Patent ID: 8256761

Claim:
An apparatus for separating media sheets in an image forming device, the apparatus comprising: a supporting member adapted to support a stack of media sheets; a pick assembly disposed upon the stack of media sheets for picking media sheets from the stack of media sheets and feeding the media sheets into a feed path to a processing assembly of the image forming device; and a media dam positioned at a predetermined angle with respect to the supporting member, the media dam closely positioned to both the leading edges of the media sheets in the stack and to the pick assembly, the media dam including a sheet receiving surface, a mount having a plurality of pairs of opposed openings and at least one spring mount and at least one sheet separator; the at least one sheet separator comprising: at least one spring mountable on the at least one spring mount; and a base, the base including: a sheet receiving surface and a rear surface, the sheet receiving surface of the base having a plurality of lateral detents; and a first plurality of pairs of opposed legs and a second plurality of pairs of opposed legs that are shorter than the first plurality of pairs of opposed leg, the first and second pairs of opposed legs depending from the rear surface of the base; the base being mountable on the mount and when mounted compressing the at least one spring and being positioned forward of the sheet receiving surface of the media dam with the first plurality of pairs of opposed legs loosely received into and retained in corresponding openings in the corresponding plurality of opposed pairs of openings in the mount with the second plurality of pairs of opposed legs having their respective distal ends being spaced from and seatable against the mount; wherein the at least one sheet separator moves in one of a translational motion, a rotational motion and a combination of both the translational motion and the rotational motion with respect to the sheet receiving surface of the media dam from a resultant force caused by a force applied by the at least one spring and a force applied by one or more media sheets fed from the stack by the pick assembly and striking the base with the second plurality of pairs of opposed legs limiting the motion of the at least one separator by seating against the mount.