Systems, methods and graphical user interfaces for printing object optimized images based on document type

• US 6,542,173 B1
• Filed: 01/19/2000
• Issued: 04/01/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Buckley, Robert R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cabeca, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): BAUTISTA, XIOMARA L
• Application Number:
  US09/487,270
• Time in Patent Office: 1,168 Days
• Field of Search: 345/764, 345/810, 345/841, 358/1.9, 358/1.11, 358/1.18, 707/513, 707/528, 707/529, 707/542
• US Class Current: 715/841
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1205 resulting in increased flexibility in print job configuration, e.g. job settings, print requirements, job tickets
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1253 Configuration of print job parameters, e.g. using UI at the client
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1288 in client-server-printer device configuration

Abstract

Conventionally, the rendering parameter options are set independently of a document. Each object is rendered independently. For documents having many independent objects, this requires significant computational resources and time. However, many documents have a predominant document type. For such documents, it is often sufficient to identify the document type. Then, predetermined rendering techniques are applied to the objects within that document based on the determined document type. Alternatively, a user may be interested in one type of object to the exclusion of the other types of objects. Accordingly, optimally rendering objects whose quality the user is indifferent to wastes resources. Document type based rendering systems, methods and graphical user interfaces define rendering parameter options for rendering the objects of a document based on an identified document type, irrespective of the object types of that document'"'"'s objects. The document type based rendering systems, methods and graphical user interfaces optionally determine a document'"'"'s predominant object and apply rendering parameter options to that document'"'"'s objects based on the determined predominant object type. The document type based rendering systems, methods and graphical user interfaces permit document optimized rendering parameter options to be defined. The document type based rendering systems, methods and graphical user interfaces apply two or more sets of rendering parameter options to different types of objects of a document, based on a document type selected or determined for that document.

Claims

1. A method for defining a document type, comprising:

providing a list of rendering parameters;

providing a list of rendering parameter options for each rendering parameter of the list of rendering parameters;

receiving an input selecting a rendering parameter option for at least one rendering parameter of the list of rendering parameters; and

subsequently associating, for each at least one rendering parameter, the selected rendering parameter option with that rendering parameter for documents of the document type so that any objects contained in any subsequently printed documents of the same document type are printed with the selected rendering parameter option associated with that document type independent of the object type of the objects.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, for any rendering parameter for which an input was not received, associating a default rendering parameter option with each such rendering parameter for that document type.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating at least one set of rendering parameters with at least one document to be printed.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein associating at least one set of rendering parameters with at least one document to be printed comprises:

providing a list of at least one of the defined document type;

receiving at least one input selecting at least one predetermined document type from the list of at least one document type; and

associating the at least one set of rendering parameters for each selected document type with the at least one document to be printed.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein receiving at least one input selecting at least one document type comprises receiving an input selecting a single document type.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, when the selected single document type comprises a single set of rendering parameters, each at least one document to be printed is printed using that single set of rendering parameters for that entire document.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein, when the selected single document type comprises a plurality of sets of rendering parameters, different portions of each at least one document to be printed are printed using different ones of the plurality of sets of rendering parameters.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein, when the selected single document type comprises a plurality of sets of rendering parameters, associating the at least one set of rendering parameters for each selected document type with the at least one document to be printed comprises associating each selected document type with at least one different content type of the at least one document to be printed.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein each at least one document includes a plurality of different content types.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the plurality of different content types comprises at least one of object types and mixed raster content layers.

11. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

providing a list of at least one image output device usable to print the at least one document; and

receiving an input selecting an image output device to be used to print the at least one document from the list of at least one image output device.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising printing the at least one document on the selected image output device using the at least one set of associated rendering parameters for each selected document type.

13. The method of claim 3, further comprising associating the at least one document to be printed with an image output device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein providing a list of rendering parameters comprises providing the list of rendering parameters based on the associated image output device.

15. A graphical user interface usable to associate various rendering parameter options for various rendering parameters with a document type, comprising:

a document type portion identifying a particular document type to which at least one rendering parameter option is to be associated;

at least one rendering parameter portion that indicates at least one rendering parameter of the identified document type; and

at least one rendering parameter option portion that indicates at least one rendering parameter option for at least one of the rendering parameters indicated in the rendering parameter portion;

wherein each at least one rendering parameter option of the at least one rendering parameter option portion is selectable to be subsequently associated with documents of the particular document type identified in the document type portion so that any objects contained in any subsequently printed documents of the same document type are rendered with the selected rendering parameter option associated with that document type independent of the object type of the objects.

16. The graphical user interface of claim 15, further comprising a plurality of document content portions, each document content portion comprising at least one of the at least one rendering parameter portion and at least one rendering parameter option portion corresponding to the at least one rendering parameter portion.

17. The graphical user interface of claim 15, wherein each at least one rendering parameter of the at least one rendering parameter portion is selectable to display the corresponding rendering parameter options.