Printer with dual color density regulation

• US 5,189,440 A
• Filed: 10/29/1991
• Issued: 02/23/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Oda, Keisuke, Takakuwa, Kiyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Fuller, Benjamin R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAN, HUAN HUU
• Application Number:
  US07/784,258
• Time in Patent Office: 483 Days
• Field of Search: 346/76 PH, 358/298, 400/120
• US Class Current: 347/172
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/52 Arrangement for printing a discrete number of tones, not covered by group B41J2/205, e.g. applicable to two or more kinds of printing or marking process B41J2/525 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/525 Arrangement for multi-colour printing, not covered by group B41J2/21, e.g. applicable to two or more kinds of printing or marking process
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4072 dependent on the contents of the original

Abstract

A printer for printing variable density, multiple color prints in response to commands for controlling parameters, such as color density of a printed image, and image data sent from a host computer includes a CPU responsive to commands from the host computer; a first variable density regulating circuit storing color density correction data, receiving image data from the host computer, and connected to and controlled by the CPU for totally regulating the color density of a color image to be printed and outputting totally regulated image data; a second variable density regulating circuit connected to the first variable density regulating circuit and to the CPU and storing a plurality of predetermined density regulating data for finely regulating the color density of the color image to be printed in response to the totally regulated image data received from the first variable density regulating circuit and one of the predetermined density regulating data selected by an operator through the CPU and outputting finely regulated image data; and a printing device connected to the second variable density regulating circuit for receiving the finely regulated image data from the second variable density regulating circuit and printing the color image in response.

Claims

1. A printer for printing variable density, multiple color prints in response to commands for controlling parameters, such as color density of a printed image, and image data sent from a host computer, the printer comprising:

a CPU responsive to commands from the host computer;

a first variable density regulating circuit storing color density correction data, receiving image data from the host computer, and connected to and controlled by the CPU for totally regulating the color density of a color image to be printed and outputting totally regulated image data;

a second variable density regulating circuit connected to the first variable density regulating circuit and to the CPU storing a plurality of predetermined density regulating data for finely regulating the color density of the color image to be printed in response to the totally regulated image data received from the first variable density regulating circuit and one of the predetermined density regulating data selected through the CPU and outputting finely regulated image data; and

printing means connected to the second variable density regulating circuit for receiving the finely regulated image data from the second variable density regulating circuit and printing the color image in response.

2. The printer of claim 1 including switching means responsive to the CPU and host computer for disconnecting the first variable density regulating circuit from the host computer and the second variable density regulating circuit, changing the image correction data stored in the first variable density regulating circuit during disconnection of the first variable density regulating current from the host computer and the second variable density regulating circuit, and for reconnecting the first variable density regulating circuit to the second variable density regulating circuit and the host computer after changing the stored image correction data.