Image Forming Apparatus Capable of Speeding Up Drawing Process, an Image Forming Method, and a Non-Transitory Computer-Readable Recording Medium

• US 20150278654A1
• Filed: 03/19/2015
• Published: 10/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions, Inc. (Kyocera Corporation)
• Original Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions, Inc. (Kyocera Corporation)
• Inventors: Minakata, Yoshinori
• Granted Patent: US 9,436,897 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1809 relating to the printing process
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1813 Page description language recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1852 involving combining data of different types
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1856 characterized by its workflow
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1861 taking account of a limited available memory space or rasterization time

Abstract

An image forming apparatus includes a count unit, a count determination unit, a drawing process execution unit, and a count resetting unit. The count unit counts a drawing command for a vector object. The count determination unit determines whether or not a count of the drawing commands obtained by the count unit is equal to or larger than a threshold value. The drawing process execution unit executes, when the count determination unit determines that the count is equal to or larger than the threshold value all the drawing commands for the vector objects counted by the count unit prior to the count being equal to or larger than the threshold value. The count resetting unit resets the count obtained by the count unit when the drawing process execution unit executes the drawing command.

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus, comprising:

a count unit that counts how many drawing commands for a vector object are received in incoming printable data;

a count determination unit that determines whether or not a count of the drawing commands determined by the count unit is equal to or larger than a threshold value;

a drawing process execution unit that executes, when the count determination unit determines that the count is equal to or larger than the threshold value, all the drawing commands for the vector objects counted by the count unit prior to the count being equal to or larger than the threshold value; and

a count resetting unit that resets the count determined by the count unit when the drawing process execution unit executes the drawing command.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the drawing process execution unit executes, when a command different from the drawing command for the vector object is received, all the drawing commands for the vector objects counted by the count unit before the different command is received.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the incoming printable data is page description language (PDL) data describing one or more of a text object, a vector object, or a raster object.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the incoming printable data is page description language (PDL) data describing one or more of a text object, a vector object, or a raster object, and wherein the command different from the drawing command for the vector object is one of a command for a text object or a command for a raster object.

5. An image forming apparatus, comprising:

a coordinate determination unit that determines whether one of an x-coordinate and a y-coordinate of a path specified in each of successive drawing commands for vector objects is the same, wherein the successive drawing commands are received in incoming printable data; and

a drawing process execution unit that executes, when there is a drawing command for a vector object in which a specified coordinate of a path is different from the coordinate that has been determined to be the same by the coordinate determination unit, all the drawing commands for the vector objects determined to have the same coordinate by the coordinate determination unit.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the drawing process execution unit executes, when an command for a process different from the vector drawing is received, all the drawing commands for the vector objects determined to have the same coordinate by the coordinate determination unit before the different command is received.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the incoming printable data is page description language (PDL) data describing one or more of a text object, a vector object, or a raster object.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the incoming printable data is page description language (PDL) data describing one or more of a text object, a vector object, or a raster object, and wherein the command different from the drawing command for the vector object is one of a command for a text object or a command for a raster object.

9. An image forming method, comprising:

counting a drawing command for a vector object, wherein the drawing command is one of a plurality of commands received in incoming printable data;

determining whether or not a count of the drawing commands for the vector objects is equal to or larger than a threshold value;

executing, when the count is determined to be equal to or larger than the threshold value, all the drawing commands for the vector objects counted prior to the count being equal to or larger than the threshold value; and

resetting the count when the drawing command is executed.

10. The image forming method according to claim 9, further comprising executing, when a command different from the drawing command for the vector object is received, all the drawing commands for the vector objects counted before the different command is received.

11. The image forming method according to claim 9, wherein the incoming printable data is page description language (PDL) data describing one or more of a text object, a vector object, or a raster object.

12. The image forming method according to claim 10, wherein the incoming printable data is page description language (PDL) data describing one or more of a text object, a vector object, or a raster object, and wherein the command different from the drawing command for the vector object is one of a command for a text object or a command for a raster object.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having a program recorded thereon, the program causing a computer to function as:

a count unit that counts a drawing command for a vector object, wherein the drawing command is one of a plurality of commands received in incoming printable data;

a count determination unit that determines whether or not a count of the drawing commands obtained by the count unit is equal to or larger than a threshold value;

a drawing process execution unit that executes, when the count determination unit determines that the count is equal to or larger than the threshold value all the drawing commands for the vector objects counted by the count unit prior to the count being equal to or larger than the threshold value; and

a count resetting unit that resets the count obtained by the count unit when the drawing process execution unit executes the drawing command.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 13, wherein the drawing process execution unit executes, when a command different from the drawing command for the vector object is received, all the drawing commands for the vector objects counted before the different command is received.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 13, wherein the incoming printable data is page description language (PDL) data describing one or more of a text object, a vector object, or a raster object.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 14, wherein the incoming printable data is page description language (PDL) data describing one or more of a text object, a vector object, or a raster object, and wherein the command different from the drawing command for the vector object is one of a command for a text object or a command for a raster object.