Patent ID: 7567355

Claim:
An image reader for reading a document and for controlling an output of an image that is read, comprising: an image reading part that reads the document; an inhibition information pattern image detecting part that detects inhibition information pattern images that are included in the image obtained by the image reading part and that represents the inhibition of the output of the image; a condition information pattern image detecting part that detects condition information pattern images (i) which are included in the image obtained by the image reading part and (ii) which remove the inhibition of the output of the image; an operating mode instruction part that instructs switching between a normal operating mode and a condition operating mode based on a user's instruction; and a controller, wherein the controller, in the normal operating mode, causes the condition information pattern image detecting part not to detect the condition information pattern images, wherein the controller, in the normal mode, inhibits the output of the image under a condition in which the inhibition information pattern images are detected by the inhibition information pattern image detecting part; wherein the controller, in the condition operating mode, causes the condition information pattern image detecting part to detect the condition information pattern images, and permits the output of the image if (i) the condition information pattern image is detected by the condition information pattern detecting part and (ii) the detected condition information pattern images which satisfy a condition that is defined in advance for removing the inhibition of the output of the image, wherein, in the normal mode, detecting the inhibition information pattern images directly leads to a cancel of the output of the image, wherein said detecting the inhibition information pattern images is performed on in the normal mode, and wherein said detecting the condition information pattern images is performed only in the condition operating mode.