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US 5,909,227 AGranted
Photograph processing and copying system using coincident force drop-on-demand ink jet printing
AssigneeEastman Kodak Company
InventorKia Silverbrook
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A digital color photograph printer (mini-lab) and a photograph copier which uses a drop on concurrent drop selection and drop separation demand printing mechanism. The system consists of a color continuous tone scanner, a scanner signal conditioning unit, a digital halftoning unit, a data phasing unit, and a printing mechanism using liquid ink. When copying, continuous tone image information from the image scanner is digitally color corrected, digitally halftoned in real-time and printed by the printing head. The system may be operated by a human operator, or may be fully automatic, producing a copy of a photograph after sensing payment by coin, banknote, credit card, or other means.
Claims26
A color photograph copier including a printer having a print head comprising:
- (a) a plurality of drop-emitter nozzles;
- (b) a body of ink associated with said nozzles, said body of ink forming a meniscus with an air/ink interface at each nozzle;
- (c) drop selection apparatus operable upon the air/ink interface to select predetermined nozzles and to generate a difference in meniscus position between ink in selected and non-selected nozzles;
- and
- (d) drop separation apparatus adapted to cause ink from selected nozzles to separate as drops from the body of ink, while allowing ink to be retained in non-selected nozzles, said drop selection apparatus being capable of producing said difference in meniscus position in the absence of said drop separation apparatus.
2 more elements
A color photograph printing apparatus comprising:
- a color negative film scanner adapted to produce an analog electronic data representation of a negative image on color negative film;
- a scanner signal conditioning unit adapted to convert the analog electronic data to digital form;
- a digital image processing system adapted to convert negative image digital data to positive image digital data;
- and
- a data distribution and timing system which provides the positive image digital data to a printing mechanism at correct times during a printing operation, where the bi-level printing mechanism includes a printer having a print head comprising:
- (a) a plurality of drop-emitter nozzles;
- (b) a body of ink associated with said nozzles;
- (c) a pressurizing device adapted to subject ink in said body of ink to a pressure of at least 2% above ambient pressure, at least during drop selection and separation to form a meniscus with an air/ink interface;
- (d) drop selection apparatus operable upon the air/ink interface to select predetermined nozzles and to generate a difference in meniscus position between ink in selected and non-selected nozzles;
- and
- (e) drop separation apparatus adapted to cause ink from selected nozzles to separate as drops from the body of ink, while allowing ink to be retained in non-selected nozzles.
8 more elements
A color photograph printing apparatus comprising:
- a color negative film scanner adapted to produce an analog electronic data representation of a negative image on color negative film;
- a scanner signal conditioning unit adapted to convert the analog electronic data to digital form;
- a digital image processing system adapted to convert negative image digital data to positive image digital data;
- and
- a data distribution and timing system which provides the positive image digital data to a printing mechanism at correct times during a printing operation, where the bi-level printing mechanism includes a printer having a print head comprising:
- (a) a plurality of drop-emitter nozzles;
- (b) a body of ink associated with said nozzles, said body of ink forming a meniscus with an air/ink interface at each nozzle;
- (c) drop selection apparatus operable upon the air/ink interface to select predetermined nozzles and to generate a difference in meniscus position between ink in selected and non-selected nozzles;
- and
- (d) drop separation apparatus adapted to cause ink from selected nozzles to separate as drops from the body of ink, while allowing ink to be retained in non-selected nozzles, said drop selection apparatus being capable of producing said difference in meniscus position in the absence of said drop separation apparatus.
7 more elements
A color photograph printing apparatus comprising:
- a color negative film scanner adapted to produce an analog electronic data representation of a negative image on color negative film;
- a scanner signal conditioning unit adapted to convert the analog electronic data to digital form;
- a digital image processing system adapted to convert negative image digital data to positive image digital data;
- and
- a data distribution and timing system which provides the positive image digital data to a printing mechanism at correct times during a printing operation, where the bi-level printing mechanism includes a printer having a print head comprising:
- (a) a plurality of drop-emitter nozzles;
- (b) a body of ink associated with said nozzles, said body of ink forming a meniscus with an air/ink interface at each nozzle and said ink exhibiting a surface tension decrease of at least 10 mN/m over a 30.degree. C. temperature range;
- (c) drop selection apparatus operable upon the air/ink interface to select predetermined nozzles and to generate a difference in meniscus position between ink in selected and non-selected nozzles;
- and
- (d) drop separation apparatus adapted to cause ink from selected nozzles to separate as drops from the body of ink, while allowing ink to be retained in non-selected nozzles.
7 more elements
A color photograph copying apparatus including:
- (a) a color image scanner which produces data representing a photograph to be copied;
- (b) a scanner signal conditioning unit which converts the scanner data to digital form;
- and
- (c) a data distribution and timing system which provides the converted scanner data to a color printing mechanism including a printer having a print head comprising:
- (1) a plurality of drop-emitter nozzles;
- (2) a body of ink associated with said nozzles, said body of ink forming a meniscus with an air/ink interface at each nozzle;
- (3) drop selection apparatus operable upon the air/ink interface to select predetermined nozzles and to generate a difference in meniscus position between ink in selected and non-selected nozzles;
- and
- (4) drop separation apparatus adapted to cause ink from selected nozzles to separate as drops from the body of ink, while allowing ink to be retained in non-selected nozzles, said drop selection apparatus being capable of producing said difference in meniscus position in the absence of said drop separation apparatus.
6 more elements
A color photograph copying apparatus including:
- (a) a color image scanner which produces data representing a photograph to be copied;
- (b) a scanner signal conditioning unit which converts the scanner data to digital form;
- and
- (c) a data distribution and timing system which provides the converted scanner data to a color printing mechanism including a printer having a print head comprising:
- (1) a plurality of drop-emitter nozzles;
- (2) a body of ink associated with said nozzles, said body of ink forming a meniscus with an air/ink interface at each nozzle and said ink exhibiting a surface tension decrease of at least 10 mN/m over a 30.degree. C. temperature range;
- (3) drop selection apparatus operable upon the air/ink interface to select predetermined nozzles and to generate a difference in meniscus position between ink in selected and non-selected nozzles;
- and
- (4) drop separation apparatus adapted to cause ink from selected nozzles to separate as drops from the body of ink, while allowing ink to be retained in non-selected nozzles.
6 more elements
A color photograph copier including a printer having a print head comprising:
- (a) a plurality of drop-emitter nozzles;
- (b) a body of ink associated with said nozzles;
- (c) a pressurizing device adapted to subject ink in said body of ink to a pressure of at least 2% above ambient pressure, at least during drop selection and separation to form a meniscus with an air/ink interface;
- (d) drop selection apparatus operable upon the air/ink interface to select predetermined nozzles and to generate a difference in meniscus position between ink in selected and non-selected nozzles;
- and
- (e) drop separation apparatus adapted to cause ink from selected nozzles to separate as drops from the body of ink, while allowing ink to be retained in non-selected nozzles.
3 more elements
A color photograph copier including a printer having a print head comprising:
- (a) a plurality of drop-emitter nozzles;
- (b) a body of ink associated with said nozzles, said body of ink forming a meniscus with an air/ink interface at each nozzle and said ink exhibiting a surface tension decrease of at least 10 mN/m over a 30.degree. C. temperature range;
- (c) drop selection apparatus operable upon the air/ink interface to select predetermined nozzles and to generate a difference in meniscus position between ink in selected and non-selected nozzles;
- and
- (d) drop separation apparatus adapted to cause ink from selected nozzles to separate as drops from the body of ink, while allowing ink to be retained in non-selected nozzles.
2 more elements
A color photograph copying apparatus including:
- (a) a color image scanner which produces data representing a photograph to be copied;
- (b) a scanner signal conditioning unit which converts the scanner data to digital form;
- and
- (c) a data distribution and timing system which provides the converted scanner data to a color printing mechanism including a printer having a print head comprising:
- (1) a plurality of drop-emitter nozzles;
- (2) a body of ink associated with said nozzles;
- (3) a pressurizing device adapted to subject ink in said body of ink to a pressure of at least 2% above ambient pressure, at least during drop selection and separation to form a meniscus with an air/ink interface;
- (4) drop selection apparatus operable upon the air/ink interface to select predetermined nozzles and to generate a difference in meniscus position between ink in selected and non-selected nozzles;
- and
- (5) drop separation apparatus adapted to cause ink from selected nozzles to separate as drops from the body of ink, while allowing ink to be retained in non-selected nozzles.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.