Xerox Corporation

Other

Electric Power Research Institute Incorporated

Lorin K Hansen

Stephen David White

Keith E McFarland

Jack H Sayre

William A Lloyd

Edwardo D Lara

Mario Rabinowitz

Ned S Rasor

Edward J Britt

Richard J Gable

Arvind R Saklikar

Gary O Fitzpatrick

Robert A Downing

A device for converting heat into electrical energy that is an integrated combination of thermionic and thermoelectric energy converters in a single device, or 'TITE'. The electron output of thermionic portion of the TITE is the input of the thermoelectric portion of the device. The electron collector is covered by a thin layer of doped or undoped semiconductor material or a combination of doped and undoped semiconductor materials with appropriate doping and thickness to achieve increased operational temperature ranges and efficiency.

Integrated thermoelectric/ thermionic energy converter

An improved counter electrode assembly for an electrostatic recorder in which the recorder applies electrical charges, in image configuration, upon a movable image recording member by means of a stylus electrode array and a counter electrode assembly aligned with one another and between which the image recording member may be moved. Both the stylus electrode array and the counter electrode assembly are positioned so as to extend transversely to the direction of movement of the image recording member. The counter electrode assembly comprises a support member, an elastica sheet member anchored to the support member and bowed toward the stylus electrode array, and an electrically resistive member urged by the elastica sheet toward the stylus electrode array.

Elastica counter electrode for an electrostatic recorder

An apparatus for selectively setting the distance between the write head of an electrographic printing apparatus and a recording medium in combination with the use of a gas, present in the gap between the medium and the write head whereby the gas has a Paschen curve minimum lower than the Paschen curve for air. The combination of increasing the distance of the head from the medium along with the use of a gas as specified decreases the amount of flare while decreasing dropout and maintaining image density.

Electrographic flare reduction by spacing and gas control

An electrostatic recorder for applying electrical charges, in image configuration, upon a movable image recording member, the recorder including a stylus electrode array and a counter electrode array which electrode arrays are aligned with one another on opposite surfaces of the image recording member and are positioned so as to extend across the direction of movement of the image recording member. The counter electrode array comprises a base member supporting a plurality of electrically conductive traces thereon, each extending substantially in the direction of movement of the recording member. The conductive traces are interconnected by a layer of resistive material, and contact pads are connected to periodically spaced conductive traces so as to apply electrical potentials to spaced regions of the counter electrode array. Those conductive traces located intermediate the periodically spaced conductive traces are electrically floating when electrical potentials are applied to the spaced conductive traces.

Counter electrode for an electrostatic recorder

In a device for producing an electrostatic image along a scan line of a recording medium by means of a recording device including an array of stylus electrodes arranged in a series of groups cooperable with a series of complementary electrodes, each of the stylus electrode groups cooperates with a portion of two adjacent complementary electrodes whereby writing is accomplished by imposing a charge pattern upon the recording medium in the region of a stylus electronic group when both the stylus electrode group and its cooperating pair of complementary electrodes are actuated contemporaneously. As each complementary electrode is actuated it induces a non-uniform residual potential distribution in the recording medium of a portion of the region of the next adjacent stylus electrode group. The electrostatic writing method comprises first perturbing a region of the recording medium by imposing a first non-uniform residual potential distribution on one portion thereof coextensive with the overlapping portion of a complementary electrode, then perturbing another portion of the same region by imposing a second non-uniform residual potential distribution thereon coextensive with the overlapping portion of another adjacent complementary electrode, wherein the first and second non-uniform residual potential distributions tend to cancel one another, and then writing a charge pattern upon the entire region.

Electrographic marking with modified addressing to eliminate striations

A preferred embodiment of the present invention is directed to a removal of a ghost image created during a processing of a film laminate medium by an electrographic plotter. A recording of an image on the film medium induces a ghosting potential over a developing station. The ghosting potential causes a spurious image to be developed by the developing station. The recorded image is created by depositing a charge on a dielectric layer of the film. A relationship exists between the deposited charge and the ghosting potential. By use of information known to the system, the ghosting potential may be estimated and reduced. A preferred method estimates the magnitude of the ghosting potential by use of the relationship between deposited charge and ghosting potential. A counteracting potential is applied to the system to reduce the ghosting potential over the developing station. The reduction of the ghosting potential substantially removes the ghost image created during the processing of the film laminate.

Film ghost removal in electrographic plotters by voltage bias of the

A method of producing an electrostatic image along scan lines of a recording medium with recording means including a series of stylus electrodes arranged in a longitudinally extending array and divided into two groups, with the stylus members of each group being connected in parallel with one another along the array. A series of complementary electrodes is arranged in a longitudinally extending array and cooperates with sets of stylus electrodes for depositing a charge pattern upon a selected region of recording medium when the sets of stylus electrodes and selected complementary electrodes are pulsed contemporaneously. The method comprises the steps of delivering data, comprising a writing potential or a non-writing potential, to the stylus electrodes of both groups, and overriding certain of the data with a non-writing potential for defining the sets of stylus electrodes within the groups.

Electrographic marking with dithered stylus group boundaries to

Flaring phenomenon in electrographic recording can be substantially reduce, if not eliminated, forming uniform latent image spots by providing a flaring suppressor agent in or on the surface of the dielectric charge retentive layer of the electrographic recording medium. The improvement comprises incorporating a flaring suppressor agent in the composition of the dielectric charge retentive layer of the electrographic recording medium or coating a flaring suppressor agent on the surface of the dielectric charge retentive layer of the electrographic recording medium to enhance the charge retentive properties of the layer and quench lateral electrical discharge breakdown during recording use thereof. A suitable flaring suppressor agent comprise fluoro carbons or fluoro sulfurs or organo metallic salts or soaps. Specific examples of agents are polyvinyl fluoride, sulfur hexafluoride or zinc stearate.

Method for preventing flaring in electrographic recording and recording

A system is disclosed that monitors the concentration of material in a fluid carrier which includes means for circulating the fluid carrier within a substantially closed loop system and means for measuring the concentration of material carried in the fluid. The measuring means includes means to detect rapid changes in transmissivity of the fluid carrier, which are indicative of the presence of entrained air bubbles in the fluid carrier, so that measurements of material concentrate under such conditions may be ignored or rejected. Further, to ensure that an accurate measurement of concentrated material depletion is being observed, more than one consecutive measurement is made and validated before concentrate is finally added to the fluid carrier in the system. In the preferred embodiment, the determination of whether air bubbles may be entrained in the fluid carrier is accomplished by determining a disparity between two consecutively measured samples to have been greater than a predetermined value. If such a disparity exists, the measurement sampling rate is increased until the disparity between consecutively measured samples is again less than the predetermined value, at which time sampling is again performed at slower sampling rate. If a disparity exists between several consecutive samples and the disparity in each case remains below the predetermined value, the samples so observed are determined as valid and representative of continuous depletion of the concentrate material in the fluid carrier. When several of these consecutive and validated sample values exceeds a predetermined threshold and there has been no interruption in such sampling due to a disparity between samples greater than the predetermined value, an enablement will be provided to permit concentrate material to be added to the fluid carrier. The system of this invention has particular application to the monitoring the level of toner concentrate in a fluid carrier of fluid toner development system in an electrographic printer/plotter system or machine.

System and method for monitoring and maintaining concentrate material in

A thermionic fault current limiter utilizes either a vacuum or plasma environment for a plurality of spaced conduction electrodes. The electrode can be supported by insulative spacers with the electrode providing shadow shields for the supporting spacers. Electrode spacing, power density, temperature gradients, and control grids can be utilized for optimum operation and in establishing self-absorption of energy for a desired operating environment. Cesium desorption from the electrode surfaces can be utilized to enhance current termination.

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Fremont, CA, United States of America

Lorin K Hansen