Abstract: The present invention relates to an antenna element for a portable communication device as well as to a portable communication device including such an antenna element. The antenna element includes a wire of an electrically conducting material having a first and a second feeding end for connection to a radio communication unit and ground. The wire also has a winding section comprising a number of turns around a central axis. The last turn of the winding section, which is provided furthest from the first feeding end is in physical contact with the previous turn and the rest of the turns are separated from each other.

Abstract: An antenna assembly includes an antenna and a radome that covers the antenna. The radome can be single- or double-walled, and, to prevent accumulation of dew on the radome, a radome heater operates to heat the radome's surface temperature in a relatively uniform manner by raising the radome air space's air temperature. To increase the radome heater's energy efficiency, an insulating layer thermally insulates the radome heater from the surface on which it is mounted.

Abstract: A spatial image type display includes a front display device and a rear display device having display surfaces for displaying images in the same direction. The display devices are arranged with a predetermined spacing between their respective display surfaces. The display surfaces are provided with sub pixels formed at almost the same pixel pitches, and aligned with each other. Transparent regions are formed next to the respective sub pixels of the front display device. The light emitted from the sub pixels of the rear display device is transmitted through the transparent regions, and emitted toward the viewer along with the light emitted from the sub pixels of the front display device. A stereoscopic image is thus displayed in accordance with the brightnesses of the images displayed on the front display device and the rear display device. These display devices are made of an organic EL display or a liquid crystal display.

Abstract: A two-dimensional (2D)/three-dimensional (3D) convertible display using a pinhole array, and more particularly, a 2D/3D convertible display, which is easily convertible between the 2D or 3D modes using an electro-optic material of which the refractive index varies according to applied power is provided. A system capable of easily selecting 2D/3D can be used in many fields, which are in need of greatly improved video information, such as medical science, engineering, simulation, and stereoscopic video TV, which will emerge in the near future.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a plasma display panel, and more particularly, to a method of displaying the gray scale in a plasma display panel. According to the present invention, a method of displaying gray scales in a plasma display panel having an inverse gamma correction unit that operates using gamma tables includes the steps of allowing the inverse gamma correction unit to match picture signals, which corresponds to an n number of frames (n is a natural number) respectively, to an n number of previously stored gamma tables, allowing the inverse gamma correction unit to perform an inverse gamma process on the picture signals received according to the matched gamma tables to produce real gray scales every frame, and allowing the inverse gamma correction unit to divide the real gray scales every frame by n and then to produce last real gray scales. More fine gray scales can be represented by extending the number of real gray scales. It is thus possible to remove noise and provide a much smooth image.

Abstract: A driving circuit for producing sustain waveforms of a plasma display panel (PDP) is mentioned. The driving circuit includes the functions of voltage clamping and energy recovery. By controlling switches contained in the driving circuit, the supplied voltage source can be made to be only half of the sustain voltage. The voltage stress of some components will therefore be lower. In addition, the numbers of components can be reduced in the driving circuit.

Abstract: A light emitting display having an emissive element which emits light in response to a supplied current, comprises a drive current generating element for generating a drive current for allowing light to be emitted from the emissive element, a data line onto which a voltage signal and a current signal corresponding to data regarding an amount of light emission from the emissive element are sequentially supplied, and a voltage storage element connected to the data line and for sequentially storing a charge voltage based on the voltage signal and the current signal corresponding to data regarding the amount of light emission.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a circuit for driving an electronic component includes a first conduction path and a second conduction path connected in parallel. Each of the first and second conduction paths includes a field-effect transistor. The first field-effect transistor lies along the first conduction path, and the second field-effect transistor lies along the second conduction path. The circuit can be used in an electronic device that includes a radiation-emitting electronic component or a radiation-responsive electronic component. During a first time period, current flows through the first conduction path and the first electronic component while a second conduction path of a driving unit is off. During a second time period, current flows through the second conduction path and the first electronic component while the first conduction path of the driving unit is off.

Abstract: To suppress variations of data currents dependent on a threshold voltage Vth of driving elements which form a current generation circuit. A current output section 41a has circuit systems in which a driving element DR and a switching element SW are connected in series, the number of the circuit systems corresponding to the number of the bits of input data. Each gate of the driving elements DR is commonly connected to a first node N1. The current output section 41a outputs data current Idata such that electrical currents flowing through each channel of the driving elements DR are merged in a state in which the voltage V1 of the node N1 of the node is set to a driving voltage. A gate voltage generation section 41b sets the voltage V1 of the node N1 to an offset voltage corresponding to Vth by diode-connecting at least one of the driving elements DR.

Abstract: An image display and a display panel. The display panel includes data lines for transmitting a data signal corresponding to video signals, scan lines for transmitting select signals, and pixel circuits formed in pixel regions defined by two neighboring data lines and scan lines. The pixel circuit includes a display element and a first transistor having a capacitor coupled between main and control electrodes thereof. The first transistor outputs a current corresponding to the voltage between the main and control electrodes. A second transistor has a control electrode coupled to the control electrode of the first transistor. A first switch delivers the data signal from the data lines to the second transistor in response to the select signal from the current scan line.

Abstract: For the purpose of providing a display apparatus capable of improving display quality by expanding the light-emission area of pixels by improving the layout of pixels and common power-feed lines formed on a substrate, pixels (7A, 7B) including a light-emission element (40), such as an electroluminescence element or an LED element, are arranged on both sides of common power-feed lines (com) so that the number of common power-feed lines (com) is reduced. Further, the polarity of a driving current flowing between the pixels (7A, 7B) and the light-emission element (40) is inverted so that the amount of current flowing through the common power-supply lines “com” is reduced.

Abstract: A display apparatus is provided which can perform display of high visibility with the load on a power supply for supplying power to display elements. A display screen is provided with a plurality of pixels arranged in an array. Each pixel includes a display element and a driving circuit for supplying the display element with a current corresponding to a video signal. A display state detection circuit detects the display state of the display screen twice or more within a one-frame period. A dimming circuit varies a current supply time to supply a current from the driving circuit to the display element, in accordance with an output from the display state detection circuit, and performs dimming control twice or more within a one-frame period.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes: a gate driver for sequentially applying a gate signal to a gate line for a horizontal line; a control signal supplier for applying a clock-shaped control signal to a control line provided in parallel to the gate line for the horizontal line; a data driver for applying a video signal to a data line provided in a direction crossing the gate line; a first liquid crystal cell provided at one side of the data line to receive said video signal under control of said gate signal and said control signal; and a second liquid crystal cell provided at an other side of the data line to receive said video signal under control of said gate signal.

Abstract: A liquid crystal panel development method for a panel including first and second substrates and first and second electrodes with a display voltage applied to liquid crystal interposed therebetween. The method involves applying a voltage signal between the electrodes with an AC voltage component of amplitude Vac and a DC voltage component Vdc, changing Vac and Vdc to measure the range of optimal DC component variation ?Vdc, and determining a structure or material of the liquid crystal panel such that the range of optimal DC component variation ?Vdc becomes less than a given value. ?Vdc=|Vdcb —Vdcw|, where Vdcb is the Vdc value at the minimum range of transmittance variation when Vdc is changed with Vac being fixed for displaying black, and Vdcw is the Vdc value at the minimum range of transmittance variation when Vdc is changed with Vac being fixed for displaying white.

Abstract: Liquid crystal display backplane layouts and addressing for non-standard subpixel arrangements are disclosed. A liquid crystal display comprises a panel and a plurality of transistors. The panel substantially comprises a subpixel repeating group having an even number of subpixels in a first direction. Each thin film transistor connects one subpixel to a row and a column line at an intersection in one of a group of quadrants. The group comprises a first quadrant, a second quadrant, a third quadrant and a fourth quadrant, wherein the thin film transistors are formed in a backplane structure adjacent to intersections of the row and column lines. The thin film transistors are also substantially formed in more than one quadrant in the backplane structure.

Abstract: The states of various kinds of control signals, such as a horizontal synchronizing signal, a vertical synchronizing signal, a display timing signal, etc., that are supplied from an external signal source to a display device, are inspected. In the states of various kinds of control signals supplied from the external signal source HOST to the display device DSP, (1) the vertical synchronizing signal (VSYNC) is converted into a display signal of red (R), (2) the horizontal synchronizing signal (HSYNC) is converted into a display signal of green (G), and (3) the display timing signal is converted into a display signal of blue (B) by a control signal inspecting circuit. The states are displayed in color and brightness on the screen of the display device DSP, so that these states can be simply visually inspected.

Abstract: An edge detecting circuit detects whether a particular pixel belongs to an edge by determining whether the differential value of the pixel from the neighboring pixel is equal to or greater than a threshold. Based on the detection result, an emphasis converter stops OS drive when the image of a pixel area is regarded as an edge image in accordance with the detected result of the edge detecting circuit and implements OS drive when the image of a pixel area is not regarded as an edge image. In this way, the edge detecting circuit detects edge portions of the input video, whereby OS drive in the emphasis converter can be controlled so as to be turned on and off.

Abstract: A problem arises with related art liquid crystal displays in that the amount of power consumed will not be reduced any further, as a voltage generator circuit to supply power is kept activated. An exemplary method for driving a display uses a first plurality of operational amplifiers to generate a first plurality of voltages of different levels associated with a first plurality of grayscale levels displayable in the display so as to provide the display with a second plurality of grayscale levels out of the first plurality of grayscale levels. The method includes activating a second plurality of operational amplifiers corresponding to the second plurality of grayscale levels out of the first plurality of operational amplifiers, and deactivating remaining operational amplifiers other than the second plurality of operational amplifiers.

Abstract: An image display apparatus includes a plurality of display devices wired in a matrix through a plurality of scanning signal wirings and a plurality of modulated signal wirings, and a driving circuit for applying a modulated signal having a pulsewidth corresponding to an image signal to each of the plurality of modulated signal wirings. The driving circuit causes the modulated signal to fall in discrete decrements to a non-display state from a display state.

Abstract: A display device includes a display panel; a plurality of lamps facing the display panel and arranged in parallel; and at least one transformer connected to the plurality of lamps, wherein the at least one transformer is disposed at a lower portion of the display device adjacent to a ground. A transformer may include a driving transformer and a compensation transformer, where the compensation transformer may be connected to one or more lower lamps and the driving transformer may be connected to the remainder of the lamps. The output voltages of the compensation transformer and the driving transformer may differ.

Abstract: An apparatus for concealing a light emitting video display mounted to a vertical surface by reflecting incident ambient light in mirror-like fashion. The apparatus includes a perimeter structure, which is positioned adjacent to the vertical surface about the video display. The perimeter structure has a front opening for enabling visual access to the video display. A beam-split film is disposed within the front opening, and has the characteristics of partial transmission of the light emitted by the video display and partial reflection of the incident ambient light. A fan is disposed to circulate air adjacent to the video display, and a light baffle is disposed about the perimeter structure for enabling circulation of ambient air through the perimeter structure while preventing the transmission of ambient light into the perimeter structure.

Abstract: A wired/wireless chargeable mouse, within which is configured a coil winding mechanism that is used to rewind a connecting wire and a connector into the mouse. When using the mouse in wired mode, a charging circuit of a circuit board charges a battery within the mouse using electric power transmitted from a host computer through the connector and the connecting wire. Furthermore, light-emitting diodes of the circuit board produce different luminescent displays corresponding to different states of the mouse.

Abstract: A control apparatus for input screens includes a display unit, a switch portion and a control unit including a microcomputer. If one of a menu switch of the switch portion and a plurality of dummy switches included in a screen displayed by the display unit is operated, the microcomputer causes the display unit to display a new screen including a plurality of dummy switches. The microcomputer estimates a time period required for the operator to watch a screen to operate the dummy switch, depending on the displayed screen (the number of dummy switches). If the sum of estimated time periods exceeds a reference time period, the microcomputer nullifies operation of the dummy switch to prevent the screen from being switched. After the lapse of a predetermined time period, the microcomputer cancels the nullification of the operation of the dummy switch.

Abstract: An application state of a computer program is stored and associated with a physical object and can be subsequently retrieved when the physical object is detected adjacent to an interactive display surface. An identifying characteristic presented by the physical object, such as a reflective pattern applied to the object, is detected when the physical object is positioned on the interactive display surface. The user or the system can initiate a save of the application state. For example, the state of an electronic game using the interactive display surface can be saved. Attributes representative of the state are stored and associated with the identifying characteristic of the physical object. When the physical object is again placed on the interactive display surface, the physical object is detected based on its identifying characteristic, and the attributes representative of the state can be selectively retrieved and used to recreate the state of the application.

Abstract: A coordinate input control method is used in a display-integrated coordinate input apparatus which includes a display having thereon a first area and a second area, and a single coordinate-input unit, and in which the coordinate input means inputs coordinates on the display. The method determines if the coordinates input by the coordinate input unit are on the second area. When it is determined that the input coordinates are on the second area, it is determined whether the coordinates on the second area have been consecutively input since processing on the first area. When it is determined that the coordinates have been consecutively input, designation of processing on the second area is nullified.

Abstract: A touch screen comprising a flexible sheet comprising a substantially planar surface and integral compressible spacer dots formed thereon, where each spacer dot comprises a base cross section in the substantially planar surface of the flexible sheet defined by a first point or set of connected points intersecting an axis in the substantially planar surface, a second opposed point or set of connected points intersecting the axis, and first and second continuous edge segments connecting the first and second points or end points of the first and second sets of points on opposite sides of the axis, wherein the spacer dot has a variable height perpendicular to the substantially planar surface along the axis, and wherein the surface of the spacer dot extending above the base cross section is not equidistant from the mid-point of the axis between the intersections of the first and second points or sets of connected points and the axis.

Abstract: A radiation module capable of resisting reverse flow of hot fluid includes a fan, a radiator and a retaining tool. The fan provides an inlet and an outlet. The radiator is connected to the outlet of the fan. The retaining tool secures the radiator to a heat generation part. At least a baffle is provided in the radiation module. The fluid enters the fan via the inlet and flows toward the radiator via the outlet to cool the heat-generating component and the hot fluid moving outward the radiator is resisted entering the inlet with the baffle part so as to enhance heat dissipation efficiency.

Abstract: The present application describes systems and methods for creating a document having metadata using a pointing device such as a digital pen. In one configuration, a digital pen captures pen stroke data and processes that data to determine metadata that the pen then writes to metadata storage located on the document.

Abstract: An electronic module that inserts into or is otherwise associated with a pen or other writing instrument. The electronic module includes a mechanism, such as an accelerometer, for detecting pen motion. The electronic module is preferably mounted in a substitute ink cartridge for a pen. Ballistic information generated by the accelerometer is transmitted via the radio transmitter to a computer (e.g., a personal computer), where processing and/or storage of the accelerometer information may occur. The accelerometer information may be used, for example, for handwriting recognition or digital ink generation. The electronic module is preferably provided in a casing that is shaped like an ink cartridge. Contemporary pens usually include two cartridges within the pen, a first that supplies ink to the nib, and a second that presses the first against the nib. The components may be mounted in a cartridge that is placed in the position of the second cartridge.

Abstract: A display controller includes a video signal-analyzing unit, a video signal-adjusting unit operable to receive a video signal, to adjust the video signal in accordance with adjustment parameter information, and to feed the adjusted video signal into a display device, and a light source-controlling unit operable to feed a light source-controlling signal into a light source in accordance with light source light-emitting amount information. The video signal-analyzing unit allows timing in which the display device displays a picture in accordance with the adjusted video signal from the video signal-adjusting unit to be synchronized with timing in which the light source changes a light-emitting amount in response to the light source-controlling signal from the light source-controlling unit.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display device according to the present invention includes: a liquid crystal panel 11; a source driver 12 for controlling the gray-scale level by applying a voltage to the liquid crystal panel 11; a DC-DC power supply 13 for driving the source driver 12 by supplying current to the source driver 12; a controller 14 for supplying a signal for controlling the gray-scale level to the source driver 12; and a variation calculator 15 for calculating the amount of change in the signal from the controller 14. In the DC-DC power supply 13, current to be supplied to the source driver 12 changes in accordance with the amount of change in the signal calculated by the variation calculator 15.

Abstract: A display device includes a dynamic ratio less shift register which is operated in a stable manner and can expand the degree of freedom of design. In the dynamic ratio less shift register which is provided with thin film transistors having semiconductor layers made of p-Si on a substrate surface, a node which becomes the floating state is connected to a fixed potential through a capacitance element.

Abstract: Traditional techniques of 3D data retrieval using names and subjective attributes are not robust and are difficult to automate over large 3D repositories. Certain techniques developed for search and classification of 2D engineering designs, are in general, difficult to extend to 3D models. These issues are addressed by a system for automated search and classification for 3D CAx models based on their geometric “shape,” which is often an indication of design, analysis and manufacturing process similarity. A new method and system are provided for representing 3D shape as a composition of multiple 2D image projections, which are transformed using the Discrete Fourier and Harr Wavelet transforms. Key coefficients of the transforms are then stored in the 3D model repository and are used to efficiently search and classify such repositories.

Abstract: Smoothing operations on a three-dimensional geometrical primitive, such as a mesh, are restricted by filtering the set of smoothing vectors to apply a user-selected restriction to the set of vectors. The user-selected restriction limits the set of smoothing vectors according to a normal of a surface corresponding to the primitive. The filtered set of vectors are applied to the primitive to smooth the primitive. Thus, smoothing may be applied proportionally to the convexity or concavity of the surface. Smoothing also may be applied to move a control point of the primitive, such as a vertex in a mesh, only in a direction parallel to the normal of the surface at that control point or perpendicular to the normal of the surface at that control point. Each control point also may be reprojected after smoothing onto the original surface along the normal of the smoothed surface, or the normal of the original surface.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for building an atlas includes providing a volume data for a plurality of bones, segmenting, individually, the plurality of bones from the volume data, storing locations of a plurality of voxels for each of the plurality of bones, wherein each of the plurality of bones is registered with a dedicated list of locations, wherein the locations are locations in a coordinate system of the volume data, selecting one or more of the plurality of bones, forming a selected structure, and rendering the selected structure in the coordinate system of the volume data according to the dedicated list of locations of each of the plurality of bones in the selected structure, wherein a rendering is displayed by a display.

Abstract: In response to a requirement of transferring a file from a personal computer PC to a projector 10 that is output by dragging and dropping a corresponding file icon onto a projector icon, a CPU 50 requires setting of a password. The CPU 50 maps the preset password to a file and transfers the file with the password to an external storage device of the projector 10. The projector 10 requires input of a password, which is expected to be assigned to the file, and allows reproduction of the file when the input password is coincident with the preset password.

Abstract: A system and method for decoding memory addresses for accessing a memory system having a plurality of blocks of memory for storing data at addressable memory locations. Memory addresses are decoded to access the addressable memory locations of a first block of memory in accordance with a first memory address allocation format and the memory addresses are decoded to access the addressable memory locations of a second block of memory in accordance with a second memory address allocation method different from the first memory address allocation format.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and system are described in which a signal is generated to inhibit the execution of flip commands that cause a flip between buffers of a frame buffer. One or more of the flip commands and their associated instruction pointers may be preloaded into a frame buffer flip queue prior to removing the signal inhibiting the execution of the flip commands.

Abstract: The present invention is directed toward a texture combine circuit for generating fragment graphics data for a pixel in a graphics processing system. The texture combine circuit includes at least one texture combine unit and is coupled to receive graphics data, such as a plurality of texture graphics data, and perform user selected graphics combine operations on a set of input data selected from the plurality of texture graphics data to produce the fragment graphics data for the pixel. The texture combine circuit may include several texture combine units in a cascade connection, where each texture combine unit is coupled to receive the plurality of texture graphics data and the resultant output value of the previous texture combine units in the cascade.

Abstract: Systems and methods for displaying volume data on an arbitrary three-dimensional polygonal surface are disclosed. For each polygon in the polygonal surface, a two-dimensional texture tile is created and these texture tiles are combined to form texture atlases. Each texture atlas is allocated a specific amount of memory in a texture cache. Each polygon in the polygonal surface may be scan-converted and the resulting texels may be placed in the texture cache. Voxels that do not intersect any polygon in the polygonal surface may not be scan-converted. This method may result in reduced use of texture cache.

Abstract: Real space image including a simple prototype created based on three-dimensional CAD data is captured by an image input apparatus. A position/orientation measuring apparatus measures positions and orientations of the image input apparatus and simple prototype. An information processor captures position/orientation information representing the position and orientation of the simple prototype in the image captured by the image input apparatus 102. The information processor further extracts a hand area from an image, renders a three-dimensional computer graphic image on the simple prototype, excluding the extracted hand area, in the image based on the position/orientation information and the three-dimensional CAD data, and synthesizes the image and the three-dimensional computer graphic image. Here, the simple prototype has a different color from a color of the hand area.

Abstract: A string display system for displaying display target strings includes a storage unit 50 that correlates and stores detection target strings and display numbers, a display time determination unit 56 that provisionally determines display times of the display target strings, and a detection unit 52 that detects the detection target strings included in the display target strings. The display time determination unit 56 conducts processing where, when the detection target strings are detected, the display numbers of the detection target strings are read from the storage unit 50, and the display times of the display target strings are shortened in accordance with the read display numbers. The string display system further includes a display unit 58 that displays the display target strings over the shortened display times of the display target strings.

Abstract: In tetrahedral interpolation suitable for data conversion implemented by digital computations, when the unit rectangular hexahedron is a regular hexahedron, no complicated multiplication is required, and the computation volume can be greatly reduced. However, when the unit rectangular hexahedron is not a regular hexahedron, since a complicated multiplication is required, the computation volume increases considerably. To avoid this, after the grid spacing is set (S1), X-u?, Y-v?, and Z-w? tables for obtaining the positions of an input value with respect to normalized grid points are prepared (S2-S4). Subsequently, image data is input (S5), and u?, v?, and w? corresponding to the input image data are obtained using the prepared tables (S6). The relationship among u?, v?, and w? is determined (S7), and data-converted image data is calculated using an equation corresponding to the determination result (S8).

Abstract: A method of displaying an image including receiving a plurality of corresponding to an image data, wherein each of the plurality of frames includes a plurality of color sub-frames; sequentially displaying the color sub-frames corresponding to a first frame in a first color sequence over time; and displaying the sub-frames corresponding to a second frame following the first frame in a second color sequence over time, wherein the first color sequence is different from the second color sequence.

Abstract: An OLED display system includes a) an OLED display including an array of light emitting pixels, each pixel having a plurality of OLEDs for emitting different colors of light specifying a gamut wherein one of the OLEDs has a power efficiency or lifetime different from the power efficiency or lifetime of at least one of the other OLEDs; b) a control signal; and c) a display driver for receiving a color display signal representing a relative luminance and color to be produced for each pixel of the display and generating a converted color display signal for driving the OLEDs in the display, wherein the display driver is responsive to the control signal for controlling the color gamut saturation of light produced by the OLEDs to reduce power consumption or increase lifetime of at least one of the OLEDs.

Abstract: Provided is an exposure head controller that controls, via pulse width modulation control, the emission quantity of each light emitting element in an exposure head having a light emitting element array formed by arranging a plurality of light emitting elements in a main scanning direction and a sub scanning direction orthogonal thereto, comprising: a data retention unit that retains dot gathering control data showing whether to emit each light emitting element at the starting point side, terminal point side or in the middle of an emission period corresponding to a 1 pixel pitch in the sub scanning direction, or to divide and emit each light emitting element at the starting point side and terminal point side, emission time data showing the emission time of each light emitting element, and skew data showing the skew quantity of each light emitting element a dot gathering operation circuit provided to each light emitting element and which operates the time in which the light emitting element is to be retained in

Abstract: An image forming apparatus that forms images, while continuously conveying, a long flexible recording medium in a constant conveyance direction on a conveyance path, the image forming apparatus comprising: a belt conveyance mechanism that is disposed on the conveyance path and is configured by an endless belt wound between at least two rollers; and an image forming unit that conducts image forming on the long flexible recording medium being conveyed in a state where the long flexible recording medium is flatly disposed on the endless belt of the belt conveyance mechanism disposed on the conveyance path.

Abstract: The image forming apparatus has a heat member for heating an unfixed image and is configured so that a longitudinal center of the heat member becomes a conveyance center of the recording material, the image forming apparatus including a central portion temperature detection part adjacent to the conveyance center, an end portion temperature detection part for detecting an end portion temperature of the heat member, and a width detection part for detecting a lateral width of the recording material, wherein the width detection part is disposed at a side opposite to a side at which the end portion temperature detection part is disposed with respect to the conveyance center position of the recording material. The image forming apparatus achieves the control for error setting of the recording material based on the width detection part and the end portion temperature detection part.

Abstract: Methods and control systems are provided for operating a thermal printer adapted to print images by heating and transferring donor material from donor patch sets from onto a receiver medium, the printer being operable to print images in a manner that exhausts a full donor patch set or a fractional donor patch set during printing. The control system comprises a controller for identifying one of the donor patch sets on the web as a fractional donor patch set having sufficient donor material remaining to print an image. The controller is further adapted to determine that the fractional donor patch set is not to be used for printing when the identified fractional donor patch set has been used to print an image wherein at least a minimum area of at least one donor patch has been heated to a level above a threshold level.

Abstract: An image is formed by thermally transferring dyes of a thermal transfer sheet onto a print recording medium, and then a protection layer is formed on the formed image. The transport speed of the print recording medium in the event of thermal transferring the dyes onto the print recording medium is set higher than that in the event of thermal transferring the protection layer onto the print recording medium. Thereby, the amount of thermal energy for application in the event of protection layer formation is increased to be greater than that in the event of image formation. Thereby, occurrence of concave-convex portions formed on the printed surface in association with a density difference in the event of image formation is prevented, and concurrently, the surface pattern in the event of image protection layer formation is improved.