Printer for producing print of an electronically recorded image

A printer for use in an electronic imaging camera for providing a color print of an electronically recorded image of a scene on an image receiving sheet, the camera being of the type including means for providing three primary color electronic image signals that collectively represent a color record of an optical image of the scene and individually represent the three primary color components of the optical image, the camera also including means for replaceably receiving a cassette holding a plurality of image receiving sheets and a transfer sheet including thereon a plurality of sequentially arranged sets of three adjacent parallel stripes of three different secondary color printing mediums for selective transfer to an image receiving sheet in accordance with a corresponding one of three secondary color electronic image signals, derived from the three primary color electronic image signals, to provide a color print of the recorded image thereon, said printer comprising:

• a frame;
• a cylindrical drum having an axis and being mounted on said frame for rotation about the axis, said drum also including a support surface on which an image receiving sheet is adapted to be located for support and rotation with said drum and means for releasably receiving and securing one end of an image receiving sheet, advanced from the cassette into operative engagement therewith, to said drum such that the image-receiving sheet is wrapped onto said support surface in response to an initial revolution of said drum;
• means being operative for advancing an image receiving sheet relative to the cassette such that one end thereof is brought into operative engagement with said receiving and securing means on said drum and for advancing the transfer sheet relative to the cassette to present a set of three stripes of the secondary color mediums at a fixed position adjacent said support surface of said drum with the stripes extending along the length of said drum in parallel relation to the axis and in proximate facing relation to an image receiving sheet wrapped on said support surface in response to an initial revolution of said drum;
• electronic circuit means for converting the three primary color electronic image signals into three corresponding secondary color image signals;
• a printing head including three printing transducers mounted thereon, each of said printing transducers being adapted to have a different one of the three secondary color electronic image signals applied thereto for converting the signal into a printing signal in a form of energy which when applied to a corresponding one of the three stripes is effective to cause the selective transfer of the secondary color printing mediums from the one stripe to the image receiving sheet on said drum support surface;
• means for mounting said printing head on said frame for linear movement along the length of said drum in a direction parallel to the drum axis between first and second positions such that each of said three printing transducers is located in operative alignment with a corresponding one of the three secondary color printing medium stripes located at said fixed position so as to track along the one corresponding stripe as said printing head is advanced from said first position to said second position;
• and
• drive means for rotatably driving said drum and simultaneously linearly driving said printing head from said first position to said second position in coordinated relation with the rotation of said drum while the three secondary color electronic image signals are applied simultaneously to said three printing transducers to effect the selective transfer of the secondary color printing mediums to the image receiving sheet, wrapped onto said support surface during the initial revolution of said drum, to provide a color print of the recorded image on the image receiving sheet.