US4806951A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Optical printer
Assignee: Ricoh Printing Systems Ltd
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Filing: 1988-02-08
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Granted: 1989-02-21
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Expires: 2008-02-08
Abstract
Abstract An optical printer using laser beams, wherein, when a plurality (n) of laser beams are used at once to carry out a scanning operation, the positions of spots of said laser beams in both the primary scanning direction and sub-scanning direction are set so as to have the relation l=(n-1)a+m·n·a, wherein m is a positive integer (m≧1); a the distance between the adjacent scanning lines in the sub-scanning direction on the printing surface of the optical printer after a printing operation; and l the distance between the adjacent laser beams in the sub-scanning direction on the surface of a photosensitive drum, whereby a high-quality printing effecting no overlapping and omission of images can be obtained even if the distance between the adjacent laser beams is increased during a scanning operation using a plurality of laser beams at once.
Inventors
- 👤 Akira Arimoto
- 👤 Susumu Saito
- 👤 Takeshi Mochizuki
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-08 03:36
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06K; G06K15/00; G06K15/02; G06K15/12; G06K15/1238; G06K15/1257; G06K15/1261; G06K2215/00; G06K2215/111
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 5
Claim 1
Independent Claim
70 words
An optical printer wherein a plurality of laser beams are used simultaneously for a scanning operation using a single optical deflector, characterized in that the distance ( between the adjacent laser beams in the sub-scanning direction on a photosensitive body is set in accordance with the equation l=(n-1)a+m·na, wherein a is the distance between adjacent printing scanning lines; n the number of said laser beams; and m a positive integer.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
70 words
An optical printer wherein a plurality of laser beams are used simultaneously for a scanning operation using a single optical deflector, characterized in that the distance ( between the adjacent laser beams in the sub-scanning direction on a photosensitive body is set in accordance with the equation l=(n-1)a+m·na, wherein a is the distance between adjacent printing scanning lines; n the number of said laser beams; and m a positive integer.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
123 words
An optical printer according to claim 1, wherein a laser beam source used as a light source consists of a plurality of discretely formed semiconductor lasers, the distance between the scanning beams in the sub-scanning direction being detected differentially by using divisional detectors, a means for maintaining the distance between the adjacent scanning lines in the sub-scanning direction in a predetermined level by a negative feedback control operation using a signal representative of the differentially detected distance being provided, and two divisional photodetectors bordering each other in the main scanning direction being disposed in a position on the outer side of a print span of said optical printer and corresponding to an end of a surface to be scanned with said laser beams.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
61 words
An optical printer according to claim 1, wherein a semiconductor laser array is used as a light source, said semiconductor array being inclined to regulate the distance between the adjacent laser beams in the sub-scanning direction, and two divisional photodetectors bordering each other in the main scanning direction being provided as detectors for a scanning position in the main scanning direction.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
94 words
An optical printer according to claim 1, wherein said optical printer has a plurality of laser beam sources, a collimator lens and a Fθ lens, said laser beam sources being formed so that the product of d×f 2 /f 1 , wherein d is the distance between the adjacent laser beam sources; f 1 the focal length of said collimator lens; and f 2 the focal length of said Fθ lens, can be regulated so as to set the distance l between the adjacent laser beams in the sub-scanning direction to a predetermined level.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1992-02-21 | 1992-08-22 | 1993-02-21 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1996-02-21 | 1996-08-22 | 1997-02-21 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2000-02-21 | 2000-08-22 | 2001-02-21 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |