A developer supplying apparatus includes an attaching portion, an antenna, and a positional relationship changing portion. A developer storage portion including a wireless tag is attached to the attaching portion. The antenna is used for performing wireless communication with the wireless tag of the developer storage portion attached to the attaching portion using a radio wave method. The positional relationship changing portion changes a positional relationship between the wireless tag and the antenna.

Discloses herein is a storage component disassembly tooling, for disassembling a storage component on a process cartridge. The process cartridge has a housing and a storage component mounting bracket on the housing for supporting the storage component. The storage component disassembly tooling has a drilling portion and a positioning portion. The positioning portion positions the storage component disassembly tooling on the housing of the process cartridge. The drilling portion moves relative to the positioning portion to destroy at least a part of the storage component mounting bracket.

A powder conveying device includes: a conveying nozzle, provided with a powder receiving opening; an open/close member to open/close the powder receiving opening; a flange provided to the open/close member; a biasing member to bias the open/close member; and a container setting section to which a part of a powder container is to be fit. The powder container includes: a conveyor to convey the powder from a second end of the powder container to a first end; a container opening protruding from the first end; a nozzle receiving opening into which the conveying nozzle is to be inserted; and a butting portion provided in the container opening, to butt against the flange. When the powder container is attached to the powder conveying device, the container opening is fitted to the container setting section, and the flange and the biasing member are housed in an inner space of the container opening.

There is provided a consumable supply method for supplying a refill consumable stored in a refill consumable container to a consumable container installable in an equipment body. The consumable supply method includes removing a refill information storage device storing information on the refill consumable from the refill consumable container; removing an information storage device storing information on a consumable contained in the consumable container, the information being for exchange with the equipment body, from the consumable container; and attaching the refill information storage device removed from the refill consumable container as an information storage device to the consumable container in place of the information storage device removed from the consumable container.

A cartridge detachably attachable to an apparatus body of an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a recording medium in which a memory unit is fixed by an inexpensive adhesive member that can control adhesion force. The cartridge includes: a memory; and a memory support member that supports the memory. The memory has a semiconductor device storing information related to a cartridge, a sealing material that protects the semiconductor device, and a cartridge electrical contact configured to be electrically connectable to a body electrical contact of the image forming apparatus body for transferring information on the semiconductor device to the image forming apparatus body. The sealing material and the memory support member contain the same type of a thermoplastic resin, the sealing material and the memory support member have bonding faces, and at least parts of the bonding faces are welded and fixed by a solvent.

An image forming apparatus includes: a main frame; a developing cartridge including a casing, a storage medium having an electrical contact surface, and developing roller; a photosensitive drum contactable with the developing roller; an electrical connector contactable with the electrical contact surface; a separation mechanism; and a controller configured to communicate with the storage medium via the electrical connector. The separation mechanism is configured to move the casing relative to the main frame in a separating direction in which the developing roller separates from the photosensitive drum. The controller is configured to perform: moving, by controlling the separation mechanism, the casing relative to the main frame in the separating direction; determining, in response to performing the moving, whether communication with the storage medium is established; and outputting, when determining in the determining that the communication with the storage medium is not established, an error.

An image forming system includes an image forming and a server. The image forming device includes a controller configured to operate in accordance with a normal mode or a contract mode. The server is configured to perform transmitting, to the image forming device, an operation mode changing instruction to set an operation mode of the controller to one of a normal mode or a contract mode in accordance with an operation mode changing request. The image forming device is configured to set the operation mode in accordance with the operation mode setting instruction.

An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus body, a first unit, a second unit, a cover, and a restrictor. The apparatus body includes a body-side connection terminal. The first unit is detachably attached to the apparatus body. The second unit detachably attached to the first unit and includes a unit-side connection terminal. The cover covers the body-side connection terminal disposed in the apparatus body and is movable between a covering position at which the cover covers the body-side connection terminal and a retracted position at which the cover is retracted from the covering position. The restrictor restricts movement of the cover from the covering position to the retracted position in a state in which the first unit is detached from the apparatus body.

The present disclosure provides a consumable chip, a consumable, and a communication method between the image forming apparatus and the consumable chip. The consumable chip is capable of being installed on the consumable, and the consumable is capable of being detachably installed on the image forming apparatus. The consumable chip includes a first storage unit and a chip control unit. The first storage unit is configured to store first fixed data representing attribute information of the consumable. The chip control unit is configured to receive an authentication request sent by the image forming apparatus, obtain the first fixed data and first variable data representing consumption information of the consumable, generate authentication data by performing a calculation on the first fixed data and the first variable data according to a first preset algorithm, and send the authentication data for determining whether the consumable meets expectation to the image forming apparatus.

A developing cartridge includes a casing, a developing roller rotatable about an axis extending in a first direction, a developing memory having an electrical contact surface, an agitator, an agitator gear rotatable about an agitator axis together with the agitator, a holder holding the electrical contact surface, and a plate movable between a first position and a second position in a second direction crossing the first direction relative to the casing. The holder is movable relative to the casing in a third direction crossing the first and second directions between a retracted position and an advancing position. The holder is movable from the retracted position to the advancing position in response to a movement of the plate from the first position to the second position. The plate is positioned farther away from the developing roller than the agitator gear and the holder are in the second direction.