Patent ID: 7428083

Claim:
A document reader comprising: a platen for an original document to be placed thereon, said platen being mounted on a platen support structure; and a hold-down member capable of opening and closing relative to the platen and operative to press the original document against the platen so as to make the original document stationary when in a closed state, the hold-down member comprising: multiple, parallel, adjacent pressing sections, each said pressing section being independently attached to said platen support structure in a back side thereof so as to be capable of independent opening and closing relative to the platen, wherein each of said pressing sections respectively has means for grasping and operating the opening/closing of the pressing section disposed in a front side thereof, the means for grasping and operating one of said pressing sections being engageable with another of said pressing sections arranged adjacent thereto, and wherein said another of said pressing sections engageable with the means for grasping and operating said one of said pressing sections is formed with a notch having a depth equal to a thickness of the means for grasping and operating said one of said pressing sections, whereby the outer surface of said pressing sections are flush with each other when the hold-down member is in a closed state.