Patent ID: 9016686
Filing Date: 2015-04-28
Classification: B65H

Abstract:
1. A sheet feeder, which is capable of being inserted in and drawn out from a main body of an image forming apparatus in a direction parallel to a sheet feed direction, the sheet feeder comprising: a sheet accommodating section configured to accommodate a sheet; a sheet loading plate which is turnably supported at an upstream end part thereof in the sheet feed direction on a bottom surface of the sheet accommodating section and which has an upper surface on which a sheet is loaded; an operating plate configured to lift up and down the sheet loading plate between a lying down position and a lifted up position in a state in contact from below with a downstream end part of the sheet loading plate in the sheet feed direction, the lying down position being a position where the sheet loading plate lies down along the bottom surface of the sheet accommodating section, and the lifted up position being a position where the sheet loading plate is lifted up by a predetermined angle from the bottom surface of the accommodating section; an operating plate shaft configured to support the operating plate rotatably to the sheet accommodating section; a sector gear provided at one end of the operating plate shaft and configured to transmit drive power from the main body to the operating plate; and a pressing member capable of moving between a first location and a second location, the first location being a location where the pressing member comes in contact from above with the sheet loading plate at the lying down position, and the second location being a location where the pressing member retreats from the sheet loading plate to allow the sheet loading plate to be lifted up and down, wherein the pressing member is located at the first location when the sheet loading plate is positioned at the lying down position, and moves from the first location to the second location by rotation of the sector gear by a predetermined amount in a direction where the sheet loading plate is lifted up.