Patent ID: 8820734

Claim:
A loading device for loading a plurality of recording media, the loading device comprising: a disposing unit configured to dispose the recording media; and a detector configured to detect the disposed recording media, wherein the disposing unit includes a loading member on which the recording media are loaded, a pair of guide members mounted on the loading member and configured to be movable in width directions of the recording media, and a guide driver configured to move the guide members, wherein the detector includes a medium detector configured to detect the recording media that have been loaded in an interval between the pair of the guide members, and an end detector configured to detect ends of the loaded recording media, wherein the end detector detects respective positions at which the guide members moved by the guide driver are in contact with the recording media as the ends of the recording media after the medium detector has detected the recording media, and wherein the guide driver further moves, after having moved the guide members in the width direction to cause the guide members to be in contact with the recording media, the guide members in the width direction to cause the recording media to form flexures, subsequently moves the guide members to separate from the recording media, and then moves the guide members to be in contact with the recording media again.