Patents by Inventor Frank Pierel
Frank Pierel 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).
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Patent number: 8625159Abstract: A method for detecting errors in individual color separation images of a multi-color printing machine, in particular an electrophotographic printing machine, comprising a plurality of printing units, is described. Using this method, first a plurality of first register lines is printed with a first printing unit, and a plurality of second register lines is printed with a second printing unit in such a manner that each of the first register lines, together with one of said second register lines, is positioned inside a respective registration frame. Then the plurality of the first and second register lines in the respective registration frame are detected with a register sensor, and an output signal of the register sensor relating to the respective second register line is compared with an intensity threshold value in order to determine whether the second register lines can be recognized.Type: GrantFiled: January 22, 2009Date of Patent: January 7, 2014Assignee: Eastman Kodak CompanyInventors: Jan D. Boness, Ingo K. Dreher, Heiko Hunold, Ralf Jachmann, Ralph Petersen, Frank Pierel, Stefan Schrader, Matthias Wecker, Tim D'Avis
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Patent number: 8532548Abstract: A method for calibrating a printing machine having a plurality of printing units includes transporting a first group of at-least-semi-transparent sheets at least once through the printing units. A second group of at-least-semi-transparent sheets is transported at least twice through the printing units, with the sheets being turned over between passages. Registration marks are printed on one of the sheets of the first group of sheets, and on one of the sheets of the second group of sheets during their second passage through the printing units. No registration marks are printed on the sheets of the second group of sheets during their first passage through the printing units. The registration marks are measured at a registration sensor located downstream of the printing units. Calibration parameters are determined using the measurements of the first and second registration marks provided by the registration sensor.Type: GrantFiled: May 6, 2009Date of Patent: September 10, 2013Assignee: Eastman Kodak CompanyInventors: Jan D. Boness, Heiko Hunold, Frank Pierel, Stefan Schrader
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Patent number: 8405879Abstract: A method for calibrating a position of a first register line in a register mark for a multi-color printing machine, said first register line consisting of a first color that does not offer sufficient contrast with respect to a printing material to allow detection above a determined threshold on a register sensor. A plurality of register marks, each consisting of at least one starting line, a background line and a first register line, is printed, said background line consisting of a second color which offers sufficient contrast with respect to the first color for detection above the specified threshold on the register sensor if the first register line is printed on the background line, and said background line having a width that is greater than the first register line, and said starting line, said background line and said first register line being printed with the use of the pre-determined control parameters, which normally cause the first register line to be printed on the background line.Type: GrantFiled: August 7, 2008Date of Patent: March 26, 2013Assignee: Eastman Kodak CompanyInventors: Jan D. Boness, Ingo K. Dreher, Heiko Hunold, Frank Pierel, Stefan Schrader, Matthias Wecker
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Publication number: 20110200366Abstract: A method for calibrating a printing machine comprising a plurality of printing units includes transporting a first group of at-least-semi-transparent sheets at least once through the printing units. A second group of at-least-semi-transparent sheets is transported at least twice through the printing units, with the sheets being turned over between passages. Registration marks are printed on one of the sheets of the first group of sheets, and on one of the sheets of the second group of sheets during their second passage through the printing units. No registration marks are printed on the sheets of the second group of sheets during their first passage through the printing units. The registration marks are measured at a registration sensor located downstream of the printing units. Calibration parameters are determined using the measurements of the first and second registration marks provided by the registration sensor.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 6, 2009Publication date: August 18, 2011Inventors: Jan D. Boness, Heiko Hunold, Frank Pierel, Stefan Schrader
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Publication number: 20110063643Abstract: A method for detecting errors in individual color separation images of a multi-color printing machine, in particular an electrophotographic printing machine, comprising a plurality of printing units, is described. Using this method, first a plurality of first register lines is printed with a first printing unit, and a plurality of second register lines is printed with a second printing unit in such a manner that each of the first register lines, together with one of said second register lines, is positioned inside a respective registration frame. Then the plurality of the first and second register lines in the respective registration frame are detected with a register sensor, and an output signal of the register sensor relating to the respective second register line is compared with an intensity threshold value in order to determine whether the second register lines can be recognized.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 22, 2009Publication date: March 17, 2011Inventors: Jan D. Boness, Ingo K. Dreher, Heiko Hunold, Ralf jachmann, Ralph Petersen, Frank Pierel, Schrader Stefan, Matthias Wecker, Tim D'Avis
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Publication number: 20110063634Abstract: Described is a method for calibrating a position of a first register line in a register mark for a multi-color printing machine, said first register line consisting of a first color that does not offer sufficient contrast with respect to a printing material in order to allow a detection above a determined threshold value on a register sensor.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 7, 2008Publication date: March 17, 2011Inventors: Jan D. Boness, Ingo K. Dreher, Heiko Hunold, Frank Pierel, Stefan Schrader, Matthias Wecker
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Patent number: 7812735Abstract: In a method for automatically identifying a conveyor belt in a printer as being one of a plurality of belt types, the conveyor belt is moved along a circulatory path. A start and an end of a longitudinal marking on the moving conveyor belt are detected. A distance of travel of the moving conveyor belt between the detecting of the start and the end is sensed to provide a sensed marking length. The sensed marking length is allocated to a nearest of a plurality of nominal marking lengths. Each nominal marking length is associated with a respective one of said belt types. The belt type is associated with or defined by a set of one or more printer control parameters.Type: GrantFiled: September 12, 2007Date of Patent: October 12, 2010Assignee: Eastman Kodak CompanyInventors: Dirk Kahl, Ralph Petersen, Frank Pierel, Soenke Schmidt
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Publication number: 20080061998Abstract: In a method for automatically identifying a conveyor belt in a printer as being one of a plurality of belt types, the conveyor belt is moved along a circulatory path. A start and an end of a longitudinal marking on the moving conveyor belt are detected. A distance of travel of the moving conveyor belt between the detecting of the start and the end is sensed to provide a sensed marking length. The sensed marking length is allocated to a nearest of a plurality of nominal marking lengths. Each nominal marking length is associated with a respective one of said belt types. The belt type is associated with or defined by a set of one or more printer control parameters.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 12, 2007Publication date: March 13, 2008Inventors: Dirk Kahl, Ralph Petersen, Frank Pierel, Soenke Schmidt
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Patent number: 6871037Abstract: A method for the calibration or recalibration of a conversion factor (web encoder resolution), used to determine the distance covered by a print substrate in a printing machine, in particular an electrophotographically operating printing machine, by the cycles of a rotary input type of encoder (web encoder) which sends a signal to the driver of the conveyor belt, preferably the rotation of a rotating drive component for the conveyor belt. This task is solved in that the number of phase pulse signals of the rotary input type of encoder which accumulates during the movement over the dimensions of the longitudinal extension known or otherwise measured section of the conveyer belt, is determined and compared to the known dimensions of the longitudinal extension.Type: GrantFiled: April 3, 2003Date of Patent: March 22, 2005Assignee: NexPress Solutions LLCInventors: Frank Pierel, Jan Dirk Boness, Heiko Hunold
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Patent number: 6845288Abstract: The position of sheets in a printing press is measured. A problem in transporting sheets through the printing press is how to guarantee the correct orientation and lay of the sheets, which must be guaranteed particularly in the printing operation. There is provided a device for precisely determining and correcting the positions of sheets in printing presses. Margin regions of a sheet are respectively imaged, projection data are transmitted to a computing unit, and the position of the sheet is calculated with the aid of the projection data by way of an image recognition algorithm. Furthermore, the computed positions of the sheet are compared to positions which are stored in the computing unit, and from the comparison, position deviations are computed, which are transmitted to the printing press and corrected by way of a sheet registration device.Type: GrantFiled: April 15, 2002Date of Patent: January 18, 2005Assignees: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG, Nexpress Solutions LLCInventors: Frank Pierel, Helmut Buck, Carsten Huschle
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Publication number: 20040231537Abstract: Avoiding eccentricity for a shaft, with a balance error, on which a hollow cylinder is applied, the hollow cylinder serving to compensate for the balance error of the shaft. A first mark on the hollow cylinder has a location on the hollow cylinder with a certain thickness of the hollow cylinder, and a second mark on the surface of the shaft has a location on the shaft with a certain radius with respect to the axial center of gravity of the shaft are aligned.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 7, 2003Publication date: November 25, 2004Inventors: Jan Dirk Boness, Ingo Klaus Michael Dreher, Frank Pierel, Stefan Schrader
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Patent number: 6663103Abstract: The invention relates to a process and a device for alignment of sheet material (1) which is conveyed in one conveyor plane (9). The sheet material is conveyed on bodies (35) of revolution and aligned by means of triggerable alignment elements (25) in the conveyor direction (22) and perpendicular to the conveyor direction (22). The alignment elements (25) are assigned to an alignment unit (8). The alignment motion necessary for alignment of the sheet material in the conveyor direction (2) and perpendicular thereto takes placed by separate alignment elements (25) which can be triggered independently of one another during conveyance of the sheet material (1) with the process speed.Type: GrantFiled: May 7, 2001Date of Patent: December 16, 2003Assignee: NexPress Solutions LLCInventors: Dieter Karl-Heinz Dobberstein, Joachim Heinrich Haupt, Karlheinz Walter Peter, Jürgen Sahlmann, Gerhard Rudolf Sing, Rolf Johannes Spilz, Hans-Günter Werner Staack, Frank Pierel, Lutz Michael Wagner
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Publication number: 20030164876Abstract: A device and procedure for measuring the positions of sheets for a printing press by precisely determining and then correcting the positioning of sheets in a printing press. Edge areas of a sheet are reproduced, imaging data are transferred to a computer and the positioning of the sheet is detected on the basis of the imaging data by means of an image detection algorithm. Furthermore, the positions of the sheet determined are compared with the stored positions in the computer and position deviations are calculated from the comparison, which are transferred to the printing press and corrected by a sheet-registering device.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 14, 2002Publication date: September 4, 2003Inventor: Frank Pierel
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Patent number: 6493012Abstract: A method and apparatus for setting register on a multicolor printing machine (1) having color printing units (6, 6′, 6″, 6″) allocated to various printing inks and having image cylinders (2, 2′), equipment (3, 3′) for producing images, in particular electrostatic latent images, on the image cylinders (2, 2′, . . . ), a carrier (4) for printing substrates (15) and image transfer points (5, 5′, 5″, 5′″) for the transfer of the color separations (7, 7′, . . . ) from the color printing units (6, 6′, 6″, 6′″) to the printing substrates (15), an allocation of the image productions (11, 11′) on the image cylinders (2, 2′, . . . ) to the printing substrates (15) being carried out in order to achieve coincidence of register of the color separations (7, 7′, . . . ) in the print. This is achieved by a time-independent allocation of the positions of the image productions (11, 11′, . . .Type: GrantFiled: May 17, 2001Date of Patent: December 10, 2002Assignee: Nexpress Solutions LLCInventors: Donald Buch, Ingo Klaus Dreher, Heiko Hunold, Christopher Liston, Patrick Metzler, Michael Mordhorst, Stephan Walter Pareigis, Robert Peffer, Karlheinz Walter Peter, Ralph Petersen, Frank Pierel, John Robert Thompson, Günther Voss
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Publication number: 20020177918Abstract: The position of sheets in a printing press is measured. A problem in transporting sheets through the printing press is how to guarantee the correct orientation and lay of the sheets, which must be guaranteed particularly in the printing operation. There is provided a device for precisely determining and correcting the positions of sheets in printing presses. Margin regions of a sheet are respectively imaged, projection data are transmitted to a computing unit, and the position of the sheet is calculated with the aid of the projection data by way of an image recognition algorithm. Furthermore, the computed positions of the sheet are compared to positions which are stored in the computing unit, and from the comparison, position deviations are computed, which are transmitted to the printing press and corrected by way of a sheet registration device.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 15, 2002Publication date: November 28, 2002Inventors: Frank Pierel, Helmut Buck, Carsten Huschle
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Publication number: 20020060416Abstract: The invention relates to a process for alignment of sheet material (1) which is processed in a machine which processes sheet material (1). To do this the sheet material (1) is aligned into one conveyor plane (9) laterally and with respect to its twisting (6) with reference to its conveyor direction (22). The position of the sheet material (1) in the conveyor plane (9) is always acquired at a point (35) on one side edge (24) of the sheet material with a position which is defined to the reference edge (23) of the sheet material (1).Type: ApplicationFiled: May 15, 2001Publication date: May 23, 2002Inventors: Dieter Dobberstein, Joachim Haupt, Karlheinz Peter, Frank Pierel, Jurgen Sahlmann, Gerhard Sing, Rolf Johannes Spitz, Hans-Gunter Werner Staack
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Publication number: 20020017755Abstract: The invention relates to a method for the alignment of sheet-like material (1). Its alignment occurs via rotation elements (25), wherein the sheet-like material (1) is rotated around its central axis in order to print on the front and backsides. During the rotation of the sheet-like material (1) around its central axis, the material's leading edge (23) remains in its aligned position. Into the conveyor surface (9) is incorporated a sensor pair (30), preferably in the form of CCD line sensors, with which the sheet-like material (1) is aligned on the same lateral edge (24) following the rotation, as is the case during the alignment procedure of the sheet-like material (1) before it is rotated around its center axis.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 15, 2001Publication date: February 14, 2002Inventors: Dieter Karl-Heinz Dobberstein, Joachim Heinrich Haupt, Karlheinz Walter Peter, Frank Pierel, Jurgen Sahlmann, Gerhard Rudolf Sing, Rolf Johannes Spilz, Hans-Gunter Werner Staack
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Publication number: 20020011706Abstract: The invention relates to a process and a device for alignment of sheet material (1) which is conveyed in one conveyor plane (9). The sheet material is conveyed on bodies (35) of revolution and aligned by means of triggerable alignment elements (25) in the conveyor direction (22) and perpendicular to the conveyor direction (22). The alignment elements (25) are assigned to an alignment unit (8). The alignment motion necessary for alignment of the sheet material in the conveyor direction (2) and perpendicular thereto takes placed by separate alignment elements (25) which can be triggered independently of one another during conveyance of the sheet material (1) with the process speed.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 7, 2001Publication date: January 31, 2002Inventors: Dieter Karl- Heinz Dobberstein, Joachim Heinrich Haupt, Karlheinz Walter Peter, Jurgen Sahlmann, Gerhard Rudolf Sing, Rolf Johannes Spilz, Hans-Gunter Werner Staack, Frank Pierel, Lutz Michael Wagner
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Publication number: 20020001491Abstract: The invention relates to a method and apparatus for setting register on a multicolor printing machine (1) having color printing units (6, 6′, 6″, 6″) allocated to various printing inks and having image cylinders (2, 2′), equipment (3, 3′) for producing images, in particular electrostatic latent images, on the image cylinders (2, 2′, . . . ), a carrier (4) for printing substrates (15) and image transfer points (5, 5′, 5″, 5′″) for the transfer of the color separations (7, 7′, . . . ) from the color printing units (6, 6′, 6″, 6′″) to the printing substrates (15), an allocation of the image productions (11, 11′) on the image cylinders (2, 2′, . . . ) to the printing substrates (15) being carried out in order to achieve coincidence of register of the color separations (7, 7′, . . . ) in the print.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 17, 2001Publication date: January 3, 2002Applicant: NexPress Solutions LLCInventors: Donald Buch, Ingo Klaus Dreher, Heiko Hunold, Christopher Liston, Patrick Metzler, Michael Mordhorst, Stephan Walter Pareigis, Robert Peffer, Karlheinz Walter Peter, Ralph Petersen, Frank Pierel, John Robert Thompson, Gunther Voss