Facsimile apparatus and method of operation

Abstract

A facsimile transceiver comprising a document/copy receiving drum, a motor for rotation of the drum about the drum axis and a read/write head mounted for linear movement in a direction parallel with the drum axis. When the transceiver is operating in the receive mode, the copy medium having adhesive along at least one edge circumscribes the drum in a closed loop so as to eliminate the necessity for transmitter-receiver angular synchronizing signals which would otherwise be required for locating the copy margin adjacent the edge of the copy paper. After completion of a transmission, the copy medium is severed along a line so as to provide an appropriate margin for the copied information content. In one embodiment of the invention, the closed loop is formed from a single sheet having adhesive along one edge for purposes of forming a bond between opposite edges of the sheet when the sheet is applied to the drum. The read/write head includes a cutting wheel which is adapted to sever the sheet along the appropriate line when the head is moved in a cutting stroke along the length of the drum with the cutter wheel in contact with the sheet. In another embodiment, the copy paper includes tear strings displaced along its back surface running parallel to the axis of the drum and of sufficient number so that a tear string for shearing the copy paper loop is likely to be near the margin of the copy.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. In a facsimile system comprising a transmitter, a receiver and a communications network therebetween; said transmitter including reading means for detecting the information content of an original document, transmitter scanning means for moving said original document relative to said reading means along successive scanning paths, signal transmission means responsive to said reading means for generating signals representing the information content of said original document; said receiver comprising means for writing on a copy medium juxtaposed to said writing means, .Iadd.a drum for supporting the copy medium thereon, .Iaddend.receiver scanning means for moving said copy medium .Iadd.supported by said drum .Iaddend.relative to said writing means along successive scanning paths, and signal receiving means responsive to said signals generated by said signal transmission means for activating said writing means to reproduce the information content of said original document on said copy medium; the improvement residing in said copy medium comprising: a closed loop of material moved relative to said writing means by said scanning means such that a continuous writing surface is juxtaposed to said writing means thereby eliminating the necessity for synchronizing the initial relative positions of said original document and said reading means in a scanning path with the initial relative positions of said copy medium and said writing means in a corresponding scanning path .Iadd.; and   means for cutting said copy medium on said drum so as to break said closed loop after completion of the transmission along a line substantially corresponding with an edge of the original document.Iaddend..  .[.2. The system of claim 1 wherein said receiver scanning means comprises a cylindrical drum rotatable about the axis of said drum, said copy medium   
     
     
        forming a closed loop around the surface of said cylindrical drum..]. 3. The system of claim .[.2.]. .Iadd.1 .Iaddend.wherein said first cylindrical drum comprises a slot extending substantially axially along the surface thereof and clamp means operably associated with said slot, for receiving a portion of said copy medium to hold said copy medium in 
     
     
        place on said cylindrical drum. 4. The system of claim .[.2.]. .Iadd.1 .Iaddend.wherein said transmitter scanning means comprises another cylindrical drum rotatable about the axis of said other drum, said original document forming an open loop around the cylindrical surface of 
     
     
        said other cylindrical drum. 5. The system of claim 4 wherein said transmitter scanning means and said receiver scanning means comprise synchronous motors for driving both of said cylindrical drums at substantially constant speeds.  .[.6. The system of claim 1 further comprising means for cutting said copy medium so as to break said closed 
     
     
        loop after completion of a transmission..]. 7. The system of claim .[.6.]. .Iadd.1 .Iaddend.wherein said cutting means is mounted on said writing means so as to permit movement between a position of engagement with said copy medium for cutting and a position spaced from said copy medium during 
     
     
        writing. 8. The system of claim 7 wherein said .[.receiver scanning means comprises a cylindrical.]. drum .Iadd.is .Iaddend.rotatable about the axis of said drum, said writing means being mounted for generally linear motion along a line parallel with the axis of said drum, said cutting means comprising a cutting surface for severing said closed loop of material 
     
     
        along a line generally parallel to the drum axis. 9. The system of claim 8 wherein said drum comprises a surface having a plurality of grooves extending substantially parallel with the axis of said drum and cooperating with said cutting means when engaged so as to guide said 
     
     
        cutting means along a line parallel with the axis of said drum. 10. In a facsimile system comprising a transmitter, a receiver and a communications network therebetween; said transmitter including reading means for detecting information content of an original document, transmitter scanning means for moving the original document relative to said reading means along successive scanning paths, and signal transmission means responsive to said reading means for generating signals representing the information content of the original document; said receiver comprising means for writing on a copy medium juxtaposed thereto, .Iadd.a drum for supporting the copy medium thereon .Iaddend.receiver scanning means for moving said copy medium .Iadd.supported by said drum .Iaddend.relative to said writing means along successive scanning paths, and signal receiving means responsible to said signals generated by said signal transmission means for activating said writing means to reproduce the information content of said original document on said copy medium, the improvement comprising: a copy medium forming a closed loop of material moved relative to said writing means by said scanning means such that an effectively continuous writing surface is juxtaposed to said writing means;   means for initiating scanning of the original document regardless of the original position of the copy medium relative to said writing means; and   means for scanning the copy medium independently of any periodic position synchronizing control signal from said transmitter .Iadd.; and   means for cutting said copy medium on said drum so as to break said closed loop after scanning along a line substantially corresponding with an edge   
     
     
        of the original document.Iaddend. . 11. In a facsimile system comprising a transmitter, a receiver and a communications network therebetween; said transmitter including a reading means for detecting information content of an original document, transmitter scanning means including a rotatable drum for moving the original document relative to said reading means along successive scanning lines, and signal transmission means responsive to said reading means for generating signals representing the content of the original document; said receiver comprising means for writing on a copy medium juxtaposed thereto, receiver scanning means including a receiver rotatable drum for moving said copy medium relative to said writing means along successive scanning lines, and signal receiving means responsive to said signals generated by said signal transmission means for activating said writing means to reproduce the information content of said original document on said copy medium, the improvement comprising: a copy medium comprising a closed loop of material extending along the surface of the receiver rotatable drum; .[.and.].   means for initiating scanning of said original document independently of the initial relative angular positions of said transmitter scanning drum and said receiver scanning drum .Iadd.; and   means for cutting said copy medium on said drum so as to break said closed loop after scanning along a line substantially corresponding with an edge   
     
     
        of the original document.Iaddend. . 12. The facsimile system of claim 11 wherein said means for driving said transmitter rotatable drum and said 
     
     
        receiver rotatable drum comprises synchronous motors. 13. In a facsimile system comprising a transmitter, a receiver and a communications network therebetween; said transmitter including a reading means for detecting information content of an original document, transmitter scanning means including an angularly rotatable drum for moving the original document relative to said reading means along successive scanning lines, and signal transmission means responsive to said reading means for generating signals representing the original content of the original document; said receiver comprising means for writing on a copy medium juxtaposed thereto, receiver scanning means including an angularly rotatable drum for moving said copy medium relative to said writing means along successive scanning lines, and signal receiving means responsive to said signals generated by said signal transmission means for activating said writing means to reproduce the information content of said original document on the copy medium, the improvement comprising: a copy medium forming a closed loop of material extending around the surface of the angularly rotatable receiver drum thereby eliminating the necessity for angular synchronization between said reading means of said transmitter and said writing means of said receiver .Iadd.; and   means for cutting said copy medium on said drum so as to break said closed loop after scanning along a line substantially corresponding with an edge   
     
     
        of the original document.Iaddend. . 14. A method of operating a facsimile system comprising a transmitter, at least one receiver and a communications network therebetween, said method comprising the following steps: applying an original document to the surface of a transmitter scanning drum so as to form an open loop around the drum;   applying at least one copy medium to the surface of said at least one receiver scanning drum so as to form a closed loop around said receiver scanning drum;   concurrently initiating scanning of the original document carried by said transmitter scanning drum and said at least one copy medium carried by said at least one receiver scanning drum regardless of the initial relative angular positions thereof; and   continuing scanning of said original document and said at least one copy medium while rotating said transmitting scanning drum and said at least one receiver scanning drum in mutually angularly synchronous modes .Iadd.; and   removing said at least one copy medium of said at least one receiver scanning drum by breaking said closed loop along a line substantially corresponding with an edge of said original document.Iaddend..  .[.15. The method of claim 14 including the step of removing the at least one copy medium of said at least one receiver scanning drum by breaking said closed loop so as to form a suitable margin for the information content of said copy medium..].  .[.16. The method of claim 14 wherein the breaking of said closed loop is accomplished by severing said copy medium along a line substantially corresponding with an edge of said original document..].   
     
     
            The method of claim 14 wherein the step of applying said copy medium to said receiver drum includes the step of forming an adhesive bond between two opposing edges of said copy medium so as to form said closed 
     
     
        loop. 18. A facsimile receiver for generating a copy in response to received signals representing the information content of an original document, said receiver comprising means for writing on a copy medium juxtaposed to said writing means, scanning means for moving said copy medium relative to said writing means along successive scanning paths, signal receiving means responsive to the signals received by said receiver for activating said writing means to reproduce the information content of the original document on said copy medium, the improvement residing in said copy medium comprising: a closed loop of material moved relative to said writing means by said scanning means such that a continuous writing surface is juxtaposed to said writing means .Iadd.; and   means for cutting said copy medium so as to break said closed loop before   
     
     
        removal from said receiver.Iaddend. . 19. The receiver of claim 18 wherein said scanning means comprises a cylindrical drum rotatable about the axis of said drum, said copy medium forming a closed loop around the surface of 
     
     
        said cylindrical drum. 20. The receiver of claim 19 wherein said cylindrical drum comprises a slot extending axially along the surface thereof and clamp means operably associated with said slot for receiving a portion of said copy medium to hold said closed loop in place on said cylindrical drum.  .[.21. The system of claim 18 further comprising means for cutting said copy medium so as to break said closed loop after 
     
     
        completion of a transmission..]. 22. The system of claim .[.21.]. .Iadd.18 .Iaddend.wherein said cutting means is mounted on said writing means so as to permit movement between a position of engagement with said copy medium for cutting and a position spaced from said copy medium during writing. 
     
     
            The system of claim 22 wherein said scanning means comprises a cylindrical drum rotatable about the axis of said drum, said writing means being mounted for generally linear motion along a line parallel with the axis of said drum, said cutting means comprising a cutting surface for severing said closed loop of material along a line generally parallel to 
     
     
        the drum axis. 24. The system of claim 23 wherein said drum comprises a surface having a plurality of grooves extending substantially parallel with the axis of said drum and cooperating with said cutting means when engaged so as to guide said cutting means along a line parallel with the 
     
     
        axis of said drum. 25. A method of operating a facsimile receiver comprising the following steps: applying a copy medium to the surface of a scanning drum so as to form a closed loop around said receiver scanning drum;   scanning the copy medium while rotating the scanning drum; and   removing the copy medium from the scanning drum by breaking said closed loop so as to form a suitable margin for the information content on the   
     
     
        copy medium. 26. The method of claim 25 wherein the breaking of said closed loop is accomplished by severing the copy medium along a line 
     
     
        substantially corresponding with an edge of an original document. 27. The method of claim 26 wherein applying the copy medium to the scanning drum includes the step of forming an adhesive bond between .Iadd.the .Iaddend.two opposing edges of said copy medium so as to form said closed loop.