JPH10207208A - Tone and developer mixing container - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To attain the supply of toner/developing and the recovery of the developer with a common member and to improve to mixing property of supplied toner and circulated developer by providing a developer stirring means in a rotational space formed in a rotary member. SOLUTION: The toner or developer discharged from an opening drops in the rotational space and is moved upward and toward a toner/developer carrying device along the slope of a supplying part, while receiving a stirring action by a stirring part piece 38, in the developer supplying part 35, by the rotation of a rotary main body 13 and then, fed onto a rotationally driven second carrying screw through holes provided on the upper side of each sidewall. At this time, apart of the toner or developer drawn by the developer supplying part 35 is retained in the rotational space, without being discharged from an outlet. Thus, residual toner or developer is mixed with flash toner/developer newly supplied into the rotational space from a powder container and the circulated developer flowing in through an inlet, so that the mixing property is improved.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as an analog / digital copying machine, a facsimile, and a printer.
More particularly, the present invention relates to a mixing container that constitutes a toner / developer supply device attached to a developing device in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus that forms an image using a two-component developer including a carrier and a toner. The supply device can automatically perform toner replenishment accompanying toner consumption and replacement of a carrier that deteriorates with time.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a bottle for supplying toner to a developing device, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. -20705 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 159969/1995 are known. In the configurations disclosed in these publications, the toner contained inside is discharged in a horizontal installation state by the action of the rotation of a spiral fin (projection) provided inside the bottle container. However, these bottles are used only for supplying toner and have no other use.

In a two-component developing apparatus, in addition to toner replenishment to make up for consumption, supply of a developer containing a new carrier and replacement of a used developer containing a deteriorated carrier for replacement of a deteriorated carrier. Recovery is required. In particular, as for the replacement of the developer, in order to suppress the fluctuation of the image quality, the replacement of the entire amount for each life, instead of the replacement for the entire amount, is becoming mainstream. Regarding toner replenishment and developer replacement, for example, JP-A-4-29271 discloses a developer supply / discharge mechanism including a unit for discharging a part of a used developer and a unit for supplying a new developer. In this mechanism, the used developer is collected after supplying the new developer to the container containing the new developer. However, according to the technology disclosed in this publication, a serviceman simply re-attaches an empty container to a collection position different from the supply position, and therefore, the container is automatically added to the container after the developer is supplied at the supply position. However, it is not necessary to collect the used developer, and it is necessary to mount two containers in the apparatus, resulting in an increase in the size of the apparatus.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-6978 discloses a toner storage container in which a replenishing container portion and a collecting container portion have an integral structure and are detachably mountable to a developing device. In this container, the toner is collected in the separated collecting agent storage section. Therefore, a separate wasteful space called a collecting section is required for the toner supply container, and the size of the device to be mounted is increased, and the stock space is increased. It also requires useless space.

[0005] Therefore, without increasing the size of the device,
Moreover, without bothering service personnel and users,
It is required to automatically collect the used developer that has deteriorated. From the viewpoint of effective use of space, it is desirable to collect the deteriorated used developer into the toner container for storing the replenished toner after use (after replenishment). For example, in the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-159768, a spiral fin is provided internally,
In the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 705, furthermore, a part of the inner surface of the shoulder of the container has a shape protruding from the inner surface of the shoulder having a diameter larger than the diameter of the opening to the edge of the opening. The means also causes a decrease in performance with respect to developer collection. As a result, it may happen that the collection amount scheduled to be collected cannot be collected.

The applicant of the present application has previously described a cylindrical container which is concentric with the container and which is fitted into the central space of a container having an annular portion, which is made up of two storage containers, and which is concentric on the same side of each container. (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei. 8-18503) has been proposed.
No. 3). Further, in order to effectively use this integrated bottle, the inventors have further proposed a toner supply and developer supply / recovery mechanism disposed between the integrated bottle and the developing device (Japanese Patent Application No. 7-107). 262984). This is provided with a supply unit that sends out the toner / developer discharged from the bottle to the developing unit by a rotation operation, and a recovery unit that lifts up the developer sent from the development unit by a rotation operation. A rotating member having a space defined by the peripheral wall and having a bottom portion that becomes shallower toward the downstream side in the supply rotation direction and a scooping portion capable of rotatably transporting the developer during the recovery rotation; A flat plate portion that can form a supply space by rubbing against each upper edge of the peripheral wall, and a toner / a lid / side plate having a supply hole through which toner / developer is carried in and out with the rotation of the turning member and a recovery hole. This is a developer supply device.

However, when toner / developer is supplied by using the bottle and the replenishing device as described above, the toner / developer discharged from the bottle is lifted by the rotation of the turning member and is supplied to the developing section. As such, we cannot expect much about the mixing action. In particular, when the developer is directly returned from the developing unit to the toner / developer replenishing device and circulated, the mixing of the toner / developer is considered in the developing unit, and the density unevenness may not be eliminated. .

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, according to the present invention, the toner / developer supply and the developer recovery can be carried out in a common member, and the mixing property between the replenishment toner and the circulating developer can be positively enhanced. It is an object to provide a mixed container for toner / developer that can be obtained.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, there is provided a space defined by a peripheral side wall and an inner peripheral wall, the space having a bottom portion which becomes shallower toward the downstream side in the supply rotation direction, and a developer which is used during the recovery rotation. Member having an enclosing portion capable of rotationally transferring the rotating member, a flat plate portion capable of forming a closed space by rubbing each upper edge end of a peripheral side wall and an inner peripheral wall of the rotating member, and rotation of the rotating member. In the mixing container for toner / developer, which is composed of a lid side plate having an outflow hole for carrying in / out the toner / developer and an inflow hole, a developer agitating means is provided in a turning space formed in the turning member. Can be solved.

[0010] It is effective if the developer stirring means is arranged in a staggered positional relationship within the turning space. It is more effective if the developer stirring means fixed to the revolving member is flexible and has a length whose tip can rub the flat plate surface of the lid side plate.

It is preferable that the developer stirring means also serves as a developer pumping means when the developer is collected. Further, it is more preferable that the developer pumping means has a shape capable of sending out the developer pumped toward the center of rotation when the rotating member is recovered and rotated.

[0012]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The details of the present invention will be described based on the illustrated embodiment. FIG. 1 shows a developing device 2 equipped with a toner / developer replenishing device 1. As is well known, a latent image on a photoconductor (not shown) is visualized using a developing roller or the like (not shown) in the developing device 2. The toner / developer replenishing device 1 includes a powder container 3 for storing toner and a two-component developer including toner and carrier, a toner and a developer discharged from the container to the developing device 2, and a developing device 2. And a toner / developer conveying device 4 that circulates the developer derived from the toner.

As shown, the toner / developer conveying device 4 includes a first conveying screw 21 and a second conveying screw 22.
Is contained in a case, and the developer sent from the developing device 2 by the first transport screw 21 is delivered to the second transport screw 22 by a delivery member on the near side in the drawing, and is transferred by the second transport screw 22. It is returned to the developing device 2. In some cases, the developer circulation system may be formed only by the developing device 2 and the powder container 3 without the toner / developer conveying device 4 interposed therebetween. At least a part of the developer transferred from the first transport screw 21 to the second transport screw 22 is removed from a drop space 24 formed below the second transport screw 22 as shown on the right side of FIG. It is fed into the powder container 3 through the case shutter 5 and the shutter 6 for the container 3 through the hole 25 provided on the lower side of the side wall of the case 23 for the transport screw, and is again sent from the container 3 to the case 23. Is returned to the circulation system from a hole 26 provided on the upper side of the side wall.

The structure of the detachable powder container 3 for storing the new toner / new developer is as follows. Although the container 3 is apparently a single container, in actuality, the first powder container 9, the second powder container 10, and the mixing container 11 are integrally connected as shown on the left side of FIG. Further, a shutter 6 is attached to a common end face side for supplying toner and developer. The second powder container 10 has the shape of an annular cylinder, and the first powder container 9 concentric with the container is fitted to the first powder container 9. In other words, the first powder container 9 has a protrusion inserted into the center space of the second powder container 10, and the fitting is realized between the protrusion and the center space of the second powder container. At least one of these containers is provided with a spiral projection on the inner peripheral surface (not shown, see FIG. 1), and the powder (new toner) accommodated by the action of the spiral projection in response to rotation in a predetermined direction. Or a new developer). When the spiral projections are provided on both containers, the inclination of each spiral may be opposite to each other or may be inclined in the same direction. If they are inclined in the same direction, the new toner and the new developer will be discharged simultaneously by the rotation of the powder container in one direction.

Each opening of the first powder container 9 and the second powder container 10 is opened and closed by a closing stopper 40. In order to provide a difference in the opening / closing timing of each opening, the depth of the lid portion may be made different as shown in the figure. In the present embodiment, the new toner is stored in the first powder container 9 and the new developer is stored in the second powder container 10. It is also possible to accommodate.

The closure plug 40 is initially connected to the first powder container 9 and the second powder container 9.
Each end opening of the powder container 10 is closed to prevent leakage of the developer and toner, and at the time of supply / recovery, a predetermined amount is opened by a chuck device (not shown) so as to open each opening as shown. Drawn out. The closing of the first powder container 9 is performed at the central plug portion, and the closing of the second powder container 10 is performed at the outer peripheral plug portion. The central plug portion includes a conical surface protruding toward the container and a plurality of blades (not shown) evenly arranged on the conical surface. The conical surface has an angle of repose greater than the angle of repose of the developer, for example, at least 20 degrees. As a result, the dropped developer is collected in the container by natural force. The conical surface and the blade portion function effectively when collecting the deteriorated developer, and the developer falling from above is reliably picked up by the blade portion, and slides on the conical surface to the first powder container. Will be collected.

Toner discharged from the powder containers 9 and 10,
The mixing container 11 for mixing the developer with the circulating developer includes:
It comprises a turning main body 13 forming a developer turning space 15 and a lid side plate 14. The lid side plate 14 is rotatably fitted to the turning body 13 and serves as one end surface of the developer turning space 15, as shown in FIG. 3, from the turning body 13 side (that is, the left front side in FIG. 3). Plate portion 2 having holes 16, 17 and a central opening located in the second and fourth quadrants as viewed
8, a cylindrical portion 29 surrounding the same, and a supply support blade 30 and a recovery support blade 31 projecting from the flat plate portion 28 toward the turning main body so as to surround the central opening of the flat plate portion. By positioning the outflow hole 16 and the inflow hole 17 in the second and fourth quadrants instead of the vertical position, the end of the transport screw 22 can be located at a location with excellent space efficiency.

The turning body 13 has a cylindrical shape having a relatively large central opening as shown in FIG. A gear 34 for transmitting a rotational drive from a drive unit (not shown) is attached to the outer peripheral side wall. When returning the developer to the circulation system, the developer rotates in the direction of arrow A, for example. Further, on the inner surface of the turning main body 13, a developer supply unit 35 for sending out the toner or the developer to the toner / developer conveying device, and a developer collection unit 36 for returning the collected developer to the inside of the container are formed. . At least one pair of the developer supply unit 35 and the developer collection unit 36 is provided (two pairs in the illustrated example). The developer supply section 35 is defined by an inner peripheral wall of the outer peripheral side wall of the turning main body 13 and an inner peripheral wall that rubs the outer side of the support blade 30 of the lid side plate 14. The downstream side is higher than the upstream side in the case of), and forms a slope. The bottom surface of the developer collecting section 36 is a flat surface having the same height as the upstream end of the developer supply section, and an enclosure 37 is formed by an extension of the inner wall of the developer supply section. The developer is transported during the rotation (rotation in the B direction).

Although not shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, a developer agitating means is provided on the inclined or flat bottom surface of the developer supply section 35 and / or the developer recovery section 36 of the turning main body 13. This is shown in cross section in FIG. That is, the developer agitating section 38 protrudes from the bottom surfaces of the developer supply section 35 and the developer recovery section 36 toward the lid side plate 14. This is formed, for example, in a columnar shape, and when viewed in plan, it is as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 7, the developer stirring portion may be a blade-shaped (flat strip-shaped) piece 38 ', and a cross section U having an open side on which the developer is to be pumped at the time of collection. If at least a part 38 ″ having the shape is provided, the supplied toner / developer is separated in the U shape at the time of supply, and a space is formed on the opening side, so that the toner agitated in the space is provided. / The developer flows in, and the stirring effect is improved. Further, at the time of collection, the toner / developer can be pumped up, and the developer can be more efficiently collected in the container 3 via the closure plug 40. As can be seen from FIG. 7, the U-section of the stir piece 38 '' is used to shake the developer onto the closure while pumping the developer.
It is preferable that the side closer to the rotation center is formed short. In order to achieve the same effect, it is advantageous that the flat strip 38 'is also provided on the bottom surface at an angle. The turning body 13
A tilt stirring portion 39 as shown in FIG. The inclination is provided so as to assist in pumping up the developer during the recovery rotation of the turning main body 13 and assist in discharging the toner / developer to the center range during the supply rotation to discharge from the hole 16 in the lid side plate. ing.

In the examples shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the stirring portions are regularly distributed on the bottom surfaces of the developer supply portion 35 and the developer recovery portion 36, but are arranged in an irregular layout (not shown). However, the developer / toner may be brought into irregular contact with the stirring portion to improve the stirring performance. Further, in FIG. 6, the developer stirring section 38 provided in the developer supply section 35
Although they are arranged on the same circumference in a row, they may be arranged so as to be staggered, for example, so that the toner / developer is easily stirred when the turning body 13 rotates in the direction A. Further, the stirring member is made of a flexible material such as rubber, for example.
When the stirrer has a length such that the tip of the stirring portion abuts the flat plate portion 28 of the lid side plate when the is combined with the lid side plate 14, the toner / developer adhered to the flat plate portion can be scraped off. In addition, the density of the toner / developer in the developer turning space 15 causes irregular movement of the agitating piece, thereby improving the agitation / mixing properties.

FIG. 8 shows the appearance of the powder container 3 to which the shutter 6 is attached. The shutter 6 has a projection 41 and a recess 42 for engaging with the case shutter. Both the projection and the depression may be provided as shown in the figure, but only one of them may be formed in accordance with the cutout or the projection on the case side.
Holes 44 and 45 corresponding to the holes in the lid side plate are formed in the shutter flat portion. The container is set in the apparatus main body, and the protrusion 41 and the peripheral notch (not shown) of the case shutter, and the recess 42 and the case shutter protrusion (not shown) engage with each other to rotate the shutter. The positions of the holes are shifted, and the holes 16 and 17 of the lid side plate are opened.
6 and 17 communicate with holes 26 and 25, respectively. that time,
With the rotation of the shutter, the position of the guide (not shown) also moves, engaging with the tip of the plug 40, and pulling out the plug from the container.

When the lid side plate 14 and the turning main body 13 are fitted, the flat plate portion 28 of the lid side plate 14, the bottom surfaces of the supply portion and the collecting portion of the turning main body 13, the peripheral side wall and the inner peripheral wall of the turning main body 13, and the lid side plate By 14 support blades 30 and 31,
A developer turning space 15 is defined. When the rotating main body 13 rotates, the lid side plate 14 prevents the developer from entering.
The first seal member 48 is mounted between the turning body 13 and the turning body 13 (FIG. 2). The seal member 48 is a rubber-based V-ring, G-seal, or an alternative thereof, for example, a sponge. The turning body 1 is used for holding and sealing when the powder container 3 is set in the toner / developer supply device.
The second seal member 49 is also attached to the inner peripheral edge of the third member 3, and the third seal member 50 is also attached between the lid 40 and the lid side plate 14.

A series of operations in this embodiment will be described below. For example, if it is determined that there is no toner in the powder container 3 even though the toner concentration of the developing device 2 has decreased and toner replenishment has become necessary, the user
Prompt for replacement. When a new container 3 is installed, the stopper 40 is opened as described above. Upon opening the stopper 40, the drive unit (not shown) drives the turning body 13 via the gear 34 to rotate in the direction A. At the same time, the powder container 3 has the same A
, And discharges the toner from the first powder container 9 to the turning space 15. Depending on the spiral state (inclination) of the spiral projection attached to the inner peripheral surface of the first powder container 9, the toner may be discharged by rotating in the B direction. The drive of the powder container may be performed by an independent drive unit,
The turning body may be driven via a transmission mechanism. If the inclination of the spiral projection attached to the inner peripheral surface of the second powder container 10 is the same as that of the first powder container 9, the developer is supplied simultaneously with toner supply. Become. If the spiral projection is in the opposite direction, the developer can be discharged to the turning space 15 by rotating in the opposite direction to the case of toner supply.

The toner or the developer discharged from the opening falls into the turning space 15 and is rotated upward in the developer supply section 35 by the stirring section 38 by the rotation of the turning body 13 in the A direction. Is moved in a direction approaching the toner / developer conveying device 4 along the slope of the supply unit,
Eventually, holes 16, 44, 26 provided on the upper side of each side wall
And is sent out onto the second transport screw 22 which is driven to rotate via. At this time, a part of the toner or the developer pumped up by the developer supply unit 35 is not discharged from the outflow hole 16 but stays in the turning space 15. As a result, the residual toner or the developer is mixed with the new toner / developer newly supplied from the powder container 3 to the turning space 15 and / or the circulating developer flowing from the inflow hole 17, and the mixing property is improved. Increase. In particular, when the toner or the developer to be pumped next is already prepared in the turning space 15 as in the case where only one pair of the developer supply unit 35 and the developer recovery unit 36 is provided, the residual toner or the developer is used. The free fall of the developer results, and the mixing property between the toner and the developer is further improved. This is because the developer has a higher specific gravity than the toner,
This is because, when the developer is poured from above the toner, the developer sinks into the toner group by interposing between the toners and is mixed with the toner. Then, when it rises again, it is further mixed by receiving the stirring and mixing action of the stirring part 38.

When the toner or the developer is rotated and transported by the developer supply section 35 in the turning space, the toner or the developer is transported in the space defined by the inclined bottom portion, the peripheral side wall, and the inner peripheral side wall. Therefore, it is possible to omit the supply support blade 30 that rubs against the inner peripheral side wall. The second transport screw 22 and the first transport screw 21
When the powder container 3 is driven to rotate, the developer is circulated and conveyed from the developing device 2 at least since the powder container 3 starts to be driven at the same time. In the above, the toner and the developer mixed by the above method are further mixed by the time the toner reaches the developing device 2, and the unevenness of the toner density in the developing device 2 can be minimized.

After supplying a predetermined amount of toner, the rotation of the powder container 3 is stopped. At this time, the turning body 13 and the first
The transport screw 21 and the second transport screw 22 may stop driving, or may be kept driven. First transport screw 21 and second transport screw 2
When the developing device 2 constitutes a part of the developing device 2, it is preferable that the developing device 2 is always driven from the viewpoint of stirring the developer in the developing device 2. In addition, the case shutter 5 is rotated to rotate the case 2
The third holes 25 and 26 may be closed, and only the first transport screw 21 and the second transport screw 22 may be driven.

When all the new toner is discharged from the first powder container 9, the empty powder container 9 is used as a collection container for the deteriorated developer. In the case of collecting the deteriorated developer, the first transport screw 21 and the second transport screw 22 are driven in the same manner as in the case of supplying the toner or the developer, and the turning main body 13 is rotated in the reverse direction in the case of supplying the toner or the developer. In the direction B. The closure is located at a predetermined withdrawal position. The developer is collected at a time when toner replenishment becomes necessary due to a decrease in toner concentration by a magnetic toner concentration sensor, an optical toner concentration sensor, a sensor for sensing the toner concentration on the photoconductor, or the like in the developing device 2. It is reasonable to match with. Various sensors determine a decrease in toner concentration, and when there is no more toner in the first powder container 9, a developer collection mode is set.

The deteriorated developer sent out from the developing device 2 passes through holes 25, 45, and 17 provided below the side wall of the case 23 and the like from a drop space 24 formed below the second transport screw 22. Rotating space 15
Get into it. The developer that has entered the turning space 15 accumulates in a space surrounded by the peripheral side wall of the turning main body 13 and the collecting support blade 31, and is lifted upward by the surrounding portion 37 of the developer collecting portion 36 or the U-shaped stirring member 38 ″. Then, it falls at a position where the recovery support blade 31 is interrupted, is picked up by the blade portion of the stopper 40, slides on a conical surface, and is recovered into the first powder container 9. At this time, when the first powder container 9 is rotated in a direction opposite to the direction at the time of toner replenishment, the collected developer is taken into the back of the container by the action of the inner peripheral spiral projection. Recovered when the amount of the deteriorated developer collected in the turning space 15 and the first powder container 9 becomes equal to the amount of the new developer supplied to the developing device 2 stored in the second powder container 10 first. To end. The replacement of the old and new developer is generally performed by replacing a part of the capacity of the developing device 2, but it is also possible to replace the entire developer. As described above, after the collection is completed, the user is prompted to replace the container as a toner end. In that case, case shutter,
By rotating the container shutter to close each hole, developer leakage can be completely prevented.

If the same amount of circulating developer as the new developer contained in the second powder container 10 is present in the turning space 15, the powder can be collected without performing the collecting operation as described above. By taking out the body container 3, the necessary amount of developer to be exchanged into the turning space of the powder mixing container member is automatically collected.

[0030]

According to the present invention, a space defined by the peripheral side wall and the inner peripheral wall and having a bottom portion which becomes shallower toward the downstream side in the supply rotation direction, and an enclosure portion which enables the developer to be rotatably transferred during the recovery rotation. A rolling member having a flat plate portion capable of forming a closed space by rubbing against the upper edge of the peripheral side wall and the inner peripheral wall of the rotating member, and carrying out the toner / developer with the rotation of the rotating member. In the mixing container for toner / developer, which is composed of a lid side plate having an inflow hole and an inflow hole into which the developer enters, a developer stirring means is provided in a rotation space formed in the rotation member. Since the developer is stirred and mixed at the time of rotation, it is not necessary to provide a separate stirring device. In particular, the developer agitating means is arranged with a staggered positional relationship in the turning space, or the developer agitating means fixed to the turning member is flexible, and the tip thereof can rub the flat plate surface of the lid side plate. , The mixing property is further improved.

Further, if the developer stirring means also functions as a developer pumping means, the developer can be efficiently pumped at the time of collecting the developer, and the developer pumping means can be used as a developer.
If the developer has a shape capable of sending out the developer pumped up at the time of the recovery rotation of the turning member toward the center of rotation, the developer recovery can be made more efficient.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a positional relationship between a toner / developer supply device and a developing device according to the present invention, in which a toner / developer conveying device is partially opened.

FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view showing the configuration of a mixing container for toner / developer according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a lid side plate constituting the mixing container.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a turning main body constituting the mixing container.

FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a stirring piece attached to the turning main body.

FIG. 6 is a partial plan view of the turning main body as viewed from a direction C in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a partial plan view of a configuration provided with a stir piece having a shape different from that of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a powder container to which a shutter is attached.

[Explanation of symbols]

 13 turning body 14 lid side plate 15 developer turning space 35 developer supply section 36 developer recovery section 38 developer stirring section

Claims (5)

[Claims] A turning member having a space defined by a peripheral side wall and an inner peripheral wall and having a bottom portion which becomes shallower toward the downstream side in the supply rotation direction, and an enclosure portion which allows the developer to be rotatably transported during recovery rotation; A flat plate portion capable of forming a closed space by rubbing against the upper edge of the peripheral side wall and the inner peripheral wall of the turning member, and an outflow hole and an inflow hole for carrying in / out the toner / developer with the rotation of the turning member. A mixing container for toner / developer comprising a lid side plate having a hole, wherein a developer stirring means is provided in a turning space formed in the turning member. 2. The mixing container according to claim 1, wherein said developer stirring means is arranged in a staggered positional relationship within the turning space. 3. The mixing container according to claim 1, wherein the developer stirring means fixed to the turning member is flexible, and a tip of the mixing means has a length capable of rubbing a flat plate surface of the lid side plate. . 4. The mixing container according to claim 1, wherein said developer stirring means doubles as a developer pumping means. 5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said developer pumping means has a shape capable of sending out the developer pumped toward the center of rotation when said rotating member is recovered and rotated. Mixing container.