Patent ID: 8725057
Filing Date: 2014-05-13
Classification: G03G

Abstract:
1. An image formation apparatus configured to form an image on a printing sheet in accordance with an electrophotographic image formation method, the image formation apparatus comprising: a belt unit including a pair of belt rollers and an endless belt wound around the pair of belt rollers, the endless belt including a bridging surface bridging between the pair of rollers; a plurality of process units each having a photoconductive drum arranged to face the bridging surface of the endless belt and bear developing agent corresponding to an image, the photoconductive drum of each process unit and the bridging surface of the endless belt facing the photoconductive drum configured to allow a sheet to be fed therebetween; a drawer casing configured to accommodate the plurality of process units, the drawer casing being movable along a moving path which is parallel with the bridging surface of the endless belt so that the drawer casing is insertable in and drawable from a main body of the image formation apparatus; an openable cover which is provided to cover an opening formed on one end face at one end in a moving direction of the drawer casing, the openable cover being movable between an open position where the openable cover does not cover the opening and a close position where the openable cover covers the opening; a sheet tray arranged on a side opposite to the drawer casing with respect to an imaginary plane that includes the bridging surface, the sheet tray configured to receive the sheet thereon to be fed by the belt unit; a pair of rollers arranged on a sheet tray side with respect to the moving path and configured to feed the sheet fed from the sheet tray to the belt unit; a first guide provided on the drawer casing and configured to guide the sheet fed by the pair of rollers toward the bridging surface; and a second guide provided opposite to the first guide with a predetermined clearance therebetween, the second guide forming a sheet feed path in association with the first guide, wherein the surface of the second guide opposing the first guide is substantially parallel with the bridging surface of the endless belt, wherein the belt unit further includes a pair of frames extending in a bridging direction of the endless belt and supporting both ends of each of the pair of belt rollers, wherein the belt unit is detachably attached to the main body, wherein a bridge frame extends between the pair of frames and is provided at end portions, in the bridging direction, of the pair of frames, wherein an inclined portion is formed on the bridge frame, the bridge frame being further provided with a gripper portion which is gripped by a user when the belt unit is removed from the image formation apparatus, wherein the gripper portion is formed to have at least one cutout-like portion of the bridge frame that penetrates completely through the bridge frame in a direction perpendicular to the bridging surface of the endless belt and opposes the first guide, wherein each cutout-like portion is surrounded on two opposite sides by extensions of the bridge frame such that the extensions are parallel to each other and to the bridge frame, and wherein the gripper portion does not have any portions which protrude from the bridge frame toward the first guide.