Computer input/output device

An input device able to read from an electrosensitive material having an outer coating vaporizable by an electric discharge, said input device having a plurality of cyclable styli, means for causing relative motion between said material and said plurality of styli, means for causing the cycling of said styli, electrical means for applying to said styli a signal for enabling the read operation of said device by sensing a change in the electrical properties of the electrosensitive material.

A cycling printer using the electrical discharge between cycling styli and an electro-responsive record sheet to form printing on said sheet and also to be able to read the printing on said sheet comprising in combination:

• a means for cycling the styli, at least one group of styli mounted on said cycling means, the styli in said group being closely adjacent one another and aligned on an axis, a platen forming a suface over which said styli sweep when said cycling means is operative, said sheet having the form of an elongated strip, feed means for feeding said strip between said platen and said styli in a direction transverse to the plane of said cycling, styli power supply means having first and second levels of power output, control switch means for determining which of said power supply levels is actuated, said first level of power supply enabling said styli to write on said elongated strip and said second level of power supply enabling said styli to read from said elongated strip.

In a rotary electrical printer including a rotor, means for rotating said rotor, at least one group of styli on said rotor, feed means for moving a recording sheet past said rotor in a direction transverse to the direction of rotation of said rotor with said styli contacting said sheet, said group including a plurality of axially-spaced styli, said electrical control means for selectively energizing said styli at first and second levels of power output to cause each stylus to read and form a dot on said sheet, depending on which output level is actuated, at a selected location and thereby form and also to be able to read images from transverse rows and circumferential columns of such dots, the styli in said group being positioned closely adjacent to one another so as to form a group of contiguous columns during a single pass of said styli over said recording sheet.