Patent ID: 8538317

Claim:
An image elimination apparatus comprising: a sheet supply unit configured to supply a sheet on which an image is formed; a reader configured to read a sheet supplied thereto, said reader disposed along a first conveying path; an image eliminator configured to eliminate an image formed on a sheet supplied thereto; a stacker configured to stack sheets that are not reusable; a memory configured to store a first reference value based on which a reusability of the sheet is judged and a second reference value, which is different from the first reference value, based on which it is judged whether the image formed on the sheet has been eliminated or not; a second sheet conveying path that branches from the first sheet conveying path at a downstream side of said reader along a sheet conveying direction, and joins said first sheet conveying path at an upstream side of said reader along the sheet conveying direction; a separating unit configured to switch a conveying path of the sheet between a path to the stacker and a path to said second sheet conveying path, and disposed at a position where the second sheet conveying path branches from the first sheet conveying path; and a controller configured to judge the reusability of the sheet based on the first reference value and a first reading, which is performed by said reader at a first time and at a first reading speed, and to judge whether the image formed on the sheet has been eliminated or not based on the second reference value and a second reading, which is performed by said reader at a second time and at a second reading speed that is faster than the first reading speed; wherein, in the case the sheet is judged not to be reusable, the sheet is ejected to said stacker before the second reading, and in the case the sheet is judged to be reusable and said controller judges that the image has not been eliminated, the sheet is conveyed towards the path to the stacker.