Abstract: A pattern erasably written on a black board or a flexible sheet in a meeting is printed to a hard copy through scanning of the pattern by an image sensor which provides an electrical signal relating to the pattern, and printing the pattern on a paper according to said electrical signal. The present print board comprises a housing, a writing sheet or a black board mounted on said housing, an elongated lamp for illuminating an elongated portion of said sheet, an image sensor to provide an electrical signal relating to the pattern on a scanning line on the sheet illuminated by said lamp, means for relatively moving said image sensor to said sheet for full scanning of the pattern, and a printer for providing a hard copy of the pattern with smaller size than said pattern according to said electrical signal from said image sensor.

Abstract: A common controlled facsimile system which has a plurality of simple facsimile terminals commonly controlled by a single control system. Each facsimile terminal has means (21) for converting picture data to electrical signals, and means (22) for reproducing picture images from said electrical signals. The common control system has a disk memory (39) with large capacity. A picture image generated by a first facsimile terminal is first stored in the disk (39) of the common control system, and later, the picture image in the disk memory (39) is transferred to another facsimile terminal. The common control system functions also to convert coded data to a picture image, and to edit or correct a picture image. Further, the common control system functions to convert one facsimile technical standard to another; thus, facsimile communication between different standard terminals is possible.

Abstract: An improved thermal head having a continuous thermal line which is provided with the cells (r.sub.1, r.sub.2, r.sub.3, r.sub.4, et al.) on a substrate has been found. A first set of lead wires (A.sub.1, A.sub.2, et al.), a second set of lead wires (B.sub.1, B.sub.2, et al.), and a plurality of group recognition lines (S.sub.1, S.sub.2, et al.) are provided on the substrate, and those lines are coupled with the cells so that each cell is sandwiched between one of said lead lines and one of said group recognition lines. The first and second lead lines are mounted on the opposite sides of the thermal line from each other, and those lead lines provide printing data through respective transistor switches according to the picture signal to be printed. One of the group recognition lines (S.sub.1, S.sub.2, et al.) supplies the power voltage for energizing the cells, and other group recognition lines are supplied to the clamp voltage which is lower than the power voltage.

Abstract: The present facsimile transmission system is a combination of the prior Skipping White Space (SWS) system which is a digital system capable of rapid transmission, and the prior AM-PM-VSB (Amplitude Modulation, Phase Modulation, Vestigial Side Band Modulation), which is a simple analog system. Each scanning line of a picture is divided into a plurality of blocks each of which has a plurality of picture cells, and only those blocks having a black cell are transmitted as a picture signal. On the other hand the block having no black cell is not transmitted, and instead, the flag information indicating that the block is omitted is transmitted. Also a line synchronization signal is transmitted for each scanning line.

Abstract: A facsimile signal is compressed by skipping the continuous white cells longer than a predetermined length, and the compressed facsimile signal is transmitted in an analog form. When some portion of a facsimile signal is deleted due to the absence of a black cell in said portion, an f-signal indicating the deletion of said portion is inserted at the head of the deleted portion. The amplitude of the f-signal is twice as high as the highest level of a picture signal thus a reception station can differentiate the f-signal from a picture signal. The compressed facsimile signal is modulated to an AM.PM.VSB signal (Amplitude Modulation-Phase Modulation-Vestigial Side Band Modulation), and is transmitted to a communication line. When the reception station recognizes said f-signal, a predetermined number of white cells are inserted automatically on a printing paper at the reception station.