Eastman-kodak Company

Marcello D Fiscella

Stanley W Stephenson

Werner N Fassler

James E Pickering

John E Mooney

Ravi Sharma

Thomas W Martin

Dwight John Petruchik

J David Cocca

Stanley Ward Stephenson, Iii

William D Goodwin

Robert R Brearey

John Robert Siemer

An ink jet printer having an ink jet head and defining a structure having a device including a structure defining a plurality of orifices for ejecting ink droplets includes defining an ink cleaning cavity spaced from the printing position for receiving cleaning fluid; a roller disposed in the cleaning cavity and partially submerged in the cleaning fluid and spaced from the structure is rotated so that the fluid coats the roller and is carried by surface tension around the roller; and the structure is brought into proximity with the cleaning roller so that the orifices are cleaned by the cleaning fluid carried on the roller and delivered through the cleaning cavity to the structure.

Cleaning orifices in ink jet printing apparatus

A method of forming a combined image from a filmstrip carrying a plurality of user exposed first images and second image information defining a second image. A user exposed image associated with a predetermined designation for referencing the second image, is identified. The user exposed image associated with the designation is scanned to obtain a resulting scanned image signal. Second image information from the filmstrip is read to obtain a second image signal. A combined image is formed from the resulting scanned image signal and the read second image. A filmstrip and film assemblage is provided which can be used in a method of exposing according to the present invention, then developed and processed according to the above method.

Compound image formation

An inkjet printer having an inkjet head and defining a structure having means including a structure defining a plurality of orifices for ejecting ink droplets. A cleaning cavity is spaced from the printing position for receiving cleaning fluid. An adjustable vane partially submerged in the cleaning fluid and spaced from the structure and a pump delivers the cleaning liquid at a desired velocity towards the adjustable vane so that the vane creates a flow of cleaning liquid past the structure in the cleaning cavity space. The adjustable vane is positioned so as to create a desired flow of cleaning liquid which engages the structure.

Adjustable vane used in cleaning orifices in inkjet printing apparatus

A camera has a plurality of taking lenses and an equal number of flash sources which are used in a 1:1 relationship that attempts to maximize the flash-to-lens distance in order to reduce red-eye.

Multiple taking lenses, equal number flash bulbs, camera with flash-lens

A camera and method of camera operation for automatically determining usage condition of film in a cartridge utilizing a cartridge radial bar coded data disc to discriminate among a plurality of possible initial angular settings of the film spool during a film loading operation. The possible initial angular settings can be representative of exposed, partially exposed, fully exposed or processed film. At the start of film loading, the spool is rotated in the reverse direction and bar code element transition counts sensed by a pair of angularly spaced opto-sensors are accumulated. A count comparison between the two sensors is initially made to determine if the film is unexposed and, if so, film loading proceeds in normal manner, otherwise an alternative action is taken. In a simple camera, the loading is terminated. In a more sophisticated MRI capable camera, when the count comparison indicates the film is not unexposed, the camera controller calculates an angular position of one of the sensors relative to a predetermined reference position on the data disc, based on sensed element transitions and known element widths, to discriminate among spool settings indicative of partially exposed film, fully exposed film and processed film with appropriate actions initiated depending on the discriminated spool position.

Camera apparatus and method for film double exposure prevention

A method of and apparatus for sequentially printing lines of image pixels in the thermal printing of a two-dimensional image on a wide receiver media employing a print head arrangement of the type comprising a plurality N of linear thermal print head segments each comprising a set n of thermal print elements, each element having a data bit input terminal, in an alternating, staggered pattern in first and second rows of N.sub.1 and N.sub.2 print head segments arranged across the media in a print line direction such that respective sub-sets of n.sub.1 thermal print elements of the adjacent ends of the N.sub.1 and N.sub.2 print head segments arranged in the first and second rows overlap in the print line direction. Each line of image print data into first and second print line data sub-sets which, when applied to the respective first and second rows of print head segments, print respective first and second line sub-images each having a complete segment and a partially complete segment, wherein the partially complete segments positionally overlap one another. The partially complete segments of the first and second line sub-images have their complete areas distributed throughout the respective segment in complementary patterns, which may reflect an arbitrary or random distribution.

Thermal line printer with staggered head segments and overlap

A thermal printer is disclosed in which a receiver is driven back and forth relative to a printing head by a driving roller. The receiver is driven at a nip formed between the driving roller and a pinch roller. The pinch roller is adapted to contact only the receiver during the movement of the receiver. The receiver is thereby permitted to move at the surface speed of the driving roller with reduced shear forces being introduced by the pinch roller. Consequently, a pinch roller with a high length to diameter ratio is usable and images can be produced on wide receivers with narrow image-free borders. The images are produced with precise registration and image artifacts are reduced.

Printer drive

A continuous tone thermal printing apparatus of the type having a printing station and a receiver drive station. The drive station repeatedly advances receiver back and forth through the printing station in conjunction with the advance of successive thermal transfer donor dye colors on a carrier web through the printing station to successively print the overlying different color image separations. The drive station preferably comprises a motor driven capstan roller mounted to bear against one surface of the receiver and a pinch roller mounted to bear and exert pressure against the other surface of the receiver and to press the receiver against the capstan roller and define a nip therebetween. The capstan roller has a high friction receiver engaging surface and is relatively hard and uncompressible, and the pinch roller has a low friction receiver contacting surface and is relatively soft and compressible, such that when the receiver is within the nip, it is driven in the advance direction by motor driven rotation of the high friction capstan surface, and the interfacial shear stress between each roller and the respective receiver surface in the nip area is minimized.

Traction surfaces for thermal printer capstan drives

A method for controlling the curl of high density images on transparent media is provided for thermal dye transfer printers. The method includes wrapping the transparent receiver media around the print drum a preselected amount during printing. For a mechanical drive printer, the amount of wrapping is about 210 degrees. For capstan drive systems, the degree of wrapping is about 90 to about 160 degrees.

Method for minimizing curl of transparent media during printing of high

A continuous tone themal printing apparatus of the type having a printing station and a receiver paper drive station. The drive station repeatedly advances receiver paper back and forth through the printing station in conjunction with the advance of successive thermal transfer donor dye colors on a carrier web through the printing station to successively print the different color separations. The platen drum in the printing station is coupled to a platen drag force mechanism for imparting reverse torque to the torque imparted by the drive station to impart a degree of tension to the receiver paper as it passes through the printing station that exceeds stick/slip variations in movement of the receiver paper therethrough by the sublimation of the dyes from the donor dye carrier web to the receiver paper in the creation of the image thereon. The platen drag force may be effected by overdriving a motor or generator or drag brake coupled to the platen drum.

Platen drag mechanism for thermal printers

A thermal printer uses a relatively small dye-donor patches to produce images which are larger than the dye-donor patches. An image is formed by printing and merging of multiple sub-images. Each of the sub-images is smaller than one of the dye-donor patches. Merging of the sub-images is performed by generating data fields for sub-images and then distributing image data throughout overlapping segments of the sub-image data fields. A distribution of a portion of the image data is made in a first overlapping segment in a first pattern that is substantially non-linear. A second distribution of remaining image data is made in a second overlapping segment in a pattern that is complementary to the first pattern. When the overlapping segment are brought together, a merger zone between the sub-images becomes virtually undetectable to an unaided human eye.

Method and apparatus for thermally printing large images with small

A thermal printer uses a relatively small dye-donor patches to produce images which are larger than the dye-donor patches. An image is formed by printing and merging of multiple sub-images. Each of the sub-images is smaller than one of the dye-donor patches. Merging of the sub-images is performed by generating data fields for sub-images and then distributing image data throughout overlapping segments of the sub-image data fields. A distribution of a portion of the image data is made in a first overlapping segment in a first pattern that is substantially non-linear. A second distribution of remaining image data is made in a second overlapping segment in a pattern that is complementary to the first pattern. When the overlapping segment are brought together, a merger zone between the sub-images becomes undetectable to an unaided human eye.

Growing community of inventors

Fairport, NY, United States of America

Marcello D Fiscella