Sheet feeder and image forming apparatus including the sheet feeder

A sheet feeder comprising:

• a sheet loader including a wall standing upward at a downstream side of a sheet conveying direction, on which a sheet bundle is loaded;
• an air blowing device including a first air blowing body disposed downstream from the sheet loader in the sheet conveying direction, the air blowing device configured to blow air toward the sheet bundle loaded on the sheet loader and lift a sheet over the sheet bundle;
• a sheet attracting device disposed above the sheet loader, the sheet attracting device configured to attract the sheet lifted over the sheet bundle by the air blowing device;
• a sheet conveying device configured to convey the sheet in the sheet conveying direction with the sheet attached thereto by the sheet attracting device;
• and
• a regulator mounted on the wall of the sheet loader, the regulator including
• a first vertical opposing face forming an upper portion of the regulator, located relatively higher than the wall of the sheet loader and relatively lower than a plane of the sheet conveying device along which the sheet is conveyed in the sheet conveying direction, separated from the wall of the sheet loader by a certain distance toward a downstream side of the sheet conveying direction, and extending upwardly in a substantially vertical direction,
• an inclined opposing face forming an intermediate portion of the regulator and extending at a downward incline from a lower end of the first vertical opposing face toward the wall of the sheet loader, and
• a second vertical opposing face forming a lower portion of the regulator, and extending downwardly from a lower end of the inclined opposing face of the regulator along the wall of the sheet loader in the substantially vertical direction.