Abstract:
A touch-screen interface of an operator control panel is provided on an imaging assembly, such as a printing assembly, and communicates the state of the printing assembly and its primary components to an operator, even when the operator is standing beyond a normal reading distance from the printing assembly. The touch-screen interface provides for a graphical representation in the form of icons or displays that show those components that are of interest to the operator during printing. This would include but is not limited to paper supply and paper take-up magazines, the center portion or printing area of the printer, and the current paper or media path. The icons or displays are laid out spatially on the operator control panel in an overhead view to match the layout of the printing assembly. Further, each of the displays or icons are sized large enough to be easily viewed and understood from well beyond a normal reading distance.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates to an imaging assembly, such as a printing assembly, and an operator control panel for the printing assembly. The operator control panel is designed to facilitate communications to the operator concerning the state of the printing assembly and its primary components, especially when the operator is standing beyond a normal reading distance from the printing assembly.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    In a photofinishing environment such as in a wholesale photofinishing lab, a printer operator is kept busy by operating several commercial printers, scanners and other large pieces of photofinishing equipment that are spread over a broad area with subdued lighting. They also perform tasks that can take them away from their equipment. This makes it a challenge for the operator to keep track of the state of each printer, and more specifically, multiple paper supply and take-up magazines that they are responsible for reloading. The printer&#39;s operator control panel provides a central location for the communication of the state of the printer and its paper magazines. However, the operator&#39;s work load and work environment require that the operator control panel provide the information so that the operator can quickly and easily determine the state of the printer and its paper magazines at a glance from well beyond a normal reading distance. However, the layout and design of conventional operator control panels make it difficult for an operator to determine the state of a printer when he/she is standing beyond a normal reading distance from the printer.  
           [0003]    [0003]FIG. 1 schematically illustrates an example of a known operator control panel  21  for an Agfa Dimax Optical Printer. Reference numeral  20  in FIG. represents a paper supply information section. Within paper supply information section  20 , the length of paper removed from an active paper supply magazine is shown in box  22  in standard size text. Further, a pair of small overlapping circles  24  represent two magazines, with a solid circle denoting which one is active. Additionally, a vertical progress bar  26  indicates the percentage of paper in the magazine. In operator control panel  21 , a paper take-up information section  28  is also shown. Like paper supply information section  20 , paper take-up information section  28  includes a box  30  which shows the length of paper on an active paper take-up magazine in standard size text. Paper take-up information section  28  further includes a pair of small overlapping circles  31  that represent two magazines, in which a solid circle denotes which one is active. Further, a vertical progress active bar  32  indicates the percentage of paper in the magazine. Operator control panel  21  further includes a section  34 a which provides function mappings to numeric keys on a keyboard and information regarding the film reel and their products in large size text; a section  34   b  which provides printer status information in standard text; a section  34   c  which is a messaging area and provides information as to the status of major components in standard size text; a section  34 d which represents a command line interface; and a section  34   e  which provides function mappings to function keys on a keyboard.  
           [0004]    A disadvantage of operator control panel  21  is that it provides no indication of whether standby supply and take-up paper magazines are useable to the printer for the current defined product, and further does not provide information as to how much paper the stand-by magazines contain. Therefore, in using operator control panel  21 , an operator would have to walk up to the printer to determine whether the magazines need to be changed. Also, operator control panel  21  provides no graphical indication as to a state of paper threading and does not provide for a touch-screen operation. Operator control panel  21  further does not show graphically that images are left in the paper track.  
           [0005]    [0005]FIG. 2 schematically illustrates a known operator control panel  40  for a Gretag Syntra optical printer. Panel  42  is generally a Microsoft Windows desktop while clock  43  is provided with MS Windows. As illustrated in FIG. 2, operator control panel  40  comprises a section  42  that is a user interface. Section  42  includes paper threading information, paper supply information and paper take-up information. In operator control panel  40 , an active paper take-up position is represented by a circle  44  located in a lower-left corner of a box  46  that represents a printer. If circle  44  appears in a further box  48 , which is gray in the operator control panel of FIG. 2, a paper magazine exists in an active position. The amount of paper in the active magazine is indicated by a pie chart  50  within circle  44 . The percentage filled would be provided in standard text, for example “30%” as shown in FIG. 2, above circle  44 . A box-like strip  52  to the left of box  48  and outside of box  46  indicates the presence of a paper magazine in a stand-by position. Operator control panel  40  also includes paper supply information. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, an active paper supply position is represented by a circle  56  located in a lower-right comer of box  46  representing the printer. If the circle appears in a further box  58  such as a gray box, a paper magazine exists in an active position. The amount of paper in the active magazine would be indicated by a pie chart  60  within circle  56 . The percentage filled would be provided by standard text such as, for example “70%”, as shown in FIG. 2. A box-like strip  62  to the right of active magazine  58  and outside of printer box  46  would indicate the presence of a paper magazine in a stand-by position.  
           [0006]    Optical control panel  40  also provides paper threading information in the form of a solid line  64  that connects an active paper supply magazine and a take-up magazine. Solid line  64  as shown in FIG. 2 indicates a full threading, while a partial line would indicate a partial threading. On the other hand, no line indicates that there is no threading. Operator control panel  40  further includes sections  70   a ,  70   b ,  70   c . Section  70   a  includes printer control buttons, section  70   b  includes statistics of a current batch represented in standard size text, and section  70   c  would include the status of the major components in standard size text. It is noted that a batch is a collection of photofinishing orders that have common attributes, such as a specific type of print.  
           [0007]    A disadvantage of operator control panel  40  illustrated in FIG. 2 is that it provides no indication of whether a stand-by supply magazine and a take-up paper magazine are usable to the printer for the current defined product and how much paper they contain. Further, operator control panel  40  provides no indication of whether a paper magazine exists in a completed position for either paper supply or take-up. Also, line  64  that denotes paper threading is thin, making it difficult to see when viewing the screen from beyond a reading distance. Operator control panel  40  further does not graphically show via line  64  that images are left in the paper track. Further disadvantages of operator control panel  40  are that it does not provide a graphical representation of a completed magazine, does not provide an indication of what is in a stand-by magazine, does not provide an indication of what type of paper is in the standby magazine, and does not provide an indication of how much paper is in the stand-by magazine. Therefore, operator control panel  40  as illustrated in FIG. 2 does not provide all of the relevant information to the operator in a manner which makes it easy for the operator to read and comprehend.  
           [0008]    A Kodak CLAS printer having an operator control panel is also known. A drawback with the operational control panel of the Kodak CLAS printer is that it uses basically standard size text to illustrate many of the functions of the printer. Further, the operational control panel of the Kodak CLAS printer does not use graphical representations of items such as active paper supply magazines and take-up magazines as well as paper threading.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0009]    The present invention provides for an improved operational control panel for an imaging assembly such as a high speed digital printer or printing assembly in a wholesale photofinishing lab. The operational control panel of the present invention comprises a touch-screen user interface that provides a simplified graphical representation of the printing assembly, showing those components that are of interest to an operator during printing in a highly visible manner. This includes the paper supply and paper take-up magazines, the center portion of the printing assembly, and the current paper path. The components of the operator control panel of the present invention are laid out spatially in an overhead view to match their layout in the printing assembly. Each of the components or sections of the operational control panel touch-screen is sized large enough to be easily viewed and understood from well beyond a normal reading distance, and a simple and intuitive color coding scheme is used to communicate the state of each paper magazine as it relates to the operator&#39;s task.  
           [0010]    The operator control panel touch-screen interface of the present invention permits the operator to quickly and easily determine the state of each paper magazine and therefore, the overall state of printing when viewing the operational control panel from well beyond a normal reading distance. The color states and the graphical representations of the paper path also allow operators to determine whether printed paper exists in the paper path. All of this allows the operator to predict and prioritize their tasks since it will tell them which magazines will empty or fill first and which printers will require their attention first.  
           [0011]    The present invention therefore relates to an operator control panel for a printing assembly which comprises a touch-screen interface that includes a media supply section, a printer center section and a media take-up section. The media supply section of the touch-screen interface comprises a plurality of supply magazine graphical displays that represent supply magazines of the printing assembly. The media take-up section of the touch-screen interface comprises a plurality of take-up magazine graphical displays that represent take-up magazines of the printing assembly. The printer center section of the touch-screen interface comprises at least one paper path graphical display. The at least one paper path graphical display represents a state of media threading in a printing area of the printing assembly between an active supply magazine of the supply magazines and an active take-up magazine of the take-up magazines. Each of the supply magazine graphical displays, the at least one paper path graphical display and the take-up magazine graphical displays are spatially displaced on the touch-screen interface in an overhead view in a manner that simulates a location of the supply magazines, the printing area and the take-up magazines of the printing assembly.  
           [0012]    The present invention further relates to a printing assembly that comprises a plurality of media supply magazines; a printing area that is adapted to receive media for printing thereon from each of the media supply magazines; a plurality of take-up magazines which are each adapted to receive media from the printing area; and an operator control panel having a touch-screen interface. The touch-screen interface of the operator control panel comprises a plurality of first icons that correspond to the plurality of media supply magazines, a plurality of second icons that correspond to the plurality of take-up magazines, and a center section positioned between the first icons and the second icons that corresponds to the printing area. Each of the first icons, the second icons and the center section are graphically displayed on the touch-screen interface in a manner that spatially simulates a location of the media supply magazines, the take-up magazines and the printing area of the printing assembly.  
           [0013]    The present invention further relates to an operator control panel for a printing assembly that comprises a touch-screen interface having at least one icon which represents a media component of the printing assembly and a paper path section which graphically represents a paper path in a printing area of the printing assembly.  
           [0014]    The present invention further relates to a printing assembly that comprises at least one media magazine; a printing area operationally associated with the at least one magazine; and an operator control panel having a touchscreen interface. The touch-screen interface comprises at least one icon which represents the at least one media magazine, and a paper path section which graphically represents a paper path in the printing area. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0015]    [0015]FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a conventional operator control panel for a printer;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of another type of conventional operator control panel for a printer;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 3 illustrates a printing assembly which can be utilized with an operational control panel in accordance with the present invention;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of the operational control panel in accordance with the present invention; and  
         [0019]    FIGS.  5 - 7  schematically illustrate examples of screen information which can be displayed using the operator control panel of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0020]    Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals represent identical or corresponding parts throughout the several views, FIG. 3 is an overall view of an imaging assembly such as a printing assembly  150  having an operational control panel  400  in accordance with the present invention. As illustrated in FIG. 3, printing assembly  150  comprises a plurality of components. More specifically, printing assembly  150  comprises a media supply section  170  and a media take-up section  190 . Media supply section  170  is adapted to accommodate supply components such as a plurality of media supply cassettes or magazines  170   a ,  170   b ,  170   c , while media take-up section  190  is adapted to accommodate take-up components such as a plurality of media take-up cassettes or magazines  190   a ,  190   b ,  190   c . As an option and as illustrated in FIG. 3, supply magazines  170   a - 170   c  and take-up magazines  190   a - 190   c  can be wheeled magazines which facilitate the interaction between the magazines and the corresponding supply sections and take-up sections ( 170 ,  190 ). However, the invention is not limited thereto, and the magazines do not have to be wheeled magazines.  
         [0021]    Supply magazines  170   a - 170   c  can contain photosensitive media that is to be processed through a printing section  210 . Take-up magazines  190 a,  190 b,  190   c  can initially be empty and each can be adapted to receive the photosensitive media after it has passed through printing section  210 . During use of a printer assembly as illustrated in FIG. 3, an active paper supply magazine is considered a magazine having photosensitive media for printing thereon. When an active paper supply magazine is completed, the printing assembly  150  is adapted to receive photosensitive media from a standby paper supply magazine. Reference is made to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/418,230 for a description of the operation of a printing assembly as illustrated in FIG. 3. Further, it is noted that printing assembly  150  has been shown to illustrate a device in which a plurality of cassettes or magazines are utilized on a take-up side and a supply side. It is noted that the present invention is not limited to the arrangement illustrated in FIG. 3, and that the operator control panel of the present invention is applicable to numerous types of printing and/or imaging devices in which there is at least one supply magazine on an input side and at least one take-up magazine on an output side.  
         [0022]    More specifically, printing assembly  150  as illustrated in FIG. 3 in general has multiple positions for paper supply magazines and multiple positions for take-up magazines that are located on the left and right side of the printer assembly, respectively. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, there is shown 3 positions for paper supply magazines and 3 positions for paper take-up magazines. However, the present invention is not limited thereto and it is noted that the number of take-up and supply magazines is based on design considerations.  
         [0023]    With reference to FIG. 4, control panel  400  in accordance with the present invention is schematically illustrated. Operator control panel  400  is designed so as to spatially and graphically represent supply magazines  170   a ,  170   b ,  170   c  and take-up magazines  190   a ,  190   b ,  190   c  (FIG. 3), and can use predetermined color schemes to indicate the state of each magazine. For example, and specifically referring to FIG. 4, operator control panel  400  comprises a touchscreen interface  403  that includes a media supply section  405 . Media supply section  405  comprises a plurality of supply magazine graphical displays or icons  470   a ,  470   b ,  470   c . In the embodiment of FIG. 4 and with reference to FIG. 3, supply magazine graphical display or icon  470   a  represents or corresponds to supply magazine  170   a ; supply magazine graphical display or icon  470   b  represents or corresponds to supply magazine  170   b ; and supply magazine graphical display or icon  470   c  represents or corresponds to supply magazine  170   c.    
         [0024]    Touch-screen interface  403  further includes a media take-up section  407  that comprises a plurality of take-up magazine graphical displays or icons  490   a ,  490   b ,  490   c . Referring to FIG. 3 and with reference FIG. 4, take-up magazine graphical display or icon  490   a  represents or corresponds to take-up magazine  190   a ; take-up magazine graphical display or icon  490   b  represents or corresponds to take-up magazine  190   b ; and take-up magazine graphical display or icon  490   c  represents or corresponds to take-up magazine  190   c.    
         [0025]    Touch-screen interface  403  further includes a printer center section or printing area  410  which represents or corresponds to printing section  210  of printing assembly  150 . Touch-screen interface  403  also includes a message/instruction area  501 , a logo area  503 , a next batch information area  505  and a navigation bar  507 .  
         [0026]    An advantage of operator control panel  400  is that only the components of printing assembly  150  that are of importance to the operator are displayed. This includes paper supply magazine graphical displays or icons  470   a - 470   c , paper take-up magazine graphical displays or icons  490   a - 490   c , and printer center section  410 .  
         [0027]    Printer center section  410  includes a graphical display  412  which simulates or represents a path of paper from an active supply magazine to an active take-up magazine. In the example of FIG. 4, paper path  412  extends between paper supply magazine graphical display  470   c  and paper take-up magazine graphical display  490   a  to illustrate that supply magazine  170   c  and take-up magazine  190   a  are active, and that the paper path goes from supply magazine  170   c  to take-up magazine  190   a.    
         [0028]    In a further feature of operational control panel  400 , it is noted that the graphical displays and center section take up most of touch-screen interface  403 . More specifically, supply magazine graphical displays or icons  470   a - 470   c ; paper path  412 ; and take-up magazine graphical displays or icons  490   a - 490   c  are large enough to be seen from beyond a normal reading distance. As an example, operational control panel  400  could be a flat panel touch-screen which is in the range of 8 to 21 inches and preferably about 12.1 inches.  
         [0029]    A further feature of operational control panel  400  is that displays or icons  470   a - 470   c  and  490   a - 490   c  are graphically displayed as noted above, as opposed to textually. Further, display or icons  470   a - 470   c  and  490   a - 490   c  spatially represent or simulate the location of the corresponding supply magazines  170   a - 170   c  and the corresponding take-up magazines  190   a - 190   c  with respect to printing assembly  150  as seen from an overhead view.  
         [0030]    In a further feature of the invention, touch-screen interface  403  can be a windows-based system in which supply magazine graphical displays  470   a - 470   c  and take-up magazine graphical displays  490   a - 490   c  act as buttons (touch targets) to access functionally for that magazine. For example, an operator who wishes to activate or access a function for magazine  170   a  would touch graphical display or icon  470   a . Further, center section  410  can include functional touch targets for cutting, releasing, etc., as well as informational symbols such as for example, a low-ink icon  700 .  
         [0031]    With operational control panel  400 , it is also possible to provide for a simple and intuitive predetermined color scheme or code to indicate or represent an operating state of each paper magazine as it relates to an operator&#39;s task. As an example, the color green can be used on one of the displays  470   a - 470   c  to indicate which one of supply magazines  170   a - 170   c  is usable by the printing assembly and which will not require reloading in the next few minutes. The color yellow can be used on one of the displays  470   a - 470   c  to indicate which one of the magazines is usable by the printer, but will require reloading in the next few minutes. The color red can be used to indicate that the magazine is not usable by the printer and is in the process of being released by the printer. A light gray background can be used to indicate that a new magazine has been loaded and is in the process of being defined by the printer. Further, a blank magazine position (a concave shaped or recessed portion in the section where a display or icon should be) indicates that there is no magazine present in that position.  
         [0032]    In a further feature of the present invention, a paper leader  502  (see, for example, graphical displays  470   a ,  470   b  in FIG. 4) can be graphically displayed to indicate that a magazine, regardless of the state, contains some length of paper.  
         [0033]    Center section  410  can also display a progress bar  600  to illustrate the progress of a present batch. The relationship between a batch and a roll of paper in a supply or take-up magazine is variable, i.e., the prints from one batch may take less than one full roll of paper or may be spread across several sequential rolls of paper. Therefore, the relationship between the progress bar and the current paper supply and take-up magazine is also variable. Additionally, center section  410  can provide information with regard to the color-coded magazines which are being used, and can be used as a work area to define paper in a newly inserted supply magazine or a core width of a newly inserted take-up magazine. A wrap around effect can also be used to convey to the user which magazine is being defined.  
         [0034]    In the example of FIG. 4, it can be seen that the active paper supply magazine is paper supply magazine  170 c represented by graphical display  470   c , and that magazine  170   c  includes 1378 ft. of Kodak DuraLife 4 inch paper. The paper path goes from paper supply magazine  170   c  to paper take-up magazine  190   a  which is represented by graphical display  490   a , and there is 422 ft. of paper in magazine  190   a . In the example of FIG. 4, progress bar  600  indicates that 90% of the specific batch has been completed, while the rest of printer center section  410  can be used to show graphical or textual information such as low ink  700 , printer warning icon, etc.  
         [0035]    In a still further feature of operator control panel  400 , paper path  412  can be utilized to determine that a paper supply magazine has been successfully threaded and cinched to a paper take-up magazine. More specifically, paper path  412  will change visually as it is being threaded. A line extending from a supply, but not to a take-up indicates a partial threading state. Once completely threaded the line will be complete between one supply and one take-up magazine. Paper path  412  also changes state to indicate the presence of prints (exposed/printed paper) within the paper path. If prints are present the path will contain parallel lines  414 . A path containing parallel lines  414  will indicate the presence of images within the paper path.  
         [0036]    In a still further feature of operator control panel  400 , when a new paper supply magazine is mounted to printing assembly  150 , a dialog window can appear on center section  410 . This permits an operator to specify the type of paper in the new magazine. The dialog window can remain open until the operator has specified the paper type. In the case that the operator walks away from the printer without specifying the paper type, the dialog window and its associated paper magazine can be designed to be easily distinguished when being viewed from beyond a normal reading distance. Also, all other paper magazines can be viewable when the paper magazine definition dialog window is displayed. The dialog window which would be opened in center section  410  of touch-screen interface  403  can include information such as the type of paper, the width of paper, the surface of the paper and the emulsion. The dialog window can also include informational icons such as up and down arrows, and buttons such as cut, release, rewind, cancel, etc.  
         [0037]    In a still further feature of operator control panel  400 , when a new paper take-up magazine is mounted to printing assembly  150 , a dialog window can appear on center section  410  which permits an operator to specify core width in the new magazine. The dialog window can remain open until the operator has specified the paper type. In the case that the operator walks away from the printer without specifying the core width, the dialog window and its associated paper magazine can be designed to be easily distinguished when being viewed from beyond a normal reading distance. Also, all other paper magazines can be viewable when the core width definition dialog window is displayed.  
         [0038]    With the specific embodiment as illustrated in FIG. 4, the components discussed above take up practically the whole screen and thus, it is possible to view the components or elements of operational control panel  400  from a distance to determine the status of all magazines and the overall printer status. It also makes it easier for an operator to determine the next course of action when the operator is monitoring several printers. Further, action can be taken on individual magazines by touching the graphics on the screen. This will open a window specific to the functions available for that magazine.  
         [0039]    FIGS.  5 - 7  illustrate examples of status information, graphical displays and/or icons that can be displayed utilizing operator control panel  400  of the present invention. In the example of FIG. 5, it is noted that graphical display or icon  470   a  is shown so as to represent that supply magazine  170   a  (FIG. 3) is an active magazine. It is further shown that graphical displays or icons  490   a ,  490   b  and  490   c  are illustrated so as to represent that each of take-up magazines  190   a ,  190   b  and  190   c  are present on printing assembly  150 . In the example of FIG. 5, it is also shown that paper path  412  has been established between supply magazine  170   a  (active) and take-up magazine  490   a  (active). It is further represented by graphical display  470   a  that supply magazine  170   a  includes 1792 ft. of Kodak DuraLife 4 in. glossy paper; while graphical display  490   a  represents that 2 ft. of paper has entered into take-up magazine  190   a . Also, center section  410  provides a graphical indication by way of paper path  412  that paper has been successfully threaded and cinched to take-up magazine  190   a  since lines  414 , as shown in FIG. 4, do not appear.  
         [0040]    As a further option, an indication that there are no paper magazines present can be graphically represented by having sections which simulate recessed or concave portions present at locations  470   b′ ,  470   c′ where the icons should be located. In the example of FIG. 5, recessed portions at locations where icons  470   b  and  470   c  should appear indicate that magazines  170   b  and  170   c  are not present. As also illustrated in the example of FIG. 5, standby take-up magazines are represented by graphical icons  490   b  and  490   c . Further, informational area  501  can include an informational message such as the “printer is off line” which is represented in the example of FIG. 5.  
         [0041]    In the example of FIG. 6, a dialog window  500  is displayed in center section  410 . More specifically, when a new paper supply magazine is mounted to the printing assembly as represented by graphical display or icon  470   a , dialog window  500  appears on center section  410  of operator control panel  400 . Dialog window  500  permits the operator to specify the type of paper in the new magazine and remains open until the operator has specified the paper type. In case the operator walks away from the printing assembly without specifying the paper type, dialog window  500  and its associated paper magazine can be designed to be easily distinguished from beyond a normal reading distance. Also, all other paper magazines can be viewable when dialog window  500  is displayed. Center section  410  can also include instructional icons such as up and down arrows  506  for scrolling within dialog window  500 , a “done” button  503 , a “make active” button  504  and a “release” button  505 .  
         [0042]    As in FIG. 5, operator control panel  400  further permits an operator to specify specific instructions with respect to active supply magazines and takeup magazines. For example, in the example of FIG. 7, operator control panel  400  and specifically center section  410  can include touch button icons  510 ,  512  and  514  which initialize and facilitate operations such as cutting and/or releasing magazines and canceling a job when needed.  
         [0043]    The present invention has been described in terms of having an operator control panel on a printing assembly having magazines. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. As a further option, the operator control panel can be used on other imaging devices such as, for example, a film scanner having supply reels and take-up reels. The invention is also applicable to other types of media such as film.  
         [0044]    As an added feature, the operator control panel can be pivotally, rotatably and/or movably mounted to the printing or imaging assembly to permit easy viewing from various angles.  
         [0045]    The invention has been described in detail with particular reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention.