Electrostatic printing system and method using a moving shutter area for selective mechanical and electrical control of charged particles

Claim 2

An electrostatic printer comprising: means for transporting a print receiving medium; means for generating a line source of ions in the direction of said print-receiving medium; means for blocking the ion stream, for providing a shutter area for selectively exposing the print-receiving medium, and for sequentially scanning the shutter area in a direction across the print-receiving medium comprising a tubular shutter of solid material surrounding the line source of ions and having a plurality of aperture groups arranged in a helix around said tubular shutter, each aperture group comprising at least a row of holes formed through the wall of the tubular shutter, each hole in a row having at least one conductive element associated with said hole separate from the conductive element associated with each other hole in the row; means for rotating said tubular shutter; means for selectively electrically shuttering the apertures in each row comprising means for commutating electrical signals on to the conductors associated with apertures in said tubular shutter; and a printing slot interposed between the tubular shutter and print receiving medium comprising an ion barrier defining an elongate slot whereby successive aperture groups in the helix formed on said tubular shutter are brought in sequential alignment with said printing slot during rotation of the tubular shutter so that a shutter area is sequentially transposed along the printing slot and across the printreceiving medium.

Claim 3

An electrostatic printer set forth in claim 1 wherein said tubular shutter comprises a cylindrical tube of non-conductive material having coated over the inner surface thereof a continuous layer of conductive material, and having formed on the outer surface thereof a plurality of conductive elements at least one conductive element associated with each hole of an aperture group.

Claim 4

An electrostatic printer comprising: means for transporting a print receiving medium; means for generating a line source of ions in the direction of said print-receiving medium; means for blocking the ion stream, for providing a shutter area for selectively exposing the print-receiving medium, and for sequentially scanning the shutter area in a direction across the print-receiving medium comprising a belt aligned between the line source of ions and the print-receiving medium said belt formed with a shutter area of a group of apertures comprising at least a column of holes formed through the belt each hole in the column having at least one conductive element associated with said hole separate from the conductive element associated with each other hole in said column; means for transporting said belt across the print-receiving medium; and means for selectively electrically shuttering the apertures in the column formed through said belt comprising means for commutating electrical signals onto the conducting elements associated with the apertures in said belt.

Claim 5

An electrostatic printer comprising: means for transporting a print receiving medium; means for generating a line source of ions in the direction of said print-receiving medium; means for blocking the ion stream, for providing a shutter area for selectively exposing the print-receiving medium, and for sequentially scanning the shutter area in a direction across the print-receiving medium comprising a belt aligned between the line source of ions and the print-receiving medium said belt formed with a shutter area of a group of apertures comprising at least a column of holes formed through the belt each hole in the column having at least one conductive element associated with said hole separate from the conductive element associated with each other hole in said column; means for transporting said belt across the print-receiving medium; and means for selectively electrically shuttering the apertures in the column formed through said belt comprising means for commutating electrical signals onto the conducting elements associated with the apertures in said belt.

Claim 8

An electrostatic printer comprising: a tubular printing head formed with a plurality of aperture groups arranged in the configuration of a helix around said tubular printing head, each aperture group comprising a shutter area, at least one conductor associated with each aperture, said apertures formed through the wall of said tubular printing head; means for supporting and transporting a print receiving medium past a position adjacent said tubular printing head; back electrode means located on one side of the print receiving medium position opposite said tubular printing head; a line source of ions arranged within said tubular printing head for directing an ion stream toward the back electrode means; means for rotating said tubular printing head; ion barrier means defining a printing slot interposed between said tubular printing head and said print receiving medium position whereby, upon rotation of said tubular printing head, the shutter area is effectively transposed across the printing slot and print receiving medium position while each aperture group is swept across the printing slot in a direction generally orthogonal to the direction of the transposition of the shutter area; means for selectively applying electrical signals to the conductors associated with said apertures to electrically selectively shutter ions through said apertures in the shutter area; means for synchronizing the shutter area position and said electrical signals.

Claim 9

An electrostatic printer comprising: a tubular printing head formed with a plurality of aperture groups arranged in the configuration of a helix around said tubular printing head, each aperture group comprising a shutter area, at least one conductor associated with each aperture, said apertures formed through the wall of said tubular printing head; means for supporting and transporting a print receiving medium past a position adjacent said tubular printing head; back electrode means located on one side of the print receiving medium position opposite said tubular printing head; a line source of ions arranged within said tubular printing head for directing an ion stream toward the back electrode means; means for rotating said tubular printing head; ion barrier means defining a printing slot interposed between said tubular printing head and said print receiving medium position whereby, upon rotation of said tubular printing head, the shutter area is effectively transposed across the printing slot and print receiving medium position while each aperture group is swept across the printing slot in a direction generally orthogonal to the direction of the transposition of the shutter area; means for selectively applying electrical signals to the conductors associated with said apertures to electrically selectively shutter ions through said apertures in the shutter area; means for synchronizing the shutter area position and said electrical signals.

Claim 10

An electrostatic printer comprising: means for supporting and transporting a print receiving medium past a position; back electrode means located on one side of said print receiving medium position; a line source of ions arranged along the other side of said print receiving medium position for directing an ion stream toward the back electrode means; belt means for blocking the ion stream originating at said line source of ions, for providing a shutter area for selectively passing ions from the ion stream, and for transposing the shutter areas sequentially along said line source of ions, said shutter area comprising a plurality of said apertures formed through said belt means, said shutter area interposed between said line source of ions and said print receiving medium position, said belt means comprising a layer of non-conductive material having coated on one side thereof a continuous layer of conductible material, and having formed on the other side thereof a plurality of conductive elements, at least one conductive element associated with each hole of the aperture group; means for sweeping said shutter area in a direction generally orthogonal to the direction of transposition of said shutter area; means for applying electrical signals to the holes of said shutter area and for switching said electrical signals during the sweeping of the aperture group orthogonally to the direction of transposition of the shutter area to electrically selectively shutter ions through said apertures in the shutter area; and means for synchronizing the shutter area position and said electrical signals.

Claim 11

An electrostatic printer comprising: means for supporting and transporting a print receiving medium past a position; back electrode means located on one side of said print receiving medium position; a line source of ions arranged along the other side of said print receiving medium position for directing an ion stream toward the back electrode means; belt means for blocking the ion stream originating at said line source of ions, for providing a shutter area for selectively passing ions from the ion stream, and for transposing the shutter areas sequentially along said line source of ions, said shutter area comprising a plurality of said apertures formed through said belt means, said shutter area interposed between said line source of ions and said print receiving medium position, said belt means comprising a layer of non-conductive material having coated on one side thereof a continuous layer of conductible material, and having formed on the other side thereof a plurality of conductive elements, at least one conductive element associated with each hole of the aperture group; means for sweeping said shutter area in a direction generally orthogonal to the direction of transposition of said shutter area; means for applying electrical signals to the holes of said shutter area and for switching said electrical signals during the sweeping of the aperture group orthogonally to the direction of transposition of the shutter area to electrically selectively shutter ions through said apertures in the shutter area; and means for synchronizing the shutter area position and said electrical signals.

Claim 12

An electrostatic printer as set forth in claim 6 wherein is provided means for switching the electrical signals supplied to the separate conductive elements of each aperture of an aperture group during rotation of said aperture group across a printing slot whereby a latent electrostatic dot matrix is formed on said print-receiving medium by each aperture group.