Electrostatic printing machine

Claim 1

A reproduction printing apparatus of the type employing a continuously moving endless flexible belt having a photoconductive surface adapted to carry an electrostatic latent image of an original to be copied including, a plurality of support rollers having their axes generally in parallel for supporting and guiding the belt in an endless path of movement, said rollers being arranged to effect at least three substantially flat runs of the belt during movement thereof, charging means mounted in operative relationship with a first of said belt runs for uniformly charging the photoconductive belt during movement thereof, said first run lying in a plane at an incline relative to a horizontal plane, imaging means having means for exposing the photoconductive surface during movement thereof to produce an electrostatic latent image of an original to be copied, said imaging means being effective to produce said latent image at an exposure station positioned at a second of said belt runs, said second run lying in a plane substantially parallel to the vertical, developing means mounted below a third of said runs, said developing means comprising a series of individual cooperative developing members for progressively developing the latent image thereat, said third run lying in a plane upwardly inclined to the horizontal plane, means for feeding support material into contact with the belt at one of said support rollers, and transfer means mounted adjacent said one support roller for effecting the transfer of the developed image to the support material as the same is in contact with the belt, said one support roller being positioned vertically higher than the others of said plurality of support rollers and higher than said exposure station and said second run so that the first and third runs are inclined downwardly relative to the horizontal plane running through the axis of said one support roller, said transfer means including a transfer roller disposed in operative relation with said belt opposite said one support roller, said support material passing between said belt and said transfer roller along a transfer path higher than said belt runs.