US2443953A

US2443953A - Automatic facsimile message scanning system

Info

Publication number: US2443953A
Application number: US484383A
Authority: US
Inventors: Charles N Gillespie
Original assignee: RCA Corp
Current assignee: RCA Corp
Priority date: 1943-04-24
Filing date: 1943-04-24
Publication date: 1948-06-22
Anticipated expiration: 1965-06-22

Description

June 22, 1948. c. N. GILLESPIE 2,443,953

AUTOMATIC FACSIMILE MESSAGE SCANNING SYSTEM Filed April 24, 1943 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TOR. CHARMS N. GILL ESP/E ATTORNEY J1me i948- c. N. GILLESPIE AUTOMATIC FACSIMILE MESSAGE SCANNING SYSTEM Filed April 24, 1943 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. CHARL 8 IV. 6/1. LESP/E A TTORNE'Y 'June 22, 1948. c. N. GILLESPIE AUTOMATIC FACSIMILE MESSAGE SCANNING SYSTEM- Filed April 24, 1943 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. CHARLES /v. G/LLESP/E AT TOR/VEY I June 22, 1948. v c. N. GlLLESPlE AUTOMATIC FACSIMILE MESSAGE SCANNINGiSYSTEM Filed April 24, 1943 s Sheets-Sheet 4 INVIENTOR. CHA/PL ES N. GILLESP/E BY 7%? A TTOR/VE'Y Patented June 22, 1948 AUroMATIorAcsninL MESSAGE SCANNING SYSTEM Charles N. Gillespie, Brooklyn, Y.) assignor to Radio corporation ofgAmerica, a corporation 7 of Delaware Application'Aprilz i, 19 i3. Serial no. 434,383 1 10 Claims.

The present invention relates to facsimile transmitting and receiving equipment, and more particularly to automaticapparatus' for feeding, scanning anddischargingsubject or record sheet in a novel manner. l I

The term sheets is used" to design'ateeither message sheets provided With subject matter for transmission, or recording blanks" of any kind. The term scanner will be'used to' designate" a device for generating intelligence signals 'or a similar or different device provided with suitable instrumentalities for marking-asurf'a'ce' in accord ance with received signals,

In facsimile scanners of the prior" art arranged to scan a series of'subjects for-transmission or reception, it is necessary to employ a continuous web having the different messages inscribed thereon for transmission", or a strip or" web, of recording paper or him; these Webs'bein'g fed; con tinuousl over the active portion of the scanner at a constant 'rate of speed; or in s'oin'e' instances at a speed which ishi'gher than'at'scanningspeed between the pieces of scanned subject matter whether the scanning operation is performed'i'fbr the purpose of transmitting or recording picture signals." Automatic operation ofscanners'adapted to receive and scan discrete ieces" of. subject matter; such as message sheets" or separated recording blanks; has been possible" only by securing the separate sheets or blanks" iii some manner to a web orbelt whicnismovedfintiermittently or" continuously; Where the message sheets orblan'ks move with theb'elt through the scanning zone, it is'nec'e'ssary todeta'chf the'ni'ih dividuallyfrom the belt after the: completionfof a scanning operation. Where the sheets or blanks are receive'd from" a" web. orfbe1t"aiid' held by a movable or" stationary part of the" scanner during'scanning, it is'also necessary. to remove the sheets or blanks by performing a separate operation;.

Moreovernin prior art attempts tosavetransmission time of the: recordin channelr whichis used, for facsimile communication, it hasbeen necessary to change-the speed .of-awmovable element' of the scanner or to interrupt the scanning operation atra= time depending on :thera're'a l of ithe sheet to -be: scanned: for-transmission.v If the recording:scannerrworkingdn aconjun'ctiomwith a transmitter employs separate blanks'ythe recording-zoneration.iatfjthezreceiver must b terr'upted concurrentlymith the interniptioh :oitl f scanning-loperationnatitheotransniitteri 'rheseprier art rearrangements-I reviewedi bri'e fly above req uir 'e (c1. vs-cm complicated electrical or mechanical control and timing systems. H;

Feeding and scanning separate sheets'in a novel manner, which eliminates the necessity for Webs and belts serving as holders or conveyors and, also, eliminates the necessity for control and timing systems, is an important object of the present invention.

In accordance with the present invention it is unnecessary to use message sheets or record blanks having anything on or in the blanks to control operation of the scanner. The sheets may be of the size desirable for business or other reasons, but the area presented to the scanner is controlled in a novel manner. The manner of obtaining this control is also an important object of the invention.

In accordance with the invention the subject or record sheets are fed to the scanner in an overlapped manner, the degree of overlap being predetermined for a seriesofsheets or from sheet to sheet, if desired, by employing suitable signals from the transmitter. Where the recorder in a facsimile sistem" is to beoperated in a like manner, a simple auxiliary signal may be sent from the transmitter to the receiver to indicate the amount of overlap which is to be obtained in the recorder. Subject and record sheets may be of different sizes ifdesired, the novel sheet ieeding arrangement for the accompanying scanner being set to compensate for the difference in size of sheet employedat'thetransmitter and recorder.

Also in accordance with the invention, a continuous flow of overlapped subject or record sheets is maintained which forms in effect a moving'curtain"which maybe employed to cover the activeportion-of the scanner. When so employed, light is 'kept out of the scanner, which permitstheexpo's'ed' portion of the scanner to be made of glassor any cthertransparent substance without interference with the scanning process by external light. In are'cording scanner the continuousfio'w of blanks may serve as ameans for'excluding external light'so that photographic recording-methods may be employed ifthe' blanks are sufificiently opaque.

A' iurther object ofthe invention is to provide a novel sheet-feeding arrangement, the operation of which may be correlatedwith respect to the operation of anassociated facsimile scanner.

Still another object-ofthe invention is to pro vide a novel method of'handling message sheets and recording blanks so as to provide a fast and efictive record communication serviceavailable to patrons ofthe service.

Otherand more specific objects of the invention will become apparent and suggest themselves to those skilled in the art to which the invention is directed upon reading the following specification and claims in connection with the drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a scanner equipped" with. an automatic sheet feeding arrangement in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view of a detail of the machine of Fig. 1;:

Fig. 3' is a sectional elevation taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1;: I

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a modification of Fig. I i

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic showing of a portion of a further modification. of the machine of Fig.

1 illustrating essential features ofa timed sheet feeding arrangement; j

Fig. 6 is a continuation of Fig. 5 and is a diagrammatic. showing. of the scanning portion of the machine;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary sectional elevation takenon line 1-4 ofFig. 6;

Fig. 8 shows message sheets of this invention and the manner of supplying them to the scanner;

Fig. 9 shows message sheets having subject matter occupying substantially the entire message bearing area of the sheet;

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary perspective view of a modification of this machine of Figs. '1 and 6 and Fig. 11 is a fragmentary sectional elevation taken on line of Fig. 10.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings, reference character is applied to the housing of the facsimile machine, including a scanner shown as atransmitting scanner, but which may be operated as a recorder with certain changes in its mechanism, as is well known in the prior art. The scanner H is shown by way of example as being a radial optical type in which a central shaft l4 supports and drives a pair of oppositely disposed optical system tubes l6 and ll, which cooperate alternately with either a slot or transparent portion I6 of a sheet supporting element 2|. In the illustrative embodiment, the sheet supporting element 2| is in the form of a curved top for the housing iii. If desired, the entire sheet supporting element 2| may be of transparent material such as glass or a transparent plastic. Sheet supporting element 2|, the surface upon which the sheets are toslide, is smooth and preferably polished. Photographic recording may be obtained by substituting a source of message signal modulated light beam influencing alight sensitive film, or electro-chemical recording may be obtained in accordance with any one of the well known systems of the wet or dry recording type by mounting a stylus or several styluses upon the shaft M. A scanner of the general type shown by Fig. 1 is disclosed in Patent No. 1,792,264, issued February 10, 1931, to E. F. W. Alexanderson. The output connection to the scanner H is indicated at 22 and it may be connected to any suitable communication channel, such as the illustrated radio transmitter 23 by way of an amplifier and some form of codv ing and keying equipment 24 which maybe, for

26 which may have a scanner similar to the scanner modified as suggested by employing recording styluses or light modulation in the case of photographic recording. The general recorder 26 may, if desired, be in other respects similar to that shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings including the record sheet feeding arrangement or it may be of any other desired type. While a radio communication link is indicated between the transmitter 23 and the receiver 25, it will be understood any type of communication channel such as a land line between a local message col- -lecting' point and a central office may be em propelled overthe surface 2| by an endless belt 28, the linear speed of which is correlated with the speed of rotation of the scanner H in the usual manner so that light from the tubes I6 and I! of the optical systems traverses the sheet in closely spaced lines.

A suggested means of obtaining the correlated operation of the belt 28 with the shaft l4 may comprise a motor 3| of either the synchronous or speed controlled type, which drives the shaft I4 through a gear and pinion combination 33. The motor 3| also drives a shaft 36, which is supported in suitable bearings 37 housed in brackets 38 secured to the side 21 of the casing I53. Pulley shafts 4| and 42 are driven by worm and

worm wheel combinations

44 and 46 respectively. The shafts 4| and 42 may be rotatably carried by bearings housed in bearing brackets 49 and 5|. It will be understood that these brackets 49 and 5| are duplicated on the side of the machine opposite the side 21. A pulley 52 is mounted on the shaft 4|, and a corresponding pulley 53 is mounted on the shaft 42. Similar pulleys 54 and 55 (Fig. 2) are provided adjacent to the opposite edge of the belt 28 and are supported and driven by

shafts

56 and 51 corresponding to the shafts 4| and 42.

Fig. 2 of the drawings shows the arrangement for supporting and driving the pulleys between the end pulleys 52 and 54 and. the end pulleys 53 and 55. Transverse members 58 are secured at each end 59 to the side walls of the casing ID. A supporting arm 6| extends longitudinally of the casing H) and provides a bearing support for the shaft 4|. A similar supporting arm 62 provides a bearing support for a shaft 63 upon which is secured a pulley 64. The shaft 56 for the pulley 54 is journalled in a third shaft supporting arm 61. The supporting arms are duplicated to provide bearing supports for the shafts 42, 51 and a shaft68 for a pulley 69. The-shaft 63, displaced radially from the shafts 4| and 56, is connected to these shafts through universal joint connections 69 and H and intermediate drive shafts I2 and 13. It will be noted that the universal joint connections 69 as well as the connections H are angularly displaced with respect to each other so that the shafts turn with substantially uniform angular velocity. The pulley 69, displaced radially from the shafts 42 and 51 in a manner similar to the displacement of the pulley 64, prevents lateral shifting of the belt 28 and also maintains it in close contact with surface 2| of the housing l0.

Message sheets or recording blanks assembled in a pile are placed in a box 82, which is rectangular in outline and of dimensions suitable to prevent material displacement of the sheets in.

through slots .86 in the bottom of the box 82. I

The peripheral surfaces of the rollers are provi dediwithsuitable friction material. The rollers B'Lmay be, and are preferably carried by .u-ni- .versal joint connected sh'afts or a fiexibleshaft iournalled in a support (not shown) movable withrespect to the bottom of the box sothat the amount which the rollers project through the slots 86 may be adjusted. .Three of the rollers 18? are shown. illustratively, but it will be understood that .thisnumber may be varied withinsthe scopeof the invention.

. "'Ihebox B2 may,if desired, comprise four upstanding walls, the bottom being formed by the surface L2l...or .an'extension thereof, or it may be a separate detachable receptacle which may be preloaded withsheets, A pluralityof boxes may beprovi'dedfor preloading.

A weight 88 is shown as resting on the pile of sheets .to keep the bottom sheet of the pile in frictional engagement with the rollers 84. .As a matter of convenience, the weight 88 may be; pivotally connected to links 9|, which are in-turn pivotedto a hand lever 92 which is swingably mountedon a wall of the box 82.

.The .drivingconnections i, which imparts movement in unison to all of the rollers 84, for example, in the same manner as the pulleys52, 64,.and '54, are driven, is connected as shownby way of example in Fig. l to a Worm and worm wh'eel combination .96. As a possible alternative the shaft 94 may be'connected through a suitable speed-reducing gearing to the scanner drive shaft In operation of the machine of Figs, 1 to-3 as a transmitter, for example, a plurality of previously inscribed stacked message sheets are placed in the box 82 andwhen the machine is set in operation the bottom sheet will be projected through. the slot 83" until it is gripped between the belt 28 and the top 2t of the casing f0. After the first sheet has been withdrawn sulliciently to permit the rollers 84 to contact the next sheet, the next sheet in turn willbe projected between thetop 2f of thecasinglll and thebelt2'8. The sheets can be fed to the belt in overlapped relationship so that the portion of the following sheet, which is inscribed with a message, will cover up printed headings of the preceding. sheet, thus preventing timebeing wasted by scanning the heading. The amount of overlap is controlled in the machine of Fig. 1 by the position of the rollers 84 with respect to the .slot 813' and the adjacent bight of the belts-28.

'The motor 3'! as shown is provided with a speed 'control 98 so that the speed of scanning may be increased if desired. An arrangement which is possible, inasmuch asth'e drive .for'the belt-'28, the drive for the shaft l4 and the rollers 8 are all correlated. The suggestedspeed con trol for the motor 31 is useful only where-synchronism of the transmitter and recorder is maintained iii-some other manner than the frequency or. the main motor supply. For examp1e, a-.small A. C; -generator may be mounted on theshait .36 at the transmitter to generate synchronizing voltages.

Thesheets are ejected in succession from the end of the machine after theyhave been completely scanned without any need for special handling or conveying devices.

Operation of the machine has a recorder proceeds in the manner already described, except that the sheets placed in the box-82 are message blanks of somesuitable type which will be operated upon by Styluses, or other marking devices, carried by the shaft 14. These blanks may also be provided with printed headings corresponding with the headings on the messagesheets at the transmitter. If the headings on both the message sheets at the transmitter and the message blanks at the recorder are of the same extent, the rollers 84 in the transmitter and recorder will be located in the same relative position with respect to the slot 83 andthe active bight ofthebeltzt.

As pointed out above, if opaque blanks are used having a light sensitive surface, these blanks may be assembled in a pile in a closed box 82 and fed over the surface 2i of the housing Hl with their ends overlapped which will exclude light from the interior of the housing Iilso that the blanks will be exposed only to intelligence modulated light emitted from a scanner carried by the shaft 14. With this arrangement it will be necessary to process the blanks and this may beaccomplished by providing an extension of the machine casing top 2! having a suitable cover under which the blanks may be carried by an arrangement similar to the rollers 84. Photographic processing may be carried out under this cover or the blanks may be passed from under the cover to .a light tight processing box.

.If the blanks are of a type which must be conditioned in some manner, as by moistening before therecordingstep is performed, this is preferably done after the blanks emerge from the slot 83 and before they are seized' by the belt 28. The reason for this procedure being that the blanks may be. more easily handled ii -they are substantially moisture free or contain the normal amount of moisture present in all paper products under more or less normal atmospheric conditions.

Fig. 4 of the drawings shows a modification of themachine of Fig. l in which the messagesheets or blanks lie fiat in-a box or receptacle I02, which corresponds to the box '82 shown in Fig. 1. The scanning equipment (not shown) may be housed in the. casing lfitof the machine which is provided with av curved top I96 similar to'the'top "2| of the casing Ill. Scanning is accomplished by passing message blanks or record sheetsover a slot H31. in the top I06. The sheetsarewpropelled by a roller l08-and rollers Hi9 and ltD. These rollers. are driven by mechanism (not shown) which may, for example, be similar to thedrive for the pulleys of Fig. l atequal peripheral speeds at the point of contact with the'sheets'or blanks.

The sheetscr blanks, piled inthe box PM, are projected one at a time through aslot H2 by means of rollers 1 M which project upwardly through slots 14 6 inthe-bottom of the box-H12 A hood member 44.8 serves to curve each sheet tolie-closel-y to the top wit-of the casing so that itv attains. the proper curved configuratiolras it passes over the scanning. slot 1! 01. Aseri'es of rollers l.-I9,.twoinnumber in the-illustrative example of. Figs 4, .may be, and preferably. are, drivenalong with the roller i013 and tlie' rol lers I09 and H so that their peripheral speed atthe point of contact with a sheet or blank is the same.

As the sheets are projected one at a time from the box I02 they are received and guided by the rollers H9 and passed under the hood H8. The sheet or blank is then passed over the scanning slot I01 and into a receptacle I22.

Figs. 5 to 7 of the drawings show a modification of the invention in which a different type of feed device is used for introducing sheets one at a time to the scanner. An arrangement, byway of example, is also disclosed whereby the degree of overlap may be adjusted at will. The general organization of the illustrative example is somewhat the same as that shown in Figs. 1 and 4 of the drawings for'the sake of ease of illustration and description. However, it will be understood that equipment embodying the invention may be made in numerous forms, for example, the scanner may be of the flat bed type with a light tube or stylus traversing the sheet from side to side, or with a scanner of the helical type cooperating with the sheet.

The scanner equipment shown schematically on Fig. 6 of the drawings is indicated generally by reference character I26 and comprises optical scanning tubes I28 cooperating with a slot I3I in the cover I32 of the scanner. A plurality of belts I33, I34, I35 and I36 passing over forward pulleys I31 and rear pulleys I33, which pulleys may be supported and driven in the manner described in connection with Fig. 1 of the drawings, serves to propel message sheets or blanks over the curved top I32. A fifth belt, corresponding to the belt I33, located on the opposite side of top I32, is not visible on Fig. 6. The belt I35 is in the middle of the top I32. W'hile five belts have been indicated, a single belt suchas the belt 28 of Fig. 1 may be provided, however, such an arrangement is not preferred. A suflicient number of belts preferably is provided, as shown in Fig. 10 and 11 briefly described hereinafter, so

that the top I32 is substantiall completely covered. The effectiveness of the sheet propelling belts may be enhanced by providing an additional belt'I 40 which contacts the underside of a message sheet or blank through a slot provided for this purpose in the top I32. A plurality of belts I48 may be provided. The belts I33 to I36 and the belt or belts I40, if they are employed, may be driven in the manner shown by way of example in Fig. 1 of the drawings, or by flexible shafts except that the pulleys will be axially aligned.

The sheet feeding arrangement, schematically shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings, comprises a box or basket I43 for holding a pile of message sheets or recording blanks, depending on whether the machine is to be used as a transmitter or a recorder. An opening I44 extending laterally of the box I43 near its end adjacent the scanner I26 provides for withdrawal of the blanks one at a time from the box by a vacuum operated pick-up bar I46 which may be constructed of a hollow rectangular bar with a perforated top I41 as shown. A flexible conduit I48 connects the interior of the device I46 with a vacuum pump I48 oran air exhausted reservoir by way of a valve I56, the

function of which will be later described.

The bar I46 is arranged to move downwardly as shown by the dotted arrow I5I- and forwardly as shown by the dotted arrow I52, which movements may, for example, be accomplished by the system of levers and cams shown on the drawings. The bar I46 is mounted on the end of an arm I53 which normally pivots around a fixed axis I54 and is held in the position shown by a tension spring I55. The arm I53 is free to move horizontally against the retractile force of the spring I55 by meansof a slot I56. A lever I5! is hinged to the arm I53 and also to a lever I58 by pivot pins I6I and I62 and isfree to rotate about these pins in the plane of the drawing. The lever I58 is swingably journaled on a fixed axis I64. A series of cams I66, I67 and I68 are mounted on the same shaft or are made to move in correct angular relationship by an equivalent means. The angular relationships or phase positions of these cams are shown by Fig. 5. Cam I66 moves the lever I58 downwardly as shown on the drawing by a cam follower I'II against the retractile force of a tension spring I12, one end of which is fixed and the other end f which is connected to the end of the bar I56, thus moving the vacuum bar I46 downwardly by the desired amount indicated by the dotted arrow I5I referred to above. While the lever I58 is held in its dotted line position by the cam I66, the cam I61 operates the arm I51 through the agency of a reciprocal follower I'I3 to the right as shown on the drawing, thus moving the bar 153 and the vacuum bar I46 to the left against the retractile force of the spring I55. The dotted arrow I52 indicates substantially the direction and amount of this movement. When the'cam I61 has operated the vacuum bar I46 to the limit of its horizontal movement, the cam I68 closes the valve I50 and opens a passage I74 communicating with the atmosphere, allowing air to fill the flexible conduit I48 between the vacuum bar I46 and the valve I50, thus releasing a message blank or sheet previously picked up by the vacuum bar in a manner to be described in connection with a description of the operation of the equipment. Following release of the message blank or sheet, the cam I61 permits the vacuum bar I46 to be moved to the right by the tension spring I55. After completion of this motion, the cam I66 permits bar I46 to be moved upwardly by spring I12. Then the cam I68 again places the conduit I48 in communication with the vacuum pum I49, and the vacuum bar I46 is then ready to execute another sheet extracting cycle.

A message sheet released by the vacuum bar I46 is seized between a pair of rollers I11 and I18 (Figs. 5 and 6). Movement of the free end of the sheet or blank between the rollers Ill and I78 is facilitated by a pair of curved guide plates I 8| and I82 which converge so as to provide a narrow opening adjacent the line of contact of the rollers Ill and I18. Contacting belts I83 and I84 pass over the rollers I11 and I18 respectively and also over pulleys I86 and I88. The point of emergence of an advancing sheet from between the belts I83 and I84 coincides with the top I32 of the scanner I26. The line of contact between the rollers IT! and I82 and the line of contact between the belts I83 and I84 at the pulleys I 86 and I68 preferably lie in the plane of the bottom run of the belt I35 between pulleys I31 and I38. The belt I35 is located substantially in the center of the scanner top. The advancingend of the message blank curves by its own weight so that it will be received between the top I32 of the scanner and the belts I33 to I36. Curved sheet guides I 9| and I82 insure this curvature of the end of advancing sheet. Another guide I93, which is substantially a continuation of the top I32, is mounted beneath the guides I9I and I 92. The advancing sheet passes between the guides I9I and I92, and the guide I93.

Two successive message blanks or sheets I94 and I99. are shown in Fig. as havingbeen fed to the sheet receiving rollers I TI and I18. Figs. 8 and 9 of the drawings also illustrate therelative position of two successive sheets in the relative position in which they pass through the scanner and will be referred to more in detail hereinafter in connection with the description of the operation :of the automatic message feed and scanner. The amount of overlap of successive sheets in the illustrativeembo-diment of Fig. 5 of the drawings will depend upon how rapidly the vacuum bar I46 is moved, or how soon the next blankin a series of blanks is fed tothe rollers I11 and I18. The sooner the next succeeding blank, is presented, the greater the overlap. The amount of overlap may be controlled by varying thespeed of the shaft or other drive means for the cams I66,

I61. and I68. Fig. 5 of the drawings. indicates illustratively a drive means I96'to be described for accomplishing this purpose.

A motor I98, preferably of, the synchronous or speedcontrolled type, which may also drive the scanner I26, by any well known power transmission means (not shown), imparts driving power through asuitable gear and. pinion combination. 201 to the speed control mechanism I96. The,

motor I98, as .shownon. Fig. 6 of. the drawings,

may. conveniently operatethe nollers I11 and I18 through gearing I99. Where the scanner I26 is also driven from the motor I98, as. suggested above, theseriesof belts I33 to I36 and. thebelt or belts l 40 will also derive power from the motor I98. The common drive arrangement suggested will provide the operation for the sheet. feeding means and scanner in synchronism. However, it will be understood that separate driving motors may be used for the speed control mechanism I96, the feed rollers I11 and I16 and-the scanner I26, synchronism being maintained by any known means;

The motor I 98 is preferably of the synchronous or'speed control type so that the scannenif itis driven from this motor, as suggested above, will.

operate in synchronization with the scanner at the transmitter. If the variable speed motor is employed, any of the synchronizing methods which are now well known in the art may-be employed to insure synchronous operation of they scanner I26 with the distant scanner. If'the arrangementsabove (Figs. 5 and6) are employed asa recorder, the distant scanner will then normally be the source of synchronizing signals or impulses.

The speed control mechanism I96'comprises; a friction cone 202 mounted on a shaft 203 driven bythe gearing- 201. A second cone 205 cooperating with the friction cone 202 through a friction ro1ler208 is mounted on a shaft 209. As indicateddiagrammaticallyon Fig. 5 of the drawings the shaft 209 supports and'drives the cam group comprising the cams I66 to I68. It will be understood; however, that these cams may be mounted on separate shafts, if desired, interconnected by a suitable gearing and that any suitable speed regulating device may be substituted for the friction cone arrangement shown by way of example. The friction roller 208 is slidably mounted on a rod 2| 2' and is moved for speed control purposes'by a forked arm 2I'6, the end of whichis in threaded engagement with a screw shaft 2| 1. The .latter. isxprovidedwith a hand crank-2l 8 so that 'the'axialposition of the friction 10 roller 208 may beadjusted' thereby regulating the speed of rotation of the. cams.

Operationof the. equipment shown. in Figs. 5 and Gas a message transmitter will now be described- However, itis to be understood that this equipment may be operated as a recorder in the manner pointedout' above in connection with Figs. l,.2and3"of"the drawings. Themessage sheets,

. which have been prepared for transmission by not be wasted by scanning this. headingat the. transmitter. and an equivalent. area of theblank having each patron of" the message communication service inscribe azmessagethereon, or by the typing of a message by an attendant or operator are arranged'in a pile in the box I431 as. shown with thetop ofea'chsheet. adjacent theedge of theb'ox mostremote from the scanner I26.

Referring to Figs; 8Jandj9 of the drawings,.two successive. message sheets I94 and" I95,fbearing short messages,.are.shown inthe relative position that they. occup with respectto each other. as they pass throughthe, scanner I26.. .Fig. 9shows two successive message sheets 224 and225 bearing messages of maximum length .in their relative positions occupied in passing through thescanner I26.. These long,messages in generalwill. be press matter or. other dispatches which may. be conveniently typed or. inscribed on a. series of messagesheets. The. message sheets of Figs. 8 and 9 wilhhavea. portion of their. surface area devoted to printedheadings indicated bythe reference character 22flj and"as.shown in Fig. 8 this heading,,willin normal operation of. the scanner, be covered. by the. next successive blank to be scanned so that communication channel time will in. the. recorder. Message-sheets adapted to co.- operate with a, message feed device embodying the inventiommay, ifd'esired,,be provided with a dotted. line 2291. A. printed; suggestion. that a. patron of-the. service write the message below this line, if the message to be transmitted is short, for example, within the... ten word. limit. set by the cost. of the service, may appear. on .thesheet.

in a coloredink or dye to' which the. opticalor other scanner of the transmitteris relatively insensitive. By employing, message sheets just described as forming. a part of this invention, several advantages accrue which have beenpointed out, and others will appear asthe descriptionof the operation of the invention proceeds.

The message sheets are. removed one at a time from the box I43 in the. manner fully. explained above, by the timed operation of the vacuum bar I46.. Each message sheet after it has been introducedbetweenthe rollers I11 and [.18 is drawn.

forwardl whilev it remains fiat for a. short distance of travel. The trailing edge of the message sheet hangs down. on the guide I 82. where. it is clear of the vacuum. pick upbar I46. which will.

lay the leading edge of the next message sheet on top of it by. an amount depending on the desired overlap. The. desired. degree of. overlap will, as pointed out above, be obtained by adjusting the speedof rotation of the shaft 20 by turn.- ing. the hand crank, 2I81 The degree. of. overlap to be obtained will be determined as pointed out above by the length of the message inscribed on each. sheet in the practice. usualwitnrecordcommunication. services for hire,.. numerous messages will be of. standard? short lengthbecause of the wordnumber limitation. set-by the priceof. the servicaor the area. of. the blankto be scanned for transmission for a given fee. Therefore, these 11' short messages may readily be sorted or placed as they are inscribed in a box I43, since they will be in the majority. With a'box I43 containing these short messages in position on the machine, the machine will be operated with an appropriate setting of the hand crank 2 I 8. Positioning of a message on a message sheet so that complete scanning of the message subject matter will be obtained is facilitated by the mark or line 229 described above. The full length messages, such as are indicated on message sheets 223 and 225 of Fig. 9, may also readily be sorted out and placed in a box I43 of another machine or a box which may replace a box already in use, or may be piled together and placed on top of the pile of short messages with an indicating sheet of distinctive color between the piles. When the indicating sheet is drawn from the pile, it will be an indication to the operator that the setting of the hand crank must be changed. Moreover, the color and/or matter printed on the indicating sheet may be used to apprise the operator of the speed setting of the speed regulating device I96 to be used.

As a blank progresses between the rollers Ill and I18 it is supported in the middle by the belts I83 and I84. As soon as the trailing edge of the blank leaves the-rollers I11 and I18 the outer edges will fall, thus bending the blank approximately to the shape of a half cylinder as indicated at reference character 23I in Fig. '7 of the drawings. When this occurs, the leading edge of the sheet, for example the sheet I95 shown in Fig. of the drawings, will engage the guide IQI. The guide I93 which is substantially a continuation of the top I32 is mounted beneath the previously mentioned guide I9I. The sheet I95 will then be pressed to the curved surface of the scanner I32 and pushed under the roller-belt combination I33, I36 and I38. Belts I83 and I84 are approximately the same size as belts I33, I35 and I36, and the plane between the touching runs of the belts I83 and, I 84 should approximately coincide with the plane between the touching surface of the centrally located belt I35 and the top of the scanner I39.

Once a sheet, for example a sheet I95, is engaged by belts I33 to I33 it moves over the scanning slot I3I in the manner described above in connection with Fig. 1 of the drawings.

After the sheets have passed over the scanning slot I3I they may bedeposited one at a time in any suitable box or receptacle such as the receptacle I22 shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings, or if the machine of Figs. 5, 6 and '7 is being operated as a recorder the recorded sheets may be deposited in or on any suitable conveyor system for distribution to a delivery point or points.

Two similar machines embodying features disclosed by Figs. 5, 6 and '7 of the drawings may operate together as a transmitter and recorder over a suitable radio or other communication channel. Where this is done the subject matter sheets at the transmitter may differ in size from the message blanks used at the machine operating as a recorder. The sheet feeding speed controls on the transmitter and/or recorder may be used to compensate for this difference in size. The sheets used for either purpose, therefore, may be of any given height as measured from top to bottom and any desired portion of this height may be devoted to a printed heading or a characteristic marking used to designate the character of the sheet and its intended use. An auxiliary signal may be sent from the transmitter to the recorder in any suitable manner to indicate to the operator at the recorder the degree of overlap which is to be obtained by varying the speed of operation of the sheet feeder.

Inasmuch as successive sheets fed to the scanner are placed on the scanner in a definite angularposition with respect to a selectable angular position of the scanning head I28, no special problem will be presented in deriving and/or transmitting framing or phasing signals and no marks for thispurpose need appear either on the message sheet or the message blank. Where the motor driving the scanning head at the transmitter is maintained in synchronism and phase relationship with the motor driving the scanner at the recorder no frequently repeated phasing signal will be required.

Referring to the previously mentioned modifications shown on Figs. 10 and 11 of the drawings, a support 231 is shown which corresponds to the support 58 in Fig. 1 of the drawings. A plurality of bearing brackets 232 is secured to the support 23! to provide bearing supports for the pulley shafts 233 of pulleys 2316. These pulleys may be made of solid rubber and are preferably cylindrical. The individual shafts 233 are interconnected by universal joints located between the pulleys and a driving connection shown as a shaft 23'! projects from the end-most pulley 236 and may be driven in the same manner, for example, as the shaft ll shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. The pulleys 239 support and drive a plurality of belts 239 which substantially cover the top 25! of the scanner housing.

The natureof the invention will be determined from the foregoing and the scope thereof is defined in the appended claims.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to have protected by Letters Patent is: i

1. Facsimile apparatus comprising a sheet support element, means to move sheets along said element, a scanning element cooperatively positioned relative to the support to scan a sheet supported thereon, and means for feeding a series of independent sheets in sequence and in overlapped relationship upon the support element to be moved by said first named means for scanning. v

2. Facsimile apparatus comprising a record support element, a scanning element cooperatively positioned relative to the support to scan a record sheet supported thereon, means for feeding a series of independent record sheets in sequence and in overlapped relationship upon the support element for scanning, and means to vary the degree of overlap of said sheets.

3. In a facsimile system, a transmitter having scanning means for developing signals in accordance with subject matter to be transmitted, a recorder having a scanner capable of marking a recording medium in accordance with signals received from said transmitting scanner, means correlated with said transmitting scanner for feeding entirely separate pieces of subject matter thereto in overlapped relationship, said transmitting scanner having means to maintain the overlapped relationship of said separate pieces of subject matter and means for feeding a recording medium to said recording scanner.

4. In a facsimile machine, a scanner, means for providing operating power for said scanner, means to feed separate sheets successively to said scanner, and means for causing said sheet feeding means to feed each sheet of a series of successive sheets in a manner to cause a sheet fed successively to overlap a sheet previously fed to said scanner, the overlapped portion being maintained out of cooperative relationship with said scanner.

5. In a facsimile machine, a scanning device, mechanism for placing entirely separate sheets into scanning relationship with said scanning device comprising, means to retain said sheets in readiness to be scanned, means to remove said sheets one at a time in succession from said sheet retaining means, means to brin a sheet removed from said sheet retaining means into scanning relationship with said scanning device, and means to provide for overlapping successive sheets as they come into scanning relationship with said scanning device.

6. A facsimile machine comprising a scanner having stationary supporting means for a sheet, means to traverse a sheet alon closely spaced scanning lines of an image area to be scanned, means to impart movement to a sheet in said scanner to produce spacing of said scanning lines traced on the image area, sheet feeding means for introducing sheets successively, one at a time, to said movement imparting means, and means for correlating the speed of operation of said sheet traversing means and said movement imparting means.

7. A facsimile machine comprising a scanner having means to traverse a sheet along closely spaced scanning lines, means to impart movement to a sheet in said scanner to produce spacing of said scanning lines, sheet feedin means for introducing sheets successively, one at a time, to said movement imparting means, means for correlating the speed of operation of said sheet traversing means and said movement imparting means, and means for drivin said sheet feeding means at any one of a plurality of different sheet introducing speeds with respect to the speed of said movement imparting means.

8. A facsimile machine comprising a scanner having a portion presenting a curved stationary surface over which a sheet is to move during a scanning operation, sheet propelling means comprising a moving web positioned so that a sheet to be scanned is received between said web and said stationary curved surface, means for feeding sheets, one at a time, successively to said web comprising a pair of moving webs positioned to receive a sheet between them, and guide means for curving a sheet carried by said pair of moving webs to conform to the curvature of said stationary surface.

9. In a facsimile system, a transmitter having a scanner, means for feeding sh'eets one at a time in succession and in overlapped relationship to said scanner, a recorder having a scanner, means for feeding sheets one at a time in succession and in overlapped relationship to said recording scanner, means at said transmitter for causing operation of said associated sheet feeding means at a predetermined speed, and means at said recording scanner for causing operation of its associated sheet feeding means at a speed of operation different from that of the sheet feeding means associated with said transmitter scanner, whereby sheets fed to said recording scanner to receive a facsimile record of matter appearing on the sheets scanned at the transmitter may differ in size and degree of overlap from the sheets fed to said transmitting scanner.

l0. Facsimile apparatus comprising means to support a plurality of message sheets, a scanning element cooperatively positioned relative to said supporting means to scan one of said message sheets supported thereon, each message sheet comprising a portion having a fixed indicia appearing thereon, the remaining portion of said sheet being available for cooperation with said scanning element, a mark in a predetermined position on said subject matter receiving portion to one side of which a short piece of subject matter is to be inscribed, and means for feeding a series of said discrete and individual message sheets in sequence and in overlapped relationship to said supporting means for a scanning operation upon said available portion of each.

CHARLES N. GIILESPIE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,352,308 Murray Sept. '7, 1920 1,564,932 Brown Dec. 8, 1925 2,183,559 Green Dec. 19, 1939 2,202,359 Fauschek May 28, 1940 2,234,263 Lake et a1 Mar. 11, 1941 2,255,868 Wise et a1. Sept, 16, 1941 2,314,027 Young Mar. 16, 1943 2,333,272 Ridings et al Nov. 2, 1943 2,274,737 Potts Mar. 3, 1942