A document feeder constituting an image forming apparatus includes a paper feeder to supply a document to a document transport path, a first transporter to transport the document toward image reading positions, and a second transporter to transport the document toward the document discharging tray while supplying the document to the image reading positions. Furthermore, the document feeder includes a motor provided on the first frame, a first driver provided on the first frame and to transmit driving force generated by the motor to the paper feeder and the first transporter, a second driver provided on the second frame and to transmit the driving force generated by the motor to the second transporter, and a second driver to transmit the driving force generated by the motor to the second transporter, and a relay transmission member to transmit the driving force generated by the motor to the second driver.

Perforated endless conveying belts are stretched between drive and idle rollers. A suction box is arranged between upper and lower belt portions of the perforated endless conveying belts. Abutment members are attached to positions of a support corresponding to the perforated endless conveying belts and pressed against the perforated endless conveying belts. The upstream of the suction box from the abutment members forms an attracting area, and intake holes are formed therein. Lifting plates extend to at least an intake hole range of the attracting area between the perforated endless conveying belts. The lifting plates move between a first position to vertically open the intake holes and project from conveying surfaces of the perforated endless conveying belts and a second position to close the intake holes and retract from the conveying surfaces of the perforated endless conveying belts.

A document feeding device includes a feeding unit feeding documents from a batch of documents on a placing tray, a separation member in pressure contact with the feeding unit and separating documents one by one, a separation swinging member supporting the separation member and displaceable in a thickness direction of the batch of documents, and a movable member supported as to be displaceable with respect to the separation swing member in the thickness direction of the batch of documents, and entering a space formed between the separation member and a document.

A sheet feeding apparatus includes a sheet stacker to stack at least one sheet; a sheet feed roller disposed at one side of the sheet stacker and to feed a sheet fed from the sheet stacker; a multi-feed prevention roller disposed to face the sheet feed roller and to prevent multi-feed of the sheet fed from the sheet stacker; a magnetic torque limiter disposed coaxially with the multi-feed prevention roller; a hall sensor disposed at one side of the magnetic torque limiter and to detect rotation of the magnetic torque limiter; and a controller configured to rotate the sheet feed roller in a state in which the sheet feed roller and the multi-feed prevention roller are in contact with each other without a sheet and to identify a lifetime of the multi-feed prevention roller by using a signal output from the hall sensor.

The disclosure relates to a feeding apparatus capable of feeding media sheet. The feeding apparatus includes first feeding assembly comprising first mount frame, first roller and stopper. The stopper is pivotally connected to the first mount frame and movable with the first roller, the stopper has a covering portion configured to stop the media sheet, the first roller is located in the first mount frame and is movable along a straight path; while the stopper is pressing against the first roller and the first roller is moving along the straight path, the stopper is moved with the first roller so that the covering portion of the stopper is moved close to or away from the straight path.

A sheet conveyance apparatus includes a storage unit storing a sheet, a conveyance member to convey a sheet, a support shaft portion, and a separation unit. The support shaft portion has one end fixed to a main body of the sheet conveyance apparatus and the other end as a free end that is not fixed to the main body. The separation unit pinches and conveys a sheet with the conveyance member and separates a plurality of sheets stored in and fed from the storage unit one by one. The separation unit includes a separation member that is supported by the support shaft portion and rotatable with the support shaft portion, and a holding member to hold the separation member. By moving the holding member in an axial direction of the support shaft portion, the separation unit is removed from the apparatus with the holding member holding the separation member.

A sheet conveyor includes a drive roller, a retard roller forming a nip with the drive roller, a first torque limiter disposed coaxially with the retard roller and communicating with the retard roller, a first gear disposed coaxially with the retard roller, a drive train including a plurality of gears for receiving a driving force from the first gear, a second torque limiter, and an arm member including a contact portion located downstream of the drive roller in the conveyance direction. The arm member is movable between a first arm position to allow transmission of the driving force to the second torque limiter and a second arm position to interrupt transmission of the driving force to the second torque limiter. The arm member is configured to, as the sheet conveyed by the drive roller contacts the contact portion, move from the first arm position to the second arm position.

A method and apparatus for processing documents are provided. The apparatus includes a feeder for receiving a packet of a plurality of documents and separating the documents to serially feed the documents to a scanner. A drop feeder conveys the document packets to the feeder. A sensor provides information related to the thickness of the document packets and the drop feeder is controlled in response to the information related to the thickness of a packet in the feeder. The method includes the control of the drop feeder in response to information related to the thickness of a document packet at the feeder.

An image forming apparatus includes a sheet container accommodating a recording medium therein, a sheet separating feeder including a sheet feeding body and a sheet separating body, an image forming part, and a bend applier. The sheet feeding body feeds the recording medium along with a surface movement thereof while the recording medium contacting the surface thereof. The sheet separating body forms a sheet separation nip region with the sheet feeding body and sandwiches the recording medium in the sheet separation nip region. The sheet separating feeder separates and feeds the recording medium contacting the sheet feeding body. The image forming part forms an image on the recording medium. The bend applier having a leading end of an elastic material contacts and bends the recording medium before the sheet separation nip region and generates a wrinkle extending on the recording medium in a sheet conveying direction.

A scanner includes a reading unit that reads an image of a paper, a medium feeding portion that is capable of selecting a first feeding mode in which a separation feeding for separately feeding a paper bundle in which a plurality of sheets of paper is overlapped with each other is performed and a second feeding mode in which a non-separation feeding for collectively feeding the paper bundle without separating is performed, and a pair of first transporting rollers and a pair of second transporting rollers that transport the paper fed by the medium feeding portion, in a case in which the medium feeding portion feeds the paper in the second feeding mode, a first driven roller and a second driven roller respectively constituting the pair of first transporting rollers and the pair of second transporting rollers are driven in a rotation direction where the paper is transported.