A sheet feeding apparatus includes a support member having a support surface, a feed roller, a stopper, and a restriction member. The stopper includes a restriction surface configured to contact leading edges of sheets supported on the support surface. A tangent extends in parallel to the support surface and passes through a point on an outer peripheral surface of the feed roller, and the tangent and the restriction surface of the stopper crosses at an intersection point. When the stopper moves from a first position to a second position, the intersection point moves with a movement velocity in a direction parallel to the tangent, the movement velocity at the intersection point being defined as a specified movement velocity. The restriction member is configured to restrict movement of the stopper such that the specified movement velocity is greater than or equal to a circumferential velocity of the feed roller.

A sheet feeding apparatus includes a support member having a support surface, a feed roller rotatable about a rotation axis located below a portion of the support surface, a separation roller disposed downstream from the feed roller, a separator disposed upstream from the separation roller, a stopper, when viewed in a direction of the rotation axis, disposed at least partially overlapping the separator and movable between a first position in which the stopper crosses the support surface and restricts leading edges of the sheets supported on the support surface and a second position, downstream from the first position in a conveying direction, in which the stopper is spaced apart from the support surface, and a restriction member configured to hold the stopper in the first position and to restrict movement of the stopper while continuing to support the stopper moving from the first position to the second position.

A sheet-feeding device includes: a first feeding roller configured to contact a sheet accommodated in a sheet-accommodation portion to feed the sheet; a second feeding roller movable between a non-feeding position and a feeding position; a driving source configured to generate a rotational driving force to the first feeding roller; a transmission portion configured to transmit the rotational driving force to the second feeding roller; a first sensor; a second sensor; and a roller actuating portion. The roller actuating portion is configured to: move the second feeding roller from the non-feeding position to the feeding position in a case where the second detector detects rotation of the first feeding roller is stopped during a sheet-feeding operation; and move the second feeding roller from the feeding position to the non-feeding position in a case where the first sensor detects the sheet-feeding operation is completed for the sheet.

A banknote separation apparatus, for a banknote bundle receiving machine, includes a guide unit, a pickup roller unit, a pickup roller raising/lowering unit, a feeding roller unit and a gate roller unit. The guide unit is provided on a route along which a banknote bundle inputted into the banknote bundle receiving machine is moved. The pickup roller unit is provided above the guide unit in a spaced-apart relationship with the guide unit and configured to separate a banknote from the banknote bundle and to feed the banknote. The pickup roller raising/lowering unit is configured to raise or lower the pickup roller unit. The feeding roller unit is provided on a back side of the pickup roller unit. The gate roller unit is provided under the feeding roller unit and configured to maintain a predetermined distance from the feeding roller unit.

According to one embodiment, an image forming apparatus includes an accommodation unit and at least one driving roller. The accommodation unit accommodates a paper sheet therein. The at least one driving roller is disposed contactably with the paper sheet. A rotation direction of the at least one driving roller with respect to the paper sheet at a contact part between the paper sheet and the roller intersects a carrying direction of the paper sheet.

A sheet feeder includes a delivery roller, a supply roller, a separating member, a driving source, a first drive transmission mechanism, a second drive transmission mechanism, and a controller. The first drive transmission mechanism transmits the rotary drive power in the first direction to the delivery roller in a first drive transmission time from the start of driving of the driving source. The second drive transmission mechanism transmits the rotary drive power in the first direction to the supply roller in a second drive transmission time from the start of driving of the driving source. The second drive transmission period of the second drive transmission mechanism is longer than the first drive transmission period of the first drive transmission mechanism. When the control starts driving the driving source, the supply roller starts to rotate in the first direction after the delivery roller starts to rotate in the first direction.

A document feeder, which may be incorporated in an image forming apparatus, includes a sheet conveying guide, at least one recess, a frame, and at least one protrusion. The sheet conveying guide is disposed facing an exposure glass on an apparatus body and guides an original document passing over the exposure glass when the document feeder is closed to the apparatus body. The recess is disposed on the apparatus body at both ends of the exposure glass in a lateral direction orthogonal to a document conveying direction. The frame is openably closable about one end side of the apparatus body in the lateral direction and vertically movably holds the sheet conveying guide. The protrusion is disposed on the frame facing the recess. The sheet conveying guide and the frame are secured to each other while the recess and the protrusion are engaged with each other in the closed state.

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 retard adjacent the feeder is operable in first and second positions. In the first position the retard forms a nip with the feeder so that the retard is operable to impede the progress of one or more documents in the packet while the feeder feeds one of the documents in the packet. In the second position, the retard is spaced apart from the feeder to form a gap between the feeder and the retard. The system further includes a sensor for detecting a characteristic of the documents in a packet indicative of whether the number of documents in the packet exceeds a predetermined threshold. A drive mechanism automatically drives the retard pad between the first and second positions in response to the detected characteristic

A paper feeder includes a lift plate, a pickup roller, a feed roller, a retard roller, a rotation-count detection sensor, and a control unit. The rotation-count detection sensor outputs a rotation-count detection signal. The rotation-count detection signal indicates a rotation count of the retard roller. The control unit detects the rotation count of the retard roller based on the rotation-count detection signal. The lift plate separates from the pickup roller before the control unit detects the rotation count of the retard roller. The feed roller is driven when the control unit detects the rotation count of the retard roller. The retard roller is in abutting contact with the feed roller when the control unit detects the rotation count of the retard roller. The control unit determines whether replacement of the retard roller is necessary or not, based on the detected rotation count of the retard roller.

A sheet feeding apparatus includes a sheet supporting portion a rotary feeding member configured to feed the sheet, a regulating portion configured to regulate a position of the edge portion, and a force applying portion that is provided separately from the rotary feeding member, configured to contact the sheet supported on the sheet supporting portion upstream in a conveyance direction of the rotary feeding member and apply force to turn the sheet fed by the rotary feeding member.