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US5450165A Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

System for identifying areas in pre-existing image data as test patches for print quality measurement

Assignee: Xerox Corp
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Filing: 1994-02-23
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Granted: 1995-09-12
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Expires: 2014-02-23
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Abstract

Abstract In a printing apparatus for creating images on a sheet in response to digital data, the incoming data is polled for image data corresponding to a preselected density condition, such as a particular half-tone, on an area of the final image. The area having the density condition can be used as a test patch to monitor overall print quality.

Inventors

  • 👤 Thomas A. Henderson

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-10-31 18:13
CPC Classifications
G; G03; G03G; G03G15/00; G03G15/50; G03G15/5033; G03G15/5041; H; H04; H04N; H04N1/00; H04N1/00002; H04N1/00005; H04N1/00007; H04N1/00015; H04N1/00026; H04N1/00034; H04N1/00047; H04N1/0005; H04N1/00063; H04N1/00071; H04N1/00082; H04N1/23; H04N1/29; H04N1/295; H04N1/46; H04N1/56; H04N1/60; H04N1/603; H04N1/6033; H04N1/6047; G03G2215/00; G03G2215/00025; G03G2215/00029; G03G2215/00033; G03G2215/00037; G03G2215/00042

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 19
Claim 1
Independent Claim 61 words
A method of controlling a printing machine, comprising the steps of: forming a visible image of a selected portion of information being printed by the printing machine; polling the portion of information for information consistent with an area in the visible image having a preselected density condition; and determining the visible image density in the area having the preselected density condition.
Claim 2
Independent Claim 61 words
A method of controlling a printing machine, comprising the steps of: forming a visible image of a selected portion of information being printed by the printing machine; polling the portion of information for information consistent with an area in the visible image having a preselected density condition; and determining the visible image density in the area having the preselected density condition.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 31 words
The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of controlling a process station in the printing machine as a function of the visible image density determined in said determining step.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 38 words
The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of selecting the portion of information as that information which corresponds to an area of the visible image which is detectable by a densitometer disposed within the printing machine.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 90 words
The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of selecting a plurality of portions of information, each portion corresponding to an area of the visible image which is detectable by one of a plurality of densitometers disposed within the printing machine; polling each portion of information for information consistent with an area in the visible image having a preselected density condition; and activating one of the plurality of densitometers where the preselected density condition exists, to determine the visible image density in the area having the preselected density condition.
Claim 6
Independent Claim 71 words
A system for controlling a printing machine, comprising: an image receiving member; means for forming a visible image of a selected portion of information being printed by the printing machine on the receiving member; means for polling the portion of information for information consistent with an area in the visible image having a preselected density condition; and means for sensing the area having the preselected density condition on the receiving member.
Claim 7
Independent Claim 71 words
A system for controlling a printing machine, comprising: an image receiving member; means for forming a visible image of a selected portion of information being printed by the printing machine on the receiving member; means for polling the portion of information for information consistent with an area in the visible image having a preselected density condition; and means for sensing the area having the preselected density condition on the receiving member.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 30 words
The system of claim 5, further comprising means for controlling a process station in the printing machine as a function of the visible image density determined by the sensing means.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim 33 words
The system of claim 5, further comprising means for selecting the portion of information as that information which corresponds to an area of the visible image which is detectable by the sensing means.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim 19 words
The system of claim 5, wherein the sensing means comprises a plurality of densitometers disposed adjacent the receiving member.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim 96 words
The system of claim 8, further comprising means for selecting a plurality of portions of information as that information which corresponds to an area of the visible image which is detectable by one of the plurality of densitometers; means for polling each portion of information being printed by the printing machine for information consistent with an area in the visible image having a preselected density condition; and means for activating one of the plurality of densitometers where the preselected density condition exists, to determine the visible image density in the area having the preselected density condition.
Claim 12
Independent Claim 62 words
A method of testing print quality in a printing machine, comprising the steps of: polling the subset of image data for image data corresponding to a preselected density condition; and identifying, for an image to be printed, image data corresponding to a preselected density condition within a subset of image data corresponding to a preselected location of the image to be printed.
Claim 13
Independent Claim 62 words
A method of testing print quality in a printing machine, comprising the steps of: polling the subset of image data for image data corresponding to a preselected density condition; and identifying, for an image to be printed, image data corresponding to a preselected density condition within a subset of image data corresponding to a preselected location of the image to be printed.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim 31 words
The method of claim 10, wherein the polling step includes the step of polling the subset of image data for a quantity of contiguous image data having a preselected density condition.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim 26 words
The method of claim 10, wherein the polling step includes the step of averaging a sample set of density values of image data in the subset.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim 55 words
The method of claim 10, further comprising the steps of: creating an image on a surface according to the image data; moving the surface through a path; and identifying a subset of image data as data corresponding to a portion of the image that passes near the densitometer when the surface moves through the path.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim 57 words
The method of claim 10, further comprising the steps of: creating an image on a surface according to the image data; determining a density of printing material at a preselected location on the surface having the preselected density condition; and controlling a process station in the printing machine as a function of the density of printing material.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim 62 words
The method of claim 10, wherein the printing machine includes a plurality of densitometers for determining density of printing material at corresponding preselected locations on a surface, further comprising the step of identifying, for an image to be printed, a plurality of subsets of image data, each subset corresponding to a portion of the image in one preselected location of the surface.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim 45 words
The method of claim 15, further comprising the steps of: polling each subset of image data for image data corresponding to a preselected density condition; and activating one of the plurality of densitometers corresponding to the subset of image data having the preselected density condition.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

US4341461A Cited
US4684243A Cited
US4894685A Cited
US5060013A Cited
US5253018A Cited
US5266997A Cited
US5315352A Cited

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 1998-09-11 1999-03-13 1999-09-12 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 2002-09-11 2003-03-13 2003-09-12 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 2006-09-11 2007-03-13 2007-09-12 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

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