Transport member, transport device, and image forming apparatus

1. A transport member comprising:

a shaft; and

a plurality of blades that extend around the shaft so as to transport a target object that is to be transported and that is present around the plurality of blades in a direction in which the shaft extends by rotating with the shaft, the plurality of blades extending in at least a region of the transport member in the direction in which the shaft extends in such a manner that the plurality of blades are sequentially out of phase with one another in a direction in which the plurality of blades rotate,

wherein the at least a region of the transport member in the direction in which the shaft extends has flexibility.

2. The transport member according to claim 1 ,

wherein the plurality of blades is comprised of a helical blade, which is wound around the shaft in a helical manner, and slits dividing the helical blade into the plurality of blades, wherein the plurality of blades are disposed at a plurality of positions in a rotation direction of the helical blade, and the slits are disposed at a plurality of positions in the rotation direction of the helical blade.

3. The transport member according to claim 2 ,

wherein each of the slits is a slit extending from the tip end to a surface of the shaft.

4. The transport member according to claim 2 ,

wherein the slits are disposed at at least three positions in a region in which the helical blade is wound in one turn in the rotation direction.

5. The transport member according to claim 3 ,

wherein the slits are disposed at at least three positions in a region in which the helical blade is wound in one turn in the rotation direction.

6. The transport member according to claim 1 ,

wherein adjacent ones of the plurality of blades have end surfaces that are close to each other, and the end surfaces are located at positions that are sequentially displaced from each other in the direction in which the shaft extends.

7. The transport member according to claim 6 ,

wherein the plurality of blades are widened in such a manner that adjacent ones of the plurality of blades overlap each other when viewed in the direction in which the shaft extends.

8. A transport device comprising:

a tube that has a curved portion and a hollow space formed in the tube;

the transport member according to claim 1 that is disposed in the hollow space and that has a flexible portion at which the plurality of blades are disposed, the flexible portion being disposed in the curved portion; and

a driving unit that drives the transport member so that the transport member rotates,

wherein a target object that is to be transported and that is present in the hollow space is transported.

9. An image forming apparatus comprising:

an image forming unit that forms a toner image; and

the transport device according to claim 8 that transports a toner that is the target object.

10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9 ,

wherein the image forming unit includes

an image holding unit that holds a toner image and transfers the toner image onto a to-be-transferred member and

a cleaning unit that removes, from the image holding unit, a toner that remains in a region of the image holding unit after the toner image has been transferred,

wherein the image forming apparatus further includes a storage unit that stores the toner removed from the image holding unit, and

wherein the transport device is a device that transports the toner from the cleaning unit to the storage unit.

11. The transport member according to claim 1 , wherein the slit is formed by cutting the helical blade from the tip end of the helical blade that is located farthest from the shaft toward the shaft.

12. The transport member according to claim 11 , wherein the slit is formed by cutting the helical blade from the tip end of the helical blade that is located farthest from the shaft to a surface of the shaft.