Abstract:
A method for printing photographic quality images downloaded to a printer comprising; providing a light-tight film pack containing photosensitive imaging media, the film pack having a severable line of on a face thereof which defines a flap, the flap providing access to the media when the flap is opened; providing a cartridge of a size and shape to fit into a cartridge-access opening in the printer, the cartridge comprising a tray for accepting the film pack; inserting the film pack into the cartridge; inserting the cartridge containing the film pack into the cartridge-access opening in the printer; severing the film pack along the severable line to free the flap; opening the flap to access the media; advancing the media into the printer; and exposing and developing the media to provide a photographic quality print.

Description:
This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/021,537, filed Jul. 11, 1996. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a method for printing images on a photosensitive media utilizing a printer wherein the media is contained in a light-tight film pack. The film pack includes a perforated flap which allows the film pack to be easily opened within the printer to provide access to the media. 
     Digital imaging applications in which photographic quality images can be downloaded to a printer and reproduced are becoming increasingly popular. For instance, Kodak Corporation provides a service in which films and negatives can be placed on photo CD discs and photo CD access software allows the user to load the images into the personal computer memory, view the images, edit the displayed image by cropping or changing the size, color settings and orientation, and copy the original or edited image as a bitmap. In addition, electronic digital cameras are commercially available which photograph an image and store it in a digital memory, such as a random access memory instead of on film. Then these stored images can be downloaded from the camera to a personal computer for viewing and editing in a manner analogous to the photo CD images discussed above. Still another application, personal computers are now available with television cards. With a TV card, the user can download images directly from the television network or from a video recorder for viewing and editing. 
     A printer having capabilities for printing images downloaded from a video or personal computer and which fits within a personal computer is described in commonly assigned copending U.S. application Ser. No. 08/470,921 filed Jun. 6, 1995 corresponding to International Publication No. W096/39301. Such a printer is housed in the accessible disc drive bay. The printer includes a print head, access opening for a media supply cartridge, a communication port for receiving print signals and image information, and a media conveyor for transporting the media through the printer and dispensing or ejecting the media from the printer. Preferably, the printer also includes a developer such as a pressure head or pressure roller or a means to heat the media. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is a method for printing photographic quality images downloaded to a printer, the method comprising: 
     providing a light-tight film pack containing photosensitive imaging media, the film pack having a severable line on a face thereof which defines a flap, the flap providing access to the media when the flap is opened; 
     providing a cartridge of a size and shape to fit into a cartridge-access opening in the printer, the cartridge comprising a tray for accepting the film pack; 
     inserting the film pack into the cartridge; 
     inserting the cartridge containing the film pack into the cartridge-access opening in the printer; 
     severing the film pack along the severable line to free the flap; 
     opening the flap to access the media; 
     advancing the media into said printer; and 
     exposing and developing the media to provide a photographic quality print. 
     The film used in the printer is stored in a film pack to prevent extraneous light from inadvertently exposing the film. The film pack is sealed and includes a severable line in the shape of a flap at one end of the film pack. The film pack is placed in a media cartridge which is inserted into the printer. The printer includes a means such as a pick up wheel for separating the flap from the film pack along the severable line in order to open the film pack and expose the film. 
     The film pack useful in carrying out the present invention comprises a first face and a second face located in generally parallel planes, wherein the two faces are sealed together along at least one and preferably two of their peripheral edges to form a light-tight cavity within the film pack. The two faces of the film pack are preferably sealed together along the peripheral edges which define the two sides of the film pack or the two ends of the film pack. The film pack further comprises a flap at one end of the film pack which can be easily opened along a severable line to provide access to photosensitive media contained inside the sealed film pack. The film pack is inserted into a cartridge which comprises a tray for accepting the film pack, and a cover having a media access opening. The cover can be a separate unit which securely fits the top of the tray or it can be an integral part of the tray provided that the opening in the cover is sufficiently large enough to permit the film pack to be inserted through the hole and into the tray. In accordance with the invention, the film pack is designed with a severable line extending laterally across a face of the film pack and toward the end of the film pack to form the outline of a flap. The severable line allow the flap to be easily severed and opened after the assembly has been inserted into the printer, thereby preventing any exposure of the media to extraneous light. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a film pack of the present invention containing film media; 
     FIG. 2 is the film pack of FIG. 1 inserted into a media cartridge; 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an exemplary printing apparatus which employs the film pack of the present invention; and 
     FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the printer of FIG.  3 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     In a typical embodiment of the present invention, a light-tight film pack is provided for supplying a plurality of sheets of photosensitive material. The film pack contains a severable line which defines the size and shape of a flap at one end of the film pack so that the film pack is easily opened once inside the printer. Therefore, since the film pack is mechanically opened while inside the printer, it need not be opened by hand and the photosensitive material is not exposed to any damaging extraneous light. 
     This system will now be described in detail below with respect to a printer apparatus such as a laser printer. However, it is to be understood that the forgoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory but are not intended to be restrictive of the invention. For example, the film pack can be used in printers such as a video printer or other type of printer, facsimile machine, cameras or copiers which employ photosensitive media. 
     As shown in FIG. 1, a film pack  10  is provided for housing photosensitive imaging film material or media  12 . The film pack  10  is light-tight and may be made of paper or a plastic material which is opaque. The material may contain an additive such as a pigment or dye, typically of a dark color such as black to block the transmission of light through the material. The film pack is of a size and shape to hold a stack of imaging film  12  and also fit in a media cartridge of the printer as will be described herein below. The film pack includes a first face  14 , a second face  16  located in generally parallel planes. The first and second faces are sealed together along at least one and preferably two of their peripheral edges  18  and  20 . The film pack further includes a severable line  22  which traverses at least one face of the film pack to form a flap  21 . The severable line preferably traverses the entire face of the film pack and extends to one end of the film pack so that the flap  21  can be easily separated from the rest of the film pack. In one aspect of the invention the severable line typically comprises a plurality of perforations such as holes, slits, or the like provided that such perforations are sufficiently small enough to prevent the photo-sensitive media from being exposed to extraneous light. In another aspect of the invention the severable line comprises a continuous or discontinuous scored line wherein the scored line does not extend completely through the film pack material. If desired, the scored line may contain a plurality of perforations to further facilitate the separation of the flap from the rest of the film pack. Although only one severable line is shown, it may be advantageous to provide more than one severable line in the face of the film pack. Or, as an alternative, the severable line may be provided in more than one face of the film pack. When opened along the severable line  22 , the flap  21  is peeled back inside the printer permitting the media to be easily accessed by the printer. 
     The film pack  10  of the present invention may be used as follows: The sealed film pack  10  is inserted into a media cartridge  24  as shown in FIG.  2 . The media cartridge is designed to supply the media in the form of individual sheets, but the media could easily be supplied in roll form. If the media is in roll form, it is preferred that the apparatus include a cutting means such as a slitter for separating the prints from the roll before they are dispensed from the printer. The media  12  supplied by cartridge  24 , can be any media used in imaging devices such as those previously described. 
     The media cartridge  24  is generally rectangular in shape and is made of a material which is capable of blocking light from the media  12  inside. The cartridge has an opening  26  of a size to receive the film pack and is shaped to fit in an opening in the printer. The cartridge  24  further includes a top  28  which fits securely over the media cartridge. The top  28  typically does not extend the entire length of the cartridge  24 , therefore an opening  26  is created to provide access to the film pack  10 . For example, an opening length of about 20% of the cartridge has been found suitable. As discussed above, the top may be of a size to entirely cover the top of the cartridge wherein the top has an appropriately sized hole therein. The top  28  must fit the cartridge  24  so that no extraneous light can penetrate into the cartridge, except through the opening  26 . 
     The media cartridge  24  is inserted into an opening slot  30  in a printer  32  as shown in FIG.  3 . The media cartridge need not be inserted entirely into the printer. It only need be inserted to a point that the opening  26  is completely inside the printer. 
     By inserting the media cartridge  24  into the slot  30 , door panel  34  is rotated to an open position as shown in FIG.  4 . The cartridge  24  is positioned in the printer  32  with the aid of a guide plate  36  and a spring element  38  which urges the cartridge into alignment with guide plate  36 . The cartridge is situated so that the sealed film pack  10  is held in contact with a pick up roller  40  having a friction surface. 
     With the cartridge  24  in place in the printer, the pick up roller  40  rotates when the printer receives a print signal from a computer. The pickup roller  40  may be driven by any means typically employed to drive such rollers. For example, the pickup roller may be driven by a gear train (not shown). During its rotation, the pickup roller  40  “grabs” the film pack  10  adjacent the severable line  22  and tears it along the severable line  22 , forming an opened flap (not shown). The roller  40  then pushes the flap back, away from the remainder of the face  14  of the film pack  10  to access the media  12  (shown and described herein, for purposes of illustration, as individual sheets of media). With continued rotation of the roller  40 , the first sheet of media  12  is advanced by roller  40  into the nip between the roller  40  and a roller  44 . Roller  44  is designed to provide a slight rotational drag on the media. In this way if two or more sheets of media  12  are fed at the same time, roller  44  will scrape the additional sheets from the back side of the intended sheet to assist in preventing double feeding. With continued rotation of roller  40 , the top media sheet is removed from the media cartridge  24  and moved upwardly along a ramp  46  where it is directed by a baffle  48  and support plate  50  into the nip between line feed roller  52  and idle roller  54 . 
     Rollers  40  and  52  are driven by a motor (not shown) which is conveniently but not necessarily a step motor via the gear train. The media continues to be advanced via rollers or other conveying means such as belt conveyors to the guide plate  56  at the back  58  of the printer  32 . The guide plate  56  is curved to direct the leading edge of the media sheet into the open space  60 . When the sheet of film reaches this predefined position, the motor reverses. The sheet is then exposed by print head  61 , exposure head  62  and developer head  64 . The developer head  64  may include a pressure applicator  66  including one or more ball elements  68 . 
     Examples of photosensitive media which can be packaged in a film pack and processed in a printer according to this invention include photographic film, the diffusion transfer color photographic or “instant” film pack (POLAROID film unit), or a film pack employing photohardenable microcapsules such as the CYCOLOR media developed by The Mead Corporation. 
     The printer  32  is programmed such that the media continues to be advanced, exposed, and developed until the image is complete. Upon completion of the image, the print head  60  is positioned to the side of the printer, the pressure head is disabled and the media is advanced along a surface  70  to roller  72 . Roller  72  is driven by a gear train and advances the media out of an exit slot  74 . Once the print  12  has been ejected through slot  74 , the motor is reversed and upon receiving the next print signal, the printer is ready to remove another sheet of media from the media cartridge  24  and to repeat the printing operation. 
     The apparatus may optionally include means to keep the top sheet of film always easily accessible to the roller  40 . Accordingly, the cartridge  24  may include a spring which sits in the bottom of the tray to urge the film sheets upwards as the top sheet is removed. Or, the roller  40  may be adapted with a pivot so that it pivots downward to reach the film  12  in the bottom of the cartridge  24 . 
     The invention has been described above in a specific type of printer. However, the film pack may be used with other types of printers as well as copiers, cameras, facsimile machines, and various other types of imaging equipment employing photosensitive media. The design of the printer and the selection of the media and the print head can vary depending on the type of image the printer is designed to reproduce and the resolution and color quality desired in the image. For printing text, a thermal print head or an ink jet print head may be used. The film pack may further be used with or without the use of a media carriage. 
     Having described the invention in detail and by reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be apparent that modifications and variations are possible without departing from the scope of the invention defined in the appended claims.