Patent ID: 7878624
Filing Date: 2011-02-01
Classification: B41J

Abstract:
1. An image forming apparatus, comprising: a main body having a front side and a back side; an operating section disposed on the front side of the main body; an engine unit having a frame and configured to form an image on a recording medium by moving a carriage in a main scanning direction between the front and back sides of the main body and by transporting the recording medium in a sub scanning direction which is perpendicular to the main scanning direction, wherein the carriage includes a recording head having nozzles configured to eject droplets of recording liquid and a sub tank configured to supply the recording liquid to the recording head, the engine unit being removable from and attachable to the main body in a direction parallel to the main scanning direction; a nozzle maintaining and recovering unit provided in the engine unit and disposed at the back side of the main body, the nozzle maintaining and recovering unit being configured to maintain a normal state of the nozzles of the recording head and to recover from an abnormal state thereof; and a recording liquid supplying mechanism configured to supply the recording liquid to the recording head, wherein the recording liquid supplying mechanism includes the sub tank, a recording liquid cartridge configured to supply the recording liquid to the sub tank via at least one recording liquid tube, and a cartridge storing unit disposed at the front side of the main body relative to the nozzle maintaining and recovering unit and configured to store the recording liquid cartridge such that the recording liquid cartridge is removable from and attachable to the cartridge storing unit in a direction parallel to the main scanning direction, the engine unit includes a guide rod configured to guide the carriage in the main scanning direction, and the frame, the carriage and the guide rod are removable from the main body as a single unit by being pulled towards the front side of the main body, the nozzle maintaining and recovering unit is removable together with the engine unit by being pulled towards the front side of the main body in a state where the carriage is disposed at a position opposing the nozzle maintaining and recovering unit at the back side of the main body, and the recording liquid cartridge is removable from the cartridge storing unit by being pulled towards the front side of the main body.