Patents by Inventor Douglas Charles Smythies

Douglas Charles Smythies has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Method and apparatus for detecting the edge of an imaging media
    Patent number: 7063018
    Abstract: A system for determining the location of an edge of a sheet of media for alignment purposes utilizes a beam of light directed at the media surface to produce a reflected light beam. The reflected light beam intensity varies in response to the reflectivity of the surface on which it impinges and the beam position shifts in accordance with the datum of the surface at which the reflected beam is originated. By monitoring both intensity and positional information of the reflected beam as it is scanned across the media edge, the edge location can be determined using a weighted combination of the intensity and positional information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2006
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Douglas Charles Smythies, Christopher Earl Trautman
  • Method and apparatus for detecting the edge of an imaging media
    Publication number: 20040231543
    Abstract: A system for determining the location of an edge of a sheet of media for alignment purposes utilizes a beam of light directed at the media surface to produce a reflected light beam. The reflected light beam intensity varies in response to the reflectivity of the surface on which it impinges and the beam position shifts in accordance with the datum of the surface at which the reflected beam is originated. By monitoring both intensity and positional information of the reflected beam as it is scanned across the media edge, the edge location can be determined using a weighted combination of the intensity and positional information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 14, 2004
    Publication date: November 25, 2004
    Inventors: Douglas Charles Smythies, Christopher Earl Trautman