Sheet supply apparatus having an inverted V-shaped separation pad

A sheet supply apparatus comprising:

• sheet stacking means for supporting sheets on a sheet supporting surface of a sheet supporting member, wherein said sheet supporting member is movably mounted on an apparatus body and is urged by an urging means;
• sheet supply means for feeding out the sheets supported by said sheet supporting member which is urged toward said sheet supply means by said urging means;
• a separation plate member disposed on the apparatus body for separating the sheets fed out by said sheet supply means one by one, wherein said separation plate member is elastically deformed when the sheet fed out by said sheet supply means is abutted against said separation plate member and rides over said separation plate member;
• and
• a separation pad provided on said sheet supporting surface of said sheet stacking means opposite said sheet supply means, said separation pad having a contact surface which contacts the sheets, said separation pad protruding from said sheet supporting surface toward the sheets to frictionally contact the lower surface of the bottom-most sheet supported by said sheet stacking means,
• wherein said sheet separation pad has an upper surface which is higher at a portion opposing said sheet supply means than a portion downstream thereof, in a sheet feeding direction, relative to the sheet supporting surface of said sheet stacking means, to urge an end of a sheet fed out by said sheet supply means to a substantially constant position of said separation plate member, and wherein a width of said contact surface of said separation pad is less than a width of said sheet supply means.

A recording apparatus comprising:

• sheet stacking means for supporting sheets on a sheet supporting surface of a sheet supporting member, wherein said sheet supporting member is movably mounted on an apparatus body and is urged by a urging means;
• sheet supply means for feeding out the sheets supported by said sheet supporting member which is urged toward said sheet supply means by said urging means;
• a separation plate member disposed on the apparatus body for separating the sheets fed out by said sheet supply means one by one, wherein said separation plate member is elastically deformed when the sheet fed out by said sheet supply means is abutted against said separation plate member and rides over said separation plate member;
• recording means for executing recording on the sheet separated by said separation plate member;
• and
• a separation pad provided on said sheet supporting surface of said sheet stacking means opposite said sheet supply means, said separate pad protruding from said sheet supporting surface toward the sheets to fractionally contact the lower surface of the bottom-most sheet supported by said sheet stacking means,
• wherein said sheet separation pad has an upper surface which is higher at a portion opposing said sheet supply means than a portion downstream thereof, in a sheet feeding direction, relative to the sheet supporting surface of said sheet stacking means, to urge an end of a sheet fed out by said sheet supply means to a substantially constant position of said separation plate member.