Abstract: An inkjet printer is disclosed for printing on a moving web in which at least two rows of nozzles are arrayed on a nozzle plate such that they form an oblique angle with the direction of movement of the moving web. The drops to be printed are charged so that they are deflected so that vertically adjacent nozzles from each of the two rows print overlapping interlaced drops to form a single print row on the moving web. The nozzles in one row are slightly offset from direct vertical alignment with the nozzles in the second row, so that the charging pattern to be applied to the drops generated is highly simplified. Charging is accomplished by a charge plate having slots extending into the plate to a sufficient depth so that the plate may be moved into position after the streams have been started, and may be withdrawn from position before the ink drop streams are turned off.

Abstract: The method of this invention comprises first forming an assembly of a number N of cored glass fibers, separated by a number M of solid glass fibers. After a row of such alternated cored and solid glass fibers is assembled, a uniform pressure is applied to all sides of the assembly. All of the rectangular glass fibers are selected to have the same thermal properties, characterized especially by having the same softening temperature and the same coefficient of expansion. The entire assembly is inserted in an oven subject to a temperature sufficient to soften the glass and thus fuse the parts together. The assembly is cooled and the glass block is removed from the oven. The block can then be cut into thin nozzle wafers and finished to produce the desired jet nozzles. The method may use glass fibers made of two types of glass. The central portion of the fiber comprises a high-temperature glass, this portion surrounding the core.

Abstract: In an electrophotographic copying system designed according to the present invention, a transparent conducting plastic layer is placed between the drum surface and the red/green electroluminescent panel. This layer is either grounded or is biased to repel the electrically charged toner.

Abstract: An arsenic-selenium photoreceptor is provided wherein said photoreceptor is characterized by a gradient concentration of arsenic increasing from the bottom surface to the top surface of the photoreceptor such that the arsenic concentration is about 5 wt. % at a depth of about 5 to 10 microns from the top surface of the photoreceptor and is about 30 to 40 wt. % at the top surface of the photoreceptor.

Abstract: A document feeder is disclosed wherein a document stack is bent or curved when it rests on a fixed curved stackholding tray. A stack of paper becomes rigid when curved, and therefore, capable of being raised by applying an upward force along the curved edge on each end of the stack provided by a pair of curved lifting blades which move horizontally relative to the ends of the stack to move in and out underneath the edges of the stack, and thereafter move vertically to lift the entire stack out of the path of the returning copy. The document to be copied may be lifted off the top of the document stack either before or after the lifting action of the blades. A vacuum belt type arrangement is provided for moving successive documents from the top of the stack. The document loops through the machine, and returns at a lower level, aligned with an opening beneath the bottom of the stack.

Abstract: The drop projection device has an array of nozzles communicating with an ink cavity fed from an associated pressurized ink reservoir and has an acoustic cavity closely associated with the ink cavity. The acoustic cavity is filled with a solid material, and may be separated from the ink cavity by a membrane that may be selected of any ink compatible material for transmitting disturbances from the solid material to the ink channel (the membrane is not required, however). A transducer is mounted to the rear of the solid filled cavity, essentially in air.The transducer is a block of piezoelectric material separated into a plurality of parallel fingers by slices made from one side of the block. The height-to-width or height-to-thickness ratios are less than 10:4. The solid acoustic cavity is filled with a material having an acoustic impedance which is substantially equal to the ink acoustic impedance. The cavity itself is defined by a material having a high acoustic impedance.

Abstract: An inkjet printing system has a drop generator with a nozzle fed by a pressurized ink source to cause a continuous stream of ink to break into synchronized droplets. A pair of electrodes positioned on either side of the path followed by the droplets are controlled in a time multiplex mode to charge the droplets, and then to deflect the charged droplets.The electronics of this invention provide electronic synchronization and compensation whereby synchronization is achieved between the drop generator stimulation source and the charge/deflect circuit so that during each cycle, a small period of time is allocated for charging and the remaining larger period of time for deflection; and the compensation system provides for the fact that each charged droplet is to be exposed to an equal accumulated deflection energy during its movement between the plates.

Abstract: A method of assembling a stimulator for an inkjet printer by attaching separate piezoelectric elements to a plastic or metallic membrane sheet which sheet, after encapsulation of the piezoelectric transducers, may be cut into a plurality of stimulators. Each individual stimulator which now comprises a membrane, a piezoelectric element, and the encapsulating material can then be bonded to an ink fluid cavity.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display is provided on the surface of a vidicon face plate. A number of conductive pins or electrodes connect to associated field effect transistors imbedded in the liquid crystal display for selectively energizing discrete areas in the liquid crystal display; the pins extend through the vidicon face plate. The electron beam of the vidicon is scanned sequentially across the terminals, and is turned on and off in accordance with stored binary data to impinge upon and selectively activate certain ones of the pins or electrodes, turning on the associated FET. After the full face of the vidicon has been scanned to form the desired pattern of activated FET's, a voltage is applied across the liquid crystal display. The area opposite each turned on FET will be appropriately polarized presenting a display on the outward facing surface of the display. This display is used to excite a photoconductive drum such as in an electrostatic photocopier to print a copy of the display data.

Abstract: A copying device having an automatic document feed has a bar which extends across a substantial portion of the document path out of alignment with the image scanning portion of the platen. This bar is of a magnetically receptive material so that it is responsive to movement of a magnet which is located on the opposite side of the document-moving belt. When a document is being moved by the belt into the document exposing region, the document stop bar rests on the platen or at the edge of the platen so that the leading edge of the document butts against it. When the document is to be ejected, the magnet is moved, raising the document stop bar out of the document path; a roller which is adjacent the belt and the document being copied can now be rotated and eject the document below the document stop. In addition to lifting the magnet and therefore the document stop bar, the magnet moves slightly forward along the document path so that the edge of the document is removed from the document stop bar.

Abstract: A self tracking web drive is provided wherein the roller with the friction drive in the center decouples all but a very limited width portion of the belt from the roller. By doing this, the flanges on a second roller cause the belt creep direction to reverse relative to the central high friction drive and move in the opposite direction.Depending on the alignment of the roller axes, the belt will either walk slowly to one side, then to the other, or to walk to one side, retreat and gradually self-adjust to track close to the flange or just off it.In fact, a thin driving high-friction area on one roll reduces the contact width between roller and belt and thereby tricks the wide belt into acting as if the width to pulley spacing was 10:1 or greater and becoming self tracking.

Abstract: A bottom feeder for copy paper feeding has means for imparting a curvature to the sheets, the curvature being in the direction the sheets will be withdrawn. The curvature provides transverse rigidity to permit lifting weight of stack off the bottom sheet. This facilitates withdrawing the sheets one at a time from the bottom of the stack.A curved paper tray imparts a curvature to the paper. A pair of holding clamps are provided, one on either side of the stack of paper, which are partially withdrawn from the sides of the paper stack so that paper may be added to the stack. When sheets are to be fed, the clamps which comprise a pair of plates having a friction material on the paper facing side thereof are moved in to engage the sides of the stack of paper. An arrangement is provided to thereafter lower the paper tray slightly from the bottom of the stack, or lift the clamps and the curved paper stack. In either event, the pressure of the stack weight is now removed from the bottom sheet.

Abstract: A thermally responsive shutter interrupts or transmits light through an optical fiber. A small heater, such as a resistance heater, is positioned centrally under a gap in an optical fiber. At one end of the fiber is an illumination source; the opposite end of the fiber is the output end. The gap between the two segments of the optical fiber is filled by an opaque dye solution comprising a volatile organic or other liquid, and a high opacity dye. In the normal state, the dye solution interrupts the light passing through the glass fiber. Upon activation of the heater, the gap is sufficiently small that a bubble will form between the ends of the glass fibers. This removes substantially all of the dye from the gap between the fibers, and permits light to pass from the light source to the output end of the optical fiber.

Abstract: An electrophotographic copying apparatus is disclosed, including a first rotating cylindrical electrode positioned above the lowest point of rotation of the photoconductive surface and closely adjacent that surface. This first electrode is suitably biased to form a brush of toner which, as the brush rotates with the direction of the travel of the image, develops the image. A second rotating cylindrical electrode is positioned at the low point of travel of the latent image surface; the brush formed on the surface of this electrode as the electrode rotates against the direction of travel of the image, develops the trailing edges of the image. A biased electrode plate extends from the upper electrode to a point near to the lowest electrode. As toner material is supplied to the first rotating electrode, it is carried over the surface of this electrode and flows down through the development path defined by the electrode plate and the rotating drum surface to develop the latent image.

Abstract: An ink liquid supply apparatus is provided for an ink jet printing apparatus which maintains the concentration of ink in the system at a constant value and allows utilization of an ink which contains a non-water soluble dye, resulting in a more permanent, quicker drying ink. The ink liquid supply apparatus functions to maintain the ink concentration constant by utilizing an ink emulsion which is in complete equilibrium with a hydrocarbon liquid and a water supply.

Abstract: Laser scan/electrophotographic non-impact printer is disclosed which comprises one or more laser diodes mounted on a rotating turntable, the angular scan of the laser diode being generated by rotation of the turntable. An optical system is provided for each beam emitted from the laser diode to shape and direct the beam toward the photosensitive surface. The information is carried on the beam by modulating the beam with the information output of the computer at the source of the beam. To increase the efficiency of the output of the device, the front and rear surfaces of the laser diodes may both be used.To overcome the difficulty of providing the necessary power to drive the laser diodes to the rotating turntable, a power source comprising a solar cell array illuminated by a lamp is provided. Preferably, this solar cell array is mounted on a surface above the surface of the laser diodes, so that it is easily carried by the rotating turntable. A rotating battery or power generator could also be used.

Abstract: A method is provided for maintaining the viscosity of a consumable water-containing ink supply at a constant value by measuring water vapor content of the vapor in equilibrium with the ink supply and adding a sufficient amount of water to restore the water vapor content to a predetermined value. The method has particular application for controlling the viscosity of ink used in jet ink printers.

Abstract: An electrophotographic copying apparatus utilizing a rotatable drum having a photosensitive outer circumferential surface is disclosed herein along with its method of operation. In making copies of a given sheet of information, an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the information to be copied is formed on a circumferential segment of the drum surface and the image is developed by applying toner onto the image bearing segment of the drum surface. Thereafter, the applied toner is transferred to a blank sheet thereby forming the copy. Once one or more copies are made from a given electrostatic image, any applied but untransferred toner on the drum surface is moved onto a second circumferential segment, preferably by means of a pliant roller segment and preferably with the aid of electrostatic attraction. The toner accumulated on the second segment of the drum surface is then moved by the latter to a specific point and removed from the second surface segment.

Abstract: Electrographic imaging process and electrographic plates utilized therein are provided wherein the photoconductive layer comprises a squaric acid methine dye admixed with a binder or a photoconductive material. The photoconductive layer may also comprise the squaric acid methine dye, a binder and a charge transport material.

Abstract: An electrophotographic imaging process having a double charging sequence and a photoreceptor utilized therein are provided, wherein the photoreceptor comprises a substrate, a photosensitive layer comprising a squaric acid methine dye, and an insulating layer. The photosensitive layer may also comprise a squaric acid methine dye and a charge transport material.