Patent ID: 8155555

Claim:
A powder transporting device comprising: a transporting path that has a first transporting path in which a powder is transported and a second transporting path connected to the first transporting path, the first transporting path and the second transporting path being relatively removable; a connecting member that is disposed in a connecting portion of the first transporting path and the second transporting path so as to be supported on one of the first transporting path and the second transporting path; a sealing member that is supported on an end of a connection transporting path on the other of the first transporting path and the second transporting path which is connected to the connecting member and that seals the connection transporting path and the connecting member when the connection transporting path and the connecting member are connected to each other; an opening that is disposed on an end side of the connection transporting path of the connecting member; a rotation gate member that is supported rotatably around a rotating center disposed on a side of the sealing member of the opening and that moves between (i) a rotation blocking position in which the opening is blocked and (ii) a rotation opening position in which the opening is opened and which is inclined toward an inner part side of the connection transporting path; an outer gate member that is disposed on an outside of the rotation gate member moved to the rotation blocking position so as to be supported on the connecting member movably in a direction along the opening and; wherein the sealing member moves the rotation gate member from the rotation opening position to the rotation blocking position while contacting an external surface of the rotation gate member when the connection transporting path is moved in a separating direction from the connecting member, and the outer gate member moves between (iii) an outer opening position in which an outside of the rotation gate member is opened in contact with the sealing member when the connection transporting path and the connecting member are connected to each other and (iv) an outer blocking position in which the outside of the rotation gate member is blocked when the connection transporting path is separated from the connecting member.