Patent ID: 6058283
Filing Date: 2000-05-02
Classification: G03G,Y10S

Abstract:
A toner cartridge, comprising: a container with a discharge opening at a bottom end thereof, said toner cartridge further comprising a shutter mechanism mounted on the bottom end of said container, said shutter mechanism including a shutter member with a passage opening, said shutter member being movable relative to said container between an opening position where the discharge opening is caused to communicate with the outside through the passage opening and a closing position where the discharge opening is cut off from the outside;wherein the discharge opening of the container is present in the bottom end surface of said container;wherein the bottom end surface of the container is circular, and wherein there are two discharge openings in the bottom end surface disposed with substantially 180.degree. angular spacing, and each of the discharge openings has a segment shape defined by two radial edges extending with an angular spacing, and an arcuate edge extending between radially outward ends of the two radial edges;wherein, to the arcuate edge of each of the discharge openings an arcuate curved wall of said container is connected which is arcuate in cross sectional shape and which constitutes a part of a truncated cone; to one of the radial edges, an upright wall extending substantially vertically is connected; the radially inward edge of the upright wall is inclined radially outwardly toward the above; an upper end of the upright wall is connected to the arcuate curved wall of the container; and to the other radial edge is connected a flat-curved wall which extends flatly in a radially outwardly inclined manner toward the above in the radial direction, and then smoothly continues to the arcuate curved wall of said container to form a curved surface portion of said flat curved wall; andwherein said arcuate curved wall of said container, said upright wall, and said flat-curved wall respectively extend upwardly from said two radial edges and arcuate edge at an inclined angle .alpha. of at least 45 degrees to the horizontal.