Multiplex optical system with selective image position control

Claim 1

OPTICAL APPARATUS COMPRISING MEANS PROVIDING A PARALLEL BEAM, A FIRST IMAGE-RECEIVING ELEMENT POSITIONED IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE BEAM AXIS; A SECOND AND A THIRD IMAGE-RECEIVING ELEMENT POSITIONED ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE BEAM AND BOTH IN ALIGNMENT WITH ANOTHER AXIS NORMAL TO AND INTERSECTING SAID BEAM AXIS; AND MEANS FOR SELECTIVELY DIRECTING SAID BEAM ON TO ANY ONE OF SAID ELEMENTS COMPRISING A REFLECTOR MEMBER, MEANS FOR SUPPORTING SAID MEMBER IN EITHER ONE OF TWO ACTIVE POSITIONS WHEREIN THE REFLECTING PLANE OF THE MEMBER SUBSTANTIALLY INTERSECTS THE INTERSECTION OF SAID AXES WITH SAID MEMBER BEING INCLINED AT 45* TO EACH OF SAID AXES IN ONE DIRECTION IN SAID FIRST ACTIVE POSITION AND IN A REVERSE DIRECTION IN SAID POSITION, MEANS FOR SUPPORTING SAID MEMBER IN A RETRACTED POSITION SPACED FROM THE PLANE DEFINED BY BOTH SAID AXIS, AND MEANS FOR SHIFTING SAID MEMBER IN TRANSLATION BETWEEN EITHER OF ITS SAID ACTION POSITIONS AND ITS RETRACTED POSITION, AND FOR ROTATING SAID MEMBER BETWEEN ITS SAID REVERSELY INCLINED POSITIONS WHILE RETRACTED.