Patent ID: 6700673
Filing Date: 2004-03-02
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
An image-reading apparatus for feeding a paper, reading an image on said paper, and outputting the read-out image data to an external apparatus, said image-reading apparatus comprising;(a) a paper feeder for feeding a stack of papers one after another; (b) an image-reading unit for reading images on the respective papers fed from said paper feeder; (c) an image data output unit for outputting said readings to said external apparatus; (d) a plurality of buffer units provided between said image-reading unit and said image data output unit, wherein i) some of said images are stored in one of said buffer units before forwarded to said image data output unit; ii) others of said images are stored in another of said buffer units before forwarded to said image data output unit; iii) storage between one and another of said buffer units is switched for each successive one of said respective papers, and iv) while one of some of said images are stored in one of said buffer units, one of others of said images are read from another of said buffer units; and (e) an operation suspending controller for suspending operation of said paper feeder and stopping storing of one of some of said images in one of said buffer units after i) an operation suspending command is given to said image-reading apparatus; and ii) all of one of said others of said images have been read from said another of said buffer units.