Patent ID: 7641184

Claim:
An image reading and recording apparatus comprising: recording means for performing recording on a sheet; reading means for reading an image from a sheet; separating and feeding means for separating and feeding an uppermost one of stacked sheets, so as to supply sheets to the recording means and the reading mean; and conveying means for conveying the sheets, wherein the separating and feeding means, the reading means, the conveying means, and the recording means are arranged in this order from an upstream side of a conveying direction, wherein the separating and feeding means comprises a feeding roller, a separating roller that can be brought into contact with the feeding roller, and a torque limiter, wherein when the uppermost sheet is fed by said feeding roller from the stacked sheets, said torque limiter is effective so that said separating roller separates the fed sheet from other sheets, and wherein when the sheet is a document, said reading means reads an image on the sheet fed by said feeding roller, when said reading means starts to read the image on the sheet, said torque limiter is ineffective and the sheet is conveyed by said feeding roller in cooperation with said separating roller and the sheet is not conveyed by the conveying means, and after said reading means starts to read the image on the sheet, the leading end of the sheet reaches the conveying means fed by said feeding roller when the sheet is a document.