Photocopying – Projection printing and copying cameras – With developing
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-30
2001-08-21
Adams, Russell (Department: 2851)
Photocopying
Projection printing and copying cameras
With developing
C355S027000, C355S030000, C355S074000, C347S104000, C347S264000, C347S262000, C347S153000, C347S102000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06278511
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to the printing industry and more particularly to stacking of cut imaged sheets of photographic media in imagesetters and platesetters.
The following terms are defined for clarity throughout this disclosure and the appended claims. An “imagesetter” is defined as a high resolution output device that takes rasterized, bitmapped data, such as a digital text or image file, generated by a raster image processor and writes it to a medium such as film or paper, commonly using a laser that exposes the medium line by line. A “platesetter” is an imagesetter which transfers the image directly onto a printing plate. Hereinafter, the term “imagesetter” will be used to denote either an imagesetter or platesetter as defined above. A “medium” as defined herein is a substrate to which an image is transferred in a printing process, whether chemically, thermally, photographically or mechanically. Media can be made of a variety of substances such as, but not limited to, paper, film, polyester, rubber, plastic, aluminum and other various metals and combinations.
Two conventional imagesetting systems, which will be referred to in the following discussion, are illustrated in
FIGS. 1
,
2
and
3
. A conventional imagesetting system includes a workstation, an imagesetter and a processor. The system is designed to: (1) acquire an image in digital format using any known image acquisition device such as a scanner or digital camera; (2) allow alterations to the acquired image through the use of a computer workstation and, typically, off-the-shelf software image editing packages; (3) transform the altered digital image into bitmapped data via a raster image processor (RIP); (4) transfer the bitmapped data by exposure onto a medium or substrate; and (5) chemically process the exposed medium to yield a finished product. The finished product is a developed film or printing plate.
Alterations of the acquired image, as well as control of the various components of the imagesetting system
100
, are provided by operator use of a workstation
50
as shown in FIG.
1
. Although not explicitly shown, the workstation
50
or its equivalent could be used with the imagesetting systems of
FIGS. 2 and 3
. The workstation or computer system
50
includes a central processing unit (CPU)
40
and a variety of peripheral devices such as a monitor
42
, a keyboard
44
, a mouse
112
, a CDROM port
46
and floppy disk ports
48
,
49
. The monitor
42
, keyboard
44
, mouse
112
and floppy disk port
49
are each electronically connected to the CPU
40
via a bus
52
which, in turn, communicates to the imagesetter
102
and the processor
104
via lines
54
and
56
, respectively. CDROM port
46
and floppy disk port
48
are also connected to the other system components via lines
52
,
54
and
56
. Of course, other combinations of peripherals and computer equipment could be used, if desired, to provide similar control functions of the computer system
50
.
After the image is acquired and edited as desired, the altered digital image is transformed into bitmapped data in the raster image processor. In this example, the CPU
40
performs the raster image processing. Alternatively, a separate raster image processor could be used in conjunction with the workstation
50
.
The bitmapped or rasterized data is then transferred to a medium which is exposed in an internal drum imagesetter
102
using a light source such as a laser.
The exposed medium is then chemically processed in the wet chemical processor
104
, which develops, fixes and washes the medium. After chemical processing, the imaged medium is dried, output and stacked into the output basket
106
of the system
100
of
FIG. 1
, or onto the stacking surface
230
of the system
250
of
FIGS. 2 and 3
. An enclosed dryer section (not shown) is built into, or attached to, the processor
104
of
FIG. 1
whereby air is circulated and blown across the chemically processed medium for drying. Similarly, the imagesetting system
250
of
FIG. 2
includes an enclosed dryer section
212
in which preferably warm air is circulated to assist in drying the imaged media prior to stacking. The enclosed dryer section
212
can be considered either as a part of the processor
104
, or as a separate system component.
In the imagesetting system
100
of
FIG. 1
, the processed sheets of medial
05
,
107
and
108
are extracted from the processor
104
and collected or stacked into the basket
106
. The imagesetting system
250
of
FIG. 2
eliminates the need for a basket
106
by use of a redirecting section
224
which redirects the media to be extracted from the processor
104
for stacking onto the upper surface
230
of the system
250
. The stacking surface
230
could be defined by either the imagesetter
102
alone, the processor
104
alone, or the combined imagesetter and processor
250
and optionally with a side wall
118
adjacent to the ends of
116
of stacked media
107
. Removal of the basket
106
from the imagesetting system
100
shrinks the footprint, i.e. the space, needed for the system.
A typical imagesetting system includes three main components: (1) a raster image processor which translates file information of an acquired and edited image into a bitmap, at the resolution of the image recorder; (2) an image recorder which uses laser imaging to expose the bitmap image on the medium; and (3) a processor which develops the medium to create the finished product. The imagesetter outputs color separations including high resolution halftones and other graphics, as well as type. Film imaged on the imagesetter is used to prepare a set of black-and-white or color proofs using a commercially available proofer. It is the designer's responsibility to carefully check the quality and completeness of the proofs which indicate the results expected on the printing press.
One internal drum imagesetter similar to the imagesetter
102
is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,769,301 issued Jun. 23, 1998 to Herbert et al. Another internal drum imagesetting system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,699,099 issued Dec. 16, 1997 to Garand et al. Both of the above patents are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety for non-essential background information which is helpful in appreciating the applications of the present invention.
Typically within the imagesetter
102
, a media supply cassette supplies a roll of image-receiving media such as photographic film. Alternatively, photo-sensitive printing plates or strips of film could be supplied. A predetermined length of the media is placed onto an internal drum where a rasterized image is transferred onto the medium via a laser light source. The imaged medium is thereafter removed from the inner surface of the drum and transported to the image processor
104
for chemically developing, fixing, washing and perhaps drying the medium.
FIG. 3
is a side view of the imagesetting system
250
of
FIG. 2
, schematically illustrating the workflow of the wet image processor
104
. Specifically, the imaged medium
200
passes into the processor
104
via transport rollers
204
. This particular processor contains: a developer section
206
; a fixer section
208
; a dual wash section
210
; and a dryer section
212
enclosed in a housing
224
. Each section performs a basic function to change the exposed medium into a fully developed and dry medium, ready for handling. The imaged film is transported through the processor entrance slot
202
where the transport roller system controls the movement of the film at an uniform speed through each of the four sections. The transport roller system includes: numerous roller pairs
216
in the developer section
206
; numerous roller pairs
218
in the fixer section
208
; numerous roller pairs
220
,
222
, and
211
in the wash section
210
; and numerous roller pairs
214
in the enclosed dryer section
212
.
In the developer section
206
the latent image created during exposure is developed, and in the fixer section
208
the developi
Austin Peter
Krupica Libor
Adams Russell
Agfa Corporation
Brown Khaled
Hilton William
Sabourin Robert A.
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