Photocopying – Projection printing and copying cameras – Identifying – composing – or selecting
Reexamination Certificate
2001-12-07
2002-10-29
Rutledge, D. (Department: 2851)
Photocopying
Projection printing and copying cameras
Identifying, composing, or selecting
C355S041000, C355S077000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06473153
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a photographic image print guide sheet and a photographic print producing method. More specifically, this invention relates to a photographic print producing method which provides the optimum photographic printing for a customer.
A so-called development-print simultaneous process is practiced. According to this process, a silver halide film (negative) is brought into a photofinishing lab after photographing with a silver halide film (negative) camera, and both development and printing can be performed at one time. In the development-print simultaneous process, the silver halide film (negative) is normally developed according to basic conditions without customer's personal preference taken in account. Further, an image made viewable on the silver halide film (negative) is exposed and developed on photographic paper by a printer where basic conditions determined separately according to particular requirements are set.
According to such a development-print simultaneous process, exposure and development are made under the optimum conditions as a whole, and a photograph satisfactory to some extent in lightness and color tone can be obtained. However, when it comes to the quality of the photograph, customer's personal preference is taken into account, so customer's requirements may not be met under the automatically determined conditions. Further, at the time of placing an order, the customer may suggest his or her requirements using a vague expression, for example, “I prefer somewhat light color”. However, the exact degree of lightness is determined by the operator operating a printer. This cannot be said to have reflected the customer's requirements completely.
On the other hand, when a customer has been requesting photographic printing for a long period of time at a small photofinishing lab where only one operator is doing the job, the operator of a photofinishing lab is familiarized with the personal preference. In this case, the operator is capable of determining the degree of lightness based on experience. However, such a personal preference differs according to each individual, and cannot be put into words. Since such information cannot be easily conveyed to a third party, it is very difficult to convert it into data and store it in memory, for example, whereby printing is performed in conformity to such data.
The present invention has been made to solve these problems. The first object of the present invention is to provide a photographic print producing method capable of ensuring the optimum image in conformity to customer's personal preference.
Further, the present invention relates to the photographic print producing method capable of providing a photographic print assigned arbitrarily with character information in particular.
A compact camera is generally equipped with a date printing device for exposing date information on a specified position of the image. This date printing device is used to imprint date in the image, whereby the date of taking a picture can be easily recognized at a glance. This will make it easy to arrange photos in order and will provide an excellent commemorative picture of an event.
In the date printing device of a compact camera characterized by direct exposure of the date on the silver halide film (negative), the orange-colored date is printed together with the image. Since it overlaps part of the image, the date is found to obstruct viewing after completion of photographic printing. On the other hand, the date printing device is normally provided with the mode without the date being input. Use of this mode allows the date not to be exposed on the silver halide film (negative). However, this will make it less convenient to organize photographic prints and put them in order, and the date of an event cannot be recognized at a later date.
There is a known art which allows a letter and other information to be imprinted on the photographic print according to the customer's request. However, when a letter and other information are imprinted, customer's order is verbally conveyed to the operator in many cases. After photographic printing has been completed, the letter is found to be located at an inappropriate position, or the color is found to be inadequate. On the other hand, it is theoretically possible for the customer to add or delete a letter by image processing. However, since a special skill is required, not all customers are capable of adequate image processing.
The present invention has been made to solve these problems. The second object of the present invention is to provide a photographic print producing method capable of producing a photographic print containing the character for a date and letter.
Further, the present invention relates to a photographic print producing method capable of easy production of a photographic print trimmed according to the customer's request, a guide print and a trimming region designating tool.
Recently, a development-print simultaneous process which permits both development and printing at one time has come into widespread use in analog (silver halide) photography at a photofinishing lab (print shop). In such printing work, the image on analog photograph is converted into digital form by an image forming apparatus, and a photographic print is produced based on the digital image data. There has been a drastic reduction in costs in the case of printing of the same sized photos alone.
However, looking at the photographic print received, a customer may want to trim only a particular portion in that image to produce a new photographic print. In this case, the customer normally brings a silver halide film (negative) with the image data recorded thereon, and such an image recording medium as a floppy disk. He verbally explains the image to be trimmed and region to be trimmed, and requests the photofinishing lab to perform trimming. In many cases, communication between the customer and photofinishing lab is not sufficient. Further, the operator of the photofinishing lab is required to provide a high level of skill, and this skill including remaking skill accounts for high costs.
Because of this, photographic print trimmed by the photofinishing lab appears different to the customer as compared with what he imagined before. Only in a very rare case, a satisfactory photographic print can be obtained. What is more, a still high cost will be required if the customer requests it to be trimmed by giving more detailed instructions, with the result that he may have to give up the idea of trimming. For this reason, it has not been easy to request a photofinishing lab to trim a photographic print.
On the other hand, in order to protect the reliability of the business and reputation of the organization, the photofinishing lab has to perform trimming job exactly as required by the customer. However, trimming work is done from the memory of what the customer explained orally. When doing the trimming work, the operator is often wondering whether the customer is satisfied with the work or not. Further, there are variations in the trimming skill depending on the operator, and it has been difficult to produce a photographic print trimmed as desired by the customer.
Thus, the third object of the prevent invention is to provide a photographic print producing method which ensures simple and accurate production of a photographic print trimmed as desired by the customer, wherein the image in the mind of a customer is directly reflected in the photographic print.
The present invention further provides a photographic print producing method permitting easy production of a portrait photograph where a human face is trimmed.
The present invention still further provides a trimming region designating tool characterized by simple structure and less cost, wherein any body can easily designate a desired region to be trimmed in the image, and designated information in the region to be trimmed can be provided correctly without fail.
SUMMARY OF THE IN
Hagiwara Moeko
Iguchi Takeyoshi
Rutledge D.
Squire Sanders & Dempsey L.L.P.
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