A duplex scan indicative scanner includes a sheet passage, a transporting mechanism, one single scanning module, a duplex indicator and a connection interface. The transporting mechanism transports a document past the sheet passage. The scanning module scans a first side of the document passing through the sheet passage. The connection interface is electrically connected to an electronic device, the duplex indicator, the transporting mechanism and the scanning module. After the electronic device has controlled, through the connection interface, the scanning module to scan the first side, the electronic device controls, through the connection interface, the duplex indicator to output a duplex indication message to guide a user to place the document or a second document, so that a second side of the document or the second document is scanned by the scanning module. A duplex scan indicative scanning apparatus and a duplex scan indicative scanning method are also provided.

A multi-function printer includes a printer body and a scanner body. A printer module is disposed in the printer body. At least one first scanning module, at least one feeding roller and a sensor are disposed in the scanner body. The feeding roller and the sensor are disposed at an inlet of a sheet passage. When the sensor senses presence of a sheet medium, the first scanning module immediately performs image scanning on the sheet medium to obtain image data, and then the printer module prints out the image data.

A sheet reading apparatus includes a sheet table on which a sheet is placed, a conveyor configured to convey the sheet, a reading guide configured to guide the sheet conveyed by the conveyor, and a reading device configured to read a shadow of the sheet conveyed by the conveyor, for detection of an inclination of the sheet. The sheet reading apparatus further includes a transparent member disposed at a position on a reading line of the reading device. The position on the reading line is withdrawn from the sheet and adjacent to the reading guide.

An image reading apparatus includes a reading unit and a controller. The reading unit reads a first image on a first surface of a sheet and a second image on a second surface of the sheet and generates first and second image data, respectively. The controller determines, based on the first and second image data, whether the first image is at a first edge of the first surface and the second image is at a second edge of the second surface of the sheet. The controller combines the first and second image data into combined image data corresponding to the first and second images if both the first image is at the first edge and the second image is at the second edge. The controller processes the combined image data such that a combined image corresponding to the combined image data has a predetermined size.

A document conveyance apparatus includes a feed roller, a first and a second conveyance rollers, a conveyance shaft, an arm portion rotatably moving the feed roller to a standby position to a feeding position, a transmission portion transmitting rotation of the conveyance roller shaft to the arm portion, and a torque limiter. The feed roller and the first conveyance roller rotate in a conveyance direction when the conveyance roller shaft rotates in a first direction, and the feed roller moves from a feeding position to a standby position when the conveyance roller shaft rotates in a second direction. When a document fed by the second conveyance roller moves through a nip portion, a transmission portion does not transmit rotation of the first conveyance roller rotated in the second direction by the separation roller to an arm portion by operation of the torque limiter.

A transfer unit includes a reading unit to read an image on a sheet conveyed along a conveyance path, a first signal transmission member having a flat shape and is connected to the reading unit, and a relay member connected to the first signal transmission member. The relay member relays a signal from the first signal transmission member, and a second signal transmission member having a round shape and is connected to the relay member. The second signal transmission member leads into an apparatus body from an inner portion of the transfer unit in an axial direction of a first rotation shaft.

An image processing apparatus that executes jobs in parallel using a small number of resources. A controller includes an image processor that applies an image process to image data. A scanner controller includes storage for storing image data generated by scanning a document with a scanner and transfers the image data stored to the controller through a data bus. A processor executes instructions to set a frequency of an image transfer clock to a first frequency when a first job including a process that transfers image data generated by scanning documents to the controller is executed alone, and set the frequency of the image transfer clock to a second frequency lower than the first frequency when the first job is executed in parallel to a second job including an image process. The frequency of the image transfer clock is maintained at the second frequency until finishing the first job.

An image forming apparatus includes a printing unit, a reversing unit, a writing unit, and a control unit. The printing unit forms an image on a sheet-like medium to which a wireless tag is attached. The reversing unit reverses a front and back of the medium. The writing unit writes data on the wireless tag. The control unit controls the reversing unit so that the medium is reversed twice upon the writing of data on the wireless tag failing and controls the printing unit so that an image indicating that the writing of data fails is formed on the medium reversed twice.

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming section, a receiving section, and a controller. The image forming section forms a plurality of images on a plurality of sheets. The receiving section receives a print job including a layout format indicating a layout of the images on the sheets. The controller controls the image forming section based on the print job. Each of the images indicates an image expressed by image data of a single page. The print job includes an instruction to form the images on the sheets according to a plurality of mutually different layout formats.

A document reading apparatus of a printing apparatus includes a document setting unit and a reading unit, the document reading apparatus being provided at a higher position compared to a printing unit. The document setting unit includes a supporting surface configured to support a document, and the reading unit is configured to read the document conveyed from the document setting unit. The document reading apparatus moves to a reading position and to a retracted position at which the document reading apparatus is retracted from the reading position. Furthermore, the printing apparatus includes a cover member configured to cover the printing unit. The cover member includes an outer surface configured to support and guide the document together with the supporting surface in a case where the document reading apparatus is at the reading position.