Patent ID: 7543813
Filing Date: 2009-06-09
Classification: B65H

Abstract:
1. A sheet feeding apparatus comprising: a sheet loading plate which supports sheets; a sheet feeding member which sends an uppermost sheet of the sheets supported by the sheet loading plate; a side regulating member which is slidably moved in a direction perpendicular to a sheet feeding direction by the sheet feeding member depending on sizes of the sheets supported by the sheet loading plate to regulate the sheets by contacting with a side edge of the sheet in a direction of the sheet width; and a torsion spring which is disposed so that an axis thereof is in a direction parallel to the sheet feeding direction, and a first arm portion of the torsion spring is brought into contact with a rear surface of the sheet loading plate, and a second arm portion of the torsion spring is engaged with the side regulating member, and the torsion spring generates an elastic biasing force so as to bias the sheet loading plate to bring the uppermost sheet of the supported sheets into contact with the sheet feeding member, wherein the second arm portion is engaged with the side regulating member so that a torsion angle between the first arm portion and the second arm portion is changed as an engaged position of the second arm portion engaged with the side regulating member is changed, and the torsion spring biases the sheet loading plate by varied elastic biasing forces which are made depending on the change of the torsion angle.