Patent ID: 8478162

Claim:
An image forming apparatus in which a process cartridge having an image carrier is detachably mounted from a main body of the apparatus and in which a recording medium for obtaining process cartridge state information is provided in the process cartridge to be physically in contact with a contact terminal provided at the main body of the apparatus, the image forming apparatus comprising: a protruding portion that is provided at the contact terminal and that protrudes further toward the process cartridge than a contact portion coming in contact with the recording medium; a slide contact surface portion that is provided at a side surface of the process cartridge and that is in sliding contact with the protruding portion during action of inserting and taking out the process cartridge into and from the main body of the apparatus; and a fitting concave portion that is provided at the side surface of the process cartridge and in which the protruding portion fits, wherein the slide contact surface portion is in a state of being in sliding contact with the protruding portion of the contact terminal via an action of inserting the process cartridge at a mounted position, and the protruding portion is pressed in a direction from the recording medium to limit contact between the contact terminal and the recording medium, the protruding portion fits in the fitting concave portion at the mounted position such that the contact terminal comes in contact with the recording medium, and the protruding portion is pulled out from the fitting concave portion via action of taking out the process cartridge from a state where the process cartridge is fixed at the mounted position, which is in sliding contact with the slide contact surface portion.