The disclosure relates to a system and method for printing and cutting.
Typical personal cutting apparatuses are not configured for cutting over an arbitrary printed image, such as may be produced by an inkjet printer. Moreover, attempts to cut a printed image may lead to misalignment and frequent mistakes. Thus, a need exists for a simple and accurate method to align a personal cutting apparatus with a printed image.
The disclosure will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
The Figures illustrate an exemplary embodiment of printing and cutting in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Based on the foregoing, it is to be generally understood that the nomenclature used herein is simply for convenience and the terms used to describe the invention should be given the broadest meaning by one of ordinary skill in the art. This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/057,886 filed on Jun. 2, 2008, titled “System and Method for Printing and Cutting”, to Jonathan Aaron Johnson, the contents of which are incorporated in their entirety herein by reference.
The alignment region 130 is shown in
Once alignment is achieved, the craft material 120 is in a known X-Y alignment with the electronic cutter 210. Then user may then cut around the periphery of the printed area. This may be accomplished, for example, by having the software package control the electronic cutter 210 directly since the software package knows the position of the alignment region 130 with respect to the printed image 140.
In another embodiment, the printed image 140 and the cutting may performed using the cartridge only. To ensure accurate registration, the print and cut functions are controlled by a print & cut software on a personal computer (PC) or by the personal electronic cutter itself, having specialized print & cut hardware. For example, the cartridge may include X-Y alignment offsets for the printed image 140 and the cutting path.
In use, the alignment region 130 may be printed in upper right corner of the craft media. After the user loads the craft media into the personal electronic cutter, the user imply pushes the blade housing 240 down to see if the housing and target are aligned. If they are not, the user then changes the location of the blade housing the arrow keys 230. Once alignment is complete, the user then indicates that alignment is complete, e.g. pushing the “cut” button on the personal electronic cutter.
In step 610, the user may design or select the artwork to be printed then cut. The design may use a personal computer or other processing device to select artwork. The artwork may be single-color or include multiple colors. Moreover, the artwork may be selected from stored cartridge content, such as the cartridges provided with the Cricut® personal electronic cutter.
In step 620, the user may print the artwork on cutting stock. The printing step may also include printing alignment region 130, or alternatively, alignment region may be pre-printed on the cutting stock. The printing may be accomplished with an inkjet printer, laser printer etc.
In step 625, the user may configure the paper by removing the tear-away portion 430 (e.g., when using mat-less stock 120). If regular paper stock is used, the configuration step may be skipped. For example, where a sticky-mat-type system is used (e.g., with the Cricut® personal electronic cutter) then a tear-away portion may not be required or desired. The user may then load the craft material 120 into a personal electronic cutter 210.
In step 630, the user may align the blade housing 240 with alignment region 130. To test the alignment, the user may press downwardly on blade housing 240 until blade housing 240 touches, or nearly touches, alignment region 130. If blade housing 240 is perfectly, or nearly perfectly, within alignment region 130 then the alignment is complete. If blade housing 240 is not perfectly, or nearly perfectly, within alignment region 130 then the user may adjust the position of blade housing 240 and craft material 120 until they are. To adjust the positions, the user may use the “arrow-keys” 230 of the cutting machine (see
In step 640, the user may initiate cutting the artwork using the electronic cutter 120. The user may initiate this action by pressing the “Cut” button on the personal electronic cutter 210.
In providing printing and cutting functionality, the user may purchase printing images and cutting images, often purchased as a pair in a “sticut” scenario or having other content. The user may also purchase printers and inks specially made or formulated for making stickers using a printer and electronic cutting machine.
In an example, the optical sensor 720 may be located near the bottom of blade housing 240. Thus, the system motion control 730 allows for movement of the optical sensor with the blade housing 240. Optical sensor 720 may include a light emitting device such as a light emitting diode (LED) and an optical detector. Optical sensor 720 may include a light emitting device operating in the infrared spectrum (IR) and an optical detector sensitive to the same spectrum. Optical sensor 720 may be designed to detect the edges of alignment region 130 or any pattern printed on craft material 120 to serve as a fiducial. For example, the system may be configured to always print alignment region 130 within a region of the craft material 120, and that the image 140 should not overlap that region. Given the strategy for printing alignment region 130, the personal electronic cutter 210 may use processor 710 and optical sensor 720 to locate alignment region 130. For example, personal electronic cutter 210 may use optical sensor 720 to determine the extents of alignment region 130 and then determine the center. The center of alignment region 130 may then become the alignment point and the offsets for cutting the image 140 are known for a precise cut.
In step 610, the user may design or select the artwork to be printed then cut. The design may use a personal computer or other processing device to select artwork. The artwork may be single-color or include multiple colors. Moreover, the artwork may be selected from stored cartridge content, such as the cartridges provided with the Cricut® personal electronic cutter.
In step 620, the user may print the artwork on cutting stock. The printing step may also include printing alignment region 130, or alternatively, alignment region may be pre-printed on the cutting stock. The printing may be accomplished with an inkjet printer, laser printer etc.
In step 625, the user may configure the paper by removing the tear-away portion 430 (e.g., when using mat-less stock 120). If regular paper stock is used, the configuration step may be skipped. For example, where a sticky-mat-type system is used (e.g., with the Cricut® personal electronic cutter) then a tear-away portion may not be required or desired.
In step 810, the user may load the craft material 120 into a personal electronic cutter 210. When using automatic alignment of the craft material 120 with the personal electronic cutter 210, the user may be required to place the craft material 120 into the personal electronic cutter 210 at a defined location. This may assist the personal electronic cutter to locate the alignment region 130. However, such an orientation requirement may not be necessary because the electronic cutter may check opposite corners, or each corner, of the craft material 120 if the alignment region 130 is not found.
In step 820, the personal electronic cutter may attempt to locate the alignment region 130. The personal electronic cutter may use processor 710 and optical sensor 720 (see
In an example, the pattern of alignment region 130 is known to the personal electronic cutter 210. When the optical sensor 720 is move over the region expected to contain alignment region 130, if the appropriate pattern is detected then the personal electronic cutter 210 may deem the alignment region as found. For example, when alignment region 130 is configured as a circle, the personal electronic cutter 210 may know the size and line thickness of the pattern for comparison. If the appropriately sized circle is found for alignment region 130 (e.g., as shown in
In another example, the alignment region 130 is configured as a circle with cross-lines therethrough (see
In step 640, the personal electronic cutter may initiate cutting automatically after locating the alignment region 130. Alternatively, the user may initiate cutting the artwork using the electronic cutter 120. The user may initiate this action by pressing the “Cut” button on the personal electronic cutter 210.
The present invention has been described with reference to certain exemplary embodiments thereof. However, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that it is possible to embody the invention in specific forms other than those of the exemplary embodiments described above. This may be done without departing from the spirit of the invention. The exemplary embodiments are merely illustrative and should not be considered restrictive in any way. The scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents, rather than by the preceding description.
This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/057,886 filed on Jun. 2, 2008, titled “System and Method for Printing and Cutting”, to Jonathan Aaron Johnson, the contents of which are incorporated in their entirety herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
61057886 | Jun 2008 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
Parent | 12477026 | Jun 2009 | US |
Child | 13412358 | US |