Patent ID: 8328181

Claim:
A sheet feeding apparatus comprising: a sheet stacking unit on which sheets are stacked; a suction conveyance unit configure to convey the uppermost one of the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking unit while adsorbing the uppermost sheet; a suction unit configured to adsorb the sheets onto the suction conveyance unit by a negative pressure; and an adsorption completion detection unit configured to detect that the adsorption of the sheets onto the suction conveyance unit is completed; a control unit configured to control the suction conveyance unit and the suction unit; and; an input unit configured to input to the control unit an information that tab-attached sheets or sheets other than the tab-attached sheets are stacked on the sheet stacking unit, wherein the control unit controls suction conveyance unit and the suction unit so that when tab-attached sheets are stacked on the sheet stacking unit and fed such that their tab portions are on the downstream side in a sheet feeding direction, the suction unit starts to adsorb the sheet in response to a sheet feeding signal, and the suction conveyance unit starts to convey the sheet immediately after the adsorption completion detection unit detects the completion of the adsorption, and when the sheets other than the tab-attached sheets are fed, the suction unit previously adsorbs the sheet onto the suction conveyance unit, and the suction conveyance unit starts to convey the sheet in response to the sheet feeding signal.