JP2023141072A - Developer storage container, and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a developer storage container that allows reuse of a cap and can prevent the cap from coming off from a filling port, and an image forming apparatus.SOLUTION: A toner container comprises: an opening 52 that is used for filling toner into a container body that stores toner; a flexible cap 53 that is provided in contact with an edge of the opening 52 and closes the opening 52, wherein a first contact part 73A of a contact part 73 in contact with the edge is movable in an opening direction of the opening 52 with a weaker pull-out force than that of a second contact part 73B of the contact part 73 different from the first contact part 73A; and a come-out prevention member 54 that sandwiches the first contact part 73A between the edge of the opening 52 and the come-out prevention member.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

The present invention relates to a developer storage container and an image forming apparatus including the developer storage container.

2. Description of the Related Art Image forming apparatuses such as printers include a developer storage container such as a toner container that stores developer such as toner to be supplied to an image forming section that forms an image. The developer storage container is removably installed in the casing of the image forming apparatus. The developer storage container includes a filling port used for filling the developer into the container, and a cap that closes the filling port.

In the image forming apparatus, the cap may come off from the filling port due to an impact generated during transportation of the apparatus. On the other hand, a method is known as a related art in which the cap is firmly press-fitted into the filling port and the cap is removed by making a cut in the cap when refilling the developer storage container with the developer. (See Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-137375

However, the method according to the related technology described above makes it impossible to reuse the cap.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a developer storage container and an image forming apparatus that allow the cap to be reused and prevent the cap from coming off the filling port.

A developer storage container according to one aspect of the present invention includes an opening, a cap, and a clamping portion. The opening portion is used for filling the developer into a storage portion that accommodates the developer. The cap is flexible and is provided in contact with an edge of the opening, and closes the opening, with a first contact part of the contact parts contacting the edge being in contact with the edge of the opening. Of these, the second contact portion, which is different from the first contact portion, can be moved in the opening direction of the opening portion with a pull-out force that is weaker than that of the second contact portion. The holding portion holds the first contact portion between itself and an edge of the opening.

An image forming apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention includes the developer storage container and an image forming section. The image forming section forms an image using the developer supplied from the developer storage container.

According to the present invention, it is possible to reuse the cap and to prevent the cap from coming off from the filling port.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of an image forming section of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of a toner supply section of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of a toner container of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the configuration of a toner container of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the configuration of a toner container of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the configuration of a toner container of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the structure of a cap of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the structure of a cap of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a modification of the cap of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a modification of the falling-off prevention member of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments are examples of embodying the present invention, and do not limit the technical scope of the present invention.

[Configuration of image forming apparatus 100]
First, the configuration of an image forming apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. Here, FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing the configuration of an image forming apparatus 100. Further, FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the configuration of the image forming section 1. As shown in FIG.

For convenience of explanation, the vertical direction is defined as the up-down direction D1 when the image forming apparatus 100 is installed in a usable state (the state shown in FIG. 1). Further, the front-rear direction D2 is defined with the left side surface of the image forming apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 as the front (front surface). Further, a left-right direction D3 is defined with the front of the image forming apparatus 100 in the installed state as a reference.

The image forming apparatus 100 is a color printer that forms a color image or a monochrome image based on image data on a sheet of paper using toner (an example of the developer of the present invention). Note that the present invention may be applied to facsimile machines, copy machines, multifunction devices, and the like.

As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 100 includes a plurality of image forming sections 1 to 4, an intermediate transfer belt 5, an optical scanning device 6, a secondary transfer roller 7, a fixing device 8, a paper feed cassette 9, and a transport path. 10, a cover member 11, a control section 12, and a toner supply section 13.

The image forming apparatus 100 is of a so-called tandem type. The image forming units 1 to 4 are arranged in parallel along the belt rotation direction D4 (see FIG. 1) of the intermediate transfer belt 5. Toner images corresponding to Y (yellow) are formed in the image forming section 1, M (magenta) in the image forming section 2, C (cyan) in the image forming section 3, and K (black) in the image forming section 4.

As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming section 1 includes a photoreceptor drum 21, a charging device 22 provided corresponding to the photoreceptor drum 21, a developing device 23, a primary transfer roller 24, and a cleaning device 25. . Further, image forming sections 2 to 4 are also configured similarly to image forming section 1. Hereinafter, only the configuration of the image forming section 1 will be explained.

The photosensitive drum 21 is an image carrier that carries an electrostatic latent image and a toner image. The photoreceptor drum 21 is provided so as to be rotatable in a rotation direction D5 (see FIG. 2).

The charging device 22 has a charging roller 22A. The charging device 22 uses a charging roller 22A to charge the photoreceptor drum 21 to a predetermined potential using electric power supplied from a power source (not shown). The surface of the photosensitive drum 21 charged by the charging device 22 is irradiated with laser light based on image data by the optical scanning device 6 . As a result, an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image data is formed on the surface of the photoreceptor drum 21.

The developing device 23 has a developing roller 23A. The developing device 23 uses a developing roller 23A to develop the electrostatic latent image formed on the photoreceptor drum 21 with toner. Note that for the development of the electrostatic latent image by the developing device 23, an external additive such as a lubricant or abrasive is used together with the toner.

The primary transfer roller 24 transfers the toner image on the photosensitive drum 21 developed by the developing device 23 onto the intermediate transfer belt 5 .

The cleaning device 25 is provided downstream of the primary transfer roller 24 in the rotational direction D5 of the photoreceptor drum 21, and cleans the surface of the photoreceptor drum 21. The cleaning device 25 includes a cleaning member 25A such as a cleaning roller or a cleaning blade.

The intermediate transfer belt 5 runs above each of the photoreceptor drums 21 provided in the image forming sections 1 to 4, and serves as a transfer member to which the toner images of each color formed on each of the photoreceptor drums 21 are sequentially superimposed and transferred. It is.

The optical scanning device 6 emits laser light based on image data toward each of the photoreceptor drums 21 provided in the image forming sections 1 to 4.

The secondary transfer roller 7 transfers the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 5 to a sheet of paper conveyed from the paper feed cassette 9 through a conveyance path 10 .

The fixing device 8 fixes the toner image transferred onto the paper by the secondary transfer roller 7 onto the paper. The paper on which the toner image has been fixed by the fixing device 8 is discharged onto the top surface of a cover member 11 provided at the top of the image forming apparatus 100.

The paper feed cassette 9 stores paper on which an image is formed.

The conveyance path 10 is a path through which paper travels from the paper feed cassette 9 to the upper surface of the cover member 11 . The conveyance path 10 is formed inside the casing of the image forming apparatus 100.

The cover member 11 covers the toner supply section 13. The cover member 11 is provided above the toner supply section 13 . The cover member 11 also serves as a paper discharge tray into which paper on which an image has been formed by the image forming section 3 is discharged. The front end of the cover member 11 is rotatably supported by a rotating shaft 11A (see FIG. 1) extending in the left-right direction D3. This allows the user of the image forming apparatus 100 to open and close the cover member 11. The cover member 11 is opened and closed when the toner containers 31 to 34 (see FIG. 1) mounted on the mounting parts 37 to 40 (see FIG. 1) are replaced.

The control unit 12 controls the image forming apparatus 100 in an integrated manner. The control unit 12 includes a CPU, ROM, and RAM. The CPU is a processor that executes various types of arithmetic processing. The ROM is a nonvolatile storage device in which information such as control programs for causing the CPU to execute various processes is stored in advance. The RAM is a volatile or nonvolatile storage device used as a temporary storage memory (work area) for various processes executed by the CPU. In the control unit 12, the CPU executes various control programs stored in the ROM in advance. Thereby, the control unit 12 controls the image forming apparatus 100 in an integrated manner.

[Configuration of toner supply section 13]
Next, the configuration of the toner supply section 13 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 3. Here, FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the toner supply section 13. As shown in FIG. Note that FIG. 3 shows a state in which the toner container 34 (see FIG. 1) is removed from the mounting portion 40.

The toner supply section 13 supplies toner to each of the developing devices 23 of the image forming sections 1 to 4.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the toner supply section 13 includes toner containers 31 to 34 and a container support section 35.

The toner container 31 accommodates Y (yellow) toner to be supplied to the image forming section 1 . The image forming section 1 forms an image using toner supplied from the toner container 31.

The toner container 32 accommodates M (magenta) toner to be supplied to the image forming section 2 . The image forming section 2 forms an image using toner supplied from the toner container 32.

The toner container 33 accommodates C (cyan) toner to be supplied to the image forming section 3 . The image forming section 3 forms an image using toner supplied from the toner container 33.

The toner container 34 stores K (black) toner to be supplied to the image forming section 4 . The image forming section 4 forms an image using toner supplied from the toner container 34.

As shown in FIG. 1, the toner container 34 is larger in size in the front-rear direction D2 than the toner containers 31 to 33. The toner containers 31 to 33 have a common configuration except that the toners they contain differ in color. Hereinafter, the toner containers 31 to 33 may be collectively referred to as the toner container 30. The toner container 30 is an example of a developer storage container of the present invention.

The container support section 35 supports the toner containers 31 to 34. As shown in FIG. 3, the container support section 35 includes mounting sections 37-40. The toner container 31 is removably mounted on the mounting portion 37 (see FIG. 1). The toner container 32 is removably attached to the attachment portion 38 (see FIG. 1). The toner container 33 is removably attached to the attachment portion 39 (see FIG. 1). The toner container 34 is removably mounted on the mounting section 40 (see FIG. 1). Hereinafter, the mounting parts 37 to 39 to which the toner container 30 is mounted may be collectively referred to as the mounting part 36.

[Configuration of toner container 30]
Next, the configuration of the toner container 30 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 9. Here, FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the structure of the toner container 31. As shown in FIG. Further, FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the configuration of the cap 53 and the falling-off prevention member 54. Further, FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line VI-VI in FIG. Further, FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along the line VII-VII in FIG. Moreover, FIG. 8 is a plan view showing the structure of the cap 53. Further, FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along the line IX-IX in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 4, the toner container 30 includes a container body 51, an opening 52, and a cap 53.

The container body 51 accommodates toner. As shown in FIG. 4, the container body 51 is formed into a rectangular column shape that is elongated in a direction perpendicular to the mounting direction D6 of the toner container 30 to the image forming apparatus 100. The mounting direction D6 is a vertically downward direction. The container body 51 is elongated in the left-right direction D3. A toner storage space is formed inside the container body 51 to store toner. The container main body 51 is an example of the accommodating part of the present invention.

The container main body 51 has a bottom surface portion forming a bottom surface facing downstream in the mounting direction D6, and an upper surface portion forming a top surface 51A (see FIG. 4) facing the upstream side in the mounting direction D6. Further, the container main body 51 has a side wall portion that forms a side surface facing in a direction perpendicular to the mounting direction D6. The toner storage space is a space surrounded by the bottom surface portion, the top surface portion, and the side wall portion.

In the container body 51, the toner contained therein is conveyed toward the left end of the container body 51 along the longitudinal direction of the container body 51. Specifically, a conveying screw is provided inside the container body 51 to convey the toner contained therein toward the left end of the container body 51 . The conveyance screw has a long rotation axis in the longitudinal direction of the container body 51 (left-right direction D3). The rotation shaft is rotatably supported by the side wall portion of the container body 51. The driving force of a motor provided on the main body side of the image forming apparatus 100 is transmitted to the conveyance screw via a power transmission mechanism (not shown). The conveyance screw rotates in response to the driving force of the motor transmitted via the power transmission mechanism. As a result, the toner contained inside the container body 51 is conveyed toward the left end of the container body 51.

A discharge port (not shown) that opens downward is provided at the left end of the bottom surface of the container body 51. The toner conveyed to the left end of the container body 51 by the conveyance screw is discharged to the outside of the container body 51 from the discharge port.

The opening 52 is used to fill the container body 51 with toner. As shown in FIG. 4, the opening 52 is provided on the upper surface 51A of the container body 51. The opening 52 forms a filling port that communicates the inside and outside of the container body 51. The filling port is formed in a circular shape and opens upward (see FIG. 6). The filling port may be perfectly circular or oval. Note that the filling port may be formed in a polygonal shape.

The cap 53 is flexible and closes the opening 52. The cap 53 is made of a flexible resin material or the like. The cap 53 is press-fitted into the opening 52.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the cap 53 includes a cylindrical portion 71, a bottom portion 72, a contact portion 73, and a first handle portion 74. The cylindrical portion 71 is formed to be fitable into the opening 52 . Specifically, the cylindrical portion 71 is formed in an elongated cylindrical shape along the opening direction D7 of the opening 52 (see FIG. 6). The bottom portion 72 is formed in a flat plate shape orthogonal to the opening direction D7, and closes the lower end portion of the cylindrical portion 71. As shown in FIG. 6, the bottom portion 72 of the cap 53 press-fitted into the opening 52 bulges out from the opening 52 on the inside of the container body 51 rather than the opening 52 . The contact portion 73 has a flat plate shape orthogonal to the opening direction D7, and is formed in a brim shape extending from the upper end of the cylindrical portion 71 toward the outside of the cylindrical portion 71. The outer edge of the contact portion 73 is formed along the outer periphery of the cylindrical portion 71 . That is, the outer edge of the contact portion 73 is formed along the edge 52A of the opening 52 (see FIG. 6). The contact portion 73 contacts the edge 52A of the opening 52. The first handle portion 74 is provided to protrude from the outer edge of the contact portion 73 toward the outside of the cylindrical portion 71 . The first handle portion 74 is a portion that is grasped by the hand of an operator who performs the refilling operation when the cap 53 is removed from the opening portion 52 in order to refill the toner container 30 with toner.

Incidentally, in a conventional image forming apparatus, the cap 53 may come off from the opening 52 due to an impact generated during transportation of the apparatus. On the other hand, a method is known as a related art in which the cap 53 is firmly press-fitted into the opening 52 and when the toner container 30 is refilled with toner, the cap 53 is removed by making a cut in the cap 53.

However, the method according to the related technology described above makes it impossible to reuse the cap 53.

In contrast, in the image forming apparatus 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention, as described below, it is possible to reuse the cap 53 and to prevent the cap 53 from coming off from the opening 52. It is.

Specifically, in the cap 53, the first contact portion 73A of the contact portions 73 is pulled out of the opening portion 52 with a weaker pulling force than the second contact portion 73B, which is different from the first contact portion 73A of the contact portions 73. It is movable in the opening direction D7. The pulling force is a force in the opening direction D7. As shown in FIG. 8, the first contact portion 73A has a narrower area than the second contact portion 73B.

For example, the cylindrical portion 71 is configured such that the thickness X1 (see FIG. 9) of the portion corresponding to the first contact portion 73A is thinner than the thickness X2 (see FIG. 9) of the portion corresponding to the second contact portion 73B. It is formed. The portion of the cylindrical portion 71 corresponding to the first contact portion 73A is a portion of the cylindrical portion 71 that extends between the inner edge of the first contact portion 73A and the outer edge of the bottom portion 72. The portion of the cylindrical portion 71 corresponding to the second contact portion 73B is a portion of the cylindrical portion 71 that extends between the inner edge of the second contact portion 73B and the outer edge of the bottom portion 72. Note that the thickness of the boundary between the portion of the cylindrical portion 71 corresponding to the first contact portion 73A and the portion corresponding to the second contact portion 73B may gradually change from the thickness X1 to the thickness X2.

Further, the bottom portion 72 is formed such that the thickness X3 (see FIG. 9) of the portion corresponding to the first contact portion 73A is thinner than the thickness X4 (see FIG. 9) of the portion corresponding to the second contact portion 73B. ing. The portion of the bottom portion 72 corresponding to the first contact portion 73A is a portion of the outer edge portion of the bottom portion 72 that faces the inner edge portion of the first contact portion 73A. The portion of the bottom portion 72 corresponding to the second contact portion 73B is a portion of the outer edge portion of the bottom portion 72 that faces the inner edge portion of the second contact portion 73B. Note that the thickness of the boundary between the portion of the bottom portion 72 corresponding to the first contact portion 73A and the portion corresponding to the second contact portion 73B may gradually change from the thickness X3 to the thickness X4.

In addition, in the cap 53, the method of making the first contact portion 73A movable in the opening direction D7 with the pull-out force that is weaker than that of the second contact portion 73B is not limited to the above-mentioned method. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, the amount of outward bulge of the opening 52 in the portion of the bottom portion 72 corresponding to the first contact portion 73A is greater than that of the opening portion of the bottom portion 72 corresponding to the second contact portion 73B. The outer peripheral shape of the cylindrical portion 71 may be set to be smaller than the amount of outward bulge of the cylindrical portion 52 . Note that FIG. 10 is a view of the bottom 72 of the cap 53 press-fitted into the opening 52, viewed from below.

Further, it is possible to make the portion of the cylindrical portion 71 corresponding to the second contact portion 73B higher in rigidity than the portion of the cylindrical portion 71 corresponding to the first contact portion 73A, for example by heat treatment. The treatment may also be performed after the cap 53 has been manufactured. Alternatively, by intentionally degrading the portion of the cylindrical portion 71 corresponding to the first contact portion 73A, the rigidity of the portion may be made lower than that of the portion of the cylindrical portion 71 corresponding to the second contact portion 73B. good.

Further, by applying a lubricant to the outer circumferential surface of the portion of the cylindrical portion 71 that corresponds to the first contact portion 73A, the outer circumferential surface of the portion of the cylindrical portion 71 that corresponds to the second contact portion 73B is It may be made to be more slippery.

Here, as shown in FIG. 5, the first handle portion 74 is provided to protrude from the outer edge of the first contact portion 73A toward the outside of the opening 52. Thereby, the operator can easily apply the pulling force to the first contact portion 73A.

As shown in FIG. 5, the toner container 30 includes a slip-off prevention member 54. As shown in FIG.

The slip-off prevention member 54 holds the first contact portion 73A between it and the edge 52A of the opening 52. The falling-off prevention member 54 is an example of the holding portion of the present invention.

As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the slip-off prevention member 54 is formed in a flat plate shape orthogonal to the opening direction D7.

The slip-off prevention member 54 is attached to the container body 51 on both sides of the protruding base end of the first handle part 74 in an orthogonal direction D9 (see FIG. 5) that is orthogonal to the protrusion direction D8 (see FIG. 5) of the first handle part 74. fixed (see Figure 5).

For example, a pair of support stands 51B are provided around the opening 52 on the upper surface 51A of the container body 51 and spaced apart along the circumferential direction of the opening 52. Each of the support stands 51B is formed into a quadrangular column shape that protrudes from the upper surface 51A. A space in which the first handle portion 74 can be placed is provided between the pair of support stands 51B. The first handle portion 74 is arranged between the pair of support stands 51B. The upper surfaces of the pair of support stands 51B are formed to be flush with the contact portion 73 and the first handle portion 74. The slip-off prevention member 54 is fixed to a pair of supports 51B that sandwich the first handle portion 74.

For example, the slip-off prevention member 54 is irreversibly fixed to the pair of support stands 51B of the container body 51. Here, "fixed irreversibly" means to fix the falling-off prevention member 54 and the pair of support stands 51B in a manner that cannot return them to their pre-fixed state. For example, the slip-off prevention member 54 is heat-welded to the pair of support stands 51B. Note that the slip-off prevention member 54 may be fixed to the pair of support stands 51B with an adhesive.

By fixing the slip-off prevention member 54 to the container body 51 on both sides of the protruding base end of the first handle portion 74 in the orthogonal direction D9, the slip-off prevention member 54 is more easily prevented from coming off than in a configuration in which the slip-off prevention member 54 is fixed at other positions. It is possible to reduce the size of member 54.

Further, when the slip-off prevention member 54 is irreversibly fixed to the container body 51, it becomes extremely difficult to remove the slip-off prevention member 54 without destroying the slip-off prevention member 54 or the support base 51B. In other words, it becomes extremely difficult to refill the toner container 30 with toner without destroying the falling-off prevention member 54 or the support base 51B. This makes it possible to leave traces of toner being refilled (damage traces of the drop-off prevention member 54 or the support base 51B) on the outer surface of the toner container 30. Note that the slip-off prevention member 54 may be reversibly fixed to the container body 51. For example, the detachment prevention member 54 may be screwed to the support base 51B.

Here, as shown in FIG. 5, the toner container 30 includes a plurality of pairs of support stands 51B. This makes it possible to leave traces of toner being refilled multiple times on the outer surface of the toner container 30. Note that the toner container 30 may include a pair of support stands 51B.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the cap 53 is formed so that the inner side of the contact portion 73 is recessed in a direction opposite to the opening direction D7. In addition, the slip-off prevention member 54 includes an extension portion 81 and a second handle portion 82 shown in FIG. The extending portion 81 extends across the first handle portion 74 along the orthogonal direction D9, and both ends in the orthogonal direction D9 are fixed to the container body 51. The second handle portion 82 protrudes from inside the pair of fixed portions of the extension portion 81 that are fixed to the container body 51 beyond the first contact portion 73A to the inside of the contact portion 73. Moreover, the slip-off prevention member 54 is formed in a flat plate shape orthogonal to the opening direction D7. Thereby, the operator can separate the pair of fixed parts from the other parts of the slip-off prevention member 54 by lifting the second handle part 82 in the opening direction D7. Note that the falling-off prevention member 54 does not need to include the extension portion 81 and the second handle portion 82.

Note that the container body 51 does not need to include the pair of support stands 51B. In this case, the slip-off prevention member 54 may be fixed to the upper surface 51A of the container body 51. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, the slip-off prevention member 54 may include a pair of legs 83 that support each end of the extension portion 81 in the orthogonal direction D9 and are fixed to the upper surface 51A.

Thus, in the toner container 30, the first contact portion 73A of the cap 53 is configured to be movable in the opening direction D7 with the pulling force that is weaker than that of the second contact portion 73B. Further, in the toner container 30, the removal prevention member 54 restricts movement of the first contact portion 73A in the opening direction D7. Thereby, even if the cap 53 is firmly press-fitted into the opening 52, it is possible to remove the cap 53 from the opening 52 without destroying the cap 53. Further, it is also possible to prevent the cap 53 from coming off from the opening 52. Therefore, it is possible to reuse the cap 53 and to prevent the cap 53 from coming off from the opening 52.

1 Image forming section 2 Image forming section 3 Image forming section 4 Image forming section 5 Intermediate transfer belt 6 Optical scanning device 7 Secondary transfer roller 8 Fixing device 9 Paper feed cassette 10 Conveyance path 11 Cover member 12 Control section 13 Toner supply section 30 Toner container 51 Container body 52 Opening 53 Cap 54 Fallout prevention member 73 Contact portion 73A First contact portion 73B Second contact portion 74 First handle 81 Extension portion 82 Second handle 100 Image forming device

Claims (6)

an opening used for filling the developer into a storage section that accommodates the developer;
A first contact portion of the contact portions that is provided in contact with an edge of the opening, closes the opening, and contacts the edge is a second contact portion that is different from the first contact portion of the contact portion. a flexible cap that is movable in the opening direction of the opening with a pull-out force that is weaker than that of the contact portion;
a clamping part that clamps the first contact part between the edge of the opening;
A developer storage container comprising: The outer edge of the contact portion is formed along the edge of the opening,
The cap has a first handle portion that protrudes from an outer edge of the first contact portion toward the outside of the opening.
The developer storage container according to claim 1. The holding part is fixed to the accommodating part on both sides of the protruding base end of the first handle in a direction perpendicular to the protruding direction of the first handle.
The developer storage container according to claim 2. The holding part is irreversibly fixed to the accommodating part,
The developer storage container according to claim 3. The cap has a shape in which an inner side of the contact portion is recessed in a direction opposite to the opening direction,
The holding part extends across the first handle part along the orthogonal direction, and has an extending part whose both ends in the orthogonal direction are fixed to the accommodating part, and an extending part in the extending part that straddles the first handle part. a second grip part that protrudes from inside the pair of fixed parts beyond the first contact part to the inside of the contact part, and is formed in a flat plate shape orthogonal to the opening direction;
The developer storage container according to claim 4. The developer storage container according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
an image forming unit that forms an image using the developer supplied from the developer storage container;
An image forming apparatus comprising: