Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
  • H04N1/00—Scanning, transmission or reproduction of documents or the like, e.g. facsimile transmission; Details thereof
  • H04N1/387—Composing, repositioning or otherwise geometrically modifying originals
  • H04N1/3872—Repositioning or masking
  • H04N1/3873—Repositioning or masking defined only by a limited number of coordinate points or parameters, e.g. corners, centre; for trimming

Definitions

• a page description language is the link between the application program and the output device as illustrated in Figure 1.
• the basic operating system on the server is DOS 5.0. With Quatradeck Deskview 6.0 multi-tasking environment loaded directly at boot time. Hardware
• the weakest point of the prior art system is in the INTERPRETIVE nature on the Raster Image Processor (RIP).
• RIP Raster Image Processor
• the image data is treated by the standard color image operator on the RIP as an executable object which is thrown away as soon as the RIP has executed it (painted it on the current page).
• the PostScript files generated by the page layout application are extremely large (14 Mbytes). And consists of 36 repetitions of same image data plus new positioning commands for the following picture.
• a sample of the PostScript file is as follows:
• the present invention is directed to an improved method for producing on a single page multiple copies of a photographic image that has been entered into a computer system and stored as image data.
• the image data is converted into a page description language, such as PostScript, and subsequently outputted to an output device such as a color copier.
• RIP Raster Image Processor
• it is a general purpose Raster Image Processor (RIP) capable of taking a general purpose page description language program used for interchanging data between different software applications and output devices, such as PostScript, and outputting those programs on a variety of non-page description language reading devices including * color copiers.
• RIP Raster Image Processor
• it is an active computer network server for automatically scanning all the workstations connected to the computer network for valid image data files, transmitting the image data files to its own disk, preparing the image data files for output and outputting the image data files on the color copier.
• TSR Terminate But Stay Resident
• Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating the function of a general purpose page description language computer program.
• Figure 2 is a block diagram illustrating the information flow on a prior art system for producing multiple copies of a photographic image.
• Figure 3 is block diagram illustrating the global operation of the server of the present invention.
• Figure 4 is a block diagram illustrating the steps of the Network Window Manager of the present invention used for scanning all the workstations connected to a server.
• Figure 5 is a block diagram illustrating the steps of the server of the present invention used for generating page description language files.
• Figure 6 is a block diagram illustrating the steps of the Raster Imaging Processor Window of the present invention used for interpreting page description language and outputting data.
• FIG. 3 a block diagram illustrating the global operation of the server of the present invention is shown.
• the window manager is starting and stopping different processes in the server.
• the interchange of data between the separate partitions is done via the Environmental Variable Table which is available to each separate partition and via TSR programs.
• FIG. 4 a block diagram of the Network Window of the present invention is shown.
• the purpose of this window is to scan all the workstations connected to the server for valid image data files and transmit them to the server. It also does administration on a files that have been processed, and informs the Window Manager about the current status.
• FIG. 5 a block diagram of the Letterserve Window of the present invention is shown. As soon as files have been transmitted to the server disk and the window manager has been informed about it and activates this window in which PostScript files are generated for each image file that have arrived in the system. RIP Window
• FIG. 6 a block diagram of the Raster Image Processor Window of the present invention is shown. This is the window that is started as soon as PostScript files have been generated and are waiting to be outputted. PostScript Interpreting and output is done in this window.
• the goal of the present invention was to build a system that will take as input photographic images, scan them into the workstations disk, produce a page layout consisting of 36 repetitions of the same image file on the page, and optionally add text and output such a page on a pre-perforated paper.
• the output should have continuous tone quality.
• Tests were made on different computer platforms and variety of output devices with their corresponding RIP's.
• the only output device that meet those quality and material needs were the color copiers produced by Canon, Kodak and Agfa.
• Total production time is 1 min. 15 sec. for one A4 ark with 36 pictures generated thereon measured from the moment the server "saw” the image file on some of the workstations.
• the RIP performance is improved 10 times due to the smaller amount of data in tne PostScript files that are processed (300 Kbytes compared to 14 Mbytes).
• the amount of data transmitted over the network is 36 times smaller.
• the workstation operator is capable of producing approx 200 pictures per day. And the system in total is producing approx 700 customers a day. A minimal investment is needed (3 workstations with scanners) to come up to this production volume.
• a page to be printed on a raster output device can be described as an array of pixel values with one to one correspondence to the printer dots.
• an application can describe the desired output as a full-page pixel array and transmit it to the printer. Pages containing combinations of text, graphics and sampled images can be described in this way. Such an arrangement is unsatisfactory for many reasons. Chief among them are:
• the pixel array is device dependent; it is valid for output devices of only one particular resolution and one choice of possible data values per pixel.
• Producing printed output from an application program then becomes a two-stage process.
• First the application generates a device independent description of the desired output in the page description language.
• Second a program controlling the output device interprets the description and renders it on the device.
• the two stages may be executed in different places and different times.
• the PostScript language is today recognized as a broad industry page description language. Its design has benefitted from nearly two decades experience with several predecessor languages.
• the language has its beginnings in 1976 at the Evans & Sutherland Computer Corporation, known as "Design System”. In 1978 the language was reimplemented at Xerox Palo Alto Research Center under the name of "JaM”. The third incarnation of the language was done 1982 at "Adobe Systems Incorporated” and since then is known as "PostScript”.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Multimedia (AREA)
• Signal Processing (AREA)
• Editing Of Facsimile Originals (AREA)
• Record Information Processing For Printing (AREA)

Priority Applications (1)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=20390643

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (3)

Cited By (2)

Citations (5)

• 1993
  • 1993-07-19 SE SE9302455A patent/SE9302455D0/sv unknown
• 1994
  • 1994-07-19 AU AU75316/94A patent/AU7531694A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1994-07-19 WO PCT/EP1994/002385 patent/WO1995003669A1/en active Application Filing

Patent Citations (5)

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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