Facsimile and static presentation processing – Static presentation processing – Character or font
Reexamination Certificate
1998-02-26
2001-01-30
Coles, Edward L. (Department: 2722)
Facsimile and static presentation processing
Static presentation processing
Character or font
C358S001130, C358S001150, C358S001160, C358S001170, C358S486000, C358S488000, C382S170000, C382S198000, C382S289000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06181432
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printing system, printing apparatus, and printing control method for printing out print data sent from, e.g., a host computer.
2. Related Background Art
Conventionally, a page printer dedicated to image output is known, and is called a host-based printer.
In case of the host-based printer, a host computer compresses mapped image data for one page and sends the compressed data to a controller unit of the printer. The controller unit expands the received compressed data, converts the expanded data into a video signal, and outputs the video signal to an engine unit in synchronism with the paper discharge timing of the engine unit. In this way, printing on a paper sheet for one page is done.
In such printer, conversion of compressed image data into a video signal and video signal output to the engine unit are done by a hardware circuit. Ultimately, the controller unit does not require any CPU, and a very low-cost page printer can be provided.
However, the host computer that uses the conventional host-based printer must perform character mapping, figure drawing, image pasting, and the like. That is, after the host computer maps all print data as image data, it compresses the mapped image data and transfers the compressed data to the printer. For this reason, the volume of data to be transferred from the host computer to the printer becomes large. Also, the host computer must temporarily process characters and elements other than characters, e.g., must perform table ruled line drawing, figure drawing, image pasting, and the like, map them as image data, compress the mapped image data, and transfer the compressed data to the printer. For this reason, the transfer data volume becomes large, and the long processing time on the host computer extends the total processing time.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a printing apparatus, which is an image-dedicated printer with a simple mechanism similar to that of a host-based printer, but can minimize the character and ruled line mapping processing times in a host computer and the transfer data volume from the host computer by receiving a character portion as a character code and converting it into character image data and by receiving a ruled line portion as a ruled line code and mapping it as image data, and a printing system and printing control method.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a printing apparatus, which can minimize the required memory capacity, a printing system, and a printing control method.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a printing apparatus which can print characters and ruled lines even when the number of characters to be mapped and the number of ruled lines to be mapped have exceeded their limits, a printing system, and a printing control method.
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention comprises the following arrangement.
That is, there is provided a printing system for printing out document data created by a host apparatus using a printing apparatus,
the host apparatus comprising:
first transmission means for transmitting codes and character images in units of character types that occur in the document data to the printing apparatus; and
second transmission means for transmitting characters that occur in the document data as character codes, ruled lines as ruled line data representing the shapes of the ruled lines, and a portion other than the characters and ruled lines as block image data to the printing apparatus, and
the printing apparatus comprising:
registration means for registering the character codes and character images transmitted from the first transmission means;
image reconstruction means for mapping, as image data, the character codes transmitted from the second transmission means on the basis of the codes and character images registered by the registration means, mapping ruled lines on the basis of the shapes represented by the ruled line data, and synthesizing the mapped data with an image transmitted from the second transmission means; and
means for printing out the image data obtained by the image reconstruction means.
Alternatively, there is provided a printing apparatus for print out print data received from a host apparatus, which transmits codes and character images in units of character types that occur in document data, and which sequentially transmits characters which occur in the document data as the character codes, ruled lines as ruled line data representing the shapes of the ruled lines, and a portion other than the characters and ruled lines as block image data, comprising:
registration means for registering the character codes and character images received from the host apparatus;
image reconstruction means for mapping, as image data, the character codes received from the host apparatus on the basis of the codes and character images registered by the registration means, mapping ruled lines on the basis of the shapes represented by the ruled line data, and synthesizing the mapped data with a block image received from the host apparatus; and
means for printing out the image data obtained by the image reconstruction means.
Also, there is provided a printing control apparatus for making a printing apparatus print out created document data, comprising:
first transmission means for transmitting codes and character images in units of character types that occur in the document data to the printing apparatus; and
second transmission means for transmitting characters that occur in the document data as character codes, ruled lines as ruled line data representing shapes of the ruled lines, and a portion other than the characters and ruled lines as block image data to the printing apparatus.
Furthermore, there is provided a printing control method for printing out print data received from a host apparatus which transmits codes and character images in units of character types that occur in document data, and which subsequently transmits characters that occur in the document data as character codes, ruled lines as ruled line data representing shapes of the ruled lines, and a portion other than the characters and ruled lines as image data, comprising:
the registration step of registering the character codes and character images received from the host apparatus;
the image reconstruction step of mapping, as image data, the character codes received from the host apparatus on the basis of the codes and character images registered in the registration step, mapping the ruled lines on the basis of the shapes represented by the ruled line data, and synthesizing the mapped data with an image received from the host apparatus; and
the step of printing out the image data obtained in the image reconstruction step.
Moreover, there is provided a control method of a printing apparatus for printing out created document data, comprising:
the first transmission step of transmitting codes and character images in units of character types that occur in the document data to the printing apparatus; and
the second transmission step of transmitting characters that occur in the document data as character codes, ruled lines as ruled line data representing shapes of the ruled lines, and a portion other than the characters and ruled lines as image data to the printing apparatus.
In addition, there is provided a computer readable storage medium which stores a program for making a computer print out, based on print data received from a host apparatus which transmits codes and character images in units of character types that occur in document data, and which subsequently transmits characters that occur in the document data as character codes, ruled lines as ruled line data representing shapes of the ruled lines, and a portion other than characters and ruled lines as image data, the program comprising:
a code of the registration step of registering the character codes and character images received from the host apparatus;
a code of t
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Coles Edward L.
Fitzpatrick ,Cella, Harper & Scinto
Lamb Twyler
LandOfFree
Printing system, printing apparatus and printing control method does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Printing system, printing apparatus and printing control method, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Printing system, printing apparatus and printing control method will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2506862