Photocopying – Projection printing and copying cameras – Original moves continuously
Reexamination Certificate
1998-03-30
2001-05-08
Adams, Russell (Department: 2851)
Photocopying
Projection printing and copying cameras
Original moves continuously
C355S040000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06229594
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a photosensitive material scan-exposure method and a photosensitive material exposure apparatus, and is applicable to, for example, a photographic printer.
2. Description of the Related Art
An exposure apparatus in which images are printed onto a photosensitive material such as a photographic printing paper includes, for example, an exposure apparatus in which exposure is effected by main scanning and sub-scanning.
In this exposure apparatus, exposure is carried out while a plurality of rows of photosensitive materials are conveyed. Main scanning is effected by a print head in which optical shutters are arranged in one dimension, i.e., the column direction and the vertical direction of a photosensitive material. Sub-scanning is effected in the conveying direction of the photosensitive material.
For example, in a case in which two rows of photosensitive materials are subjected to scan-exposure, the direction which runs along the column direction is the sub-scanning direction and the direction which is orthogonal to the sub-scanning direction is the main scanning direction. Accordingly, locus
100
of scanning beams is illustrated as shown in FIG.
4
B. An area (W×L) which is surrounded by a dashed line in
FIG. 4B
denotes an image forming area
102
. In
FIG. 4B
, a part of the locus
100
is unillustrated.
In the exposure apparatus, it is efficient to expose a plurality of photographic printing papers P. However, there are following drawbacks: (a) since a plurality of images are disposed in a row in the main scanning direction, it is necessary to rearrange the image data before exposure (e.g., in a case in which there are two images A and B, the information on the image A and the information on the image B are read for every one line of the main scanning and the image information is handled alternately (A, B, A, B . . . ); (b) since the sub-scanning direction is generally longer than the main scanning direction (the length of a photographic printing paper P in the transverse direction is generally longer), the response time of a linear image display element such as an LCD is slow and it is difficult to decrease the exposure time; (c) the time in which the single row is subjected to exposure is the same as the time in which a plurality of rows are subjected to exposure (as shown in
FIG. 5B
, even if the photographic printing paper P is disposed at only one row, a plurality of rows are subjected to main scanning. Consequently, it is a waste of time that the rows without photographic printing paper P are subjected to main scanning.).
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
With the aforementioned in view, an object of the present invention is to provide a photosensitive material scan-exposure method and a photosensitive material exposure apparatus which can solve the above-described drawbacks.
A first aspect of the present invention is a photosensitive material scan-exposure method in which a plurality of photosensitive materials are disposed in a row and images are formed on the photosensitive materials by a single scan-exposure system, wherein: the column direction of the plurality of photosensitive materials is a main scanning direction and the direction orthogonal to the column direction is a sub-scanning direction.
The images are exposed onto the plurality of photosensitive materials disposed in a row by the single scan-exposure system in which the column direction of the photosensitive materials is the main scanning direction and the direction orthogonal to the column direction is the sub-scanning direction.
Because the plurality of images are disposed in a row in the sub-scanning direction, it is not necessary to rearrange the image data and the circuits which handle the image data can be simplified. Since the long edge direction of the photographic printing paper or the like is the main scanning direction, the exposure time can be reduced even if the scan-exposure system uses a display element whose response time is slow. Further, in case of single row exposure, the exposure is effected only on a necessary row. Thus, the exposure time can be reduced.
Another important aspect of the present invention is a photosensitive material exposure apparatus, comprising: a photosensitive material supporting portion in which a plurality of photosensitive materials can be disposed in a row; and a scan-exposure system in which the column direction of the photosensitive materials is a main scanning direction, in which the direction orthogonal to the column direction is a sub-scanning direction, and in which images are subjected to main scan-exposure onto the photosensitive materials which are disposed on the photosensitive material supporting portion.
The plurality of photosensitive materials are disposed in a row on the photosensitive material supporting portion. In the scan-exposure system, while the column direction of the photosensitive materials which are disposed on the photosensitive material supporting portion is the main scanning direction and the direction orthogonal to the column direction is the sub-scanning direction, the images are subjected to scan-exposure.
Because the plurality of images are disposed in a row in the sub-scanning direction, it is not necessary to rearrange the image data and the circuits which handle the image data can be simplified. Since the long edge direction of the photographic printing paper or the like is the main scanning direction, the exposure time can be reduced even if the scan-exposure system uses a display element whose response time is slow. Further, in case of single row exposure, the exposure is effected only on the necessary row. Thus, the exposure time can be reduced.
In the above-described photosensitive material exposure apparatus, the scan-exposure system includes main scanning means, which effects exposure of one line of the image, and moving means, which moves the main scanning means in the sub-scanning direction.
In the above-described photosensitive material exposure apparatus, one line of the image is exposed by the main scanning means and the moving means carries out sub-scanning by moving the main scanning means in the sub-scanning direction.
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patent: 4724544 (1988-02-01), Matsumoto
patent: 4968997 (1990-11-01), Saitoh et al.
patent: 5675836 (1997-10-01), Matsumoto
patent: 5684568 (1997-11-01), Ishikawa et al.
patent: 5731888 (1998-03-01), Arai
patent: 5734461 (1998-03-01), Ishikawa et al.
patent: 5889537 (1999-03-01), Shimada
patent: 5929975 (1999-07-01), Matsumoto
patent: 8-314022 (1996-11-01), None
Adams Russell
Fuji Photo Film Co. , Ltd.
Nguyen Henry Hung
Sughrue Mion Zinn Macpeak & Seas, PLLC
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