Patent Publication Number: US-2017357178-A1

Title: Toner container, image forming apparatus

Description:
INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE 
     This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the corresponding Japanese Patent Application No. 2016-114510 filed on Jun. 8, 2016, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     BACKGROUND 
     The present disclosure relates to a toner container including a storage portion for storing toner, and relates to an image forming apparatus. 
     Conventionally, there is known an image forming apparatus that can form an image on a paper sheet by using developer that includes toner. In this type of image forming apparatus, a toner container for supplying toner to a developing device in the image forming apparatus is provided. The toner container is attached to an apparatus main body of the image forming apparatus in a detachable manner. When the toner in the toner container is consumed and the toner container becomes empty, the toner container is removed from the image forming apparatus to be replaced with a new toner container filled with unused toner. 
     In addition, the toner container is provided with a conveyance member for conveying unused toner stored in the toner container to a developing device included in the image forming apparatus, or a conveyance member for conveying used toner collected from the image forming apparatus to an inside of the toner container. As the conveyance member, there is known a spiral member that has a spiral blade and conveys toner in one direction by being rotated while the blade is in contact with the toner. 
     SUMMARY 
     A toner container according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a container main body, a rotation member, a flat plate-like lid member, a rib member, and a film member. The container main body is elongated and configured to store toner in an inside thereof. The rotation member is rotatably provided in the container main body and extends in a depth direction of the container main body, the depth direction being perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the container main body. The lid member closes an opening portion formed in one side of a housing of the container main body in the depth direction. The rib member is provided on an inner surface of the lid member in such a way as to be located adjacent to the rotation member with a predetermined gap from the rotation member, and configured to position the lid member with respect to the opening portion. The film member is attached to a wall surface of the housing of the container main body and extends from the wall surface toward the gap such that one surface of the film member contacts the rib member and an opposite surface of the film member contacts an outer circumferential surface of the rotation member. 
     An image forming apparatus according to another aspect of the present disclosure includes an apparatus main body, a developing device, a drum unit, a cleaning portion, and a toner container. The developing device is included in the apparatus main body. The drum unit includes a rotatable photoconductor drum configured to carry a toner image developed by the developing device. The cleaning portion is included in the drum unit and configured to remove used toner that has remained on the photoconductor drum and convey the removed toner toward one side in an axial direction of a rotation shaft of the photoconductor drum. The toner container is attached, in a detachable manner, to an attachment portion included in the apparatus main body at a position that is more on the one side in the axial direction than the drum unit, and elongated in an up-down direction while the toner container is in an attachment attitude of being attached to the attachment portion. The toner container includes a first toner storage portion, a first rotation member, a second toner storage portion, a second rotation member, a flat plate-like lid member, a rib member, and a film member. The first toner storage portion is configured to store unused toner that is to be supplied to the developing device, and provided in an upper part of the toner container while the toner container is in the attachment attitude. The first rotation member is rotatably provided in the first toner storage portion, extends in a depth direction perpendicular to the up-down direction, and is configured to convey the unused toner to the developing device by being rotated. The second toner storage portion is configured to store the used toner conveyed from the cleaning portion, and provided in a lower part of the toner container below the first toner storage portion while the toner container is in the attachment attitude. A partition wall is provided between the first toner storage portion and the second toner storage portion. The second rotation member is rotatably provided in the second toner storage portion, extends in the depth direction, and is configured to convey the used toner conveyed from the cleaning portion, to the second toner storage portion by being rotated. The lid member closes an opening portion of a first housing of the first toner storage portion and an opening portion of a second housing of the second toner storage portion. The opening portions are formed in one side of the first housing and the second housing in the depth direction. The rib member is provided on an inner surface of the lid member in such a way as to be located adjacent to the second rotation member with a predetermined gap from the second rotation member, and configured to position the lid member with respect to the opening portion of the second housing of the second toner storage portion. The film member is attached to the partition wall and extends from the partition wall toward the gap such that one surface of the film member contacts the rib member and an opposite surface of the film member contacts an outer circumferential surface of the second rotation member. 
     This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description with reference where appropriate to the accompanying drawings. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any or all disadvantages noted in any part of this disclosure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view showing a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is a cross section showing a configuration of the image forming apparatus. 
         FIG. 3  is a cross section schematically showing an internal structure of an image forming unit included in the image forming apparatus. 
         FIG. 4  is a diagram showing attachment portions to which toner containers are attached. 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view showing configurations of toner containers for magenta and black. 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view showing internal structures of the toner containers for magenta and black. 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view showing a configuration of a rear side of the toner container for magenta. 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view showing a configuration of the rear side of the toner container for magenta. 
         FIG. 9  is a diagram showing a configuration of a front side of the toner container for magenta. 
         FIG. 10  is a cross section taken along a X-X line of  FIG. 9 . 
         FIG. 11  is a cross section taken along an XI-XI line of  FIG. 9 . 
         FIG. 12  is a partial enlarged diagram showing a configuration of the rear side of the toner container for magenta. 
         FIG. 13  is a partial enlarged diagram showing a configuration of an attachment portion to which the toner container for magenta is attached. 
         FIG. 14  is a perspective view showing a configuration of a lid member and inner members of the toner container for magenta. 
         FIG. 15  is a perspective view showing a configuration of the lid member and inner members of the toner container for magenta. 
         FIG. 16  is a diagram showing a configuration of a bearing portion of a stirring member, and is an enlarged view of a main part X 1  shown in  FIG. 11 . 
         FIG. 17  is a diagram showing a configuration of a bearing portion of a spiral member of a first conveyance portion, and is an enlarged view of a main part X 2  shown in  FIG. 10 . 
         FIG. 18  is an enlarged view of a gear transmission mechanism. 
         FIG. 19  is a diagram showing a configuration of a bearing portion of a spiral member of a second conveyance portion, and is an enlarged view of a main part X 3  shown in  FIG. 11 . 
         FIG. 20A  is a cross section taken along an XX-XX line of  FIG. 19 , and is a schematic diagram for explaining movements of the spiral member and a film member of the second conveyance portion. 
         FIG. 20B  is a cross section taken along the XX-XX line of  FIG. 19 , and is a schematic diagram for explaining movements of the spiral member and the film member of the second conveyance portion. 
         FIG. 21  is a cross section showing a structure of a right-end portion of the image forming apparatus. 
         FIG. 22A  is an enlarged view showing a configuration of a peripheral of a second output joint in the attachment portion  58 . 
         FIG. 22B  is a perspective view showing a configuration of the second output joint. 
         FIG. 23A  is an enlarged view showing a configuration of a second input portion  111  in a second conveyance portion  105 . 
         FIG. 23B  is a perspective view showing a configuration of the second input portion  111 . 
         FIG. 24A  is a diagram showing a state where the second output joint is coupled with the second conveyance portion  105  in an inclined state. 
         FIG. 24B  is a diagram showing a state where the second output joint is coupled with the second conveyance portion  105  in an inclined state. 
         FIG. 25A  is a perspective view showing a configuration of a conventional second input portion. 
         FIG. 25B  is a perspective view showing a configuration of a conventional second output joint. 
         FIG. 26  is a diagram showing a state where the conventional second input portion is coupled with the conventional second output joint. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The following describes an embodiment of the present disclosure with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the following embodiment is an example of a specific embodiment of the present disclosure and should not limit the technical scope of the present disclosure. It is noted that, for the sake of explanation, a vertical direction in an installed state of an image forming apparatus  10  where the image forming apparatus  10  is usable (the state shown in  FIG. 1 ) is defined as an up-down direction D 1 . In addition, a front-rear direction D 2  is defined on a supposition that a side to/from which a sheet feed cassette  22  shown in  FIG. 1  is inserted and removed in the installed state is a front side. Furthermore, a left-right direction D 3  is defined based on the front side of the image forming apparatus  10  in the installed state. 
     The image forming apparatus  10  according to the present embodiment has at least a print function. The image forming apparatus  10  is, for example, a tandem-type color printer. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , the image forming apparatus  10  includes a housing  11  (an example of the apparatus main body). The housing  11  has an approximately parallelepiped shape as a whole. Some of the components constituting the image forming apparatus  10  are stored in the housing  11 . It is noted that  FIG. 1  shows a state where a cover covering the right side of the housing  11  has been removed. 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , the image forming apparatus  10  includes a plurality of image forming units  15  ( 15 Y,  15 C,  15 M, and  15 K), an intermediate transfer unit  16 , a laser scanning device  17 , a primary transfer roller  18 , a secondary transfer roller  19 , a fixing device  20 , a sheet tray  21 , the sheet feed cassette  22 , a conveyance path  24 , and a control board  26  configured to control the portions of the image forming apparatus  10 . In addition, the image forming apparatus  10  includes toner containers  3  (see  FIG. 1 ) that have been attached to the inside of the housing  11  in a detachable manner. In the present embodiment, the image forming apparatus  10  includes four image forming units  15 . 
       FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of a central portion of an image forming unit  15 . The image forming unit  15  forms a toner image by the electrophotography. As shown in  FIG. 3 , each of the image forming units  15  includes a drum unit  31 , a charging device  32 , and a developing device  33 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , the image forming units  15  are arranged in alignment along the front-rear direction D 2  in the housing  11 , and form a color image based on the so-called tandem system. Specifically, the image forming unit  15 Y is configured to form a toner image of yellow. In addition, the image forming units  15 C,  15 M and  15 K are configured to form toner images of cyan, magenta and black, respectively. The image forming units  15 Y for yellow,  15 C for cyan,  15 M for magenta, and  15 K for black are arranged in alignment in the stated order from the downstream side in the running direction (the direction indicated by the arrow D 10 ) of a transfer belt  35  of the intermediate transfer unit  16 . 
     The drum unit  31  includes a photoconductor drum  41 , a drum cleaning device  42  (an example of the drum cleaning portion), a discharge guide portion  43  (see  FIG. 21 ), and a housing  44  that supports these components. The housing  44  is elongated in the left-right direction D 3 . The photoconductor drum  41  has a cylindrical shape and carries a toner image developed by the developing device  33 . The photoconductor drum  41  is rotatably supported by the housing  44 . 
     In each of the image forming units  15 , the charging device  32  uniformly charges the photoconductor drum  41  to a certain potential. Subsequently, the laser scanning device  17  irradiates a laser beam on the surface of the photoconductor drum  41  based on the image data. In this processing, electrostatic latent images are formed on the surfaces of the photoconductor drums  41 , respectively. The electrostatic latent images are developed (visualized) as toner images by the developing devices  33 , respectively. The toner images of respective colors formed on the surfaces of the photoconductor drums  41  are transferred to the transfer belt  35  by the primary transfer roller  18  such that the toner images are overlaid with each other in sequence. Next, the color image on the transfer belt  35  is transferred by the secondary transfer roller  19  to a print sheet. The color image transferred to the print sheet is fixed to the print sheet by the fixing device  20 , and thereafter, the print sheet is discharged from a sheet discharge port  28  to the sheet tray  21 . 
     The drum cleaning device  42  is configured to remove toner that has remained on the photoconductor drum  41  after the transfer. The drum cleaning device  42  is disposed on the rear side of the photoconductor drum  41 . The drum cleaning device  42  is provided for each photoconductor drum  41 . The drum cleaning device  42  includes a cleaning blade  45  that is a cleaning member, and a spiral member  46 . The cleaning blade  45  and the spiral member  46  are elongated in the left-right direction D 3 . The cleaning blade  45  and the spiral member  46  are supported by the housing  44 . The cleaning blade  45  has approximately the same length as the photoconductor drum  41 . The tip of the cleaning blade  45  is disposed so as to be in contact with or close to the surface of the photoconductor drum  41 . The spiral member  46  is a toner conveyance member having a spiral blade around a shaft. The spiral member  46  is rotatably supported in the housing  44 . 
     The spiral member  46  is rotated when a rotational driving force is input to its shaft. While the photoconductor drum  41  is rotated, the cleaning blade  45  removes toner that has remained on the surface of the photoconductor drum  41  after the transfer by the primary transfer roller  18 . The removed toner is to be discarded later, and thus called waste toner in general. The waste toner is conveyed toward a certain direction by the rotating spiral member  46 . Specifically, the waste toner is conveyed toward one side (in the present embodiment, the right side) in the axial direction (longitudinal direction) of the photoconductor drum  41 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 21 , the discharge guide portion  43  is disposed at the right end of the housing  44 . The waste toner is guided downward by the discharge guide portion  43 , passes through a discharge port  431  (see  FIG. 21 ) that is described below, and is discharged to a lower storage portion  72  of the toner container  3 . It is noted that the discharge guide portion  43  is described below. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the developing device  33  includes a housing  50 , a first stirring member  52 , a second stirring member  53 , and a developing roller  54 . Toner (developer) is stored in a bottom portion of the housing  50  and the toner is conveyed while being stirred by the first stirring member  52  and the second stirring member  53 . A supply port  56  is formed in a wall  51  of the housing  50  that is located above the first stirring member  52 . The supply port  56  is formed at the right end of the wall  51 . The toner discharged from the toner container  3  is supplied from the supply port  56  into the housing  50 . The developing roller  54  draws up the toner from the second stirring member  53  by the magnetic pole embedded therein, and carries the toner on its circumferential surface. The toner held on the developing roller  54  is caused to adhere to the electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor drum  41  by the potential difference applied to between the developing roller  54  and the photoconductor drum  41 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , a plurality of toner containers  3  ( 3 Y,  3 C,  3 M and  3 K) are attached to the inside of the housing  11 . Specifically, the four toner containers  3  are respectively attached to attachment portions  58  (see  FIG. 4 ) provided in the inside of the housing  11 . In addition, in the present embodiment, a plurality of toner containers  3  are attached in a state of being aligned along the front-rear direction D 2 , and a toner container  3 K for black is disposed at the rear-most position. 
     Each of the toner containers  3  includes an upper storage portion  71  (an example of the first toner storage portion) and a lower storage portion  72  (an example of the second toner storage portion). The upper storage portion  71  includes, inside thereof, a storage space  85  (see  FIG. 6 ) for storing toner, and unused toner for supply is stored in the storage space  85 . The lower storage portion  72  includes, inside thereof, a storage space  86  (see  FIG. 6 ) for storing toner, and the waste toner discharged from the drum cleaning device  42  is stored in the storage space  86 . In the state where the toner containers  3  are respectively attached to the attachment portions  58 , the unused toner is supplied to the insides of the developing devices  33  from the upper storage portions  71  of the toner containers  3 . In addition, waste toner discharged from the drum cleaning devices  42  passes through the discharge guide portions  43  (see  FIG. 21 ), and is stored in the lower storage portions  72  of the toner containers  3 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , in the present embodiment, the four toner containers  3  are located at the right side of the image forming units  15  inside a right-side cover (not shown) of the housing  11 . The toner containers  3  are arranged on the right side of the housing  11  in alignment along the front-rear direction D 2 . The toner containers  3  are described in detail below. 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , the intermediate transfer unit  16  is provided above the four image forming units  15 . More specifically, the intermediate transfer unit  16  is provided above the photoconductor drums  41 . The intermediate transfer unit  16  includes the transfer belt  35 , a driving roller  36 , a driven roller  37 , a belt cleaning device  38  (an example of the belt cleaning portion), and a relay guide portion  39  (see  FIG. 21 ). It is noted that the primary transfer roller  18  is supported by a frame (not shown) of the intermediate transfer unit  16 . 
     The transfer belt  5 , an annular belt member, is suspended between the driving roller  36  and the driven roller  37  so as to extend in the front-rear direction D 2 . A plurality of drum units  31  are arranged in alignment in the front-rear direction D 2  along the transfer belt  35 . The transfer belt  35  holds, on its surface, toner images primarily transferred from the photoconductor drums  41 . When the transfer belt  35  is rotationally driven and moves in a direction indicated by the arrow D 10 , the toner images of respective colors carried by the photoconductor drums  41  are transferred to the transfer belt  35  such that the toner images are overlaid with each other in sequence. 
     The belt cleaning device  38  is disposed in the vicinity of the fixing device  20 . Specifically, the belt cleaning device  38  is provided above the transfer belt  35  in the rear side of the housing  11 . Below the belt cleaning device  38 , the image forming unit  15 K, which is an image forming unit  4  for black, is disposed. That is, the belt cleaning device  38  is located closest to the image forming unit  15 K for black among the plurality of image forming units  4 . 
     The belt cleaning device  38  is configured to remove the waste toner that has remained on the surface of the transfer belt  35 , and convey the removed waste toner toward the lower storage portion  72  of the toner container  3 K. The belt cleaning device  38  includes a cleaning roller  381  that is elongated in the left-right direction D 3 , a spiral member  382  as a conveyance member for conveying the waste toner, and a housing  383  for storing these components (see  FIG. 2 ). The cleaning roller  381  is configured to remove the waste toner from the surface of the transfer belt  35  by rotating while in contact with the surface of the transfer belt  35 . The used toner thus removed (hereinafter referred to as “waste toner”) is conveyed in a certain direction by the spiral member  382  as it rotates. Specifically, the waste toner is conveyed toward one side in the width direction (a direction that matches the left-right direction D 3 ) of the transfer belt  35  (in the present embodiment, conveyed toward the right side). 
     As shown in  FIG. 21 , the relay guide portion  39  is provided at the right end of the housing  383 . The waste toner is guided downward by the relay guide portion  39 , passes through a discharge guide portion  43 K of a drum unit  31 K disposed at the rear-most position, and is conveyed to the lower storage portion  72  of the toner container  3 K. It is noted that the relay guide portion  39  is described below. 
       FIG. 21  is a partial enlarged diagram showing a cross-sectional structure of a right-end portion of the drum units  31  of the image forming units  15 .  FIG. 21  shows cross-sectional structures of the drum unit  31 M for magenta and the drum unit  31 K for black. For the sake of explanation, in  FIG. 21 , a developing device  33  corresponding to the drum unit  31 K is represented by a dotted line. As shown in  FIG. 21 , a discharge guide portion  43 M is provided at the right end of the housing  44  of the drum unit  31 M. That is, the discharge guide portion  43 M is provided in the drum unit  31 M. It is noted that a discharge guide portion  43  having the same structure as the discharge guide portion  43 M is provided in each of the drum units  31  for yellow and cyan. 
     The discharge guide portion  43 M guides the waste toner that has been removed by the drum cleaning device  42  in the drum unit  31 M and conveyed to the right end of the housing  44 , to an inlet  114  of the lower storage portion  72  of the toner container  3 M. An inner space of the discharge guide portion  43 M is a passage  117  in which the waste toner passes. The discharge guide portion  43 M extends diagonally downward from above, and the discharge port  431  connected to the inlet  114  is formed at a lower end of the discharge guide portion  43 M. 
     In the passage  117 , a right end portion  461  of the spiral member  46  is disposed. The end portion  461  is rotatably supported by the discharge guide portion  43 M. When a rotational driving force is transmitted to the end portion  461 , the spiral member  46  rotates, and the waste toner is conveyed to the passage  117  of the discharge guide portion  43 M. 
     In the passage  117 , two paddle portions  118  and  119  are provided in a region from the end portion  461  to the discharge port  431 . The rotation shaft of each of the paddle portions  118  and  119  is rotatably supported by the discharge guide portion  43 M. The rotational driving force of the spiral member  46  is transmitted to the paddle portions  118  and  119  via a gear transmission mechanism (not shown). When the spiral member  46  is rotated, its rotational driving force is transmitted to the paddle portions  118  and  119  via the gear transmission mechanism, and the paddle portions  118  and  119  are rotated. When the paddle portions  118  and  119  rotate, the waste toner that has been conveyed to the passage  117  is conveyed in the passage  117  to the discharge port  431  by the paddle portions  118  and  119 , is further passed through the inlet  114  and a first conveyance guide portion  94  (an example of the first guide portion) of the toner container  3 M, and guided into the lower storage portion  72  of the toner container  3 M. 
     As shown in  FIG. 21 , a discharge guide portion  43 K is provided at the right end of the housing  44  of the drum unit  31 K. That is, the discharge guide portion  43 K is provided in the drum unit  31 K. The discharge guide portion  43 K guides the waste toner that has been removed by the drum cleaning device  42  in the drum unit  31 K and conveyed to the right end of the housing  44 , to the inlet  114  of the lower storage portion  72  of the toner container  3 K. The discharge guide portion  43 K and the discharge guide portion  43 M have some components in common. As a result, the components common to these portions are assigned the same reference signs, and description thereof is omitted. 
     The discharge guide portion  43 K differs from the discharge guide portion  43 M in that a receiving port  120  is formed at the top of the discharge guide portion  43 K. The receiving port  120  is an opening from which the waste toner discharged from the belt cleaning device  38  is received. The receiving port  120  is connected to a discharge port  391  of the relay guide portion  39  that is described below. The waste toner that has entered the receiving port  120  is guided to the inlet  114  of the lower storage portion  72  of the toner container  3 K by the discharge guide portion  43 K, together with the waste toner discharged from the drum cleaning device  42 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 21 , the relay guide portion  39  is provided at the right end of the belt cleaning device  38 . The relay guide portion  39  guides the waste toner that has been conveyed to the right end of the housing  383  through the belt cleaning device  38  by the spiral member  382 , to the discharge guide portion  43 K. The discharge port  391  is formed in a lower portion of the relay guide portion  39 , and the discharge port  391  is connected to the receiving port  120  of the discharge guide portion  43 K. With this configuration, the waste toner discharged from the belt cleaning device  38  passes through the relay guide portion  39  and moves downward, and is guided through the discharge port  391  to the receiving port  120 . The waste toner guided to the receiving port  120  passes through the discharge guide portion  43 K, is conveyed further downward by the paddle portions  118  and  119 , passes through the discharge port  431 , the inlet  114 , and a second conveyance guide portion  107  (an example of the second guide portion) of the toner container  3 K, and is guided into the lower storage portion  72  of the toner container  3 K. 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , four attachment portions  58  for supporting the toner containers  3  in a detachable manner are provided at the right end of the housing  11 . The attachment portions  58  are fixed to a support plate  49  provided at the right end of the housing  11 . Each attachment portion  58  includes a bracket  59  for supporting a corresponding toner container  3 . The toner containers  3  are supported by corresponding brackets  59  in a detachable manner. 
     In the following, the configuration of the toner container  3 M for magenta is described.  FIG. 5  and  FIG. 6  show the toner container  3 M and the toner container  3 K disposed next to the toner container  3 M. 
     The toner container  3 K is larger in outer shape and capacity than the toner container  3 M since the toner container  3 K stores black toner that is used much, but except for this, they have approximately the same configuration. As a result, components of the toner container  3 K that are the same as those of the toner container  3 M are assigned the same reference signs, and description thereof is omitted. In addition, the toner containers  3 Y and  3 C have the same configuration as the toner container  3 M, thus description thereof is omitted. 
     It is noted that the drawings show the up-down direction D 1 , the front-rear direction D 2  and the left-right direction D 3  based on an attachment attitude of the toner containers  3 M and  3 K when they are attached to the attachment portions  58  (see  FIG. 4 ). In the following, with respect to the toner containers  3 M and  3 K in the attachment attitude, the up-down direction D 1  is defined as a height direction D 11  of the toner containers  3 M and  3 K, the front-rear direction D 2  is defined as a width direction D 12  of the toner containers  3 M and  3 K, and the left-right direction D 3  is defined as a depth direction D 13  of the toner containers  3 M and  3 K. 
     As shown in  FIG. 5  and  FIG. 6 , the toner container  3 M includes a container main body  75 . The container main body  75  is a resin product formed by injection molding a synthetic resin. The container main body  75  is elongated in the height direction D 11 , broad in the width direction D 12 , and shallow in the depth direction D 13 . 
     The container main body  75  includes an upper case  78  (an example of the first housing) formed in the upper side thereof, a lower case  79  (an example of the second housing) formed in the lower side thereof, and a lid member  76  (an example of the lid member). That is, the upper case  78  is formed in one side (upper side) of the container main body  75  in the height direction D 11  (longitudinal direction), and the lower case  79  is formed in the other side (lower side) of the container main body  75  in the height direction D 11  (longitudinal direction). The upper case  78  and the lower case  79  are integrally formed as the container main body  75 . In the upper case  78 , the storage space  85  for storing the unused toner is provided as a sectioned space. That is, the storage space  85  in the upper storage portion  71  is sectioned by the upper case  78 . In addition, in the lower case  79 , the storage space  86  for storing the waste toner is provided as a sectioned space. That is, the storage space  86  in the lower storage portion  72  is sectioned by the lower case  79 . 
     The upper case  78  and the lower case  79  are separated from each other in the up-down direction D 1 , and a gap  88  (see  FIG. 7 ) having a predetermined distance is formed between the upper case  78  and the lower case  79 . Specifically, as shown in  FIG. 7  and  FIG. 12 , the upper case  78  includes a bottom wall  782  that constitutes the bottom wall surface thereof and is formed in an arc shape, and the lower case  79  includes a top wall  792  that constitutes the top wall surface thereof. The gap  88  is formed between the bottom wall  782  and the top wall  792 . Here, the bottom wall  782  and the top wall  792  are an example of the pair of walls that are separated from each other in the height direction D 11 . 
     An opening portion  81  is formed in the right side surface of the upper case  78 , and an opening portion  82  is formed in the right side surface of the lower case  79 . The opening portions  81  and  82  are formed on the same plane. A flange  83  is formed along opening edges of the opening portions  81  and  82 . The flange  83  is formed in the shape of a plate having a thickness in the depth direction D 13 . The flange  83  includes a peripheral flange  831  and a central flange  832  (an example of the coupling member and the common flange). The peripheral flange  831  is formed around the outer peripheral edge of the right side surface of the container main body  75 . The central flange  832  is, as shown in  FIG. 12 , formed at a position corresponding to the gap  88  so as to couple the bottom wall  782  of the upper case  78  with the top wall  792  of the lower case  79 . More specifically, the central flange  832  is continued from the lower edge of the opening portion  81  to the upper edge of the opening portion  82 . In other words, the central flange  832  is a flange common to the opening portion  81  and the opening portion  82 . In the present embodiment, the bottom wall  782  and the top wall  792  extend from the central flange  832  in the depth direction D 13 . 
     The lid member  76  is a resin product formed by injection molding a synthetic resin. As shown in  FIG. 5 , the lid member  76  covers the opening portion  81  and the opening portion  82 . The lid member  76  is a flat plate-like member and is formed in the shape that matches the peripheral shape of the flange  83 . In a state where an outer peripheral edge  761  of the lid member  76  is aligned with the flange  83 , the outer peripheral edge  761  and the flange  83  are welded. 
       FIG. 14  and  FIG. 15  are perspective views showing a configuration on the side of the inner surface  762  of the lid member  76 .  FIG. 14  and  FIG. 15  show attitudes of the stirring member  91  and the spiral member  95  when they are supported by the container main body  75 . As shown in  FIG. 14  and  FIG. 15 , a plurality of ribs  77  are provided on the inner surface  762  of the lid member  76 . The ribs  77  are integrally formed with the lid member. The plurality of ribs  77  are used for positioning of the lid member  76  to the upper case  78  and the lower case  79 , and are provided in the vicinity of the outer peripheral edge  761  of the lid member  76 . During a process of fitting the outer peripheral edge  761  of the lid member  76  to the flange  83 , the ribs  77  get into the inside of the opening portions  81  and  82 . By this way, the ribs  77  guide the lid member  76  with respect to the opening portions  81  and  82  so that the outer peripheral edge  761  of the lid member  76  is exactly fitted to the flange  83 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 15 , a rib  771  (an example of the rib member), which is one of the plurality of ribs  77 , projects longer than the other ribs  77  from the inner surface  762 . The rib  771  contacts an inner surface of the top wall  792  (see  FIG. 12 ) of the lower case  79 , and guides the lid member  76  with respect to the opening portions  81  and  82 . Here, the top wall  792  is an example of the partition wall provided between the upper storage portion  71  and the lower storage portion  72 . The rib  771  includes a base plate  7711  and a pair of side plates  7712  and  7713 , wherein the base plate  7711  is parallel to the width direction D 12 , and the side plates  7712  and  7713  extend downward from opposite ends of the base plate  7711  in the width direction D 12 . In the width direction D 12 , the side plate  7712  is located on the front side, and the side plate  7713  is located on the rear side. In addition, the rib  771  is disposed in proximity to a boss  185  provided on the inner surface  762  of the lid member  76 , wherein the boss  185  is described below. Specifically, the rib  771  is located in the diagonally upper front of the boss  185  with a small gap therebetween. The boss  185  rotatably supports an end portion  1091  of a spiral member  108  on the lid member  76  side, wherein the spiral member  108  is described below. That is, the rib  771  is provided adjacent to the spiral member  108 . 
     With the opening portion  81  and the opening portion  82  being closed by one lid member  76 , the upper storage portion  71  having the storage space  85  and the lower storage portion  72  having the storage space  86  are provided. In this way, since the upper storage portion  71  and the lower storage portion  72  are coupled with each other by the central flange  832  and the lid member  76 , in the toner container  3 M, a portion around the gap  88  is smaller in strength than the other portions. As a result, the toner container  3 M can be easily bent at the vicinity of the gap  88  in the width direction D 12  and in the depth direction D 13 , and can be easily bent in the rotation direction around the height direction D 11  as the axis of rotation. 
     As shown in  FIG. 7  and  FIG. 12 , a plate-like reinforcing rib  751  is disposed between the bottom wall  782  of the upper case  78  and the top wall  792  of the lower case  79 . The reinforcing rib  751  extends in the depth direction D 13  vertically from the central flange  832 . As shown in  FIG. 12 , the reinforcing rib  751 , coupled with the bottom wall  782  and the top wall  792 , is a plate-like member having a thickness in the width direction D 12 . As shown in  FIG. 7 , the left-end surface of the reinforcing rib  751  is inclined diagonally upward left from the top wall  792  to the bottom wall  782 , and more specifically, inclined in a curved shape. With the provision of the reinforcing rib  751  as such, the strength at the vicinity of the gap  88  between the upper storage portion  71  and the lower storage portion  72  is reinforced. As a result, the toner container  3 M is prevented from being excessively bent at the vicinity of the gap  88 , in particular, prevented from being excessively bent in the depth direction D 13 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 8  and  FIG. 11 , the lower storage portion  72  of the toner container  3 M is larger in size in the depth direction D 13  than the upper storage portion  71 . That is, the size in the depth direction D 13  of the lower storage portion  72  of the toner container  3 M is larger than that of the upper storage portion  71 . In addition, the size in the height direction D 11  of the upper storage portion  71  is larger than that of the lower storage portion  72 , and the upper storage portion  71  and the lower storage portion  72  have approximately the same size in the width direction D 12 . In the configuration where the upper storage portion  71  and the lower storage portion  72  are separate in the up-down direction D 1 , there may be a case where each of the upper storage portion  71  and the lower storage portion  72  cannot secure an enough capacity for storing toner. However, with the above-described configuration where the upper storage portion  71  and the lower storage portion  72  have different sizes in the height direction D 11  and the depth direction D 13 , it is possible to secure an enough capacity for each of the upper storage portion  71  and the lower storage portion  72  in spite of various constraints in the attachment to the attachment portion  58 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 6 , the upper storage portion  71  includes a stirring member  91  (an example of the third rotation member) and a first conveyance portion  92 . Specifically, a paddle-like stirring member  91  is provided in the upper storage space  85 . The stirring member  91  is supported by the upper case  78  so as to be rotatable in the storage space  85 . In addition, the first conveyance portion  92  for conveying toner to the developing device  33  is provided in the storage space  85 . 
     The stirring member  91  is a rotation member rotatably supported by the upper storage portion  71 . By rotating upon receiving a driving force from outside, the stirring member  91  stirs the unused toner stored in the upper storage portion  71 . As shown in  FIG. 11 ,  FIG. 14 , and  FIG. 15 , the stirring member  91  is provided in parallel to a spiral member  95  that is described below. The stirring member  91  roughly includes a rotation shaft member  911  (an example of the third rotation shaft and the stirring rotation shaft), and a film-like paddle portion  912  (an example of the film member). 
     As shown in  FIG. 11 , the rotation shaft member  911  is rotatably provided in the storage space  85  of the upper storage portion  71 . The rotation shaft member  911  is a shaft member elongated in the depth direction D 13 . An end portion  161  (an example of the third end portion) of the rotation shaft member  911  located in one side in the axial direction (the lid member  76  side) is rotatably supported by the inner surface  762  of the lid member  76  that constitutes a right wall surface of the upper storage portion  71 . Specifically, a bearing portion  171  (an example of the third bearing portion, see  FIG. 16 ) is integrally formed with the inner surface  762  of the lid member  76 , and the end portion  161  is rotatably supported by the bearing portion  171 . In addition, an end portion  162  of the rotation shaft member  911  located in the other side (the opposite side) in the axial direction is rotatably supported by an inner surface  785  of a left side wall of the upper case  78  (the attachment portion  58  side). Specifically, a bearing portion  172  is integrally formed with the inner surface  785  of the upper case  78 , and the end portion  162  is rotatably supported by the bearing portion  172 . By this way, the rotation shaft member  911  is rotatably supported in the storage space  85 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 14  and  FIG. 15 , the rotation shaft member  911  includes a base portion  160  as a shaft main body. The base portion  160  is a plate-like member extending in the depth direction D 13 . The end portion  161  is provided on the lid member  76  side of the base portion  160 , and the end portion  162  is provided on the opposite side of the base portion  160 . The rotation shaft member  911  is a resin product in which the base portion  160 , the end portion  161  and the end portion  162  are integrally formed. 
       FIG. 16  is an enlarged view of a main part X 1  that is enclosed by a two-dot chain line in  FIG. 11 . As shown in  FIG. 16 , the end portion  161  is an annular concave recess portion recessed from an end surface on the lid member  76  side to the opposite side (the inner surface  785  side) along the axial direction of the rotation shaft member  911 . Hereinafter, the end portion  161  is referred to as a concave recess portion  161 . An inner surface of a concave portion  1611  of the concave recess portion  161  is formed in an annular shape. In the present embodiment, the base portion  160  is joined to an outer peripheral edge portion of the concave recess portion  161 . An engagement opening  1631  (an example of the second engagement opening) is formed in a bottom portion  163  of the concave recess portion  161 , wherein the engagement opening  1631  penetrates in the axial direction of the rotation shaft member  911 . The engagement opening  1631  is formed in a rectangular shape, for example. 
     The bearing portion  171  includes a boss  173  (an example of the second boss) projecting vertically from the inner surface  762  of the lid member  76 . The boss  173  has a cylindrical shape. The boss  173  is inserted in the concave portion  1611  of the concave recess portion  161 , thereby the concave recess portion  161  is rotatably supported by the boss  173 . It is noted that a through hole  174  (an example of the second through hole) is formed at the center of a projection end of the boss  173 , wherein a second coupling portion  1922  of a second transmission portion  192  described below can be inserted through the through hole  174 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 11 , the end portion  162  is a disk-shaped member. The end portion  162  is joined to the base portion  160  in a vertical direction thereto in such a way as to face the concave recess portion  161 . A circular shaft hole  1621  (see  FIG. 14 ) is formed at the center of the end portion  162 . The bearing portion  172  is a boss projecting from the inner surface  785  of a left side wall of the upper case  78  (the attachment portion  58  side). The bearing portion  172  has a cylindrical shape. The bearing portion  172  is inserted in the shaft hole  1621 , thereby the end portion  162  is rotatably supported by the bearing portion  172 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 14  and  FIG. 15 , the base portion  160  includes two support pieces  165 . The support pieces  165  are provided to support the paddle portion  912 . The two support pieces  165  are disposed on the base portion  160  with an interval in the axial direction. The support pieces  165  are plate pieces (support pieces) disposed to form a small gap between itself and a side surface of the base portion  160 , and an edge of the paddle portion  912  is inserted in the small gap and fixed there. 
     The paddle portion  912  is a film member formed as a thin film. The paddle portion  912  is made of an elastic, synthetic resin material, such as a polyester or a PET (polyethylene terephthalate) resin. When the stirring member  91  is rotated, the paddle portion  912  contacts and stirs the unused toner stored in the upper storage portion  71 . The paddle portion  912  includes a main body portion  9121  and a projection portion  9122 , wherein the main body portion  9121  is attached to the support pieces  165  of the base portion  160 , and the projection portion  9122  projects from an end of the main body portion  9121  on the lid member  76  side toward the inner surface  762 . Specifically, the projection portion  9122  extends from a peripheral edge of a bottom portion  1885  of a second storage portion  1882  described below to the inner surface  762  in such a way as to avoid a step between the inner surface  762  and the bottom portion  1885 . 
     With the above-described configuration of the stirring member  91 , when a rotational driving force is input to the rotation shaft member  911 , the stirring member  91  is rotated in one direction in the storage space  85 . In the present embodiment, the stirring member  91  is rotated in a rotation direction D 31  shown in  FIG. 14 . This allows the paddle portion  912  to stir the unused toner in the storage space  85 . In particular, since the above-described projection portion  9122  is provided in the paddle portion  912 , unused toner that is present in a region from the bottom portion  1885  of the second storage portion  1882  described below to the inner surface  762  is stirred by the projection portion  9122  in a reliable manner. 
     As shown in  FIG. 7  and  FIG. 8 , the first conveyance portion  92  includes a first conveyance guide portion  94  and a spiral member  95 , wherein the first conveyance guide portion  94  is cylindrical and extends outward from a wall surface  781  (an example of the facing surface) of the left side of the upper case  78 , and the spiral member  95  (an example of the first rotation member and the second conveyance member, see  FIG. 10 ) is provided in the inside of the first conveyance guide portion  94 . The first conveyance guide portion  94  is integrally formed with the upper case  78  in the shape of a cylinder whose center is the same as the rotation center of the spiral member  95 . Here, the wall surface  781  is located in one side of the toner container  3 M with respect to the attachment portion  58  in the depth direction D 13 , and is a surface that faces the attachment portion  58  when the toner container  3 M is attached to the attachment portion  58 . It is noted that the depth direction D 13  matches the direction in which the toner container  3 M is attached to and detached from the attachment portion  58 . 
     The spiral member  95  is rotatably provided in the upper storage portion  71 , and as shown in  FIG. 10 , extends in the depth direction D 13  that is perpendicular to the height direction D 11 . The spiral member  95  is a conveyance member that conveys the unused toner in the storage space  85  toward the attachment portion  58  (see  FIG. 4 ) through the inside of the first conveyance guide portion  94 . In addition, the first conveyance guide portion  94  is a guide member that guides the unused toner conveyed by the spiral member  95  to the developing device  33 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 10 , the spiral member  95  includes blades  97  of a spiral shape around a rotation shaft  96 . An end portion  961  (an example of the first end portion) of the rotation shaft  96  of the spiral member  95  on the lid member  76  side is rotatably supported by a bearing portion  99  (an example of the first bearing portion) that is integrally formed with an inner surface  762  of the lid member  76 . In addition, in a state where the spiral member  95  is inserted in the first conveyance guide portion  94 , the opposite end of the rotation shaft  96  is rotatably supported by the first conveyance guide portion  94 . Specifically, a first input portion  98  (an example of the first drive input portion and the second input joint) is integrally formed with an end portion  962  that is the opposite end of the rotation shaft  96 , wherein the first input portion  98  receives a rotational driving force input from outside. In addition, a through hole  941  is formed in the tip of the first conveyance guide portion  94 . In the state where the first input portion  98  projects from the through hole  941  to the outside, the end portion  962  is rotatably supported by the through hole  941 . 
     In the following, the support structure of the end portion  961  of the spiral member  95  is described concretely with reference to  FIG. 17 . Here,  FIG. 17  is an enlarged view of a main part X 2  that is enclosed by a two-dot chain line in  FIG. 10 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 17 , the end portion  961  of the rotation shaft  96  (an example of the first rotation shaft) includes an inner hole  178  that extends along the axial direction from an end surface of the rotation shaft  96  on the lid member  76  side toward the opposite side. That is, the end portion  961  is a cylinder portion formed in a cylindrical shape so as to have the inner hole  178  in its inside. The inner hole  178  is formed in a size by which a first coupling portion  1912  of a first transmission portion  191  described below can be inserted therethrough. On an end surface of the end portion  961  on the lid member  76  side, an arc-shaped support portion  179  whose outer diameter is larger than the inner hole  178  is formed. It is noted that an engagement opening  9611  (an example of the first engagement opening) is formed on an outer circumferential surface of the end portion  961 , wherein a first engaging portion  197  described below is engaged with the engagement opening  9611  when the first coupling portion  1912  described below is inserted through the inner hole  178 . The engagement opening  9611  is inserted through the inner hole  178  of the end portion  961 . 
     In addition, as described above, the bearing portion  99  is provided on the inner surface  762  of the lid member  76 . The bearing portion  99  includes a boss  180  (an example of the first boss) that projects vertically from the inner surface  762  of the lid member  76 . The boss  180  is inserted in the support portion  179  of the end portion  961 , thereby the end portion  961  is supported by the boss  180 . It is noted that a through hole  181  (an example of the first through hole) is formed at the center of a projection end of the boss  180 , wherein the first coupling portion  1912  of the first transmission portion  191  described below can be inserted through the through hole  181 . 
     With the above-described configuration of the bearing portion  99  and the end portion  961 , when a rotational driving force is input to the rotation shaft  96  of the spiral member  95 , the spiral member  95  is rotated in one direction in the storage space  85 . In the present embodiment, when a rotational driving force is input to the first input portion  98 , the spiral member  95  is rotated in a rotation direction D 30  shown in  FIG. 12 . This allows the unused toner in the storage space  85  to be conveyed in the first conveyance guide portion  94  toward the tip portion of the first conveyance guide portion  94 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 10 , a toner discharge port  100  for discharging toner stored in the storage space  85  to outside is formed in a lower region of an outer circumferential surface (hereinafter merely referred to as a lower surface) of the first conveyance guide portion  94 . The toner discharge port  100  is a through-opening that penetrates, vertically downward, an outer circumferential wall constituting the lower surface of the first conveyance guide portion  94 . The toner discharge port  100  is formed in an approximately square shape. In the present embodiment, the toner discharge port  100  is formed in an end portion of the lower surface of the first conveyance guide portion  94  at a position closest to the first input portion  98 . 
     In addition, as shown in  FIG. 8 , the first conveyance guide portion  94  includes an inclined guide portion  942 . The inclined guide portion  942  is integrally formed with the first conveyance guide portion  94 , and is formed in an upper region of the arc-shaped circumferential surface (hereinafter merely referred to as an upper surface) of the first conveyance guide portion  94 . The inclined guide portion  942  is, in the upper surface of the first conveyance guide portion  94 , an inclined surface that is inclined diagonally downward toward the tip of the first conveyance guide portion  94  in the extension direction of the first conveyance guide portion  94  (toward the right in  FIG. 10 ). The inclined guide portion  942  is formed in an end portion of the upper surface of the first conveyance guide portion  94  at a position closest to the first input portion  98 , and is formed above the toner discharge port  100  in a side view (see  FIG. 10 ). In the present embodiment, the inclined guide portion  942  is inclined downward at an inclination angle of 10 degrees from the upper surface of the first conveyance guide portion  94 . 
     With the provision of the above-described inclined guide portion  942  in the first conveyance guide portion  94 , an inner surface  9421  of the inclined guide portion  942  functions as a guide surface to guide the unused toner to the toner discharge port  100  in the inside of the first conveyance guide portion  94 . As a result, when the unused toner is conveyed by the spiral member  95  along an arrow D 32  of  FIG. 10  toward the toner discharge port  100 , the unused toner contacts the inner surface  9421 , so that the advancing direction of the unused toner is oriented diagonally downward and the unused toner is guided toward the toner discharge port  100 . With this configuration, the unused toner is prevented from remaining at the upper side of the tip portion of the spiral member  95  without being discharged. That is, it is possible to reduce a residual amount of the unused toner that remains unused in the tip portion of the first conveyance guide portion  94 . In addition, since the inclination angle of the inclined guide portion  942  is 10 degrees, the unused toner is guided smoothly toward the toner discharge port  100  without excessively aggregating. 
     In the present embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 12 , the inclined guide portion  942  is formed on the upper surface of the first conveyance guide portion  94  at a position that is away by a predetermined angle θ from a vertical plane passing the rotation center of the spiral member  95  toward the upstream in the rotation direction D 30 . In the present embodiment, the predetermined angle θ is 45 degrees. That is, the inclined guide portion  942  is formed on the upper surface of the inclined guide portion  942  at a position that is away by 45 degrees from the vertical plane toward the upstream in the rotation direction D 30 . With the inclined guide portion  942  provided at such a position, the unused toner scraped up by the blades  97  contacts the inner surface  9421  and moves along the width direction D 12  in the first conveyance guide portion  94 . When the unused toner goes beyond the rotation shaft  96  of the spiral member  95 , the unused toner falls down and is oriented toward the toner discharge port  100 . This allows the unused toner to be guided to the toner discharge port  100  without receiving un excessive stress. 
     In addition, on the lower surface of the first conveyance guide portion  94 , a shutter member  101  (an example of the opening and closing member) for opening and closing the toner discharge port  100  is provided. The shutter member  101  is supported by the first conveyance guide portion  94  in such a manner that the shutter member  101  can slide the lower surface of the first conveyance guide portion  94  in the longitudinal direction (the left-right direction of  FIG. 10 ) of the first conveyance guide portion  94 . 
     In the present embodiment, when the toner container  3 M is attached to the attachment portion  58  (see  FIG. 4 ), the shutter member  101  is moved from a closing position of closing the toner discharge port  100 , to an opening position of opening the toner discharge port  100 . 
     In addition, the toner discharge port  100  is aligned with the supply port  56  of the developing device  33  for positioning, then the toner discharge port  100  is connected to the supply port  56  so that toner can be supplied from the toner discharge port  100  to the supply port  56 . In addition, the first input portion  98  is coupled with a first output joint  61  (an example of the drive output portion and the first drive coupling portion, see  FIG. 13 ) that is provided in the attachment portion  58 , and a rotational driving force output from a drive source such as a motor is transmitted to the first input portion  98 . Upon receiving the rotational driving force, the spiral member  95  is rotated, and the toner in the storage space  85  is conveyed from the toner discharge port  100  to the supply port  56  via the first conveyance guide portion  94 , and is supplied to the inside of the developing device  33 . 
     It is noted that an engagement hole  611  which is rectangular in a cross section (see  FIG. 13 ) is formed in the first output joint  61 . The first input portion  98  is inserted in the engagement hole  611 , thereby the first output joint  61  is engaged with the first input portion  98  in a direction of rotation around the axis. This allows the rotational driving force received from the first output joint  61  to be transmitted to the first input portion  98 . In this case, the first input portion  98  is an example of the engaging portion. 
     As shown in  FIG. 13 , the first output joint  61  is provided in the attachment portion  58 . The first output joint  61  is a drive output portion configured to output the rotational driving force that is output from a drive source such as a motor provided in the image forming apparatus  10 , to the outside. The first output joint  61  is coupled with the first input portion  98  in the left-right direction D 3  when the toner container  3 M is attached to the attachment portion  58 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 5  and  FIG. 9 , a gear transmission mechanism  103  (an example of the transmission mechanism) is provided in the lid member  76 . The gear transmission mechanism  103  is coupled with the rotation shaft  96  of the spiral member  95  and with a rotation shaft member  911  of the stirring member  91  in the state where the lid member  76  closes the opening portions  81  and  82 . With this configuration, the rotational driving force transmitted from the first input portion  98  to the spiral member  95  is transmitted to the stirring member  91  by the gear transmission mechanism  103 . That is, with the provision of the gear transmission mechanism  103 , when the rotational driving force is input to the first input portion  98 , the spiral member  95  and the stirring member  91  are rotated interlocking with each other. 
     The following describes the configuration of the gear transmission mechanism  103  with reference to  FIG. 14  to  FIG. 18 . 
     The gear transmission mechanism  103  transmits the rotational driving force input to the rotation shaft  96  of the spiral member  95 , from the end portion  961  of the rotation shaft  96  to the stirring member  91  via the concave recess portion  161  (end portion  161 ) of the rotation shaft member  911  of the stirring member  91 . As shown in  FIG. 18 , the gear transmission mechanism  103  includes the first transmission portion  191 , the second transmission portion  192 , and an idle gear  193  provided between the first transmission portion  191  and the second transmission portion  192 . 
     The first transmission portion  191  includes a first gear  1911  and the first coupling portion  1912 . The first transmission portion  191  is a resin product in which the first gear  1911  and the first coupling portion  1912  are integrally formed. 
     The second transmission portion  192  includes a second gear  1921  and the second coupling portion  1922 . The second transmission portion  192  is a resin product in which the second gear  1921  and the second coupling portion  1922  are integrally formed. 
     In the present embodiment, the first gear  1911 , the second gear  1921  and the idle gear  193  are disposed on the surface of the lid member  76 . Specifically, the first gear  1911 , the second gear  1921  and the idle gear  193  are rotatably stored in a gear storage portion  188  of a concave shape (an example of the storage concave portion of a concave shape) formed on the surface of the lid member  76 , in a state where the gears mesh with each other and the rotational force can be transmitted. The gear storage portion  188  is a concave portion recessed from the surface of the lid member  76  toward the inner surface  762  of the lid member. The first gear  1911 , the second gear  1921  and the idle gear  193  are stored more on the inner side of the concave portion of the gear storage portion  188  than the surface of the lid member  76 . That is, the first gear  1911 , the second gear  1921  and the idle gear  193  are stored in the gear storage portion  188  in a state of being embedded in the inside of the gear storage portion  188 . As a result, the gears  1911 ,  1921  and  193  keep the state of not projecting from the surface of the lid member  76  to outside. 
     The toner container  3 M is gripped by the user during an attachment work to the attachment portion  58  or a replacement work. Accordingly, in a case where, for example, a rotational driving force is erroneously transmitted to the first input portion  98  and the gears  1911 ,  1921  and  193  are rotated when the user is detaching the toner container  3 M from the image forming apparatus  10 , the user may be injured by putting his/her fingers between the gears  1911 ,  1921  and  193 . In addition, even if the gear transmission mechanism  103  is not operating, lubricant such as grease applied to the gears  1911 ,  1921  and  193  may adhere to the user&#39;s fingers and the fingers may be smeared. Furthermore, when the user grips the toner container  3 M, the gears  1911 ,  1921  and  193  may be pushed by the user&#39;s fingers and positionally shifted, resulting in a damage of the gear transmission mechanism  103  during the driving. However, since the gears  1911 ,  1921  and  193  of the gear transmission mechanism  103  are stored in the gear storage portion  188 , the user&#39;s fingers are prevented from touching the gears  1911 ,  1921  and  193 . In particular, the user&#39;s fingers are prevented from touching the teeth of the gears  1911 ,  1921  and  193 . As a result, it is possible to realize the toner container  3 M that is free from the above-mentioned problems, has a low possibility of failure, and is safe. 
     As shown in  FIG. 17 , the first gear  1911  is disposed in a first storage portion  1881  that is provided in the gear storage portion  188 . On an inner side surface of the first storage portion  1881 , the bearing portion  99  is integrally formed therewith. The through hole  181  of the bearing portion  99  passes through up to the first storage portion  1881 . 
     The first coupling portion  1912  extends from the first gear  1911  to the storage space  85  of the upper storage portion  71  via the through hole  181  formed in the bearing portion  99 , and is coupled with the spiral member  95  of the first conveyance portion  92 . Specifically, the first coupling portion  1912  includes a first shaft portion  196  and the first engaging portion  197 , wherein the first shaft portion  196  is provided at the center of the first gear  1911  in a vertical direction thereto, and the first engaging portion  197  is provided on the tip side of the first shaft portion  196 . In the state where the first gear  1911  is disposed in the first storage portion  1881 , the first shaft portion  196  is inserted through the through hole  181  to the storage space  85  side, and is further inserted through the inner hole  178  of the end portion  961 . The first engaging portion  197  is a hook-like member that projects outward from an outer circumferential surface of the first shaft portion  196  and extends toward the first gear  1911 . In the present embodiment, the first engaging portion  197  is coupled with the engagement opening  9611  of the end portion  961  by the so-called snap-fitting system. 
     The first engaging portion  197  has elasticity in a radial direction vertical to the axial direction of the first shaft portion  196 . Accordingly, when the first shaft portion  196  is inserted through the inner hole  178 , the first engaging portion  197  receives a force in the radial direction from the inner wall of the end portion  961 , and the first engaging portion  197  is elastically deformed toward the first shaft portion  196 . As a result, the first shaft portion  196  can be inserted through the inner hole  178  without being interrupted by the first engaging portion  197 . When the first shaft portion  196  is inserted through to the innermost part of the inner hole  178  and the first engaging portion  197  reaches the engagement opening  9611 , the first engaging portion  197  is released from the elastic deformation, and returns to the original attitude. At this time, the first engaging portion  197  projects from the engagement opening  9611  to outside of the end portion  961 , and an end portion of the first engaging portion  197  on the first gear  1911  side is engaged with an edge portion  9612  of the engagement opening  9611 . This allows the first transmission portion  191  to be coupled with the rotation shaft  96  of the spiral member  95  by the first shaft portion  196  and the first engaging portion  197 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 16 , the second gear  1921  is disposed in a second storage portion  1882  (an example of the second gear storage portion) that is provided in the gear storage portion  188 . On an inner side surface of the second storage portion  1882 , the boss  173  of the bearing portion  171  is integrally formed therewith. The through hole  174  of the boss  173  passes through up to the second storage portion  1882 . 
     The second coupling portion  1922  extends from the second gear  1921  to the storage space  85  of the upper storage portion  71  via the through hole  174  formed in the boss  173  of the bearing portion  171 , and is coupled with the rotation shaft member  911  of the stirring member  91 . Specifically, the second coupling portion  1922  includes a second shaft portion  206  and a second engaging portion  207 , wherein the second shaft portion  206  is provided at the center of the second gear  1921  in a vertical direction thereto, and the second engaging portion  207  is provided on the tip side of the second shaft portion  206 . In the state where the second gear  1921  is disposed in the second storage portion  1882 , the second shaft portion  206  is inserted through the through hole  174  to the storage space  85  side, and is further inserted through the engagement opening  1631  of the concave recess portion  161 . The second engaging portion  207  includes two hooks that project outward from a side surface of the tip portion of the second shaft portion  206  and extends toward the second gear  1921 . In the present embodiment, the second engaging portion  207  is coupled with the engagement opening  1631  of the concave recess portion  161  by the so-called snap-fitting system. 
     The second engaging portion  207  has elasticity in a radial direction vertical to the axial direction of the second shaft portion  206 . Accordingly, when the second shaft portion  206  is inserted through the engagement opening  1631  via the through hole  174 , the second engaging portion  207  receives a force in the radial direction from an edge portion  1632  of the engagement opening  1631 , and the second engaging portion  207  is elastically deformed toward the second shaft portion  206 . As a result, the second shaft portion  206  can be inserted through the engagement opening  1631  without being interrupted by the second engaging portion  207 . When the second engaging portion  207  goes beyond the engagement opening  1631 , the second engaging portion  207  is released from the elastic deformation, and returns to the original attitude. At this time, the second engaging portion  207  is engaged with the edge portion  1632  of the engagement opening  1631 . This allows the second transmission portion  192  to be coupled with the rotation shaft member  911  of the stirring member  91  by the second shaft portion  206  and the second engaging portion  207 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 17 , the idle gear  193  is disposed in a third storage portion  1883  that is provided in the gear storage portion  188 . As shown in  FIG. 18 , the idle gear  193  is disposed between the first gear  1911  and the second gear  1921 , and meshes with the first gear  1911  and the second gear  1921 . 
     With the above-described configuration of the gear transmission mechanism  103 , the rotational driving force transmitted from the first input portion  98  to the spiral member  95  is transmitted to the stirring member  91  by the gear transmission mechanism  103 . By this way, when the spiral member  95  rotates, the stirring member  91  also rotates in the same direction as the spiral member  95 . 
     It is noted that in the present embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 14  and  FIG. 15 , a first inclined guide portion  194  and a second inclined guide portion  195  (both are examples of the inclined guide portion) are provided on the inner surface  762  of the lid member  76  in the vicinity of the gear storage portion  188 . The inclined guide portions  194  and  195  are integrally formed with the lid member  76 . The inclined guide portions  194  and  195  are provided in a rotational region of the projection portion  9122  on the inner surface  762  of the lid member  76 . Specifically, as shown in  FIG. 14 , the first inclined guide portion  194  extends from an end portion  188 A of the bottom portion  1885  of the gear storage portion  188  on the upstream side in the rotation direction D 31 , to the inner surface  762 , and has an inclined surface that extends from the inner surface  762  to the bottom portion  1885  of the gear storage portion  188 . In addition, as shown in  FIG. 15 , the second inclined guide portion  195  extends from an end portion  188 B of the bottom portion  1885  of the gear storage portion  188  on the downstream side in the rotation direction D 31 , to the inner surface  762 , and has an inclined surface that extends from the inner surface  762  to the bottom portion  1885  of the gear storage portion  188 . 
     With the provision of the above-described inclined guide portions  194  and  195  on the inner surface  762 , when the stirring member  91  rotates upon receiving the rotational driving force from the gear transmission mechanism  103 , the projection portion  9122  of the stirring member  91  smoothly moves on the inclined surfaces of the inclined guide portions  194  and  195  while being bent along the inclined surfaces of the inclined guide portions  194  and  195 . In addition, in a case where the unused toner stored in the upper storage portion  71  is reduced to a small amount, the projection portion  9122  can convey unused toner near the first inclined guide portion  194  to the spiral member  95  in a reliable manner. As a result, it is possible to prevent the unused toner from wastefully remaining in the upper storage portion  71 . In addition, since the first inclined guide portion  194  is provided in a lower portion of the inner surface  762 , it is possible to prevent the unused toner from aggregating in the lower portion of the storage space  85  of the upper storage portion  71 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 6 , the lower storage portion  72  includes a second conveyance portion  105 . Specifically, the second conveyance portion  105  for conveying the waste toner discharged from a drum unit  31  for magenta to the inside of the storage space  86  is provided in the storage space  86 . The second conveyance portion  105  includes a second conveyance guide portion  107  and the spiral member  108 , wherein the second conveyance guide portion  107  is cylindrical, extends outward from a wall surface  791  of the left side of the lower case  79 , and includes a toner conveyance path in its inside, and the spiral member  108  (an example of the second rotation member, the rotation member, and the first conveyance member, see  FIG. 11 ) is provided in the inside of the second conveyance guide portion  107 . The second conveyance guide portion  107  is integrally formed with the lower case  79 . 
     The spiral member  108  is rotatably provided in the inside of the lower storage portion  72 , and as shown in  FIG. 11 , extends in the depth direction D 13  perpendicular to the height direction D 11 . The spiral member  108  is a conveyance member that conveys the waste toner that has been discharged from the drum unit  31  to the second conveyance guide portion  107 , to the storage space  86  through the inside of the second conveyance guide portion  107 . In addition, the second conveyance guide portion  107  is a guide member that receives the waste toner from the drum unit  31 , and guides the waste toner conveyed by the spiral member  108  to the inside of the storage space  86 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 11 , the spiral member  108  includes spiral blades  110  around a rotation shaft  109 . An end portion  1091  (an example of the second end portion) of the rotation shaft  109  of the spiral member  108  on the lid member  76  side is rotatably supported by a bearing portion  112  (an example of the second bearing portion) that is integrally formed with the inner surface  762  of the lid member  76 . In addition, in a state where the spiral member  108  is inserted in the second conveyance guide portion  107 , the opposite end of the rotation shaft  109  is rotatably supported by the second conveyance guide portion  107 . Specifically, a second input portion  111  (an example of the second drive input portion and the first input joint) is mounted on an opposite end portion  1092  of the rotation shaft  109 , wherein the second input portion  111  receives a rotational driving force input from outside. 
     In addition, the tip portion of the second conveyance guide portion  107  has a through hole  1071  (an example of the bearing hole and the bearing portion). Through the through hole  1071 , the end portion  1092  of the rotation shaft  109  of the spiral member  108  passes through from the tip portion of the second conveyance guide portion  107  to outside, and the through hole  1071  rotatably supports the rotation shaft  109 . With this configuration, the end portion  1092  is rotatably supported in the second conveyance guide portion  107  in the state where the rotation shaft  109  projects to outside from the through hole  1071 . The second input portion  111  is attached to the end portion  1092 . The second input portion  111  is fixed to the end portion  1092  from outside in the state where the end portion  1092  is passed through the through hole  1071  to outside. 
     In the following, the support structure of the end portion  1091  of the spiral member  108  is described concretely with reference to  FIG. 19 . Here,  FIG. 19  is an enlarged view of a main part X 3  that is enclosed by a two-dot chain line in  FIG. 11 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 19 , the end portion  1091  of the rotation shaft  109  (an example of the second rotation shaft) includes an inner hole  184  that extends along the axial direction from an end surface of the rotation shaft  109  on the lid member  76  side toward the opposite side. The inner hole  184  is formed in a circular shape. 
     In addition, as described above, the bearing portion  112  is provided on the inner surface  762  of the lid member  76 . The bearing portion  112  includes a boss  185  that projects vertically from the inner surface  762  of the lid member  76 . The boss  185  is inserted in the inner hole  184  of the end portion  1091 , thereby the end portion  1091  is rotatably supported by the boss  185 . 
     With the above-described configuration of the bearing portion  112  and the end portion  1091 , when a rotational driving force is input to the rotation shaft  109  of the spiral member  108 , the spiral member  108  is rotated in one direction in the storage space  86 . In the present embodiment, the spiral member  108  is rotated in a rotation direction D 32  (see  FIG. 20A ). This allows the waste toner discharged from the drum cleaning device  42  of the drum unit  31  to be conveyed in the second conveyance guide portion  107  to the storage space  86 . 
       FIG. 20A  and  FIG. 20B  are cross sections taken along an XX-XX line of  FIG. 19 . As shown in  FIG. 20A  and  FIG. 20B , a film member  127  is formed in the vicinity of the spiral member  108 . The film member  127  is formed as a thin film. The film member  127  is made of an elastic, synthetic resin material, such as a polyester or a PET (polyethylene terephthalate) resin. The film member  127  is formed approximately in a shape of a letter L by bending a film of a rectangular, flat plate shape formed from the synthetic resin material. The film member  127  includes a fixed portion  128  and a contact portion  129 , wherein the fixed portion  128  is attached and fixed to an inner surface of the top wall  792  of the lower case  79 , and the contact portion  129  extends downward from the fixed portion  128 . The film member  127  is formed approximately in a shape of a letter L by the fixed portion  128  and the contact portion  129 . 
     Meanwhile, the spiral member  108  as the conveyance member described above is configured such that its spiral blade contacts the toner. Accordingly, the toner may adhere to the spiral member  108 . Once toner is adhered to the spiral member  108 , a lump of the adhered toner gradually grows as toner continues to be adhered to the lump of toner. This causes the toner conveyance efficiency of the spiral member  108  to be reduced. On the other hand, it is possible to attach the elastic film member  127  to an inner wall of the toner container  3 M and cause the film member  127  to contact the outer circumferential surface of the spiral member  108  so that the toner adhered to the spiral member  108  can be scraped off. However, if a length of the film member  127  from the inner wall is long, the elasticity of the film member  127  is weakened, and the film member  127  may not be able to scrape off, enough, the toner adhered to the spiral member  108 . On the other hand, if the spiral member  108  is located close to the inner wall, the toner conveyance space is narrowed by the inner wall, and the conveyance efficiency is reduced. According to the present embodiment, however, with the configuration of the toner container  3 M described below, it is possible to scrape off toner adhered to the spiral member  108  in a reliable manner without reducing the toner conveyance efficiency of the spiral member  108 . 
     In the film member  127 , the fixed portion  128  is fixed to the top wall  792  such that the contact portion  129  is disposed between the rib  771  and the spiral member  108 . Specifically, the film member  127  is provided such that the contact portion  129  contacts a side plate  7713  of the rib  771 , and the contact portion  129  contacts an outer circumferential surface of the spiral member  108 . In this way, a side of the contact portion  129  is supported by the side plate  7713 , thus the contact portion  129  contacts the outer circumferential surface of the spiral member  108  in the state where the contact portion  129  has a strong stiffness. As a result, if waste toner adheres to the spiral member  108 , the waste toner is scraped off in a reliable manner by the contact with the contact portion  129 . 
     In the present embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 20A  and  FIG. 20B , a part of the spiral member  108  that contacts the contact portion  129  is formed in an oval shape in a cross section. As a result, when the spiral member  108  is rotated in the rotation direction D 32 , each time the spiral member  108  is rotated by a quarter rotation, the contact portion  129  changes its attitude between a first attitude and a second attitude, wherein in the first attitude (see  FIG. 20A ), the contact portion  129  is bent with a lower edge of the side plate  7713  as a fulcrum, and in the second attitude (see  FIG. 20B ), the contact portion  129  extends straight vertically downward from the fixed portion  128 . With this configuration, when the spiral member  108  is rotated, the force that presses the outer circumferential surface of the spiral member  108  changes for each quarter rotation. As a result, the waste toner that has adhered to the spiral member  108  is scraped off in a reliable manner by the contact portion  129 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 11 , the inlet  114  for guiding the waste toner to the inside of the storage space  86  is formed on the upper surface of the second conveyance guide portion  107 . In addition, on the upper surface of the second conveyance guide portion  107 , a shutter member  115  for opening and closing the inlet  114  is provided. The shutter member  115  is supported by the second conveyance guide portion  107  such that the upper surface of the second conveyance guide portion  107  can be slid in the longitudinal direction (the left-right direction of  FIG. 11 ) of the second conveyance guide portion  107 . 
     In the present embodiment, when the toner container  3 M is attached to the attachment portion  58  (see  FIG. 4 ), the shutter member  115  is moved from a closing position of closing the inlet  114 , to an opening position of opening the inlet  114 . 
     In addition, the inlet  114  is aligned with the discharge port  431  of the discharge guide portion  43  for positioning, then the inlet  114  is connected to the discharge port  431  so that waste toner can be conveyed from the discharge port  431  to the inlet  114 . In addition, the second input portion  111  is coupled with a second output joint  62  (an example of the drive output portion and the first drive coupling portion, see  FIG. 13 ) that is provided in the attachment portion  58 , and a rotational driving force output from a drive source such as a motor is transmitted to the second input portion  111 . Upon receiving the rotational driving force, the spiral member  108  is rotated, and the waste toner that has been discharged from the discharge port  431  and conveyed into the second conveyance guide portion  107  is conveyed to the storage space  86  through the second conveyance guide portion  107 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 13 , the second output joint  62  is provided in the attachment portion  58 , at a position different from the first output joint  61 . The second output joint  62  is a drive output portion configured to output the rotational driving force that is output from a drive source such as a motor provided in the image forming apparatus  10 , to the outside. The second output joint  62  is coupled with the second input portion  111  in the left-right direction D 3  when the toner container  3 M is attached to the attachment portion  58 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 22A  and  FIG. 22B , the second output joint  62  includes a base portion  621  and four engaging pieces  623 . The base portion  621  is a portion that is to be attached to the attachment portion  58 , and is, for example, a disk-like member having a circular shaft hole  624  at its center. The base portion  621  is integrally formed with at least two engaging pieces  623 . In the present embodiment, four engaging pieces  623  are formed on the base portion  621 . The four engaging pieces  623  project from the surface of the base portion  621 . The shaft hole  624  is formed at the center of the base portion  621 , and the four engaging pieces  623  are arranged at equal intervals around the axis of the shaft hole  624 . It is noted that the number of engaging pieces  623  is not limited to four, but, for example, two engaging pieces  623  may be arranged at equal intervals around the shaft hole  624 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 22B , each of the four engaging pieces  623  includes a first inclined surface  625  and a vertical surface  626 , wherein the first inclined surface  625  is inclined from a projection end of the engaging piece  623  toward the base portion  621 , and the vertical surface  626  is formed on the opposite side to the first inclined surface  625  across the projection end. The vertical surface  626  is vertical to the surface of the base portion  621 . 
     The projection end of each of the four engaging pieces  623  is formed in a tapered shape. The projection end of each of the engaging pieces  623  has a second inclined surface  627 . The second inclined surface  627  is formed by chamfering a corner portion between the first inclined surface  625  and the vertical surface  626  (the projection end of the engaging piece  623 ). The second inclined surface  627  is inclined toward the first inclined surface  625  and the vertical surface  626 . The second inclined surface  627  has a role of, when the second input portion  111  is inserted in the second output joint  62 , guiding a projection piece  113  of the second input portion  111  to a gap  628  between adjacent engaging pieces  623 . For example, when the projection piece  113  contacts the second inclined surface  627 , the projection piece  113  slides on the second inclined surface  627  and enters the gap  628 . 
     On the other hand, as described above, the second input portion  111  is mounted on the end portion  1092  of the rotation shaft  109  of the spiral member  108 . As shown in  FIG. 23A  and  FIG. 23B , the second input portion  111  includes a base portion  1111 , a projection shaft  1112 , and two projection pieces  113 . The base portion  1111  is formed in a disk shape. The projection shaft  1112  is a boss-like member projecting from the center of the base portion  1111  in a vertical direction. An insertion hole is formed at the center of a rear surface of the base portion  1111 , and the insertion hole reaches an inside of the projection shaft  1112 . That is, the inside of the projection shaft  1112  is hollow. A pair of cuts  1114  are formed on the circumferential surface of the projection shaft  1112 . A pair of arms are formed on the end portion  1092  of the rotation shaft  109 , wherein the pair of arms extend in the axial direction, and a hook is formed on the tip of each of the arms. When the pair of arms are inserted in the inside of the projection shaft  1112 , the hooks respectively enter the cuts  1114 . This allows the second input portion  111  to be attached to the end portion  1092  by the so-called snap-fitting system. 
     Each of the pair of projection pieces  113  is formed so as to be tapered toward the projection end of the projection shaft  1112 . The projection pieces  113  can be engaged with two engaging pieces  623  among the four engaging pieces  623 . In the present embodiment, a projection piece  1131  (an example of the first piece) of the two projection pieces  113  includes an abutting surface  1133  (an example of the first abutting surface) that contacts the vertical surface of an engaging piece  623 . The abutting surface  1133  is a vertical surface vertical to the surface of the base portion  1111 . The other projection piece  1132  (an example of the second piece) of the two projection pieces  113  is formed at a position that is away by 180 degrees from the projection piece  1131  around the axis. The projection piece  1132  includes an abutting surface  1134  (an example of the second abutting surface) that contacts the vertical surface of another engaging piece  623 . The abutting surface  1134  is a vertical surface vertical to the surface of the base portion  1111 . The abutting surfaces  1133  and  1134  are portions that receive the rotational driving force from the second output joint  62 . 
     In the present embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 23B , one projection piece  1131  is longer in the projection direction of the projection shaft  1112  than the other projection piece  1132 . With this configuration, during the attachment process of the toner container  3 M to the attachment portion  58 , even if the toner container  3 M is moved toward the attachment portion  58  in an inclined state, the second input portion  111  is smoothly coupled with the second output joint  62  in a reliable manner. That is, as shown in  FIG. 24A , when the second input portion  111  approaches the second output joint  62 , first the projection piece  1131 , the longer projection piece, enters the gap  628 . At this time, if the projection piece  1131  contacts a portion other than the gap  628 , such as the first inclined surface  625 , the projection piece  1131  is guided to the gap  628  by the first inclined surface  625 . In addition, if the projection piece  1131  contacts the second inclined surface  627 , the projection piece  1131  is guided to the gap  628  by the second inclined surface  627 . At this time, the projection piece  1132 , the shorter projection piece, is not contacting any engaging piece  623 . Thus, the guidance of the projection piece  1131  to the gap  628  is not interrupted by the projection piece  1132 . When the projection piece  1131  contacts and is guided by the first inclined surface  625  or the second inclined surface  627 , the second input portion  111  pivots around the axis, and the shorter projection piece  1132  is disposed at a position to face the gap  628 . As shown in  FIG. 24B , when the second input portion  111  further approaches the second output joint  62 , the shorter projection piece  1132  enters the gap  628 . 
     Here,  FIG. 25A  is a perspective view of a second input portion  111 A having a conventional configuration, and  FIG. 25B  is a perspective view of a second output joint  62 A having a conventional configuration. In addition,  FIG. 26  is a plan view of the second output joint  62 A having a conventional configuration. In these drawings, components that are the same as those of the present embodiment are assigned the same reference signs. The conventional second input portion  111 A shown in  FIG. 25A  includes two projection pieces  113 , but these projection pieces  113  have the same length. As a result, when the toner container  3 M is moved toward the attachment portion  58  in an inclined state, one front end  113 A (a portion represented by a dotted line in  FIG. 26 ) of the two projection pieces  113  enters the gap  628 , but the other front end  113 B (a portion represented by a dotted line in  FIG. 26 ) may be caught by the front end of the first inclined surface  625 . However, according to the present embodiment, such a catching does not occur, and thus, when the toner container  3 M is attached to the attachment portion  58 , the second input portion  111  is coupled with the second output joint  62  in a reliable manner. 
     As described above, in the present embodiment, the central flange  832  is provided so as to couple the upper case  78  of the upper storage portion  71  with the lower case  79  of the lower storage portion  72 . As a result, even if, due to a production error or the like, the first input portion  98  and the second input portion  111  are positionally deviated, or the first output joint  61  and the second output joint  62  are positionally deviated, the toner container  3 M can be bent at the vicinity of the gap  88  when the toner container  3 M is attached to the attachment portion  58 , so that the first input portion  98  is aligned with the first output joint  61 , and the second input portion  111  is aligned with the second output joint  62  for positioning. This allows the first input portion  98  to be coupled with the first output joint  61 , and the second input portion  111  to be coupled with the second output joint  62 , smoothly in a reliable manner. In addition, in a case where the rotational driving force is transmitted in the state where the toner container  3 M is attached to the attachment portion  58 , even if, due to a positional deviation, a load is applied to the input portions  98  and  111  or the output joints  61  and  62 , the load escapes toward the central flange  832  and bends the toner container  3 M at the vicinity of the gap  88 . With this configuration, it is possible to distribute the load of the input portions  98  and  111  or the output joints  61  and  62  and prevent the input portions  98  and  111  or the output joints  61  and  62  from being damaged. 
     As shown in  FIG. 8 , the first conveyance portion  92  and the second conveyance portion  105  are separated from each other in the width direction D 12 . Specifically, the first conveyance portion  92  is provided on the wall surface  781  of the upper storage portion  71  at a position close to a side portion on one side (the front side) in the width direction D 12 . In addition, the second conveyance portion  105  is provided on the wall surface  791  of the lower storage portion  72  at a position close to a side portion on the opposite side (the rear side) in the width direction D 12 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 7  and  FIG. 9 , the toner container  3 M includes a gripping portion  122  having a concave portion  123 . The gripping portion  122  is a portion that is gripped by the user when the user carries or performs a replacement of the toner container  3 M. In the present embodiment, the concave portion  123  is formed in one side of the container main body  75  in the width direction D 12 . More specifically, the concave portion  123  is formed between the upper storage portion  71  and the lower storage portion  72  in a side portion on the front side while the toner container  3 M is in an attachment attitude of being attached to the attachment portion  58 . The concave portion  123  passes through the toner container  3 M in the depth direction D 13 , and when the toner container  3 M is viewed from the lid member  76  side, the concave portion  123  is rectangular. With the formation of the concave portion  123 , the toner container  3 M has the gripping portion  122  that is a narrowed, constricted portion. Since, the gripping portion  122  is formed in a constricted shape so as to be easily held by the user, the user can easily place his/her fingers on the gripping portion  122 , easily carry the toner container  3 M, and easily perform the replacement work. It is noted that since the lid member  76  is formed in the shape that matches the shape of the container main body  75 , the lid member  76  also has a constricted portion in correspondence with the gripping portion  122 . 
     It is noted that as shown in  FIG. 5 , in the toner container  3 K, the concave portion  123  is formed in each of the side portions on opposite sides in the width direction D 12 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 7 , the concave portion  123  is provided in an upper portion of the lower storage portion  72 . As a result, under the constraint that the toner container  3 M cannot be increased in size, the presence of the concave portion  123  reduces the capacity of the storage space  86  of the lower storage portion  72 . However, since the lower storage portion  72  is configured to store waste toner, the upper space of the storage space  86  is never filled until the storage space  86  is filled with the waste toner. For this reason, the concave portion  123  is preferably formed in the lower storage portion  72 . The upper storage portion  71  is configured to store unused toner. As a result, if the concave portion  123  is formed in the upper storage portion  71 , the storage space  85  of the upper storage portion  71  cannot secure a prescribed capacity required to store the unused toner. Thus it is not preferable to form the concave portion  123  in the upper storage portion  71 . 
     In addition, the concave portion  123  is formed in proximity to the first conveyance portion  92 , more specifically, directly under the shutter member  101  of the first conveyance portion  92 . When the toner container  3 M is attached to or detached from the attachment portion  58 , the shutter member  101  is opened or closed, and the opening or closing of the shutter member  101  generates a sliding resistance. When performing a replacement work of the toner container  3 M, the user feels the sliding resistance as a load. However, the concave portion  123  is provided directly under the shutter member  101 . Thus, when performing a replacement work of replacing the toner container  3 M by gripping the gripping portion  122 , the user can easily apply a force to the gripping portion  122 , and can directly transmit a force to the shutter member  101 . With this configuration, the workability during the replacement work is improved. 
     As shown in  FIG. 5  and  FIG. 9 , the toner container  3 M includes an identification label  126  that indicates the type of the toner container  3 M (for example, the color of the toner, model number or the like). The identification label  126  is a sheet-like member whose rear side is coated with an adhesive such as paste, and characters and/or symbols indicating the type are written on the front side thereof. The identification label  126  is stuck to the surface of the lid member  76 . Specifically, the identification label  126  is stuck to a region in an outer surface of the lid member  76  that corresponds to the gripping portion  122 . According to conventional toner containers, the container main body  75  or the lid member  76  of the toner container  3 M is colored to the color of the toner stored therein so that the type thereof can be identified. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the identification label  126  is used to make the toner container  3  identifiable. This makes it possible to unify the toner containers  3  for color printing. 
     As shown in  FIG. 12 , an IC substrate  64  is mounted on an upper portion of the wall surface  781  of the upper case  78 , wherein the IC substrate  64  includes a plurality of contact terminals  67 . The upper portion of the wall surface  781  includes a concave recess portion  783  that is recessed from the wall surface  781  by one stage. Specifically, the concave recess portion  783  is formed on the wall surface  781  to continue to the upper end of the wall surface  781 . The concave recess portion  783  is lower than the wall surface  781  by one stage. The concave recess portion  783  is formed to extend over the whole region of the upper portion of the wall surface  781  in the width direction D 12 . The IC substrate  64  is disposed on the concave recess portion  783 . More specifically, the IC substrate  64  is disposed at the center of the concave recess portion  783  in the width direction D 12 . 
     It is to be understood that the embodiments herein are illustrative and not restrictive, since the scope of the disclosure is defined by the appended claims rather than by the description preceding them, and all changes that fall within metes and bounds of the claims, or equivalence of such metes and bounds thereof are therefore intended to be embraced by the claims.