KR100582342B1 - Method for adding encoded information to mission-critical pages of a document during a document assembly process and documents produced thereby - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a method for adding encoded information to a mission-critical pages of a document during a document assembly process and the resulting document. The document is modified to include an encoded field that reflects information about both the front and back side of the combined print. The present invention automates the discovery of inventory affected by a change or modification of the page so that an out-of-date page can be quickly identified with 100% accuracy. Because of this, the present invention ensures that the publisher can only send up-to-date information and also maintain accurate and automated information about which pages have been sent to all customers. In addition, the coded fields are concise, much easier to handle than full page images, and do not require a print or page to be flipped because the coded fields are included on a single side of the print. Otherwise, manual work would be required to capture information about the entire combined print, including a front and a back.

Description

Printable electronic document, its creation method and recording medium {METHOD FOR ADDING ENCODED INFORMATION TO MISSION-CRITICAL PAGES OF A DOCUMENT DURING A DOCUMENT ASSEMBLY PROCESS AND DOCUMENTS PRODUCED THEREBY}

1 is a data processing system for combining a set of page files into a document file according to an embodiment of the present invention;

2 illustrates a digital printing system for printing a multiple-page document in a single print job according to an embodiment of the present invention;

3 is a flowchart for assembling a set of page files into a document file;

4 is a flow diagram of a process for adding a coded field to a page providing information regarding both the front and back of a combined print in accordance with the present invention;

5 is a flow diagram of one preferred embodiment of adding a barcode to the margin of a page.

Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings

100: data processing system 110: CPU

112: system bus 114: RAM

120: disk storage device 130: input device

135: Monitor 140: Applications

141: operating system 150: ROM

210: spooler 220: print drive

230: printer

Cross Reference to Related Application

The present invention relates to the following co-pending and commonly assigned patent applications, each of which is incorporated herein by reference.

"METHOD AND APPARATUS TO FACILITATE CREATION OF DOCUMENTS FROM INDIVIDUAL PAGES" to U.S. Application No. 09 / 109,990 to S. D. Mastie, Representative Document No. BO9-98-002.

"METHOD AND APPARATUS OF CREATING HIGHLY PORTABLE OUTPUT FILES", US Ser. No. 09 / 107,333 to S. D. Mastie et al., Agent Document No. BO9-98-003.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to digital printing systems, and more particularly to the transmission of encoded information during a document assembly process into mission-critical pages of a document. documents, and how to create them.

Printing refers to the reproduction of words and pictures on a page or document. Today, the mass production machine of the main printing process is the presses, which use plates (or other types of image carriers) to transfer ink onto paper or substrates. This process is often used to support markets such as commercial prints, magazines, newspapers, catalogs, books, office forms, greeting cards, maps, labels, packaging and other printed products.

Offset press printing processes and other printing processes using plates are cost effective when printing a large number of documents, but are often not practical when printing small quantities. In a printing press system, the unit cost of printing decreases with increasing quantity. Thus, printing press systems typically require copies of thousands of documents to be printed in order to be most cost effective.

However, advances in digital image processing have resulted in significant improvements in digital printing systems. Today, digital printing systems can be used to improve the productivity, quality and efficiency of many of the printing operations previously held by offset press printing systems. Many digital printing systems use a plateless printing process. Typical plateless digital printing processes include electrophotography, ink-jet, thermal transfer, and the like. Digital printing systems are often more desirable than print press processes, where (1) most devices are suitable for office environments, (2) have printability that can change from printing to printing, and (3) printing in conventional plate presses. This is because it requires less manual skills.

In some circumstances, it is particularly desirable to use a digital printing system for generating documents. For example, digital printing systems rather than offset printing presses, especially when printing on-demand or when the document contains a large number of loose leaf pages or customized or variable content documents. Printing a small amount of documents (e.g., books, catalogs, magazines, etc.) is more cost effective.

One conventional digital printing system reproduces a multiple-page document by printing a plurality of jobs. Each print job includes one or more electrically stored print files. Each print file may be used to reproduce a single loose leaf page (also called a "folio" page) in a multipage document such as a book. Alternatively, various print files within a particular document may be manually combined using a "job ticket" or similar structure to create a single print job that reproduces a document of multiple pages. Typically, a job ticket is used to define print attributes for a print job. Print jobs are typically created in combination by a data processing system (eg, client computer or workstation), provided to a digital printing system, or in combination by a very complex printing system.

In cases where this type of digital printing process is used to reproduce a document, blank pages must sometimes be added to create a book block of a certain uniform size. Moreover, in the reproduction of a large number of page documents, especially bulky documents, the printing time for a plurality of print jobs is usually longer than that for a single print job with the same amount of pages. Also, the larger the document (i.e., the larger the number of pages), the greater the possibility that the pages are out of order if there are manual steps in the printing process. Moreover, when multiple print files are used to reproduce multiple page documents, it is more convenient to save, back-up, restore, or print multiple print files as compared to a single print file. It is a burden.

As the printing industry changes from a conventional print press operation to a digital printing operation in order to take advantage of the technical advances made in digital imaging, it is possible to provide a more automated printing process. One method is to provide a more automated digital printing process for storing, backing up, restoring, and printing documents of multiple pages as a single object.

For example, co-pending US patent application Ser. No. 09 / 109,990, entitled “METHOD AND APPARATUS TO FACILITATE CREATION OF DOCUMENTS FROM INDIVIDUAL PAGES,” assigned to the assignee of the present invention and incorporated herein by reference, discloses a separate file. Disclosed are a method and apparatus for combining sets of into a single file. Combine a set of page files into a document file. A set of page files representing a page or group of pages in a document is received as an input file. In one embodiment of the present invention, the page file and the document file are recorded in a page description language. The correct order of pages in the document is determined. Then, a framework for the document file is created. The structure is created to include all or part of a page from a set of page files. One or more pages in the page file are modified to fit the structure and stored in the document structure. The document file is then stored and can be printed on demand or used for non-print applications such as email, facsimile transmission, and the like.

However, problems still exist in managing out-of-date hardcopy inventory. Once printed, the information is static, and once a portion of the page is changed, the entire page typically needs to be reprinted. Moreover, this will affect many documents if the page file used in many different documents changes. This has two distinct secondary problems: 1) How will all pages in the current list affected by a particular change be identified? And 2) how do you ensure that no shipping pages are out of date? Is that.

For the first secondary problem, some publication management systems and databases cross-reference pages and have the ability to identify all hardcopy that may or may be affected by changes to these pages. Theoretically, it is possible to remove the affected list before shipping it. However, the physical lists referenced in these reports still need to be discovered, removed and updated by hand, an error prone process.

For the second secondary issue, the previous state of implementation involves careful manual inspection of the list prior to shipping at loose-leaf publishing companies. The inspection process can be automated, for example using a double-sided digital scanner, and then comparing the scanned image with the digital image library to ensure the quality of the image, such a system would be very expensive and complex.

Another solution is to completely remove the hardcopy list, printing only the current list "as needed" to completely eliminate the problem of the old list. Although very attractive (and favored by the author for many applications), this model is expensive to execute in a wide variety of high-volume applications because the cost per page is higher than the preprinted list.

It can be seen that there is a need for a method of adding coded information to a main page of a document during the document combining process and thereby a generated document.

In order to overcome the limitations of the prior art described above, and to overcome other limitations that will become apparent when reading and understanding the present specification, the present invention is directed to adding coded information to the mission-critical pages of documents. Post the method and the documentation generated thereby.

The present invention solves the problems described above by modifying the document to include an encoded field that reflects both information about the front and back sides of the combined print. The present invention automates the discovery of lists affected by changes or modifications to pages, enabling old pages to be identified quickly with 100% accuracy. Because of this, the present invention allows the publisher to ensure that only the latest information is transmitted and to maintain an automated record of exactly what pages have been sent to all customers. Moreover, the coded fields are concise, much easier to handle than full page images, and do not require pages to be flipped because the coded fields are contained on a single side of the print, or a front and back otherwise. and to capture information about the entire combined print, including (a back).

The invention in accordance with the principles of the present invention provides a step of providing a source page file for at least one front logical page and at least one rear logical page to be printed as a single two-sided sheet. And merging the encoded image carrying information on the front and back sides of the printout with the source page file.

Other embodiments of the method according to the principles of the present invention include alternative or optional additional aspects. One of these aspects of the present invention is to generate a field that reflects information about both the front and back side of the print and to organize this field into an encoded image.

Another aspect of the present invention is that the configuration further includes configuring the field into the encoded image in such a manner that the encoded image is added to fit the logical page.

Another aspect of the invention is that the encoded image is a barcode.

Another aspect of the invention is that the encoded image is a digital watermark.

In another aspect of the present invention, the step of merging the encoded page with the source page further includes modifying the page to include the encoded image and merging the modified page with the complementary page to form a single double-sided print. Is that.

Another aspect of the invention is that the method further comprises the step of storing the encoded image for later recall and combination with the page source file.

Another aspect of the invention is that the method further comprises transmitting the encoded single sided printout to the printer.

Another aspect of the present invention provides a method for transforming an image, comprising: calculating information to be represented by an encoded image; constructing the information into a representable encoded image; and a source file for the page to be modified and a representable encoded image. Redefining the page to be modified, testing the viability of the redefined page, and adding an expressible coded image out of the process and generating an error message if the addition of the representable coded image causes a problem It further includes the step of continuing the process if the addition of does not cause a problem.

Another aspect of the invention is that the method further comprises the step of storing the encoded image and page source files as a single modified page source file.

Another aspect of the invention is that the method further comprises transmitting the encoded single sided printout to the printer.

Another aspect of the present invention is that the encoded image is visible when the page is printed.

Another aspect of the invention is that the encoded image is invisible when the page is printed.

Another aspect of the invention is that the modifying step includes at least one front logical page.

In another embodiment of the present invention, an electronic document for printing is provided. The electronic document includes at least one front logical page to be printed on a single two-sided printout and a source page file for the at least one back logical page and a coded field merged with the source page file, the encoded field being the front of the printout. And information on the back.

Another aspect of the electronic document of the present invention is that the source page and the encoded field are adapted for printing.

Another aspect of the electronic document of the present invention is that the source page and the coded fields are adapted for electronic representation.

Another aspect of the electronic document of the present invention is that the encoded image is formed to be added to fit the logical page.

Another aspect of the electronic document of the present invention is that the encoded image is a barcode.

Another aspect of the electronic document of the present invention is that the encoded image is a digital watermark.

Another aspect of the electronic document of the present invention is that the encoded image is visible when the page is printed.

Another aspect of the electronic document of the present invention is that the encoded image is invisible when the page is printed.

In another embodiment of the present invention, an article of manufacture is provided. The article of manufacture comprises a computer readable program storage medium, which performs a method of effectively implementing one or more programs executable by the computer to produce an electronic document for printing, the method comprising a single double-sided printout. Providing a source page file for at least one front logical page and at least one rear logical page to be printed, and merging the encoded image with information about the front and back of the printout with the source page file. do.

In another embodiment of the article of manufacture of the present invention, an application on a computer usable medium is provided. The application is operable to provide a source page file for at least one front logical page and at least one rear logical page to be printed in a single sided print, and a source page file from the first device with an encoded image. And a second device operable to merge, wherein the encoded image conveys information about the front and back sides of the print.

These and various other advantages and novel features that characterize the invention are particularly attached to the specification and are shown in the claims forming part of the specification. However, for a better understanding of the present invention, the advantages of the present invention and the objects obtained by the use of the present invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which are an integral part of this specification and the detailed description which illustrates and illustrates specific examples of devices according to the invention. Should.

Like reference numerals in the drawings indicate corresponding parts.

In the following description of the exemplary embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof and which are presented as illustrations of certain embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized, as structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

The present invention provides a method for adding coded information to a mission-critical pages of a document during a document assembly process and the resulting document. The document is modified to include encoded fields that reflect information about both the front and back of the combined document. The present invention automates the discovery of lists affected by changes or modifications to pages so that all out-of-date sheets can be quickly identified with 100% accuracy. Thus, the present invention allows the publisher to send only the latest information and also to automatically and accurately maintain a record of what pages have been sent to all customers. In addition, the coded field is concise and much easier to handle than an entire page, and since the coded field is included on one side of the printed matter, there is no need to hand over the printed matter. If not, manual work is needed to capture information about the entire combined print, including the front and back sides.

1 illustrates a data processing system 100 for assembling a set of page files into a document in accordance with the present invention. Typically, data processing systems receive digital documents for processing. The files of the digital document are then prepared for printing or further processing using one or more applications. When modifications are made to a file, the document is sent to a printing system or other output device as a single print job or stored in some storage device. It is within the scope of the present invention for the data processing system 100 to include a workstation, server, personal computer system, set top box or any other device capable of generating a very mobile output file.

A central processing unit (CPU) 110, such as one of International Business Machines' PC microprocessors, is provided for processing data and executing instructions. CPU 110 is interconnected to various other components by system bus 112.

Operating system 141 running on CPU 110 provides control and is used to coordinate the functionality of the various components shown in FIG. The operating system 141 may be one of commercially available operating systems. An application 140 comprising a set of instructions 145 that combines a set of input files into a single output file with encoded fields in accordance with the present invention performs various functions to be performed by the application 140. Run in conjunction with operating system 141. In another embodiment, the set of instructions 145 that combines a set of input files into a single output file with encoded fields is stored in memory except for the application 140, or alternatively is hardware circuitry or firmware. (For example, ROM).

Random access memory (RAM) 114 is coupled to the system bus 112. Software components (eg, operating system 141 and application 140) may be loaded into RAM 114, which acts as the main memory of the data processing system.

The system bus 112 also includes an input device 130 for inputting data into the system, a monitor 135 for displaying data, a disk storage 120 for storing data and instructions, and basic computer functions (e.g., It is also coupled to read-only memory (ROM) 150 that controls the basic input / output system (BIOS).

2 is a block diagram of a digital printing system 200 according to the present invention for printing multiple page documents (eg, books, magazines, catalogs or other publications) in a single print job. The digital printing system includes a printer 230, a print drive 220, and a spooler 210.

The spooler 210 is a program that receives various print jobs (ie, print files from an application program) and maintains a queue for the printer. Spooler 210 may be integrated into an operating system.

After the pages are combined by the data processing system, the screen image is converted into the printer's language through the print drive 220. The language of the printer is essentially a set of codes that enable it to perform its own functions, such as centering copy, changing type size, advancing paper, and the like. Although the print driver 220 converts the data from the application into a form understandable to the printer, it is not part of the application but is often integrated into the operating system.

The printer 230 typically comprises (1) an interpreter for converting drive data from the data processing system into the coding of the printer, (2) page data, and a font image Marking the actual output image using a raster image processor (RIP) and (3) dots or spots to generate a page bitmap. An engine (marking engine).

3 shows a flowchart of a method 300 of assembling a set of page files into a document file. In one embodiment of the invention, a set of page files is typically a file written in a page description language (PDL). In another embodiment of the invention, the set of page files is written in a programming language rather than a PDL. Typically, PDL is referred to as a computer language for describing how type and graphic elements should be generated by an output device such as a printer. Document files are commonly referred to as a digital book, catalog, pamphlet, magazine or other publication with multiple pages that need to be combined or a representation (such as email or fax).

According to FIG. 3, a method of assembling a set of page files, which may or may not be sorted, into a document begins with receipt of a set of input files (ie, page files) to be combined. As described above, each page file may contain information that prints a single page or group of pages. In addition, each page is prepared by modifying the page to include a field encoded according to the present invention. Adding encoded information to the main page during the combination will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS.
In one embodiment of the invention, a set of page files represents a set of PostScript files stored on one page per file. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that the present invention is not intended to be limited to one page per file, and that the present invention may be practiced so that multiple pages per file may be stored. PostScript is a Page Description Language (PDL) developed by Adobe Systems, which can be used to specify the contents of a page to be printed. Each PostScript file is a description of a page or group of pages that can be generated and printed on all widely used operating systems. The biggest advantage of PostScript is device independence. Graphics are not defined according to the characteristics of a particular device (eg, page size, color depth, resolution, etc.) but independently. In other words, it is possible to output PostScript files with consistent results on various machines, that is, the only visible difference is that the playback quality increases as the resolution increases. In other embodiments, input page files to be combined may be written to some other PDL. In other embodiments, more than one page per file may be stored as described above.

Once a set of page files is received, the next step 320 is to determine the correct sequence of pages within the document file of the multiple pages. The correct sequence of pages can be determined by various methods. For example, a valid sequence may perform an alphanumeric sort of the file name of the input page file, examine the contents of each input page file, or calculate an explicit input page file provided as additional input ( the explicit enumeration of input page files).

Next, in step 330 a document framework is created for the document file that can hold the page file. For example, if a document provided by the method is combined into a single PostScript file, the document structure will be defined using the PostScript programming language.

In step 340, each input page is inserted into the document structure. Step 340 may require adding page constructs and removing the document structure. Each input page file typically represents a single page or group of pages (simplex or duplex) and needs to be changed to fit the document structure that includes all the pages in the set of page files. Attention should be paid to. Step 340 may include an option of inserting a blank page into the document structure. The term blank page does not contain any content, so it is either a blank page, or a page that intentionally left blank but contains some content, or a page break between sections or chapters of a book (a Note that this is a page break.

Once all the pages have been inserted or merged into the document structure, the document file representing the digital book is stored as output file 350. In one embodiment of the invention, the output file is a PostScript file. The output file can be sent to a printer or other output device as a single job to be printed, or stored on various types of removable storage media such as a CD-ROM or floppy disk so that the output file can be retrieved for later use. Can be.

One advantage of saving an entire digital book as a single multipage document file is that the entire book or publication can be printed at the time of the order (as a single job) without requiring manipulation of multiple print files (or jobs). to be. Reproduction of multiple page documents with multiple print jobs often requires manual collation or combination. Moreover, the offset printing process requires additional manual action to prepare the press plate. The present invention can be used to eliminate the manual work involved in the insertion of blank pages and plate generation and to provide a cost-effective solution for the reproduction and other publications of small volumes of books.

The present invention addresses the management of the front and back side prints of certain prints for documents that require a great deal of effort. This is especially important if the document is used to provide important information to the user. For example, flight maps are used on all commercial airplanes. Clearly, the quality of information is an important factor in the use of flight maps. The problem is that each map image must be stored and maintained separately (in many cases, the source data of the map is owned by the federal government or owned by another external source) and then merged. These maps are duplexed sheets composed of two or more single page images. If a particular map is modified, for example, a print that includes the map on the back side should be reprinted even if the front side is not changed.

4 shows a flow diagram 400 of a process for adding an encoded field to a page to provide information regarding both the front and back sides of a printed matter combined in accordance with the present invention. First, a unique field is generated (410). The content of the generated field is dynamically calculated when the pages are combined. See FIG. 3 above. These fields reflect information about the print, including both the front and back of the combined print and all the logical pages about them. Next, the content of the new field is composed of an encoded image so that the content of the new field may be located on an existing page layout (420). The content of the new field should be configured to add to the page margin (s) or encoded, for example in the form of a digital "watermark". One preferred embodiment of the present invention constitutes a new field with a two-dimensional barcode. This encoding can hold a lot of information about the front and back of the page, can be easily added to most page margins, and can be easily scanned during or after printing.

After the field is configured, one of the pages to be combined is modified 430 such that the modified page contains barcode (or other encoded) information. In the case of visible information such as the barcode described above, the result will be visible when the page is printed. Alternatively, the encoded image may be invisible when the page is printed, for example by using infrared ink. One embodiment of the present invention modifies the front of the page (most loose-leaf pages are stored face up). This step includes an important substep, which is described with reference to FIG. Adding new information to an existing page does not damage or change the original page.

The modified page is then merged with the back side (assuming that the front side will be changed) to produce a self-defining 2-page sheet (440). Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention is also applicable to N pages per print. In addition to being added to the printed matter, the encoded information may be stored separately for later recall, search, and the like (450). In one preferred embodiment, it should be noted that the original page source should not be changed. This allows a single page to be used in multiple locations, which requires multiple marks in the resulting two-page sheets. However, an option for some applications where the page appears only in a single location is to update the source page and store the updated source page with an identifying mark (460). The encoded two-page printout is then sent to the printer 470. Thus, in accordance with the present invention, the integrated front and back information can be recalled at any time using a scanner, wand or other suitable device.

Figure 5 shows a flowchart of one preferred embodiment of adding a barcode to the margin of a page, for example a PostScript page. First, barcode information is calculated (510). The barcode consists of a representational encoded image (e.g., TIFF) (520). The page is then redefined to include two portions of 1) the original page and 2) the new image for the barcode (530). Finally, the viability of the new page is tested (540). If a problem occurs due to the addition of a barcode (550), the process exits the process and provides an error message (552). The process then ends (554). If not (560), the page is further processed (570) as described in FIG.

Thus, the present invention provides self-describing, assembled sheets from only the first printed matter. The present invention can be extended to represent more than two pages in the same manner, but the information regarding the front and back sides of the printout without a "hand wand" or other barcode scanning device requiring access to both sides of the printout. This is especially important for loose-leaf publishing because it allows for easy registration. The present invention can also be used in automated assembly lines or hand-selected processes to ensure improved quality by inspecting both sides at once. Using the present invention, an existing hardcopy inventory against a list of old maps can be quickly examined to ensure that old information is not shipped. Alternatively, only the current barcode list may be provided so that only up-to-date stock is used to fill the order when the order is filled.

Moreover, the present invention can be used in a loose-leaf printing process where it is important to maintain the integrity of the page. This may include legal, finance, insurance and a variety of other areas where managing the content of a page is of high value. The description of exemplary embodiments of the invention described above has been provided for the purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. It is intended that the scope of the invention be limited not by this detailed description, but rather by the claims appended hereto.

Claims (26)

In the method for generating a printable electronic document, Source page file for at least one front logical page and at least one back logical page to be printed as a single two-sided sheet ( providing a source page file, Merging an encoded image with information about the front and back of the printout with the source page file; Generating a field reflecting information on both the front and the back of the printed matter; Configuring the field with an encoded image; The constructing step may further include configuring the field into the encoded image in such a manner that the encoded image is added to fit the logical page. Merging the encoded image with the source page file further includes modifying the page to include the encoded image and merging the modified page with the source page file to form the single double-sided print. and, The correction step Calculating information represented by the encoded image; Configuring the information as a displayable encoded image, Redefining the page to be modified to include a source file for the page to be modified and the displayable encoded image; Testing the viability of the redefined page; If the problem occurs due to the addition of the displayable encoded image, ending the process and generating an error message; If the problem does not occur due to the addition of the displayable encoded image, further comprising continuing the process. How to create an electronic document for printing. delete delete The method of claim 1, And the encoded image is a barcode. The method of claim 1, And the encoded image is a digital watermark. delete The method of claim 1, And storing the encoded image for later recall and combination with a page source file. The method of claim 7, wherein And transmitting the encoded single sided printed matter to the printer. delete The method of claim 1, And storing the encoded image and the page source file as a single modified page source file. The method of claim 10, And transmitting the encoded single sided printed matter to the printer. The method of claim 1, And the modifying step includes modifying the at least one front logical page. delete A computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program for performing each step of the method according to any one of claims 1, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11 and 12. delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete

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