Patent Application
20120206742
Embodiments herein generally relate to printing methods and printing devices and more particularly to methods and devices that provide raised-line pictures to assist the visually impaired.
Millions of people in the world are legally blind. They rely on their sense of touch to see the world around them. Raised-line pictures help produce images that they can feel, but in order for a photograph to become a raised-line picture it must undergo an expensive and long process that begins with the negative film of the picture (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,522,914, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference) and ends with an expensive printing process. Today, photographs go straight to digital and are not processed on film, and film impressions and processing are becoming more expensive.
An exemplary method herein receives a first image. The first image comprises one or more visible features. This exemplary method processes the first image to identify one or more outlines of the visible features and stores the outline(s) as a second image. In some embodiments, the second image can consist only of a background and the outline(s).
This exemplary method also embosses the second image on a sheet of media as an embossed print. The embossing processes comprises printing marking material on the sheet of media in a pattern matching the outline(s) using a predetermined quantity of marking material, which is a sufficient amount of marking material to create a topographical feature on the sheet of media detectible by a human touch. The printing can comprise ink jet printing of visible or clear ink, or laser printing of visible or clear toner. The topographic features are formed by a mass of the marking material extending from a surface of the sheet of media and, for example, the topographic feature can have a height of at least 0.25 mm, 0.5 mm, 1.0 mm, 1.5 mm, etc., above the surface of the sheet.
Another exemplary method herein also processes the first image to identify one or more outlines of the features and stores the outline(s) as a second image. However, this exemplary embodiment prints the first image on a sheet of media as a visibly printed sheet. Then, this method embosses the second image on the visibly printed sheet as an embossed print. This embossing process comprises printing marking material on the visibly printed sheet in a pattern matching the at least one outline using a predetermined quantity of marking material. Again, the predetermined quantity of marking material comprises a sufficient amount of marking material to create a topographical feature on the visibly printed sheet detectible by a human touch.
An exemplary printing machine embodiment herein comprises at least one processor; at least one computer-readable storage device operatively connected to the processor; and at least one marking engine operatively connected to the processor. The processor receives a first image. Again, the first image comprises at least one visible feature. The processor processes the first image to identify at least one outline of the feature(s). The processor stores the outline(s) as a second image in the computer-readable storage device.
The marking engine comprises an ink jet print engine printing visible or clear ink (solid or liquid); or a laser print engine printing visible or clear toner. The marking engine embosses the second image on a sheet of media as an embossed print. The embossing process again comprises the marking engine printing marking material on the sheet of media in a pattern matching the outline(s) using a predetermined quantity of marking material, which is a sufficient amount of marking material to create a topographical feature on the sheet of media detectible by a human touch.
These and other features are described in, or are apparent from, the following detailed description.
Various exemplary embodiments of the systems and methods are described in detail below, with reference to the attached drawing figures, in which:
As mentioned above, raised-line pictures are useful for the visually impaired; however, these can sometimes require film negatives to produce, and usually involve a quite expensive production process. However, with embodiments herein, raised-line drawings (which are sometimes referred to as “impressions”) are created using a standard printing function of a standard inkjet or laser printer on regular paper or photo paper.
More specifically, an outline of a picture can be generated manually by the user, or automatically using any convention imaging software (e.g., Photoshop, available from Adobe, Inc., San Jose, Calif., USA) to manipulate the image and extract its outline. For example, as illustrated in
The new “outline” image can then be separated from the rest of the image 102 and processed as a separate second image. Therefore, as shown in
Alternatively, as shown in
The job ticket can then be programmed to perform embossing for the second image 112. As shown in
Additionally, the process embodiments herein can be utilized with many different types of devices including, printers, digital cameras, and picture processing equipment, etc. Further, such devices can include touch screens, etc., to receive input from a stylus for manipulating and creating the outline of a picture for later embossed printing.
Some methods herein emboss the second image on a sheet of media as an embossed print in item 204. The embossing processes comprises printing marking material on the sheet of media in a pattern matching the outline(s) using a predetermined quantity of marking material, which is a sufficient amount of marking material to create a topographical feature on the sheet of media detectible by a human touch. The printing can comprise ink jet printing of visible or clear ink, or laser printing of visible or clear toner. The topographic features are formed by a mass of the marking material extending from a surface of the sheet of media and, for example, the topographic feature can have a height of at least 0.25 mm (e.g., 0.5 mm, 1.0 mm, 1.5 mm, etc.) above the surface of the sheet.
Other methods herein can alternatively first print the first image on a sheet of media as a visibly printed sheet in item 210. Then, this alternative embosses the second image on the visibly printed sheet as an embossed print in item 212. This embossing process again comprises printing marking material on the visibly printed sheet in a pattern matching the at least one outline using a predetermined quantity of transparent marking material. Again, the predetermined quantity of marking material comprises a sufficient amount of marking material to create a topographical feature on the visibly printed sheet detectible by a human touch.
Also, the printing device 300 can include at least one accessory functional component (such as a scanner/document handler 304, sheet supply 302, finisher 308, etc.) and graphic user interface assembly 306 that also operate on the power supplied from the external power source 328 (through the power supply 322).
The input/output device 326 is used for communications to and from the multi-function printing device 300. The processor 324 controls the various actions of the printing device. A non-transitory computer storage medium device 320 (which can be optical, magnetic, capacitor based, etc.) is readable by the processor 324 and stores instructions that the processor 324 executes to allow the multi-function printing device to perform its various functions, such as those described herein.
Thus, a printer body housing 300 has one or more functional components that operate on power supplied from the alternating current (AC) 328 by the power supply 322. The power supply 322 connects to an external alternating current power source 328 and converts the external power into the type of power needed by the various components.
As would be understood by those ordinarily skilled in the art, the printing device 300 shown in
In such a computerized (printing) device 300, the processor 324 receives a first image. Again, the first image comprises at least one visible feature. The processor 324 processes the first image to identify at least one outline of the feature(s). The processor 324 stores the outline(s) as a second image in the computer-readable storage device 320.
The marking engine(s) 310, 312, 314 can comprise an ink jet print engine printing visible or clear ink (solid or liquid); or a laser print engine printing visible or clear toner. The marking engine(s) 310, 312, 314 emboss the second image on a sheet of media as an embossed print. The embossing process again comprises the marking engine(s) 310, 312, 314 printing marking material on the sheet of media in a pattern matching the outline(s) using a predetermined quantity of marking material, which is a sufficient amount of marking material to create a topographical feature on the sheet of media detectible by a human touch.
Many computerized devices are discussed above. Computerized devices that include chip-based central processing units (CPU's), input/output devices (including graphic user interfaces (GUI), memories, comparators, processors, etc., are well-known and readily available devices produced by manufacturers such as Dell Computers, Round Rock Tex., USA and Apple Computer Co., Cupertino Calif., USA. Such computerized devices commonly include input/output devices, power supplies, processors, electronic storage memories, wiring, etc., the details of which are omitted herefrom to allow the reader to focus on the salient aspects of the embodiments described herein. Similarly, scanners and other similar peripheral equipment are available from Xerox Corporation, Norwalk, Conn., USA and the details of such devices are not discussed herein for purposes of brevity and reader focus.
The terms printer or printing device as used herein encompasses any apparatus, such as a digital copier, bookmaking machine, facsimile machine, multi-function machine, etc., which performs a print outputting function for any purpose. The details of printers, printing engines, etc., are well-known by those ordinarily skilled in the art and are discussed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,032,004, the complete disclosure of which is fully incorporated herein by reference. The embodiments herein can encompass embodiments that print in color, monochrome, or handle color or monochrome image data. All foregoing embodiments are specifically applicable to electrostatographic and/or xerographic machines and/or processes.
In addition, terms such as “right”, “left”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, “top”, “bottom”, “upper”, “lower”, “under”, “below”, “underlying”, “over”, “overlying”, “parallel”, “perpendicular”, etc., used herein are understood to be relative locations as they are oriented and illustrated in the drawings (unless otherwise indicated). Terms such as “touching”, “on”, “in direct contact”, “abutting”, “directly adjacent to”, etc., mean that at least one element physically contacts another element (without other elements separating the described elements).
It will be appreciated that the above-disclosed and other features and functions, or alternatives thereof, may be desirably combined into many other different systems or applications. Various presently unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives, modifications, variations, or improvements therein may be subsequently made by those skilled in the art which are also intended to be encompassed by the following claims. The claims can encompass embodiments in hardware, software, and/or a combination thereof. Unless specifically defined in a specific claim itself, steps or components of the embodiments herein cannot be implied or imported from any above example as limitations to any particular order, number, position, size, shape, angle, color, or material.
