In an image forming apparatus, a recognition tag is an electronic tag in which recognition information is recorded in advance. A displacement mechanism holds a displacement portion at a first position so as to make a communication access from a tag reader to a recognition tag possible in a case where a replenishment unit is not attached to a unit attachment portion, and holds the displacement portion at a second position so as to make the communication access from the tag reader to the recognition tag impossible in a case where the replenishment unit is attached to the unit attachment portion. The state determining portion determines a state from among a unit attachment state, a unit non-attachment state, and an exceptional state based on information obtained via the tag reader.

A print material refill container includes a housing and a chamber, within the housing, to contain a print material. The print material refill container includes a physical indicator subject to modification based on an engagement of the physical indicator with an engagement member of a printing device when the print material refill container engages the printing device to deliver the print material to a reservoir of the printing device. The physical indicator indicates an unused condition of the print material refill container when the physical indicator has a first state prior to the modification, and the physical indicator indicates a used condition of the print material refill container when the physical indicator has a second state subsequent to the modification.

An image forming apparatus includes a mounting unit, a restricting member, a driving source, a reading unit, a storage unit, and a control unit. The reading unit reads mounting-destination information from a storage medium. The mounting-destination information is information stored in the storage medium located in the container and information assigned to the image forming apparatus used by an ordering source user who has ordered the container. The own-apparatus information is information assigned to its own apparatus. The control unit that determines whether the mounting-destination information read from the storage medium of the container mounted to the mounting unit by the reading unit matches the own-apparatus information or not when the container is mounted to the mounting unit, and the control unit controlling driving of the driving source to move the restricting member to a restriction position when the mounting-destination information matches the own-apparatus information.

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 developing cartridge includes: a casing; a developing roller; a developing electrode; a gear; a rack gear including a protrusion; and a cam having first and second cam surfaces. The rack gear meshes with the gear and is movable in a direction from one end toward another end of the casing. The cam is movable from a first position to a second position. The first cam surface of the cam at the first position contacts the protrusion, and causes the cam to move to the second position as the rack gear moves in the direction in a state where the first cam surface is in contact with the protrusion. A second cam surface moves the developing electrode in a direction away from the cam different from moving directions of the rack gear and the cam while contacting the developing electrode as the cam moves to the second position.

A misattachment prevention device for an image forming unit includes multiple developer containing parts that contain individual color developers, and process parts each of which is capable to be engaged with any of the developer containing parts, and forms the image forming unit for an individual color by having one of the developer containing parts engaged, wherein (c) each of the process parts is provided with an intermediate locking member guide part in a place opposing the one of the developer containing parts, and (d) the intermediate locking member guide part is provided with an intermediate locking member that is locked with a locking part formed on the one of the individual developer containing parts, protruded from the intermediate locking member guide part to a side of an apparatus main body, and locked with a locked part formed on the apparatus main body.

An imaging cartridge chip includes a communication module for providing data communication between the imaging cartridge chip and an imaging device; a non-volatile data storage module for storing at least two different serial numbers; a volatile temporary data storage module connecting between the communication module and the non-volatile data storage module and including at least two temporary data storage units; and a control module. The control module is configured to load different serial numbers into corresponding temporary data storage units; to send a serial number in a selected temporary data storage unit to the imaging device; to determine whether the serial number sent to the imaging device passes a legitimacy verification of the imaging device; and when the serial number sent to the imaging device does not pass the legitimacy verification, to send a serial number in another temporary data storage unit to the imaging device.

A developing cartridge includes: a casing; a developing roller; a developing electrode; a gear; a rack gear including a protrusion; and a cam having first and second cam surfaces. The rack gear meshes with the gear and is movable in a direction from one end toward another end of the casing. The cam is movable from a first position to a second position. The first cam surface of the cam at the first position contacts the protrusion, and causes the cam to move to the second position as the rack gear moves in the direction in a state where the first cam surface is in contact with the protrusion. A second cam surface moves the developing electrode in a direction away from the cam different from moving directions of the rack gear and the cam while contacting the developing electrode as the cam moves to the second position.

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 according to an embodiment includes an image forming section having a cartridge detachably mounted thereto. The cartridge holds a color erasable material which is erasable by heating to a color erasing temperature. The cartridge includes a housing configured to hold the color erasable material and a temperature sensing unit configured to detect a storage temperature of the housing. The apparatus includes a display unit and a control section. The control section receives a maximum storage temperature of the housing, and determines whether the received maximum storage temperature is greater than the color erasing temperature. The control section controls the display unit to display a message indicating whether the received maximum storage temperature is greater than the color erasing temperature.