Photocopying – Projection printing and copying cameras – With developing
Reexamination Certificate
2002-02-04
2003-03-25
Rutledge, Della J. (Department: 2851)
Photocopying
Projection printing and copying cameras
With developing
C355S040000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06538715
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a photo finishing system with parallel cutters, in particular to a parallel cutter arrangement and to a photographic processing system comprising the parallel cutter arrangement. The invention further relates to a method for parallel cutting webs, to a corresponding program and to a program product comprising the program.
2. Description of the Related Prior Art
Conventionally, a photographer photographs pictures (images) by means of a camera. In this way he captures image information and stores the image information on a suitable storing medium, e.g. on a film in conventional cameras or on a digital memory device (e.g. floppy disk) in digital cameras. The photographer then brings, for instance the storage medium (e.g. film) to a photo shop (peripheral organisation). Alternatively the customer may directly send the digital images together with processing information to a photo shop via Internet. In other words, a photo shop may be a retail shop or a virtual Internet shop. At a photo shop the storing mediums (e.g. films in film cartridges, electronic memory units of digital cameras, etc.) or digital images of several customers are collected and processing information are added concerning the particular processing wishes of the customers (e.g. the format of the photographic prints, type of photographic paper, number of prints per picture (image), adding of a CD with digitalized pictures etc.). Furthermore, the name of the customer is noted or stored and usually an individual order number is assigned to a so-called order or customer order which comprises, for example, a set of digital images or a work envelope with an inserted film cartridge and the working instructions or processing information. In this way, a plurality of “customer orders” together with processing information is collected at the photo shops or virtual Internet shops.
Each photo shop or virtual Internet shop forwards the customer orders to a photographic laboratory (centralised organisation). At this photographic laboratory, each order is processed by processing the photographic images (e.g. film or digital images) of the order according to the assigned processing information (e.g. notes, bar codes, digital information via Internet etc.).
A photographic laboratory, in general, serves a wide area with a large number of photo shops and, therefore, must be fitted out for processing (handling) a large number of orders (up to ten thousands various orders a day). This has been made possible only by a high degree of automation in the laboratory itself, with a consistent necessity to standardise the components used (print format, envelopes etc.). A drawback of this standardisation is that individual wishes or information of the customer may not be fulfilled.
If a customer requests to print the images of a customer orders in different formats, which may not be reproduced by a web of particular width, the handling of those customer orders is very complex according to the prior art.
If, for instance, three webs of different width are necessary in order to fulfil the requests of the customer, for instance, the following workflow is necessary in a photographic laboratory according to the prior art. The films (customer orders) are combined to batches, which include a plurality of customer orders. Such a batch is input in a printer, which prints (selected) images on a web having a first width. Then the web is forwarded to a cutter, which cuts the web into a plurality of print sheets, which belong to a plurality of different customer orders. Then the batch is input into a second printer, which prints (selected) images on a web of a second width in order to produce prints of a different format. Then this web of a second width is cut in order to produce a plurality of print sheets of different customer orders. Finally, the batch is input in a third printer and prints the images on a web of third width, which is thereafter cut into a plurality of print sheets. Thus, finally, there are a plurality of print sheets of a first format printed on a web of a first width, a plurality of print sheets of a second format printed on a web of a second width and a plurality of print sheets of a third format printed on a web a third width. Thus, in summary, there are three large sets of print sheets, each set comprising print sheets of a plurality of customer orders. An operator has then to identify the print sheets, which belong to the same customer order and to sort the print sheets in accordance with a predefined sequence. This kind of processing of the customer orders is very time-consuming and often provokes an unintended mixing of print sheets of different customer orders.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the invention is to provide a photographic finishing system, which facilitates and accelerates the processing of photographic images of a customer order, which have to be printed in different formats.
A particular advantage of the present case is that the processing of customer orders or the photo finishing process is not only accelerated when the customer order comprises images, which are to be printed on webs of different widths but is also accelerated when the images of a customer order are to be printed all in the same format. The latter advantage is due to the parallel processing of images of the same customer order in parallel processing branches or pathways.
According to the present invention, a parallel cutter arrangement is provided. The parallel cutter arrangement comprises at least two cutters. These cutters are preferably arranged in parallel, which means that one web may be cut by one cutter, while another web is cut by another cutter. In other words, the time interval needed to cut one web by one cutter may overlap another time interval needed to cut another web by another cutter. The cutters may be one-dimensional (one-directional) cutters (X cutter) or two-dimensional (two-directional) cutters (X-Y cutter).
The parallel cutter arrangement further comprises a feeding device, which feeds in parallel webs to the cutters and conveys in parallel the single sheets (print sheets), which have been separated from the web by the cutter to a collecting station. At the collecting station the print sheets may be collected or sorted manually or automatically.
The parallel cutter arrangement of the present invention is designed to process webs, wherein the prints, which belong to the same customer order, are arranged in a sequence on the web. In other words, there are no prints of another customer order between prints of a particular customer order on a web. However, the prints, which belong to one and the same customer order, may be distributed among different webs. Assuming the customer wants to print sheets in accordance with a sequence (target sequence) which corresponds to the receive sequence of images (customer order sequence). If, for instance, the customer order comprises ten prints
1
,
2
,
3
,
4
,
5
,
6
,
7
,
8
,
9
, and
10
originally received in accordance with their numberings, i.e. print
1
at first and print
10
at last, the prints
1
,
5
,
9
, and
10
may be arranged in this sequence on a first web. Thus the sequence
1
,
5
,
9
, and
10
of the first web (first web sequence) does not violate the customer order sequence, i.e.
1
,
2
,
3
,
4
,
5
,
6
,
7
,
8
,
9
, and
10
.
The prints
2
,
4
, and
7
may be arranged in this sequence on a second web. Again the customer order sequence is not violated by the second web sequence, i.e.
2
,
4
, and
7
.
The remaining prints
3
,
6
, and
8
may be arranged in this sequence on a third web. Again the customer order sequence is not violated by the third web sequence, i.e.
3
,
6
, and
8
.
The first, second and third web may have different widths but may also have the same width or some of the webs may have the same width while other webs have a different width.
The parallel cutter arrangement of the present invention comprises a controller, which controls the
Pendorf & Cutliff
Rutledge Della J.
Systel Internatinal S.p.A.
LandOfFree
Photo finishing system with parallel cutter arrangement does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Photo finishing system with parallel cutter arrangement, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Photo finishing system with parallel cutter arrangement will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3056374