Method of camouflaging defective print elements in a printer
First Claim
1. A method of camouflaging defective print elements in a printer having a printhead with a plurality of print elements and capable of printing a binary pixel image, wherein each pixel of the image is assigned to a print element with which it is to be printed, and image information of a pixel that is assigned to a defective print element is shifted to nearby pixel positions where it can be printed with a non-defective print element, the method comprising the steps of:
- a) representing the image information to be printed by a multi-level pixel matrix wherein a grey level of each pixel is indicated by a number;
b) transferring the grey levels of pixels that are assigned to a defective print element, to neighbouring pixels in the pixel matrix; and
c) converting the pixel matrix having the transferred grey levels, into a bitmap to be printed.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A printer, a computer program and a method are provided for camouflaging defective print elements in the printer having a printhead with a plurality of print elements. The method includes (a) representing the image information to be printed by a multi-level pixel matrix wherein a grey level of each pixel is indicated by a number, (b) transferring the grey levels of pixels that are assigned to a defective print element, to neighboring pixels in the pixel matrix, and (c) converting the pixel matrix having the transferred grey levels, into a bitmap to be printed.
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Citations
34 Claims
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1. A method of camouflaging defective print elements in a printer having a printhead with a plurality of print elements and capable of printing a binary pixel image, wherein each pixel of the image is assigned to a print element with which it is to be printed, and image information of a pixel that is assigned to a defective print element is shifted to nearby pixel positions where it can be printed with a non-defective print element, the method comprising the steps of:
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a) representing the image information to be printed by a multi-level pixel matrix wherein a grey level of each pixel is indicated by a number; b) transferring the grey levels of pixels that are assigned to a defective print element, to neighbouring pixels in the pixel matrix; and c) converting the pixel matrix having the transferred grey levels, into a bitmap to be printed. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A printer capable of printing a binary pixel image, the printer comprising:
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a printhead having a plurality of print elements configured to print a binary pixel image; and a processing unit configured to control the printhead, representing an image information of the image to be printed by a multi-level pixel wherein a grey level of each pixel is indicated by a number, to transfer the grey levels of pixels that are assigned to a defective print element, to neighbouring pixels in the pixel matrix, and to convert the pixel matrix having the transferred grey levels, into a bitmap to be printed. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A computer program product embodied on at least one computer-readable medium associated with a processing unit of a printer, for camouflaging defective print elements in the printer having a printhead with a plurality of print elements and capable of printing a binary pixel image, wherein each pixel of the image is assigned to a print element with which it is to be printed, and image information of a pixel that is assigned to a defective print element is shifted to nearby pixel positions where it can be printed with a non-defective print element, the computer program product comprising computer-executable instructions for:
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a) representing the image information to be printed by a multi-level pixel matrix wherein a grey level of each pixel is indicated by a number; b) transferring the grey levels of pixels that are assigned to a defective print element, to neighbouring pixels in the pixel matrix; and c) converting the pixel matrix having the transferred grey levels, into a bitmap to be printed. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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Specification