Patent ID: 7116484

Claim:
An image transfer device for transferring an image to a linear image formation area occupied by a linear solid-state image sensor, said device comprising; one light source providing a light beam having a substantially circular cross-section; and an erecting lens array comprising: a first lens plate having a first face arranged at a light entrance side for receiving said light beam exclusive of any other light beam and a second face opposite the first face arranged at a light exit side of the received light beam, the first lens plate being rectangular and having a rectangular lens formation area where convex micro-lenses are regularly arranged at intervals of a specified lens pitch on at least one of the first face and the second face, and a second lens plate arranged at the light exit side and having same shape as said first lens plate, wherein the erecting lens array includes a light beam input enabling area within the first face of the first lens plate and within the rectangular lens formation area such that a whole portion of one or more of said convex micro-lenses is contained within the light beam input enabling area and said light beam is provided to the light entrance side within the light beam enabling area.