Patent ID: 7944590

Claim:
A box for an image reading apparatus, the box comprising a box body and a plate member, the box body comprising a rectangular frame and a base plate fixed on the rectangular frame, the plate member being disposed in the box body and fixed to the box body, the image reading apparatus comprising the box and component parts of the apparatus mounted on the box, the component parts being at least a transparent plate for supporting an original document, a first scanning unit disposed below the transparent plate to illuminate the original document on the transparent plate and reflect light reflected from the original document in an original document subscanning direction, a second scanning unit which reflects light reflected from the first scanning unit in turn reversely in the subscanning direction, a drive mechanism which drives the first and second scanning units in the subscanning direction, a reading block having a photoelectric image pickup element and an optical system which leads light reflected from the second scanning unit to the image pickup element to form an image, an A/D conversion board which converts an analog signal received from the image pickup element into a digital signal, and an image processing unit which carries out image processing based on the digital signal received from the A/D conversion board, wherein the plate member extends from an intermediate position in the subscanning direction of the box body toward one end side of the box body in the subscanning direction and has a dented area for placing the reading block without interfering with movement of the first scanning unit and a cutout portion formed from the dented area toward the one end side of the box body, the cutout portion being for disposing at least the image processing unit in such a state that the A/D conversion board is disposed between the reading block placed in the dented area and the image processing unit.