Abstract: A controller for a printhead is provided. The printhead has rows of printing nozzles with each nozzle row formed by adjacent sub-rows of printing nozzles of adjacently disposed printhead modules. Each nozzle row us arranged such that the join of the respective adjacent sub-rows is arbitrarily located relative to the other nozzle rows thereby forming an arbitrarily shaped join region. The controller being configured to determine the arbitrary shape of the join region and to supply dot data to the printhead which compensates for the determined arbitrary shape.

Abstract: A method of recording receipt of an item, the item comprising a product contained in a package, the package comprising an interface surface having disposed thereon coded data indicative of an identity of the item and of coordinates of a plurality of locations of the interface surface. The method includes the steps of: marking the interface surface using an optically imaging pen having a marking nib; sensing the coded data in the vicinity of the pen; generating indicating data using the sensed coded data, the indicating data including data regarding the identity of the item and positions of the pen relative to the interface surface; and transmitting the indicating data to a computer system.

Abstract: A method of decoding coded data provided on a photograph using a reader. The coded data is at least partially indicative of an audio signal and is provided on a photograph substrate in the same area as an image. The method includes steps of scanning the image using a scanner; locating within the image a first target boundary that is spatially displaced from the coded data; locating within the image a second target boundary that is spatially displaced from the coded data and downstream of the first target boundary in a direction in which the image is fed past the scanner; reading the coded data located between the first and second target boundaries; decoding the coded data read by the scanner to obtain an audio signal; and, playing the audio signal through an output.

Abstract: A telephone for printing an encoded form on print media is provided having a printer for printing the form encoded with region data on the print media, a transport path along which the print media is transported during printing, an interface to a remote server, and a sensor on the transport path for sensing identifiers encoded on the print media and generating an association between the sensed identifiers and the region data. The generated association is transmitted to the remote server via the interface such that user interaction with the regions of the identified printed form communicated to the remote server provide selection of the region data.

Abstract: A print control method performed by a print controller of an inkjet printer includes steps of heating the ink in a nozzle of the printer by applying a firing pulse of a duration less than a duration required to discharge an ink dot; sensing the temperature of the heated ink in the nozzle; sensing a voltage at an actuator heater of the nozzle; loading and updating a table listing (i) sensed values of ink temperature in the nozzle, (ii) resistivity of an actuator heater of the nozzle, and (iii) a width of the actuator heater; and changing the duration of a firing pulse used to discharge an ink dot in reference to the sensed voltage and the updated table of sensed temperature, resistivity and width values so as to produce a uniform ink dot size.

Abstract: A photo reproduction method includes scanning redundantly encoded data from a photograph, the redundantly encoded data being scanned from out of the photographic image; decoding the redundantly encoded data to obtain a digital representation of the photographic image from which the redundantly encoded data was scanned; and printing the digital representation of the photographic image to obtain a copy of the photographic image.

Abstract: A method of printing from a single multi-colored pagewidth inkjet printhead powered by a respective power supply. The printhead has transversely aligned color channels with first nozzles contained in a first color channel and second nozzles contained in a second channel supplied with a same colored ink as the first color channel. The first and second nozzles are configured in sets, such that each nozzle in a set is configurable to print a dot of ink onto a same position on a print medium. The method includes the steps of: (i) providing power sequentially to each nozzle row of the printhead from the power supply; and (ii) printing a line of dots across the print medium such some of the first nozzles and some of the second nozzles each contribute dots to the line.

Abstract: A handheld electronic pen having an audio recording mode and an audio playback mode. In the audio recording mode, the pen is configured to activate a microphone for recording audio, determine a position on an encoded substrate during interaction with the substrate associate said the position with the recorded audio. In the audio playback mode, the pen is configured to: determine a position on the encoded substrate, retrieve recorded audio associated with the position, and playback the recorded audio via an audio output device.

Abstract: A system for printing a list on a print medium includes a device and a server. The device which has a sensor module for sensing a print media identifier coded on a surface of the print medium, and a printer module for printing the list on the print medium. The server stores the list in association with the print medium identifier in a database. The list is retrievable from the database using the print media identifier.

Abstract: A handheld electronic pen having an audio recording mode and an audio playback mode. In the audio recording mode, the pen is configured to activate a microphone for recording audio, determine a position on an encoded substrate during interaction with the substrate associate said the position with the recorded audio. In the audio playback mode, the pen is configured to: determine a position on the encoded substrate, retrieve recorded audio associated with the position, and playback the recorded audio via an audio output device.

Abstract: A pen system for recording a track of handwritten information created by a handheld electronic pen. The pen system includes the handheld electronic pen and a second memory unit located in an external data storage device. The electronic pen has an image sensor for optically imaging a position-coding pattern printed on a surface, a processor for recording the handwritten information as digital ink and a first memory unit for storing the digital ink. The first and second memory units are connected in such a way that a transmission of digital ink is caused to occur automatically from the first memory unit to the second memory unit. Receipt of the digital ink by the second memory unit causes the second memory unit to associate the track of handwritten information with a stored description of the surface.

Abstract: A printhead controller is provided for supplying dot data to a printhead module having a plurality of nozzles for expelling ink. The printhead module includes a plurality of thermal sensors. Each of the thermal sensors is configured to respond to a temperature at or adjacent at least one of the nozzles. The printhead controller is configured to modify operation of at least some of the nozzles in response to the temperature rising above a first threshold. The printhead module is a thermal inkjet printhead module and each of the nozzles includes a thermal ink ejection mechanism. Each thermal sensor comprises at least part of one of the thermal inkjet mechanisms.

Abstract: A system for printing a greeting card on a print medium, the system comprising: a mobile telecommunications device which comprises: a printer module to print the greeting card on the print medium; and, a sensor module to sense a print media identifier of the print medium.

Abstract: A method of storing data on a photograph includes delimiting a plurality of data block regions on the photograph, the plurality of data block regions superposing a region of the photograph delimited for the printing of a photographic image; compressing data representing the image contained in the photograph with a compression technique; redundantly encoding the compressed data using Reed-Solomon encoding techniques; shuffling the redundantly encoded compressed data in a deterministic manner to reduce potential effects of localized encoded data caused by damage to the photograph; and printing the shuffled data as dots within the data block regions on the photograph. The printing of the shuffled data is performed simultaneously with a printing of the image of the photograph.

Abstract: A printer controller for controlling a printhead comprising at least one monolithic printhead module, the at least one printhead module having a plurality of rows of nozzles configured to extend, in use, across at least part of a printable pagewidth of the printhead, the nozzles in each row being grouped into at least first and second fire groups, the printhead module being configured to sequentially fire, for each row, the nozzles of each fire group, such that each nozzle in the sequence from each fire group is fired simultaneously with respective corresponding nozzles in the sequence in the other fire groups, wherein the nozzles are fired row by row such that the nozzles of each row are all fired before the nozzles of each subsequent row, wherein the printer controller is configured to provide one or more control signals that control the order of firing of the nozzles.

Abstract: A printer is provided having a printhead having ejection nozzles and a plurality of controllers configured to process print data for printing and to output the processed data to the printhead. The plurality of controllers are connected to a common input of the printhead.

Abstract: A method of printing an electronic document using a mobile telecommunications device is disclosed. The electronic document is first identified using the mobile telecommunications device. The electronic document is then printed on a print medium in a media feed path of a printer module of the mobile telecommunications device. Coded data encoded on the print medium is also sensed using a sensor module in the media feed path of the printer module. A print media identifier which identifies the print medium is identified from the coded data, and an association between the print media identifier and the electronic document is formed. The electronic document is retrievable using the print media identifier.

Abstract: A system for printing a webpage and retrieving content via the printed webpage. The system includes a print medium provided with first and second coded data encoding a print media identifier in different formats, and a mobile telecommunications device. The mobile telecommunications device includes: a media feed path; a printer positioned in the media feed path for printing the webpage onto the print medium; an optical encoder for reading the first coded data; a transceiver; and a sensor module for sensing at the second coded data. The processor determines a print media identifier from the first coded data, initiates linking of the webpage to the print media identifier, determines the print media identifier and a coordinate location from the second coded data, and initiates retrieval of the content using the print media identifier and the coordinate location.

Abstract: A camera is provided having a camera module, a network interface module and printing module. The camera module receives user input and captures the image with an image sensor in response to the user input. The interface module transfers the captured image to a computer system. The printing module prints an interface onto a surface including the image and coded data at least partially indicative of an identity of the image. This allows the identity of the image to be obtained from the interface. The interface module receives the image from the computer system and the printing module receives the image from the network interface module and print the image on a second surface.

Abstract: A method of controlling a clock signal with a print controller is provided. In response to receiving an external signal, the print controller determines the number of cycles of a clock signal generated by a ring oscillator of the print controller during a predetermined number of cycles of the external signal or the number of cycles of the external signal during a predetermined number of cycles of the clock signal and outputs the determined number of cycles to an external circuit. In response to receiving a trim value from clock trim circuitry of the print controller which trims the frequency of the clock signal based on the determined number of cycles from the external circuit, the trim value is stored in memory of the print controller. The clock trim circuitry is controlled to trim the frequency of the clock signal generated by the ring oscillator using the trim value.