Patent ID: 11921444
Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Field: Optics (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G | IPC G

Claim 19:
20. A belt unit for use in an image forming apparatus, the belt unit comprising:
an endless belt configured to be movable in a movement direction;
a transfer member configured to contact with an inner circumferential surface of the endless belt;
a collecting member configured to collect toner on an outer circumferential surface of the endless belt by contacting with the outer circumferential surface of the endless belt;
a storage container including a receiving port through which the toner collected by the collecting member is to be received; and
a conveyance member configured to convey, inside the storage container, the toner which is to be received through the receiving port in a conveyance direction,
wherein the conveyance member is configured to be rotated about a rotational axis extending in a rotational axis direction, includes a shaft and a conveyance portion which is provided on an outer surface of the shaft, and has a helical shape in which a helical axis extends in the rotational axis direction,
wherein the conveyance member further includes a protruding portion which protrudes from the outer surface of the shaft in a direction crossing the rotational axis of the conveyance member, which has a shape different from the helical shape of the conveyance portion, and which is provided on a portion of the shaft downstream of the conveyance portion in the conveyance direction,
wherein the storage container has a bottom surface configured to support the toner which is to be received through the receiving port,
wherein a downstream end portion of the conveyance member in the conveyance direction includes a portion-to-be-supported supported by a supporting portion provided on the bottom surface of the storage container, and
wherein the protruding portion is provided between the conveyance portion and the portion-to-be-supported in the rotational axis direction.