Patent ID: 8078087

Claim:
A toner carrying device comprising: a toner carrying pipe which includes a first opening section via which toner passes; a flexible sheet which includes a toner passage hole in part of its area and which moves back and forth in first and second moving directions along a certain pathway; and a sheet moving mechanism for switching, by pulling the flexible sheet so that the flexible sheet is moved back and forth in the first and second moving directions, between (i) a first state in which an area of the flexible sheet where the toner passage hole is not provided and the first opening section overlap each other so that the first opening section is closed and (ii) a second state in which the toner passage hole and the first opening section overlap each other so that the first opening section is opened, wherein the sheet moving mechanism comprises an elastic member that urges the flexible sheet to move in one of the first and second moving directions, wherein a guide pathway, via which the flexible sheet is guided in the first and second moving directions, is provided, and wherein a flexible cushioning material is provided on a wall surface of the guide pathway, via which wall surface the flexible sheet is guided.