WO1990015498A1

WO1990015498A1 - Process using a facsimile machine as a postscript printer

Info

Publication number: WO1990015498A1
Application number: PCT/US1990/003268
Authority: WO
Inventors: Howard W. Selby, Iii
Original assignee: Selsys Corporation
Priority date: 1989-06-09
Filing date: 1990-06-08
Publication date: 1990-12-13
Also published as: AU6048390A; CA2018735A1

Abstract

A process to convert a computer generated Postscript PDL electronic document into a facsimile electronic document that can be electronically stored and transmitted to a facsimile machine for printing. A Postscript PDL electronic document is prepared and then converted into a bit-mapped electronic document. This bit-mapped electronic document is then converted into a facsimile electronic document, for transmission to a facsimile machine for the printing of a human readable document therefrom.

Description

Process Using a Facsimile Machine as a Postscript Printer

Technical Field

This invention relates to the process of printing a human readable visual image by supplying an electronic image from a computer to a printer, and specifically to a process by which a Postscript electronic document is printed on a facsimile machine.

Background Art

Postscript is a computer page description language (PDL) that is used to compose an electronic image, usually comprising both graphics and text. Postscript is a product brand that is used in what is called a desktop publishing environment. Postscript is sold by Adobe System Incorporated of Mountain View CA.

Postscript PDL is used in many document generation and printing desktop publishing applications. The visual elements of a document (i.e. its text and/or graphics) are coded using the grammar of the Postscript PDL. This electronic document or image is then printed, as the printer reads the Postscript PDL codes and performs certain formatting functions. The printer that is used in this manner must be Postscript compatible, i.e. the printer must have internal intelligence that enables the printer to read the Postscript PDL, i.e.the Postscript electronic document.

There are a variety of software products that allow the user to generate an electronic document that is compatible with a Postscript electronic document, examples are the desktop publishing products Page aker and Ventura, and the word processor products Microsoft Word, WordPerfect, Legacy and Wordstar. Printers that are capable of printing Postscript electronic documents are expensive, and are not found in the majority of the traditional office environments.

Several software utility program products are marketed that allow a user to print a Postscript PDL document on a conventional printer, i.e a printer not having the above mentioned internal Postscript intelligence. Examples are the commercially available products "Go-Script" and "Freedom of the Press". These utility programs operate to convert the Postscript PDL electronic image into a binary bit-map that is compatible with such conventional printers. As used herein, a bit-map is defined as an X-Y memory matrix in which each bit cell, representing one visual picture element, contains either a binary 1 or a binary 0, depending, for example, upon whether or not the corresponding visual image picture element is to be colored or not.

These utility programs provide greater utility for the Postscript PDL. However, as is well known, the user must still provide a specific printer driver for each specific printer model. The printer drive operates to convert the data that is output by an application program, such as a word processor, into a form that can be printed on the specific printer hardware that is being used.

Although facsimile machines are becoming a common piece of office equipment, such machine are not normally considered to . be office printers.

It would be desirable to print a computer generated Postscript electronic document on any digital facsimile machine, since digital facsimile machines are becoming a common piece of office equipment and can be accessed remotely by telephone. Disclosure of the Invention

In view of the foregoing, it is an object of this invention to provide a process by which a computer generated Postscript electronic document can be printed on a facsimile machine.

These and other objects of the invention are accomplished in accordance with the principles of the invention by converting the bit-mapped image that is generated by a Postscript utility program such as above mentioned "Go-Script" or "Freedom of the Press" into a standard digital facsimile electronic document. The facsimile electronic document can then be printed using a facsimile machine, with all of the Postscript formatting attributes, such as font size for example, appearing on the facsimile printout document, just as if the document had been printed on a Postscript printer.

Further features of the invention, its nature and various advantages will be more apparent from the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description of the invention.

Brief Description of the Drawing

The figure is a showing of the invention in flow chart form.

Detailed Description of the Invention

In the process of the invention, a user first generates an electronic document or drawing on a computer, using an application utility or program that supports the Postscript PDL.

Instead of printing this PDL document on a printer that supports the Postscript PDL, the electronic document is now converted to a bit-mapped electronic document using a variety of available utility programs that produce such a PDL to bit-map conversion. Two such utility programs are the above mentioned programs "GoScript", by LaserGo, Inc., of San Diego, California, and "Freedom of the Press", by Custom Applications, Inc. , of Billerica, Massachusetts. As stated previously, this bit-mapped electronic document can be used to drive conventional printers, provided the printers include the required printer driver electronics.

This process of converting a Postscript PDL electronic document into a bit-mapped electronic document can be accomplished by the use of software, such as the above mentioned "GoScript" utility, or it 'can alternatively be accomplished by the use of dedicated integrated circuitry that is present in computer hardware equipment.

In accordance with this invention, the above described bit-mapped electronic document is now converted into a standard facsimile electronic document. The standards for a facsimile electronic document are promulgated by the CCITT (International Consultative Committee on Telephone and Telegraph) . Generally speaking, the facsimile standards that are useful herein are the Group 3 and Group 4 standards that pertain to digital signal transmission. Incorporated herein by reference are the CCITT standards V.29, V.27ter, T.4, T.30, and V.21 channel 2.

This facsimile electronic image can then be sent to any standard facsimile machine for printing, using a conventional modem and conventional facsimile communication software.

Since facsimile environments enable the user to send documents over standard telephone lines, the facsimile machine that is used to print a document that was originally a Postscript PDL electronic document can be remotely located, allowing the user to send a Postscript electronic document to any location that is equipped with a facsimile machine.

With the growth in laptop and portable computers, the present invention solves the problem of not having a Postscript PDL compatible printer along when the user is out of his or her office.

Claims

1. A process for printing Postscript PDL electronic documents on a facsimile machine, comprising the steps of: a. preparing a Postscript PDL electronic document; b. converting said Postscript PDL electronic document into a bit-mapped electronic document; c. converting said bit-mapped electronic document into a facsimile electronic document; d. transmitting said facsimile electronic document to a facsimile machine; and d. using said facsimile machine to print a human readable document that is the visual equivalent of said facsimile electronic document.

2. The process of claim 1 wherein the step of converting the said Postscript PDL electronic document into said bit-mapped electronic document utilizes computer hardware.

3. The process of claim 1 wherein the step of converting said Postscript PDL electronic document into said bit-mapped electronic document utilizes computer software.

4. The process of claim 1 wherein the facsimile machine of step d is a digital facsimile machine, and wherein said bit-mapped electronic document comprises a binary bit-map, and wherein said facsimile electronic document comprises a digital electronic document.

5. The process of claim 4 wherein the step of converting said bit-mapped electronic document into said facsimile electronic document utilizes computer hardware.

6. The process of claim 4 wherein the step of converting said bit-mapped electronic document into a standard facsimile electronic document utilizes computer software.