XML printer system

• US 9,201,845 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2013
• Issued: 12/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Zebra Technologies Corporation
• Original Assignee: ZIH Corp. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Alleshouse, Bruce N.
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, THIEN MINH
• Application Number:
  US14/013,703
• Publication Number:
  US 20140061318A1
• Time in Patent Office: 824 Days
• Field of Search: 23546201-46245, 235/487, 235/375, 235/383, 235/380
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1206 resulting in increased flexibility in input data format or job format or job type
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1243 Variable data printing, e.g. document forms, templates, labels, coupons, advertisements, logos, watermarks, transactional printing, fixed content versioning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1246 by handling markup languages, e.g. XSL, XML, HTML
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1285 Remote printer device, e.g. being remote from client or server
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/154 Tree transformation for tree-structured or markup documents, e.g. XSLT, XSL-FO or stylesheets
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/18 of spreadsheets form-filling G06F40/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 1/121 by printing code marks applying code marks to labels B65C9/46; marking or coding completed packages B65B61/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/00 Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups G06K1/00 - G06K15/00, e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0025 the arrangement consisting of a wireless interrogation device in combination with a device for optically marking the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10 by electromagnetic radiation, e.g. optical sensing; by corpuscular radiation

Abstract

An XML processing system for use in a barcode printer apparatus includes a computer system operatively coupled to the barcode printer apparatus. The computer system further includes an XML processor configured to receive, parse, and process an XML input data stream and obtain schema identified in the XML data stream from a schema repository. Alternatively, the system includes a SAX processor configured to receive and process the XML input data stream, a ZPL processor configured to receive and process a format template, a variable data integrator configured to develop an association between the XML data contained in the XML input data stream and the format template, a formatting engine configured to format the associated XML data according to a format governed by the format template, and a barcode rendering engine configured to receive the associated and formatted XML data and generate a bit map representative of the bar code label.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer readable program code stored thereon, the program code being configured to, when executed, cause an apparatus to at least:

receive, by an extensible markup language (XML) processor module, an XML input data stream;

select, by the XML processor module and based on the XML input data stream, a format template from a plurality of format templates;

associate XML data contained in the XML input data stream with the selected format template; and

format the associated XML data according to a format governed by the format template.

2. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the program code further causes the apparatus to generate a printable representation of at least a portion of a media based on the formatted XML data.

3. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the format template is downloaded to the apparatus.

4. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the XML input data stream is received from an Oracle warehouse management system.

5. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1 wherein the program code further causes the apparatus to validate at least a portion of the XML data according to a Document Type Definition (DTD).

6. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1 wherein the program code further causes the apparatus to create an event based on the XML input data stream, wherein the event is created by the SAX processor module.

7. The computer readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the event includes a variable data event for dots-per-inch printing on the media.

8. The computer readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the event includes an event that is related to a barcode field.

9. The computer readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the event includes a begin label SAX event.

10. A hybrid extensible markup language (XML) printer system comprising:

a print head mechanism; and

at least one memory configured to store a downloaded format template and a printer firmware, the printer firmware configured to cause the XML printer system to at least;

receive an XML input data stream;

select, based on the XML input data stream, a format template from a plurality of format templates;

associate XML data contained in the XML input data stream with the selected format template; and

format the associated XML data according to a format governed by the format template.

11. The hybrid XML printer system of claim 10, wherein the hybrid XML printer system is a thermal printer.

12. The hybrid XML printer system of claim 10, wherein the hybrid XML printer system is a thermal transfer printer.

13. The hybrid XML printer system of claim 10, wherein the XML input data stream comprises a document type definition.

14. The hybrid XML printer system of claim 13, wherein the document type definition is identified as label.dtd.

15. The hybrid XML printer system of claim 13, wherein the document type definition comprises an attribute called_FORMAT, and wherein the format template is selected based at least in part on the attribute called_FORMAT.

16. The hybrid XML printer system of claim 13, wherein the document type definition comprises an attribute called QUANTITY that specifies a number of media to print.

17. A method comprising:

receiving, by an extensible markup language (XML) processor module of a printer, an XML input data stream;

selecting, by the XML processor module and based on the XML input data stream, a format template from a plurality of format templates;

associating XML data contained in the XML input data stream with the selected format template;

formatting the associated XML data according to a format governed by the format template;

generating a printable representation of at least a portion of a media based on the formatted XML data; and

printing the printable representation by the printer.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the format template is downloaded to the apparatus.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the XML input data stream is received from an Oracle warehouse management system.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the program code further causes the apparatus to validate at least a portion of the XML data according to a Document Type Definition (DTD).