Patent ID: 8457526

Claim:
An image forming apparatus comprising: a sheet storage portion for housing paper sheets; an image forming portion for forming images on a paper sheet fed from the sheet storage portion; a sheet ejector for ejecting paper sheets with images formed on one side or on both sides by the image forming portion; a sheet-reversing unit for reversing sides of the paper sheet with images formed on one side by the image forming portion; a first conveying path from the sheet storage portion to the image forming portion; a second conveying path from the image forming portion to the sheet ejector; a third conveying path branching from the second conveying path so as to reach the sheet-reversing unit; a fourth conveying path extending from the sheet-reversing unit so as to join the first conveying path; and a two-sided conveyance unit having the sheet-reversing unit and the fourth conveying path, wherein the fourth conveying path includes a linear path formed between two conveyance guides constituting the two-sided conveyance unit, the two-sided conveyance unit is supported in a slidable manner along a slider provided to an apparatus main body, one of the two conveyance guides is made of a flat guide plate forming the linear path and is supported in such a manner that it can be opened or closed with respect to the other conveyance guide, the two-sided conveyance unit further includes a reinforcing member which reinforces the said one of the conveyance guides, the reinforcing member has a first reinforcing plate extending in the sheet conveyance direction and a second reinforcing plate that is perpendicular to the first reinforcing plate, and the second reinforcing plate includes an open/close fulcrum and an open/close hook of the said one of the conveyance guides.