Photograph processing and copying system using coincident force drop-on-demand ink jet printing

• US 5,909,227 A
• Filed: 12/03/1996
• Issued: 06/01/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Original Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia
• Primary Examiner(s): STERRETT, JEFFREY L
• Application Number:
  US08/765,756
• Time in Patent Office: 910 Days
• Field of Search: 347/3, 347/48, 347/55, 347/38, 347/77, 358/298, 358/302, 358/502, 358/505
• US Class Current: 347/3
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/005 characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material printing by selective application of impact or pressure on a printing or impression-transfer material B41J2/22
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04 generating single droplets or particles on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/504 Reproducing the colour component signals line-sequentially

Abstract

A digital color photograph printer (mini-lab) and a photograph copier which uses a drop on concurrent drop selection and drop separation demand printing mechanism. The system consists of a color continuous tone scanner, a scanner signal conditioning unit, a digital halftoning unit, a data phasing unit, and a printing mechanism using liquid ink. When copying, continuous tone image information from the image scanner is digitally color corrected, digitally halftoned in real-time and printed by the printing head. The system may be operated by a human operator, or may be fully automatic, producing a copy of a photograph after sensing payment by coin, banknote, credit card, or other means.

Claims

1. A color photograph copier including a printer having a print head comprising:

(a) a plurality of drop-emitter nozzles;

(b) a body of ink associated with said nozzles, said body of ink forming a meniscus with an air/ink interface at each nozzle;

(c) drop selection apparatus operable upon the air/ink interface to select predetermined nozzles and to generate a difference in meniscus position between ink in selected and non-selected nozzles; and

(d) drop separation apparatus adapted to cause ink from selected nozzles to separate as drops from the body of ink, while allowing ink to be retained in non-selected nozzles, said drop selection apparatus being capable of producing said difference in meniscus position in the absence of said drop separation apparatus.

2. A color photograph printing apparatus comprising:

a color negative film scanner adapted to produce an analog electronic data representation of a negative image on color negative film;

a scanner signal conditioning unit adapted to convert the analog electronic data to digital form;

a digital image processing system adapted to convert negative image digital data to positive image digital data; and

a data distribution and timing system which provides the positive image digital data to a printing mechanism at correct times during a printing operation, where the bi-level printing mechanism includes a printer having a print head comprising;

(a) a plurality of drop-emitter nozzles;

(b) a body of ink associated with said nozzles;

(c) a pressurizing device adapted to subject ink in said body of ink to a pressure of at least 2% above ambient pressure, at least during drop selection and separation to form a meniscus with an air/ink interface;

(d) drop selection apparatus operable upon the air/ink interface to select predetermined nozzles and to generate a difference in meniscus position between ink in selected and non-selected nozzles; and

(e) drop separation apparatus adapted to cause ink from selected nozzles to separate as drops from the body of ink, while allowing ink to be retained in non-selected nozzles.

3. A color photograph printing apparatus as claimed in claim 2 where the print head is a single monolithic printing head which can print to the full width of a photographic print.

4. A color photograph printing apparatus as claimed in claim 2 where the print head is composed of a plurality of monolithic printing heads.

5. A color photograph printing apparatus comprising:

a color negative film scanner adapted to produce an analog electronic data representation of a negative image on color negative film;

a scanner signal conditioning unit adapted to convert the analog electronic data to digital form;

a digital image processing system adapted to convert negative image digital data to positive image digital data; and

a data distribution and timing system which provides the positive image digital data to a printing mechanism at correct times during a printing operation, where the bi-level printing mechanism includes a printer having a print head comprising;

(a) a plurality of drop-emitter nozzles;

(b) a body of ink associated with said nozzles, said body of ink forming a meniscus with an air/ink interface at each nozzle;

(c) drop selection apparatus operable upon the air/ink interface to select predetermined nozzles and to generate a difference in meniscus position between ink in selected and non-selected nozzles; and

(d) drop separation apparatus adapted to cause ink from selected nozzles to separate as drops from the body of ink, while allowing ink to be retained in non-selected nozzles, said drop selection apparatus being capable of producing said difference in meniscus position in the absence of said drop separation apparatus.

6. A color photograph printing apparatus as claimed in claim 5 where the print head is a single monolithic printing head which can print to the full width of a photographic print.

7. A color photograph printing apparatus as claimed in claim 5 where the print head is composed of a plurality of monolithic printing heads.

8. A color photograph printing apparatus comprising:

a color negative film scanner adapted to produce an analog electronic data representation of a negative image on color negative film;

a scanner signal conditioning unit adapted to convert the analog electronic data to digital form;

a digital image processing system adapted to convert negative image digital data to positive image digital data; and

a data distribution and timing system which provides the positive image digital data to a printing mechanism at correct times during a printing operation, where the bi-level printing mechanism includes a printer having a print head comprising;

(a) a plurality of drop-emitter nozzles;

(b) a body of ink associated with said nozzles, said body of ink forming a meniscus with an air/ink interface at each nozzle and said ink exhibiting a surface tension decrease of at least 10 mN/m over a 30°

C. temperature range;

(c) drop selection apparatus operable upon the air/ink interface to select predetermined nozzles and to generate a difference in meniscus position between ink in selected and non-selected nozzles; and

(d) drop separation apparatus adapted to cause ink from selected nozzles to separate as drops from the body of ink, while allowing ink to be retained in non-selected nozzles.

9. A color photograph printing apparatus as claimed in claim 8 where the print head is a single monolithic printing head which can print to the full width of a photographic print.

10. A color photograph printing apparatus as claimed in claim 8 where the print head is composed of a plurality of monolithic printing heads.

11. A color photograph printing apparatus as claimed in claim 8 which includes a digital color correction apparatus.

12. A color photograph printing apparatus as claimed in claim 8 where CC'"'"'MM'"'"'YK printing ink colors are used.

13. A color photograph copying apparatus including:

(a) a color image scanner which produces data representing a photograph to be copied;

(b) a scanner signal conditioning unit which converts the scanner data to digital form; and

(c) a data distribution and timing system which provides the converted scanner data to a color printing mechanism including a printer having a print head comprising;

(1) a plurality of drop-emitter nozzles;

(2) a body of ink associated with said nozzles, said body of ink forming a meniscus with an air/ink interface at each nozzle;

(3) drop selection apparatus operable upon the air/ink interface to select predetermined nozzles and to generate a difference in meniscus position between ink in selected and non-selected nozzles; and

(4) drop separation apparatus adapted to cause ink from selected nozzles to separate as drops from the body of ink, while allowing ink to be retained in non-selected nozzles, said drop selection apparatus being capable of producing said difference in meniscus position in the absence of said drop separation apparatus.

14. A color photograph copying apparatus as claimed in claim 13 where the print head is a single monolithic printing head which can print to full width of a sheet of standard size paper.

15. A color photograph copying apparatus as claimed in claim 13 where the photograph copying apparatus is automatically enabled by a payment sensing device.

16. A color photograph copying apparatus including:

(a) a color image scanner which produces data representing a photograph to be copied;

(b) a scanner signal conditioning unit which converts the scanner data to digital form; and

(c) a data distribution and timing system which provides the converted scanner data to a color printing mechanism including a printer having a print head comprising;

(1) a plurality of drop-emitter nozzles;

(2) a body of ink associated with said nozzles, said body of ink forming a meniscus with an air/ink interface at each nozzle and said ink exhibiting a surface tension decrease of at least 10 mN/m over a 30°

C. temperature range;

(3) drop selection apparatus operable upon the air/ink interface to select predetermined nozzles and to generate a difference in meniscus position between ink in selected and non-selected nozzles; and

(4) drop separation apparatus adapted to cause ink from selected nozzles to separate as drops from the body of ink, while allowing ink to be retained in non-selected nozzles.

17. A color photograph copying apparatus as claimed in claim 16 where the print head is a single monolithic printing head which can print to full width of a sheet of standard size paper.

18. A color photograph copying apparatus as claimed in claim 16 where the photograph copying apparatus is automatically enabled by a payment sensing device.

19. A color photograph copier including a printer having a print head comprising:

(a) a plurality of drop-emitter nozzles;

(b) a body of ink associated with said nozzles;

(c) a pressurizing device adapted to subject ink in said body of ink to a pressure of at least 2% above ambient pressure, at least during drop selection and separation to form a meniscus with an air/ink interface;

(d) drop selection apparatus operable upon the air/ink interface to select predetermined nozzles and to generate a difference in meniscus position between ink in selected and non-selected nozzles; and

(e) drop separation apparatus adapted to cause ink from selected nozzles to separate as drops from the body of ink, while allowing ink to be retained in non-selected nozzles.

20. The color photograph copier as claimed in claim 19 where the photograph copier is automatically enabled by a payment sensing device.

21. The color photograph copier as claimed in claim 19 where the photograph copier is automatically enabled by a payment sensing device.

22. The color photograph copier as claimed in claim 19 where the photograph copier is automatically enabled by a payment sensing device.

23. A color photograph copier including a printer having a print head comprising:

(a) a plurality of drop-emitter nozzles;

(b) a body of ink associated with said nozzles, said body of ink forming a meniscus with an air/ink interface at each nozzle and said ink exhibiting a surface tension decrease of at least 10 mN/m over a 30°

C. temperature range;

(c) drop selection apparatus operable upon the air/ink interface to select predetermined nozzles and to generate a difference in meniscus position between ink in selected and non-selected nozzles; and

(d) drop separation apparatus adapted to cause ink from selected nozzles to separate as drops from the body of ink, while allowing ink to be retained in non-selected nozzles.

24. A color photograph copying apparatus including:

(a) a color image scanner which produces data representing a photograph to be copied;

(b) a scanner signal conditioning unit which converts the scanner data to digital form; and

(c) a data distribution and timing system which provides the converted scanner data to a color printing mechanism including a printer having a print head comprising;

(1) a plurality of drop-emitter nozzles;

(2) a body of ink associated with said nozzles;

(3) a pressurizing device adapted to subject ink in said body of ink to a pressure of at least 2% above ambient pressure, at least during drop selection and separation to form a meniscus with an air/ink interface;

(4) drop selection apparatus operable upon the air/ink interface to select predetermined nozzles and to generate a difference in meniscus position between ink in selected and non-selected nozzles; and

(5) drop separation apparatus adapted to cause ink from selected nozzles to separate as drops from the body of ink, while allowing ink to be retained in non-selected nozzles.

25. A color photograph copying apparatus as claimed in claim 24 where the photograph copying apparatus is automatically enabled by a payment sensing device.

26. A color photograph copying apparatus as claimed in claim 24 where the print head is a single monolithic printing head which can print to full width of a sheet of standard size paper.