Image forming apparatus having paper matching controls

An image forming apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of sheet storage units for storing sheets, respectively;
• first storing means for storing a predetermined size of the sheets and a predetermined direction of the sheets;
• detecting means, provided for each of the sheet storage units, for detecting a size, a direction and the presence or absence of sheets stored in each of the sheet storage units;
• second storing means for storing a first value indicating the degree of similarity between the sheet size detected by the detecting means and the predetermined sheet size stored in the first storing means, a second value indicating the degree of similarity between the sheet direction detected by the detecting means and the predetermined sheet direction stored in the first storing means and a third value indicating the presence or absence of sheets;
• means for reading out the first value from the second storing means when the sheet size detected by the detecting means corresponds to the predetermined sheet size stored in the first storing means, reading out the second value from the second storing means when the direction detected by the detecting means corresponds to the predetermined direction stored in the first storing means and reading out the third value when presence of sheets is detected;
• means for generating a fourth value for each of the sheet storage units by summing the first value, the second value, and the third value read out by the reading out means;
• means for selecting one of the sheet storage units according to the fourth value generated by the generating means;
• means for supplying sheets from the storage unit selected by the selecting means if sheets are present in the selected sheet storage unit and stopping the sheet feeding operation if no sheets are present in the selected sheet storage unit, and;
• means for forming images on the sheets supplied by the supplying means.

An image forming apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of sheet storage units for storing sheets, respectively;
• detection means, provided for the respective sheet storage units, for detecting the sizes and directions of the sheets stored in each of the sheet storage units and the presence or absence of the sheets in each of the sheet storage units;
• first setting means for setting a desired sheet size and a desired sheet direction;
• means for storing first values indicating the degrees of similarity of the sizes of the sheets which are detected by the detecting means relative to the desired sheet size set by the setting means, second values indicating the degrees of similarity of the directions of the sheets which are detected by the detecting means relative to the desired sheet direction set by the first setting means,and third values indicating the presence or absence of said sheets in each of the sheet storage units;
• means for determining priority levels of the sheet storage units on the basis of fourth values, the determining means reading out the first values, the second values and the third values from the storing means, and calculating the fourth values from the first, second and third values;
• means for selecting one of the sheet storage units on the basis of the priority levels of the sheet storage units which are determined by the determining means;
• means for supplying the sheets from the storage unit selected by the selecting means;
• means for forming an image on the sheets supplied by the supplying means;
• second setting means for setting a number of times the image forming means is to perform an image forming operation;
• and
• means for controlling the determining means, the supplying means and the image forming means, such that when said one of the sheet storage units which is selected by the selecting means is emptied before image forming operations corresponding to the number of times set by the second setting means are completed, the determining means again performs a priority level determining operation;
• and
• when a sheet or sheets are stored in the one of the sheet storage units which has the highest priority level, the sheet or sheets stored in said one of the sheet storage units which has the highest priority level are supplied by the supplying means, and the image forming operation continues to be performed, and when no sheets are stored in said one of the sheet storage units which has the highest priority level, the image forming operation is terminated.