Cold cutting technique for half-tone electronic engraving

Claim 1

IN ELECTRONIC HALF-TONE ENGRAVING APPARATUS OF THE TYPE INCLUDING A PAIR OF SHEET SUPPORTS, RESPECTIVE IMAGE SCANNER AND ENGRAVING STYLUS CONTROL CARRIAGES ARRANGED FOR SYNCHRONOUS LINE-BY-LINE SCANNING AND REPRODUCTION OF MATERIALS CARRIED BY SAID SUPPORTS, DRIVE MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID SUPPORTS AND SAID CARRIAGES FOR EFFECTING SUCCESSIVE SUCH LINE SCAN OPERATIONS, A SCREEN TONE SOURCE ENERGIZED SYNCHRONOUSLY BY SAID DRIVE MEANS, AND ELECTRICAL CIRCUITS CONNECTING SAID ENGRAVING STYLUS FOR ROW-BY-ROW DISCRETE CAVITY-ENGRAVING OPERATIONS UNDER JOINT CONTROL OF SAID SCANNER AND SAID TONE SOURCE, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES CONTROL MEANS OPERATED SYNCHRONOUSLY WITH SAID DRIVE MEANS FOR DISABLING THE OUTPUT OF SAID TONE SOURCE DURING ALTERNATE SUCCESSIVE LINE SCANS, AND MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE OUTPUT OF SAID SCANNER FOR OPERATING SAID STYLUS AS A VARIABLE-WIDTH LINE ENGRAVING MEANS TO REMOVE ADDITIONAL SHEET MATERIAL ALONG PATHS INTERVENING BETWEEN SUCCESSIVE ROWS OF SUCH CAVITIES, IN AMOUNTS CONTROLLED BY THE MAGNITUDE OF THE SIGNAL OUTPUT OF THE SCANNER, WHEREBY TO CONVERT DISCRETE CAVITY RECORDINGS ON THE ENGRAVED SHEET INTO ROWS OF SIMULATED HALF-TONE DOTS.