ONLINE DECORATING SYSTEM FOR EDIBLE PRODUCTS

• US 20120064204A1
• Filed: 11/01/2011
• Published: 03/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DecoPac Incorporated
• Original Assignee: DecoPac Incorporated
• Inventors: Schnoebelen, Andy, Davila, Carlos A., Anderson, John R., Whitten, Kent
• Granted Patent: US 9,713,342 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 426/231
• CPC Class Codes: A21C 15/002 Apparatus for spreading granular material on, or sweeping or coating the surface of baked articles of pieces of dough A21C9/04; for confectionary A23G3/28
• CPC Class Codes: A21D 13/47 Decorated or decorative products
• CPC Class Codes: A23G 3/0097 Decorating sweetmeats or confectionery
• CPC Class Codes: A23G 3/28 Apparatus for decorating sweetmeats or confectionery
• CPC Class Codes: A23P 20/15 Apparatus or processes for coating with liquid or semi-liquid products
• CPC Class Codes: A23P 2020/253 Coating food items by printing onto them; Printing layers of food products
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/126 Job scheduling, e.g. queuing, determine appropriate device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1285 Remote printer device, e.g. being remote from client or server
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1894 Outputting the image data to the printing elements
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/4045 Managing the interface to the data source, e.g. choosing an interface for data reception
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00145 from a remote location
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00164 at a remote location
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00167 Processing or editing H04N1/00196 - H04N1/00201 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00188 Printing, e.g. prints or reprints H04N1/0019, H04N1/00196 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0019 on souvenir-type products or the like, e.g. T-shirts or mugs

Abstract

A web-enabled standalone application may, in selected implementations, prevent received license-controlled image data from unauthorized re-use, editing, or distribution, and permits image processing, such as applying the International Color Consortium'"'"'s color correction process, at the local control device. The web-enabled standalone application may further generate a printer specific byte stream based on post-image processed data, providing a color managed workflow independent of local control device operating system print drivers.

Claims

1. A system for decorating edible media with licensed digital images, comprising:

a user interface element to receive user input for accessing licensed digital images;

a local control device coupled to the user interface element, the user interface element operable to execute at least a first stand-alone application and second stand-alone application,

said first stand-alone application being configured to accept user credential information, deliver data corresponding to the user credential information to a remote server, establish an authenticated network connection with the remote server, and invoke said second stand-alone application,

said second stand-alone application operable to retrieve a licensed digital image transmitted by the remote server based on the user credential information, create an edited version of the licensed digital image based on user input, generate a data stream representing the edited version of the licensed digital image without using default operating system print drivers, and transmit the data stream to a printer spooler on the local control device; and

a printer operable to receive and print the data stream in the printer spooler, thereby rendering the edited version of the licensed digital image upon an edible medium using edible inks.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said second stand-alone application is further operable to apply a color management process to the digital image.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the color management process comprises the steps of converting color information associated with the digital image into color information in a CIE color space, then converting the color information in the CIE color space into color information in a printer color space.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein said first and second stand-alone applications communicate with the remote server over first and second network connections, respectively.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein said first and second network connections are authenticated.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein said first stand-alone application comprises a software web browser.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein said second stand-alone application comprises a software application separate from the software web browser.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the user interface element comprises a first set of user interface displays rendered by said first stand-alone application, and a second set of user interface displays rendered by said second stand-alone application, wherein said first set of user interface displays can be invoked from said second set of user interface displays, and said second set of user interface displays can be invoked from said first set of user interface displays.

9. A method for decorating edible media with licensed images, comprising:

receiving an edible medium at a printing system connected to the Internet;

establishing with a first software application a first secure connection to a server;

establishing with a second software application a second connection to the server;

retrieving with the second software application at least one licensed image from the server through the second connection;

modifying with the second software application the licensed image;

generating, with the second software application, a data stream for transmission to a printer spooler without using default operating system print drivers, said data stream representing an edited or unedited version of the licensed image; and

printing, based on said data stream, an image corresponding to the representation of the licensed image upon the edible medium using edible inks.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein modifying the licensed image comprises converting color information associated with the licensed image into color information in a CIE color space, then converting the color information in the CIE color space into color information in a printer color space.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the second connection is only established if the first secure connection is already established.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said second connection is a secure connection.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein said first software application comprises a software web browser.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said second software application comprises a standalone software application separate from the software web browser.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first software application is operated through a first set of user interface displays, and the second software application is operated through a second set of user interface displays, wherein said first set of user interface displays can be invoked from said second set of user interface displays, and said second set of user interface displays can be invoked from said first set of user interface displays.

16. A non-transitory machine-readable medium having a plurality of instructions tangibly stored thereon comprising data representing a software application, which when executed on a printing system performs operations comprising:

establishing with the software application a connection to a server;

retrieving with the software application, at least one licensed image from the server through the secure connection;

modifying with the software application the licensed image;

generating, with the software application, a data stream for transmission to a printer spooler without using default operating system print drivers, said data stream representing an edited or unedited version of the licensed image; and

causing a printer to render said data stream upon an edible medium using edible inks.

17. The machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein modifying the licensed image comprises converting color information associated with the licensed image into color information in a CIE color space, then converting the color information in the CIE color space into color information in a printer color space.

18. The machine-readable medium of claim 17, wherein said connection is only established if a prior secure connection exists.

19. The machine-readable medium of claim 18, wherein said connection is only established if a prior secure connection exists.

20. The machine-readable medium of claim 19, wherein said connection is a secure connection.

21. The machine-readable medium of claim 19, wherein said prior secure connection is established through the use of a software web browser.

22. The machine-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the software application comprises a standalone software application separate from the software web browser.

23. The machine-readable medium of claim 22, wherein the software application is operated through a first set of user interface displays, and the software web browser is operated through a second set of user interface displays, wherein said first set of user interface displays can be invoked from said second set of user interface displays, and said second set of user interface displays can be invoked from said first set of user interface displays.

24. The machine-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the software web browser does not reside on said machine-readable medium.