Recording method and apparatus employing a deformable recording medium

Claim 1

AN APPARATUS FOR RECORDING INFORMATION ON THE SURFACE OF A SOFTENABLE SOLID DEFORMABLE RECORDING MEDIUM COMPRISING: (A) MEANS FOR APPLYING AN ELECTRICAL CHARGE PATTERN TO A FIRST SURFACE TO FORM AN ELECTROSTATIC IMAGE THEREON IN ACCORDANCE WITH SAID INFORMATION, (B) MEANS TO POSITION SAID FIRST SURFACE IN A PARALLEL FACING RELATIONSHIP WITH THE SURFACE OF SAID DEFORMABLE MEDIUM WITH A DIELECTRIC MEDIUM SEPARATING THE TWO SURFACES AND ARRANGED SO AS TO CREATE AN ELECTRIC FIELD BETWEEN SAID TWO SURFACES HAVING A MAXIMUM VALUE LESS THAN THE DIELECTRIC STRENGTH OF SAID DIELECTRIC MEDIUM, WHICH FIELD EXERTS COULOMB FORCES ON THE SURFACE OF SAID DEFORMABLE MEDIUM IN ACCORDANCE WITH SAID ELECTROSTATIC IMAGE, AND (C) MEANS FOR SOFTENING SAID RECORDING MEDIUM, SAID COULOMB FORCES THEREBY ACTING TO DEFORM THE SURFACE OF SAID SOFTENED RECORDING MEDIUM IN CONFORMITY WITH SAID INFORMATION, SAID RECORDING MEDIUM BEING SUBSEQUENTLY RESTORED TO ITS SOLID STATE SO AS TO PERMANENTLY RETAIN THE DEFORMATIONS THEREIN.