Patent ID: 7011303

Claim:
A sheet feeder that separates and feeds sheets, comprising: a sheet holder that holds a plurality of sheets; a sheet feed roller that holds the sheets in cooperation with the sheet holder and feeds a topmost sheet from the sheets stacked in the sheet holder; and an inclined separating surface that holds leading edges of the sheets in a sheet feed direction, wherein the sheet holder includes a fixed support plate, which is fixedly provided and has a fixed surface, and a movable support plate, which has a first movable surface and is disposed at a portion opposite to and near the sheet feed roller so as to be capable of retracting with respect to the fixed surface when the sheet feed roller feeds the sheets, the movable support plate includes an urging member that urges the first movable surface by a predetermined force, in a direction toward the sheets held by the sheet holder, wherein the first movable surface is pressed by the sheet feed roller and thus retracts with respect to the fixed surface when the sheet feed roller feeds the topmost sheet, and an arm can rotate about a center of rotation provided upstream of the sheet feed roller in a sheet feed force acting direction and has the sheet feed roller rotatably attached thereto.