Patent ID: 7856187
Filing Date: 2010-12-21
Classification: G03G

Abstract:
1. An image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming unit configured to form an image on a recording medium; a fixing unit having a heating part and configured to thermally fix the image on the recording medium while transporting the recording medium when at least part of the fixing unit is rotated; a rotary drive unit; a driving force transmission unit configured to selectively transmit rotation of the rotary drive unit to the at least part of the fixing unit, the driving force transmission unit comprising a displacement part which is displaceable to a transmitting position where the rotation of the rotary drive unit is transmitted to the fixing unit when the rotary drive unit is rotated in a first direction and to a non-transmitting position where the rotation of the rotary drive unit is not transmitted to the fixing unit when the rotary drive unit is rotated in a second direction opposite the first direction; a cover configured to cover the heating part; a lock unit configured to selectively lock the cover; and a link unit configured to link the lock unit with the displacement part so that the lock unit locks the cover when the displacement part is displaced to the transmitting position and unlocks the cover when the displacement part is displaced to the non-transmitting position.