Sheet feeding apparatus

A sheet feeding apparatus, comprising:

• sheet supporting means for supporting sheets;
• sheet supplying means for supplying the sheets supported by said sheet supporting means;
• first urging means for urging the sheets supported by said sheet supporting means and said sheet supplying means against each other with a predetermined supply pressure;
• frictional separating means for separating the sheets supplied by said sheet supplying means one by one;
• second urging means for urging said frictional separating means and said sheet supplying means against each other with a predetermined separating pressure to separate the sheets therebetween;
• pressure releasing means for releasing the supply pressure and the separating pressure, after the sheets are separated by said frictional separating means;
• and
• double feed preventing means insertable into and retractable from a sheet feeding path for the sheet separated by said friction separating means, said double feed preventing means being inserted into said sheet feeding path for preventing a double feed of the sheets, when the supply pressure and the separating pressure are released by said pressure releasing means.

A sheet feeding apparatus, comprising:

• sheet supporting means for supporting sheets;
• separating means disposed at an offset position adjacent one lateral edge of the sheet for separating the sheets fed from said sheet supporting means one by one, wherein
• said separating means comprises rotary feeding means and friction means urged against each other with a predetermined separating pressure to separate the sheets;
• conveying means disposed at a downstream side of said separating means and comprising a guide against which one lateral edge of the sheet is abutted to be guided, and a skew-feed means for causing the sheet to abut against said guide;
• separating pressure releasing means for releasing the separating pressure after the sheet is separated by said separating means;
• and
• double feed preventing means insertable into and retractable from a sheet feeding path for the sheet separated by said separating means, said double feed preventing means being inserted into said feeding path for preventing the double feed of the sheets, when the separating pressure is released by said separating pressure releasing means.

In an image forming system a sheet feeding apparatus comprising

• sheet supporting means for supporting sheets;
• separating means for separating the sheets fed from said sheet supporting means one by one, said separating means comprising rotary feeding means and friction means urged against each other with a predetermined separating pressure to separate the sheets therebetween;
• separating pressure releasing means for releasing said separating pressure after the sheets fed from said sheet supporting means are separated by said separating means;
• double feed preventing means insertable into and retractable from a sheet feeding path for the sheet separated by said separating means,
• said double feed preventing means being inserted into said sheet feeding path for preventing a double feed of the sheets, when the separating pressure is released by said separating pressure releasing means.

In an image forming system a sheet feeding apparatus comprising

• sheet supporting means for supporting sheets;
• sheet supplying means for supplying the sheets supported by said supporting means;
• first urging means for urging the sheets supported by said sheet supporting means and said sheet supplying means against each other with a predetermined supply pressure;
• frictional separating means for separating the sheets supplied by said sheet supplying means one by one;
• second urging means for urging said frictional separating means and said sheet supplying means against each other with a predetermined separating pressure to separate the sheets therebetween;
• pressure releasing means for releasing the supply pressure and the separating pressure, after the sheets are separated by said frictional separating means;
• and
• double feed preventing means insertable into and retractable from a sheet feeding path for the sheet separated by said frictional separating means, said double feed preventing means being inserted into said feeding path for preventing a double feed of the sheets, when the supply pressure and the separating pressure are released by said pressure releasing means.

In an image forming system a sheet feeding apparatus comprising

• sheet supporting means for supporting sheets;
• separating means disposed at an offset position adjacent one lateral edge of the sheet for separating the sheets fed from said sheet supporting means one by one;
• said separating means comprising rotary feeding means and friction means urged against each other with a predetermined separating pressure to separate the sheets
• conveying means disposed at a downstream side of said separating means and comprising a guide against which one lateral edge of the sheet is abutted to be guided, and a skew-feed means for causing the sheet to abut against said guide;
• separating pressure releasing means for releasing the separating pressure after the sheet is separated by said separating means;
• and
• double feed preventing means insertable into and retractable from a sheet feeding path for the sheet separated by said separating means, said double feed preventing means being inserted into said feeding path for preventing the double feed of the sheets, when the separating pressure is released by said separating pressure releasing means.

A sheet feeding apparatus, comprising:

• sheet supporting means for supporting sheets;
• separating means for separating the sheets fed from said sheet supporting means one by one, said separating means comprising rotary feeding means and friction means urged against each other with a predetermined separating pressure to separate the sheets therebetween;
• conveying means disposed at a downstream side of said separating means for conveying the sheets separated by said separating means;
• separating pressure releasing means for releasing the separating pressure after said conveying means starts to convey the sheet;
• double feed preventing means insertable into and retractable from a sheet feeding path for the sheet separated by said separating means, said double feed preventing means being inserted into said feeding path for preventing a double feed of the sheets, when the separating pressure is released by said separating pressure releasing means.

A sheet feeding apparatus, comprising:

• sheet supporting means for supporting sheets;
• separating means for separating the sheets fed from said sheet supporting means one by one, said separating means comprising a pair of separating members urged against each other with a predetermined urge force to separate the sheets therebetween;
• urge force reducing means for reducing the urge force of said separating member after the sheet is separated by said separating means;
• double feed preventing means insertable into and retractable from a sheet feeding path for the sheet separated by said separating means, said double feed preventing means being inserted into said feeding path for preventing the double feed of the sheets, when the urge force is reduced by said urge force reducing means.

A sheet feeding apparatus, comprising:

• sheet supporting means for supporting sheets;
• sheet feeding means for feeding the sheets one by one from said sheet supporting means;
• load releasing means for releasing the load generated in the sheet when the sheet is fed from said sheet supporting means by said sheet feeding means;
• double feed preventing means insertable into and retractable from a sheet feeding path for the sheet separated by said separating means, said double feed preventing means being inserted into said feeding path for preventing the double feed of the sheets, when the load is released by said load releasing means.

A sheet feeding apparatus, comprising:

• sheet supporting means for supporting sheets;
• sheet feeding means for feeding the sheets one by one from said sheet supporting means;
• load releasing means for releasing a load generated in the sheet when the sheet is fed from said sheet supporting means by said sheet feeding means;
• double feed preventing means for preventing a double feed of the sheet, said double feed preventing means comprising a protruded portion protruded into the sheet feeding path of the sheet fed from said sheet supporting means to prevent the double feed of the sheet when the load is released by said load releasing means.