Image forming apparatus
A main body includes a first opening and a second opening. A first cover member is capable of opening and closing the first opening. A second cover member is capable of opening and closing the second opening. At least a part of a fixing device can be drawn out from the main body via the second opening. A latch mechanism latches the second cover member at a closing position. A release mechanism is arranged at a position that can be accessed from the first opening in the main body and releases the latch of the second cover member by the latch mechanism upon receiving an external force.
1 . An image forming apparatus, comprising:
a main body including a first opening and a second opening formed in a direction different from that of the first opening;
a sheet conveying path which is arranged in the main body and passes through a specific position inside the first opening;
a first cover member which is capable of opening and closing the first opening and is opened to thus open a part of the sheet conveying path;
a second cover member which is capable of opening and closing the second opening;
a fixing device which is arranged at the specific position in the main body, includes a heater and a fixing member which is heated by the heater and also heats a toner image formed on a sheet that passes through the specific position, and at least a part of which can be drawn out from the main body via the second opening;
a restriction portion which is arranged in the main body and restricts a movement toward the first opening of the fixing device;
a latch mechanism which latches the second cover member at a closing position;
a release mechanism which is arranged at a position that can be accessed from the first opening in the main body and releases the latch of the second cover member by the latch mechanism upon receiving an external force; and
an access limitation portion which protrudes toward the restriction portion at an edge of the first opening, wherein
the latch mechanism includes an elastic latch portion which can be elastically deformed from a latching shape for latching the second cover member to a releasing shape for releasing the latch of the second cover member,
the release mechanism includes a movable member which is arranged in a region more apart from the first opening than a region between the restriction portion and the access limitation portion, and biases the elastic latch portion when the movable member moves from a first position to a second position upon receiving the external force, the second position being more apart from the first opening than the first position, to thus cause the elastic latch portion to be deformed from the latching shape to the releasing shape,
the restriction portion restricts the movement of the movable member toward an opposite side of a side of the first position from the second position, and
the access limitation portion limits a size of an access path from the first opening to a region on an opposite side of a side of the second position with respect to the movable member in the main body.
2 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , comprising:
a switch which electrically turns off a power feed line to the heater by opening of the first cover member and electrically turns on the power feed line by closing of the first cover member.
3 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , comprising:
an elastic bias member which elastically biases the movable member from a side of the second position toward the first position.
4 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , comprising:
a guide portion which is provided at one or both of an edge portion of the second opening in the main body and an edge portion of the second cover member, and guides, when closing the second cover member, the second cover member to a latching position at which the second cover member is latched by the latch mechanism.
5 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein when a tool is rotated in a state where a protruding portion of the tool is inserted into a region of the access path between the restriction portion and the access limitation portion to transmit a force toward the second position to the movable member as a lever that uses a tip end portion of the protruding portion as a load, the access limitation portion is a fulcrum of the lever.