| 摘要 |
<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus using a toner replenishing method and a toner replenishing device made small in size and light in weight in order to exchange a toner container to the new one in a state where the toner residual amount of the toner container is kept as near to zero as possible. <P>SOLUTION: By making the toner container 9 moving back and forth in a nearly horizontal direction on a vertical level surface linking the center part and the exit part of the container 9 collide with a stopper 16 moving back and forth in the same direction as the above-mentioned direction, the toner inside the container is successively moved to be discharged. The weight of the stopper is made lighter than that of the container 9 in which developer is stored. The movement of the stopper and the container 9 is controlled so that the kinetic energy of the stopper may be nearly equal to that of the container 9 when both of them collide with each other. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI |
