Facsimile and static presentation processing – Static presentation processing – Size – resolution – or scale control
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-30
2003-07-22
Wallerson, Mark (Department: 2622)
Facsimile and static presentation processing
Static presentation processing
Size, resolution, or scale control
C358S001160, C358S001170
Reexamination Certificate
active
06597471
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an information processing apparatus for generating print data which can be interpreted by a printer and relates to a control method of such an apparatus and a printer driver that is stored in a memory medium. More particularly, the invention relates to a process for generating print data obtained by transforming image data in print data to print data of a resolution suitable for a printing process.
2. Related Background Art
First, a construction of a functional module, a procedure for a printing process, a nature of data, and a flow of the data in a conventional print system will be described with reference to FIG.
4
.
In
FIG. 4
, reference numeral
400
denotes a host computer (for example, personal computer or the like) constructing the print system; and
410
a printer. The host computer
400
and printer
410
are connected by a communication path
409
.
Reference numeral
401
denotes an application program to provide functions such as word processor, spreadsheet, and the like; and
402
indicates an operating system (OS) for intervening between the application program
401
and hardware (not shown) which is provided for the host computer
400
and servicing various processes for the application. For example, Microsoft Windows 95 (“Windows” is a registered trademark of Microsoft) is well known.
The application program
401
uses an application programming interface (API) which is provided by the operating system
402
and constructs a function to be provided by the application program (shown by an arrow
411
). In case of the Windows OS, the application program
401
issues an API called a GDI (Graphic Device Interface) function.
Reference numeral
403
denotes a printer driver to generate a print command in accordance with a request from the operating system. The operating system
402
transforms the GDI function as information such as character, figure, image, or the like to be printed by the application program
401
to a DDI (Device Driver Interface) function and sends the DDI function to the printer driver (shown by an arrow
412
). The printer driver
403
generates a print command (including a PDL (page description language), image data developed by the printer driver, and the like) to be sent to the printer on the basis of those information and returns it to the operating system
402
(shown by an arrow
413
). The print command which is generated by the printer driver
403
conforms with a grammar of the page description language (PDL) which the printer
410
has.
As kinds of PDLS, Canon LIPS IV (“LIPS” is a trademark of Canon Inc.), Adobe PostScript (“PostScript” is a registered trademark of Adobe), for example, are known.
The operating system
402
sends the print data including the print command received from the printer driver
403
to the printer
410
via the communication path
409
. The application program
401
also allows a document to be displayed on a display
421
. In a manner similar to the case of printing and outputting, a GDI function is outputted to a drawer (not shown) of the operating system
402
and a display driver (not shown) draws and outputs a DDI function generated by the operating system onto a VRAM (shown by an arrow
422
), so that it is displayed and outputted on the display
421
. The above functional modules are provided in the host computer
400
constructing the print system.
Reference numeral
404
denotes a translator for processing the print data sent from the host computer and analyzing various print commands in accordance with the grammar of the PDL. Reference numeral
405
denotes a draw command generator to which an analysis result of the print command is inputted from the translator
404
(shown by an arrow
414
). The generator
405
transforms it to a draw command and stores it in a draw command memory
406
(shown by an arrow
415
). The draw command is used for rearranging draw objects in accordance with the order of drawing the print data described by the page description language onto a recording medium and adding a process for enabling a drawing process to be easily performed. For example, in case of a font, data obtained by holding an address indicative of a location in a memory where a bit map image shown by a code of the font exists or compressing a bit map obtained by developing a complicated draw object and holding the compressed bit map is called a draw command. In a page printer such that the printing process cannot be stopped on the halfway of one page, after all of the print commands of one page are completely transformed to draw commands, a desired draw command is read out from the draw command memory
406
(shown by an arrow
416
) and sent to a drawer
407
(shown by an arrow
417
).
Reference numeral
406
denotes the draw command memory to store the draw commands;
407
the drawer for performing a drawing process in response to the draw command inputted from the draw command generator
405
and generating a bit map image onto a bit map image generation memory (not shown);
420
an engine interface for reading out the bit map image generated by the drawer
407
(shown by an arrow
418
), transferring it as a video signal to a printer engine
408
and controlling the operation of the printer engine (shown by an arrow
419
); and
408
the printer engine for generating a permanent visible image onto a sheet on the basis of a control signal and a video signal which are supplied from the engine interface
420
. The above functional modules are provided in the printer
410
. Although a laser beam printer engine is used as an engine of a page printer in the embodiment, it is obviously possible to use any other printer engine such as printer engine of a type in which an electrostatic latent image is generated on a photosensitive drum by an LED array or the like or printer engine of a type in which an ink droplet is emitted.
A process for designating a print quality in the print system will now be described.
The conventional print system has a function such that when the user tries to perform the printing operation on the host computer (personal computer: PC)
400
, a finishing quality (resolution, gradation, and the like) of a document to be printed is designated by designating a print purpose in a property of the printer driver.
For example,
FIG. 1
shows an example of a picture plane which is operated when a print quality is designated in the host computer
400
for generating print data in a conventional print system. In the example,
FIG. 1
shows a startup picture plane of a utility program serving as a part of a printer driver for a laser beam printer made of Canon Inc. (in many cases, in a dialog box for printing which is displayed when printing on an application, the startup picture plane is displayed in the case where a display of a property of a printer is designated).
In the diagram, reference numeral
101
denotes a whole designated picture plane to input various setting items which are set for the printer. The designated picture plane
101
is displayed as a window onto a display screen of a host computer (not shown) as necessary. Reference numeral
102
denotes a title section of the designated picture plane
101
. Reference numerals
103
to
110
indicate tabs each showing symbolically a main classification of the designated item. In
FIG. 1
, a “main” tab to designate a print purpose is selected. Reference numeral
111
denotes an icon display area to display an icon to designate the print purpose. Reference numerals
112
to
116
indicate icons each showing a print purpose. In the diagram, a state where a “text/table” icon has been selected is shown.
Besides the text/table icon
112
, DTP icon
113
, quick text icon
114
, quick DTP icon
115
, and save toner icon
116
shown in the diagram, other print purposes can be displayed in the icon display area
111
by scrolling in the lateral direction and another desired print purpose can be further selected. However, a description in such a case is omitted.
Refe
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