Patent ID: 8401426

Claim:
An opening/closing mechanism comprising: an apparatus body; an opening/closing member that is openably/closably provided in the apparatus body; at least one fixing lever that is rotatably supported by one of the apparatus body and the opening/closing member via a support shaft, and that is configured to fix a state in which the opening/closing member is closed; a retaining unit that is configured to retain the support shaft so that the support shaft can move in a direction perpendicular to an axial direction of the support shaft; a coupled portion that is provided at the apparatus body or the opening/closing member, at a side opposite to a side at which the fixing lever is supported, to be connected to the fixing lever when the opening/closing member is closed; an elastic member that is configured to set a rotation angle position of the fixing lever at (i) a fixing position at which the opening/closing member is fixed by connecting the fixing lever to the coupled portion, and (ii) a standby position at which the fixing lever is connectable to the coupled portion; a connecting unit that is configured to move the fixing lever together with the support shaft to a connectable position in which the fixing lever is connectable to the coupled portion, by (i) moving the support shaft in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the support shaft within the retaining unit, and (ii) acting upon the fixing lever when the opening/closing member is closing in a state in which the opening/closing member is spaced from the apparatus body and in which the fixing lever is in the fixing position; and a support shaft urging unit that is configured to urge the support shaft to a position corresponding to the standby position of the fixing lever.