Patent ID: 7684739

Claim:
A toner transport apparatus that transports toner particles, comprising: a lateral transport device that includes a lateral tube extending in a lateral direction and a lateral transport member provided inside the lateral tube in a rotatable manner and transporting toner particles; and a longitudinal transport device that includes a longitudinal tube coupled to an end of the lateral tube and extending in a longitudinal direction and a longitudinal transport member provided inside the longitudinal tube in a rotatable manner and transporting toner particles downward, and thereby transports the toner particles transported from the lateral transport device downward, the longitudinal transport member has a shaft and a blade member provided helically on a periphery of the shaft; wherein an end portion of the lateral transport member on a downstream side in a toner transport direction extends to a point between an inner wall of the longitudinal tube and the shaft of the longitudinal transport member; and the blade member of the longitudinal transport member is omitted from a portion where the end portion of the lateral transport member on the downstream side in the toner transport direction is located.