A sheet feeding apparatus includes a stacking portion, a feed member provided above the stacking portion and configured to feed an uppermost sheet among the sheets stacked on the stacking portion, and a trailing-end regulating member movable in the sheet feeding direction and configured to regulate a position of a trailing end of the sheets stacked on the stacking portion in the sheet feeding direction. The trailing-end regulating member includes a support portion configured to support a lower surface of the sheets stacked on the stacking portion. The support portion has a projecting shape in which a center portion of the support portion in a sheet width direction projects upward as compared with end portions of the support portion in the sheet width direction.

A sheet feeding apparatus includes a stacking portion, a feed member provided above the stacking portion and configured to feed an uppermost sheet among the sheets stacked on the stacking portion, and a trailing-end regulating member movable in the sheet feeding direction and configured to regulate a position of a trailing end of the sheets stacked on the stacking portion in the sheet feeding direction. The trailing-end regulating member includes a support portion configured to support a lower surface of the sheets stacked on the stacking portion. The support portion has a projecting shape in which a center portion of the support portion in a sheet width direction projects upward as compared with end portions of the support portion in the sheet width direction.

According to aspects of the present disclosure, there is provided a tray swinging mechanism including a document tray. A movable plate of the document tray is configured to be swingable about a tray shaft and extends leftward. A lifter is configured to be swingable about a lifter shaft extending in the front-rear direction at a position different from the tray shaft. On a lower surface of the movable plate, a cam surface configured to contact a tip of the lifter is formed. The cam surface includes a parallel part parallel to an upper surface of the movable plate and a curved part spaced from the upper surface farther toward a right side. According to a shape of the cam surface, each time the lifter is rotated by a particular angle, the tip of the movable plate moves by a particular amount.

According to aspects of the present disclosure, there is provided a tray swinging mechanism including a document tray. A movable plate of the document tray is configured to be swingable about a tray shaft and extends leftward. A lifter is configured to be swingable about a lifter shaft extending in the front-rear direction at a position different from the tray shaft. On a lower surface of the movable plate, a cam surface configured to contact a tip of the lifter is formed. The cam surface includes a parallel part parallel to an upper surface of the movable plate and a curved part spaced from the upper surface farther toward a right side. According to a shape of the cam surface, each time the lifter is rotated by a particular angle, the tip of the movable plate moves by a particular amount.

A feeding device includes a loading portion, a lifting mechanism, a conveying unit, a sheet detector, a near-end detector, and process circuitry. The loading portion stacks a plurality of sheets. The lifting mechanism lifts the loading portion. The conveying unit conveys the sheets on the loading portion. The sheet detector detects presence or absence of the sheets on the loading portion at a specified height position. The sheet count detector detects a number of sheets conveyed by the conveying unit. The near-end detector detects a near-end state in which a stack height of the sheets on the loading portion is a specified value or less. The process circuitry controls the lifting mechanism based on a detection result of the sheet detector before the near-end state is detected, and controls the lifting mechanism based on a detection result of the sheet count detector after the near-end state is detected.

A feeding device includes a loading portion, a lifting mechanism, a conveying unit, a sheet detector, a near-end detector, and process circuitry. The loading portion stacks a plurality of sheets. The lifting mechanism lifts the loading portion. The conveying unit conveys the sheets on the loading portion. The sheet detector detects presence or absence of the sheets on the loading portion at a specified height position. The sheet count detector detects a number of sheets conveyed by the conveying unit. The near-end detector detects a near-end state in which a stack height of the sheets on the loading portion is a specified value or less. The process circuitry controls the lifting mechanism based on a detection result of the sheet detector before the near-end state is detected, and controls the lifting mechanism based on a detection result of the sheet count detector after the near-end state is detected.

A media processing device includes: a hopper for supporting a stack of media units (e.g. cards), the hopper including (i) a gate wall configured to abut leading edges of the media units and (ii) an outlet defined at an end of the gate wall; a pick roller at the outlet for engaging an outer one of the media units in the stack and dispensing the outer media unit from the hopper to a media processing path; the gate wall including a flexible gate at the outlet, the flexible gate configured to deflect toward the media processing path responsive to the outer media unit being driven into the flexible gate by the pick roller, wherein the outer media unit deflects when passing by the flexible gate, permitting the outer media unit to be dispensed from the hopper.

A media processing device includes: a hopper for supporting a stack of media units (e.g. cards), the hopper including (i) a gate wall configured to abut leading edges of the media units and (ii) an outlet defined at an end of the gate wall; a pick roller at the outlet for engaging an outer one of the media units in the stack and dispensing the outer media unit from the hopper to a media processing path; the gate wall including a flexible gate at the outlet, the flexible gate configured to deflect toward the media processing path responsive to the outer media unit being driven into the flexible gate by the pick roller, wherein the outer media unit deflects when passing by the flexible gate, permitting the outer media unit to be dispensed from the hopper.

A sheet conveying device includes a sheet placement table, a sheet discharge table, a conveyance mechanism, raising/lowering mechanism, and a raising/lowering control portion. The sheet discharge table is located below the sheet placement table. The conveyance mechanism conveys a sheet placed on the sheet placement table onto the sheet discharge table via an execution position at which image processing is executed by an image processing portion. The raising/lowering mechanism raises and lowers the sheet placement table. The raising/lowering control portion controls the raising/lowering mechanism in accordance with a clearance that is defined by a height from the sheet on the sheet discharge table to the sheet placement table, so as to maintain the clearance to be equal to or higher than a set value.

A paper feeder includes a processor configured to, in a case of lowering a paper feed tray on which paper is placed in an accommodation section that accommodates paper and replenishing paper, the paper feed tray being controlled to be raised/lowered in a case of replenishing paper, control a lowering amount of the paper feed tray according to a number of sheets of paper to be replenished.