Apparatus for producing a picture

Claim 1

A REPRODUCTION APPARATUS FOR THE DIFFUSION-TRANSFER OF AN IMAGE TO A COPY-RECEIVING SHEET FROM A THERMALLYACTIVATABLE LATENT-IMAGE-CARRYING REPRODUCING SHEET HAVING AN EMULSION LAYER CONTAINING A HEAT-ACTIVATABLE SUBSTANCE ADAPTED TO RELEASE A DIFFUSION MEDIUM, COMPRISING A HOUSING; INLET MEANS AND OUTLET MEANS IN SAID HOUSING RESPECTIVELY FOR RECEIVING SAID REPRODUCING SHEET AND DISCHARGING SAID REPRODUCING AND COPY-RECEIVING SHEETS; MEANS INTERMEDIATE SAID INLET MEANS AND SAID OUTLET MEANS FOR PROVIDING A TRANSPORT PATH FOR SAID REPRODUCING SHEET FOR THE REPRODUCING SHEET AND A TRANSPORT PATH FOR SAID COPY-RECEIVING SHEET; A PAIR OF DRUMS DISPOSED ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID TRANSPORT PATH AND ROTATABLE IN ENGAGEMENT WITH THE REPRODUCING AND COPY-RECEIVING SHEETS PASSING THEREBETWEEN; SPRING MEANS RESILIENTLY BEARING ON AT LEAST ONE OF SAID DRUMS FOR PRESSING THEM INTO LINE ENGAGEMENT; MEANS FOR SETTING THE MINIMUM GAP BETWEEN SAID DRUMS; HEATING MEANS ALONG SAID PATH FOR SAID REPRODUCING SHEET BETWEEN SAID DRUMS AND SAID INLET MEANS AND INCLUDING A HEATED SURFACE ADAPTED TO HEAT SAID EMULSION LAYER UPON CONFRONTING SAME FOR THERMALLY ACTIVATING SAID SUBSTANCE TO AT LEAST PARTIALLY RELEASE SAID MEDIUM PRIOR TO THE PASSAGE OF SAID SHEETS BETWEEN SAID DRUMS; AND MEANS FOR PASSING SAID COPY-RECEIVING SHEET AND SAID REPRODUCING SHEET CONCURRENTLY BETWEEN SAID DRUMS.