Patent ID: 8164806

Claim:
An image reading apparatus comprising: a reading unit that has a document table provided on an upper surface thereof and reads a document which is transported to a document reading area on the document table and passes through the document reading area; a cover portion that covers the document table; a mounting portion that connects the cover portion and the reading unit and rotates about a rotating shaft extending in a document transport direction to open the cover portion such that the document table is exposed and to close the cover portion such that the document table is covered with the cover portion; a frame that forms part of the cover portion, is mounted to the mounting portion, and has an opening formed in a portion thereof corresponding to the document reading area when the cover portion is closed; a reinforcing member that is provided in the frame, traverses the opening in a direction orthogonal to the document transport direction, and receives stress from the mounting portion; a document transporting unit that forms part of the cover portion, is arranged on the frame, and transports the document to the document reading area on the document table such that the document passes through the document reading area when the cover portion is closed; a first horizontal positioning member that positions the document transporting unit relative to the reinforcing member in a horizontal direction so that the document transporting unit is movable in a vertical direction; a first vertical positioning member that is provided in the document transporting unit, comes into contact with the document table or the periphery of the document table on the upper surface of the reading unit when the cover portion is closed, and positions the document transporting unit in the vertical direction based on the position of the document table; a regulating member that is provided on the lower side of the reinforcing member, forms a gap between the reinforcing member and the document reading area of the document table, and comes into contact with the document transported to the document reading area to regulate a transport height; a second horizontal positioning member that positions the regulating member relative to the reinforcing member in the horizontal direction so that the regulating member is movable in the vertical direction; and a second vertical positioning member that is provided in the regulating member, comes into contact with the document table or the periphery of the document table on the upper surface of the reading unit when the cover portion is closed, and positions the regulating member in the vertical direction based on the position of the document table.