Patent ID: 7338041

Claim:
An image recording material supply apparatus for transporting and supplying an image recording material at an uppermost position among image recording materials loaded on a cassette, the image recording material supply apparatus comprising: a transportation mechanism for transporting an image recording material at an uppermost position among image recording materials loaded on a cassette located at a predetermined image recording material transportation position; a cassette accommodation section for accommodating a plurality of cassettes; a cassette moving mechanism for moving at least two of the plurality of cassettes between the cassette accommodation section and the image recording material transportation position in a cassette replacement operation; and a control section for controlling an operation of the cassette moving mechanism for moving the at least two cassettes for the cassette replacement operation; wherein the control section controls the operation of the cassette moving mechanism to perform a moving operation of retracting one of the at least two cassettes for the cassette replacement operation from the image recording material transportation position to the cassette accommodation section, concurrently with a moving operation of supplying another of the at least two cassettes for the cassette replacement operation from the cassette accommodation section to the image recording material transportation position.