An example system includes a pressure plate actuating portion. The pressure plate actuating portion includes a cam gear coupled to a cam arm and a pressure plate arranged to be driven by the cam arm as the cam arm rotates with the cam gear through a pick-up cycle, the pressure plate being biased in a first direction toward the cam arm with a pressure plate spring. The example system also includes a pressure plate release control portion, the pressure plate release control portion being arranged to transfer potential energy from the pressure plate spring in a gradual manner.

A sheet conveyance apparatus includes a shaft portion, a roller member, and a guide member. The roller member includes a hole portion with an opening through which the shaft portion is fitted with the hole portion. At least a part of the guide member is located upstream of an end of the shaft portion in an attaching direction of the roller member. The end of the shaft portion is located inside the opening of the hole portion when viewed in the attaching direction in a state where an outer circumferential surface of the roller member is in contact with the guide member at a position upstream of the end of the shaft portion in the attaching direction.

A self-contained no-feed-roll computer controlled corrugated board or paperboard sheet feeder apparatus 200 is configured to upgrade an installed corrugated board processing machine (e.g., 10) and includes a feed table surface 210 for boards (e.g., 2) having drive wheels (222W, 224W, 226W) in an initial variable velocity zone 220 which drives the board in a first motion profile through a first vacuum zone, and a second velocity zone 230 which then drives the board in a second motion profile through a second vacuum zone Retrofittable sheet feeder 200 also includes a controller 300 configured to receive predetermined velocity signals from the host machine 10 and generate (i) a first initial variable velocity control signal for initial variable velocity zone 220 and (ii) a second velocity control signal for second velocity zone 230 in response.

A recording apparatus includes a feeding roller, a rear feeding unit being provided on a rear side of the apparatus, and a medium reversing unit provided below a medium support section and including a reversing roller. At least a part of a rear side of the rear feeding unit forms a medium transport path in which the medium is transported by the reversing roller, the rear feeding unit includes a driven roller configured to nip the medium with the reversing roller therebetween, and at least a part of the driven roller is located in a roller accommodating space formed on a rear side of the medium support section.

A medium feeding apparatus includes a mounting section on which a medium to be fed is mounted, a feeding roller configured to feed the medium mounted on the mounting section, a separation roller configured to nip and separate the medium with the feeding roller therebetween, and a regulation section disposed downstream of the nipping position between the feeding roller and the separation roller, the regulation section being configured to regulate the contact of the medium to be fed and the separation roller by coming into contact with the medium from the side of the separation roller.

A drive transmission apparatus includes a first rotating unit rotated by driving force from a drive source and a second rotating unit rotated by the first rotating unit. The first and second rotating units include a first gear pair meshing at a first transmission ratio and second gear pair meshing at a second transmission ratio. A retention mechanism includes a protruded portion provided on the first rotating unit and a recessed portion provided on the second rotating unit, and is configured to retain a rotation angle of the second rotating unit by an engagement of the protruded portion and the recessed portion in a state where the first and second gear pairs are unmeshed.

A method is provided for supplying a corrugated board article or a paperboard sheet article from a feeder apparatus for receipt by an article processing host machine. The method includes feeding the article to a feeder apparatus including a sheet supporting feed table surface having a feed end and a delivery end, feed elements, and a control surface selectively movable between a covering state and an exposing state. In the exposing state the feed elements are exposed to contact and drive the article along the sheet supporting feed table. The control surface is selectively movable to an angled state to selectively angle the control surface to consecutively conceal the respective feed elements as the article moves over the feed elements.

A paper pickup mechanism includes a mechanical frame, a pickup roller module, a feeding roller module, a driving device, a separation roller module and an energy storage element. The mechanical frame has a platform. The pickup roller module is pivoted to and connected to the mechanical frame. The feeding roller module is pivoted to and connected to the mechanical frame. The driving device is mounted to the mechanical frame. The separation roller module is pivoted to and connected to the mechanical frame. The energy storage element is mounted between the mechanical frame and the separation roller module. When the separation roller module rotates together with the feeding roller module in a forward direction, the energy storage element accumulates energies. When more than one piece of paper is fed into the paper pickup mechanism, the energy storage element releases the energies.

A sheet feeder includes: a wheel for issuing a lowermost sheet out to a sheet processing unit; a grate for spacing the sheet apart from the wheel at a raised position and bringing the sheet into contact with the wheel at a lowered position; and a drive device for driving the grate up and down. The drive device includes: a link mechanism for movably supporting the grate; a spring for urging the grate to the lowered position; a grate raising/lowering cam for periodically driving the grate up/down; and a skip feed cam that is driven by a control device, separately from a drive system of the grate raising/lowering cam, and that, at a timing where reached is a phase at which the grate raising/lowering cam does not put the grate in the raised position, retains the grate at the raised position in order to skip feeding of the sheet.

A sheet feeding device includes: a feeding unit that is provided to be movable in a forward-backward direction to move forward or backward relative to a sheet placing unit on which a sheet is placed, and feeds the sheet; a moving unit that moves the feeding unit in the forward-backward direction; a contact unit that is provided to be movable, with which the sheet placed on the sheet placing unit is brought into contact; a limitation unit that limits movement of the contact unit; and a releasing unit that, when the moving unit moves the feeding unit in a direction away from the sheet placing unit, with the movement of the feeding unit, releases limitation on the movement of the contact unit by the limitation unit.