EP0029327A1
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Apparatus and method for reproducing image and word data
Assignee: Xerox Corp
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Filing: 1980-11-07
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2000-11-07
Abstract
Abstract A system for merging image and word information, and for producing electronically collated document sets locally or remotely through the use of a communication link. The main components of the system are an image input terminal (950) for scanning in and digitizing images, an electronic input module (951) for compressing the data, a mass storage device (952), a variety of peripherals (957) for the input of character-coded data, a bit map display (958), an electronic output module (953) for decompressing and merging data. an image output terminal (954) for producing copy sets. a communication link (970) for the exchange of data with a remote station, and a processor (956) with store (955) for controlling the I/O bus (973) connecting the elements.
Inventors
- 👤 Bruno J. Vieri
- 👤 Ronald E. Rider
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-06 13:23
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04N; H04N19/00; H04N19/90; H04N1/00; H04N1/387; H04N1/3871
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 26
Claim 1
Independent Claim
84 words
A system for merging word and image data onto a copy medium, characterised by: an input scanner (950) for scanning an image to produce uncompressed image data, a compressor (975) for compressing said image data, a tape reader (962) for receiving character-coded word data, an output module (953) for decompressing said compressed image data, for converting said character-coded data into font data, and for merging said font and decompressed image data into a bit map, and a printer (954) for printing said bit map.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
84 words
A system for merging word and image data onto a copy medium, characterised by: an input scanner (950) for scanning an image to produce uncompressed image data, a compressor (975) for compressing said image data, a tape reader (962) for receiving character-coded word data, an output module (953) for decompressing said compressed image data, for converting said character-coded data into font data, and for merging said font and decompressed image data into a bit map, and a printer (954) for printing said bit map.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
38 words
The system of claim 1, characterised by a data bus (973) connecting said compressor (975), said tape reader (962) and said output module (953), and a processor (956) coupled to said data bus (973) for controlling said system.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
26 words
-3. The system 6 f claim 2, characterised by a store (955) coupled to said data bus (973) for storing character-coded word and compressed image data.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
36 words
The system of claim 2 or 3, characterised by a display (958) and an information input matrix (959) coupled to said data bus (973) to enable an operator to input control information to said processor (956).
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
73 words
The system of claim 3 or 4, characterised in that said compressor (975) further comprises a signal path (976) for coupling said input scanner (950) and said data bus (973) to enable the immediate storage in store (955) of image data in uncompressed form, and in that the signal path (976) between said memory (955) and compressor (975) is bidirectional, to allow the subsequent compression and storage of said uncompressed storage image data.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
34 words
The system of claim 5, characterised by a communication link (969) for bidirectionally coupling said data bus (973) to a remote site to perform an electronic mail function by transmitting and receiving stored data.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
55 words
The system of claim 5 or 6, characterised in that said compressor (975) is adapted to couple uncompressed image data from said scanner (950) to said data bus (973) if the compressor has expanded said data, and in that said output module (953) is adapted to merge said uncompressed image data into said bit map.
Claim 9
Independent Claim
88 words
The system of any of claims 5 to 7, characterised in that said compressor (975) is adapted to guarantee a predetermined compression ratio by deleting the necessary amount of uncompressed image data and coupling the remaining uncompressed image data to the data bus (973) if the compression of said image data does not result in at least the predetermined amount of compression, and in that said output module (953) is adapted to replicate the remaining uncompressed image data to replace the deleted image data prior to said merging.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
20 words
The system of claim 6 or any claim dependent therefrom, characterised in that said communication link (969) comprises telephone lines.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
45 words
The system of claim 3 or any claim dependent therefrom, characterised in that said store (955) is adapted to store data equivalent to a plurality of bit maps to enable a plurality of multi-page documents to be printed by said printer (954) in collated order.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
46 words
The system of claim 3 or any claim dependent therefrom, characterised in that said output module (953) is coupled through said data bus (973) to said compressor (975) to allow the compression and storage in said store, and subsequent decompression and printing of said bit map.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
74 words
A method of producing a copy medium bearing image and word data from an original image and character-coded word inputs, characterised by the steps of; scanning the original image to produce raw image data; compressing said raw image data; creating word data in character-coded form; converting said character-coded word data to fonts; decompressing said compressed image data; merging said decompressed image data and said fonts into a bit map, and printing said bit map.
Claim 14
Independent Claim
74 words
A method of producing a copy medium bearing image and word data from an original image and character-coded word inputs, characterised by the steps of; scanning the original image to produce raw image data; compressing said raw image data; creating word data in character-coded form; converting said character-coded word data to fonts; decompressing said compressed image data; merging said decompressed image data and said fonts into a bit map, and printing said bit map.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 12, characterised by the intermediate step of temporarily storing said compressed image data and said character-coded text.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 13, characterised by the intermediate step of storing said raw image data prior to said compression step.
Claim 17
Independent Claim
28 words
The method of any of claims 12 to 14, characterised by transmitting said compressed image data and said character-coded word data to, and receiving from, a remote site.
Claim 18
Independent Claim
29 words
The method of any of claims 12 to 15, characterised in that said scanning step further comprises a halftoning step to produce said raw image data in halftone form.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
41 words
The method of claim 13 or any claim dependent therefrom, characterised by a first repetition of the scanning, compressing, creating and storing steps prior to a second repetition of the converting, decompression, imaging and printing steps, to produce a collated document.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 17, characterised by a further repetition of said first and second repetitions to produce a plurality of collated copy sets.
Claim 21
Independent Claim
141 words
A method of producing a copy medium bearing image and word data from an original image and character-coded word inputs, characterised by the steps of; scanning the original image to produce raw image data; operating on said raw image data with a compressor (975), which may either compress or expand said raw image data; creating the word data in character-coded form; storing said word data and either the raw image data resulting from the operating step if compression occurred, or the raw image data if expansion occurred, in said operating step; converting said character-coded word data into fonts; converting said compressed image data if said image data were stored in compressed form; merging into a bit map said fonts and either said decompressed data if compression occurred, or said stored raw image data if expansion occurred, and printing said bit map.
Claim 22
Independent Claim
141 words
A method of producing a copy medium bearing image and word data from an original image and character-coded word inputs, characterised by the steps of; scanning the original image to produce raw image data; operating on said raw image data with a compressor (975), which may either compress or expand said raw image data; creating the word data in character-coded form; storing said word data and either the raw image data resulting from the operating step if compression occurred, or the raw image data if expansion occurred, in said operating step; converting said character-coded word data into fonts; converting said compressed image data if said image data were stored in compressed form; merging into a bit map said fonts and either said decompressed data if compression occurred, or said stored raw image data if expansion occurred, and printing said bit map.
Claim 23
Independent Claim
163 words
A method of producing a copy medium bearing image and word data from an original image and character-coded word inputs, characterised by the steps of: scanning the original image to produce raw image data; operating on said raw image data with a compressor to produce a first set of compressed image data; periodically deleting lines of raw image data to reduce said raw data by a predetermined factor; operating on said reduced data with a compressor to produce a second set of compressed image data; creating word data in character-coded form; storing said text data and either said first or second set of compressed image data, whichever guarantees a minimum image data compression rate; converting said character-coded word data to fonts; decompressing said selected set of stored image data; replicating the remaining uncompressed image data to replace the deleted lines of image data; merging said fonts and said selected set of stored image data into a bit map, and printing said bit map.
Claim 24
Independent Claim
163 words
A method of producing a copy medium bearing image and word data from an original image and character-coded word inputs, characterised by the steps of: scanning the original image to produce raw image data; operating on said raw image data with a compressor to produce a first set of compressed image data; periodically deleting lines of raw image data to reduce said raw data by a predetermined factor; operating on said reduced data with a compressor to produce a second set of compressed image data; creating word data in character-coded form; storing said text data and either said first or second set of compressed image data, whichever guarantees a minimum image data compression rate; converting said character-coded word data to fonts; decompressing said selected set of stored image data; replicating the remaining uncompressed image data to replace the deleted lines of image data; merging said fonts and said selected set of stored image data into a bit map, and printing said bit map.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 20, characterised by the step of coupling stored data between a local and a remote site.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
52 words
The method of claim 20 or 21, characterised in that said step of periodically deleting lines further comprises periodically deleting pixels in each remaining line to further reduce the volume of image data, and in that the step of replicating further comprises the step of replacing said deleted pixels of image data.
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