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.

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.

An image recording apparatus includes a housing in which a conveying path is formed, a feed tray insertable into and removable from the housing and including an accommodating portion configured to accommodate sheet media in a stacked state, an image recording unit configured to record an image on one of the sheet media in the conveying path, a guide member provided at a facing portion of the housing which faces an end portion of the feed tray inserted into the housing, and configured to guide one of the sheet media in the accommodating portion to the conveying path, and a separator pivotally provided at the facing portion of the housing and configured to separate the sheet media guided by the guide member one by one.

A medium feeding apparatus includes a medium supporting portion supporting a medium, a feeding roller that feeds the medium, a separation portion configured to advance and retreat with respect to the feeding roller, a path forming member that is a member positioned upstream in a medium feeding direction with respect to a contact position between the feeding roller and the separation portion, that is configured to advance and retreat with respect to the feeding roller, and that is configured to narrow a medium feeding path directed toward the contact position, and a first pressing portion pressing the path forming member toward the feeding roller, in which the path forming member displaces the separation portion in a direction away from the feeding roller when the path forming member is pushed down in a direction retreating from the feeding roller by a medium having a thickness exceeding a predetermined thickness.

A medium feeding apparatus includes a medium supporting portion supporting a medium, a feeding roller that feeds the medium, a separation portion configured to advance and retreat with respect to the feeding roller, a path forming member that is a member positioned upstream in a medium feeding direction with respect to a contact position between the feeding roller and the separation portion, that is configured to advance and retreat with respect to the feeding roller, and that is configured to narrow a medium feeding path directed toward the contact position, and a first pressing portion pressing the path forming member toward the feeding roller, in which the path forming member displaces the separation portion in a direction away from the feeding roller when the path forming member is pushed down in a direction retreating from the feeding roller by a medium having a thickness exceeding a predetermined thickness.

A sheet feeding device includes a storage, a discharger, an angle adjuster, and an urging body. The storage stores a sheet bundle. The discharger contacts and discharge an uppermost sheet of the sheet bundle from the storage in a sheet conveying direction in which the uppermost sheet is conveyed. The angle adjuster changes an angle according to a remaining amount of the sheet bundle in the storage. The urging body urges a trailing end of the uppermost sheet in the sheet conveying direction toward the discharger in stages according to the remaining amount.

A sheet feeding device includes: an accommodating unit having a placement surface on which the stack of sheets is mounted; an inclined member having an inclined surface inclined relative to the placement surface to extend in an inclined direction and a back surface opposite the inclined surface; a sheet pick-up unit for feeding an uppermost sheet in the stack of sheets toward the inclined member; and a sheet separating member provided on the inclined surface. The sheet separating member includes a plurality of separation pieces and a support portion those made of resin. The support portion supports the separation pieces at positions closer to the back surface than to the inclined surface so that the separation pieces are movable away from the placement surface in the inclined direction and toward the back surface in a normal direction of the inclined surface independently from one another.

According to an embodiment, a sheet feeding mechanism includes a first elastic body. The first elastic body blocks a first reference line and a second reference line. The first elastic body has a first angle formed between the first elastic body and the first reference line, the first angle being an acute angle. The first reference line is a reference line along a take-out direction by the first roller. The second reference line is a reference line connecting a nip between the second roller and the third roller and a contact position of the first roller and a sheet.

According to an embodiment, a sheet feeding mechanism includes a first elastic body. The first elastic body blocks a first reference line and a second reference line. The first elastic body has a first angle formed between the first elastic body and the first reference line, the first angle being an acute angle. The first reference line is a reference line along a take-out direction by the first roller. The second reference line is a reference line connecting a nip between the second roller and the third roller and a contact position of the first roller and a sheet.

A medium feeding device includes a medium feeding mechanism switching between a first state in which the medium is fed from the feeding tray and a second state in which the medium is not fed from the feeding tray, a feeding roller rotationally driven in a forward rotation direction, and a separation roller that is rotationally driven in the reverse rotation direction when the feeding roller is rotationally driven in the forward rotation direction, wherein when the separation roller is rotationally driven in the forward rotation direction, the feeding roller is configured to be passively rotatable with respect to the separation roller, and wherein a rotation direction of the first motor when the cam member switches the medium feeding mechanism from the first state to the second state is the same as a rotation direction of the first motor when the separation roller rotates in the forward rotation direction.