CA1095580A - Apparatus for producing transparencies from signals from a facsimile reader - Google Patents

Abstract

APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING TRANSPARENCIES FROM
SIGNALS FROM A FACSIMILE READER
Abstract of the Disclosure Apparatus for producing transparencies from signals from a facsimile reader, transmitted over a telephone line, includes a printing machine having a thermal print head and a drive circuit therefore, the signals from the telephone line fed to the drive circuit. A supply of transparency material having a layer of thermally sensitive transparent material is provided at the printing machine and the material is fed over the print head to produce opaque spots in the heat sensitive layer in accordance with the signals from the reader. The printer can be coupled to a projector, and a remote controlled indicating device can be provided for producing an indication at a particular position on the viewing screen for the projector, the indicator controlled by signals from the reader end.

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Description

~o9ss~o This invention relates to apparatus for producing transparencies from signals transmitted from a distant reader or scanner. Projection means can be incorp-orated to provide projection of the transparencies after production.
Facsimile read-transmit-write systems, are used widely to copy documents, which can be typed, printed or half-tone pictures, by scanning the documents at a sending position to produce signals which are transmitted over telephone lines to a printing position where a copy of the original document is produced.
Telephone conferencing is also becoming of more ~ interest, with persons at two or more centres connected over - the telephone system. It is often of considerable advantage to be able to provide copies of documents during such conferences and this can be done by the normal facsimile system, although, ; as resoltuion of up to 200 lines per inch are desirable for good reproduction, transmission times are lengthy. Also, conventional facsimile systems are limited to substantially black and white documents, that is typed, printed or prints.
However information which is often required at conferences is ; in the form of transparencies.
The present invention provides for the reproduction of transparencies, in which the original transparency is scanned at a facsimile reader and signals transmitted over telephone lines to a printer. After production of the transparency at the printer, it can be passed directly to a projector.
The invention will be readily understood by the followiny description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:-.

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~95S80 Figure 1 is a diagrammatic illustration of one form of printing and projection system;
Figure 2 is a diagrammatic illustration of a pointer system for use with a projection system.
As illustrated in Figure 1, signals from a scanning or reading apparatus (not shown) are transmitted by a telephone line 10 to a printing machine indicated generally at 11. The signals are fed to a printing head comprising the - normal drive circuitry indicated at 12 and a thermal printing head 13. A roll of transparency material 14 is stored in the printing head, at 15, the material being fed over rollers 16 to pass beneath the printing head 13. A roller, or other device 17 holds the material 14 against the thermal printing element , of the printing head.
The material 14 is composed of a transparent plastic material coated on one side with a transparent material which turns opaque with heat, for example black. The material 14 passes under the thermal print, preferably with the heat sensitive coating on the side which contacts the printing element.
From the printing machine the material 14, now in the form of a transparency having some information thereon, exits, for example over roller 18. The transparencies are produced or "printed" line-by-line across the material, the signals via the telephone line 10 and the circuitry at 12 causing black or opaque dots to appear in the heat sensitive coating to correspond to black or opaque parts of the original.
Transmission via the telephone line can be accomplished either digitally or in an analogue manner. By known signal processing techniques advantage can be taken of the large redundancy, for example blank spaces found in a typical trans-parency, to compress transmission time, for example by speeding up scanning and printing heads until a signal is generated.
A typical print head is described in U.S. patent no. 4,017,712 issued April 12, 1977 and a drive circuit is described in U.S. patent no. 4,032,925 issued June 18, 1977.
After leaving the printing machine, the transparencies can be cut into separate pieces, or can be left in a continuous length. The continuous length of transparencies 10 can be fed to the projector if the printing machine is in the same area as a conference is being held. Thus, as illustrated in Figure 1, the transparencies are fed to the projector 20.
To accommodate continued "printing" of further transparencies while one is being projected an accumulator, indicated by roller 21, can be provided. Roller 21 can move up and down to release or take up slack in the transparency material, as required, the material also passing over rollers 22 before and after roll r 21.
The transparencies pass over the base 23, which contains a lamp, not shown, an image of the transparency being 20 produced by lens system 24 and reflected by mirror 25, for projection onto a screen or the like. The strip of transparencies is then wound up on a roller 26.
In the arrangement of Figure 1, the transparencies are produced to a fairly large size, and may be of the same dimensions as the originals. In an alternative arrangement, the transparencies can be formed on, for example, 35 mm film, and can then be individually projected through a 35 mm projector, or can be fed in strip form through a projector.
In a telephone conference, in which transparencies 30 are ~ransmitted over telephone lines, it is convenient to be able - "
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to indicate on the projected images, items of interest and under discussion. This feature would also be useful in telephone conferences where transparencies are projected which have been - received previously, for example by mail. It will be necessary for transparencies to be projected at both, or all, conference sites, with a telephone line connection. An indicator can then be provided at any or each site.
Figure 2 illustrates diagrammatically one arrangement for remote indication. At the position of the talker, 10 a joystick control 30 is provided. Normally the joystick control would be connected electrically to a projector at the talker's position, and it will also be connected, via telephone line 31, to a projector at the, or each remote conference site.
;; Movement of the joystick 32 will produce electrical signals relating to X and Y axes; normal to each other. These signals , are transmitted over the telephone line 31 to a projector 33.
Pivotally mounted in the projector casing is a tube 34 containing a lamp, a lens system and an image of an arrow, indicated at 35.
The tube 34 can pivot about two axes, norrnal to each other, 20, corresponding to the X and Y axes of the joystick control 30, to project an image of the arrow 35, onto a screen 36.
Two stepping motors 36 and 37 are connected to the tube 34 to pivot the tube about the X and Y axes. The stepping motors are controlled by the signals received at the projector 33 via the telephone line 31. Thus by moving the joystick 32 the talker can indicate at any conference site any particular feature on the transparency. A similar projector 33 would be used also at the talker's site. By suitable interconnection, a joystick control 30 can be provided at each 30 conference site and used by each talker as desired.

Claims (4)

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN
EXCLUSIVE PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:-

1. Apparatus for producing transparencies from signals from a facsimile reader transmitted over a telephone line, comprising:
a printing machine including a thermal print head, an electronic drive circuit for the print head and means for feeding signals from a telephone line to the drive circuit for activation of the print in accordance with said signals;
means for storing a supply of transparent material at said printing machine, said transparent material including a layer of heat sensitive transparent material;
means for passing said transparent material in printing relationship with said print head, whereby activation of said print head produces opaque spots in said heat sensitive layer in accordance with said signals.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further including a transparency projector, and means for feeding said transparent material to said transparency projector after production of a transparency for projection onto a viewing screen.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, including accumulator means between said print head and said projector.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, including an indicator projector at said transparency projector, and means for feeding control signals to said indicator projector from said telephone line whereby a controllable and moveable indication can be projected onto said viewing screen to indicate a predetermined position thereon.