Document reading apparatus utilizing printer mechanism with a color filter tape

Claim 1

A document reading apparatus adapted to be integrated with a printer mechanism, comprising: carriage means for moving along a longitudinal direction of a platen and having an upper surface, a shaft projecting from said upper surface, and a ribbon-feed driving hub mounted on said shaft and rotatable to feed an ink ribbon in an ink ribbon cassette; means for rotating said ribbon-feed driving hub as said carriage means moves in the longitudinal direction while a printer mechanism is operating; a printing head fixed on said carriage means; means associated with said carriage means for supporting an ink ribbon cassette of a certan shape when a sheet is wound around the platen and a printing operation is to be performed by said printing head; cassette case means of a shape replaceable in the supporting means with the certain shape of said ink ribbon cassette and adapted to be mounted on said carriage means when a document is wound around said platen to be read and including a recess for admitting said ribbon-feed driving hub, said ink ribbon cassette being removed from said carriage when said document is to be read, and said cassette case means being removed from said carriage when a printing operation is to be performed, said printing head remaining fixed on said carriage means for the printing operation as well as when a document is read; filter tape means housed within said cassette case means having a red transmission filter portion, a blue transmission filter portion and a green transmission filter portion which are formed and positioned between the document and said reading means such that said filter tape means can be fed, and has filter tape drive means for driving said filter tape means, said reading means performing color reading of the document through said filter tape means; and reading means housed inside said cassette case means and located at a position to avoid interference by said printing head during reading of the document while said cassette case means is mounted on said carriage means wherein said reading means has a lens barrel with an opening at one end opposing the document and housing therein an optical lens, an image sensor arranged at the other end of said lens barrel and on which an image of the document is made by said optical lens, and a light source for emitting light illuminating a reading point on the document.