1. A method for forming a plurality of non-contiguous features on a receiver element, the method comprising:
operating a first multi-channel imaging head to direct imaging beams along a scan path to transfer a first non-contiguous feature and a second non-contiguous feature from a donor element to the receiver element by a thermal transfer process wherein the first and second non-contiguous features are spatially separated from one another at least in a sub-scan direction; and
operating a second multi-channel imaging head to direct imaging beams to transfer a third non-contiguous feature from the donor element to the receiver element by the thermal transfer process, wherein the third non-contiguous feature is between the first and second non-contiguous features and is spatially separated from each of the first and second non-contiguous features at least in the sub-scan direction.
2. A method according to claim 1, comprising separating the donor element from the receiver element after transferring the first, second and third non-contiguous features from the donor element to the receiver element.
3. A method according to claim 1, wherein transferring each of the first and second non-contiguous features to the receiver element comprises operating a plurality of contiguous channels of the first multi-channel imaging head, and transferring the third non-contiguous feature comprises operating a plurality of contiguous channels of the second multi-channel imaging head.
4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the first, second and third non-contiguous features are features of a pattern comprising a plurality of non-contiguous features that are spatially separated from one another at least in the sub-scan direction.
5. A method according to claim 1, wherein each of the non-contiguous features comprises a stripe that is continuous in a direction of the scan path.
6. A method according to claim 1, wherein each of the non-contiguous features comprises a stripe that is interrupted in a direction of the scan path.
7. A method according to claim 5, wherein the stripe comprises chevron-shaped portions.
8. A method according to claim 5, wherein the stripe bends as it continues along the direction of the scan path.
9. A method according to claim 4, wherein the pattern of non-contiguous features is a repeating pattern.
10. A method according to claim 4, wherein the pattern comprises a first plurality of non-contiguous features and a second plurality of non-contiguous features, the method comprising:
operating the first multi-channel imaging head to transfer the first plurality of non-contiguous features from the donor element to the receiver element; and
operating the second multi-channel imaging head to transfer the second plurality of non-contiguous features from the donor element to the receiver element; wherein each feature of the second plurality of non-contiguous features is not interleaved with the features of the first plurality of non-contiguous features.
11. A method according to claim 10, comprising transferring the first plurality of non-contiguous features to the receiver element during a plurality of scans.
12. A method according to claim 10, comprising dividing the first plurality of non-contiguous features into a first plurality of interleaved sets, each set of the first plurality of interleaved sets comprising a subset of the first plurality of non-contiguous features; and
transferring each set of the first plurality of interleaved sets to the receiver element in a corresponding separate one of a plurality of scans of the first multi-channel imaging head.
13. A method according to claim 12, comprising dividing the second plurality of non-contiguous features into a second plurality of interleaved sets, each set of the second plurality of interleaved sets comprising a subset of the second plurality of non-contiguous features; and
transferring each set of the second plurality of interleaved sets to the receiver element in a corresponding separate one of a plurality of scans of the second multi-channel imaging head.
14. A method according to claim 12, comprising separately transferring each set of the first plurality of interleaved sets to the receiver element to completely transfer the first plurality of the non-contiguous features to the receiver element.
15. A method according to claim 4, comprising transferring two or more sets of the non-contiguous features of the pattern of non-contiguous features, each set comprising two or more of the non-contiguous features of the pattern, wherein some non-contiguous features in a first set of the two or more sets are interleaved with some non-contiguous features in an additional set of the two or more sets.
16. A method according to claim 15, comprising separately transferring each set of the non-contiguous features to the receiver element to completely transfer the pattern of the non-contiguous features to the receiver element.
17. A method according to claim 15, comprising operating the first multi-channel imaging head to transfer the first set of the non-contiguous features to the receiver element and operating the second multi-channel imaging head to transfer the additional set of the non-contiguous features to the receiver element.
18. A method according to claim 15, comprising randomly assigning the non-contiguous features to at least one of the two or more sets.
19. A method according to claim 15, comprising assigning the features to each set of the two or more sets according to a predetermined arrangement.
20. A method according to claim 17, wherein a minimum spacing between features in each of the two or more sets is greater than the minimum spacing between the features in the pattern.
21. A method according to claim 17, wherein the first set comprises a plurality of groups of one or more of the non-contiguous features, wherein each group is separated from each other group by varying numbers of non-contiguous features of the additional set.
22. A method according to claim 17, wherein the first set comprises a plurality of groups of one or more of the non-contiguous features, wherein a minimum spacing between each group is greater than the minimum spacing between the features in the pattern.
23. A method according to claim 17, wherein the first set comprises a plurality of groups of one or more of the non-contiguous features, wherein each group is separated from each other group by varying distances.
24. A method according to claim 17, wherein the first set comprises a first plurality of groups of one or more of the non-contiguous features arranged along a first direction, and the spacing between adjacent groups of the first plurality of groups increases in the first direction.
25. A method according to claim 24, wherein the first direction is the sub-scan direction.
26. A method according to claim 24, wherein the additional set comprises a second plurality of groups of one or more of the non-contiguous features arranged along the first direction, and the spacing between adjacent groups of the second plurality of groups decreases in the first direction.
27. A method according to claim 1, wherein the first, second and third non-contiguous features are features of a regular pattern of non-contiguous features.
28. A method according to claim 1, comprising operating the first multi-channel imaging head to direct imaging beams to transfer a fourth non-contiguous feature from the donor element to the receiver element, wherein the fourth non-contiguous feature is separated from the first non-contiguous feature in a direction along the scan path.
29. A method according to claim 28, comprising operating the second multi-channel imaging head to direct imaging beams to transfer a fifth non-contiguous feature from the donor element to the receiver element, wherein the fifth non-contiguous feature is between the first and fourth non-contiguous features.
30. A method according to claim 29, wherein the fifth non-contiguous feature is separated from at least one of the first and forth non-contiguous features in the direction along the scan path.
31. A method according to claim 29, wherein the first, forth and fifth non-contiguous features are aligned with one another in the direction along the scan path.
32. A method according to claim 29, wherein the first, forth and fifth non-contiguous features form portions of a stripe that is continuous in the direction along the scan path.
33. A method according to claim 29, wherein the first, second, third, forth and fifth non-contiguous features are features of a pattern of comprising a plurality of non-contiguous features, wherein each non-contiguous feature is transferred to a cell of a matrix formed on the receiver element.
34. A method according to claim 29, wherein the first, second, third forth and fifth non-contiguous features are features of a pattern comprising a plurality of non-contiguous features, wherein each non-contiguous feature is separated from other non-contiguous features by a portion of a matrix formed on the receiver element.
35. A method according to claim 29, wherein the first, second, third, forth and fifth non-contiguous features are features of a pattern comprising a plurality of non-contiguous features, the method comprising transferring two or more sets of the non-contiguous features from the pattern of non-contiguous features, each set comprising one or more of the non-contiguous features, wherein each non-contiguous feature in a first set of the two or more sets is interleaved with the non-contiguous features in an additional set of the two or more sets.
36. A method according to claim 35, wherein some non-contiguous features in the first set of the two or more sets are interleaved with the non-contiguous features in the additional set of the two or more sets in the direction along the scan path and the sub-scan direction.
37. A method according to claim 35, comprising randomly assigning the non-contiguous features to each of the two or more sets in at least one of the direction along the scan path and the sub-scan direction.
38. A method according to claim 35, comprising assigning the non-contiguous features to each of the two or more sets according to a predetermined arrangement in at least one of the direction along the scan path and the sub-scan direction.
39. A method according to claim 4, wherein the pattern of non-contiguous features comprises a two dimensional pattern of non-contiguous features.
40. A method according to claim 4, wherein the pattern of non-contiguous features forms a portion of a pattern of island features.
41. A method according to claim 4, wherein the pattern of non-contiguous features comprises a pattern of color features.
42. A method according to claim 41, wherein the pattern of color features forms a portion of a color filter.
43. A method according to claim 41, wherein the pattern of color features forms a pattern of colored illumination sources.
44. A method according to claim 43, wherein the colored illumination sources comprise an OLED material.
45. A method according to claim 42, wherein the color filter includes a plurality of patterns of color features, each pattern of color features corresponding to a given color, the method comprising imaging each of the patterns separately.
46. A method according to claim 4, wherein the pattern of non-contiguous features comprises elements of a lab-on-a-chip device.
47. A method according to claim 1, wherein the thermal transfer process comprises a laser-induced dye-transfer process.
48. A method according claim 1, wherein the thermal transfer process comprises a laser-induced mass transfer process.
49. A method according to claim 1, wherein the thermal transfer process comprises transferring a colorant from the donor element to the receiver element.
50. A method according to claim 1, wherein the thermal transfer process comprises transferring a colorant and a binder from the donor element to the receiver element.
51. A method according to claim 1, wherein each of the non-contiguous features is screened with at least one of a halftone screen and stochastic screen.
52. A method according to claim 1, comprising transferring each of the first and second non-contiguous features from the donor element to the receiver element during a first scan, the first scan comprising advancing the first multi-channel imaging head relative to the receiver element in a scan direction, and transferring the third non-contiguous feature from the donor element to the receiver element during a second scan, wherein the second scan comprises advancing the second multi-channel imaging head relative to the receiver element in a direction parallel to the scan direction.
53. A method according to claim 1, comprising transferring each of the first and second non-contiguous features from the donor element to the receiver element during a first scan, the first scan comprising advancing the first multi-channel imaging head relative to the receiver element in a scan direction, and transferring the third non-contiguous feature from the donor element to the receiver element during a second scan, wherein the second scan comprises advancing the second multi-channel imaging head relative to the receiver element in a direction opposite to the scan direction.
54. A method according to claim 1, comprising transferring the first non-contiguous feature from the donor element to the receiver element during a first scan, the first scan comprising advancing the first multi-channel imaging head relative to the receiver element in a scan direction, and transferring the second non-contiguous feature from the donor element to the receiver element during a second scan, wherein the second scan comprises advancing the first multi-channel imaging head relative to the receiver element in a direction parallel to the scan direction.
55. A method according to claim 1, comprising transferring each of the first and second non-contiguous features from the donor element to the receiver element during a plurality of scans wherein the first multi-channel imaging head is advanced relative to the receiver element in one or more directions during the plurality of scans, and while transferring the third non-contiguous feature from the donor element to the receiver element advancing the second multi-channel imaging head relative to the receiver element in a direction that is opposite to one of the one or more directions.
56. A method according to claim 40, wherein the repeating pattern of island features comprises a first plurality of features of a first color, each feature of the first plurality of features separated from each other feature of the first color by a feature of a different color.
57. A method according to claim 40, wherein the pattern of island features comprises a first plurality of features of a first color, some features of the first plurality of features separated from some other features of the first color by a feature of a different color in a first direction.
58. A method according to claim 57, wherein the first direction is parallel to the scan path.
59. A method according to claim 40, wherein the pattern of island features comprises a first plurality of features of a first color, some features of the first plurality of features separated from some other feature of the first color by a feature of a color other than the first color in a first direction and a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction.
60. A program product carrying a set of computer-readable signals comprising instructions which, when executed by a controller, cause the controller to:
operate a first multi-channel imaging head to direct imaging beams along a scan path to transfer a first non-contiguous feature and a second non-contiguous feature from a donor element to the receiver element by a thermal transfer process wherein the first and second non-contiguous features are spatially separated from one another at least in a sub-scan direction; and operate a second multi-channel imaging head to direct imaging beams to transfer a third non-contiguous feature from the donor element to the receiver element by the thermal transfer process, wherein the third non-contiguous feature is between the first and second non-contiguous features and is spatially separated from each of the first and second non-contiguous features at least in the sub-scan direction.
61. A method for forming a plurality of non-contiguous features on a receiver element, the method comprising:
advancing a first multi-channel imaging head relative to the receiver element along a path;
operating the first multi-channel imaging head to transfer a first non-contiguous feature and a second non-contiguous feature from a donor element to the receiver element by a thermal transfer process wherein the first and second non-contiguous features are spatially separated from one another at least in a direction transverse to the path; and
operating a second multi-channel imaging head to transfer a third non-contiguous feature from the donor element to the receiver element by the thermal transfer process, wherein the third non-contiguous feature is between the first and second non-contiguous features and is spatially separated from each of the first and second non-contiguous features at least in the direction transverse to the path.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method for enhanced tuning of search engine parameters to obtain at least one optimal search result, comprising:
receiving a search parameter at a search engine equipped with a plurality of tunable knobs set at an initial setting;
generating a search result for the search parameter based on the received search parameter and the initial setting of the plurality of tunable knobs, the search result including a plurality of result objects, each of the plurality of tunable knobs associated with a weighting factor;
associating a relevancy score for each of the plurality of result objects generated by the search engine, the relevancy score associated with a tunable knob setting;
presenting the result objects from the search result;
identifying one or more of the presented result objects not selected over time, the non-selection of the result objects identifying the associated tunable knob settings;
dynamically adjusting the relevancy score of the identified one or more result objects not selected over time;
tuning the plurality of tunable knobs using one or more search algorithms to obtain an optimal search result, the tuning allowing adjustment of the tunable knobs based on the adjusted relevancy score and the non-selected result objects over time, wherein the relevancy score and the non-selected result objects identify the one or more tunable knob settings to be adjusted for obtaining an optimal search result; and
further dynamically adjusting the previously dynamically adjusted one or more result objects not selected.
2. The method for enhanced tuning of search engine parameters to obtain optimal search result of claim 1, wherein generating the search result further including:
generating a first search result for the search parameter based on the received search parameter and the initial setting of the plurality of tunable knobs, the first search result having a plurality of first search result objects; and
generating a second search result for the search parameter based on the received search parameter and using a second setting of the plurality of tunable knobs, the second setting of the plurality of tunable knobs obtained by adjusting one or more of the plurality of tunable knobs, the second search result having a plurality of second search result objects.
3. The method for enhanced tuning of search engine parameters to obtain optimal search result of claim 2, wherein presenting the search result further comprising:
interleaving the objects from the first search result with the objects from the second search result to generate the search result; and
presenting the search result.
4. The method for enhanced tuning of search engine parameters to obtain optimal search result of claim 3, wherein the objects from the first search result and the second search result are interleaved randomly.
5. The method for enhanced tuning of search engine parameters to obtain optimal search result of claim 3, wherein the search result is an indexed set of result objects.
6. The method for enhanced tuning of search engine parameters to obtain optimal search result of claim 1, wherein presenting the search result is based on the adjusted relevancy score of each of the result objects and the weighting factor associated with each of the tunable knobs such that the most significant result objects are presented at the top of the search result.
7. The method for enhanced tuning of search engine parameters to obtain optimal search result of claim 1, wherein dynamically adjusting the relevancy score further comprising penalizing non-selected result objects using a pre-set value.
8. The method for enhanced tuning of search engine parameters to obtain optimal search result of claim 7, wherein penalizing non-selected result objects is defined by one or more criteria.
9. The method for enhanced tuning of search engine parameters to obtain optimal search result of claim 1, wherein the relevancy score associated with each search object is maintained in a database available to the search engine.
10. The method for enhanced tuning of search engine parameters to obtain optimal search result of claim 1, wherein tuning the plurality of tunable knobs is by choosing one tunable knob at a time and adjusting the knob to obtain a more optimal search result.
11. The method for enhanced tuning of search engine parameters to obtain optimal search result of claim 1, wherein tuning the plurality of tunable knobs is by choosing a plurality of tunable knobs at a time and adjusting the plurality of tunable knobs to obtain a more optimal search result.
12. The method for enhanced tuning of search engine parameters of claim 1, wherein tuning the plurality of tunable knobs is to identify at least a local maxima and at least a global maxima using one or more search algorithms.
13. The method for enhanced tuning of search engine parameters of claim 12, wherein tuning the plurality of tunable knobs is to identify the global maxima, the global maxima determining the optimal setting of the tunable knobs for arriving at an optimal search result.
14. A method of assigning a relevancy score to a plurality of result objects to obtain an optimal search result, the method comprising:
receiving a search parameter at a search engine;
generating a search result for the search parameter based on the received search parameter, the search result including a plurality of result objects, wherein at least one result object of the plurality of result objects comprises a link;
associating a relevancy score for each of the plurality of result objects generated by the search engine;
presenting the result objects from the search result as a list of the result objects on at least one page;
identifying one or more of the presented result objects not selected over time;
dynamically adjusting the relevancy score of the identified one or more result objects not selected over time based on a position of the one or more result objects not selected on the at least one page; and
using the adjusted relevancy score of the one or more result objects not selected to obtain the optimal search result, wherein the dynamically adjusting comprises adjusting any result objects not selected that are situated above a selected result object on the at least one page more than any result objects not selected that are situated below the selected result object on the at least one page.
15. A method of assigning a relevancy score to a plurality of result objects to obtain an optimal search result, the method comprising:
receiving a search parameter at a search engine;
generating a search result for the search parameter based on the received search parameter, the search result including a plurality of result objects, wherein at least one result object of the plurality of result objects comprises a link;
associating a relevancy score for each of the plurality of result objects generated by the search engine;
presenting the result objects from the search result as a list of the result objects on at least one page;
identifying one or more of the presented result objects not selected over time;
dynamically adjusting the relevancy score of the identified one or more result objects not selected over time based on a position of the one or more result objects not selected on the at least one page; and
using the adjusted relevancy score of the one or more result objects not selected to obtain the optimal search result, wherein the dynamically adjusting comprises adjusting any result objects not selected that can be viewed on the at least one page without scrolling the at least one page more than any result objects not selected that can be viewed on the at least one page only after scrolling the at least one page.