A sheet supporting device comprises a first supporting unit, a second supporting unit provided to the first supporting unit and drawable in a draw direction from an insert position, a supporting portion on which sheets are supported and provided ascendably/descendably in the first supporting unit, first and second turning portions configured to turn in linkage with an ascendance and descendance move of the supporting portion, an elevation portion, and an indicator. The elevation portion, whose one end is connected with the first turning portion and another end is connected with the second turning portion, is configured to form a link mechanism together with the first and second turning portions and the first supporting unit. The indicator is provided in the second supporting unit and indicates an amount of the sheets supported on the supporting portion by moving in response to an ascendance and descendance move of the elevation portion.

A sheet tray includes a first tray and a second tray each including a first friction portion or a first contact portion, and a second friction portion or a second contact portion. In a process of movement of the second tray from a first position to a second position, the first friction portion contacts the first contact portion to deform the first contact portion and starts returning the first contact portion from a deformed shape to an original shape when the second tray is located at a position spaced apart from the second position in a second direction. The second friction portion contacts the second contact portion when the second tray moved from the first position in a first direction has reached the second position, and the second friction portion deforms the second contact portion when the second tray is moved from the second position in the first direction.

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.

A sheet material feeding device includes: a housing; a cassette configured to internally house a sheet material, and capable of being pulled out of the housing and housed into the housing; a rear-end regulating member provided inside the cassette and configured to regulate a position of an upstream end of the sheet material in a sheet material feeding direction; a rear-end displacing member supported by the rear-end regulating member and configured to swing along the sheet material feeding direction; a sliding member provided for the cassette, having an engagement part to be engaged with the rear-end displacing member, and configured to slide toward a downstream side in the sheet material feeding direction to displace the rear-end displacing member toward the downstream side in the sheet material feeding direction; and a first energizing member configured to energize the sliding member toward an upstream side in the sheet material feeding direction.

A document conveying apparatus is provided with a document tray and a discharge tray disposed below the document tray. The document tray includes an upper tray member, a lower tray member, a movable tray member, and a driving portion configured to move the upper tray member and the movable tray member integrally to a raised position and a lowered position. The movable tray member is configured to be moved in a width direction between a first position and a second position in which the movable tray member is retracted into below the upper tray member. The document tray includes a shutter configured to cover a gap created between the upper tray member and the lower tray member. The gap is created by the upper tray member and the movable tray member being moved to the raised position and the movable tray member being moved to the second position.

A sheet feeding device includes a container including a frame, an auxiliary frame member provided on the frame so as to be slidable relative to the frame, and a front cover that covers a front side of the auxiliary frame member, the container being detachably supported in a body of the sheet feeding device; a cover member that covers a top side of the container when the container is attached to the body; and a locking unit that prevents the container attached to the body from being detached from the body when the container is locked and that enables the container to be detached from the body when the container is not locked.

A paper feeding apparatus includes: a sheet loading unit for loading a bundle of sheets; a separation unit that separates a topmost sheet of the bundle of sheets loaded on the sheet loading unit, from the bundle of sheets; a conveyance unit that conveys the separated topmost sheet; an end fence that is movable in a sheet conveyance direction, abuts trailing ends in the sheet conveyance direction, and positions the bundle of sheets in the sheet conveyance direction; and a pressing unit that is provided in such a manner as to protrude from the end fence, and is able to press the trailing ends in the sheet conveyance direction of at least an upper part of the bundle of sheets, wherein the pressing unit has different pressing forces at an upper and a lower portion thereof, and has the lower pressing force stronger than the upper pressing force.

A sheet feed cassette includes a bottom portion, a first cursor, a second cursor, and a fixing rack. The second cursor includes a regulating member, a lock member, and a biasing member. The regulating member abuts on the rear end edge of the sheet to regulate a position of the sheet in the mounting direction. The lock member includes a shaft portion extending in a direction intersecting with the mounting direction and an engaging protrusion located below the shaft portion. The biasing member is located and compressed between the regulating member and the lock member above the shaft portion. The gear teeth of the fixing rack and the engaging protrusion of the lock member engage so as to lock a position of the second cursor in the mounting direction. The regulating member and the lock member are separated above the shaft portion in the locked state.

A sheet tray, including a tray body having a bottom plate, and a sheet guide, is provided. The sheet guide includes a guide plate to align sheets at a predetermined position, a lever, a swingable device having a boss and a guide groove, and a stopper pivotably connected with a hinge. The boss guided in the guide groove moves the lever between a first position, wherein the boss is in a first section in the guide groove and the stopper is lowered to an engaged position, with an engageable part being engaged with the bottom plate; and a second position, wherein the boss is in a second section in the guide groove and the stopper is uplifted to a separated position with the engageable part being separated from the bottom plate. When the lever moves from the first position to the second position, the lever tilts by ascending and pivoting.

A sheet storage apparatus includes a storage apparatus body, a sheet stacking portion, a rear end regulation member, and a rear end regulation attachment. The sheet stacking portion has an opening opened in an upward and downward direction, and is movable upward and downward with respect to a bottom portion of the storage apparatus body. The rear end regulation attachment is detachably attached to the rear end regulation member, which regulates an upstream end position in the sheet feed direction of the sheet stacked on the sheet stacking portion. The rear end regulation attachment includes a regulating portion that extends toward the bottom portion through the opening. The rear end regulation attachment regulates the upstream end of the sheet on a position downstream, in the sheet feed direction, of a regulating position of the rear end regulation member.