A sheet feeder includes a stacker, a sheet feeding member, an aligner, a switcher, a size specifying unit, and circuitry. The sheet feeding member contacts and feeds a sheet stack on the stacker. The aligner is movable to align a position in a sheet width direction of the sheet stack on the stacker. The switcher switches the aligner from a separation state to a contact state without waiting for a feeding start instruction after the sheet stack is stacked on the stacker. The circuitry delays a switching completion time when the size in the sheet width direction of the sheet stack specified by the size specifying unit is smaller than a given size, to be later than the switching completion time when the size in the sheet width direction of the sheet stack is equal to or greater than the given size.

In a medium conveying device, a projector projects light, a projection light amount of the light changes, at every fixed time, to a first projection light amount and a second projection light amount less than the first projection light amount, a receiver receives the light projected from the projector, a processor determines, at fixed sampling timings, whether a reception light amount of the receiver is at a first reception light level or a second reception light level smaller than the first reception light level, determines, when the reception light amount alternately changes to the first reception light level and the second reception light level, that a medium is not present on a conveying path, and determines, when the reception light amount is fixed to either the first reception light level or the second reception light level, that the medium is present on the conveying path.

A recording apparatus includes: an apparatus body having an inclined support portion that supports a medium in an inclined position, and a feed roller that feeds the medium supported by the inclined support portion; and an opening/closing body that opens and closes an upper part of the apparatus body. The apparatus body has a cover member that covers an upper part of the feed roller and a vicinity thereof. The cover member has an opening through which the feed roller is exposed.

A sheet conveying device includes: a tray; a roller; a roller arm; a lever; and a dust proof cover including: a first cover, a second cover, and a pressure piece. The roller arm is movable between an abutment position where the roller abuts on the tray and a separation position where the roller is away from the tray. The second cover is movable between a first position in proximity to the tray and a second position away from the tray. The pressure piece is away from the lever to permit the roller to be positioned in the abutment position when the second cover is in the first position, and presses the lever to move the roller to the separation position when the second cover is in the second position.

A media supplying apparatus includes a first support portion, a second support portion, a housing portion, and a holding portion. The first support portion has a first supporting surface for supporting a paper sheet, is inclinably provided, and when inclined from a non-use state, switches to a use state. The second support portion has a second supporting surface that supports the paper sheet, and is disposed upstream of the first support portion in the use state in a supply direction of the paper sheet. The housing portion is, inclinably toward an upstream of the first supporting portion in the supply direction, provided, and retractably houses the second support portion. The holding portion holds the first support portion and the housing portion in an inclination orientation so that the first supporting surface and the second supporting surface are aligned in the supply direction.

A document conveyance apparatus includes a loading portion having a loading surface for a document, a rotating member, a detection unit, a feeding roller, and a support portion. The rotating member includes a front end portion protruding from the loading surface and rotates about a rotary shaft by being in contact with the loaded document. The detection unit detects rotation of the rotating member and detects presence or absence of the loaded document. The feeding roller feeds the document by being in contact with the document loaded on the loading surface. The support portion rotatably supports the rotary shaft. When the rotary shaft is viewed from an axial direction, the rotary shaft includes a recessed portion recessed from an outer periphery section of the rotary shaft toward a shaft center of the rotary shaft. The support portion is in contact with the recessed portion to rotatably support the rotating member.

A sheet conveying device includes a pair of rollers including a first roller and a second roller to hold a sheet conveyed between the first and second rollers; a biasing member to bias the first roller toward the second roller; a biasing force changer to change a biasing force of the biasing member; control circuitry to, when a predetermined changing condition is met, cause the changer to change the biasing force and cause the rollers to convey the sheet; an operation detector to detect a changing operation of the changer; and a notification device to notify an abnormality of the changing operation when the operation detector detects the abnormality. When the operation detector detects the abnormality, the control circuitry performs sheet conveyance control to cause the rollers to convey the sheet without causing the changer to change the biasing force, regardless of whether the predetermined changing condition is met.

A media retraction system includes a loadstop shaft rotatable about an axis thereof, and a loadstop paddle rotatably coupled with and slidably mounted on the loadstop shaft such that the loadstop paddle is slidable about the axis of the loadstop shaft.

An image reading apparatus includes a reading unit and a medium feeding apparatus. The medium feeding apparatus includes: a medium placement portion on which a medium before being fed is placed; a feed roller that feeds the medium placed on the medium placement portion; and at least one pressing portion that presses the medium placed on the medium placement portion onto the medium placement portion at a position upstream of the feed roller in a medium feeding direction. Since the pressing portion presses the medium placed on the medium placement portion, friction occurs between sheets of the medium, thereby preventing or reducing a skew.

A sheet conveyer, having a sheet tray, a tray-driving mechanism, a conveyance guide, a feed roller, a conveyer-driving mechanism, a first sensor, and a controller, is provided. The controller controls the tray-driving mechanism and the conveyer-driving mechanism, during a sequential conveying action, when the first sensor detects an upper-surface level being at a lower limit of a correct range, delay a lift-start timing, at which the tray-driving mechanism starts moving the sheet tray upward, to be later at least than a timing, at which the feed roller after feeding one of the sheets completely and pausing resumes rotating for feeding a next one of the sheets, and cause the sheet tray to complete moving to a higher position prior to completion of feeding of the next sheet.