Patent ID: 8521070

Claim:
A toner cartridge, comprising: a toner cartridge body formed into a shape of a hermetic container elongated in one direction and having a toner discharge port on an one end side in a longitudinal direction of the toner cartridge body; a shutter provided on an outer surface side of the toner cartridge body for opening and closing the toner discharge port; a screw shaft provided in the toner cartridge body rotatably about a rotary shaft in the longitudinal direction for conveying a toner in the toner cartridge body to the toner discharge port; a paddle member for sending the toner in the toner cartridge body toward the screw shaft, the paddle member having in the toner cartridge body a rotary shaft being in parallel to the rotary shaft of the screw shaft and an agitating blade attached to the rotary shaft; and a toner inflow block piece coupled to a part of the paddle member, wherein the toner cartridge body includes therein a toner storage section being a large-capacity space where the paddle member is disposed and most of the toner is stored; and a toner conveying passage being a small-capacity space where the screw shaft is disposed, the toner conveying passage being adjacent to and communicating with the toner storage section and having the toner discharge port disposed on one end side in a longitudinal direction of the toner conveying passage, the toner inflow block piece is disposed at a block position where an inflow of the toner in the toner conveying passage toward the toner discharge port is blocked while the toner cartridge body is yet to be attached to an image forming apparatus, and rotates together with the paddle member so as to be away from the block position while the toner cartridge body is attached to the image forming apparatus; wherein the toner inflow block piece is disposed at an end on a toner discharge port side of the agitating blade of the paddle member so as to project in a direction perpendicular to the rotary shaft of the screw shaft and has a cutout recess for the rotary shaft of the screw shaft to fit in.