Patent ID: 8730528

Claim:
An image reading apparatus comprising: an image reading unit that includes a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements arranged therein and that reads an image using light, the light being reflected by a document transported to a read position and being received by the plurality of photoelectric conversion elements; a reference plate that is disposed at the read position; a correction data generating unit that generates correction data by modifying second reference data on the basis of a ratio of first reference data to the second reference data, the first reference data being obtained by the image reading unit using light reflected by the reference plate in a clean state, the second reference data being obtained by the image reading unit using light reflected by the reference plate before reading an image; and an image correcting unit that corrects the image of the document read by the image reading unit on the basis of the correction data generated by the correction data generating unit, wherein the first reference data is obtained in the clean state at a first time occurring before reading the image and the second reference data is obtained at a second time occurring after the first time, and wherein the first time is a time at which the image reading apparatus is manufactured and the second time is a time immediately prior to reading the image.