Patent ID: 8705989

Claim:
A color electrophotographic image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording material, wherein a plurality of cartridges are detachably mounted to a main assembly of said apparatus, said color electrophotographic image forming apparatus comprising: a cartridge supporting member for supporting said cartridges, said cartridge supporting member being movable between an inside position which is inside said main assembly and an outside position which is outside of said main assembly; a belt unit including a feeding belt for feeding a recording material on which the image is to be formed, wherein said belt unit is movable relative to said cartridge supporting member between a contact position in which said belt unit is in contact with said cartridges and a spaced position in which said belt is spaced from said cartridges; an urging member engaging said cartridge supporting member and said belt unit; and a locking means for locking said cartridge supporting member and said belt unit in the state that said feeding belt and said cartridges are contacted to each other, wherein said belt unit is descendible from the contact position to the spaced position by a weight of said belt unit against an urging force of said urging member by releasing said locking means at the outside position, and wherein moving directions of said cartridge supporting member and said belt unit are parallel with a direction in which said cartridges are arranged and a moving direction of said feeding belt.