Patent ID: 9389577
Filing Date: 2016-07-12
CPC Classification: B65H,G03G

Claim Text:
1. An image forming apparatus comprising: a cover provided to be able to open and close an opening formed in a housing; a conveying unit disposed adjacent to an inner side of the cover and forming a sheet conveyance path in the housing; and a sheet feeding unit disposed in an inner side of the conveying unit and that feeds a sheet toward the conveyance path, wherein the cover is rotatably supported by a pair of first bearings between an opened position and a closed position of the opening, and the conveying unit is rotatably supported by a pair of second bearings, which are provided inward from the first bearings, in the same direction as a rotation direction of the cover, and is detachably provided with respect to the housing at a position at which the conveying unit has rotated in an opening direction of the cover by a predetermined angle, the conveying unit has a pair of second spindles pivotally supported by the second bearings, respectively, one of the second bearings by which one of the second spindles is pivotally supported is provided with an elastically deformable stopper piece, the elastically deformable stopper piece engaging with the one of the second spindles to prevent separation of the one of the second spindles from the one of the second bearings, the other of the second bearings by which the other of the second spindles is pivotally supported is provided with a slit, the slit extending in an axial direction of the other of the second bearings, the other of the second spindles is provided with an elastic piece having an engagement portion engageable with the slit by elastic deformation, and the elastic piece is elastically deformable to allow the engagement portion to engage with the slit, so that the conveying unit slides in the axial direction of the other of the second bearings up to a position in which engagement of the one of the second spindles and the stopper piece is releasable by elastic deformation of the stopper piece.