Patent ID: 8238790
Filing Date: 2012-08-07
Classification: G03G

Abstract:
1. An image forming apparatus comprising: an image carrier; a toner image formation member to form a toner image on the image carrier; a belt unit comprising: a loop-shaped belt; a plurality of support members to rotatably support the belt; a transfer member movably provided inside a loop formed by the belt to transfer the toner image formed on the image carrier onto one of the belt and a sheet carried by the belt; and a moving member provided inside the loop formed by the belt to move the transfer member between a contact position at which the transfer member is pressed against the image carrier via the belt and a separation position at which the transfer member separates from the image carrier, the moving member being provided with a first engagement member; a first housing panel comprising a first opening sized to allow the image carrier to be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus in an axial direction of the plurality of support members; a second housing panel comprising a second opening sized to allow the belt unit to be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the plurality of support members; and a lever provided on an outer side of the first housing panel, the lever being provided with a second engagement member to engage and disengage the first engagement member provided in the moving member in the axial direction of the plurality of support members, the lever movable between a predetermined first position and a second position different from the first position to move the moving member in such a manner that when the lever is at the first position, the transfer member reaches the contact position, and when the lever is at the second position, the transfer member reaches the separation position, wherein the lever moves from the second position to the first position as the lever moves in a first direction parallel to the axial direction of the plurality of support members to engage the second engagement member with the first engagement member, after which the lever is able to rotate in a second rotation direction to rotate the moving member in the second rotation direction.