Abstract: A digital film processing system and film processing solution cartridge are disclosed. The cartridge comprises a housing and a chamber for storing a film processing fluid. The processing solution may be contained within a flexible bladder within the chamber. The cartridge may also include an integral applicator for coating the processing solution onto undeveloped film. The cartridge is generally removeably attached to the film processing system, but may also be refillable.

Abstract: In luminance priority multilayer color film, one of the layers substantially matches the luminance sensitivity of the human eye. This luminance layer distinguishes from prior art color films that have a blue, a green, and a red sensitive layer. This luminance layer has the priority front position to sense light before being diffused and attenuated by other layers, giving the luminance record enhanced speed and clarity compared to prior art blue-priority color film. In another embodiment, a layered CCD sensor has a top silicon layer that is sensitive to all colors, followed by a yellow filter, a second silicon layer responsive to green and red light only because of the yellow filter, a cyan filter, and a bottom silicon layer receiving only green light. An image from a luminance-priority color sensor inputs to a color space conversion to recover full color.

Abstract: A log-time stitching system provides for directly determining an accurate pixel exposure for each pixel in a recorded image. The present invention provides a digital processing system in which signals associated with a pixel are obtained at each of a plurality of different development times of the film being developed. A regression analysis that compares these different development times versus the natural log of time is made, to obtain a best fit line of this data, which line is then used to determine a “b” value. This “b” value or “fitting constant” corresponds to the intersection of the y-intercept and the best fit line. It has been discovered that this “b” value is substantially directly proportional to the log exposure of the pixel. Accordingly, this “b” value can be directly used to determine an appropriate exposure of the pixel.

Abstract: Surface defect correction technology for photographic images requires an infrared scan along with a conventional color scan. In the present invention, the additional infrared scan needed for surface defect correction is obtained by adding a line of sensors specific to infrared light to a conventional multilinear color sensor array. The invention teaches a practical mode of distinguishing infrared light using a dichroic prism placed over the sensor. This mode has the additional advantage of placing the infrared-specific sensor line in a displaced focus plane to match conventional lenses. Adding a sensor line to a conventional trilinear sensor array requires a quadrilinear array topology.

Abstract: Recovering the dye image on film in electronic film development following a latent holding stage obviates the problem common in prior art electronic film development of film image destruction. Recovery of the image is accomplished using a developing agent containing couplers to form a dye image. These dyes do not affect the infrared scans of the image. Upon complete development of the dye image, further dye formation is halted by the application of a coupler blocking agent, while silver development and electronic scanning may continue or halt. After halting dye formation, the film is stable for an arbitrary time in a latent stage and may be dried and stored. Following this latent stage, silver is removed from the film with a bleach-fix leaving a conventionally usable film image.

Abstract: Photo-images are read from film using a digital film processing (DFP) system, and then transmitted for processing, along with any necessary associated information. After processing, the images can be stored in a database or transmitted to an image delivery system, such as a personal computer or kiosk, where a print, negative, computer file, or other representation of the image is prepared for delivery to a customer. All or any part of the image processing, archival, manipulation, retrieval, and delivery systems and associated interfaces may reside on an Internet web site.

Abstract: One embodiment is a system for the development of a film includes an infrared light source and a visible light source. The system also includes at least one sensor operable to collect a first set of optical data from light associated the infrared light source and a second set of optical data from light associated with the visible light source. The system further includes a processor in communication with the at least one sensor, the processor operable to determine an image on the film in response to the first and second sets of optical data.

Abstract: During electronic film development, an area of conventional photographic film is scanned several times using a single scanning station, and at each subsequent time this scanned area is advanced incrementally along the film with multiple levels of overlap with previous scans. The new image scanned at each new time is aligned to an accumulating image that has been extrapolated to the image at the new time, and then the new image is added to the accumulating image in parametric summations that allow an image to be interpolated to any time free of seams where the scans overlap. The invention further teaches a method of steering the alignment by warping the leading edge of the alignment, and a registration method of aligning multiple images that takes advantage of known fixed alignments between images.

Abstract: One aspect of the invention is a digital dye color film processing system. In one embodiment, the digital dye color film processing system includes a developer station, a processing station, a scanning system, and a data processing system. The developer station applies a developer solution to a silver halide based film to produce metallic silver grains and at least one dye image within the film. The processing station then applies at least one processing solution to the film to convert the silver halide and/or metallic silver to a substantially transparent silver complex. The scanning system then scans the coated film and produces sensor data that is communicated to a data processing system that processes the sensor data to produce a digital image The digital image can then be output to an output device, such as a printer, display monitor, memory device, and the like.

Abstract: In electronic film development, a film is scanned, using light, multiple times during development. The light is reflected from an emulsion containing milky undeveloped silver halide embedded with developing grains. The undeveloped halide layer has a finite depth over which photons from a light source scatter backward. This depth is within the range of the coherency length of infrared sources commonly used in electronic film development, causing coherency speckle noise in the scanned image. A prescan made after the emulsion swells, but before the silver grains develop, normalizes subsequent scans, pixel by pixel, to cancel coherency speckle and other defects.

Abstract: An image processing system is disclosed. The system includes a first light source operable to illuminate an image plane in a first direction and a second light source operable to illuminate the image plane from a second direction. Also included is a sensing device operable to detect light from the first and second light source that interacted with the image plane. A processor operable to receive information from the sensing device and determine an image and image defects is coupled to the sensing device.

Abstract: A photographic element including a light sensitive silver halide emulsion layer having a dye precursor incorporated therein, wherein the dye precursor is capable of forming an infrared dye. A method of developing a latent image on an exposed photographic element is also provided.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method, apparatus and system for detecting black segments and selecting a dark area in film or digital images. The present invention identifies one or more areas having a substantially uniform gray level within the digital image, determining an effective darkness value for each identified area, and selects the dark area corresponding to the identified area having the highest effective darkness value. The gray level of the dark area can then be used as the black level in a normalization process.

Abstract: One aspect of the invention is a system for digital dye color film processing. In one embodiment, a developer station applies a processing solution to film to initiate development of metallic silver grains and at least one dye image within the film. A scanning system illuminates the coated film with light having at least one frequency within the visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. The light interacts with the silver and at least one dye image within the film. The scanning station measures the light from the film and produces sensor data that is communicated to a data processing system. The data processing system processes the sensor data to produce a digital image. The digital image can then be output to an output device, such as a printer, monitor, memory device, and the like.

Abstract: Multiple widths of fluid may be extruded onto portions of material without requiring a complex reconfiguration of the system or replacing the extruding device. In at least one embodiment, various extrusion widths are provided by altering the angle at which materials are guided with respect to the extruding device along a lateral plane with the extruder. In one embodiment, the present invention provides for the manipulation of the position of the extruding device with respect to the material, or alternately, by manipulation of the position of the material with respect to the extruding device. Another embodiment provides a single extruder with multiple applicator heads of different sizes. An additional embodiment provides a single coater head with multiple applicator openings of different sizes. Yet another embodiment provides an extruding device capable of moving laterally over the material to achieve the proper angle of approach.

Abstract: A slot coater device is provided for applying a processing solution, such as developer, to film during film development. The slot coater includes a housing having an opening for dispensing the processing solution, a reservoir within the housing adapted to receive a predetermined amount of the processing solution, and a channel for delivering the processing solution from the reservoir to the opening.

Abstract: A method and system (100) for using reference patches (108) to enhance electronic film processing of a scene image (104) contained on a first area of a film (112) include creating a reference patch (108) on a second area of the film (112); coating the film (112) with a developing solution to form a scene image (104) and a patch image (108); scanning the film (112) coated with the developing solution to generate signals corresponding to digital representations of the scene image (104) and the patch image (108); calculating image processing parameters from the signals associated with the patch image (108); and processing the digital representations of the scene image (104) using the image processing parameters calculated from the patch image (108) to produce color values which more accurately reflect the original scene and which are pleasing to the eye.

Abstract: A method of and apparatus for removing the effects of surface and near surface image storage media defects from a scanned image using an infrared record as a norming control. Each pixel in a visible channel of the scanned images is divided by the corresponding pixel in the associated infrared control channel after it has been altered in gain to match the degree of defect in the visible channel. By appropriately altering the gain prior to dividing the pixel information, imbalances between the visible and infrared records which would leave defect residue after the division are reduced or eliminated. To remove defect residue, a degree of nulling is established for each defect region based on the visible and infrared content in that region. In one embodiment, the articulation gain is multiplicatively applied to the logarithm of the visible and infrared records. To prevent variations in articulation gain from mottling brightness, the articulation gain is applied to details extracted through a high pass filter.

Abstract: The present invention provides a system for image-capturing devices, such as scanners, to accurately identify defects in objects. The objects can be the physical images to be captured or elements of the image-capturing devices such as the platen and mirrors. The image-capturing devices can then use this defect information to remove defects from captured images. The invention teaches an advantageous arrangement of illumination and sensor elements to record defect data at an angle roughly equal to the angle at which light is directed to an object, i.e. where the angle of reflection roughly equals the angle of incidence. Light reflected from surface defects has a wider diffusion and thus a lower amplitude than light reflected from the surface of the object itself. Accordingly, this characteristic can be utilized to identify defect information.

Abstract: During electronic film development, an area of conventional photographic film is scanned several times using a single scanning station, and at each subsequent time this scanned area is advanced incrementally along the film with multiple levels of overlap with previous scans. The new image scanned at each new time is aligned to an accumulating image that has been extrapolated to the image at the new time, and then the new image is added to the accumulating image in parametric summations that allow an image to be interpolated to any time free of seams where the scans overlap. The invention further teaches a method of steering the alignment by warping the leading edge of the alignment, and a registration method of aligning multiple images that takes advantage of known fixed alignments between images.