Image reading apparatus and image forming apparatus for warning of risk of information leakage

#This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-012335 filed on Jan. 28, 2019, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference herein.

#The present disclosure relates to an image reading apparatus and an image forming apparatus and, particularly, to a technology for preventing leakage of information from manuscripts and printed matters.

#There is a general technology for outputting information indicating that a user has forgotten to pick up a printed matter to a portable device carried by the user when the distance between the portable device and a printer becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value before printing through the printer is completed. In this general technology, when a user exits a convenience store before printing through the printer installed in the convenience store is completed, for example, information indicating that the user has forgotten to pick up a printed matter is output to the portable device.

#FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram schematically showing major internal components of an image forming apparatus including an image reading apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure.

#FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the exterior of the image forming apparatus including the image reading apparatus according to the first embodiment.

#FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B are diagrams each showing a positional relationship between the image forming apparatus and a user carrying a portable device.

#Hereinafter, an image reading apparatus and an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram schematically showing major internal components of an image forming apparatus including an image reading apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the exterior of the image forming apparatus including the image reading apparatus according to the first embodiment. Meanwhile, the image reading apparatus according to the first embodiment includes components of the image forming apparatus 1 except an image forming device 12 and a fixing device 13.

#The image forming apparatus 1 is, for example, a multifunction machine which combines a plurality of functions such as a copy function, a printer function, a scan function and facsimile function. The image forming apparatus 1 includes a control device 10, a manuscript feeder 6, a manuscript reader 5, an image forming device 12, a fixing device 13, a paper feeder 14, an opening/closing switch 51, a short-range communication device 31, an operation device 47, and a network interface 91.

#A case in which a manuscript reading operation is performed in the image forming apparatus 1 will be described. The manuscript reader 5, for example, includes a charge coupled device (CCD) as a scanner that optically reads a manuscript and generates image data representing an image of the manuscript. Specifically, the manuscript reader 5 optically reads the image of a manuscript transferred by the manuscript feeder 6 or a manuscript mounted on a contact glass 161 and then generates image data. The image data generated by the manuscript reader 5 is stored in an image memory or the like which is not illustrated. Meanwhile, the manuscript feeder 6 and the contact glass 161 are examples of an automatic manuscript feeding device and a manuscript mounting surface in the claims, respectively.