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

An image reading system including an image reading apparatus that is connectable to an external apparatus and reads an image from an original, the image reading system comprising a controller, wherein

• the controller is configured to control the image reading apparatus to a first connected state in which the image reading apparatus is connected to the external apparatus by a first connection method by which the image reading apparatus is connected to the external apparatus in a one-to-one relationship via a single communication path of the image reading apparatus, and to a second connected state in which the image reading apparatus is connected to the external apparatus by a second connection method by which the image reading apparatus is connectable to a plurality of external apparatuses in a one-to-many relationship via a single communication path of the image reading apparatus, and
• the controller disables disconnection processing of disconnecting the image reading apparatus from the external apparatus to be performed when a first time period elapses without the image reading apparatus being operated in the first connected state, and enables the disconnection processing to be performed when the first time period elapses without the image reading apparatus being operated in the second connected state.

An image reading control method for an image reading apparatus that is connectable to an external apparatus and reads an image from an original, the image reading control method comprising:

• disabling disconnection processing of disconnecting the image reading apparatus from the external apparatus to be performed when a first time period elapses without the image reading apparatus being operated in a first connected state in which the image reading apparatus is connected to the external apparatus by a first connection method by which the image reading apparatus is connected to the external apparatus in a one-to-one relationship via a single communication path of the image reading apparatus;
• and
• enabling the disconnection processing to be performed when the first time period elapses without the image reading apparatus being operated in a second connected state in which the image reading apparatus is connected to the external apparatus by a second connection method by which the image reading apparatus is connectable to a plurality of external apparatuses in a one-to-many relationship via a single communication path of the image reading apparatus.