Method and system for embedding a device profile into a document and extracting a device profile from a document in a color management system

• US 5,806,081 A
• Filed: 02/16/1996
• Issued: 09/08/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Apple Computer Incorporated (Apple Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Apple Computer Incorporated (Apple Inc.)
• Inventors: Stokes, Michael D., Mohr, Thomas E., Swen, Iue-Na Steve
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOMERE, JEAN RAYMOND
• Application Number:
  US08/604,208
• Time in Patent Office: 935 Days
• Field of Search: 382/209, 382/276, 395/429, 395/431, 707/528, 345/431, 345/150, 345/199, 345/22, 345/186, 358/515, 358/527
• US Class Current: 715/202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/02 Graphics controller able to handle multiple formats, e.g. input or output formats
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/02 characterised by the way in which colour is displayed details of colour display specific for CRTs G09G1/28; specific for flat matrix panels other than liquid crystal displays G09G3/2003; specific for liquid crystal displays G09G3/3607
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32101 Display, printing, storage or transmission of additional information, e.g. ID code, date and time or title
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/46 Colour picture communication systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/603 controlled by characteristics of the picture signal generator or the picture reproducer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3242 of processing required or performed, e.g. for reproduction or before recording H04N2201/3256 and subgroups take precedence

Abstract

A method and system for embedding a device profile into a document and extracting a device profile from a document in a color management system. A tagged-element device profile allows for selective access to the device profile. The method of embedding a device profile into a document include allocating memory for a buffer, sending a ready call, transferring the device profile or portions of the device profile into the buffer and writing the same in the document, and lastly, sending a completed call. The method of extracting a device profile from a document includes allocating memory for a buffer, sending a ready call, reading the device profile or portions of the device profile from the document into the buffer and transferring the same to a file, and finally, sending a completed call.

Claims

1. A method for flattening a device profile into a document in a system having at least one device profile and at least one color matching method that can flatten device profiles, comprising the steps of:

allocating a memory buffer;

reading a portion of the device profile into the memory buffer;

transferring the portion of the device profile in the memory buffer to the document; and

if necessary, repeating the steps of reading and transferring portions of the device profile until the desired portions of the device profile are embedded in the document.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of reducing the amount of memory buffer to be allocated by a certain amount when the step of allocating the memory buffer fails due to an insufficient amount of available buffer space.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the certain amount is a half.

2. In a color management system having a default color matching method, a client, and at least one device profile which may specify a preferred color matching method, wherein additional color matching methods other than the default color matching method may be added to or deleted from the color management system, a method for dispatching a color matching method to flatten a device profile, comprising the steps of:

determining whether or not a preferred color matching method is included within the color management system;

if the preferred color matching method is included in the color management system, determining whether or not the preferred color matching method can flatten the device profile;

if the preferred color matching method can flatten the device profile, dispatching the preferred color matching method to flatten the device profile; and

if the preferred color matching method is not included in the color management system, or the preferred color matching method can not flatten the device profile, dispatching the default color matching method to flatten the device profile.

9. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of returning an error message when the preferred color matching method is not available.

10. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of returning an error message when the preferred color matching method is not able to flatten the device profile.

3. A method for unflattening a device profile in a system having at least one device profile and at least one color matching method that can unflatten device profiles, comprising the steps of:

allocating a memory buffer;

creating a file in the memory buffer to store the device profile;

writing a portion of the device profile into the file; and

if necessary, repeating the step of writing a portion of the device profile into the file until the desired portions of the device profile have been transferred to the file.

11. The method of claim 3, further comprising the step of reducing the amount of memory buffer to be allocated by a certain amount when the step of allocating the memory buffer fails due to an insufficient amount of available buffer space.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the certain amount is a half.

4. In a color management system having a default color matching method, a client, and at least one device profile which may specify a preferred color matching method, wherein additional color matching methods other than the default color matching method may be added to or deleted from the color management system, a method for dispatching a color matching method to unflatten a device profile, comprising the steps of:

accessing the device profile to identify a preferred color matching method;

determining whether or not the preferred color matching method is included within the color management system;

if the preferred color matching method is included in the color management system, determining whether or not the preferred color matching method can unflatten the device profile;

if the preferred color matching method can unflatten the device profile, dispatching the preferred color matching method to unflatten the device profile; and

if the preferred color matching method is not included in the color management system, or the preferred color matching method can not unflatten the device profile, dispatching the default color matching method to unflatten the device profile.

13. The method of claim 4, further comprising the step of returning an error message when the preferred color matching method is not available.

14. The method of claim 4, further comprising the step of returning an error message when the preferred color matching method is not able to unflatten the device profile.

5. A color management system for flattening a device profile, comprising:

a client to send a flatten profile command;

a dispatcher to receive the flatten profile command; and

a color matching method that supports flattening, wherein upon receipt of the flatten profile command the dispatcher dispatches the color matching method to flatten the device profile.

6. A color management system for unflattening a device profile, comprising:

a client to send an unflatten profile command;

a dispatcher to receive the unflatten profile command; and

a color matching method that supports unflattening, wherein upon receipt of the unflatten profile command the dispatcher dispatches the color matching method to unflatten the device profile.

15. A method for flattening a device profile in a system having at least one device profile and at least one color matching method that can flatten device profiles, comprising the steps of:

allocating a buffer for storing at least a portion of the device profile during the flattening process;

creating a new device profile in the buffer;

copying a header from the device profile into the new device profile;

copying a portion of the elements from the device profile into the new device profile;

transferring the copied header and elements from the buffer into a document, wherein the transfer is performed in at least one step; and

if necessary, repeating the steps of copying and transferring until the desired elements of the device profile have been transferred to the new device profile, wherein the device profile is then embedded in the document.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of determining which elements to be copied before performing the step of copying at least a portion of the elements from the device profile to be flattened into the new device profile.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of determining which elements to be copied comprises determining the state of a flag.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of reducing the amount of buffer to be allocated by a certain amount when the step of allocating the buffer fails due to an insufficient amount of available buffer space.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the certain amount is a half.

20. A system for flattening a device profile, wherein at least one color matching method is associated with the system that can flatten device profiles, said system comprising:

at least one device profile;

a buffer for storing at least a portion of the device profile during the flattening process;

means for transferring a portion of the device profile into the buffer;

means for transferring the portion of the device profile in the buffer to a document; and

if necessary, means for repeating the transferring steps until all of the desired portions of the device profile have been transferred to the document, wherein the device profile is then embedded in the document.

21. The system of claim 20, further comprising a memory for storing all of the device profiles in a single location.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the memory is a read only memory (ROM).

23. The system of claim 20, wherein the buffer is a random access memory (RAM).

24. A system for unflattening a device profile embedded in a document, wherein at least one color matching method is associated with the system that can unflatten device profiles, said system comprising:

a buffer for storing at least a portion of the device profile during the unflattening process;

means for transferring a portion of the device profile from the document into the buffer, wherein the transfer is performed in at least one step; and

if necessary, means for repeating the step of transferring a portion of the device profile until the desired portions of the device profile have been transferred to the buffer, wherein the device profile is extracted from the document and reconstructed in the buffer.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the buffer is a random access memory (RAM).