Patent ID: 8456715

Claim:
An information reading system comprising: a first information reading apparatus; a second information reading apparatus; and an information processing apparatus configured to connect to said first information reading apparatus and said second information reading apparatus in series or in parallel, said information processing apparatus comprising: a first driver configured to control said first information reading apparatus; a second driver configured to control said second information reading apparatus; and an application program which receives image data from said first driver or said second driver, wherein said application program includes a first driver interface configured to communicate with said first driver and said second driver, wherein (i) said first driver includes a first driver application interface configured to communicate with said application program and (ii) said second driver includes a second driver application interface configured to communicate with said application program, and wherein said first driver includes a second driver interface configured to communicate with said second driver application interface, and wherein said information processing apparatus is configured to enter a state in which said information processing apparatus is available to use said first information reading apparatus and said second information reading apparatus by causing said first driver to activate said second driver after said first driver is activated by said application program, and wherein said information processing apparatus is further configured to (i) control said first information reading apparatus, via said first driver, when said first information reading apparatus reads an image and (i) control said second information reading apparatus via said first driver and said second driver when said second information reading apparatus reads an image.