Highlight color copier

Claim 1

An electrophotographic printing machine for reproducing a color highlighted original document having black indicia and non-black indicia thereon, including: a movable photoconductive member; means for charging a portion of said photoconductive member to a substantially uniform level; optical exposure means comprising: (a) a light source for illuminating the original document; (b) lens means, positioned to receive the light rays reflected from the original document, for projecting a light image of the original document onto the charged portion of said photoconductive member to record an electrostatic latent image thereon; and (c) means for illuminating the portion of the electrostatic latent image corresponding to the non-black indicia of the original document to discharge that portion of the electrostatic latent image with the remaining portion of the electrostatic latent image forming the optical electrostatic latent image corresponding to the black indicia of the original document; means for developing the optical electrostatic latent image recorded on said photoconductive member with marking particles; means for recharging the portion of said photoconductive member to a substantially uniform level after developing the optical electrostatic latent image with marking particles; and a raster exposure means comprising: (a) raster input scanner adapted to scan the original document to form a series of raster scan lines as electrical signals; (b) a controller, in communication with said raster input scanner, for receiving the electrical signals from said raster input scanner and, in response thereto, determining those portions of the original document having black indicia thereon and those portions of the original document having non-black indicia thereon and transmitting a control signal corresponding thereto; and (c) a raster output scanner, responsive to the control signal from said controller, for illuminating the charged portion of said photoconductive member to record the raster electrostatic latent image thereon corresponding to the non-black regions of the original document.

Claim 7

A method of reproducing an original document having black and non-black indicia thereon, including the steps of: charging a portion of a photoconductive member to a substantially uniform level; exposing the charged portion of the photoconductive member to an optical image of the black indicia of the original document to record an optical electrostatic latent image comprising the steps of: (a) illuminating the original document with a light source; (b) receiving the light rays reflected from the original document on a lens and projecting a light image of the original document onto the charged portion of the photoconductive member to record an electrostatic latent image thereon; and (c) illuminating the portion of the electrostatic latent image corresponding to the non-black indicia of the original document to discharge that portion of the electrostatic latent image with the remaining portion of the electrostatic latent image being the optical electrostatic latent image corresponding to the black indicia of the original document; developing the optical electrostatic latent image recorded on the photoconductive member with marking particles; recharging the portion of the photoconductive member to a substantially uniform level after developing the optical electrostatic latent image with marking particles; and exposing the recharged portion of the photoconductive member to a raster image comprising the steps of: (a) scanning the original document with a raster input scanner to form a series of raster scan lines; (b) converting the raster scan lines to electrical signals; (c) transmitting the electrical signals to a controller; (d) determining, in response to the electrical signals transmitted to the controller, those portions of the original document having black indicia thereon and those portions of the original document having non-black indicia thereon; (e) transmitting a control signals, corresponding to those portions of the original document having non-black indicia thereon, to a raster output scanner; and (f) illuminating, responsive to the control signal, the charged portion of the photoconductive member to record the raster electrostatic latent image thereon corresponding to the non-black regions of the original document.

Claim 8

A method of reproducing an original document having black and non-black indicia thereon, including the steps of: charging a portion of a photoconductive member to a substantially uniform level; exposing the charged portion of the photoconductive member to an optical image of the black indicia of the original document to record an optical electrostatic latent image comprising the steps of: (a) illuminating the original document with a light source; (b) receiving the light rays reflected from the original document on a lens and projecting a light image of the original document onto the charged portion of the photoconductive member to record an electrostatic latent image thereon; and (c) illuminating the portion of the electrostatic latent image corresponding to the non-black indicia of the original document to discharge that portion of the electrostatic latent image with the remaining portion of the electrostatic latent image being the optical electrostatic latent image corresponding to the black indicia of the original document; developing the optical electrostatic latent image recorded on the photoconductive member with marking particles; recharging the portion of the photoconductive member to a substantially uniform level after developing the optical electrostatic latent image with marking particles; and exposing the recharged portion of the photoconductive member to a raster image comprising the steps of: (a) scanning the original document with a raster input scanner to form a series of raster scan lines; (b) converting the raster scan lines to electrical signals; (c) transmitting the electrical signals to a controller; (d) determining, in response to the electrical signals transmitted to the controller, those portions of the original document having black indicia thereon and those portions of the original document having non-black indicia thereon; (e) transmitting a control signals, corresponding to those portions of the original document having non-black indicia thereon, to a raster output scanner; and (f) illuminating, responsive to the control signal, the charged portion of the photoconductive member to record the raster electrostatic latent image thereon corresponding to the non-black regions of the original document.