Photography – Fluid-treating apparatus
Reexamination Certificate
2001-02-03
2002-12-31
Rutledge, D (Department: 2851)
Photography
Fluid-treating apparatus
C705S002000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06499892
ABSTRACT:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims the benefit of the European patent application No. 00 102 414.0, filed Feb. 3, 2000, and entitled “Photo lab with automatic routing to automates and different level operators”. The disclosure of this application is included in the present patent application by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the processing of photographs in a photographic laboratory. The present invention further relates to a processing system in a photographic laboratory for processing the photographs as well as to a program and a computer program product in accordance with the method.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
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 the storage medium (e.g. film) to a photo shop (peripheral organisation). At a photo shop the storing mediums (e.g. films in film cartridges, electronic memory units of digital cameras, etc.) 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 digitalised pictures etc.). Furthermore, the name of the customer is noted and usually an individual order number is assigned to a so-called order or customer order which comprises, for example, a work envelope with an inserted film cartridge and the working instructions or processing information. Moreover the photo shop may add particular requests to the processing information, e.g. the request to add one or more particular promotions to the work envelope at the photographic laboratory. In this way, a plurality of “customer orders” are collected at end of the photo shops.
A plurality of photo shops exist, each of which collect a plurality of customer orders. Each photo shop forwards the customer orders to a photographic laboratory (centralised organisation). At this photographic laboratory, each order is processed by processing the customer order (e.g. film) of the order according to the processing information (e.g. notes, bar codes, etc.) of the order. For instance, in the prior art (see EP 0 952 487), a photographic laboratory executes the following processes on a customer order:
receiving the customer order comprising e.g. the work envelope of the photo shop and the film cartridge within the work envelope, and processing information, said order including e.g. notes which describe the processes to be performed with the film negatives of the customer order, transport and customer address etc.;
removing the film cartridge from the work envelope;
pulling the exposed film out of its enclosure in the cartridge;
marking the work envelope and the exposed film by a suitable work code (e.g. bar code or the like);
joining together the films of different customer orders thus marked to provide a film negative batch;
developing the batch of films which have been joined together, thus obtaining batch of negatives, wherein different portions of said batch belong to different customer orders and thus to different processing information;
printing the successive photographs disposed in the batch on a web of photographic paper, different portions of said batch belonging to different customer orders;
distinguishing between the prints of each customer order by applying a work code (e.g. bar code) to the prints, which refers to the corresponding negatives;
cutting the negatives of each customer order into film sections, those film sections including a number of images, according to the number of photographs determined in the processing information belonging to the same customer order;
cutting the prints of each customer order, one by one, from the web of prints and stacking them so as to form the stack of prints associated with this customer order;
inserting sections of negatives and the stack of prints assigned to the same customer order into an appropriate flexible pocket-type envelope (a wallet);
adding any supplements like promotion coupons, mini-albums, floppy disks, CDs etc., assigned to the customer order, to the pocket-type envelope or wallet assigned to the same customer order;
closing the pocket-type envelope and placing it in the work envelope (assigned to the same customer order;
closing the work envelope and applying a price label which corresponds to the customer order treated;
sending the work envelope and thus the processed customer order back to the shop from which it was dispatched, for delivery to the customer.
All above-mentioned processes represent examples of processes on customer orders within the scope of the present invention. The above processes may be performed automatically by processing devices or semi-automatically with the assistance of operators or manually by operators.
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. On the other hand, if a photographic laboratory is designed to fulfil a variety of wishes of a customer, i.e. a variety of processing information, the photographic laboratory must have a huge number of different processing devices which have to perform the individual orders automatically. Since, however, some individual orders are only rarely desired, the particular processing devices assigned to performing the processes according to those individual wishes or instructions, are only rarely used and therefore not profitable. Furthermore the individual wishes of customers can change due to a change of fashion.
In view of this, and in accordance with the present invention, operators process the customer orders in a photographic laboratory at least partly. The operators are integrated in the processing system of the present invention and may use devices for said processing which belong to the processing system. Additional processing work may be done by automatic processing devices which are also part of the processing system.
The operators in a photographic laboratory usually have different skills. A drawback of the photographic laboratories of the prior art is that the skills of the operators are not optimally used and/or developed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide a method for processing photographs which allows for an optimised use of the skills of operators. Furthermore, a corresponding processing system, program and computer program product should be provided.
The object of the present invention is solved by the subject matter of the claim
1
, claim
13
, claim
15
, and claim
16
. Advantageous embodiments are presented in the dependent claims.
According to the present invention, customer orders, e.g. film cartridges with a film therein, are received in a processing system provided at the photographic laboratory. As mentioned above, the operators represent an integral part of said processing system. Such a processing system may further comprise a plurality of processing devices in particular also instead of the operators. For instance, a processing device may be a splicer for splicing together films to provide film batches, a printer for printing photographs on photographic paper, a developer for developing photographic film, a cutter for cutting a film web or print web, a packing device for packing items, e.g. prints into a wallet or work envelope, a work station or computer which receives digital photogra
Corless Peter F.
Edwards & Angell LLP
Jensen Steven M.
Rutledge D
Systel International S.p.A.
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