Image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus comprising

• an apparatus main body having a first surface and a second surface opposed in a first direction, and housing an image forming unit that can output an image to a recording material;
• a housing body for housing an image reading unit that can optically read a document, the housing body disposed on an upper surface side of the apparatus main body, and a first end of the housing body rotatably connected near the second surface,
• the housing body rotatably displacing to a closed position at which the second end near to the first surface is disposed in closest proximity to the apparatus main body,
• a fully open position at which the second end is most separated from the apparatus main body, and
• an intermediate open position between the closed position and the fully open position;
• a link member retaining the housing body, that has displaced to the fully open position, at the fully open position, the link member is configured to reciprocally displace in a first direction so that
• a first end is connected rotatably to the housing body, and
• a second end
• is positioned in closest proximity to a first position near the first surface when the housing body is positioned at the closed position,
• is positioned in closest proximity to a second position near the second surface when the housing body is positioned at a fully open position, and
• is positioned at a third position between the first position and the second position when the housing body is positioned at an intermediate open position;
• a guide portion formed to extend in a first direction on an upper side of the housing body, guiding the second end on the link member, and including a stopper formed near the second surface;
• a suspended portion disposed to reciprocally displace in a first direction near the second surface on the guide portion, the suspended portion,
• positioned at a restricted position in abutment with the stopper when the housing body is positioned at the closed position or the intermediate open position,
• and positioned at a non-restricted position of the suspended portion near to the second surface and not in abutment with the stopper when the housing body is positioned at the fully open position;
• a tension spring in which one end is connected to the link member and the second end is connected to the suspended portion, the tension spring
• being in an extended state when the second end is disposed at a position corresponding to the restricted position and the housing body is positioned at the closed position,
• being in a free-length state when the second end is disposed at a position corresponding to the restricted position and the housing body is positioned at the intermediate open position, and
• being in a free-length state when the second end is disposed at a position corresponding to a non-restricted position closer to the second surface than the restricted position when the housing body is positioned at the fully open position.