the first gear. The first protrusion may be spaced apart from a second end face opposite to a first end face facing an exterior surface of a casing configured to accommodate developer therein. The first protrusion may be further from the second end face than a large-diameter gear in an axial direction. A rotational circumference of the first protrusion defined by rotation of the first protrusion and a portion of the large-diameter gear are aligned in the axial direction.

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.

The image forming apparatus includes a user interface, a controller, and a main memory. The controller provides an error notification to the user interface in a case where drum cartridge information read from the main memory does not match drum-cartridge identification information stored in a drum-cartridge memory of a drum cartridge and replacement of the drum cartridge replacement is not necessary. The controller may also provide an error notification to the user interface in a case where a toner cartridge information read from the main memory does not match toner-cartridge identification information stored in a toner-cartridge memory of a toner cartridge and replacement of the toner cartridge is not necessary.

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 method of operating an electrophotographic image forming device according to one example embodiment includes, by rotating a motor in a first rotational direction of the motor, rotating an input gear of a toner container in a first rotational direction of the input gear causing a toner agitator in a toner reservoir of the toner container to move for agitating toner in the toner reservoir. By rotating the motor in a second rotational direction of the motor, the input gear of the toner container rotates in a second rotational direction of the input gear causing an encoded member on the toner container to move. A sensor in the electrophotographic image forming device senses identifying information of the toner container encoded on the encoded member during movement of the encoded member and rotation of the input gear of the toner container in the second rotational direction of the input gear.