Patent ID: 8452206

Claim:
An image-forming apparatus comprising: a housing; a first cover attached to the housing such that the first cover can be opened and closed; a belt-shaped intermediate transfer body that is rotated in the housing while being in contact with an image-holding member that holds an image, such that the image held by the image-holding member is transferred onto the intermediate transfer body, the intermediate transfer body being capable of being installed into and removed from the housing when the first cover is opened; a rotating member disposed in the housing at a position on a conveyance path of a recording medium to form an image transfer portion where an image, which has been transferred to the intermediate transfer body from the image-holding member, is transferred onto a recording medium that is conveyed in contact with the rotating member; a support member that is disposed at a position opposed to the rotating member and that contacts an inner surface of the intermediate transfer body to support the intermediate transfer body, the support member forming the image transfer portion in cooperation with the rotating member and being capable of being installed into and removed from the housing together with the intermediate transfer body when the first cover is opened; a first supporting unit provided to the housing to support a first end of the support member, a positioning mechanism that determines a position of the first cover relative to the housing when the first cover is closed; and a second supporting unit provided to the first cover to support a second end of the support member when the first cover is closed, such that a pressure generated between the support member and the rotating member is greater when the first cover is closed than when the first cover is opened.