Optical scanning system

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR SCANNING A FLAT PLANAR OBJECT SURFACE ALONG A RECTILINEAR SCANNING ZONE PARALLELING A PRESELECTED AXIS OF THE OBJECT SURFACE COMPRISING A LIGHT REFLECTING MEMBER HAVING A PLANAR LIGHT REFLECTING SURFACE FOR RECEIVING AN INCIDENT BEAM OF LIGHT FROM AN ELEMENTAL AREA OF THE OBJECT SURFACE AND REDIRECTING THE LIGHT ALONG A REFLECTED BEAM INCLINED TO THE INCIDENT BEAM TOWARD FIXED LIGHT SENSING MEANS, A FIXED LENS INTERCEPTING SAID REFLECTED BEAM TO FOCUS AN IMAGE OF SAID LIGHT MENTAL AREA IN A SELECTED IMAGE PLANE ADJACENT SAID LIGHT SENSING MEANS, MOTOR DRIVEN MEANS FOR CONTINUOUSLY OSCILLATING SAID LIGHT REFLECTING MEMBER THROUGH A SCANNING STROKE ABOUT A PIVOT AXIS AT SAID REFLECTING SURFACE ARRANGED PARALLEL TO THE PLANE OF SAID OBJECT SURFACE AND PERPENDICULAR TO SAID PRESELECTED AXIS FOR SWEEPING SAID INCIDENT BEAM PERIODICALLY BACK AND FORTH RECTILINEARLY ACROSS SUBSTANTIALLY THE FULL DIMENSION OF SAID OBJECT SURFACE TO SCAN THE ELEMENTAL AREAS THEREOF INTERCEPTING SAID INCIDENT BEAM, AND MOTOR DRIVEN MEANS FOR RECTILINEARLY RECIPROCATING SAID LIGHT REFLECTING MEMBER CONCURRENTLY WITH OSCILLATION THEREOF IN A DIRECTION PARALLEL TO SAID REFLECTED BEAM TO CONTINUOUSLY MAINTAIN IMAGES OF SAID ELEMENTAL AREAS SHARPLY FOCUSED IN SAID SELECTED IMAGE PLANE, SAID MEANS FOR OSCILLATING SAID LIGHT REFLECTING MEMBER INCLUDING MEANS COORDINATED WITH THE RECTILINEAR RECIPROCATING OF SAID LIGHT REFLECTING MEMBER FOR CONTINUOUSLY MAINTAINING CONSTANT THE SWEEP VELOCITY OF THE INCIDENT BEAM AT THE PLANAR OBJECT SURFACE DURING ITS SCANNING STROKE.