Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
  • H04N1/00—Scanning, transmission or reproduction of documents or the like, e.g. facsimile transmission; Details thereof
  • H04N1/387—Composing, repositioning or otherwise geometrically modifying originals
  • H04N1/3872—Repositioning or masking
  • H04N1/3873—Repositioning or masking defined only by a limited number of coordinate points or parameters, e.g. corners, centre; for trimming
  • H04N1/3875—Repositioning or masking defined only by a limited number of coordinate points or parameters, e.g. corners, centre; for trimming combined with enlarging or reducing
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
  • H04N2201/00—Indexing scheme relating to scanning, transmission or reproduction of documents or the like, and to details thereof
  • H04N2201/0098—User intervention not otherwise provided for, e.g. placing documents, responding to an alarm

Definitions

• the invention relates to a device for scanning and printing, on a physical medium, black and white or colour images generated from an original.
• the images may be printed, for instance, by means of an ink jet printer.
• Fig. 1 shows a printer 41, of for instance the ink jet type, comprising a carriage 42 which has on board one or more monochromatic or colour printheads 40.
• the printing is performed on a physical medium 46, which is normally a sheet of paper, a sheet of plastic, fabric or similar.
• a physical medium 46 which is normally a sheet of paper, a sheet of plastic, fabric or similar.
• x-axis horizontal, i.e. parallel to the direction of movement of the carriage 42 with the heads 40
• y-axis vertical, i.e. parallel to the direction of motion of the medium 46 during printing and the line feed function
• z-axis perpendicular to the x and y axes, i.e. substantially parallel to the direction of emission of the droplets of ink.
• the composition and general mode of operation of a printer according to the ink jet technology are already abundantly known in the sector art, so that no detailed description will be provided herein, but instead only those characteristics of relevance for the understanding of this
• Fig. 1 also shows a scanner 73 which scans an original document 53 and generates electronic signals suitable for printing a corresponding image 50.
• the object of this invention is to print a plurality of images on a single page of a medium.
• Another object is to print, on a single page of the medium, two images corresponding to the two sides of a small-size original document.
• a further object is to print, on a single page of the medium, two small-size images corresponding to the two sides of an original document that is not small- size.
• Yet another object is to print, on a single page of the medium, two enlarged scale images corresponding to the two sides of an original document of very small dimensions.
• Another object is to reduce the total time needed for the operation. Another object is to reduce the amount of paper consumed.
• Another object is to print, on a single page of the medium, two images in different modes, for example one in colour and one monochromatic, or having a different contrast.
• Another object is to achieve more homogeneous use the colour head and the monochromatic head.
• Fig. 1 - represents an axonometric view of an ink jet printer in combination with a scanner
• Fig. 2 - is a time diagram relative to the printing of two images on two pages, according to the known art
• Fig. 3 - represents a page containing two images corresponding to the two sides of a small-size document
• Fig. 4 - represents a page upon which two images are printed, according to the invention
• Fig. 5 - represents a page containing three images, of which two corresponding to the two sides of a small-size document, and of which the third corresponds to a second small-size document
• Fig. 6 - represents a time diagram relating to the printing of a page containing two images, according to the invention
• Fig. 7 - represents a flow diagram of the sequence of operations of the scanning and printing method according to the invention
• Fig. 8 - represents a flow diagram relating to the sequence of operations of the scanning and printing method according to the invention, in a second embodiment.
• Fig. 9 - represents a flow diagram relating to the sequence of operations of the scanning and printing method according to the invention, in a third embodiment.
• a scanning and printing device 43 is considered, again illustrated with reference to Fig. 1, consisting for instance of a printer 41 and a scanner 73, which in turn includes a window 44 and an optical sensor 45.
• a scanning and printing device 43 is considered, again illustrated with reference to Fig. 1, consisting for instance of a printer 41 and a scanner 73, which in turn includes a window 44 and an optical sensor 45.
• the arrangement and relative motion of the various parts may be inferred from
• Fig. 1 as a non-restrictive example: other arrangements are in fact possible, such as for instance that which uses a "parallel" head, known to those acquainted with the sector art, which is not provided with any motion on the x-axis.
• the scanner 73 scans the image of an original document 53, converts it into electronic signals by means of known techniques and sends it to the printer 41 which reproduces it on a physical medium 46, generally though not exclusively a sheet of paper.
• a physical medium 46 generally though not exclusively a sheet of paper.
• the device sends a signal to the operator, who turns the original document 53 over, repositioning it roughly in the same position of the window 44 of the scanner 73 and activates the device again through a scan command.
• the signal sent to the operator may consist of an audible beep, a luminous signal, or a visual signal on a display.
• the scanner 73 scans the second side of the original document 53 and generates a second image 50" which is sent to the printer 41 for printing.
• the medium 46 is fed parallel to the y- axis after each stroke of the carriage 42.
• the value of L may be predetermined by the operator, or it can be determined automatically by the device 43 depending on the dimensions of the original 53 using known techniques.
• Feeding of the medium 46 takes the form of motion relative to the heads 40, and therefore the principle of this invention is also applicable when the medium 46 is held motionless with respect to the fixed structure of the printer 41, while the heads 40 are moved with a motion substantially parallel to the y-axis.
• Printing and the other various operations described below are executed by way of a software or firmware program, or by means of a wired logic circuit, in turn made from discrete or integrated components, not described here as they are known to those acquainted with the sector art.
• Fig. 4 shows a time diagram of the scanning and printing of images according to the invention described. The times ta, ti, tp and ts are practically unchanged with respect to the known art described with reference to Fig.2, whilst a new time is defined tei time to expel the medium 46 according to the invention which is less than ten since, according to the invention, the page of the medium 46 is printed in full, down almost to the bottom margin.
• step 100 the operator positions the original document 53 in the scanning and printing device 43 with the first side facing the scanner 73.
• step 101 the scanner 73 scans the first side of the original document 53.
• step 104 the scanning and printing device 43 sends a signal to the operator that scanning has been completed.
• step 105 the operator positions the original document 53 in the scanning and printing device 43, with the second side facing the scanner 73.
• the scanner 73 scans the second side of the original document 53.
• Steps 102, 103 and 107 are carried out in parallel and simultaneously with the already described steps 101, 104, 105 and 106.
• step 102 which is enabled immediately after step 101 commences, the printer 41 effects introduction of the physical medium 46.
• step 103 the printer 41 performs printing of the first image 50 of the first side of the original document 53 on the first part of the physical medium 46.
• step 107 the movement of the physical medium 46 may be temporarily interrupted while waiting for scanning of the second side to start (step 106). On the other hand, if, once printing of the first image is completed (step 103), scanning of the second side has already started, the device immediately proceeds with the next step 110, without stopping the medium 46 at all.
• step 110 the printer 41 prints the second image 50" of the second side of the original document 53 on the second part of the physical medium 46.
• step 111 the printer 41 expels the physical medium 46.
• step 120 the operator repositions the original document 53, with the second side facing the scanner 73, and the other original document 53'" in the scanning and printing device 43.
• step 121 the scanner 73 scans the second side of the original document 53 and the other original document 53'".
• step 122 the printer 41 performs printing of the second image 50" of the second side of the original document 53 and of the other image 50'" of the other original document 53'" on the second part of the physical medium 46.
• the scanning completed signal may be sent to the operator when the scanning of each side of each document is finished: in this case, the operator positions one document only at a time, and the printer may interrupt movement of the physical medium 46 after each single image is printed. When the page of the physical medium 46 is completed, expulsion of the same physical medium 46 is commanded.
• the scanning and printing device 43 performs the operations described in the flow diagram of Fig. 9, which is similar to that of Fig. 7, with the insertion, after step 102, of step 130 and, after step 106, of step 131 in which image reduction is performed using known techniques.
• the scanning and printing device 43 performs similar operations to those described in the flow diagram of Fig. 9, where step 130 and step 131 are replaced by two steps, not illustrated in any figure, in which image enlargement is performed using known techniques.
• This invention may be built with a different sequence of steps described and, in short, while the principle of the invention remains unaltered, the construction details and embodiments may be abundantly varied with respect to what has been described and illustrated, without exiting from the scope of the invention itself.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Multimedia (AREA)
• Signal Processing (AREA)
• Facsimile Scanning Arrangements (AREA)
• Facsimiles In General (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=11458713

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (2)

Family Cites Families (3)

• 2001
  • 2001-03-21 IT IT2001TO000265A patent/ITTO20010265A1/it unknown
• 2002
  • 2002-03-20 WO PCT/IT2002/000175 patent/WO2002076080A2/en not_active Ceased

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