Patent ID: 8897678

Claim:
A toner replenishing device, comprising: a first container which stores toner for replenishment, and has a discharge port of toner; a second container which has a replenishment port of toner, and stores replenished toner; a toner conveying portion which conveys the toner in a region between the discharge port and the replenishment port, the toner conveying portion including a vertical conveying portion for vertically conveying the toner, and a horizontal conveying portion for receiving the toner from the vertical conveying portion and horizontally conveying the received toner; a conveying member which is disposed in the horizontal conveying portion, the conveying member including a shaft member extending in an extending direction of the horizontal conveying portion, and a projecting portion formed around the shaft member, the conveying member being adapted to convey the toner by being rotated about an axis of the shaft member; a toner loosening member which is disposed in the vertical conveying portion to be swingable up and down; and a swinging member which is disposed at a connecting portion between the vertical conveying portion and the horizontal conveying portion to be contactable with the conveying member and the toner loosening member, wherein the swinging member swings up and down in accordance with a movement of the swinging member which is operable to change a contact portion of the swinging member with respect to the conveying member between the shaft member and the projecting portion, as the conveying member is rotated, the toner loosening member swings up and down, as the swinging member swings, the conveying member is a conveying screw having the shaft member, and a blade portion formed spirally around the shaft member, as the projecting portion the swinging member is a spherical member that is contacted with the conveying member by the weight of the swinging member, a lower part of the spherical member being contacted with the conveying screw, the toner loosening member is a member having a coil spring shape, the toner loosening member having a circular ring portion at a lower end thereof, the circular ring portion having an inner diameter smaller than a diameter of the spherical member, the circular ring portion is slidably received at an upper part of the spherical member by the weight of the toner loosening member, and a horizontal movement of the spherical member is restricted by a wall surface for dividing the vertical conveying portion.