Patent ID: 8160481

Claim:
A storage container comprising: a container body that stores a powdery or liquid supplementary material to be supplied to an image forming apparatus, and is detachably attached to the image forming apparatus by being put in or pulled out of the image forming apparatus in a predetermined direction; a discharge port that is provided at a bottom of the container body and used to discharge the supplementary material; two protrusions that protrude from the container body toward both sides; and an opening-closing member that is movably supported by a guide frame surrounding the discharge port, and opens or closes the discharge port as the container body is moved in a direction where the container body is detachably attached to the image forming apparatus, wherein a rearward movement of the opening-closing member is restricted by stoppers that are provided at a mounting unit and pushed toward the middle from both sides of the container body, while the container body is mounted on the mounting unit provided at the image forming apparatus and the discharge port is opened, the protrusions come in contact with the stoppers and push the stoppers laterally to release the restriction of the opening-closing member while the container body is pulled out of the image forming apparatus, and a width, in an attaching/detaching direction of the container body, of one protrusion of the protrusions is smaller than that of the other protrusion that protrudes toward the opposite side of the container body.