Patent ID: 8746681

Claim:
A sheet feeder comprising: a housing; a feed tray comprising a loading surface configured such that a sheet to be fed into the housing along a feeding direction are placed thereon, the feed tray being formed in a flat plate shape and configured to swing around a first swing axis parallel to a width direction of the sheet between a first position where the loading surface is directed downward above the housing and a second position where the loading surface is directed upward at an upstream side relative to the housing in the feeding direction; an opening formed by an end of the housing on a side close to the first swing axis being separated from an end of the feed tray on a side close to the first swing axis in a state where the feed tray is in the first position; and an opening cover configured to swing around a second swing axis parallel to the first swing axis, the opening cover being configured to cover the opening when the feed tray is in the first position, the opening cover comprising: a sliding contact portion disposed on at least one of ends of the opening cover in the width direction, the sliding contact portion extending in a direction perpendicular to the width direction, the sliding contact portion being exposed to an outside of the sheet feeder when the feed tray is in the first position, the sliding contact portion being configured to slide in contact with the feed tray in a swing motion of the feed tray from the first position to the second position, wherein the opening cover comprises a middle section provided at a central region of the opening cover in the width direction, and wherein the sliding contact portion comprises: a first sliding contact portion disposed at the middle section, the first sliding contact portion being configured to slide in contact with the feed tray in an earlier process of the swing motion of the feed tray from the first position to the second position; and a second sliding contact portion disposed on at least one of the ends of the opening cover in the width direction, the second sliding contact portion extending in the direction perpendicular to the width direction, the second sliding contact portion being exposed to the outside of the sheet feeder when the feed tray is in the first position, the second sliding contact portion being configured to slide in contact with the feed tray in a later process of the swing motion of the feed tray from the first position to the second position.