US3786181A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Optical line scanner and facsimile system
Assignee: Potter Instrument Co Inc
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Filing: 1971-09-07
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Granted: 1974-01-15
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Expires: 1991-09-07
Abstract
Abstract To scan a long line of printed information, a fiber-optic lineto-rectangle converter is configured at one end to divide a long scan line into a plurality of shorter segments which are arranged at the opposite end to form an array composed of consecutive segments stacked in parallel. Since the array covers an area instead of a line, a video camera tube scanning the array utilizes more of its useable face area thus improving image resolution for the converted line. To operate a helical bar printer having as many hammers as line segments in the converter, the rectangular image is scanned with a series of horizontal sweeps orthogonal to the line segments. With each sweep, the hammers are fired simultaneously in response to video signals indicative of the light level at corresponding positions in each line segment.
Inventors
- 👤 C Pear
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-24 00:24
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04N; H04N1/00; H04N1/04; H04N1/19; H04N1/191; H04N1/1911; H04N1/12; H04N1/16; H04N1/192; H04N1/193
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
234 words
A facsimile system, comprising optical converter means having one end disposed to view a scan line on an object for transforming an image of said scan line to a composite image covering a rectangular area at the opposite end, said converter means including a plurality of groups of adjacent fiber-optic elements corresponding to respective scan line segments of equal length, the groups having corresponding one ends mounted side by side in a line facing the scan line to cover corresponding segments thereof, the groups having their corresponding opposite ends rearranged so as to be stacked in parallel rows in a consecutive order similar to the original order of said segments, video camera tube means mounted facing said opposite end of said converter means for performing a raster scan of the composite image to produce a video output indicative of the relative darkness of points therein, said tube means being oriented relative to said converter means such that said raster scan is performed orthogonally to the length of said rows so that corresponding single positions in said groups are sensed during a single sweep, and printer means comprising multiple hammer printer means for printing corresponding dots simultaneously in a plurality of consecutive, equal length line segments along a single print line and responsive to said video output for printing along a print line corresponding to said scan line to reproduce said object line by line.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
234 words
A facsimile system, comprising optical converter means having one end disposed to view a scan line on an object for transforming an image of said scan line to a composite image covering a rectangular area at the opposite end, said converter means including a plurality of groups of adjacent fiber-optic elements corresponding to respective scan line segments of equal length, the groups having corresponding one ends mounted side by side in a line facing the scan line to cover corresponding segments thereof, the groups having their corresponding opposite ends rearranged so as to be stacked in parallel rows in a consecutive order similar to the original order of said segments, video camera tube means mounted facing said opposite end of said converter means for performing a raster scan of the composite image to produce a video output indicative of the relative darkness of points therein, said tube means being oriented relative to said converter means such that said raster scan is performed orthogonally to the length of said rows so that corresponding single positions in said groups are sensed during a single sweep, and printer means comprising multiple hammer printer means for printing corresponding dots simultaneously in a plurality of consecutive, equal length line segments along a single print line and responsive to said video output for printing along a print line corresponding to said scan line to reproduce said object line by line.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
105 words
The system of claim 1 where said multiple hammer printer means includes a continuously rotating helical bar having a number of convolutions of equal length corresponding to the scan line segments, a corresponding plurality of hammer blades arranged in a line next to said helical bar and parallel to The axis thereof, said blades being as long as each corresponding convolution, the intersections of said helical bar and said hammer blades thus moving simultaneously through a plurality of predetermined print positions, and a plurality of circuits associated respectively with said hammer blades for selectively urging individual ones of said hammer blades against said helical bar.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
59 words
The system of claim 2 further comprising processing means operatively inserted between said hammer firing circuits and the video output of said tube means and responsive to the rotation of said helical bar for sending fire and not fire signals to said hammer firing circuits on the occurrence of dot print positions corresponding to portions of said video signal.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
92 words
The system of claim 3 wherein said processing means includes a plurality of storage elements corresponding respectively to said hammer blades responsive to said video signal for storing, during each sweep, said fire and not fire signals for a single dot print position for each hammer blade, and gate means operatively connected between the output of each storage element and the corresponding hammer firing circuit responsive to the rotation of said helical bar for enabling the passage of said fire and not fire signals on the occurrence of a dot print position.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
74 words
The system of claim 4 wherein said storage elements are provided by a shift register having a corresponding number of stages, said processing means further including a shift pulse generator providing a number of shift pulses to said register equal to the number of hammer blades on the occurrence of a dot print position, the first stage of said shift register being connected to receive said video signal for serial entry into said register.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
49 words
The system of claim 5 further comprising means connected to said tube means for synchronizing said raster scan with the rotation of said helical bar so that each sweep is completed in the interval between the occurrences of a corresponding dot print position and the preceding dot print position.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
69 words
The system of claim 6 wherein said synchronizing means includes a horizontal sweep and flyback circuit, a horizontal sweep trigger circuit responsive to the rotation of said helical bar for providing a trigger pulse to said sweep and fly-back circuit corresponding to each dot print position, and vertical step generator means responsive to the rotation of said helical bar for recycling itself with every complete revolution of the bar.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
22 words
The system of claim 7 further comprising a first enlarging lens disposed in front of said one end of said converter means.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
24 words
The system of claim 8 further comprising a second enlarging lens interposed between said other end of said converter means and said tube means.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1977-01-14 | 1977-07-16 | 1978-01-15 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-01-14 | 1981-07-16 | 1982-01-15 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-01-14 | 1985-07-16 | 1986-01-15 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |