Contact-type portable digitizing wand for scanning image-bearing surfaces

摘要

A manually operable, portable, digitizing wand adapted to replicate an image on an image-bearing surface when moved across said surface. The portable wand includes an array of photosensitive elements fabricated from thin film semi-conductor alloy material. Each of the elements are non-light transmissive, non-apertured, continuous and adapted to receive illumination from a corresponding small area portion of an image-bearing surface and generate detectable electrical signals representative of the amount of received illumination. Light is proximity focused onto the array of photosensitive elements from corresponding small area portions of the surface and the portable wand is sized and shaped to provide for manual movement across the image on the image-bearing surface.