Method and apparatus for image forming and effectively performing sheet feeding using a sheet feed roller and a tilt member

A sheet feeder for separating sheets stacked on a pivotable sheet stacking member and for feeding said sheets, one by one, from the topmost sheet, said sheet feeder comprising:

• sheet feed roller means for coming in pressing contact with the topmost sheet for feeding the sheet to a separator;
• and
• tilt member means for coming in pressing contact with said sheet feed roller means and including a tilt face, said sheet feed roller means having a front end running against said tilt face, said tilt member means having a contact face in contact with said sheet feed roller means,
• wherein said contact face is in the shape of a narrow raised edge extending along an axial direction of said sheet feed roller means,
• said narrow raised edge forms substantially the entirety of said contact face and is adjacent to an end of said tilt face, and
• said substantially the entirety of said contact face is in contact with said sheet feed roller.

An image forming apparatus comprising:

• a sheet feeder that separates sheets stacked on a pivotable sheet material stacking member and for feeding the sheets, one by one, from the topmost sheet, said sheet feeder comprising:
• a sheet feed roller configured to come in pressing contact with a topmost sheet for feeding the sheet to a separator;
• and
• a tilt member configured to come in pressing contact with said sheet feed roller and including a tilt face, said sheet feed roller having a front end running against said tilt face, said tilt member having a contact face in contact with said sheet feed roller,
• an image forming mechanism configured to form an image on the sheet material fed out from said sheet feeder,
• wherein said contact face is in the shape of a narrow raised edge extending along an axial direction of said sheet feed roller,
• said narrow raised edge forms substantially the entirety of said contact face and is adjacent to an end of said tilt face, and
• said substantially the entirety of said contact face is in contact with said sheet feed roller.

An image forming apparatus comprising:

• sheet feed means for separating sheets stacked on a pivotable sheet stacking member and for feeding the sheets, one by one, from the topmost sheet, said sheet feeder comprising:
• sheet feed roller means for coming in pressing contact with a topmost sheet for feeding the sheet to separating means;
• and
• tilt member means for coming in pressing contact with said sheet feed roller means and including a tilt face, said sheet feed roller means having a front end running against said tilt face, said tilt member means having a contact face in contact with said sheet feed roller means, and
• image forming means for forming an image on the sheet fed out from said sheet feeding means,
• wherein said contact face is in the shape of a narrow raised edge extending along an axial direction of said sheet feed roller means,
• said narrow raised edge forms substantially the entirety of said contact face and is adjacent to an end of said tilt face, and
• said substantially the entirety of said contact face is in contact with said sheet feed roller.

A method of image forming, comprising the steps of:

• causing a sheet feed roller to come in pressing contact with a topmost sheet of a plurality of sheets stacked on a pivotable sheet stacking member so as to feed the sheet to a separator;
• and
• making a tilt member come in pressing contact with said sheet feed roller, said tilt member including a tilt face, said sheet feed roller having a front end running against said tilt face, said tilt member having a contact face in contact with said sheet feed roller,
• wherein said contact face is in the shape of a narrow raised edge extending along an axial direction of said sheet feed roller,
• said narrow raised edge forms substantially the entirety of said contact face and is adjacent to an end of said tilt face, and
• said substantially the entirety of said contact face is in contact with said sheet feed roller.

A method of image forming, comprising the steps of:

• causing a sheet feed roller to come in pressing contact with a topmost sheet or a stack of sheets stacked on a pivotable sheet stacking member so as to feed the sheet to a separator;
• making a tilt member come in pressing contact with said sheet feed roller, said tilt member including a tilt face, said sheet feed roller having a front end running against said tilt face, said tilt member having a contact face in contact with said sheet feed roller;
• and
• forming an image on the sheet fed out from said sheet feeder,
• wherein said contact face is in the shape of a narrow raised edge extending along an axial direction of said sheet feed roller,
• said narrow raised edge forms substantially the entirety of said contact face and is adjacent to an end of said tilt face, and
• said substantially the entirety of said contact face is in contact with said sheet feed roller.

A sheet feeder comprising:

• a support for a stack of sheets including a topmost sheet;
• a rotationally mounted feed roller in pressing contact with the topmost sheet in the stack and rotating about an axis for frictionally feeding said topmost sheet in a feeding direction;
• a sheet separating member having at least one tilt face at least a part of which is downstream from the support in said feed direction and further having at least one contact face urged in pressing contact with said feed roller;
• said contact face being shaped as a narrow raised edge and extending along a line parallel to the feed roller axis, and being downstream from said support in said feeding direction;
• said topmost sheet being fed in the feeding direction by said feed roller and being directed toward said edge-shaped contact face by said tilt face, and said edge-shaped contact face being operative to pass the topmost sheet between said at least one contact face and said feed roller but prevent passage therethrough of a sheet from the stack frictionally engaged with the topmost sheet and moving therewith in the feeding direction,
• said narrow raised edge forming substantially the entirety of said contact face and being adjacent to an end of said tilt face, and
• said substantially the entirety of said contact face being in contact with said feed roller.

A sheet feeding method comprising:

• providing a stack of sheets including a topmost sheet;
• feeding the topmost sheet in a feeding direction using a rotating feed roller in frictional contact therewith;
• using a pressing contact between the feed roller and at least one contact face of a separating member to pass the topmost sheet therethrough but keep from passage a sheet from the stack that is in frictional contact with the topmost sheet and is moving therewith in the feeding direction;
• said using step comprising using a pressing contact that is shaped as a narrow raised edge and extends along a line parallel to a rotational axis of the feed roller,
• said narrow raised edge forming substantially the entirety of said contact face and being adjacent to an end of said tilt face, and
• said substantially the entirety of said contact face being in contact with said feed roller.