Combination including container for developer and rotating shaft mounted in container with improvements preventing toner from penetrating a gap formed by the shaft and ensuring that an agitator/conveyor of the shaft acts to fully agitate the toner

摘要

A developing device having a container including a pair of side walls disposed with spacing, an entry port and a delivery port defined between the side walls, and a main wall extending between the entry port and the delivery port. A rotating shaft is rotatably mounted between the pair of side walls of the container, and agitator/conveyor means is mounted on the rotating shaft. A blind hole circular in cross section is formed at an inner surface of one of the side walls, and one end portion of the rotating shaft is rotatably inserted into the blind hole. At least one discharge groove is formed at an outer peripheral surface of the one end portion of the rotating shaft. The agitator/conveyor means is composed of a flexible agitating/conveying member extending from the rotating shaft in a radial direction of the rotating shaft. When the rotating shaft is rotationally driven, the agitating/conveying member moves a developer from a site near the entry port toward the delivery port while rubbing an inner surface of the main wall of the container.