Method of page expansion and printing with a pagewidth printer having low-speed and high-speed firing modes

• US 7,817,306 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2008
• Issued: 10/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Zamtec Limited (Memjet Limited)
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia, Lapstun, Paul, Walmsley, Simon Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Grant, II; Jerome
• Application Number:
  US12/030,797
• Publication Number:
  US 20080130057A1
• Time in Patent Office: 979 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.9, 358/2.1, 358/3.22, 358/534, 358/502, 358/1.3, 358/3.01, 358/3.02, 358/3.09, 358/1.13, 358/3.06, 358/3.21, 358/2.99, 358/3.1, 358/3.16, 358/3.13, 347/43, 347/20
• US Class Current: 358/1.9
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/008 Controlling printhead for accurately positioning print image on printing material, e.g. with the intention to control the width of margins
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/42 Controlling printing material conveyance for accurate alignment of the printing material with the printhead; Print registering
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 13/103 for the sheet feeding section
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/0452 reducing demand in current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04528 aiming at warming up the head
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04543 Block driving
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04551 using several operating modes
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04563 detecting head temperature; Ink temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/0457 Power supply level being detected or varied
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/0458 controlling heads based on heating elements forming bubbles
• 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 2/04591 Width of the driving signal being adjusted
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04596 Non-ejecting pulses
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/155 for line printing
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/16505 Caps, spittoons or covers for cleaning or preventing drying out
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/16511 Constructions for cap positioning B41J2/16547 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/16585 for paper-width or non-reciprocating print heads
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/175 Ink supply systems ; Circuit parts therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17566 Ink level or ink residue control
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/515 line printer type
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/17569 : based on the amount printed or to be printed
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2202/17 : Readable information on the head
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2202/20 : Modules
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2202/21 : Line printing
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 25/34 : Bodily-changeable print heads or carriages
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 29/02 : Framework
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 29/13 : Cases or covers
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 29/38 : Drives, motors, controls or automatic cut-off devices for the entire printing mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/0863 : provided with identifying means or means for storing process- or use parameters, e.g. an electronic memory
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/55 : Self-diagnostics; Malfunction or lifetime display
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/0697 : being an electronically readable memory
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2221/1823 : Cartridges having electronically readable memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1213 : at an intermediate node or at the final node
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1214 : at the submitting node
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/122 : with regard to computing resources, e.g. memory, CPU
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1247 : by conversion to printer ready format
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1284 : Local printer device
• 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: G06K 15/02 : using printers
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/102 : using ink jet print heads
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1814 : including print-ready data, i.e. data already matched to the printing process
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1815 : Receiving print data in mixed format
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1817 : Buffers
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1852 : involving combining data of different types
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1855 : Combining raster data and graphic primitives
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1856 : characterized by its workflow
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1857 : involving parallel processing in the same printing apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2215/0094 : Colour printing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32561 : using a programmed control device, e.g. a microprocessor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32587 : Controller
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32598 : Bus based systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/3871 : the composed originals being of different kinds, e.g. low- and high-resolution originals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/40 : Picture signal circuits H04N1/387 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/41 : Bandwidth or redundancy reduction by scanning H04N1/17 ; methods or arrangements for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals H04N19/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/60 : Colour correction or control H04N1/54 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/642 : Adapting to different types of images, e.g. characters, graphs, black and white image portions

Abstract

This invention provides for a method of page expansion and printing of image data received from a computer. The method includes the steps of receiving a page description from the computer, the page having a bi-level black layer compressed in an EDRL (Edge Delta and Runlength) format and a continuous tone (“contone”) layer, and decompressing the respective layers in parallel. The method also includes the steps of halftoning the contone layer data to a bi-level data and compositing the bi-level black layer over the bi-level data to form an image, and transmitting the image data for printing to a pagewidth printhead arrangement. The method includes operating the printhead according to one of a low-speed nozzle firing mode and a high-speed firing mode, the low-speed firing mode having a firing rate half that of the high-speed firing mode.

Claims

1. A method of page expansion and printing of image data received from a computer, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving a page description from the computer, the page having a bi-level black layer compressed in an EDRL (Edge Delta and Runlength) format and a continuous tone (“

contone”

) layer,

decompressing the respective layers in parallel;

halftoning the contone layer data to bi-level data and compositing the bi-level black layer over the bi-level data to form an image;

transmitting the image data for printing to a pagewidth printhead arrangement; and

operating the pagewidth printhead arrangement according to one of a low-speed nozzle firing mode and a high-speed firing mode, the low-speed firing mode having a firing rate half that of the high-speed firing mode.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of operating the printhead arrangement includes the step of firing a predetermined number of nozzles simultaneously, said predetermined number for the low speed firing mode being half of that for the high speed firing mode.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving the page description includes receiving the bi-level data represented as scanned black text and graphics on a white background, with each scanline being runlength-encoded, with the resulting runlengths then Huffman-encoded with fixed Huffman tables separately tuned for black and white runs.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of decompressing includes decompressing the contone layer into bi-level CMYK (Cyan Magenta Yellow black) data.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of decompressing the contone layer is performed by a printer controller having a JPEG (Joint Pictures Experts Group) decoder.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of decompressing the bi-level black layer is performed by a printer controller having a bitstream decoder, a state machine, edge calculation logic, two runlength decoders and a runlength re-encoder.