Method and apparatus for personalizing plastic cards

Claim 1

A plastic card personalization system comprised of a computer and a graphics printer connected to the computer for printing a plurality of different types of images on the plastic cards, the card personalization system comprising: (a) memory storage means for storing a control data stream comprising at least one graphics command; (b) first control means executing on the computer for reading said graphics commands from the memory storage means; (c) second control means executing on the computer for interpreting said graphics commands read from said memory storage means, and in response thereto, deciding what graphics images to use and where on the plastic cart the graphics images should be placed; (d) said graphics commands identified in said control data stream by a command language version code; (e) said command language version code comprised of a command delimiter code and a single character code which is used throughout the remainder of said graphics commands as a delimiter wherein said delimiter precedes every said graphics command, and further, wherein two sequential occurrences of said delimiter signifies an end to said control data stream; (f) said delimiter followed by at least one graphics command field comprised of a command mnemonic, an operator subfield, and a command value; (g) said command mnemonic comprising one of a plurality of commands which supply data and commands which specify how and where the graphics images should be placed on the plastic card; (h) said operator subfield indicating whether said command value is a transient or persistent command value, wherein said transient command value is active only during the interpretation of said command mnemonics for the particular graphics command field in which it appears, and further, wherein said persistent command value is active for all occurrences of said command mnemonics in the present and subsequent graphics command fields until a new command value is assigned to said command mnemonic; and (i) said command value supplying data for the interpretation and operation of said command mnemonic by said second control means.