Patent ID: 7950649

Claim:
A paper feeder feeding sheets of paper contained stacked in a paper feed cassette one by one from an uppermost layer to a paper feed path, comprising: a paper feed roller and a separation roller forming a pair in a vertical direction and by rotating in a paper feeding direction, passing said sheet of paper through a first nip where the rollers are in pressure contact with each other; a first paper sensor arranged on a downstream side of said paper feed roller in the feeding direction; a pair of conveyor rollers forming a pair in the vertical direction, arranged on the downstream side of said paper feed roller and said separation roller in the paper feeding direction, and by rotating in the feeding direction, passing said sheet of paper through a second nip where the pair of conveyor rollers are in pressure contact with each other; a second paper sensor arranged on a downstream side of said pair of conveyor rollers in the feeding direction; a first controller causing said paper feed roller to rotate in the feeding direction and causing said separation roller to rotate in a direction opposite to the feeding direction, when said first paper sensor detects said paper and a plurality of said sheets of paper exist at said first nip; and a second controller causing said paper feed roller and said separation roller to rotate in the feeding direction, when said paper is once detected but thereafter no longer detected by said first paper sensor, and said paper is not detected by said second paper sensor within a prescribed time period.