Patent ID: 8752822

Claim:
A sheet feeding apparatus comprising: a stacking unit for stacking sheets on a stacking member, a conveying unit for conveying sheets, wherein the conveying unit is placed above and spaced from said stacking unit, a flotation unit that floats sheets in an upper part of the sheets stacked in said stacking unit towards said conveying unit, and a suction unit comprising: a suction inlet positioned underneath the conveying unit and above the stacking member, and a suction device that sucks air from said suction inlet, wherein the suction unit sucks air included in between a plurality of sheets floated by said flotation unit towards said conveying unit, wherein said suction inlet is positioned on a downstream side from the tip end of the sheets stacked in the stacking unit in a direction of sheet conveying by said conveying unit and the suction inlet is opened in a direction perpendicular to the direction of sheet conveying by said conveying unit, wherein said suction inlet is an opening that is provided on a lower side of a separation air blowing outlet that blows air towards said conveying unit, and that extends from a bottom edge of said separation air blowing outlet, in a vertical direction, by prescribed dimensions to a position located above a bottom edge of a flotation air blowing outlet that blows air towards an end surface of an upper part of the sheets stacked in said stacking unit, said separation air blowing outlet is positioned on a downstream side from the tip end of the sheets stacked in the stacking unit in the direction of sheet conveying by said conveying unit, opens in a direction perpendicular to the direction of sheet conveying by said conveying unit, and said flotation air blowing outlet opens in a direction parallel to the direction of sheet conveying by said conveying unit.