GB1397851A - High speed copy machine - Google Patents

Abstract

1397851 Electro-photography APECO CORP 28 March 1973 [19 April 1972] 14956/73 Heading G2H A photo-copy machine comprises, a generally rectangular cabinet frame 12, a generally horizontal exposing window 16 at one top end of the frame 12, means in the frame 12 defining a processing path for a copy sheet having an inclined charging and exposing leg 19, 20, a bottom substantially horizontal development leg 21, and a long vertical drying leg 22, the legs together forming a path of right triangular shape in which the drying leg 22 extends vertically upwardly and with the copy sheet facing outwardly of the triangular path, an optical system 23 in the frame 12 defining a dog leg optical path 24 including a lens 110 and mirror 120 and in which the optical axis extends vertically downward from the exposing window 16 and then angularly downward for perpendicular intersection with the exposing leg 20, and a rack 31 in the frame 12 for supporting a roll 17 of copy paper in the angle of the dog leg optical path 24 between the optical path 24 and the processing path charging and exposing leg 19, 20. Copy sheets are cut off from the roll 17 and are fed in succession through a corona charging unit 19 to the exposing station 20 where they are exposed, without halting their movement, to the focused image of a document to be copied instantaneously illuminated by a pair of electronic flash tubes 25. The mirror 120 and lens 110 are mounted for movement between a first position, for producing a same size copy of a document, and a second position, for producing a slightly reduced size copy of a larger, e.g. legal size, document. The document to be copied is fed face upwards into a surface feeding guide 166 of a unit 15 where a drive 167 turns it over and a transport device 171 positions it face downwards on the window 16. The document receiving unit is pivotally mounted so that it can be swung out of the way to allow for the copying of book pages. The surface feeding guide 166 may be removed and replaced by a stack feeder (188) Fig. 18 (not shown). Development is effected by passing each exposed copy sheet image side down over a driven foraminous belt 73 soaked in a liquid developer. The sheet then passes through squeegee rollers 77 and is turned around driven cords 81 on to a plurality of vertically moving belts 82 past drying fans 83. The sheet is held to the cords 81 and to the belts 82 by air jets from a plenum 84 and by a vacuum chamber 86 respectively. Finished copy sheets leaving the machine may be directed by pivotable diverter plates 97' either to a tray 97 or through exit rollers 108 and an opening 104 to a collator 17a (not shown) or a copy receiving basket. The machine may be operated to produce single or multiple copies. A control circuit for the machine, Figs. 23a-e (not shown), includes automatic means to disable the machine drive elements in response to automatic detection of a paper jam at any of a number of points in the machine.