Patent ID: 7441765
Filing Date: 2008-10-28
Classification: B65H

Abstract:
1. A sheet feeding mechanism comprising: a sheet supporter capable of supporting a plurality of sheets in a stacked manner; a pick-up roller that rotates while contacting with a surface of, among the plurality of sheets supported by the sheet supporter, an endmost sheet in an stacking direction, to thereby pick up and convey the sheet; a guide having a surface that extends along a predetermined conveyance direction for the sheet; and a friction portion having a higher coefficient of friction against the sheet than that of the surface of the guide, the friction portion being contactable with the sheet that is under conveyance by the pick-up roller, wherein a line segment, between a center of the pick-up roller with respect to a direction of a rotation axis of the pick-up roller and a point at which the rotation axis intersects with the surface of the guide, forms an acute angle with a line segment extending forward in the predetermined conveyance direction from the point at which the rotation axis intersects with the surface of the guide, wherein the friction portion is disposed within a forepart of the sheet supporter in the predetermined conveyance direction and, with respect to a direction perpendicular to the predetermined conveyance direction, disposed only between the surface of the guide and a center of the sheet in the direction perpendicular to the predetermined paper conveyance direction, and wherein the friction portion is elastically displaceable in the predetermined conveyance direction.