US5533176A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Bar code identification system format editor
Assignee: Avery Dennison Retail Information Services LLC
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Filing: 1993-05-14
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Granted: 1996-07-02
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Expires: 2013-05-14
Abstract
Abstract A bar code identification system format editor is shown which allows a single format to automatically be created for multiple, incompatible printers. The system includes a number of bar code printers of various types, each bar code printer type having an associated set of printer function options selectable by a user to define a format, i.e., the layout of fields for a tag, label or the like. When a user selects various printer types for which a format is to be generated, the format editor automatically determines the intersection of the sets of printer function options for each of the selected printer types to create a common set of printer function options. Thereafter, the format editor prompts the user to select only those printer function options supported by the selected printer types for the format as indicated in the common printer function option set. The format editor also allows a format to be created designated a nonfixed graphic so that one format can be used with a number of different graphics.
Inventors
- 👤 David J. Best
- 👤 James E. Globig
- 👤 James G. Markham
- 👤 Gina M. Craig
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 23:19
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06K; G06K1/00; G06K1/12; G06K1/121; G06K17/00; G06K17/0022
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 27
Claim 1
Independent Claim
177 words
A method of generating multi-printer formats on a bar code identification system having a plurality of bar code printers of various types that print on a web of record members, each type of bar code printer having an associated set of printer function options selectable by a user to define a layout of fields for a record member representing a format and said system including an input device actuable by a user and a display, said method comprising: prompting a user via said display to identify one or more printer types for which a format is to be generated; determining, in response to the identity of a plurality of printer types by a user, the intersection of said sets of printer function options for said selected printer types to create a set of printer function options common to each of said identified printer types; displaying information depicting options from said set of common printer function options to prompt a user to select from said displayed options to define a single format for said selected plurality of printers.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
177 words
A method of generating multi-printer formats on a bar code identification system having a plurality of bar code printers of various types that print on a web of record members, each type of bar code printer having an associated set of printer function options selectable by a user to define a layout of fields for a record member representing a format and said system including an input device actuable by a user and a display, said method comprising: prompting a user via said display to identify one or more printer types for which a format is to be generated; determining, in response to the identity of a plurality of printer types by a user, the intersection of said sets of printer function options for said selected printer types to create a set of printer function options common to each of said identified printer types; displaying information depicting options from said set of common printer function options to prompt a user to select from said displayed options to define a single format for said selected plurality of printers.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
108 words
A method of generating multi-printer formats as recited in claim 1 wherein said sets of printer function options include a first function, the user selectable option of which includes a maximum value for a range and a minimum value for said range and said intersection determining step includes the step of creating a first function common to said selected printer types by setting said common first function maximum value equal to the lowest first function maximum value for all of said selected printer types and by setting said common first function minimum value equal to the greatest first function minimum value for all of said selected printer types.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
110 words
A method of generating multi-printer formats as recited in claim 1 wherein said bar code identification system includes a memory for storing information and said method includes storing a record member layout when said format is defined, said layout including the size of said record member for which the format is created and the position of said fields on said record member; and maintaining the position of said fields constant relative to a predetermined position on said web of record members in response to a user change in the size of said web of record members to allow a user to change said size without changing said stored field positions.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
103 words
A method of generating multi-printer formats as recited in claim 1 wherein said input means is actuable by a user to change the selected printer types for a previously generated format and including the steps of storing, in response to a users selection of printer function options from said common set, information representing said selected options to define said format, creating a new set of common printer function options in response to a change in user identified printer types; and determining whether said stored information representing user selected options defining a format is valid for said new set of common printer function options.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
42 words
A method of generating multi-printer formats as recited in claim 4 including the step of displaying information indicating the existence of invalid user selected options for said new set of common printer function options if said format is determined to be invalid.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
45 words
A method of generating multi-printer formats as recited in claim 1, wherein said input device is actuable by a user to request a printing test for a defined format; and controlling one of said printers to print a test record member with said defined format.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
28 words
A method of generating multi-printer formats as recited in claim 1 including the step of validating a format in response to a user's selection of said printer options.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
43 words
A method of generating multi-printer formats as recited in claim 1 including the step of comparing said user selected printer options to said set of common printer function options to determine whether said user selected printer options are valid for said defined format.
Claim 10
Independent Claim
226 words
A method of controlling a bar code identification system having at least one bar code printer for printing on a web of record members, an input device, a memory and a display, said method comprising: prompting a user to enter information for a job to be printed on said bar code printer, said information representing a layout of a plurality of data fields defining a format, and said information including a designation of whether a graphic field of said format includes a fixed graphic or a nonfixed graphic, the location of the graphic on the record member and the size of the graphic; storing in a memory at least one bit map representation for a plurality of graphics each graphic having an associated identification; prompting a user to enter via said input device a graphic identification; determining, in response to said entered graphic identification and from the size of the graphic specified in said format information, whether a bit map of said identified graphic corresponding to said specified size is stored in said memory and if it is not stored; translating one bit map representation of said identified graphic into a new bit map representation of said identified graphic in said specified size; and storing said new bit map representation in said memory to update the number of graphic bit map representations stored in said memory.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
226 words
A method of controlling a bar code identification system having at least one bar code printer for printing on a web of record members, an input device, a memory and a display, said method comprising: prompting a user to enter information for a job to be printed on said bar code printer, said information representing a layout of a plurality of data fields defining a format, and said information including a designation of whether a graphic field of said format includes a fixed graphic or a nonfixed graphic, the location of the graphic on the record member and the size of the graphic; storing in a memory at least one bit map representation for a plurality of graphics each graphic having an associated identification; prompting a user to enter via said input device a graphic identification; determining, in response to said entered graphic identification and from the size of the graphic specified in said format information, whether a bit map of said identified graphic corresponding to said specified size is stored in said memory and if it is not stored; translating one bit map representation of said identified graphic into a new bit map representation of said identified graphic in said specified size; and storing said new bit map representation in said memory to update the number of graphic bit map representations stored in said memory.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
35 words
A method of controlling a bar code identification system as recited in claim 9 wherein said translating step, if necessary, is performed at the time that the format is defined for formats having fixed graphics.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
49 words
A method of controlling a bar code identification system as recited in claim 9 wherein said translating step for a nonfixed graphic is performed independent of the definition of a format designating a nonfixed graphic to allow a user to create a single format for a plurality of graphics.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
47 words
A method of controlling a bar code identification system as recited in claim 11 wherein said graphic identification entry prompting step includes prompting the user to enter data necessary for the data fields of the defined format in order to print a job according to the format.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
32 words
A method of controlling a bar code identification system as recited in claim 9 wherein said graphic identification prompting step includes prompting a user to enter a name associated with the graphic.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
48 words
A method of controlling a bar code identification system as recited in claim 9 wherein said graphic identification prompting step includes prompting a user to enter an identification of a record in a database stored in said memory wherein a name associated with the graphic can be obtained.
Claim 17
Independent Claim
227 words
A method of controlling a bar code identification system having at least one bar code printer for printing on a web of record members, an input device, a memory and a display, said method comprising: prompting a user to enter information for a job to be printed on said bar code printer, said information representing a layout of a plurality of data fields defining a format and said information including a designation of whether a graphic field of said format includes a fixed graphic or a nonfixed graphic, the location of the graphic on the record member and one or more characteristics or said graphic; storing in a memory at least one bit map representation for a plurality of graphics, each graphic having an associated identification; prompting a user to enter via said input device a graphic identification; determining, in response to said entered graphic identification and from the characteristics of the graphic specified in said format information, whether a bit map of said identified graphic with the designated characteristics is stored in said memory and if it is not stored; translating one bit map representation of said identified graphic into a new bit map representation of said identified graphic with said designated characteristics; and storing said new bit map representation in said memory to update the number of graphic bit map representations stored in said memory.
Claim 18
Independent Claim
227 words
A method of controlling a bar code identification system having at least one bar code printer for printing on a web of record members, an input device, a memory and a display, said method comprising: prompting a user to enter information for a job to be printed on said bar code printer, said information representing a layout of a plurality of data fields defining a format and said information including a designation of whether a graphic field of said format includes a fixed graphic or a nonfixed graphic, the location of the graphic on the record member and one or more characteristics or said graphic; storing in a memory at least one bit map representation for a plurality of graphics, each graphic having an associated identification; prompting a user to enter via said input device a graphic identification; determining, in response to said entered graphic identification and from the characteristics of the graphic specified in said format information, whether a bit map of said identified graphic with the designated characteristics is stored in said memory and if it is not stored; translating one bit map representation of said identified graphic into a new bit map representation of said identified graphic with said designated characteristics; and storing said new bit map representation in said memory to update the number of graphic bit map representations stored in said memory.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
24 words
A method of controlling a bar code identification system as recited in claim 15 wherein said designated characteristic includes the size of the graphic.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
24 words
A method of controlling a bar code identification system as recited in claim 15 wherein said designated characteristic includes the rotation of the graphic.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
25 words
A method of controlling a bar code identification system as recited in claim 15 wherein said designated characteristic includes the encoding type of the graphic.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
35 words
A method of controlling a bar code identification system as recited in claim 15 wherein said translating step, if necessary, is performed at the time that the format is defined for formats having fixed graphics.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
49 words
A method of controlling a bar code identification system as recited in claim 19 wherein said translating step for a nonfixed graphic is performed independent of the definition of a format designating a nonfixed graphic to allow a user to create a single format for a plurality of graphics.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
47 words
A method of controlling a bar code identification system as recited in claim 15 wherein said graphic identification entry prompting step includes prompting the user to enter data necessary for the data fields of the defined format in order to print a job according to the format.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
32 words
A method of controlling a bar code identification system as recited in claim 15 wherein said graphic identification prompting step includes prompting a user to enter a name associated with the graphic.
Claim 26
Independent Claim
204 words
A method of controlling a bar code identification system having at least one bar code printer for printing on a web of record members, an input device, a memory and a display, said method comprising: prompting a user to enter information for a job to be printed on said bar code printer, said information representing a layout of a plurality of data fields defining a format and said information including a designation of whether a graphic field of said format includes a fixed graphic or a nonfixed graphic, the location of the graphic on the record member and one or more characteristics of said graphic; storing in a memory at least one bit map representation for a plurality of graphics, each graphic having an associated identification; prompting a user to enter via said input device a graphic identification; determining, in response to said entered graphic identification and from the characteristics of the graphic specified in said format information, whether a bit map of said identified graphic with the designated characteristics is stored in said memory and if it is not stored; translating one bit map representation of said identified graphic into a new bit map representation of said identified graphic with said designated characteristics.
Claim 27
Independent Claim
204 words
A method of controlling a bar code identification system having at least one bar code printer for printing on a web of record members, an input device, a memory and a display, said method comprising: prompting a user to enter information for a job to be printed on said bar code printer, said information representing a layout of a plurality of data fields defining a format and said information including a designation of whether a graphic field of said format includes a fixed graphic or a nonfixed graphic, the location of the graphic on the record member and one or more characteristics of said graphic; storing in a memory at least one bit map representation for a plurality of graphics, each graphic having an associated identification; prompting a user to enter via said input device a graphic identification; determining, in response to said entered graphic identification and from the characteristics of the graphic specified in said format information, whether a bit map of said identified graphic with the designated characteristics is stored in said memory and if it is not stored; translating one bit map representation of said identified graphic into a new bit map representation of said identified graphic with said designated characteristics.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1999-07-02 | 2000-01-01 | 2000-07-02 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2003-07-02 | 2004-01-01 | 2004-07-02 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2007-07-02 | 2008-01-01 | 2008-07-02 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |