Patent ID: 8190078

Claim:
A toner conveyance device comprising: a conveyance path formation member that defines a conveyance path through which to convey toner; a conveyance member disposed within the conveyance path defined by the conveyance path formation member to rotate and convey the toner through the conveyance path in a toner conveyance direction corresponding to an axial direction of the conveyance member, the conveyance member comprising a helical blade having a helical outer circumferential surface; and a first agitator comprising a cantilevered, comb-toothed plate member of flexible material having a fixed end and a free end, the free end contacting the helical outer circumferential surface of the helical blade of the conveyance member and swinging in coordination with rotation of the conveyance member to agitate the toner as the toner is conveyed through the conveyance path, the first agitator further comprising: a body that bends in a bending direction substantially perpendicular to the axial direction of the conveyance member; and a protrusion protruding from the body in a protrusion direction opposite the bending direction of the body, the protrusion comprising: a basal portion continuous with and adjacent and connected to the body, the basal portion having a first width greater than a helical pitch of the helical blade of the conveyance member in the axial direction of the conveyance member; a convex portion protruding from the basal portion and having a second width smaller than the helical pitch of the helical blade of the conveyance member in the axial direction of the conveyance member; and a protrusion front edge surface provided on a front edge of the protrusion to contact the helical outer circumferential surface of the helical blade of the conveyance member, a distance between the protrusion front edge surface of the protrusion and the body changing within a predetermined range in the toner conveyance direction along the protrusion front edge surface of the protrusion.