Patent ID: 7266313

Claim:
An image forming apparatus that uses a plurality of consumable items one at a time, each of the consumable items being provided to the image forming apparatus during use and having a usable life that ends when the consumable item reaches life end, each of the consumable items being provided with a distinction information indicator that indicates information for distinguishing between individuals in the plurality of consumable items, the image forming apparatus comprising: a distinction information reading unit that reads the distinction information indicated by the distinction information indicator of each consumable item that is presently provided; a life end determining unit that judges whether a consumable item that is presently being used has reached life end; a memory; a registering unit that registers, in the memory and for each consumable item that the life end determining unit judges to have reached life end, the distinction information read by the distinction information reading unit; and a suitability determining unit that determines that a consumable item that is presently provided is unsuitable for use when distinction information read by the distinction information reading unit for the consumable item that is presently provided is the same as distinction information registered in the memory.