Patent ID: 7860423

Claim:
An image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming mechanism for forming an image; a plurality of containers replaceably provided in the image forming apparatus and configured to contain a substance used to form an image, the plurality of containers including at least three containers, each including a different color of the substance; a housing configured to house the image forming mechanism and the plurality of containers, the housing comprising: at least one pivotally openable portion configured to be opened for access to and replacement of the plurality of said containers; and an operation device provided on a front portion of the housing, the operation device comprising: an input section configured to receive input from a user; and a display configured to indicate a status of the substance used to form the image, the display being viewable from a front side of the image forming apparatus, the status including an indication that there is no substance of a particular color for use in the image forming apparatus, wherein said plurality of containers are arranged in parallel in line in the image forming apparatus in a first predetermined sequence according to colors of the substance, and wherein a plurality of indicators are arranged in parallel in line on the display in a second predetermined sequence according to indications of colors, the first and second predetermined sequences being equal to each other, each of the plurality of indicators being adjacent to no more than two others of the plurality of indicators.