Sheet feeder and image forming apparatus having stacker with elevation unit
AssigneeRicoh Company, Ltd.
InventorSatoshi Kunioka
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A sheet feeder includes a stacker that accommodates multiple sheets of recording media, an elevation unit disposed in a downstream portion of the stacker in a sheet feeding direction and which ascends to lift a leading edge portion of the sheet in the sheet feeding direction, a rotary feeding member disposed facing the elevating unit and forming a nip in which the leading edge portion of the sheet is clamped together with the elevation unit when the elevation unit ascends, and a guide unit disposed adjacent to an outer circumference of the feeding member, facing an upper side of the leading edge portion of the sheet. The guide unit guides the leading edge portion of the sheet toward the nip between the feeding member and the elevation unit.
Claims18
A sheet feeder comprising:
- a stacker that accommodates multiple sheets of recording media;
- an elevation unit disposed in a downstream portion of the stacker in a sheet feeding direction and which ascends to lift a leading edge portion of the sheet in the sheet feeding direction;
- a rotary feeding member disposed facing the elevation unit and forming a nip in which the leading edge portion of the sheet is clamped together with the elevation unit when the elevation unit ascends;
- and
- a guide unit having a leading edge in the sheet feeding direction and disposed adjacent to an outer circumference of the feeding member, facing an upper side of the sheet, the leading edge of the guide unit guiding the leading edge portion of the sheet toward a position where the nip between the feeding member and the elevation unit is to be formed,
- wherein the leading edge of the guide unit in the sheet feeding direction projects beyond a leading edge of the stacker downstream in the sheet feeding direction.
A sheet feeder comprising:
- a stacker that accommodates multiple sheets of recording media;
- an elevation unit disposed in a downstream portion of the stacker in a sheet feeding direction and which ascends to lift a leading edge portion of the sheet in the sheet feeding direction;
- a rotary feeding member disposed facing the elevation unit and forming a nip in which the leading edge portion of the sheet is clamped together with the elevation unit when the elevation unit ascends;
- and
- a guide unit having a leading edge in the sheet feeding direction and disposed adjacent to an outer circumference of the feeding member, facing an upper side of the sheet, the leading edge of the guide unit guiding the leading edge portion of the sheet toward a position where the nip between the feeding member and the elevation unit is to be formed,
- wherein the leading edge of the guide unit in the sheet feeding direction projects beyond a leading edge of the stacker downstream in the sheet feeding direction, and
- wherein the stacker is inclined in the sheet feeding direction, and the feeding member transports the sheet conveyed thereto by gravity toward the position where the nip between the feeding member and the elevation unit is to be formed.
An image forming apparatus, comprising:
- an image forming unit to form an image on a sheet of recording media;
- and
- a sheet feeder,
- the sheet feeder comprising:
- a stacker that accommodates multiple sheets of recording media;
- an elevation unit disposed in a downstream portion of the stacker in a sheet feeding direction in which the sheet is transported from the stacker and which ascends to lift a leading edge portion of the sheet in the sheet feeding direction;
- a rotary feeding member disposed facing the elevation unit and forming a nip in which the leading edge portion of the sheet is clamped together with the elevation unit when the elevation unit ascends;
- and
- a guide unit having a leading edge in the sheet feeding direction and disposed adjacent to an outer circumference of the feeding member, facing an upper side of the sheet, the leading edge of the guide unit guiding the leading edge portion of the sheet toward a position where the nip between the feeding member and the elevation unit is to be formed,
- wherein the leading edge of the guide unit in the sheet feeding direction projects beyond a leading edge of the stacker downstream in the sheet feeding direction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.