Patent ID: 7896342

Claim:
A sheet supply apparatus comprising: a sheet storing part that stores sheets; a sheet transport part that feeds the sheets from the sheet storing part and transports the sheets; a sheet separating part that separates the sheets fed by the sheet transport part from the sheet storing part; a sheet thickness measuring part disposed downstream of the sheet separating part and in the conveying path of the sheets that measures a thickness of individual sheets separated by the sheet separating part; a sheet separating strength varying part that causes the sheet separating part to apply one or more of a plurality of sheet separating strengths to separate the sheets; and a control part that controls the sheet separating strength varying part to cause the sheet separating part to apply, from among the plurality of sheet separating strengths, one or more sheet separating strengths, other than a weakest sheet separating strength, during a start of an initial time period during which a predetermined number of the sheets is transported by the sheet transport part, after the first sheet of the predetermined number of sheets is measured by the sheet thickness measuring part during the initial time period, the control part controls the sheet separating strength varying part to cause the sheet separating part to apply a sheet separating strength based on the thickness of the first sheet of the predetermined number of sheets, and upon completion of the initial time period, the control part controls the sheet separating strength varying part to cause the sheet separating part to apply another sheet separating strength based on an average thickness of the predetermined number of sheets separated by the sheet separating part.