U.S. patent application number 15/858057 was filed with the patent office on 2019-07-04 for method and system for reuse of color measurement data for color verification of a printer, image forming apparatus, or multi-fun.
This patent application is currently assigned to Konica Minolta Laboratory U.S.A., Inc.. The applicant listed for this patent is Konica Minolta Laboratory U.S.A., Inc.. Invention is credited to Eddie WANG, Kazuto YAMAMOTO.
Application Number | 20190205070 15/858057 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 67058876 |
Filed Date | 2019-07-04 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20190205070 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
WANG; Eddie ; et
al. |
July 4, 2019 |
METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR REUSE OF COLOR MEASUREMENT DATA FOR COLOR
VERIFICATION OF A PRINTER, IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, OR
MULTI-FUNCTIONAL PERIPHERAL (MFP)
Abstract
An image forming apparatus, a method and a computer readable
medium for color verification of an image forming apparatus are
disclosed. The image forming apparatus includes a sensing device
configured to read a color chart; and a processor configured to:
perform a first color verification job; perform a second color
verification job after the first color verification job when the
first color verification job is interrupted, the second color
verification job including one or more color patches from a
previous color verification job; acquire measurement data from the
previous color verification job; acquire measurement data from the
second color verification job; and determine whether to re-use the
measurement data of the previous color verification job based on
one or more differences between the measurement data of the
previous color verification job and the measurement data of the
second color verification job.
Inventors: |
WANG; Eddie; (San Jose,
CA) ; YAMAMOTO; Kazuto; (Foster City, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Konica Minolta Laboratory U.S.A., Inc. |
San Mateo |
CA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Konica Minolta Laboratory U.S.A.,
Inc.
San Mateo
CA
|
Family ID: |
67058876 |
Appl. No.: |
15/858057 |
Filed: |
December 29, 2017 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04N 1/6036 20130101;
G06F 3/1259 20130101; H04N 1/6041 20130101; G06F 3/1219
20130101 |
International
Class: |
G06F 3/12 20060101
G06F003/12; H04N 1/60 20060101 H04N001/60 |
Claims
1. An image forming apparatus, comprising: a sensing device
configured to read a color chart, the color chart having one or
more color patches; and a processor configured to: perform a first
color verification job; perform a second color verification job
after the first color verification job when the first color
verification job is interrupted before a completion of the first
color verification job or when a print job is interrupted, the
second color verification job including one or more color patches
from a previous color verification job; acquire measurement data
from the previous color verification job; acquire measurement data
from the second color verification job; and determine whether to
re-use the measurement data of the previous color verification job
based on one or more differences between the measurement data of
the previous color verification job and the measurement data of the
second color verification job.
2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further
comprising: a memory configured to store the measurement data of
the previous color verification job.
3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the
previous color verification job is the first color verification
job.
4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the
measurement data of the previous color verification job is a color
verification completion data, which was implemented in a same day
with the second verification job.
5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the
processor is configured to judge whether the previous color
verification job is interrupted by a paper jam.
6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the
processor is configured to determine to re-use the measurement data
of the previous color verification job when a color difference
between the measurement data of the previous color verification job
and the measurement data of the second color verification job does
not exceed a pre-determined value.
7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the
processor is configured to print an entirety of the first color
verification job only once when the measurement data of the second
color verification job does not exceed the pre-determined
value.
8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the
processor is configured to generate a sample color chart by
selecting color patches from the previous color verification job in
order to compare the measurement data of the second color
verification job to the measurement data of the previous color
verification job.
9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the
sample color chart includes at least one patch selected from each
page of the first verification job.
10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the
sample color chart includes a plurality of rows of color patches
selected from each page of the first verification job.
11. A method for color verification of an image forming apparatus,
the method comprising: acquiring measurement data of a previous
color verification job; judging whether a first color verification
job or a print job is interrupted; acquiring measurement data of a
second color verification job when the first color verification job
or the print job is interrupted; and determining whether to re-use
the measurement data of the previous color verification job based
on one or more differences between the measurement data of the
previous color verification job and the measurement data of the
second color verification job.
12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising: storing
the measurement data of the previous color verification job after
the first verification job is completed in a memory.
13. The method according to claim 11, further comprising: judging
whether the first color verification job is interrupted by a paper
jam.
14. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:
determining to re-use the measurement data of the previous color
verification job when a color difference between the measurement
data of the previous color verification job and a measurement data
of the second color verification job does not exceed a
pre-determined value.
15. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:
generating a sample color chart by selecting color patches from the
previous color verification job in order to compare the measurement
data of the second color verification job to the measurement data
of the previous color verification job.
16. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium stored with
a computer readable program code for color verification of an image
forming apparatus, the computer readable program code configured to
execute a process comprising: acquiring measurement data of a
previous color verification job; judging whether a first color
verification job or a print job is interrupted; acquiring
measurement data of a second color verification job when the first
color verification job or the print job is interrupted; and
determining whether to re-use the measurement data of the previous
color verification job based on one or more differences between the
measurement data of the previous color verification job and the
measurement data of the second color verification job.
17. The computer readable recording medium according to claim 16,
further comprising: storing the measurement data of the previous
color verification job after the first verification job is
completed in a memory.
18. The computer readable recording medium according to claim 16,
further comprising: judging whether the previous color verification
job is interrupted by a paper jam.
19. The computer readable recording medium according to claim 16,
further comprising: determining to re-use the measurement data of
the previous color verification job when a color difference between
the measurement data of the previous color verification job and a
measurement data of the second color verification job does not
exceed a pre-determined value.
20. The computer readable recording medium according to claim 16,
further comprising: generating a sample color chart by selecting
color patches from the previous color verification job in order to
compare the measurement data of the second color verification job
to the measurement data of the previous color verification job
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to a method and
system for reusing color measurement data, and more particularly,
to a method and system for reusing color measurement data in color
verification (or color validation) of color printers,
multi-function peripherals (MFP) and/or image forming apparatuses,
for example, after a paper jam occurs, which stops the color
verification process.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Maintaining consistent and uniform tones is a desired goal
in image forming apparatus and devices. For example, it can be
desirable for an image to appear the same no matter which rendering
system renders the image and no matter how many times an image is
rendered on a particular system. The image should exhibit, for
example, the same lightness or hue each time it is rendered on a
given system and no matter on which system it is rendered. For this
reason, rendering engines, such as print engines in a printing
system, are put through a color verification (or color validation
process) in order to evaluate whether the print engines realize
appropriate color reproducibility.
[0003] In the color verification process, a plurality of color
measurement pages, each of the plurality of color measurement pages
having a plurality of color patches, are printed and measured by a
measuring device, for example, a color sensing device in the image
forming apparatus, and then each color measured by the measuring
device is compared with a corresponding target color.
[0004] If one of the measured colors does not match the
corresponding target color, color corrections can then be made to
the image forming apparatus during a color calibration process.
[0005] As for a high-end printer in which high color
reproducibility is required, thousands of color patches can be
printed in one color verification process, and the verification
process can be repeated with a short interval.
[0006] In addition, in a print shop, for example, Kinko's.RTM., the
print shop would perform the color verification process on each of
the color printers or MFPs, for example, first thing in the morning
(for example, before the shop opens) to ensure the color accuracy
of each of the color printers or MFPs. Usually, the print shop will
print and measure a set of color charts from a printer or a MFP
with an inline scanner and spectrophotometer. For example, a set of
color charts can contain multiple pages of color chart, for
example, 50 or more pages.
[0007] In some situations, the color printer or MFP may experience
an interruption, for example, a paper jam, during or after the
color verification process. After the paper jam is cleared, the
verification process or procedure needs to be restarted, which
results in the color printer or MFP having to re-print an entirety
of the color charts from the beginning, for example, each and every
page of the color chart, starting with page 1, since printer
conditions can change after an interruption in the printing
process. Especially, in a case of jam, color conditions are likely
to change. For example, after the paper jam is cleared, the entire
verification process has to be restarted when a paper jam occurs,
no matter how many pages were printed before the jam occurred. The
restarting of the verification process can result in lost time and
use of additional materials. For example, during the printing of a
set of color charts, for example, a 50 page color chart, and a
paper jam occurs at page 49, then all pages printed before the jam
occur are wasted, and the previously printed 49 pages need to be
reprinted and measured again.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] Accordingly, it would desirable to avoid, for example, paper
waste and use of toner and/or ink in a color verification process
by having a method and system which determines if color measurement
data obtained prior to the interruption or paper jam can be re-used
after a paper jam occurs during color verification of a printer or
MFP.
[0009] An image forming apparatus is disclosed, comprising: a
sensing device configured to read a color chart, the color chart
having one or more color patches; and a processor configured to:
perform a first color verification job; perform a second color
verification job after the first color verification job when the
first color verification job is interrupted or when a print job is
interrupted before a completion of the first color verification
job, the second color verification job including one or more color
patches from a previous color verification job; acquire measurement
data from the previous color verification job; acquire measurement
data from the second color verification job; and determine whether
to re-use the measurement data of the previous color verification
job based on one or more differences between the measurement data
of the previous color verification job and the measurement data of
the second color verification job.
[0010] A method is disclosed for color verification of an image
forming apparatus, the method comprising: acquiring measurement
data of a previous color verification job; judging whether a first
color verification job or a print job is interrupted; acquiring
measurement data of a second color verification job when the first
color verification job or the print job is interrupted; and
determining whether to re-use the measurement data of the previous
color verification job based on one or more differences between the
measurement data of the previous color verification job and the
measurement data of the second color verification job.
[0011] A non-transitory computer readable recording medium stored
with a computer readable program code for color verification of an
image forming apparatus, the computer readable program code
configured to execute a process comprising: acquiring measurement
data of a previous color verification job; judging whether a first
color verification job or a print job is interrupted; acquiring
measurement data of a second color verification job when the first
color verification job or the print job is interrupted; and
determining whether to re-use the measurement data of the previous
color verification job based on one or more differences between the
measurement data of the previous color verification job and the
measurement data of the second color verification job.
[0012] It is to be understood that both the foregoing general
description and the following detailed description are exemplary
and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of
the invention as claimed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further
understanding of the invention, and are incorporated in and
constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate
embodiments of the invention and, together with the description,
serve to explain the principles of the invention.
[0014] FIG. 1 is an illustration of an exemplary group or plurality
of printing devices in a print shop in which a method or process
for reusing color measurement data can be implemented in accordance
with an exemplary embodiment.
[0015] FIG. 2 is an illustration of a server in accordance with an
exemplary embodiment.
[0016] FIG. 3 is an illustration of a host computer or client
computer in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.
[0017] FIG. 4 is an illustration of a printer or printing device in
accordance with an exemplary embodiment.
[0018] FIG. 5 is an illustration of an exterior of the printer or
printing device as shown in FIG. 4.
[0019] FIG. 6 is an illustration of an exemplary color patch chart,
which can be printed by the printer or printing device as shown in
FIGS. 4 and 5.
[0020] FIG. 7 is an illustration of a chart showing target color
data in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.
[0021] FIG. 8 is an illustration of a chart showing actual color
data in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.
[0022] FIG. 9 is an illustration of a chart showing color quality
in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.
[0023] FIG. 10 is an illustration of a plurality of color patch
charts, and an exemplary color chart that can be used to check
printer conditions of a printer or printing device in accordance
with an exemplary embodiment.
[0024] FIG. 11 is another illustration of plurality of color patch
charts, and an exemplary color chart that can be used to check
printer conditions of a printer or printing device in accordance
with an exemplary embodiment.
[0025] FIG. 12 is an illustration of a plurality of color patch
charts, and exemplary color charts that can be used to check
printer conditions of a printer or printing device in accordance
with an exemplary embodiment.
[0026] FIG. 13 is an illustration of an example of a measurements
obtained from exemplary color charts illustrating an original color
patch measurement, an exemplary color patch measurement that is
within a predetermined tolerance level or percentage, and an
exemplary color patch measurement that is not within a
predetermined tolerance level or percentage.
[0027] FIG. 14 is a flow chart illustrating a method and system for
reusing color measurement data in accordance with an exemplary
embodiment.
[0028] FIGS. 15A and 15B are flow charts illustrating a method and
system for reusing color measurement data in accordance with
another exemplary embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0029] Reference will now be made in detail to the present
preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are
illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the
same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the description
to refer to the same or like parts.
[0030] FIG. 1 is an illustration of an exemplary group or plurality
of printing devices 40 in a print shop 10 in which a method or
process for reusing color measurement data can be implemented in
accordance with an exemplary embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the
print shop 10 can include at least one at least one server 20, at
least one client or client computer 30, and a plurality of image
forming apparatuses, for example, printers or printing devices (or
MFPs) 40. In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, the one or
more printers or printing devices 40 can be connected, for example
by a communication network (or network) 50 to one or more client
devices 32 located outside of the print shop 10. In accordance with
an exemplary embodiment, each of the one more printers or printing
devices (or MFPs) 40 has a spectrophotometer (or colorimeter) 411
(FIG. 4).
[0031] In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, the
communication network or network 50 can be a public
telecommunication line and/or a network (for example, LAN or WAN).
Examples of the communication network 50 can include any
telecommunication line and/or network consistent with embodiments
of the disclosure including, but are not limited to,
telecommunication or telephone lines, the Internet, an intranet, a
local area network (LAN) as shown, a wide area network (WAN) and/or
a wireless connection using radio frequency (RF) and/or infrared
(IR) transmission.
[0032] FIG. 2 is an illustration of a server 20 in accordance with
an exemplary embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the server 20 can
include a processor or central processing unit (CPU) 201, and one
or more memories 202 for storing software programs and data, which
can include a management program (or web portal) 203, a color chart
database 204, a target database 205, a measured result data base
206, and a print queue 207. The processor or CPU 201 carries out
the instructions of a computer program, which operates and/or
controls at least a portion of the functionality of the server 20.
The server 20 can also include an input unit 208, a display unit or
graphical user interface (GUI) 209, and a network interface (I/F)
210, which is connected to a communication network (or network) 50.
A bus 211 can connect the various components 201, 202, 208, 209,
and 210 within server 20. The server 20 includes an operating
system (OS), which manages the computer hardware and provides
common services for efficient execution of various software
programs as disclosed herein.
[0033] FIG. 3 is an illustration of an exemplary host computer or
client computer 30, 32 in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 3, the exemplary host computer or client computer
30, 32 can include a processor or central processing unit (CPU)
301, and one or more memories 302 for storing software programs and
data (such as files to be printed), and a printer driver. The
printer driver of the client computer 30, 32 is preferably a
software application that converts data to be printed into a form
specific for the printer 40. The processor or CPU 301 carries out
the instructions of a computer program, which operates and/or
controls at least a portion of the functionality of the client
computer 30, 32. The client computer 30, 32 can also include an
input unit 303, a display unit or graphical user interface (GUI)
304, and a network interface (I/F) 305, which is connected to a
communication network (or network) 50. A bus 307 can connect the
various components 301, 302, 303, 304, 305, 306, within the client
computer 30, 32.
[0034] In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, the one or more
client computers 30 each include a display unit or graphical user
interface (GUI) 304, which can access the web browser 306 in the
memory 302 of the client computer 30. The web browser 306 is
configured to provides access to the web portal (or management
program) 203 designed to specifically bring together a customer
looking to have a print shop to print a specific job, whether it's
a book, a stapled document, instruction manuals, flyers, labels,
etc. The web portal (or management program) 203 is preferably
hosted on the at least one server 20. However, the web portal (or
management program) 203 can be hosted on at least one client
computer 30 and/or on one or more printers 40 within a print shop
14.
[0035] The client computer 30 includes an operating system (OS),
which manages the computer hardware and provides common services
for efficient execution of various software programs. The software
programs can include, for example, application software and printer
driver software. For example, the printer driver software controls
a multifunction printer or printer 40, for example connected with
the client computer 30 in which the printer driver software is
installed via the communication network 50. In certain embodiments,
the printer driver software can produce a print job and/or document
based on an image and/or document data. In addition, the printer
driver software can control transmission of the print job from the
client computer 30 to the at least one server 20 and/or the printer
or printing device 40.
[0036] FIG. 4 is an illustration of a printer or printing device
40, which can be referred to as an image forming apparatus in
accordance with an exemplary embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, the
printer 40 can include a network interface (I/F) 408, which is
connected to the communication network (or network) 50, a processor
or central processing unit (CPU) 401, and one or more memories 402
for storing software programs and data (such as files to be
printed). For example, the software programs can include a printer
controller and a tray table. The processor or CPU 401 carries out
the instructions of a computer program, which operates and/or
controls at least a portion of the functionality of the printer 40.
In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, the one or more
memories 402 can include a job queue 404 and data for color patch
chart(s) 405. The printer 40 can also include an input unit 406, a
display unit or graphical user interface (GUI) 407, a network
interface (I/F) 408, a scanner engine (or scanner) 409, a printer
engine 410, and a colorimeter 411. In accordance with an exemplary
embodiment, the printer 40 can be equipped with inline colorimeter
(ICCU) (or spectrophotometer) 411, which measures printed color
patches in order to generate color profiles.
[0037] In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, for example, the
colorimeter (or spectrophotometer) 411 can be one or more color
sensors or colorimeters, such as an RGB (Red Green Blue) scanner, a
spectral scanner with a photo detector or other such sensing device
known in the art, which can be embedded in the printed paper path,
and an optional finishing apparatus or device (not shown). A bus
412 can connect the various components 401, 402, 404, 405, 406,
407, 408, 409, 410, 411 within the printer 40. The printer 40 also
includes an operating system (OS), which manages the computer
hardware and provides common services for efficient execution of
various software programs. In accordance with an exemplary
embodiment, it can be within the scope of the disclosure for the
printer 40 to be a copier.
[0038] For example, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment, an
image processing section within the printer 40 can carry out
various image processing under the control of a print controller or
CPU 401, and sends the processed print image data to the print
engine 410. The image processing section can also include a scanner
section (scanner 409) for optically reading a document, such as an
image recognition system. The scanner section receives the image
from the scanner 409 and converts the image into a digital image.
The print engine 410 forms an image on a print media (or recording
sheet) based on the image data sent from the image processing
section. The central processing unit (CPU) (or processor) 401 and
the memory 402 can include a program for RIP processing (Raster
Image Processing), which is a process for converting print data
included in a print job into Raster Image data to be used in the
printer or print engine 410. The CPU 401 can include a printer
controller configured to process the data and job information
received from the one or more client computers 30, 32, for example,
received via the network connection unit and/or input/output
section (I/O section) 408.
[0039] The CPU 401 can also include an operating system (OS), which
acts as an intermediary between the software programs and hardware
components within the multi-function peripheral. The operating
system (OS) manages the computer hardware and provides common
services for efficient execution of various software applications.
In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, the printer controller
can process the data and job information received from the one or
more client computers 30, 32 to generate a print image.
[0040] In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, the network I/F
408 performs data transfer with the at least one server 20 and the
at least one client computer 30, 32. The printer controller can be
programmed to process data and control various other components of
the multi-function peripheral to carry out the various methods
described herein. In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, the
operation of printer section commences when the printer section
receives a page description from the at least one server 20 or the
one or more client computers 30, 32, via the network I/F 408 in the
form of a print job data stream and/or fax data stream. The page
description may be any kind of page description languages (PDLs),
such as PostScript.RTM. (PS), Printer Control Language (PCL),
Portable Document Format (PDF), and/or XML Paper Specification
(XPS). Examples of printers 40 consistent with exemplary
embodiments of the disclosure include, but are not limited to, a
multi-function peripheral (MFP), a laser beam printer (LBP), an LED
printer, a multi-function laser beam printer including copy
function.
[0041] FIG. 5 is an illustration of an exterior of the printer or
printing device 40 as shown in FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. 5, the
printer 40 can also include at least one auto tray or paper tray
510, and more preferably a plurality of auto trays or paper trays
510. Each auto tray or paper tray 510 can include a bin or tray,
which holds a stack of a print media 512, for example, a paper or a
paper-like product. The printer engine or print engine 410 has
access to a print media 512 of various sizes and workflow for a
print job, which can be, for example, stored in the input tray. A
"print job" or "document" can be a set of related sheets, usually
one or more collated copy sets copied from a set of original print
job sheets or electronic document page images, from a particular
user, or otherwise related.
[0042] In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, the color
verification (and corresponding color calibration, if needed) of
the at least one printer or MFP 40 as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, can
be performed by creating a color test pattern, for example, on the
print controller of the CPU 401, which can be, for example, a
Digital Front End (DFE) printer controller that can be set based on
one or more print conditions or manually configured, for example,
after a specific number of print copies have been printed by the
printing device or printer 40, or alternatively, can be manually
configured such that upon opening of the print shop 10, each of the
one or more printers 40 can execute a color verification process as
disclosed herein. With the calibration setting enabled, the color
charts (or color measurement pages) can be printed, and the one or
more printed color charts and corresponding color patches on each
of the one or more printed color charts can be compared to a
corresponding target color for each of the one or more printed
color patches using the colorimeter 411. The color calibration
patch compared to the target color (or target color data) can
determine the color rendering performance of print engine of the
printing device or printer 40 and/or generating a color profile as
disclosed herein. In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, color
profiles can include color gamut or color spaces and monochromatic
or spectral colors.
[0043] In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, the print media
512 is preferably a paper or paper-like media having one or more
print media attributes. The print media attributes can include, for
example, paper color, coating, grain direction, printing
technology, brightness, CIE, tint, whiteness, labColor, etc. In
order to maximize print quality, the print media attributes of each
type of print media should be input into or hosted on the printer
40, for example, on printer configuration settings of the printer
40 to obtain the highest quality output. Most print media 512 is
provided in reams or other known quantities, which are packaged
with indicia such as information on the manufacture, size, type and
other attributes of the print media. In addition, most bundles or
reams of paper include a UPC (Universal Product Code) or bar code,
which identifies the type of print media including manufacture of
the print media.
[0044] FIG. 6 is an illustration of an exemplary color patch chart
600, which can be printed by the printer or printing device 40 as
shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. As shown in FIG. 6, the printed color patch
chart 600 can include a plurality of color patches (or validation
print stripes) 610 printed on one or more sheets of a print media
512. As disclosed herein, the plurality of color patches are
preferably read by the in-line spectrophotometer or colorimeter
411. The in-line spectrophotometer or colorimeter 411, for example,
can be one or more inline color sensors (not shown), which are
located in the paper path, and which feeds information to the CPU
401 for processing. The information received by the CPU (or
processor) 401 from the in-line spectrophotometer or colorimeter
411 can be used to determine if one or more of the color patches
610 has failed, for example, at least one of the printed color
patches 610 as read by the inline spectrophotometer or colorimeter
411 does not match a target color and/or the color quality is not
within a desired target color data (or range).
[0045] In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, the color
verification (or color validation) is a function to compare the
colors between a target color and an actual color measured by a
measuring device, for example, a color sensing device in the
printer (or MFP) 40. In the color verification, a plurality of
color measurement pages, each of the plurality of color measurement
pages having a plurality of color patches, are printed and measured
by a measuring device. If the measured color does not match the
target color, color corrections can then be made to the printer or
printing device 40.
[0046] In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, the target color
can include, for example, a color gamut or gradient, based on the
CMYK color model or the RGB color models, which can include, for
example, FOGRA, FOGRA27, FOGRA39, ISO12647-7 Control Wedge
2013+GRACOL 2006, ISO coated v2 (ECI), ISO coated v2 300% (ECI),
Coated GRACol 2006, Web Coated SWOP 2006 Grade 3 Paper, Web Coated
SWOP 2006 Grade 5 Paper, Adobe RGB saturation, Adobe RGB
perceptual, Adobe Wide-gamut RGB color space, etc. In accordance
with an exemplary embodiment, for each of the target colors, color
gamut, and/or color gradients, a profile table is preferably hosted
on the client computer 30. However, the profile table can also be
hosted on the server 20 and/or the printer 40.
[0047] FIG. 7 is an illustration of a chart 700 showing target
color data in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. As shown in
FIG. 7, the target color data 700 can be expressed by a listing of
each of the patches (n number of patches) and a corresponding color
target. In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, the
corresponding color target can be expressed in terms of
L*target(n), a*target(n), b*target(n) for each of n number of
patches, or alternatively, as C %, M %, Y %, and K % as shown, for
example, in FIG. 13.
[0048] FIG. 8 is an illustration of a chart showing actual color
data 800 in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. As shown in
FIG. 8, the measured color data 800 can be expressed by a listing
of each of the patches (n number of patches) and corresponding
measured data. In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, the
corresponding measured data can be expressed in terms of
L*measured(n), a*measured(n), b*measured(n) for each of n number of
patches.
[0049] FIG. 9 is an illustration of a chart 900 showing color
quality in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. As shown in
FIG. 9, the color quality of a printer 40, for example, can be
calculated using the following formula:
[0050] FIG. 10 is an illustration of a plurality of color patch
charts 1010 and an exemplary color chart 1020 that can be used to
check printer conditions of a printer or printing device 40 in
accordance with an exemplary embodiment. As shown in FIG. 10, each
of the plurality of color patch charts 1012, 1014, 1016, 1018 can
include a plurality of color patches 1013, 1015, 1017, 1019, which
can be arranged, for example, in columns and rows.
[0051] In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, the exemplary
color chart 1020 can include one or more color patches from each of
the plurality of color patch charts 1012, 1014, 1016, 1018. For
example, as shown in FIG. 10, the selected color patches 1013,
1015, 1017, 1019, can be color patches from a corresponding row or
column from each of the plurality of color patch charts.
Alternatively, the selected color patches 1013, 1015, 1017, 1019,
can be a color patch selected from various sections or portion of
the plurality of color patch charts 1012, 1014, 1016, 1018, based
on a desired color gamut, which each of the various color (or color
spaces) is represented in the selected color patches 1013, 1015,
1017, 1019, or randomly selected from each of the plurality of
color patch charts 1012, 1014, 1016, 1018.
[0052] FIG. 11 is an illustration of plurality of color patch
charts 1110 and an exemplary color chart 1120 that can be used to
check printer conditions of a printer or printing device 40 in
accordance with an exemplary embodiment. As shown in FIG. 11, each
of the plurality of color patch charts 1112, 1114, 1116, 1118 can
include a plurality of color patches, which can be arranged in
columns and rows. In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, the
exemplary color chart 1120 can include one or more color patches
from each of the plurality of color patches 1112, 1114, 1116, 1118,
for example, a row of color patches can be selected from each of
the plurality of color patch charts 1112, 1114, 1116, 1118. In
accordance with an exemplary embodiment, it would be preferable to
select one or more color patches from each color patch chart (page)
before interruption occur.
[0053] FIG. 12 is an illustration of a plurality of color patch
charts 1210, and exemplary color chart1 1220, 1230 that can be used
to check printer conditions of a printer or printing device 40 in
accordance with an exemplary embodiment. As shown in FIG. 12, each
of the plurality of color patch charts 1210 can include a plurality
of color patches, which can be arranged in columns and rows. In
accordance with an exemplary embodiment, the exemplary color charts
1220, 1230 can include one or more color patches from each of the
plurality of color patch charts 1210, which can be arranged on an
entirety of the exemplary color chart 1220 or a portion of the
exemplary color chart 1230.
[0054] FIG. 13 is an illustration of an example of a measurements
obtained from exemplary color charts illustrating an original color
patch measurement 1310, an exemplary color patch measurement that
is within a predetermined tolerance level or percentage 1320, and
an exemplary color patch measurement that is not within a
predetermined tolerance level or percentage 1330.
[0055] For example, as shown in FIG. 13, the original color chart
patch measurements 1310 can include a measurement value for C, M,
Y, K, (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) for example, in percentage
(%), for one or more patches, for example, Patch 1, Patch 2, Patch
3, Patch 4, . . . , Patch N. In accordance with an exemplary
embodiment, the sample color chart patch measurement (Pass) 1320
can include the measurement values for C, M, Y, K, (%), and if the
measurement values are within a predetermined tolerance level, for
example, 5% from the original value, the color chart patch
measurements can be considered to be acceptable. In accordance with
an exemplary embodiment, a determination can made, that the engine
condition has not changed following the interruption in the
verification process, for example, after the paper jam has been
cleared.
[0056] In accordance with another exemplary embodiment, the sample
color chart patch measurement (Fail) 1330 can include the
measurement values for C, M, Y, K, (%), and if the measurement
values are not within a predetermined tolerance level, for example,
5% from the original value, the color chart patch measurements can
be considered to be unacceptable. In accordance with an exemplary
embodiment, a determination can be made that the condition of the
print engine has changed, for example, after the paper jam has been
cleared, such that and that the color verification process should
be restarted, for example, beginning with page 1 of the plurality
of color patch charts 1010, 1110, 1210, and measured again. In
addition, if the results indicate that the condition of the print
engine is below a predetermined tolerance level, for example, the
condition of the print engine is in a state of failure, the
corresponding measurement data can be used during the color
calibration of the print engine.
[0057] FIG. 14 is a flow chart 1400 illustrating a method and
system for reusing color measurement data in accordance with an
exemplary embodiment. As shown in FIG. 14, in step S101, the
printer (or MFP) 40 is configured to print multiple color charts or
a plurality of color charts 600, 1010, 1110, 1210 as shown, for
example, in FIGS. 6, 10, 11, and 12. In step S102, the printer (or
MFP) 40 prints a color chart (for example, a printed color page) of
the plurality of color charts 600, 1010, 1110, 1210. In step S103,
the printed color chart (or page) from step S103 is scanned on the
printer (or MFP) 40 with a colorimeter (or spectrophotometer) 411,
such as an RGB scanner, a spectral scanner with a photo detector or
other such sensing device known in the art, which can be embedded
in the printed paper path and/or an optional finishing apparatus,
which measures the printed color chart. In step S104, the
measurement data and corresponding identifier for the printed color
chart 1010, 1110, 1210 is saved, for example, as a previous color
verification job or past color verification job, for example, in
the memory of the printer (or MFP) 40, or alternatively, in the
memory of the server 20.
[0058] In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, in step S105, if
a paper jam occurs, for example, during the printing of one or more
of the plurality of printed color charts 600, 1010, 1110, 1210, in
step S102, or the measurement of one or more of the plurality of
the printed color charts, 600, 1010, 1110, 1210, the process
continues to step S106, where the paper jam is cleared. In step
S107, one or more sample patches, for example, patches 1013, 1015,
1017, 1019, can be selected from the saved measurement data and
corresponding identifier for each of the selected color charts from
step S104. In step S108, a sample color chart 1020, 1120, 1220,
1230, is printed. In step S109, the printed sample color chart (or
page) 1020, 1120, 1220, 1230 from step S108 is scanned on the
printer (or MFP) 40 with a colorimeter (or spectrophotometer) 411,
such as an RGB scanner, a spectral scanner with a photo detector or
other such sensing device known in the art, which can be embedded
in the printed paper path and/or an optional finishing apparatus,
which measures the printed color chart.
[0059] In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, in step S110,
the measured data from step S109 is compared to the saved
measurement data and corresponding identifier for the printed color
chart 1010, 1110, 1210 from step S104. In accordance with an
exemplary embodiment, the saved measurement data from step S104 can
be from a previous (or past) verification job, for example, a
current color verification job (i.e., a first color verification
job as executed in steps S101-S104), which was being performed when
the paper jam or interruption occurred, or alternatively, for
example, from a color verification completion data, which was a
previous (or past) color verification job, which was implemented or
performed, for example, on a same day with the current verification
job (or first color verification job). For example, the color
verification completion job can be a color verification job
performed upon starting of the printer (or MFP) 40.
[0060] In step S111, a determination is made if the current
measured data from the sample color chart 1020, 1120, 1220, 1230
meets a predetermined or acceptable criteria, for example, is the
measured data in step S109 within a given tolerance (or %), for
example, as shown in FIG. 13.
[0061] In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, if the current
measured data from the sample chart 1020, 1120, 1220, 1230 meets
the predetermined or the acceptable criteria, for example, is the
measured data in step S109 within a given tolerance (or %), for
example, as shown in chart 1320 of FIG. 13, the process continues
to step S113. If the current measured data from the sample chart
1020, 1120, 1220, 1230 does not meet the predetermined or
acceptable criteria, for example, the measured data in step S109 is
not within a given tolerance (or %), for example, as shown in chart
1330 of FIG. 13, the process continues to step S112, where the
measured data from steps S103 and/or S109 are cleared and/or
deleted, and the process returns to step S101, where the color
verification process begins with the printing of a first page of
the multiple color charts or the plurality of color charts.
[0062] Alternatively, in step S105, if no paper jam has occurred,
for example, during the printing of the printed color charts in
step S102, or the measurement of the printed color chart, the
process continues to step S113, where a determination is made if
the printed color chart is a last page of the color chart. If in
step S113, the printed color chart is not the last page of the
multiple color charts or the plurality of color charts, the process
continues to step S101, where the next page in the multiple color
charts or the plurality of color charts is printed. If the last
page of the multiple color charts or the plurality of color charts
has been printed, the process continues to step S114, where the
printer (or MFP) 40 verifies the color accuracy of the printed
color charts through the color verification process as disclosed
herein.
[0063] In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, if the printed
color matches are within a predefined measurement range, percentage
(%), or tolerance level, the color verification process can be
confirmed to be within a desired performance parameter.
Alternatively, if the color verification process shows that the
condition of the print engine is not within a desired performance
parameter, the printer (or MFP) 40 will conduct a color calibration
of the print engine to bring the print engine within a desired
performance level capable of reproducing the color gamut or color
spaces as needed.
[0064] FIGS. 15A and 15B are flow charts 1500, 1510 illustrating a
method and system for reusing color measurement data in accordance
with another exemplary embodiment. In step S201, if the condition
of the print engine has successfully passed the color verification
process as set forth in FIG. 14, in step S202, the color
verification data is stored (or saved), for example, in the memory
of the printer (or MFP) 40, or alternatively, in the memory of the
server 20. In step S203, the printer (or MFP) 40 prints a color
print job, which can be received from, for example, a client
computer 30 within the print shop 10, or a client computer outside
of print shop 12, and wherein the printer (of MFP) is hosted or
located within a print shop. In accordance with an exemplary
embodiment, the print shop 12 can be an office, a business or home
having one or more printers (or MFP) 40.
[0065] In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, in step S204, a
determination can be made, for example, if an interruption in the
printing process has occurred, for example, a paper jam. If no
interruption has occurred in the printing process, the process
continues to step S211 (FIG. 15B), the regular print job
continues.
[0066] In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, if in step S204,
an interruption during the printing process has occurred, the
process continues to step S205, where the cause of the interruption
is fixed or remedied, for example, the paper jam is cleared. In
step S206, one or more sample patches, for example, patches 1013,
1015, 1017, 1019, can be selected from the saved measurement data
and corresponding identifier for each of the selected color charts
from, for example, step S104 (FIG. 14). In step S207, a sample
color chart 1020, 1120, 1220, 1230, is printed. In step S208, the
printed sample color chart (or page) 1020, 1120, 1220, 1230 from
step S207 is scanned on the printer (or MFP) 40 with a colorimeter
(or spectrophotometer) 411, such as an RGB scanner, a spectral
scanner with a photo detector or other such sensing device known in
the art, which can be embedded in the printed paper path and/or an
optional finishing apparatus, which measures the printed color
chart.
[0067] In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, in step S209,
the measured data from step S208 is compared to the saved
measurement data and corresponding identifier for the printed color
chart 1010, 1110, 1210 from step S104. In step S210, a
determination is made if the current measured data from the sample
color chart 1020, 1120, 1220, 1230 meets a predetermined or
acceptable criteria, for example, is the measured data in step S208
within a given tolerance (or %), for example, as shown in FIG.
13.
[0068] In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, if the current
measured data from the sample chart 1020, 1120, 1220, 1230 meet the
predetermined or acceptable criteria, for example, is the measured
data in step S210 within a given tolerance (or %), for example, as
shown in chart 1320 of FIG. 13, the process continues to step
S211.
[0069] In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, if the current
measured data from the sample chart 1020, 1120, 1220, 1230 does not
meet the predetermined or acceptable criteria, for example, the
measured data in step S210 is not within a given tolerance (or %),
for example, as shown in chart 1330 of FIG. 13, the process
continues to step S212, where a color calibration process is
performed, and continues to step S213, where the color verification
process begins with the printing of a first page of the multiple
color charts or the plurality of color charts.
[0070] In step S214, the printer (or MFP) 40 prints a color chart
(for example, a printed color page) of the plurality of color
charts 600, 1010, 1110, 1210. In step S215, the printed color chart
(or page) from step S103 is scanned on the printer (or MFP) 40 with
a colorimeter (or spectrophotometer) 411, such as an RGB scanner, a
spectral scanner with a photo detector or other such sensing device
known in the art, which can be embedded in the printed paper path
and/or an optional finishing apparatus, which measures the printed
color chart. In step S216, the measurement data and corresponding
identifier for the printed color chart 1010, 1110, 1210 is saved,
for example, in the memory of the printer (or MFP) 40, or
alternatively, in the memory of the server 20. In step S217, a
determination is made if the last page of the plurality of color
charts 600, 1010, 1110, 1210 has not been printed, the process
returns to step S213.
[0071] In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, if the last page
has been printed, the process continues to step S218 to verify the
color accuracy of the printed color charts and proceeds to step
S210 where a determination can be made if the current measurements
meet acceptable criteria as disclosed herein. As set forth above,
in step S210, if the current measured data from the sample chart
1020, 1120, 1220, 1230 meet the predetermined or acceptable
criteria, for example, is the measured data in step S210 within a
given tolerance (or %), for example, as shown in chart 1320 of FIG.
13, the process continues to step S211. If the current measured
data from the sample chart 1020, 1120, 1220, 1230 does not meet the
predetermined or acceptable criteria, for example, the measured
data in step S210 is not within a given tolerance (or %), the
process continues to step S212, where a color calibration process
is performed, and continues to step S213, where the color
verification process begins with the printing of a first page of
the multiple color charts or the plurality of color charts.
[0072] In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, the methods and
processes as disclosed can be implemented on a non-transitory
computer readable medium. The non-transitory computer readable
medium may be a magnetic recording medium, a magneto-optic
recording medium, or any other recording medium which will be
developed in future, all of which can be considered applicable to
the present invention in all the same way. Duplicates of such
medium including primary and secondary duplicate products and
others are considered equivalent to the above medium without doubt.
Furthermore, even if an embodiment of the present invention is a
combination of software and hardware, it does not deviate from the
concept of the invention at all. The present invention may be
implemented such that its software part has been written onto a
recording medium in advance and will be read as required in
operation.
[0073] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various
modifications and variation can be made to the structure of the
present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the
invention. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the
present invention cover modifications and variations of this
invention provided they fall within the scope of the following
claims and their equivalents.
* * * * *