Radiation imagery chemistry: process – composition – or product th – Radiation sensitive product
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-09
2001-09-04
Le, Hoa Van (Department: 1752)
Radiation imagery chemistry: process, composition, or product th
Radiation sensitive product
C430S359000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06284445
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to photography and more particularly to the arrangement of reference calibration patches on photographic elements for use in photofinishing.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The use of a sequence of reference calibration patches exposed on a roll of film to enable better exposure control during optical printing is known in the art; see for example U.S. Pat. No. 5,767,983 issued Jun. 16, 1998 to Terashita entitled Color Copying Apparatus for Determining Exposure Amount from Image Data of an Original Image and a Reference Image. The use of reference calibration patches has also been shown to be useful in determining correction values for scanned film data used in digital printing. See for example U.S. Pat. No. 5,667,944 issued Sep. 16, 1997 to Reem et al. entitled Digital Process Sensitivity Correction, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,649,260 issued Jul. 15, 1997 to Wheeler et al. entitled Automated Photofinishing Apparatus.
Problems experienced with these reference calibration patches have included the occurrence of naturally arising artifacts in exposing the reference calibration patches onto the film, difficulties experienced in subsequent measurement of the patches on processed film, and data loss due to defects such as scratches or streaks in the images of the printed patches. To limit the area of film that is occupied by the reference calibration patches, it is desirable to expose as many reference calibration patches as possible onto the smallest area of film. In the exposure process, flare from high exposure reference calibration patches can affect the exposure of nearby patches, thereby affecting the intended exposure of the nearby patches. In the measurement process, flare can bias the accurate reading of the patch density, particularly in high density patches.
There is a need therefore for an improved reference calibration patch arrangement that minimizes the problems noted above.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The need is met according to the present invention by providing an arrangement of reference calibration patches produced by a sequence of exposures on a photographic element, the photographic element exhibiting linear defects in a predominant direction, that are arranged in a two dimensional array and exposures are assigned to the reference calibration patches in the array such that nearest neighbors in the predominant direction are not nearest neighbors in the exposure sequence, whereby the effects of a linear defect are reduced; and the maximum number of steps in the exposure sequence between a reference calibration patch and that of its nearest neighbors in any direction is less than a predetermined number, whereby the effects of flare are reduced.
ADVANTAGES
The reference calibration patch arrangement of the present invention has the advantages that the impact of exposure flare in exposing the patches, the impact of flare in a scanner used to read the patches, and the effect of loss of data to extended linear defects is reduced, while minimizing the rectangular area occupied by the reference calibration patch arrangement on the photographic element.
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Bigelow Donald O.
Cahill Nathan D.
Keech John T.
Powers Thomas F.
Spence John P.
Close Thomas H.
Eastman Kodak Company
Le Hoa Van
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