System and method for dynamic printer timeout

• US 5,471,564 A
• Filed: 11/16/1992
• Issued: 11/28/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Gerlach, Brett C., Flagg, Robert C., Fluegel, Steven J., Dennis, Stephen V.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayerl, Raymond J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEGREE, TRACY MICHELLE
• Application Number:
  US07/976,355
• Time in Patent Office: 1,107 Days
• Field of Search: 395/114, 395/575, 395/110, 395/109, 395/128, 364/550, 364/551.01
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3409 for performance assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3419 by assessing time
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/86 Event-based monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/88 Monitoring involving counting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1211 Improving printing performance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1244 Job translation or job parsing, e.g. page banding
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1284 Local printer device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1296 Printer job scheduling or printer resource handling
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/00 Arrangements for producing a permanent visual presentation of the output data , e.g. computer output printersprinting or plotting combined with another operation, e.g. with conveying, G06K17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1823 for evaluating the resources needed, e.g. rasterizing time, ink, paper stock
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1859 involving data processing distributed amongst different data processing apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1861 taking account of a limited available memory space or rasterization time
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1865 by compressing the rasterized print data
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/402 Sharing data concerning the arrangement's configuration or current state for managing optional units G06K15/4025
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2215/0005 Accepting output data; Preparing data for the controlling system
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2215/0065 Page or partial page composition

Abstract

A resource oriented host computer-printer system in which the host computer and printer share information and data processing duties. A system and method for analyzing the execution times for draw primitives allows the host computer to determine whether the printer will be able to render draw primitives in real-time. If the printer cannot render the draw primitives in real-time, the host computer may send the draw primitives to be pre-rendered by the printer. The rendering is accomplished in less than thirty seconds. The host computer can determine the execution times for the draw primitives and dynamically alter the timeout period accordingly. If the printer exceeds the determined execution time, the host computer generate a timeout error message. No false timeout error messages are generated by the host computer because the timeout period is related to the actual processing time required by the printer. If the printer is coupled to a network, the timeout period may be set to the maximum thirty second period because the host computer may not have continuous communication with the printer. The host computer will still not generate false timeout errors because the maximum timeout period is still related to the actual processing time required by the printer. The inventive system and method are applicable to any peripheral in which a timeout period is used.

Claims

1. A computer-printer system including a printer and a host computer for controlling and printing a document on the printer, the host computer having a resource storage area for storing resources, a plurality of resources stored in the resource storage area, and a data file for the document containing data describing a plurality of objects to be printed, the printer containing a print engine, the system comprising:

a host resource store within the host computer storing a selected set of resources comprising a plurality of the resources required to print the document;

a resource assembler within the host computer examining the data file and selecting at least some of the resources from the resource storage area to form a subset of selected resources required for printing the document, loading said subset of selected resources in said host resource store, translating the data file into a set of primitives corresponding to the plurality of objects within a particular portion of the document, calculating a rendering cost for rendering said set of primitives into a bit-map data file within the printer, and setting a timeout period at least as great as said rendering cost;

a printer resource store within the printer receiving said subset of selected resources and said set of primitives from the host computer and storing said subset of selected resources and said set of primitives;

a resource scheduler within the printer controlling transfer of said subset of selected resources and said set of primitives to said printer resource store, said resource scheduler maintaining communication with the host computer during the transfer of said subset of selected resources and said set of primitives; and

a resource executor within the printer creating said bit-map data file corresponding to said subset of selected resources and said set of primitives and transferring said bit-map data file to the print engine for printing, whereby said timeout period corresponds to the actual rendering time.

2. The system of claim 1, further including message means within the host computer for generating a timeout error message if the printer is out of communication for a period of time greater than said timeout period.

3. The system of claim 1, further including means for altering said timeout period from one portion of the document to another depending on said rendering cost.

4. The system of claim 1, further including a log file within the host computer, said log file storing cost information for a plurality of primitives, said resource assembler using said log file to determine the cost for said set of primitives.

5. The system of claim 4, further including a set of cost tables to store classified cost data for said plurality of primitives, each of said plurality of primitives classified according to said cost information to reduce the storage requirements of said log file and simplify the process of determining said rendering cost by said resource assembler.

6. The system of claim 5, further including a set of map tables for said plurality of primitives, said map tables providing an pointer to a storage location within said cost tables where said classified cost data for each of said plurality of primitives is stored.

7. A system for dynamically altering a printer timeout period when printing a document on a printer from a host computer coupled to a printer, the host computer having a data file for the document containing data describing a plurality of objects to be printed, the printer having a printer resource store receiving and storing data received from the host computer, the system comprising:

a resource assembler within the host computer examining the data file and translating the data file into a set of primitives corresponding to the plurality of objects within a particular portion of the document, calculating a rendering cost for rendering said set of primitives into a bit-map data file within the printer, and setting a timeout period corresponding to said rendering cost; and

a resource scheduler within the printer controlling transfer of said subset of selected resources and said set of primitives to the printer resource store, whereby said timeout period corresponds to the actual rendering time.

8. The system of claim 7, further including message means within the host computer for generating a timeout error message if the printer is out of communication for a period of time greater than said timeout period.

9. The system of claim 7, further including means for altering said timeout period from one portion of the document to another depending on said rendering cost.

10. A system for dynamically altering a printer timeout period when printing a document on a printer from a host computer coupled to a printer, the host computer having a resource storage area for storing resources, a plurality of resources stored in the resource storage area, and a data file for the document containing data describing a plurality of objects to be printed, the printer having a resource executor creating a bit-map data file corresponding to data transmitted from the host computer, the system comprising:

a host resource store within the host computer storing a selected set of resources comprising a plurality of the resources required to print the document; and

a resource assembler within the host computer examining the data file and selecting at least some of the resources from the resource storage area to form a subset of selected resources required for printing the document, loading said subset of selected resources in said host resource store, translating the data file into a set of primitives corresponding to the plurality of objects within a particular portion of the document, calculating a rendering cost for rendering said set of primitives into a bit-map data file within the printer, and setting a timeout period at least as great as said rendering cost.

11. The system of claim 10, further including message means within the host computer for generating a timeout error message if the printer is out of communication for a period of time greater than said timeout period.

12. The system of claim 10, further including means for altering said timeout period from one portion of the document to another depending on said rendering cost.

13. A system for dynamically altering a timeout period when communicating with a peripheral from a host computer coupled to the peripheral, the system comprising:

a data file within the host computer; and

a resource assembler within the host computer examining said data file, calculating a processing cost for the peripheral to process at least a first portion of said data file, and setting a timeout period corresponding to said processing cost.

14. The system of claim 13, further including message means within the host computer for generating a timeout error message if the peripheral is out of communication for a period of time greater than said timeout period.

15. The system of claim 13, further including means for altering said timeout period from said first portion of said data file to a second portion depending on said processing cost for each of said first and second portions.

16. A method in a computer-printer system including a printer and a host computer for controlling and printing a document on the printer, the host computer having a resource storage area for storing resources, a plurality of resources stored in the resource storage area, and a data file for the document containing data describing a plurality of objects to be printed, the printer containing a print engine, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) examining the data file and selecting at least some of the resources from the resource storage area to form a subset of selected resources required for printing the document;

(b) translating the data file into a set of primitives corresponding to the plurality of objects within a particular portion of the document;

(c) calculating a rendering cost for rendering said set of primitives into a bit-map data file within the printer;

(d) setting a timeout period at least as great as said rendering cost;

(e) transferring said subset of selected resources and said set of primitives from the host computer to the printer;

(f) creating said bit-map data file corresponding to said subset of selected resources and said set of primitives, the printer being out of communication with the host computer while creating said bit-map data file; and

(g) transferring said bit-map data file to the print engine for printing, whereby said timeout period corresponds to the actual rendering time.

17. The method of claim 16, further including the step of generating a timeout error message within the host computer if the printer is out of communication for a period of time greater than said timeout period.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein step (c) of calculating said rendering cost produces a rendering value tbr each of said particular portions of the document and step (d) of setting said timeout period may have a different value for each of said particular portions of the document depending on said rendering value.

19. The method of claim 16, further including the step of storing cost information for a plurality of primitives in a log file, said step (c) of calculating a rendering cost using said log file to determine the cost for said set of primitives.

20. The method of claim 19, further including the step of a storing classified cost data for said plurality of primitives in a cost table, each of said plurality of primitives classified according to said cost information to reduce the storage requirements of said log file and simplify said step (c) of calculating a rendering cost using said log file to determine the cost for said set of primitives.

21. A method in a computer-printer system including a printer coupled to a host computer for dynamically altering a printer timeout period when printing a document on the printer from the host computer, the host computer having a resource storage area for storing resources, a plurality of resources stored in the resource storage area, and a data file for the document containing data describing a plurality of objects to be printed, the printer having a resource executor creating a bit-map data file corresponding to data transmitted from the host computer, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) examining the data file and selecting at least some of the resources from the resource storage area to form a subset of selected resources required for printing the document;

(b) translating the data file into a set of primitives corresponding to the plurality of objects within a particular portion of the document;

(c) calculating a rendering cost for the resource executor to render said set of primitives into the bit-map data file within the printer; and

(d) setting a timeout period corresponding to said rendering cost, whereby said timeout period corresponds to the actual rendering time.

22. The method of claim 21, further including the step of generating a timeout error message within the host computer if the printer is out of communication for a period of time greater than said timeout period.

23. The method of claim 21 wherein step (c) of calculating said rendering cost produces a rendering value for each of said particular portions of the document and step (d) of setting said timeout period may have a different value for each of said particular portions of the document depending on said rendering value.

24. A method in a computer system including a peripheral coupled to a host computer for dynamically altering a peripheral timeout period when processing a data file on the peripheral, the host computer having the data file, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) calculating a processing cost for processing at least a first portion of the data file within the peripheral; and

(b) setting a timeout period corresponding to said processing cost, whereby said timeout period corresponds to the actual processing time.

25. The method of claim 24, further including the step of generating a timeout error message within the host computer if the peripheral is out of communication for a period of time greater than said timeout period.

26. The method of claim 24 wherein step (a) of calculating said processing cost produces a processing cost for a second portion of the document and step (b) of setting said timeout period may have a different value for each of said first and second portions of the document depending on said processing cost for each of said first and second portions.