Inserting test patterns in large print jobs

Details Inserting test patterns in large print jobs Inserting test patterns in large print jobs

2000-01-18

2001-01-16

Moses, Richard (Department: 2852)

Electrophotography

Control of electrophotography process

Forming test image

C399S011000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06175700

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to diagnosing whether a xerographic machine is running within specification during large printing jobs. In particular, the invention relates to inserting periodic test patterns into a large production print job and separating the printed test pattern from the printed production print job before the printed production print job is bound.
2. Description Of Related Art
During the printing of long jobs, especially those with color-critical output, it is often desirable to view diagnostic test patterns. These patterns allow the press operator to ensure that the press is operating within specification and that output will match proofs or prints from other devices. This procedure is fairly straightforward in the world of offset presses. Diagnostic test strips are printed on the edges of press sheets. There are access points on the press that allow sheets to be retrieved during the printing process. These sheets can be measured to check the current performance of the press.
In digital production printing, multipage documents are being produced and delivered via closed paper paths to finishing devices that do not allow convenient access to printed output until the printing process is complete. Furthermore, in most cases, sheet-fed digital presses image onto a paper size equal to that of the desired document. Thus, there is no non-document area on the sheets on which to place diagnostic patterns.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object to the present invention to provide a digital color document production system with comparable sampling functionality to that of a known press that prints test patterns at the edge of media sheets. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a digital color document production system with an interrupt separator to allow the periodic production of test patterns on non-document sheets during the production run that can be immediately accessed by the press operator.
These and other objects are achieved in a method to print images on media sheets that prints test patterns in an interrupt mode while printing the main job in a regular mode. The method includes marking a first group of images on a corresponding first group of sheets, marking a test pattern on a first test pattern sheet, marking a second group of images on a corresponding second group of sheets, delivering the first test pattern sheet to a sample tray, and passing the first and second groups of sheets to a finishing module. In a varient of the method, the first test pattern sheet follows the first group of sheets in a sequence, the second group of sheets follows the first test pattern sheet in a sequence, and the second group of images follows the first group of images in a sequence.
In an alternative embodiment, a printer includes a feeding module to feed a plurality of media sheets, a marking module to mark a test pattern and a plurality of print images on the plurality of media sheets fed from the feeding module, a separator to deliver sheets on which the test pattern has been marked to a sample tray, and a finishing module to receive sheets from the separator on which the plurality of print images has been marked.


REFERENCES:
patent: 5221973 (1993-06-01), Miller et al.
patent: 5619307 (1997-04-01), Machino et al.
patent: 5729634 (1998-03-01), Robinson
patent: 5748221 (1998-05-01), Castelli et al.
patent: 6034711 (2000-03-01), Trask et al.

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