Eastman-kodak Company

Xin Wen

Charles D DeBoer

Joseph C Deaton

Myra T Olm

Donald L Black

Richard L Daubendiek

Robert D Wilson

Timothy R Gersey

Joseph G Lighthouse

Werner N Fassler

Gilbert Allan Hawkins

Henry G Wirth

Steven D MacLean

Charles E Romano, Jr

Anthony R Lubinsky

Dale Frederick McIntyre

Douglas W Couwenhoven

William H Simpson

William Yurich Fowlkes

David Erdtmann

David Andrew Johnson

Mark Steven Janosky

Scott C Robinson

Teh-Ming Kung

Roger L Lok

David Louis Jeanmaire

Thomas W Martin

Chris W Honsinger

Linda A Kaszczuk

Thap DoMinh

Richard A Landholm

David Leroy Cole

Lam J Ewell

Joseph C Olsovsky

Lee William Tutt

Douglas E Bugner

Robert O James

Rodney L Miller

Roger L Klaus

Seung H Baek

Kevin M O'Connor

Jerzy A Budz

George J Burgmaier

John D DeLorme

George L Oltean

Jeffrey I Hirsh

Frederick Rockwell Chamberlain, Iv

Steven J Sparer

Michael G Antoniades

James T Stoops

William I Morris

Carl R Preddy

Alfred J Amell

David L Clark

Susan E Hanley

Mark Jay Herman

Charles Eugene Romano

Thomas William Martin

A method of detecting an embedded message in a digital image, the embedded message being embedded in periodic blocks in the image, including the steps of: selecting a first area in the digital image; selecting a second area in the digital image; performing a correlation between the first and the second image areas; and if the correlation exceeds an predetermined threshold value at at least one pixel location, producing a signal indicating the existence of embedded message in the digital image.

Detecting embedded information in images

A method for authorizing the making of a visual image from a digital image includes receiving the digital image having embedded authorization information, extracting the authorization information from the digital image, and verifying that the extracted embedded authorization information permits an imaging device to form the visual image of the digital image. After the verifying step, the imaging device forms the visual image from the digital image.

Authorizing the production of visual images from digital images

An ink jet printing apparatus which is adapted to producing images using inks having predetermined concentrations of a label material therein, includes a printhead, an ink delivery system adapted to provide inks to the printhead, and a sensor associated with the ink delivery system. The sensor is sensitive to the label material in the ink and adapted to produce a signal which is characteristic of the concentration of the label material in the ink. The ink delivery system includes an ink reservoir and an ink flow channel between the ink reservoir and the printhead. The sensor is positioned to sense the concentration of the label material in the ink in the flow channel and/or in the ink reservoir. The sensor may be adapted to sense a magnetic field of the label material, an electromagnetic field of the label material, infrared photons of the label material, or fluorescent photons of the label material.

Ink delivery system and process for ink jet printing apparatus

A photographic image printer, method of printing, and a software program for printing digital images which analyzes pending orders, determines the image printing sequence, and allocates print media intelligently to enable high printing productivity and low media waste. An apparatus made in accordance with the present invention permits can also provide In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention there is provided non-chemistry printing device which requires little floor space.

Image reproduction apparatus with compact, low-waste digital printer

A method for microfluidic printing comprising pumping and mixing colored inks which comprise a mixture of colorants, fluids, and gel-forming or gel-initiating ingredients to form ink pixels and to transfer such ink pixels to a receiver transferring position; and transferring the ink pixels to a reflective receiver which contains gel-forming or gel-initiating ingredients so that the ingredients in the transferred ink pixels and in the receiver react to form a gel and the viscosity of the transferred ink rapidly increases to limit the flow of ink pixels whereby such ink pixels are fixed to the receiver and overprinting of colors is minimized.

Microfluidic printing with gel-forming inks

A photographic image printer, method of printing, and a software program for printing digital images which analyzes pending orders, determines the image printing sequence, and allocates print media intelligently to enable high printing productivity and low media waste. An apparatus made in accordance with the present invention permits can also provide. In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention there is provided non-chemistry printing device which requires little floor space.

A method of printing images on a cut sheet with which analyzes pending orders, determines the image printing sequence, and allocates print media intelligently to enable high printing productivity and low media waste.

Apparatus for forming durable ink image in response to a digital image on a receiver, includes at least one ink jet print head adapted to deliver ink to the receiver and wherein the apparatus actuates the ink jet print head for delivering ink to the receiver to form an ink image in accordance with the digital image. The apparatus further includes a structure for applying a fluid over the ink image which forms a transparent solid continuous film for protecting the ink image.

Forming ink images having protection films

Printer and method adapted to reduce variability in ejected ink drop volume. A print head includes a plurality of nozzles integrally attached to the print head, each nozzle being capable of ejecting an ink droplet therefrom. At least one of the nozzles has an undesirable characteristic producing ink droplets of non-nominal volume. A waveform generator is connected to the nozzles for generating a plurality of waveforms to be supplied to the nozzles, so that the nozzles eject the ink droplets in response to the waveforms supplied thereto. Each waveforms has a plurality of pulses controlling ink droplet volume. A controller is provided for controlling the waveforms supplied to the nozzles and for transmitting the waveforms to the nozzles in order to eject the ink droplets so as to compensate for the non-nominal volume by controlling the number of pulses in the waveform. In this manner, all nozzles produce ink droplets of nominal volume regardless of physical or electrical variations between nozzles.

Printer and method adapted to reduce variability in ejected ink droplet volume

An insertable cartridge for insertion into a receiving structure having electronic addressing circuitry for forming a visual image of a stored image is disclosed. The cartridge includes a housing for receiving a plurality of receivers, each receiver including field-driven particles in a matrix that can change reflective density in response to an applied electric field which intersect at positions corresponding to pixels and the housing defining alignment features for insertion into the receiving structure which receives and positions an inserted cartridge. The housing further includes electronic interconnecting circuitry for connection between the addressing circuitry and a receiver after a cartridge has been inserted in the receiving structure for permitting the application of voltages at the pixel positions across the field-driven particles at particular locations in the receiver corresponding to pixels in the stored image to produce an image in the receiver in the cartridge.

Forming images on receivers having field-driven particles

Ink jet printing apparatus in response to a digital image for forming an ink image on a receiver attached to the surface of a drum rotatable about an axis. The ink jet printing apparatus includes an actuable ink jet print head movable in a direction parallel to the drum axis for delivering ink to the receiver, and rotates the drum such that the attached receiver moves at a predetermined surface velocity. The ink jet printing apparatus moves the ink jet print head at a velocity less than the predetermined velocity of the receiver so that the print head scans an area of drum surface that is skewed relative to the drum axis, and circuitry response to the digital image for simultaneously controlling the rotating and the moving means and means for actuating the inkjet print head to form an ink image within the scanned area wherein two edges of the ink image are parallel to the drum axis and two edges of the ink image are perpendicular to the drum axis.

Ink jet printing on a receiver attached to a drum

The present invention generally relates to a method and apparatus for compensating for malperforming or inoperative ink nozzles in a multitone ink jet printhead so that high quality images are printed although some ink nozzles are malperforming or inoperative. Multitone printing is effected by printing a variety of droplets of varying volumes at a given pixel location. In compensating for a malperforming nozzle, a swath data signal is modified and one or more functional nozzles are assigned the printing data for a malperforming nozzle such that the volume of ink ultimately printed at pixel locations is substantially unchanged and the resulting image is free from degradation. Additionally, malperforming nozzles may be assigned values which represent the degree of image degradation that would be caused by printing with the malperforming nozzles, such that these values may be taken into consideration during the process of modifying the swath data signal for complementary recording.

Method of compensating for malperforming nozzles in a multitone inkjet printer

An electronic camera includes optics for focusing an image of a subject at an image plane, an area image sensor disposed at the image plane for receiving the image subject and producing a digital image having a plurality of pixels that represent the subject, and a storage structure coupled to the area image sensor for storing the digitized image of the subject. A non-emissive display for displaying an image corresponding to the stored image, includes field-driven solid phase particles disposed in a matrix that can change reflective density in the display in response to an applied electric field, and an electronic addressing arrangement including electrodes for applying voltages across the field-driven particles at particular locations corresponding to pixels in response to the stored image to produce a displayed image of the subject.

Camera with non-emissive electronic display having field-driven solid phase particles

Digital ink jet printing apparatus and method. The apparatus receives an input image file having a plurality of pixels, each pixel described by at least one pixel value respectively associated with an optical density. The apparatus comprises a printhead and at least one nozzle integrally attached to the printhead, the nozzle being capable of ejecting an ink droplet therefrom to define an associated one of the optical densities. A waveform generator is connected to the nozzle for generating an electronic waveform to be supplied to the nozzle. In this manner, the nozzle ejects the ink droplet in response to the waveform supplied thereto. The waveform is defined by a plurality of pulses. A look-up table stores a plurality of waveform serial numbers assigned to respective waveforms, each waveform being defined by at least one predetermined parameter, such as number of pulses, pulse amplitude, pulse width and/or time delay between pulses. A calibrator receiving the input image converts the pixel values of the input image to waveform index number associated with the waveform serial number.

Digital ink jet printing apparatus and method

An ink jet print head is provided that includes a nozzle plate having an outer metal layer having nozzles for ejecting ink drops, and a coating of a non-wetting polymer chemically bound over the outer surface of the metal layer of the plate. Preferably, the polymer is a block polymer having a head that includes the chemical group that chemically bonds with the outer metal layer, and a tail that is hydrophobic. The resulting polymer coating prevents inks from pooling, drying, and creating deposits which would otherwise impede or clog the ink jet nozzles. The chemical bonding between the non-wettable polymer and the metal surface creates a highly durable polymeric layer that resists being wiped off during both printing and head cleaning operations.

Non-wetting protective layer for ink jet print heads

Growing community of inventors

Rochester, NY, United States of America

Xin Wen