Feeding device for enabling continuous copy paper feed from plural copy paper cassettes

A feeding device comprising:

• at least one copy material holding section for the current feed of copy paper;
• at least one rotatable copy material holding section capable of rotating to shift itself either in a longitudinal feeding position form which a copy material is fed longitudinally or in a lateral feeding position from which copy material is fed laterally;
• position detection means for detecting the longitudinal feeding position and the lateral feeding position in which said rotatable copy material holding section is set;
• means for detecting a size of copy material housed within said rotatable copy material holding section;
• driving means for rotating said rotatable copy material holding section;
• copy material remaining amount detection means for detecting a remaining amount of copy material placed in the copy material holding section for the current feed;
• and
• control means for storing data of the size of the copy material placed in said rotatable copy material holding section and data of the size of the copy material placed in the copy material holding section for the current feed and its longitudinal or lateral feeding position, and for controlling the rotation of said rotatable copy material holding section by said driving means so as to set said rotatable copy material holding section in the same longitudinal or lateral feeding position for copy material as the copy material holding section for the current feed when copy material of the same size as that placed in the copy material holding section for the current feed is placed in the rotatable copy material holding section, and when it is detected by said copy material remaining amount detection means that a remaining amount of the copy material placed in the copy material holding section for the current feed is less than a predetermined amount.

A feeding method comprising the steps of:

• selecting a paper feeding copy material holding section and feeding copy paper;
• detecting the remaining amount of the copy paper stored in the selected paper feeding copy material holding section;
• and
• rotating a rotatable section of a rotatable copy material holding section storing copy paper of the same size as that in the paper feeding copy material holding section prior to use thereof in the case where it is detected that a remaining amount of the copy paper stored in the selected paper feeding copy material holding section is less than a predetermined amount;
• and
• continuing the paper feeding operation by the use of the rotatable copy material holding section when there is no copy paper in the paper feeding copy material holding section.