Image reading apparatus and image forming apparatus

An image reading apparatus comprising:

• a first stacking unit having a stacking surface on which a document is to be stacked, and an abutment portion on which an end of the document in a widthwise direction of the document stacked on the stacking surface abuts;
• a feeding unit configured to feed the document stacked on the first stacking unit in a feeding direction perpendicularly intersecting the document widthwise direction;
• a reading unit configured to read an image of the document fed by the feeding unit;
• a second stacking unit configured to receive the document read by the reading unit and discharged;
• a detection unit configured to detect presence or absence of the document on the second stacking unit;
• a rotating shaft extended in the feeding direction and configured to rotatably support the first stacking unit;
• a drive unit configured to rotate the first stacking unit around the rotating shaft;
• and
• a control unit configured to control the drive unit,
• wherein, at a downstream end in the feeding direction, the stacking surface has a first edge and a second edge, where the first edge is close to the abutment portion in the document widthwise direction and the second edge is distant from the abutment portion in the document widthwise direction in comparison with the first edge, and
• wherein, based on the detection of the absence of the document on the second stacking unit by the detection unit, the control unit controls the drive unit to rotate the first stacking unit in a direction with which the first edge becomes lower than the second edge.

An image forming apparatus comprising:

• a first stacking unit having a stacking surface on which a document is to be stacked, and an abutment portion on which an end of the document in a widthwise direction of the document stacked on the stacking surface abuts;
• a feeding unit configured to feed the document stacked on the first stacking unit in a feeding direction perpendicularly intersecting the document widthwise direction;
• a reading unit configured to read an image of the document fed by the feeding unit;
• a second stacking unit configured to receive the document read by the reading unit and discharged to the second stacking unit;
• a detection unit configured to detect presence or absence of the document on the second stacking unit;
• a rotating shaft extended in the feeding direction and configured to rotatably support the first stacking unit;
• a drive unit configured to rotate the first stacking unit around the rotating shaft;
• a control unit configured to control the drive unit, and
• an image forming unit configured to form an image on a recording material based on the image read by the reading unit,
• wherein, based on the detection of the absence of the document on the second stacking unit by the detection unit, the control unit controls the drive unit to rotate the first stacking unit in a direction with which the abutment portion is lowered.

A method for an image reading apparatus that includes a first stacking unit having a stacking surface on which a document is to be stacked, and an abutment portion on which an end of the document in a widthwise direction of the document stacked on the stacking surface abuts, and having a second stacking unit and a rotating shaft extended in a feeding direction, the method comprising:

• feeding the document stacked on the first stacking unit in the feeding direction perpendicularly intersecting the document widthwise direction;
• reading an image of the fed document;
• receiving, on the second stacking unit, the read document discharged to the second stacking unit;
• detecting presence or absence of the document on the second stacking unit;
• rotatably supporting the first stacking unit by the rotating shaft;
• rotating the first stacking unit around the rotating shaft;
• and
• controlling the rotating of the first stacking unit around the rotating shaft,
• wherein, based on the detection of the absence of the document on the second stacking unit, controlling includes rotating the first stacking unit in a direction with which the abutment portion is lowered.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program to cause a computer to perform a method for an image reading apparatus that includes a first stacking unit having a stacking surface on which a document is to be stacked, and an abutment portion on which an end of the document in a widthwise direction of the document stacked on the stacking surface abuts, and having a second stacking unit and a rotating shaft extended in a feeding direction, the method comprising:

• feeding the document stacked on the first stacking unit in the feeding direction perpendicularly intersecting the document widthwise direction;
• reading an image of the fed document;
• receiving, on the second stacking unit, the read document discharged to the second stacking unit;
• detecting presence or absence of the document on the second stacking unit;
• rotatably supporting the first stacking unit by the rotating shaft;
• rotating the first stacking unit around the rotating shaft;
• and
• controlling the rotating of the first stacking unit around the rotating shaft,
• wherein, based on the detection of the absence of the document on the second stacking unit, controlling includes rotating the first stacking unit in a direction with which the abutment portion is lowered.