Image reading apparatus, image reading method, and image reading system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11082576-B2
Application number	US-201916715228-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 16, 2019
Priority date	Dec 17, 2018
Publication date	Aug 3, 2021
Grant date	Aug 3, 2021

Abstract

An image reading apparatus includes a transportation unit configured to transport a document; a reading unit configured to read the document transported by the transportation unit; a medium placement unit which is positioned upstream of the reading unit in the transportation, and on which the document and a setting sheet that includes setting information for setting a condition of reading processing of the document are placed; a detection unit which is disposed in the medium placement unit, and is configured to detect the setting information from the setting sheet placed on the medium placement unit; and a control unit configured to control the reading processing, in which the control unit sets the condition of the reading processing based on the setting information detected by the detection unit, and executes, under the condition that is set, the reading processing including reading of the document by the reading unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image reading apparatus comprising:
a transportation unit configured to transport a document;
a reading unit configured to read the document transported by the transportation unit;
a medium placement unit which is positioned upstream of the reading unit in a transportation direction, and on which the document and a setting sheet that includes setting information for setting a condition of reading processing of the document are placed;
a detection unit which is disposed in the medium placement unit, and is configured to detect the setting information from the setting sheet placed on the medium placement unit without reading the setting sheet by the reading unit; and
a control unit configured to control the reading processing,
wherein the control unit sets the condition of the reading processing based on the setting information detected by the detection unit, and executes the reading processing including reading of the document by the reading unit, under the condition that is set.

2. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the control unit starts transportation of the document by the transportation unit after setting the condition of the reading processing.

3. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the detection unit detects the setting information from a plurality of portions of the setting sheet, and
when pieces of the setting information detected by the detection unit from the plurality of portions match each other, the control unit sets the condition of the reading processing based on the setting information that is detected.

4. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the detection unit is disposed upstream of transportation rollers included in the transportation unit in the transportation, and inside an edge guide that regulates a position of the document and the setting sheet on the medium placement unit.

5. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein, after setting the condition of the reading processing, the control unit maintains the condition that is set until the setting information is detected by the detection unit from a next setting sheet.

6. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the control unit sets a storage destination of read data of the document based on the setting information, and stores, in the storage destination that is set, the read data generated by the reading unit reading the document.

7. An image reading method comprising:
detecting, from a setting sheet placed on a medium placement unit, setting information for setting a condition of reading processing of a document without reading the setting sheet by a reading unit, the medium placement unit being positioned upstream of the reading unit configured to read the document, in transportation of the document;
setting the condition of the reading processing based on the setting information that is detected; and
executing the reading processing including reading of the document by the reading unit, under the condition that is set.

8. An image reading system comprising:
an image reading apparatus; and
a server configured to communicate with the image reading apparatus,
wherein the image reading apparatus includes
a transportation unit configured to transport a document,
a reading unit configured to read the document transported by the transportation unit,
a medium placement unit which is positioned upstream of the reading unit in a transportation direction, and on which the document and a setting sheet that includes setting information for setting a condition of reading processing of the document are placed,
a detection unit which is disposed in the medium placement unit, and is configured to detect the setting information from the setting sheet placed on the medium placement unit without reading the setting sheet by the reading unit, and
a control unit configured to control the reading processing,
the server stores a table in which a correspondence relationship between the setting information and the condition of the reading processing is prescribed, and
the control unit sets the condition of the reading processing based on the setting information detected by the detection unit and the table stored in the server, and executes, under the condition that is set, the reading processing including reading of the document by the reading unit.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Takase Yuji
• Nomoto Kosuke
• Kobayashi Masaya

Classifications

• H04N1/00779 Primary

  Adjusting settings, e.g. mode, feeding rate or type of paper · CPC title

• H04N1/00588 Primary

  to the scanning position (H04N1/00572, H04N1/00594 take precedence) · CPC title

• H04N2201/0081

  Image reader (H04N2201/0091 - H04N2201/0094 take precedence) · CPC title

• H04N1/00761

  using reference marks, e.g. on sheet, sheet holder or guide · CPC title