Print-mode configuration selection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10664206-B2
Application number	US-201616302139-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 29, 2016
Priority date	Jul 29, 2016
Publication date	May 26, 2020
Grant date	May 26, 2020

Abstract

A system includes an image analyzer to analyze an image to be printed by a printer and to obtain an image parameter of the image, and a database to store a plurality of print-mode configurations for the printer. Each print-mode configuration has associated therewith a measure that represents a suitability of the print-mode configuration to print an image having a certain image parameter on a certain print medium. The database receives a query, and the query indicates the image parameter and a print medium. The database selects, responsive to the query and to the measure, a print-mode configuration for the printer, and outputs the selected print-mode configuration. The system modifies the measure associated with the selected print-mode configuration in response to a feedback about the printed image.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a computer processor; and
a non-transitory storage medium storing instructions executable on the computer processor to:
analyze an image to be printed by a printer, and obtain an image parameter of the image based on the analyzing;
send a query to a database that stores a plurality of print-mode configurations for the printer, each respective print-mode configuration of the plurality of print-mode configurations having associated therewith a respective measure that represents a suitability of the respective print-mode configuration to print an image having a corresponding image parameter on a corresponding print medium, wherein the query indicates the image parameter and a print medium;
receive, from the database responsive to the query, a selected print-mode configuration for the printer, the selected print-mode configuration selected by the database from the plurality of print-mode configurations based on the image parameter and the print medium indicated by the query and based on comparing relative values of the measures associated with the plurality of print-mode configurations; and
modify the measure associated with the selected print-mode configuration in response to a feedback about a printed image printed by the printer using the selected print-mode configuration.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the feedback is a user feedback, and the instructions are executable on the computer processor to:
increase a value of the measure associated with the selected print-mode configuration in response to the user feedback indicating a first quality of the printed image; and
decrease the value of the measure associated with the selected print-mode configuration in response to the user feedback indicating a second quality of the printed image, wherein the first quality is better than the second quality.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the database includes a feed-forward neural network or a selection tree to select a print-mode configuration for the printer.

4. The system of claim 1 , comprising a printer driver that includes the instructions.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the printer driver includes the database, or wherein the database is separate from the printer driver.

6. The system of claim 1 , comprising the printer, wherein the printer includes the computer processor and the non-transitory storage medium storing the instructions.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the database is accessible as a cloud service.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the database is initially provided by a printer manufacturer or a print service provider.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the query further indicates an environmental condition for a print process to print the image.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein each print-mode configuration of the plurality of print-mode configurations includes print-mode parameters that define any or a combination of:
a number of passes that indicates how many times the printer prints over a same zone,
an amount of printing material applied to a print medium,
a printing resolution,
an International Color Consortium (ICC) profile, or
an energy to cure a printed image.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the database is to store print-mode parameter values for a plurality of printers, and wherein the query further indicates the printer to be used to print the image.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the respective measure associated with each respective print-mode configuration of the plurality of print-mode configurations represents user satisfaction with use of the respective print-mode configuration to print an image having the corresponding image parameter on the corresponding print medium,
wherein the modifying of the measure associated with the selected print-mode configuration produces a modified measure that represents a different user satisfaction.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the measure associated with the selected print-mode configuration has a highest value from among multiple print-mode configurations of the plurality of print-mode configurations that satisfy the query, the multiple print-mode configurations being a subset of the plurality of print-mode configurations, and the comparing comprises comparing the relative values of the measures associated with the multiple print-mode configurations.

14. A printer, comprising:
a print engine;
a computer processor; and
a non-transitory storage medium storing instructions executable on the computer processor to:
analyze an image to be printed by the printer, and obtain an image parameter of the image based on the analyzing, and
generate a query that indicates the image parameter and a print medium; and

a database to:
store a plurality of print-mode configurations for the printer, each respective print-mode configuration of the plurality of print-mode configurations having associated therewith a respective measure that represents a suitability of the respective print-mode configuration to print an image having a corresponding image parameter on a corresponding print medium,
select, responsive to the query, a selected print-mode configuration from the plurality of print-mode configurations based on the image parameter and the print medium indicated by the query and based on comparing relative values of the measures associated with the plurality of print-mode configurations,

wherein the print engine is to print the image in accordance with the selected print-mode configuration, and
wherein the instructions are executable on the computer processor to modify the measure associated with the selected print-mode configuration in response to a feedback about the printed image printed by the print engine using the selected print-mode configuration.

15. The printer of claim 14 , wherein the respective measure associated with each respective print-mode configuration of the plurality of print-mode configurations represents user satisfaction with use of the respective print-mode configuration to print an image having the corresponding image parameter on the corresponding print medium,
wherein the modifying of the measure associated with the selected print-mode configuration produces a modified measure that represents a different user satisfaction.

16. The printer of claim 14 , wherein the measure associated with the selected print-mode configuration has a highest value from among multiple print-mode configurations of the plurality of print-mode configurations that satisfy the query.

17. A method of a system comprising a hardware processor, comprising:
analyzing an image to be printed by a printer to obtain an image parameter of the image;
querying a database using a query that indicates the image parameter and a print medium, the database storing a plurality of print-mode configurations for the printer, each respective print-mode configuration of the plurality of print-mode configurations having associated therewith a respective measure that represents a suitability of the respective print-mode configuration to print an image having a corresponding image parameter on a corresponding print medium;
selecting, responsive to the query, a selected print-mode configuration from the plurality of print-mode configurations based on the image parameter and the print medium indicated by the query and based on comparing relative values of the measures associated with the plurality of print-mode configurations; and
modifying the measure associated with the selected print-mode configuration in response to a feedback about a

Assignees

• Hewlett Packard Development Co
• Hewlett Packard Devleopment Company L P

Inventors

• Barnel Frederic
• Borrell Avila Oriol
• Crespi Serrano Albert

Classifications

• G06F3/1285 Primary

  Remote printer device, e.g. being remote from client or server · CPC title

• H04L67/1097

  for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS] · CPC title

• G06F3/1204

  resulting in reduced user or operator actions, e.g. presetting, automatic actions, using hardware token storing data · CPC title

• G06F3/1256

  User feedback, e.g. print preview, test print, proofing, pre-flight checks · CPC title

• G06F3/1257

  by using pre-stored settings, e.g. job templates, presets, print styles · CPC title