Patent ID: 8532523

Claim:
A toner cartridge comprising: a container for containing toner, having an opening for discharging the contained toner; a toner discharge section provided through a communicating part at a side part of the container where the opening is provided, having a discharge port for discharging toner; an auger screw provided with a rotation shaft and a spiral blade and rotatably supported in the container, for conveying toner in the container from the opening to the toner discharge section; a shutter for opening and closing the discharge port; and a toner flowing-out preventing member provided in the communicating part, for opening and closing the opening, the toner flowing-out preventing member being operated in conjunction with the shutter such that when the discharge port is in an opened state, the opening is in an opened state, and when the discharge port is in a closed state, the opening is in a closed state, wherein a cross section of an internal space, taken perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the rotation shaft and enclosed by the toner discharge section and by the shutter, includes a rectangular part on a shutter side and a semi-arc part on a side opposite the shutter, wherein the rectangular part and semi-arc part join each other, and the toner flowing-out preventing member having a circular hole section whose shape is the same as a cross-sectional shape of the rotation shaft of the auger screw, having an entire shape the same shape as a cross-sectional shape of the internal space, and having a side end of the rectangular part fixed to the shutter, and when the opening is in the closed state, the rotation shaft of the auger screw is inserted to the circular hole section, and the toner flowing-out preventing member is held by the auger screw in a state of being perpendicular to an axial line of the rotation shaft.