Sheet feed apparatus, method and computer readable medium for double-sided document sheet feed operations

A sheet feed apparatus, comprising:

• a sheet holding means for holding which includes a sheet set including at least one sheet;
• a single sheet transfer means, which includes a single sheet flipping means, for sequentially performing in order a first transfer operation in which an initial sheet is separated from said sheet set placed on said sheet holding means and said initial sheet is transferred via a first connecting path to a reading position to receive a front-face sheet reading operation, and a second transfer operation i n which the single sheet flipping means flips over the initial sheet and transfers said initial sheet via said first connecting path to the reading position to receive a rear-face sheet reading operation;
• and
• a controlling means for controlling said single sheet transfer means to perform said first transfer operation on a succeeding sheet after said initial sheet passes by said reading position during said second transfer operation on said initial sheet, for controlling the single sheet flipping means to again flip over the initial sheet, and for controlling the single sheet transfer means to eject the initial sheet only after the first transfer operation has been performed on the succeeding sheet and the first and second transfer operations have been performed on the initial sheet.

A sheet feed method, comprising:

• holding a sheet set including at least one sheet;
• sequentially performing in order via a single sheet transfer mechanism, which includes a single sheet flipping mechanism, a first transfer operation in which an initial sheet is separated from said sheet set and said initial sheet is transferred to a reading position to receive a front-face sheet reading operation, and a second transfer operation in which the single sheet flipping mechanism flips over the initial sheet and transfers said initial sheet to the reading position to receive a rear-face sheet reading operation;
• controlling said single sheet transfer mechanism to perform said first transfer operation on a succeeding sheet after said initial sheet passes by said reading position during said second transfer operation on said initial sheet;
• controlling the single sheet flipping mechanism to again flip over the initial sheet;
• and
• controlling the single sheet transfer mechanism to eject the initial sheet only after the first transfer operation has been performed on the succeeding sheet and the first and second transfer operations have been performed on the initial sheet.