Patent ID: 8616545

Claim:
A sheet feeding apparatus comprising: a sheet supporting portion capable of being lifted and lowered while supporting a sheet; a feed roller located above the sheet supporting portion and feeding the sheet stacked on the sheet supporting portion; and a lifting portion lifting and lowering the sheet supporting portion between an initial feed position and a position at which the feed roller feeds the sheet supported on the sheet supporting portion, and the lifting portion including: a biasing portion which biases the sheet supporting portion toward the feed roller; a link member which is rotatably supported by the sheet supporting portion; a holding portion which holds the link member so as to position the sheet supporting portion against a biasing force of the biasing portion at the initial feed position; a regulation release portion which rotates integrally with the feed roller and releases the holding of the link member held by the holding portion when the sheet is fed; and a rotation regulating portion which regulates a rotation of the link member in a predetermined range, wherein the rotation regulating portion includes a guide portion to regulate movement of the link member in the predetermined range and the holding portion is provided on the guide portion, and wherein while the regulation release portion is rotated with the feed roller which feeds the sheet supported on the sheet supporting portion, the regulation release portion engages with the link member to move the sheet supporting portion to the feed initial position and the link member is held by the holding portion.