Sheet feeding apparatus, image forming apparatus having the same and image reading apparatus having the same
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorTakeshi Suga
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A sheet feeding apparatus has a sheet support for supporting sheets, a feed roller pressingly contacted with the sheets supported on the sheet support, the feed roller rotating in a sheet conveying direction for feeding the sheets, a separation rotator pressingly contacted with the feed roller and the separation rotator rotating in a direction of restoring the sheets so as to separate, sheet by sheet, the sheets fed out. The sheet feeding apparatus further has a pressure switch for switching pressure of the separation rotator with respect to the feed roller during rotating operation of the feed roller.
Claims18
A sheet feeding apparatus comprising:
- sheet supporting means for supporting a sheet;
- feeding means pressingly contacted with the sheets supported on the sheet supporting means, the feeding means rotating in a sheet conveying direction for feeding the sheets;
- a separation rotator pressingly contacted with the feeding means, the separation rotator rotating in a direction of restoring the sheets so as to separate, sheet by sheet, the sheets fed out from the feeding means;
- and
- pressure switching means for switching pressure of the separation rotator with respect to the feeding means during a sheet feeding operation of the feeding means.
An image forming apparatus comprising:
- sheet supporting means for supporting a sheet;
- feeding means pressingly contacted with the sheets supported on the sheet supporting means, the feeding means rotating in a sheet conveying direction for feeding the sheets;
- image forming means for forming images on sheets fed out from the feeding means;
- a separation rotator pressingly contacted with the feeding means, the separation rotator rotating in a direction of restoring the sheets so as to separate, sheet by sheet, the sheets fed out from the feeding means;
- and
- pressure switching means for switching pressure of the separation rotator with respect to the feeding means during a sheet feeding operation of the feeding means.
An image reading apparatus comprising:
- sheet supporting means for supporting a sheet;
- feeding means pressingly contacted with the sheets supported on the sheet supporting means, the feeding means rotating in a sheet conveying direction for feeding the sheets;
- image reading means for reading images on sheets fed out form the feeding means;
- a separation rotator pressingly contacted with the feeding means, the separation rotator rotating in a direction of restoring the sheets so as to separate, sheet by sheet, the sheets fed out form the feeding means;
- and
- pressure switching means for switching pressure of the separation rotator with respect to the feeding means during a sheet feeding operation of the feeding means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.