AN ELECTRONIC COPY BOARD

Abstract: In an electronic copy board, any characters and figures, etc., written on a writing medium (1) by a writing tool are scaled down and copied on recording paper (12). The electronic copy board includes an endless belt, a pair of rollers both for rotating the endless belt in the prescribed direction, and a writing medium engaged with said belt along the outer circumference thereof. In addition, fixing tools are provided on the face of the endless belt and back of the writing medium. Thus, the writing medium is easily detachable and replaceable.

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electronic copy board provided with an endless writing medium. 2. Description of the Related Art A prior art electronic copy board is disclosed in EP-A 0 119 856 published on September 26, 1984. An electronic copy board is used in conferences, explanation meetings, and preliminary meetings, etc. The electronic copy board allows various results yielded with the progress of a conference, contents of a preliminary arrangement, or information such as symbols and figures and the like, to be written thereon, and displays them for participants. These pieces of information are written, on a large-sized writing medium provided with a scene movable by a roller, by means of a writing tool such as an aqueous felt pen. In addition, these pieces of information can be scaled down onto a recording paper, copied by the required number of sheets, and distributed to participants. There is known a writing medium used for such an electronic copy board, which is endlessly formed and movable in circulation by the rotation of a roller. However, the surface of a writing medium used for such an electronic copy board can be easily deteriorated during its use for a longer period of time because of its special processing. Accordingly, it has a drawback that it becomes impossible to be used. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved electronic copy board provided with a writing medium easy to be replaced. According to the present invention, the above objects can be achieved by an electronic copy board comprising the features stated in claim 1. The endless belt can be made of rubber, etc., The writing medium is endlessly mounted on the surface of said endless belt along the outer circumference thereof. According to the aforesaid, the writing medium is mounted on the endless belt by a fixing tool, so that it can be easily demounted from or mounted the endless belt upon its replacement. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The foregoing and other objects, features, and attendant advantages of the present invention will be appreciated as the same become better understood by means of the following description and accompanying drawings wherein; FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of an electronic copy board provided with an endless writing medium according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a portion of the internal structure of the electronic copy board of Fig. 1, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view when the writing medium has been removed from the endless belt. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Designated as 101 in FIG. 1, 2 and 3 is the body of an electronic copy board, 2 an endless belt, 3a and 3b fixing tools, 4 a driving roller, 5 a support roller, 6 a motor for rotating said driving roller 4, 7 a fluorescent lamp being a light source, 8 a beam of light, 9 a lens, 10 a readout sensor, 11 a recording device equipped with a thermal head, etc., and 12 a recording paper. The driving roller 4 and support roller 5 are supported on a frame of a device, etc., (not illustrated) spaced in a prescribed interval, and an endless belt 2 is trained around the driving roller 4 and the support roller 5. The endless belt 2 is rotated by the driving roller 4 in the direction of the arrow. One of the fixing tools 3a is fixed on an arbitrary portion of the endless belt, and other fixing tools 3b is fixed on both ends of the back of the writing medium 1. A magic fastener is employed as these fixing tools 3a, 3b. 3a is formed by the male of the fastener, and 3b formed by the female. The writing medium 1 is removably mounted on the endless belt 2 by training the medium 1 around the endless belt 2 along its length and permitting said tools 3a and 3b to engage with each other. The writing medium 1 is obtained by putting a fluorine film on, e.g.,a milk-white opaque whitened polyester film and joining them. For the fluorine film, it is possible to write a picture image thereon by an aqueous felt pen, etc., and to easily erase it therefrom with cloth, etc. The writing medium 1 is the same as or slightly narrower in its width than the endless belt 2, and sized in its length to be equal to the longitudinal length of the endless belt 2. Further parts 7 to 32 are equal to those described in EP-A 0 119 856. With this construction, any picture image such as a character, a numeral and a figure, etc., is written on the writing medium 1 by a writing tool. When scaling down the written picture image and recording it on recording paper 12, rotation of the driving roller 4 by the motor 6 allows the movement of the endless belt 2 toward the fluorescent lamp 7, causing the writing medium 1 mounted on the endless belt 2 to move with the belt. The fluorescent lamp 7 successively illuminates the approaching writing medium at a prescribed position, and the reflected beam of light 8 is projected onto the readout sensor 10 via the lens 9, allowing the image to be read out. The readout image is recorded on the recording paper 12 through the recording device 11, and thereafter the paper 12 is sent out from the device. The feature of the embodiment is described below. When the writing medium 1 used as described above has served its time due to its use over a long period of time, or when it has been subjected to any external force and is destroyed, it must be replaced with a new one. In that case, it is possible to remove the writing medium 1 from the endless belt 2 as shown in FIG. 3 by separating off the fixing tool 3b on one end of the writing medium 1 from the fixing tool 3a of the endless belt 2, and after moving the belt 2 and turning it one revolution, separating off the fixing means 3b on the other end of the writing medium 1. After removing the writing medium 1 from the endless belt 2 in such a way, by fixing the fixing tool 3b on one end of a new writing medium 1 on the fixing tool 3a of the endless belt 2, and moving the belt 2 and turning it one revolution, the writing medium 1 is trained around the belt 2 along its surface. Further, by allowing the fixing tool 3b on the other end of the writing medium 1 to be engaged with the fixing tool 3a, it is made possible to endlessly mount the writing medium 1 as shown in FIG. 2. Further, although in the embodiment described above, the fixing tool 3a was fixed on the endless belt 2 at its one position, and the fixing tool 3b was fixed on both ends of the writing medium 1, it is possible to fix the fixing tool 3a at plural positions on the endless belt 2 and, corresponding thereto, to fix the fixing tool 3b on the writing medium 1. This enables portions other than the both ends of the writing medium 1 to be also fixed on the endless belt 2, thus assuring securer mounting thereof. Further, although illustrated in the figures is a longitudinal one in the moving directions of both the writing medium 1 and the endless belt 2, a transversal one may be also applicable. In addition, although in the embodiment described above a picture image written on the writing medium 1 is read out by the readout sensor 10, and any information is recorded on the recording paper 12 through the recording device 11 equipped with a thermal head, it may be also possible to use an electrophotographic recording means instead of such a recording means.

Claims: An electronic copy board comprising: an endless belt (2) trained over supporting and driving rollers (4, 5) and movable by said driving roller (4), said endless belt (2) having fixing means (3a), a writing medium (1) formed by a material which is at least capable of allowing a picture image to be written thereon and erased thereof, said writing medium having fixing means (3b) at its back side being removable with respect to said fixing means (3a) of said endless belt (2) for forming a band shaped screen, said writing medium (1) being removably attached onto the outer side of the endless belt (2) by said fixing means (3a, 3b), and recording means (11) for recording a picture image formed on said writing medium (1) on a recording paper (12). An electronic copy board according to claim 1, further including a read-out sensor (10) for scaling down or combine picture images on said screen written by a writing tool, through a lamp (7) and a lens (9), said recording means (11) being connected to said read-out sensor (10) for recording said picture images on a recording paper. An electronic copy board according to claim 2, wherein said writing tool is a felt pen. An electronic copy board according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein said writing medium (1) is endless.

Inventors: ARAKI, SEIJI C/O OKI ELECTRIC INDUSTRY CO., LTD., TADOKORO, JOJI C/O OKI ELECTRIC INDUSTRY CO., LTD.
Applicants: OKI ELECTRIC INDUSTRY COMPANY, LIMITED
Application year: 1985
Main classification: H04N1
IPC codes: B43L5, B43L1, H04N1