Burroughs, Inc.

Xerox Corporation

Itt Corporation

Jack Beery

Daniel A Wisner

Barry G Broome

Frederick Allen Donahue

Werner F Hoppner

Ronald E Shaul

Andrew S Mihalik, Jr

Lawrence Speckman

Apparatus is described for exposing a layer of photosensitive material to form an image thereon, by passing the photosensitive layer under a row of closely spaced light shutter apertures which are selectively opened and closed. The total light falling on each pixel area at the photosensitive layer is increased by using apertures which are long and thin, and concentrating the light passing therethrough onto a pixel at the photosensitive layer. Two rows of staggered apertures are used. The photosensitive layer is on a transparent substrate, and a reflector lies on a side of the substrate opposite the light apertures, so light passing through the photosensitive layer and substrate is reflected back through the layer to pass twice therethrough. The entire sheet is pre-exposed to light of a level less than a threshold, with the light subsequently passing through each light aperture being sufficient to raise the total exposure beyond the threshold.

Exposure apparatus for printing system

Apparatus is provided for use in printing systems wherein regions of rupturable subminiature capsules of a layer of capsules are ruptured to release dye that prints an image on an image-receiving sheet. A thin backing sheet is positioned so the layer of capsules lies between the backing sheet and the image-receiving sheet. A rotating brush brushes against a rear face of the backing sheet which is opposite the capsules, to apply pressure against multiple small independent areas of the backing sheet, to deflect each small area of the backing sheet towards the image-receiving sheet to rupture the capsules between them and thereby transfer the dye to the image-receiving sheet.

Capsule rupture printing system

A sheet detector having an emitter (lamp), detector (phototransistor), operational amplifier and an RC network. As contamination is deposited on the emitter or detector, a feedback loop provides more drive to the lamp providing sufficient drive to hold the emitter of the phototransistor at its desired stage. As a first copy paper is passed between the emitter and detector, the RC network of a common mode operational amplifier detects a change and generates an output. As a subsequent sheet enters the system, the transmissibility abruptly changes again causing the common mode operational amplifier to provide a subsequent pulse indicating the presence of a multiple feed.

Multiple copy and transparency detector with illumination control

Sheet offsetting and registering apparatus including a sheet transport to transport a sheet to a receiving station; sheet restrainer to restrain the sheet during a portion of the transport path adjacent the receiving station, an offset registration member positioned along an edge of the sheet transport adjacent the portion of the transport path having the sheet restrainer and being movable laterally with a directional component perpendicular to the direction of sheet transport, and a pivotally mounted arm to laterally move the offset registration member perpendicular to the direction of sheet transport as said sheet is transported past the registration member to gently tap the edge of the sheet and offset and register it during its path of travel. In a specific embodiment the sheet restrainer is a rotatable inverting and stacking wheel with at least one arcuate sheet retaining slot into which a sheet may be inserted such that its beam strength is increased. The wheel is incrementally rotated from the load to an unload position to strip the sheet from within the slot registering the sheet at both its leading edge and one side edge.

Sheet offsetting and registering apparatus

The present invention is a programmed clutch for controlling the acceleration of a scanning carriage at scan return (flyback). An encoder including an electro-optic sensor mounted on a moving carriage together with a stationary grating having a plurality of unevenly spaced apertures, provides velocity data of the rate of the relative movement of the sensor and grating during acceleration. In particular, the sensor detects light through each of the apertures as the sensor moves relative to the grating. The light signal time is conveyed to a counter and the time is compared to a reference number representing an acceleration profile or standard number of signals desired for each aperture. If the number of light signals is more than the standard, occurring if the carriage is underspeed, a transistor driver is pulsed to activate an electromagnetic clutch connected to the scanning carriage. When the scanning carriage velocity has increased sufficiently, the clutch is inactivated.

Programmed acceleration

Sheet inverting and stacking apparatus includes a rotatable inverter wheel having at least one arcuate sheet retaining slot into which a sheet may be inserted, the slot being sufficiently large in length that a substantial portion of the sheet may be inserted in the slot without the leading edge of the sheet contacting the end of the slot, a driver to incrementally rotate the wheel from a sheet load position to a sheet unload position, a driver to drive a sheet into the slot at the load position, the distance between the sheet driver and the end of the slot in the wheel being greater than the length of a sheet to be fed and a sheet stripper registration member at the unload position to strip a sheet from within the slot and register its leading edge. In a specific embodiment, the inverter comprises a fixed member having a generally cylindrical surface from the load position to the unload position and two parallel arcuate arms of larger diameter having parallel slots therein for transporting sheets from the load to the unload position and wherein the parallel arms are brought to a stop at both the load and unload positions.

Sheet inverting and stacking apparatus

The present invention is a programmed brake for controlling the deceleration of a scanning carriage. An encoder including an electro-optic sensor mounted on a moving carriage together with a stationary grating having a plurality of unevenly spaced apertures, provides velocity data of the rate of the relative movement of the sensor and grating during flyback or scan return. In particular, the sensor detects a plurality of light pulses through each of the apertures as the sensor moves relative to the grating. The light signals are conveyed to a counter and the count is compared to a reference number representing a deceleration profile or standard number of signals desired for each aperture. If the number of light signals is less than the standard, occurring if the carriage is overspeed, a transistor driver is pulsed to activate an electromagnetic brake connected to the scanning carriage. When the scanning carriage velocity has slowed sufficiently, the brake is inactivated.

Programmed brake for controlling the speed of a scanning carriage

The present invention is a reproduction machine having a scanning device for projecting images of documents onto a moving photosensitive surface wherein the control of the reproduction machine is a function of the size of the copy sheets. The copy sheets are fed from a copy sheet supply into communication with a registration switch to determine the length of the copy sheet. A counter responsive to the switch converts the length of the copy sheet into a scan drive signal. The scan drive signal is used to terminate the scan drive in accordance with the length of the copy sheet.

Scanning optics copier with variable pitch copy capability

A sheet feeding apparatus including a sheet feeder to feed a sheet from a supply in a forward direction, a sheet registration gate for registering a sheet, the sheet feeder and sheet registration gate being separated by a distance less than the feeding dimension of the sheet being fed such that when the sheet feeder is actuated it feeds a sheet forward toward the registration gate and forms a buckle in the sheet. A sheet guide comprising a baffle pivotally mounted to be articulated within the path of the sheet being fed such that when it is contacted by the short edge of the sheet buckle and initiates tension in that edge it articulates reducing the tension on the short edge of the buckle and advances toward contact and the initiation of tension with the long edge of the sheet buckle. By articulation the baffle tends to equalize the tension on both edges of the sheet and thereby minimizes skewed sheet feed.

Sheet feeder with pivotable baffle

A control circuitry for operation of a matrix wire printer for impacting a continuously inked rotating platen for printing variable information onto transported documents moving between the printer and the platen. The platen carries a velocity control element for rotative cooperation with a bias roller to initially intercept and decelerate the document to a proper print speed prior to print initiation. Document position is transduced into a plurality of logic signals for commanding the individual actuation of successive columnar prints by the pin printer for printing a preselected message as stored in memory.

Control circuitry for actuation of a ribbonless endorser for printing

A recorder for placing linguistic character information on photosensitive media. The recorder utilizes a small number of selectively energizable light sources, relative motion between the light from those sources and the photosensitive media, and electronics to coordinate sequential flashing of those light sources to such motion to form individual or sequences of linguistic characters on the photosensitive media. The disclosed embodiment is a microfilm camera that places linguistic characters on microfilm in response to externally supplied character data. The microfilm camera includes a camera box and seven discrete, selectively energizable light sources that are fixedly mounted with respect to the camera box. A portion of photosensitive microfilm is fixed at least temporarily with respect to the camera box. A size reduction lens that is in motion for a period of time focuses light from the light sources upon various areas of the microfilm. An optical position detector provides a sequence of timing pulses that indicate the position of the lens as it moves. A storage register is provided for receiving the externally supplied character data. Circuitry is provided that is responsive to the character data and the timing pulses to selectively energize the seven light sources in an appropriate sequential manner during the motion of the lens to provide the image of the desired linguistic character or characters on the microfilm.

Photosensitive recorder providing linguistic characters

An assembly for housing microfilm is provided. The assembly includes a first cartridge, a second cartridge, and a connector assembly for detachably connecting the first cartridge to the second cartridge along an offset axis of the assembly. The first and second cartridges have a base plate and a cover plate secured together by a second connector assembly. The first connector assembly pivotally connects the two base plates together at a pivot point to allow each of the cartridges to rotate about the offset axis. The offset axis extends through the pivot point and is perpendicular to the plane formed by the junction of the first cartridge and the second cartridge.

Microfilm cassette module

An endorser for use in document processing apparatus is provided with a matrix wire printer for printing variable information on documents as they are transported at a controlled speed along a transport path forming part of an endorsing station, and with a rotatable ink stamp driven by a controlled speed motor for printing fixed information on the documents in predetermined relationship with the variable information. A rotatably mounted endorser head assembly comprised of a velocity control member and an interrupted curvilinear platen, in addition to the ink stamp, is drivably rotated by the controlled speed motor to initially intercept and decelerate a document entering the endorsing station, and to thereafter print the fixed and variable information on the document. Deceleration of the document is accomplished by the velocity control member of the endorser head assembly in cooperation with a first biased back-up roller. The printing of the fixed information is accomplished by the ink stamp of the endorser head assembly in cooperation with a second biased back-up roller, and the printing of the variable information is accomplished by the matrix wire printer in cooperation with thea curvilinear platen of the endorser head assembly. The ink stamp and curvilinear platen are continuously inked by a rotatable ink transfer member that is adjustably maintained in frictional contact with the ink stamp and the platen.

Inking apparatus

A document photography system photographs the obverse and reverse faces of a moving document by tracking the document with a moving lens. The motion of the lens is in timed relation to the velocity of the document and in dimensional relation to the reduction of the lens. The lens is supported in a flexural mounting which allows the lens to be displaced upon the application of motive power. Motive power is provided by a rotational motor which has its output translated to rectilinear motion by mechanical linkage. The motor output is fed back by an optical tachometer to a phase-locked servo system to maintain uniform, linear lens motion.

Document photography system

In a magnetic ink character recognition (MICR) system, a document bearing magnetizable ink characters is transported past a write station for magnetization preparatory to reading the characters. Each of the ink characters is divided into a plurality of discrete vertical segments; each segment being individually magnetized by a write head in the write station. The velocity at which the document is transported is sensed and time-correlated to the magnetization of each discrete segment to avoid irregularly spaced magnetization due to non-uniformities in transport velocity.

Growing community of inventors

Farmington, MI, United States of America

Jack Beery