EP0179206A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Table driven print formatting
Assignee: International Business Machines Corp
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Filing: 1985-07-30
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2005-07-30
Abstract
Abstract A table driven print formatting system that accepts a text data stream (28) including individual teat commands and produces a printable data stream including (29) individual print commands. The formatting system uses the text data in combination with printer status data to select subsection entries from a printer description table (31). The subsection entries include specific print command subsections each having print commands that can be placed immediately into the printable data stream upon selection. The table also includes general print command subsections which each have printer description data and a general print command shell. When a general print command subsection entry is selected, the printer description data is used in combination with the text data to calculate a parameter for inserting into the general shell thereby producing a print command for placing in the printable data stream. The printer description table also uses a unique entry indexing scheme that minimizes storage requirements for the table.
Inventors
- 👤 Allen Webster Heath
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-02 23:42
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F3/00; G06F3/12; G06F3/1297
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 21
Claim 1
Independent Claim
72 words
A printable data stream formatter for producing printable data (29) comprising print commands from text data (28) comprising text commands characterized on that it includes : means (44) for storing at least one general print command shell; means for calculating at least one parameter for insertion into said at least one shell; and means for inserting said at least one parameter into said at least one shell to produce a print command.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
72 words
A printable data stream formatter for producing printable data (29) comprising print commands from text data (28) comprising text commands characterized on that it includes : means (44) for storing at least one general print command shell; means for calculating at least one parameter for insertion into said at least one shell; and means for inserting said at least one parameter into said at least one shell to produce a print command.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
57 words
A printable data stream formatter as recited in claim 1 wherein said means for calculating calculates one parameter N according to the equation: N = V x X/Y where: V is a length supplied by said text data, and X/Y is the length of a fundamental step performable by a printer controllable by said printable data stream.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
28 words
A printable data stream formatter as recited in claim 2 wherein said print command controls the vertical line pitch of a printer controllable by said printable data stream.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
28 words
A printable data stream formatter as recited in claim 2 wherein said print command controls the horizontal character pitch of a printer controllable by said printable data stream.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
24 words
A printable data stream formatter as recited in claim 3 or 4 wherein said means for calculating adds an offset to said parameter N.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
21 words
A printable data stream formatter as recited in claim 5 wherein said means for calculating performs all calculations in binary format.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
138 words
A printable data stream formatter for producing printable data (29) comprising print commands from text data (28) comprising text commands characterized in that it includes : first means (43) for storing printer description data; second means (44) for storing at least one general print command shell; third means (32) for storing printer status data; means (27), connected to said second and third means, for selecting one of said at least one general print command shells in response to said text commands and said printer status data; means (27), connected to said first and second means, for calculating at least one parameter from said printer description data and text data; and means (27), connected to said means for calculating, for inserting said at least one parameter into the selected print command shell to produce a dynamically created print command.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
138 words
A printable data stream formatter for producing printable data (29) comprising print commands from text data (28) comprising text commands characterized in that it includes : first means (43) for storing printer description data; second means (44) for storing at least one general print command shell; third means (32) for storing printer status data; means (27), connected to said second and third means, for selecting one of said at least one general print command shells in response to said text commands and said printer status data; means (27), connected to said first and second means, for calculating at least one parameter from said printer description data and text data; and means (27), connected to said means for calculating, for inserting said at least one parameter into the selected print command shell to produce a dynamically created print command.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
31 words
A printable data stream formatter as recited in claim 7 further including means, connected to said means for inserting, for placing said dynamically created print command in said printable data stream.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
74 words
A printable data stream formatter as recited in claim 8 further including: fourth means for storing at least one specific print command; means, connected to said third and fourth means, for selecting one of said at least one specific print command in response to said text data and said printer status data; and means, connected to said means for selecting said specific command, for placing said specific print command in said printable data stream.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
25 words
A printable data stream formatter as recited in claim 9 wherein said first, second, third, and fourth means for storing are in random access memory.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
80 words
A printable data stream formatter for producing printable data comprising print commands from text data comprising text commands characterized in that it includes : a storage table comprising: at least one general print command subsection, and at least one specific print command subsection; means for storing printer status data; and means, connected to said table and to said means for storing, for selecting one of said print command subsections in response to said text data and said printer status data.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
80 words
A printable data stream formatter for producing printable data comprising print commands from text data comprising text commands characterized in that it includes : a storage table comprising: at least one general print command subsection, and at least one specific print command subsection; means for storing printer status data; and means, connected to said table and to said means for storing, for selecting one of said print command subsections in response to said text data and said printer status data.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
31 words
12 . A printable data stream formatter as recited in claim 11 wherein said at least one general print command subsection includes a general print command shell, and printer description data.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
42 words
A printable data stream formatter as recited in claim 12 further including: means, connected to said means for selecting, for calculating a parameter for insertion into said general print command shell when said means for selecting selects a general print command subsection.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
35 words
A printable data stream formatter as recited in claim 13 wherein said means for calculating calculates said parameter using said text data and using said printer description data from the selected general print command subsection.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
50 words
A printable data stream formatter as recited in claim 14 wherein said storage table further comprises: a subsection header, included in each said print command subsection, having memory pointers to individual print commands included in each print command subsection; and a table header having memory pointers to each subsection header.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
47 words
A printable data stream formatter as recited in claim 15 wherein said table header includes null memory pointers for print command subsections not included in said table, and wherein each subsection header includes null memory pointers for print commands not included in the corresponding print command subsection.
Claim 20
Independent Claim
187 words
A method of formatting a printable data stream comprising print commands from a text data stream comprising text commands, characterized in that it includes the steps of: proving a storage table comprising at least one specific print command subsection and at least one general print command subsection, each specific subsection including at least one print command and each general subsection including printer description data and a general print command shell; providing printer status data; selecting one of said print command subsections in response to said text data and said printer status data; if the selected subsection is a specific subsection: selecting one of said at least one print commands included in said selected subsection, and placing the selected print command in the printable data stream; and if the selected subsection is a general subsection: calculating a parameter using said text data and using said printer description data included in said selected general subsection, inserting said parameter into said general print command shell included in said selected general subsection to produce a dynamically created print command, and placing said dynamically created print command in said printable data stream.
Claim 21
Independent Claim
187 words
A method of formatting a printable data stream comprising print commands from a text data stream comprising text commands, characterized in that it includes the steps of: proving a storage table comprising at least one specific print command subsection and at least one general print command subsection, each specific subsection including at least one print command and each general subsection including printer description data and a general print command shell; providing printer status data; selecting one of said print command subsections in response to said text data and said printer status data; if the selected subsection is a specific subsection: selecting one of said at least one print commands included in said selected subsection, and placing the selected print command in the printable data stream; and if the selected subsection is a general subsection: calculating a parameter using said text data and using said printer description data included in said selected general subsection, inserting said parameter into said general print command shell included in said selected general subsection to produce a dynamically created print command, and placing said dynamically created print command in said printable data stream.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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