Patent ID: 7604232

Claim:
A sheet feeding device comprising: a sheet stacker having a liftable stacking plate for loading a plurality of sheets; and a casing in which the sheet stacker is detachably housed frontward of the sheet stacker, the sheet stacker including: a handle supported pivotably between an operational position and a nonoperational position, with the handle exposed outside from frontward of the sheet stacker; a lock claw supported pivotably between an engaged position to be engaged with an engagement portion and a disengaged position to be disengaged from the engagement portion; and a transmission mechanism for selectively transmitting pivot movement of the handle to the lock claw, the transmission mechanism having: a solenoid provided with a plunger, the solenoid moving the plunger between a locking position and an unlocking position according to an input driving signal; and an interlock member which moves from a nonoperational position to an operational position along with movement of the plunger from the locking position to the unlocking position, and which transmits to the lock claw pivot movement of the handle from the nonoperational position to the operational position, as movement from the engaged position to the disengaged position, only when the plunger is in the unlocking position, wherein the solenoid moves the plunger from the locking position to the unlocking position when a first driving signal is input, moves the plunger from the unlocking position to the locking position when a second driving signal is input, and maintains the plunger in a current one of the locking and unlocking positions when neither the first driving signal nor the second driving signal is input, and the sheet feeding device further comprising a control section, wherein the control section sends the first driving signal to the solenoid when instructed to enable the sheet stacker to be moved out of the casing, and the second driving signal to the solenoid when the sheet on the liftable stacking plate is feedable.