System and method for processing variable print documents

• US 20080144108A1
• Filed: 11/06/2007
• Published: 06/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: XMPie Ltd. (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: XMPie Ltd. (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Cohen, Amit, Sherwin, Reuven, Kahana, Gal Bezalel, Roth, Israel, Israeli, Yaniv
• Granted Patent: US 8,064,090 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.18
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/00 2D [Two Dimensional] image generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text

Abstract

Processing of a variable print document corresponding to a plurality of elements, each element having a type, a coverage area and a z-axis value, may be improved by creating a composite elements to replace groups of elements when element types are compatible and when creating composite elements is desirable based at least on the coverage area of the composite element, for example, in relation to the sum of the coverage areas of the elements in the group, and otherwise swapping z-axis values of elements if the elements do not overlap. Elements may further include at least one of a transparency and/or text-wrap parameter, which may be used in the method for producing composite elements.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of creating an output rendering element from a plurality of input rendering elements comprising:

receiving a plurality of input rendering elements, said input rendering elements including at least by a z-axis value, a geometry, and a transparency parameter;

determining based on the z-axis value, the geometry, and the transparency parameter of said input rendering elements, whether creating an output rendering element representing said at least two input rendering elements is desirable;

if creating an output rendering element is desirable, then creating at least one output rendering element to represent at least two input rendering elements; and

if creating an output rendering element is not desirable, then altering z-axis values of said at least two rendering elements.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said determination of whether creating said output rendering element is desirable comprises determining based on the geography of said input rendering elements whether said at least two input rendering elements intersect.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said determination of whether creating said output rendering element is desirable comprises determining that creating an output rendering element is desirable if the input rendering element associated with a higher z-axis value is associated with a non-zero transparency value.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein creating said output rendering element comprises generating a unique key based on content and attributes of said output rendering element.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said unique key is used as reference in a generation of a print stream.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising storing at least one reusable rendering element, said reusable rendering element associated with said unique key, wherein said reusable rendering element is used a plurality of times in generation of a print stream.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said reusable rendering element is referred to in said print stream by its associated key.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein creating an output rendering element comprises creating an output rendering element consisting of an area defined by an intersection of said at least two input rendering elements.

9. A computer-implemented method of creating an output rendering element from a plurality of input rendering elements comprising:

receiving a plurality of input rendering elements, said input rendering elements including at least by a z-axis value, a geometry, and a text-wrap parameter;

determining based on the z-axis value, the geometry, and the text-wrap parameter of said input rendering elements, whether creating an output rendering element representing said at least two input rendering elements is desirable;

if creating an output rendering element is desirable, then creating at least one output rendering element to represent at least two input rendering elements; and

if creating an output rendering element is not desirable, then altering z-axis values of said at least two rendering elements.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said determination of whether creating said output rendering element is desirable comprises determining based on the geography of said input rendering elements whether said at least two input rendering elements intersect.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said determination of whether creating said output rendering element is desirable comprises determining that creating an output rendering element is desirable if the input rendering element associated with a higher z-axis value is associated with a non-zero text-wrap value.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein if based on said determination creating an output rendering element representing said at least two input rendering elements is desirable, then creating at least one output rendering element to represent at least two input rendering elements comprises creating an output rendering element representing input rendering elements that are associated with a common text string.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein creating said output rendering element comprises generating a unique key based on content and attributes of said output rendering element.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said unique key is used as reference in a generation of a print stream.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising storing at least one reusable rendering element, said reusable rendering element associated with said unique key, wherein said reusable rendering element is used a plurality of times in generation of a print stream.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said reusable rendering element is referred to in said print stream by its associated key.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein creating an output rendering element comprises creating an output rendering element consisting of an area defined by an intersection of said at least two input rendering elements.