Patent US4116554A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US4116554A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Optical reduction system featuring the provision of borders
Assignee: International Business Machines Corp
•
Filing: 1977-08-17
•
Granted: 1978-09-26
•
Expires: 1997-08-17
Abstract
Abstract The optical system disclosed is incorporated in a copying machine and has provision for changing magnification of original documents of diverse sizes while maintaining a common image plane projection and enabling the use of common reference edges at a selected reference corner for any original document that might be used and also either maintains common reference edges in the image plane or produces borders on the reduced-sized image without deliberately causing the center of the reduced image to coincide with the center of the non-reduced image. The system contemplates the combined movement of the lens element as well as one of a pair of mirrors to insure that the original document surface and the image plane remain in their fixed positions, regardless of the magnification factor chosen. The lens element is movable forwardly and reversely along the optical path as well as transversely with respect thereto.
Inventors
- 👤 Edwin Langford Libby
- 👤 Myrl J. Miller
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 18:03
CPC Classifications
G; G03; G03G; G03G15/00; G03G15/04; G03G15/041
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 7
Claim 1
Independent Claim
318 words
An electrophotographic copying machine for copying documents at various discrete magnification ratios, said documents typically of various rectangular sizes, comprising: a transparent plate mounted on said machine for supporting said documents of various sizes in a stationary document plane, said documents located on said document plane along a common reference edge; flash lamp means for illuminating said document plane, mounted adjacent to said transparent plate; a photoconductive surface mounted in said machine; power means operatively connected to said photoconductive surface for moving said surface in said machine; an optical system including a mirror element and a lens member, mounted in said machine for projecting light received from the illuminated document plane to a stationary image plane on said photoconductive surface; a lens supporting member mounted in said machine for movement, said movement including a component along the optical path defined by the axis of the light directed from said document plane to said photoconductive surface in order to provide different magnification ratios; lens guide means mounted in said machine for supporting said lens supporting member, to provide a guideway for lens movement, said guideway inclined at an angle to said optical path in order to provide lens movement transverse to said path; and drive means operatively connected to said lens supporting member to move said lens supporting member to a first position to produce a first image in an image area sized approximately the same as a first document area, and to move said lens supporting member to a second position to produce a reduced second image, said lens guide means and said drive means cooperating to shift said second image within said image area to produce borders along opposite edges of said second image, said lens guide means and said drive means further cooperating to shift said second image without deliberately causing the center of said second image to coincide with the center of said first image.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
318 words
An electrophotographic copying machine for copying documents at various discrete magnification ratios, said documents typically of various rectangular sizes, comprising: a transparent plate mounted on said machine for supporting said documents of various sizes in a stationary document plane, said documents located on said document plane along a common reference edge; flash lamp means for illuminating said document plane, mounted adjacent to said transparent plate; a photoconductive surface mounted in said machine; power means operatively connected to said photoconductive surface for moving said surface in said machine; an optical system including a mirror element and a lens member, mounted in said machine for projecting light received from the illuminated document plane to a stationary image plane on said photoconductive surface; a lens supporting member mounted in said machine for movement, said movement including a component along the optical path defined by the axis of the light directed from said document plane to said photoconductive surface in order to provide different magnification ratios; lens guide means mounted in said machine for supporting said lens supporting member, to provide a guideway for lens movement, said guideway inclined at an angle to said optical path in order to provide lens movement transverse to said path; and drive means operatively connected to said lens supporting member to move said lens supporting member to a first position to produce a first image in an image area sized approximately the same as a first document area, and to move said lens supporting member to a second position to produce a reduced second image, said lens guide means and said drive means cooperating to shift said second image within said image area to produce borders along opposite edges of said second image, said lens guide means and said drive means further cooperating to shift said second image without deliberately causing the center of said second image to coincide with the center of said first image.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
37 words
The machine of claim 1 wherein said guideways are rails transversely inclined to the optical path in one dimension in order to shift the second image to provide borders along two opposite edges of said second image.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
19 words
The machine of claim 1 including means for maintaining focal sharpness at said image plane at all lens positions.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
37 words
The machine of claim 3 wherein said guideways are rails transversely inclined to the optical path in a vertical dimension in order to shift the second image to provide borders along two sides of said second image.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
310 words
An electrophotographic copying machine for copying documents at various discrete magnification ratios, said documents typically of various rectangular sizes, comprising: a transparent plate mounted on said machine for supporting said documents of various sizes in a stationary document plane, said documents located on said document plane along a common reference edge; illuminating means for illuminating said document plane, mounted adjacent to said transparent plate; a photoconductive surface mounted in said machine; power means operatively connected to said photoconductive surface for moving said surface in said machine; an optical system including a mirror element and a lens member, mounted in said machine for projecting light received from the illuminated document plane to a stationary image plane on said photoconductive surface; a lens supporting member mounted in said machine for movement, said movement including a component along the optical path in order to provide different magnification ratios; lens guide means mounted in said machine for supporting said lens supporting member to provide a guideway for lens movement, said guideway providing a component of lens movement perpendicular to the optical path defined by the axis of the light directed from said document plane to said photoconductive surface; and drive means operatively connected to said lens supporting member to move said lens supporting member to a first position to produce a first image in an image area sized approximately the same as a first document area, and to move said lens supporting member to a second position to produce a reduced second image, said lens guide means and said drive means cooperating to shift said second image within said image area to produce borders along opposite edges of said second image, said lens guide means and said drive means further cooperating to shift said second image without deliberately causing the center of said second image to coincide with the center of said first image.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
310 words
An electrophotographic copying machine for copying documents at various discrete magnification ratios, said documents typically of various rectangular sizes, comprising: a transparent plate mounted on said machine for supporting said documents of various sizes in a stationary document plane, said documents located on said document plane along a common reference edge; illuminating means for illuminating said document plane, mounted adjacent to said transparent plate; a photoconductive surface mounted in said machine; power means operatively connected to said photoconductive surface for moving said surface in said machine; an optical system including a mirror element and a lens member, mounted in said machine for projecting light received from the illuminated document plane to a stationary image plane on said photoconductive surface; a lens supporting member mounted in said machine for movement, said movement including a component along the optical path in order to provide different magnification ratios; lens guide means mounted in said machine for supporting said lens supporting member to provide a guideway for lens movement, said guideway providing a component of lens movement perpendicular to the optical path defined by the axis of the light directed from said document plane to said photoconductive surface; and drive means operatively connected to said lens supporting member to move said lens supporting member to a first position to produce a first image in an image area sized approximately the same as a first document area, and to move said lens supporting member to a second position to produce a reduced second image, said lens guide means and said drive means cooperating to shift said second image within said image area to produce borders along opposite edges of said second image, said lens guide means and said drive means further cooperating to shift said second image without deliberately causing the center of said second image to coincide with the center of said first image.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US2927503A
Cited
US3395610A
Cited
US3437410A
Cited
US3542467A
Cited
US3703334A
Cited
US3614222A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1981-09-25 | 1982-03-27 | 1982-09-26 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1985-09-25 | 1986-03-27 | 1986-09-26 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1989-09-25 | 1990-03-27 | 1990-09-26 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |