System and method for printing sequences of indicia

• US 6,505,980 B1
• Filed: 02/12/2000
• Issued: 01/14/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Silver Fox Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Silver Fox Ltd.
• Inventors: Allday, Nik
• Primary Examiner(s): EICKHOLT, EUGENE H
• Application Number:
  US09/506,203
• Time in Patent Office: 1,067 Days
• Field of Search: 101/483, 101/93.01, 101/93.4, 400/61, 400/68, 400/70, 382/253, 382/305, 382/306, 379/157, 707/6, 707/102, 707/103, 707/506, 707/507, 358/1.15, 358/1.18, 710/20
• US Class Current: 400/61
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/106 Display of layout of documents; Previewing

Abstract

A printing system, for instance, for printing labels makes use of one or more sequence generators (13, 14; 113, 114) which can return an indicium definition in response to an input value. Typically, the input value is a sequence position, modified by step and repeat values. The sequence generators (13, 14; 113, 114) are used during the printing operation, avoiding the need for the data source file required in conventional mail merge and label printing systems.

Claims

1. A system for displaying a sequence of indicia, the system comprising:

indicia selection means; and

output means for producing command signals for a display apparatus; and

wherein the indicia selection means comprises a list whose members each define an indicium and is configured to perform a process for selecting a member of said list in dependence on a supplied index value derived from an ordinal value related to a display region in which an indicium in said list is to be displayed; and

wherein

the output means is configured for generating and supplying said values to said process for selecting list members and generating display apparatus control signals for displaying the indicia defined by the selected list members.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the display apparatus control signals are printer control signals.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the display apparatus control signals are display screen control signals.

4. The system according to claim 1 wherein the indicia selection means comprises a software object comprising said list and a method for obtaining a position in said list in dependence on said supplied value.

5. The system according to claim 2 wherein the indicia selection means comprises a software object comprising said list and a method for obtaining a position in said list in dependence on said supplied value.

6. The system according to claim 3 wherein the indicia selection means comprises a software object comprising said list and a method for obtaining a position in said list in dependence on said supplied value.

7. The system according to claim 4, wherein the indicia selection means comprises a further list, whose members each define an indicium, and the selection means is configured to perform said process for obtaining a position in said further list in dependence on a supplied value, said lists being arranged in an ordered manner.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein said lists have different numbers of members.

9. The system according to claim 7 wherein said process comprises, for each list until the list before that from which position is required, assigning the result of N div the length of the current list to N and then obtaining the result of N mod the length of the list from which the position is required as the required position, where N is initially the supplied value.

10. The system according to claim 8 wherein said process comprises, for each list until the list before that from which position is required, assigning the result of N div the length of the current list to N and then obtaining the result of N mod the length of the list from which the position is required as the required position, where N is initially the supplied value.

11. The system according to claim 1 wherein the ordinal value is the position of a display region in an array of display regions.

12. The system according to claim 2 wherein the ordinal value is the position of a display region in an array of display regions.

13. The system according to claim 3 wherein the ordinal value is the position of a display region in an array of display regions.

14. The system according to claim 4 wherein the ordinal value is the position of a display region in an array of display regions.

15. The system according to claim 5 wherein the ordinal value is the position of a display region in an array of display regions.

16. The system according to claim 6 wherein the ordinal value is the position of a display region in an array of display regions.

17. The system according to claim 7 wherein the ordinal value is the position of a display region in an array of display regions.

18. The system according to claim 8 wherein the ordinal value is the position of a display region in an array of display regions.

19. The system according to claim 9 wherein the ordinal value is the position of a display region in an array of display regions.

20. The system according to claim 10 wherein the ordinal value is the position of a display region in an array of display regions.

21. The system according to claim 2, wherein the display region is a label.

22. The system according to claim 3, wherein the display region is a representation of a label.

23. The system according to claim 21 including means storing step and repeat values associated with a label group, wherein the output means is configured to generate said supplied values using the stored step and repeat values associated with the group of the label being displayed and said ordinal value.

24. The system according to claim 22 including means storing step and repeat values associated with a label group, wherein the output means is configured to generate said supplied values using the stored step and repeat values associated with the group of the label being displayed and said ordinal value.

25. A method of producing a display of an indicium in a sequence of indicia, the method comprising:

selecting an indicium definition from a list of indicium definitions in dependence on a supplied index value derived from an ordinal value related to a display region in which the indicium is to be displayed; and

producing display apparatus control signals for causing a display device to display the indicia defined by the selected definition.

26. The method according to claim 25, wherein the display apparatus control signals are printer control signals.

27. The method according to claim 25, wherein the display apparatus control signals are display screen control signals.

28. The method according to claim 25 wherein the indicium definition is selected by invoking a method of a software object instance having a property comprising said list, said object'"'"'s method obtaining a position in said list in dependence on said supplied value.

29. The method according to claim 26 wherein the indicium definition is selected by invoking a method of a software object instance having a property comprising said list, said object'"'"'s method obtaining a position in said list in dependence on said supplied value.

30. The method according to claim 27 wherein the indicium definition is selected by invoking a method of a software object instance having a property comprising said list, said object'"'"'s method obtaining a position in said list in dependence on said supplied value.

31. The method according to claim 28, wherein said object has a further list of variables, each defining an indicium, said lists of variables are ordered, and the object'"'"'s method selectively obtains a position in said further list in dependence on a supplied value.

32. The method according to claim 31, wherein said lists have different numbers of members.

33. The method according to claim 31 wherein said object'"'"'s method comprises, for each list until the list before that from which position is required, assigning the result of N div the length of the current list to N and then obtaining the result of N mod the length of the list from which the position is required as the required position, where N is initially the supplied value.

34. The method according to claim 32 wherein said object'"'"'s method comprises, for each list until the list before that from which position is required, assigning the result of N div the length of the current list to N and then obtaining the result of N mod the length of the list from which the position is required as the required position, where N is initially the supplied value.

35. The method according to claim 25 wherein the ordinal value is the position of a display region in an array of display regions.

36. The method according to claim 26 wherein the ordinal value is the position of a display region in an array of display regions.

37. The method according to claim 27 wherein the ordinal value is the position of a display region in an array of display regions.

38. The method according to claim 28, wherein the ordinal value is the position of a display region in an array of display regions.

39. The method according to claim 31 wherein the ordinal value is the position of a display region in an array of display regions.

40. The method according to claim 32 wherein the ordinal value is the position of a display region in an array of display regions.

41. The method according to claim 32 wherein the ordinal value is the position of a display region in an array of display regions.

42. The method according to claim 26, wherein the display region is a label.

43. The system according to claim 27, wherein the display region is a representation of a label.

44. The method according to claim 42 further comprising storing step and repeat values associated with a group of labels and generating said supplied values using the stored step and repeat values associated with the group of the label being displayed and said ordinal value.

45. The method according to claim 43 further comprising storing step and repeat values associated with a group of labels and generating said supplied values using the stored step and repeat values associated with the group of the label being displayed and said ordinal value.