Appeal No. 1997-1560
Application 08/257,813
18. A method for illuminating documents in a document-
processing system wherein a large number of documents are
rapidly, continuously, singly transported past one or more
imaging stations, each station having a prescribed image-site,
and being illuminated by prescribed source means which
projects
one or more illumination-beams, one to each station; said
method for each said beam comprising:
providing focus means for each said beam;
providing a fibre-optic array intercepting each said beam
path, to thereby define an input-beam thereto at or near the
approximate focal point of said focus means, while arranging
said array to exhibit an entry-portion of prescribed diameter
and an exit-portion configured to illuminate the respective
image-site relatively uniformly thus defining an output-beam,
the fibers of the array being arranged and distributed, in
uniform, random fashion completely across this exit portion;
and,
with said focus means, de-focusing said input beam to
change beam-diameter, at said entry-portion, sufficient to
spread the beam sufficiently beyond the entry-portion to thus
controllably reduce the amount of the beam entering said
entry-portion.
The reference relied on by the examiner is:
Vala et al. (Vala) 5,313,070 May 17, 1994
Claims 18 through 22 stand rejected under the second
paragraph of 35 U.S.C. § 112 for indefiniteness.
Claims 18 through 24 stand rejected under the first
paragraph of 35 U.S.C. § 112 for lack of enablement.
Claims 18 through 24 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 101
for claiming the same invention set forth in claims 1 through
11 of U.S. Patent No. 5,313,070 to Vala.
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