# US 2014/0153978 A1 · Image Forming Apparatus Including Retaining Part for Retaining Movable Guide in Prescribed Position

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- Number: US 2014/0153978 A1
- Document ID: US20140153978A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 14/091,456
- Filed: 2013-11-27
- Published: 2014-06-05
- Earliest claimed: 2012-11-30
- Assignees: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
- Inventors: Atsushi Ozawa; Noboru Suzuki
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140153978A1

## CPC

- G03G 15/2028: {with means for handling the copy material in the fixing nip, e.g. introduction guides, stripping means}
- G03G 15/6573: {Feeding path after the fixing point and up to the discharge tray or the finisher, e.g. special treatment of copy material to compensate for effects from the fixing}
- G03G: ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY

## Abstract

An image forming apparatus includes a discharge unit, fixing unit, movable guide, cover, and retaining part. The discharge unit discharges a sheet out of a main body. The fixing unit thermally fixes developer image deposited on the sheet to provide an image-fixed sheet. The movable guide is movable between a first position and second position. The movable guide guides one surface of the sheet in the first position. The movable guide exposes a conveying path in the second position. The cover is movable between an open position where the movable guide is exposed and a closed position where the movable guide is covered. The movable guide is in the first position while the cover moves from the closed position to the open position. The retaining part is configured to retain the movable guide in the second position after the movable guide moves from the first position to the second position.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An image forming apparatus comprising:
a main body;
a sheet discharge unit configured to discharge a sheet out of the main body;
a fixing unit including a heating member to thermally fix developer image deposited on the sheet to provide an image-fixed sheet; and
a movable guide disposed near the heating member and defining at least a part of a conveying path for guiding the image-fixed sheet toward the sheet discharge unit, the movable guide being movable between a first position and a second position, the movable guide being configured to guide one surface of the image-fixed sheet in the first position, the movable guide being configured to expose the conveying path in the second position;
a cover disposed on a top of the main body and configured to move between an open position in which the movable guide is exposed and a closed position in which the movable guide is covered, wherein the movable guide is disposed in the first position while the cover moves from the closed position to the open position; and
a retaining part configured to retain the movable guide in the second position after the movable guide moves from the first position to the second position.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an urging member configured to urge the movable guide toward the first position.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the movable guide is configured to be disengaged from the retaining part and move from the second position to the first position when the cover moves the open position to the closed position.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the movable guide includes an operating part allowing a user to move the movable guide.