An example image forming apparatus includes a printing unit including a fixing device to form an image on a print medium, a housing in which the printing unit is located, and a scanner, to read image information from a document, located above the printing unit in a vertical projected area of the housing with respect to a discharge direction of the print medium discharged from the printing unit so as not to overlap with a heater of the fixing device.

An embossed component for positioning an article having a through hole includes a planar portion and an embossed portion projecting from a surface of the planar portion. The embossed portion is tapered toward a tip side and to be fitted into the through hole. The embossed portion includes a straight base end portion continuous with the planar portion and extending vertically with respect to the planar portion toward the tip side of the embossed portion, and an opening is at a tip of the embossed portion.

An image reading device includes a magnetizer that magnetizes a metal object attached to a document, a magnetism detector that is disposed on the downstream side of the magnetizer in a document transport direction from a document stacking table toward the document transport path and detects residual magnetism of the metal object, and a metal object accompaniment determination unit that determines whether or not the metal object is attached to the document based on a detection result by the magnetism detector.

Even from a plurality of small documents, their front-side and back-side images to be formed on a recording paper sheet, with alignment and coincidence of the front-side and back-side images of each document between the front and back sides of the recording paper sheet. In an image forming apparatus, an image processing section detects a front-side image of an original document from a scan area read in a first scan by an image reading section, detects a back-side image of the original document from a scan area read in a second scan, and moves or rotates the front-side image and the back-side image of the original document in terms of a whole image of the scan area so that the front-side image and the back-side image of the original document are brought into alignment and coincidence between a front side and a back side of a recording paper sheet.

A hinge, wherein, inter alia, intrusion of foreign matter in a contacting portion of a slide member and a cam member and resulting adhesion of an oil provided in the cam member to the foreign matter is reliability prevented from the closed state to the open state of a second wing member. The hinge is provided with an oil fence disposed on the outside close to the contacting portion of the cam member and slide member, the oil fence preventing, from the closed slate to the open state of the second wing member, foreign matter front intruding into the contacting portion of the slide member and cant member from the outside of the slide member and cant member.

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion provided with an opening portion through which a cartridge is removably mounted and a cover member opening and closing the opening portion. An original reading portion is pivotable about a first rotation axis. The cover member is pivotable about a second rotation axis parallel to the first rotation axis. A force is applied to pivot the original reading portion so that an engagement portion of the original reading portion slides on a sliding face of the cover member to apply a force from the engagement portion to the sliding face to pivot the cover member. In a cross section orthogonal to the first rotation axis, a first portion of the sliding face approaches the original reading portion from one end side on which the first and the second rotation axes are provided toward an opposite side.

An image forming system (100) includes an image forming apparatus (1) and an image reading apparatus (50). The image forming apparatus (1) include a first casing (10) including a top plate (13) having a first opening (11) and a second opening (12); and a fixing member (20) disposed below the top plate (13), having a first projecting part (21) and a second projecting part (22) and operated such that the first projecting part (21) is protruded and retracted through the first opening (11) and the second projecting part (22) is protruded and retracted through the second opening (12). The image reading apparatus (50) includes: a second casing (60) placed on the first casing (10); a second carriage (52) being movable inside the second casing (60); a lock member (70) which is engaged with the second carriage (52) to restrict movement of the second carriage (52), and when pushed up by the first projecting part (21), is disengaged from the second carriage (52) to release restriction of the movement of the second carriage (52); and a third opening (64) into which the second projecting part (22).

An image reading apparatus includes an original illuminator; a reflector for reflecting light reflected by the original; a reading portion for reading the light reflected by the reflector; a holding member holding the reflection member; a first bonding portion connecting the holding member and one end portion of the reflector in a direction along a reflecting surface of the reflection member; and a second bonding portion connecting the holding member and the other end portion of the reflector in the direction along the reflecting surface of the reflection member. The second bonding portion has a hardness less than that of the first bonding portion.

An arrangement is therefore employed in which a flexible flat cable is guided by a guide member situated at a position facing a metal rear plate and the flexible flat cable extending from a connector to the metal rear plate is brought into contact with a wall portion of the metal rear plate so that the flexible flat cable is grounded.

An image forming apparatus includes a main assembly including a main assembly frame and an image forming portion; a reading unit including a reading frame, a placing portion, a reading portion, and a hinge supporting portion; a hinge; and an openable unit. The hinge supporting portion includes a first fixing portion fixed to the reading frame and a second fixing portion provided adjacent to the main assembly frame and fixed to the main assembly frame.