Electronic photocomposing system that forms characters of different point sizes

Claim 1

An electronic photocomposition system for composing characters of a graphic-type font in a plurality of predetermined graphic point sizes, comprising in combination, an imaging device having a scanning spot for tracing out said characters by a plurality of segments of scanlines, first means for repeatedly deflecting said scanning spot in one direction at a substantially constant velocity, second means for deflecting said scanning spot in a direction orthogonal to said one direction so as to create a plurality of adjacent scanlines for each of said characters, third means providing a plurality of coded character-determining signals having code values selected to define said scanline segments of said characters, a plurality of oscillators each exhibiting a different substantially fixed pulse repetition rate corresponding to a different one of said plurality of point sizes, fourth means coupled to count pulses from a selected oscillator and to detect correspondence between said pulse count and said coded values of said scanline segments, means responding to said third and fourth means for selectively operating said imaging device to blank and unblank said scanning spot so as to create scanline segments of a character having a point size that corresponds to said selected oscillator, and means for coupling a different oscillator to drive said fourth means at a different rate so as to create scanline segments having lengths different from those created by said selected oscillator so as to change the point size of the characters composed by said system.