Photocomposing machines

Claim 2

A photocomposing machine comprising: a character carrier having a font of typographical characters thereon suitable for imaging onto a sensitized medium; means, including a bidirectional stepping motor, for rotating said character carrier to bring a group of characters including the one selected for imaging onto the sensitized medium to a first position adjacent the imaging position; means, including controls for causing said stepping motor to move one step in one predetermined direction, for moving the group of characters through the imaging position; and means for projecting an image of the selected character from said group of characters to the sensitized medium as the group of characters is moved through the imaging position.

Claim 3

A photocomposing machine according to claim 1 wherein said character carrier is in the form of a drum and wherein the character images on said character drum are arranged in column and rows, and wherein a group of characters brought into position to be photographed are those characters in a column of characters.

Claim 4

A photocomposing machine according to claim 2 wherein said character drum comprises a transparent drum and a flexible font element mounted thereon, and including means for mounting said font element on said drum.

Claim 5

A photocomposing machine according to claim 3 wherein said mounting means include a pair of hook-like members for grasing one end of said font element, and a pair of retaining members for securing the other end of said font element on the periphery of said drum.

Claim 6

A photocomposing machine according to claim 4 including a pair of alignment pins on the periphery of said drum.

Claim 7

A photocomposing machine according to claim 7 including means for transporting the second sensitized film after each character is imaged thereon so that successively imaged characters are located in side by side relationship.

Claim 8

A photocomposing machine according to claim 1 wherein said image projecting means includes a mirror means that is pivotted in step wise fashion to put successive character images in side by side relationship on the sensitized medium, and including means for moving said mirror means to a predetermined fixed position from which images of selected characters are directed towards a senitized film strip, and auxiliary optical means located between said mirror means and the sensitized film strip.

Claim 9

A font element for use in a photocomposing machine having a rotatable character drum, said font comprising a flexible photographic negative on which character images are arranged in rows and columns, a plurality of timing marks arranged along one edge of said negative, one timing mark for each column of character images, a plurality of apertures in said negative whereby said negative is attached to the character drum, a reenforcing member secured to one end of said photogrphic negative, a second reenforcing member secured to the other end of said negative, wherein the plurality of apertures in said negative include two apertures adjacent to said other end of said negative and spaced apart from each other, and wherein said second reenforcing member is secured to said negative between said two apertures, and two spring means each projecting from an end of said second reenforcing member, each spring means traversing one of said two apertures.

Claim 10

A font element for use in a photocomposing machine having a rotatable character drum, said font comprising a flexible photographic negative on which character images are arranged in rows and columns, a plurality of timing marks arranged along one edge of said negative, one timing mark for each column of character images, a plurality of apertures in said negative whereby said negative is attached to the character drum, a reenforcing member secured to one end of said photogrphic negative, a second reenforcing member secured to the other end of said negative, wherein the plurality of apertures in said negative include two apertures adjacent to said other end of said negative and spaced apart from each other, and wherein said second reenforcing member is secured to said negative between said two apertures, and two spring means each projecting from an end of said second reenforcing member, each spring means traversing one of said two apertures.