A powder transport device includes a transport unit, a spiral first transport member, and a first driving unit. The transport unit has a transport path. The first transport member is rotatably disposed in the transport path and rotates forward to transport powder. The first driving unit drives the first transport member to rotate. The first driving unit rotates the first transport member in reverse when both (i) a non-operation time during which the first transport member is not rotated and (ii) detection information on a temperature satisfy a condition.

A system with a container including a protrusion, and a receiver to receive the container. The receiver includes a slide block that is movable relative to a body of the receiver, the slide block including two surfaces, a first surface, initially contacted by the protrusion of the container during insertion of the container into the receiver, having a first slope to resist movement of the container towards the receiver, and a second surface, subsequently contacted by the protrusion of the container during the insertion of the container into the receiver, having a second slope to interact with the protrusion of the container to assist movement of the container towards the receiver. This construction provides the user with a changing insertion force to indicate proper mounting of the container.

A printer including a body, a developer cartridge, and a developer level sensor. The body includes a printing unit to print an image on a print medium based on electrophotography. The developer cartridge is attachable to the body and includes a developer container including a developer, and a developer outlet provided at a length-direction side of the developer container to supply the developer from the developer container to the printing unit. The developer level sensor is installed on the body near the developer outlet to generate an electrical detection signal based on a developer level in the developer container.

Toner replenishment units include an upper toner container, a lower toner container, a first vertical conveyance pipe, a second vertical conveyance pipe, a third vertical conveyance pipe, a first horizontal conveyance pipe, a second horizontal conveyance pipe, and a confluence section. A first conveyance screw is included in the horizontal conveyance pipe and a second conveyance screw is included in the second horizontal conveyance pipe. A first inter-axis distance between a first horizontal rotation axis of the first conveyance screw and a third vertical pipe axis of the third vertical conveyance pipe, and a second inter-axis distance between a second horizontal rotation axis of the second conveyance screw and the third vertical pipe axis are set to take a different value.

Provided is a powder container having a new structure capable of stable discharge and transport of a powder contained in a container by enabling the powder to be reliably discharged to the outside of the package while preventing the powder from spilling and flying out of the container. The powder container has a container body (138) for transporting powder contained therein from a first end side (138a) to a second end side (138b) thereof by self-rotating; a nozzle receiver (139) having a nozzle receiving hole (insertion section) (139a) arranged inside the second end side of the container body and configured to allow a transport nozzle (162) having a powder receiving inlet (170) to be inserted therein, and a supply port 139b arranged in at least a part of the nozzle receiver (139) and configured to supply the powder in the container body (138) to the powder receiving inlet (170): and a shutter (140) supported by the nozzle receiver 139 and configured to open and close the nozzle receiving hole (insertion section) 139a by sliding in response to insertion of the transport nozzle 162 into the nozzle receiver (139).

A toner conveying apparatus includes: a first conveying portion to convey the toner, the first conveying portion having a first screw that is rotatable, and a first conveying passage forming member that forms a first conveying space so as to surround the first screw ; and a second conveying portion to convey upward the toner from the first conveying portion, the second conveying portion having a second screw that is rotatable, and a second conveying passage forming member that forms a second conveying space so as to surround the second screw and that includes a connecting portion. The first conveying space includes a first region and a second region that is closer to the connecting portion than the first region is, and a cross-sectional area of the first conveying space is smaller in the second region than in the first region.

A process cartridge includes a first unit including an image bearing member to bear a developing agent image, a second unit including a development frame member in which a developing agent bearing member to bear a developing agent to be supplied to the image bearing member is supported, and a coupling portion that can couple the first and second units such that the second unit is swingable with the coupling portion as a rotation center. The development frame member includes a replenishing opening for the developing agent, and an elastically-deformable sealing member that seals the supply portion and the replenishing opening. As viewed along a compression direction of the sealing member, in a section orthogonal to a longitudinal direction of the process cartridge, the rotation center is disposed at a position overlapping with the sealing member.

A toner transport apparatus includes: a storing portion that stores toner used by a developing apparatus; an ejection port for outputting the toner from the storing portion; a transport path unit that includes a receiving part which receives the toner ejected from the ejection port, and that constitutes a transport path for transporting the toner to the developing apparatus; a pump for outputting the toner stored in the storing portion from the ejection port toward the transport path unit; and an optical sensor unit that is disposed in a passage area through which the toner output by the pump from the ejection port to the transport path unit passes, the optical sensor unit detecting whether or not toner is present.

A system with a container including a protrusion, and a receiver to receive the container. The receiver includes a slide block that is movable relative to a body of the receiver, the slide block including two surfaces, a first surface, initially contacted by the protrusion of the container during insertion of the container into the receiver, having a first slope to resist movement of the container towards the receiver, and a second surface, subsequently contacted by the protrusion of the container during the insertion of the container into the receiver, having a second slope to interact with the protrusion of the container to assist movement of the container towards the receiver. This construction provides the user with a changing insertion force to indicate proper mounting of the container.

In some examples, an apparatus can include a mating interface coupled to a dispense interface to interact with a print particle dispense nozzle, a locking mechanism coupled to the dispense interface to prevent the print particle dispense nozzle from depositing a print particle to the dispense interface, and an authentication mechanism coupled to the locking mechanism to: authenticate the print particle dispense nozzle, and unlock the locking mechanism when the print particle dispense nozzle is authenticated to allow the print particle dispense nozzle to deposit the print particle to the dispense interface.