Title: Decorating system for edible items
Abstract: A system for creating a decorative edible item from a selected image. The system includes at least one image source, such as a scanner and/or a library of stored images, a controller unit and a printer. An edible media is inserted into the printer. The user then selects the image source, such as the scanner for scanning in a photograph reminiscence of a person or event being honored. The size of the printed image is then selected as well as the number of copies to be printed from the image. The print sequence is then activated. The controller unit applies color correction to the digital image and converts the digital image into printer control signals to operate the printer. The printer then prints a rendition of the image with edible inks as the edible media travels through the printer. A high-quality pictorial rendition of the image is thus created. The printed edible media can then be applied onto a product, shipped to a separate location or eaten as is.
Patent Number: 7,012,712 Issued on 03/14/2006 to Spurgeon, et al.
| Inventors:
|
Spurgeon; Stephen L. (Longmont, CO);
Kammerer, Jr.; Ronald B. (Longmont, CO)
|
| Assignee:
|
DecoPac, Inc. (Minneapolis, MN)
|
| Appl. No.:
|
925459 |
| Filed:
|
August 25, 2004 |
| Current U.S. Class: |
358/1.18; 358/1.12; 358/1.9; 426/383; 426/104; 426/105; 347/106; 347/102; 118/13 |
| Current Intern'l Class: |
G06F 15/00 (20060101); A23L 1/10 (20060101); B41J 3/40.7 (20060101); A01J 27/02 (20060101) |
| Field of Search: |
358/118,19-112
700/204,66
426/383,104,249
101/483,37
118/13-14
|
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|
Primary Examiner: Lamb; Twyler M.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Fish & Richardson P.C., P.A.
Parent Case Text
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 10/058,629 filed on Jan.
28, 2002 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,903,841, which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No.
09/144,046 filed Aug. 31, 1998 now abandoned, which claims the benefit of provisional
patent application Ser. No. 60/079,335, filed on Mar. 25, 1998.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A system for decorating edible media to be applied to bakery products, comprising:
an inkjet printer operable to receive and print upon an edible medium;
a scanner to generate a scanned image; and
a control system coupled to the printer and the scanner to selectively retrieve
and transmit the scanned image to the printer from the scanner, wherein the control
system automatically retrieves and causes to be printed on the edible medium the
scanned image in response to activation of a single button.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the control system includes an image editing
system to modify the scanned image in response to user input.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein the edible medium comprises edible paper.
4. The system of claim 1, further comprising an alternate image source containing
a plurality of digital images, wherein the control system is coupled to the alternate
image source to selectively retrieve and transmit a digital image to the printer
from the alternate image source, and wherein the control system is operable to
retrieve and cause to be printed on the edible medium a digital image from the
alternate image source in response to activation by a user.
5. The system of claim 4, wherein the digital images contained in the alternate
image source include licensed images.
6. The system of claim 4, wherein the alternate image source includes clip-art
or illustrations.
7. A system for decorating edible media to be applied to bakery products, comprising:
an inkjet printer operable to receive and print upon an edible medium;
a scanner to generate a scanned image;
an alternate image source containing a plurality of digital images; and
a control system coupled to the printer, scanner and alternate image source to
selectively retrieve and transmit to the printer the scanned image from the scanner
or one of the plurality of digital image from the alternate image source.
8. The system of claim 7, wherein the control system automatically retrieves
and causes to be printed on the edible medium the scanned image in response to
activation of a single button.
9. The system of claim 7, wherein the digital images contained in the alternate
image source include licensed images.
10. The system of claim 7, wherein the alternate image source includes clip-art
or illustrations.
11. The system of claim 7, wherein the control system includes an image editing
system to modify a selected image in response to user input.
12. A method for decorating a bakery product, comprising:
providing a bakery product to be decorated;
providing a printable edible medium to be applied to the bakery product;
inserting the printable edible medium into a printer;
selecting between at least two printing options, said print options including
i) retrieving a scanned image and ii) retrieving a digital image from an alternate
image source containing a plurality of digital images;
when the option of retrieving a digital image from the alternate image source
is selected, selecting an image from the plurality of images and printing the selected
image on the edible medium;
printing the scanned image or the selected digital image onto the edible medium; and
applying the image-bearing edible medium to the bakery product.
13. The method of claim 12, further comprising, when the option of retrieving
a scanned image is selected, pressing a single button to automatically scan and
print the image onto said edible medium.
14. The method of claim 12, further comprising obtaining an original photograph
to be scanned.
15. The method of claim 12, further comprising digitally editing the scanned
image or the selected image prior to printing the image on the edible medium.
16. The method of claim 12, further comprising optionally selecting a third print
option, the third print option including retrieving a licensed image from a licensed
image source.
17. The method of claim 12, further comprising disposing an original photograph
on a flatbed scanner.
18. The method of claim 12, wherein the bakery product is a cake.
19. A method for manufacturing a system for decorating edible media, comprising:
providing an inkjet printer operable to receive and print upon an edible medium;
coupling the printer to a scanner, a user interface and a control system that
causes an image to be scanned and transmitted to the printer; and
providing an alternate image source containing a plurality of digital images,
said alternate image source being coupled to the control system such that the control
system may retrieve and transmit an image from the alternate image source to the
printer in response to user input.
20. The method of claim 19, wherein the control system causes an image to be
scanned and transmitted to the printer in response to activation of a single button.
21. The method of claim 19, wherein the digital images include licensed images.
22. The method of claim 21, wherein the alternate image source includes clip-art
or illustrations.
23. A system for decorating edible media to be applied to bakery products, comprising:
an inkjet printer operable to receive and print upon an edible medium;
a scanner to generate a scanned image;
an alternate image source configured to store and make available for transmission
a plurality of digital images; and
a control system coupled to the printer, scanner and alternate image source configured
to selectively retrieve and transmit to the printer the scanned image from the
scanner or one of the plurality of digital image from the alternate image source.
24. The system of claim 23, wherein the control system is configured to automatically
retrieve and cause to be printed on the edible medium the scanned image in response
to activation of a single button.
25. The system of claim 23, wherein the digital images comprise licensed images.
26. The system of claim 23, wherein the digital images comprise clip-art.
27. The system of claim 23, wherein the control system includes an image editing
system to modify a selected image in response to user input.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to the field of digital imaging on edible items.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Decorative food products, such as cakes, are popular items, particularly
for special occasions, such as birthdays, holidays, weddings, anniversaries and
other celebratory events. These items are typically purchased from bakeries, since
they require some skill and/or apparatus to create. Previously, these items were
created from colored frostings applied manually by trained bakery chefs. The creation
of these hand-decorated items were time and labor intensive. Normally a customer
will either buy a stock item from the bakery or else place an order for a special
item then return to pick the order up at a later date. These manually created items
are at best a stylized rendition of the desired image and limited by the skill
of the baker.
There have been a number of attempts previously to provide alternatives to
the manually created decorating process. One such alternative that is presently
widely used is the use of pre-made decorative items which are then placed on the
food product. These pre-made items are produced in bulk and inventoried until use.
The use of such pre-made decorative items precludes uniquely decorated and/or personalized
decorations. Also, these pre-made decorative items must be either ordered, which
requires a long lead time, or stored in inventory at the risk of under ordering
or over ordering, as well as the cost of such inventory. Another alternative has
been to utilize an automated system for decorating cakes.
One example of such a system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,910,661, issued
to Barth et al. This system uses a video system to create an image, which is then
applied to the cake by controlled movement of an X-Y table beneath a set of spray
nozzles which dispense colored liquid onto the cake. This system is cumbersome
and complicated and requires operator intervention.
One other system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,578,273, issued to Krubert.
This system uses a series of stations through which the food product is conveyed.
At one station, a series of colored images are stamped onto the food product to
form an image. This process is geared toward mass production of products having
identical images since the stamps are formed in a single image. The stamps must
be changed in order to create another image.
Another prior attempt is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,505,775, issued to
Kitos. This system utilizes an integrated work surface controlled with a computer
system. An image is scanned into the computer system. The computer system then
uses a motion control system to manipulate a drop on demand colorant expulsion
system over a cake carried on the work surface to reproduce the scanned image.
This system requires a flat surface on the top of the cake since it is incapable
of vertical axis movement. The choice of colors is limited to the three-color single
cartridge colorant expulsion system.
These systems also produce the decorations and images directly onto the food
product. Since these food products are produced at the bakery, the decorated food
product must then be transported to the event. Many times the decorated food product
is damaged in transit. Also, this increases the expense many times in transporting
the entire decorated food product.
None of these systems are truly capable of providing an on-demand system that
can create a near-photographic reproduction of an image in an edible format. There
is a need for such a system.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention solves this and other problems by providing a process and
a system for creating an edible product from a selected image in an "on demand"
system. The product is fully edible and can be applied onto a cake or other food
product at the time of creation, easily transported to another location for application
or eaten as is.
The system of one preferred embodiment of the present invention includes at least
one image source for selection of a desired image, a controller unit for receiving
the selected image and a printer for printing the selected image as received from
the controller unit onto an edible media with edible inks. The system is designed
to be easily used without the need of extensive training or computer skills. The
system is also designed to be flexible in the capability of accommodating various
sizes of edible media and in the source of the images.
An edible media is first inserted into the printer of the system. This edible
media is specially formulated not only be able to render a high quality pictorial
rendition of a selected image on the application of specially formulated edible
inks, but must be able to travel along a media path in the printer itself without
damage. This media path normally includes the bending of the edible media along
with friction rollers. Once the edible media has been inserted into the printer
path, then the controller unit is used to operate the system.
The controller unit, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, can
be a separate computer system, an enclosed processor or any other type of digital
processing unit. In the preferred embodiment, the controller unit uses a touch
screen interface. A variety of menus which are accessed by this touch screen interface
allows the system to be easily operated. Once the edible media has been inserted
into the printer, the user must first select an image source. Multiple image sources
are provided in the preferred embodiment. The first image source, in the preferred
embodiment of the invention, is a scanner. The user can insert a personal photograph,
such as of a person or event being honored, onto the scanner. The photograph is
then scanned and the digital image transmitted to the controller unit. A second
image source in the preferred embodiment is a library of images stored in the controller
unit or on external storage devices. The user selects an image from a catalog and
inputs this selection by way of the touch screen interface into the controller
unit. If that selected image is available, then the controller unit verifies the
selection. Other image sources include any available digital image source, or even
analog sources which are then converted to digital images. Examples of such digital
image source include without limitation: film/slide scanners, digital cameras,
digital videos, networked image libraries, digital tablets, external storage devices
such as floppy disks, Zip drives, superdrives, cd-rom or other sources of digital data.
The user can then select the size of the printed image from a preset selection
or else selects a custom size. The number of copies to be printed is also selected.
A single image may be printed on multiple media, multiple copies can be repeated
onto a single media (such as for use on cupcakes), images can be "tiled" onto multiple
media to form a larger image or multiple separate images can be printed onto a
single media. Also, separate images can be overlayed onto one another for additional
effect. Cutting or cropping software can also be incorporated therein to manipulate
the image. Once the image source, the printed image size and the number of copies
have been selected, the user then activates the print mode to either scan the photograph,
retrieve the stored image or otherwise obtain the digital data from the selected
image source.
The controller unit then performs color correction on the digital data from the
image source and converts this processed data into printer control signals. These
signals operate the printer to transport the edible media along the printer media
path and adjacent the printheads of the printer. The printer prints a rendition
of the image onto the edible media with edible inks.
The edible inks have been specially formulated for use in the printer, which
in the preferred embodiment, is an inkjet printer. The edible inks are also formulated
in cyan, magenta, yellow and black to faithfully render images as percentages of
these colors in accordance with the CMYK color model. The system can also use other
color models as well, including without limitation RGB, LAB, HSB, Pantone, Hexachrome
and other color models. This improves the precision of the printed image by providing
adherence to color matching systems.
The printer, in the preferred embodiment of the invention, includes most, if
not all, types of inkjet printers. These include thermal inkjet, solid piezo inkjet,
liquid piezo inkjet, continuous inkjets, valve inkjets, electrostatic inkjets and
airbrush print technology. Other types of printers are usable as well as long as
the accurate color matching of the edible inks are attainable.
Once the edible media has traveled through the printer and the image printed
thereon with the edible inks, the printed edible media can be removed from the
printer. The printed edible media can then be placed on a food product at the point
of printing, transported to a separate location for application or even consumed
as is. The system is flexible in its capability to print different sizes depending
on the food product to be decorated. Also, since the edible media is relatively
thin and sturdy, it can be transported separately from the food product to minimize
damage to the decorations. The system is also designed to be easily updated and
for its settings to be easily adjusted.
The system can be used in a bakery environment as a stand-alone system or used
in a network, such as a LAN, WAN, MAN, Intranet or even an Internet system. For
instance, a controller unit with the image sources can be set up on a kiosk. A
user can input or select their desired image, choose the correct settings and activate
the system. Once the image is scanned or retrieved, the user may leave. The controller
unit processes the information and transmits the information to a remote site,
such as a central bakery. The finished media is either applied onto a product and
shipped to the user, or else shipped by itself to the user. Another variation includes
an Internet web site where the user can either upload their image or select from
an image library. The user would then also make the other selections relative to
the media size, copies and the like. This information would then be transmitted
to the printer, which could be at any location, and then the printed media shipped
to the user.
The unique and specially formulated edible media and edible inks allow commercially
available print systems to be utilized. The previous decorative systems require
specially designed print systems. Also, the present system is truly an "on-demand"
system. The printed image on the edible media can be created in a mere few minutes.
Also, the printed image can be rendered from almost any photograph or digitally
created or converted image into a near photographic quality edible image.
These and other features are described in greater detail in the ensuing description
of a preferred embodiment and in the drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic of a preferred embodiment of the decoration system of
the present invention;
FIG. 2 is an illustration of a catalog of Digital Art images;
FIG. 3 is a view of the first-level display menu of the controller unit of the
embodiment of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a view of display menu of FIG. 3 on the Scan Black & White mode;
FIG. 5 is the display menu of FIG. 3 on the instructions for scanning mode;
FIG. 6 illustrates the Cake Size menu display;
FIG. 7 illustrates the Digital Art selection menu display;
FIG. 8 illustrates the verification of the selection of the Digital Art Item display;
FIG. 9 illustrates the non-verification of the selection of the Digital Art
Item display;
FIG. 10 illustrates the Advanced Settings menu display;
FIG. 11 illustrates the Photo Size Auto-Detect menu display;
FIG. 12 illustrates the Photo Size Manual menu display;
FIG. 13 illustrates the Cropping menu display;
FIG. 14 illustrates the System Setup menu display;
FIG. 15 illustrates the Disk Utilities menu display;
FIG. 16 illustrates the Disk Information menu display;
FIG. 17 illustrates the Display Setup menu display;
FIG. 18 illustrates the About menu display;
FIG. 19 is a top view of the edible media of the preferred embodiment of the
present invention;
FIG. 20 is a cut-away view of FIG. 19 along lines 20—20.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring in more detail to the drawings, as shown in FIGS. 1-20, a preferred
embodiment of the present invention is described In this particular preferred embodiment
a system
10 for creating an edible product from a selected image is illustrated.
It is to be clearly understood that this preferred embodiment is provided for descriptive
purposes only and is not meant to unduly limit the scope of the inventive concept.
Other embodiments are included within the inventive concept as set forth in the
appended claims.
System Overview
The system
10 of the present invention, as illustrated in FIG. 1 includes
at least one image source
20, a controller unit
30 having an interface
screen
32 and a printer
40. The image source
20 receives or
creates an image which is then sent in digital form to the controller unit
30.
The controller unit
30, in the preferred embodiment, is a computer processor
unit which controls the operation of the input devices to select an image or an
image input device, receive the digital version of such an image, manipulate the
image if necessary and then send printer control signals to the printer based on
the final image. The printer
40 then prints the image using edible inks
onto an edible food item.
The preferred embodiment is illustrated as an integrated system. It is to be
clearly understood that each of the components of the present invention can be
detached from this system and at a separate physical location. Each of these components
need only be accessible to the other components by some method of digital transmission,
such as cables, telecommunication lines, wireless or any other data transmission
system. Also, the data could be output from any of the components onto external
storage media, such as floppy disks, zip drives, cd-rom or any other storage media
and then retrieved into the other components.
Image Source
The image source
20 can be one or more of various devices. In the preferred
embodiment, the image source
20 include a scanner
22, a library of
digital art
24 stored on either a storage drive in the controller unit
30
or on an external storage device, and other image sources indicated at
26
which include without limitation film/slide scanners, digital cameras, networked
image libraries, and any other digital image source. The scanner
22 can
be a flatbed scanner or other types of scanner such as a drum scanner or a through
feed scanner. The scanner allows an image to be rendered from personal photographs,
such as of a person or event which is to be honored. Also, a computer processing
unit may be connected to the controller unit
30 to create, edit and/or manipulate
images with commercially available or proprietary software packages. The library
of images are designated by a name, or in the preferred embodiment, by an Item
Number. A catalog of thumbnail images with the designated Item Number, an example
of which is shown in FIG. 2, is used to select the desired image from the library.
Controller Unit
The controller unit
30 includes, in the preferred embodiment, includes
a computer processing unit, preferably a Raster Image Processor (RIP). However,
a conventional computer processor can be used as well. Also, any other processing
units which can digitally process the signals from the image sources can be used.
The processor is operated via a touch screen user interface
32. It is to
be expressly understood that other embodiments utilizing other types of input devices,
such as a detached touch screen, keypads, joy sticks, voice commands, and the like
are within the scope of the present invention. The touch screen user interface
42 allows the user to select from a variety of commands to customize an
image or else simply use the default commands to process a standard size and type
of image.
The first-level display screen
100, as shown in FIG. 3, provides a relatively
self-explanatory operation menu on touch screen user interface
32. The user
simply selects the image input source, which in this embodiment includes Scan button
102 indicating the scanner
22 and Digital Art button
104 indicating
the Digital Art source
24 stored on the storage drive in the controller
unit
30. The default value for the Scan button
102 is for the scanned
image to be in color. However, if the image is to be scanned as a black and white
image, then Scan button
122 is touched by the user. The display screen
32
displays the directions on menu
130, as shown in FIG. 5 to operate the system.
The user is directed to place the photograph from which the image is to be created
on the scanner
22, select the appropriate cake size, touch the number of
copies that are to be created and then select the print to start the process. If
the image is to be printed in color, the Print Color button
134 is touched
and display screen
32 reverts back to the display shown in FIG. 3. If the
image is to be printed in black & white, then Print Black & White button
132
is touched and the display screen
32 then reverts back to the display shown
in FIG. 4.
The user then selects the desired cake size by touching the Cake Size button
108. Menu
140, as shown in FIG. 6, is then displayed. The values
for the different cake sizes include standard sizes of cakes, as is known in the
baking industry. For instance, ¼ Sheet button
142 indicates a quarter
sheet size,
##CHR1##
Sheet button
144 indicates a one-half sheet
size and Full Sheet button
146 indicates a full-sheet size. Custom button
148 allows a custom size to be created up to a width of seventeen inches.
The length will be automatically calculated from the original image's aspect ratio
or length to width ratio.
The brightness/darkness of the original image can be adjusted by the brightness/darkness
balance slider
112, as shown in FIG. 3. This allows the user to compensate
for images that are overly light or overly dark. Copies button
114 allows
the user to select the number of copies which are to be printed. For instance,
if a number of identical images are to be created for multiple food products, then
that number can be selected. Also, selections can be made as to printing of multiple
identical images onto a single media, the printing of distinct multiple images
printed onto a single image, multiple images overlayed onto the media, a single
image printed in separate tiles onto multiple media or other image effects. Also,
in one embodiment of the invention, a multiple feed system for feeding blanks into
the printer can be used to automate the process.
Once the image source, the cake size and the number of copies has been selected,
then the user touches the Print button
116. The scanner, if selected as
the image source, is activated and scans an image based on the photograph which
had been placed on the scanner. This image is sent by digital signals to the controller
unit
30 which then converts those digital signals to printer control signals
to the printer. The image is printed, as discussed in greater detail below, on
an edible food item with edible inks in the size selected. This printed edible
food item can then be placed on the cake or other food product.
The controller unit also provides other options for the user. For instance, the
source of the image to be created can be selected via Digital Art button
104
to be from the library of Digital Art images. These Digital Art images can be licensed
clip art images, such as shown in FIG. 2, or other images such as a personal data
base of images. If the user decides to use an image from the library instead of
scanning an image, then Digital Art button
104 is selected. A key pad menu
150, as shown in FIG. 7, is then displayed on the touch screen
32.
The user selects the Item Number for the desired image from the catalog, an example
of which is shown in FIG. 2, touches the appropriate numeric buttons
152
on the key pad menu
150 and selects the Done button
154. The touch
screen
32 will then display menu
160, shown in FIG. 8, confirming
the selection and availability of that image.
If the library does not have that image or the image is a limited use image and
the licensed number of uses has been previously selected, then the touch screen
32 displays a message to that effect, shown in FIG. 9. The user can then
contact the appropriate source and obtain a "key" number which will activate the
licensed image for additional uses or else select another image. Once an image
has been selected, the user can then select the size and number of copies and print
the image.
The controller unit
30 also includes other custom features. The user can
select the Advanced Settings button
119 on the display screen illustrated
in FIG. 3. The touch screen
32 then displays menu
170, shown in FIG.
10. Several custom features are selectable from menu
170. One custom feature
is to either have the scanner automatically detect the size of the image to be
scanned or manually set the size. For instance, if the scanner is having difficulties
automatically detecting an entire photo due to a light background color, the user
can provide the measurements. The user selects the Photo Size Auto-Detect button
172. The controller unit
30 then displays menu
180, shown
in FIG. 11. If the Manual button
182 is selected, then menu
190,
shown in FIG. 12 is displayed. The size of the image to be scanned is set by selecting
appropriate values from the Photo Length button
192 and the Photo Width
button
194. Key pad menus, similar to the key pad menu
150 shown
in FIG. 8, are displayed once the Photo Length button
192 and the Photo
Width button
194 are selected to set the appropriate size values.
The user can also crop an image by selecting the Cropping button
196 following
the selection of Manual button
182. The Manual button
182 is first
selected and then the Photo Length button
192 is selected to enter the crop
box desired length and the Photo Width button
194 is selected to enter the
crop box desired width. The Cropping button
196 is then selected displaying
screen menu
200, shown in FIG. 13. The Left Offset button
202 and
the Top Offset button
204 are selected and the desired values are entered
in a key pad similar to display
150 of FIG. 7. These desired values allow
the user to move the set crop box to the desired position in respect to the original
image. With the crop box size and positioning, the scanner can now scan a specific
portion of the original image and perform the cropping operation.
The user can select from a menu of available printers by touching the Printer
button
174, shown in FIG. 10. The screen will display the available printers
from which the user can select. Once the desired printer is selected, the screen
will automatically return to the Advanced Settings menu, shown in FIG. 10.
The user can also select the media on which the image is to be printed. These
different types of media will be discussed in detail below. The user touches the
"Paper Type" button
176 and selects from a displayed menu of available media.
The screen will then automatically return to the Advanced Settings menu.
The user may also make changes to the system itself. The System button
178
is touched which causes menu
210, shown in FIG. 14, to be displayed. The
user can update the controller unit
30 by touching the Disk Utilities button
212. Menu
220, shown in FIG. 15, is displayed. The user can then
update the system (with newly released versions, library images or other updates)
by touching the Update button
222 and selecting the source of the update.
The user can also obtain information about the system by touching the Disk Properties
button
224. This displays menu
230, shown in FIG. 16, which gives
the current status of the system properties.
The user may also make changes to the display screen
32 itself. Touching
the Display button
214, shown in FIG. 14, causes the menu
240, shown
in FIG. 17 to be displayed. The contrast of the display screen
40 can then
be adjusted by toggling the Arrow buttons
242,
244.
The user may also obtain information about the system by touching the About button
216. This displays information relating to the owner of the intellectual
property rights of the system as well as the version number of the system, as shown
in FIG. 18.
Each of the displayed menus also include a Help button, to assist the user with
information regarding that particular menu, and a Done button, to return the user
to the appropriate menu once the particular selection has been made.
Media
A critical feature of the system
10 of the present invention is the edible
media on which the image is printed. This edible media, in the preferred embodiment,
includes at least one edible layer and an edible coating. One embodiment of the
edible layer of the media is a mixture of a sugar paste of varying thickness, referred
to in a generic sense as fondant in the baking industry. In the preferred embodiment
of the invention, the fondant has been specially formulated for several key features.
First, the fondant must be able to depict high-quality pictorial images from the
edible inks, described below. Second, the fondant must be able to travel through
a printer without damage. Thus, the fondant must be of sufficient strength to be
bent and manipulated through the conveying path of the printer, withstand the heat
of the printing process and still being not overly thick to jam in the printer
mechanism. Third, the fondant must be able to not detract from the taste of the
food product on which it is to be applied.
The above preferred embodiment of the fondant of the present invention is described
herein for explanatory purposes and is not meant to limit the scope of the present
invention. This embodiment of the edible layer is formed from sugar, sorbitol,
hydrogenated palm kernel oil, xanthan gum, locust bean gum, gum tragacanth, dried
glucose syrup, glaze and water. Other variations of fondants may be used as well.
Other examples of edible layers are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,017,394, assigned
to the Lucks Company, and incorporated herein by reference. This type of edible
layer is formed from a flour and/or starch base as opposed to the sugar base of
the fondants. Another example of an edible layer is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.
5,334,404, issued to Garcia et al. and incorporated herein by reference.
Other types of edible layers used in the present invention include rice paper,
wafer paper, and other edible substrates on which an image may be printed.
The edible media, of the preferred embodiment, also includes a coating on at
least a portion of the edible layer. This coating enables the edible media to render
a high quality pictorial image on the surface of the edible layer. Without this
coating, the inks tend to run or bead or form an imperfect image. In one preferred
embodiment, the coating is a very thin layer of calcium carbonate. This thin layer
allows the inks to properly perform to render a high-quality pictorial image. Other
coatings may be used as well.
A preferred embodiment of the media of the present invention is illustrated in
FIGS. 19 and 20. The media
300 includes a release sheet
310 having
a silicon coating, the edible layer
320 and a coating
330. The coating
330 is an edible film, as discussed above, upon which the edible inks may
be printed to create a high quality pictorial image.
Edible Inks
Another key component of the present invention are the inks used in the printing
process. These inks have been specially formulated from food grade colors to enable
high quality, near-photographic images to be printed onto the edible media described
above. These inks not only must be edible and have precise color-matching properties,
they must also function in a manner similar to other commercially available inks
in the printers. That is, unlike the prior art food decorating systems which have
been specially designed to use existing food colors, the present inks have been
designed be usable in commercial print systems and printing technologies, as described
in detail below.
The edible inks of the preferred embodiment of the present invention are formulated
to faithfully render images in accordance with the Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black
(CMYK) color model. This provides adherence to most commercially available color
matching systems, thus ensuring that the image obtained from the image source (scanner,
library or other image input device) to be precisely printed onto the edible media.
It is to be expressly understood that inks which are formulated to render high
quality images in accordance with other color models are also within the scope
of the present invention. For instance edible inks which are formulated in accordance
with color models including without limitation RGB, LAB, HSB, Panatone, Hexachrome
and others are also within the present inventive scope.
One embodiment, provided for explanatory purposes only and not to limit the scope
of the present invention is provided below:
Cyan: water, isopropyl alcohol, sodium lauryl sulphate, FD&C Blue #1
Magenta: water, isopropyl alcohol, sodium lauryl Sulphate, FD&C Red #3 &
FD&C Blue #1
Yellow: water, isopropyl alcohol, sodium lauryl sulphate, FD&C Yellow #5
Black: water, isopropyl alcohol, sodium lauryl sulphate, FD&C Blue #1.
Other embodiments of the edible inks of the present invention that provide
faithful matching to the CMYK color model, as well as other color models, and that
function within the constraints of commercially available printing technologies
are considered to be within the scope of the claimed invention.
Printer
The printing device
30, in the preferred embodiment, includes a feed path
through which the item to be printed is inserted and conveyed past one or more
printheads. In the preferred embodiment, the printhead technology can be any type
of printhead which can be controlled by digital signals. In the preferred embodiment,
print technology encompasses all types of inkjet print technology. In these systems,
the edible inks described above are fed from a cartridge reservoir. These cartridge
reservoirs may be refilled as need.
In one preferred embodiment, the printhead is a thermal inkjet printhead. Thermal
inkjet printheads use a resistor which rapidly heats up a thin layer of the ink.
This rapid heating causes the ink to form a bubble which ejects the ink through
the nozzle. Since there are no mechanically moving parts, very high operating frequencies
are possible.
In an alternative embodiment, the printheads use piezo inkjet technology. This
technology uses a piezoelectric crystal to push and pull a diaphragm which lies
beneath the firing chamber. The displacement caused by the movement of the diaphragm
ejects the ink through the nozzle. The piezo inkjet can be either solid piezo inkjet
technology or liquid piezo inkjet technology.
Other types of inkjet technology for use in the systems of the present invention
include continuous inkjets, valve jets, electrostatic inkjets and airbrush technology.
Also, as inkjet technology evolves, other inkjet technology may be incorporated
into the systems of the present invention.
Other embodiments encompassing other digital printhead technology other than
inkjet technology are considered within the scope of the invention as claimed as
long as edible inks capable of precise color matching are usable. The descriptive
embodiments of printhead technology are provided for explanatory purposes only
and are not meant to unduly limit the scope of the claims of the invention.
In another alternative embodiment of the present invention, the image is printed
onto a transfer layer, which in turn is applied onto the edible media.
Use
The use of the system of the preferred embodiment has been deliberately designed
to be simple, with no computer skill necessary to operate. The system is able to
be flexible in the capability of decorating a wide range of food products.
The user first inserts the edible media into the feed path of the printer. Then,
the user selects from the menu of image sources. The cake size is then selected
and the number of copies chosen. Then the print process is activated. The image
is then printed with the edible inks onto the media. The media is placed onto the
food product, either on the site, or since it is compact and easily transportable,
at the site of the event.
The user can select from several image sources, such as a scanner or image library.
A personal photograph can be used to create the printed image by use of the scanner
option. The scanner can be set to automatically detect the size of the image, or
the user can manually select the size of the image if desired. The image library
can be easily updated as desired.
The system is designed so that the user can easily adjust or update the system
to incorporate future enhancements. The system uses a series of touch screen menus
to enable the system use without the need of a computer keyboard.
Another feature of the present invention is the capability of the system
to be operated through telecommunications or via an Internet site. A user could
order the select or transmit an image to a remote site which could then print and
ship the printed media via express delivery. The user could either order a cake,
acquire one locally, or bake their own cake upon which the printed media could
be placed. Also, the user may simply be able to go to a kiosk, input or select
their image, and transmit this information then to a remote site. The remote site
will then prin
