Image input system having an auto-feeder and method

An image input system, comprising:

• image input means for reading image information from a source document loaded into said image input means through an input/output aperture of said image input means, said image input means including carriage means for moving said source document in a secondary scanning direction substantially perpendicular to a primary scanning direction within said image input means;
• feeder means for loading said source document onto said carriage means through said input/output aperture in said image input means during a loading action and discharging said source document from said image input means through said input/output aperture during a discharging action;
• and
• control means for controlling the operation of said image input means and said feeder means and receiving a loading action command from a host computer for the source document.

A method of reading image information from a source document on a movable carriage in an image input system, said method comprising the steps of:

• feeding a source document into an image input device through an input/output aperture in said image input device using a feeder that is removably attached to said image input device;
• locating said source document on said movable carriage within said image input device;
• reading image information from said source document;
• and
• discharging said source document from said image input device through said input/output aperture to said feeder.

An image input system, comprising:

• an illumination source for illuminating a source document mounted on a carriage which moves in a secondary scanning direction intersecting with a primary scanning direction;
• a photoelectric transformation component that receives light amount data from the source document and reads image information from the source document;
• an optical system for forming the image information of the source document onto the photoelectric transformation component;
• and
• a comparison device for comparing an integral value of a light amount data detected by the photoelectric transformation component with an integral value of a first predetermined value, and for determining presence of the source document on the carriage.