JP2014160289A - Toner storage container and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To increase fixing strength of a cap without increasing the number of components to prevent the cap from falling off from a peripheral wall of a toner storage container.SOLUTION: A toner storage container 26 according to the present invention includes a container body 30 having a discharge port 44 to discharge a toner provided on a bottom wall 43 and an opening 36 provided on a peripheral wall 35, a toner seal 45 that is attached to a lower face of the bottom wall 43 along an outer periphery of the discharge port 44, a cap 37 that closes the opening 36, and conveying means 58 for conveying a toner toward the discharge port 44. The toner seal 45 is extended from the lower face of the bottom wall 43 to an outer face of the peripheral surface 35 to be attached to the cap 37, and has a function to prevent falling of the cap 37. The container body 30 is provided with an insertion hole 33; and the conveying means 58 includes a first part 61 that is inserted into the insertion hole 33, and a second part 62 that is connected with an end on the peripheral wall side 35 side of the first part 61.

Description

  The present invention relates to a toner storage container that stores toner supplied to a developing device and an image forming apparatus including the toner storage container.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, development processing is performed by supplying toner from a developing device to an electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of a photosensitive drum or the like. In addition, toner used for such development processing is supplied to a developing device from a toner container such as a toner container or an intermediate hopper.

  Usually, an opening is provided on the peripheral wall of the toner container described above for various purposes. For example, in Patent Document 1, a toner filling opening (“filling port 2a” in Patent Document 1) is provided on the peripheral wall of the toner storage container, and a cap is press-fitted into the opening after completion of toner filling. The structure which seals is disclosed.

JP 2005-156837 A

  However, in the above-described prior art, since the cap is fixed to the peripheral wall of the toner container only by press-fitting the cap into the opening, there is a case where a larger dimensional error or assembly error than usual occurs. In addition, the fixing strength of the cap becomes insufficient, and there is a possibility that the cap may fall off from the peripheral wall of the toner storage container due to a load accompanying the flow of toner or the like.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to increase the fixing strength of the cap without increasing the number of parts, and to prevent the cap from falling off the peripheral wall of the toner storage container.

  The toner storage container of the present invention has a container body in which a discharge port for discharging toner is provided in the bottom wall and an opening is provided in the peripheral wall, and is adhered to the lower surface of the bottom wall along the outer periphery of the discharge port. A toner seal; a cap that closes the opening; and a transport unit that is rotatably provided on the container main body and transports the toner toward the discharge port. The toner seal is a bottom surface of the bottom wall. Extending from the outer surface of the peripheral wall to be attached to the cap, and provided with a function of preventing the cap from falling off. A wall of the container body opposite to the peripheral wall is provided with an insertion hole, Includes a first portion that is inserted through the insertion hole, and a second portion that is provided coaxially with the first portion and is connected to an end of the first portion on the peripheral wall side. It is characterized by that.

  By adopting such a configuration, it becomes possible to increase the fixing strength of the cap with respect to the peripheral wall, and even if a larger dimensional error or assembly error than usual occurs, the cap can store toner. It is possible to prevent the container from falling off the peripheral wall of the container. Further, by providing the toner seal with a cap removal preventing function, it is possible to prevent the cap from falling off without increasing the number of parts, and the configuration of the apparatus can be simplified.

  In the toner storage container of the present invention, a fitting receiving portion is provided at an end portion of the first portion on the peripheral wall side, and an end portion of the second portion opposite to the peripheral wall is provided on the end portion. A fitting portion that can be fitted to the fitting receiving portion may be provided.

  In the toner storage container of the present invention, a partition wall may be provided on the outer periphery of the second portion on the cap side with respect to the discharge port.

  In the toner storage container of the present invention, an end of the second portion on the peripheral wall side may be pivotally supported by the cap.

  By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to give the cap both the function of closing the opening and the pivotal support function of the second portion, and it is possible to improve the function of the cap.

  In the toner storage container of the present invention, a conveyance gear connected to a drive source may be provided at an end portion of the first portion opposite to the peripheral wall.

  The image forming apparatus of the present invention includes any one of the above-described toner storage containers.

  The present invention makes it possible to increase the fixing strength of the cap without increasing the number of parts and prevent the cap from falling off the peripheral wall of the toner storage container.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an outline of a configuration of a monochrome printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view from the front side which shows the intermediate hopper of the monochrome printer which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a sectional side view from the back side showing an intermediate hopper of a monochrome printer concerning one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a side sectional view from the left side showing a state in which the discharge port is opened in the intermediate hopper of the monochrome printer according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a toner seal in an intermediate hopper of a monochrome printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the intermediate hopper of the monochrome printer which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention, it is a perspective view from the back side which shows the vicinity of a discharge port. FIG. 4 is a side sectional view from the left side showing a state in which the discharge port is closed in the intermediate hopper of the monochrome printer according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  First, the overall configuration of the monochrome printer 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an outline of the configuration of a monochrome printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  The monochrome printer 1 includes a box-shaped printer main body 2. A paper feed cassette 3 storing transfer paper (not shown) is provided below the printer main body 2, and a discharge cassette is disposed at the upper end of the printer main body 2. A paper tray 4 is provided. A manual feed tray 5 that can be opened and closed is provided at a lower portion of one side surface (right side surface in the drawing) of the printer main body 2.

  An exposure unit 6 composed of a laser scanning unit (LSU) is arranged at the lower center of the printer main body 2, and an image forming unit 7 is provided on one side (right side in the drawing) of the printer main body 2. Yes. A photosensitive drum 8 is rotatably provided in the image forming unit 7. Around the photosensitive drum 8, a charger 10, a developing unit 11, a transfer unit 12, a cleaning device 13, and a removal device are disposed. The electric devices 14 are arranged in the order of the transfer process.

  A pair of stirring rollers 15 is provided below the developing device 11, a magnetic roller 16 is provided above the stirring roller 15, and a developing roller 17 is provided above the magnetic roller 16. A toner transport device 18 is provided above the developing device 11. Details of the toner conveying device 18 will be described later.

  A transfer paper conveyance path 19 is provided on one side (right side in the drawing) of the printer main body 2. A paper feed unit 20 and a manual paper feed unit 21 are provided at the upstream end of the transport path 19, a fixing unit 22 is provided at the downstream part of the transport path 19, and a paper discharge port 23 is provided at the downstream end of the transport path 19. Is provided. A reversing path 24 is provided at one end (right end in the drawing) of the printer main body 2.

  Next, an image forming operation of the monochrome printer 1 having such a configuration will be described.

  When the monochrome printer 1 is turned on, various parameters are initialized, and initial settings such as temperature setting of the fixing unit 22 are executed. Then, when image data is input from a computer or the like connected to the monochrome printer 1 and an instruction to start printing is given, an image forming operation is executed as follows.

  First, the surface of the photosensitive drum 8 is charged by the charger 10, and then exposure corresponding to image data is performed on the photosensitive drum 8 by the laser light from the exposure device 6, and the surface of the photosensitive drum 8 is exposed. An electrostatic latent image is formed. Next, the electrostatic latent image is developed into a toner image by the developing device 11 with toner.

  On the other hand, the transfer paper taken out from the paper feed cassette 3 or the manual feed tray 5 by the paper feed unit 20 or the manual paper feed unit 21 is conveyed to the transfer unit 12 in synchronism with the image forming operation described above. Then, the toner image on the photosensitive drum 8 is transferred to the transfer paper. The transfer paper onto which the toner image has been transferred is transported downstream in the transport path 19 and enters the fixing unit 22 where the toner image is fixed on the transfer paper. The transfer paper on which the toner image is fixed is discharged from the paper discharge port 23 to the paper discharge tray 4. The toner and electric charge remaining on the photosensitive drum 8 are removed by the cleaning device 13 and the static eliminator 14.

  Next, the toner transport device 18 will be described with reference to FIGS. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the front side in FIG. 1 will be described as the front side of the toner conveying device 18. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an outline of the configuration of a monochrome printer according to an embodiment of the present invention as described above. FIG. 2 is a perspective view from the front side showing the intermediate hopper of the monochrome printer according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view from the back side showing the intermediate hopper of the monochrome printer according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a side sectional view from the left side showing a state in which the discharge port is opened in the intermediate hopper of the monochrome printer according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the toner seal in the intermediate hopper of the monochrome printer according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a perspective view from the back side showing the vicinity of the discharge port in the intermediate hopper of the monochrome printer according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a side sectional view from the left side showing a state in which the discharge port is closed in the intermediate hopper of the monochrome printer according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the toner transport device 18 includes a toner container 25 provided on the upper portion of the printer main body 2, and an intermediate hopper 26 as a toner storage container disposed between the toner container 25 and the developing device 11. And.

  The toner container 25 contains a two-component developer (hereinafter simply referred to as “toner”) composed of, for example, magnetic toner and a carrier. The toner container 25 is detachably attached to a toner container attachment portion (not shown) provided in the printer main body 2, and can be replaced as necessary when the toner is used up.

  A pair of left and right agitating members 27 are rotatably provided in the lower portion of the toner container 25, and a conveying member 28 is rotatably provided to the lower right of the right agitating member 27. Each stirring member 27 and transport member 28 are connected to a container drive motor (not shown) provided in a container drive unit (not shown) that is detachable from the toner container 25. The toner in the toner container 25 is supplied to the intermediate hopper 26 while being agitated by rotating the agitating member 27 and the conveying member 28 by the container drive motor.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the intermediate hopper 26 includes a container body 30 having an upper surface opened and a lid body 31 that covers the upper surface of the container body 30.

  As shown in FIG. 4, an insertion hole 33 is provided at the lower end of the front wall 32 of the container body 30. The rear wall 34 of the container body 30 is provided with a protruding wall 35 as a cylindrical peripheral wall toward the rear at a height corresponding to the insertion hole 33, and provided at the rear end of the protruding wall 35. A cap 37 is press-fitted into the opening 36. The cap 37 includes a cylindrical portion 38 that presses against the inner surface of the projecting wall 35, a flat plate portion 40 that closes the front surface of the cylindrical portion 38, a recess-shaped shaft support portion 41 provided in the center of the flat plate portion 40, and a cylindrical portion. And a flange portion 42 provided at the rear end of 38 and in close contact with the opening 36.

  A discharge port 44 is formed in the rear portion of the bottom wall 43 of the container body 30, and a toner seal 45 is attached to the lower surface of the bottom wall 43 along the outer periphery of the discharge port 44. As best shown in FIG. 5, the toner seal 45 includes an intermediate layer 46 formed of an elastic material, and a surface layer 47a formed of a resin film material such as a PET film and covering upper and lower surfaces of the intermediate layer 46. 47b, and a three-layer structure. In the present embodiment, a sponge material is used as the elastic material.

  The lower surface of the upper surface layer 47 a is bonded to the upper surface of the intermediate layer 46, and the upper surface of the lower surface layer 47 b is bonded to the lower surface of the intermediate layer 46. Intermediate discharge holes 48 are formed in the rear portion of the intermediate layer 46 from the upper surface to the lower surface, and the surface discharge holes 50a and 50b are respectively provided in the rear portions of the surface layers 47a and 47b at positions corresponding to the intermediate discharge holes 48. It has been drilled. Hereinafter, the intermediate discharge hole 48 and the surface discharge holes 50a and 50b are collectively referred to as a discharge hole 51. The upper surface of the upper surface layer 47 a is adhered to the lower surface of the bottom wall 43 along the discharge port 44.

  A bent portion 52 that is bent substantially vertically upward is provided at the rear end portion of the lower surface layer 47b, and the bent portion 52 allows the rear end surface and the upper portion of the intermediate layer 46 to be The rear end portion of the surface layer 47a is covered. As shown in FIG. 4, the bent portion 52 extends to the rear surface of the protruding wall 35, and the sticking surface 53 formed on the inner surface of the bent portion 52 sticks to the flange portion 42 of the cap 37. Has been. A taper portion 54 (see FIG. 6) that tapers upward is provided at the center of the bent portion 52 in the vertical direction. The upper end portion of the bent portion 52 is folded forward, and the pasting surface 53 of the portion folded forward is stuck to the upper surface of the protruding wall 35.

  A shutter 55 is provided below the toner seal 45. The shutter 55 is supported by a guide rail (not shown) provided in the container body 30 so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction. The shutter 55 is urged rearward by a spring member 56 (see FIGS. 3 and 6) provided on the container body 30. A contact portion 57 is provided at the front end portion of the shutter 55 toward the rear.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the container body 30 is provided with a conveying screw 58 as a conveying means rotatably above the discharge port 44, and the conveying screw 58 has a rotating shaft 60 in the front-rear direction. Is provided. The rotary shaft 60 is provided on the front part 61 (first part) that is inserted through the insertion hole 33 of the front wall 32, and is provided coaxially with the front part 61 and connected to the rear end part of the front part 61. Side portion 62 (second portion).

  The front portion 61 protrudes forward of the front wall 32 through the insertion hole 33. A transport gear 63 is provided at the front end portion of the front portion 61. A fitting receiving portion 64 is provided at the rear end portion of the front side portion 61.

  A concave fitting portion 65 is provided at the front end portion of the rear portion 62, and the fitting portion 65 is fitted to the fitting receiving portion 64 of the front portion 61 so that the front portion 61 has a rear side. It is comprised so that the part 62 may be connected. A spiral fin 66 is provided concentrically on the outer periphery of the rear portion 62 in front of the discharge port 44. A partition wall 67 is provided on the outer periphery of the rear portion 62 behind the discharge port 44 with a predetermined distance from the inner surface of the protruding wall 35. The rear end portion of the rear portion 62 is pivotally supported by the pivotal support portion 41 of the cap 37.

  As best shown in FIG. 3, the container main body 30 is provided with a first stirring paddle 68 rotatably at the upper left of the conveying screw 58, and a first stirring gear 70 at the front end of the first stirring paddle 68. (See FIG. 2). A second stirring paddle 71 is rotatably provided on the left side of the first stirring paddle 68, and a second stirring gear 72 is provided at the front end of the second stirring paddle 71 (see FIG. 2).

  As best shown in FIG. 2, a drive motor 73 (drive source) is attached to the front lower portion of the container body 30, and the drive motor 73 is provided with a motor shaft 74 toward the upper right. A worm 75 is fixed to the motor shaft 74, and a conveyance gear 63 is engaged with the right side of the worm 75. When the motor shaft 74 of the drive motor 73 rotates, this rotation is transmitted to the front side portion 61 of the rotating shaft 60 via the worm 75 and the conveying gear 63 so that the conveying screw 58 rotates. With the rotation of the conveying screw 58, the toner in the intermediate hopper 26 is introduced into the developing device 11 through the discharge port 44 and the discharge hole 51 (see the arrow in FIG. 4). ).

  The left side of the worm 75 fixed to the motor shaft 74 of the drive motor 73 is connected to the first stirring gear 70 and the second stirring gear 72 via the stirring gear unit 76. When the motor shaft 74 of the drive motor 73 rotates, this rotation is transmitted to the first stirring gear 70 and the second stirring gear 72 via the worm 75 and the stirring gear unit 76, and the first stirring paddle 68 and the second stirring gear 72 are transmitted. The stirring paddle 71 is configured to rotate. As the agitation paddles 68 and 71 rotate, the toner in the intermediate hopper 26 is transferred toward the conveying screw 58 while being agitated.

  As described above, the lid 31 covering the upper surface of the container body 30 is ultrasonically welded to the container body 30. An introduction port 77 is provided in the vicinity of the central portion of the lid 31 in the left-right direction, and the toner conveyed from the toner container 25 is introduced into the intermediate hopper 26 through the introduction port 77. .

  With the configuration as described above, the opening / closing operation of the shutter 55 will be described.

  In a state before the intermediate hopper 26 is assembled to the developing device 11, the shutter 55 is arranged on the rear side of the bottom wall 43 by the biasing force of the spring member 56, and the discharge port 44 of the container body 30 is closed by the shutter 55. (See FIG. 7). When the intermediate hopper 26 is slid from this state and assembled to the developing device 11, the contact portion 57 of the shutter 55 is pressed by the pressing portion 80 provided at the upper end of the developing device 11, as shown in FIG. The shutter 55 slides forward with respect to the container body 30 against the urging force of the spring member 56. Accordingly, the discharge port 44 of the container main body 30 is opened, and the inside of the container main body 30 communicates with the inside of the developing device 11 through the discharge port 44, the discharge hole 51, and the receiving port 81 provided in the developing device 11. To do.

  When the intermediate hopper 26 is removed from the developing device 11, the pressing of the pressing portion 80 of the developing device 11 against the contact portion 57 of the shutter 55 is released. Along with this, the shutter 55 slides backward with respect to the container body 30 by the biasing force of the spring member 56, and the discharge port 44 is closed by the shutter 55 (see FIG. 7).

  In the present embodiment, as described above, the lower surface layer 47b of the toner seal 45 is formed of a PET film. Therefore, the friction generated between the shutter 55 and the toner seal 45 when the shutter 55 opens and closes as described above. The force can be reduced and the shutter 55 can be opened and closed smoothly. Further, since the intermediate layer 46 is formed of a sponge material, when the intermediate hopper 26 is assembled to the developing device 11, the lower surface layer 47 b of the toner seal 45 is developed around the receiving port 81. It adheres elastically to the upper surface of the vessel 11. Therefore, it is possible to improve the sealing performance between the intermediate hopper 26 and the developing device 11 and prevent toner leakage.

  Next, an example of assembly of the conveying screw 58 to the intermediate hopper 26 will be described.

  First, the front portion 61 of the rotation shaft 60 of the conveying screw 58 is inserted through the insertion hole 33 of the front wall 32 from the front. Next, the rear portion 62 of the rotary shaft 60 of the conveying screw 58 is inserted from the rear into the space inside the protruding wall 35 through the opening 36, and the fitting portion 65 of the rear portion 62 is inserted into the front portion 61. The rotating shaft 60 of the conveying screw 58 is integrated by fitting with the fitting receiving portion 64. Then, the cap 37 is press-fitted into the opening 36 while the rear end portion 62 is inserted into the shaft support portion 41, and the opening 36 is closed by the cap 37.

  Then, the attachment surface 53 of the bent portion 52 of the toner seal 45 is attached to the flange portion 42 of the cap 37. Further, the upper end of the bent portion 52 is folded forward, and the pasted surface 53 of the folded portion is pasted on the upper surface of the protruding wall 35. Thereby, the assembly of the conveying screw 58 to the intermediate hopper 26 is completed.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, since the bent portion 52 provided on the lower surface layer 47b of the toner seal 45 is attached to the cap 37, the fixing strength of the cap 37 to the protruding wall 35 is increased. Is possible. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the cap 37 from falling off the protruding wall 35 even when a larger dimensional error or assembly error than usual occurs. Further, by providing the toner seal 45 with a function of preventing the cap 37 from falling off, it is possible to prevent the cap 37 from dropping out without increasing the number of parts, and the configuration of the apparatus can be simplified. .

  Further, since the end portion of the lower surface layer 47b on the protruding wall 35 side is bent upward and is attached to the cap 37, the end surface of the intermediate layer 46 on the protruding wall 35 side is used as the lower surface layer. 47b can be covered (see FIG. 5). Therefore, compared with the case where the end surface of the intermediate layer 46 on the protruding wall 35 side is exposed, the lower surface layer 47b and the intermediate layer 46 are less likely to be separated from each other.

  Further, since the end of the conveying screw 58 on the protruding wall 35 side is pivotally supported by the cap 37, the cap 37 can have both the closing function of the opening 36 and the pivoting function of the conveying screw 58. The function of the cap 37 can be improved.

  In addition, when adopting a configuration in which the end portion of the rotation shaft 60 of the conveying screw 58 is pivotally supported by the cap 37 as described above, vibration accompanying rotation of the rotation shaft 60 of the conveying screw 58 is directly transmitted to the cap 37. This may increase the risk of the cap 37 falling off. However, by applying the configuration of the present invention, it is possible to reliably prevent the cap 37 from falling off. Thus, the present invention is suitable for the configuration in which the rotating member such as the conveying screw 58 is pivotally supported by the cap 37.

  In this embodiment, the toner seal 45 is described as being divided into three layers: an intermediate layer 46, an upper surface layer 47a, and a lower surface layer 47b. However, the toner seal 45 is divided into a plurality of layers. An unsealed toner seal 45) may be used. In the present embodiment, only the lower surface layer 47 b is attached to the cap 37, but not limited to this configuration, all three layers may be bent and attached to the cap 37.

  In this embodiment, the case where the cap 37 can be attached to and detached from the rotating shaft 60 of the conveying screw 58 has been described. However, in another different embodiment, the cap 37 is connected to the rotating shaft 60 of the conveying screw 58 via a bearing. And may be integrated. In this case, since it is not necessary to insert the rotating shaft 60 of the conveying screw 58 into the cap 37, the assembling work of the conveying screw 58 to the intermediate hopper 26 can be facilitated.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the configuration of the present invention is applied to the opening 36 for inserting the conveying screw 58 has been described. However, the purpose of forming the opening 36 is not limited to this. You may apply the structure of this invention to an opening part. In the conveying screw 58 of the present embodiment, the rotating shaft 60 in which the front portion 61 and the rear portion 62 are formed separately is used. However, in another different embodiment, an integrated rotating shaft 60 may be used. . In the present embodiment, the transport screw 58 is used as the transport unit. However, in another different embodiment, a roller-shaped member may be used as the transport unit.

  In the present embodiment, the intermediate hopper 26 is used as a toner storage container. However, in other different embodiments, the toner container 25 may be used as a toner storage container. In this case, the toner container may be directly connected to the developing device 11, or the toner container may be connected to the developing device 11 via a toner pipe or the like.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to the monochrome printer 1 has been described. However, in other different embodiments, the present invention is applied to other image forming apparatuses such as a color printer, a copying machine, a digital multifunction peripheral, and a facsimile. It is also possible to do.

1 Monochrome printer (image forming device)
26 Intermediate hopper (toner storage container)
30 Container body 32 Front wall (wall opposite to the peripheral wall)
33 Insertion hole 35 Projection wall (peripheral wall)
36 Opening 37 Cap 43 Bottom Wall 44 Discharge Port 45 Toner Seal 58 Conveying Screw (Conveying Means)
61 Front part (first part)
62 Rear part (second part)
63 Conveying gear 64 Fitting receiving portion 65 Fitting portion 67 Partition wall 73 Drive motor (drive source)

Claims (6)

A container main body in which a discharge port for discharging toner is provided in the bottom wall and an opening is provided in the peripheral wall, a toner seal adhered to the lower surface of the bottom wall along the outer periphery of the discharge port, and the opening A cap that closes, and a transport unit that is rotatably provided on the container body and transports the toner toward the discharge port,
The toner seal extends from the lower surface of the bottom wall to the outer surface of the peripheral wall and is affixed to the cap, and has a function of preventing the cap from falling off.
An insertion hole is provided in the wall on the opposite side of the peripheral wall of the container body,
The conveying means is
A first portion that is inserted through the insertion hole;
And a second portion that is provided coaxially with the first portion and connected to an end of the first portion on the peripheral wall side. A fitting receiving portion is provided at an end of the first portion on the peripheral wall side,
The toner storage container according to claim 1, wherein a fitting portion that can be fitted to the fitting receiving portion is provided at an end portion of the second portion opposite to the peripheral wall.   3. The toner storage container according to claim 1, wherein a partition wall is provided on an outer periphery of the second portion on the cap side with respect to the discharge port.   4. The toner storage container according to claim 1, wherein an end of the second portion on the peripheral wall side is pivotally supported by the cap.   5. The toner storage according to claim 1, wherein a conveyance gear connected to a driving source is provided at an end portion of the first portion opposite to the peripheral wall. container.   An image forming apparatus comprising the toner storage container according to claim 1.