Abstract: A feeding apparatus and an image forming apparatus capable of appropriately detecting sheets stacked on a stacking plate are provided. The feeding apparatus includes a sheet contact portion configured to make contact with a sheet stacked on a stacker. The sheet contact portion is arranged between a position where a feed roller makes contact with the sheet and a position where a conveyance roller makes contact with the sheet, in a feeding direction, and within an area of the feed roller in an axial direction of the feed roller.

Abstract: A push-pull latch assembly for a detachable media pick mechanism. The latch assembly comprises a handle that is slidably and axially insertable into a handle base which is mounted to the pick mechanism housing. The handle base includes a pair of cantilevered, opposed latched arms having opposed catches for engagement with a groove positioned adjacent to a free end of a cantilevered drive shaft for the pick mechanism. The handle includes triangular rails having inner and outer ramps used to separate the opposed latch arms. The outer ramp separates the latch arms when the handle is inserted into the handle base. The inner ramp separates the latch arms during removal of the pick mechanism from the drive shaft. An axial pushing force engages the latch assembly to the groove and an axial pulling force disengages the latch assembly from the groove allowing for pick assembly removal.

Abstract: A paper feed device includes: a tray that holds at least one recording medium; a wall that has a portion in contact with a leading end, in a transport direction, of the recording medium on the tray and is disposed so as to intersect the transport direction; and a transport member that is disposed on the downstream side, in the transport direction, of the wall and transports the recording medium. The wall has an opening/closing member that is capable of being opened and closed to form an opening through which the transport member is extracted toward the tray.

Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus includes a conveyance unit configured to convey a sheet supplied from a holding unit, a sensor configured to detect an edge of the sheet in a width direction, and a control unit configured to detect, with the sensor, a displacement of the edge of the sheet in the width direction during movement of the sheet by a predetermined distance, and to cancel a subsequent skew detection operation if the displacement is larger than an allowable amount.

Abstract: The sheet feeding apparatus includes a sheet tray on which sheets are stacked, a feeding roller which contacts a top sheet on the sheet tray and feeds the sheet in a sheet feeding direction, and a pair of intermediate conveying rollers which receives the fed sheet and conveys the sheet in a sheet conveying direction. The sheet feeding apparatus further includes a fixed slope portion, a sheet separation member, and an opposite member. The fixed slope portion includes a separation slope which is inclined in downstream of the sheet feeding direction as it is closer to the pair of intermediate conveying rollers, so as to abut against the sheet fed by the feeding roller and separate the sheet one by one. The sheet separation member and the opposite member have a separation nip portion which separates the sheet having passed through the separation slope one by one.

Abstract: There is provided a feed apparatus including: a support unit supporting a sheet; a feed roller; a first arm; a recess portion; a second arm; a biasing member; an operation lever; and an engagement portion. The engagement portion is configured to be separated from the second arm at the first position in a case that the feed roller abuts against the support surface. The engagement portion is configured to be engaged with the second arm in a case that the first arm swings in a direction in which the feed roller is separated from the support surface. The second arm is configured to swing from the first position to the second position in conjunction with swing of the first arm in a direction in which the feed roller is further away from the support surface.

Abstract: A media transport assembly includes a loadstop drive assembly to gather and compress a media stack in a media tray before a pick and feed cycle, and a pick drive assembly to pick a sheet of media from the media stack and feed the sheet of media to a media path. The loadstop drive assembly is positioned on one side of a gear wall and the pick drive assembly is positioned on an opposite side of the gear wall such that the pick drive assembly is driven by the loadstop drive assembly through the gear wall.

Abstract: Devices include a platform having a media side that supports sheets of media. The platform moves in a direction perpendicular to the surface upon which the devices rests between a home position and a plurality of paper supply positions located in an upward direction from the home position. A user interface displays a first reload option that, when selected, lowers the platform to the home position for reloading the sheets of media onto the platform. The user interface also displays an accessibility option for reloading the sheets of media onto the platform that, when selected, lowers the platform to an accessibility position that is in the upward direction relative to the home position.

Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus, in which a feeding roller can take a feeding and retracted positions through a simple configuration, and an image reading apparatus, and an image forming apparatus including the same. The sheet feeding apparatus includes an original stack tray, a pickup roller, a pickup arm, a separation shaft of a separation roller which is connected to the pickup roller and rotates the pickup arm, a driving motor which is connected to the shaft, and a weight member which is supported to the pickup arm on a side opposite to the pickup roller. When the driving motor is driven, the pickup arm is rotated to a feeding position to feed an original. When transmission of a driving to the shaft is blocked, the pickup roller is rotated to a retracted position by the weight member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion configured to form an image on a recording sheet, a main body including a pair of frames and a bridging member connecting the pair of frames, a feed roller, a sheet receiving plate, and a lifting member. The sheet receiving plate is configured to receive the recording sheet, and pivot between a nearby position where the sheet receiving plate is disposed near the feed roller and a remote position where the sheet receiving plate is disposed remote from the feed roller. The lifting member is disposed opposite to the feed roller relative to the sheet receiving plate and configured to lift the sheet receiving plate such that the sheet receiving plate is disposed in the nearby position. The lifting member includes a pivot shaft rotatably supported by the bridging member and a lift portion configured to contact the sheet receiving plate.

Abstract: Torque is applied to a separation roller of an image processing apparatus when a leading edge of the sheet in a transport direction reaches a first transport roller and when the leading edge of the sheet in the transport direction reaches a transport unit. Torque to the separation roller is cut off after the leading edge of the sheet has reached the transport unit but before the leading edge of the sheet reaches the image processing unit.

Abstract: A printing medium supply device and an image forming apparatus having the same are provided. The printing medium supply device may include a pickup unit and an adjustment unit. The pickup unit may include a shaft, a pickup roller spaced apart from the shaft to come into contact with printing media, a pickup holder to support the pickup roller, the pickup holder being rotated about the shaft to lift or lower the pickup roller, and a link member connected to the pickup holder so as to be rotated about the shaft. The adjustment unit may include a pressure member coming into contact with a pressure applied portion of the link member to rotate the link member by applying pressure thereto, and an elastic member elastically supported by the pressure member to transmit elastic force to the link member. This configuration ensures constant pickup pressure despite variation in the quantity of printing media.

Abstract: In an imaging apparatus, a removable media tray is operative to hold a plurality of media types of different widths and a pick device includes a pick mechanism and a translation mechanism for moving the pick mechanism to a centerline of a width of one or more media sheets in the media tray. The media tray includes a reference edge surface and a media edge guide moveable to a selected position with respect to the reference edge surface. The one or more media sheets are restrained between the reference edge surface and the media edge guide with the translation mechanism automatically translating the pick mechanism to the centerline of the corresponding media width during insertion of the media tray into the imaging apparatus.

Abstract: An intermittent feeding mechanism applied in the automatic document feeder (ADF) of a business machine. By design of integrating components, manufacturing costs and assembly work can be reduced efficiently, thus associated costs can be further reduced. Besides, the built-in design of the present disclosure can reduce the installation space and facilitate the miniaturization of a business machine.

Abstract: A separation roller is provided in a first end portion of a separation roller shaft through a torque limiter. The separation roller is provided to be able to come into pressure contact with a conveying roller rotatably supported by a conveying roller shaft. A support portion supports the separation roller in a cantilever condition and is formed to be elastically deformable. The support portion supports the separation roller shaft such that the separation roller shaft is inclined by a predetermined angle with respect to the conveying roller shaft such that the first end portion of the separation roller shaft is positioned upstream in a sheet conveying direction of a second end portion in a state in which the conveying roller is not driven.

Abstract: A sheet feeding roller 101 which feeds a sheet S stacked on a sheet supporting plate 110 capable of being lifted and lowered is swingably supported at a swing end of a sheet feeding roller supporting arm 104 which is arranged swingably in an up-and-down direction and a roller biasing member applies a force to the sheet feeding roller supporting arm in a direction that the sheet feeding roller is pressed to sheets S stacked on a sheet stack tray. A swing fulcrum 104a is arranged in a range between a tangential line of the sheet feeding roller at the upstreammost pressing position against the sheet feeding direction and a tangential line of the sheet feeding roller at the downstreammost pressing position out of pressing positions where the sheet feeding roller is pressed to the sheets as being varied in accordance with a sheet stacking state of the sheets.

Abstract: A sheet conveyance apparatus includes a sheet conveyance path, a sheet feeding member, a driving mechanism, a stopper, an interlocking portion, a cover member, and an evacuation mechanism. The stopper is configured to change a posture between a projection posture and an evacuation posture. The projection posture is configured to project into the sheet conveyance path so as to prevent the sheet to be loaded on a sheet loading portion from abutting on the sheet feeding member. The evacuation posture is configured to evacuate the stopper from the sheet conveyance path. The evacuation mechanism is configured to: change the stopper to have the evacuation posture, or to be in a posture changeable state where the stopper changes from the projection posture to the evacuation posture by application of external force, in conjunction with a change of the cover member from a closed state to the open state.

Abstract: There are provide a sheet feeding apparatus, in which a feeding roller can take a feeding position and a retracted position through a simple configuration, and an image reading apparatus, and an image forming apparatus including the same. The sheet feeding apparatus includes an original stack tray, a pickup roller, a pickup arm, a separation shaft of a separation roller which is connected to the pickup roller and rotates the pickup arm, a driving motor which is connected to the separation shaft, and a weight member which is supported to the pickup arm on a side opposite to the pickup roller. When the driving motor is driven, the pickup arm is rotated to a feeding position to feed an original. When transmission of a driving to the separation shaft is blocked, the pickup roller is rotated to a retracted position by the weight member.

Abstract: A sheet feed device is provided in which, at the time of pulling out a sheet housing portion from an image forming apparatus main body, when the sheet housing portion moves from a first position to a second position, a pickup roller moves on a first rotary shaft, to a position on an upstream side in an insertion direction, and at the time of inserting the sheet housing portion in the image forming apparatus main body, when the sheet housing portion moves from the second position to the first position, the pickup roller moves on the first rotary shaft, to a position on a downstream side in the insertion direction. A movable area of the pickup roller in a direction of the rotary shaft is equal to or larger than a movement amount of the pickup roller between the upstream side position and the downstream side position.

Abstract: A printing medium supply device and an image forming apparatus having the same are provided. The printing medium supply device may include a pickup unit and an adjustment unit. The pickup unit may include a shaft, a pickup roller spaced apart from the shaft to come into contact with printing media, a pickup holder to support the pickup roller, the pickup holder being rotated about the shaft to lift or lower the pickup roller, and a link member connected to the pickup holder so as to be rotated about the shaft. The adjustment unit may include a pressure member coming into contact with a pressure applied portion of the link member to rotate the link member by applying pressure thereto, and an elastic member elastically supported by the pressure member to transmit elastic force to the link member. This configuration ensures constant pickup pressure despite variation in the quantity of printing media.

Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus includes a stacking portion on which a sheet is stacked, a drive source configured to generate a driving force, a pick-up member rotatable with the driving force and configured to rotate in contact with the stacked sheet to feed the sheet, a feed member configured to feed the sheet fed by the pick-up member, an elevating unit configured to raise and lower the stacking portion with the driving force to bring the sheet and the pick-up member into contact with each other, and a control unit configured to control the elevating unit, when a trailing edge of a first sheet fed to the pick-up member is upstream of the feed member and downstream of the pick-up member, to bring a second sheet stacked on the stacking portion and to be fed subsequently to the first sheet and the pick-up member into contact with each other.

Abstract: The moving mechanism of a sheet feeding device has a first moving member and a second moving member. The first moving member is held in a position corresponding to the number of sheets supported by a sheet support member, and when moving in a specific direction can move the sheet support member in the separation direction away from a paper feed roller. The second moving member moves out and back through a specific range of movement in each revolution of the paper feed roller, engages the first moving member and moves the first moving member in the specific direction when moving out, and releases said engagement when moving back.

Abstract: A printing medium supplying apparatus may include a body, a feed tray configured to rotate between a first position in which the feed tray forms an external appearance of the body and a second position in which a printing medium is loaded, a knock-up plate provided on the feed tray configured to ascend and descend, a pickup roller configured to make contact with the loaded printing medium as the knock-up plate ascends, and a rotating lever configured to allow the knock-up plate to be restricted at a side of the feed tray when the feed tray rotates from the first position to the second position. Accordingly, the knock-up plate are restricted and released together with operations of the pickup roller and the feed tray.

Abstract: A variable speed unit is driven by a drive unit to make a tooth-missing large gear of a sheet feed tooth-missing stage gear mesh with a small gear of an input stage gear rotating at a constant speed, to then rotate a rotating shaft of the feeding roller and a cam at a first speed to lift an intermediate plate. If a sheet stacked on the intermediate plate is pressed against the feeding roller, the variable speed unit makes a large gear of the input stage gear and a tooth-missing small gear of the sheet feed tooth-missing stage gear mesh with each other, so that the rotating shaft of the feeding roller is rotated at a second speed faster than the first speed to rotate the feeding roller at a fast speed.

Abstract: A media processing device executes a retard preparation operation that moves a separation roller and a paper return lever at a desired time even when the moving mechanism that moves a separation roller and a paper return lever together, and the conveyance mechanism that conveys the medium, share a common drive source. A printer has a moving mechanism that executes a retard preparation operation that moves the paper return lever and separation roller in conjunction with each other. Drive power from the conveyance motor is transferred to the moving mechanism. The printer also has a trigger lever that can move between an interference position physically interfering with the moving mechanism and preventing the retard preparation operation from starting, and an actuator that moves the trigger lever from the interference position to a non-interference position.

Abstract: A sheet feeding device selectively transmit a driving force transmitted to a double gear type driving gear to a first reverse gear to rotate a retard roller in a direction opposite to a rotation direction of a forward roller such that various kinds of sheets having different friction forces are separated and supplied, and an image forming apparatus including the same.

Abstract: A sheet feed device includes a feed unit and a sheet loading cassette. The feed unit includes a separation conveyance portion that is composed of a feed member and a separation member, a separation holder that supports the separation member and is swingable, and a pressing member that presses the separation holder. The sheet loading cassette includes a grip portion, a pressure release member that, in conjunction with an operation of drawing out the sheet loading cassette, comes into contact with the pressing member, an operation lever that is provided at the grip portion. In a state where the sheet loading cassette is inserted in the apparatus main body, the operation lever is gripped together with the grip portion, and thus the pressure release member slides to come into contact with the pressing member, so that the pressing member is released from the separation holder.

Abstract: A roller device may include a main body, a first roller configured to rotate around an first axis line extending in a predetermined axial direction, the first roller including an end portion in the axial direction, and a supporting member including a first supporting portion configured to rotatably support the end portion of the first roller and an engaging portion configured to engage the main body. Further, the main body including a regulating portion disposed inside the movable range when the supporting member is located at a third position and disposed outside the movable range when the supporting member is located at a fourth position.

Abstract: A sheet conveying device such as a feed mechanism includes a pick-up roller and a cover member. The pick-up roller feeds, into an apparatus, a sheet such as a document on a placing table such as a document placing table on which the sheet is placed. The cover member such as a pick-up cover covers the pick-up roller. The cover member is supported at both ends thereof on a shaft of the pick-up roller or on shaft bearings that receive the shaft of the pick-up roller.

Abstract: In a sheet feed apparatus, sheet feed roller is provided in casing so as to face downstream side of sheet stacking portion in sheet conveying direction, and conveys sheets in sheet conveying direction. Separation pad is provided facing sheet feed roller, forms, with sheet feed roller, nip portion through which sheets pass, and conveys sheets one by one in sheet conveying direction. Holder fixes and supports separation pad. Mount portion mounts holder. An urging member urges separation pad toward sheet feed roller via the holder. Holder is changeable in its posture between a first posture in which separation pad is spaced apart from sheet feed roller so as to release nip portion having been formed therebetween, and a second posture in which nip portion is formed between separation pad and sheet feed roller. Holder includes a contact part that contacts the mount portion in the second posture.

Abstract: The feeder device comprises a support structure (2) wherein, between a feeder plate (3) and an opposite surface (4), there is defined an input receptacle (5) for the introduction of one or more documents (BC) to be processed, and a motorized aligning and conveying device (6), adapted to engage and urge a document (BC) introduced into the input receptacle (5) towards a lateral stationary aligning surface (50).

Abstract: An image recording apparatus includes an apparatus main-body, a tray, a first transporting path including a curved portion and an extending portion connected to the curved portion, a feed roller which feeds a sheet from the tray to the first transporting path, a transporting roller which transports the sheet, a recording portion which records an image on the sheet transported through the extending portion, a first guide member defining an outer wall of the curved portion, a second guide member defining an inner wall of the curved portion, a second transporting path which connects a portion of the extending portion and a portion of the curved portion, a third guide member defining an upper wall of the second transporting path, a fourth guide member defining a lower wall of the second transporting path, and a fifth guide member provided to a rotating front-end side of the fourth guide member.

Abstract: A paper feed apparatus includes a paper feeding portion that sends-out a paper placed in a paper placing tray, and is used in an image forming apparatus such as a multifunction machine. The paper feed apparatus comprises a first regulating portion and a second regulating portion that are arranged in the vicinity of a downstream side of a paper feeding position by the paper feeding portion. The first regulating portion is arranged outside a second width paper passage area to regulate a movement of a first width paper such as A4 paper placed in the paper placing tray toward a feeding direction. On the other hand, the second regulating portion is arranged inside the second width paper passage area to regulate a movement of a second width paper such as a name card placed in the paper placing tray toward a feeding direction.

Abstract: A media transport assembly includes a loadstop drive assembly to gather and compress a media stack in a media tray before a pick and feed cycle, and a pick drive assembly to pick a sheet of media from the media stack and feed the sheet of media to a media path. The loadstop drive assembly is positioned on one side of a gear wall and the pick drive assembly is positioned on an opposite side of the gear wall such that the pick drive assembly is driven by the loadstop drive assembly through the gear wall.

Abstract: A sheet feeding device including: a sheet feeding roller configured to convey a sheet; a placing portion on which the sheet is configured to be placed; a moving unit configured to move the placing portion toward the sheet feeding roller; a separation pad to which a leading end of the conveyed sheet is configured to abut at a contact position; a separation roller configured to nip the sheet conveyed by the sheet feeding roller between the separation pad and the separation roller at a nip position while bringing the sheet into sliding contact with the separation pad; and a separation assistant member provided between the sheet feeding roller and the separation roller and configured to change a distance between the nip position and the contact position according to a basis weight of the sheet by coming into contact with the sheet.

Abstract: A switchable note-picking device (1) used at a note inlet of a note processing device comprises a note-bearing platform (17), a note-picking mechanism (13) for picking notes on the note-bearing platform (17) and a note-classifying mechanism (11) for classifying the picked notes. The note-classifying mechanism (11) comprises a note-classifying shaft (112) and a note-classifying wheel fixed on the note-classifying shaft (112). The switchable note-picking device (1) further comprises a driving component (15) for driving the note-picking mechanism (13) hidden below the note-bearing platform (17) to be exposed out of the note-bearing platform (17) and contact with the notes. By the driving component (15), the note-picking mechanism (13) is exposed out of the note-bearing platform (17) when picking notes and hidden below the note-bearing platform (17) when being free from picking notes, so that the switchable note-picking device (1) can stop deposition and deposit a specified amount of notes.

Abstract: A sheet feed device is provided in which, at the time of pulling out a sheet housing portion from an image forming apparatus main body, when the sheet housing portion moves from a first position to a second position, a pickup roller moves on a first rotary shaft, to a position on an upstream side in an insertion direction, and at the time of inserting the sheet housing portion in the image forming apparatus main body, when the sheet housing portion moves from the second position to the first position, the pickup roller moves on the first rotary shaft, to a position on a downstream side in the insertion direction. A movable area of the pickup roller in a direction of the rotary shaft is equal to or larger than a movement amount of the pickup roller between the upstream side position and the downstream side position.

Abstract: An image recording device is provided, having a recording unit configured to record an image on a sheet, and a tray disposed below the recording unit. The tray includes a sheet holding surface configured to hold the sheet. Additionally, the image recording device includes a sheet feeder disposed between the recording unit and the tray. The sheet feeder includes a roller for feeding the sheet from the tray. The roller is configured to move between a first roller position in which the roller contacts the sheet holding surface of the tray and a second roller position in which the roller is separated from the sheet holding surface. A return guide, disposed between the recording unit and the sheet feeder, defines a second conveying path to guide the sheet having an image recorded on one side thereof back to the feed guide. The return guide has a first opening configured to accommodate the roller of the sheet feeder when the roller is in the second roller position.

Abstract: An image recording device is provided, having a recording unit configured to record an image on a sheet, and a tray disposed below the recording unit. The tray includes a sheet holding surface configured to hold the sheet. Additionally, the image recording device includes a sheet feeder disposed between the recording unit and the tray. The sheet feeder includes a roller for feeding the sheet from the tray. The roller is configured to move between a first roller position in which the roller contacts the sheet holding surface of the tray and a second roller position in which the roller is separated from the sheet holding surface. A return guide, disposed between the recording unit and the sheet feeder, defines a second conveying path to guide the sheet having an image recorded on one side thereof back to the feed guide. The return guide has a first opening configured to accommodate the roller of the sheet feeder when the roller is in the second roller position.

Abstract: A feeding apparatus includes a pickup roller arranged to pick and feed a medium downstream along a conveying path, a separating roller arranged downstream to the pickup roller for advancing the medium downstream, a brake roller arranged opposite to the separating roller, and a pressing structure arranged opposite to the pickup roller and operable to swing toward or away from the pickup roller according to the rotating direction of the brake roller. When the brake roller rotates for feeding mediums downstream, the pressing structure moves toward the pickup roller and applies a normal force required for picking the medium. But when the brake roller stops rotating downstream because multiple mediums are fed between the brake roller and the separating roller, the pressing structure moves away from the pickup roller and stops applying normal force, so as to control the medium-picking process.

Abstract: A feeding apparatus includes a pickup roller arranged to pick and feed a medium downstream along a conveying path, a separating roller arranged downstream to the pickup roller for advancing the medium downstream, a brake roller arranged opposite to the separating roller, and a pressing structure arranged opposite to the pickup roller and operable to swing toward or away from the pickup roller according to the rotating direction of the brake roller. When the brake roller rotates for feeding mediums downstream, the pressing structure moves toward the pickup roller and applies a normal force required for picking the medium. But when the brake roller stops rotating downstream because multiple mediums are fed between the brake roller and the separating roller, the pressing structure moves away from the pickup roller and stops applying normal force, so as to control the medium-picking process.

Abstract: A removable media dam for a media input tray. The removable media dam is mountable in a front wall of the media tray and may contain one or more rollers for feeding media from the media input tray. The removable media dam includes a separator roll positioner for angularly rotating a separator roll between a retracted position and an extended position to adjust the height of the separator roll with respect to a media contact surface thereby varying the media sheet separation force applied by the separator roll to media sheets being fed from the media tray. In one form, the removable media dam is mountable by a user without the use of tools.

Abstract: A recording apparatus includes a lower tray which is detachably mounted to an apparatus body, an upper tray provided above the lower tray, which is detachably mounted to the apparatus body, and a feeding roller capable of contacting each of a recording medium stored in the lower tray and the recording medium stored in the upper tray from above. The feeding roller is supported at an intermediate position, which is lower than a position of the feeding roller reached when the feeding roller contacts a bottom surface of the upper tray and higher than a position of the feeding roller reached when the feeding roller contacts a recording medium set as a top sheet in a state in which a maximum number of recording media are stored in the lower tray, in an unmounted state of the upper tray and the lower tray.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus, including an image forming part which forms an image on a printing medium, a main feeding part which accommodates the printing medium and supplies the printing medium to the image forming part, and a reversing part which transfers the printing medium, on which an image is formed on a first surface thereof in the image forming part, to the main feeding part, wherein the main feeding part includes a feeding roller part which re-feeds the printing medium, having been transferred through the reversing part, to the image forming part.

Abstract: A sheet conveying apparatus according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a roller drive portion, a first drive portion, a restriction member, a second drive portion, and a drive control portion. Restriction member contacts with rear end of sheet surface, in conveying direction, of uppermost sheet in sheet stack stored in sheet storage portion to restrict feeding of sheet from sheet storage portion. Drive control portion controls roller drive portion, first drive portion, and second drive portion, and causes opposing member to separate from sheet feed roller, and causes restriction member to contact with sheet surface of second sheet to be conveyed immediately after first sheet, after first sheet located on uppermost position of sheet stack is fed by pickup roller and leading end of first sheet in conveying direction passes through sheet feed nip portion.

Abstract: A sheet-shaped medium feeding device is provided. A power transmission mechanism includes a retardation mechanism configured to retard rotation start timing of a pick-up roller than movement start timing of a pressing member when the pressing member starts to move from a stand-by position toward the pick-up roller. The retardation mechanism includes a driving side rotational member and a driven side rotational member which are configured to rotate around a common center axis. When the driving side rotational member rotates around the center axis in a predetermined rotation direction by a predetermined play angle, the driving side rotational member is engaged with the driven side rotational member to integrally rotate the driven side rotational member in the rotation direction.

Abstract: A transport apparatus includes a transport roller having a first supported portion and a second supported portion at positions separated in a first direction, and configured to abut against a sheet, rotate in a second direction about a rotation axis extending in the first direction, and transport the sheet; a first support member configured to rotatably support the transport roller, the first support member having a first receiving portion which is in the form of a circular arc and configured to abut against a portion in a circumferential direction of an outer periphery of the first supported portion; and a second support member configured to rotatably support the transport roller, the second support member having a second receiving portion which is in the form of a circular arc and configured to abut against a portion in a circumferential direction of an outer periphery of the second supported portion.

Abstract: An automatic document feeder includes an upper cover, a pick-up arm, a restriction element, and a document stopper. The pick-up arm is movable between a first position and a second position. A rotating shaft of the restriction element is pivotally coupled to the pick-up arm. A rotating shaft of the document stopper is pivotally coupled to the upper cover. Moreover, the rotating shaft of the restriction element and the rotating shaft of the document stopper are not in parallel with each other. When the pick-up arm is located at the first position, a swinging action of the document stopper is limited by the restriction element. When the pick-up arm is located at the second position, the swinging action of the document stopper is no longer limited by the restriction element, so that the document stopper can be freely swung.

Abstract: An image recording device having a recording unit to record an image on a sheet is provided. The image recording unit includes a feed guide defining a first conveying path; an arm disposed between the recording unit and the tray, the arm having a feed roller rotatably disposed at a free end and configured to feed the sheet in the tray to the first conveying path. The arm pivots between a first arm position, and a second arm position. The return guide pivots between a first return guide position, and a second return guide position. A space occupied by the return guide in the first return guide position overlaps a space occupied by the arm in the second arm position. The return guide is in the second return guide position when the arm is in the second arm position which is retracted from an insertion space occupied by the tray.

Abstract: A recording medium feeding device includes a first support member that supports a feed roller and is configured to be swingable about a pivot shaft so that the first support member swings to displace the feed roller in directions to and away from the recording medium, a first engagement section that includes a gear that swings with the first support member, and a second engagement section that is engageable with the first engagement section when the first support member swings to move the feed roller away from the recording medium, wherein engagement of the first engagement section and the second engagement section is maintained in a state where a power in a swing direction is not transmitted to the first support member, and engagement of the first engagement section and the second engagement section is released when the power in the swing direction is transmitted to the first support member.