Data processing: database and file management or data structures – Database design – Data structure types
Reexamination Certificate
1997-12-02
2001-06-12
Alam, Hosain T. (Department: 2172)
Data processing: database and file management or data structures
Database design
Data structure types
C707S793000, C707S793000, C707S793000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06247011
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to print and print-publishing prepress, and more particularly to such prepress that is computerized.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The publishing process typically requires several steps to successfully complete a printed publication. Such steps include planning and organizing, design and content development, and prepress tasks where electronic files are prepared to be reproduced with ink on paper. Broadly speaking, prepress involves the preparation of all the electronic files that will be utilized to create a publication printed with paper and ink. For a professional publication, this usually involves utilizing an authoring program to create the electronic version of the publication itself, and then using another program (which may be a component of the authoring program), to translate this electronic version into a format from which paper and ink copies of the publication can be printed.
Portions if not all of the prepress process is difficult for non-professionals to accomplish, however. While tools such as Adobe PageMaker and Quark Express enable professionals to more easily create professional-looking documents, most non-professionals find these computer programs overly complex and difficult to use. That is, although the computers sitting on the desks of such non-professionals are sufficiently powerful to handle such tasks, the users themselves may not be sufficiently knowledgeable to perform them. Furthermore, even for experienced professionals, the prepress process is fraught with uncertainty; for example, the professional must know the type of paper and ink output that is desired a priori before translating an electronic version of a document into a format from which paper and ink copies can be printed. That is, even for experienced professionals, the prepress process is not tightly integrated enough to attain fast, easy and cost-effective print publishing.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The above-identified shortcomings as well as other shortcomings and problems are addressed by the present invention, which will be understood by reading and studying the following specification. In one embodiment, a computerized prepress system includes three components: a server, a client and a printer. The server has stored thereon an authoring program to create a document, and a translation program to translate the document to a suitable prepress format. The client downloads the authoring program from the server to create the document, and then uploads the document to the server for translation to the suitable prepress format. The printer receives the document as translated to the suitable prepress format from the server, such that the printer may then print copies of the document.
More specifically, in one particular embodiment of the invention, the authoring program is written in the programming language Java, and the client, server and printer are each connected to an intranet the Internet. Thus, a user at the client needs only to run a web browser program, such as Netscape Navigator, to access the server and download and run the authoring program. Once the user has created a document with the authoring program, it is saved at the server. The server may then as required translate the document into a suitable prepress format—such as PostScript—and send it to the printer (e.g., as a MIME-compliant electronic mail) for printing.
The invention thus provides for several advantages. The user at the client does not need to know anything about the prepress format required by the printer. Since the server stores the authoring program that is then downloaded to the client for creation of a document, the server can maintain the authoring program such that it knows both the format to which the authoring program saves the document, and the format to which the document must be translated for printing at the printer. Furthermore, the authoring program stored at the server may be as simple as necessary for novice users to comfortably use, or as powerful as necessary for experienced users to use. The professional user benefits from the tight integration of the invention, in that the professional user need only be concerned with creating the document, and not the manner by which the document will ultimately be printed with paper and ink, which may already be preselected within the server.
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Drennan, Bill, “Variable-data printing comes of age: capabilities & market demand converge.” Seybold Report on Publishing Systems, v27, n2, p3 (22), pp. 10-12, 14, 16-19, and 21-26, Sep. 15, 1997.*
Seybold Report on Publishing Systems, “Acloser look at the new Indigo E-Print 1000+; 77 engineering enhancements,” Seybold Publishing System, v26, n6, p38(1), pp. 66 and 67, Nov. 1996.*
Print outs from Banc JEX Insty Prints online printing catalog,, on-line on Internet in 1996-97.
Print outs from BizCards Online business card catalog, on-line Internet in May 1997.
Print outs from www.iprint.com web site. It is Applicants' belief that this web site was available sometime in early 1997, prior to the Applicants' filing date. This is not admitted as a fact, however, as this has not been independently comfirmed by Applicants.
Grayson, S., et al., “Adobe Print Publishing Guide”,Adobe System Incorporated, Entire Manual, (1993-1995).
Jecha Steven
Mitchell Winfield A.
Alam Hosain T.
Colbert Ella
Digital-Net, Inc.
Schwegman Lundberg Woessner & Kluth P.A.
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