Abstract: A method and apparatus for converting a color representation of an image to a grayscale representation are disclosed. For a color image, a location of each color within a device-independent color space is initially determined. Then, a color difference of each color is determined by applying an appropriate perceptual-based color difference model according to its determined location within the device-independent color space. Next, the determined color difference of each color is normalized under a predetermined range. The normalized color differences are mapped to an output range of an output device.

Abstract: A command is provided as a means to instruct a printer to pre-rasterize and store presentation objects according to specified presentation parameters. The stored rasterized objects are available to the printer for use during printing when a print job is submitted to the printer which includes a presentation object already rasterized, saving significant processing at print time. The rasterized objects are stored with information identifying the object and the parameters used in the rasterization process and the printer is enabled to identify the appropriate rasterized object for inclusion in the print job. Objects may also be selected by a printer at print time as most closely matching the required parameters and then adjusted as needed at print time to completely conform with the requirements of inclusion in the job. This capability allows the printer to perform trimming-on-the-fly or other real-time operations while enjoying the time-saving benefits of a pre-rasterized object.

Abstract: The present invention provides methods, apparatus, and article of manufacture for performing parallel operations on multiple signed elements which have been packed into a binary value, each element being associated with a different set of bits. A signs binary value is obtained which contains the sign bits for each element in the register. The signs binary value is then used to remove and/or restore sign bits to each element in single operations. This enables parallel operations to be performed efficiently on multiple signed elements loaded into a register, without incurring loss of data.

Abstract: The present invention efficiently directs the flow of print jobs and efficiently controls the spooling and printing of print jobs. The multiplexer system analyzes jobs received from client systems through print channels. The multiplexer determines the attributes of the incoming job and the attributes associated with the print channel. If the attributes of the print job and the attributes of the print channel dictate an output path (either MUST PRINT or MUST SPOOL), then the multiplexer examines the state of the selected path. If the designated output path (printer or spooler) is busy, then the multiplexer decision is to signal a Stop_Flow to the print channel. The print channel is signaled to Start_Flow at a later time, when the output path becomes available. If the attributes of the print job and the attributes of the print channel do not dictate an output pith, then the multiplexer examines a User Output Selection setting to control spooling and printing of print jobs.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and media to enhance image processing for a color reprographic system are disclosed. Embodiments of the invention may calibrate a component like scanner and/or printer in response to user input and/or coupling the component to the reprographic system. More specifically, embodiments may generate correction parameters that describe differences in color values between an image scanned by a scanner or an image printed by the printer by comparing the outputs to known characteristics like color values for the image. Some embodiments comprise a graphical user interface (GUI) to communicate with the user, allowing the user to select user preferences to change, for example, the brightness of an image being copied. Further embodiments incorporate network and phone system interfaces to communicate with remote components as well as to receive input from and/or output to other systems via email, facsimile, etc.

Abstract: Systems, methods and program products for joining front-end processing with back-end processing of printed documents. In particular, the invention calls for collecting print data usable for printing a document (i.e., by persistently saving data used to print a document), imaging the document after use, and processing the document using the print data and image data together.

Abstract: A system and method for enforcing a usage control for a document, including: receiving an encrypted message, the encrypted message including a first key and a usage information authorization for the document, the encrypted message responsive to a second key to extract the first key and the usage information authorization; accepting an encrypted device datastream and securely decrypting the encrypted device datastream using the first key by a device, the device manager: generating a decrypted device datastream derived from the encrypted device datastream, transmitting the decrypted device datastream to the device without writing the decrypted device datastream to a user-accessible memory; and using the second key to access a datastore and to update a usage record for the document with the usage information authorization and a device status signal, the serializer providing the device manager with the print authorization signal when a device request is consistent with the usage record.

Abstract: A toner brush for a printer and a printer including the toner brush. The toner brush includes a substrate (e.g. a core cylinder) with a cleaning brush and a residual toner brush superimposed over one another. During printing the printer holds the residual toner brush against a photoconductor or photoconductive surface, e.g., a photoconductive drum. For deep cleaning, the printer moves the cleaning brush closer to the photoconductor surface and holds it against the surface during deep cleaning. Deep cleaning may be automatically or manually (e.g., by an operator) initiated.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and computer-usable medium for registering a collection of components with a job monitor for job cancellation notification, wherein the collection of components are software components within a logical printer domain; receiving a job cancel request; initiating cancellation of a job corresponding to the job cancel request; sending the job cancellation notification to the collection of registered components; and in response to receiving the job cancellation notification, stopping processing of the job and purging data related to the job by the plurality of registered components.

Abstract: A method and system for generating halftone tables, using a spot function, subdivides the pixels within the halftone cell of a halftone matrix into a plurality of sub-pixels, determines the value of the spot function corresponding to the position of each of the sub-pixels within the halftone matrix, repeats the subdividing and determining for all of the sub-pixels in the halftone matrix, ranks the values for the entire halftone matrix, normalizes the ranked values, generates a cumulative histogram based upon the normalized values, and stores the cumulative histogram as a halftone table.

Abstract: A Job Monitor for providing printer recognition and management of a print job entity is described. The Job Monitor includes a repository of attributes and status associated with each print job that passes through the system. Interfaces to the Job Monitor provide the ability for components to process a job according to the unique requirements of the processing component, and report job attributes and processing status of the job to the Job Monitor for common access by other components. Each component has access to common variables and can present job attributes or status to its respective external interface according to the unique requirements dictated by the external interface. Additionally, internal job processing components interface with the Job Monitor to access and report current processing status. The common status repository provided by the Job Monitor is used by the Job Monitor and other components to control the sequence of processing within the printer.

Abstract: A printer system includes a printer engine that produces an engine power status signal and a printer controller that produces a controller power status signal. A power management interface receives the engine power status signal and the controller power status signal and alters the power status of the printer controller by generating a power management signal based on the power status of the printer controller and the printer engine. The interface preferably alters the power status of the printer controller such that the power status of the printer controller tracks the power status of the engine. The interface may assert the power management signal in response to a transition in the engine power status signal and may format the power management signal according to an industry stand such as the PCI defined PME signal. The interface may be implemented as a board inserted in a PCI connector of the printer controller.

Abstract: A method and system for providing a printer for printing an encoded data stream. The stream includes a section of complex text data. The code is preferably Unicode, and the complex text data is preferably Unicode complex text. The printer includes a font, a text parser, and a layout engine. The font includes a plurality of glyphs. The text parser parses the data stream to determine the section of complex text data in the data stream. The layout engine is coupled to the text parser and with the font. The layout engine receives the section of complex text data from the text parser and determines at least one of the plurality of glyphs and glyph positions corresponding to the section of complex text data.

Abstract: Provided are a method, system, and article of manufacture for determining whether to convert image data in an input color space to an output color space in a transform domain or real domain. An input block of coefficients in an input color space is generated, wherein the input block includes a first type coefficient and a plurality of second type coefficients. The first type coefficient in the input block is converted to an output value in an output color space. A determination is made as to whether real domain processing is required. The input block is converted in a transform domain to an output block of coefficients in the transform domain in an output color space in response to determining that the output value does not require real domain processing.

Abstract: Provided are a method, system, and article of manufacture for converting image data in an input color space to an output color space in a transform domain. An input block of coefficients in an input color space is generated, wherein the input block includes a first type coefficient and a plurality of second type coefficients. The first type coefficient in the input block is converted to an output value in an output color space. The output value is used to determine a scaling factor for the second type coefficients. The scaling factor is applied to the second type coefficients to determine second type coefficients in the output color space. A component output block of coefficients in the output color space is formed from the output value for the first type coefficient and the determined second type coefficients in the output color space.

Abstract: A method, computer program product and system for performing multiple actions on a single spool file. A Portable Document Format (PDF) server (PDF server is a component of a print server) identifies segments of a spool file by identifying Base Name Group (BNG) commands in the data stream generated by an application. A BNG command may indicate the beginning of a segment of a spool file. Upon identifying a segment of the spool file, the segment may be converted into a PDF file. An action, e.g., electronic mailing, faxing, printing, to be performed on the PDF file may be determined using the attributes of the segment converted into the PDF file. For example, an entry in a database configured to store a command to perform a particular action may be indexed using these segment attributes. In this manner, multiple actions may be performed on different segments of a spool file.

Abstract: A document and image management system that can manage handwritten comments and/or edits on conventional paper. The invention may be embodied as an enhanced photocopier adapted to locate and classify handwritten notations using optical character recognition techniques. This embodiment allows the user to select options to selectively copy only those pages with notations, to create an index of handwritten notations, to add side margin locator marks to the document, and to compare subsequent comments on different drafts.

Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for electrorheological printing. The apparatus includes a pressurized ink chamber, a stimulator, and an electrode arrangement. The pressurized ink chamber is configured to retain an electrorheological ink and, under certain circumstances, discharge the electrorheological ink through one or more nozzles in a nozzle array. The stimulator is configured to generate a synchronization signal to increase the pressure of the electrorheological ink in the pressurized ink chamber. The electrode assembly is configured to create an electric field at each of the nozzles in the nozzle array. The electric field within the volume of a single nozzle acts as an electrorheological valve to change the viscosity and control the flow of the electrorheological ink within the nozzle. The absence of an electric field allows the electrorheological ink to fully discharge. A strong electric field stops the flow of the electrorheological ink.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for formatting a computer-generated document for output, such as printing, is provided. Information necessary to generate a document is extracted from a database. The extraction program assigns a layout identifier to each data record retrieved from the database based on the type of information contained within the data record and how the information is to be formatted in the document. A layout program assigns specific layout parameters to each layout identifier, which specify the placement of an associated print data record within a document. Next, a formatting program applies the set of layout parameters to a data stream containing a plurality of data records to create a formatted document. The various elements of the invention such as the data extraction program, the database, the layout program and the formatter, may be integrated into a single software program, co-resident on a single computer system, or distributed across various computer systems on a network.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for controlling truncation error which is introduced when performing a transform equation as a result of lowering the precision of elements of the equation using shift right operations. This is achieved by associating a predetermined truncation amount with a plurality of operations of the transform equation and defining an ordered set of the operations to perform the transform which control the truncation error in the result if each operation introduced the predetermined truncation amount associated with it. Accordingly the transform is performed using the defined ordered set. For example the pre-determined truncation error could be an average truncation error.