Sheet feeder

摘要

A sheet feeder comprises a sheet feed roller which forwardly rotate at time of a sheet feeding operation and feed the uppermost sheet retained in a stacked state on contact with it; a separation pad which is forced toward the sheet feed rollers and separate the uppermost sheet to be sent by the sheet feed roller from the next sheet by nipping the uppermost sheet between the sheet feed roller and the separation pad; and a sheet reset lever which is rearwardly pivoted so as to forcibly reset the next sheet in a rearward direction such that the front edge of the next sheet is placed in a location in a rearward direction in relation to the area where the sheet feed rollers come into contact with the separation pads, after the passage of the rear edge of the uppermost sheet fed by the sheet feed roller. The sheet reset lever is rearwardly pivoted as a result of reverse rotation of the sheet feed roller, and the sheet feed roller is temporarily rotated reversely before being forwardly rotated, thereby rearwardly pivoting the sheet reset lever.