Electrostatic matrix printer

Claim 1

AN ELECTROSTATIC PRINTING SYSTEM COMPRISING AT LEAST TWO SPACED ELECTRODES DEFINING A GAP THEREBETWEEN, A RECORDING MEMBER POSITIONED IN SAID GAP AND SPACED FROM AT LEAST ONE OF SAID ELECTRODES, A FIRST ELECTRODE ON ONE SIDE OF SAID GAP HAVING A SURFACE CONFIGURATION COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF ELECTRICALLY CONTINUOUS BARS ARRANGED IN A PATTERN ADAPTED TO COMPOSE ANY ONE OF A PLURALITY OF COMPLEX SYMBOLS, A SECOND ELECTRODE ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF SAID GAP BEING A COMPOSITE ELECTRODE HAVING UPON ITS DISCHARGE SURFACE A PLURALITY OF ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTING MEMBERS INSULATED FROM EACH OTHER AND ARRANGED IN A PATTERN ADAPTED TO COMPOSE ANY ONE OF A PLURALITY OF COMPLEX SYMBOLS SIMILAR TO THE SYMBOLS COMPOSABLE BY SAID FIRST ELECTRODE, MEANS FOR INDIVIDUALLY COUPLING EACH OF SAID MUTUALLY INSULATED CONDUCTING MEMBERS OF SAID SECOND ELECTRODE WITH A VOLTAGE SOURCE OF SUFFICIENT MAGNITUDE TO INITIATE AN IONIZING DISCHARGE ACROSS SAID GAP, AND CONTROL MEANS COOPERATING WITH SAID COUPLING MEANS TO SIMULTANEOUSLY COUPLE SELECTED ONES OF SAID MUTUALLY INSULATED CONDUCTING MEMBERS OF SAID SECOND ELECTRODE TO SAID POTENTIAL SOURCE SO AS TO INITATE DISCHARGE ACROSS SAID GAP BETWEEN SAID SELECTED CONDUCTING MEMBERS OF SAID SECOND ELECTRODE AND CORRESPONDING PORTIONS OF SAID ELECTRICALLY CONTINUOUS ELECTRODE OF SAID FIRST ELECTRODE WHEREBY A HIGH RESOLUTION CHARGE PATTERN REPRESENTING ALL THE COMPONENTS OF AT LEAST ONE SELECTED COMPLEX CHARACTER ARE SIMULTANEOUSLY FORMED ON SAID RECORDING MEMBER IN A CONTINUOUS AND DEVELOPABLE PLEASING APPEARANCE.