Patent ID: 8391769

Claim:
A toner-leveling mechanism installed and operative in a housing chamber that houses toner, the toner-leveling mechanism being capable of leveling toner accumulated in the housing chamber and narrowing an operation space of the toner-leveling mechanism in accordance with an increase in an accumulated amount of the toner, the toner-leveling mechanism comprises: a rotating shaft; and a sheet member having a fixed portion attached to the rotating shaft and extending from a peripheral surface of the rotating shaft, the sheet member being configured so that part of the sheet member moves in the housing chamber while making contact with the toner in accordance with the rotation of the rotating shaft, with a result that the toner is leveled, wherein the amount of the sheet member reeled by the rotating shaft increases in accordance with the increase in the accumulated amount of the toner, resulting in an operation space of the toner-leveling mechanism being narrowed.