Facsimile and static presentation processing – Static presentation processing – Communication
Reexamination Certificate
1998-04-28
2001-08-21
Moore, David (Department: 2624)
Facsimile and static presentation processing
Static presentation processing
Communication
C358S296000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06278528
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a driver program for a photographic printer (hereinafter called a printer driver). More specifically, the present invention relates to a printer driver which enables a customer to configure a personal computer to recognize a variety of conditions related to a printer, such that the customer requests print output by providing an order file describing the content of photographic print and image data to be printed to a photographic service provider via a recording medium such as a Zip disc or via a network.
2. Description of the Related Art
A wide variety of application software, such as Adobe Photoshop, has been developed. Furthermore, scanners and digital cameras have been used to input photograph data into a personal computer to be processed by application software, such as the Adope Photoshop mentioned above, to enable generation of photograph postcards, calendars and stickers by outputting the photograph using a dye-sublimation printer or a inkjet printer. However, a photograph image output by an inexpensive printer such as the one used in a general home is obviously inferior to ordinary photographic print in terms of photograph quality (such as color or resolution).
Meanwhile, a conventional service has been made available for generating photograph postcards or the like having the same high quality as a photographic print printed by a high performance high resolution photographic printer. Such a service generally requires a film or photographic print to be physically delivered to a photographic service provider, where the desired processing (such as an area to be trimmed) is specified. Therefore, it has not been possible to process a photograph as freely as by using a personal computer.
Because of the recent progress in digitization in the field of photographic services, it is now possible to place an order for printing using photograph data stored on a recording medium that is physically delivered to the photographic service provider. For instance an MO disc, image data read from a film and may be recorded on a Zip disc, or a CD-R, that is delivered by the user to the photographic service provide in lieu of film. Likewise, when recording mediums are used, it may be possible to also provide ordering information as digital data to the photographic service provider, eliminating the need for a customer to physically deliver such information to the photographic service provider in the form of an order sheet.
When ordering using recording image data and ordering information in a recording medium that is delivered to a photographic service provider, it is possible to generate a high quality output based on digital image data processed by a customer on a personal computer using a high performance high resolution photographic printer installed in the photographic service provider.
However, the processed image data are different from image data read from a film and may not be printed as they are by a photographic printer. For example, upon ordering a postcard, there are roughly two ways of printing a postcard based on image data that has been processed and provided by a customer with a size larger than the postcard size. One method is to print after reducing the size of the image data so that the image represented by the image data fits in the postcard size. The other is to trim a portion of the image and print the area within the postcard size.
In this case, it is up to the customer to decide which of the methods is adopted. It is not preferable that an operator or the like in a laboratory decides it without input from the customer. Therefore, it is necessary to ask in advance the customer to confirm which of the methods is adopted.
In the case of image data recorded by a digital camera, regardless of whether or not the image data has been manipulated by the customer using a personal computer or the like, printing conditions for a photographic printer may not be met since the aspect ratios of the image data generated by the digital camera may not be the same as the aspect ratio of an ordinary photograph generated by a printing device. In this case, upon printing, it is also necessary to confirm a customer's intention in advance.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Based on consideration of the problems described above, an object of the present invention is to provide means which enables a customer to specify a variety of printing conditions for a photographic printer by using a personal computer to develop an ordering form, wherein photograph image data and ordering information are recorded in a recording medium and printing is requested by bringing the recording medium to a photographic service provider.
To this end, the present invention provides a photographic printer driver operating on a personal computer in the form of a computer-readable recording medium storing the printer driver. However, the printer driver does not transfer signals directly to a printer as in the case of a printer driver for a printer directly connected to a personal computer, but records information regarding setting of the printer in a file and changes the printing conditions by transferring the file to a photographic printer.
In other words, when print output of photograph image data is requested by transferring the photograph image data and an order file describing the content of an order for printing the photograph image data to a photographic printer via a recording medium or a network, the present invention executes a printing condition specifying function for specifying printing conditions for the photographic printer using a computer-readable recording medium having photographic printer driver. The printer driver is a program whereby the computer executes a printing condition displaying function which displays on a display apparatus printing conditions acceptable by the photographic printer and a printing condition recording function which describes at least a portion of the printing conditions specified by the printing condition specifying function as a portion of the content of the order in the order file.
It is preferable that the printing condition specifying function specifies the printing conditions before the transfer.
Furthermore, it is preferable for the driver program of the present invention to include a printing condition accepting function which enables input of printing condition specification from an input device.
Since the above printer driver is preferably a program operating on a personal computer or the preferred like, the “display apparatus” is a monitor of the personal computer, and preferred the “input device” is only kind of equipment known as an input device for a personal computer, such as a keyboard or and a mouse.
The “transfer” via a recording medium preferably involves reading from a recording medium after photograph image data and the like have been recorded in the recording medium by a personal computer. In this case, “before the transfer” generally refers to the time before the recording in a recording medium is carried out.
The “photographic printer” used in the above ordering form is meant to include a function to read the order file from the medium and to carry out print output based on the order file. The order file accepting function may be realized by the printer itself or by peripheral equipment connected to the printer.
“The printing conditions” include the size of photographic print, orientation thereof, a quality of a print paper, and the like. In the case where the specified size of the print paper is not the same as the image size, the printing conditions further include enlargement or reduction carried out in a fixed aspect ratio, enlargement or reduction carried out after changing the aspect ratio, no enlargement or reduction (which leads to a portion of the image being trimmed or a marginal blank appearing on the print), or whether or not a white margin is preferred to appear on the print. Furthermore, in the case of no enlargement or reduction, the portion to be trimme
Haneda Norihisa
Itoh Shinji
Nakajima Nobuyoshi
Ohtsuka Shuichi
Shiota Kazuo
Fuji Photo Film Co. , Ltd.
Moore David
Poon King Y.
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