The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Aug. 18, 1998
Filed:
Mar. 25, 1996
Otto K Sievert, Encinitas, CA (US);
Gregory D Nelson, Escondido, CA (US);
Hewlett-Packard Company, Palo Alto, CA (US);
Abstract
The invention is a system for determining positional deviation of at least one automatic marking implement from a nominal position, and an apparatus and method for establishing positional accuracy of such an implement. Calibration patterns including diagonal indicia are formed along only one dimension of a printing medium by the implement, or implements. Preferably a sensor automatically scans the diagonal pattern along one dimension, ideally the same dimension--without operating in a second, orthogonal direction. Nevertheless scanning of the diagonal indicia enables development of composite information about deviations in both directions. There is no necessity of either forming or sensing any pattern that is extended (by more than one marking-implement swath) in two different directions. The composite information is combined with information about deviations along the same scanning direction exclusively, to extract in isolated form the deviation information for the second, orthogonal direction. The invention is particularly useful in determining deviations from nominal offsets between plural marking implements, such as thermal-inkjet pens holding ink of different colors in a computer-controlled printer.