MEDIUM FEEDER AND RECORDING APPARATUS

To provide a medium feeder that there is no need to secure a rotation region for a cam above a tray and hence no possibility to increase the dimension in a height direction of the apparatus or to decrease the number of sheets that can be stored in the tray even if a shutter is constructed to vertically move due to the engagement of a rotating cam and a cam follower.SOLUTION: A medium feeder comprises: a path blocking member that can change a feed path of a medium delivered from a tray by rotation over between a blocking state for blocking at a position of a guide member and an open state for opening the feed path; and changeover means that performs a state changeover of the path blocking member. The changeover means includes a rack that performs a state changeover of the path blocking member by displacing along a delivery direction of a medium from the tray, and a pinion gear that drives the rack.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2 【課題】回転するカムとカムフォロアとの係合により、シャッタが上下する構成の場合、トレイ上方にカムの回転領域を確保する必要があり、これによって装置の高さ方向寸法が増大し、或いは、トレイの用紙収容可能枚数が減少する虞がある。【解決手段】回転することによりトレイから送り出される媒体の給送経路を案内部材の位置で閉塞する閉塞状態と、給送経路を開放する開放状態と、を切り換え可能な経路閉塞部材と、経路閉塞部材状態切り換えを行う切り換え手段と、を備え、切り換え手段は、トレイからの媒体の送り出し方向に沿って変位することにより、経路閉塞部材の状態切り換えを行うラックと、ラックを駆動するピニオン歯車と、を含んで構成されている。【選択図】図２