Toner supply container detachably mountable to a main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus and a sealing member usable with the toner supply container

A toner supply container detachably mountable to a main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, comprising:

• (a) a toner accommodating portion for accommodating toner;
• (b) a toner supply opening for discharging toner accommodated in said toner accommodating portion;
• (c) a toner feeding member for feeding the toner accommodated in said toner accommodating portion toward said toner supply opening;
• and
• (d) a sealing member including:
• a sealing portion for openably sealing said toner supply opening;
• and
• a driving portion for driving said toner feeding member;
• wherein said sealing member has a driving force receiving portion for receiving a driving force from a main assembly of said apparatus when said toner supply container is detachably mounted to the main assembly of said apparatus, wherein said toner feeding member is rotated by the driving force received by said driving force receiving portion;
• wherein said sealing member has an engaging portion engageable with the main assembly of said apparatus to receive a force for unsealing the toner supply opening sealed by said sealing portion when said toner supply container is detachably mounted to the main assembly of said apparatus;
• and
• wherein said sealing member has said sealing portion, said driving force receiving portion, and said engaging portion on an outside thereof in this order from one longitudinal end to the other longitudinal end, and wherein said sealing member has a hollow portion extending in a direction from the one longitudinal end to the other longitudinal end.

A toner supply container detachably mountable to a main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, comprising:

• (a) a toner accommodating portion for accommodating toner;
• (b) a toner supply opening for discharging toner accommodated in said toner accommodating portion;
• (c) a toner feeding member for feeding the toner accommodated in said toner accommodating portion toward said toner supply opening;
• and
• (d) a sealing member including:
• a sealing portion for operably sealing said toner supply opening;
• and
• a driving portion for driving said toner feeding member;
• wherein said sealing member has a driving force receiving portion for receiving a driving force from a main assembly of said apparatus when said toner supply container is detachably mounted to the main assembly of said apparatus, wherein said toner feeding member is rotated by the driving force received by said driving force receiving portion, wherein said driving force receiving portion is in the form of a rib provided on an outer surface of said sealing member;
• wherein said sealing member has an engaging portion engageable with the main assembly of said apparatus to receive a force for unsealing the toner supply opening sealed by said sealing portion when said toner supply container is detachably mounted to the main assembly of said apparatus;
• and
• wherein said sealing member further includes a seal, provided at said one end, for preventing entering of the toner to said driving portion at said one end thereof;
• and
• wherein said sealing member has said sealing portion, said driving force receiving portion, and said engaging portion on an outside thereof in this order from one longitudinal end to the other longitudinal end, wherein a hollow portion has a cross-section of a polygonal shape, and wherein said sealing member having the sealing portion, the driving force receiving portion, the driving portion, and the engaging portion is made of resin material and is integrally molded;
• and
• wherein when said toner supply container is detachably mounted to the main assembly of said apparatus, toner supply container supplies the toner accommodated in said toner accommodating portion into the main assembly of said apparatus through said toner supply opening by said toner feeding member in accordance with consumption of the toner in the main assembly of said apparatus.

A sealing member usable with a toner supply container which is detachably mountable to a main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus and which includes a toner accommodating portion for accommodating toner, a toner supply opening for discharging the toner accommodated in said toner accomadating portion and a toner feeding member for feeding the toner accommodated in said toner accommodating portion toward said toner supply opening, said sealing member comprising:

• (a) a sealing portion for openably sealing said toner supply opening;
• and
• (b) a driving portion for driving said toner feeding member;
• (c) a driving force receiving portion for receiving a driving force from a main assembly of said apparatus when said toner supply container is detachably mounted to the main assembly of said apparatus, wherein said toner feeding member is rotated by the driving force received by said driving force receiving portion;
• and
• (d) an engaging portion engageable with the main assembly of said apparatus to receive a force for unsealing the toner supply opening sealed by said sealing portion when said toner supply container is detachably mounted to the main assembly of said apparatus;
• wherein said sealing member has said sealing portion, said driving force receiving portion, and said engaging portion on an outside thereof in this order from one longitudinal end to the other longitudinal end, and wherein said sealing member has a hollow portion extending in a direction from the one longitudinal end to the other longitudinal end.

A sealing member usable with a toner supply container which is detachably mountable to a main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus and which includes a toner accommodating portion for accommodating toner, a toner supply opening for discharging the toner accommodated in said toner accommodating portion and a toner feeding member for feeding the toner accommodated in said toner accommodating portion toward said toner supply opening, said sealing member comprising:

• (a) a sealing portion for openably sealing said toner supply opening;
• (b) a driving portion for driving said toner feeding member;
• (c) a driving force receiving portion for receiving a driving force from a main assembly of said apparatus when said toner supply container is detachably mounted to the main assembly of said apparatus, wherein said toner feeding member is rotated by the driving force received by said driving force receiving portion, wherein said driving force receiving portion is in the form of a rib provided on an outer surface of said sealing member;
• (d) an engaging portion engageable with the main assembly of said apparatus to receive a force for unsealing the toner supply opening sealed by said sealing portion when said toner supply container is detachably mounted to the main assembly of said apparatus:
• and
• (e) a seal, provided at one end, for preventing the entering of the toner to said driving portion at said one end thereof,
• wherein said sealing member has said sealing portion, said driving force receiving portion, and said engaging portion on an outside thereof in this order from one longitudinal end to the other longitudinal end, and wherein said sealing member has a hollow portion extending in a direction from the one longitudinal end to the other longitudinal end, wherein the hollow portion has a square cross-section, and wherein said sealing member having the sealing portion, the driving force receiving portion, the driving portion, and the engaging portion is made of resin material and is integrally molded.

A sealing member usable with a toner supply container which is detachably mountable to a main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus and which includes a toner accommodating portion for accommodating toner and a toner supply opening for discharging the toner accommodated in said toner accommodating portion, said sealing member comprising:

• (a) a sealing portion for openably sealing the toner supply opening;
• (b) a driving force receiving portion for receiving driving force from the main assembly of said apparatus when said toner supply container is detachably mounted to the main assembly of said apparatus;
• and
• (c) a toner feeding portion for feeding the toner accommodated in said toner accommodating portion toward said toner supply opening by a driving force received from the main assembly of said apparatus.

A toner supply container detachably mountable to a main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, comprising:

• (a) a toner accommodating portion for accommodating toner;
• (b) a toner supply opening for discharging toner accommodated in said toner accommodating portion;
• and
• (c) a sealing member including:
• a sealing portion for openably sealing said toner supply opening;
• a driving force receiving portion for receiving a driving force for the main assembly of said apparatus when said toner supply container is detachably mounted to the main assembly of said apparatus;
• and
• a toner feeding portion for feeding the toner accommodated in said toner accommodating portion toward said toner supply opening by a driving force received from the main assembly of said apparatus.

A toner supply container detachably mountable to a main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, comprising:

• (a) a toner accommodating portion for accommodating toner;
• (b) a toner supply opening for discharging toner accommodated in said toner accommodating portion;
• (c) a toner feeding member for feeding the toner accommodated in said toner accommodating portion toward said toner supply opening;
• and
• (d) a driving member including:
• a driving force receiving portion for receiving a driving force for rotating said toner feeding member from the main assembly of said apparatus;
• a driving portion for rotating said toner feeding member by the driving force received from the main assembly of said apparatus by said driving force receiving portion;
• and
• an engaging portion engageable with the main assembly of said apparatus to position the driving member relative to the main assembly of said apparatus in a longitudinal direction of said toner supply container when said toner supply container is mounted to the main assembly of said apparatus.

An electrophotographic image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording material, comprising:

• (a) mounting means for detachably mounting a toner supply container, said toner supply container including:
• a toner accommodating portion for accommodating toner;
• a toner supply opening for discharging toner accommodated in said toner accommodating portion;
• a toner feeding member for feeding the toner accommodated in said toner accommodating portion toward said toner supply opening;
• a sealing member including:
• a sealing portion for openably sealing said toner supply opening;
• and
• a driving portion for driving said toner feeding member;
• said apparatus further comprising:
• (b) a main assembly side driving portion for supplying a driving force to a driving force receiving portion of said sealing member when said toner supply container is detachably mounted to a main assembly of said apparatus by said mounting means.