Patent ID: 7548714

Claim:
A developer container comprising: a cylindrical container main body for containing a developer for use in image formation, the developer container being detachably mounted on an image forming apparatus, the container main body being rotated about an axis thereof by driving means provided in the image forming apparatus to supply the developer to the image forming apparatus, the container main body having: a concavity sinking inward in a radial direction including a discharge hole for discharging the developer, the discharge hole being located on a downstream end wall portion in a rotation direction of the concavity, wherein an opening area of the discharge hole is formed to be smaller than an area of the end wall portion, conveying means in an inner circumferential portion of the container main body, for conveying the developer in the axial direction when the container main body is rotated about the axis, the conveying means having a plurality of conveying portions, each conveying portion being disconnected from the others, extending in an extending direction from one end portion to the other end portion in the axial direction as it is directed to a downstream side in a rotation direction, the conveying portions being formed at intervals in a circumferential direction thereof and the axial direction, of which adjacent two conveying portions in the axial direction being arranged in such a manner that an end portion on a downstream side in the rotation direction of one conveying portion and an end portion on an upstream side in the rotation direction of the other conveying portion adjoin each other in the axial direction, wherein a length in the extending direction of each conveying portion is not less than 1/16 and not more than ⅜ of an inner circumferential length of the container main body.