Process advancement in color management

• US 20040196461A1
• Filed: 04/04/2003
• Published: 10/07/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Clariant International AG (Clariant AG)
• Original Assignee: Clariant International AG (Clariant AG)
• Inventors: Bynum, Douglas A., Sherrill, William T., Agarwal, Niraj
• Application Number:
  US10/406,924
• Publication Number:
  US 20040196461A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 356/402
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/462 Computing operations in or between colour spaces; Colour management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/528 using colour harmony theory

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a method of managing color. A submission created by a product vendor is received. The submission is analyzed by a third party by, at least, electronic means. The analysis of the submission by the third party is communicated to a retailer.

Claims

1. A method of managing color comprises the steps of:

receiving a submission from a manufacturer;

analyzing the submission by a third party by, at least, electronic means; and

communicating the analysis of said third party to a retailer.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein electronically analyzing being accomplished via a spectrophotometer coupled to a computer having color identifying software.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein analyzing further comprises:

preconditioning the submission; and

spectrally measuring the submission.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein electronically analyzing further comprises:

presenting the submission for spectral measuring.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein preconditioning the submission further comprises:

allowing the submission to come to equilibrium under standard conditions.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein said standard conditions being selected from the group consisting of temperature, humidity, light, and combinations thereof.

7. The method of claim 3 wherein spectrally measuring the submission further comprises generating a spectral measurement of the color of the submission, the spectral measurement being suitable for electronic comparison via color software.

8. The method of claim 4 wherein presenting the submission for spectrally measuring further comprises:

orienting the submission in a first position;

spectrally measuring the submission in the first position;

orienting the submission in a second position; and

spectrally measuring the submission in the second position.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

repeating the spectral measurement of the submission in one of the positions a sufficient number of times to insure uniformity of the spectral measurement from the position.

10. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

calibrating the spectrophotometer coupled to the computer having the color identifying software prior to analyzing the submission.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein calibrating further comprises:

providing a standard reference having a known measurement;

measuring the standard reference in the spectrophotometer coupled to the computer having color identifying software;

comparing the measurement of the standard reference to the known measurement of the standard reference; and

adjusting, if necessary, the spectrophotometer coupled to the computer having color identifying software.

12. The method of claim 2 wherein analyzing further comprises:

spectromapping said spectrophotometer to a primary spectrophotometer.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein spectromapping further comprises defining an adjustment to said spectrophotometer so that spectral measurements of said spectrophotometer are equivalent to said primary spectrophotometer.

14. The method of claim 7 further comprising comparing the spectral measurement of the color of the submission to a spectral measurement of a specification provided by the retailer, and deciding based upon the comparison to accept/reject the submission.