Method and device for transmitting and processing print data used for printer

• US 5,748,859 A
• Filed: 12/30/1996
• Issued: 05/05/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Muramatsu, Kiyoji, Takayanagi, Toshihiro, Yanase, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): Coles, Sr., Edward L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Popovici, Dov
• Application Number:
  US08/777,045
• Time in Patent Office: 491 Days
• Field of Search: 395/109, 395/115, 395/116, 395/114, 395/112, 395/110, 395/111, 395/101, 395/117, 395/102, 395/432, 395/427, 395/435, 395/438, 395/439, 395/497.01, 395/497.04 , 395/615, 358/404, 358/444, 358/462, 358/467, 358/403, 358/451, 358/452, 358/468, 382/190, 382/191, 382/305, 382/224, 382/225, 400/61, 400/62, 400/70, 400/76, 711/100, 711/105, 711/108, 711/111, 711/112, 711/170, 711/173, 707/104
• US Class Current: 358/1.9
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1206 resulting in increased flexibility in input data format or job format or job type
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1244 Job translation or job parsing, e.g. page banding
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1285 Remote printer device, e.g. being remote from client or server
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1296 Printer job scheduling or printer resource handling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1297 Printer code translation, conversion, emulation, compression; Configuration of printer parameters
• 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 2215/0011 characterised by a particular command or data flow, e.g. Page Description Language, configuration commands

Abstract

A method and a device for transmitting print data from a computer to a print control device for controlling a printer, wherein a desired one of attribute data sets which accompany respective image data sets is replaceable by a new image data set in a data transmission mode of the computer, and the attribute data set accompanying the original image data set replaced by the new image data set is suitably changed according to the new image data set. The print data including the new image data set and the changed attribute data set are transmitted to the print control device. The print data may include direct image data such as bit map data, and non-direct image data which include indirect image data such as character data and graphic data, and print control data such as attribute data. When a file name of any direct image data stored in a memory is included in the non-direct image data, the direct image data are retrieved from the memory, and transmitted to the print control device such that the retrieved direct image data and the non-direct image data are not interspersed with each other.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting print data from a computer to a print control device in a data transmission mode of the computer, for controlling a printer, said method comprising:

a classifying step of classifying said print data into a plurality of sets of image data, and a plurality of sets of attribute data which accompany said sets of image data, respectively;

a replacing step of replacing each of at least one of said sets of image data by another set of image data stored in memory means, said another set of image data being included as a new set of image data in said print data;

a changing step of changing each of at least one of said sets of attribute data which accompanies said at least one set of image data, on the basis of said new set of image data included in said print data in said replacing step; and

a transmitting step of transmitting to said print control device said print data including said new set of image data and said set of attribute data changed in said changing step.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said image data included in said print data comprise at least one of direct image data, and indirect image data comprising character data representative of characters and graphic data representative of graphical representations.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein said attribute data accompanying each of said sets of image data include at least one of image position data, image size data, image color data, image rotation data, window data and file name data, and wherein said image position data, said image size data, said image color data and said image rotation data respectively represent a position, a size, a color and an attitude of an image represented by the set of image data accompanied by said attribute data, said window data representing a window associated with said image, and said file name data being indicative of a name of an image data file.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein said replacing step comprises:

searching for a file name of said each set of image data which is included in said sets of attribute data;

presenting said file name to an operator of said computer; and

prompting said operator to approve of printing of an image by said printer according to the set of image data identified by said file name, or replace said file name by another file name for printing of an image according to said new set of image data identified by said another file name.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein said replacing step comprises one of:

entering through a keyboard a file name of said new set of image data stored in said memory means;

specifying a directory; and

using a linkage editor.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein said transmitting step comprises transmitting as a first batch of data the attribute data which include said at least one set of attribute data changed in said changing step, and transmitting as a second batch of data the image data which include said new set of image data included in said print data in said replacing step, in a separate transmitting mode in which said first and second batches of data are not interspersed with each other.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein said transmitting step comprises selecting one of a separate transmitting mode in which the attribute data which include said at least one set of attribute data changed in said changing step are transmitted as a first batch of data, and the image data which include said new set of image data included in said print data in said replacing step are transmitted as a second batch of data, such that said first and second batches of data are not interspersed with each other, and a non-separate transmitting mode in which said attribute data and said image data are transmitted such that each said set of attribute data accompanies the corresponding said new set of image data.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein said transmitting step comprises changing a format of any one of said sets of image data included in said print data to another format compatible with said print control device.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein said changing step comprises changing the set of attribute data which accompanies each of said at least one set of image data, on the basis of at least a resolution, a size and a type of said new set of image data.

10. A print data transmitting device for transmitting print data from a computer to a print control device for controlling a printer, in a data transmission mode of said computer, said print data transmitting device comprises:

print data classifying means for classifying said print data into a plurality of sets of image data, and a plurality of sets of attribute data which accompany said sets of image data, respectively;

image data selecting means for selecting each of said sets of image data as an original set of image data included in said print data, or another set of image data stored in memory means, said image data selecting means including said another set of image data in said print data as a new set of image data;

attribute data changing means for changing, if necessary, the set of attribute data which accompanies said original set of image data, on the basis of said new set of image data included in said print data by said image data selecting means; and

data transmitting means for transmitting to said print control device said print data including said new set of image data and said set of attribute data changed by said attribute data changing means.