Patent Publication Number: US-8543040-B2

Title: Powder storage container, developing device using powder storage container, image forming unit, and image forming apparatus

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is based upon and claims priority under 35 USC 119 from Japanese Patent Application No. 2010-068444, filed Mar. 24, 2010. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Technical Field 
     The present invention relates to a powder storage container, a developing device using the powder storage container, an image forming unit, and an image forming apparatus. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     According to an aspect of the invention, a powder storage container includes a powder storage unit, a conveying member, and an elastic member. The powder storage unit stores powder. The conveying member is rotatably disposed in the powder storage unit and conveys the powder stored in the powder storage unit to an outlet. The elastic member includes: an upper end portion fixed to the inside of the powder storage unit; and a lower end portion which is a swingable free end and is disposed above the conveying member. A part of the lower end portion along the conveying direction of the conveying member is configured to contact with the conveying member to be elastically deformed. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Exemplary embodiments of the invention will be described in detail based on the following figures, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view showing main parts of a toner cartridge as a powder storage container according to a first exemplary embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a view showing the structure of a tandem type color printer as an image forming apparatus to which the powder storage container according to the first exemplary embodiment of the invention is applied; 
         FIG. 3  is a view showing the structure of an image forming section of the tandem type color printer as the image forming apparatus to which the powder storage container according to the first exemplary embodiment of the invention is applied; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view showing the appearance of the tandem type color printer as the image forming apparatus to which the powder storage container according to the first exemplary embodiment of the invention is applied; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view showing the appearance of the tandem type color printer as the image forming apparatus to which the powder storage container according to the first exemplary embodiment of the invention is applied and of which a cover is opened; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view showing the appearance of the tandem type color printer as the image forming apparatus to which the powder storage container according to the first exemplary embodiment of the invention is applied and of which a cover is opened; 
         FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view of a developing device; 
         FIG. 8  is a developed plan view of the developing device; 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of the image forming unit; 
         FIG. 10  is a perspective view showing the appearance of the toner cartridge as the powder storage container according to the first exemplary embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 11  is an exploded perspective view of the toner cartridge as the powder storage container according to the first exemplary embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 12  is a perspective view showing the back surface of the toner cartridge as the powder storage container according to the first exemplary embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 13  is a perspective view showing main parts of the toner cartridge; 
         FIGS. 14A and 14B  are perspective views of two conveying members; 
         FIG. 15  is a cross-sectional perspective view showing a supply passage where powder is supplied from the toner cartridge; and 
         FIG. 16  is a cross-sectional perspective view showing a powder recovery passage where powder is recovered from a black toner cartridge. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     An exemplary embodiment of the invention will be described below with reference to drawings. 
     First Exemplary Embodiment 
       FIG. 2  is a view showing the structure of a powder storage container according to a first exemplary embodiment of the invention, a developing device, and a tandem type color printer as an image forming apparatus to which an image forming unit is applied. Further,  FIG. 3  is a view showing the structure of the image forming section of the color printer. 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , the color printer outputs a full color or monochrome image according to image data output from a personal computer, an image reading device (not shown), or the like, or image data sent through a telephone line, a LAN, or the like. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 4 to 6 , a main body  1  of the color printer is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. A front cover  28 , which is used for the supply of recording sheets, is provided on the front surface of the color printer main body  1  so as to be freely opened and closed. A side cover  29 , which is used for the replacement of toner cartridges  60 Y,  60 M,  60 C, and  60 K as the powder storage containers, is provided on one side surface of the color printer main body so as to be freely opened and closed. Further, a discharge tray  22 , onto which a recording sheet on which an image has been formed is discharged, is integrally formed at an upper portion of the color printer main body  1 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , an image processing unit  3  and a control unit  4  for controlling the entire color printer are provided in the color printer main body  1 . The image processing unit performs predetermined image processing as necessary, such as shading correction, displacement correction, brightness/color space conversion, gamma correction, frame elimination, and color/movement editing, on image data sent from a personal computer (PC)  2 , an image reading device (not shown), or the like, as occasion demands. 
     Further, the image data, which has been subjected to the predetermined image processing in the image processing unit  3  as described above, are converted into image data corresponding to four colors, that is, yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K), by the image processing unit  3 . Then, as described below, the image data is output as a full color image or a monochrome image by an image output unit  5  provided in the color printer main body  1 . 
     The image data, which is converted into image data corresponding to four colors, that is, yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K), by the image processing unit  3 , are sent to image exposure devices  7 Y,  7 M,  7 C, and  7 K of image forming units  6 Y,  6 M,  6 C, and  6 K corresponding to the respective yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K). In the image exposure devices  7 Y,  7 M,  7 C, and  7 K, image exposure is performed by light emitted from a LED (light-emitting device) array according to corresponding color image data. 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , four image forming units (image forming section)  6 Y,  6 M,  6 C, and  6 K corresponding to yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) are disposed in parallel at regular intervals in the color printer main body  1  and are inclined to a horizontal direction by a predetermined angle (for example, about 10°) so that the first color image forming unit  6 Y corresponding to yellow (Y) is relatively high and the last color image forming unit  6 K corresponding to black (K) is relatively low. Meanwhile, an inclination angle of the image forming units  6 Y,  6 M,  6 C, and  6 K is not limited to about 10°, and may be larger or smaller than about 10°. 
     If the four image forming units  6 Y,  6 M,  6 C, and  6 K corresponding to yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) are disposed so as to be inclined by a predetermined angle as described above, it may be possible to set a distance between the image forming units  6 Y,  6 M,  6 C, and  6 K to a distance smaller than a distance between the four image forming units  6 Y,  6 M,  6 C, and  6 K that are disposed in a horizontal direction. Accordingly, the width of the color printer main body  1  is reduced, so that it may be possible to further reduce the size of the color printer. 
     These four image forming units  6 Y,  6 M,  6 C, and  6 K have basically the same structure except for the color of an image to be formed. As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , each of the four image forming units broadly includes a photoreceptor drum  8  as an image holding member that is rotationally driven at a predetermined speed in a direction of an arrow A by drive means (not shown), a charging roller  9  for primary charging that uniformly charges the surface of the photoreceptor drum  8  with electricity, an image exposure device  7  that is formed of a LED print head for forming an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photoreceptor drum  8  by exposing an image corresponding to a predetermined color, a developing device  10  that develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the photoreceptor drum  8  with toner corresponding to a predetermined color, and a cleaning device  11  that cleans the surface of the photoreceptor drum  8 . 
     As the photoreceptor drum  8 , there is used, for example, a member that is formed in the shape of a drum having a diameter of about 30 mm and of which the surface is coated with a photoreceptor layer formed of an organic photoconductor (OPC) or the like. The photoreceptor drum is rotationally driven at a predetermined speed in a direction of an arrow A by a drive motor (not shown). 
     Further, as the charging roller  9 , there is used, for example, a roller-like charger of which the surface of a metal core is coated with a conductive layer. The conductive layer is made of a synthetic resin or synthetic rubber, and the electrical resistance of the conductive layer has been adjusted. A predetermined charging bias is applied to the metal core of the charging roller  9 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , the image exposure device  7  is disposed at each of the four image forming units  6 Y,  6 M,  6 C, and  6 K. As the image exposure device  7  provided at each of the image forming units  6 Y,  6 M,  6 C, and  6 K, there is used a unit that includes a LED (light-emitting device) array and a rod lens array. The LED array includes LEDs that are linearly disposed in an axial direction of the photoreceptor drum  8  at a predetermined pitch (for example, 600 to 1200 dpi). The rod lens array forms a spot-like image on the photoreceptor drum  8  with light that is emitted from each of the LEDs (light-emitting devices) of the LED (light-emitting device) array. Further, as shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the image exposure device  7  scans and exposes an image on the photoreceptor drum  8  from below. 
     Meanwhile, if the unit including the LED array is used as the image exposure device  7 , it may be possible to significantly reduce the size of the image exposure device. For this reason, it is preferable that the unit including the LED array be used as the image exposure device  7 . The image exposure device  7  is not limited to the unit including the LED array, and a unit for deflecting a laser beam and scanning an image in the axial direction of each of the photoreceptor drums  8  may be used as the image exposure device. In this case, one image exposure device  7  is provided for four image forming units  6 Y,  6 M,  6 C, and  6 K. 
     As described above, corresponding color image data is sequentially output from the image processing unit  3  to the image exposure devices  7 Y,  7 M,  7 C, and  7 K that are separately provided at the respective image forming units  6 Y,  6 M,  6 C, and  6 K corresponding to yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K). The surfaces of the corresponding photoreceptor drums  8 Y,  8 M,  8 C, and  8 K are scanned and exposed by luminous flux, which is emitted from the image exposure devices  7 Y,  7 M,  7 C, and  7 K according to image data. Accordingly, electrostatic latent images corresponding to the image data are formed. The electrostatic latent images formed on the photoreceptor drums  8 Y,  8 M,  8 C, and  8 K are developed as color toner images, which correspond to yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K), by the developing devices  10 Y,  10 M,  10 C, and  10 K. 
     The respective color toner images corresponding to yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K), which are sequentially formed on the photoreceptor drums  8 Y,  8 M,  8 C, and  8 K of the respective image forming units  6 Y,  6 M,  6 C, and  6 K, are primarily, sequentially, and multiply transferred to an intermediate transfer belt  12  as an intermediate transfer body, which is disposed above the respective image forming units  6 Y,  6 M,  6 C, and  6 K so as to be inclined, by four primary transfer rollers  13 Y,  13 M,  13 C, and  13 K. 
     The intermediate transfer belt  12  is an endless belt-like member that is stretched by a plurality of rollers, and is inclined to a horizontal direction so that a lower side running area of the belt-like member is relatively low on the downstream side in a running direction of the belt-like member and relatively high on the upstream side in the running direction. 
     That is, as shown in  FIG. 2 , the intermediate transfer belt  12  is stretched and rotated between a driving roller  15  and a driven roller  14 , which function as support rollers for supporting the back surface of a secondary transfer portion, with a predetermined tension. The intermediate transfer belt  12  is circularly driven at a predetermined speed in a direction of an arrow B by the driving roller  15  that is rotationally driven by a drive motor (not shown) having an excellent constant speed property. As the intermediate transfer belt  12 , there is used, for example, a member that is formed of a synthetic resin film made of polyimide, polyamide-imide, or the like, having flexibility in the shape of an endless belt. The intermediate transfer belt  12  is disposed so as to come into contact with the photoreceptor drums  8 Y,  8 M,  8 C, and  8 K of the respective image forming units  6 Y,  6 M,  6 C, and  6 K in the lower side running area. 
     Further, as shown in  FIG. 2 , a secondary transfer roller  17  as secondary transfer means is disposed at a lower end of the running area of the intermediate transfer belt  12  so as to come into contact with the surface of the intermediate transfer belt  12  that is stretched by the driving roller  15 . The secondary transfer means secondarily transfers the toner images, which have been primarily transferred to the intermediate transfer belt  12 , to a recording medium  16 . 
     The respective color toner images corresponding to yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K), which have been multiply transferred to the intermediate transfer belt  12 , are secondarily transferred to the recording sheet  16  as a recording medium by the secondary transfer roller  17 , which comes into contact with the driving roller  15  with the intermediate transfer belt  12  interposed therebetween, as shown in  FIG. 2 . The recording sheet  16  to which the respective color toner images have been transferred is conveyed to a fixing device  18  that is positioned on the upper side in a vertical direction. The secondary transfer roller  17  comes into press contact with the driving roller  15  in a lateral direction with the intermediate transfer belt  12  interposed therebetween, and secondarily and collectively transfers the respective color toner images to the recording sheet  16  that is conveyed from the lower side to the upper side in the vertical direction. 
     As the secondary transfer roller  17 , there is used, for example, a member that is formed by coating the outer periphery of a metal core with an elastic layer with a predetermined thickness. The metal core is made of metal such as stainless steel, and the elastic layer is formed of a conductive elastic body made of a synthetic rubber material or the like to which a conductive agent is added. 
     Further, the recording sheet  16  to which the respective color toner images have been transferred is subjected to fixing processing by heat and pressure, which are applied by a heating roller  19  and a pressure belt (or a pressure roller)  20  of the fixing device  18 . Then, the recording sheet is discharged onto the discharge tray  22 , which is provided at an upper end portion of the printer main body  1 , by a discharge roller  21  so that the surface of the recording sheet on which the images are formed faces the lower side. 
     While being separated one by one by a sheet feed roller  24  and a sheet separation roller  25 , the recording sheets  16 , which have a predetermined size and are made of a predetermined material, are fed from a sheet feed tray  23  disposed at the bottom in the printer main body  1  as shown in  FIG. 2 , are conveyed to a registration roller  26  once, and are stopped. Further, the recording sheet  16 , which is fed from the sheet feed tray  23 , is sent to a secondary transfer position of the intermediate transfer belt  12  by the registration roller  26  that is rotationally driven in synchronization with the toner images formed on the intermediate transfer belt  12 . A thick sheet or the like, such as coated paper of which one surface or both surfaces are coated, may be fed as the recording sheet  16 , in addition to plain paper. A photo image or the like is also output on the recording sheet  16  formed of coated paper. 
     Meanwhile, as shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , residual toner is removed from the surface of the photoreceptor drum  8 , on which a primary transfer process for the toner image has been finished, by the cleaning device  11 , and the surface of the photoreceptor drum  8  prepares for the next image forming process. Further, as shown in  FIG. 2 , residual toner or the like is removed from the surface of the intermediate transfer belt  12 , on which a secondary transfer process for the toner image has been finished, by a belt cleaning device  27  that is provided near the downstream side of the driving roller  15 , and the surface of the intermediate transfer belt  12  prepares for the next image forming process. 
       FIG. 7  is a view showing the structure of the developing device that is used in the color printer as the image forming apparatus according to the first exemplary embodiment of the invention. 
     As shown in  FIG. 7 , the developing device  10  includes lower and upper housings  31  and  32 , an opening  33  is formed at an upper end portion of one side of the upper housing  32 , and a developing roller  34  as a powder holding body is disposed at the opening  33 . The developing roller  34  includes a magnet roller  35  that is fixed in the developing roller, and a developing sleeve  36  that is provided on the outer periphery of the magnet roller  35  so as to be rotatable in a direction of an arrow. 
     Further, a powder storage chamber  38  as a space, which stores two-component powder  37  formed of, for example, toner and carrier and is formed by the upper housing  32  combined with the lower housing  31 , is formed below the developing roller  34 . A powder regulating member  39 , which regulates the amount of powder  37  to be supplied to the surface of the developing roller  34 , is disposed in the upper housing  32  near the opening  33  on the downstream side in a rotational direction of the developing roller  34  so that a predetermined gap is formed between the powder regulating member and the surface of the developing roller  34 . The powder regulating member  39  is formed so as to regulate the amount of powder  37 , which is supplied to the surface of the developing roller  34 , by, for example, magnetism. The powder regulating member is made of, for example, a magnetic material such as nickel, and is formed in the shape of a column having a predetermined diameter. 
     Meanwhile, the two-component powder  37  formed of toner and carrier is stored in the lower housing  31 . A first agitating-conveying auger  40  as a first powder agitating-conveying member, which supplies the powder  37  to the surface of the developing roller  34  by conveying the powder  37  while agitating the powder  37 , and a second agitating-conveying auger  41  as a second powder agitating-conveying member, which conveys the powder  37  while agitating the powder, are disposed in the lower housing. The powder storage chamber  38 , which is formed in the lower housing  31 , is partitioned into a first agitating-conveying auger receiving chamber  42  as a first powder agitating-conveying member receiving chamber that receives the first agitating-conveying auger  40 , and a second agitating-conveying auger receiving chamber  43  as a second powder agitating-conveying member receiving chamber that receives the second agitating-conveying auger  41 , by a partition plate  52 . 
     Further, as shown in  FIG. 8 , the first and second agitating-conveying augers  40  and  41  include rotating shafts  44  and  45  that are formed in a columnar shape, and agitating-conveying blades  46  and  47  that are formed in a spiral shape on the outer peripheries of the rotating shafts  44  and  45 , respectively. The first and second agitating-conveying augers are formed to convey the powder  37  while agitating the powder  37  in directions opposite to each other. 
     As shown in  FIG. 8 , the first and second agitating-conveying augers  40  and  41  are rotationally driven by gears  48  and  49  that are fixed to one ends of the rotating shafts  44  and  45  thereof. 
     New powder  37  including at least toner is supplied to the developing device  10  from a toner cartridge to be described below, by a powder supply auger  50  that extends from one end (front portion in  FIG. 9 ) of the second agitating-conveying auger  41  in the axial direction of the second agitating-conveying auger as shown in  FIG. 9 . As occasion demands, a leakage preventing blade  51 , which prevents the powder  37  from leaking, may be formed integrally with an end portion of the powder supply auger  50 . 
     Furthermore, as shown in  FIG. 9 , the cleaning device  11  for cleaning the surface of the photoreceptor drum  8  includes a cleaning blade  111  that comes into contact with the surface of the photoreceptor drum  8 , and a recovery auger  112 . The recovery auger recovers toner, which is removed from the surface of the photoreceptor drum  8 , by the cleaning blade  111 . A waste toner conveying member  113 , which is formed in a cylindrical shape, is formed on the outer periphery of the recovery auger  112 . As shown in  FIG. 6 , the end of the waste toner conveying member  113  protrudes on the side surface of the printer main body  1 . 
     Moreover, as shown in  FIG. 8 , the partition plate  52 , which partitions the powder storage chamber into the first agitating-conveying auger receiving chamber  42  and the second agitating-conveying auger receiving chamber  43 , is provided in the developing device  10 , and circulation passages  53  and  54 , which circulate the powder by exchanging the powder  37  between the first agitating-conveying auger receiving chamber  42  and the second agitating-conveying auger receiving chamber  43 , are formed at both ends of the partition plate  52  in a longitudinal direction of the partition plate. 
     Meanwhile, new powder  37  may be supplied to the developing device  10  so that powder  37  is dropped to the circulation passage  54  or the end of the second agitating-conveying auger  41  by the powder supply auger  51 . 
     In this exemplary embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 5 , the toner cartridges  60 Y,  60 M,  60 C, and  60 K as the powder storage containers, which store powder  61  including at least color toner corresponding to yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K), are mounted on the side surface of the color printer, which is exposed to the outside when the side cover  29  of the color printer main body  1  is opened. Powder  61  including at least toner is supplied to the developing devices  10 Y,  10 M,  10 C, and  10 K, which correspond to the colors, from the toner cartridges  60 Y,  60 M,  60 C, and  60 K. In this exemplary embodiment, only toner  61  is stored in the toner cartridges  60 Y,  60 M,  60 C, and  60 K as powder. However, powder formed of toner and carrier may be stored in the toner cartridges. The toner cartridges  60 Y,  60 M,  60 C, and  60 K have basically the same shape, but the toner cartridge  60 K corresponding to black (K) is formed to be larger than the toner cartridge  60 Y,  60 M, and  60 C corresponding to the other colors. 
     As shown in  FIG. 6 , a cartridge receiving frame  62 , on which the color toner cartridges  60 Y,  60 M,  60 C, and  60 K corresponding to yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) are detachably mounted, is provided on one side surface of the color printer main body  1 . Four mounting recesses  63 Y,  63 M,  63 C, and  63 K corresponding to the shapes of the respective toner cartridges  60 Y,  60 M,  60 C, and  60 K are formed at the cartridge receiving frame  62  so that the color toner cartridges  60 Y,  60 M,  60 C, and  60 K corresponding to a yellow color, a magenta color, a cyan color, and a black color are mounted on the cartridge receiving frame. In order to prevent the other color toner cartridges from being mounted erroneously, erroneous mounting prevention protrusions  64 Y,  64 M, and  64 C having different shapes are formed at the mounting recesses  63 Y,  63 M, and  63 C, where the color toner cartridges  60 Y,  60 M, and  60 C are mounted, among the four mounting recesses  63 Y,  63 M,  63 C, and  63 K. 
     In the mounting recesses  63 Y,  63 M,  63 C, and  63 K, powder supply portions  65 Y,  65 M,  65 C, and  65 K for supplying color powder corresponding to yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) are provided and powder recovery portions  66 Y,  66 M,  66 C, and  66 K for recovering waste toner from the cleaning devices  11 Y,  11 M,  11 C, and  11 K corresponding to yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) are provided. Among the recovery portions  66 Y,  66 M,  66 C, and  66 K, the powder recovery portion  66 K corresponding to black (K) is larger than the other recovery portions  66 Y,  66 M, and  66 C so as to recover waste toner from the cleaning device  11 K for the photoreceptor drum  8 K and also recover waste toner from the belt cleaning device  27  for the intermediate transfer belt  12 . 
     Meanwhile, as shown in  FIG. 6 , the powder supply portions  65 Y,  65 M,  65 C, and  65 K include cylindrical powder receiving portions  67  where powder supplying cylindrical portions formed at the toner cartridges  60 Y,  60 M,  60 C, and  60 K are mounted, and introducing portions  68  which are formed in a semi-cylindrical shape and of which upper portions are opened on the front side of the powder receiving portions  66 . 
     Further, as shown in  FIG. 6 , the powder recovery portions  66 Y,  66 M,  66 C, and  66 K are formed of end portions of the waste toner conveying members  113  that protrude from the inner surfaces of the mounting recesses  63 Y,  63 M,  63 C, and  63 K on the front side of the cleaning devices  11  of the image forming units  6 Y,  6 M,  6 C, and  6 K, and waste toner outlets (not shown) are opened downward on the lower end faces of the end portions of the powder recovery portions  66 Y,  66 M,  66 C, and  66 K. 
     Meanwhile, among the toner cartridges  60 Y,  60 M,  60 C, and  60 K as the powder storage containers according to this exemplary embodiment, the color toner cartridges  60 Y,  60 M, and  60 C corresponding to yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C) are formed in the shape of a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box that is elongated in a vertical direction as shown in  FIG. 10 . Further, as shown in  FIG. 5 , the toner cartridge  60 K corresponding to black (K) is formed to have a width larger than the width of each of the color toner cartridges  60 Y,  60 M, and  60 C. 
     As shown in  FIG. 11 , the toner cartridge  60  broadly includes a container body  72 , an inner lid body  73 , an outer lid body  74 , a cap member  75 , a sealing member  76 , an upper lid  77 , a memory element  78 , a conveying auger  79 , and a plate-like elastic member  80 . One side surface  70  of the container body is wholly opened, and a toner filling opening  71  is formed at an upper end portion of the container body. The container body  72  is formed in the shape of a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box that is elongated in the vertical direction. The inner lid body  73  is provided so as to close one surface of the container body  72 . The outer lid body  74  is provided on the surface of the inner lid body  73 . The cap member  75  closes the toner filling opening  71  of the container body  72 , and the sealing member  76  seals an air hole. The upper lid  77  is mounted on the upper end portion of the container body  72 . The memory element  78  is mounted in the upper lid  77 , stores data relating to the toner cartridge  60 , and can be read from the outside. The conveying auger  79  serves as an agitating-conveying member for conveying the powder  61 , which is stored in the container body  72 , to an outlet while agitating the powder. The plate-like elastic member  80  is disposed in the container body  72 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the container body  72  of the toner cartridge  60  is formed of a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box that is elongated in the vertical direction and includes an opening  70  formed on the whole of one surface (front surface). The inner space of the container body  72  is partitioned into a new powder storage chamber  81  that stores new powder, and a waste powder storage chamber  82  that recovers waste powder, by a partition wall  83  that is disposed so as to be inclined from a middle portion of one side wall  84  of the container body  72  toward the other side wall  89 . The partition wall  83  is formed to have double structure that includes a partition wall  83   a  of the new powder storage chamber  81  and a partition wall  83   b  of the waste powder storage chamber  82 . The partition wall  83   a  is disposed so that an upper end portion of the partition wall  83   a  is connected to a lower end portion of one side wall  84  forming the new powder storage chamber  81 . The partition wall  83   a  is disposed so as to be inclined toward the lower left side in  FIG. 1 . A lower end portion of the partition wall  83   a  is connected to an upper end portion of the side wall  85  that is disposed so as to face the side wall  84  of the new powder storage chamber  81  and forms the waste powder storage chamber  82 . Like the partition wall  83 , the side wall  85  is also formed to have double structure that includes a side wall  85   a  of the new powder storage chamber  81  and a side wall  85   b  of the waste powder storage chamber  82 . 
     Meanwhile, in the shown exemplary embodiment, the new powder storage chamber  81  has been set to occupy about ¾ to ⅔ of the entire length of the toner cartridge  60  and the waste powder storage chamber  82  has been set to occupy about ¼ to ⅓ thereof. However, it goes without saying that a ratio of the volume of the new powder storage chamber  81  to the volume of the waste powder storage chamber  82  may be set to another ratio. Further, all the inner space of the toner cartridge  60  may form the new powder storage chamber  81  without forming the waste powder storage chamber  82 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 11 , the new powder storage chamber  81  and the waste powder storage chamber  82  of the toner cartridge  60  are closed by the inner lid body  73  that closes the opening  70  of the container body  72 , and the inner space of the container body is partitioned into the new powder storage chamber  81  and the waste powder storage chamber  82 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , the inner lid body  73  is mounted and fixed to wall members, which include the side wall  84  and the partition wall  83  formed at the inner and outer peripheries of the opening  70 , by means such as ultrasonic welding so as to close the entire area of the opening  70  of the container body  72 . In this case, the back sides of the partition wall  83  and the side wall  85 , which are positioned between the new powder storage chamber  81  and the waste powder storage chamber  82 , are separated from each other by the separation groove  86  as shown in  FIG. 12  so that a welding part of an ultrasonic welding device can also be inserted into the back side of the partition wall  83  for partitioning the new powder storage chamber  81  and the waste powder storage chamber  82 . 
     Meanwhile, reference numeral  87  in  FIG. 12  denotes a recess that has the shape corresponding to each of the erroneous mounting prevention protrusions  64 Y,  64 M, and  64 C of the color toner cartridges  60 Y,  60 M, and  60 C. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , four side walls  84 ,  88 ,  89 , and  73 , which include the inner lid body  73 , for closing the opening  70 , are disposed in the vertical direction from the upper end portion of the new powder storage chamber  81  over the lower end portion. Further, the side wall  84  is formed from the upper end portion of the new powder storage chamber  81  over the middle portion thereof, and the inclined partition wall  83   a  is connected to the lower end portion of the side wall  84 . The lower end portion of the partition wall  83   a  is positioned in the middle of the new powder storage chamber  81  in a width direction of the powder storage chamber. The short side wall  85   a , which is disposed so as to face the side wall  89 , is formed at the lower end portion of the partition wall  83   a . Furthermore, a bottom wall  91 , which is formed in a substantial arc shape, is formed at the lower end portions of the side wall  89  and the side wall  85   a  as shown in  FIG. 12 . 
     As a result, as shown in  FIG. 1 , the new powder storage chamber  81  is formed of an upper end portion  81   a , an intermediate portion  81   b , and a lower end portion  81   c . The upper end portion  81   a  is formed by the four side walls  84 ,  88 ,  89 , and  73  so as to have substantially the same width as the entire width of the container body  72 . The intermediate portion  81   b  is formed so that the width of the intermediate portion is decreased toward one side wall  89 . The lower end portion  81   c  is formed by the side wall  89 , the side wall  85   a , and the bottom wall  91  so as to have a substantially U-shaped cross-section. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the conveying auger  79  as an agitating-conveying member is provided at the lower end portion  81   c  of the new powder storage chamber  81  so as to be rotated in a direction of an arrow. The conveying auger  79  conveys the powder  61 , which is stored in the new powder storage chamber  81 , while agitating the powder, and supplies the powder  61  to the outside from an outlet  90 , which is formed at the bottom of the lower end portion  81   c  on the front side (the side of the opening  70 ) in a depth direction of the lower end portion. 
     The outlet  90 , which is formed at the bottom of the lower end portion  81   c  of the new powder storage chamber  81 , is formed at an outlet forming member  91 , which is made of sponge formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, so as to be opened in a rectangular shape as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 11 . As shown in  FIG. 13 , the outlet forming member  91  is mounted so as to be fitted to a recess  92 , which is formed at a position corresponding to the lower end portion  81   c  of the new powder storage chamber  81  of the container body  72 . An upper end face of the outlet forming member  91  is deformed in the shape corresponding to the shape of the outer periphery of the conveying auger  79  at the time of the shipment of the toner cartridge  60 , and prevents the leakage of the powder  61 . Meanwhile, a new toner cartridge  60  is mounted on the printer main body  1  as shown in  FIG. 5  at the time of the shipment of a color printer. 
     The conveying auger  79  is integrally made of a synthetic resin or the like as shown in  FIG. 14A . The conveying auger includes a rotating shaft  92  that is provided at the center of the conveying auger in a conveying direction, a disc-shaped support portion  93  that is formed at an upstream end portion of the rotating shaft  92  in the conveying direction, a flat plate portion  94  that protrudes outwards from an upstream portion of the rotating shaft  92  in a radial direction in the shape of a flat plate so as to have the same radius as the radius of the disc-shaped support portion  93  and also functions as a first operating portion, a conveying blade portion  95  that is formed in a spiral shape on the outer periphery of only an intermediate portion of the rotating shaft  92 , and a discharge portion  96  that is positioned at the rotating shaft  92  on the downstream side in the conveying direction and also functions as a bucket-like second operating portion for discharging powder into the outlet  90 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 14A , the discharge portion  96  is formed substantially in the shape of a bucket, and includes a pair of fan-like side plates  97  and  98 , an outer peripheral plate  99 , and a partition plate  100 . The pair of fan-like side plates  97  and  98  is formed at a downstream end portion of the rotating shaft  92  in the conveying direction with a predetermined distance therebetween in the axial direction. The outer peripheral plate  99  is formed in an arc shape so as to cover the outer peripheral surfaces of the pair of fan-like side plates  97  and  98 . The partition plate  100  is formed inside the discharge portion  96  at the middle portion in the circumferential direction of the side plates  97  and  98  so as to extend in the radial direction. When the outer peripheral plate  99  closes the outlet  90  as shown in  FIG. 13 , the discharge portion  96  prevents the leakage of the powder  61 . 
     The discharge portion  96  supplies new powder by scooping new powder  61 , which is conveyed in the axial direction of the rotating shaft  92  by the conveying blade portion  95  of the conveying auger  79 , into the discharge portion  96  that is formed substantially in the shape of a bucket and dropping the new powder into the outlet  90 , which is positioned on the lower side, from the discharge portion  96  that is moved up as the rotating shaft  92  is rotated. 
     Further, an end portion  101  of the rotating shaft  92  is formed so as to have a substantially D-shaped cross-section as shown in  FIG. 14 , and a first driving gear  102  for rotationally driving the conveying auger  79  is fixed to the end portion  101  as shown in  FIG. 15 . A second driving gear  103  meshes with the driving gear  102  as shown in  FIG. 15 , and a main body gear  104  mounted on the printer main body  1  meshes with the second driving gear  103 . 
     Furthermore, while the toner cartridges  60 Y,  60 M,  60 C, and  60 K are mounted on the printer main body  1  as shown in  FIG. 5 , a rotational driving force is transmitted to the first driving gears  102  from the main body gears  104 , which are rotationally driven at predetermined timing, through the second driving gears  103  as shown in  FIG. 15 , so that the conveying augers  79  are rotationally driven at predetermined timing. 
     Moreover, as shown in  FIG. 15 , each of the toner cartridges  60 Y,  60 M,  60 C, and  60 K is integrally provided with powder supply means  105 . The powder supply means does not immediately supply new powder  61 , which is supplied from the toner cartridges  60 Y,  60 M,  60 C, and  60 K, to the developing device  10  from the outlet  90 , and supplies powder  61 , which is supplied from the new powder storage chamber  81 , to the developing device  10 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , the powder supply means  105  includes cylindrical powder supplying members  106  that are integrally formed below the new powder storage chambers  81  of the toner cartridges  60 Y,  60 M,  60 C, and  60 K. 
     As shown in  FIG. 15 , the powder supplying member  106  is disposed parallel to the conveying auger  79  and an inlet  107  through which powder supplied from the outlet  91  is introduced is formed at one end portion of the powder supplying member. When the outer peripheral plate  99 , which is formed in an arc shape, of the discharge portion  96 , which is formed substantially in the shape of a bucket, of the conveying auger  79  closes the outlet  91 , the inlet  107  is simultaneously closed. 
     Further, as shown in  FIG. 15 , a supply port  108  where powder is supplied is opened downward at the other end portion of the powder supplying member  106 . The supply port  108  is opened at a position corresponding to a receiving port  110  opened at an upper end portion of a powder supplying cylindrical portion  109  that covers the outer periphery of the powder supply auger  50  of the developing device  10 . 
     Furthermore, a supply auger  111 , which supplies powder, is rotatably disposed in the powder supplying member  106  as shown in  FIG. 15 . The supply auger  111  is integrally made of a synthetic resin or the like as shown in  FIG. 14B . The supply auger includes a rotating shaft  112  that is provided at the center of the supply auger in a conveying direction, a disc-shaped support portion  113  that is formed at a downstream end portion of the rotating shaft  112  in the conveying direction, a conveying blade portion  114  that is formed in a spiral shape on the outer periphery of the rotating shaft  112 , and a disc-shaped sealing portion  115  that is formed at the rotating shaft  112  on the upstream side in the conveying direction. 
     Moreover, a base end portion  116  of the rotating shaft  112  is formed so as to have a substantially D-shaped cross-section as shown in  FIG. 14B , and a second driving gear  103  for rotationally driving the supply auger  111  is fixed to the base end portion  116  as shown in  FIG. 15 . As described above, the main body gear  104  mounted on the printer main body  1  meshes with the second driving gear  103 . 
     Meanwhile, the diameters of portions  112   a  and  112   b  of the rotating shaft  112  of the supply auger  111 , which correspond to the inlet  107  and the supply port  108 , are set to be smaller than the diameters of the other portions. Accordingly, it may be possible to reliably receive the powder  61  from the inlet  107  and to reliably supply the powder from the supply port  108 . 
     Further, a shutter member  120 , which opens and closes the supply port  108 , is slidably provided at an end portion in the powder supplying member  106  and is pushed by a spring  121  so as to close the supply port  108  as shown in  FIGS. 11 and 15 . When the toner cartridges  60 Y,  60 M,  60 C, and  60 K are mounted on the printer main body  1  as shown in  FIG. 5 , the shutter member  120  is pushed by a thin shaft-like operating protrusion  122  that is provided in each of the powder supply portions  65 Y,  65 M,  65 C, and  65 K of the printer main body  1  so as to protrude. Accordingly, the shutter member is moved to a position where the supply port  108  is opened. 
     Meanwhile, the toner cartridges  60 Y,  60 M,  60 C, and  60 K are formed in the shape of a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box that is elongated in a vertical direction as shown in  FIG. 10 . In particular, the width of the intermediate portion  81   b  of the new powder storage chamber  81  is gradually decreased, so that the lower end portion  81   c  is formed substantially in a U shape having the smallest width. Accordingly, new powder, which is stored in the new powder storage chambers  81  of the toner cartridges  60 Y,  60 M,  60 C, and  60 K, is apt to cohere due to vibration or the like during transport while being biased from the intermediate portion  81   b  over the lower end portion  81   c.    
     For this reason, if new powder coheres in the new powder storage chambers  81  and is hardened, there is a concern that hardened powder, which is positioned on the upper outer periphery or the like of the conveying auger  79 , does not collapse and cannot be discharged from the outlet  90  even though the toner cartridges  60 Y,  60 M,  60 C, and  60 K are mounted on the printer main body  1  and the conveying augers  79  are rotationally driven. 
     Therefore, this exemplary embodiment includes a plate-like elastic member of which an upper end portion is fixed to an upper end portion in the powder storage unit, a lower end portion becoming a swingable free end is disposed above the agitating-conveying member in the conveying direction, and only a part of the lower end portion comes into contact with the agitating-conveying member and swings. Accordingly, the plate-like elastic member loosens the powder that is positioned at an upper portion of the agitating-conveying member. 
     That is, as shown in  FIG. 1 , the plate-like (thin film-like) elastic member  80  for loosening new powder is provided in each of the new powder storage chambers  81  of the toner cartridges  60 Y,  60 M,  60 C, and  60 K according to this exemplary embodiment. As the elastic member  80 , there is used, for example, a member that is formed in a vertically long rectangular shape and is formed of a miler (registered trademark) film having a thickness of several micrometers to several hundred micrometers and made of a synthetic resin such as PET. However, the elastic member is not limited thereto, and members that are made of other materials and formed in other shapes may be used as the elastic member. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the elastic member  80  is formed in a vertically long rectangular shape so as to have a width slightly smaller than the depth of the new powder storage chamber  81 . An upper end portion  131  of the elastic member is fixed to the upper end portion of the inner surface of the side wall  84  of the toner cartridge  60  by means, such as a double-sided tape or adhesion, and a lower end portion  132  of the elastic member extends up to the vicinity of the upper end portion of the conveying auger  79  in the axial direction of the conveying auger. An intermediate portion  133  of the elastic member  80  is curved from the lower end portion of the side wall  84  over the partition wall  83 , and comes into contact with the surface of the partition wall  83  along the partition wall  83  of the new powder storage chamber  81  by an elastic restoring force. A portion of the elastic member  80 , which is lower than the intermediate portion, becomes a free end that is not fixed to the inner surface of the new powder storage chamber  81 . 
     Further, as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 13 , first and second tongue pieces  134  and  135  protrude downward from the upstream end portion and the downstream end portion of the lower end portion  132  of the elastic member  80  in the axial direction of the conveying auger  79  (conveying direction) and form a notch  136  therebetween. The first and second tongue pieces  134  and  135  come into contact with the first and second operating portions  94  and  99  that are formed at the conveying auger  79 , so that the lower end portion  132  of the elastic member  80  is elastically deformed obliquely upward in  FIGS. 1 and 13  at predetermined timing synchronized with the rotation of the conveying auger  79 . Accordingly, the powder  61  hardened (cohering) in the new powder storage chamber  81  is loosened. 
     Furthermore, the toner cartridges  60 Y,  60 M,  60 C, and  60 K are adapted to recover waste toner that is discharged from the belt cleaning device  27  and the cleaning devices  11 Y,  11 M,  11 C, and  11 K of the printer main body  1 . 
     That is, an inlet  140 , through which waste toner discharged from the belt cleaning device  27  and the cleaning devices  11 Y,  11 M,  11 C, and  11 K of the printer main body  1  is introduced as shown in  FIG. 6 , is opened on the back surface of the waste powder storage chamber  82  of each of the toner cartridges  60 Y,  60 M,  60 C, and  60 K as shown in  FIG. 12 . A sealing member  141 , which is made of sponge or the like and prevents the leakage of toner, is provided at the outer periphery of the inlet  140 . Further, as shown in  FIG. 11 , the inlet  140  is usually closed by a second shutter member  143  that is pushed by a spring  142 . 
     Furthermore, when the toner cartridges  60 Y,  60 M,  60 C, and  60 K are mounted on the printer main body  1  as shown in  FIG. 5 , the second shutter members  143  are pushed inward by the powder recovery portions  66 Y,  66 M,  66 C, and  66 K of the printer main body  1 . As a result, the inlets  140  of the toner cartridges  60 Y,  60 M,  60 C, and  60 K for the waste toner are opened. 
     Meanwhile, as described above, the black powder recovery portion  66 K of the printer main body  1  recovers the waste toner from the belt cleaning device  27  for the intermediate transfer belt  12  as well as the waste toner from the black cleaning device  11 K. In this case, since the belt cleaning device  27  for the intermediate transfer belt  12  is positioned immediately above the black cleaning device  11 K as shown in  FIG. 2 , as shown in  FIG. 16 , the black powder recovery portion  66 K makes the waste toner, which is recovered by the belt cleaning device  27  for the intermediate transfer belt  12 , join together by the black powder recovery portion  66 K that is formed to connect the end portion of the belt cleaning device  27  for the intermediate transfer belt  12  with the end portion of the black cleaning device  11 K, and discharges the waste toner to the inlet  140  of the black toner cartridge  60 K by a discharge auger of the black cleaning device  11 K. 
     According to the above-mentioned structure, even though the powder stored in the powder storage unit coheres due to vibration or the like during transport, it may be possible to loosen cohering powder and supply the powder without applying a large load to the drive source, which drives the agitating-conveying member, by the followings in the color printer to which the powder storage container according to this exemplary embodiment is applied. 
     That is, as shown in  FIG. 2 , in the color printer according to this exemplary embodiment, color toner images are sequentially formed by the respective image forming units  6 Y,  6 M,  6 C, and  6 K corresponding to yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K); and the respective color toner images formed on the photoreceptor drums  8  of the respective image forming units  6 Y,  6 M,  6 C, and  6 K are primarily, sequentially, and multiply transferred to the intermediate transfer belt  12 . After that, the toner images are secondarily and collectively transferred to the recording sheet  16  from the intermediate transfer belt  12  at the secondary transfer position and are fixed to the recording sheet  16 . Then, as shown in  FIG. 4 , the recording sheet is discharged onto the discharge tray  22  that is provided at the upper portion of the printer main body  1 . 
     When the respective color toner images are formed by the respective image forming units  6 Y,  6 M,  6 C, and  6 K corresponding to yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) in the color printer as shown in  FIG. 2 , toner in the developing devices  10  of the image forming units  6 Y,  6 M,  6 C, and  6 K is gradually consumed, so that toner concentration in the developing devices  10  is reduced. Accordingly, as shown in  FIG. 5 , new powder  61  including at least corresponding color toner is supplied to the developing devices  10  of the respective image forming units  6 Y,  6 M,  6 C, and  6 K from the toner cartridges  60 Y,  60 M,  60 C, and  60 K. 
     Further, when the new powder  61  in the toner cartridges  60 Y,  60 M,  60 C, and  60 K is supplied and the new powder storage chambers become empty or become almost empty, the side cover  29  of the printer main body  1  is opened as shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , empty or almost empty toner cartridges  60 Y,  60 M,  60 C, and  60 K are taken out from the printer main body  1 , and new toner cartridges  60 Y,  60 M,  60 C, and  60 K are mounted on the printer main body  1 . 
     When the toner cartridges  60 Y,  60 M,  60 C, and  60 K are mounted on the printer main body  1  as shown in  FIG. 5 , intermediate gears and driving gears, which rotationally drive the conveying augers and the supply augers, mesh with the main body gear of the printer main body  1  and the supply ports of the powder supplying members  106  are opened. 
     Further, as shown in  FIG. 15 , the rotational driving forces of the main body gears  104  are transmitted to the first and second driving gears  102  and  103  by rotationally driving the main body gears  104  of the printer main body  1  at predetermined timing in the toner cartridges  60 Y,  60 M,  60 C, and  60 K, so that the conveying augers  79  and the supply augers  111  are rotationally driven. 
     When the conveying auger  79  is rotationally driven, new powder  61 , which is positioned at the bottom of the new powder storage chamber  81 , is scraped and destroyed in the circumferential direction as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 13  by the flat plate portion  94  that is formed at the upstream end portion of the conveying auger  79  in the axial direction as shown in  FIG. 14A . The new powder  61 , which is scraped and destroyed by the flat plate portion  94 , is conveyed to the downstream side by the conveying blade portion  95  that is formed at the middle portion of the conveying auger  79  in the axial direction. 
     Further, the new powder  61 , which is conveyed to the downstream side by the conveying blade portion  95  of the conveying auger  79  in the axial direction, is scooped by the discharge portion  96  of the conveying auger  79  that is formed in the shape of a bucket, and is discharged from the outlet  90  that is formed at the downstream end portion of the conveying auger  79  in the axial direction. 
     The new powder  61 , which is discharged from the outlet  90 , is introduced inward from the inlet  107  of the powder supplying member  106  as shown in  FIG. 15 , is conveyed to the supply port  108  by the supply auger  106  that is provided inside the powder supplying member  106 , and is supplied to the developing device  10  from the supply port  108 . 
     Meanwhile, as described above, the toner cartridges  60 Y,  60 M,  60 C, and  60 K are formed in the shape of a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box that is elongated in a vertical direction as shown in  FIG. 10 . In particular, the width of the intermediate portion  81   b  of the new powder storage chamber  81  is gradually decreased, so that the lower end portion  81   c  is formed substantially in a U shape having the smallest width. Accordingly, new powder, which is stored in the new powder storage chambers  81  of the toner cartridges  60 Y,  60 M,  60 C, and  60 K, is apt to cohere due to vibration or the like during transport while being biased from the intermediate portion  81   b  over the lower end portion  81   c.    
     For this reason, if new powder coheres in the new powder storage chambers  81  and becomes firm, there is a concern that hardened powder, which is positioned on the upper outer periphery or the like of the conveying auger  79 , does not collapse even though the toner cartridges  60 Y,  60 M,  60 C, and  60 K are mounted on the printer main body  1  and the conveying augers  79  are rotationally driven. 
     Each of the toner cartridges  60 Y,  60 M,  60 C, and  60 K according to this exemplary embodiment includes the elastic member  80  in the new powder storage chamber  81  as shown in  FIG. 1 . As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 13 , only the upper end portion  131  of the elastic member  80  is fixed to the inner surface of the side wall  84  of the new powder storage chamber, the intermediate portion  133  and the lower end portion  132  of the elastic member are curved along the inner surface of the partition wall  83   a  of the new powder storage chamber  81 , and the lower end portion  132  as the free end of the elastic member is positioned on the outer periphery of the conveying auger  79  and is disposed parallel to the axial direction. 
     Further, as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 13 , the first and second tongue pieces  134  and  135  are formed at the lower end of the elastic member  80 . The first and second tongue pieces  134  and  135  come into contact with the first and second operating portions  94  and  99  of the conveying auger  79 , so that the lower end portion  132  of the elastic member  80  is elastically deformed obliquely upward in  FIGS. 1 and 13  and is bent. For this reason, as shown in  FIG. 1 , as for each of the toner cartridges  60 Y,  60 M,  60 C, and  60 K, when the conveying auger  79  is rotationally driven at predetermined timing in order to supply new powder  61 , the first and second operating portions  94  and  99  of the conveying auger  79  come into contact with the first and second tongue pieces  134  and  135  formed at the lower end of the elastic member  80  and the lower end portion  132  of the elastic member  80  is elastically deformed obliquely upward in  FIGS. 1 and 13  and is bent. Accordingly, the new powder  61 , which is positioned above the conveying auger  79  in the new powder storage chamber  81 , is loosened. 
     As a result, even if new powder  61  stored in the new powder storage chamber  81  of each of the toner cartridges  60 Y,  60 M,  60 C, and  60 K coheres and is hardened, the new powder  61 , which coheres and is hardened in the new powder storage chamber  81 , is loosened by the elastic member  80 , which is elastically deformed in synchronization with the rotation of the conveying auger  79 , and is supplied to the conveying auger  79 . Accordingly, when the conveying auger  79  is rotationally driven, it may be possible to reliably discharge new powder from the outlet  90 , which is formed at the bottom in the new powder storage chamber  81 , and to supply the new powder to the developing device  10 . 
     Further, the first operating portion of the conveying auger  79  is formed in the shape of a flat plate that extends in the radial direction. Accordingly, the first tongue piece  134  of the elastic member  80  is temporarily lifted up only when the first operating portion  94  of the conveying auger  79  passes, and immediately returns to an original state. 
     Meanwhile, since the second operating portion  99  of the conveying auger  79  is formed in the shape of an arc that is formed in the outer circumferential direction, the second tongue piece  135  of the elastic member  80  is maintained to be lifted up while the second operating portion  99  of the conveying auger  79  passes. During this time, the new powder  61  is conveyed in the axial direction by the conveying auger  79 . Accordingly, the powder  61  loosened by the second operating portion is supplied while being dropped to the portion of the conveying blade portion  95  positioned in the middle of the conveying auger  79  by the elastic member  80  of which the first tongue piece  134  returns to an original position and the lower end portion  132  is inclined to the axial direction of the conveying auger  79  at a position where the second tongue piece  135  is moved upward. Then, the powder is reliably conveyed to the downstream side by the conveying blade portion  95 , and is reliably supplied while being dropped to the outlet  90 . 
     In addition, the second tongue piece  135  of the elastic member  80  returns to an original position after the second operating portion  99  of the conveying auger  79  passes. 
     Meanwhile, when the elastic member  80  is elastically deformed so as to move upward, there is a concern that new powder  61  gets into a space between the back side of the elastic member  80  and the partition wall  83 . However, if the new powder  61 , which is positioned above the conveying auger  79 , is loosened by the elastic member  80 , the new powder  61  getting into back side of the elastic member  80  is also dropped and supplied along the surface of the inclined partition wall  83   a  by the elastic deformation of the lower end portion of the elastic member  80  which is caused by the conveying operation of the conveying auger  79 . 
     In this exemplary embodiment, the entire lower end portion  132  of the elastic member  80  is not moved upward by the conveying auger  79 , and only the tongue pieces  134  and  135 , which are a part of the lower end portion  132  of the elastic member  80 , may be partially moved by the first and second tongue pieces formed at the lower end portion of the elastic member  80 . Even though the new powder  61  positioned on the conveying auger  79  coheres, it may be possible to avoid that a large load (weight) is applied by the new powder  61  positioned on the elastic member  80 , large drive torque is required to rotationally drive the conveying auger  79 , or new powder  61  cannot functionally be supplied since the conveying auger  79  cannot be rotated. 
     The foregoing description of the exemplary embodiment of the present invention has been provided for the purpose of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Obviously, many modifications and various will be apparent to practitioners skilled in the art. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application, thereby enabling other skilled in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments and with the various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the following claims and their equivalents.