Back to results
US 4,431,295 AGranted
Photocomposing machine and method
AssigneeAutologic, S.A.
InventorsLouis M. Moyroud, Michel Bongard, Paul A. Vernez, Michel Moulin
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Loading patent…
Loading patent…
AssigneeAutologic, S.A.
InventorsLouis M. Moyroud, Michel Bongard, Paul A. Vernez, Michel Moulin
Estimating the term…
Character matrices are stored in and retrieved from a magazine automatically. The matrices can be complete discs or pie-shaped "petals" which are assembled to form a disc. A single pivotably-mounted support arm is used to support the spinning disc, and to move it for selection of concentric arrays on the disc, as well as for storage and retrieval of matrices. A reversed zoom lens is used to magnify the characters. The character spacing carriage can move continuously in order to increase the speed of operation. Proper location of the characters can be done by simply altering the carriage speed between projections, or by using a shuttling lens for character spacing compensation, together with flash delay and carriage deceleration. A system for inputting images from any one of three separate discs also is provided. A double-dove prism and optical wedges are used for altering the shapes of characters. Rules are formed by operating a flash-lamp very rapidly to shine light through an appropriately-shaped opening and moving the image along the photosensitive surface in a linear path. The matrix can be moved in a varying speed mode in which the matrix is moving slowly or stationary when the character is flashed. This allows the light intensity of the flash lamp to be raised significantly without significant degradation of the quality of the output. Controls are provided for automatically adjusting the base-line of the characters, the margins, the degree of enlargement, the flash intensity, and the focus. A simple attachment is provided for doubling or halving the size of the characters. The machine can produce output on photographic film or paper or electrophotographic material. Means are provided for automatically inserting graphic matter (pictures) into text matter for composing full pages, and for making half-tones.
In or for a photocomposing machine including a rotatable character disc and means for rotating said disc in order to facilitate the selection of characters to be projected onto a photosensitive surface, a character spacing mechanism for spacing characters from one another when projected onto said surface, means for moving said mechanism substantially continuously while composing a line of characters, and means for altering the speed of said spacing mechanism after a character has been projected, so that said disc will arrive at a projection position in coincidence with the arrival of said spacing mechanism at the proper position for projecting the next character onto said surface, said disc consisting of a plurality of segments, each bearing a complete font of characters in a given style.
In a photocomposing machine having a movable character matrix, a flash lamp for exposing characters on said matrix and projecting images thereof towards a recording surface, and moving means for moving said matrix to bring selected characters thereon to a projection position, said moving means being adapted to move said matrix at a relatively high speed when a selected character is relatively remote from said projection position and at a relatively low speed when said character is at said projection position, and operating means for operating said flash lamp when said character is located at said projection position.
A method of photocomposing, said method comprising forming character images by flashing a flash lamp to illuminate master characters on a matrix, projecting character images onto a recording surface from a projection position, moving said matrix at a relatively high speed when a selected character is relatively remote from said projection position, and at a relatively low speed when said matrix is at said projection position, and operating said flash lamp at a level of light intensity at which the time duration of the flash is excessively long relative to said high matrix speed.
In or for a photocomposing machine including a rotatable character matrix and means for rotating said matrix in order to facilitate the selection of characters to be projected onto a photosensitive surface, a character spacing mechanism for spacing characters from one another when projected onto said surface, means for moving said mechanism substantially continuously while composing a line of characters, and means for altering the speed of said spacing mechanism after a character has been projected, so that said matrix will arrive at a projection position in coincidence with the arrival of said spacing mechanism at the proper position for projecting the next character onto said surface, said speed altering means including means for calculating the time required for the matrix to reach said projection position, storage means for storing predetermined speed values corresponding to values of said time, and means for delivering signals corresponding to said speed values to drive means to alter said speed of said spacing mechanism.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.