Patent ID: 7974567

Claim:
An image reading apparatus comprising: a main body having a document receiving port and a document discharging port; a scan path having one end connected to the document receiving port and the other end connected to the document discharging port; a scan unit to read information recorded on a document passing through the scan path; a two-sided document branch path to branch from the scan path to receive the document having a first surface scanned by the scan unit before the document is reversed for a two-side scanning process; a two-sided document transferring path having one end connected to the two-sided document branch path and the other end connected to the scan path; and a first path converting apparatus provided in the two-sided document branch path at a region where the two-sided document branch path meets the two-sided document transferring path, wherein the two-sided document branch path includes a first portion between the scan path and the two-sided document transferring path, and a second portion between the two-sided document transferring path and a two-sided document outlet to an outside of the main body, and the first path converting apparatus is rotatable about a hinge and weighted to maintain open a document travel path between the two-sided document branch path and the two-sided document transferring path and to rotate upward when a document presses against a surface of the first path converting apparatus to allow the document to pass from the first portion of the two-sided document branch path to the second portion of the two-sided document branch path.