Image erasing apparatus and recording medium conveying method for image erasing apparatus

An image erasing method of an erasing apparatus having a heating device configured to erase a color of an image on a sheet formed with a color material whose color is erased at a temperature equal to or higher than an erasing temperature, the method comprising:

• feeding the sheet from a paper feeding unit;
• detecting a state of the fed sheet with a detection unit;
• judging with a control unit whether the sheet is conveyable or not to the heating device based on an output of the detection unit;
• collecting the sheet with a collecting device by setting a conveyance destination of the sheet in a direction of the collecting device with a switching unit arranged upstream of the heating device in a sheet conveyance direction if the sheet is judged to be non-conveyable to the heating device;
• and
• erasing a color of the image on the sheet by heating the conveyed sheet to a temperature equal to or higher than the erasing temperature with the heating device by setting the conveyance destination of the sheet in a direction of the heating device with the switching unit if the sheet is judged to be conveyable to the heating device.

An image erasing apparatus configured to erase an image on a sheet formed with a color material whose color is erased at a temperature equal to or higher than an erasing temperature, the apparatus comprising:

• paper feeding means for feeding the sheet;
• detection means for detecting a state of the fed sheet;
• collecting means for collecting the sheet;
• heating means for heating the sheet to temperature equal to or higher than the erasing temperature;
• conveying means for conveying the sheet to either of the collecting means and the heating means;
• switching means for switching a conveying direction of the sheet arranged upstream in a sheet conveyance direction of the heating means;
• and
• control means for setting a conveyance destination of the sheet with the switching means in a direction of the collecting means if the sheet is judged to be non-conveyable to the heating means based on an output of the detection means and in a direction of the heating means if the sheet is judged to be conveyable to the heating means based on the output of the detection means.