US3700324A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Electrophotographic printing systems
Assignee: Videojet Technologies Inc
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Filing: 1972-01-27
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Granted: 1972-10-24
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Expires: 1992-01-27
Abstract
Abstract Improved electrophotographic printing systems are provided in accordance with the teachings of the present invention wherein a plurality of coded data records containing document information are scanned by code sensing devices and presented to electrophotographic imaging means at which the document information is imaged upon a photosensitive member and processed according to electrophotographic techniques for subsequent presentation to a transfer station. Code information from each of the plurality of data records scanned as provided by the code sensing devices is processed in accordance with selected conditions for printing and print and skip information is generated in sequence therefrom. The sequence of print and skip information is propagated through logic circuitry at a rate corresponding to the rate at which document information from each of the plurality of coded data records is electrophotographically processed in such manner that each bit of information in the print and skip information sequence is present at a predetermined output of the logic circuitry at a time when document information from the data record associated therewith is presented to the transfer station. At the transfer station, a transfer member which is normally maintained in a position displaced from the photosensitive member is continuously charged by an ion charging device and a transfer member assembly is provided to selectively bring the transfer member from its displaced position into a transfer relationship with the photosensitive member in response to the presence of a bit representing a print signal at the predetermined output of the logic circuitry.
Inventors
- 👤 Mark A Hutner
- 👤 Neil A Polit
- 👤 Donald W Watson
- 👤 Herbert C Artelt Jr
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 14:27
CPC Classifications
G; G03; G03G; G03G15/00; G03G15/50; G03G15/5066; G03G15/507; G03G15/22; G03G15/28; G03G15/30; G06; G06K; G06K15/00; G06K15/02; G06K15/14
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 24
Claim 1
Independent Claim
351 words
A electrophotographic printing system comprising a. means for feeding a plurality of records having coded information thereon in succession; b. scanning and selection means including code sensing means for detecting said coded informations, and print selection means for establishing various preconditions and generating first signals representative of selected ones of said records whose coded informations satisfy such preconditions and second signals for those records whose coded informations do not satisfy said preconditions, such first and second signals being in the time sequence of scan of said records, and said first or second signals comprising high level signals and the other of said signals comprising low or zero level signals; c. photosensitive means adaptable for continuous rotation; d. optical means disposed at a first station at a peripheral location in relation to said photosensitive means for projecting optical images of the successively fed records onto said photosensitive means to form successive images on the surface of said photosensitive means as it is rotated; e. development means disposed at a second station at another peripheral location in relation to said photosensitive means adaptable upon activation to develop said images formed onto said photosensitive means; f. image transfer means disposed at a third station at a further peripheral location with respect to said photosensitive means, and having a first operative condition for maintaining a transfer strip, positioned between said transfer means and said photosensitive means, at a distance sufficient from the surface of said photosensitive means to prevent image transfer to said transfer strip, and a second operative condition for bringing said transfer strip into a transfer relationship with the surface of said photosensitive means at said third station; g. strip drive means adaptable during periodic activation to move said transfer strip between said photosensitive means and said image transfer means; and h. control means including propagation means having a plurality of output stages, and logic circuit means connected to various of said stages and responsive to the presence of said first and second signals in various of said stages to provide control operations tO at least one of said second and third stations.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
351 words
A electrophotographic printing system comprising a. means for feeding a plurality of records having coded information thereon in succession; b. scanning and selection means including code sensing means for detecting said coded informations, and print selection means for establishing various preconditions and generating first signals representative of selected ones of said records whose coded informations satisfy such preconditions and second signals for those records whose coded informations do not satisfy said preconditions, such first and second signals being in the time sequence of scan of said records, and said first or second signals comprising high level signals and the other of said signals comprising low or zero level signals; c. photosensitive means adaptable for continuous rotation; d. optical means disposed at a first station at a peripheral location in relation to said photosensitive means for projecting optical images of the successively fed records onto said photosensitive means to form successive images on the surface of said photosensitive means as it is rotated; e. development means disposed at a second station at another peripheral location in relation to said photosensitive means adaptable upon activation to develop said images formed onto said photosensitive means; f. image transfer means disposed at a third station at a further peripheral location with respect to said photosensitive means, and having a first operative condition for maintaining a transfer strip, positioned between said transfer means and said photosensitive means, at a distance sufficient from the surface of said photosensitive means to prevent image transfer to said transfer strip, and a second operative condition for bringing said transfer strip into a transfer relationship with the surface of said photosensitive means at said third station; g. strip drive means adaptable during periodic activation to move said transfer strip between said photosensitive means and said image transfer means; and h. control means including propagation means having a plurality of output stages, and logic circuit means connected to various of said stages and responsive to the presence of said first and second signals in various of said stages to provide control operations tO at least one of said second and third stations.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
28 words
A system in accordance with claim 1 hereof wherein said image transfer means comprises an ion emissive charging means fixedly positioned in the vicinity of said third station.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
15 words
A system in accordance with claim 2 hereof, wherein said charging means is continuously energized.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
15 words
A system in accordance with claim 3 hereof wherein said charging means comprises corotron means.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
41 words
A system in accordance with claim 1 hereof, wherein said image transfer means comprises a transfer mechanism including strip support means and bistable drive means having a normally contracted condition and assuming an expanded condition in response to said control means.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
56 words
A system in accordance with claim 5 hereof, wherein said drive means has one end thereof attached to said strip support means and the other end thereof fixedly positioned so as to move said strip support means toward and away from said photosensitive means in accordance with the condition being assumed by said bistable drive means.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
103 words
A system in accordance with claim 6 hereof, wherein said strip support means comprises a. a support frame; and b. roller means supported by a central portion of said frame and having an axis of rotation parallel to the axis of rotation of said photosensitive means, said roller means being positioned by said support frame during the contracted condition of said bistable drive means in the proximity of said photosensitive means between said second and third stations and, upon the initiation of the expanded condition of said bistable drive means, to move toward said photosensitive means also between said second and third stations.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
57 words
A system in accordance with claim 7 hereof, wherein one end of said support frame is coupled to anchor means in a manner enabling movement about a fixed pivot axis parallel to the axis of rotation of said photosensitive means, said pivot axis being on the same side of said photosensitive means as is said roller means.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
152 words
A system in accordance with claim 8 hereof, wherein said strip support means comprises stripper means fixedly attached to said support frame and extending parallel to the axis of rotation of said roller means but removed therefrom so as to be located on the opposite side of said third station, said stripper means thereby being displaced a greater distance than said roller means when said support frame is moved about said pivot axis upon a change in the condition of said bistable drive means in response to said control means; and upon a change in condition of said bistable drive means from its expanded condition to its contracted condition, said stripper means in conjunction with said roller means applying stripping forces to said transfer strip at two closely positioned locations on opposite sides of said third station so as to overcome forces of attraction between said transfer strip and said photosensitive means.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
73 words
A system in accordance with claim 9 hereof, wherein said stripper means comprises a stripper bar positioned to engage said transfer strip on the surface thereof adjacent to said photosensitive means as said roller means and said stripper bar are simultaneously displaced in a direction away from said photosensitive means by said support frame upon a change in the condition of said bistable drive means from its expanded condition to its contracted condition
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
82 words
A system in accordance with claim 1 hereof, wherein said strip drive means comprises a. strip restraining means on the side of said photosensitive member opposite to that whereat said third station resides; and b. strip pulling means also positioned on said opposite side of said photosensitive means, said restraining means and said pulling means being so positioned with respect to each other that said transfer strip may extend from the former to the latter by way of said image transfer means.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
68 words
A system in accordance with claim 1 hereof, wherein said strip drive means is responsive to saiD control means to sequentially move said strip transfer member a predetermined longitudinal distance upon each occurrence of the presence of each of said first signals in a particular stage of said propagation means, and to continuously maintain said strip transfer member in a condition of high tension during all operational conditions.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
54 words
A system in accordance with claim 1 hereof, wherein said control means is adapted to receive and sequentially transfer each of said first and second signals in timed sequence so as to provide a direct correlation between various stages of said propagation means and various image positions along peripheral locations of said photosensitive means.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
19 words
A system in accordance with claim 13 hereof, wherein said propagation means comprises a serial in, parallel out configuration.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
17 words
A system in accordance with claim 14 hereof, wherein said propagation means comprises a shift register means.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
94 words
A system in accordance with claim 13 hereof, wherein said logic circuit means includes a first logic circuit connected to a first plurality of stages of said propagation means corresponding to a first plurality of image positions about the periphery of said photosensitive means that come between said first station and the exit of said second station, said first logic circuit being adapted to activate said development means only so long as there is an occurrence of at least one of said first signals in at least one of said first plurality of stages.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
114 words
A system in accordance with claim 13 whereof, wherein said control means comprises a second hereof, circuit connected to a transfer stage of said propagation means associated with an image position abut said periphery of said photosensitive means slightly in advance of said third station, and also connected to a stage of said propagation means immediately preceding said transfer stage, said second logic circuit being adapted to activate said strip drive means upon the occurrence of one of said first signals in said transfer stage for a present image transfer, and to maintain said strip drive means activated if there is also an occurrence of one of said first signals in said preceding stage.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
103 words
A system in accordance with claim 17 hereof, wherein said control means comprises a third logic circuit connected to said transfer stage of said propagation means and to said second logic circuit, said third logic circuit means being adapted to impel said image transfer means from said first operative condition to said second operative condition upon said strip drive means bringing said transfer strip up to the speed of the surface of said photosensitive means, and to maintain said image transfer means in its second operative condition if there is also an occurrence of one of said first signals in said preceding stage.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
62 words
A system in accordance with claim 18 hereof, wherein said sensing means comprises a plurality of sensing devices positioned with respect to each other so as to simultaneously sense coded informations on a plurality of bit locations of each of said records scanned, sand said data channel means comprises a plurality of date channel each connected to one of said sensing devices.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
62 words
A system in accordance with claim 1 hereof, wherein said scanning and selection means comprises data channel means responsive to said sensing means in the time sequence to provide high and low level signals in accordance with said detected coded informations, and selection means connected to said data channel means and having a plurality of alternative circuit conditions for establishing said preconditions.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
98 words
A system in accordance with claim 20 hereof, wherein said selection means comprises a plurality of logic selection modules having their inputs connected in cascade to said data channel means, each of said plurality of logic selection modules having a plurality of alternative circuit conditions for establishing module preconditions therein, and logic decoder means connected to the outputs of saiD plurality of logic selection modules and adapted to sequentially generate signals in accordance with whether the coded informations of each of said scanned records satisfy any of said module preconditions and of said plurality of logic selection modules.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
72 words
A system in accordance with claim 20 hereof, wherein said sensing means comprises a plurality of sensing devices aligned perpendicularly to the direction of record travel, said data channel means comprises a plurality of data channels each of which has its input connected to one of said sensing devices, and said plurality of logic selection modules having their inputs connected in cascade to outputs of each of said plurality of data channels.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
108 words
A system in accordance with claim 1 hereof, wherein said strip drive means comprises a. strip restraining means positioned at a location along the path of longitudinal travel of said transfer strip preceding said image transfer means; and b. strip pulling means positioned at a location along the path of longitudinal travel of said transfer strip beyond said image transfer means, said restraining means and said pulling means being so positioned with respect to each other and to said image transfer means that said transfer strip is extended from the restraining means to the pulling means by way of, and in continuous engagement with, said image transfer means.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1975-10-24 | 1976-04-24 | 1976-10-24 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1979-10-24 | 1980-04-24 | 1980-10-24 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1983-10-24 | 1984-04-24 | 1984-10-24 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |