Patent ID: 8681394

Claim:
An image forming apparatus comprising an apparatus main body having a first surface and a second surface opposed in a first direction, and housing exchangeable components; a housing body for housing an image reading means that can optically read a document, the housing body disposed on an upper surface side of the apparatus main body, and in which a first end is rotatably connected near the second surface, the housing body rotatably displacing to a housing body fully closed angle position at which the second end near to the first surface is disposed in closest proximity to the apparatus main body, a housing body fully open angle position at which the second end is most separated from the apparatus main body, and a housing body non-access angle position that is between the housing body closed angle and the housing body fully open angle, and that is in proximity to the housing body fully closed angle position; an outer wall member disposed between the apparatus main body and the housing body, the outer wall member rotatably connected to the apparatus main body, and displacing and rotating in response to the displacement and rotation of the housing body, and when the housing body is positioned at the housing body fully closed angle position, the outer wall member being positioned at an outer wall fully closed angle position at which the exchangeable components in the inner portion of the apparatus main body are not exposed, when the housing body is positioned at the housing body fully open angle position, the outer wall member being positioned at an outer wall fully open angle position at which the exchangeable components in the inner portion of the apparatus main body are exposed to enable exchange by a user, and when the housing body is positioned at the housing body non-access angle position, the outer wall member being positioned at an outer wall non-access angle position that has a rotation angle at which the exchangeable components in the inner portion of the apparatus main body are exposed but cannot be exchanged by a user, a link member configured to reciprocally displace in the first direction so that a first end is connected rotatably to the housing body, and a second end is positioned at a first position in closest proximity to the first surface when the housing body is positioned at the housing body fully closed angle position, is positioned at a second position in closest proximity to the second surface when the housing body is positioned at a housing body fully open angle position, and is positioned at a third position between the first position and the second position in proximity to the first position when the housing body is positioned at a housing body non-access angle position; a first retaining portion retaining the second end of the link member at the second position, and a second retaining portion retaining the second end of the link member at the third position.