An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus body, a sheet container, an image forming part to form an image, a sheet feeding rotary body to feed the recording medium, a sheet separating rotary body to contact the sheet feeding rotary body and rotate with the sheet feeding rotary body with a sheet separation nip region formed therebetween, a rotation adjusting unit to adjust rotation of the sheet separating rotary body, a sheet containing unit to contain the recording media therein, a sheet separating body storing unit disposed at one end of the sheet containing unit to store the sheet separating body therein, and a load resistance applying mechanism to apply a rotational load resistance different from a contact force generated by contacting of the sheet separating rotary body with the sheet feeding rotary body, to the sheet feeding rotary body with no rotation driving force applied thereto.

An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus body, a sheet container, an image forming part to form an image, a sheet feeding rotary body to feed the recording medium, a sheet separating rotary body to contact the sheet feeding rotary body and rotate with the sheet feeding rotary body with a sheet separation nip region formed therebetween, a rotation adjusting unit to adjust rotation of the sheet separating rotary body, a sheet containing unit to contain the recording media therein, a sheet separating body storing unit disposed at one end of the sheet containing unit to store the sheet separating body therein, and a load resistance applying mechanism to apply a rotational load resistance different from a contact force generated by contacting of the sheet separating rotary body with the sheet feeding rotary body, to the sheet feeding rotary body with no rotation driving force applied thereto.

A paper feeding apparatus includes: a sheet loading unit for loading a bundle of sheets; a separation unit that separates a topmost sheet of the bundle of sheets loaded on the sheet loading unit, from the bundle of sheets; a conveyance unit that conveys the separated topmost sheet; an end fence that is movable in a sheet conveyance direction, abuts trailing ends in the sheet conveyance direction, and positions the bundle of sheets in the sheet conveyance direction; and a pressing unit that is provided in such a manner as to protrude from the end fence, and is able to press the trailing ends in the sheet conveyance direction of at least an upper part of the bundle of sheets, wherein the pressing unit has different pressing forces at an upper and a lower portion thereof, and has the lower pressing force stronger than the upper pressing force.

A paper feeding apparatus includes: a sheet loading unit for loading a bundle of sheets; a separation unit that separates a topmost sheet of the bundle of sheets loaded on the sheet loading unit, from the bundle of sheets; a conveyance unit that conveys the separated topmost sheet; an end fence that is movable in a sheet conveyance direction, abuts trailing ends in the sheet conveyance direction, and positions the bundle of sheets in the sheet conveyance direction; and a pressing unit that is provided in such a manner as to protrude from the end fence, and is able to press the trailing ends in the sheet conveyance direction of at least an upper part of the bundle of sheets, wherein the pressing unit has different pressing forces at an upper and a lower portion thereof, and has the lower pressing force stronger than the upper pressing force.

A paper-sheet feeding unit includes: a feed roller configured to be rotated when feeding out a paper sheet, the feed roller having a high friction portion placed on a part of a circumference of an outer circumferential surface thereof, and a low friction portion placed on a location of the outer circumferential surface thereof other than the high friction portion, the low friction portion having a frictional coefficient smaller than that of the high friction portion; and a gate member arranged to be pressed against the outer circumferential surface of the feed roller, the gate member constituting a gate section configured to separate, one by one, the paper sheets fed out by the feed roller.

A feeding device to feed a sheet in a feeding direction includes a mount on which a substantially rectangular parallelepiped sheet pack is mountable; a first cutter to cut, in the feeding direction, a first side surface on one end side in a width direction orthogonal to the feeding direction out of four side surfaces of the sheet pack; a second cutter to cut, in the width direction, a second side surface on a downstream side in the feeding direction out of the four side surfaces; and a third cutter to cut, in the feeding direction, a third side surface on another end side in the width direction out of the four side surfaces. Height positions cut by the first cutter, the second cutter, and the third cutter coincide with each other. Cut portions by the first cutter, the second cutter, and the third cutter are coupled to each other.

A feeding device to feed a sheet in a feeding direction includes a mount on which a substantially rectangular parallelepiped sheet pack is mountable; a first cutter to cut, in the feeding direction, a first side surface on one end side in a width direction orthogonal to the feeding direction out of four side surfaces of the sheet pack; a second cutter to cut, in the width direction, a second side surface on a downstream side in the feeding direction out of the four side surfaces; and a third cutter to cut, in the feeding direction, a third side surface on another end side in the width direction out of the four side surfaces. Height positions cut by the first cutter, the second cutter, and the third cutter coincide with each other. Cut portions by the first cutter, the second cutter, and the third cutter are coupled to each other.

An electrode supply device includes: an electrode magazine unit in which a plurality of electrodes are stacked; and an electrode pick-up unit configured to pick up an uppermost first electrode among the plurality of electrodes, wherein at least one of the electrode magazine unit and the electrode pick-up unit includes a heating unit configured to heat the first electrode and a second electrode adjacent to the first electrode to expand an air layer between the first electrode and the second electrode.

An electrode supply device, an electrode assembly manufacturing apparatus using the electrode supply device, an electrode supply method, and an electrode assembly manufacturing method using the electrode supply method are described. The electrode supply device includes: an electrode magazine unit in which a plurality of electrodes is stacked; an electrode pickup unit configured to pick up a first electrode among the plurality of electrodes; and an electromagnetic inductor configured to be able to induce an electric field or a magnetic field. One of the plurality of electrodes is separated from the first electrode by an electric field or magnetic field induced by the electromagnetic inductor.