An automatic document feeder (300) includes a housing (301), conveyance roller pairs (313 to 317), and a pressure releasing mechanism. The housing (301) is openably/closably attached to a main body of an image forming apparatus. The conveyance roller pairs (313 to 317) pinch an original document sheet with pressure and feed the original document sheet. The pressure releasing mechanism detaches one rollers (313b to 317b) of the conveyance roller pairs (313 to 317) from the other rollers (313a to 317a) in conjunction with an operation of opening the housing 301 against the main body.

An image forming apparatus includes an opening closing unit openably arranged between first and second positions and an associating mechanism connecting a body unit with the opening closing unit and operating in association with the opening closing unit. The associating mechanism includes plural compression springs and a buffer member, urges the opening closing unit with a first compression spring among the plural compression springs when the opening closing unit is placed at the first position, urges the opening closing unit with the first compression spring and a second compression spring when the opening closing unit is placed at a third portion between the first portion and the second position, and buffers the motion of the opening closing unit with the buffer member when the opening closing unit is placed at a fourth position between the second position and the third position.

An image reading apparatus includes a scanner casing having a contact glass on an upper face, and located on an upper side of a main body frame of the image forming apparatus, a document retention member openably covering the upper face of the scanner casing, a hinge mechanism pivotably supporting the document retention member, a leg portion to an upper end portion of which the hinge mechanism is fixed, an insertion hole formed in the scanner casing, and having an opening oriented upward, in which the leg portion is inserted; and a reinforcing tube attached to an inner face of the insertion hole. The scanner casing includes a first housing, and a second housing mounted on an upper side of the first housing. The reinforcing tube is held between the first housing and the second housing in an up-down direction, and restricted from moving in the up-down direction.

An image reading apparatus includes: a housing including a processing unit configured to process image information; an opening and closing member openably and closably provided on the housing, the opening and closing member including a reading unit configured to read an image from an image holding medium and configured to obtain image information from the image; a connection member that electrically connects the reading unit and the processing unit; and a protective member including a first protective member rotatably supported by the opening and closing member and a second protective member rotatably supported by the housing and rotatably connected to the first protective member, wherein rotation axial directions of the first protective member and the second protective member are the same direction as a rotation axial direction of the opening and closing member, and the connection member is accommodated in the protective member and protected by the protective member.

An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus body including a housing cover, a printer, a discharge roller, a discharge portion, a scanner, and a document cover. The discharge portion is recessed downward in a vertical direction relative to an upper surface of the housing cover and includes a first wall and a second wall, and a receiving surface situated therebetween. The scanner is disposed downstream from the discharge portion in a sheet discharge direction, and includes a document table and an image sensor. The document cover is configured to pivot between a first position at which the document cover covers the document table of the scanner from above and a second position that is different from the first position. When the document cover is located at the first position, an upper surface of the document cover is substantially level with a downstream end of the receiving surface.

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.

A sheet discharging apparatus includes a discharge unit, a stacking portion and a swing guide. The stacking portion includes an upstream supporting portion, a wall surface portion, a first supporting portion provided downstream of the upstream supporting portion and including a first inclined surface, and a second supporting portion provided downstream of the upstream supporting portion and including a second inclined surface. The swing guide overlaps with the first supporting portion as viewed in a width direction of a sheet in a case where the swing guide is not in contact with a sheet discharged by the discharge unit, and swings upward in a case where the swing guide is pushed by a sheet.

An image reading apparatus includes a first opening/closing unit to openably and closeably support a sheet conveyance portion with respect to an image reading portion, and a second opening/closing unit to openably and closeably support the sheet conveyance portion with respect to the image reading portion. The first opening/closing unit includes a first spring to urge the sheet conveyance portion in a direction in which the sheet conveyance portion moves from a closed position toward an opened position, and the second opening/closing unit includes a second spring to urge the sheet conveyance portion in the direction in which the sheet conveyance portion moves from the closed position toward the opened position and an oil damper to attenuate vibration energy of the sheet conveyance portion. The first opening/closing unit does not include an oil damper.

An image reading apparatus includes a first housing, a second housing, an imaging sensor, a reference member provided to be able to move between a first position facing the imaging sensor and a second position, a cam to make the reference member move, and an abutting member provided to make the cam move. The abutting member is located at a projecting position sticking out from the first housing, to make the cam move so that the reference member moves from the first position to the second position when the second housing is closed with respect to the first housing. The abutting member is provided so as to be able to retract when the second housing is opened and closed with respect to the first housing and abuts against the cam in the state located at the projecting position.

A reading apparatus includes: a document platen on which a document is placed; a reading portion configured to read a document placed on the document platen; a cover that is openable and closable between a first position at which the document platen is covered and a second position at which the document is uncovered; and a frame member including a first inclination portion and a second inclination portion, configured to constitute at least a part of an outer frame of the document platen, the first inclination portion being adjacent to the document platen and higher with an increasing distance from the document platen, and the second inclination portion being arranged farther away from the document platen than the first inclination portion and higher with an increasing distance from the document platen.