Patent ID: 8342501

Claim:
A sheet feeding device comprising: a plurality of sheet feed trays in which sheets are stored; a sheet feeding section which is capable of continuous sheet feeding of sheets stored in the plurality of sheet feed trays; and a control section which controls motion of the sheet feeding section and has an auto tray switch function, wherein the control section, during the continuous sheet feeding from a first sheet feed tray among the plurality of sheet feed trays, obtains information about a sheet amount of sheets being stored in the first sheet feed tray and judges whether or not an amount of sheets remaining in the first sheet feed tray satisfies a prescribed condition, and wherein when the prescribed condition is satisfied as a result of the judgment, the control section stops motion of feeding a sheet from the first sheet feed tray while keeping a sheet left in the first sheet feed tray, and in addition, when the auto tray switch function is effective, as well as stopping the motion of feeding a sheet from the first sheet feed tray, the control section starts motion of feeding a sheet from a second sheet feed tray whose setting of sheet information is identical to the first sheet feed tray so that continuous sheet feeding is continued; wherein the control section determines whether or not to conduct the auto tray switch while keeping a sheet left in the first sheet feed tray when the amount of remaining sheets in the first sheet feed tray satisfies the prescribed condition, based on a number of the remaining sheets in the first sheet feed tray, a number of unprinted sheets of a current job and a number of sheets in the second sheet feed tray which is set as a destination of the auto tray switch.