Abstract: A rigid cylindrical roller for use in portable optical scanners. The roller includes a thinned midsection and a plurality of grooves. A plurality of compressible, surface gripping rings are fitted onto the plurality of grooves. Each surface gripping ring is held relatively immobile with respect to one another as well as to the roller. In one embodiment, the roller, the grooves, and the compressible rings are dimensioned such that in use, the surface-gripping rings are compressed inside the grooves at the points of rolling contact, permitting both the roller and the rings to come into contact with the scanned surface.

Abstract: A hand scanner employs either uniformly or variably frosted scan windows to control illumination. For scanning color documents including books and magazines, a hand scanner employs a fluorescent tube mounted a certain distance above the lower surface of the scanner housing. At the fluorescent tube ends, corresponding to the illumination "dead space" of the fluorescent tube, the underlying portion of the scanner housing is recessed towards the tube.