Electrostatic recording device utilizing the electric potential in a discharge space

Claim 3

A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said second means comprises a plurality of voltage inducing electrodes placed in said space, whereby the electric potential of said space at the position of each said voltage inducing electrode is induced therein due to the electric conductivity given to said space by said discharge as said discharge reaches the position of the successive ones of said voltage inducing electrodes.

Claim 4

A device as claimed in claim 2, said second electrode means comprising a plurality of styli with which said medium is to be brought into contact, wherein said third means comprises means for connecting said voltage inducing electrodes to said styli, respectively.

Claim 7

A device as claimed in claim 4, wherein said first means comprises means for varying the electric potential of said scan electrodes relative to said first potential.

Claim 8

A device as claimed in claim 4, wherein said first means comprises means for varying the discharge current.

Claim 9

A device as claimed in claim 4, said scan electrodes and said opposing electrode serving as cathodes and first anode, respectively, wherein said first means comprises a plurality of intermediate electrodes disposed between said anode and said cathodes, respectively, to serve as the anodes for the respective ones of said cathodes and as the cathodes for said first anode, at least one second anode disposed in said space confronting the first-mentioned cathodes, and means responsive to said signal for interswitching said discharge between a first discharge path including said first anode and a second discharge path including said second anode, said voltage inducing electrodes being disposed between said first anode and said intermediate electrodes, respectively.

Claim 10

A device as claimed in claim 4, wherein said space is enclosed with two electric insulator plates sealed together, said scan electrodes and said voltage inducing electrodes being formed on the inside surface of one of said plates, said opposing electrode being formed on the inside surface of the other of said plates.

Claim 11

An electrostatic recording device comprising first and second electrode means disposed in a gas-filled space, means, coupled to said first and second electrode means, for causing a gas discharge to scan the gas-filled space, a group of electrodes disposed in said gas-filled space between said first and second electrode means, the electrical potential of said space at the position of each of the electrodes in said group being induced in the respective electrodes in response to discharges at the electrode positions, a group of styli electrodes corresponding in number to the number of electrodes in said group of electrodes, and means respectively interconnecting said group of electrodes to said styli electrodes.

Claim 12

An electrostatic recording device comprising first and second electrode means disposed in a gas-filled space, means, coupled to said first and second electrode means, for causing a gas discharge to scan the gas-filled space, a group of electrodes disposed in said gas-filled space between said first and second electrode means, the electrical potential of said space at the position of each of the electrodes in said group being induced in the respective electrodes in response to discharges at the electrode positions, a group of styli electrodes corresponding in number to the number of electrodes in said group of electrodes, and means respectively interconnecting said group of electrodes to said styli electrodes.

Claim 13

A device as claimed in claim 9 further including means for selectively varying the electrical potential of the discharge experiencing space in accordance with an information signal whereby the potential induced in the electrodes of said group of electrodes varies in accordance with said information signal.

Claim 14

A device as claimed in claim 10 further including a back electrode placed in operable relationship with said styli electrodes and a recording medium placed in operable relationship with both said styli electrodes and said back electrode.

Claim 15

An electrostatic recording device comprising: first and second electrode means disposed in a gas-filled space, means, coupled to said first and second electrode means for causing a gas discharge to scan the gas-filled space, a group of electrodes disposed in said gas-filled space between said first and second electrode means, the electrical potential of said space at the position of each of the electrodes in said group being inducEd in the respective electrodes in response to discharges at the electrode positions, a group of styli electrodes corresponding in number to the number of electrodes in said group of electrodes, and means respectively interconnecting said group of electrodes to said styli electrodes, wherein said first electrode means comprises a plurality of discharge path electrodes, said group of electrodes being placed in said space in confronting relation to said discharge path electrodes and a plurality of discharge guide electrodes space alternately with respect to said discharge path electrodes, said device further including means for applying discharge scan inducing pulses to said discharge guide electrodes and means for applying an information signal to said discharge path electrodes.

Claim 16

An electrostatic recording device comprising: first and second electrode means disposed in a gas-filled space, means, coupled to said first and second electrode means for causing a gas discharge to scan the gas-filled space, a group of electrodes disposed in said gas-filled space between said first and second electrode means, the electrical potential of said space at the position of each of the electrodes in said group being inducEd in the respective electrodes in response to discharges at the electrode positions, a group of styli electrodes corresponding in number to the number of electrodes in said group of electrodes, and means respectively interconnecting said group of electrodes to said styli electrodes, wherein said first electrode means comprises a plurality of discharge path electrodes, said group of electrodes being placed in said space in confronting relation to said discharge path electrodes and a plurality of discharge guide electrodes space alternately with respect to said discharge path electrodes, said device further including means for applying discharge scan inducing pulses to said discharge guide electrodes and means for applying an information signal to said discharge path electrodes.

Claim 17

An electrostatic recording device comprising: first and second electrode means disposed in a gas-filled space, means, coupled to said first and second electrode means, for causing a gas discharge to scan the gas-filled space, a group of electrodes disposed in said gas-filled space between said first and second electrode means, the electrical potential of said space at the position of each of the electrodes in said group being induced in the respective electrodes in response to discharges at the electrode positions, a group of styli electrodes corresponding in number to the number of electrodes in said group of electrodes, means respectively interconnecting said group of electrodes to said styli electrodes, and a back electrode placed in operable relation with said styli electrodes and the recording medium placed in operable relation with both said styli electrodes and said back electrodes and means for applying an information signal to said back electrode.

Claim 18

An electrostatic recording device comprising: first and second electrode means disposed in a gas-filled space, means, coupled to said first and second electrode means, for causing a gas discharge to scan the gas-filled space, a group of electrodes disposed in said gas-filled space between said first and second electrode means, the electrical potential of said space at the position of each of the electrodes in said group being induced in the respective electrodes in response to discharges at the electrode positions, a group of styli electrodes corresponding in number to the number of electrodes in said group of electrodes, means respectively interconnecting said group of electrodes to said styli electrodes, and a back electrode placed in operable relation with said styli electrodes and the recording medium placed in operable relation with both said styli electrodes and said back electrodes and means for applying an information signal to said back electrode.

Claim 19

An electrostatic recording device comprising: first and second electrode means disposed in a gas-filled space, means, coupled to said first and second electrode means, for causing a gas discharge to scan the gas-filled space, a group of electrodes disposed in said gas-filled space between said first and second electrode means, the electrical potential of said space at the position of each of the electrodes in said group being induced in the respective electrodes in response to discharges at the electrode positions, a group of styli electrodes corresponding in number to the number of electrodes in said group of electrodes, and means respectively interconnecting said group of electrodes to said styli electrodes wherein said first electrode means comprises a plurality of electrodes, the device further including means for successively applying a discharge including pulse to each of said plurality of electrodes to cause a discharge to scan the space in synchronism with the application of said pulses to said plurality of electrodes.

Claim 20

An electrostatic recording device comprising: first and second electrode means disposed in a gas-filled space, means, coupled to said first and second electrode means, for causing a gas discharge to scan the gas-filled space, a group of electrodes disposed in said gas-filled space between said first and second electrode means, the electrical potential of said space at the position of each of the electrodes in said group being induced in the respective electrodes in response to discharges at the electrode positions, a group of styli electrodes corresponding in number to the number of electrodes in said group of electrodes, and means respectively interconnecting said group of electrodes to said styli electrodes wherein said first electrode means comprises a plurality of electrodes, the device further including means for successively applying a discharge including pulse to each of said plurality of electrodes to cause a discharge to scan the space in synchronism with the application of said pulses to said plurality of electrodes.

Claim 21

A device as claimed in claim 14, further including means for applying an information signal to said second electrode means.

Claim 22

A device as claimed in claim 14 further including a back electrode placed in operable relation with said styli electrodes and a recording medium placed in operable relation with both said styli electrodes and said back electrode and means for applying an information signal to said back electrode.

Claim 23

A device as claimed in claim 15 wherein said means for applying an information signal to said second electrode means comprises, a discharge current control circuit receiving said information signal, said circuit controlling the discharge current in said space to thereby vary the potential induced in said group of electrodes.

Claim 24

An electrostatic recording device comprising: first and second electrode means disposed in a gas-filled space, means, coupled to said first and second electrode means for causing a gas discharge to scan the gas-filled space, a group of electrodes disposed in said gas-filled space between said first and second electrode means, the electrical potential of said space at the positIon of each of the electrodes in said group being induced in the respective electrodes in response to discharges at the electrode positions, a group of styli electrodes corresponding in number to the number of electrodes in said group of electrodes, and means respectively interconnecting said group of electrodes to said styli electrodes wherein said first electrode means comprises a plurality of electrodes in one to one relationship with said group of electrodes, said device further including a plurality of intermediate electrodes disposed between said first electrode means and said second electrode means, said first electrode means serving as cathodes, said second electrode means serving as a first anode, said plurality of intermediate electrodes serving as anodes for respective ones of said plurality of electrodes comprising said first electrode means, second anode means disposed in said space confronting said first electrode means, means for applying for interswitching said discharge scan between a first discharge path including said first anode and a second discharge path including said second anode, said group of electrodes being disposed between said first anode and said intermediate electrodes.

Claim 25

An electrostatic recording device comprising: first and second electrode means disposed in a gas-filled space, means, coupled to said first and second electrode means for causing a gas discharge to scan the gas-filled space, a group of electrodes disposed in said gas-filled space between said first and second electrode means, the electrical potential of said space at the positIon of each of the electrodes in said group being induced in the respective electrodes in response to discharges at the electrode positions, a group of styli electrodes corresponding in number to the number of electrodes in said group of electrodes, and means respectively interconnecting said group of electrodes to said styli electrodes wherein said first electrode means comprises a plurality of electrodes in one to one relationship with said group of electrodes, said device further including a plurality of intermediate electrodes disposed between said first electrode means and said second electrode means, said first electrode means serving as cathodes, said second electrode means serving as a first anode, said plurality of intermediate electrodes serving as anodes for respective ones of said plurality of electrodes comprising said first electrode means, second anode means disposed in said space confronting said first electrode means, means for applying for interswitching said discharge scan between a first discharge path including said first anode and a second discharge path including said second anode, said group of electrodes being disposed between said first anode and said intermediate electrodes.

Claim 26

A device as claimed in claim 18 further including means for successively applying discharge inducing pulses to said cathodes.

Claim 27

An electrostatic recording device for recording an information electrical signal on an electrostatic recording medium comprising means for causing a gas discharge to scan a gas-filled space exhibiting an electrical potential difference there-across, means for selectively varying the electrical potential in said space in accordance with said information electrical signal, inducing electrode means disposed within said space, having induced thereon a potential proportional to the potential in said space in the vicinity of the discharge a plurality of styli coupled to said inducing electrode means, and a recording medium in operable relationship to said plurality of styli, whereby an electrostatic image corresponding to said information electrical signal is applied to said recording medium.

Claim 28

An electrostatic recording device for recording an information electrical signal on an electrostatic recording medium comprising means for causing a gas discharge to scan a gas-filled space exhibiting an electrical potential difference there-across, means for selectively varying the electrical potential in said space in accordance with said information electrical signal, inducing electrode means disposed within said space, having induced thereon a potential proportional to the potential in said space in the vicinity of the discharge a plurality of styli coupled to said inducing electrode means, and a recording medium in operable relationship to said plurality of styli, whereby an electrostatic image corresponding to said information electrical signal is applied to said recording medium.

Claim 29

The device as claimed in claim 20 further including a back electrode, said recording medium being disposed in operable relationship with said styli and said back electrode.