Claims
- 1. A method for generating a multi-colored pattern on an absorbent substrate with an electronically-actuated patterning device, said pattern being defined and generated as an array of individually colored pixels on said substrate, said patterning device having a relatively small number of available process colors and said pattern exhibiting a substantially greater number of colors than the number of said process colors, said method comprising the steps of:
a) making available a multi-colored target pattern in digitized form to be reproduced on said substrate; b) selecting the process colors to be used by said patterning device to reproduce said target pattern, said process colors comprising red, green, magenta, yellow, and at least one other color; c) establishing a dithering palette comprised of said process colors; d) generating, on a display device, a dithered image of said target pattern using said dithering palette; and e) transforming said dithered image into pixel-wise patterning instructions for said patterning device.
- 2. The method of claim 1 wherein said absorbent substrate is a textile floor covering, and wherein step e) is followed by step f): selectively dispensing liquid colorants corresponding to said process colors onto said floor covering substrate in accordance with said patterning instructions to reproduce said target pattern on said floor covering substrate.
- 3. The method of claim 2 wherein said patterning device is capable of generating in situ blends of process colorants on said substrate by the selective dispensing of at least two colorants within a single specified pixel.
- 4. The product of the process of claim 3.
- 5. The method of claim 3 wherein said process colors and said in situ blends are observed on said display device and visually matched to a test blanket having swatches of said process colors and said blends, as reproduced by said patterning device, prior to the establishment of said dithering palette.
- 6. The method of claim 3 wherein said in situ blends include the formation of colors on said substrate that result from the migration of process colorants beyond the boundaries of the pixel into which such process colorants were dispensed.
- 7. The product of the process of claim 6.
- 8. The method of claim 6 wherein said color formation comprises the selective formation by said patterning device of oversaturated pixels on the substrate, the selective formation by said patterning device of undersaturated pixels immediately adjacent to said oversaturated pixels, and the migration of process colorants from said oversaturated pixels to said undersaturated pixels.
- 9. The product of the process of claim 8.
- 10. The method of claim 8 where in at least one oversaturated pixel has been formed by the dispensing by said patterning device of at least two different process colorants within said oversaturated pixel.
- 11. The product of the process of claim 10.
- 12. The method of claim 3 wherein the selected process colors include at least five process colors, and wherein said process colors are comprised of red, green, magenta, yellow, and a color that represents a combination of blue and cyan.
- 13. The method of claim 3 wherein the selected process colors include at least six process colors, and wherein said process colors are comprised of red, green, magenta, yellow, a color that represents a combination of blue and cyan, and one color selected from the group consisting of white, clear, black, light beige, light gray, medium gray, and tan.
- 14. The method of claim 3 wherein the selected process colors include at least seven process colors, and wherein said process colors are comprised of red, green, magenta, yellow, a color that represents a combination of blue and cyan, and two colors selected from the group consisting of white, clear, black, light beige, light gray, medium gray, and tan.
- 15. The method of claim 3 wherein the selected process colors include at least eight process colors, and wherein said process colors are comprised of red, green, magenta, yellow, a color that represents a combination of blue and cyan, black, light beige, and light gray.
- 16. The method of claim 3 wherein the selected process colors include at least nine process colors, and wherein said process colors are comprised of red, green, blue, magenta, cyan, yellow, black, light beige, and light gray.
- 17. The method of claim 16 wherein said patterning device has greater than nine process colors, and wherein said process colors are additionally comprised of at least one color selected from the group consisting of white, clear, medium gray, and tan.
- 18. The method of claim 15 wherein said process colors and said blends are observed on a monitor and visually matched to a test blanket having swatches of said process colors and said blends, as reproduced by said patterning device, prior to the establishment of said dithering palette.
- 19. The product of the process of claim 15, wherein said in situ blends include the formation of colors on said substrate that result from the migration of process colorants beyond the boundaries of the pixel into which such process colorants were dispensed.
- 20. The method of claim 19 wherein said color formation comprises the selective formation by said patterning device of oversaturated pixels on the substrate, the selective formation by said patterning device of undersaturated pixels immediately adjacent to said oversaturated pixels, and the migration of process colorants from said oversaturated pixels to said undersaturated pixels.
- 21. The product of the process of claim 16, wherein said in situ blends include the formation of colors on said substrate that result from the migration of process colorants beyond the boundaries of the pixel into which such process colorants were dispensed.
- 22. The method of claim 21 wherein said color formation comprises the selective formation by said patterning device of oversaturated pixels on the substrate, the selective formation by said patterning device of undersaturated pixels immediately adjacent to said oversaturated pixels, and the migration of process colorants from said oversaturated pixels to said undersaturated pixels.
- 23. The product of the process of claim 17, wherein said in situ blends include the formation of colors on said substrate that result from the migration of process colorants beyond the boundaries of the pixel into which such process colorants were dispensed.
- 24. The method of claim 23 wherein said color formation comprises the selective formation by said patterning device of oversaturated pixels on the substrate, the selective formation by said patterning device of undersaturated pixels immediately adjacent to said oversaturated pixels, and the migration of process colorants from said oversaturated pixels to said undersaturated pixels.
- 25. A method for generating a multi-colored pattern on an absorbent substrate with an electronically-actuated patterning device, said pattern being defined and generated as an array of individually colored pixels on said substrate, said patterning device having a relatively small number of available process colors and said pattern exhibiting a substantially greater number of colors than the number of said process colors, said method comprising the steps of:
a) making available a multi-colored pattern in digitized form to be reproduced on said substrate; b) selecting the process colors to be used by said patterning device, said process colors comprising cyan, blue, red, yellow, and gray; c) establishing a dithering palette comprised of said process colors and said blends of said process colors; d) generating a dithered image of said target pattern using said dithering palette; and e) transforming said dithered image into pixel-wise patterning instructions for said patterning device.
- 26. The method of claim 25 wherein said method further comprises the steps of:
f) introducing process colorants corresponding to said process colors into said patterning device and applying said process colorants to said substrate in pixel-wise fashion in accordance with said patterning instructions;
- 27. The method of claim 26 wherein said patterning device is capable of generating in situ blends of said process colorants on said substrate by the selective dispensing of at least two of said colorants within a single specified pixel.
- 28. The method of claim 27 wherein said method further comprises the steps of:
g) defining a set of process colorants, said set being comprised of at least two of said process colorants that are to be removed from the colorway of said patterning device; and h) replacing each process color comprising said set by substituting into said patterning device a respective replacement process colorant, said replacement colorant having a similar but more intense hue than the corresponding process colorant it replaces.
- 29. The method of claim 28 wherein said replacement process colorants are substituted by introducing said replacement colorants into said patterning device before the supply of process colorants comprising said set within the patterning device is exhausted.
- 30. The method of claim 29 wherein said in situ blends include the formation of colors on said substrate that result from the migration of process colorants beyond the boundaries of the pixel into which such process colorants were dispensed.
- 31. The product of the process of claim 30.
- 32. The method of claim 30 wherein said color formation comprises the selective formation by said patterning device of oversaturated pixels on the substrate, the selective formation by said patterning device of undersaturated pixels immediately adjacent to said oversaturated pixels, and the migration of process colorants from said oversaturated pixels to said undersaturated pixels.
- 33. The product of the process of claim 32.
- 34. The method of claim 28 wherein said set is comprised of process colorants corresponding to the process colors red, gray, and yellow.
- 35. A method for imparting a pattern to an absorbent substrate with an assortment of process colorants, said colorants being applied in pixel-wise fashion by a patterning device in which liquid colorants of different colors are directed through respective liquid applicators onto a substrate, each of said applicators being supplied with a colorant of a specific color, wherein a first colorant, having been supplied to at least one applicator, is replaced in said applicator by a second colorant before said first colorant is purged from said applicator, said second colorant having a similar hue but a greater chromatic intensity than said first colorant, and wherein the transition between the use of said first colorant and the use of said second colorant is visually unobtrusive in the resulting pattern generated on said substrate.
- 36. The process of claim 35 wherein said substrate is a floor covering textile.
- 37. The product of the process of claim 36.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is based upon provisional application 60/287,772 filed on May 1, 2001.
Provisional Applications (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60287772 |
May 2001 |
US |