Patent ID: 8585037

Claim:
A sheet-feeding apparatus comprising: a tray having a tray front, a tray back opposite said tray front, and tray sides between said tray front and said tray back; a mid-tray sensor located relatively equally distant between said tray front and said tray back; a slider connected to said tray; a front media sensor connected to said tray, said front media sensor being located relatively closer to said tray front than said tray back; and a processor operatively connected to said mid-tray sensor, said front media sensor, and said slider, a tray floor comprising a front stack area to hold a front stack of media between said mid-tray sensor and said tray front, and a reserve stack area to hold a reserve stack of media between said mid-tray sensor and said tray back, said tray being free of a divider between said front stack area and said reserve stack area, said processor moving said slider in a forward direction from said tray back toward said tray front based on said front media sensor not detecting media in said front stack area, said processor moving said slider in a forward direction from said tray back toward said tray front based on said mid-tray sensor detecting media being located between said front stack area and said reserve stack area, while moving said slider in said forward direction, said processor detecting said reserve stack of media moving past said mid-tray sensor based on input from said mid-tray sensor, after said moving of said slider into said front stack area, said processor moving said slider in a backward direction from said tray front toward said tray back based on said mid-tray sensor detecting said reserve stack of media moving fully into said front stack area, and while moving said slider, said processor producing an alarm based on at least one of: said slider moving into said front stack area and said front media sensor not detecting media; said slider being unable to move said reserve stack of media fully into said front stack area; and said slider being unable to move in said backward direction through said reserve stack area.