Arrangement of a power supply in a recyclable, digital camera

• US 6,287,028 B1
• Filed: 10/16/2000
• Issued: 09/11/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia
• Primary Examiner(s): COLILLA, DANIEL JAMES
• Application Number:
  US09/688,225
• Time in Patent Office: 330 Days
• Field of Search: 396/6, 396/539, 396/277, 396/429, 396/439, 347/2, 400/88, 400/613, 400/621, 400/693
• US Class Current: 400/88
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/16585 for paper-width or non-reciprocating print heads
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17596 Ink pumps, ink valves
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/36 for portability , i.e. hand-held printers or laptop printers B41J3/4075 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 1/121 by printing code marks applying code marks to labels B65C9/46; marking or coding completed packages B65B61/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06037 multi-dimensional coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/14 using light without selection of wavelength, e.g. sensing reflected white light G06K7/10831 - G06K7/1097 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1417 2D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 11/56 using storage elements with more than two stable states represented by steps, e.g. of voltage, current, phase, frequency
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2112 using still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2154 the still video camera incorporating a hardcopy reproducing device, e.g. a printer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/00 Cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2628 Alteration of picture size, shape, position or orientation, e.g. zooming, rotation, rolling, perspective, translation

Abstract

A recyclable, one-time use, print on demand, digital camera comprises a housing. A chassis is contained within the housing. An image sensor device, supported on said chassis, senses an image. A processor, arranged in the housing, processes the image sensed by the image sensor device. A replenishable supply of print media is supported on the chassis. The supply of print media includes a former defining a chamber and a quantity of print media carried by the former. A pagewidth print head is arranged on the chassis for printing, on demand, the sensed image on the print media as the print media traces the print head. A power supply is arranged within the former of the supply of print media for providing power to the image sensor device, the processing means, the print head and a drive means for the supply of print media.

Claims

1. A recyclable, one-time use, print on demand, digital camera comprising

a housing;

a chassis contained within the housing;

an image sensor device, supported on said chassis, for sensing an image;

a processing means, arranged in the housing, for processing an image sensed by said image sensor device;

a replenishable supply of print media supported on the chassis, the supply of print media including a former defining a chamber and a quantity of print media carried by the former;

a pagewidth print head arranged on the chassis for printing, on demand, said sensed image on the print media as the print media traverses the print head; and

a power supply means arranged within the former of the supply of print media for providing power to the image sensor device, the processing means, the print head and a drive means for the supply of print media.

2. The camera of claim 1 in which the housing is recyclable.

3. The camera of claim 1 which includes a supply of ink for supplying ink to the print head.

4. The camera of claim 3 in which the supply of ink is in the form of an ink cartridge arranged on the chassis.

5. The camera of claim 4 in which the ink cartridge is refillable.

6. The camera of claim 1 in which the former is a right circular cylinder rotatably supported on the chassis to be rotated by the drive means, the supply of print media being wound around said cylinder to be in roll form.

7. The camera of claim 6 in which the power supply means comprises at least one battery with the former being rotatable about the battery when the print head is printing said sensed image on said print media.

8. The camera of claim 1 in which the print head is an ink jet print head.

9. The camera of claim 8 in which the print head is formed by semi-conductor fabrication techniques.

10. The camera of claim 9 in which the print head is manufactured using microelectromechanical techniques.