Toner supply container detachably mountable to a main assembly of an image forming apparatus

A toner supply container detachably mountable to a main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus includes (a) a toner accommodating portion for accommodating toner; (b) a toner supply opening for discharging toner accommodated in the toner accommodating portion; (c) a toner feeding portion for feeding the toner accommodated in the toner accommodating portion toward the toner supply port; (d) a first driving force receiving portion for receiving driving force for driving the toner feeding portion from the main assembly of the apparatus; (e) a toner stirring portion for stirring the toner accommodated in the toner accommodating portion; (f) a second driving force receiving portion for receiving driving force for driving the toner stirring portion from the main assembly of the apparatus; wherein the first driving force receiving portion and the second driving force receiving portion is disposed outside the toner accommodating portion and at a free end portion in a direction of mounting the toner supply container to the main assembly of the apparatus.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION AND RELATED ART 
The present invention relates to a toner-supply-container detachably 
mountable to a main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming 
apparatus and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus to which the 
toner supply container is detachably mountable. 
The electrophotographic image forming apparatus forms an image on a 
recording material using an electrophotographic image formation type 
process. Examples of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus 
include an electrophotographic copying machine, an electrophotographic 
printer (laser beam printer, LED printer or the like), a facsimile machine 
and a word processor. 
Heretofore, an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, such as an 
electrophotographic copying machine or a printer, uses fine toner powder 
as a developer. When the developer in the main assembly of the apparatus 
is used up, the toner is supplied into the main assembly of the apparatus 
using a toner supply container. 
Here, in a known system, since the toner is a very fine powder or 
particles, the toner supply container is kept set within the main assembly 
of the apparatus, and the toner is discharged at a small rate through a 
small opening during the toner supply operation, so as to prevent toner 
scattering. In such a system, it is difficult to let the toner fall by 
gravity or the like, and therefore, some feeding means is required. 
An example of a toner supply container provided with such a toner feeding 
means is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 
HEI-7-113796. The toner supply container is generally cylindrical, and one 
end portion thereof is provided with a relatively small opening for 
discharging the toner. In the container, there is provided a helical toner 
feeding member which receives a driving force from the outside, 
penetrating through a wall of the end of the container. 
A bearing seal mechanism is necessary to prevent toner leakage through the 
through-hole at the end for the drive transmission. Generally, the seal 
mechanism includes a gear member provided at the end of the feeding 
member, and a seal is sandwiched between the gear member and the container 
wall surface. The seal is in many cases an annular wool felt, oil seal or 
the like. 
The toner supply container is used while being kept in the main assembly of 
the apparatus, and the toner is fed by rotation of the toner feeding 
member driven from the main assembly, and the toner is discharged at a 
small rate through the opening. 
On the other hand, another tone supply container having toner feeding means 
is disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Application No. HEI-7-44000. The 
toner supply container is in the form of a cylindrical bottle, and the 
inside surface thereof is provided with a helical rib, and a small toner 
discharging outlet is provided adjacent the center at one end. 
The toner supply container, as contrasted to the above-described 
conventional example, does not have any inner feeding means, and is used 
while being kept in the main assembly of the apparatus, and the main body 
of the container itself is rotated by the main assembly to feed the toner. 
The toner fed to the end adjacent the discharging outlet is guided by an 
extended portion adjacent the opening to be raised toward the discharging 
outlet adjacent the center of the container, and then is discharged. 
Heretofore, an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, such as an 
electrophotographic copying machine or a printer, uses fine toner powder 
as a developer. When the developer of the main assembly of the image 
forming apparatus is consumed, the toner is supplied into the image 
forming apparatus using a toner supply container. 
Here, in a known system, since the toner is a very fine powder or 
particles, the toner supply container is kept set within the main assembly 
of the apparatus, and the toner is discharged at a small rate through a 
small opening during the toner supply operation, so as to prevent toner 
scattering. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a 
toner supply container which is kept in the main assembly of an 
electrophotographic image forming apparatus and which can supply the toner 
into the main assembly of the apparatus with high reliability. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide a toner supply 
container of a low-manufacturing-cost type. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a toner supply 
container capable of stirring and feeding the toner with certainty. 
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a toner 
supply container detachably mountable to a main assembly of an 
electrophotographic image forming apparatus, comprising: (a) a toner 
accommodating portion for accommodating toner; (b) a toner supply opening 
for discharging toner accommodated in the toner accommodating portion; (c) 
a toner feeding portion for feeding the toner accommodated in the toner 
accommodating portion toward the toner supply port; (d) a first driving 
force receiving portion for receiving a driving force for driving the 
toner feeding portion from the main assembly of the apparatus; (e) a toner 
stirring portion for stirring the toner accommodated in the toner 
accommodating portion; (f) a second driving force receiving portion for 
receiving a driving force for driving the toner stirring portion from the 
main assembly of the apparatus; wherein the first driving force receiving 
portion and the second driving force receiving portion are disposed 
outside the toner accommodating portion and at a fee end portion in a 
direction of mounting the toner supply container to the main assembly of 
the apparatus. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an 
electrophotographic image forming apparatus to which such a toner supply 
container is detachably mountable. 
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention 
will become more apparent upon a consideration of the following 
description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention taken in 
conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described 
with reference to the drawings. 
FIG. 1 is a schematic section of an electrophotographic copying machine, 
that is, an example of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus in 
which a toner supplying container, in accordance with the first embodiment 
of the present invention, is installable. In the drawing, reference 
numeral 100 designates the main assembly of an electrophotographic copying 
machine equipped with a printer 1000 and a scanner 2000, which will be 
simply referred to as the "main assembly". 
The alphanumeric character 100f designates a top cassette mounted in the 
printer 1000. The recording media (hereinafter, "sheets") in this top 
cassette 100f are separated, one by one, and guided to the register roller 
106, by the function of a separator claw (unillustrated) and a feeder 
roller 101. The cassette designated by a reference numeral 102 is a bottom 
cassette. The sheets in the bottom cassette 102 are separated one by one, 
and sent to the register roller 106, by the function of a separator claw 
(unillustrated) and a feeder roller 103. As for the recording medium, an 
ordinary sheet of paper, an OHP sheet, and the like may be optionally 
used. 
The reference numeral 111 designates a laser-based writing device; 112 
denotes an electrophotographic photosensitive drum; 113 denotes an optical 
system for writing image data; 114 denotes an image developing section; 
115 denotes a transfer charger; and a reference numeral 116 designates a 
separator charger. These components constitute an image forming section. 
The reference numeral 117 designates a conveyer belt for conveying the 
sheets on which an image has been formed; 118 denotes a fixing apparatus; 
and the reference numeral 119 designates a discharger roller. The sheet on 
which an image has been formed is discharged into a sorter 2 by the 
discharger roller 119. The container designated by a reference numeral 1 
is a toner supply container, which will be described later. 
Also in the same drawing, a reference numeral 201 designates a light source 
of the scanner 2000; 202 denotes a platen glass; 203 denotes a hinged or 
flexible plate for pressing down an original; 204 denotes a lens; 205 
denotes a receptor element (photo-electric transducer); and the reference 
numeral 206 designates an image processing section. The image data of an 
original, which are read by the scanner 2000, are processed by the image 
processing section 206, being converted into electric signals 207, and 
then, are transmitted to a laser-based writing device 111. Then, an 
optical image in accordance with the image data is formed on the 
peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 12 through an image writing 
system 113. 
The transfer charger 115 is a charger for transferring a toner image formed 
on the photosensitive drum 112 onto a sheet. The separator charger 116 is 
a charger for separating a sheet, onto which a toner image has been 
transferred, from the photosensitive drum 112. The fixing apparatus 118 is 
an apparatus for permanently fixing the toner image on a sheet to the 
sheet, with the use of heat and pressure. 
In the main assembly 100 structured as described above, the image 
developing section 114, a cleaner section 120, and a primary charger 121 
are disposed in a manner to surround the photosensitive drum 112. The 
image developing section 114 is a section for developing, with the use of 
toner, an electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 112 
according to the image data. The toner supply container 1 for supplying 
the developing section 114 with toner is removably installed in the main 
assembly 100 by a user of the image forming apparatus. 
The image developing section 114 comprises a toner hopper 114a and an image 
developing device 114b. The toner hopper 114a has a stirring member 114c 
for stirring the toner supplied from the toner supply container 1. The 
toner stirred by this stirring member 114c is delivered to the image 
developing device 114b by a magnetic roller 114d. The developing device 
114b comprises an image developing roller 114f and a toner delivering 
member 114e. The toner delivered from the toner hopper 114a by the 
magnetic roller 114d is delivered to the image developing roller 114f by 
the toner delivering member 114e, and then, is supplied to the 
photosensitive drum 112 by the image developing roller 114f. 
The cleaning section 120 is a section for removing the toner particles 
remaining on the photosensitive drum 112. The primary charger 121 is a 
charger for charging the photosensitive drum 112. 
The printer 1000 and the scanner 2000 may be separate from each other as 
shown in the drawing, or integral. When they are integral, the combination 
of the two is called an "image forming apparatus". If the signals from the 
image-data-processing section are inputted into the laser-based image 
writing device 111 of the printer 1000, which projects a laser beam 
modulated with the inputted signals, the printer 1000 acts as the 
outputting device for a copying machine, and if facsimile signals are 
inputted into the writing device 111, the printer 1000 acts as the 
outputting device for a facsimile machine. 
Further, if the output signals from a personal computer are inputted into 
the writing device 111 of the printer 1000, the printer 1000 acts as the 
so-called printer. On the other hand, the signals from the image data 
processing section 206 of the scanner 2000 may be transmitted as facsimile 
signals to a facsimile machine. Further, the pressing plate 203 may be 
replaced with an automatic original feeding apparatus 250 outlined with 
the double-dot chain line, so that a plurality of originals are 
automatically read. 
A cover 15 for replacing the toner supply container, which constitutes a 
part of the external wall illustrated in FIG. 11, is opened by a user as 
illustrated in FIG. 12, and a container mount 50 is pulled out to a 
predetermined location by a driving system (unillustrated). The toner 
supply container 1 is placed on this container mount 50. In order for a 
user to remove the toner supply container 1 from the main assembly 100, 
the user opens the cover 15 to pull out the container mount 50, and 
removes the container 1 from the container 50. The cover 15 is dedicated 
for installing or removing the toner supply container 1; it is opened or 
closed only for installing or removing the container 1. For the 
maintenance of the main assembly 100, a front cover 100c is provided. 
It should be noted here that the container mount 50 may be eliminated; the 
toner supply container 1 may be directly mounted into, or removed from, 
the main assembly. 
Next, the toner supply container 1 in this embodiment will be described 
with reference to FIGS. 2-5. FIG. 2 is a side view of the toner supply 
container 1; FIG. 3 is a section of the toner supply container 1, parallel 
to the lateral walls of the toner supply container 1; FIG. 4 is a front 
view of the toner supply container 1; and FIG. 5 is a section of toner 
supply container 1, parallel to the front wall of the toner supply 
container 1. The toner is a substance for developing the electrostatic 
latent image formed on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 
112. There are single component toners, two component toners, and the 
like, which are selectively used. 
In the drawings, a reference character 1A designates the main body of the 
toner supply container 1 (hereinafter, "main body"); 2 denotes a toner 
conveying member; 3 denotes a sealing member; and a reference numeral 4 
designates a stirring member. 
A reference numeral 10 designates the toner receiving opening of the toner 
hopper 114a of the main assembly 100. The toner released from the toner 
supply container 1 is guided into the toner hopper 114a through this toner 
receiving opening 10. However, an arrangement may be made so that the 
toner released from the toner supply container 1 is guided straight, that 
is, without going through the toner hopper 114a, to the image developing 
device 201b. 
The main body 1A of the toner supply container 1 comprises a curved wall 
section 1F, a straight wall section 1G, and a semicircular wall section 
1H. The curved wall section narrows toward the bottom. The straight wall 
section is directly below the curved wall section, and its width is the 
same from the top to the bottom. The semicircular wall section 1H is 
directly below the straight wall section. In this specification, the term 
"bottom portions" refers to the portions which come to the bottom side as 
the toner supply container 1 is installed into the main assembly 100. The 
term "bottom surfaces and top surfaces" refers to the surfaces which come 
to the bottom side and the top side, respectively, as the toner supply 
container 1 is installed into the main assembly 100. The term "lateral 
surfaces" refers to the surfaces which are upright when the toner supply 
container 1 is in the main assembly 100. The positioning of the toner 
supply container 1 in the main assembly 100 is the same throughout FIGS. 
2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 10, 14, 15, 18, 19 and 32. 
First, the container main body 1A will be described. The main body 1A is 
provided with a toner releasing portion 1a, which projects from the bottom 
portion of the lateral wall 1A2, that is, the lateral wall located at one 
of the longitudinal ends of the main body 1A, and through which the toner 
stored in the toner storing portion 1A3 is released into the main assembly 
100. This toner releasing portion 1a is provided with a toner releasing 
opening 1g through which the toner is released. 
Also, the container main body 1A is provided with a bearing portion 1b, 
which projects outward from the bottom portion of the lateral wall 1B, 
that is, the lateral wall located on the other longitudinal end of the 
main body 1A, and rotatively bears the toner conveying member 2. In other 
words, the bearing portion 1b is located opposite to the toner releasing 
portion 1a. Further, the container main body 1A is provided with the 
bearing portions 1c and 1d, which are located above the toner releasing 
portion 1a and the bearing portion 1b, respectively, and rotatively bear 
the stirring member 4. 
The container main body 1A is desired to be formed of plastic material by 
injection molding. However, the material and the production method for the 
container main body 1A may be different from the plastic material and the 
injection molding, respectively. 
The container main body 1A may be constituted of two or more pieces, 
depending on the manufacturing situation, which are integrated by welding, 
gluing, or the like method. In manufacturing the container main body 1A in 
this embodiment, the top frame and the bottom frame are separately formed 
of high impact polystyrene by injection molding, and are welded together 
by vibration welding. 
Next, the toner conveying member 2 will be described. The toner conveying 
member 2 is a member for moving the toner stored in the toner storing 
portion 1A3 toward the toner releasing opening 1g. It is constituted of a 
shaft portion 2A, and a spiral blade 2B, that is, an actual toner 
conveying portion, which is fitted around the shaft portion 2A, and moves 
the toner in the predetermined direction as the shaft portion 2A is 
rotated. The toner conveying member 2 is attached to the container main 
body 1A in such a manner that the axial line of the shaft portion 2A 
approximately aligns with the center of the toner releasing opening 1g, 
which is substantially circular. 
The configuration of the toner conveying member 2 does not need to be 
limited to the above described type, that is, the so-called screw type. 
For example, it may be constituted of a shaft portion 2A, and a flexible 
blade attached to the shaft portion 2A. The shaft portion 2A and the blade 
portion 2B may be integrally formed, or separately formed. The shaft 
portion 2A and the blade portion 2B in this embodiment are integrally 
formed of plastic material. 
The toner conveying member 2 also comprises a portion 2C, which extends 
through the cylindrical portion of the toner releasing portion 1a. In this 
embodiment, this extending portion 2C projects outward beyond the toner 
releasing portion 1a, and the force for rotatively driving the toner 
conveying member 2 is transmitted from the main assembly 100 to the toner 
conveying member 2 through this portion 2c extending outward from the 
toner releasing portion 1a. Further, in this embodiment, this extending 
portion 2C is fitted with the sealing member 3, which is rendered movable 
in the axial direction of the shaft portion 2A. 
In this embodiment, the sealing member 3 is given four functions: (1) 
sealing the toner releasing portion 1a; (2) receiving the rotative driving 
force transmitted from the main assembly 100; (3) transmitting the 
rotative driving force to the toner conveying member 2; and (4) engaging 
with a coupling member 6 provided on the main assembly side to open or 
close the toner releasing portion 1a. In other words, the driving force 
which the sealing member 3 receives from the main assembly 100 is 
transmitted to the shaft portion 2A through the extending portion 2C to 
rotate the toner conveying member 2. These functions will be described 
later in detail. 
The outward end portion 2a of the extending portion 2C is shaped for 
receiving the rotative driving force from the main assembly 100, through 
the sealing member 3. More specifically, in this embodiment, this outward 
end portion 2a is cut in the form of a letter "H", so that the shaft 
portion 2A is supported by the sealing member 3, by the portion 2a of the 
extending portion 2C, which is extending outward from the toner releasing 
portion 1a. The other end of the shaft portion 2A is rotatively supported 
by the bearing portion 1b of the container main body 1A. Thus, the toner 
conveying member 2 is freely rotatable as long as the toner supply 
container 1 remains unsealed. 
The toner conveying member 2 is supported by the sealing member 3 so that 
the toner conveying blade 2B does not make contact with the internal 
surface 1a1 of the toner releasing portion 1a, and also the shaft portion 
2A is rendered substantially parallel to the internal surface 1a1 of the 
toner releasing portion 1a. With the toner conveying member 2 being 
supported as described above, the toner is conveyed toward the toner 
releasing opening 1g, substantially horizontally, as the toner conveying 
member 2 is rotated, and also, it is possible to prevent the microscopic 
toner particles from being forced into the gap between the blade 2B and 
the internal wall 1a1 of the toner releasing portion 1a, rubbed against 
the wall 1a1, melted, and solidly adhered to the wall 1a1; the microscopic 
toner particles are prevented from being aggregated into substantially 
larger toner particles. 
It is desirable that the toner conveying member 2 is also integrally formed 
of plastic material by injection molding or the like method, since such 
material and a manufacturing method are simple. However, material and 
manufacturing methods other than those described above may be used. For 
example, the toner conveying member 2 may be constituted of an optional 
number of pieces, which are separately formed and then joined together. 
The bearing portion 1b is provided with a sealing member 11, which 
prevents the toner from entering the bearing portion 1b. 
Next, the sealing member 3 will be described with reference to FIG. 6. FIG. 
6(A) is a plan view of the sealing member, as seen from the front side of 
the printer; FIG. 6(B) is a plan view of the sealing member as seen from 
the direction of an arrow mark A in (A); FIG. 6(C) is a plan view of the 
sealing member as seen from the direction of an arrow mark B in (A); FIG. 
6(D) is a section of the sealing member at a line X--X in (A); and FIG. 6 
(E) is a section of the sealing member at a line Y--Y in (A). 
In FIG. 6, (A, B, C, D and E), a reference character 3b designates an 
actual sealing portion of the sealing member 3, which is located on the 
toner supply container side of the sealing member to open or close the 
toner releasing opening 1g of the toner supply container 1. The external 
diameter of the sealing portion 3b is rendered slightly larger by an 
appropriate amount than the diameter of the toner releasing opening 1g, 
and the toner releasing opening 1g is sealed as the plug portion 3b1 of 
the sealing portion 3b is forced into the toner releasing opening 1g of 
the toner releasing portion 1a. 
The reference character 3c designates a coupler portion, which constitutes 
a transmitting portion through which the sealing member 3 receives the 
force for driving the toner conveying member 2 from the main assembly 100. 
The coupler portion 3c comprises a shaft portion 3c1 and ribs 3d. The 
shaft portion 3c1 extends in the direction opposite to the container main 
body 1A, and the axial lines of the shaft portion 2A and the shaft portion 
3c1 substantially coincide with each other. The ribs 3d are in the form of 
a spline, constituting the actual portions that receive the driving force. 
They are disposed on the peripheral surface of the shaft portion 3c1, 
extending in the longitudinal direction of the shaft portion 3c1 and 
radially projecting from the peripheral surface of the shaft portion 3c1, 
and engage with a first coupling member 5. In this embodiment, there are 
four ribs 3d, being evenly distributed around the peripheral surface of 
the shaft portion 3c1. 
Further, the sealing member 3 comprises a female coupler portion 3a, which 
constitutes a portion that couples with the outward end portion 2a of the 
toner conveying member 2 to transmit the driving force received from the 
main assembly 100 to the toner conveying member 2. This female coupler 
portion 3a is constituted of the hole cut through the plug portion 3b1 and 
the male coupler portion 3c. The cross section of the female coupler 
portion 3a is in the form of a letter "D", which matches the shape of the 
cross section of the outward portion 2a of the toner conveying member 2, 
which projects outward from the toner releasing portion 1a. The cross 
section of the female coupler portion 3a is rendered slightly larger than 
that of the outward portion 2a of the toner conveying member 2 so that the 
outward portion 2a loosely fits in the female coupler portion 3a. 
With the outward end portion 2a being loosely fit in the female coupler 
portion 3a, that is, the coupling hole 3a, the toner conveying member 2 
and the sealing member 3 remain reliably engaged in terms of the 
rotational direction of the toner conveying member 2 while being allowed 
to freely slide relative to each other in the axial direction of the toner 
conveying member 2. Thus, as the toner supplying container is installed 
into the main assembly 100, the sealing member 3 and the container main 
body 1A can be separated to unseal (open) the toner releasing opening 1g, 
which will be described later. 
The length by which the coupling hole 3a and the outward end portion 2a 
engage with each other is such that the coupling hole 3a and the outward 
end portion 2a do not become disengaged from each other when the actual 
sealing portion 3b of the sealing member 3 is separated from the container 
main body 1A. With this arrangement, even when the actual sealing portion 
3b of the sealing member 3 is not in contact with the container main body 
1A, the toner conveying member 2 is allowed to receive the driving force 
through the sealing member 3 (female coupler portion 3c). 
The sealing member 3 also comprises a flange portion 3f, which is between 
the male coupler portion 3a and the actual sealing portion 3b, and comes 
in contact with the end portion of the toner releasing portion 1a when the 
actual sealing portion 3b is pressed into the toner releasing portion 1a. 
The external diameter of the flange portion 3f is substantially the same 
as that of the toner releasing portion 1a. With the presence of the flange 
portion 3f, the actual sealing portion 3b is pressed into the toner 
releasing portion 1a by the exact length of the plug portion 3b1. 
The reference character 3e designates a projection, which is located at the 
tip of the male coupler portion 3c, and engages with a locking member 6 on 
the main assembly side as the toner supply container 1 is installed in the 
main assembly 100, as depicted in FIG. 7 and will be described later. With 
the projection 3e being engaged with the locking member 6, the sealing 
member 3 is kept immobilized while the toner releasing opening 1g is 
opened. 
It is desirable that the sealing member 3 is also formed of plastic resin 
or the like by injection molding. However, material other than plastic 
resin, and a manufacturing method other then the injection molding may be 
employed. Further, the sealing member 3 may be constituted of two or more 
pieces, which are separately formed and then joined. The sealing member 3 
needs to have a proper amount of elasticity so that it properly seals the 
toner releasing portion 1a when it is pressed into the toner releasing 
portion 1a. As for the material for the sealing member 3, low density 
polyethylene is most desirable, but polypropylene, nylon, high density 
polyethylene, or the like may also be used. 
Next, the stirring member 4 will be described. The stirring member 4 is a 
member for stirring the powder toner stored in the toner storing portion 
1A3 to break up the aggregation of the toner particles, and also to 
prevent the toner from becoming unevenly distributed in the toner storing 
portion 1A3; it is a member for releasing the powder toner from the toner 
storing portion 1A3 without allowing any portion of it to remain in the 
storing portion 1A3. The stirring member 4 is constituted of a shaft 
portion 4A, and a stirring blade portion 4B, which is attached to the 
shaft portion 4A, and breaks up the aggregation of the toner particles as 
it is rotated by the rotation of the shaft portion 4A. 
The stirring member 4 is rotatively supported by the bearing portions 1c 
and 1d, by its longitudinal end portions 4a and 4b, respectively, of the 
shaft portion 4A. The bearing portions 1c and 1d are located above the 
toner releasing portion 1a and the bearing portion 1b, respectively. The 
stirring member 4 also comprises coupler claws 4c for receiving the 
rotational driving force from the main assembly 100. The coupler claw 4c 
is attached to a longitudinal end 4a, that is, the longitudinal end of the 
stirring member 4 on the toner releasing portion 1a side, which is 
supported by the bearing portion 1c. 
The stirring member 4 is also desired to be formed of plastic resin or the 
like by injection molding. However, a material and a manufacturing method 
other than the ones described above may be employed. Further, the stirring 
member 4 may be constituted of two or more pieces, which are separately 
formed and then are joined together. The bearing portions 1c and 1d are 
provided with sealing member 12 and 13, respectively, which prevent the 
powder toner from entering the bearing portions 1c and 1d. 
Next, the method for assembling the toner supply container 1 will be 
described. 
In assembling the toner supply container 1, first, the toner conveying 
member 2 and the stirring member 4 are attached to the bottom frame 1K of 
the container main body 1A. Then, the top frame 1J of the container main 
body 1A is glued to the bottom frame 1K. As for the gluing method, various 
known methods may be used, but it is desirable to use ultrasonic welding 
since the ultrasonic welding is simple and also is better in terms of the 
airtightness of the toner supply container. 
Next, a predetermined amount of toner is filled in the container main body 
1A, and then, the toner releasing opening 1g is sealed with the sealing 
member 3 to complete the toner supply container 1. As is evident from the 
preceding description, the assembling of the toner supply container 1 is 
extremely simple, requiring only an extremely small number of steps. 
Generally, the toner is fitted into the toner supply container 1 through 
the toner releasing opening 1g. However, the toner may be filled through a 
dedicated opening (unillustrated), which is made in the wall of the 
container main body 1A, at an optional location, and is sealed with a cap 
or the like after the filling of the toner. Further, the toner may filled 
into the bottom frame 1K of the container main body 1A before the top 
frame 1J is joined with the bottom frame 1K, after the toner conveying 
member 2, the stirring member 4, and the sealing member 3 are assembled 
into the bottom frame 1K. 
Next, referring to FIG. 7, it will be described how the toner supply 
container 1 is installed into the main assembly 100. 
First, the toner supply container replacement cover 15 of the main assembly 
100 is opened and the toner supply container 1 is inserted into the main 
assembly 100. As the toner supply container 1 is inserted, the male 
coupler portion 3c of the sealing member 3 engages with the locking member 
6 on the main assembly side. Then, the toner supply container replacement 
cover 15 is closed. As the cover 15 is closed, the toner supply container 
1 is moved in the direction opposite to the direction in which the toner 
supply container 1 is inserted into the main assembly 100, by the 
opening-closing mechanism (unillustrated) on the main assembly 100 side. 
As a result, the sealing member 3 becomes separated from the toner 
releasing opening 1g. 
During, and after, this movement of the toner supply container 1, the toner 
conveying member 2 and the sealing member 3 remain engaged in terms of 
their rotational directions. Further, during this movement of the toner 
supply container 1, the sealing member 3 engages with the first coupling 
member 5 on the main assembly 100 side, by the male coupler portion 3c. 
The first coupling member 5 is a coupler for transmitting the driving 
force of the driving apparatus (unillustrated) in the main assembly 100, 
to the sealing member 3. 
Thus, the toner conveying member 2 is rotated by the rotational driving 
force received by the sealing member 3 from the main assembly 100, and 
steadily releases the toner into the main assembly 100 through the toner 
releasing opening 1g. In this embodiment, a toner sensor 114g is provided 
in the toner hopper portion, and as the toner sensor 114g detects the 
absence of the toner, the sealing member 3 is rotated, whereas as the 
toner sensor 114g detects the presence of the toner, the rotation of the 
sealing member 3 is stopped. In other words, the sealing member 3 is 
intermittently rotated in response to the toner consumption on the main 
assembly 100 side, and therefore, the toner is steadily but intermittently 
supplied to the main assembly 100. However, the entire amount of the toner 
in the toner supply container 1 may be dumped all at once into the main 
assembly 100 as the toner supply container 1 is installed into the main 
assembly 100. 
Next, a method for replacing the toner supply container 1 will be 
described. 
As substantially the entire amount of the toner in the toner supply 
container 1 is consumed through the image forming process, it is detected 
by a toner depletion detecting means (unillustrated), provided on the main 
assembly 100 side, that the entire amount of the toner in the toner supply 
container 1 has been depleted, and the user is informed of the depletion 
of the toner in the toner supply container 1 by a displaying means 100b 
(FIG. 11) such as a liquid crystal display. 
In this embodiment, the toner supply container 1 is replaced by the user 
himself/herself. The steps for exchanging the toner supply container 1 are 
as follows. 
First, the toner supply container replacement cover 15 which has remained 
closed as illustrated in FIG. 11, and FIG. 13, (A) and (B) is opened; it 
is rotated about a hinge 18 to a position indicated by a broken line, as 
depicted in FIG. 12 and FIG. 13, (C). Being linked to the opening movement 
of the toner supply container replacement cover 15, the sealing member 3, 
which has been separated from the container main body 1A by the movement 
of the container main body 1A, and has been at the position for keeping 
the toner releasing opening 1g open, is pressed into the toner releasing 
portion 1a by a means (unillustrated) for opening or closing the toner 
releasing portion 1a, and as a result, the toner releasing opening 1g is 
closed. 
Next, the user removes the toner supply container 1, which has been 
illustrated in the main assembly 100, and has run out of the toner, out of 
the main assembly 100 by pulling the toner supply container 1 in the 
direction opposite to the direction indicated by an arrow mark in FIG. 13, 
(C). Thereafter, the user inserts a fresh toner supply container 1 into 
the main assembly 100 in the arrow direction, and closes the cover 15 
(FIG. 13, (A) and (B)). Being linked to the closing movement of the cover 
15, the sealing member 3 is separated from the container main body 1A by 
the means for opening/closing the toner releasing portion 1a, and as a 
result, the toner releasing opening 1g is unsealed. These are the steps 
for replacing the toner supply container 1. 
FIG. 8 is a drawing for depicting the configuration of the first coupling 
member 5 in detail. FIG. 8, (A) is a front view of the coupler portion 5; 
(B) is a rear view of the coupler portion 5; and FIG. 3, (C) is a section 
of the coupler portion 5, parallel to the axial direction thereof. In FIG. 
8, a reference character 5a designates a gear portion which constitutes 
the peripheral portion of the coupling member 5. The toner supply 
container 1 receives the driving force from the main assembly 100 through 
this gear portion 5a. 
The reference character 5b designates a coupling hole which couples with 
the sealing member 3. The internal peripheral surface of the coupler hole 
5b is provided with grooves 5c, which engage with one of the 
aforementioned spline-like projections 3d of the sealing member 3. One of 
the edges of the coupling hole 5b, that is, the edge which faces the toner 
supply container 1, is tapered, constituting a guiding portion 5d. 
In this embodiment, the sealing member 3 is provided with four spline-like 
projections 3d, and the first coupling member 5 is provided with 12 
engagement grooves 5c. Since the number of the engagement grooves 5c is 
rendered greater than that of the spline-like projections 3c, and also, 
the entrance side of the coupling hole 5b is provided with the guiding 
portion 5d, the sealing member 3 is reliably coupled with the first 
coupling member 5 even if the spline-like projections 3d and the 
engagement grooves 5d are misaligned in terms of rotational phase. It 
should be noted here that the number of the spline-like projections 3d of 
the sealing member 3 does not need to be limited to four; it is optional. 
Further, the number of the engagement grooves 5c does not need to be 
limited to 12; it is also optional. 
The stirring member 4 engages with a second coupling member 9, that is, a 
member provided on the main assembly 100 side for driving the stirring 
member, by the engagement claw 4c, that is, a portion with which the 
longitudinal end 4a of the stirring member 4 is provided so that the 
stirring member 4 can engage with the second coupling member 9. The second 
coupling member 9 is a coupler for transmitting the driving force from the 
driving apparatus (unillustrated) on the main assembly 100 side, to the 
stirring member 4. 
FIG. 9 is a drawing for depicting in detail the configuration of the second 
coupling member 9. FIG. 9(A) is a side view of the second coupling member 
9; FIG. 9(B) is a plan view thereof, as seen from the top or bottom 
direction in (A); FIG. 9(c) is a plan view thereof as seen from the 
direction of an arrow mark A in (A); and FIG. 9(D) is a section thereof at 
a line X--X in (C). 
In the drawings, a reference character 9a designates a shaft portion, which 
is the main assembly side of the coupling member 9, and through which the 
force for driving the stirring member 4 is transmitted from the main 
assembly 100 to the stirring member 4. A reference character 9b designates 
an engagement claw, which radially projects from the peripheral surface of 
the toner supply container 1 side of the second coupling member 9, being 
slightly angled relative to the axial line of the second coupling member 
9, and transmits the driving force received from the main assembly 100 by 
the shaft portion 9a, to the stirring member 4. The second coupling member 
9 has two engagement claws 9b. 
As the shaft portion 9a is rotated by the driving force from the main 
assembly 100, with the engagement claw 9b being engaged with the 
engagement claw 4c of the stirring member 4, the second coupling member 9 
is rotated, which in turn rotates the stirring member 4. 
The engagement claws 9b and 4c of the second coupling member 9 and the 
stirring member 4, respectively, are structured so that even if the 
engagement claws 9b and 4c are misaligned in terms of the rotational phase 
at the moment when the toner supply container 1 is installed, they are 
automatically aligned and reliably engaged. 
As the toner supply container 1 is installed into the main assembly 100, 
the toner releasing portion 1a of the toner supply container 1 is held in 
a holder 6a of the main assembly 100, and the gap between the external 
peripheral surface of the toner releasing portion 1a and the internal 
peripheral surface of the holder 6a is sealed by a circular sealing member 
8. 
Next, the releasing of the toner will be described. 
The first coupling member 5 receives the rotational driving force from a 
power source (unillustrated) such as an electric motor on the main 
assembly 100 side through a power transmitting means (unillustrated) such 
as a gear. The driving force received by the first coupling member 5 is 
transmitted to the sealing member 3 through the engagement between the 
groove 5c and the spline-shaped project 3d. The driving force transmitted 
to the sealing member 3 is further transmitted to the toner conveying 
member 2 through the engagement between the coupling hole 3 with the 
"D"-shaped cross section and the outward end 2a with the "D"-shaped cross 
section. 
The second coupling member 9 receives the driving force also from the power 
source (unillustrated), such as an electric motor on the main assembly 100 
side through a power transmitting means (unillustrated) such as a gear. 
Since the claws 9b and 4c are engaged with each other, the driving force 
transmitted to the second coupling member 9 is transmitted to the stirring 
member 4, and rotates the stirring member 4. As the stirring member 4 is 
rotated, the toner particles which have aggregated due to the vibration 
which occurred during the transportation of the toner supply container 1, 
or due to escaping of the air from the toner, which occurred while the 
toner supply container 1 was stored for a long period of time, are 
dispersed to prevent such problems as "bridging". 
In this embodiment, the number of the revolutions for the toner conveying 
member 2 and the stirring member 4 are set at approximately 37/min and 
8/min, respectively. 
The toner, the particles of which have been separated by the stirring 
member 4, is conveyed toward the toner releasing opening 1g as the toner 
conveying member 2 is rotated. Then, it is released from the toner 
releasing opening 1g, falling into the toner hopper 114a of the main 
assembly 100 through the toner receiving opening 10 of the main assembly 
100. 
As described previously, the section between the toner releasing opening 1g 
and the toner receiving opening 10 is airtightly sealed by the sealing 
member 8, and therefore, the toner particles released from the toner 
releasing opening 1g are prevented from leaking and scattering into the 
internal space of the main assembly 100. 
In this embodiment, the toner supply container 1 is designed so that the 
sealing member 3 is retained immediately outside of the toner releasing 
opening 1g. With this arrangement, a proper distance necessary for 
preventing the sealing member 3 from preventing the toner from being 
released from the toner releasing opening 1g by the amount in accordance 
with the flocculency of the toner can be maintained between the sealing 
member 3 and the toner releasing opening 1g. As a result, clogging of the 
toner releasing portion 1a adjacent to the toner releasing opening 1g, and 
various problems resulting from the clogging can be prevented. 
Further, the force for driving the stirring member 4 and the force for 
driving the toner conveying member 2 are separated on the main assembly 
100 side, and are independently transmitted to the stirring member 4 and 
the toner conveying member 2. Therefore, an area in which the gears or the 
like rub against each other, that is, the joints through which the driving 
force from the main assembly 100 side is transmitted to the toner supply 
container 1, is not in the space in which the toner is stored. Thus, the 
toner particles are not caused to fuse into larger particles. 
Further, the arrangement that separates, on the main assembly 100 side, the 
force for driving the stirring member 4 and the force for driving the 
toner conveying member 2 can reduce the cost of the toner supply container 
1, and also reduces the cost for operating the printer, compared to an 
arrangement that divides, within the container main body 1A, the driving 
force from the main assembly 100. 
Next, the second embodiment of the present invention will be described. 
FIG. 10 is a vertical section of the toner supply container, parallel to 
the longitudinal direction of the container, in the second embodiment of 
the present invention. In the drawing, the container is in the main 
assembly of an electrophotographic copying machine, and is open. The 
reference characters in the drawing, which are the same as those in FIG. 
7, designate corresponding components and sections. 
In FIG. 10, a reference numeral 4' designates a stirring member, which in 
this embodiment is driven from both of the longitudinal end portions 4a 
and 4b of its shaft portion. The end portions 4a and 4b are provided with 
engagement claws 4c and 4d, respectively, for receiving the rotational 
driving force from the main assembly 100, and are supported by the bearing 
portions 1c and 1e, respectively, of the toner supply container 1. 
As the toner supply container 1 is installed into the main assembly 100, 
the engagement claws 4c at the longitudinal end portion 4a of the stirring 
member 4 engages with the engagement claw 9b of the second coupling member 
9 on the main assembly 100 side, and the engagement claw 4d of the other 
longitudinal end 4b of the stirring member 4 engages with the engagement 
claw 14a of a third coupling member 14 which is the same in configuration 
as the second coupling member 9 (FIG. 9). 
Also in this embodiment, the toner supply container 1 and the main assembly 
100 are designed so that even if the engagement claws 4c and 4d of the 
stirring member 4', and the engagement claws 9b and 14a of the second and 
third coupling members 9 and 14, respectively, are misaligned in terms of 
their rotational phase at the moment when the toner supply container 1 is 
installed into the main assembly 100, they are automatically aligned to be 
reliably engaged, as described in the first embodiment. 
Also in FIG. 10, a reference character M1 designates a first motor, which 
is disposed in the main assembly 100 to rotatively drive the toner 
conveying member 2, and a reference character M2 designates a second 
motor, which is also disposed in the main assembly 100 to rotatively drive 
the stirring member 4' by the transmitting the driving force to the 
stirring member 4' from both of the longitudinal ends of the stirring 
member 4'. 
Next, the releasing of the toner will be described. 
The first coupling member 5 receives the rotational driving force from the 
first motor Ml on the main assembly 100 side through a power transmitting 
means (unillustrated) such as a gear. The driving force received by the 
first coupling member 5 is transmitted to the sealing member 3 through the 
engagement between the groove 5c and the spline-shaped project 3d. The 
driving force transmitted to the sealing member 3 is further transmitted 
to the toner conveying member 2 through the engagement between the 
coupling hole 3 with the "D"-shaped cross section and the outward end 2a 
with the "D"-shaped cross section. 
The second and third coupling members 9 and 14 receive the driving force 
from the second motor M2 on the main assembly 100 side through a power 
transmitting means (unillustrated) such as a gear. The driving force 
received by the second and third coupling members 9 and 14 is transmitted 
to the stirring member 4' through the engagement between the engagement 
claw 4c of the stirring member 4' and the engagement claw 9b of the second 
coupling member 9, and also through the engagement between the engagement 
claw 4d of the stirring member 4' and the engagement claw 14a of the third 
coupling member 14. 
In this embodiment, as a signal for driving the toner supply container 1 in 
the main assembly 100 is inputted in the printer, first, the stirring 
member 4' is rotated for a predetermined length of time, and then, the 
stirring member 4' and the toner conveying member 2 are rotated together. 
Further, as a signal for stopping the driving of the toner supply 
container 1 in the main assembly 100 is inputted in the printer, the 
stirring member 4' and the toner conveying member 2 are stopped at the 
same time, or the stirring member 4' is stopped a predetermined period of 
time after stopping the toner conveying member 2. 
With this arrangement of rotating the stirring member 4' for a 
predetermined length of time before starting to rotate the toner conveying 
member 2 and after stopping the rotation of the toner conveying member 2, 
the toner particles, which have aggregated, are always dispersed before, 
while, and after the toner is released. Thus, even if a toner supply 
container is stored for a long period of time, or is subjected to 
vibration of undesirable ambient conditions (high temperature, and high 
humidity) during its transportation, and as a result, the air contained in 
the toner escapes to allow the toner particles to densely flocculate, the 
toner can be accurately released from the toner supply container at a 
predetermined rate. 
Thus, the same effects as those described in the first embodiment can be 
obtained in this embodiment. Further, the stirring member 4' in this 
embodiment is driven from both of its longitudinal ends, and therefore, 
the torsional force to which the stirring member 4' is subjected is not as 
large as the torsional force to which the stirring member 4 in the first 
embodiment is subjected. Therefore, the material used for the stirring 
member 4' may be less resistant to torsional force than the material for 
the stirring member 4 in the first embodiment; in other words, cheaper 
material can be used as the material for the stirring member 4'. 
Further, the means for transmitting the driving force to both longitudinal 
ends of the stirring member 4' is disposed on the main assembly 100 side 
instead of being on the toner supply container 1 side, and therefore, the 
cost of the toner supply container 1 is low, which in turn reduces the 
operational cost of the printer. 
Further, the number of revolutions of the stirring member 4' and the toner 
conveying member 2 are rendered adjustable so that they can be varied in 
response to the required image density. Therefore, the power consumption 
of the power sources (motors M1 and M2) can be reduced to reduce the 
operational cost of the printer. 
A third embodiment of the present invention will be described. 
In this embodiment, a feeding member and a stirring member, which is a 
separate member from the feeding member, are provided. 
FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a toner supply container 301 according to 
the third embodiment of the present invention. 
FIG. 15, (A) is a front view of the toner supply container according to 
this embodiment, and FIG. 15(B) is a sectional view. FIG. 15(C) is a left 
side view of the toner supply container, FIG. 15(D) is a right side view 
of the toner supply container, FIG. 15(E) is a sectional side view of the 
toner supply container, and the FIG. 15(F) is a top plan view of the toner 
supply container. FIG. 16 is a sectional front view wherein the toner 
supply container is loaded in the main assembly 100 of the apparatus, and 
the supply port is open. FIG. 17 is a sectional front view wherein the 
toner supply container is loaded in the main assembly 100 of the 
apparatus, and the supply port is sealed. 
In FIGS. 14-17, designated by 301A is a main assembly of the container, and 
302 is a feeding member for feeding the toner accommodated in the main 
body 301A of the container toward the toner supply port portion 301a. 
Designated by 303 is a sealing member for sealing the toner supply port 
301g, and 304 is a coupling member for transmitting the driving force to 
the sealing member 303 when the toner supply container is mounted to the 
main assembly 100 of the apparatus. Designed by 305 is a stirring member 
for stirring the toner in the main body 1A. Designated by 306 is a 
transmitting member engageable with the stirring member 305 to transmit 
the rotation force from the image forming apparatus to the stirring 
member. Designated by 307 is a second coupling member for transmitting the 
driving force to the transmitting member 306 when the toner supply 
container is mounted to the main assembly 100. 
Designated by 309 is an oil seal for preventing leakage of the toner. 
Referring to FIG. 18 and FIG. 19, the toner supply container part 301A, 
which is a main assembly of the toner supply container, will be described. 
FIG. 18 is a perspective view of the main assembly of the container. 
FIG. 19, (A) is a front view of the main assembly of the container, FIG. 
19(B) is a sectional view, FIG. 19(C) is a left side view, FIG. 19(D) is a 
right side view, FIG. 19 (E) is a cross-sectional view, and FIG. 19(F) is 
a top plan view. 
The main body 1A of the toner supply container includes a curved portion 
301F having a width decreasing toward the lower portion, a flat surface 
portion 301G having a substantially constant width extending from the 
lower portion of the curved portion, and an arcuate configuration portion 
301H extending from the lower portion of the flat surface portion. 
At a lower portion of one side surface 1A1 of the main body 301A of the 
container, a cylindrical member defining a toner supply port portion 301a 
is projected which functions to supply toner accommodated in the toner 
accommodating portion in to the main assembly of the apparatus. A toner 
supply port 301g is provided at one end portion of the toner supply port 
portion 301a. At a position corresponding to the toner supply port portion 
301a of the other side surface 301B, a first receiving portion 301b, for 
rotatably supporting the feeding member 2, is formed. Outside the 301D, 
there is provided an engaging portion 301c for engaging with the toner 
supply port opening and closing means provided in the main assembly 100 to 
move the toner supply container 301 in the mounting and demounting 
direction. In this embodiment, the engaging portion 301C is in the form of 
a dowel projected outwardly from the lower surface handle 301D. The upper 
surface 301E is provided with a handle 301e for facilitating mounting of 
the toner supply container 391 to the main assembly 100 and removal 
thereof from the main assembly 100. The lower inclined surface (curved 
portion) 301F of the front side and the rear side is provided grooves 301f 
extending substantially parallel with each other in the longitudinal 
direction of the container to facilitate handling of the main body 1A of 
the container when the toner supply container 1 is mounted to the main 
assembly 100 of the apparatus. 
Above the first receiving portion 301b1 of the other side surface 301B, 
there is provided a second receiving portion 301b2 for rotatably 
supporting the stirring member 305. 
The toner supply port portion 301a is disposed in a side surface 301A1 
opposite from the side surface 301B having the handle 301e in the 
longitudinal direction of the main body 301A. By this arrangement, when 
the user mounts the toner supply container 301 to the main assembly 100, 
the user is prevented from inadvertently touching the toner supply port 
portion 301a. The toner supply port portion 301a is located at the lower 
position of the side surface 301A1. Therefore, even if the amount of the 
toner accommodated in the main body 301A becomes small, the toner can be 
discharged efficiently. 
The toner supply port portion is projected from the side surface 301A by 20 
mm-40 mm, preferably approximately 27.8 mm. The toner supply port portion 
301a is cylindrical in shape, and the outer diameter of the cylindrical 
portion is 20 mm-30 mm, preferably approximately 27.6 mm. 
As described hereinbefore, an engagement portion 301C is provided on the 
outside of the lower surface 301D. The engaging portion 301C is correctly 
positioned by a locking portion 51C (FIG. 8) provided in the main assembly 
100 of the apparatus when the toner supply container is mounted to the 
main assembly 100. The engaging portion 301C, as described hereinbefore, 
is in the form of a columnar projection (dowel) projecting outwardly from 
the lower surface 301D. The circular column shape portion has an outer 
diameter 8 which is 5 mm-12 mm, preferably approximately 8 mm. The 
positioning portion is disposed at a position 2 mm--mm away from the lower 
surface 301D, and the engaging portion 301C (positioning portion) is 
disposed at a position 60 mm-80 mm preferably approximately 71 mm away 
from the lateral end surface 301B opposite from the side of the toner 
supply port portion 301a in the longitudinal direction of the lower 
surface 301D. 
The side surface 301A1 and the other side surface 301B, are each provided 
with two bosses 301k, 3011 for positioning the main assembly of the 
container when the dimensional inspection for the main assembly of the 
container is carried out before the container is delivered from a plant. 
Designated by 301m is a rib for preventing erroneous mounting. 
The user is prevented from mounting an erroneous container by disposing the 
rib 301m at different positions for the toner supply containers. 
The main body 301A is preferably manufactured through an injection molding 
of resin material, such as plastic resin material, blow molding or 
injection blow molding, but another material and/or another manufacturing 
method is also usable. The main body 301A of the container may be divided 
into two or more portions, which are unified by welding, bonding or the 
like. 
In the embodiment, the upper frame and lower frame of high impact 
polystyrene are unified by vibration welding. 
The feeding member 302, as shown in FIG. 16, includes a shaft portion 302A 
and a helical rigid feeding blade 302B, on the shaft portion 302A, which 
functions as a feeding portion for feeding the powder toner in a 
predetermined direction by rotation of the shaft portion 302A. The feeding 
member 302 is mounted to the main body 301A of the container with the axis 
of the shaft portion 302A substantially aligned with the center of the 
substantially circular toner supply port 301g. 
The feeding member 302 is not limited to the screw type, as described 
above, but a flexible blade may be mounted to the shaft portion 302A, for 
example. The shaft portion and the blade may be integrally molded, and may 
be separate members. In this embodiment, the shaft portion 302A and the 
blade 302B are made of plastic resin material molded integrally. 
In the embodiment, the feeding member 302 has an extending potion 302C 
extending into the cylindrical portion of the toner supply port portion 
301a. In this embodiment, the extending portion 302C is further extended 
out of the toner supply port portion 301a. A free end portion of the 
extended-out portion of the extending portion 302C receives the rotation 
force from the main assembly 100. Therefore, in this embodiment, the 
sealing member 303 is movably (in the axial direction) mounted to the free 
end portion. 
One end portion 302a of the extending portion 302C has a configuration, 
such as a polygonal configuration, and more particularly, a rectangular 
configuration, to receive the rotation force through the sealing member 
303 from the main assembly 100. The one end portion of the shaft portion 
302A is supported on the sealing member 303 through one end portion 302a 
of the extending portion 302C. The other end portion 302b of the shaft 
portion 302A is provided with a first bearing member 308. It is supported 
rotatably (upon unsealing) to the main body 301A through the first bearing 
member 308. 
The feeding member 302 is supported on the sealing member 303 such that 
feeding blade 302B is out of contact with the internal wall surface 301a1 
of the toner supply port portion 301a and that internal wall surface of 
the toner supply port portion 301a is substantially parallel with the 
shaft portion 302a. By supporting the feeding member 302 in this manner, 
the toner can be fed substantially horizontally to the toner supply port 
301g by rotation of the feeding member 302. It is possible that fine toner 
particles enter between the feeding blade 302B and the internal wall 
surface 301a1 of the toner supply port portion 301a and are fused on the 
internal wall surface 301a1 by strong rubbing therebetween with the result 
that massive toner particles are produced. However, this can be avoided by 
supporting the feeding member 302 in that manner. 
The feeding member 2 is also preferably manufactured through injection 
molding or the like of plastic resin material or the like, but another 
method and/or another material is also usable. It may be made of separate 
members which are connected. 
Referring to FIG. 20, a description will be provided as to a sealing member 
303. In FIG. 20, FIG. 20(A) is a front view of a sealing member, FIG. 
20(B) is a view taken along a line A--A, FIG. 20(C) is a view taken along 
a line B--B, and FIG. 20(D) is a sectional front view. 
In (A)-(D) of FIG. 20, designated by 303b is a sealing portion which is 
provided at a side opposite from the toner supply container 301 of the 
sealing member 303 to openably seal the toner supply port 301g of the 
toner supply container 301. The outer diameter of the sealing portion 303b 
is larger than an inner diameter of the toner supply port 301g by a proper 
amount. The sealing member 303 hermetically seals the toner supply port 
301g by press-fitting the engaging portion 303b1 of the sealing portion 
303b into the toner supply port portion 301a from the toner supply port 
301g. 
Designated by 303c is a coupling engaging portion which functions as a 
driving force receiving portion (driver) for receiving the driving force 
for rotating the feeding member 302 from the main assembly 100 of the 
apparatus when the toner supply container 301 is mounted to the main 
assembly 100. The coupling engaging portion 303c is provided with a 
projected portion 303c1 extending from the sealing portion 303b 
substantially co-axial with the axis of the shaft portion 302A of the 
feeding member 302 in the direction opposite from the main body 301A of 
the toner container (when the sealing member 303 is mounted on the main 
body 301A of the container). The coupling engaging portion 303C is 
provided on the curved surface of the projected portion 303c1, and is 
provided with elongated projections (ribs) 303d (spline-like), which 
functions as a driving force receiving portion engageable with the 
coupling member 304. In this embodiment, two of such spline projections 
303d are provided equidistantly. 
More particularly, they are disposed at an approximately 180.degree. 
interval. 
The rib 303d is projected from the outer surface of the sealing member by 
0.5 mm-3 mm, preferably approximately 1.8 mm. 
The outer diameter of the projected portion 303C1 is 10 mm-14 mm, 
preferably approximately 12 mm. 
The sealing member 303 includes an engaging hole 303a as a driving force 
transmitting portion for transmitting the driving force received from the 
main assembly 100 to the feeding member 302 by engagement with one end 
portion 302a of the feeding member 302. The engaging hole 303a is formed 
as an opening (hole) through the sealing portion 303b and the coupling 
engaging portion 303c. Here, the engaging hole 303a has a rectangular 
portion corresponding to the rectangular configuration of the end 302a of 
the shaft of the feeding member 302 projected from the powder toner supply 
portion 301a. It has a dimension slightly larger than that of the end 302a 
of the shaft, so that end 302a is loosely fitted in the engaging hole 
303a. 
The feeding member 302 and the sealing member 303 are locked with each 
other in the rotational direction by the loose fitting between the end 
302a and the engaging hole 303a. On the other hand, in the axial 
direction, relative motion therebetween is permitted. By doing so, the 
sealing member 303 and the main body 301A of the container are separable 
from each other so that toner supply port 301g is openable upon the toner 
supply container mounting. 
The engagement length between the engaging hole 303a and the shaft end 
302a, is long enough to prevent disengagement therebetween when the 
sealing member 303 and main body 301A of the container are moved away from 
each other. Therefore, even if the sealing member 303 is moved away from 
the main body 301A, the feeding member 302 can receive the driving force 
through the sealing member 303 (coupling engaging portion 303c). 
Between the coupling engaging portion 303c and the sealing portion 303b, a 
flange portion 3f is provided which abuts the end of the powder toner 
supply portion 301a when the sealing portion 303b is press-fitted into the 
toner supply port portion 301a. The outer diameter of the flange portion 
is substantially equal to the outer diameter of the toner supply port 
portion 301a (preferably, it is smaller than the outer diameter of the 
toner supply port 301a). By the flange portion 303f, the sealing portion 
303b enters the toner supply port portion 301a by the length of the 
sealing portion 303b. 
On the other hand, designated by 303e is a locking projection 303e, formed 
at a free end of the coupling engaging portion 303c, for locking 
engagement with the locking member 6 provided in the main assembly 100 of 
the apparatus. By locking the locking member 6 with the locking projection 
303e, the sealing member 303 can be fixed when the toner supply port 301g 
is opened. 
The sealing member 303 is preferably manufactured by integral injection 
molding of plastic resin material or like resin material, but another 
material, manufacturing method and/or non-integral structure are also 
usable. The sealing member 303 is required to have proper elasticity to 
effect press-fitting into the toner supply portion 301a to seal it. The 
preferable material is polypropylene, Nylon, high density polyethylene or 
the like, but a further preferable material is low density polyethylene. 
Designated by 303j is a locking groove for receiving a locking member 6 
provided in the main assembly 100 of the apparatus. The width of the 
locking groove 303j is 1.5 mm-5 mm, preferably approximately 3 mm. The 
depth of the locking groove is 0.5 mm-5 mm, preferably approximately 2.5 
mm. 
As described in the foregoing, the sealing member 303 has a substantially 
cylindrical engaging portion 303b1 engageable with the toner supply port 
portion 303a. The flange portion 303f is substantially coaxial with the 
engaging portion 303b1. It further includes a projected portion 303c1 
projected from the flange portion 303f substantially coaxially with the 
engaging portion 303b1 at a side opposite from the side where the engaging 
portion 303b1 is provided. Adjacent the free end portion of the projected 
portion 303c1 it is provided with a locking groove 303c, and a free end 
portion is formed into a locking portion 303e. There is provided a hollow 
portion extending from the engaging portion 303b1 side to the locking 
portion 303e side, and in the hollow portion, a driving force transmitting 
portion 303a is provided. The locking portion 303e of the hollow portion 
does not open, and therefore, when the engaging portion 303b1 is engaged 
with the toner supply port portion 303a, the toner does not leak from the 
hollow portion to the outside. Thus, the toner supply port portion 303a is 
sealed by mounting the sealing member 303. 
Similarly to Embodiment 1 and 2, the sealing member 303 has four functions. 
More particularly, the sealing member functions are (1) to seal the toner 
supply port portions 301a, (2) to receive the transmission of the rotation 
force from the main assembly 100 of the apparatus, (3) to transmit the 
rotation force to the feeding member 303 and (4) to engage with the 
engageable member 6 provided in the main assembly of the apparatus. Thus, 
the sealing member 303 transmits the driving force received from the main 
assembly 100 of the apparatus to the shaft portion 302A through the 
extending portion 302C to rotate the feeding member 302. 
A description will be provided as to the stirring member 305. Referring to 
FIG. 21, (A) is a front view of the stirring member 305, (B) is a left 
side view, and (C) is a right side view. As shown in FIG. 21, the stirring 
member 305 includes a shaft portion 305a, a rigid blade portion 305b and a 
flexible blade portion 305c. FIG. 22 is an enlarged side view of the rigid 
blade portion 305, and FIG. 23 is an enlarged view of the flexible blade 
portion 305c. The shaft portion 305a is made of a relatively high rigid 
plastic resin material and is manufactured by injection molding. The rigid 
blade portion 305b is made of metal, such as stainless steel or a highly 
rigid material, and the flexible blade portion 305c is made of low 
rigidity material, such as plastic resin material film or sheet or 
elastomer sheet. In this embodiment, it is made of a polyester sheet. 
One end 305d of the stirring member 305 is engaged with the above-described 
transmitting member 306 at the bearing portion 301h of the main body of 
the toner supply container. The other end 305e is engaged with a stopper 
member (second bearing member) 310f at the second receiving portion 301b2 
of the main body of the toner supply container. The shaft portion 305a in 
this embodiment is made of relatively high rigidity plastic resin material 
and is manufactured through injection molding, but may be of another 
material, such as metal. 
The rigid blade portion 305b is preferably integrally molded using metal or 
the like, but another material and/or manufacturing method are also 
usable, or it may be divided into two or more parts, which are unified by 
welding or bonding or the like. In this embodiment, a pressed stainless 
steel plate having a thickness of approximately 0.8 mm is used. The 
engaging portion of the rigid blade portion 305b, which are engageable 
with the shaft portion 305a, has a configuration conforming with the shaft 
portion 305a to receive the driving force from the shaft portion 305a, and 
it rotates with the rotational motion of the shaft portion 305a to stir 
the toner in the container. 
It is preferable to provide a cut-away portion 305h at one end as shown in 
FIG. 21 since then the assembling is easy. The entire length of the rigid 
blade portion 305b is in the form of a substantially parallel plate 
relative to the tangential direction of rotation, and the downstream of 
the blade portion with respect to the rotational direction is bent toward 
the internal wall surface of the toner supply container. The length r of 
the bent portion 305b1 shown in FIG. 22 is approximately 2 mm-8 mm, and 
the bending angle 6 is preferably approximately 30.degree.-50.degree.. 
Further preferably, the length r of the bent portion 305b is approximately 
3 mm-5 mm, and the bent angle is preferably approximately 45.degree.. 
In this embodiment, the length of the bent portion 305b1 is approximately 5 
mm, and the bending angle is approximately 45.degree.. The distance from 
the center of the rotation shaft to the free end of the rigid blade 
portion is properly determined depending on the size of the main body of 
the container, and it is preferably approximately 70-95% of the inner 
radius of the main body of the container. In this embodiment, the inner 
diameter of the main body of the container is approximately 44.5 mm, and 
therefore, it is approximately 39.4 mm (89%). 
The flexible blade portion 305c is made of low rigidity material, such as 
plastic resin material film or sheet or elastomer sheet. The thickness 
thereof is preferably approximately 50 .mu.m-500 .mu.m and further 
preferably 100 .mu.m-300 .mu.m. In this embodiment, the use was made with 
polyester sheet having a thickness of approximately 100 microns. 
The flexible blade portion 305c is bonded such that its free end contacts 
the internal wall surface of the main body over the entire length of the 
bent portion 305b1 of the rigid blade portion 305b. It rotates, scraping 
the toner off the internal wall surface of the container with the rigid 
blade portion. The length, in the radial direction, of the flexible blade 
portion 305c is preferably longer by approximately 0.5 mm-10 mm than the 
distance between the internal wall surface of the container and the free 
end of the rigid blade portion 305b since then the above-described effect 
can be enhanced. 
In this embodiment, it is longer by approximately 6 mm. The bonding between 
the rigid blade portion 305b and the flexible blade portion 305c is made 
by a double coated tape 305i (DIC#8800CH) as shown in FIG. 23 on the bent 
portion 305b of the rigid blade portion 305b. Another method using rivets 
or another known means is usable or the integral molding with the rigid 
blade portion is usable. 
As shown in the FIG. 24, the rigid blade portion 305b may be divided with a 
phase difference of 180.degree. substantially at the central portion 
relative to the axis direction, so that divided parts are staggered. The 
number of division is properly determined depending on the configuration 
and length of the main body of the container, and it may be 3 or 4 or 
more. The phase of the rigid blade portion 305b may be changed over the 
entire length to provide a spiral-like configuration. The engaging portion 
between the central portion of the shaft portion and the opposite ends of 
the rigid blade portion 305b are preferably provided with a cutaway 
portion 305h as shown in the figure since then the assembling property is 
improved. The length of the bent portion of the rigid blade is 
approximately 3 mm to reduce the resistance of the toner and to decrease 
the projected area of the rigid blade portion in the rotational direction. 
The length and the bending angle of the bent portion is preferably degree 
2-8 mm and 30-50.degree., and further preferably approximately 3-5 mm and 
approximately 45.degree.. 
The rigid blade portion 305b and the flexible blade portion 305c may be 
crimped by means of aluminum rivets 4i. In this case, if the position of 
the rivet hole of the flexible blade portion 305c is deviated even 
slightly, waving may result, and therefore, it is preferable to provide a 
perforation or half cutting at a portion of the flexible blade portion 
305c contacting the bent portion C of the rigid blade portion 305b. The 
bonding means may be a double coated tape or another known means. 
A description will be provided as to assembling method of the toner supply 
container 301. 
In the assembling method of the toner supply container 301, the feeding 
member 302 is inserted into the lower portion of the lower frame 301K from 
the top. An oil seal 309 is inserted into the first receiving portion 
301b1, and thereafter, a bearing member 308 is engaged with the other end 
portion 302b of the feeding member 302. The toner supply port 301g is 
sealed by the sealing member 303. Then, the stirring member 305 is 
inserted from the top. An oil seal 309 is inserted into the main body of 
the container, and thereafter, the second bearing member 310 and the 
transmitting member 306 are engaged at the opposite ends of the stirring 
member 305. Then, the upper frame 301J is welded to the lower frame 301K 
by vibration welding, and a predetermined amount of the toner is supplied 
into the main body 301A of the container through the filling port 301i of 
the main body of the toner supply container 301, and the filling port 301i 
is sealed by the sealing member 311, so that assembly is completed. In 
this manner, the assembling of the toner supply container 301 is very 
easy, and the number of steps of the assembling is very small. 
The filling of the toner may be effected through the toner supply port 
301g. 
In this embodiment, the exchange steps of the toner supply container 301 
are the same as with the first embodiment and the second embodiment. 
When the toner supply port portion 301a is opened by the toner supplying 
portion opening and closing means, the main body 301A of the container 
receives forces at the toner supply port portion 301a and the engaging 
portion 301c. At this time, as described hereinbefore, the engaging 
portion 301c is disposed at a side opposite from the side having a toner 
supply port portion 301a in the longitudinal direction at the lower 
surface of the main body 301A of the container, and the main body 301A is 
prevented from rising relative to the main assembly 100. Even if the main 
body 301A is raised, the motion of the main body 301A beyond a 
predetermined distance is limited by contact of the upper surface 301E to 
the top surface portion 100d (FIG. 25) of the main assembly 100 of the 
apparatus. 
The engaging projection 301c and the toner supply port 301g of the toner 
supply container 301 are preferably disposed on a line in the sliding 
direction of the container. By doing so, production of a moment in either 
direction in FIG. 25, relative to the slide direction in the toner supply 
container 301, can be prevented. Even if a moment in either direction is 
produced, the movement of the main body 301A beyond a predetermined 
distance can be prevented by abutment of the rib 301j, as a lateral 
stopper portion, provided in the other side surface 301B to the side wall 
portion 100e provided in the main assembly 100. 
The height of the engaging projection 301c of the toner supply container 
301 is such that overlapping x between the engaging projection 301c and 
the container chucking member 51 (FIG. 25) is larger than the clearance Y 
between the upper portion 301E of the container and the top surface 100dof 
the main assembly of the apparatus (FIG. 25) in order to prevent the 
upward disengagement of the toner supply container 301 during the slide 
movement. 
The horizontal ribs 301j of the toner supply container 301 in FIG. 25 are 
preferably provided on the top part of the toner supply container 301 to 
prevent the clogging, and in this embodiment, they are disposed at an 
upper portion (higher than the height center) of the toner supply 
container 1 with a proper clearance from the side wall portion 100e. 
A description will be provided as to a driving mechanism for the toner 
supply container 301 in this embodiment. 
When the toner supply container 301 is to be mounted, the coupling engaging 
portion 303c of the sealing member 303 is brought into engagement with the 
first coupling member 304 of the main assembly 100 of the apparatus as 
shown in FIG. 16. The first coupling member 304 functions to transmit the 
driving force of a driving device (unshown) provided in the main assembly 
100 to the sealing member 303. 
FIG. 26 shows details of the first coupling member 304. 
Designated by 512 is a gear member having a gear portion at the outer 
surface 512. The gear member 512 is constituted by two members, namely, 
gear portion 512A and cap portion 512B, which are securedly fixed by snap 
fitting, bonding or the like. The inside of the bear member 512 is 
provided with urging means 514 and a movable member 513. The urging means 
514 abuts the 512b portion of the gear member 512 and the 513b portion of 
the movable member 513. 
FIG. 27 is a detailed illustration of the gear portion 512, wherein (A) is 
a sectional front view, and (B) and (C) are side views. FIG. 28 is a 
detailed illustration of the movable member 513, wherein (A) is a 
sectional front view, and (B) and (C) are side views, and (D) is front 
view. 
In FIG. 27, gear portion 512A is provided with four slide guiding ribs 
512A1 arranged circumferentially. In FIG. 28, the movable member 513 has 
four slide guiding hole portions 513c circumferentially arranged, and they 
are engaged with the slide guiding ribs 512A1 of the gear portion 512A, by 
which the movable member 513 is slidable in the gear member 512. 
Designated by 513a is a drive transmitting portion of the movable member 
513. The drive transmitting portion 513a is engaged with an elongated 
projection 303d of the sealing member 303 to transmit the rotation force 
to the sealing member when the toner supply container 1 is mounted to the 
main assembly 100 of the apparatus. 
In FIG. 27, designated by 517, 515 are bearing members for rotatably 
supporting the gear member 512, and 516 is an oil seal. The toner 
discharged through the toner supply port 301g is prevented, by the oil 
seal 516, from entering the bearing members 515, 517 resulting in the 
locking of the gear member 512. Designated by 519 is a gear seal member, 
and when the toner supply container 301 is mounted to the main assembly 
100 of the apparatus, it is press-contacted to the 303h portion (FIG. 20) 
of the sealing member 303 to prevent the toner discharged through the 
toner supply port 301g from entering the gear member 512. Designated by 
511, 510 are driving side plates for supporting the first coupling member 
304. Designated by 518 is a bearing holder, which functions to support the 
bearing 515 and the oil seal 516 and which is securedly fixed on the 
driving side plate 511 by screws or by bonding. Designated by 520 is a 
holder seal member, which prevents the toner from leaking between the 
bearing holding 518 and the holder 5 as shown in FIG. 20. 
The gear seal member 519 and the holder seal member 518 are fixed to the 
gear member 512 and the bearing holder 518, respectively, by double coated 
tape or the like, and the material thereof is elastic material such as 
urethane foam. 
A description will be provided as to an operation of the first coupling 
member 304. The movable member 513 of the coupling member is retractable 
in a direction A in FIG. 26 because of the structure described in the 
foregoing. Normally, it is urged to a position shown in FIG. 26 by urging 
means 514. When the toner supply container 301 is mounted to the main 
assembly 100 of the apparatus, the sealing member 303 enters the coupling 
member as shown in FIG. 20. If the phases of the projections 303d of the 
sealing member 303 and those of the drive transmitting portions 513a of 
the movable member are matched, the gear member 512 and the movable member 
513 are rotated by are unshown main assembly driving mechanism, so that 
sealing member 303 is rotated through the drive transmitting portion 513a. 
When the phases are not matched, the movable member 513 is urged in the 
direction A in FIG. 26 by the projection 303d of the sealing member 3. 
When the gear member 512 and the movable member 513 are rotated by the 
main assembly driver with this state, the movable member 513 rotates idle 
until the phase matching is reached between the projection 303d of the 
sealing member 303 and the drive transmitting portion 513a of the movable 
member 513. When the phases are matched, the movable member 513 is slid by 
the urging means 514 to the position shown in FIG. 26 where the drive 
transmitting portion 513a and the elongated projection 303d of the sealing 
member 303 are engaged to transmit the driving to the sealing member 303. 
FIG. 29 shows the details of the second coupling member 307. Designated by 
521 is a drive transmission claw. In FIG. 30, (A) is a sectional front 
view of the drive transmission claw 521, (B) is a side view, (C) is a 
front view, and (D) is an upper surface Figure. In FIG. 30, designated by 
521a is a claw portion, 521b is a slide guiding portion, 521c is a 
parallel pin groove portion, and 521d is a spring receiving surface. FIG. 
31 is a detailed illustration of the transmitting member 306 shown in FIG. 
19, wherein (A) is a sectional front view, (B) and (C) are side view, and 
(D) is a front view. In FIG. 31, designated by 307a is a transmission claw 
portion. 
In FIG. 29, designated by 522 is a driving shaft which is rotatably 
supported on driving side plates 510 and 511 through bearings 525, 526, 
and is provided with a one-way gear 527 which is provided with an integral 
one way 527a which transmits rotation only in one rotational direction. 
The driving transmission pawl or claw 521 is slidable by engagement between 
the slide guiding portion 521b and the driving shaft 522, and by 
engagement with the parallel pin groove portion, the rotation of the 
driving shaft 522 is transmitted to the drive transmission claw 521. 
Designated by 524 is urging means which is contacted to the spring seat 
528 and the spring receiving surface 521d of the drive transmission claw 
521. 
A description will be provided as to an operation of the second coupling 
member 307. The drive transmission claw 521 of the second coupling member 
307 is movable in the direction A in FIG. 32 because of the structure 
described in the foregoing, and is normally urged to a position shown in 
FIG. 29 by the urging means 524. When the toner supply container 301 is 
mounted to the main assembly 100 of the apparatus, the transmitting member 
306 enters the second coupling member 307. When the phase relation is such 
that transmission claw portions 307a of the transmitting member 307 are 
abutted to the claw portions 521a of the drive transmission claw 521, the 
claw portions 521a of the drive transmission claw 521 are rotated by the 
transmission claw portions 307a of the reaching member 307. At this time, 
the driving shaft 522 rotates with the rotation of the transmission member 
306, but it rotates idle due to the one way clutch 527a portion of the one 
way gear 527, and therefore, when the toner supply container 301 is 
mounted to the main assembly 100 of the apparatus, the drive transmission 
claw 521 and the transmitting member 306 are not interfered with. 
In the toner supply container in the state shown in FIG. 16 to which it is 
moved from the position shown in FIG. 17, the drive transmission claw 521 
is moved by the urging means 524 with the retraction of transmitting 
member 306 to the left, so that engagement between the transmission claw 
portion 306a of the transmitting member 306 and the claw portion 521a of 
the drive transmission claw 521 is maintained. 
Thus, the transmitting member 306 receives the rotational driving force 
through the one way gear 527, driving shaft 522 and the drive transmission 
claw 521 from the unshown main assembly driving means, so that stirring 
member 305 is rotated. 
A description will be provided as to discharging of the toner. 
When the toner supply container 301 is mounted to the main assembly 100 of 
the apparatus, the locking portion 303e at the end of the sealing member 
303 is locked with the locking member 51C of the image forming apparatus, 
and is supported at a position away from the toner supply port 301g of the 
main body 301A of the container. At this time, the engaging relation, in 
the rotational direction, between the feeding member 302 and the sealing 
member 303, is maintained. 
The sealing member 30 is engaged with a first coupling member 304 of the 
main assembly of the apparatus by the coupling engaging portion (driving 
force receiving portion) 303C. The first coupling member 304 receives the 
rotation through the drive transmitting means (unshown) such as a gear or 
the like from the driving source (unshown) such as a motor or the like of 
the main assembly of the apparatus, and is transmitted to the sealing 
member 303 through engagement with the spline-like projections 303d. It is 
further transmitted to the feeding member 302 through engagement with the 
free end 302a of the feeding member 302 to the non-circular or square hole 
303a. Similarly, the transmitting member 306 engaged with the one end 304d 
of the stirring member 304 is engaged with a second coupling member 307 of 
the main assembly of the apparatus. The second coupling member 307 of the 
main assembly of the apparatus receives the rotation force through the 
(unshown) drive transmitting means such as a gear from the driving source 
(unshown) such as a motor of the main assembly of the apparatus, and is 
transmitted to the stirring member 304 through the engagement with the 
engaging claw 306a. The rotational frequencies of the feeding member 302 
and the stirring member 304 are approximately 52 rotations/min and 
approximately 10 rotations/min in this embodiment. 
When the stirring member 304 rotates, the toner which has been caked by 
removal of air due to long term non-use or due to vibration during 
transportations, is loosened, and is fed toward the toner supply port 
portion 301a by rotation of the feeding member 302, and is discharged and 
falls through the toner supply port 1g to be supplied to the toner hopper 
201a. 
The discharging experiments were carried out using the containers of the 
structures. The main body of the container is filled with toner, and the 
toner was discharged by the stirring member rotated at a speed of 
approximately 10 rotations/min., and by the feeding member rotated at a 
speed of approximately 52 rotations/min. The sieve (opening is 75 .mu.m, 
and made of SUS) was used to check the existence of larger particles, and 
it was confirmed that no large particles exists. The remainder toner 
amount in the container is 20 g, and therefore, the reducing effect of the 
toner remaining amount is also confirmed. 
In this embodiment, the sealing member 303 is movable in the axial 
direction relative to the feeding member 302, but the sealing member and 
the feeding member may be integral. In FIG. 32, the sealing member 320 
includes the sealing portion 320a, the driving force receiving portion 
320band the sealing member 320. The sealing member 320 is movable in the 
direction A in FIG. 32. 
The toner container of the embodiments is summarized as follows: 
A toner supply container detachably mountable to a main assembly of an 
electrophotographic image forming apparatus, comprising: 
(a) a toner accommodating portion (e.g. in, 301n) for accommodating toner; 
(b) a toner supply opening (e.g. 1a, 301a) for discharging toner 
accommodated in the toner accommodating portion; 
(c) a toner feeding portion (e.g. 2, 302) for feeding the toner 
accommodated in the toner accommodating portion toward the toner supply 
port; 
(d) a first driving force receiving portion (e.g. 3d, 303d) for receiving a 
driving force for driving the toner feeding portion from the main assembly 
of the apparatus; 
(e) a toner stirring portion (e.g. 4, 305) for stirring the toner 
accommodated in the toner accommodating portion; and 
(f) a second driving force receiving portion (e.g. 4c, 307a) for receiving 
a driving force for driving the toner stirring portion from the main 
assembly of the apparatus; 
wherein the first driving force receiving portion and the second driving 
force receiving portion are disposed outside the toner accommodating 
portion and at a free end portion in a direction of mounting the toner 
supply container to the main assembly of the apparatus. 
The first driving force receiving portion is located so as to be disposed 
below the second driving force receiving portion when the toner supply 
container is detachably mounted to the main assembly of the apparatus. 
The first driving force receiving portion is disposed downstream of the 
second driving force receiving portion with respect to the mounting 
direction. 
The first driving force receiving portion and the second driving force 
receiving portion are rotatable, and a rotation radius of the second 
driving force receiving portion is larger than that of the first driving 
force receiving portion. 
The first driving force receiving portion and the second driving force 
receiving portion receive the driving force at a downstream side with 
respect to a toner feeding direction of the toner feeding portion when the 
toner supply container is mounted to the main assembly of the apparatus. 
The first driving force receiving portion is in the form of a projection 
extended along an axial direction of the toner feeding portion, and the 
second driving force receiving portion is in the form of a projection 
extended along an axial direction of the toner stirring portion, wherein 
the first driving force receiving portions receives the driving force by 
engagement with a groove (e.g. 5c, 513c) provided in the main assembly of 
said apparatus, and the second driving force receiving portion receives 
the driving force by engagement with a projection (e.g. 9b, 521a ) 
provided in the main assembly of the apparatus when said toner supply 
container is mounted to the main assembly of the apparatus. 
There is provided a grip (301e) portion for facilitating mounting of the 
toner supply container to the main assembly of the apparatus, wherein the 
grip portion is provided at a side opposite from a side having the first 
driving force receiving portion and the second driving force receiving 
portion in a longitudinal direction of the toner supply container. 
A distance between a center of rotation of the first driving force 
receiving portion and a center of rotation of the second driving force 
receiving portion is 50 mm-60 mm, and a rotation radius of the second 
driving force receiving portion is 9 mm-15 mm, and a rotation radius of 
the first driving force receiving Portion is 4 mm-8 mm. 
The toner supply container supplies the toner accommodated in the toner 
accommodating portion into the main assembly of the apparatus through the 
toner supply port by rotation of the toner feeding portion in accordance 
with consumption of the toner in the main assembly of the apparatus when 
said toner supply container is mounted to the main assembly of the 
apparatus. 
The toner stirring portion includes a shaft and a blade having a rigid 
(305b) portion and a flexible portion (305c) mounted to the rigid portion. 
As described in the foregoing, according to the embodiments of the present 
invention, there is provided a toner supply container which is kept in the 
main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus and which 
can supply the toner into the main assembly of the apparatus with high 
reliability. 
Additionally, there is provided a toner supply container of a 
low-manufacturing cost type. 
Furthermore, there is provided a toner supply container capable of stirring 
and feeding the toner with certainty. 
Moreover, there is provided an electrophotographic image forming apparatus 
to which such a toner supply container is detachably mountable. 
While the invention has been described with reference to the structures 
disclosed herein, it is not confined to the details set forth and this 
application is intended to cover such modifications or changes as may come 
within the purposes of the improvements of the scope of the following 
claims.