Incremental printing of symbolic information – Ink jet – Combined
Reexamination Certificate
1998-04-17
2001-07-24
Yockey, David F. (Department: 2861)
Incremental printing of symbolic information
Ink jet
Combined
C347S012000, C347S040000, C358S001110, C358S001180
Reexamination Certificate
active
06264295
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the manufacture of printing systems and methods for printing. More particularly, the present invention relates to a printing system that is configured to radially print onto a media that rotates in relation to a printing assembly.
Conventional printing systems typically utilize rectangular based bitmaps. In general, a conventional printing system prints onto a standard size rectangular-shaped media along a horizontal axis, for example, and the media is moved along a vertical axis. Typically, after the paper advances to a desired vertical location under a head assembly, the printing assembly moves across the paper to print an image onto the paper while the paper is held stationary. In sum, conventional printing systems generally implement movements within a rectangular coordinate system for printing onto media having standard sizes and shapes.
To facilitate discussion,
FIG. 1
depicts a conventional printing system
10
in the form of a typical ink jet printer. As shown, the printing system
10
includes a print head
102
, a roller
106
, and an actuator
108
. The print head
102
is configured for dispensing ink onto a print media
100
, representing, for example, a rectangular sheet of paper. The actuator
108
is configured for moving the print head
102
across the print media
100
. The roller
106
is configured for moving the print media
100
under the print head
102
.
Typically, the roller
106
moves the print media
100
perpendicularly to the movement of the print head
102
. That is, the media
100
travels under the print head
102
along a y-axis
110
, and the print head moves over the media
100
along a x-axis
112
.
The movements of the roller
106
and print head
102
generally occur during different time periods. For example, the roller
106
initially feeds the media
100
to an initial position under the print head
102
. This initial position is typically at the top, left corner of the media
100
. The roller
106
stops moving the media
100
, and the media
100
is immobilized. After the media
100
stops moving, the print head
102
begins to dispense ink across the media
100
at a first y-axis position. For conventional bi-directional printers, the print head
102
moves and prints from the left side to the right side of the media. When the print head
102
reaches the right side of the media
100
, the print head
102
typically stops while the roller
106
moves the media
100
to a second position along the y-axis
110
. For example, when the print head
106
completes a first line, the roller
106
moves the media
100
up so that the print head
102
may then print a second line. After the roller
106
repositions the media
100
, the print head
102
moves and prints from the right side to the left side of the media
100
at a second y-axis position.
Although conventional printing systems such as those described above are suitable for certain applications, they also have certain disadvantages. For example, since the print head
102
, in bi-directional printers, moves and prints from left to right and then from right to left, the timing of the ink dispensement is relatively complex. That is, when the print head
102
is moving in the +x direction, ink must be dropped at a position to the left of the desired ink dispensement site on the media
100
. In contrast, when the print head
102
is moving in the −x direction, ink must be dropped at a position to the right of the desired ink dispensement site on the media
100
.
Also, if odd-shaped, or non-rectangular, media
100
were placed within a conventional rectangular based printer, the print head
102
and associated actuator
108
would necessarily be configured such that space was wasted. For example, for a CD-shaped media
100
, the actuator
108
would have to be configured to allow printing across the full diameter of the CD. That is, the actuator
108
would necessarily move the print head across the entire diameter of the CD. In other words, the conventional printer will be configured to print within a rectangular area that encompasses the CD-shaped media. In sum, the actuator
108
of the conventional printer
100
is necessarily configured to print lines across a maximum width of the media
100
. Consequently, the size of the actuator
108
in typical rectangular based printers must typically be configured to move the print head along a maximum width of the media
100
.
Conventional printing systems
10
fail to provide an easy way for printing on non-standard size media, such as a label for a CD-ROM
104
shown in FIG.
1
. Being circular in shape and too small and/or irregular in size to be properly handled by the paper handling system of conventional printer systems, the CD label must typically be attached in some manner to another regular-sized media (e.g., a sheet of paper) and fed as such into the conventional printer before printing can occur. Conventionally printing systems are also typically not able to handle inflexible media types, such as a CD itself, for example. Even for printers that do not require flexible media, one must typically add a special media holder for each type of non-standard media. Otherwise, the non-rectangular shape of the CD label causes difficulties in conventional printing systems, which are typically configured to handle media and print head movements in the rectangular system. Also, printing control systems (not shown), which control the movements of the print head
102
, typically are not designed to direct the print head across media (e.g.,
102
) having variable widths along the x-axis
112
, such as the circular-shaped CD label
104
of FIG.
1
.
Conventional printers also fail to efficiently utilize all movements of the media
100
for printing. That is, the print head
102
stops dispensing ink onto the media
100
, i.e., stops printing as the roller repositions the media
100
. Thus, during operation of conventional printers, there may be a period of time during which no printing occurs.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need for an improved printing system, and more specifically, an improved printing system that efficiently implements simple movements for printing onto media having nonstandard size and shape.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To achieve the foregoing and other objects and according to the purpose of the present invention, a radial printing system for receiving an image source representative of an image to be printed on an outer surface of a rotating media is disclosed. The image source has a plurality of image points.
In one embodiment, the radial printing system includes an imaging system configured to convert the plurality of image points into a polar-based representation of the image and a head assembly coupled to the imaging system for outputting the polar-based representation of the image onto the rotating media. In an alternative embodiment, the rotating media represents a compact disk, wherein an inner surface of the compact disk is configured to store digital data.
In another embodiment, the radial printing system includes an imaging system configured to provide a print position look-up table having therein print position representations of the image points to print the representation of the image source onto the rotating media. The imaging system is also configured to obtain one of the print position representations from the print position look-up table for at least some of the image points of the image source. The radial printing system further includes a head assembly coupled to the imaging system for outputting the representation of the image source onto the rotating media based on the obtained print position representations of the image points.
In yet another embodiment, the radial printing system includes an imaging system configured to receive the image source and to associate individual data of the image points with respective ones of the ink dispensement areas on the platter within a rectangular address look-up table such that the represen
Bradshaw George Lynn
Covert Markus Willard
Jones Randy Quinn
Sorensen Michael Keith
Unter Jan Eugene
Beyer Weaver&Thomas, LLP
Elesys, Inc.
Yockey David F.
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