Printer controller for a color printer

• US 7,057,760 B2
• Filed: 08/08/2003
• Issued: 06/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Memjet Technology Ltd. (Memjet Limited)
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia, Lapstun, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Douglas Q.
• Application Number:
  US10/636,261
• Publication Number:
  US 20040032617A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,033 Days
• Field of Search: 358 11- 118, 358/2.1, 358/2.99, 358/3.01, 358/3.24, 358/3.32
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/002 Curing or drying the ink on the copy materials, e.g. by heating or irradiating
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/00216 using infrared [IR] radiation or microwaves
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/0057 where an intermediate transfer member receives the ink before transferring it on the printing material
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/01 Ink jet
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04508 aiming at correcting other parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/0451 for detecting failure, e.g. clogging, malfunctioning actuator
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04586 controlling heads of a type not covered by groups B41J2/04575 - B41J2/04585, or of an undefined type
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/155 for line printing
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/2139 Compensation for malfunctioning nozzles creating dot place or dot size errors generating single droplets or particles on demand by pressure, e.g. electromechanical transducers B41J2/045
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2202/21 Line printing
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/60 for printing on both faces of the printing material
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/00 Interconnection of, or transfer of information or other signals between, memories, input/output devices or central processing units interface circuits for specific input/output devices G06F3/00 ; multiprogram control therefor G06F9/46; multiprocessor systems G06F15/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/00 Digital computers in general details G06F1/00 – G06F13/00; Data processing equipment in general
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/12 Digital output to print unit , e.g. line printer, chain printer
• 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: H04N 1/393 Enlarging or reducing

Abstract

An inkjet printer controller includes a processor for receiving incoming data relating to a description of a page to be printed. A memory in the form of a hard disk, in which the data are stored, is connected to the processor. The controller includes at least one raster image processor for rasterizing and compressing the data. The page data has image data and text data. The text data is compressed separately from the image data. A printhead controller receives, decompresses and processes the data for printing via a printhead under control of the printhead controller.

Claims

1. A printer controller for an inkiet printer, the controller including:

a processor for receiving incoming data relating to a description of a page to be printed, said description containing image data and text data;

a memory in which the data are stored;

a rasterizer/data compressor for rasterizing and then compressing the data, the rasterizer/data compressor adapted to receive the data, from the memory, the compression of the rasterized image data and the text data occurring separately from each other, the rasterizer/data compressor including at least one raster image processor (RIP) digital signal processor (DSP); and

a print engine controller for receiving, decompressing and processing said data for printing via a printhead under control of the print engine controller.

2. The printer controller of claim 1 in which the, or each, RIP DSP communicates with the processor, the processor feeding and synchronizing the, or each, RIP DSP, the rasterizer/data compressor and the print engine controller.

3. The printer controller of claim 2 in which the, or each, RIP DSP communicates stores rasterized and compressed data in the memory.

4. The printer controller of claim 1 in which the memory is a hard disk that communicates with the processor via a disk controller.

5. In an inkjet printer controller, a method of printing a description of a page containing image data and text data, the method including the steps of:

receiving said data relating to a description of a page to be printed from a host processor;

storing the received data in a memory;

rasterizing and compressing the received data to create a compressed page format, the compression of the image data and the text data occurring separately from each other;

feeding the compressed page format data to a print engine controller, the print engine controller receiving the compressed page format data and storing the data in a local memory of the print engine controller when the compressed page format data is received;

expanding the compressed page format data in the print engine controller prior to printing of the image; and

as the data are expanded, feeding the expanded data to at least one print engine controlled by the print engine controller.

6. The method of claim 5 which includes, prior to feeding the compressed page format data to the print engine controller, storing the compressed page format data in the memory.