Patent ID: 7537208

Claim:
A sheet feeding apparatus comprising: a storage unit configured to store a plurality of sheets; a sheet feeding unit configured to suction a sheet stored in the storage unit with a negative pressure and to feed the suctioned sheet; a sheet conveyance unit disposed on a downstream side of the sheet feeding unit and configured to convey the sheet fed out from the sheet feeding unit; a suction duct connected to the sheet feeding unit; a suction fan configured to generate a negative pressure in the suction duct; a shutter disposed in the suction duct and configured to allow and shut off communication between the sheet feeding unit and the suction fan; and a communicating mechanism configured to cause a space in the suction duct between the shutter and the sheet feeding unit to communicate with an outside of the suction duct; wherein after a sheet fed out from the sheet feeding unit has reached the sheet conveyance unit, the shutter shuts off communication between the sheet feeding unit and the suction fan, the communicating mechanism communicates the space with the outside of the suction duct, and the sheet feeding unit stops a sheet feeding operation.