A paper feed device of the present disclosure is provided with a first cassette and a second cassette, a casing, and a support member. The first cassette and the second cassette are arranged side by side in a cassette width direction. The casing has a cassette housing portion. The support member is capable of supporting the first cassette and the second cassette. Each of the first cassette and the second cassette is provided with a pressing portion. In a state where the first cassette and the second cassette are housed, the support member is disposed at a first position retracted upward, while in a state where at least one of the first cassette and the second cassette is pulled out, the support member is pressed downward by the pressing portion so as to be disposed at a second position where the support member is contactable with an installation surface.

A sheet feeding apparatus, including: a containing portion removable from the sheet feeding apparatus and including a tray; a pickup roller; a support portion configured to fall the pickup roller on the sheet stacked on the tray when a far-side end of the containing portion reaches a predetermined position; a detector configured to detect the containing portion; a motor configured to drive the pickup roller; and a controller configured to control an operation of feeding the sheet by the pickup roller, wherein, during a period in which the pickup roller is driven with the detector detecting the containing portion, the controller allows the operation when an amount of a load torque applied to a rotor of the motor is equal to or larger than a predetermined value and inhibits the operation when the amount of the load torque is smaller than the predetermined value.

Provided is an image formation apparatus having a paper tray which is removably provided to an apparatus main body, in which sheets are loaded on a lifting plate, and from which the sheets on the lifting plate are fed by a paper feeding device, and the apparatus includes a holder that holds the lifting plate at a position higher than a lowest position when the paper tray is pulled out of the apparatus main body and the sheets are loaded on the lifting plate, wherein the holding by the holder is canceled to make the lifting plate go down to the lowest position before an operation of inserting the paper tray into the apparatus main body is completed.

A sheet conveying device, which is included in an image forming apparatus, includes a first guide, a second guide, and a lever. The first guide is fixedly disposed to the sheet conveying device. The second guide is disposed opposite the first guide and defining a sheet conveyance passage with the first guide and is configured to rotate about a support shaft thereof operable to open and close the sheet conveyance passage. The lever is configured to rotate about a rotation shaft thereof operable to rotate the second guide. The second guide is configured to change from a closed state in which the sheet conveyance passage is closed to an open state in which the sheet conveyance passage is open, after an angle of rotation of the lever exceeds a threshold value.

A paper feed device of the present disclosure is provided with a first cassette and a second cassette, a casing, and a support member. The first cassette and the second cassette are arranged side by side in a cassette width direction. The casing has a cassette housing portion. The support member is capable of supporting the first cassette and the second cassette. Each of the first cassette and the second cassette is provided with a pressing portion. In a state where the first cassette and the second cassette are housed, the support member is disposed at a first position retracted upward, while in a state where at least one of the first cassette and the second cassette is pulled out, the support member is pressed downward by the pressing portion so as to be disposed at a second position where the support member is contactable with an installation surface.

A pressing apparatus configured to generate a force in a separating direction in which a first unit and a second unit being connected to each other are separated from each other, the pressing apparatus including: a pressing portion supported by the second unit to be turnable about a turn shaft and configured to press the first unit; and an urging portion configured to urge the pressing portion in a direction intersecting with the separating direction, wherein the pressing portion exerts the force on the first unit in the separating direction by an urging force of the urging portion in the direction intersecting with the separating direction.

A sheet-transporting element includes suction openings for holding print sheets, longitudinal sliders including air passages, and transverse sliders including air passages. The longitudinal sliders and the transverse sliders are disposed in a cross-wise configuration and are movable into different positions corresponding to various sheet formats in the positions blocking selected ones of the suction openings.

A sheet supporting apparatus includes a body, a supporting portion configured to be held in an elevating manner by the body and to support a sheet, a sheet regulation portion regulating a position of the sheet supported on the supporting portion, a movement portion capable of moving between a first position where the sheet regulation portion regulates the position of the sheet supported on the supporting portion, and a second position where the supporting portion is regulated from elevating with respect to the body, and a movement regulation unit regulating the movement portion from moving to the second position.

A recording apparatus includes a recording unit which performs recording on a recording medium, a tray which stores the recording medium, a tray storage portion which stores the tray, a feed roller which feeds the recording medium out from the tray, and a roller support member which supports the feed roller and causes the feed roller to be lifted and lowered in relation to the tray by changing posture, in which a cam shaft capable of rotating is provided in the tray storage portion, in which the cam shaft is provided with a first engaging portion which engages with the tray and a second engaging portion which engages with the roller support member, and in which the roller support member is configured to change posture due to the tray causing the cam shaft to rotate.

This invention provides a stacker for use in forming stacks of cut sheets received from an upstream utilization device (e.g. a printer, cutter, etc.) that allows for positive driving of sheets into a stack using a stacking unit that includes a series of grippers that are adapted to grip and release a leading edge of each sheet at the appropriate time. In this manner, each sheet is gripped as it arrives from the upstream operation and is passed downstream into the stack, being released so as to properly decelerate at the stack's backstop. The grippers are mounted on a continuous belt between a pair of opposing drive sprockets. An edge sensor located upstream of the stacking unit triggers motion of the belts. The grippers are actuated by a mechanical cam arrangement to selectively grip and release at predetermined positions as the belt is driven.