Facsimile receiver

Claim 2

A FACSIMILE RECEIVER FOR REPRODUCTION OF A DOCUMENT IN ACCORDANCE WITH ANALOG INFORMATION OBTAINED FROM SCANNING A DOCUMENT LINE-BY-LINE AT A REMOTE TRANSMITTER COMPRISING: A. a writing table having a flat segment for movement of a stylus therealong; B. means feeding a copy sheet to said writing table; C. a single stylus mounted to traverse said writing table in straight line motion for reproduction of a document during a portion of its motion; D. means for converting the analog signal corresponding to each line of scanning to a corresponding digital signal; E. first and second storage registers for storing first and second successive portions of said digital signal respectively; and F. means for applying the contents of said register to said stylus in sequence at twice the rate at which said contents were read into said registers when said stylus is in position for writing on said table.

Claim 3

A facsimile receiver according to claim 1 in which the contents of said first register corresponding to said first portion of the digital signal are applied to said stylus simultaneously with the storage of at least a part of the second portion of the digital signal in the second storage register.

Claim 4

cutter driving means for carrying said blade in said slot scross the table; C. means for feeding a continuous sheet to said writing table for reproduction; D. a stylus mounted to traverse said table from one side to the other in contact with said sheet during reproduction of a document and to return along a path out of contact with said sheet to an initial position after each such traversal; e. means for storing information signals received from said transmitter; and F. means for applying electrical driving current to said stylus from said storing means only when said stylus is traversing said table.

Claim 5

cutter driving means for carrying said blade in said slot scross the table; C. means for feeding a continuous sheet to said writing table for reproduction; D. a stylus mounted to traverse said table from one side to the other in contact with said sheet during reproduction of a document and to return along a path out of contact with said sheet to an initial position after each such traversal; e. means for storing information signals received from said transmitter; and F. means for applying electrical driving current to said stylus from said storing means only when said stylus is traversing said table.

Claim 6

an upper plate, spaced from said lower plate, over which said stylus passes out of contact with said document on its return; D. means for storing information signals received from said transmitter; and E. means for applying electrical driving current to said stylus from said storing means only when said stylus is traversing said table.

Claim 7

an upper plate, spaced from said lower plate, over which said stylus passes out of contact with said document on its return; D. means for storing information signals received from said transmitter; and E. means for applying electrical driving current to said stylus from said storing means only when said stylus is traversing said table.

Claim 8

A facsimile receiver according to claim 2 in which: A. the first portion of said digital signal corresponds to one half of a line of the corresponding analog signal and is read into said first register comteMporaneous with the receipt of said half line, and B. the second portion of said digital signal corresponds to the remaining half line of the corresponding analog signal and is read into said second register contemporaneous with the receipt of said remaining half line.

Claim 9

A facsimile receiver according to claim 3 in which the contents of the first register are applied to said stylus during a first half of the period in which the second digital signal portion is being stored in said second register, and in which the contents of the second register are applied to said stylus during the second half of the period in which the second digital signal portion is being stored in said second register.

Claim 10

A facsimile receiver for reproducing a document line-by-line in accordance with information signals derived from scanning a document line-by-line at a remote transmitter, said receiver comprising: A. a writing table having a flat, transversely extending surface for supporting a sheet on which a document is to be reproduced; B. a stylus mounted to traverse said table from one side to the other in contact with said sheet during reproduction of a document and to return along a path out of contact with said sheet to an initial position after each such traversal; C. an analog to digital converter for digitizing the information signals received at the receiver;; D. digital storage means comprising first and second digital storage registers for temporarily storing the digitized signals, a first portion of the digital signal for each line being read into said first register at said first rate, and a second portion comprising the remainder of the digital signal for each line being read into said second register at said first rate immediately following the reading of said first portion, said first and second portions being read out of said registers seriatim and applied to said stylus at a rate twice said first rate; E. a digital to analog converter for converting the stored digital signals to analog form prior to application to said stylus; and F. means for applying electrical driving current to said stylus from said storage means only when said stylus is traversing said table.

Claim 11

A facsimile receiver for reproducing a document line-by-line in accordance with information signals derived from scanning a document line-by-line at a remote transmitter, said receiver comprising: A. a writing table having a flat, transversely extending surface for supporting a sheet on which a document is to be reproduced; B. a stylus mounted to traverse said table from one side to the other in contact with said sheet during reproduction of a document and to return along a path out of contact with said sheet to an initial position after each such traversal; C. an analog to digital converter for digitizing the information signals received at the receiver;; D. digital storage means comprising first and second digital storage registers for temporarily storing the digitized signals, a first portion of the digital signal for each line being read into said first register at said first rate, and a second portion comprising the remainder of the digital signal for each line being read into said second register at said first rate immediately following the reading of said first portion, said first and second portions being read out of said registers seriatim and applied to said stylus at a rate twice said first rate; E. a digital to analog converter for converting the stored digital signals to analog form prior to application to said stylus; and F. means for applying electrical driving current to said stylus from said storage means only when said stylus is traversing said table.

Claim 12

A facsimile receiver according to claim 5: A. in which the analog to digital converter digitizes the information signals by performing successive conversions on said signal, each conversion generating a plurality of digital bits representing the converted number, B. in which each digital storage register comprises a plurality of register modules equal in number to the number of bits in each conversion and each connected to receive a separate one of said bits for storage, and C. which includes means to shift said bits through said registers in synchronism.

Claim 13

A facsimile receiver for reproducing a document line-by-line in accordance with information signals derived from scanning a document line-by-line at a remote transmitter, said receiver comprising: A. a writing table having a flat, transversely extending surface for supporting a sheet on which a document is to be reproduced; B. a stylus mounted on a belt extending between a driving and a driven pulley positioned at opposite ends of said table, said belt carrying said stylus across said table at substantially a constant velocity and in contact with said sheet during reproduction of a document and returning said stylus along a path out of contact with said sheet to an initial position after each such traversal; C. said driving pulley including inner and outer pulley segments freely rotating on a shaft and a driven sprocket coaxial with, and interposed between, said segments and connected to drive said belt; D. means for storing information signals received from said transmitter; and E. means for applying electrical driving current to said stylus from said storing means only when said stylus is traversing said table.

Claim 14

A facsimile receiver for reproducing a document line-by-line in accordance with information signals derived from scanning a document line-by-line at a remote transmitter, said receiver comprising: A. a writing table having a flat, transversely extending surface for supporting a sheet on which a document is to be reproduced; B. a stylus mounted on a belt extending between a driving and a driven pulley positioned at opposite ends of said table, said belt carrying said stylus across said table at substantially a constant velocity and in contact with said sheet during reproduction of a document and returning said stylus along a path out of contact with said sheet to an initial position after each such traversal; C. said driving pulley including inner and outer pulley segments freely rotating on a shaft and a driven sprocket coaxial with, and interposed between, said segments and connected to drive said belt; D. means for storing information signals received from said transmitter; and E. means for applying electrical driving current to said stylus from said storing means only when said stylus is traversing said table.

Claim 15

A facsimile recEiver according to claim 7 in which one of said pulleys has a flange thereon and in which the axis of rotation of said pulley is skewed with respect to the axis of rotation of the other said pulley to cause said belt to ride against said flange and thereby accurately fix the location of said belt with respect to said table.

Claim 16

A facsimile receiver according to claim 7 which includes: A. a driving motor B. a flexible belt coupling said driving motor to said driving pulley, and C. a torsion bar coupling said pulley to said sprocket whereby variations in the drive from said motor are coupled to the driving sprocket only through said torsion bar.

Claim 17

A facsimile receiver according to claim 9 which includes a flywheel frictionally engaged on said shaft and rotatable relative thereto during periods of shaft acceleration or deceleration in excess of a predetermined amount, said flywheel thereby smoothing drive variations from said driving motor.

Claim 18

A facsimile receiver according to claim 7: A. in which said belt includes at least one aperture therein for accurately marking a position on said belt, and B. which includes detector means responsive to the passage of said aperture thereby to generate a locator signal indicative of the belt position.

Claim 19

A facsimile receiver according to claim 11 in which: A. said detector is positioned such that said aperture passes said detector and generates a locator signal when the stylus enters into writing position on said table, and B. said locator signal signals said storing means to energize said stylus.

Claim 20

A facsimile receiver for reproducing a document line-by-line in accordance with information signals derived from scanning a document line-by-line at a remote transmitter, said receiver comprising: A. a writing table having a flat, transversely extending surface for supporting a sheet on which a document is to be reproduced; B. a stylus mounted to traverse said table from one side to the other in contact with said sheet during reproduction of a document and to return along a path out of contact with said sheet to an initial position after each such traversal; C. a commutator bar adjacent said table and having at least a pair of spaced tracks, each contacting said stylus at different points thereof when the stylus traverses said table for reproduction; D. means for storing information signals received from said transmitter; and E. means for applying electrical driving current to said stylus from said storing means only when said stylus is traversing said table.

Claim 21

A facsimile receiver for reproducing a document line-by-line in accordance with information signals derived from scanning a document line-by-line at a remote transmitter, said receiver comprising: A. a writing table having a flat, transversely extending surface for supporting a sheet on which a document is to be reproduced; B. a stylus mounted to traverse said table from one side to the other in contact with said sheet during reproduction of a document and to return along a path out of contact with said sheet to an initial position after each such traversal; C. a commutator bar adjacent said table and having at least a pair of spaced tracks, each contacting said stylus at different points thereof when the stylus traverses said table for reproduction; D. means for storing information signals received from said transmitter; and E. means for applying electrical driving current to said stylus from said storing means only when said stylus is traversing said table.

Claim 22

A facsimile receiver according to claim 13 in which said stylus is mounted on an endless belt which carries the stylus across the table in a first direction for writing and which thereafter returns the stylus in the opposite direction to an initial position.

Claim 23

A facsimile receiver according to claim 13 in which said stylus comprises a linear wire segment mounted in a stylus housing, said housing being fixed to a belt extending between a driving and a driven pulley positioned at opposite ends of said table and carrying said stylus transversely across said table and in contact therewith as it moves over said pulleys.

Claim 24

A facsimile receiver according to claim 15 which includes spring means biasing said stylus against said table when said stylus is moved therealong.

Claim 25

A facsimile receiver according to claim 16 in which said spring means also biases said stylus against a commutator bar positioned adjacent said table for supplying writing current to said stylus.

Claim 26

A facsimile receiver according to claim 17 in which said spring means comprises a spring coiled around said stylus and providing both tensional and torsional forces to urge said stylus simultaneously in two transverse directions corresponding respectively to the directions of said table and said commutator bar with respect to the stylus.

Claim 27

A facsimile receiver for reproducinG a document line-by-line in accordance with information signals derived from scanning a document line-by-line at a remote transmitter, said receiver comprising: A. a writing table having a flat, transversely extending surface for supporting a sheet on which a document is to be reproduced; B. a stylus mounted to traverse said table from one side to the other in contact with said sheet during reproduction of a document and to return along a path out of contact with said sheet to an initial position after each such traversal; C. a bridge which said stylus traverses in its return and which spaces the stylus from said document during said return, said bridge comprising:

Claim 28

A facsimile receiver for reproducinG a document line-by-line in accordance with information signals derived from scanning a document line-by-line at a remote transmitter, said receiver comprising: A. a writing table having a flat, transversely extending surface for supporting a sheet on which a document is to be reproduced; B. a stylus mounted to traverse said table from one side to the other in contact with said sheet during reproduction of a document and to return along a path out of contact with said sheet to an initial position after each such traversal; C. a bridge which said stylus traverses in its return and which spaces the stylus from said document during said return, said bridge comprising:

Claim 29

A facsimile receiver according to claim 19 in which said bridge and said writing table are butted against each other edge to edge such that the flat surface of the writing table and an upper surface of said lower plate form a generally continuous surface over which a document paasses during reproduction and which includes at least one spring normally maintaining said bridge and said table butted together but allowing them separate from each other when a force is applied thereto.

Claim 30

A facsimile receiver according to claim 20 which includes: A. a cutter blade, and B. means driving said cutter blade along the mating face between said table and said bridge to sever a document thereon.

Claim 31

A facsimile receiver according to claim 21 in which: A. said pulley system comprises a driving and a driven pulley, and B. said line comprises a chain mounted for rotation on said pulleys.

Claim 32

A facsimile receiver for reproducing a document line-by-line in accordance with information signals derived from scanning a document line-by-line at a remote transmitter, said receiver comprising: A. a writing table having a flat, transversely extending surface for supporting a sheet on which a document is to be reproduced, said table being formed from first and second transversely extending table segments, at least one of which is yieldingly movable in a direction at right angles to said transverse direction to define therebetween a transversely extending slot; B. a cutter comprising:

Claim 33

A facsimile receiver for reproducing a document line-by-line in accordance with information signals derived from scanning a document line-by-line at a remote transmitter, said receiver comprising: A. a writing table having a flat, transversely extending surface for supporting a sheet on which a document is to be reproduced, said table being formed from first and second transversely extending table segments, at least one of which is yieldingly movable in a direction at right angles to said transverse direction to define therebetween a transversely extending slot; B. a cutter comprising:

Claim 34

A facsimile receiver according to claim 23 in which the cutter driving means includes: A. a transversely extending bar positioned adjacent said table and generally parallel thereto for supporting said cutter body thereon as it traverses said slot, B. a spring coiled around said bar for driving said cutter body through said slot, and C. means restraining movement of the cutter body until the sheet is to be severed.

Claim 35

A facsimile receiver according to claim 23 in which the restraining means includes: A. an arm positionable to restrain movement of the cutter body, and B. a solenoid energizable to remove said arm from the restraining position to thereby free said cutter for motion through said slot.

Claim 36

A facsimile receiver according to claim 25 which includes means for returning said cutter to an initial position after the cutter has traversed said slot, said means comprising: A. a pulley system B. a line mounted on said pulley system for movement thereby from one end of the table to the other and having means thereon to contact said cutter body, and C. a motor for driving said pulley system when said cutter is to be returned to its initial position.