Patent ID: 7503560

Claim:
A scanner, comprising: a document feed plate on which one or more documents to be read are stacked; an image sensor disposed adjacent to the document feed plate to read a lower surface of the one or more documents; a plurality of document output rollers arranged vertically adjacent to each other to change a direction along which the read one or more documents proceed along a reverse C-shaped path and to output the read one or more documents through a document outlet; and a document output plate located above the document feed plate on which the output one or more documents are stacked, wherein the document output plate comprises: a document support surface to support the output one or more documents; and a sunken surface located between the document outlet and the document support surface and rising at an angle from a position that is lower than the document outlet to the document support surface, wherein a horizontal length of the sunken surface is determined such that a trailing end of a first document that is output first to the document support surface is positioned higher than the document outlet so that a leading end of a second document that is subsequently output passes underneath the trailing end of the first document.