Patent ID: 7019872

Claim:
A scanner comprising: a transparent platen mounted on a housing; an object-imaging device within the housing mounted for longitudinal movement relative to the platen and an object supported thereby, the object-imaging device being rotatable about a transverse axis and comprising an aperture for receiving light reflected from said object, said device having a travel distance between a home end position and a back end position, the travel distance comprising a central portion and at least one end portion; a mechanism operatively associated with the object-imaging device for rotating the device about the transverse axis in response to movement of the device within said at least one end portion of the travel distance, the device being rotated in a direction so that the light-receiving aperture is rotated away from the central portion of the travel distance; within the at least one end portion of the travel distance of the object-imaging device, the aperture therein is oriented to receive light from an end portion of the object; and a white balance surface for correcting for variations in the intensity of the reflected light within the at least one end portion of the travel distance of the object-imaging device during rotation thereof.