Abstract: A flexible metal printing cylinder having a coating of a crystalline photoconductive material thereon. The cylinder is an electrodeposited sleeve of nickel or similar material that is a fraction of a millimeter in thickness which is adapted to be mounted in a printing press in order to enable the press to print electrostatically. The coating is applied by r.f. sputtering and comprises a thin film layer of the order of about 2000 to 6000 Angstroms thick of a wholly inorganic, electronically anisotropic, crystalline, flexible, high gain photoconductive material, as for example ultrapure cadmium sulfide. The cylinder may have an image adhered to its surface which is of dry insulating toner.

Abstract: Electrophotographic medium which comprises a multilayer structure of materials for imaging radiant energy patterns at high speed and with high sensitivity of a degree capable of meeting and exceeding the sensitivity of silver halide film, with greater resolution than that of silver halide film of the high speed type.A method of using electrophotographic film to achieve high sensitivities and speeds.The medium comprises a transparent substrate, ohmic layer and coating of photoconductive material, all of which form a modulating structure for the radiant energy that is adapted to be projected through the substrate; a dielectric layer intimately bonded to the surface of the photoconductive coating and a conductive electrode in intimate contact with the dielectric layer.The use of the electrophotographic medium does not require initial charging; hence no means for effecting this are required.

Abstract: A method for obtaining multiple copies from apparatus including an electrophotographic member of the type in which the latent image is represented by charge not removed when toner is applied and thereafter transferred. The electrophotographic member with its latent image is repeatedly subjected to toning and transfer to respective multiple receptors without intervening charge and exposure. This may be done until the desired number of copies is made or until the image quality deteriorates by reason of dark decay. If additional copies are desired the electrophotographic member is again charged and exposed and thereafter toned and the image transferred repeatedly without intervening additional charge and exposure.Apparatus for effecting the method above and providing structure for carrying out the described steps include other functions such as automatically sensing quality and responding to a condition which requires a new cycle of charge and expose.

Abstract: A corona generating element in the form of a strand of metal wire having thin portions along its length at closely and regularly spaced intervals. When a source of high voltage is connected to the wire, a corona of high intensity is generated along the edges of each thin portion. The corona generating element is particularly useful in applying a uniform electrostatic charge of negative polarity to the surface of a photoconductive member.

Abstract: An electrophotographic copy machine formed as an assembly of three removably mounted self-contained operational modules. A mechanical assembly module includes the platen for supporting the original document, a paper supply and feed mechanism and an electrophotographic imaging apparatus. The electrophotographic imaging apparatus includes an endless electrophotographic belt operative through a charging station, an imaging station, a toning station and an image transfer station. The second module contains all but the toning station which comprises the third self-contained module. A cabinet assembly for receiving and holding the three modules in assembly is provided and further mounts the miscellaneous switches, controls and associated electronics of the system copying machine.

Abstract: A system for impressing images on electrophotographic film provides for the charging of each film frame rapidly to a peak voltage determined by the prevailing light conditions of the image to be produced or recorded. After charging the film frame is immediately exposed to an image. In the preferred method, the time of exposure is predetermined and fixed. Next, toner is applied immediately to the charged frame in the presence of a bias field which propels the toner particles toward the film. Thereafter excess toner is removed or leaves the film frame and the remaining toner is fused to the surface of the film to form a permanent visible image on the film frame. An alternate form transfers the toned image to an acceptor member where it is fixed.The various processing steps are all carried out at points on the dark decay portion of the characteristic discharge curve for the particular film so that the resultant image has high resolution and optimum contrast.

Abstract: A flexible offset printing plate is formed from a directly imaged electrophotographic member comprising an inorganic coating of a photoconductive material on a polyester substrate. The photoconductive material is an oriented crystalline deposit about 3000 Angstroms thick which has been directly sputtered with radiofrequency energy in a process using a Langmuir sheath to produce a light sensitive, readily imaged abrasion-resistant, transparent coating. It is deposited on a sheet of dimensionally stable, transparent polyester film having a thickness of about 0.005 inch with an intervening sandwiched layer of ohmic material such as indium-tin oxide about 300 Angstroms thick. The transparency of the ohmic layer and the photoconductive coating on a transparent substrate result in a transparent plate.The electrophotographic member is imaged by charging, exposure and toning with a suitable toner.

Abstract: Apparatus in which the photographic images on a strip roll of silver halide film are duplicated upon a strip roll of electrophotographic film. The apparatus feeds the strips of the two rolls into contact with one another, emulsion side of the photographic film against the coating side of the electrophotographic film. At the projection station there is a projected light beam passing through the contacting films. A charging station is provided for charging the electrophotographic film just before it contacts the photographic film and a toning station and a fixing station respectively are located to act upon the electrophotographic film after exposure.Alternatively, the toned image may be transferred to a strip of clear base film from the coated surface of the electrophotographic film followed by fixing of the transferred image. The electrophotographic film then is reused while the clear base film becomes the duplicate of the original.

Abstract: Electrophotographic medium which comprises a multilayer structure of materials for imaging radiant energy patterns at high speed comprising a transparent substrate, ohmic layer and coating of photoconductive material, which form a modulating structure for the radiant energy projected through the substrate; a dielectric layer intimately bonded to the surface of the photoconductive coating and a conductive electrode in intimate contact with the dielectric layer. The dielectric layer constitutes the storage medium for the image which is produced in electrostatic charge form and, the medium is capable of retaining latent images for a very substantial length of time.The use of the electrophotographic medium does not require initial charging; hence no means for effecting this are required. Further, the speed of the medium is so high compared with all other media that extremely low energy levels can provide sufficient contrast to produce images.The structure as described is used by connecting a d.c.

Abstract: Electrophotographic medium which comprises a transparent substrate, ohmic layer and coating of photoconductive material, all of which form a modulating structure for the radiant energy that is adapted to be projected through the substrate; a dielectric layer (storage medium) intimately bonded to the surface of the photoconductive coating and a conductive electrode in intimate contact with the dielectric layer. The structure is used by connecting a d.c. voltage across the outer electrode and the ohmic layer and projecting the image onto the electrophotographic medium from the bottom surface of the substrate. The charge image appears on the dielectric layer. The charge image is read out with an electronic beam or toned and fixed or transferred. During use the electrode is brought into intimate contact with the dielectric layer and removed after forming the charge image in order to enable the medium to be processed further without the electrode.

Abstract: Apparatus for sputtering printing or similar type cylinders by means of r.f. sputtering in which a cylindrical metal substrate is mounted on a mandrel which is installed in a sputtering chamber. The apparatus includes targets arranged around the cylindrical substrate, the substrate comprising the anode or being mounted on the anode. The sputtering operation is arranged to apply a highly uniform coating of a photoconductive material on the substrate and the structure is arranged so that the finished cylinder can be removed from the sputtering chamber along with the mandrel and replaced by another metal cylindrical substrate on another mandrel. In this way a printing cylinder comprising a seamless thin-walled metal sleeve having a coating of photoconductive material is easily produced economically and rapidly, said coating having uniform thickness and properties throughout.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for sputter coating of printing or similar type cylinders by means of r.f. sputtering in which each of the cylinders being coated comprises a thin, metal sleeve of cylindrical configuration mounted on a mandrel. A plurality of mandrels is mounted in a sputtering chamber on a spider which is rotated coaxially with a cylindrical target, the target being stationary. A fixed ring gear cooperates with pinions on each of the mandrels to impart an epicyclic movement to the mandrels, each of which mounts a sleeve.An r.f. sputtering condition is created in the chamber between the target and the cylinders so that a plurality of cylinders is coated simultaneously.The chamber can be opened to remove the cylinders after sputtering to replace them with others to be coated, this without disturbing the target.

Abstract: A method of toning the latent image carried by the photoconductive surface of an electrophotographic film in which a liquid suspension of toner particles is flowed or streamed substantially simultaneously uniformly against said surface over all said surface in a direction normal thereto from a source spaced from the surface and the excess or remanent toner suspension is removed from the surface thereafter without displacing said source or moving the film.The toner particles are biased with a d.c. bias voltage of a polarity the same as the electrophoretic surface charge of the toner particles to enhance particle movement toward the photoconductive surface.

Abstract: A transparent photocell formed of two thin film layers of a semi-conductor material and an intervening thin film layer of a photoconductor material, a constant voltage being applied across the semi-conductor layers and the current through the cell being detected as a measure of the intensity of light incident on the cell. The thin film nature of the cell enables it to be combined with a lens of an optical system as a plurality of laminae coated onto a surface of said lens.

Abstract: Helical races are formed in a curved work-piece using a suitable cutting tool by performing a double rotation of the tool and work-piece about orthogonal axes. The double rotation maintains the tool at a uniform attack angle relative to the work-piece as it forms each race with the result that the race has a uniform cross-section along its entire length.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for coating a thin film upon substrate means in a pressure vessel using the plasma vapor deposition technique known as sputtering. The substrate means are arranged on the exterior of a cylindrical drum for rotation and have the convex surface thereof exposed to the plasma vapor during rotation. An assembly of a plurality of circumferentially spaced arcuate target segments forming generally a cylinder is arranged coaxially and telescopically with respect to the drum whereby to form an annular belt of plasma vapor cloud segments occupying the gap exterior of the drum between the target means and the drum. The target means comprise the cathode of the high voltage electrical circuit and the drum comprises the anode.The projecting unit target area is larger than the unit exposed substrate area enabling radially converging plasma vapor and hence high rates of uniform coating.

Abstract: An electrophotographic film which is not only capable of being utilized for the same purposes as conventional xerographic and electrofax members but it also capable of being used in the same manner as silver halide emulsion photographic films, that is, with high speed cameras for universal photographic purposes.The electrophotographic film comprises a thin film coating of an inorganic, photoconductive, electronically anisotropic material one example of which is a specially sputtered cadmium sulfide bonded to a thin film layer of ohmic material which in turn is bonded to a thin, stable substrate member preferably formed of plastic sheeting. The total thickness of the photoconductive coating is about 3000 Angstroms, of the ohmic layer is about 500 Angstroms and of the substrate member is a fraction of a millimeter.

Abstract: A sputtering machine which has a rotary anode that is insulated from its supporting structure and maintained at a voltage differing from that of the supporting structure. Means are provided for controlling the temperature of the surface of the anode through circulating heat exchange liquid.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for the deposition of a thin film on a substrate in which a length of the substrate such as for example, flexible plastic film, is transported in a path which follows along a convoluted configuration through a pressure vessel and therein is subjected to deposition effects. Such deposition effects, for example, comprise high frequency sputtering plasma. The helical path is arranged so that the substrate is carried through the influence of the deposition effects a plurality of times and at speeds which are much greater than those of known methods and apparatus. As a result, the deposition of the thin film is more uniform and a high throughput is achieved. Many other advantages are also achieved. In addition to conventional types of cooling, efficient cooling is obtained by magnetically sweeping secondary electrons away from the substrate. Batch and continuous processing are disclosed.

Abstract: A system for impressing images on electrophotographic film provides apparatus for charging each film frame rapidly to a peak voltage determined by the prevailing light conditions of the image to be produced or recorded. After charging, means are provided for immediately exposing the frame to an image. In the preferred apparatus, means are provided for adjusting the time of exposure to a fixed period which is predetermined. Means are provided for applying toner to the exposed frame immediately after exposure in the presence of a bias field which propels the toner particles toward the film. Thereafter excess toner is removed from the film or leaves the frame and the remaining toner is fused to the surface of the film to form a permanent visible image on the film frame. An alternate form of the invention provides means for transferring the toned image to an acceptor member where it is fixed.