GB1338915A - Method and apparatus for fhe formation of alpha-numerical characters on light sensitive surfaces - Google Patents

Abstract

1338915 Photographic type composing QUANTOR CORP 30 Dec 1970 [26 Jan 1970] 61873/70 Heading B6W Characters are formed on a light sensitive surface 8 by scanning it with a beam of light which is switched on and off at appropriate times. A light source, e.g. photodiodes 17, 18, 19, Fig. 2 may be provided for each field in which a character can be formed, each source scanning five possible exposure points extending in the Y direction, Fig. 1, the light sensitive surfaces 8 being indexed in the X direction ready for the sources to scan the next five points and so on until after seven scans, each source has formed a character in its own field. Scanning in the Y direction can be effected by a mirror 20 comprising five angled sections, each source 17, 18, 19 being reflected from a particular section, e.g. 20c to a particular point on its own field e.g. position 3, the section being selected by a rotatable apertured plate 22. The light sensitive surface may be moved in the X direction intermittently or continuously in which latter case the mirror sections are angled to offset character slanting. The device may be used for computer print-out on to microfilm, flashing of the light sources and positioning of the apertured plate, the position of which may be sensed by a photocell (82), Fig. 3 (not shown), being controlled by a memory circuit and timing device. In an alternative embodiment, a movable galvonometer mirror (88), Fig. 4 (not shown), may be used for scanning. One hundred and thirty two fields may be aligned in the Y direction to form a line of characters, each character in the line being formed simultaneously by its own light source.