IMAGE READING DEVICE, IMAGE READING SYSTEM, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS

To perform reading of images of a plurality of documents by using a plurality of image reading devices, while reducing the total required time including the time required other than the document reading.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus 1 comprises: a document reading unit 5; a control unit 100; an operation unit 47 that receives the total number of documents to be read by using scatter read; a calculation unit 102 that, during the scatter read performed by a plurality of image forming apparatuses, calculates, from among a plurality of usage modes indicating the order of use of the plurality of image forming apparatuses and the number of documents loaded in each image forming apparatus, a usage mode that minimizes the time required for completion of the scatter read of all the documents the number of which is received by the operation unit 47 and completion of recovery of the documents loaded in the image forming apparatuses performed by a user, based on the time required for the movement between points where the image forming apparatuses are installed, working hours at the points, and the document reading speeds of the image forming apparatuses; and a display 473 that displays the calculated usage mode.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3 【課題】複数枚の原稿の画像読み取りを複数台の画像読取装置により行う際に、原稿読取以外に必要な所要時間まで含めた総所要時間を短縮する。【解決手段】画像形成装置１は、原稿読取部５と、制御部１００と、分散読取で読み取らせる原稿の総枚数を受け付ける操作部４７と、複数の画像形成装置による分散読取の際に、複数の画像形成装置を利用する順番及び各画像形成装置にセットする原稿の枚数を示す複数通りの利用態様のうち、各画像形成装置が設置されている各地点間の移動に要する時間と、各地点での作業時間と、各画像形成装置の原稿読取速度とに基づいて、操作部４７が受け付けた総枚数の原稿に対する分散読取が完了し、各画像形成装置にセットした原稿のユーザーによる回収が終了するまでの時間が最短となる利用態様を算出する算出部１０２と、当該算出された利用態様を表示する表示部４７３とを備える。【選択図】図３