Device and method for dispensing white ink

• US 8,077,350 B1
• Filed: 06/03/2008
• Issued: 12/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Marvell Asia Pte Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Original Assignee: Marvell International Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Inventors: Simmons, Asher
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Thomas D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Brinich, Stephen M
• Application Number:
  US12/132,405
• Time in Patent Office: 1,288 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.9, 358/2.1, 358/1.4, 358/1.18, 358/500, 358/504, 358/468
• US Class Current: 358/1.9
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/36 for portability , i.e. hand-held printers or laptop printers B41J3/4075 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/54 Conversion of colour picture signals to a plurality of signals some of which represent particular mixed colours, e.g. for textile printing

Abstract

A hand-held printer includes an image processing module configured to process image data, an image sensor configured to provide an indicator representative of a print medium to the image processing module, a print module configured to receive the processed image data and the indicator and generate a corrected print job, and a print head in communication with the print module such that the print head is configured to receive the corrected print job and dispense a color neutral printing substance in response thereto.

Claims

1. A hand-held printer comprising:

an image processing module configured to process image data;

an image sensor configured to provide a color indicator representative of one or more color characteristics of a print medium to the image processing module and configured to provide data indicative of a deposited image;

a print module configured to receive the processed image data, the data indicative of the deposited image, and the color indicator and to generate a corrected print job as a function of the color indicator and the data indicative of the deposited image; and

a print head in communication with the print module, wherein the print head is configured to receive the corrected print job and dispense at least a color neutral printing substance in response thereto.

2. The hand-held printer of claim 1, wherein the print head is further configured to:

dispense a layer of the color neutral printing substance upon the print medium; and

dispense the corrected print job upon the layer.

3. The hand-held printer of claim 1 further comprising a controller, wherein the controller includes the image processing module and the print module.

4. The hand-held printer of claim 1, wherein the color indicator is representative of a color of the print medium.

5. The hand-held printer of claim 4, wherein the color includes a plurality of color components.

6. The hand-held printer of claim 5, wherein each of the plurality color components is processed with respect to the processed image data to generate the corrected print job.

7. The hand-held printer of claim 1, wherein the color neutral printing substance is a white ink.

8. The hand-held printer of claim 1 further comprising an ink reservoir in fluid communication with the print head, and wherein the ink reservoir includes a chamber configured to store the color neutral printing substance.

9. The hand-held printer of claim 1, wherein the print module determines a position in the processed image data according to the data indicative of the deposited image.

10. A method for dispensing a printing substance utilizing a hand-held printer, the method comprising:

processing image data representative of an image to be printed;

dispensing at least one color printing substance on a print medium as a deposited image including a portion of the data representative of the image to be printed;

detecting the deposited image and the print medium with an optical image sensor;

evaluating a color characteristic of the print medium upon which the image data is to be printed;

generating a corrected print job as a function of the image data, the deposited image, and the evaluated color characteristic of the print medium; and

dispensing at least a color neutral printing substance on the evaluated print medium to create a representation of the corrected print job.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein evaluating the print medium includes receiving a color indicator representative of the color characteristic of the print medium.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the color characteristic includes a plurality of color components.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein each of the plurality color components is processed with respect to the processed image data to generate the corrected print job.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein dispensing the color neutral printing substance includes creating a color neutral print area on the print medium.

15. A method for dispensing a printing substance utilizing a hand-held printer, the method comprising:

processing image data representative of an image to be printed;

detecting a color characteristic of a print medium upon which the image data is to be printed;

dispensing a color neutral printing substance in response to the color characteristic of the print medium, wherein the dispensed color neutral printing substance defines a color neutral print area on the print medium;

detecting a position of the hand-held printer;

generating a print job as a function of the image data, the position of the hand-held printer, and the color characteristic of the print medium; and

dispensing a plurality of printing substances from the hand-held printer in accordance with the print job, wherein the dispensed plurality of printing substances represents the image data.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein detecting the print medium includes receiving a color indicator representative of the color characteristic of the print medium.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the color characteristic includes a plurality of color components.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein each of the plurality color components is processed with respect to the processed image data to generate the print job.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

dispensing at least one color printing substance on the print medium as a deposited image including a portion of the image data representative of the image to be printed; and

detecting the deposited image and the print medium with an optical image sensor.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

determining a position of the hand-held printer based on the deposited image.