Patent 7164874 was granted and assigned to RICOH COMPANY,LTD. on January, 2007 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
An electrode of an image bearing unit and an electrode of a power supply are positioned in the front, rather than far inside of the main body of the image forming apparatus. A holder opposes these electrodes in an openable/closable manner. The holder includes an electric conductor that electrically connects the electrode of an image bearing unit and an electrode of a power supply when the holder is closed. The image bearing unit can be detached or attached when the holder is open.