Eastman-kodak Company

Kodak Alaris Inc.

Young No

Joseph Anthony Manico

Stanley W Stephenson

Detlef Schulze-Hagenest

Alexander C Loui

Robert Fredric Mindler

Madirakshi Das

Gregory James Garbacz

Timothy F Donahue

Dennis W Heizyk

James Cossavella

John D DeLorme

David Andrew Johnson

Keith Aaron Hadley

Christopher Rueby

Jeffrey Allan Pitas

James A Whritenor

James N Alkins

Alan J Swire

William C Tate

A system and method for creating customized, personally relevant greeting cards, e-cards, mementos, invitations, decorations, and other types of printed and virtual media to convey affection, friendship, emotional connections, celebration, gratitude, condolence and other types of sentiments to relatives, friends, coworkers, business associates, and acquaintances regardless of the cultural backgrounds of the giver and the recipient.

Cross cultural greeting card system

Data points, calendar entries, trends, and behavioral patterns may be used to predict and pre-emptively build digital and printable products with selected collections of images without the user's active participation. The collections are selected from files on the user's device, cloud-based photo library, or other libraries shared among other individuals and grouped into thematic products. Based on analysis of the user's collections and on-line behaviors, the system may estimate types and volumes of potential media-centric products, and the resources needed for producing and distributing such media-centric products for a projected period of time. A user interface may take the form of a 'virtual curator', which is a graphical or animated persona for augmenting and managing interactions between the user and the system managing the user's stored media assets. The virtual curator can assume one of many personas with each user and can interact with the user via text/audio messaging.

System and method for predictive curation, production infrastructure, and personal content assistant

Data points, calendar entries, trends, behavioral patterns may be used to predict and pre-emptively build digital and printable products with selected collections of images without the user's active participation. The collections are selected from files on the user's device, cloud-based photo library, or other libraries shared among other individuals and grouped into thematic products. Based on analysis of the user's collections and on-line behaviors, the system may estimate types and volumes of potential media-centric products, and the resources needed for producing and distributing such media-centric products for a projected period of time. A user interface may take the form of a 'virtual curator', which is a graphical or animated persona for augmenting and managing interactions between the user and the system managing the user's stored media assets. The virtual curator can assume one of many personas, as appropriate, with each user. For example, the virtual curator can be presented as an avatar-animated character in an icon, or icon that floats around the screen. The virtual curator can also interact with the user via text messaging, or audio messaging.

The present invention is directed to systems and methods of directly determining the type of receiver media loaded in a thermal printer by measurements taken from the receiver media itself. In one embodiment, a tri-color emitter and detector combination work in conjunction to determine the intensity of light transmitted through the receiver media. The type of receiver media may be determined by the voltage response or transmission profile generated by the receiver in response to being illuminated by the tri-color emitter.

System and method for determining receiver type in a thermal printer

A binding strip includes a substrate having an interior surface and an exterior surface, a spine-alignment edge, a free edge opposite the spine-alignment edge and substantially non-perpendicular thereto, a face-attachment portion of the exterior surface adjacent to the spine-alignment edge, and a wraparound portion of the interior surface adjacent to the free edge. A border is defined laterally between the face-attachment portion and the wraparound portion and substantially parallel to the spine-alignment edge. An adhesive layer is arranged over the wraparound portion. A first spacer is affixed to the interior surface opposite the face-attachment portion so that a fastener area is defined. The spacer has a selected thickness.

Binding strip including spacer

A bound document has front, back, and interior sheets with spine edges. The document has a binding strip and fasteners binding the sheets and the binding strip together. The strip has a flexible substrate with a face-attachment portion through which the fasteners are driven, and a wraparound portion that is bent so adhesive on the wraparound portion contacts the back sheet farther from the spine edge of the book than the feet of the fasteners. The strip also has a first spacer affixed to the interior surface opposite the face-attachment portion so that a fastener area is defined, the spacer at least as thick as the protrusion of the heads of the fasteners above the face-attachment portion.

Bound document having binding strip with spacer

Sheets are bound to form a bound document by fastening together the sheets and a binding strip. A spacer is applied to a back sheet adjacent to the feet of the fasteners. A wraparound portion of the binding strip is folded around the spine edges of the sheets so that adhesive on the strip contacts the spacer or the back sheet farther from the spine than the feet of the fasteners. The adhesive is affixed to the back sheet. The binding strip includes a spacer adjacent to the heads of the fasteners, protruding above the face-attachment portion at least as far as the heads of the fasteners do.

Making bound document having fastener and spacer

An inverse mask image generating printer and printer module are provided. In one aspect, an inverse mask image generating module has an input adapted to receive the image data for an image to be printed said image data having color data for a first set of colors used in a first color model; an inverse mask image processor generating an inverse mask image using color data for one of the first set of colors; and an output providing the inverse mask image for use by a print engine. The inverse mask image is generated based upon the color data for a selected one of the first set of colors so that the inverse mask image can be generated without first determining color separation toner images that define amounts of color toner to be applied to form the elements of the image.

Inverse mask generating printer and printer module

Methods for generating an inverse mask image are provided. In one aspect, image data is determined for an image to be printed said image data having color data for a first set of colors used in a first color model; and, an inverse mask toner image is generated using color data for one of the first set of colors. The inverse mask image is generated based upon the color data for a selected one of the first set of colors so that the inverse mask pattern can be generated without first determining of color separation toner images that define amounts of color toner to be applied to a receiver to form the image.

Methods for generating an inverse mask

An electrophotographic printer includes a rotatable member and a carriage rotatable around an axis. Two rotatable chargers are mounted on the carriage, each for charging the rotatable member. A carriage drive rotates the carriage to bring the first charger into contact with the rotatable member and the second charger into operative arrangement with a cleaner, or vice versa. A charger drive rotates the charger in operative arrangement with the cleaner at a speed greater than a selected speed or with a torque greater than a selected torque, and the rotatable member rotates the rotatable charger in contact therewith at the selected speed with the selected torque.

Electrophotographic printer with charging-roller cleaner

A method and apparatus for determining whether borderless printing can be done based on media type and desired gloss level is provided. Also provided is a method, printer, and system whereby a defect-free borderless print can be achieved regardless of media type and gloss level of the finished print, wherein the method includes pre-heating of the leading edge of the media before it enters a fuser area of the printer.

Electophotographic borderless printing method and apparatus

Cross-track banding artifacts and wear in an electrophotographic (EP) print engine are reduced. A development member and a supply member are disposed so that charge is transferred between them in a charge-transfer region. The members are retained in a first position with respect to each other for a first dwell time, and neither member is rotated during the first dwell time, so that charge is transferred between members in the charge-transfer region. One of the members is rotated so that at least one point on one of the members is moved out of the charge-transfer region. The members are retained in a second position with respect to each other for a second dwell time that is greater than the time for one revolution of the development member, wherein neither member is rotated during the second dwell time.

Growing community of inventors

Pittsford, NY, United States of America

Young No