Patent ID: 7621525

Claim:
A sheet supplying apparatus which supplies a sheet in a supplying direction, said apparatus comprising: a first stacking portion on which first sheets are stacked; a second stacking portion including a tray on which the second sheets are stacked and a base member for supporting the tray movable between a supplying position and a release position, wherein the second stacking portion receives component force of the gravity at least in the supplying direction; and a supplying roller that supplies the first sheet stacked on said first stacking portion, or the second sheet stacked on said second stacking portion in the supplying direction, wherein when the tray is positioned at the release position, said supplying roller is able to supply the first sheet stacked on said first stacking portion, while when the tray is positioned at the supplying position, the supplying roller can contact with the second sheet stacked on the tray to supply the second sheet stacked on the tray, and wherein said second stacking portion includes a blocking means, the blocking means abuts on the end portion of the second sheet on the downstream side in the supplying direction to prevent the second sheets from coming off the second stacking portion when the tray is positioned at the release position, and the blocking means separates from the end portion of the second sheet on the downstream side and a downstream end of the stacking portion in the supplying direction when the tray moves to the supplying position, and opens a sheet supplying route from said second stacking portion, and wherein the blocking means is supported by the tray and the blocking means is movable integrally with the tray.