Method and apparatus for printing on a partially-printed medium
OwnerMichael J. Eveland, Caroline D. Koppelinventors
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Abstract
A system for printing at least one image on a partially-printed medium. The system includes a print detector that is adapted to scan the partially-printed medium so as to form scan data, and a controller coupled to the print detector that is adapted to analyze the scan data so as to identify at least one unprinted region on the medium. A print engine coupled to the controller is adapted to print one or more of the images in the unprinted region or regions.
Claims46
A system for printing at least one image on a partially-printed medium, comprising:
- a print detector adapted to scan the partially-printed medium so as to form scan data;
- a controller coupled to the print detector and adapted to analyze the scan data so as to identify at least one unprinted region on the medium;
- and
- a print engine coupled to the controller and adapted to print the at least one image in the at least one unprinted region.
A printer for printing image data on a partially-printed medium, comprising:
- a sensor mounted in the printer for movement with respect to a partially-printed medium, the sensor adapted to produce scan data indicative of whether printing is present at locations of the medium adjacent the sensor;
- a motion arrangement adapted to move at least one of the sensor and the medium relative to each other so as to produce scan data for substantially all unprinted portions of the medium;
- a controller coupled to the motion arrangement and the sensor, the controller adapted to analyze the scan data so as to identify at least one unprinted region on the medium, each unprinted region having a size and a location;
- and
- a print engine coupled to the controller and adapted to print the image data in the at least one unprinted region.
A program embodied in a computer-readable storage medium for printing at least one image on a partially-printed print medium, comprising:
- unprinted region identifier code that processes scan data indicative of the presence of printing on the print medium so as to identify at least one unprinted region;
- image fitter code that maps at least some of the images to at least some corresponding unprinted regions;
- and
- region printing manager code that control a print engine so as to print the mapped images in the corresponding unprinted regions.
A system for printing on a partially-printed medium, comprising:
- means for automatically scanning the partially-printed medium to identify a region size and a region location of an unprinted region of the medium;
- means for automatically determining if a target image fits within the region size;
- and
- means for printing the target image at the region location if the target image fits within the region size.
A method of printing on a partially-printed medium, comprising:
- automatically scanning the partially-printed medium to identify a region size and a region location of an unprinted region of the medium;
- automatically determining if a target image fits within the region size;
- and
- printing the target image at the region location if the target image fits within the region size.
A method of printing on a partially-printed medium, comprising:
- illuminating a position of the medium with a light source element of a detector;
- measuring a reflectance of the medium at the position with a sensor element of the detector, the reflectance indicative of whether printing is present at the position;
- positioning the detector at a plurality of positions of the medium so as to determine a region size of at least one unprinted region of the medium;
- receiving at least one target image from an image source, each target image having an image size;
- analyzing at least some of the region sizes and the image sizes so as to identify selected ones of the at least one target image to print on the medium;
- and
- printing the selected ones of the at least one target image in corresponding ones of the at least one unprinted region.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.