Patent ID: 7251450

Claim:
A paper separator, comprising: one or more finger bodies, provided at or near one or more upstream ends in one or more paper transport directions of at least one or more of the paper-separating fingers, and capable of abutting one or more photosensitive bodies one or more guide members, provided at or near one or more downstream ends in one or more paper transport directions of at least one of the paper-separating fingers, and capable of touching so as to guide one or more sheets of paper which has or have separated from at least one or more photosensitive bodies; and one or more support components pivotably supporting at least one or more of the paper-separating fingers so as to impart one or more restoring forces thereto urging at least one of the paper-separating fingers to, only under the force of its own weight, bring at least one or more of the finger bodies into abutting engagement with at least one or more photosensitive bodies, so as to, when at least one of the guide member or members is touching at least one of the sheet or sheets of paper, cause at least one of the finger bodies to at least partially overcome one or more restoring forces produced by the weight of at least a portion of at least one of the paper-separating fingers and back off from at least one or more photosensitive bodies.