Patent ID: 8508822

Claim:
A decoloring device which decolors an image on a sheet, comprising: a sheet conveying path which conveys the sheet inside the device; a sheet feeding unit which feeds the sheet on which the image is formed with a decolorable colorant to the sheet conveying path from a sheet-stacking part; a scanning unit which is provided downstream of the sheet feeding unit on the sheet conveying path and scans the image on the sheet; a communication unit which transmits image data of a preceding sheet scanned by the scanning unit to a management device communicating with the decoloring device, receives from the management device determination data based on the image data and indicates at least whether or not the preceding sheet is reusable, and receives ability data of the management device or first reception time indication data, both of which are related to time taken for the decoloring device to receive the determination data from the management device; a decoloring unit which is provided downstream of the scanning unit on the sheet conveying path and decolors the image on the sheet; and a control unit which conveys the preceding sheet to a predetermined conveyance destination based on the determination data and feeds sheets with a first sheet feeding interval at which a leading end of a following sheet does not run into a tail end of a preceding sheet even if the preceding sheet is held until the determination data is received based on the first reception time indication data wherein: the management device transmits a second reception time indication data when a process other than the generation of the determination data and the first reception time indication data is started, or when the process other than the generation of the determination data and the first reception time indication data is ended, and the control unit calculates a second sheet feeding interval at which the leading end of the following sheet does not run into the tail end of the preceding sheet even if the preceding sheet is held until the determination data is received, based on the second reception time indication data transmitted from the management device, and feeds the following sheet to the sheet conveying path leaving the second sheet feeding interval after the preceding sheet is fed to the sheet conveying path.