Eastman-kodak Company

Ortho-clinical Diagnostics, Inc

Robert S Jones

Victor C Wong

Badhri Narayan

Donald R Williams

Robert V Reisch

Robert B Bayley

Vishwas G Abhyankar

John J Maurer

Robert Breslawski

Richard Weil

Lynn Willett

Douglas J Pfaff

Robert G Duncan

Nelson Adrian Blish

Louis S Horvath

Thomas W Mort

Lou Horvath

Joseph P Palmer

Nelson G Blish

Louis G Horvath

Daniel R Rose

Lynn J Willett

The apparatus is a mechanism for acquiring, holding, and enabling the movement of a cassette-shaped article, such as a reagent or sample cassette, which may be part of an automated diagnostic analyzer, such that the apparatus can tolerate a significant degree of cassette misplacement and/or misalignment during the acquisition maneuver. The mechanism furthermore enables simultaneous two-dimensional movement of the acquiring gripper jaws such that the inter-jaw distance decreases at the same time as movement in an upward vertical direction is provided while the jaw movement is adequately smooth so as not to disturb the physical state of the sample.

Apparatus for gripping and holding diagnostic cassettes

A method for preserving a digitally signed document () in a digital data preservation system (). A secure preservation request () combines the document () with a preservation signature () that is generated using an identification mark () and the document's associated digital signature (). Once the document () is authenticated by the digital preservation system vendor, both the document () and the identification mark () are recorded onto preservation media () in human-readable form.

Preservation system for digitally created and digitally signed documents

A digital preservation system () for accepting a digital data record as input, for providing a preview of the digital data record on a display screen (), for writing the data record in human-readable form onto a preservation-quality medium (), for storage of the medium (), and for retrieval of the data record from the medium (. The digital preservation system () preserves a data record in human-readable form, along with an associated metadata record, allowing the human-readable preserved data record to be readable in the distant future, independent of specific reading hardware. A preview function allows an operator to specify storage and retrieval characteristics for the data record.

Preview function in a digital data preservation system

A digital preservation system () for accepting a digital data record as input, for providing a preview of the digital data record on a display screen (), for writing the data record in human-readable form onto a preservation-quality medium (), for storage of the medium (), and for retrieval of the data record from the medium (). The digital preservation system () preserves a data record in human-readable form, along with an associated metadata record, allowing the human-readable preserved data record to be readable in the distant future, independent of specific reading hardware. The preview function allows an operator to specify storage and retrieval characteristics for the data record.

A method for decoding data that has been encoded in a monochrome medium utilizing the capability of the medium for grayscale resolution. A document is processed to provide an image in electronic format, in which each pixel has an assigned data value with a given bit depth. A mapping operation is performed for generating a monochrome data word (), preferably having a reduced bit depth. The monochrome data word () can be used to encode multiple data fields (). A printer () then produces a preserved document record () in which the appropriate monochrome data word () determines the grayscale value for each pixel. To decode the stored data, a scanner () is employed to obtain the grayscale value from the preserved document record (). For each pixel, the grayscale value is then decomposed into multiple data fields (), which can then be decoded to provide the information that was originally encoded.

Method of decoding data encoded in a monochrome medium

An apparatus and method for printing images from a digital image source onto a photosensitive medium () using one or more two-dimensional light-emissive arrays () such as OLED arrays. Each image pixel has a corresponding light-emitting element which is assigned a variable intensity based on data for that pixel. Imaging optics () direct the light from each light-emitting element onto the photosensitive medium () so that a monochromatic or multicolor image can be formed with a single exposure.

Apparatus and method for printing using a light emissive array

A method for encoding data in a monochrome media utilizing the capability of the media for grayscale resolution. A document is processed to provide an image in electronic format, in which each pixel has an assigned data value with a given bit depth. A mapping operation is performed for generating a monochrome data word (), preferably having a reduced bit depth. The monochrome data word () can be used to encode multiple data fields (). A printer () then produces a preserved document record () in which the appropriate monochrome data word () determines the grayscale value for each pixel.

Method of encoding data in a monochrome media

Apparatus for removing a film strip from a film leader card includes (a) a feed section for holding the film leader card stationary in a first predetermined position with the film strip attached via protrusions to a film clip, said feed section having an entry port through which the film leader card is fully inserted in a forward direction with the film strip extending in a backward direction outward through the entry port; (b) means for forming a loop in the film that is folded underneath the film leader card in order to rotate the end of the film strip away from the film clip on the opposite side of the film leader card, thereby causing the film strip to de-tension from the protrusions; (c) a pinch roller assembly; (d) a detach mechanism for engaging the loop and extending it further under the film leader card toward, but not contacting, the pinch roller assembly, said detach mechanism including cams for further rotating the film strip until it is completely inverted and oriented in the forward direction, said cams holding the end of the film strip in place against the film leader card; (e) means for driving the film leader card in the backward direction toward the entry port until the film strip extends further through the film clip, at which point the film leader card is locked into a second predetermined stationary position; (f) means for further rotating said detach mechanism until the film strip is immovably engaged with the pinch roller assembly; (g) means for driving the film leader card forward away from the entry port until the film strip is disengaged from the film clip; and (h) means for releasing the detach assembly from the pinch roller assembly so that the film strip may be removed from the film leader card through the entry port.

Auto-mechanism for removing film leader card from 35 and APS film after processing

A take-up chamber for receiving an elongated filmstrip having a predetermined width between the longitudinal edges thereof and an image area less than the width. The take-up chamber has a chamber housing for accommodating the filmstrip within the chamber. The housing has first and second side walls spaced apart to accommodate the width of the filmstrip, a lateral wall extending between the first and second side walls, and a slit extending through the lateral wall and between the first and second side walls through which the filmstrip may be introduced or withdrawn from the chamber. Two parallel laterally spaced generally circular guides extend the inside of said chamber from adjacent one side of the slit to the other side of the slit. Each guide has a substantially continuous inner surface, to contact only respective longitudinal edges of a filmstrip and cause the filmstrip to wind into a roll within the chamber as the filmstrip is advanced through the slit. A scanner having using such a take-up chamber is also provided.

Filmstrip take-up chamber

Filmstrip receiving apparatus for receiving an elongated filmstrip, comprising:

Filmstrip receiving apparatus

Apparatus for automatically inserting 35 mm photographic slides into a slide scanning gate in the scanning station of a film scanner, scanning the slide, and ejecting the slides on completion of scanning. A vertical mount in the film scanner housing receives a rotatable slide tray having customer orders in selected tray slots to present each selected slide into alignment laterally in a horizontal plane with the film scanning gate. A load arm is actuated to load the slide from the tray slot into the scanning gate. The scanning gate accepts slides in mounts of varying size and thickness and centers the slide film image frame in alignment with a film scanning plane in the scanning station. The scanning gate is translated in the scanning station out of the load position for low and high resolution scans and returned to the load position. A return arm is actuated to eject the slide from the scanning gate and back into the same slot in the tray, and the tray is rotated to present the next selected slide into alignment with the load and return arms and the slide scanning gate. The system scans slides of different customer orders in accordance with instructions entered into an electronic control system.

Apparatus for automatically feeding slides into a film scanner

A passive take-up chamber for temporarily receiving and storing photographic filmstrips in the transport path of a film scanner for digitizing images on the filmstrips. The take-up chamber has a cavity defined by parallel side walls and a generally circular, lateral connecting wall with a plurality of shaped interior surface segments formed in and spaced apart around the interior surface of the lateral wall and generally defining a circular path for the filmstrip within the cavity. A further plurality of guiding rollers are mounted to extend between the first and second side walls adjacent to the interior surface of the lateral wall, for rotation on contact with the longitudinal edges of the filmstrip. The further plurality of guiding rollers are interspersed between the plurality of shaped interior surface segments, so that the shaped interior surface segments guide the longitudinal edges of the filmstrip tangentially onto the guiding rollers, and the guiding rollers rotate to decrease friction of contact of the longitudinal filmstrip edges with the shaped interior surface segments. The take-up chamber is preferably attached fixedly to the translation stage of the film scanner for receiving a filmstrip during a first pass, low resolution scanning and digitizing of the image frames. The filmstrip is withdrawn from the chamber during a second pass, high resolution scanning and digitizing of the image frames. The fixed attachment allows the segment of the filmstrip within the chamber cavity to remain stationary during translation of the image frame thereof past the scanning gate.

Passive film take-up chamber

A film scanner for digitizing film image frames having dual, in-line negative filmstrip and slide scanning gates on a scanning gate frame movable to position the selected scanning gate in a scanning station. The film scanner includes a film scanning station, an insertion slot for receiving the filmstrip, a filmstrip pre-positioning station a filmstrip for scanning while a previous filmstrip is being scanned, an ejection slot, and a diverter for diverting the scanned filmstrip out the ejection slot and allowing the advancement of the pre-positioned filmstrip into the filmstrip scanning gate. The pre-positioned filmstrip is advanced in a forward direction through the diverter and filmstrip scanning gate, as the scanning station performs a low resolution pre-scanning of the image frames. Then the pre-scanned filmstrip is advanced in the reverse direction into the filmstrip scanning gate, clamped in place, and the filmstrip scanning gate is translated more slowly through the scanning station which performs a high resolution main-scanning of the image frames. The scanning gate frame is also movable by the carriage drive motor to position and translate the slide scanning gate through the scanning station during pre-scan and main-scan operations. Jaws of the slide scanning gate receive slide mounts varying in width and thickness and to center the slide film image frame in the film scanning plane.

Film scanner with in-line dual scanning gates

A film scanner having a support frame for supporting a high intensity light source and a light integrator with respect to a film scanning gate, and apparatus for pivotally moving the light integrator out of the way to facilitate access to the scanning gate. The light integrator has a sealed integrating cavity with a sealed end port for admitting light from the high intensity source and an elongated, sealed light emitting bar for directing the line of light onto the film plane of the film scanning gate at a distance from the light integrating cavity. The light integrator is constructed of two half sections joined to form the cylindrical cavity and a rectangular receptacle for the light conducting bar. A conical internal cavity, light input member is joined at the narrow cone end to an offset input port in one end of the cavity and is mounted by a rotatable bearing to the frame. The conical internal cavity is aligned at the wide cone end opening to the light source, and trim and infra-red filters are positioned therebetween. The light input member of the integrator is pivoted on the bearing by a motor driven link arm from a scanning position close to the film plane into a standby position with the light bar pivoted away from the scanning plane to provide access to it to change from a negative filmstrip to a slide scanning gate.

Growing community of inventors

Rochester, NY, United States of America

Robert S Jones