Patent ID: 7821678

Claim:
An image forming apparatus, comprising: an image carrier including an image carrying surface and configured to form an electrostatic latent image on the image carrying surface with an optical scanning beam; an optical scanning device configured to generate the optical scanning beam, and including, an enclosure including a pair of arch-like-shaped supporting members, a light source mounted inside the enclosure and emitting a light beam, a light deflector mounted inside the enclosure and configured to deflect the light beam emitted from the light source so as to convert the light beam into the optical scanning beam, at least one reflecting mirror mounted inside the enclosure and configured to reflect the optical scanning beam deflected by the light deflector to scan the image carrying surface of the image carrier, the at least one reflecting mirror including a specific reflecting mirror having a light reflecting surface and mounted on the pair of arch-like-shaped supporting members at a position to reflect the optical scanning beam with the light reflecting surface toward the image carrying surface of the image carrier, a pair of leaf springs attached to respective longitudinal ends of the specific reflecting mirror, and wherein the enclosure further includes a pair of stoppers respectively arranged outside the pair of arch-like-shaped supporting members and configured to stop the pair of leaf springs so that the pair of leaf springs substantially evenly pushes the specific reflecting mirror in the respective longitudinal ends towards the reference inner surface of the pair of arch-like-shaped supporting members.