1. An image forming apparatus comprising:
a document bed; and
a scanning module operable to scan a document placed on the document bed, the scanning module including an illuminator to illuminate light onto the document to be scanned and a sensor to detect the light reflected by the document, the illuminator including:
a first light guide that receives light from a first light emitting diode and a second light guide receives light from a second light emitting diode, each of the light guides having an elongated shape with an incidence face formed on one of longitudinal ends thereof to receive light, the light guide to change a direction of the light received through the incidence face;
wherein each of the light guides includes:
a first guide face,
a second guide face,
an emission face provided between the first and second guide faces to emit light from the light guide to the document to be scanned, and
a reflecting face located opposite to the emission face to reflect light received through the incidence face,
each of the first and second guide faces extends between the longitudinal ends of the light guide such that a first plane corresponding to the first guide face forms an acute angle with a second plane corresponding to the second guide face,
wherein the first light emitting diode is mounted to a first light source holder having a white material at least on a side surface facing the incidence face of the first light guide, and the second light emitting diode is mounted to a second light source holder having a white material at least on a side surface facing the incidence face of the second light guide.
2. The image forming apparatus of claim 1, wherein a surface area of the emission face is greater than a surface area of the reflecting face.
3. The image forming apparatus of claim 1, wherein the light reflectivity of 70% or greater is obtained by a white material on the side surface of each of the light source holders facing the incidence face of the respective light guide.
4. The image forming apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first light emitting diode is mounted to a first light source holder having a light reflectivity of 70% or greater at a side surface facing the incidence face of the first light guide, and
the second light emitting diode is mounted to a second light source holder having a light reflectivity of 70% or greater at a side surface facing the incidence face of the second light guide.
5. The image forming apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first light guide and the second light guide are slantingly arranged in a light guide holder such that a center line of light illuminating by each of the light guide is angled with respect to a horizontal plane of the document bed.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A grouping method for group-buying based on a wireless communication protocol, comprising:
activating a wireless communication protocol on a first mobile electronic device for activating a grouping function provided by the wireless communication protocol to initiate a group-buying action to buy a specific type of merchandise;
broadcasting a polling signal carrying information related to the grouping function;
confirming, by the first mobile electronic device, whether there is a first plurality of second mobile electronic devices utilizing the wireless communication protocol by receiving a response signal from each of the first plurality of second mobile electronic devices, wherein the response signal is in response to the polling signal; and
grouping the first mobile electronic device with a second plurality of the second mobile electronic devices out of the first plurality of the second mobile electronic devices when a number of the second plurality of mobile electronic devices responding to the first mobile electronic device with an agreement to buy the specific type of merchandise is greater than or equal to a least number of people required to initiate a group-buying action of buying the specific type of merchandise.
2. The grouping method of claim 1 wherein grouping the first mobile electronic device with the second plurality of the second mobile electronic devices comprises:
checking whether a first number of the first plurality of the second mobile electronic devices is greater than or equal to the least number of people required to initiate the group-buying action;
sending group-buying information to the first plurality of the second mobile electronic devices when the first number is greater than or equal to the least number of people required to initiate the group-buying action; and
checking whether one plus a second number of the first plurality of the second mobile electronic devices that respond to the group-buying information with the agreement to buy the specific type of merchandise is greater than or equal to the least number of people required to initiate the group-buying action.
3. The grouping method of claim 2 further comprising:
running a paring program included by the grouping function;
wherein sending the group-buying information to the first plurality of the second mobile electronic devices comprises sending the group-buying information to the first plurality of the second mobile electronic devices by the pairing program; and
wherein grouping the first mobile electronic device with the second plurality of the second mobile electronic devices comprises grouping the first mobile electronic device with the second plurality of the second mobile electronic devices by the pairing program.
4. The grouping method of claim 3 wherein a maximum waiting time for reply or a confidence value is utilized by the pairing program when the first mobile electronic device waits for responses from the first plurality of the second mobile electronic devices.
5. The grouping method of claim 2 wherein the group-buying information comprises a service identity of the grouping function and an authentication code to be granted by the first plurality of the second mobile electronic devices.
6. The grouping method of claim 1 wherein the wireless communication protocol is provided by using Bluetooth, WiFi, WiFi direct, near field communication, or peer-to-peer communication.
7. The grouping method of claim 1 wherein the agreement comprises a service identity of the grouping function.
8. The grouping method of claim 7 further comprising performing authentication on the second plurality of the second mobile electronic devices so that the wireless communication protocol can be activated on the second plurality of the second mobile electronic devices.
9. The grouping method of claim 7 wherein grouping the first mobile electronic device with the second plurality of the second mobile electronic devices comprises:
grouping the first mobile electronic device with the second plurality of the second mobile electronic devices according to the service identity of the grouping function.
10. The grouping method of claim 1 wherein grouping the first mobile electronic device with the second plurality of the second mobile electronic devices comprises:
checking whether one plus a first number of the first plurality of the second mobile electronic devices is greater than or equal to the least number of people required to initiate the group-buying action;
sending group-buying information to the first plurality of the second mobile electronic devices when the first number is greater than or equal to the least number of people required to initiate the group-buying action; and
checking whether a second number of the first plurality of the second mobile electronic devices that respond with the agreement to buy the specific type of merchandise is greater than or equal to the least number of people required to initiate the group-buying action.
11. The grouping method of claim 10 wherein the group-buying information comprises an authentication code to be granted by the first plurality of the second mobile electronic devices.
12. The grouping method of claim 10 further comprising:
running a paring program included by the grouping function;
wherein sending the group-buying information to the first plurality of the second mobile electronic devices comprises sending the group-buying information to the first plurality of the second mobile electronic devices by the pairing program; and
wherein grouping the first mobile electronic device with the second plurality of the second mobile electronic devices comprises grouping the first mobile electronic device with the second plurality of the second mobile electronic devices by the pairing program.
13. The grouping method of claim 12 wherein a maximum waiting time for reply or a confidence value is utilized by the pairing program when the first mobile electronic device waits for responses from the first plurality of the second mobile electronic devices.
14. The grouping method of claim 10, wherein sending the group-buying information to the first plurality of the second mobile electronic devices when the first number is greater than or equal to the least number of people required to initiate the group-buying action comprises:
periodically repeating sending the group-buying information to the first plurality of the second mobile electronic devices when the first number is greater than or equal to the least number of people required to initiate the group-buying action within a predetermined duration.
15. The grouping method of claim 14, further comprising:
setting the predetermined duration according to an external input of the first mobile electronic device.
16. The grouping method of claim 10, wherein sending the group-buying information to the first plurality of the second mobile electronic devices when the first number is greater than or equal to the least number of people required to initiate the group-buying action comprises:
periodically repeating sending the group-buying information to the first plurality of the second mobile electronic devices when the first number is greater than or equal to the least number of people required to initiate the group-buying action and before declinations from remainder of the first plurality of the second mobile electronic devices which have not responded with the agreement are received by the first mobile electronic device.
17. The grouping method of claim 16, further comprising:
setting whether to wait for all the declinations from the remainder of the first plurality of the second mobile electronic devices according to an external input of the first mobile electronic device.
18. A non-transitory machine readable media comprising:
computer code which when executed by a processor activates a wireless communication protocol on a first mobile electronic device for activating a grouping function provided by the wireless communication protocol to initiate a group-buying action to buy a specific type of merchandise;
computer code which when executed by the processor broadcasts a polling signal carrying information related to the grouping function;
computer code which when executed by the processor confirms whether there is a first plurality of second mobile electronic devices utilizing the wireless communication protocol by receiving a response signal from each of the first plurality of second mobile electronic devices, wherein the response signal is in response to the polling signal; and
computer code which when executed by the processor groups the first mobile electronic device with a second plurality of the second mobile electronic devices out of the first plurality of the second mobile electronic devices when a number of the second plurality of mobile electronic devices responding to the first mobile electronic device with an agreement to buy the specific type of merchandise is greater than or equal to a least number of people required to initiate a group-buying action of buying the specific type of merchandise.