US 4,268,872 A · Magnetic duplicator with multiple copies

said image pickup portion comprising:

(a) a document support for supporting said document;

(b) a light source for irradiating said document;

(c) an image pickup element for converting light received from said document into said electrical video signal;

(d) optical means for introducing said light from said document onto said image pickup element;

and

(e) secondary scanning means for moving said image pickup element relative to said document so as to scan said document;

said printing portion comprising:

(f) a rotatable magnetic recording drum comprising on its outer peripheral surface a latent image forming surface;

(g) a drum drive means for rotating said magnetic recording drum at a higher speed during a latent image forming mode and at a lower speed during a copy mode;

(h) a magnetic recording head for forming a magnetic latent image on said latent image forming surface of the magnetic recording drum;

(i) a head access means for moving said magnetic recording head with respect to said magnetic latent image forming surface of the magnetic recording drum;

(j) a head secondary scanning means for moving said magnetic recording head in the axial direction of said magnetic recording drum so as to secondarily scan said latent image forming surface;

(k) a developing means for supplying a magnetic toner onto said surface of the magnetic recording medium to develop said magnetic latent image, said developing means including a container of magnetic toner and means for bringing said container into proximity with said surface of the magnetic recording drum in the copy mode;

(l) a transporting means for running said recording paper along a predetermined transport path;

(m) a transfer means for transferring the toner image from said surface of the magnetic recording drum onto said recording paper when said magnetic recording drum rotates and said recording paper runs along said transport path;

(n) means for applying an electrostatic field between said magnetic recording drum and said transfer means so as to aid the transferring of said toner image;

(o) a fixing means for fixing said transferred toner on said recording paper;

(p) a cleaning means for cleaning toner remaining on said surface of the magnetic recording drum after the transfer, said cleaning means including a cleaning blade, and a blade access means for separating said blade from said surface of the magnetic recording drum in the latent image forming mode and bringing said blade near said surface of the magnetic recording drum in the copy mode;

and

(q) pulse generating means for generating pulses in synchronization with the rotation of said surface of the magnetic recording drum;

and

said control portion comprising:

(r) a copy register for presetting the desired number of copies;

(s) a copy counter for counting the number of the obtained copies;

(t) a comparator for comparing the set number of said copy register with the counted value of said copy counter said comparator generating a copy end signal when the counted value reaches the set number;

and

(u) a control means which operates first in a latent image forming mode and then operates in a copy mode, mode switching being accomplished by actuation of a copy switch, operations in the copy mode being repeated without returning to the latent image forming mode until said copy end signal is generated from said comparator, and the operations for latent image forming mode and copy mode being effected in accordance with the timing of said pulses, where in said latent image forming mode, the following operations are effected:

(A) with the detection of actuation of said copy switch, said magnetic recording drum is rotated at the higher speed by said drum drive means, said light source is energized for irradiating said document, and said cleaning blade is separated from said surface of the magnetic recording drum;

(B) when it is detected that the rotational speed of said magnetic recording drum has reached a predetermined value, said magnetic recording head is brought near said surface of the magnetic recording drum by said head access means;

(C) said video signal is read out from said image pickup element synchronized with the pulse of said pulse generating means;

(D) said video signal is supplied through a recording head control circuit of said control means to said magnetic recording head to form the latent image of said document on said surface of the magnetic recording drum;

(E) said secondary scanning means of the image pickup portion is driven to move said image pickup element relative to said document;

(F) said head secondary scanning means of the printing portion is driven to move said magnetic recording head in the axial direction of said magnetic recording drum;

(G) the above operations (C) to (F) continue until the end of the secondary scanning is detected, whereupon said light source is de-energized, said magnetic recording head is separated from said magnetic recording drum, and said secondary scanning means of the image pickup portion and printing portion are moved back to their original positions;

and

wherein the following operations are performed during the copy mode:

(H) said drum drive means is caused to drive said magnetic recording drum at the lower speed;

(I) said cleaning blade is contacted with said surface of the magnetic recording drum;

(J) said container of magnetic toner is brought near said surface of the magnetic recording drum;

(K) said electrostatic field is applied between said magnetic recording drum and said transfer means;

(L) said transporting means is driven to run said recording paper along said predetermined path;

(M) said toner transporting means is operated to apply said toner onto said surface of the magnetic recording drum;

(N) the number of the fed recording papers is counted by the copy counter;

(O) the above operations (L) to (N) are repeated until the output of said comparator shows that the counted value reaches the set number of said copy register;

(P) when the output of said comparator shows that the counted value reaches the set number of the said copy register, the paper feeding stops;

(Q) the operation of said toner transporting means stops;

(R) said container is removed from said surface of the magnetic recording drum;

(S) and the rotation of said drum stops.

Magnetic duplicator with multiple copies

Life of this patent

Magnetic duplicator with multiple copies

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims23