Electrographic copier with one-piece belt and styli
AssigneeTektronix, Inc.
InventorsJon C. Mutton, Peter J. Unger
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Electrographic paper is fed over a segmented platen where its dielectric surface receives image defining electrostatic charges deposited by styli bearing directly and successively upon it. The styli are integral to an endless belt moving laterally to the surface. Voltage pulses corresponding to the input information are applied to the segmented platen to produce the electrostatic charges. The latent image charged surface is progressively fed to an image toning and fixing cycle to produce a hard copy.
Claims15
An electrographic copier, comprising:
- an endless belt [means carried by rotatable members, said endless belt means including styli in the form of projecting pins and being formed] of electrically conductive material having at least one stylus formed therein from [selectively spaced,] a cut[,] and bent out, pointed [segments thereof] segment of said material ;
- an electrode disposed adjacent at least a portion of said endless belt [means] and proximate said stylus, said electrode being spaced from said belt a distance sufficient to permit the contacting introduction of a sheet material between said electrode and said stylus , said electrode including means responsive to a control signal for [causing] permitting an electric field to be effected between said electrode and said [styli] stylus so as to develop in said sheet material an electrostatic charge pattern corresponding to said electric field ;
- and
- [means for developing an electrostatic charge pattern corresponding to said electric field to produce a copy, said means being adapted to be moved orthogonal to an axis of rotation of said rotatable members and also being adapted to make contact with said electrode and at least one of said styli] means for causing relative movement between said sheet material and said endless belt while maintaining one side of said sheet material in contact with said stylus and the other side of said sheet material in contact with said electrode .
[2. The copier according to claim 1 wherein said endless belt means also includes timing
- means.] 3. The copier according to claim 1 wherein said electrode
- defines a plurality of segmented electrodes. 4. The copier according to claim 3 wherein said segmented electrodes each include means responsive to a control signal for selectively causing said electric field to be
- effected between each segmented electrode and said styli. 5. The copier according to claim 1 further comprising means for providing said control
- signal.
An electrographic copier comprising:
- a plurality of styli mounted so as to be movable along a predetermined path;
- an elongate electrode formed of a lesser plurality of electrically insulated electrode segments arranged along a line parallel to and adjacent said path of said styli such that each of said electrode segments is traversable by each of said styli, said electrode being spaced from said path a distance sufficient to permit the introduction of a sheet material between said styli and said electrode such that one surface of said material is in contact with at least one of said styli and the other surface of said material is in contact with each of said electrode segments;
- and
- means responsive to a control signal for sequentially developing an electrical potential between one of said styli and each of said electrode segments so as to permit the production in a sheet material placed therebetween of an electrostatic charge pattern corresponding to said electrical potential.
Stylus means in an electrographic copier for permitting the development of a charge pattern in a sheet material placed between said stylus means and a fixed electrode, said stylus means comprising an endless belt of electrically conductive material having at least one stylus formed therein from a cut and bent out, pointed segment of said material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.