GB1142677A - Photocomposing device - Google Patents

Abstract

1,142,677. Photographic type-composing apparatus. LINOTYPE, G.m.b.H. 11 Nov., 1966 [15 Nov., 1965], No. 50613/66. Heading B6W. In a photocomposing device comprising character transparencies arranged in one or several rows the character image beam required is selected by optical deflecting means moved into, the path of the beam, and a condenser lens is arranged between each character transparency and its associated deflecting means to direct the character image to a second deflecting means and thence to a second condenser lens whose focal point is in the plane of the recording medium. Character patterns 6-9 are mounted exchangeably on a common bar shaped mount and are illuminated by rod shaped light source 1 which projects light through the character patterns to one of the achromatic condenser lenses 11-14. Deflecting prisms 18 associated with lower case letters and identical prisms 30 associated with upper case letters are arranged to be movable into the path of light from a required character pattern by guiding rods 33 and 32 fitted to upper and lower case prisms respectively and moving in bushes 34, 35, fitted to prism carrier 19, the lower guiding rod being connected through a system of levers 36 to actuating solenoid 37. Prisms 18, 30 are movable in pairs comprising one upper and one lower case prism. A given parallel light beam is deflected via prisms 40, 41 to lens 20 which forms an intermediate image 21 at a focal point of lens 22. A parallel light beam leaving lens 22 meets turning mirror 24 movable by device 44 and is focused by objective 25 to form an image 28 in the reproduction plane 27. Lenses 20 and 22 are mounted in discs 45 and 46, which in turn are rotatably mounted on spindles 47 and 48 rotatable by motors 53 and 54. Discs 45 and 46 carry a number of lenses of differing focal lengths such that the size of the character reproduced may be varied. Reproduction plane 27 may be adjusted in relation to lens 25 to form a sharp image. Upper or lower case characters are selectable either by movement of prism 41 to select a single beam from the two leaving a moved deflecting means 18, 30 or by activation of a respective flash light attached either to the upper or lower case row of character patterns. The character carrier may alternatively take the form of a drum turnable about the light source.