Image forming apparatus having mechanism for placing fixing unit in nip relaxed state

An image forming apparatus, comprising:

• an image forming unit, which is configured to form a toner image on a recording sheet;
• a fixing unit, which is configured to nip the recording sheet with the toner image by a nipping pressure and fix the toner image on the recording sheet;
• frames including a first frame and a second frame, which are arranged to have the image forming unit and the fixing unit in an internal space there-between;
• a door, which is configured to cover an opening, the opening being connected with one side of the internal space between the first frame and the second frame, the one side being an opposite side from the fixing unit across the image forming unit;
• a linear motion member, which is configured to extend along the line connecting the door and the fixing unit;
• a guiding member, which is formed in the first frame and configured to guide the linear motion member to move linearly in a motion path along the line connecting the door and the fixing unit;
• a coupler assembly, which is configured to couple the door with the linear motion member and move the linear motion member in the motion path in cooperation with opening and closing motions of the door;
• and
• a manipulation member, which is configured to place the fixing unit in one of a nipping condition, in which the recording sheet is nipped by the nipping pressure in the fixing unit, and a nip-relaxed condition, in which nipping pressure is relaxed in the fixing unit;
• wherein the manipulation member is configured to be rotatable about an axis, which is in a position vertically separated from a motion path of the linear motion member, and extends from the axis to be reachable to intersect with the motion path;
• wherein the linear motion member includes a contact portion, with which the manipulation member comes in contact along an intersecting direction to intersect the motion path of the linear motion member when the linear motion member moves the manipulation member, on a surface thereof;
• wherein the guiding member includes a slider plane to slidably support the linear motion member and to bear reaction force from the manipulation member;
• and
• wherein the linear motion member is slidably supported by the slider plane of the guiding member at a surface which is on an opposite side from the surface having the contact portion.