Patent ID: 7431281

Claim:
A method of separating a sheet of print media from a stack of sheets, the sheets being porous and the method including the steps of: blowing fluid through a plurality of apertures of a pick up means of a print media feed arrangement on to a top surface of a topmost sheet of the print media on the stack so that the fluid passes through at least the topmost sheet of the stack to thereby separate said topmost sheet from said stack; swinging the pick up means relative to the stack to further separate the topmost sheet from the stack; and whilst said topmost sheet is separated from said stack, capturing said topmost sheet of print media by reversing a direction of fluid flow through the pick up means to cause a change from a blowing action at each of the apertures to a suction action at each of said apertures, thereby capturing said topmost sheet for conveyance to a printing station of a printer; wherein said steps of blowing fluid and swinging the pick up means comprises blowing air through a hose to each of said apertures such that air blown through the apertures is blown perpendicular to a face of said topmost sheet when the air exits the apertures to strike the paper.