CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-178543 filed on Sep. 30, 2019, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

The technology disclosed herein relates to an image forming apparatus.

A sheet feeder for an image forming apparatus has been proposed which has a locking mechanism, e.g., for the purpose of protecting sheets contained in a sheet feed cassette. Such a sheet feeder uses, for example, a cylinder key as the locking mechanism. A locking mechanism using a cylinder key is configured such that, by a user inserting a key into a cylinder and rotating the cylinder, a cam interlocking with the cylinder is rotated and the sheet feed cassette is thereby locked.

SUMMARY

As aspect of the present disclosure provides an image forming apparatus includes an image forming apparatus body and a sheet feed cassette. The image forming apparatus body has a power switch. The sheet feed cassette is housed in the image forming apparatus body such that the sheet feed cassette is able to be pulled out from the image forming apparatus body.

The image forming apparatus has an outer cylinder, an inner cylinder, and a turning unit. The outer cylinder is mounted on a wall of the sheet feed cassette located on a front side in a pulled-out direction of the sheet feed cassette and forms a part of a cylinder lock. The inner cylinder is turnably held on an inner peripheral surface of the outer cylinder and configured to be rotated between a first position and a second position about an axis of the outer cylinder by a key inserted into the inner cylinder from the front side in the pulled-out direction. The turning unit is coupled to the inner cylinder inside the sheet feed cassette such that the turning unit is able to rotate integrally with the inner cylinder.

The turning unit includes a switch switching part and a cassette locking part. The switch switching part is configured to turn in conjunction with rotational motion of the inner cylinder rotated by the key to switch the power switch between an ON state for supplying power to the image forming apparatus body and an OFF state for stopping supply of power to the image forming apparatus body. The cassette locking part is configured to turn in conjunction with rotational motion of the inner cylinder rotated by the key to switch the sheet feed cassette between a locked state in which the sheet feed cassette is locked such that it cannot be pulled out from the image forming apparatus body and an unlocked state in which the sheet feed cassette is unlocked.

The switch switching part is configured to switch the power switch such that the power switch is in the ON state when the inner cylinder is at the first position and the power switch is in the OFF state when the inner cylinder is at the second position. The cassette locking part is configured to place the sheet feed cassette in the unlocked state when the inner cylinder is at the first position and place the sheet feed cassette in the locked state when the inner cylinder is at the second position.

