Method and apparatus for color management

• US 20050273524A1
• Filed: 03/11/2005
• Published: 12/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Aschenbrenner, Jean Margaret, Qiao, Yue, Rijavec, Nenad, Stone, David Earl, Hohensee, Reinhard Heinrich
• Granted Patent: US 7,430,062 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/02 using printers
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1807 relating to the print image preparation
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2215/0094 Colour printing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/603 controlled by characteristics of the picture signal generator or the picture reproducer

Abstract

The management of color presented at end point devices such as a display or printer is based on the implementation of a Color Management Resource (CMR). A CMR is an architected resource stored accessibly to a print server or other processor that is used to carry all of the color management information required to render a print file, document, page, or data object.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a output data stream which defines a document for output;

determining that a first color management resource (CMR) is associated with at least part of a component from the document, the CMR comprising details for use when rendering the colors of the at least part of a component during its output; and

invoking the CMR during output of the at least part of a component.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising;

determining that a second CMR is associated with at least part of a subcomponent of the at least part of a component from the document; and

invoking the second CMR to replace the first CMR during output of the at least part of a subcomponent.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

re-invoking the first CMR when output of the at least part of a subcomponent is complete.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the CMR is one of an instruction CMR which defines processing which is to be done on the at least part of a component, and an audit CMR which defines processing which has been done on the at least part of a component.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the details relate to at least one of a color conversion, a link color conversion, a halftone screen, and a calibration curve.

12. The article of manufacture of claim 11, the method further comprising;

determining that a second CMR is associated with at least part of a subcomponent of the at least part of a component from the document; and

invoking the second CMR to replace the first CMR during output of the at least part of a subcomponent.

6. A data processing apparatus comprising:

a receiver for receiving a output data stream which defines a document for output;

an association determiner for determining that a first color management resource (CMR) is associated with at least part of a component from the document, the CMR comprising details for use when rendering the colors of the at least part of a component during its output; and

a CMR invoker for invoking the CMR during output of the at least part of a component.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein further comprising:

an association determiner for determining that a second CMR is associated with at least part of a subcomponent of the at least part of a component from the document; and

a CMR invoker for invoking the second CMR to replace the first CMR during output of the at least part of a subcomponent.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 further comprising:

a CMR invoker for re-invoking the first CMR when output of the at least part of a subcomponent is complete.

9. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the CMR is one of an instruction CMR which defines processing which is to be done on the at least part of a component, and an audit CMR which defines processing which has been done on the at least part of a component.

10. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the details relate to at least one of a color conversion, a link color conversion, a halftone screen, and a calibration curve.

11. An article of manufacture comprising a program storage medium readable by a computer, the medium tangibly embodying one or more programs of instructions executable by a computer to perform a method comprising:

receiving a output data stream which defines a document for output;

determining that a first color management resource (CMR) is associated with at least part of a component from the document, the CMR comprising details for use when rendering the colors of the at least part of a component during its output; and

invoking the CMR during output of the at least part of a component.

13. The article of manufacture of claim 11, the method further comprising:

re-invoking the first CMR when output of the at least part of a subcomponent is complete.

14. The article of manufacture of claim 11 wherein the CMR is one of an instruction CMR which defines processing which is to be done on the at least part of a component, and an audit CMR which defines processing which has been done on the at least part of a component.

15. The article of manufacture of claim 11 wherein the details relate to at least one of a color conversion, a link color conversion, a halftone screen, and a calibration curve.

16. A method comprising:

producing computer executable program code; and

providing the program code to be deployed to and executed on a computer system;

the program code comprising instructions for;

receiving a output data stream which defines a document for output;

determining that a first color management resource (CMR) is associated with at least part of a component from the document, the CMR comprising details for use when rendering the colors of the at least part of a component during its output; and

invoking the CMR during output of the at least part of a component.

17. The method of claim 16 the program code comprising further instructions for:

determining that a second CMR is associated with at least part of a subcomponent of the at least part of a component from the document; and

invoking the second CMR to replace the first CMR during output of the at least part of a subcomponent.

18. The method of claim 16 the program code comprising further instructions for:

re-invoking the first CMR when output of the at least part of a subcomponent is complete.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the CMR is one of an instruction CMR which defines processing which is to be done on the at least part of a component, and an audit CMR which defines processing which has been done on the at least part of a component.

20. The method of claim 16 wherein the details relate to at least one of a color conversion, a link color conversion, a halftone screen, and a calibration curve.