Sheet feeding apparatus and image forming apparatus
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorHiroyuki Nakagawa
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A sheet feeding apparatus includes a supporting portion configured to support sheets, a feeding member configured to feed the sheets, an air blower unit configured to blow air to separate the sheets, and a side end regulating member including a regulating surface, an air outlet port through which the air from the air blower unit is blown out, a first restriction member movable to a protruding position and to a retracting position, and a second restriction member disposed downstream of the first restriction member in the feeding direction, the second restriction member being fixed to a position where the second restriction member protrudes inward in the sheet width direction with respect to the regulating surface so as to restrict the excessive floating of the sheets.
Claims18
A sheet feeding apparatus comprising:
- a supporting portion, including a support surface, configured to support a sheet;
- a feeding member configured to feed the sheet supported on the supporting portion in a feeding direction;
- an air blower unit configured to blow air toward the sheet supported on the supporting portion;
- and
- a side end regulating member including:
- a regulating surface configured to face a side end portion of the sheet in a sheet width direction orthogonal to the feeding direction and regulate a position of the sheet in the sheet width direction;
- a first restriction member movable to:
- a protruding position where the first restriction member protrudes inward in the sheet width direction with respect to the regulating surface such that the first restriction member restricts the sheet, in a state in which the sheet is blown upward by the air from the air blower unit;
- and
- a retracting position where the first restriction member is retracted outward from the protruding position in the sheet width direction;
- and
- a second restriction member disposed downstream of the first restriction member in the feeding direction, wherein the second restriction member:
- is immovable with respect to the regulating surface;
- protrudes inward in the sheet width direction with respect to the regulating surface;
- and
- is plate shaped with a major surface thereof oriented facing toward the support surface in a direction perpendicular to the support surface and is configured to restrict the sheet by coming in contact with an upper surface of the sheet.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.