Patent ID: 7823871

Claim:
A sheet feeding apparatus comprising: a sheet tray for stacking and storing a plurality of sheets of paper, the sheet tray capable of being pulled out in a direction perpendicular to a sheet feed direction; a pair of side regulating members for regulating both lateral surfaces of the sheets, the regulating members being provided over the sheet tray and perpendicular to the sheet feed direction; a vacuum belt provided between the pair of side regulating members to suck a sheet of paper from above the sheets of paper stacked on the sheet tray and feed the sheets of paper; and a moving mechanism for moving the vacuum belt or one of the pair of side regulating members that is provided on a back side of the other of the pair of side regulating members in the direction of pulling out the sheet tray in the vertical directions, in such a way that, when the feeding of sheets inside the sheet tray is enabled, the uppermost ends of the side regulating members are higher than the lowermost surface of the vacuum belt and when the sheet tray is pulled out, the uppermost end of the side regulating member provided on the back side is lower than the lowermost surface of the vacuum belt.