Xerographic erase mechanism

Claim 2

A reproducing apparatus comprising: a photosensitive plate, means for forming a latent electrostatic image on said plate, means for reducing the charge in at least one unused margin region of said plate, means for developing said electrostatic latent image following said charge reduction in said marginal region, and means for transferring said image to a sheet of final support material, the improvement wherein said charge reduction means comprises: a source of radiation capable of reducing the charge within said at least one margin region, said source being arranged to irradiate said at least one margin region; adjustable shade means movably interposed in blocking relationship between said source and said plate to prevent at least part of the radiation from said source from irradiating said plate; and means for adjusting the position of said shade in response to the size of the final support sheet.

Claim 3

An apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said shade is in sliding relationship with said source.

Claim 4

An apparatus as in claim 2 wherein said source comprises an electroluminescent lamp positioned adjacent to said plate.

Claim 5

In an automatic xerographic reproducing device of the type wherein a developed xerographic image is transferred from a moving photoreceptor surface to a final support sheet, apparatus to erase the charge along at least one side margin of the moving photoreceptor including, an electroluminescent lamp positioned adjacent said moving member and being arranged to extend from one side margin of the member transverse said member to irradiate said charged member to dissipate the charge in the irradiated regions, a movable shade mounted in light blocking relationship with said lamp and being arranged to move transverse to the direction of movement of said member whereby margins of varying widths are erasable on said member, and means operable in response to the size of the final support sheet to position said shade whereby the charge in the margin of said member lying outside the imaged region is reduced to a level below the imaged development level.

Claim 6

In an automatic xerographic reproducing device of the type wherein a developed xerographic image is transferred from a moving photoreceptor surface to a final support sheet, apparatus to erase the charge along at least one side margin of the moving photoreceptor including, an electroluminescent lamp positioned adjacent said moving member and being arranged to extend from one side margin of the member transverse said member to irradiate said charged member to dissipate the charge in the irradiated regions, a movable shade mounted in light blocking relationship with said lamp and being arranged to move transverse to the direction of movement of said member whereby margins of varying widths are erasable on said member, and means operable in response to the size of the final support sheet to position said shade whereby the charge in the margin of said member lying outside the imaged region is reduced to a level below the imaged development level.

Claim 7

In an automatic xerographic reproducing apparatus of the type having charging means to uniformly charge the entire image retaining surface of a moving photoconductive member, exposure means to selectively dissipate the charge on the plate to record original input scene information in the form of a latent electrostatic image, the developing apparatus for making the latent image visible, and means to transfEr the developed image to a sheet of final support material, the improvement comprising, an erase lamp positioned between the charging and developing means being arranged to illuminate at least one margin of said member to dissipate the charge thereon, a movable shade arranged in light blocking relationship between the lamp and said member to vary the width of the margin erased, sensing means to detect width of the final support sheet in process, and means operatively connected to said sensing means to position said shade in response to the width sensed whereby the charge along said one margin lying outside the imaged region is reduced to a level below the image development level.

Claim 8

In an automatic xerographic reproducing apparatus of the type having charging means to uniformly charge the entire image retaining surface of a moving photoconductive member, exposure means to selectively dissipate the charge on the plate to record original input scene information in the form of a latent electrostatic image, the developing apparatus for making the latent image visible, and means to transfEr the developed image to a sheet of final support material, the improvement comprising, an erase lamp positioned between the charging and developing means being arranged to illuminate at least one margin of said member to dissipate the charge thereon, a movable shade arranged in light blocking relationship between the lamp and said member to vary the width of the margin erased, sensing means to detect width of the final support sheet in process, and means operatively connected to said sensing means to position said shade in response to the width sensed whereby the charge along said one margin lying outside the imaged region is reduced to a level below the image development level.

Claim 9

An automatic xerographic device of the type including means to move a uniformly charged xerographic plate through a series of processing stations including an exposure station wherein a latent electrostatic image is recorded on at least a portion of said plate surface, a development station wherein finely divided marking particles are attracted into the highly charged imaged areas on said plate thereby making the latent electrostatic image visible, and a transfer station wherein the developed image is transferred to a sheet of final support material brought into moving contact with said plate, apparatus for preventing unwanted development of the plate surface including an erase lamp positioned adjacent to the charged plate surface between the exposure station and the development station, said erase lamp being arranged to illuminate at least a portion of said charged plate surface to reduce the charge found thereon to a level sufficient to prevent development thereof, a movable shade means interposed in light blocking relation between said erase lamp and the charged plate surface to prevent at least part of the illumination from said lamp from irradiating said plate whereby the charge on a preselected region of said plate is dissipated, and control means to sense the size of the copy sheet moved into contact with said moving plate surface and to regulate the positioning of said movable shade in relation to said lamp whereby the charge on the plate surface moving through the transfer station lying outside of the sheet contact zone is reduced sufficiently to preclude subsequent development within this zone.

Claim 10

An automatic xerographic device of the type including means to move a uniformly charged xerographic plate through a series of processing stations including an exposure station wherein a latent electrostatic image is recorded on at least a portion of said plate surface, a development station wherein finely divided marking particles are attracted into the highly charged imaged areas on said plate thereby making the latent electrostatic image visible, and a transfer station wherein the developed image is transferred to a sheet of final support material brought into moving contact with said plate, apparatus for preventing unwanted development of the plate surface including an erase lamp positioned adjacent to the charged plate surface between the exposure station and the development station, said erase lamp being arranged to illuminate at least a portion of said charged plate surface to reduce the charge found thereon to a level sufficient to prevent development thereof, a movable shade means interposed in light blocking relation between said erase lamp and the charged plate surface to prevent at least part of the illumination from said lamp from irradiating said plate whereby the charge on a preselected region of said plate is dissipated, and control means to sense the size of the copy sheet moved into contact with said moving plate surface and to regulate the positioning of said movable shade in relation to said lamp whereby the charge on the plate surface moving through the transfer station lying outside of the sheet contact zone is reduced sufficiently to preclude subsequent development within this zone.