REPRODUCTION SYSTEM

• US 3,751,159 A
• Filed: 05/19/1971
• Issued: 08/07/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: William G. Fisher
• Original Assignee: William G. Fisher
• Inventors: Fisher, William G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Matthews, Samuel S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Harris, Michael D.
• Application Number:
  US05/144,743
• Time in Patent Office: 811 Days
• Field of Search: 355/20,8,81,84 313/329 346/74CR 178/7.8
• US Class Current: 355/20
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/0142 Structure of complete machines
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/24 whereby at least two steps are performed simultaneously
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/29 involving production of an electrostatic intermediate picture

Abstract

A machine for reproducing the visual image on documents onto a paper substrate including a television camera for scanning the visual image on a document and converting the visual image into a corresponding electrical video signal; a cathode ray printing tube having a wire matrix; a control circuit electrically connecting the camera to the cathode ray tube to cause the wire matrix to be electrically charged in a pattern corresponding to the mirror image of the visual image on the document, a conveyor for selectively moving the paper substrate by and closely adjacent to the wire matrix to impose the electrical charge pattern from the wire matrix thereon, and a developer applying toner particles to that side of the paper substrate opposite the wire matrix to convert the electrical charge pattern imposed on the paper substrate into a visual image. The developer may include a cylindrical roll defining a driving surface for engaging the paper substrate at the wire matrix and forcing same across the wire matrix in contact with the wires of the matrix. A plurality of cameras with a corresponding number of printing cathode ray tubes may be used for reproducing multi-color copies. The control circuit may include microwave transmitting and receiving station to produce a facsimile system.

Claims

1. A machine for reproducing the visual image on documents onto a paper substrate comprising:

support means;

display means carried by said support means for selectively displaying said document;

camera means for scanning said document and for converting the visual image on said document onto a corresponding electrical video signal;

imaging means for selectively exposing said visual image on said document to said camera means;

a cathode ray printing tube means having a wire matrix;

circuit means electrically connecting said camera means to said cathode ray tube means to cause said wire matrix to be electrically charged in a pattern corresponding to the visual image exposed to said camera means; and

, including means for reversing the electrical image produced by said camera means;

transport means for selectively moving the paper substrate by and closely adjacent to said wire matrix at a rate corresponding to the exposure rate of the visual image to said camera means; and

developing means for converting said electrically charged image imposed on said paper substrate into a visual image including a member for positively forcing said paper substrate across said wire matrix at a rate corresponding to the exposure rate of the visual image to said camera means, toner particles, and means for applying said toner particles to the electrically charged image imposed on said paper substrate on that side of said paper substrate opposite said wire matrix.

2. The machine of claim 1 wherein said means for applying said toner particles to said paper and said member for positively forcing said paper substrate include roll means having a driving surface engaging said paper substrate at said wire matrix to force same by said wire matrix and for transporting said toner particles into close proximity to that side of said paper substrate opposite said wire matrix and wherein said developing means includes drive means for rotating said driving surface of said roll means at the same rate as the exposure rate of the visual image to said camera means.

3. The machine of claim 2 wherein said roll means includes forcing means for resiliently urging said driving surface toward said wire matrix and into engagement with said paper substrate.

4. The machine of claim 3 wherein said roll means includes a cylindrical roll defining said driving surface, said roll composed of said toner particles and having an emission threshold potential of a predetermined value.

5. The machine of claim 3 wherein said roll means includes a cylindrical roll defining said driving surface, said roll defining grooves at said surface to entrap toner particles;

and wherein said developing means includes a storage bin for receiving and storing said toner particles in contact with said surface of said roll.

6. The machine of claim 1 wherein said transport means includes means for feeding said paper substrate from a roll and means for selectively cutting said paper substrate into predetermined lengths.

7. The machine of claim 1 wherein said camera means includes a Vidicon television receiver tube having a receptive surface for converting said visual image into a corresponding electrical image.

8. The machine of claim 7 wherein said camera means includes masking means for exposing selected portions of said receptive surface of said Vidicon television receiver tube to said visual image.

9. The machine is set forth in claim 1 wherein said cathode ray printing tube means includes a plurality of cathode ray printing tubes, each having a wire matrix;

wherein said camera means includes color separation means for separating the colors of the visual image on said document into selected color portions and converting each color portion of said visual image into a corresponding electrical video signal;

wherein said circuit means connects one of said electrical video signals corresponding to a color portion of the visual image to each of said printing tubes; and

wherein said transport means selectively moves said paper substrate by said wire matrix of each of said printing tubes at the same rate and in the same order as said visual image is exposed to said camera means.

10. The machine of claim 9 wherein said developing means includes a plurality of rolls means, one roll means being associated with said wire matrix of each of said printing tubes for forcing said paper substrate across its associated wire matrix and toner particles operatively associated with each of said roll means, the toner particles having the color to reproduce that color portion of the visual image to which its associated printing tube is supplied as an electrical video signal.

11. The machine of claim 10 wherein said camera means includes a plurality of television receiver tubes, one of said receiver tubes corresponding to each of said printing tubes and a color separation means associated with each of said receiver tubes.

12. The machine of claim 11 wherein said receiver tubes are spaced from each other a first predetermined distance and wherein said printing tubes are spaced from each other a second predetermined distance related to said first predetermined distance to cause each color portion of the visual image to be reproduced on said paper substrate in the same relative position as the color portion on said original document.

13. The machine as set forth in claim 1 wherein said circuit means include microwave transmitting and receiving means.

14. In a machine for printing a visual image onto a paper substrate which includes a cathode ray printing tube having a selectively charged wire matrix;

drive means for positively forcing said paper substrate across said wire matrix including a cylindrical roll member positioned closely adjacent said wire matrix and having a driving surface for engaging said paper substrate and forcing said substrate across said wire matrix while maintaining said substrate in contact with said wire matrix;

support means for resiliently urging said dirving surface of said roll member toward said wire matrix to insure positive engagement between said substrate and said driving surface; and

means for selectively rotating said roll member, and wherein said roll member is composed of carbon toner particles pressed together and having an emission threshold potential of a predetermined value to deposit said particles on said paper substrate in the electrical charge pattern imposed on said paper substrate by said wire matrix.

15. In a machine for printing a visual image onto a paper substrate which includes a cathode ray printing tube having a selectively charged wire matrix;

drive means for positively forcing said paper substrate across said wire matrix including a cylindrical roll member positioned closely adjacent said wire matrix and having a driving surface for engaging said paper substrate and forcing said substrate across said wire matrix while maintaining said substrate in contact with said wire matrix;

support means for resiliently urging said driving surface of said roll member toward said wire matrix to insure positive engagement between said substrate and said driving surface; and

means for selectively rotating said roll member, and whErein said roll member defines grooves at said driving surface, and further including carbon toner particles and bin means for supporting said particles in contact with said driving surface and said grooves so that said grooves entrap said particles and move same into the vicinity of said wire matrix so that said particles will be deposited on said paper substrate in the electrical charge pattern imposed on said substrate by said wire matrix.

16. In a machine as set forth in claim 15 wherein said grooves are sufficiently close together to present a substantially solid surface of toner particles to said paper substrate.

17. A method of duplicating the visual image on a document onto a paper substrate including the steps of:

a. converting the visual image on the document into an electrical charge pattern;

b. reversing the charge pattern thus formed so that the resulting charge pattern corresponds to a mirror image of the visual image on the document;

c. imposing the reversed electrical charge pattern on one side of the paper substrate; and

, d. positioning toner particles in the vicinity of the opposite side of the paper substrate to cause the particles to adhere to said opposite side of the paper substrate to reproduce the visual image.

18. In a machine for printing a visual image onto individual sheets of a paper substrate having a leading edge using a cathode ray printing tube having a selectively charged wire matrix mounted in the tube face with a prescribed height, the improvement comprising drive means operatively associated with the tube face for driving the leading edge of the sheets of paper substrate individually across the tube face and in close proximity to with the wire matrix, said drive means including a cylindrical roll member defining a driving surface of a radius substantially greater than the presecribed height of the tube face for engaging the leading edge of each sheet of paper substrate and forcing said sheet across the tube face, support means rotatably mounting said roll and constantly urging said roll member toward the tube face so that one side of the leading edge of the sheet of substrate will be engaged by said driving surface and the opposite side will be slidably supported on the tube face so that said roll member will drivingly engage the leading edge of the sheet of paper substrate to drive same across the tube face in close proximity to the wire matrix as said roll member is rotated;

means for selectively rotating said roll member at a prescribed speed; and

, feed means for selectively feeding the leading edge of the sheet of paper substrate into engagement with said driving surface of said roll member and the tube face, said support means including a resilient spring urging said roll member toward said tube face and a stop for arresting movement of said roll member so that said driving surface does not contact the tube face but is spaced therefrom a distance less than the thickness of the sheet of paper substrate.