Photoconductive element exhibiting photoconductive dichroism and process of using same

Abstract

Abstract AN ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHIC PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF REFLEX COPIES IN WHICH A DOCUMENT IS POSITIONED ADJACENT A PHOTOCONDUCTIVE ELEMENT WHICH EXHIBITS PHOTOCONDUCTIVE DICHROISM AND HAS A PREFERRED ABSORPTION AXIS, AND IN WHICH THE PHOTOCONDUCTIVE ELEMENT IS UNIFORMLY EXPOSED THROUGH THE PHOTOCONDUCTIVE ELEMENT WITH POLARIZED LIGHT WHOSE VECTOR, RELATIVE TO THE ABSORPTION AXIS, IS SUCH THAT THE LIGHT IS NOT ABSORBED. THE POLARIZED LIGHT IN STRIKING THE DOCUMENT IS ABSORBED IN SOME AREAS, NORMALLY THE DARK IMAGE AREAS, AND DEPOLARIZED AND REFLECTED IN OTHERS, NORMALLY THE LIGHT BACKGROUND AREAS. THE LIGHT FROM THE REFLECTED AREA, BEING DEPOLARIZED, CONTAINS LIGHT WITH AN ELECTRIC VECTOR WHICH WILL BE ABSORBED BY THE PHOTOCONDUCTIVE ELEMENT AND THE ELEMENT IS THUS EXPOSED TO A PATTERN CORRESPONDING TO THE PATTERN OF THE DOCUMENT. THIS RENDERS THE PHOTOCONDUCTIVE ELEMENT CONDUCTIVE AND CAPABLE OF TRANSPORTING AN ELECTROSTATIC CHARGE AND, HENCE, PERMITS THE FORMATION OF AN ELECTROSTATIC CHARGE PATTERN CORRESPONDING TO THE DOCUMENT.

Inventors

• 👤 Clifford E Herrick Jr
• 👤 Meredith David Shattuck

Bibliographic Details