Abstract: The primary function of the optional handler is to make plates available on demand to the imaging engine. A multitude of plates are stored inside cassettes and these cassettes are loaded into the handler. There may be up to four cassettes residing in the handler. Inside a cassette there may be a protective interleaf sheet, sometimes called a slip sheet, between each plate which is removed by the handler and discarded. The handler receives commands from the engine control sequencer which provides instructions as to what cassette needs to be accessed to make a plate available to the picker mechanism so the plate may be conveyed to the imaging engine. Conversely the handler provides status information to the engine to make full interaction with the system possible.

Abstract: A non-rotating optical shield is generally cylindrical in shape and surrounds a rotating optical deflector to reduce airflow and optical distortion, as well as acoustic noise. A beam entrance aperture is provided in an end of the shield allowing an input beam to project onto the rotating deflector along the deflector's spin axis. The entrance aperture is sealed by a window to prevent air from being drawn into the shield by the action of the rotating optical deflector. The deflected beam exits the shield through a beam exit aperture in the side of the shield which is enclosed by an optical element. Clearances between the shield and the rotating deflector are minimal. The shield reduces temperature gradients in the surrounding air thus reducing optical distortions caused by changes in refractive indices of the deflector and surrounding air.

Abstract: A conical lens mount having a snap-in lens clamp is disclosed. The lens mount has a hollow, truncated generally conical configuration with the lens mounted at the apex of the lens mount. The base portion of the conical lens mount defines a reference plane for use in an optical system. Preferably, the conical lens mount has integrally formed spring members for maintaining the lens mount and its reference plane at a predetermined position in an optical system. The conical lens mount finds particular application in an athermalized optical system.

Abstract: An athermalized optical system and method are disclosed. A thermally compensating portion of the optical system is employed to compensate for mechanical and optical thermal effects in the entire optical system. In the preferred embodiment, the optical system comprises an imaging system having a laser diode light source, a collimating lens, a rotating mirror, a scan lens and a media transport. Temperature compensation of the imaging system is obtained by varying the spacing between the laser diode and the collimating lens to decollimate the laser light beam as a function of the system wide temperature effects.