Photocopying – Projection printing and copying cameras – Copying both sides of original
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-20
2002-02-19
Mahoney, Christopher E. (Department: 2851)
Photocopying
Projection printing and copying cameras
Copying both sides of original
C355S050000, C399S374000, C358S498000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06348962
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a device for shooting image of a document, an object or the like. More particularly, it relates to a device for image-shooting both sides of a document, such as an instrument. In a further aspect, this invention relates to a method for image-shooting a moving document, such as an instrument, more particularly, to a method for high-speed image-shooting both surfaces of a descending document.
BACKGROUND
As a device for simultaneously photographing both sides of a document, the JP Patent Kokai Publication JP-A-No.60-154243 shows a device having a silver salt film and a slit camera, as shown herein in FIG.
5
.
Referring to
FIG. 5
, the device shown in the JP Patent Kokai Publication JP-A-No.60-154243 has a transporting channel for the document made up of a pair of upper transporting rolls
1
A,
1
B, a pair of lower transporting rolls
2
A,
2
B and a pair of cover glass plates
3
A,
3
B arranged between these transporting rolls. The front and reverse side images of the document travelling through a space between the cover glass plates
3
A,
3
B are captured on a silver salt film by a slit camera, not shown, via reflecting mirrors
4
A,
4
B, respectively.
With the above device, since the document is held by at least one of the upper transporting rolls
1
A,
1
B or the lower transporting rolls
2
A,
2
B, the photographing means that can be used is necessarily limited to that employing a slit camera.
DISCUSSION OF THE RELATED ART
According to the keen investigation of the inventors, the following drawbacks have been revealed in the related art.
However, the device for simultaneously photographing both surfaces of the document with the aid of the slit camera as proposed in the JP Patent Kokai Publication JP-A-No.60-154243 suffers from a problem that a liquid needs to be employed for developing a silver salt film. Consequently, a demand has been raised for an electronic type (i.e. dry type) device for simultaneously photographing both surfaces of the document. Although a device for simultaneously photographing both sides of the document with the aid of line sensors has also been proposed, the document transporting speed needs to be substantially one-half that of the conventional device, due to constraint imposed by processing time for the line sensors, as a result of which it has not been possible to further expedite the image-pickup process.
In addition, since the line sensor is employed as an image-pickup means in place of photographing means, the document needs to be transported at a speed correctly synchronized with the line sensor readout speed, whereby limitations are further placed on the image-pickup speed.
In a further aspect, there is a conventional photographing system for a document, such as instrument (referred to hereinafter as “instrument”), wherein the contents of the instrument are captured (recorded) by holding an end part of the instrument, transporting the instrument at a velocity sufficient to preclude capturing errors and by photographing the contents of the instruments.
However, with the above conventional instrument photographing system, in which a silver salt film is developed, it is necessary to perform disposal of waste liquid. In addition, the photographing is carried out consecutively without regard to whether or not an object to be image-shot (instrument) is positioned in a line image-shooting range, thus raising the cost. On the other hand, in a system using the line sensor, transport of the instrument and image-shooting by the line sensor need to be fully synchronized with each other, resulting in difficulty in high-speed image-shooting.
SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE
Generally, it is a basic objective of the present invention to provide a novel device for taking image (or picture) of any surface of a document (or any equivalent object) at a high speed under the condition that image can be further processed and/or stored for various needs.
Specifically it is an objective of the present invention to provide a novel device for taking image (or picture) of both surfaces of a document whereby both surfaces of the document can be image-taken at a high speed by electronic means.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide a novel device for taking image of both surfaces of a document whereby both surfaces of the document can be image-taken at a high speed without necessitating a document transporting unit configured for controlling the document feed rate highly accurately.
It is a further objective of the present invention to provide a novel device for simultaneously taking image of both surfaces of a document at a high speed.
In a further (fourth) aspect, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a method (or device) for image-shooting a document whereby picture dropout may be prohibited and a high-quality image may reliably be obtained, even under a high speed image-shooting.
Still further objectives of the present invention will become apparant in the entire disclosure including claims.
According to a general aspect, an image, i.e., two-dimensional image (or picture) can be taken at a high speed on any surface of a moving target matter, typically a document during its quick movement (typically descending movement) at a high speed by image-shooting two-dimensionally any surface of the moving target matter, in which the two-dimensional image-taking is carried out likewise “photographing”, typically strobo-photographing but without recourse to a photosensitive film using photosensitive salts, generally termed as “photographic film”. The two-dimensional image-taking is carried out under the condition that the image can be generally converted to image signals. Such signals can be directly processed, stored, recorded or further processed without giving rise to the photographic developing process. The two-dimensional image-taking is typically termed as “image-shooting” in the present invention for convenience of illustration, and the image-shooting may be carried out typically using a video camera system.
The two-dimensional image-shooting which is useful in the present invention typically includes an area sensor, e.g. CCD array of a two-dimensional array, but not limited threrto, and generally can be a photo-electronic sensor array capable of the two-dimensional image-shooting. It should be noted, any equivalent means to such CCD array may be further employed according to the present invention as long as the requirements are satisfied.
Typically, a device for image-shooting documents comprises a first (or upper) transport system which feeds documents toward downstream to freely descend by a given number by number of the documents, and an image-shooting system disposed downstream of said upper transport system and adapted to image-shoot at least one surface (or both surfaces) of the descending document.
According to the present invention, various aspects and embodiments are accomplished based on the basic concept.
According to a fourth aspect, the picture drop out at a high speed image-shooting may be eliminated by adjusting the image-shooting timing so that image-shooting will occur at all times when an object to be image-shot is within the image-shooting range.
That is, the fourth aspect of the present invention provides a method for image-shooting a document including means for transporting and causing descent of a document, such as an instrument, a sensor for detecting the document in descent for outputting a detection signal, and an area sensor for image-shooting the document in descent responsive to the detection signal. An image-shooing timing is generated from the detection signal, the area sensor image-shooing the document in accordance with the image-shooting timing.
According to the fourth aspect, the time which elapses as from the time of end of detection of the document until image-shooting is fixed by detecting the descending document and detecting the size of the document along the direction of descent from the duration of detection. Alternatively, the document may be
Asako Koji
Inoue Masashi
Kawabata Yasutoshi
Nakagawa Tomohiro
Uchioke Keizou
Fuji Photo Film Co. , Ltd.
Mahoney Christopher E.
LandOfFree
Device for image-shooting both sides of documents does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Device for image-shooting both sides of documents, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Device for image-shooting both sides of documents will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2964415