Patent ID: 8040578
Filing Date: 2011-10-18
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
1. An image reading apparatus comprising: a document feeding section for conveying a document; a first reading section for reading at least one side of the document conveyed by the document feeding section; a second reading section for reading other side of the document conveyed by the document feeding section; a blank determining portion for determining whether the other side of the document is blank in accordance with image data of the document read by the second reading section; an intermediate tray to which the document is temporarily discharged; a document holding portion on which a document is placed which is conveyed by the document feeding section to the first reading section and the second reading section; and a notifying portion, wherein in a case where the blank determining portion determines that the other side is blank, one side of the document is read by the first reading section, and thereafter the document feeding section discharges the document, the document feeding section, regardless of whether the blank determining portion determines that the other side is blank, conveys the document whose one side is read by the first reading section to the intermediate tray to reverse the document front and back, and discharges the document from the intermediate tray through the first reading section without allowing the first reading section to read the other side of the document which has been determined by the blank determining portion to be blank, the document feeding section conveys the document, which is determined by the blank determining portion not to have the other side blank, so that the other side is read by the first reading section, and thereafter reverses the document again and discharges the document from the intermediate tray through the first reading section the blank determining portion, at a time of successively reading a document stack, determines which of the documents in the document stack corresponds to the document determined as having the other side blank, the notifying portion, in a case where the blank determining portion determines that a document having the other side blank is included in the document stack, notifies a user to place the discharged document stack onto the document holding portion again, and the document feeding section sequentially conveys the document stack placed again on the document holding portion, and a document which is determined by the blank determining portion as having the other side which is blank is reversed and discharged, and a document which is determined by the blank determining portion as having the other side which is not blank is discharged without being reversed.