GB1604187A

GB1604187A - Word processing systems

Info

Publication number: GB1604187A
Application number: GB18394/78A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: STATIC SYSTEMS CORP
Current assignee: STATIC SYSTEMS CORP
Priority date: 1977-05-09
Filing date: 1978-05-09
Publication date: 1981-12-02
Also published as: FR2390289B1; IT7823167A0; FR2390289A1; IT1094584B; DE2820070A1; JPS53139435A; CA1101351A; SE7805220L

Description

(54) IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO WORD PROCESSING SYSTEMS (71) We, STATIC SYSTEMS CORP., a corporation organised and existing under the laws of the State of New York, United States of America, residing at 101, Park Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10016, United States of America, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: This invention relates to a word processing system using a liquid crystal display strip in cooperation with a copy machine to produce a finished copy.

More specifically, this invention relates to an electronic typewriter which uses a liquid crystal display strip in cooperation with a copy machine and whereby the liquid crystal strip is scrolled in syncronism with the sweep of the copy machine to produce a pnnted copy.

Word processing machines, that is typewriters having stored memories first became available to the public during the middle 1960's. IBM (Registered Trade Mark) Corporation developed the MTST model having a single or dual tape drive which was capable of receiving programmed information from a typewriter and allowing corrections to be made to the program before the final copy was typed. A number of other manufacturers such as Remington, Redactron, Sabin as well as IBM (Registered Trade Mark) also began producing magnetic card rewriters having single and dual card capability. The type information was stored on one or more magnetic cards and could be recalled by inserting the card into a card reader at any time.Suitable corrections could be made to the text of the card so that the machines removed the necessity of expensive proof reading of the final material once minor corrections were made to the original copy. More sophistocated word processing machines have also been developed using a full page CRT (cathode ray tube) display such as a Vydec apparatus.

This allows a full video display of the typed information before it is transcribed on paper.

There is also a Xerox (Registered Trade Mark) 1200 Model which consists of a binary information fed or serially fed photocopy machine which, however, employs many moving parts, including a charactergenerating drum moving at high speed inside the seleninum reProduction drum.

The character drum works in combination with a photo-optical generator for reproducing the images on the reverse side of the seleninum drum, so that they can be printed after suitable dusting and heat. The images produced by this Xerox' (Registered Trade mark) method are blurred and this differs from the present invention, which does not have any moving parts or any noise since it is entirely electronic in its character generation.

Almost all of the above machines require the use of a mechanical printing device for transcribing the recorded information on to a printed page. Some of the word processing devices use a heavy duty IBM (Registered Trade Mark) selectric typewriter, whereas other use a high speed printer capable of printing approximately 500 words per minute. Newer printers are becoming available using an ink spray deposit method in an attempt to imPrOve the speed of the printout. there a large number of pages have to be reproduced from stored information, the operator of the word processing machine remains idle for long periods of time until the mechanical printing device can complete the transfer of the information from a memory disc or tape to the printed page.

The conventional word processing machines also suffer from the disadvantage that the mechanical printers are subject to breakdown and require frequent repairs or adjustments during a heavy duty operation.

The mechanical pnnting portion of the word processing machines also represents a substantial cost of the word processor, so that the price to purchase some of the conventional word processors run between $10,000 - $18,000. Moreover, the cost of typewriter ribbons for the mechanical processors runs about $200.00 to $500.00 per year, an expense that is eliminated by the present invention.

Accordingly, the present invention provides an electronic keyboard which is electrically coupled to a liquid crystal display (LCD) consisting of a strip of liquid crystal material that is exposed to a standard copy machine such as a dry copier for reproducing alpha-numeric characters. The alphanumeric letters which are typed are displayed on a screen either adjacent to or mounted on the keyboard itself so that suitable corrections and additions can be made to the text before it is finalized. After the text is typed, a print button on the keyboard is depressed and the comPlete text is scrolled line-by-line across the LCD screen and viewed by the optical system of the copier.

The LCD strip may also be coupled to a memory such as a RAM and a microprocessor by a peripheral interface adapter. By strobing each electrode on the dot matrix of the LCD screen, an opaque image is formed on the LCD display. In order to produce a clear image on a zerographic type copy machine where a selenium drum is used to record the image as the drum rotates, the original text either has to be moved or scanned with a moving mirror that is synchronous with the rotation of the drum. As the drum rotates, it must record a different part of the image on each part of its surface.

The original consists of an LCD strip which either has to move with the scanning beam or be held stationary and have its image swept onto the selenium drum. In order to recreate the original copy from the LCD strip, a technique is used called "upshift character line mode". This is basically a modified scrolling of the character line on the LCD screen. On the LCD screen, the top portion of a complete line of alphanumeric characters are produced on the bottom portion of the LCD matrix strip.

In the' next time interval this top portion is shifted one space up and now becomes the bottom of the LCD matrix strip and will contain the adjacent lower part of the character line. As the processor continues, the entire character win be formed and the topmost portion of the character will be shifted off the display in the next time interval. This process is accomplished by the technique of addressing the proper column of dots in the last row, then in the next time interval addressing these same column dots in the next sequential row and adding the lower adjacent part of the character line by addressing the previous row with the proper column dots. This, in effect, shifts the dots up one space and adds to the bottom of the line, the next lower portion of the line.To the copy machine, this creates the illusion of an upward ascending copy in which one is viewing just a line or part of a the line through a narrow slit placed over the copy.

The LCD strip coupled to the copy machine and focused on the selenium drum thus does, in effect, what the original text would do when scanned by a mirror of the unit or moved across the slit of a moving bed type copy machine. The shifting process is made synchronous to the rate of operation of the copy machine or in other words the rate of operation of the rotating selenium drum and that of the moving bed.

Other features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings which disclose the embodiments of the invention.

It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed for the purpose of illustration only and not as a definition of the limits of the invention.

In the drawings, wherein similar reference characters denote similar elements throughout the several views: Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the solid state typewriter coupled to a liquid crystal display strip in cooperation with a copy machine; Figure 2 is a detailed view partly in cross section of the copy machine of Figure 1 with a liquid crystal display mounted thereon; Figure 3 shows the copy machine of Figure 2 in another mode of operation with the moving bed locked; Figure 4 is a system operation diagram detailing the operation of the apparatus; Figure 5 is a system block diagram of an embodiment of the invention Figure 6 is a perspective view of another embodiment of an LCD screen using a single dot matrix; Figures 7a-7g disclose the formation of an alpha-numeric character using the screen of Figure 6.

Referring to Figure 1 there is shown an electronic typewriter 10 having a keyboard with a plurality of keys 12 arranged in a typewriter mode as is well known in the art.

In addition, there is included an erase button and repeat or back-space buttons.

The typewriter also includes a solid state memory circuit for storing the typed alphanumeric display so that when the print button 14 is depressed, the alpha-numeric display 23 on LCD strip 17 will begin to be scrolled line-by-line. When strip 17 is placed on a glass 21 of a photocopy machine 18, the scrolling of the indicia on strip 17 will be reproduced on the selenium drum 26 of machine 18 as shown in Figure 2. The machine typically includes a high intensity lamp 24 for illuminating the indicia formed on strip 17 when it is placed on open glass 21 of the machine. The machine also has a reflective mirror 30 so that the reflected light travelling along beam 25 will be reflected onto the surface of the drum as the drum rotates. Strip 17 is connected by a line 19 to the machine and the machine is connected via line 22 to an electronic typewriter 10.Under normal operation, the onginal text would be placed on a moving bed 20 which moves across glass 21 at the same tangential speed as the surface of drum 26 as shown in Figure 3.

Figure 4 illustrates the system operation of the invention. After the operator types out the letter and then presses the print key, the copy machine is turned on and the LCD screen begins scrolling the alpha-numeric display from the first line to the last line of the typed letter. The image is continuously formed on the selenium drum of the copy machine and at the end of the scrolling, the machine produces the finished page.

Figure 5 is an electrical block diagram showing the operation of the system. icro- processor unit 31 which is fed from typewriter 10 will drive peripheral interface adapter (PIA) 32 which is interconnected to display strip 23 for displaying the alpha-numeric indicia. In the system, block diagram, the input keyboard 12 which could also be a tape or facsimile input feeds into a memory circuit 33 so that the data is stored and spaced in the memory. A microprocessor 31 converts the keyboard indicia from the memory to a dot matrix by comparison with an algorythm 35. The processor then addresses PIA unit 32 via a bussline 40 and the PIA unit strobes LCD display 23 for producing the alpha-numeric indicia.

Figure 6 discloses an LCD strip having only a single dot matrix 26 displayed across its screen. It is obvious that more than one dot matrix row can be provided on the screen if necessary. As shown in Figures 7a-7g, when the letter "T" is formed on single dot matrix 26, the first appearance of the letter is the top bar of the capital "T" formed' by darkening of a group of dot matrixes 126 as shown in Figure 7a. As the photocopy machine scans the single dot matrix, the image of the bar will be projected on the selenium drum or the photosensitive surface from the single dot matrix.

In Figure 7b, the stem of the T is formed by a single dot as the drum scans the single dot matnx. Since the stem of the T is of a finite linear dimension, the single dot will stay darkened on the dot matrix 26 until the entire stem of the letter is scrolled as shown in Figure 7g. At that point, the single dot matrix 26 will then disappear from the screen and the next letter on the next line below the capital T will begin to be produced.

The LCD dot matrix strip preferably has a highly reflective white background in order that the strips produce a high contrast of black on white. The operator of the apparatus will also have control over the timing of the shifting LCD strip. This can be accomplished by a software delay loop or a hardware control knob using a variable Ii . d 1 y potentiometer, for example. The delay tim- ing controls the character length and also the width of the spacing between separate lines. By simply trying a few copies, the operator can adjust his keyboard to the varying scan rate of any copying machine with a fixed mirror. Elimination of segmentation in the horizontal row of the dot matrix can be accomplished by a second layer which is superimposed on the first layer and offset slightly to overlap the adjacent layer.The segmentation problem which occurs in a direction transverse to the scrolling can be taken care by providing a second LCD matrix screen superimposed over the first screen and slightly offset by the width of the segmentation as described in the applicant's earlier application 4367/78 (Serial 0. 1601097).

In a typical dot matrix arrangement on an LCD screen, the dots are approximately 20 mils wide separated by 10 mils of open space. It is obvious that the style of type can be altered electronically so that characters can be reproduced in Roman or Gothic style type for example. Moreover, the size of the letters can be adjusted in size and spaced on the paper. For example, if only a short letter is typed, the size of the alpha-numeric indicia can be doubled or tripled and adjusted to fit the remaining space on the letter.

It is also possible to use a reflective character display that is different that liquid crystals. For example, selective platmg, electrochromic, PTZL and LETI (Silver/ organic electrolyte).

There also exists LCD and electrochromic display devices that can have various colors of opaque characters produced on it by varying the voltage to the particular electrodes or by other means. Variation of voltages are produced by the use of A/D to a converter interface the electrodes and the control unit. Coupling this color imaging unit to a color copy machine can allow the operator to produce a color print.

LCD dot matrix displays are manufactured by Itek Corporation of Sunnyvale, California, and by Liquid Xtal Displays, Inc. of Cleveland, Ohio.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A word processing system for displaying and reproducing alphanumeric characters on a photocopy machine capable of scanning an original document comprising: a housing including an electronic keyboard with keys representing individual alphanumeric characters, said housing including a display for viewing a portion of the information keyed; at least one solid state reflective display strip for reproducing the characters identi- fied on the keyboard; logic means connected to said keyboard and solid state reflective display for scanning said keyboard upon the depression of one or more keys;; solid state memory means for storing coded character information for generating displayed characters on said solid state display strip responsive to the characters keyed and scrolling said characters on said stri synchronously in the same direction and at the same speed as the scanning speed of the photocopy machine.

2. The word processing system as recited in claim 1 wherein said at least one solid state reflective display strip comprises a liquid crystal display.

3. The word processing system as recited in claim 2 wherein said liquid crystal display strip comprises at least one dot matrix row disposed transverse to the scanning direction of the photocopy machine.

4. The word processing system as recited in claim 3 wherein said liquid crystal display strip comprises a multiplex decoder and driver circuit having its input coupled to said screen and its output coupled to said memory means for scrolling the alphanumeric characters on the strip.

5. The word processing system as recited in claim 4 wherein said reflective display strip comprises at least two liquid crystal screens superimposed with respect to each other wherein said screens have an identical dot matrix layout with respect to each other, wherein one of said dot matrix layouts is slightly offset with respect to the other by an amount sufficient to fill in the space between the matrix dots.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. Inc. of Cleveland, Ohio. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A word processing system for displaying and reproducing alphanumeric characters on a photocopy machine capable of scanning an original document comprising: a housing including an electronic keyboard with keys representing individual alphanumeric characters, said housing including a display for viewing a portion of the information keyed; at least one solid state reflective display strip for reproducing the characters identi- fied on the keyboard; logic means connected to said keyboard and solid state reflective display for scanning said keyboard upon the depression of one or more keys;; solid state memory means for storing coded character information for generating displayed characters on said solid state display strip responsive to the characters keyed and scrolling said characters on said stri synchronously in the same direction and at the same speed as the scanning speed of the photocopy machine.