Patent ID: 8152154

Claim:
A tab sheet insertion apparatus comprising: a tab sheet supply unit that supplies tab sheets of an identical type from an identical sheet supply tray as a major division tab sheet to be inserted at a breakpoint of a first level of classification of a document, as well as a minor division tab sheet to be inserted at a breakpoint of a second level that is a finer level of classification than the first level of classification; a control unit that causes the tab sheet contained in said sheet supply tray to be discharged as an unnecessary tab sheet, if the tab position of the tab sheet to be supplied next from the sheet supply tray does not match with the tab position of the tab sheet to be inserted next in inserting said major division tab sheet and said minor tab sheet while sequentially transporting a plurality of sheets that constitute said document, until both of the tab positions match; and an acquiring unit which acquires a first tab position range indicating a range of tab positions of tab sheets to be used as said major division tab sheets from a set of tab sheets and a second tab position range indicating a range of tab positions of tab sheets to be used as said minor division tab sheets from a set of tab sheets, the second tab position range being different from the first tab position range; wherein, the tab position of a tab sheet to be inserted next is caused to vary sequentially within said first tab position range if it is to be used as a major division tab sheet, and is caused to vary sequentially within said second tab position range if it is to be used as a minor division tab sheet.