Patent ID: 8610968

Claim:
A document illuminating system comprising: a plurality of light emitting elements; a reflective element which guides light emitted from the plurality of light emitting elements to a document read area of a certain width and length; wherein the reflective element includes a first reflective portion, a second reflective portion disposed to oppose the first reflective portion, and a third reflective portion; the first reflective portion includes two or more continuous planar reflective faces, and is disposed so that one end of the first reflective portion is closer to the document read area than that of the second reflective portion in a sub scan direction; and the first and third reflective portions each include one or more planar reflective faces, and are disposed so that their reflective faces oppositely illuminate the document read area together by reflecting light from at least either of the light emitting elements and the second reflective portion to the document read area without other reflective elements.