Image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording material, comprising:

• a main assembly;
• a cartridge supporting member for supporting a plurality of cartridges, wherein said cartridge supporting member is movable between an outside position, in which the cartridges are located outside said main assembly, and an inside position, in which the cartridges are located inside said main assembly, and wherein said cartridge supporting member includes a mounting portion on which the cartridges are detachably mountable at the outside position;
• an opening, provided in said main assembly, through which said cartridge supporting member passes when said cartridge supporting member moves between the inside position and the outside position;
• a plurality of first displaceable members provided movably on said cartridge supporting member,
• wherein said first displaceable members are contactable with the plurality of cartridges, respectively, and are movable between (i) first positions which permit the cartridges to be mounted on and demounted from the mounting portion when said cartridge supporting member is at the outside position, and (ii) second positions which are different from the first positions and in which the cartridges, mounted on the mounting portion, are capable of passing through said opening, when said cartridge supporting member is moved from the outside position to the inside position;
• and
• a plurality of second displaceable members provided movably on said cartridge supporting member,
• wherein said second displaceable members are contactable with the plurality of cartridges, respectively, and are movable between (i) third positions which permit the cartridges to be mounted on and demounted from the mounting portion when said cartridge supporting member is at the outside position, and (ii) fourth positions which are different from the third positions and in which the cartridges, mounted on the mounting portion, are capable of passing through said opening, when said cartridge supporting member is moved from the outside position to the inside position,
• wherein said first displaceable members and said second displaceable members are provided on opposite sides of said cartridge supporting member, with respect to a longitudinal direction of the cartridges,
• wherein said first displaceable members are movable from the first positions to the second positions based on a force received from the main assembly by the movement from the outside position to the inside position of said cartridge supporting member, and
• wherein said second displaceable members are movable from the third positions to the fourth positions based on the force received from the main assembly by the movement from the outside position to the inside position of said cartridge supporting member.

An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording material, comprising:

• a main assembly;
• a cartridge supporting member for supporting a plurality of cartridges, wherein said cartridge supporting member is movable between an outside position, in which the cartridges are located outside said main assembly, and an inside position, in which the cartridges are located inside said main assembly, and wherein said cartridge supporting member includes a mounting portion on which the cartridges are detachably mountable at the outside position;
• an opening, provided in said main assembly, through which said cartridge supporting member passes when said cartridge supporting member moves between the inside position and the outside position;
• a plurality of displaceable members provided movably on said cartridge supporting member,
• wherein said displaceable members are contactable with a plurality of cartridges, respectively, and are movable between (i) first positions which permit the cartridges to be mounted on and demounted from the mounting portion when said cartridge supporting member is at the outside position, and (ii) second positions which are different from the first positions and in which the cartridges, mounted on the mounting portion, are capable of passing through said opening, when said cartridge supporting member is moved from the outside position to the inside position,
• wherein said displaceable members are movable from the first positions to the second positions based on a force received from the main assembly by the movement from the outside position to the inside position of said cartridge supporting member.

A cartridge supporting member for supporting a plurality of cartridges and for use with an image forming apparatus including a main assembly and an opening provided in the main assembly, wherein the cartridge supporting member is movable between an outside position, in which the cartridges are located outside the main assembly, and an inside position, in which the cartridges are located inside the main assembly, the cartridge supporting member comprising:

• a mounting portion on which the cartridges are detachably mountable at the outside position, wherein the cartridge supporting member passes through the opening when the cartridge supporting member moves between the inside position and the outside position;
• a plurality of displaceable members provided movably on the cartridge supporting member,
• wherein said displaceable members are contactable with a plurality of cartridges, respectively, and are movable between (i) first positions which permit the cartridges to be mounted on and demounted from said mounting portion when the cartridge supporting member is at the outside position, and (ii) second positions which are different from the first positions and in which the cartridges, mounted on said mounting portion, are capable of passing through said opening, when the cartridge supporting member is moved from the outside position to the inside position,
• wherein said displaceable members are movable from the first positions to the second positions based on a force received from the main assembly by the movement from the outside position to the inside position of the cartridge supporting member.

A cartridge detachably mountable to a cartridge supporting member in an image forming apparatus which includes:

• a main assembly;
• a cartridge supporting member for supporting a plurality of cartridges, wherein the cartridge supporting member is movable between an outside position, in which the cartridges are located outside the main assembly, and an inside position, in which the cartridges are located inside the main assembly, and wherein the cartridge supporting member includes a mounting portion on which the cartridges are detachably mountable at the outside position;
• an opening, provided in the main assembly, through which the cartridge supporting member passes when the cartridge supporting member moves between the inside position and the outside position;
• and
• a plurality of displaceable members provided movably on the cartridge supporting member, wherein the displaceable members are contactable with the plurality of cartridges, respectively, and are movable between (i) first positions which permit the cartridges to be mounted on and demounted from the mounting portion when the cartridge supporting member is at the outside position, and (ii) second positions which are different from the first positions and in which the cartridges, mounted on the mounting portion, are capable of passing through the opening, when the cartridge supporting member is moved from the outside position to the inside position, and
• wherein the displaceable members are movable from the first positions to the second positions based on a force received from the main assembly by the movement from the outside position to the inside position of the cartridge supporting member, said cartridge comprising:
• a portion-to-be-contacted contactable with one of the plurality of displaceable members,
• wherein the cartridge is configured such that when mounted on the cartridge supporting member the cartridge is movable between (i) a third position where the cartridge is mountable and demountable, and (ii) a fourth position, different from the third position, which permits the cartridge, mounted on the mounting portion, to pass through the opening, when the cartridge supporting member is moved from the outside position to the inside position.