Facsimile and static presentation processing – Static presentation processing – Detail of image placement or content
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-14
2001-06-05
Popovici, Dov (Department: 1624)
Facsimile and static presentation processing
Static presentation processing
Detail of image placement or content
C345S440000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06243172
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the high-speed printing industry, and more particularly, to a system and method for merging variable data and images into a template image defined by a page description language file in a high speed printing environment.
Application programs, such as wordprocessors, illustrators, and computer aided design systems are software packages used to create a document (text and graphics) on a computer screen and to simultaneously generate a page description language (“PDL”) specification, which is to be transferred to the printer, or to any other type of raster device or output device for creating a hard copy or copies of the document. Alternatively a PDL specification can be generated by a programmer without the assistance of an application program.
The printer executes the PDL specification to generate a bitmap of the document, or a raster-data representation of a document, and eventually transfers the bitmap or raster-data to a physical medium such as paper. A typical PDL language, such as PostScript (a registered trademark of Adobe Corporation) defines a page of the document as containing a number of data areas, where each data area contains either graphic or alpha-numeric data. Each data area is defined by a “graphic state,” which is a collection of parameters or attributes for controlling the representation and appearance of text and graphics. For example, the graphic state can include a set of text attributes such as scale factor, type font, etc. In postscript an example of a PDL command used to build a graphic state can be:
20 rotate /Times-Roman findfont 14 scalefont setfont
Examples of PDL commands used to define the graphic or alpha-numeric data that is displayed in the data area include:
0 0 moveto and (ABC) show
The entire group of PDL commands used to define a document is hereinafter referred to as the “PDL specification.” Furthermore, the entire graphic state, or any particular attribute or combination of attributes included in a graphic state, or any similar attribute contained in a PDL specification for defining or controlling the representation, location and/or appearance of text and graphics in a final bitmap or raster image is hereinafter referred to as “graphic attributes.”
In variable data printing each printed document shares a common template and there is at least one area in the template that changes for each printing of the template. Typical PDL languages are not designed for high-speed variable data printing because, with PDL languages and interpreters, even if a single item of data in the document changes, an entirely new PDL specification must be created and interpreted. For example, if 100,000 copies of a mass mailing advertisement were to be printed (i.e., each copy of which is identical except for the mailing address) it is typically necessary to generate a new PDL specification for each copy to be printed. Hence, to generate 100,000 advertisements, it would be necessary to generate 100,000 PDL specifications, even though each advertisement is virtually the same except for the variable data area. The processing time required to interpret and render 100,000 PDL specifications is enormous, significantly slowing the entire printing system.
Furthermore, typical PDL languages do not include the capability of rapidly merging variable images or bitmaps (such as company logos, coupons, charts, and the like) along with variable text data into the template bitmaps. Accordingly, there is a need for a high-speed printing operation having the ability to merge variable data (which includes variable text data and bitmap images) into a template defined by a PDL specification.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide as system and method for merging variable text and bitmap images into a PDL specification in high-speed printing operation. It is a further object of the present invention to provide the ability to generate a plurality of merged bitmaps, which are each essentially a copy of the template, except for at least one portion of the template into which the variable data has been merged. In this portion, each merged bitmap can contain a different set of variable data merged into it. The template is defined by a PDL specification, and this template specification only needs to be processed or interpreted once before creating all of the merged bitmaps, thus providing an extremely high-speed variable data printing operation. The variable images to be merged into the template may also be defined by “sub-template” PDL specifications, which also need only be processed or interpreted once. Such sub-template specifications may also allow for variable data or images to be merged into them as well, before being merged into the primary template.
A computer implemented method for merging variable data into an image defined by page description language specification (“PDL specification”), according to the present invention, generally comprises the steps of: processing (interpreting) the template PDL specification to produce a template; processing the sub-template specification (defining the variable bitmap image) to produce a sub-template; identifying a variable data identifier in the template specification; associating the sub-template with the variable data identifier; and merging the sub-template into a copy of a template to generate a merged bitmap.
More specifically, a computer implemented method of the present invention comprises the steps of: a) generating a template PDL specification, the template specification including template data and associated graphic attributes (i.e., graphic states) defining how the template data is to appear on a printed page, the template specification including at least one variable data identifier; b) generating a plurality of sub-template PDL specifications, each sub-template specification including sub-template data and associated graphic attributes defining how the sub-template data is to appear on a portion of a printed page; c) interpreting the template specification so as to generate a template bitmap or a plurality of template rendering commands (display list), and during the interpreting step, identifying the variable data identifier; d) saving the template bitmap or the plurality of template rendering commands into memory; e) associating the variable data identifier with the sub-template specifications; f) accessing a first sub-template specification from the plurality of sub-template specifications; g) processing the first sub-template specification so as to generate a sub-template bitmap or a plurality of first sub-template rendering commands; h) accessing a copy of the template bitmap or the plurality of template rendering commands from memory; i) merging the copy of the template bitmap or template rendering commands with the sub-template bitmap or sub-template rendering commands so as to provide a first merged bitmap or first merged plurality of rendering commands; j) generating a first merged bitmap from the first merged plurality rendering commands (if necessary); k) accessing a next sub-template specification from the plurality of sub-template specifications; l) processing the next sub-template specification so as to generate a next sub-template bitmap or plurality of next sub-template rendering commands, m) accessing a copy of the template bitmap or template rendering commands from memory; n) merging the copy of the template bitmap or template rendering commands with the next sub-template bitmap or sub-template rendering commands so as to provide a next merged bitmap or next plurality of rendering commands; and o) generating a next merge bitmap from the next merged plurality of rendering commands, if necessary. The steps k-o may be repeated, as necessary, to generate a plurality of merged bitmaps.
The method of the present invention is accomplished by executing a control task in conjunction with a PDL interpreter program. The control task generates a template display list based upon the PDL commands in the PDL specification. The
Gauthier Forrest P.
Walker James R.
Garcia Gabriel I.
Popovici Dov
Thompson Hine & Flory LLP
Varis Corporation
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