Patent ID: 8666279

Claim:
An image forming apparatus to which a cartridge including an image bearing member and a frame supporting said image bearing member is detachably mountable, said image forming apparatus comprising: a belt member for transferring a developed image formed on said image bearing member onto a recording material; an opening provided to permit said cartridge to enter an inside of a main assembly of said image forming apparatus; a first guide portion for guiding said cartridge through said opening from a position where a bottom end portion of said image bearing member is below, with respect to a vertical direction, a transfer position where said image bearing member and said belt member contact each other when said cartridge is mounted; a second guide portion provided downstream of said first guide portion with respect to a mounting direction in which said cartridge is mounted to said main assembly, said second guide portion guiding said cartridge from a position where said bottom end portion is below, with respect to the vertical direction, the transfer position to a position where said bottom end portion is above the transfer position; and a third guide portion provided downstream of said second guide portion with respect to the mounting direction, said third guide portion guiding said cartridge from the position where said bottom end portion is above, with respect to the vertical direction, the transfer position to the transfer position.