Patent ID: 7918448
Filing Date: 2011-04-05
Classification: B65H

Abstract:
1. A sheet supplying device for use with an image forming apparatus, the sheet supplying device comprising: a sheet stacking surface which stacks various sized sheets; a side edge alignment member which moves in a width direction of a sheet being perpendicular to a sheet supplying direction of the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking surface and aligns at least one of side edges of the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking surface; and an auxiliary side edge alignment member which is rotatably mounted around a shaft vertically arranged on the side edge alignment member and is ejectable in a moving direction of the side edge alignment member to align the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking surface, the auxiliary side edge alignment member comprising a U-shaped structure and contacting a top surface and a bottom surface of the side edge alignment member; wherein the shaft is perpendicular to the sheet supplying direction, and the width of the sheets to be aligned by the auxiliary side edge alignment member is narrower than that of the various sized sheets which are to be aligned by the side edge alignment member; wherein in a case that the side edge alignment member aligns the stacked sheets, the auxiliary side edge alignment member is retracted to the exterior of a downstream portion of the side edge alignment member, with respect to the sheet supplying direction; and wherein the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking surface are aligned by the side edge alignment member or the auxiliary side edge alignment member.