JP2003182171A - Method and apparatus for digital photofinishing - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method and an apparatus for efficient digital photofinishing. <P>SOLUTION: Digital processing of a set of photographs is provided. A system and a method for photofinishing are provided, which include a digital printer, a buffer, a laminator and cutters, and associated methods to be used for improving the accuracy of printing, processing, laminating and cutting individual photographs during a digital photofinishing process are provided. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention is generally used in film processing operations for making print media, such as a sheet of a plurality of photographs, which is then cut into individual photographs. Digital photo finishing (pho
to finishing) apparatus and method. More specifically, the present invention provides for the following during the digital photofinishing process:
It relates to digital printers, buffers, laminators and cutters and related methods used to improve the accuracy of printing, processing, laminating and cutting individual photographs.

A cross-referenced subject matter application of the related application is filed on October 31, 2001, in “Method of Ut,” No. 10 / 001,642.
ilizing Wasted Nested Spac
Application entitled "e" and No. 09 / 995,092, "Cutter Sy," filed November 27, 2001.
Stem for Multi-Size Photo
an application entitled "Graphic Prints", 20
10 / 020,39 submitted on December 12, 2001
No. 7 "Printed Medium with I"
ntegral Image Locator and
Application entitled "Method", December 28, 2001
No. 10 / 034,183 “Tran
sport Buffer Having Force
Limiting Drive Means and
Application entitled "Method", December 2, 2001
No. 10 / 032,919 “Met
hod of excercising Nozzles
ofan Inkjet Printer and
Application entitled "Article", December 2, 2001
No. 10 / 032,920 “Met
hod for Judging Image Qua
litity Human-Readable
Defect-Sensitive Pattern
Application entitled "S" and No. 10 / 038,743, "Laminate," filed December 31, 2001.
Application entitled "Cartridge", Dec. 2001
No. 10 / 038,792 “O
vercoat Application Peel
Application entitled "Apparatus" and "Ima of 60 / 345,463, filed January 4, 2002.
geQuality and Permanence
of Prints From an Inkjet
Digital Photofinishing Sys
and an issue entitled “Processing Film” filed on January 18, 2002.
an application entitled "with Digital Minilabs" and the first filed on February 1, 2002
Issue of "Buffer with Service Lo
an application entitled "op and Method", 200
The second issue of "Method
and Apparatus for Apply
ng a Matte Finish to Photo
related to the application entitled "ographs".

[0003]

2. Description of the Prior Art In photofinishing operations, it is common to develop and print photographs on roll stock photographic paper having a width that accommodates one size print. After printing a roll of photo onto a strip of roll stock, the printed strip is cut to provide individual prints, each cut cutting one of the multiple prints from the strip. . Dedicating a given width of roll stock to the production of a photo of a given size is less flexible in completing print orders and reduces throughput. Have multiple machines, each dedicated to a photo of a given size, or
After completing the order (after completing)
Photofinishing operations are required that place the burden on the operator to change the print medium from one size to another.

Advances in photofinishing have led to ink jet printers, laser printers and conventional wet chemical development, as well as other photofinishing printers, including silver salt systems, which accept digital inputs and use conventional wet chemical development outputs. Now it's possible to create photos with other photo-finishing printer systems that are independent of. Such printers, for example, create images from digital memory. Moreover, the use of computers in connection with these advances has enabled further improvements. For example, with a computer controlled printer, it is not necessary to use roll stock with the desired finished photo width. Now photo finishing printers
Photographs of various sizes can be produced on a single sheet of print media. Also, the images can be manipulated to arrange multiple images on a single oversized sheet. The single sheet can then be cut lengthwise and crosswise to separate the individual photographs.

The durability of photographs and near-photographic images has become one feature that has expanded in response to demand in recent years. Current industrial means of improving durability include lamination with a clear tacky liquid laminate material or coating with a dry liquid (by spraying or liquid application) to a clear protective layer. Another lamination process known as "peel apart" lamination has been demonstrated for diffusion transfer images.

One particular type of "peel apart" lamination is the peel apart thermal transfer lamination process. This technique transfers the overcoat material from the donor support to the printed image. This transcription is
Frequently, the donor support with the overcoat and the print medium are mechanically brought together by pressure and then heat is applied for a specified period of time. These lamination mechanisms are expensive and difficult to place and maintain in place. In addition, conventional equipment is inefficient, downtime and additional cost due to downtime. Finally, many of these devices cause machine failures leading to costly machine downtime and repair. Therefore, there is a need for improved peeler equipment that is low cost, efficient, and for a wide range of printing processes and peel apart materials. The present invention includes intent to a mechanism that meets these needs.

After printing, and when cutting multiple single images from a large sheet, there appears to be an offset error that contributes to the inaccuracy in making some of the cuts needed to make a single image. There are several sources of error. For example, a printer may misalign images on a large sheet of print media. Mechanical skew, drive roller tolerances, cutter positioning error and resolution also contribute to the cutting error. To some extent, these errors can be compensated for by over-printing the image to a size slightly larger than the finished photo size. Overprinting removes portions of the image during cutting without significantly changing the image.

Photofinishing equipment, especially inkjet
Printers, laminators and cutters require regular servicing to ensure print quality. For example, most inkjet printer heads encounter some problems when left unused and exposed to the environment. The chemical constituents in the ink slowly evaporate from the exposed meniscus of each nozzle, causing the ink to locally thicken, and the chemical constituents become increasingly concentrated by the dye. That is, in particular, it does not match the overall ink characteristics.
If left unchecked, the prints obtained by using these aged nozzles will have poor image quality. To prevent these problems, new printheads are shipped with the nozzle plate covered with tape that is removed when the printhead is installed. Capping inside the printer during operation
The station seals the nozzle plate and prevents evaporation of ink during rest periods.

For these reasons, it is desirable to provide diagnostic tests for photofinishing printers without undue interference with photofinishing operations. For such testing, it is possible to utilize the otherwise discarded part of the print medium.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an efficient digital photofinishing method and apparatus.

Another object of the present invention is from a sheet of print media in which unwanted spots on the sheet resulting from the nested construction of photographic images of various sizes on a single sheet are utilized for constructive purposes. It is an object of the present invention to provide a photofinishing method and apparatus for producing prints of various sizes.

Another object is to provide a photofinishing operation in which otherwise wasted print media is used for diagnostic purposes. That is, to generate economic rewards.

Another object of the present invention is to exercise the nozzles of an inkjet print head.
at the same time as providing the method of printing fiducial marks on the print medium.

Another object of the present invention is to create fiducial marks created by manipulating the nozzles in relation to the image on the segment to identify the position of one or more printed images on the sheet. To provide an inkjet printed segment.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an overcoat coating process in which the overcoat material is transferred from the donor support to the printed image.

[0016]

According to the method of the present invention,
Digital photofinishing equipment and methods exist. The apparatus includes an inkjet printer having a print width greater than twice the width of a first print size and at least equal to a larger second print size, a source of continuous feeding media, and an image processor. Connected to an inkjet printer to digitize the image printed for one customer and to print the digitized image for printing in at least a 2 × 2 matrix of prints having at least two different sizes. An array of image processors, a cutter that cuts the continuous feed medium into a plurality of sheets, each carrying the matrix of multiple prints for one customer, and a plurality of sheets controlled by the image processor, at least the plurality of sheets. A biaxial cutter that cuts into individual prints having two different sizes. The apparatus also has a laminator positioned between the inkjet printer and the biaxial cutter for laminating the sheets with the protective material film.

In the present invention, an ink jet printer, a laser printer or the like is used to print one or more photographs on a large sheet, preferably photographic paper. Photos are generated from digital files,
The computer is programmed to arrange the images on the sheet to make maximum use of the available space. The photographs can be arranged in aligned lateral rows and aligned longitudinal columns where image size and number allow. The print sizes are preferably selected and arranged on the sheet such that all prints of any given row have leading and trailing edges aligned. The computer further generates fiducial marks for the array of images, which fiducial marks are printed with the photographic image. The two fiducial marks are preferably printed with the image. The first fiducial mark extends beyond the first row of the photographic image and extends across the leading edge of the sheet. The second fiducial mark is formed so that fiducial marks along two axes are formed.
The first fiducial marks are printed at right angles along the lateral edges of the sheet.

According to the method of the present invention, a plurality of sets of photographs are processed, laminated and cut by a photofinishing system. It can have customer orders with single size or different size pictures. In this regard, the image data, including the number and size of prints, desired to be provided by the customer is
Input to the system for processing. The data is communicated to the printing section of a system that includes a computer controlled photo printer. The amount of prints made and the various sizes of prints are analyzed by computer software, and based on this analysis, the most space-efficient photo layout is available for a given width of the print media used. Planned. Included in the analysis for the most efficient print layout is determining the size and location of any unwanted locations that result from the planned print layout.

[0019]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the components of a photofinishing system, indicated generally at 10. The component comprises a photofinishing printer 12, such as an inkjet printer. Printer 1
2 is preferably supplied from an uninterrupted roll of print medium, referred to below as photographic paper 13. Printer 12
Receives from the image processor or controller 14 instructions to determine the layout of individual photographic images on the printed sheet 15. The image processor 14 is connected to other elements of the photofinishing system, such as cutters and buffers, laminators and back printers, which will be described in more detail below.

Printed sheet 15 from printer 12
Is a post cutter 17 and a print buffer 18
Is sent to the laminator 16 via. The printed sheet then passes through the first service loop 19 and, if desired, the embosser 20 and then the second service loop 21 into the input cutter 22 via the inlet roller 23. The post cutter 17 prints the printed sheet 15 for each job or customer into a plurality of printed segments 24, also referred to as print media 24.
Works to cut into.

Print buffer 18, first service
The loop 19 and the second service loop 21 allow the printer 12 to produce sheets of various lengths, and / or the laminator 16 and the embosser 20 to be at different speeds and / or like the inlet cutter 22. It accommodates situations such as when operating at different speeds than other components. First service loop 19, second service
The loop 21 and print buffer 18 accommodate sheets of various lengths and can deliver the sheets to the next component in the photofinishing system 10 in an appropriately spaced relationship. .

FIG. 2 shows a printer 12, a post cutter 17, a print buffer 18, a laminator 16, a service loop 19, an embosser 20, a cutter service loop 21, an inlet roll 23 and an inlet cutter 2.
FIG. 1 is a side view of a photofinishing system 10 including 2. The inlet cutter 22 cuts the printed, glued and possibly embossed segments 24 into a plurality of transverse strips 26, each strip representing a row containing one or more photographic prints. Thereafter, each strip 26 is transferred to an output cutter 28. The exit cutter 28 then cuts a strip of photographs into individual prints 29.

The entrance roller, also known as the drive roller 23, is located between the print buffer 18 and the entrance cutter 22. Under the control of controller 14, stepper motor 30 preferably operates drive roller 23.
The function of the drive roller 23 is to deliver the printed sheet 24 to the entrance cutter 22. As mentioned above,
Since the sheets differ in length, it is important that the drive roller 23 be calibrated so that a known increment in roller rotation results in a known linear translation of the sheet. Disposed behind the exit cutter 28 is a set of exit rollers 32, also known as back rollers or 45.72 cm (18 inch) rollers 32. Under the control of the controller 14, the stepper motor 33 actuates the rear roller 34 as the individual prints 29 are transferred through the rear printer 34 to the conveyor stacker 35.
Printer

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a portion of photofinishing system 10. Photofinishing system 10 performs a sequence of steps for printing a series of images on paper 13. The paper 13 is fed through a photofinishing printer 12, such as an inkjet printer, so that
A printed sheet 15 is obtained. Paper 13 may include multiple stacked sheets that are individually fed into printer 12. However, as the printer 12 actually has a relatively continuous source of paper 13, the paper 13
Are preferably withdrawn from roll 36.

Computer 14 operatively connected to printer 12 is adapted to receive photographic images contained in data source 38. Computer 14 is programmed to construct a plurality of photographic images in an arrangement that most efficiently uses the location on paper 13. Computer 14
Can also be programmed to receive other input data representing instructions from the customer and print the order. These orders can include, for example, the desired quantity and size of prints or optional instructions from the customer as described below.

In operation, the image to be printed is first received from data source 38. The data source may be any conventional image source including, but not limited to, a strip of photographic negative, one or more actual photographic prints or other images scanned for input into the system. The data source may also be a compact disc or computer memory containing a digital representation of an image, or other stored electronic or digital file that can be directly input into a photofinishing system.

In operation, the image to be printed is first received from data source 38. Computer 14 is programmed to configure the plurality of photographic images received from data source 38 into an arrangement that will most efficiently use the locations on the print medium. Also input to the system may be customer instructions indicating the desired number of copies of each image. It should be appreciated that the image itself has a variable size, ie the customer may request enlargement of one or more images. The customer instructions may also include a request to skip printing some images contained by the data source 38. In any case, after the customer's instructions regarding quantity, size, etc. have been entered into the system, the computer 14 determines the print layout for a given width of the paper 13.

Once the print layout is designed, the size of any locations 39 that will be left blank is established. Then, in order to take advantage of these places 39 which would otherwise be blank or wasted, one of several events
One can happen. If it's otherwise wasted, and the size of these places allows it,
It can be used to print diagnostic or test patterns to monitor various aspects of photofinishing printer 12. For example, among other things, the test pattern can check the health and alignment or color quality of the printer's print head.

The test pattern is printed periodically (s
or on a daily basis, as part of normal photofinishing operations, and in blank spaces 39.
It can be done whenever the size of allows. As an alternative to, or in addition to, diagnostic images, the computer may routinely place promotional text (p.
It is possible to print a regional property. The promotional writing preferably relates to photofinishing operations, such as discount coupons (ce) on the next customer order.
nts-offcoupon). The printing of promotional writing occurs between the times when diagnostic images are printed, and if the location allows, both diagnostic images and promotional writing are printed on adjacent portions of the blank space. be able to.

Otherwise, after the size of the blank space 39 is determined, the incremental cost for printing one or more additional photos from the customer's order in the blank space 39 may also be determined. it can. This determination could be due to, for example, the cost of the otherwise wasted medium and, perhaps,
Including consideration of the cost of other resources such as inks, laminates or other consumables needed to print any additional prints. Once this cost is established, the operator can at least reduce the cost of otherwise wasted print media, preferably at a reduced price to allow for additional profit.
The customer is given the option of receiving one or more additional prints.

In response to various inputs, computer 14 then directs printer 12 to complete the customer's order, along with other images selected to print in otherwise blank location 39. Create a print medium 24 containing the selected images needed to do so. The individual images are then cut from the sheet and wrapped to complete the customer's order.

For printing extra copies of photographs, or for printing promotional texts that otherwise appear on sheet 15 and which do not relate to the customer's order, a blank area. 39 can also be used.
In this regard, the inputs to computer 14 may include orders and customer instructions from some of the customers in the queue for processing. In this case, the blank space 39
Can be used to print extra prints for any of the orders in the queue. For example, a blank space 39 that appears on a sheet of multiple prints for a first customer in a queue is a second (ie,
(Next) Can be used to print photos from customer orders. When the sheet is cut to separate individual prints, the next customer's prints appearing at that location are separated and later added to the next customer's prints.

In a typical print format for a print size of 10.16 cm × 15.24 cm (4 inches × 6 inches), the prints are arranged in rows of three and have a size of 31.85 cm (13 inches). Form rows that extend across the width of the paper. Each customer's order can have one or more such lines. Paper 13
As the computer passes the printer 12, the print layout determined by the computer is
Printing is performed on the paper by the head 40. The sheets are then cut into individual job sheets 24 and sheets 2
4 are glued and embossed to create printed segments 42, as can be seen in FIG. The print head 40 is conventional, except that it is provided with a plurality of nozzles (not shown) for directing different colored ink drops onto the print medium to produce a photographic image. No need to explain in detail.

At the beginning of the printing operation, the computer exercises the print head 40 to create lateral fiducial marks 44, which extend 44 across the paper width, just below the lateral leading edge 46 of the print medium 24. May be. The lateral fiducial marks 44 are preferably single color stripes, most preferably black or brown stripes. The printed image 48 then immediately follows the lateral fiducial marks.

In the process of printing an image, the print
The computer further exercises the print head 40 as the head 40 repeats multiple transverse passes back and forth across the paper to produce an image.
In reality, the computer 14 prints the nozzles.
The position of the fiducial marks on the print medium is specified by working just before and / or immediately after each print pass of the head. Exercises can be performed at the beginning of each lateral printing pass or at the beginning and end of each pass.

Regardless of when the exercise is performed, at least one nozzle of the print head is
A head is used to eject a series of drops of ink just before and just after the printed image. This forms a pair of longitudinal fiducial marks 50, each mark at one longitudinal edge 52 of the blank area, also called the side edge, of the paper between the edge and the photographic image 48. Along. These marks are used for the subtractive primary colors (pri
Marysubtractive printing c
a printed pattern consisting of a combination of colors. Each of the colors included in the printing system is used by the amount and relative proportion of each color that is determined based on the particular needs of each color that is exercised.

Therefore, the practice operation of the selected nozzle follows the predetermined print pattern selected to practice the nozzle requiring the practice operation. It should also be appreciated that certain pre-determined print patterns may change during the course of operation, as different nozzles sometimes need to be run at different speeds. The different print patterns and, if necessary, changing the print patterns from time to time guarantees that each of the nozzles will be exercised over time. To ensure proper operation,
Determining the frequency and sequence of practice movements for multiple specific nozzles are all within the skill of the art.

The longitudinal fiducial marks 50 formed by the maneuvering action of the nozzles have respective longitudinal edges 52 of the paper.
At a known width and known distance from, the printing of the image 48 begins immediately after the longitudinal fiducial mark 52. Longitudinal fiducial marks can also be made by selective practice movement of printhead nozzles. For example,
In order to make the mark more clear with respect to the center, such as an optical sensor, which will be described in detail below.

In one embodiment, the print head 4
0 each lateral pass, each fiducial mark 50
And a portion of the printed image is formed. Thus, the fiducial marks are formed in the process of printing the photographic image, with no space between the fiducial marks 50 and the adjacent edges of the image. Each image is preferably overprinted on all four sides by about 1 mm, and the images are preferably printed with no gaps between each image. Therefore, for a typical arrangement of three 10.16 cm (4 inch) wide prints arranged in rows across the segment,
The two longitudinal fiducial marks are each 5.7 mm wide and 4 mm from the edge of the paper. Furthermore, 1.0 mm
Overprinting adds 6 mm to the width of the printed field to add an overall width of 33.02 mm (13 inches) of paper. After the print order is completed, print segment 42 is cut from the continuous source by any suitable cutter associated with the printer.

A typical printed segment 42 having a layout for nine 4x6 prints is shown in FIG. In this regard, the printed segments 42 cut from the paper source have leading edge 4 and trailing edge 4 respectively.
6, 54 and the opposite side edge 52. The print head applied to the lateral fiducial mark 44 has a leading edge 4
6 across, and immediately in front of the field to be printed, bounded by side edges 52 by longitudinal printer fiducial marks 50. Therefore, segment 5
6 is as shown

FIG. 4 shows the entire printed field, including the entire printed sheet of print medium 24, bounded on three sides by a leading edge fiducial mark 44 and two longitudinal fiducial marks 50. Include. Because the overprint around the edge of each print is composited with the overprint of the adjacent photo in the format shown,
Disposed within the print field is a set of images with individual photographs 48 shown in dashed lines within this field. In the format shown in FIG. 4, with the leading and trailing edges of each row of photos aligned,
Three lateral rows or subsegments 58A, B, C
There are 9 pictures in the set arranged in. The photo also shows 3 with the side edges of the photo in each row aligned.
It is arranged in one longitudinal row 60A, B, C.

Other layouts are possible, depending on the arrangement made by computer 14. For example, prints of various sizes can be grouped such that there is one dimension in common (either length or width). This is shown in FIG. 5, where the pictures are arranged in three segments, all three on the same printed sheet. There is a first segment 56A that includes only two prints, each overprinted, with no gaps between them. Second segment 5
6B includes four smaller prints (also overprinted with no intervening gaps), third segment 5
6C contains one panoramic print. Segment 5
6A, B and C have printed fields bounded on three sides by lateral and longitudinal fiducial marks 44, 50 respectively. However, in this case, the segments are short in that each has a single line of prints separated by white spaces 61. The segments, which can have different widths,
Adjusted to the left (left side justif
ied) is preferred.

In some cases, it is advantageous to process shorter segments, such as the end of the final customer's order. In such a case, each of the short segments, such as segments 56A, B and C, would have a white gap 61.
And a lateral reference mark 44 is present immediately before each segment. Each is registration information (registration information).
To provide n), these segments, including the lateral and longitudinal fiducial marks, are cut and separated from the larger sheet. cutter

The steps in the operation of cutting the segment 56 of FIG. 4 into individual prints are shown in FIG.
FIG. 6A shows that the segment first advances into the inlet or first cutter 22 in the direction of its leading edge 46. As a first step, any suitable first sensor 62, such as an optical sensor, in the cutter detects the lateral fiducial mark 44. Since the image immediately follows the lateral fiducial mark, the first cutter 22 will
A first lateral cut can be made along. This forms the leading edge 64 of the photograph in the first row 58A, as shown in FIG. 6B. Since the row width of photograph 58A is known, the cutter must make a second cut along the second line 65 that forms the trailing edge of the first row of the print.
Now pull the segment into the cutter so that it is in the second position. Thus, an appropriately sized strip of photographs or sub-segments 58A is cut from the segment 56, as shown in FIG. 6C.

Thereafter, the segment 58A cut off
Are moved towards the side edges 52 to the second cutters 28 arranged orthogonally to the first cutters 22. This second cutter 28 also comprises a second sensor 66, which detects a part of the printer longitudinal fiducial mark 50 located between the side edge and the printed image. After that, the longitudinal reference mark is the first reference mark 4
A second fiducial mark arranged orthogonal to 4 is formed. Because the photographic image of the row immediately follows the longitudinal fiducial mark,
The second cutter 28 is capable of making a first longitudinal cut (third cut) along a third line 68 that forms the side edge of the first picture in the row. Since the width of each photograph of the sub-segments is known, the second along the fourth line 70 forming the second side edge of the first print.
To make a side cut (fourth cut), the second cutter 28 can pull the segment to the second position. Thus, the first of photographs 48 in the sub-segment is cut from the sheet, as shown in Figure 6D.

Overprinting can be fixed at 2 mm, or
It is also known that overprints can be dimensioned in proportion to the size of each print. Using this information, the second cutter 28 can pull the rest of the sub-segment that distance into the cutter, resulting in a third side cut 72 (fourth cut), thereby , A first side edge of the second print of the sub-segment is formed. A similar process is performed as described above until all of the individual prints have been cut from the subsegments.

Either while the second cutter 28 is performing its function or after it has completed its function, the first cutter 22 causes the segment 56 to segment 56 by the amount of overprinting between rows 58A and 58B. Index the rest of the (FIG. 6B). The first cutter 22 is
A cut can now be made along line 74 to form the leading edge of the photograph with rows 58B. The cut performing step is then repeated, first cutting the sub-segment containing the row of photograph 58B from the sheet and then cutting the sub-segment into individual photographs or prints 29.

In the arrangement shown in FIG. 5, the segment 56
A, B, C are first separated from the rest of the segment by a rough cut through the white gap 61. Then, each of the separated segments has a first and second cut 6
3, 65 (FIG. 6B) is delivered to the cutter.
Then, each of the segments will have separate side cuts 68, 7 if it is necessary to cut separate prints.
It is moved laterally into position to perform 0 and 72.

As described above, the present invention can correct various printing errors. For example, FIG. 7 illustrates detection of skew when transferring segment 56 to a cutting motion position. At this point, a third laterally-spaced pair of sensors 7 arranged to extend across the path of segment movement (indicated by arrow 78).
6 can measure the angular skew of the reference mark 44. Thus, a transfer mechanism (not shown) can compensate for skew and make appropriate adjustments to properly align the segment with the cutter. A similar arrangement can compensate for skew during lateral transfer of the sub-segments to the cutter to cut individual prints from the sub-segments.

Another application of the invention can be understood by reference to FIG. FIG. 7 shows an arrangement of two laterally spaced reference marks 44, one mark associated with each segment. With the distance between adjacent fiducial marks 44 known,
A single, fourth sensor, shown at 80, can be used to measure the distance between fiducial marks as the oversized sheet moves in the direction of arrow 82.

This longitudinal distance information serves to provide calibration and correction for errors in the transport mechanism used to longitudinally move the oversized sheet to the cutting operating position. Such distance information can also be gathered from any third fiducial mark placed parallel to lateral mark 44 and separated by a known distance. Similar information for calibrating and compensating the transfer mechanism for lateral movement of individual segments or sub-segments is provided by a fourth fiducial parallel to any one of the second fiducial marks 50 and at a known distance. It can be obtained by having a mark.

Photographic printing (photographic p)
The lamination of the printed media 24 is a feature of the present invention due to the lamination process known as "peel apartment" lamination using a peeling device. The peel apart technique transfers overcoat material from a donor support to a printed image. This transfer is often accomplished by a process in which a donor support having an overcoat and the print medium are mechanically brought together by pressure and then heat is applied for a specific exposure time. This process transfers the overcoat material from the donor to the printed image, after which the donor is peeled off. Laminator

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a laminator machine, also referred to as overcoat applicator 16. The overcoat applicator 16 comprises an inlet roller 112, a donor supply reel 114, a donor guide bar 116, an overheated fuser roller 118, a pressure roller 120, a main peel bar 122, an exit roller 124 and a donor take-up reel 126. Composed.

The basic function of the overcoat applicator 16 is to pass the laminate carrying donor 128 between the donor supply reel 114 and the donor take-up reel 126. The donor, in its simplest form, is preferably a multilayer web of donor support, also known as donor 130, and overcoat material, also known as laminate 132. Threading the laminate-carrying donor 128 around the donor guide bar 116, through the nip 134 created by the heated fuser roller 118 and pressure roller 120, and
To follow the path around the peel bar 122.
During normal idle mode, the fuser roller 118 disengages from the pressure roller 120 and the laminate carrying donor 128
Is not transferred.

When ready to perform the overcoat application process, the pressure roller 120 is pressed against the overheated fixing roller 118. At the same time, the superheated fuser roller 118 preferably rotates at a constant speed, thus transporting the laminate carrying donor 128 through the nip 134. Tension control on both the donor supply reel 114 and the donor take-up reel 126 allows this donor transfer to occur in a controlled manner.
In addition to all of these events, a sheet or unbroken roll of print media 24 is fed to the inlet roller 112 and the leading edge 46 of the print media 24 enters the nip 134 with the laminate carrying donor 128.

At this time, the heat energy from the overheated fixing roller 118 is transferred to the laminate carrying donor 128 and a part of the print medium 24 in the nip 134.
The length of the thermal energy exposure time and the amount of thermal energy transferred to the laminate carrying donor 128 and the print medium 24 depend on the transfer rate produced by the rotation of the overheated fuser roller 118, and the width of the nip 134 and the fuser. It is a function of the temperature and thermal properties of the roller 118, the laminate carrying donor 128, the overcoat material, also known as the laminate 132, the print medium 24 and the pressure roller 120. During this exposure time, the laminate carrying donor 128 and print medium 24 are fused together. The fixed compound continues to advance until it encounters the first peel guide 122. Nip 134 and first peel guide 12
The distance between the two first vertices is called the cooling distance 140.

FIG. 10 illustrates a donor 130, which is preferably oriented at an angle of approximately 90 degrees to a donor take-up roll 126, while hereinafter referred to as a laminate print medium 42, a laminate print. Goods (ar
The sheet) is directed to the exit roller 124. It should be noted that the laminated article may include other items known in the art, such as cloth. The angle between these reorientations is called the peel angle 144. The purpose of this reorientation is to achieve the following functional requirements: a) The overcoat material 132 is completely transferred from the donor 130 to the print medium 24 so that a completely uniform coating is created. b) No pollution occurs. c) Laminate-carrying donor 128 or print medium 24 at the trailing edge 54 of the laminated printed article, caused by excessive lamination material, commonly referred to as flash.
The transfer jam does not occur. d) Successful processing across a wide range of print media 24 sizes and types, and a wide range of donor 130 and laminate 132 sizes and types, and various settings and configurations of the overcoat applicator 16.

Up to this point, the process described has been the same as the normal method. Kodak Picture Ma, which has been discussed in the background section
The ker example is an example of the method except the fact that a thermal print head is used in place of the heated fuser roller 118 to perform the fusing process.

FIG. 11 is a front view of the first peel guide 122. The bending 148 of the first peel guide and the wrap angle of the peel bar of the first peel guide, and the overcoat coating device related to the peeling process. Sixteen geometric features will be described.

FIG. 11 also shows that after the laminated print medium exits the fuser, in this case a fan is used to control the temperature in the area upstream of the first peel guide.
A peel-guide thermal system 150 with temperature control is shown. The thermal system could also control the temperature of the first peel guide, platen or other device in contact with the laminated print media.

One way the thermal system 150 can control the temperature of the laminated print medium is by using a temperature reference signal that provides a control signal to the comparator. The comparator takes the temperature reference signal and subtracts the temperature feedback signal which produces a temperature error signal. After that, the temperature error signal is
Supplied to the controller, which in turn produces a temperature control signal. This temperature control signal is then used to drive the thermal device. The thermal device then heats or cools a portion of the overcoat application peeler 16. The temperature sensor detects the temperature of the first peel guide and converts the temperature into a temperature feedback signal.

The intent of the control loop is to maintain the temperature of the first peel guide at a level equivalent to the temperature reference signal. The presently preferred method of thermal control is 90-115 ° C.
After heating during, the laminated print medium is cooled to below 60 ° C. This may include one or more of the following cooling methods: a) heat transfer with metal in contact with the laminated print medium, b) convection with a fan or similar device, c) radiation. Obtained by using.

In FIG. 12, the peel angle is 1 at the peel point 154.
4 shows an overcoat application peel apparatus 152 of the present invention for maintaining 44, in which the donor 130
It is peeled from the laminated print media 42 between the first paper path 156 downstream of the fuser roller 118 and the donor path 158 upstream of the donor take-up reel 126, and the second peel guide 162 is printed at the support point 166. The first peel guide 122 is adjacent to the first paper path 156 on the first side 160 of the donor and the second peel guide 162 is the first side on the second side 164 of the donor to retain 42. Adjacent to the peel guide 122. Donor Guide 1
The donor guide 168 keeps the donor guide 168 of the donor 164 such that 68 resists tension from the donor take-up reel 126 and thus maintains a substantially constant peel angle 144 as the diameter of the donor take-up reel 126 changes. Adjacent to the donor path 158 on the second side.

FIG. 13 shows the second peel guide 16 in which the first peel guide 122 forms a peel nip 170.
Adjacent to 2, the donor 130 is trained to pass through a peel nip 170, an overcoat application peeler 1
52 is shown. The overcoat application peeler 152 also has an int, commonly called a flash.
and an inclined take-up platen 172 disposed upstream of the second peel guide 162 along the second paper path 174 for the laminated printed article 42 including the erstative laminate 176. Take up
The angle of the platen 172 should be sufficient to peel the clearance laminate 176 from the laminated printed article 42 at the trailing edge 54 of the media.

FIG. 14 shows an overcoat application peel device 152 with a paper support 178 adjacent the print medium 142 proximate the peel point 154 to support the print medium 24. Overcoat coating peeling device 152
Is a curve spring
Or it can be assembled with a paper support 178 that includes other similar devices that will deflect the print medium 24. The first and second guides may be fixed bars, fixed rollers or energies, as known to those skilled in the art.
zed) roller.

The first peel guide 122 and the second peel guide 162 cooperate to ensure that unused laminate is efficiently removed from the trailing edge 54 as it passes through the overcoat applicator 16. This removal process is enhanced by reversing the orientation of the laminated print media 142 and / or the first peel guide 122.
Can be adjusted by using a sensor 180 that detects the trailing edge 54 of the laminated print media 142 before passing through. Overcoat coating peeling device 152
The first peel guide 122 and the second peel guide 162 may be tapered. Tapered guides have been found to more efficiently remove unused laminate from the sides of the laminated print media 142. This means that the laminated print media is inbound.
und), that is, when the media is slightly smaller in size than the laminate used to coat the print media 24. Inbound print media is a product designed to use the entire surface of print media 24. This is an outbound
d) Significantly different from other printing processes, called media, which leave the edges of the print media without lamination.

In addition to greatly improving the peeling parameters, the use of the overcoat application peeler 152 provides other benefits. Primarily,
The overcoat application peeler 152 helps flatten the laminating media 142 and thus reduces wrinkling, as described above. Second, overcoat application peelers help eliminate the usual tight tolerances on design distance. For example, the overcoat application peeling device 152 may be located at a suitable distance (>
It has been shown that there is a fairly wide window of peel bar parameters that allows for excellent peeling treatment when placed at 2.54 mm (1 inch).
This allows for a wider range of material and equipment tolerances as well as a wider range of setpoint designs for system geometric parameters. The overcoat applier device 152 also improves the functionality of the overcoat applicator by helping to secure the laminate carrying donor 128 for stable transfer control. This, in turn, helps ensure uniform coverage of the print medium 24.

FIG. 15 shows the laminating cartridge 182 of the overcoat application peeler 152 for the photofinishing system 10. The laminate cartridge 182 of FIG. 15 has a first spool 184 having a laminate source containing a laminate carrying donor 128 and a second spool 186 on which the donor 130 is wound. The first spool 184 of the laminating cartridge 182
Is placed in slot 188 of overcoat applicator 152 holder, only a portion of which is shown to include slot 188. At least one of the spools 184, 186 may have a plurality of ratchet teeth thereon. Core 190 having a plurality of ratchet teeth 192
A spool 184 having a is configured to mate with the tooth repository 188. The spool 184 moves from a first position where the ratchet teeth 192 engage to a second position where the ratchet teeth 192, and thus the core, disengages from the repository 188 so that the spool 184 is free to rotate.
It is movable within the slot 188.

FIG. 16 shows a laminating cartridge 182 without spools 184, 186. laminate·
The cartridge 182 has a first holder 194 and a second holder 196. Laminating cartridge 182
Also has one or more handles 198 attached to one or more of the first holder 194 and the second holder 54. FIG. 16 shows the first spool holder 19
4 and these handles 198 attached to the second spool holder 196 are shown. First holder and second
The holders 194, 196 can be constructed of durable but light plastic.

There are many designs used to house the first and second holders 194,196 as well as the handle 198. There is a need for an ergonomically efficient design, as described in more detail below.
Laminate cartridge 152 has one or more guide bars. FIG. 16 illustrates a first guide bar 195 and a second guide bar 19 for maintaining tension on a laminate support 128.
7 is shown.

17, 18 and 19 show three embodiments of ratchet teeth 192 and associated repositories 193, in which ratchet teeth 192 and associated repositories 193 are designed differently. FIG. 17
Shows ratchet teeth configured such that teeth 192 do not protrude from the perimeter of core 190 when seated in associated repository 193. This is advantageous when space and gaps are a problem as this design is very space efficient.

FIG. 18 shows ratchet teeth 192 configured such that teeth 190 extend beyond the perimeter of core 190 when seated in associated repository 193. Finally, Figure 1
9 sits in the relevant repository 193, when the core 190
A ratchet tooth 192 is shown having a square shape, which may or may not extend beyond the perimeter of the. Various shapes of teeth 192 will be used in the present invention, and these shapes are shown to illustrate certain possibilities and show possible tooth shapes associated with the present invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that there is no limitation.

The laminator cartridge 182 of FIG.
Is an ergonomically designed handle 19
The spacing of 4,196 allows for easy movement from the original position of the cartridge to the position of placement in the holder for the overcoat application peeler 152. The laminator cartridge allows at least two spool holders to accommodate the spacing between the handles, which accommodates various body sizes, thereby allowing good ergonomics, while It has a flexible frame with an ergonomically beneficial design that loads the laminating reels and prepares the reels for application to the media while keeping the price low. Low cost is a problem because the cartridge is a consumable item and can be discarded after the laminate is exhausted. These laminating reels are large (10.16 cm diameter)
(4 inches), for example, length 332.74 / 5.0
8 cm (13 1/2 inches), heavy, maybe 8.8 pounds each.

The laminator cartridge 182 is removed from the package by the handle 194 and installed in the holder of the overcoat applicator. As mentioned above, the guide bar 195 provides the laminate carrying donor 12
Apply tension to 8,197. Ratchet system 20
4 has teeth 1 as described above and as shown in FIG.
A slot 188 with a combination of 96 and repository 193 is provided. System 199 prevents waste laminate from being unwound from the take-up spool.

To keep the price low, the cartridge must be
It has been designed with a minimum of plastics and parts, with a separate handle on each reel or spool. For positioning the cartridge during loading, this is a low cost system with excellent ergonomic considerations. The web remains taut when inserted into the mechanism, as described above. Print buffer

FIG. 21 shows a schematic diagram of the buffer 18 of the present invention, indicated generally at 200. The buffer is located between the photofinishing inkjet printer 12 and the laminator 16 downstream of the printer 112. The inkjet printer 12 is described above and includes a print head 40 that includes a plurality of nozzles (not shown).

The print head is mounted for movement back and forth (perpendicular to the plane of the drawing) across the photographic paper 13 and a portion of the photographic image is printed by each scan or pass of the print head. To be done. While the paper is being fed to the printer in multiple sheets, the paper source is preferably roll 36 and the supply is preferably uninterrupted. A drive roller 23 in the printer feeds the paper to the print head and steps the paper for each print pass of the print head. Therefore, the roller movement is intermittent in that the paper is first indexed, ie, stepped at peak speed, after which the movement is stopped and the paper is held for the print pass of the print head. Target.

After the print head pass is complete, the paper is indexed forward again and stopped for the next pass. Thus, multiple passes or scans across the paper will produce a photographic image. Further, the printer passing speed in the first operation mode is an average considering the peak speed or the indexing time and the dwell time for each scan. Each index of the paper is a precise movement, which movement is adversely affected by any external resistance to the movement of the paper or by pulling on the paper. The force that can be applied to the paper without loss of quality depends on the particular printer. In one embodiment of the invention, the printer can print 100% without degrading the image.
It is possible to maintain a tensile force of a little g.

After the printing operation is completed, the printed portion is ejected from the printer by the roller 23 in the second operation mode including the continuous movement of the printed portion. The printed portion is then cut from the continuous source by a knife, also known as post cutter 17. Therefore, for the purposes of the present invention, in the first mode of operation, the start / stop movement during the printing operation is
Average 1st speed, finished print output is 2nd
In the operation mode, the second speed higher than the average speed of the printing operation
Understand what happens at speed.

In some printers of the type that the invention may use, the printer may occasionally reverse paper movement during printing. This reversal most commonly occurs to reduce waste while using the printer.

From the printer 12, from now on, segment 2
The cropped, printed portion, called buffer 4, is buffer 2
Enter 00. The buffer 200 has an internal track that defines the path of travel (shown in dashed lines) for delivering the segment 24 to the downstream laminator 16. Laminator 1
6 has been described above. The laminator receives the segment 24 as it moves through the laminator 16,
A protective laminate (not shown) is applied to the printed surface of segment 24. The laminator 16 operates at a third speed somewhere between the printer's average first speed and the printer's 12 eject or second speed. More generally, the laminator 16 operates at a speed faster than the first average speed. Thus, one function of buffer 200 is to allow the passing of segment 24 between two devices operating at different speeds.

To accommodate handoff, the buffer 200 of the present invention defines a path of travel, as shown by the dashed lines in FIGS. 21-26, which path is at least the longest segment 24 created by the printer 12. It is preferably the same. Arranged along this movement path is a series of drive rollers 226. These rollers sandwich the segment and move the segment through the buffer, preferably at a constant speed, more preferably above the printer's average first speed and below the printer's ejection speed. Contact switches 228, 230 at the inlet and outlet of the buffer, respectively, operate to start and stop the movement of rollers 226.

A typical drive roller mechanism is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 27, the drive roller mechanism comprises one or more drive rollers 226 carried by a drive shaft 232. The drive shaft is then coupled to the drive motor 239. One-way clutch 234
To drive the roller in the direction indicated by arrow 236,
The force is transmitted from the drive shaft to each roller. The one-way clutch 234 also allows the roller to overrun the shaft, causing the clutch to rotate the roller faster than the drive shaft in the direction of arrow 236. The slip clutch 238 is disposed between the drive shaft 232 and the motor 239. The slip clutch is provided with arrow 23 for the purposes described below.
In the six directions, it limits the torque or drive force exerted by the rollers on the segment. The slip clutch force limit is set somewhere below the maximum force that can be tolerated by the printer without degrading the image to provide a safety factor. When used with the printer described above, a slip clutch limit of about 60 g can be used, which can hold less than 100 g of force without degrading print quality.

The operation will be described with reference to FIG. 21, in which the photographic paper 13 is fed through the printer 12.
As the image is printed, the rollers 23 index the paper intermittently by the print head 40. At each pause in the indexing cycle, the roller holds the paper and the print head scans across the paper to print a portion of the image. Start / Stop When the print movement continues, the leading edge of the paper 4
6 enters the buffer 200. Finally, the paper advances into the buffer and engages the contact switch 228. This starts the operation of the drive roller 226 in the buffer 200. The drive shaft operating through slip clutch 238 and one-way clutch 234, as described above, is faster than the printer's print speed but slower than its discharge speed,
Drive these rollers at a constant speed.

As the leading edge 46 of the paper enters through the nip between the first set of buffer drive rollers 226A, as shown in FIG. 22, these rollers will begin to pull the paper. The present invention limits the pulling force to a level where it will disrupt printing operations and will not degrade print quality. The drive motor 239 is connected to the drive shaft 232.
And a one-way clutch 234 between the drive shaft and the roller.
Slip clutch or torque limiter 2 connected to
38 indicates a roller 226A while the movement of the paper is paused.
Is configured to prevent pulling on the paper. This is done by mounting a slip clutch 238 to limit the drive force exerted by the roller 226 on the paper to a level below that which can adversely affect print quality.

As the paper is indexed forward for the next print scan of print head 40, the engagement of the paper in the nip between rollers 226A interferes with abrupt and rapid paper stepping at peak speed. should not be done. Such interference will also adversely affect print quality. To prevent such interference, a one-way clutch 234 between the drive shaft 232 and the roller allows the roller to overrun the shaft. Thus, as the paper is stepped, it exerts sufficient force on the roller 226A to overrun the shaft, resulting in
There is little or no interference with these forward movements.

After the printing operation is completed, the printer ejects the printed portion of the paper. If the paper is ejected at a faster rate than the rollers 226 can accommodate, the slip clutch causes these rollers to overrun the shaft and cause the paper to move quickly into the buffer. After the printed portion has been ejected, it stops moving and in the printer, the knife 17 moves the printed segment 24 from the paper.
Can be cut (Fig. 23). Buffer drive motor 239
Is turned off, but the paper is held for cutting. After segment 24 is cut from the paper source,
The drive motor 239 is turned on, the roller 226 of the buffer is driven, the segment is passed through the buffer at a constant speed, and the segment is delivered to the downstream laminator 16 (FIG. 24). Meanwhile, the printer starts another printing operation.

FIG. 25 shows the printed segment 24 entering the laminator 16. Leading edge 46 of segment 24
Enters the nip between the laminator drive rollers 118,
As a result, the segment is pulled into the laminator.
At this point, the rear of the segment may still be in the grip of drive roller 226 in the buffer. Thus, as the segment 24 is retracted into the laminator, the one-way clutch 234 associated with each roller 226 allows the segment to overrun relative to the speed of the shaft 232, thereby causing the segment to buffer. Allows to be drawn into the laminator at a speed faster than the speed of movement through. Conversely, if the laminator operates slower than the buffer, the slip clutch 238 will prevent the buffer roller from pushing the segment into the laminator.

FIG. 6 shows segment 24 completely in the laminator as the next short segment 246 is moved through the buffer and the leading edge 248 of another printed portion is about to enter the buffer. Show.

Therefore, according to the present invention, the material (workp
It should be understood that by providing a buffer for passing (i.e.) from one device to another device, the intended purpose is achieved, where
The devices are inkjet printers and coaters / laminators that can have different processing speeds. A buffer placed between the two devices defines a path of travel that is longer than the longest material created by the first device so that the material is never within the grip of both devices at the same time. Is preferred. This is especially important where the substrate is the segment with the printed output of an inkjet printer and the second or downstream device is a laminator that applies a protective coating to the printed segment. is there. The one-way clutch on the drive means for moving the material through the buffer accommodates the indexing operation of the inkjet printer and also allows such indexing to occur at a faster rate of travel through the buffer. The clutch also allows a downstream device, such as a coater / laminator, to pull material, such as the printed output of an inkjet printer, from the buffer at a faster rate than it travels through the buffer.

On the contrary, the buffer drive (buffer)
Slip clutches in the drive limit the force exerted on the blank by the buffer drive rollers. This ensures that the upstream device stops the movement of the material and operates on a portion of the material while another portion of the material is within the grip of the buffer.

In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a buffer between the inkjet printer and the laminator device, the laminator 16 having a faster processing speed than the printer 12. The buffer 200 is adapted to receive the printed output of the inkjet printer 12 and deliver the output directly to the laminator 16, wherein the buffer 200 has two processing speeds of the printer 12 and a single processing speed of the laminator 16. Adapt to. First service loop

FIG. 28 is designated generally at 300
Service loop 3 located between upstream workstation 312 and second downstream workstation 314
1 shows a service loop 19 according to the invention with 12. The operation of the first service loop is under the control of controller 316, which may be the same as controller 14 or a different controller, as described below. The first service loop 300 described herein.
Is for use in photofinishing operations,
The first workstation is the laminator 16 and the second
The workstation is the Embosser 20 and all parts are part of the photofinishing system 10. Laminator 16 and embosser 20 have been described above and below.

For efficient operation, the lamination material is laid down on one or both sides of a plurality of printed sheets that are drawn from roll 114 and individually fed to a laminator. To minimize waste of lamination material, the gaps or gaps between the individual printed sheets fed to the laminator are kept as small as possible. The result is an unbroken strip with two adjacent printed sheets 304 and 306 joined by a layer of laminate material 308, as shown in FIG. Upon leaving the laminator, the unbroken strip is cut between adjacent printed sheets 304, 306 and again separated into individual printed sheets.

After the lamination has been applied and the sheets have been cut off, the cut sheets are delivered to an embosser which gives the cut sheets a matte finish. Normally, the Embosser operates at a faster speed than the laminator, so one function of the first service loop is to receive cut sheets from the laminator (first workstation) operating at the first speed and operate at a faster speed. Sending cut sheets to the embosser (second workstation). Another function of the first service loop is to ensure that the cut sheet is completely free from the laminator before it is delivered from the embosser. The reason for this is that damage occurs to cut sheets that have one end in the grip of a laminator operating at one speed and another end in the grip of an embosser operating at a higher speed.

As shown in FIG. 30, the first service loop has a set of drive inlet rollers 318, a set of deskew rollers 320 and a set of drive outlet rollers 322. The inlet roller 16 is driven at the same operating speed as the laminator. The exit roller 322 is driven at the same operating speed as the embosser and the deskew roller is driven at the selected speed. The entrance roller 318 is
It is preferably located at a lower height in the first service loop than the rollers and exit rollers.

Separately placed upper and lower members 32
Guides 324 of 6, 328 each define a path of travel between the inlet rollers and a nip 321 formed by the deskew rollers. Since the deskew roller is located above the inlet roller 318, the guide 324
Is the deskew roller 3 above the inlet roller 318
A movement path that curves to 20 is defined. Thus, the cut sheet 304, proceeding from the laminator 16 and entering the first service loop through the inlet roller 318, has its leading edge 330 directed toward the deskew roller 320.

The lower member 328 of the guide is fixed on the deskew roller 3 for rotation about the shaft 334.
It has an end 332 adjacent to 20. A guide member 328 is formed with a dog leg 336 adjacent its end 332 for the purposes described below. Completing the structure is a sensor 333 that issues a signal to controller 316 as the trailing edge of the cut sheet passes. The position of the sensor is such that the passage of the trailing edge of the cut sheet indicates that the cut sheet has been released from the grip of the laminator.

The operation of the first service loop is shown in FIG. 30, showing the leading edge 330 of the laminate cut sheet 304 as it passes between the drive rollers 318 and enters the first service loop. Will be explained. As mentioned above, the drive roller 318 operates at the same speed as the laminator. This means that some of the cut sheet 304 in the grip of the drive roller 318 may still be in the grip of the laminator, the trailing edge 3 of the cut sheet.
Guaranteed to move at the same speed as 38. Also shown in FIG. 30 for illustrative purposes, the second cut sheet 306 follows the first sheet and has its leading edge 340 separated from the trailing edge 338 of the first sheet by a distance “X”. Is.

The guide 324 guides the sheet 304 to the deskew roller 320. At this point the deskew roller is stopped. Finally, while the drive roller 318 continues to operate, the leading edge 330 of the sheet contacts the nip 321 formed by the deskew roller. This causes the portion 342 of the sheet adjacent the leading edge to
Wrinkles as shown in. Wrinkles are accommodated by dog legs 336 at the bottom of the guide. As the sheet wrinkles, it will remove any skew of its leading edge relative to the nip 321.
up) so that the leading edge becomes aligned with the nip. Thus, sheets that would be skewed upon entering the first service loop are deskewed by the first service loop so that properly oriented sheets are delivered to the embosser or downstream workstation. , The leading edge is aligned parallel to the nip.

After the deskew operation is completed, the controller 31
6 temporarily drives the deskew roller 320,
The leading edge 330 and a small portion of the sheet have a nip 321.
(FIG. 32) to allow movement through. In response to this operation, the deskew roller is driven by the drive roller 318.
Driven at the same speed as. After temporary actuation, the deskew roller stops. Thus, the deskew roller nip holds the sheet while the drive roller
Continuing to operate, the cut sheet 4 is moved into the first service loop at the same speed as the laminator operating speed. The deskew roller 320 is stopped, while the drive roller continues to operate, while the long cut sheet (moves at a faster speed) while part of the cut sheet is still within the grip of the drive roller 318. Exit roller 32
A situation that extends within 2 is avoided.

Since the length of the cut sheet may be longer than the length of the moving path defined by the guide 324, the sheet moving in the first service loop while the deskew roller is stopped is Some allowance for length must be made. Thus, the controller acts to rotate the lower portion 328 of the guide about axis 334, causing the guide trap to open (FIG.
3). With the trap open, a length of seat pushed into the first service loop leans out into the space created by the opening. Thus, the first service loop can accommodate a length of sheet much longer than the length of the travel path defined by the guide 324 by forming the service loop 305. Service between drive roller 318 and nip 321
The length of the loop (L _SL ) comprises the closed trap (L _C ) plus the velocity of the drive roller 318 (V _L ) multiplied by the time (T ₁ ) the deskew roller stops (T ₁ ). , L _SL = L _C + (V _L ×
Equal to T ₁ ).

At some point, sensor 333 will identify the passage of trailing edge 338 of the cut sheet, indicating that the cut sheet has exited the laminator. When this happens, the controller 316 operates the deskew roller to operate at a speed equal to the processing speed of the embosser or downstream workstation. This action winds up the slack provided by the service loop 305 and through the driven exit roller 322,
And the cut sheet 304 begins to move into the embosser (FIG. 34). The deskew roller could be actuated so that the trailing edge of the cut sheet rotates at the faster operating speed of the embosser before leaving the slower moving drive roller. However, the controller does not allow the slack supplied by the service loop, which is the length of the service loop, to affect the trailing edge 338 of the first cut sheet.
Ensure that it contains sufficient length so that it does not lose its slack before it leaves the drive roller. This avoids situations where the cut sheet is under tension between drive roller 318 operating at one speed and deskewing roller 320 operating at a higher speed.

As mentioned above, the deskew roller is
The cut sheet is pulled from the service loop at a faster rate than the next sheet 306 is delivered to the first service loop. However, the length of the first sheet does not allow time to remove the first sheet 304 of sufficient length, so at some position along the path of travel the next sheet 3
It is acceptable that 06 does not prevent catching up with the first sheet. In other words, the length "x" of the gap between the sheets
Will be reduced to a negative number before the first seat exits the first service loop. This means that the leading edge 340 of the second or next sheet 306 is not
04 into the trailing edge 338. By keeping the trap open, this situation is avoided.

As shown in FIG. 35, the trailing edge 338 of the first sheet 304 falls from the drive roller 318 when it leaves the drive roller 318, and leaves the defined movement path. This is because the position of the deskew roller higher than the drive roller 318 and the curvature of the path of travel cause the trailing edge 338 of the cut sheet to spring away under the drive roller. Now, the leading edge 340 of the next sheet will be displaced vertically from the trailing edge of the first sheet as it passes through the nip of the drive roller 318, as shown in FIG. This displacement avoids an overlap that could cause two sheets to come into contact.

If the length of the front sheet 304 is such that no overlap is created by the leading edge of the next sheet,
You can close the trap. Conversely, if the length of the first sheet is such that there is an overlap with the next sheet, the trap will remain open and the first sheet will "escape" from the next sheet before the trap is closed. leave"
Will allow time. The overlap can be calculated using the following formula. Overlap _{= (L R -L C) -} (x) (V E) / V L where, L _R = length of the service loop when the trailing edge of the first sheet leaves the laminator, the L _C = trap The length of the path of travel in the closed state, "x" = the length of the initial gap between the sheets, V _E = the speed of the embosser and _VL = the speed of the laminator.

If the overlap is calculated as a negative number, then there is no overlap and the trap can be closed as soon as the service loop length becomes less than the length of the path of travel with the trap closed. it can. If the calculation yields a positive number, the sheets overlap, so that the trap must remain open, allowing the first sheet to move away from the next sheet.

After some time, there is sufficient separation of the first sheet by the deskew roller 320 to recreate the gap between the two sheets. Then, the controller closes the lower guide portion 328 as shown in FIG. This recreates the path of travel for guiding the leading edge 340 of the second sheet 306 to the deskew roller 320. After the first sheet passes from the first service loop, the rollers stop and the operation is repeated to deskew the next sheet 306, as shown in FIG.

Thus, the present invention accommodates cut sheets that come in at one operating speed, which can then be delivered from the first service loop at a second operating speed,
It should be understood that it is to provide a first service loop located between workstations having different operating speeds. The first service loop can also stop and deskew the seat,
On the other hand, it prevents the rear seat from entering the front seat.
The first service loop can accommodate sheets of various lengths, including sheets that are longer than the travel path through the first service loop. Embossa

With reference to the figures, FIG. 39 generally illustrates a sequence of steps for producing an ink jet printed photograph. In this regard, the photofinishing system 10 comprises an inkjet printer 12. The printer is preferably fed from an uninterrupted roll of photographic paper 36, which is the normal paper used in inkjet printers to create glossy photographs.
A controller, such as computer 14, loaded with a digital representation of the image or image to be printed controls the printer. The printed output is the inkjet printer 1
2 into the coater / laminator 16. Since the printer and laminator typically have different operating speeds, a buffer 18 is placed between them. The buffer 18 first stores the output from the printer and then
By passing the output of the printer to the laminator, it helps to operatively connect the printer to the laminator.

In the laminator, the protective laminate is applied to the printed surface of photographic paper. The laminate is 0.00127-0.00254 cm of any suitable, clear plastic applied to the surface of the printed paper.
(0.5-1.0 mil) film. The paper and laminate then pass, preferably by heat, through a nip 118 (shown in FIG. 10) that presses them together, so that the laminate sticks to the image surface. The result is a laminated glossy finished photo because the photo is on glossy paper and both sides of the laminate are smooth.

The laminated structure enters the embosser 20 from the coater / laminator. Although not shown, there may be a buffer between the laminator 16 and the embosser 20 if the two have different operating speeds. Embosser operates selectively to create either a glossy finish photo or a photo with a matte finish.
For information on which finish photo to create,
It is input to the computer 14. The computer then controls the embosser to create the desired finish, as described below.

As shown in FIG. 40, the embosser 20 is
It has an inlet 424 for receiving the laminated gloss finish printout 42 of the laminator. The print 42 is
It includes a photographic paper section 24 containing an inkjet printed image and a laminating section 132 disposed on the printed image and attached to the paper. The entrance to the Embosser is connected to a guide track 428. The guide track and spaced drive roller pairs 430, 432 define a path of travel (shown in dashed lines) through the embosser to an outlet 434. Another drive roller 436 is located adjacent to the track and is the embosser inlet 42 of the laminated photo.
Transfer from 4 to the outlet 434 can be facilitated.
The gap between the drive roller pair is small enough to accommodate the shortest photographic print delivered to the embosser.

Along the path of travel, preferably a pair of rollers 4
Arranged between 30 and 432 is an embosser mechanism, indicated generally at 438. The embosser mechanism includes an embossing roller 440 arranged on one side of the moving path. The roller or at least the outer surface 442 of the roller is made of metal or other material that is heated and capable of retaining heat. The embossing roller is preferably hollow and has a heating element 444 disposed within the hollow for heating the roller and more particularly for heating the outer surface 442. Any mortgage heating element can be used, including resistors or radiant heaters. The superheater is preferably a superheated lamp built into the embossing roller. A motor (not shown) drives the embossing roller.

The outer surface 442 of the embossing roller is textured by any suitable means, such as by chemical etching or mechanical action, which will provide the roller with some roughness. The roughness is 2.
It is preferably greater than 54 x 10 ^-4 cm (100 microinches) and, as will be explained below, is sufficient to provide a matte finish to the laminator printout 26, given various factors. The texture of the outer surface should be as random as possible with no sharp points.

Disposed across the path of travel on the opposite side of the embossing roller is a pressure roller 446 having an elastic outer surface made of rubber or the like. The pressure roller is bearing on a lever arm 448 (journa).
led). The lever arm is pivotable (pivota
ly) having a supported end 450 and a free end 452, the pressure roller comprises a supported end and a free end 450,
452 is bearing on the middle arm (journal)
aled). The lever arm is displaced, such as by a spring 454, which biases the free end of the arm to the left or first position about its pivoted end 450, as seen in FIG. To do.

Due to this urging, the pressure roller 446 and the embossing roller 44 are maintained so as to maintain the open movement path.
A space 456 is created between 0s. The bias is also lever
Maintains contact between the free end 452 of the arm and the mechanical cam 458. The cam selectively operates to push the lever arm free end 452 to the right or second position, as seen in FIG. This closes the space 456 and causes the pressure roller 446 to bear against the embossing roller 440, forming a nip. Since the movement of the cam is under the control of the computer 14, the selective movement of the cam, which allows the movement of the pressure roller between its first and second positions, is achieved by a gloss finish, as described below. Or whether you want a matte-finished photo.

The operation of the embosser 20 begins by heating the embosser roller 440. The proper operating temperature depends on the laminate material, the surface 44 of the embossing roller.
2 and may vary depending on the pressure applied by the pressure roller. Once at least the predetermined temperature has been reached, the embosser is ready to receive an image from the coater / laminator 16. Thus, as shown in FIG. 40, the oriented laminate gloss finish photo 42 with the laminating side positioned on the same path of travel as the particular textured embossing roller 440.
Enters the entrance 424. The photo shows Mboss Laura 44.
Along the path of travel towards 0, it is moved forward through a series of drive rollers, as indicated at 436, 430.

If a glossy finish photo is desired, the path of travel is kept open by holding the pressure roller in place, as shown in FIG. This keeps the path of travel open so that the laminated glossy photo is transported through space 456 without contacting the embossing rollers. Thus, the glossy finish is unobstructed until the laminated glossy photo passes through exit 434. Therefore, the gloss finish photo passes through the Embosser exit 434.

If a matte finish photo is desired, computer 16 activates cam 458. The movement of the cam causes lever arm 448 to pivot to the right, as shown in FIG. 40, which causes pressure roller 446 to create a nip between itself and heated embossing roller 440. . When the laminated print reaches the embossing roller, the print passes through the nip, so that the laminating side 132 is heated by the embossing roller.
It contacts the roller and is pressed against it. The heat of the embossing roller softens the laminate 132, and the heat causes the embossing roller to
The particular textured surface of the roller allows the laminate surface to be modified by embossing the texture of the roller surface 442 into the laminate. As a result of this action, light is now reflected from the laminate surface at various rates, giving the laminate surface a matte finish appearance. The photo is moved to exit 434 and a matte finish photo is created from the gloss print.

The obtained matte finish photograph is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 42, the glossy paper support 24
Is laminated with the laminate 132, and the laminate is embossed on its outer surface. This provides the photo with a matte finish, as opposed to printing the first photo on a matte finish paper, and the matte finish can be applied to the photo at any time (in.
Situ) given.

The gloss image has a 20 ° reflectance (reflect).
It is generally understood that it is an image that produces a value between 60 and 70 with a uniformity scale. In contrast,
Images with a matte finish are generally less than about 40,
Preferably, the reflectance value is less than about 10-26.
It is an image that is considered to have a cactivity value).

As described above, various factors such as temperature, pressure, finish of embossed surface, specific material and thickness of laminate are factors contributing to the production of matte finish.
As described herein, for conventional plastic films used as photographic laminates,
Temperatures above 75 ° C. for certain textured surfaces are too high for lamination temperatures and the laminate tends to peel off the print rather than be embossed. Conversely, surface temperatures below about 50 ° C are too cold to accept the texture from the rollers. Therefore, the temperature range between 50 ° C. and 75 ° C. is considered the operating range.

The pressure at the nip and the surface roughness of the embosser roller are also related in that the amount of force pushing the laminate surface is directly proportional to the surface roughness of the embosser roll. Given the operating factors of the particular material used as the laminate, the acceptable range of parameters for the degree of surface roughness, the temperature of the embossing roller and the applied pressure is a matter of design within the skill of the art. is there.

Therefore, it should be understood that the present invention accomplishes its intended purpose by providing a method and apparatus for making either glossy or matte finish photographs from the same gloss print stock. is there. The device allows a photofinishing operator to inventory a glossy and matte finish print paper.
ory) It is possible to selectively create either glossy or matte prints without the need. Print cutter

With reference to the figures, FIGS. 43-48 show a sequence of steps for cutting individual prints from a sheet 511 containing a plurality of prints. In this respect,
The cutter and transporter of the present invention, a portion of which is shown at 500, comprises a transfer table 512. The table has an inlet end 514 on one side, an opposite end 516 and an outlet end 518 arranged at the rear of the table and perpendicular to the inlet end. Although not limited in size, embodiments of the present invention have web widths of about 28-32 cm and about 51c.
It has a table sized to accommodate full web widths up to m.

Incorporated into the transfer table 512 is first a longitudinal direction from the inlet end 516 to the opposite end 516, and then along the opposite end 516 the table outlet 518.
Is a drive system that moves the sheet laterally toward. As shown in FIG. 43, a portion of the drive system comprises a plurality of longitudinally spaced drive rollers 520. The rollers are preferably arranged in pairs, the inlet end 5
14 is arranged to move the sheet along the table in a longitudinal movement path indicated by arrow 522 extending from 14 to the opposite end 516. These rollers 520 are
It extends through the opening into the table and is generally grouped towards the front of the table as seen in FIG.

Also extending into the table through the opening,
The second set of drive rollers 524 is perpendicular to the first pass,
Arranged to move the sheet along a second path of travel indicated by arrow 526. The second path of travel is in the lateral direction toward the table exit 518.

As seen in FIG. 51, the housing 51
9 is placed on the table (the housing is omitted from FIGS. 43-48 to see the table).
Supported within the housing are a first set and a second set of idler pinch rollers 54, respectively.
4, 546. The set of idler pinch rollers 544 is adapted to move to create a nip with the drive roller 520. The formed nip acts to push the sheet carried in the nip longitudinally across the transport table (in the direction of arrow 522 in FIG. 43). Second set of idler pinch rollers 546
Are moved so as to form a nip with the driving roller 524. This causes the sheet carried in the nip to laterally traverse the table and exit 518.
It acts so as to push in the direction of arrow 526 (Fig. 43). Two sets of idle rollers 544, 5
46 is independently controlled and there is selected movement in the longitudinal and lateral directions.

Adjacent to both the table inlet and outlet 514, 518 are cutter mechanisms 528, 530, respectively. Located beyond the cutter 528 is a sensor 5 such as an LED emission detector.
27. A similar sensor 529 is positioned beyond the cutter 530 (Fig. 43). Both sensors 527, 529 are connected to a controller 549 for the purposes described below. This would be the same as controller 14 or a different controller. Cutter mechanism 528,
Since the 530 has almost the same configuration, the cutter mechanism 5
Only 28 will be described in detail. As seen in FIGS. 49 and 50, the inlet end cutter mechanism 528 comprises a rotating knife 532 supported on a spindle 534 that extends perpendicular to the first path of travel 522. The knife is movable along the major axis and relative to the anvil 536 for shearing the piece of sheet 511. Advancing beyond the knife along the path of travel is a set of paper clamps 538.

Clamp 538 is mounted for pivotal movement between open and closed positions. Each clamp includes a foot 539 that presses against anvil 536 in the closed position (shown in Figures 43-51). In the closed position, the foot 539 operates to press the seat 511 against the anvil 536 during the cutting operation to exert a force to hold it in place. Following the knife, along the path of travel, is a waste collector, generally indicated at 540 (a similar waste collector 556 is associated with cutter 530). The waste collector is adapted to receive any portion of the sheet cut by the cutter mechanism. In this regard, the waste collector is typically located under the anvil 536 and has a pair of counter rotating augers 5
41 is provided. These augers have a rotating knife 532
Any piece cut from the sheet by the opening 54
2 to ensure that it falls into the waste receptacle 543.

To complete the construction, each cutter mechanism has a sheet 5 on the cutter, as described below.
It comprises a registration roller 548 forming a nip with a pinch roller 550 for delivering 11. A stepper motor (not shown) preferably drives the registration roller. The stepper motor that drives the registration roller 548 is
Partially controlled by a controller 549 which receives inputs from sensors 527 and 529.

The operation that begins with sheet 511 being delivered to the cutter mechanism will be described with reference to FIGS. The sheet includes a plurality of individual photographic prints 552 applied by, for example, an inkjet printer. As shown in FIG. 43, the sheet size is about 33 × 5.
0.8cm, each size is about 10.16 × 1
It contains an array of nine individual photographic prints 552 that are 5.24 cm. The prints are arranged in an array that includes rows 553A, B and C extending across the sheet and columns extending along the sheet. The prints in each row are aligned with leading and trailing edges 554 and 556, respectively, and the prints in each column are provided with transverse edges 55.
8 are aligned.

Although nine prints of the same size are shown, each row of prints has one common dimension (either length or width) to present aligned leading and trailing edges 554, 556. Prints of various sizes can be arranged on the sheet so long as they have The second dimension (length or width) of the print in each row can vary. If all prints were the same size, as shown, the rows would have side edges 558 aligned. However, each row can contain images of various sizes, and if the prints do not have a second dimension in common, the side edges 558 will not be aligned. For example, given a 13 inch wide sheet 511, the first row 553A may have two 4x6 images, or one 4x6 image and two 4x3 images, or It can be printed with one 4x9 image and one 4x3 image. Next row 553B is two 5 × 7
Image, or a single 8x10 or 5x12 image. It is only important that the images in each row have one dimension in common and that the sum of the second dimension plus the edge margin does not exceed the width of the sheet 511.

Each image is preferably made slightly larger to provide an inaccurate cut position. Also, the array on the print on the sheet is surrounded by fiducial marks. The first fiducial mark 560 has a black horizontal stripe located ahead of the leading edge 554 of the first row 553A of print. This fiducial mark is provided for detection of the first row of prints entering the transfer table inlet end 514. Second fiducial mark 5 with black longitudinal stripes
Adjacent to at least one side of the sheet, 61 extends the length of sheet 511, preferably towards the rear of the transfer table. The reference mark 561 includes a sheet edge and a side edge 558 of the print row adjacent to the sheet edge.
Between

The sheet is delivered to cutter mechanism 528 by a carrier (FIG. 43), a portion of which is shown at 525 and is operated by controller 549. As part of the act of printing an image on a sheet, the controller includes memory for print layout. This memory contains, for example, information regarding the distance between the leading and trailing edges 554, 556 of each row 553A, B and C, as well as the lateral length of each print of each row.

As the sheet approaches the cutter, sensor 527 first detects the leading edge of the sheet and then fiducial mark 560. The distance between the leading edge of the sheet and the fiducial mark is communicated to the controller. The carrier 525, which continues its operation, delivers the sheet to the nip between the registration roller 548 and the pinch roller 550. The carrier 525 is slightly overdriven when the leading edge of the sheet is in close contact with the nip of the registration roller 548. This creates some wrinkles near the leading edge and ensures that the seat sits properly in the nip.

Next, the sheet 511 is cut with the cutter mechanism 528.
The registration rollers are driven, preferably by a stepper motor (not shown), under the control of controller 549 for pulling in. Since the distance between the leading edge of the sheet and the fiducial mark 560 has already been transmitted to the controller 549, the stepper motor is activated by the controller to drive the registration roller 548 and cut the sheet into the first cut in the cutter. Proceed to position (FIG. 44). In the first cut position, the leading edge of the first row of prints 553A is located below the knife 532 at the edge of the anvil. The clamp 538 is then pivoted to the closed position, which clamps the sheet to the anvil. After clamping, the knife 532 is pulled along the support mandrel 534 to make the initial cut.

The first cut removes the fiducial mark 560 and the strip containing the minor portion of the overprint to the back of the fiducial mark from the sheet. The separated strips pass through the openings 542 and also the receptacle 543.
Assisted by an auger 541 (FIG. 49) that pulls waste into, it falls into waste collector 540.

After the first cut is made, the clamp is pivoted to the open position to release the sheet. The stepper motor, which drives the registration rollers, reactivates. The controller 549 then causes the registration roller to pull the sheet into position for the second cut and stop. As mentioned above, 1st row 5
The length of 53A (distance between leading edge 554 and trailing edge 556) is a known dimension. Therefore, the registration
Rollers 548 are operated by a stepper motor under the control of controller 549 to index the sheet a sufficient distance to locate the trailing edge of the first row of cut positions.
The clamp 538 is pivoted again to the clamp position for holding the sheet for the second cut. The second cut is made as before. When making the second cut, a knife is placed in the overprinted area at the trailing edge of the row, so that the first
Row 553A is cut from the sheet. At this point, the registration roller is activated and the first print
Move the strip with row 553A onto the cutter transfer table 512 (FIG. 45).

As the strip moves over the cutter table 512, the idler roller 544 is lowered and the drive roller 520 (also, again) to move longitudinally across the transfer table to the opposite end 516 (FIG. 46). (Under control of controller 549) is powered.
Translation along the transfer table in the longitudinal direction causes the strip to contact a stop 551 at the opposite end 516 or a sensor (not shown) to move the strip (FIG. 4).
Stop when detecting the leading edge 554 of 5). Either event causes the longitudinal idler roller 544 to lift, causing the drive roller 520 to stop rotating.

Next, a horizontal idler pinch roller 546
(FIG. 51) is lowered, pressing the strips, and power is applied to the drive cross roller 524, transversely across the transfer table, as indicated by arrow 526, and again the cutter 5.
The strip is moved into 30 (FIG. 46). As the strip approaches the cutter 530, the sensor 52
9 first detects the side edge of the sheet and then the reference mark 561. The distance between the side edge and the fiducial mark is determined by the controller 5
49. Cross roller 524 continues to move the strip into the cutter until the edge is pushed into the registration nip between registration roller 548 'and pinch roller 550' in cutter 530 (Fig. 52). At this point, the registration roller is stationary and the lateral drive roller 524 is overdriven to create small wrinkles or loops 562 in the strip, as shown in FIG.

By overdriving the transverse rollers 524 to create wrinkles, it is ensured that the edges of the strips will engage the registration rollers 548 'well and that the strips will be oriented vertically before being drawn into the cutter. Ensures proper orientation. After the wrinkle is created, the cross roller 524 is stopped and the registration roller 548 'is activated. Idler
The pinch roller 546 remains in contact with the drive roller 524 until the edge of the strip is pulled into the nip by the registration roller 548 '. This ensures that no position is lost. The pinch idle roller 546 is then released so that the registration roller 548 'can pull the strip into the cutter.

Since the distance between the edge of the strip and the fiducial mark 561 is known, the registration roller 5
48 'is operable to position the strip in the proper cut position. A clamp within cutter 530, similar to clamp 538, pivots to a closed position to clamp the strip in the cut position. A first cut, including a portion of the overprint, is then made and the leading edge waste is drawn into the waste collector 564 adjacent the transfer table exit end 518.

Registration in the cutter 530
The rollers are again activated to advance the strip further into the cutter mechanism 530 a distance sufficient to place the trailing edge of the image in the cutting position. Since the width of the print is known, the registration roller in the cutter 530 under the control of a stepper motor (not shown) is
The strip can be advanced to position the trailing edge of the print for cutting. A second cut separates the first print in the row and the print now cut to size is delivered to a print stacker (not shown) at the exit end 518 of the transfer table 512 (FIG. 48). It

All the photographic images in the first row 553A are separated and further horizontally advanced and cut until they are cut into a predetermined size. And the next line 5 of the print
The next cycle begins as 53B advances longitudinally towards cutter 528.

It should therefore be understood that the present invention achieves its intended purpose by providing a method and apparatus for cutting prints of various sizes from a large sheet. The apparatus is capable of providing movement along a vertical path of movement of a sheet of prints to make appropriate cuts to cut prints of various widths from a larger sheet. Transfer table 5
12 includes a roller mechanism that selectively engages to move the sheet in two directions across the transport table.
Cutter mechanisms adjacent the entrance and exit of the transfer table include means for cooperating with fiducial marks on a sheet of prints. The cooperation provides first to position the sheet in the appropriate cutting position to cut a strip of photos from the sheet, and then to cut individual photos from the stripe. Second service loop

Referring to the figure, FIG. 53 shows a first upstream work station, the embosser 20 in this embodiment, and a second downstream work station, the cutter 2 in this embodiment.
Figure 3 shows a second cutter service loop 21 according to the invention, generally designated 21, arranged between 3. The operation of the second service loop 21 is under the control of controller 580, which may be the same controller as controller 14 or a different controller.

As shown in FIG. 53, the second service loop 21 has a set of drive inlet rollers 582, a set of deskew rollers 584 and a set of outlet rollers 586. The inlet roller 582 is driven at the same operating speed as the embosser. The exit roller 586 is driven at the same operating speed as the cutter and the deskew roller is driven at the selected speed. The inlet roller 582 is preferably located in the first service loop at a lower height than the deskew roller and the outlet roller. This is
This is accomplished with the help of bridge 588 which is flipped up by motor 590.

Bridge 588 provides a well-defined path until a transition occurs, a loop is formed, and the constraint is removed. As shown in FIG. 54, the bridge 588 allows the paper loop to be formed. The operation of the second service loop 21 when forming the paper loop is the same as the operation described above with reference to the first service loop 19. The second service loop 21 also avoids problems with different speeds and / or paper lengths, as described above with respect to the first service loop 19. Under normal operation, the digital film processor 10 will move the embosser at 0.762 cm (0.3 inches) per second and the cutter from 0 to 12 because the cutter must stop, cut and restart. ．
Will drive at 7 cm (0-5 inches) / second. Second
By the service loop 21, digital film
Allows the processor 10 to accommodate different operating speeds of various components, particularly the speed of the embosser and cutter.

It is important that the bridge 588 does not open too early when the second service loop 21 is operating. In order for the digital processor 10 to operate efficiently, the timing and placement of the bridge is important. The second service loop 21 also helps prevent paper misalignment. The bridge is designed to support the full width of the paper when in place. The bridge shape preferably mimics the shape of a paper path such as a perfect arc shape. There is another embodiment in which the bridge shape is bimodal made of two or more arc parts. Rear printer

As shown in FIG. 2, the rear printer 3 is provided to help identify the source, date and time or other relevant information.
4 picks up the print 29 and prints a reference mark on the back surface of the print 29. Conveyors and stackers

As shown in FIG. 2, the conveyor and stacker 35 carries prints 29 and operates together to stack prints 29 for distribution.

Accordingly, the present invention achieves its intended purpose by providing a photofinishing method and apparatus that takes advantage of otherwise wasted locations resulting from the nesting of images on print media. It should be understood.

It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to photofinishing, but has application in any instance where large quantities of product are required by the customer and the product is made from resources of a given size. is there. For example, a customer order may include stamping a given number of units from a sheet metal roll. The arrangement of multiple units on the roll
If a certain amount of plate is to be wasted, one or more additional units can be offered to the customer at a reduced price to make up for the otherwise wasted sheet metal price .

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a photofinishing system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a portion of a photofinishing system for printing photographic images.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a photofinishing operation for printing a photographic image and fiducial marks on a print medium.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a segment of a print medium created by the arrangement of FIG.

FIG. 5 shows only another embodiment of the segment, FIG.
It is a figure similar to.

FIG. 6A is a schematic diagram showing the steps of cutting the segment of FIG. 4 into individual photographs.

FIG. 6B is a schematic diagram showing the steps of cutting the segment of FIG. 4 into individual photographs.

FIG. 6C is a schematic diagram showing the steps of cutting the segment of FIG. 4 into individual photographs.

6D is a schematic diagram showing the steps of cutting the segment of FIG. 4 into individual photographs.

FIG. 7 is a diagram of a portion of the segment of FIG. 4 showing the use of fiducial marks to correct skew.

FIG. 8 is a diagram of a printed segment with fiducial marks to provide calibration correction.

FIG. 9 is a mechanical schematic diagram of an overcoat coating mechanism according to the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a detailed isometric view of a portion of the overcoat application peeler.

FIG. 11 is a side view of a portion of the overcoat application peeler showing the thermal system.

FIG. 12 is a detailed isometric view of an overcoat application peeling device.

FIG. 13 is a diagram of an overcoat application peeling device.

FIG. 14 is a detailed isometric view of an overcoat application peeling device showing a flexure spring.

FIG. 15 is a side view of the laminate cartridge of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a laminate cartridge.

FIG. 17 is a view of a portion of a laminate cartridge including a core.

FIG. 18 illustrates another embodiment of a laminating cartridge showing a portion of the laminating cartridge including a core.

FIG. 19 shows another embodiment of a laminating cartridge showing a portion of the laminating cartridge including a core.

FIG. 20 is a side view of an overcoat applicator including a laminating cartridge.

FIG. 21 is a schematic diagram showing the steps of operation in the buffer of the present invention.

FIG. 22 is a schematic diagram showing the steps of operation in the buffer of the present invention.

FIG. 23 is a schematic diagram showing the steps of operation in the buffer of the present invention.

FIG. 24 is a schematic diagram showing the steps of operation in the buffer of the present invention.

FIG. 25 is a schematic diagram showing the steps of operation in the buffer of the present invention.

FIG. 26 is a schematic diagram showing the steps of operation in the buffer of the present invention.

FIG. 27 is a perspective view showing a drive roller mechanism when used in a buffer.

FIG. 28 is a block diagram showing the position of the buffer of the present invention.

FIG. 29 is a cross-sectional view showing a laminated sheet before separation.

FIG. 30 is a diagram showing a part of the buffer in consecutive operation steps.

FIG. 31 is a diagram showing a part of the buffer in consecutive operation steps.

FIG. 32 is a diagram showing a part of the buffer in consecutive operation steps.

FIG. 33 is a diagram showing a part of the buffer in consecutive operation steps.

FIG. 34 is a diagram showing a part of the buffer in consecutive operation steps.

FIG. 35 is a diagram showing a part of the buffer in consecutive operation steps.

FIG. 36 is a diagram showing a part of the buffer in consecutive operation steps.

FIG. 37 is a diagram showing a part of the buffer in consecutive operation steps.

FIG. 38 is a diagram showing a part of the buffer in consecutive operation steps.

FIG. 39 shows a sequence of steps for creating an ink jet printed photograph according to the present invention.

FIG. 40 is a schematic diagram of an apparatus for embossing a laminated photographic image in different operating positions.

FIG. 41 is a schematic diagram of an apparatus for embossing a laminated photographic image in different operating positions.

FIG. 42 is a cross-sectional view showing a portion of a matte photograph according to the present invention.

FIG. 43 is a schematic diagram showing steps for cutting individual prints from a single sheet including a transfer table and a plurality of photographic prints.

FIG. 44 is a schematic diagram showing the steps of cutting individual prints from a single sheet that includes a transfer table and multiple photographic prints.

FIG. 45 is a schematic diagram showing the steps of cutting individual prints from a single sheet containing a transfer table and multiple photographic prints.

FIG. 46 is a schematic diagram showing the steps of cutting individual prints from a single sheet containing a transfer table and multiple photographic prints.

FIG. 47 is a schematic diagram showing the steps of cutting individual prints from a single sheet containing a transfer table and multiple photographic prints.

FIG. 48 is a schematic diagram showing the steps of cutting individual prints from a single sheet that includes a transfer table and multiple photographic prints.

FIG. 49 is a partially sectioned front sectional view showing the cutter at the inlet end of the transfer table.

FIG. 50 is an isometric view of a portion of the cutter at the inlet end, viewed from the opposite angle.

51 is a section taken along line 9-9 of FIG. 43,
FIG. 44 is an enlarged view showing a schematic view of another component of the transfer table that cannot be seen in FIG. 43.

52 is the same view as FIG. 49, but only showing a portion of the cutter at the exit end of the table.

FIG. 53 is a block diagram showing the location of the cutter service loop of the present invention.

FIG. 54 is a partial view of a cutter service loop.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 Photo Finishing System 12 Photo Finishing Printer 13 Photo Paper 14 Image Processor (Controller, Computer) 15 Printed Sheet 16 Laminator (Overcoat Applicator, Coater /
Laminator 17 Post cutter (knife) 18,200 Print buffer 19 First service loop 20 Embosser 21 Second service loop 22 Inlet cutter (first cutter) 23,226 Inlet roller (driving roller) 24,42 Printing Printed segments (printed media,
Printed goods, glossy paper support) 26 Horizontal strip 28 Exit cutter (second cutter) 29 Print 30, 33 Stepper motor 32 Exit roller 34 Back roller 35 Conveyor stacker 36 Roll 38 Data source 39 Blank or discard Placed 40 Lateral print head 44 Lateral fiducial mark (first fiducial mark) 46 Lateral leading edge 48 Printed image (photographic image) 50 Longitudinal fiducial mark (second fiducial mark) 52 Longitudinal edge 54 Trailing edge 56 Segment 56A First segment 56B Second segment 56C Third segment 58A First row (first sub-segment) 58B Second row (second sub-segment) 58C Third row (third sub-segment) 60A, 60B, 60C Longitudinal row 61 White place 62 1st sensor 63 1st line ( 1 cut) 64 the leading edge of the photograph of the first row 65 the second line (second cut) 66 the second sensor 68 the third line (horizontal cut) 70 the fourth line (horizontal cut) 72 the third lateral part cut (fourth) Cut) 74 Line 76 Third laterally spaced sensor pair 78 Direction of segment movement 80 Single fourth sensor 82 Direction of sheet movement 112 Inlet roller 114 Donor supply reel 116 Donor guide bar 118 Heating Fusing roller 120 Pressure roller 122 Main peel bar (first peel guide) 124 Exit roller 126 Donor take-up reel 128, 197 Laminated donor 130 Donor support (donor) 132 Overcoat material (laminate) 134 Nip 140 Cooling distance 144 Peel angle 148 Peel guide curve 150 Peel Guide Thermal System 152 Overcoat Coating Peel Device 154 Peel Point 156 First Paper Path 158 Donor Path 160 First Side 162 Second Peel Guide 164 Second Side 166 Support Point 168 Donor Guide 170 Peel Nip 172 Tilting Take-up platen 176 Laminated laminate 178 Paper support 180 Sensor 182 Laminate cartridge 184 First spool 186 Second spool 188 Slot (repository) 190 Core 192 Ratchet tooth 193 Repository 194 First holder 195 Guide bar 196 Second holder 198 one or more handles 204 ratchet system 226A first set of buffer drive rollers 228, 230 contact switch 232 drive shaft 234 one-way clutch 236 roller drive Direction 238 Slip clutch (torque limiter) 239 Drive motor 246 Smaller segment 248, 330, 340 Leading edge 300 First service loop 304 Printed sheet (cut sheet, first sheet) 306 Successive sheet 308 Laminate Material 312 First upstream workstation 314 Second downstream workstation 316 Controller 318 Drive inlet roller 320 Deskew roller 321 Nip 322 Exit roller 324 Guide 326 Upper member 328 Lower member (guide member, lower guide portion) 332 End portion 333 Sensor 334 Axis 336 Dog Leg 338 Trailing Edge 342 Part 424 Embosser Inlet 428 Guide Tracks 430, 432 Separately Driven Roller Pair 434 Outlet 436 Driven Roller 438 Embossing Machine Construction 440 Embossing roller 442 Roller outer surface 444 Heating element 446 Pressure roller 448 Leaving arm 450 Pivoting support end 452 Free end 454 Spring 456 Gap 458 Mechanical cam 500 Cutter and transporter part 511 Sheet 512 Transfer table ( Cutter transfer table) 514 Inlet end 516 Opposite end 518 Outlet end 520 Drive roller 522 Sheet moving direction along first longitudinal moving path (first moving path) 524 Second set driving roller 525 Carrier 526 Second moving path Sheet movement direction (lateral sheet movement direction) 527, 529 Sensors 528, 530 Cutter mechanism 532 Rotating knife 534 Supporting mandrel 536 Anvil 538 Paper clamp 539 Feet 540, 556 Waste collector 541 Rotating auger 542 Aperture 543 Waste Receptacle 544 First Set Idler Pinch Roller 546 Second Set Idler Pinch Roller 548 Registration Roller 548 'Registration Roller 549 Controller 550 Pinch Roller 550' Pinch Roller 551 Stop 552 Photo print 553A First row 553B, 553C Row 554 Leading edge 556 Trailing edge 558 Side edge 560 First fiducial mark 561 Second fiducial mark 562 Wrinkle (loop) 582 Drive inlet roller 584 Deskew roller 586 Exit roller 588 Bridge 590 motor

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (31) Priority claim number 0341183 (32) Priority date December 28, 2001 (December 28, 2001) (33) Priority claiming countries United States (US) (31) Priority claim number 032919 (32) Priority date December 28, 2001 (December 28, 2001) (33) Priority claiming countries United States (US) (31) Priority claim number 032920 (32) Priority date December 28, 2001 (December 28, 2001) (33) Priority claiming countries United States (US) (31) Priority claim number 038743 (32) Priority date December 31, 2001 (December 31, 2001) (33) Priority claiming countries United States (US) (31) Priority claim number 038792 (32) Priority date December 31, 2001 (December 31, 2001) (33) Priority claiming countries United States (US) (31) Priority claim number 345463 (32) Priority date January 4, 2002 (Jan. 4, 2002) (33) Priority claiming countries United States (US) (31) Priority claim number 349386 (32) Priority date January 18, 2002 (January 18, 2002) (33) Priority claiming countries United States (US) (31) Priority claim number 061142 (32) Priority date February 1, 2002 (February 2, 2002) (33) Priority claiming countries United States (US) (31) Priority claim number 066235 (32) Priority date February 2, 2002 (February 2, 2002) (33) Priority claiming countries United States (US) (31) Priority claim number 062947 (32) Priority date February 2, 2002 (February 2, 2002) (33) Priority claiming countries United States (US) (72) Inventor Terence Chi San Chan             United States California, Pow             Yeah, Carriage Hills Court             17012 (72) Inventor Marland Chow             Sande, California, United States             Diego, Russet Street 17145 (72) Inventor David Clark             United States California, Pow             Yeah, El Camino Entrada             15773 (72) Inventor Michael H, Davis             Rameau, California, United States             Na, Karin Court 25270 (72) Inventor Scott Matthew Dennis             Sande, California, United States             Diego, Moon Song Court             18190 (72) Inventor Sergio Escobed             Sande, California, United States             Diego Red Cedar Drive             11048 (72) Inventor David Wayne Yashinsky             Sande, California, United States             Diego, Cottonwood Grove             Boot 12216 (72) Inventor Daniel Stephen Klein             United States California, Enchi             Nitas, La Mesa Avenue             355 (72) Inventor John F, Manard Jr.             Sande, California, United States             Diego, Pueblo Vista Rain             17863 (72) Inventor James Mason             United States New York, Webs             Tar, Gatestone Circle 1189 (72) Inventor Kelly Neal McKay             Sande, California, United States             Diego, Yudal Street 3607 (72) Inventor David B, Petch             Laho, California, United States             -Ya, calumet avenue             5425 (72) Inventor David Michael Petersen             United States California, Esco             Ndido, San Pascal Valley             Road 2445 (72) Inventor Michael Puyacht             United States California, Esco             N'dido, Calle de Alcala 997 (72) Inventor Rayan Ramus Womy             Sande, California, United States             Diego, Moon Song Court             18245 (72) Inventor Robert John Rosati             Carl, United States of America             Subad, Palacio Drive 7749 (72) Inventor Herb Sarnoff             United States California, Esco             Ndido, Carol Rain 2435 (72) Inventor James Robert Schmedeik             Sande, California, United States             Diego, Bavarian Drive             13335 (72) Inventor Hong Shen Zhan             Sande, California, United States             Diego, Westmore Road 8489,             Number 43 (72) Inventor Mark Stephen Yanoski             Roches, New York, USA             Tar, Red Cedar Drive 52 (72) Inventor James Arthur Laraby             Roches, New York, USA             Tar, Long Acre Road 214 (72) Inventor Stefan Paul Loracono             Hilt, New York, USA             Parkway View 107 F-term (reference) 2C058 AB19 AC07 AF51 LA03 LA17                       LA24 LC02

Claims (14)

[Claims] 1. A high capacity, low cost photofinishing device having an ink jet width greater than twice the width of a first print size and at least equal to a larger second print size. A printer, a source of continuous feeding media, and an image processor for digitizing an image to be printed, connected to the inkjet printer, and at least 2 × 2 of prints having at least two different sizes An image processor for arranging the digitized images for printing in a matrix; a cutter for cutting the continuous feed medium into a plurality of sheets, each carrying a matrix of the plurality of prints; and the image processor. Controlled by a plurality of individual sheets having at least two different sizes. Device and a biaxial cutter for cutting the cement. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a laminator disposed between the inkjet printer and the biaxial cutter for laminating the plurality of sheets with a protective material film. 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each matrix of prints constitutes a print for a single customer. 4. The apparatus of claim 2, comprising a buffer between the printer and the laminator. 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the inkjet printer comprises a marking engine and a dryer. 6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the source of continuous feed medium comprises a roll of media. 7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the roll of media comprises a roll of paper. 8. The laminator selectively embosses multiple prints to provide a matte finish.
te) The apparatus of claim 2, comprising an embosser coupled to the image processor to simulate a finish. 9. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising a waste receptacle coupled to the biaxial cutter for receiving strips cut from the sheet. 10. The biaxial cutter comprises an input cutter arranged on a first edge of the biaxial cutter and the first cutter.
An output cutter arranged on a second edge of the biaxial cutter perpendicular to the edge. 11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cutter cuts the media into a plurality of sheets having varying lengths over a range of at least 2: 1. 12. The apparatus of claim 3, comprising a sorter coupled to the image processor and the biaxial cutter for customer sorting of the individual prints. 13. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising a stacker coupled to the image processor and the sorter for a customer to stack the prints. 14. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising a backside printer coupled to the image processor and disposed between the biaxial cutter and the sorter.