Radiant energy – Photocells; circuits and apparatus – Photocell controls its own optical systems
Reexamination Certificate
1998-08-27
2001-08-07
Grant, II, Jerome (Department: 2624)
Radiant energy
Photocells; circuits and apparatus
Photocell controls its own optical systems
C358S449000, C358S474000, C382S123000, C382S199000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06271535
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
The present invention is directed to an reprographic system. More specifically, the present invention is directed to a system for electronically locating a copy substrate's edge so as to provide front to back registration which is particularly useful in a duplex mode.
BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
A conventional reprographic system is the office copier. Traditionally, the copier, in the office equipment context, refers to a light lens xerographic copier in which paper originals are in fact photographed. The images are focused on an area of a photoreceptor, which is subsequently developed with toner. The developed image on the photoreceptor is then transferred to a copy sheet which in turn is used to create a permanent copy of the original.
In recent years, however, there has been made available what is known as digital copiers. In the most basic functions, a digital copier performs the same functions as a light lens copier, except that the original image to be copied is not directly focused on a photoreceptor. Instead, with a digital copier, the original image is scanned by a device generally known as a raster input scanner (RIS) which is typically in the form of the linear array of small photosensors.
The original image is focused on the photosensors in the RIS. The photosensors convert the various light and dark areas of the original image to a set of digital signals. These digital signals are temporarily retained in a memory and then eventually used to operate a digital printing apparatus when it is desired to print copies of the original. The digital signals may also be sent directly to the printing device without being stored in a memory.
The digital printing apparatus can be any known type of printing system responsive to digital data, such as a modulating scanning laser which discharges image wide portions of a photoreceptor, or an ink jet printhead.
Moreover, with the advent of the digitalization of the office copier, there has also been made available digital multi-function machines. The digital multi-function machine is a single machine which provides a user with more than one function. An example of a typical multi-function machine would include a digital facsimile function, a digital printing function, and a digital copy function.
More specifically, a user can utilize this digital multi-function machine to send a facsimile of an original document to a remote receiving device, to scan in an original image and print copies thereof, and/or to print documents from either a network source, locally connected source, or from a portable memory device which has been inserted into the multi-function machine.
An example of the basic architecture of a digital multi-function machine is illustrated in FIG.
2
. As illustrated in
FIG. 2
, the architecture of the digital multi-function machine includes a scanner
3
which converts an original image into a set of digital signals that can be either stored or reproduced. The scanner
3
is connected to a central bus system
1
which may be either a single bus or a plurality of buses which provide interconnections and intercommunications between the various modules and devices on a multi-function digital machine.
The digital multi-function machine, as illustrated in
FIG. 2
, further includes a digital printing device
23
which converts digital signals representing an image into a hardcopy of that image on a recording medium whether the recording medium be paper, transparency, or other type of markable medium. The digital multi-function machine also includes a memory
21
for storing a variety of types of digital information such as machine fault information, machine history information, digital images to be processed at a later time, instruction sets for the machine, job instruction sets, etc.
In addition to the memory
21
, a typical digital multi-function machine includes an electronic pre-collation memory section
7
which may store the digital representation of the image being presently rendered by the digital printing device
23
. In the electronic pre-collation memory
7
, the digital image is already laid out in its page structure so that it can be readily rendered by the digital printing device
23
.
The digital multi-function machine as illustrated in
FIG. 2
, further includes a user interface
5
which allows the user to select the various functions of the multi-function machine, program various job attributes for the particularly selected function, provide other input to the multi-function machine as well as display informational data from the digital multi-function machine.
If the digital multi-function machine is connected to a network, the digital multi-function machine would include a network interface
19
and an electronic subsystem (ESS) controller
9
which would control the interrelationship between the various modules or devices on the digital multi-function machine and the network.
To enable a facsimile function, the digital multi-function machine would include, typically, a voice/data modem
11
and a telephone circuit board
13
. Moreover, the digital multi-function machine may include input/output drives
17
such as a floppy disc drive, a CD ROM drive, a tape drive, or other type of drive which can accept a portable memory device.
In some digital multi-function machines, the machine also includes a finisher
29
which can perform certain operations upon the printed output from the printing device
23
. Lastly, the digital multi-function machine includes a controller
15
which controls all the functions within the multi-function device so as to coordinate all the interactions between the various modules and devices.
FIG. 1
illustrates an overall construction of a digital multi-function machine. The digital multi-function machine, as illustrated in
FIG. 1
, includes a scanning station
35
, a printing station
55
, and a user interface
50
. The digital multi-function machine may also include a finisher device
45
which may be a sorter, tower mailbox, stapler, etc. The printing station
55
may include a plurality of paper trays
40
that store the paper used in the printing process. Lastly, the digital multi-function machine may include a high capacity feeder
30
which is capable of holding large amounts of paper stock to be used by the machine.
In a typical scanning function, the operator would utilize the scanning station
35
to scan in the images from the original documents. This scanning station
35
may be a platen type scanner or may include a constant velocity transport system which moves the original documents across a stationary scanning device. Moreover, the scanning station
35
may also include a document handling system which is capable of placing the original documents, automatically, on the glass platen for scanning.
With respect to the printing functions, the printing station
55
would retrieve the proper paper from one of the multiple paper trays or the high capacity feeder, render the desired image on the retrieved paper, and output the printed image to the finishing device
45
for further operations.
The user interface
50
allows the user to control the various functions of the digital multi-function machine by presenting various types of screens to the user which provides the user an opportunity to program certain job characteristics or function characteristics.
One important function of a digital reprographic system, whether the system be a digital multi-function machine or digital copier, is locating the position of top edge or leading edge a copy substrate to be printed on. This is important in providing proper registration of the image onto the copy substrate. The locating of the top edge or leading edge of the copy substrate to be printed on is particularly important when printing in a duplex mode so as to ensure proper front to back registration on the copy substrate since the duplex path is usually longer than the simplex path. However, the locating of the top edge or leading edge of the copy substrate is equally important in a
Baldwin Leroy A.
Brutovski Robert
Carolan Kevin M.
Hower, Jr. John D.
Perregaux Alain E.
Dudley Mark Z.
Grant II Jerome
Nickerson Michael J.
Worku Negussie
Xerox Corporation
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