A powder cartridge with a cartridge interface at a proximal, open end of a cartridge body. The cartridge interface has a dispense mechanism opened to the cartridge body and a coupling mechanism coupled with the dispense mechanism. The coupling mechanism includes at least one coupling extension and at least one shuttle configured for movable coupling with the dispense mechanism.

A replaceable unit for an electrophotographic image forming device according to one example embodiment includes an electrical contact positioned on a first side of a housing of the replaceable unit for contacting an electrical contact in the image forming device. A guide on the first side of the housing is positioned closer to a front of the housing than the electrical contact and leads rearward toward the electrical contact. The guide includes an inside surface that faces inward sideways toward a second side of the housing. At least a portion of the inside surface is angled inward sideways from front to rear permitting contact between the inside surface and an electrical connector in the image forming device to draw the electrical connector in the image forming device inward sideways relative to the replaceable unit during insertion of the replaceable unit into the image forming device.

An image forming apparatus includes a main body that includes a photosensitive member on which an electrostatic latent image is formed and a development unit configured to develop the photosensitive member with toner. The main body is configured to discharge a recording material on which an image is formed with the toner onto a discharge tray. The image forming apparatus also includes a toner supply port on which a supply container is mounted to supply toner to a toner containing portion of the development unit. The image forming apparatus further includes a non-contact communication portion including an antenna and configured to receive a signal for user authentication. The discharge tray, the toner supply port, and the non-contact communication portion are provided at an upper portion of the main body. The non-contact communication portion is provided outside the discharge tray when the main body is viewed from above.

An image forming apparatus to and from which a replenishment container accommodating toner is detachable and which forms an image on a recording material includes an apparatus body, and a cartridge including an image bearing member, a developer container to accommodate toner, and a developing portion to develop an electrostatic latent image formed on the image bearing member into a toner image by using the toner. A replenishment port allows replenishment of toner from the replenishment container, which is arranged outside of the image forming apparatus, to the developer container therethrough in a state where the replenishment container is attached to the replenishment port, and a controller notifies a user of information related to a toner amount if it is determined that a lifetime of the cartridge will expire before a sum of toner accommodated in the developer container and toner accommodated in the replenishment container is consumed.

A remanufactured toner cartridge and related method includes a modified driven gear that is associated with an internal seal removal mechanism. The driven gear is modified so that driving rotational force from a printer is not transmitted to the seal removal mechanism during a post test of the remanufactured cartridge. When the post test is complete a fixing member, which may include a pin, is used to return the modified driven gear to an operational configuration so that when the cartridge is subsequently installed in a printer, driving rotational force from the printer is transmitted to the removal mechanism to remove the internal toner seal, thereby permitting cartridge operation.

There are provided a printer device, a printing method, and a program that can appropriately output an exposure start signal without requiring a film detection device. A printer device includes a loading chamber into which a film cartridge is to be loaded, an exposure head device that is disposed to face a photosensitive surface of a film discharged from the film cartridge and exposes the film to light, a spreading roller that splits a developer pod of the film to spread a developer to the film, a transport roller that transports the film, and a load measuring device that measures a change in load occurring in a case where the film enters at least the spreading roller or the transport roller.

An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus body, a cartridge attachable to and detachable from the apparatus body, a replenishment restriction portion configured to switch between a restricting state in which toner replenishment through a replenishment port is restricted and an allowing state in which toner replenishment through the replenishment port is allowed, a toner remainder amount detection portion, and a controller. The controller is configured to, when the replenishment container is attached to the replenishment port, maintain the replenishment restriction portion in the restricting state in a case where a second printable sheet number is larger than a first printable sheet number, with the first printable sheet number being obtained from a lifetime of the cartridge, and the second printable sheet number being obtained from a sum of the amount of toner accommodated in the developer container and an amount of toner accommodated in the replenishment container.

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion, a supply processing portion, and a second release processing portion. The image forming portion includes a storing portion that stores developer, and forms an image by using the developer stored in the storing portion. The supply processing portion supplies the developer to the storing portion from a developer storing portion attached to an attachment portion, when a storage amount of the developer in the storing portion is less than or equal to a first threshold. The second release processing portion releases regulation on a removal of the developer storing portion when an expected amount of developer to be used by a user is greater than or equal to a reference value that is determined based on a remaining amount of the developer in the developer storing portion attached to the attachment portion.

A first contact portion provided on a first shutter member that opens and closes a receiving port for receiving a developer from a cartridge and a second contact portion provided on the cartridge are configured to contact each other in an attachment and detachment direction of the cartridge so that the first shutter member is in a position at which the receiving port is opened. The first shutter member is urged by a first urging member so that a contacting state between the first contact portion and the second contact portion is maintained until a second shutter member that opens and closes a supplying port of the cartridge closes the supplying port when the cartridge is discharged from the apparatus body.

A developer supply container detachably mountable to a developer receiving apparatus and settable in a developer receiving apparatus by a setting operation including at least a rotation toward a setting position, includes a containing portion for containing the developer; a rotatable discharging member for discharging the developer out of said containing portion; drive transmitting means, engageable with a driving gear provided in said developer receiving apparatus and rotatable in a direction opposite the setting direction, for transmitting a rotating force from said driving gear to said discharging member.