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:
Jan. 09, 2001
Filed:
Aug. 25, 1997
David B. Wallace, Dallas, TX (US);
Compaq Computer Corporation, Houston, TX (US);
Abstract
A method of producing, on a physical medium, a gradient tonal representation of an image and a printhead for producing the same. An input image is divided into first and second regions. First, continuously variable intensity level, continuous tone and second, discretely variable intensity level, half-tone portions of the representation which respectively correspond to the first and second regions of the image are then printed by depositing selected quantities of ink on the first and second portions of the physical medium such that each pixel thereof has an ink intensity level corresponding to the image intensity level for the corresponding one of the pixels of the first region of the image. The ink is deposited on the second portion of the physical medium by depositing a spot of ink having a first diameter on selected ones of the pixels of the second portion, depositing a spot of ink having a second diameter on others of the pixels of the second portion and depositing no ink on still others of the pixels of the second portion such that the second portion of the representation has the desired ink intensity level. The color of the ink ejected may be black, in which case, the gradient tonal representation produced thereby shall be a gray scale representation, or other color such as yellow, cyan or magenta.