Patent ID: 7529501

Claim:
An image forming apparatus having a box-shaped housing with a top wall, a bottom wall spaced vertically below the top wall, substantially opposite first and second walls extending from the top wall towards the bottom wall and opposite side walls extending between the top and bottom walls and between the opposite first and second walls, the apparatus being operative to transfer a toner image onto a sheet from a photoconductive drum and fixed in a process of conveying the sheet in a conveyance passage extending in a direction from the first wall to the second wall of the box-shaped housing, and the sheet is reversed in a reversing passage connected to the conveyance passage near the second wall, and is discharged to a discharge section at the top wall of the housing, a sheet supplying cassette being disposed inside the box-shaped housing between the first and second walls and at a position in proximity to the bottom wall, wherein the second wall has an upper portion near the reversing passage and lower portion near the bottom wall, the upper portion of the second wall extending substantially entirely between the side walls of the housing and projecting outward relative to the lower portion and wherein an opening extends into the housing at a portion of the second wall adjacent the bottom wall of the housing so that at least portions of the opening and the sheet supplying cassette overlap in a vertical direction, and so that the opening is at least partly aligned with the sheet supplying cassette in a direction extending from the first wall to the second walls.