US5774639A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Printer media including compressed sensitometry curve information
Assignee: Eastman Kodak Co
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Filing: 1995-02-17
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Granted: 1998-06-30
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Expires: 2015-02-17
Abstract
Abstract Sensitometric information is stored with a consumable print medium having a predetermined sensitometry by compressing the sensitometric information as a set of spline coefficients for use with a printer adapted to decode the set of spline coefficients to construct a sensitometric curve. A set of spline coefficients is generated, spline coefficients are encoded, and the encoded spline coefficients are stored in a manner which is accessible to a printing device adapted to make use of the media sensitometry data for purposes of device calibration. The coefficient-generating step comprises fitting a spline curve to the sensitometry data. The spline curve may be monotonic cubic. The encoding step may include encoding a difference signal representing a difference between input values for a set of sequential spline knots. The encoding step may also include encoding a difference signal representing a difference between the output values of the sensitometry curve and output values of a reference sensitometry curve for each of a set of sequential spline knots. The difference signal may be encoded by quantizing the difference signal into a set of discrete bins.
Inventors
- 👤 Jay S. Schildkraut
- 👤 Kevin E. Spaulding
- 👤 John P. Spence
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-26 08:46
CPC Classifications
B; B41; B41M; B41M5/00; B41M5/26; B41M5/382; B41M5/38207; B41J; B41J2/00; B41J2/315; B41J2/32; B41J2/325
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 28
Claim 1
Independent Claim
49 words
A product for use with a printer adapted to use a set of spline coefficients to construct a sensitometric curve, said product comprising: imaging media having a predetermined sensitometry; and memory in which is stored a set of such spline coefficients which represent the predetermined sensitometry of the media.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
49 words
A product for use with a printer adapted to use a set of spline coefficients to construct a sensitometric curve, said product comprising: imaging media having a predetermined sensitometry; and memory in which is stored a set of such spline coefficients which represent the predetermined sensitometry of the media.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
22 words
A product as defined in claim 1 wherein the imaging media is thermal donor ribbon for use with a dye sublimation printer.
Claim 4
Independent Claim
57 words
A method for efficiently storing media sensitometry data for imaging media, said method comprising the steps of: generating a set of spline coefficients; encoding the spline coefficients; and storing the encoded spline coefficients in a manner which is accessible to a printing device adapted to make use of the media sensitometry data for purposes of device calibration.
Claim 5
Independent Claim
57 words
A method for efficiently storing media sensitometry data for imaging media, said method comprising the steps of: generating a set of spline coefficients; encoding the spline coefficients; and storing the encoded spline coefficients in a manner which is accessible to a printing device adapted to make use of the media sensitometry data for purposes of device calibration.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method defined in claim 3 wherein the coefficient-generating step comprises fitting a spline curve to the sensitometry data.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method defined in claim 4 wherein the coefficient-generating step comprises fitting a monotonic cubic spline curve to the sensitometry data.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method defined in claim 4 wherein the coefficient-generating step comprises fitting a rational quadratic spline curve to the sensitometry data.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method defined in claim 3, wherein the encoding step comprises encoding the spline coefficients by storing a difference signal representing a difference between input values for a set of sequential spline knots.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method defined in claim 7 wherein: plural sets of encoded spline coefficients are stored in memory in the printing device; and the media is encoded with information to identify one particular set of coefficients.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
48 words
The method defined in claim 3, wherein the encoding step comprises encoding the spline coefficients by storing a difference signal representing a difference between the output values of the sensitometry curve and output values of a reference sensitometry curve for each of a set of sequential spline knots.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method defined in claim 9 wherein the difference signal is encoded by quantizing the difference signal into a set of discrete bins.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method defined in claim 10 wherein the size of the discrete bins varies as a function of the input values of the sensitometric curve.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method defined in claim 10 wherein the size of the discrete bins is determined from the smallest difference in the output value of the sensitometry curve which can be detected by a human observer.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method defined in claim 9 wherein: plural sets of encoded spline coefficients are stored in memory in the printing device; and the media is encoded with information to identify one particular set of coefficients.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method defined in claim 3 wherein: plural sets of encoded spline coefficients are stored in memory in the printing device; and the media is encoded with information to identify one particular set of coefficients.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method defined in claim 3 wherein the encoding step comprises encoding the input and output values of the sensitometry curve for the set of sequential spline knots.
Claim 18
Independent Claim
65 words
A method for efficiently storing media sensitometry data for imaging media, said method comprising the steps of: generating a set of spline coefficients; encoding the spline coefficients; and storing the encoded spline coefficients in a manner which is associated with the imaging media so as to be accessible to a printing device which makes use of said media sensitometry data for purposes of device calibration.
Claim 19
Independent Claim
65 words
A method for efficiently storing media sensitometry data for imaging media, said method comprising the steps of: generating a set of spline coefficients; encoding the spline coefficients; and storing the encoded spline coefficients in a manner which is associated with the imaging media so as to be accessible to a printing device which makes use of said media sensitometry data for purposes of device calibration.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method defined in claim 16 wherein the encoded spline coefficients are stored on a magnetic stripe on the imaging media.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method defined in claim 16 wherein the encoded spline coefficients are stored on a magnetic stripe on a spool associated with the imaging media.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method defined in claim 16 wherein the encoded spline coefficients are stored on a digital memory associated with the imaging media.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method defined in claim 16 wherein the encoded spline coefficients are stored on a magnetic disk associated with the imaging media.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method defined in claim 16 herein the encoded spline coefficients are stored on a bar code on a spool associated with the imaging media.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method defined in claim 16 wherein the encoded spline coefficients are stored using optical encoding marks on the imaging media.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method defined in claim 16 wherein the coefficient-generating step comprises fitting a spline curve to the sensitometry data.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method defined in claim 16, wherein the encoding step comprises encoding the spline coefficients by storing a difference between input values for a set of sequential spline knots.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
51 words
The method defined in claim 16, wherein the encoding step comprises encoding the spline coefficients by storing a difference signal representing a difference between the output values of the sensitometry curve and output values of a reference sensitometry curve for each of a set of knots in the set of splines.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2001-06-29 | 2001-12-29 | 2002-06-30 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2005-06-29 | 2005-12-29 | 2006-06-30 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2009-06-29 | 2009-12-29 | 2010-06-30 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |