System for coupling a host computer to an image scanner in which high level functions are migrated to the attached host computer
First Claim
1. A control apparatus in an image scanner comprising:
- a host computer interface for exchanging information with an attached host computer; and
a process control module for controlling real time operations of the image scanner wherein said process control module is adapted to accept low-level control instructions received from the attached host computer via said host computer interface wherein said process control module includes at least one control/status data structure directly addressable by the host computer by said low-level control instructions for control of the state of the image scanner by the host computer and for reporting the state of the image scanner to the host computer.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Methods and apparatus for coupling a host system to an image scanner in which high-level functions are migrated out of the scanner control module up to the attached host system. The host system and the scanner, via its control module, communicate using a low-level control instruction set. The low-level control instruction set enables the host system to directly control the scanning process by reading and writing memory locations within the control module. The memory locations include data structures descriptive of control operations to be performed by the scanner control module as well as status to be reported from the scanner to the host system. The low-level control instruction set includes instructions generated by the host system requesting return of particular data from memory locations in the scanner control module as well as instructions requesting the writing of particular data to memory locations in the scanner control module. Host based elements translate high-level scanner commands received, for example, from application programs into corresponding sequences of low-level control instructions. In particular, the present invention may be advantageously applied to translate Hewlett-Packard Scanner Control Language (SCL) requests into low-level control instruction sequences (also referred to as Scanner Primitive Language or SPL). Shifting computation and memory requirements from the scanner control module to the host system substantially simplifies scanner control module design enabling production of lower cost scanning devices.
118 Citations
21 Claims
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1. A control apparatus in an image scanner comprising:
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a host computer interface for exchanging information with an attached host computer; and a process control module for controlling real time operations of the image scanner wherein said process control module is adapted to accept low-level control instructions received from the attached host computer via said host computer interface wherein said process control module includes at least one control/status data structure directly addressable by the host computer by said low-level control instructions for control of the state of the image scanner by the host computer and for reporting the state of the image scanner to the host computer. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method for controlling an image scanner having a controller attached to a host computer comprising the steps of:
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exchanging low-level control instructions between said controller and the host computer wherein said low-level control instructions include address information; and processing said low-level control instructions by accessing locations in at least one control/status data structure stored in a memory associated with said controller in accordance with said address information wherein said at least one control/status data structure is directly addressable by the host computer using said address information of said low-level control instructions for control of the state of the image scanner by the host computer and for reporting the state of the image scanner to the host computer. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A system for control of a scanner having a control module coupled to a host computer, said system comprising:
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a memory in said control module having a plurality of memory locations for controlling operation of the image scanner; a scanner control API library operable in said host computer for converting high-level scanner control commands provided as input to said API library into low-level control instructions in accordance with a scanner primitive language wherein said low-level control instructions consist essentially of;
requests by the host computer to read data from memory locations from said control module, and requests by the host computer to write data to memory locations in said control module;processing means in said control module for processing said low-level control instructions; and communication means, coupled to said control module and coupled to said host computer, for exchanging said low-level control instructions between the host computer and said control module. - View Dependent Claims (21)
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Specification