Patent ID: 8270874

Claim:
An image forming apparatus comprising: a main assembly; a first openable member openably and closably provided in said main assembly; a second openable member openably and closably provided in said main assembly; a fixing unit for fixing a toner image formed on a recording material in said main assembly, said fixing unit including a pressure applying mechanism for applying a pressure to a fixing nip of said fixing unit, a first arm for transmitting a first operation force, generated when said first openable member is opened by the operator, to said pressure applying mechanism to release the pressure applied to the fixing nip; a second arm for transmitting a second operation force, generated when said second openable member is opened by the operator, to said pressure applying mechanism to release the pressure applied to the fixing nip; wherein said fixing unit is detachably mountable relative to the main assembly and includes a pressure switching member, engaged to said pressure applying mechanism, to receive the first operation force via said first arm when said first openable member is opened and to move said pressure applying mechanism, and wherein the second operation force generated when said second openable member is opened is transmitted to said pressure switching member.