US5768674A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Apparatus for creating copy restrictive media
Assignee: Eastman Kodak Co
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Filing: 1997-04-30
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Granted: 1998-06-16
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Expires: 2017-04-30
Abstract
Abstract An apparatus for creating copy restrictive media is disclosed comprising a linear array (20) comprised of at least two spatially distributed light sources (22) and an aperture mask (28) for forming two or more micro-light sources from the light sources (22). An optical element (32) focuses light from the micro-light sources onto a media (40) moving relative to the linear array (20). An encoder (16) turns the light sources (22) on and off at regular intervals relating to movement of the media (40).
Inventors
- 👤 John Gasper
- 👤 Badhri Narayan
- 👤 Laurie L. Voci
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 17:11
CPC Classifications
G; G03; G03G; G03G21/00; G03G21/04; G03G21/043; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S283/00; Y10S283/902
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 53
Claim 1
Independent Claim
73 words
An apparatus for creating copy restrictive media comprising: a linear array comprised of at least two spatially distributed light sources; an aperture mask for forming two or more micro-light sources from said light sources; an optical element for focusing light from said micro-light sources onto a media moving transverse to said linear array; and an encoder for turning said light sources on and off at regular intervals relating to movement of said media.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
73 words
An apparatus for creating copy restrictive media comprising: a linear array comprised of at least two spatially distributed light sources; an aperture mask for forming two or more micro-light sources from said light sources; an optical element for focusing light from said micro-light sources onto a media moving transverse to said linear array; and an encoder for turning said light sources on and off at regular intervals relating to movement of said media.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
24 words
An apparatus for creating copy restrictive media as in claim 1 wherein said light sources have a duty cycle of less than 10 percent.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
28 words
An apparatus for creating copy restrictive media as in claim 1 wherein each of said light sources are spaced at a distance of at least 0.5 mm center-to-center.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
25 words
An apparatus for creating copy restrictive media as in claim 1 wherein a maximum linear dimension of each of said light sources is 0.3 mm.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
17 words
An apparatus for creating copy restrictive media as in claim 1 wherein said light sources are LEDs.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
18 words
An apparatus for creating copy restrictive media as in claim 5 wherein said LEDs produce a blue light.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
22 words
An apparatus for creating copy restrictive media as in claim 6 wherein a spectral filter restricts a spectral emission of said LEDs.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
46 words
An apparatus for creating copy restrictive media as in claim 7 wherein the voltage applied to each LEDs is adjusted to obtain an equal radiant energy to the media after passage of the radiant energy through each aperture of said aperture mask and said optical element.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
18 words
An apparatus for creating copy restrictive media as in claim 1 wherein said light sources are diode lasers.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
47 words
An apparatus for creating copy restrictive media as in claim 9 wherein the voltage applied to each diode laser is adjusted to obtain an equal radiant energy to the media after passage of the radiant energy through each aperture of said aperture mask and said optical element.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
19 words
An apparatus for creating copy restrictive media as in claim 9 wherein said laser diodes produce a blue light.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
25 words
An apparatus for creating copy restrictive media as in claim 1 wherein each aperture in said aperture mask is arranged to form a linear array.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
32 words
An apparatus for creating copy restrictive media as in claim 1 wherein each aperture in said aperture mask is spaced from an adjacent aperture a distance of at least 0.5 mm center-to-center.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
28 words
An apparatus for creating copy restrictive media as in claim 1 wherein a maximum linear dimension of each aperture in said aperture mask is less than 0.2 mm.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
27 words
An apparatus for creating copy restrictive media as in claim 1 wherein a gap between said aperture mask and said light source is greater than 0.1 mm.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
39 words
An apparatus for creating copy restrictive media as in claim 1 wherein a gap between said aperture mask and said light source provides a reduction in the angle subtended by light passing through each aperture of said aperture mask.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
30 words
An apparatus for creating copy restrictive media as in claim 1 wherein a center of each aperture in said aperture mask is coaxial with a center of each light source.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
34 words
An apparatus for creating copy restrictive media as in claim 1 wherein a maximum linear dimension of each aperture in said aperture mask is less than a maximum linear dimension of each light source.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
34 words
An apparatus for creating copy restrictive media as in claim 1 wherein said optical element for focusing said micro-light sources is a linear array of one or more rows of close-packed gradient-index rod lenses.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
26 words
An apparatus for creating copy restrictive media as in claim 1 wherein said optical element for focusing said micro-light sources is a linear array of microlenses.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
36 words
An apparatus for creating copy restrictive media as in claim 20 wherein a center of each microlens in said linear array of microlenses is aligned coaxially with a center of each aperture in said aperture mask.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
36 words
An apparatus for creating copy restrictive media as in claim 1 wherein the delay between pulses of equal duration is modified for one or more light sources to enable writing to the media a unique pattern.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
34 words
An apparatus for creating copy restrictive media as in claim 1 wherein said focused micro-light sources form micro-spots at a surface of said media which have a diameter of less than approximately 0.3 mm.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
25 words
An apparatus for creating copy restrictive media as in claim 1 wherein said micro-spots are spaced at a distance of at least 0.5 mm center-to-center.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
48 words
An apparatus for creating copy restrictive media as in claim 1 wherein said micro-light sources are spaced along a line and pulsed to produce a pattern that can be detected by a microprocessor using a discrete Fourier transform of a digital signal produced by an electro-optical image scanner.
Claim 27
Independent Claim
135 words
An apparatus for creating copy restrictive media comprising: a light beam; a light modulator which temporally modulates the intensity of said light beam; a bundle of optical fibers for intercepting said light beam and dividing said light into at least two separate sources of light exiting at least two distal ends of said optical fibers; an alignment of the optical axes at the distal ends of the optical fibers into a linear sparse array at a common plane: a same number of identical focusing lenses with a focal plane and optical axes common to the common plane and optical axes, respectively, of the distal ends of said optical fibers: and a Dammann filter positioned adjacent each focusing lens for forming at least two micro-spots along a line wherein said micro-spots are formed onto a media.
Claim 28
Independent Claim
135 words
An apparatus for creating copy restrictive media comprising: a light beam; a light modulator which temporally modulates the intensity of said light beam; a bundle of optical fibers for intercepting said light beam and dividing said light into at least two separate sources of light exiting at least two distal ends of said optical fibers; an alignment of the optical axes at the distal ends of the optical fibers into a linear sparse array at a common plane: a same number of identical focusing lenses with a focal plane and optical axes common to the common plane and optical axes, respectively, of the distal ends of said optical fibers: and a Dammann filter positioned adjacent each focusing lens for forming at least two micro-spots along a line wherein said micro-spots are formed onto a media.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
20 words
An apparatus for creating copy restrictive media as in claim 26 wherein said beam of light is from a laser.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
33 words
An apparatus for creating copy restrictive media as in claim 26 wherein the light modulator periodically exposes a row of micro-spots onto the media to enable writing to the media a unique pattern.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
33 words
An apparatus for creating copy restrictive media as in claim 26 wherein the light modulator aperiodically exposes a row of micro-spots onto the media to enable writing to the media a unique pattern.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
18 words
An apparatus for creating copy restrictive media as in claim 26 wherein said beam of light is blue.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
27 words
An apparatus for creating copy restrictive media as in claim 26 wherein said media moves perpendicular to the linear sparse array of at least two light sources.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
29 words
An apparatus for creating copy restrictive media as in claim 26 wherein an encoder turns said modulator on and off at regular intervals relating to movement of said media.
Claim 35
Independent Claim
110 words
An apparatus for creating copy restrictive media comprising: a light beam; a light modulator which temporally modulates the intensity of said light beam; a bundle of optical fibers for intercepting said light beam and dividing said light into at least two separate sources of light exiting at least two distal ends of said optical fibers; an alignment of the optical axes at the distal ends of the optical fibers into a linear sparse array at a common plane: and a same number of identical focusing lenses with a object plane and optical axes common to the common plane and optical axes, respectively, of the distal ends of said optical fibers.
Claim 36
Independent Claim
110 words
An apparatus for creating copy restrictive media comprising: a light beam; a light modulator which temporally modulates the intensity of said light beam; a bundle of optical fibers for intercepting said light beam and dividing said light into at least two separate sources of light exiting at least two distal ends of said optical fibers; an alignment of the optical axes at the distal ends of the optical fibers into a linear sparse array at a common plane: and a same number of identical focusing lenses with a object plane and optical axes common to the common plane and optical axes, respectively, of the distal ends of said optical fibers.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
20 words
An apparatus for creating copy restrictive media as in claim 33 wherein said beam of light is from a laser.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
33 words
An apparatus for creating copy restrictive media as in claim 33 wherein the light modulator periodically exposes a row of micro-spots onto the media to enable writing to the media a unique pattern.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
33 words
An apparatus for creating copy restrictive media as in claim 33 wherein the light modulator aperiodically exposes a row of micro-spots onto the media to enable writing to the media a unique pattern.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
18 words
An apparatus for creating copy restrictive media as in claim 33 wherein said beam of light is blue.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
27 words
An apparatus for creating copy restrictive media as in claim 33 wherein said media moves perpendicular to the linear sparse array of at least two light sources.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
29 words
An apparatus for creating copy restrictive media as in claim 33 wherein an encoder turns said modulator on and off at regular intervals relating to movement of said media.
Claim 43
Independent Claim
55 words
An apparatus for creating copy restrictive media comprising: a light beam; a light modulator which temporally modulates the intensity of said light beam; a scanning means which deflects said modulated beam; and a lens which focuses said deflected beam of light onto a media to form a linear sparse array of micro-spots on said media.
Claim 44
Independent Claim
55 words
An apparatus for creating copy restrictive media comprising: a light beam; a light modulator which temporally modulates the intensity of said light beam; a scanning means which deflects said modulated beam; and a lens which focuses said deflected beam of light onto a media to form a linear sparse array of micro-spots on said media.
Claim 45
Dependent Claim
22 words
An apparatus for creating copy restrictive media as in claim 40 wherein said media moves perpendicular to the direction of linear scanning.
Claim 46
Dependent Claim
29 words
An apparatus for creating copy restrictive media as in claim 40 wherein an encoder turns said modulator on and off at regular intervals relating to movement of said media.
Claim 47
Dependent Claim
19 words
An apparatus for creating copy restrictive media as in claim 40 wherein said light beam is from a laser.
Claim 48
Dependent Claim
33 words
An apparatus for creating copy restrictive media as in claim 40 wherein the light modulator periodically exposes a sequence of micro-spots onto the media to enable writing to the media a unique pattern.
Claim 49
Dependent Claim
33 words
An apparatus for creating copy restrictive media as in claim 40 wherein the light modulator aperiodically exposes a sequence of micro-spots onto the media to enable writing to the media a unique pattern.
Claim 50
Dependent Claim
17 words
An apparatus for creating copy restrictive media as in claim 40 wherein said light beam is blue.
Claim 51
Dependent Claim
18 words
An apparatus for creating copy restrictive media as in claim 40 wherein said scanning means is a polygon.
Claim 52
Dependent Claim
18 words
An apparatus for creating copy restrictive media as in claim 40 wherein said scanning means is a galvanometer.
Claim 53
Dependent Claim
19 words
An apparatus for creating copy restrictive media as in claim 40 wherein said lens means is an f-theta lens.
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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) | 2001-06-15 | 2001-12-15 | 2002-06-16 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2005-06-15 | 2005-12-15 | 2006-06-16 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2009-06-15 | 2009-12-15 | 2010-06-16 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |