High-speed non-impact band printer employing an array of radiation sources for printing on a movable surface
OwnerJoseph M. Klockenbrinkinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A high speed non-impact printer including an array of selectively operable light sources. A closed looped band moving across said array at a high linear rate of speed is provided with a plurality of small openings, each associated with one of the light sources. Said sources are selectively energized in a predetermined manner to collectively produce a row of dots and/or lines of varying length which, together with successive rows of dots, cooperate to produce a graphic pattern or a row or rows of characters of the dot matrix type, for example. The design of the system, together with the use of the light sources, totally eliminates the need for a complex optical system, employed in conventional high speed non-impact printers.
Claims22
A high speed non-impact printer comprising:
- an array of independent radiation sources and switching means for selectively switching said radiation sources on and off at high speed, said radiation sources emitting radiation in a first direction;
- a scanned surface movable at a high speed past said array;
- a band interposed between said array of radiation sources and said scanned surface and means for moving said band at high speed and in a direction transverse to the direction of movement of said scanned surface, said band having at least one opening moving across said scanned surface for passing radiation from at least one of said radiation sources to said scanned surface as said one radiation source is selectively energized;
- said band being positioned relative to said scanned surface to eliminate the need for focussing optics between said band and said scanned surface;
- and
- radiation sensitive means on said scanned surface responsive to said radiation for use in creating an image, the cooperation between said radiation sources and said radiation sensitive means providing said non-impact capability.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.