Abstract: Facsimile recording on a video disc, wherein a document such as a bank check is recorded as a frame of video information, generally requires that the frame of recorded information be displayed or transformed into a hard copy reproduction of the original document. In accordance with a presently preferred embodiment of the invention, the frame of video information is recorded on a video disc as two fields of interlaced lines recorded on adjacent circular tracks. Upon playback, the circular tracks are alternately read to produce the customary video display of two interlaced fields. To provide a hard copy reproduction of the original document, the circular tracks are simultaneously read and the resultant signal fed to a signal processing circuit. The output of the signal processing circuit comprises, in alternation, lines of video information from each field. This output signal is fed to a printer device which prints, line-by-line, a hard copy reproduction of the original document.

Abstract: Optical configurations for a rotating polygon film scanner for scanning film such as motion picture film or slide transparencies to produce a television signal are disclosed. The film scanner includes a solid-state line sensing array for scanning the image of a film frame in a direction generally perpendicular to the length of the film, and a rotating multifacet mirror such as a reflecting polygon for displacing the image relative to the line sensing array in a direction generally parallel with the length of the film. The optical configurations include the polygon mirror, a film gate, and a scan lens for forming an image of the film in the gate on the solid-state line sensing array. The scan lens is located between the line sensing array and the polygon mirror to provide on-axis scanning in the direction parallel with the length of the film.

Abstract: Video information is commonly recorded on a master record device such as a video disc by focussing a modulated recording beam on the master disc and rotating the disc relative to the focussed recording beam. During exposure, the recording beam travels across the rotating master disc so that a spiral track of video information is recorded. Because of the extremely small depth of focus, typically less than a micron, focus maintenance is simplified if the master disc recording surface is optically flat. This requirement has led to the use of a relatively expensive master video disc comprised of optically polished glass, quartz or other rigid material. In accordance with the present invention, a method of recording video information on a master disc is provided which permits the use of an inexpensive flexible master disc comprised of ESTAR or other similar material, and yet which enables an extremely small depth of focus to be accurately maintained.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for recording a frame, comprising two fields, of document information on a disc storage device are described. The video signals corresponding to the two fields are used to amplitude modulate quadrature components of a single carrier frequency, each field modulating its own quadrature component. The quadrature amplitude modulated (QAM) carrier components are vectorially combined, the resultant being then angularly modulated on a high frequency carrier which is recorded on the disc storage device. In a preferred embodiment, a frame of information is recorded on the disc storage device along a single closed circular track. The present invention also provides methods for playing back the single track of recorded information for field-sequential video display, hard copy reproduction by a dual-line printer, or hard copy reproduction by a line-sequential printer.

Abstract: In certain types of printing applications (for example optical or magnetic contact printing) wherein it is desired to transfer imagery from a master device to a replicate device, providing and maintaining close contact between the master device and the replicate device poses certain problems. These problems become even more acute if the surfaces to be contacted are of large area. In accordance with the present invention, close contact over even large areas is obtained between a master device and a replicate device by forming a thin and uniform liquid layer between the master and replicate devices, thus producing a vacuum effect which serves to tightly press the master and replicate devices together.

Abstract: In accordance with the present invention, video information is recorded on a video disc at a high packing density using a disproportionately large record spot. According to a presently preferred embodiment, a recordable video disc has a surface sensitive to recording only along a narrow spiral track, which spiral track is followed during recording by a tracking device to compensate for tracking errors arising from disc eccentricity, wobble, and optical system vibration, while limiting the cross-track dimension of recorded video information to allow a higher cross-track packing density.

Abstract: An acoustooptic deflection cell diffracts a multi-color beam into a plurality of different mono-color beams of distinct scan angles. An optical system intercepts the diffracted light beams, equalizes the differenct scan angles and realigns the beams to register at an image plane. Equalization of the scan angles may be accomplished by a prism system, while realignment may be done with a mirror system.