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Description  |
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This invention relates to a reproduction system, and more particularly to
improved reproduction system for producing high quality copies.
Present day copying systems are often faced with a demand for very high
quality copies in great numbers as for example when preparing reports. In
this context, it is often desirable to add or substract information, or to
compose a special copy, or to vary the magnification, or make corrections,
etc. so that the final product represents a high quality sometimes unique
product. One way of effecting this is to use an intermediate or master
from which the final copies are produced.
It is often useful in copying, and particularly where masters are employed
to prepare copies in book form. One way of accomplishing this is to couple
the system reproduction machine or copier with a sorter, the latter
serving to segregate the copies made in successive bins page by page. When
copying of the last page is completed, the copies in each bin each then
represent a complete book and the sorter can be emptied bin by bin and the
contents bound together as by stapling to provide books.
It may, however, be desirable to avoid the use of a sorter, and in this
situation another arrangement presents itself. Here, originals or masters
are copied once, one page at a time, to provide one book copy, commonly
termed a set, and this process is repeated for the second set, and so
forth, and so on until the number of copy sets desired is made. In this
arrangement, the copies may be collected in the same output tray, rather
than in different bins of a sorter, and a relatively simple offsetting
device provided to displace each book set slightly from the next for
recognition purposes.
Unfortunately, the effectiveness of this latter system may be compromised
due to the excessive handling of the originals that is required, since
each original must be repeatedly placed on the platen of the copier a
number of times equal to the number of set desired. This particularly in
the case of a book original having a large number of pages and/or where a
great number of copy sets is desired, could be untenable, particularly
where the originals must be manually handled. As a result, automatic
handling of the originals is generally considered necessary, but automatic
document handlers having the speed, reliability and ability to avoid
damaging the originals have been difficult to achieve.
It is a principle object of the present invention to provide a new and
improved document reproduction system.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a document
reproduction system and method for producing high quality copies.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a reproduction system
wherein an intermediate photoconductive material is utilized to support
master copies of the documents to be copied.
It is an object of the present invention to provide method and apparatus
for producing high quality copies of originals by producing
electrostatically master reproductions on a web-like intermediate, wherein
each master may, before fixing, be viewed and corrections, alterations,
and other quality enchancing changes made, following which the masters are
used to produce the copies desired.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a document reproduction
system in which an intermediate master capable of being edited is used to
produce book copies.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved book making
method and apparatus.
This invention relates to a method for producing masters on a
photosensitive web for later use in producing copies, the steps comprising
charging the web in preparation for imaging, exposing the charged web to
an original being copied to produce a latent electrostatic image of the
original on the web; developing the image to provide a visible image;
viewing the visible image and making corrections before fusing the image
developed on the web; and fusing the corrected image to provide a
permanent master.
The invention further relates to an apparatus for producing masters on a
charged photosensitive web for later use as a source for copies, the
combination of means forming a first station for exposing the web to an
original whereby to form a latent electrostatic image of the original on
the web, means forming a second station for developing the web whereby to
render the latent image visible, means forming a third station for viewing
the developed image on the web whereby the developed images may be
corrected before fusing thereof, means forming a fourth station for fusing
the developed image on the web whereby to provide a permanent image for
use as a master, and means for moving the web from station to station.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from
the ensuing description and drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view showing the improved master maker of
the present invention;
FIG. 2 is an isometric view showing details of the optical system for the
master maker shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is an enlarged isometric view showing editing of the master bearing
web;
FIG. 4 is a schematic view of an exemplary copier adapted for use in
carrying out the present invention; and
FIG. 5 is an enlarged isometric view showing details of the web supply and
dispensing tray.
The term master as used herein signifies a high quality reproduction of an
original which may or may not be retouched, or edited, or of the same or
different magnification. A master may also comprise a composite of one or
more originals.
Referring particularly to FIG. 1 of the drawings, there is shown the master
maker of the present invention, designated generally by the numeral 10,
and in FIG. 4 a reproduction machine or copier, designated generally by
the numeral 12 for utilizing the web 14 of masters prepared by master
maker 10. While the master maker 10 and copier 12 are illustrated as being
off-line, an on-line arrangement wherein the master copies produced by
master maker 10 is fed directly to copier 12 may also be envisioned.
Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, master maker 10 is adapted
to prepare a master 5 of each discrete piece of original material 6 being
copied, the masters normally being prepared in sequence on web 14. In the
instance where the original material 6 comprises one page of a multi-page
document, i.e. a book, one master for each page of the book is usually
prepared, normally in sequence on web 14 to form a set. In that case,
where individual book identity is to be preserved, the length of the
master bearing web is sufficient only to accommodate all the pages that
comprise the book being copied. The master bearing web 14 may then be used
to produce a desired number of copy sets as by means of copier 12. For
this purpose, the open ends of web 14 may be joined together to form an
endless loop. This permits web 14 to be recycled the number of times
required to produce the number of copy sets desired, it being understood
that each copy set is produced in the order in which the masters 5 appear
on web 14 and without the need of a sorter.
Master bearing web 14 comprises a suitable photosensitive material such as
zinc oxide paper. To facilitate handling thereof, web 14 is preferably
fanfolded with side margins 15 being perforated at 15' for driving
engagement with the web feeding means as will appear.
Referring particularly to FIG. 1, a suitable tray 20 for holding a supply
of web 14 is provided. From tray 20, web 14 is routed over guide roll 22
and between pinch roll pair 23, 24 to charging station 25. At charging
station 25, a suitable corona charging device, such as corotron 26,
applies a predetermined charge to the photoconductive surface of web 14 in
preparation for imaging.
Following charging station 25, web 14 is advanced to exposure station 30
whereat the charged web is exposed to the original material 6 or a
suitable support surface such as a transparent platen 34 via an optical
system such as the configuration 35. As will be understood, transparent
platen 34, permits the image rays reflected from the original material 6
to pass therethrough. Suitable illumination means such as lamps 36 are
provided below platen 34 and to one side of the optical path to illuminate
the original material on platen 34. Reflectors 37 serve to focus the light
from lamps 36 toward platen 34.
Optical system 35 includes a suitable lens 38 for focuing the object rays
from the original material 6 onto web 14 at exposure station 30. Object
mirror 39 functions to turn the object rays from the original material 6
through approximately 90.degree. to lens 38. As will be understood, the
optical system 35 may be arranged to provide variable magnification.
To facilitate exposure and obviate distortion, a suitable backing or
support platen 41 may be provided at exposure station 30 for web 14.
Platen 41 preferably comprises a vacuum type platen, and for this purpose,
communicates with a suitable source of below atmospheric pressure via
conduit 42. It will be understood that the surface of platen 41 facing web
14 is substantially flat and is provided with suitable vacuum holddown
ports (not shown).
Following exposure station 30, web 14 passes into the nip formed by a
suitable electrically insulated guide roller 44 and vacuum belt transport
45. Transport 45, which is generally horizontal, comprises a suitable
porous, flexible belt element 46, the dimension of which is slightly
greater than that of web 14. Belt 46 is provided, along each side thereof
with a series of projecting teeth 47 adapted to engage with perforations
15' in web 14.
The internal frame 67 of transport 45 rotatably journals belt support
rollers 48, 49 at opposite ends thereof. Frame 67 includes a vacuum plenum
50 extending below the top run of belt 46, plenum 50 cooperating with belt
46 to form a substantially flat editing station 55 as will appear. Roller
49 of transport 45 is drivingly connected to a suitable motor, i.e. step
motor 51 for operating transport 45 and moving web 14.
The web 14 leaving exposure station 30 passes between the nip formed by
roller 44 and transport belt 46 to fixing station 57 whereat the developed
image on web 14 is fused by fuser 58. Fuser 58 includes a suitable source
of heat such as lamps 59 and cooperating reflecting housing 60. As will
appear, fuser 58 is selectively operable to fuse or not fuse the image on
web 14.
Following fixing station 57, web 14 is transported by belt 46 to developing
station 62 whereat the latent electrostatic image on web 14 is rendered
visible by the application of a suitable developing material which
includes ink particles or toner thereto. For this purpose a magentic brush
developing roll 64 is disposed in operative juxtaposition with web 14,
roll 64 being operatively mounted in the lower or sump portion of a
developer housing 65. Housing 65 contains a quantity of developing
material for this purpose, a suitable mixing auger 66 being provided to
maintain the developing material in operative association with developing
roll 64.
A pinch roll 69 is provided at the discharge end of transport 45, roll 69
cooperating with transport 45 to form a discharge nip between which web 14
is discharged into output tray 68. There the finished web is stored in
folded flat pack style.
To enable the user to compose or edit the original material 6 to be copied,
a compose station 72 is provided. Compose station 72 includes a rear
projection screen 73 arranged adjacent platen 34, and prefereably in line
with the optical image path 40 of lens system 35. To provide a light image
of the original 6 material on screen 73 of compose station 72, a
displaceable image mirror 74 is provided mirror 74 being pivotally
supported at 77 for swinging movement into and out of the optical image
path 40. Image mirror 74, when swing to the dotted line position shown in
FIG. 1 (the solid line position in FIG. 2) reflects the image rays from
lens 38 onto screen 73 of compose station 72, enabling the user to view
the original material on platen 34. When it is desired to reproduce the
original material 6 on web 14, image mirror 74 is swung to a position out
of the optical axis 40 as shown by solid lines in FIG. 1.
In operation, to prepare a master on web 14, the original material 6 to be
copied is placed face down on platen 34. With web threaded through pinch
rolls 23, 24, over platen 41 of exposure station 30, and into driving
engagement with transport 45, lamps 36 are actuated for a preset interval
to expose the original 6. The rays from the illuminated document are
reflected by object mirror 39 through lens 38, and onto the segment of web
14 at exposure station 30. It is understood that web 14 has been
previously charged by corotron 26, and that vacuum is applied to platen 41
to retain web 14 flat and stationary.
Where web 14 comprises fanfolded material, it will be understood that each
fanfold section may be conveniently used to support one master, the
fanfolds themselves serving as a convenient point of registration. In this
circumstance, transport 45 may be indexed forward and backward as will
appear by an amount equal to the length of one fanfold segment of web 14.
In this context, the fanfolded web 14, when threaded into the master maker
10, is suitably registered such that an uninterrupted fanfold segment of
web 14 is disposed at exposure station 30.
Following exposure, transport 45 is actuated to move the exposed segment of
web 14 past fixing station 57, which is inoperative at this point, to
developing station 62 whereat the latent electrostatic image is developed.
Transport 45 brings the developed segment of web 14 forward to editing
station 55, where transport 45 is stopped.
The image produced on web 14, which is developed and hence visible but
unfused, may be viewed by the user at editing station 55, and changes,
corrections, erasures, etc. made. Following this, transport 45 is reversed
to carry the image segment back past developing station 65 to fixing
station 57. Here, fuser 58 is actuated to fix or fuse the developed image
and render the image permanent.
The aforedescribed process is repeated for each original to be copied, the
originals being reproduced in sequence on web 14.
Referring now to FIG. 3, the completed master, bearing web 14, which for
example, may comprise the pages of a book, may now be used with copier 12
to produce copies as will appear. Web 14 may, at this time, be
conveniently edited to removed, add, and/or substitute masters. For
example, if the quality of a master 5 is unacceptable, a new master may be
prepared. Substitution of the new master 51 may be effected by cutting the
unacceptable master out and inserting the new master in place thereof. The
new master may be affixed in position within the web 14 by means of
flexible adhesive tape 71. In a similar manner existing masters can be
removed or new masters added to the completed web 14.
Referring now to FIG. 4, of the drawings, there is shown an exemplary
copier 12 of a type suitable for use with the present invention. Copier 12
has a rotating xerographic drum 75, a corona charging device 76, a
xerographic developer 78, a transfer corotron 79 and a drum cleaning brush
80. Copy paper in the form of cut sheets stored in supply tray 81 are fed
out one by one by a suitable paper feeder (not shown) onto conveyor 82.
Conveyor 82 brings the individual sheets into operative transfer
relationship with drum 75 opposite corotron 79 whereat transfer of the
image developed on drum 75 to the individual copy sheets takes place.
Conveyor 84 carries the image bearing sheets to a roll type fuser 86 where
the toner delineated image is permanently fixed. The fused copy is
discharged into output tray 87 by conveyor 88.
The xerographic drum 75, following cleaning by brush 80, is charged by the
corona charging device 76 prior to exposure to the image being copied at
exposure station 89. The image at station 89 originates from scanning by
rotating mirror 90 the document resting on platen glass 91, the image
reflected by mirror 90 passing through lens 92 and mirror 93 onto the
surface of drum 75 at exposure station 89.
Copier 12 is adapted to copy either individual documents or continuous
documents as from the master bearing web 14 produced on master maker 10 as
described earlier. For web 14, copier 12 includes, adjacent one side of
transparent platen 91, a form or web feeder 100 having a pair of endless
sprocketed feed tractors 101 cooperable with edge perforations 14 in web
14 to draw the fanfold material across platen 91. Feed tractors 101 are
intermittently driven by motor 105 to draw or index the web 14 in
increments corresponding to one master 5, copying thereof being effected
while drive to feeder sprockets 101 is interrupted and web 14 is
stationary.
As seen in FIG. 4, platen 91 of copier 12 is arcuate, the individual
document or the portion of fanfolded web 14 then being copied resting
thereupon during the copying cycle. Other platen shapes, i.e. flat, may be
readily envisioned.
Web 14 is stored in flat place 109 form in supply tray 110 appended to one
side of copier 12. As will appear more fully hereinafter, web 14 is fed
from the bottom of supply pack 109 via pinch roll pair 112 and guide rolls
113, 114, 118, and 119 into juxtaposition with platen 91. Rolls 112, 113,
114, 118 and 119 are rotatably supported on the frame of copier 12 by
suitable means (not shown).
As seen best in FIG. 4 of the drawings, a platen cover 115 is provided atop
platen 91. Cover 115 is hingedly attached to the frame portion (not shown)
of copier 12 for raising or lowering movement off of or onto platen 91.
Cover 115 serves to protect platen 91 against damage when copier 12 is not
in use and, during the copying cycle, to protect the user's eyes against
extraneous light emitted by exposure lamps 116. The hinged attachment of
cover 115 allows platen 91 to be readily accessed as when loading or
unloading individual documents or when locating and threading web 14 into
place on copier 12.
Platen cover 115 includes an internal cover part 117 spaced slightly above
platen 91 when cover 115 is closed, and cooperably therewith to form a
passage between which web 14 passes during the copying cycle. In this
manner, cover 115 functions to hold the web in operative juxtaposition
with platen 91 as the web passes thereover.
Referring now to FIG. 5, pack supply tray 110, is comprised of a pair of
side members 120, 121 each constructed to form a generally U-shaped track
124 through which a series of rollers 126 making up base 125 of tray 110,
extend. Rollers 126 rest within and are supported by side members 120,
121, the dimension of tracks 124 being slightly larger than the diameter
of rollers 126. By this construction, rollers 126 are free to turn and
base 125 to move back and forth within the confines of tracks 124.
The number of rollers 126 utilized is sufficient to support the pack of
fanfolded web 14, and in the exemplary embodiment shown, eight rollers 126
are provided with web 14 being fed between the innermost roller pair. To
maintain tray base forming rollers 126 in spaced relationship relative to
one another, spacer links 128 are pivotally secured between adjoining
rollers at each end thereof.
In operation, as web 14 is withdrawn from the bottom of pack 109, base 125
oscillates back and forth within tracks 124 in accordance with the point
of unfolding of web 14 from pack 109. This displacement in the point of
unfolding reduces the force required to unfold web 14 and prevents tearing
or ripping thereof.
To reproduce masters on web 14, the master bearing web, in the form of a
flat pack 109 and with leading and trailing web ends free, is set into
supply tray 110. In doing so, the web leading end may be inserted between
the innermost rollers of base 125, and from there routed between roll pair
112 and over guide rollers 113, 114, 118, 119 to platen 91. There, the
leading end is led across platen 91, cover 115 being raised for this
purpose. Since the leading end is normally the first page of the book to
be reproduced, the first master 5 on web 14 is in proper location on
platen 91 to initiate copying. The trailing end of web 14 is drawn off of
the top of pack 109 and threaded onto tractors 101. Following this, the
leading and trailing ends of web 14 are abutted and joined together by
adhesive tape 71 to form an endless loop. On closing of cover 115, copier
12 is ready for operation, presuming the various operating components
thereof, i.e. fuser 86 are in a state of readiness.
With web 14 loaded, the operator selects the number of copy sets desired
and activates the copier 12 as by means of a suitable print/start button
(not shown). Copier 12 thereafter proceeds to copy each master once,
feeder tractor 101 being actuated following each copy to index web 14 to
bring the next master into position on platen 91. As copies of web 14 are
made, fresh web material is unfolded from the bottom of pack 109 and
routed over guide rolls 112, 113, 114, 118 and 119 to platen 91. At the
same time, the used web is restacked onto pack 109. The above proceeds
until the last master on web 14 has been copied, at which point copier 12
is stopped or the above procedure repeated to form another set of copies
in accordance with the program under which copier 12 is operated.
While the invention has been described with reference to the structure
disclosed, it is not confined to the details set forth, but is intended to
cover such modifications or changes as may come within the scope of the
following claims.
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