Patent ID: 7891654

Claim:
A sheet feeder with side surface air mechanism comprising: a sheet loading plate configured to store a stack of recording sheets thereon; a sheet feed mechanism configured to perform a continuous sheet feeding operation from an uppermost sheet in the stack; a first heated air mechanism configured to blow heated air toward a side surface of the stack from a first air outlet, the side surface being parallel to a sheet feeding direction; a second heated-air mechanism configured to blow heated air toward a top surface of the sheet stack from a second air outlet; a lift mechanism configured to displace the sheet loading plate toward and away from the sheet feed mechanism; and a controller configured to control a sheet separating operation after a predetermined number of the sheets are fed during the continuous sheet feeding operation, the sheet separating operation including causing the lift mechanism to displace the sheet loading plate away from the sheet feed mechanism and displace the sheet loading plate towards the sheet feed mechanism while causing the first heated air mechanism to blow heated air toward the side surface of the sheet stack and causing the second heated-air mechanism to blow heated air toward the top surface of the sheet stack.