Color xerography

Claim 2

LIGHT SCANNING MEANS FOR FORMING A LIGHT IMAGE OF THE COLOR ORIGINAL;

Claim 3

BEAM SPLITTING MEANS FOR SEPARATING THE LIGHT IMAGE INTO AT LEAST A FIRST AND SECOND LIGHT BEAM, WHICH ARE CONDUCTED ALONG DIFFERENT OPTICAL PATHS OF EQUAL LENGTHS THROUGH SEPARATE FILTERS OF DISSIMILAR COLORS;

Claim 4

BEAM SPLITTING MEANS FOR SEPARATING THE LIGHT IMAGE INTO AT LEAST A FIRST AND SECOND LIGHT BEAM, WHICH ARE CONDUCTED ALONG DIFFERENT OPTICAL PATHS OF EQUAL LENGTHS THROUGH SEPARATE FILTERS OF DISSIMILAR COLORS;

Claim 5

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein three color separation images are separately formed and developed.

Claim 6

The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the color separation images are blue, green and red.

Claim 7

UNIFORMLY CHARGED PHOTOCONDUCTIVE AREA AT THE TERMINUS OF EACH OPTICAL PATH, EACH AREA BEING SIMULTANEOUSLY DISCHARGED IN IMAGEWISE CONFIGURATION BY THE LIGHT BEAM IMPINGING UPON IT;

Claim 8

UNIFORMLY CHARGED PHOTOCONDUCTIVE AREA AT THE TERMINUS OF EACH OPTICAL PATH, EACH AREA BEING SIMULTANEOUSLY DISCHARGED IN IMAGEWISE CONFIGURATION BY THE LIGHT BEAM IMPINGING UPON IT;

Claim 9

MEANS FOR SEPARATELY DEVELOPING THE RESPECTIVE IMAGED AREAS WITH TONER COMPOSITIONS OF DIFFERENT COLORS TO FORM DEVELOPED IMAGES OF DIFFERENT COLORS; AND

Claim 10

MEANS FOR SEPARATELY DEVELOPING THE RESPECTIVE IMAGED AREAS WITH TONER COMPOSITIONS OF DIFFERENT COLORS TO FORM DEVELOPED IMAGES OF DIFFERENT COLORS; AND

Claim 11

The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the blue, green and red separation images are respectively developed with yellow, magenta and cyan marking materials thereby producing a full color reproduction of original subject matter.

Claim 12

An electrostatographic reproduction apparatus capable of continuously providing a polychromatic reproduction of a color original comprising: a. light scanning means for forming a light image of the color original; b. beam splitting means for separating the light image into at least a first and a second light beam, and then conducting said beams along different optical paths of equal lengths through separate filters of dissimilar colors; c. a continuous photoconductive surface at the terminus of each optical path, each surface being of a predetermined different size and means for moving each surface at the same lineal speed; d. means for sequentially imparting a uniform charge to each surface, prior to imagewise discharge exposure of said surface to one of said light beams, and means for separately developing the respective image surfaces with differently colored marking compositions; e. means for moving a copy web at the same lineal speed as said surface in sequential contact with the developed photoconductive surfaces whereby the developed images are transferred thereto in substantially perfect registration to thereby form a composite color image; f. means for cleaning said photoconductive surface after image transfer; and, g. means for permanently affixing the composite image to said copy web, the perimeter of each succeeding photoconductive surface being equal to the sum of the perimeter of the immediately preceding photoconductive surface plus twice the distance separating the transfer points of the surfaces, measured along the copy web path.

Claim 13

An electrostatographic reproduction apparatus capable of continuously providing a polychromatic reproduction of a color original comprising: a. light scanning means for forming a light image of the color original; b. beam splitting means for separating the light image into at least a first and a second light beam, and then conducting said beams along different optical paths of equal lengths through separate filters of dissimilar colors; c. a continuous photoconductive surface at the terminus of each optical path, each surface being of a predetermined different size and means for moving each surface at the same lineal speed; d. means for sequentially imparting a uniform charge to each surface, prior to imagewise discharge exposure of said surface to one of said light beams, and means for separately developing the respective image surfaces with differently colored marking compositions; e. means for moving a copy web at the same lineal speed as said surface in sequential contact with the developed photoconductive surfaces whereby the developed images are transferred thereto in substantially perfect registration to thereby form a composite color image; f. means for cleaning said photoconductive surface after image transfer; and, g. means for permanently affixing the composite image to said copy web, the perimeter of each succeeding photoconductive surface being equal to the sum of the perimeter of the immediately preceding photoconductive surface plus twice the distance separating the transfer points of the surfaces, measured along the copy web path.

Claim 14

MEANS FOR MOVING A COPY MATERIAL IN SEQUENTIAL CONTACT WITH THE DEVELOPED PHOTOCONDUCTIVE AREAS WHEREBY THE DEVELOPED IMAGES ARE TRANSFERRED THERETO IN SUBSTANTIALLY PERFECT REGISTRATION TO THEREBY FORM A COMPOSITE COLOR IMAGE.

Claim 15

MEANS FOR MOVING A COPY MATERIAL IN SEQUENTIAL CONTACT WITH THE DEVELOPED PHOTOCONDUCTIVE AREAS WHEREBY THE DEVELOPED IMAGES ARE TRANSFERRED THERETO IN SUBSTANTIALLY PERFECT REGISTRATION TO THEREBY FORM A COMPOSITE COLOR IMAGE.

Claim 16

The apparatus of claim 5 in which the light image is separated into three light beams which are conducted through filters of different complementary colors prior to impinging upon the photoconductive surfaces.

Claim 17

The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the photoconductive surfaces are drum-shaped.

Claim 18

The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the surfaces are exposed at 0* rotation and image transfer occurs at 180* rotation.

Claim 19

The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the filters arE red, blue and green.

Claim 20

An electrostatographic reproduction apparatus capable of continuously producing a polychromatic reproduction of a color original comprising: a. light scanning means for forming a light image of the color original; b. beam splitting means for separating the light image into at least a first and a second light beam, and then conducting said beams along different optical paths of equal lengths through separate filters of dissimilar colors; c. a photoconductive surface at the terminus of each optical path, each surface being of a predetermined different size and means for moving each surface at the same lineal speed; d. means for sequentially imparting a uniform charge to each surface, prior to imagewise discharge exposure of said surface to one of said light beams, and means for separately developing the respective image surfaces with differently colored marking compositions; e. means for moving a copy web at the same lineal speed as said surface in sequential contact with the developed photoconductive surfaces whereby the developed images are transferred thereto in substantially perfect registration to thereby form a composite color image; f. means for cleaning said photoconductive surfaces after image transfer, and g. means for permanently affixing the composite image to said copy web, the perimeter of each succeeding photoconductive surface being equal to the sum of the perimeter of the immediately preceding photoconductive surface plus twice the distance separating the transfer points of the surfaces, measured along the copy web path.

Claim 21

An electrostatographic reproduction apparatus capable of continuously producing a polychromatic reproduction of a color original comprising: a. light scanning means for forming a light image of the color original; b. beam splitting means for separating the light image into at least a first and a second light beam, and then conducting said beams along different optical paths of equal lengths through separate filters of dissimilar colors; c. a photoconductive surface at the terminus of each optical path, each surface being of a predetermined different size and means for moving each surface at the same lineal speed; d. means for sequentially imparting a uniform charge to each surface, prior to imagewise discharge exposure of said surface to one of said light beams, and means for separately developing the respective image surfaces with differently colored marking compositions; e. means for moving a copy web at the same lineal speed as said surface in sequential contact with the developed photoconductive surfaces whereby the developed images are transferred thereto in substantially perfect registration to thereby form a composite color image; f. means for cleaning said photoconductive surfaces after image transfer, and g. means for permanently affixing the composite image to said copy web, the perimeter of each succeeding photoconductive surface being equal to the sum of the perimeter of the immediately preceding photoconductive surface plus twice the distance separating the transfer points of the surfaces, measured along the copy web path.