A feeding apparatus includes a rotary member unit having a feeding rotary member to feed a recording material and a separating rotary member which forms a nip portion with the feeding rotary member, an output unit, and a control unit. Where a single recording material is fed to the nip portion, the separating rotary member is rotated in a predetermined direction by the single recording material and, where recording materials are overlapped with one another and fed to the nip portion, the separating rotary member rotation is stopped or rotated in a direction opposite to the predetermined direction to separate the overlapped recording materials. The output unit outputs a state signal in accordance with a separating rotary member rotation state. The control unit obtains a rotation speed of the separating rotary member from the state signal output and determines that the rotary member unit is replaced with a new product.

A sheet feeding device includes a sheet feeding body, a sheet separating body, a loading body, a support, and a pressing body. The sheet feeding body is configured to feed a recording sheet. The sheet separating body is configured to separate the recording medium and convey the recording medium together with the sheet feeding body. The loading body is configured to load the recording medium to be fed by the sheet feeding body. The support is disposed above the sheet separating body. The pressing body is made of metal and rotatably supported by the support between the loading body and the sheet separating body. The pressing body includes a part-shaped face to contact or face the recording medium. A surface of the part is covered with a metal plating.

The sheet conveying apparatus according to the present invention includes: a conveyance roller which conveys a sheet; a roller support portion on which the conveyance roller is mounted; a roller engaging portion which is mounted on the conveyance roller; a support engaging portion which is mounted on the roller support portion and is engaged with the roller engaging portion; and a guide portion which is mounted on at least one of the roller engaging portion and the support engaging portion, the guide portion being configured to guide the roller engaging portion to a mounting position by rotating the roller engaging portion relative to the support engaging portion in an interlocking manner with a mounting operation in which the conveyance roller is mounted on the roller support portion.

A medium conveyance device includes a first separator that separates a first medium from a plurality of mediums, a processor that processes the first medium and sends the processed first medium as a second medium, a second separator that when a non-separation mode is set, conveys the second medium to a next processor, and when a separation mode is set, conveys a third medium, which is separated from the second medium, to the next processor, and a controller that switches between the non-separation mode and the separation mode based on information obtained as a result of processing the first medium.

A separation roller for a sheet feeding apparatus includes an outer circumferential portion formed from an elastic material, a core portion to which the outer circumferential portion is attached; and a flange portion including a plurality of projecting portions each projecting to an outside in a radial direction with respect to the core portion. At least one of the plurality of projecting portions includes a first surface provided on a side portion thereof on an upstream side in a first direction in which the separation roller rotates in such a manner as to follow the rotary feeding member rotating to feed the sheet. The first surface extends more upstream in the first direction at a position further on an outside in a radial direction with respect to a rotation axis of the separation roller as viewed in the axial direction.

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.

In one example in accordance with the present disclosure, a sheet transport device is described. The sheet transport device includes a pickup roller to insert a sheet into a sheet path. A pair of separation rollers of the sheet transportation device form a nip that advances the sheet along the sheet path. A first separation shaft on which a first separation roller is disposed rotates in a first direction as the sheet is advanced and a second separation shaft on which a second separation roller is disposed also rotates in the first direction as the sheet is advanced. The second separation roller is driven in a second direction via a torque limiter. A motor rotates the shafts. A one-way clutch is disposed on the second separation shaft to disengage the second separation shaft from the motor when the motor is operating in a reverse mode.

The sheet feeding apparatus includes a stacking device on which a sheet is stacked, a feeding device, which is configured to feed the stacked sheet, a contact portion arranged at a position at which the stacked sheet is brought into contact with the contact portion, and a moving member, which is movable in a direction in which a protruding amount of the stacked sheet changes.

A holding member is configured to hold a feed member and movable up and down. A lever member is configured to pivot on a pivot shaft and includes a contact portion configured to be in contact with the holding member. An elastic member is connected to the lever member and configured to urge the holding member downward through the lever member. The elastic member is disposed such that, when viewed in an axial direction of the pivot shaft of the lever member, a distance from the pivot shaft to a line of action of a force applied by the elastic member to the lever member in a case where the feed member is located at a first position is shorter than a distance from the pivot shaft to the line of action in a case where the feed member is located at a second position below the first position.

The disclosure relates to a feeding apparatus capable of feeding media sheet. The feeding apparatus includes first feeding assembly comprising first mount frame, first roller and stopper. The stopper is pivotally connected to the first mount frame and movable with the first roller, the stopper has a covering portion configured to stop the media sheet, the first roller is located in the first mount frame and is movable along a straight path; while the stopper is pressing against the first roller and the first roller is moving along the straight path, the stopper is moved with the first roller so that the covering portion of the stopper is moved close to or away from the straight path.