A developer supply container includes a developer accommodating body and a developer discharging body in fluid communication with the developer accommodating body. A track is positioned at a side of the developer discharging body, with the track including a surface that extends from a first position to a second position. When the developer supply container is oriented with the track positioned below a horizontal plane that includes a rotational axis of the developer accommodating body and a discharge passageway through which developer is discharged to outside of the developer supply container is formed at the bottommost side of the developer supply container, the second position is closer to the horizontal plane than the first position is to the horizontal plane, the surface faces upward, and the track extends such that a plane perpendicular to the rotational axis and passing through the track passes through an end of the discharge passageway.

An image forming apparatus includes a main casing, a developing roller, a connecting tube, and a toner container. The main casing includes a sheet supply tray. The developing roller is provided in the main casing. The connecting tube has one end portion and another end portion inside the main casing. The toner container is for accommodating toner. The one end portion of the connecting tube is connected to the toner container. The toner container has an inlet opening for replenishing toner. The toner container is pivotally movable between a first position and a second position about the connecting tube. A position of the inlet opening at the second position is higher than a position of the inlet opening at the first position.

A toner conveyance device includes a vertical conveyance portion, a horizontal conveyance portion, a conveyance member, and a loosening member. The vertical conveyance portion conveys a toner or a developer containing the toner conveyed therein through an entry port connected to a main-body-side conveyance path by causing the toner or the developer to fall vertically. The horizontal conveyance portion is connected to a lower end of the vertical conveyance portion and conveys the toner or the developer in a horizontal direction by using the conveyance member arranged in the horizontal conveyance portion. The loosening member is arranged so as to be movable between a first position below a connection portion between the main-body-side conveyance path and the entry port and a second position protruding upward beyond the connection portion and reciprocates in a vertical direction at each of the first position and the second position.

A toner conveyance device includes a vertical conveyance portion, a horizontal conveyance portion, a conveyance member, and a loosening member. The vertical conveyance portion conveys a toner or developer conveyed therein through an entry port connected to a main-body-side conveyance path by causing the toner or developer to fall vertically. The horizontal conveyance portion is connected to a lower end of the vertical conveyance portion and conveys the toner or developer in a horizontal direction by using the conveyance member. the loosening member is arranged at a first position below a connection portion between the main-body-side conveyance path and the entry port and at a second position protruding upward beyond the connection portion. A toner loosening mode is executable in which the toner or developer is fed into the vertical conveyance portion so as to cause the loosening member to reciprocate at the second position.

With a mounting operation of a supply container, a supported portion 11b of a developer receiving portion 11 is supported by a receipt supporting portion 30c of a lifting portion 30. With further mounting operation, a shutter sliding portion 30b of the lifting portion 30 slides on a shutter inclined portion 4f of a shutter 4. The developer receiving portion 11 is displaced so as to bring a receiving opening into communication with a discharge opening by operating, using the shutter 4, the lifting portion 30 supporting the supported portion 11b of the developer receiving portion 11. By this, a load required for movement of the developer receiving portion 11 is reduced to achieve smooth mounting of the supply container.

A developing apparatus includes a replenishment conveyance screw portion to convey replenishment developer from a developer replenishment portion toward a first communication portion. First, second and third blade portions are formed in a spiral shape on an outer circumferential surface of a rotation shaft of the replenishment conveyance screw portion. A pitch of the first blade portion, a pitch of the second blade portion, and a pitch of the third blade portion are each larger than a pitch of a blade of a second conveyance screw portion, and the third blade portion is continuously formed in a region between a terminal end of the first blade portion and a starting end of the second blade portion.

An image forming apparatus is capable of being attached with a toner supply container. The toner supply container stores a toner that is to be supplied to a developing portion. An attachment location of the toner supply container is below a light scanning portion in a vertical direction.

A developer supply includes a developer accommodating body and a developer discharging body. A track is positioned at a side of the developer discharging body, with the track including a surface that extends from a first position to a second position. When the developer supply container is oriented with the track and the shutter positioned below a horizontal plane that includes the rotational axis and a discharge passageway through which developer is discharged to outside of the developer supply container is formed at the bottommost side of the developer supply container, the track is positioned between the horizontal plane and a shutter in a direction perpendicular to the horizontal plane, the second position is closer to the horizontal plane than the first position is to the horizontal plane, the surface faces upward, and the track extends such that a plane perpendicular to the rotational axis and passing through the track passes through the end of the discharge passageway.

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.

An image forming apparatus, includes: plural image forming units each including an image holding member and configured to form an image that is to be transferred to a recording medium on the image holding member using a dry toner, the number of the plural image forming units being at least five; and plural developing devices each of which is provided in each of the plural image forming units and supplied with the dry toner and a dry carrier, each of the plural developing devices including a dry toner adhering unit that has a length equal to or longer than a length of a long side of an A3 size and to which the dry toner adheres, the dry toner adhering unit being configured to cause the dry toner adhering to the dry toner adhering unit to adhere to the image holding member.