A sheet separating device includes a receptacle, a pickup rotator, an air supplier, and a sheet floating restraint. The receptacle is configured to hold a plurality of sheets. The pickup rotator is configured to feed the plurality of sheets one by one from the receptacle. The air supplier includes an air outlet disposed ahead of the receptacle in a sheet feeding direction in which the plurality of sheets is fed. The air supplier is configured to blow air out from the air outlet toward a leading end of the plurality of sheets, held on the receptacle, in the sheet feeding direction. The sheet floating restraint is configured to restrain floating of a part of the plurality of sheets separated from each other by the air blown out from the air outlet.

A transport device includes a transport roller, a nip section, and first and second transport path surfaces. The transport roller transports a transport target material sent from an accommodating unit. The nip section nips the transport target material with the transport roller, and prevents multi-feed of the transport target material. The first transport path surface is disposed upstream of the nip section in a transport direction to face a transport roller side of the nip section. The first transport path surface includes a top portion protruding toward the transport roller side beyond a nip line between the transport roller and the nip section. The second transport path surface is disposed downstream of the nip section in the transport direction to face the transport roller side of the nip section. The second transport path surface includes a top portion protruding toward the transport roller side beyond the nip line.

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.

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.

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 feeder includes a device body, and an opening and closing cover which is provided to be openable and closable with respect to the device body, and including a paper feed roller and a paper feed roller drive shaft on the device body. The document feeder includes a guide member, which is mounted rotatably to the paper feed roller drive shaft on an outer side of the paper feed roller in a roller axis direction thereof. The guide member guides a document being conveyed, in a state where the opening and closing cover is closed, by being opposed to the paper feed roller drive shaft in a predetermined orientation.

A scanner apparatus includes a housing including an insertion port into which a medium is inserted, a discharge port from which the medium is discharged, a conveying roller configured to convey the medium inserted from the scanning insertion port, and a scanning unit configured to scan the medium conveyed by the conveying roller. The scanning insertion port and the discharge port are provided on a +Y direction side of the housing. The housing includes a placement face extending in a −Y direction from the scanning insertion port. The placement face, when a first end of the medium is inserted into the scanning insertion port, is able to support a portion of the medium on a second end side opposite to the first end. The first end of the medium is discharged from the discharge port in a direction on the +Y direction side or in a −Z direction.

An image recording apparatus including: a recording unit; an accommodation part configured to accommodate therein a plurality of recording media including first and second recording medium and having a support surface on which the plurality of the recording media is supported; a conveying path; a feeder roller contacting the recording medium in the accommodation part from above; a reversing path; a recording medium detection unit located above the support surface and between the feeder roller and a downstream end of the support surface in the conveying direction; and a controller configured to control the feeder roller so as to feed the second recording medium in a manner that a front end portion of the second recording medium overlaps a rear end portion of the first recording medium, when the recording medium detection unit detects the rear end portion of the first recording medium fed by the feeder roller.

A document feeder includes a document placement member that has a placement surface, a sucker that has a suction surface on which a part of a document placed on the placement surface is sucked and sucks air from a space formed between the document placement member and the suction surface, a blower that blows air into the space, and a paper feeder that conveys the document in a conveyance direction along the placement surface, wherein the suction surface is inclined relative to the placement surface such that the space is narrower toward the upstream side in the conveyance direction.

A paper feeding device has a paper feed tray, a device body, a fan, a rectifying member, and a retreat mechanism. A paper bundle in which a plurality of sheets of paper are stacked can be placed on the paper feed tray. The rectifying member is positioned above the paper bundle placed on the paper feed tray in a state in which the paper feed tray is accommodated in an accommodating part of the device body. The rectifying member generates a negative pressure between the rectifying member and an uppermost sheet of paper of the paper bundle using airflow from the fan in a state in which the paper feed tray is accommodated in the accommodating part. The retreat mechanism displaces the rectifying member in conjunction with the paper feed tray so that the rectifying member retreats from the paper feed tray in at least one of a pull-out operation and a push-in operation of the paper feed tray.