Sheet feeding device, sheet containing device, and image forming apparatus

A sheet feeding device comprising:

• a loading member, sheets being loaded on the loading member;
• a delivery member configured to contact an uppermost sheet out of a stack of the sheets loaded on the loading member and configured to deliver the uppermost sheet, the stack of sheets having a side surface, the uppermost sheet having a side end;
• an inclination unit configured to rotate the loading member to be gradually inclined such that, with respect to a moving direction of the sheets delivered by the delivery member, a downstream side of the loading member is lifted higher than an upstream side of the loading member as quantity of the sheets included in the stack of sheets loaded on the loading member decreases;
• a blowing unit comprising a blowing opening and facing the side surface of the stack of sheets loaded on the loading member, the blowing unit configured to blow air toward the side surface of the stack of sheets through the blowing opening;
• and
• a movement unit configured to gradually rotate the blowing opening such that the blowing opening opposes the side end of the uppermost sheet out of the stack of sheets loaded on the loading member as the loading member becomes inclined.

A sheet containing device comprising:

• a loading section, a stack of sheets being loaded on the loading section, the stack of sheets having a side surface;
• a blower comprising a blowing opening facing the side surface of the stack of sheets loaded on the loading section, the blower configured to blow air toward the side surface of the stack of sheets through the blowing opening;
• an inclination section configured to rotate the stack of sheets loaded on the loading section in accordance with the quantity of the sheets loaded on the loading section;
• and
• a setting section configured to set a position of the blowing opening of the blower by rotation of the blower in accordance with an amount of inclination of the inclination section.

An image forming apparatus comprising:

• an image forming unit configured to form an image on a sheet;
• and
• a sheet feeding unit configured to feed the sheet to the image forming unit,
• wherein the sheet feeding unit comprises:
• a loading section, the sheets being loaded on the loading section,
• a delivery section configured to sequentially deliver the sheets from a top of a stack of the sheets loaded on the loading section, the stack of sheets having a side surface,
• a blowing section comprising a blowing opening facing the side surface of the stack of sheets loaded on the loading section, the blowing section configured to blow air toward the side surface of the stack of sheets through the blowing opening,
• an inclination section configured to rotate the stack of sheets loaded on the loading section in accordance with a quantity of the sheets loaded on the loading section, and
• a setting section configured to rotate the blowing opening of the blowing section in accordance with an amount of inclination of the inclination section.