Thermoplastic recording system

Claim 1

AN INFORMATION STORAGE SYSTEM WHEREIN INFORMATION IS STORED IN THE FORM OF A DEFORMATION PATTERN COMPRISING: A LAYER OF CONDUCTIVE MATERIAL; A THERMOPLASTIC LAYER DISPOSED ON SAID LAYER OF CONDUCTIVE MATERIAL; A THIN COATING OF MATERIAL HAVING VARIABLE RESISTIVITY DISPOSED ON SAID THERMOPLASTIC LAYER, SAID COATING HAVING A HIGH RESISTANCE STATE AND LOW RESISTANCE STATE; MEANS FOR DEPOSITING AN ELECTROSTATIC CHARGE PATTERN ON SAID THIN COATING WHILE SAID THIN COATING IS IN THE HIGH RESISTANCE STATE; HEATING MEANS FOR HEATING SAID THERMOPLASTIC LAYER AND SAID THIN COATING WHEREBY SAID THIN COATING AND SAID THERMOPLASTIC LAYER DEFORM IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE ELECTROSTATIC CHARGE PATTERN ON SAID THIN COATING, AND AN ELECTRICAL CONNECTION TO SAID THIN COATING OF VARIABLE RESISTIVITY MATERIAL FOR DRAINING CHARGE THEREFROM WHEN SAID COATING IS IN THE LOW RESISTANCE STATE; READOUT MEANS INCLUDING MEANS FOR REDUCING THE RESISTANCE OF SAID THIN COATING AND MEANS FOR DIRECTING A FIRST ELECTRON BEAM AT SAID THIN COATING; MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE POSITION OF SAID FIRST ELECTRON BEAM ON SAID THIN COATING; DETECTING MEANS FOR GENERATING A SIGNAL INDICATIVE OF THE NUMBER OF ELECTRONS BACKSCATTERED FROM SAID THIN COATING;