Electrophotographic apparatus

Claim 1

AN ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHIC APPARATUS FOR FORMING A PLURALITY OF IMAGES ON A MOVING ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHIC WEB TRAVELLING IN A PREDETERMINED PATH COMPRISING: A PLURALITY OF STATIONS, EACH STATION INCLUDING CHARGER MEANS, EXPOSURE MEANS AND DEVELOPING MEANS, SAID EXPOSURE MEANS OF EACH STATION INCLUDING PROJECTION MEANS AND MEANS DEFINING A PROJECTED IMAGE PLANE SPACED VERTICALLY ABOVE SAID PROJECTION MEANS, MEANS TO ADVANCE THE WEB THROUGH SAID STATIONS, SAID PROJECTION MEANS OF EACH STATION BEING DISPOSED WITH RESPECT TO THE CORRESPONDING IMAGE PLANE TO EXPOSE THAT PORTION OF THE WEB THEREIN, SAID PROJECTION MEANS OF EACH STATION FORMING A DIVERGING IMAGE CARRYING LIGHT BEAM DIRECTED GENERALLY VERTICALLY UPWARDLY, FIRST MEANS TO GUIDE THE WEB FOR TRAVEL INTO EACH STATION IN A GENERALLY UPWARDLY DIRECTION, SECOND MEANS TO GUIDE TRAVEL OF THE WEB FROM THE IMAGE PLANE OF A PRECEDING STATION IN A GENERALLY DOWNWARDLY DIRECTION, SAID DEVELOPING MEANS BEING LOCATED ALONG THE PATH OF WEB TRAVEL AND POSITIONED GENERALLY VERTICALLY BELOW SAID FIRST AND SECOND GUIDE MEANS, SAID FIRST AND SECOND MEANS AND SAID DEVELOPING MEANS BEING SO DISPOSED AS TO PROVIDE A DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING DIVERGING LOOP IN THAT PORTION OF THE WEB BETWEEN SUCCESSIVE IMAGE PLANES, AND SAID CHARGER MEANS OF EACH STATION BEING POSITIONED TO DEPOSIT CHARGE ON THE WEB PRIOR TO EXPOSURE THEREOF.