Patent ID: 7606521

Claim:
A color image forming apparatus, comprising: a plurality of image creating devices each of which is configured to form an image and includes a photosensitive member; an optical writing device configured to optically write an image on the photosensitive member of each of the plurality of image creating devices; an intermediate image transfer member configured to form an image transfer bed moving in a predetermined direction in a lower part of the intermediate image transfer member to receive on a surface of the image transfer bed a transfer of a plurality of the images from the respective photosensitive members of the plurality of image creating devices such that the plurality of the images are sequentially overlaid to form a multi-overlaid image; a fixing device configured to fix the multi-overlaid image on a recording sheet; a sheet ejecting device configured to eject the recording sheet having the fixed multi-overlaid image thereon; a container configured to replenish toner to the image creating devices; and an electrical circuit which includes a plurality of circuit blocks and supplies power and necessary signals to the apparatus; and a sheet supply device configured to supply recording sheets through a sheet inlet thereof, wherein the intermediate image transfer member is arranged with a predetermined angle θ relative to a horizontal line such that a rear side of the intermediate image transfer member away from the recording sheet inlet is lifted and a front side of the intermediate image transfer member closer to the recording sheet inlet is lowered, and wherein the plurality of image creating devices are aligned in parallel and are arranged along and parallel to the image transfer bed of the intermediate image transfer member, such that one of the plurality of image creating devices firstly forming an image faces the rear side of the image transfer bed and another one of the plurality of image creating devices lastly forming an image faces the front side of the image transfer bed, and wherein the optical writing device is arranged in parallel to the intermediate image-transfer member so as to sandwich the plurality of image creating devices therebetween, the electrical circuit including a plurality of electrical components provided in a stacked manner.