Patent ID: 7496315

Claim:
An image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming unit for forming an image on a recording medium including a body case including a process unit removal port on a front surface; a process unit including an image carrier, wherein the process unit is attachably and detachably mounted to an inside of said body case; a front cover that opens and closes the process unit removal port of said body case; a medium cassette that is positioned at said body case, and houses said recording medium in a stacked state with its longitudinal direction being along a depth direction of the apparatus; an exposing device positioned inside said body case, the exposing device including a light source, wherein the exposing device is able to perform an exposure of said image carrier; and a developing device that is positioned inside said body case, and transfers an image carried by said image carrier to said recording medium; an image reading unit positioned over said image forming unit, the image reading unit including; an original placing part on which an original for reading an image is placed; a reading device that is provided under said original placing part, the reading device able to read said original; an original cover that presses the original placed on said original placing part from above; and a medium discharge mechanism that is positioned above said original cover and discharges said recording medium onto said original cover from a back side of the apparatus toward a front.