JPH1020669A - Transport device and toner cartridge provided therewith - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To always stably execute the quantitative supply of powder such as toner by improving a transport device in a toner cartridge. SOLUTION: This transport device 42 is provided with a rotary shaft 44 positioned to pass above a toner discharge port 16, and a pair of spiral blades 54 and 56 which is formed on the rotary shaft 44 and whose winding direction is reverse to each other; and the discharge port 16 is provided with a one side edge and the other side edge opposed to leave a space between them in a shaft line direction on the rotary shaft 44. The spiral blade 54 is extended from one side edge to the other side edge of the discharge port 16 and the spiral blade 56 is extended from the other side edge to one side edge thereof above the discharge port 16.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a transfer device for transferring powder such as toner, and a toner cartridge provided with such a transfer device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an electrostatic copying machine, an electrostatic printing machine, an electrostatic facsimile, or the like, an electrostatic latent image is formed on an electrostatic photosensitive member, and then the electrostatic latent image is developed into a toner image. I do. A developing device for developing an electrostatic latent image into a toner image includes:
A developing housing for accommodating a so-called one-component developer composed only of toner or a so-called two-component developer composed of toner and carrier particles; and transporting the developer contained in the development housing to a development area to form an electrostatic photosensitive member. And a toner supply unit for supplying toner to the developing housing. The toner replenishing means usually includes a toner cartridge which is mounted to be exchangeable. A typical example of the toner cartridge is a container that contains toner and has a bottom wall and both side walls, a toner outlet formed in the bottom wall, and transports the toner present in the container toward the toner outlet. And a transfer mechanism.

The transfer mechanism of such a transfer device has a rotating shaft rotatably supported between both side walls and positioned above the toner discharge port, and a rotating shaft formed on the rotating shaft and having winding directions opposite to each other. And a pair of spiral blades and four discharge blades. Each of the discharge blades is formed of a plate-like piece protruding radially from the rotation shaft at an equal angular interval from each other, and is positioned above the toner discharge port. One of the spiral blades extends between one side wall of the container and the discharge blade, and the other spiral blade extends between the other side wall of the container and the discharge blade.

[0004] One end of the rotating shaft of the transfer mechanism is protruded outside the container beyond the side wall of the container, and an input gear is mounted on the protruding end. When the toner cartridge is mounted at a required position of the developing device, the input gear mounted on the rotating shaft of the transfer mechanism is driven and connected to the electric motor via the transmission gear train, and accordingly, the rotating shaft of the transfer mechanism, the spiral, Each of the blades and each of the discharge blades are rotationally driven. The toner present in the container is transported from both sides of the container toward each of the discharge blades by the rotation of each of the spiral blades, and is positioned below the toner cartridge from the toner discharge port opened by each of the discharge blades. The toner is dropped (discharged) directly into the developing housing, or is dropped from a toner discharge port into a toner hopper positioned below the toner cartridge. The toner dropped into the toner hopper is transferred into the developing housing via another transfer mechanism provided in the toner hopper. Thus, the toner is supplied from the toner cartridge to the developing device.

[0005]

However, the conventional toner cartridges as described above have the following problems to be solved. That is, as described above, the rotating shaft and the radially projecting 4 from the rotating shaft are provided above the toner discharge port.
The individual discharge blades are located. These discharge blades are provided so as to regulate the amount (toner discharge) of toner from the toner discharge port and to perform an appropriate amount of toner drop (discharge) according to the rotation of the transfer mechanism. However, on the other hand, the amount of toner falling immediately after the rotation of the transfer mechanism starts to be relatively small, and the time until the amount of toner falling stabilizes is relatively long. Therefore, the supply amount of the toner to the developing device, especially immediately after the start of the rotation of the transfer mechanism, temporarily becomes too small, and the constant supply of the toner from the toner cartridge to the developing device tends to not always be performed stably.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, a means for removing a discharge blade located above the toner discharge port may be considered.
However, in such a configuration, since only the rotation shaft exists above the toner discharge port as the transfer mechanism, the amount of toner falling immediately after the start of rotation of the transfer mechanism becomes relatively large, and When a toner hopper having another transfer mechanism is disposed below the discharge port, toner blocking tends to occur below the toner discharge port. Accordingly, the amount of toner supplied to the developing device, especially immediately after the start of rotation of the transfer mechanism, temporarily becomes excessive, and the constant supply of toner from the toner cartridge to the developing device tends not to be constantly performed stably.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and a first technical problem thereof is a new and improved transfer device capable of constantly stably supplying a fixed amount of powder such as toner. It is to provide.

A second technical object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved toner cartridge in which a constant amount of toner can be constantly and stably performed.

[0009]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a container for accommodating powder and having a bottom wall and both side walls; A discharge port for the powder formed on the wall, and a transfer mechanism for transferring the powder present in the container toward the discharge port, the transfer mechanism is rotatably supported between the side walls; A rotating shaft positioned over the outlet, and a pair of spiral blades formed on the rotating shaft and wound in opposite directions, the outlet being axially spaced from the rotating shaft; A transfer device having one side edge and the other side edge facing each other,
Above the outlet, one of the spiral blades extends from the one side edge of the outlet toward the other side edge, and the other of the spiral blades extends from the other side edge toward the one side edge. A transfer device is provided that extends.

In order to solve the second technical problem, according to a second aspect of the present invention, a container accommodating toner and having a bottom wall and both side walls, and a toner discharge formed on the bottom wall are provided. A transfer mechanism having an outlet and a transfer mechanism for transferring the toner present in the container toward the toner discharge port, wherein the transfer mechanism is rotatably supported between the side walls and the toner discharge port. An axis of rotation positioned over the exit;
A pair of spiral blades formed on the rotating shaft and having winding directions opposite to each other, and the toner discharge port has one side edge and the other side edge opposed to the rotating shaft at an axial interval. In the toner cartridge, above the toner outlet, one of the spiral blades extends from the one side edge of the toner outlet to the other side edge, and the other of the spiral blades is the other side. A toner cartridge extending from an edge toward the one side edge.

In the present invention, one of the spiral blades extends from one side edge of the discharge port to the other side edge above the discharge port of the powder such as toner, and the other of the spiral blades is the other side edge. From one side edge. That is, since one and the other of the spiral blades are present above the discharge port in addition to the rotary shaft, the amount of powder falling immediately after the start of rotation of the transfer mechanism is the same as that of the conventional rotary shaft and discharge blade above the discharge port. Does not become too small as in the case where the rotating shaft is present, and does not become too large as in the conventional case where only the rotating shaft exists above the discharge port. As a result, an appropriate amount of powder is dropped immediately after the start of rotation of the transfer mechanism, and constant supply of powder is constantly and stably performed.

Preferably, the one and the other of the spiral blades each extend to one third of the distance between the one side edge and the other side edge. Of course, an embodiment is also achieved in which one and the other of the spiral blades respectively extend at least ３ or の of the distance between the one side edge and the other side edge.

Each of the spiral blades has substantially the same outer diameter D and pitch P as each other, and the discharge port further has one end edge and an opposite edge spaced at a distance W in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction. A second edge, wherein the distance between the one side edge and the other side edge is L
Then, it is preferable that W = 0.95D to 1.05DL and L = 0.95P to 1.05P.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of a toner cartridge constructed according to the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4, the illustrated toner cartridge includes a container indicated by reference numeral 2 as a whole, and the container 2 includes a main member 4 and a lid member 6. . The main member 4, which can be formed from an appropriate synthetic resin, has a box shape with an open upper surface. As can be clearly understood with reference to FIG. 3, the bottom wall of the main member 4 consists of two parts 8 and 10 arranged side by side in a cross-sectional view. The part 8 on one side is defined by a relatively small arc-shaped part. And the other part 10
Is defined by a straight central portion extending substantially horizontally and arcuate portions located on both sides thereof. Similarly, the lid member 6, which can be formed of an appropriate synthetic resin, has a flat plate shape, and on its lower surface, a ridge 12 having a shape corresponding to the rectangular opening formed on the upper surface of the main member 4 is formed. I have.
The lid member 6 is positioned on the upper surface of the main member 4 by projecting the ridge 12 into the main member 4, and is fixed to the main member 4 by an appropriate manner such as ultrasonic welding, and the upper surface of the main member 4 is fixed. close.

A substantially rectangular mouth-and-neck portion 14 protruding downward is formed in the arc-shaped portion 8 on the bottom wall, and a toner discharge port 16 is formed in the mouth-and-neck portion 14. The toner discharge port 16 has a substantially rectangular shape, and has one side edge and the other side edge facing each other at an interval L in the axial direction of a rotating shaft 44 of the transfer device 42, which will be described later, and an interval W in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction. And one end edge and the other end edge facing each other. Toner outlet 16
As shown in FIG. 4, the upper end is opened on the upper surface of the arc-shaped portion 8, and the lower end is opened on the horizontal lower surface of the mouth-neck portion 14. A shutter member 18 is slidably attached to the mouth and neck portion 14 between a closed position for closing the toner outlet 16 and an open position for releasing the toner outlet 16. Shutter member 1
Since the configuration of 8 itself may be in a well-known form, a detailed description thereof will be omitted in this specification.

The main member 4 of the container 2 has both side walls 20 and 22, and one side wall 20 is formed with two projections 24 and 26, inside the projections 24 and 26. Blind holes 28 and 30 are defined. Such blind hole 2
Reference numerals 8 and 30 each have a truncated cone shape whose inner diameter gradually increases inward. The other side wall 22 has the blind holes 28 and 30.
The through holes 32 and 34 are formed in correspondence with the above.
The blind hole 28 and the through hole 32 are formed in the arc-shaped portion 8 in the bottom wall.
Are located on the center line of curvature. On the other hand, blind hole 3
The zero and the through hole 34 are positioned on an axis passing through substantially the center of the space above the one side portion 10 in the bottom wall. The side wall 20 is also formed with a relatively large circular opening 36 (FIG. 2). A required amount of toner 38 (FIG. 3) is charged into the container 2 through the opening 36. After filling the container 38 with the toner 38, the closing member 40 is fixed to the side wall 20 by welding or bonding, and the opening 36 is closed.

Continuing the description with reference to FIGS.
In the container 2, a toner transfer device 42 located above the arc-shaped portion 8 of the bottom wall is provided. The transfer device 42 includes a toner transfer mechanism.
It has. As shown in FIG. 1, one end 46 of the rotating shaft 44 is formed in a substantially spherical shape, and its diameter is set to a size between the minimum inner diameter and the maximum inner diameter of the blind hole 28. A circular flange 48 is provided near the other end of the rotating shaft 44.
An annular seal member 50 is mounted on the rotating shaft 44 outside the circular flange 48. The sealing member 50 can be formed from a flexible sponge. Such a rotating shaft 44 allows the substantially spherical end 46 to be inserted into the blind hole 28 formed in the side wall 20 of the container 2 as shown in FIG. Is inserted into a through hole 32 formed in the side wall 22 of the container 2 to be rotatably mounted between the side walls 20 and 22. In such a mounted state, the rotation shaft 44 is positioned so as to pass above the toner discharge port 16.

As will be readily understood by reference to FIG. 1, some manufacturing errors exist because the blind hole 28 is frusto-conical and one end 46 of the rotating shaft 44 is substantially spherical. However, the outer peripheral surface of one end 46 of the rotating shaft 44 and the blind hole 2
The inner peripheral surface of the rotary shaft 8 is in line contact with the inner peripheral surface of the rotary shaft 44, not in surface contact. Therefore, the rotational resistance caused by the frictional contact between the blind hole 28 and the one end 46 of the rotary shaft 44 does not become excessive. Rotating shaft 44
Is inserted through the through hole 32, the circular flange 48 is positioned close to the inner surface of the side wall 22,
The seal member 50 is somewhat compressed between the circular flange 48 and the side wall 22, and the presence of the seal member 50 prevents the toner 38 from leaking out of the container through the through hole 32.

The other end of the rotating shaft 44 penetrates the side wall 22 and protrudes to the outside, and the protruding end has an input gear (not shown).
Is attached. The input gear is connected to an electric motor (not shown) via a transmission gear train (not shown) when the toner cartridge is mounted at a required position of a developing device (not shown). When the motor is energized, the rotating shaft 44 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. As understood by referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the transfer mechanism further includes a pair of spiral blades 54 and 56 formed on the rotating shaft 44. The spiral direction of the spiral blade 54 and the spiral direction of the spiral blade 56 are reversed. The spiral blade 54 extends from the side wall 20 to the toner outlet 16, and further extends from one side edge of the toner outlet 16 toward the other side edge. The spiral blade 56 extends from the side wall 22 to the toner outlet 16, and further extends from the other side edge of the toner outlet 16 toward one side edge. The spiral blade 54 extends 1 / 3L from one side edge of the toner discharge port 16, and the spiral blade 56 extends 1 / 3L from the other side edge of the toner discharge port 16. Therefore, a spiral blade 54 is provided in a range of a length of 1 / 3L located between the one side edge and the other side edge above the toner discharge port 16.
And 56 do not exist, only the rotating shaft 44 exists.

Each of the spiral blades 54 and 56 has substantially the same outer diameter D and pitch P as one another. The distance W between the one end and the other end of the toner discharge port 16 and the spiral blade 54
And the relationship with the outer diameter D in 56 is defined as W = 0.96D. This W is W = 0.95D-1.0
It is preferable to be defined in the range of 5D.

The distance L between one side edge and the other side edge of the toner discharge port 16 and the pitch P of the spiral blades 54 and 56
Is defined as L = P. This L is L = 0.95P-1.0
It is preferable to be specified in the range of 5P.

When the rotating shaft 44 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 3, the spiral blade 54 transfers the toner 38 toward the toner discharge port 16 to the right in FIGS. 1 is transported leftward in FIG. 1 and FIG. The toner 38 transferred above the toner outlet 16 is dropped from the container 2 through the toner outlet 16, and thus the toner 38 is supplied from the toner cartridge to a developing device (not shown).

In the above embodiment, the toner outlet 1
6, the spiral blade 54 extends 1 / 3L in length from one side edge of the toner discharge port 16 to the other side edge, and the spiral blade 56 extends 1 / L from the other side edge to one side edge. 3L is extended. Due to this configuration, the amount of toner 38 falling immediately after the start of rotation of the transfer mechanism does not become too small unlike the conventional case in which the rotating shaft and the discharge blade exist above the toner discharge port 16, and It does not become too large as in the conventional case where only the rotation shaft exists above the toner discharge port 16. As a result, an appropriate amount of the toner 38 is dropped immediately after the rotation of the transfer mechanism starts, and the toner 38
Is constantly and stably performed. In other words, the time required for the amount of the toner 38 to be dropped to stabilize is remarkably reduced, and the possibility that the toner is temporarily insufficient in the developing device is reliably avoided. The spiral blades 54 and 5
6 also extends to one-third or one-half or Ｌ L or more from one side edge and the other side edge of the toner outlet 16. Also in this configuration, an effect superior to the above-described conventional transfer device is achieved.

The relationship between the distance W of the toner discharge port 16 and the outer diameter D of the spiral blades 54 and 56 is expressed as W = 0.96.
D, the distance L of the toner discharge port 16 and the spiral blade 54
Setting the relationship with the pitch P in L and P to L = P contributes to achieving the above effect. Note that W
= 0.95D to 1.05D, L = 0.95P to 1.05
P is a preferable range for achieving the above effects.

The rotary shaft 44, the flange 48, and the spiral blades 54 and 56 of the toner transfer device 42 are preferably formed integrally from a suitable synthetic resin. As a result, one end of the rotating shaft 44 is inserted into the blind hole 28 and the other end is inserted into the through hole 3.
The elastic deformation at the time of the assembling work for inserting the second through-hole 2 becomes relatively easy, and therefore the above assembling work becomes easy.

In the vessel 2, there is further provided a stirrer 58 located above the other side portion 10 of the bottom wall.
Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, the stirrer 58 includes a rotating shaft 60. One end 62 of the rotating shaft 60 is also substantially spherical, like the one end of the rotating shaft 44 of the transfer device 42, and has a diameter between the minimum inner diameter and the maximum inner diameter of the blind hole 30. Dimensions are set. A circular flange 64 is formed near the other end of the rotary shaft 60, and the rotary shaft 6 is provided outside the circular flange 64.
0 is provided with an annular seal member 66. The sealing member 66 can be formed from a flexible sponge or synthetic rubber. Such a rotating shaft 60 is also provided in the transfer device 42.
As in the case of the rotating shaft 44 of FIG.
By inserting the other end into a through hole 34 formed in the side wall 22 of the container 2 by inserting it into a blind hole 30 formed in the side wall 20 of the It is mounted rotatably between 22.

Similar to the relationship between the one end 46 of the rotating shaft 44 and the blind hole 28 shown in FIG. 1, the blind hole 30 has a truncated cone shape and the one end 62 of the rotating shaft 60 has a substantially spherical shape. Even if there is some manufacturing error, the outer peripheral surface of the one end portion 62 of the rotating shaft 60 and the inner peripheral surface of the blind hole 30 are brought into line contact, not surface contact, so that the blind hole 30 and the rotating shaft 60 are Rotational resistance due to frictional contact with the one end 62 does not become excessive.
When the other end of the rotating shaft 60 is inserted through the through hole 34, the circular flange 64 is positioned close to the inner surface of the side wall 22, and the sealing member 66 is slightly compressed between the circular flange 64 and the side wall 22. The presence of the sealing member 66 prevents the toner 38 from leaking out of the container through the through hole 34. The other end of the rotating shaft 60 is the side wall 22
And an input gear (not shown) is attached to the protruding end. The input gear is engaged with a gear (not shown) mounted on the projecting end of the rotating shaft 44 of the transfer device 42 via another gear (not shown), and the electric motor is energized. When the rotation shaft 44 of the transfer device 42 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 3, the rotation shaft 60 of the agitator 58 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG.

On the rotating shaft 60 of the stirrer 58, 20 arms 68 are arranged at equal intervals in the axial direction.
Each arm 68 extends radially from the outer peripheral surface of the rotating shaft 60, while one arm 68 extends radially from the outer peripheral edge of the circular flange 64 formed on the rotating shaft 60. A paddle 70 is disposed between the distal ends of each pair of arms 68 which are arranged at the same angular position and are adjacent in the axial direction. Each pair of the arms 68 is disposed at predetermined angular positions at intervals in the circumferential direction of the rotary shaft 60 as a whole. As a result, each of the paddles 70 is not located at the same angular position but at ten different angular positions spaced at 36 degrees.

The distance from the center axis of the rotating shaft 60 to the tip of each of the arms 68 is substantially the same. Each of the paddles 70 extends substantially parallel to the axis of rotation 60, and the length of each of the paddles 70 is substantially the same. The distance between each of the paddles 70 and the rotation shaft 60 is substantially the same. The cross-sectional shape of each of the paddles 70 is semicircular. Rotary shaft 60 of stirrer 58, flange 64, arm 6
Preferably, each of the paddles 8 and each of the paddles 70 are integrally formed of an appropriate synthetic resin. Thereby, elastic deformation at the time of assembling such that one end of the rotating shaft 60 is inserted into the blind hole 30 and the other end is inserted through the through hole 34 becomes relatively easy, and thus the above assembling work becomes easy.

In the stirrer 58, a plate-like piece 90 is disposed on each of the paddles 70. Such a plate-like piece 90
Are formed from a suitable synthetic resin film such as a polyethylene terephthalate film. Plate 9
Each of the zeros extends from a base secured to each flat surface of the paddle 70 in an appropriate manner, such as by gluing, in a direction away from the axis of rotation 60, parallel to each flat surface of the paddle 70. A main portion of each of the plate-shaped pieces 90, that is, a portion extending from a base fixed to each of the paddles 70;
Of the paddle 70 is substantially the same as the length of the paddle 70, but a pair of protrusions protruding from both sides are formed at each end. The length of the projection is set to be somewhat larger than the thickness of each of the arms 68 supporting each of the paddles 70. Each of the plate-like pieces 90 is formed with two substantially rectangular holes 100. Each of the holes 100 is a plate-like piece 9.
0 are formed at intervals in the width direction (the axial direction of the rotating shaft 60).

When the stirrer 58 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 3, each of the paddles 70 agitates the toner 38, particularly with their flat surfaces acting on the toner 38 contained in the container 2. And also part 10 of the bottom wall
Is transferred above the arc-shaped portion 8, that is, to the portion where the transfer device 42 is provided. That is, since the cross section of each of the paddles 70 has a semicircular shape, each flat surface acts on the toner 38, so that the stirring function and the transfer function are compared with those having a circular cross section. It can be further improved. Each of the plate-like pieces 90 provided on each of the paddles 70 rubs the inner surface of the portion 10 and the inner surface of the rear wall (the wall located at the left end in FIG. 3) on the bottom wall of the container 2. Toner 3 on the inside
8 is prevented from staying. The trajectories drawn by the protruding portions formed at the tips of the adjacent plate-like pieces 90 overlap each other, so that each of the plate-like pieces 90 is continuously formed on the inner surface of the container 2 in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 60. Works.

Since two holes 100 are formed in each of the plate-shaped pieces 90, when each of the plate-shaped pieces 90 rotates as described above, the toner 38 passes through the holes 100, so that the conventional structure is used. The required maximum rotation torque is considerably reduced as compared with the agitator described above. Furthermore, each hole 100 of the plate-like piece 90
Has a function of loosening the bulk toner 38 by allowing the toner 38 to pass through, so that the stirring ability of each of the plate-like pieces 90 can be improved.

The illustrated rotary shaft 60, each of the arms 68, each of the paddles 70, and a plate-like piece 90 having two holes 100.
Does not constitute a novel feature of the present invention, and details thereof are described in another application (Title of Invention: Stirrer and Cartridge with reference number P
Since it is described in detail in the specification and the drawings of 51-00222A), the description is left to those specifications and drawings and is omitted in the present specification and drawings.

The preferred embodiment of the toner cartridge constructed according to the present invention has been described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment, and departs from the scope of the present invention. It should be understood that various changes and modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, although the embodiment of the toner cartridge has been described in detail, the transfer device of the present invention not only transfers the toner in the toner cartridge but also transfers the powder in an apparatus that handles powder other than the toner and the developer. Can also be applied.

[0036]

According to the transfer device and the toner cartridge of the present invention, a constant amount of powder such as toner can always be stably performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an axial sectional view showing a preferred embodiment of a toner cartridge constructed according to the present invention, omitting toner contained in a container.

FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating the toner cartridge illustrated in FIG. 1 without an upper lid of a container and toner stored in the container.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of a toner discharge port in FIG. 3;

[Explanation of symbols]

 2: Container 16: Toner outlet 38: Toner 42: Toner transfer device 44: Rotating shafts 54 and 56 Spiral blade 58: Stirrer

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A container containing powder and having a bottom wall and both side walls, an outlet for the powder formed on the bottom wall, and a powder present in the container facing the outlet. A transfer mechanism for transferring, the transfer mechanism being rotatably supported between the side walls and positioned above the outlet, and a rotating shaft formed on the rotating shaft and having a winding direction mutually. A transfer device having a pair of spiral blades that are opposite, the discharge port having one side edge and the other side edge that are opposed to the rotating shaft at an axial distance, and above the discharge port. One of the spiral blades extends from the one side edge of the discharge port toward the other side edge, and the other of the spiral blades extends from the other side edge toward the one side edge. A transfer device. 2. The transfer device of claim 1, wherein said one and said other of said spiral blades each extend to one-third of the distance between said one side edge and said other side edge. 3. Each of the spiral blades has substantially the same outer diameter D and pitch P as one another, and the discharge port further has one end facing at a distance W in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction. When the distance between the one side edge and the other side edge is L, the distance is defined as W = 0.95D to 1.05D L = 0.95P to 1.05P The transfer device of claim 1, wherein 4. A container for storing toner and having a bottom wall and both side walls, a toner outlet formed in the bottom wall, and a transfer for transferring toner present in the container toward the toner outlet. And a transfer mechanism comprising:
A rotating shaft rotatably supported between the side walls and positioned above the toner discharge port, and a pair of spiral blades formed on the rotating shaft and having winding directions opposite to each other, A toner cartridge having one side edge and the other side edge opposed to the rotating shaft at an axial distance, wherein one of the spiral blades is provided above the toner outlet; The toner cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the one side edge of the discharge port extends toward the other side edge, and the other of the spiral blades extends from the other side edge toward the one side edge. 5. The toner cartridge according to claim 4, wherein said one of said spiral blades and said other of said spiral blades respectively extend to one third of a distance between said one side edge and said other side edge. 6. Each of the spiral blades has substantially the same outer diameter D and pitch P, and the toner outlet further comprises:
If one end edge and the other end edge are opposed to each other at a distance W in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction, and the distance between the one side edge and the other side edge is L, W = 0.95D ~ The toner cartridge according to claim 4, wherein 1.05DL = 0.95P to 1.05P.