Patent ID: 9197774
Filing Date: 2015-11-24
Classification: G03G,H04N,Y10T

Abstract:
1. An image forming apparatus, comprising: an image forming unit which forms an image on a printing medium; an image reading unit pivotally coupled to an upper portion of the image forming unit which exposes or shields a top of the image forming unit; an automatic document feeding unit, pivotally coupled to an upper portion of the image reading unit, which exposes or shields a top of the image reading unit, the automatic document feeding unit having a pressing protrusion immovably fixed on the automatic document feeding unit to protrude downwards and to extend towards the image reading unit to move an up/down lever by pressing the up/down lever; and a locking device including: the up/down lever mounted in the image reading unit and moving up and down relative to the image reading unit; and a first hook member rotatably mounted to the image reading unit, the first hook member configured to latch the image forming unit, wherein the up/down lever is capable of moving in an up direction and a down direction linearly with respect to the first hook member, and wherein when the automatic document feeding unit moves from an open position in which the automatic document feeding unit exposes the top of the image reading unit to a closed position in which the automatic document feeding unit shields the top of the image reading unit, the pressing protrusion presses the up/down lever downwards to rotate the first hook member so that the first hook member is disengaged from the image forming unit and the image reading unit is separable from the image forming unit.