Abstract: A peripheral multifunction device includes a CPU performing data transmission and reception between the device and an information processing unit in a multiplex communication mode so that a plurality of functions of the device are performed and a storage unit for storing various data including the data received by the CPU. The CPU further judges a remaining capacity of the storage unit. A processing of storing in the storage unit the data concerning at least one of the functions of the peripheral multifunction device when the judged remaining capacity of the storage unit is at or below a predetermined value.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for printing provides for direct printing out of image files received from a system that is external to the printer. The method includes the step of determining whether or not a command mode of the printer at present is a Direct Image File Printing System mode, if data are inputted to the printer from a host computer that is external to the printer. The method may also include the step of converting the inputted data into an image form which can be outputted so as to print them out depending on the image file type mode. This step may occur if the command mode of the printer at present is found to be the Direct Image File Printing mode upon a result of the examination.

Abstract: An electronic printer having wireless power and communications connections to accessory units to which it is adjacent and with which it is in contact during operation is disclosed. Communications between the printer and the accessory unit, instead of being handled via a cable connection, are achieved using a two-way, infrared (IR) communications link. Power is supplied to the accessory via inductive coupling rather than directly through power cables. As inductive coupling works efficiently only over very short distances, the accessory unit is equipped with a standby battery power so that the accessory may be temporarily separated from the printer (e.g., in order to eliminate media jams) without loss of accessory status data. When the accessory is once again positioned immediately adjacent the printer, the inductive coupling reassumes the role of power provision.

Abstract: A scene reconstruction system generates a reconstruction of at least one feature of at least one three-dimensional object in a scene from three two-dimensional views as recorded from a plurality of diverse locations. The scene reconstruction system includes a motion parameter generator, a dense depth map generator, and a scene reconstructor. The motion parameter generator generates in response to gradients in image intensity values at respective points in a first view and temporal derivatives of image intensity values as between second and third views and the first view values for motion parameters representing as between a first view recordation location for the first view, and view recordation locations for the second and third views.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for rendering a real-time synthetic environment on a computer display. A hidden surface removal technique is provided which combines an efficient pixel rendering architecture with a simplified modeling process. Specifically, the computer pixel graphics hardware processing load is balanced against a software geometric load to obtain optimum rendering performance by utilizing a "full" buffer in combination with adaptations of the z-Buffer and priority-list algorithms.

Abstract: System for measuring the total amount of time elapsed during a computer print job, also known as the "click to clunk" time. The amount of time spent by the computer processing data before it is sent to the printer and the amount of time spent by the printer printing the document are measured, providing a measure of the total time the user waits until printing is completed, measured from the time the user makes a print request. The amount of time during which the application is unavailable to the user during print spooling is measured. Print job time measurements may be displayed on screen, printed, or saved to a file.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus for reading a document image and forming the document image on a paper, document image data are divided into a plurality of blocks and the document image data are compressed in the unit of block to be stored in a first memory device. The data read from the first memory device are expanded in the unit of block to be stored in a second memory device. Compression time and expansion time are estimated and image output start time for a printer is set based on the compression and expansion times before expansion of all the blocks is completed. In a different way, the start time is set to read data from a second memory device by a printer for printing, after estimation based on expansion time on data not yet expanded by an expansion device. In a still different way, predetermined form data such as page number are superposed with image data. The form data is drawn first in a page memory device and expanded image data are superposed next in the page memory device.

Abstract: A system and method for performing 3D graphics copying operations in such a manner as to produce both a smooth image and smooth edges. The alpha value of each pixel is used to mark the pixels which are and are not part of the image to be copied, and removes unwanted pixels from bilinear filtering operations. After filtering, the resultant alpha values along the edges of the object are used to eliminate unwanted pixels, and to blend the object into the background of the image, which reduces or eliminates the "blocky" edges.

Abstract: A simple method of anti-aliasing for edges near the fast scan direction is to replace the pixels on both sides of the transition in a scan with pixels of varying intermediate color. Thus, if there is an edge between red and blue areas, instead of there being an abrupt change from red to blue at the edge, there will be a number of pixels that slowly vary from mostly red to mostly blue, which will tend to make the jagged edge less obvious.

Abstract: A cable test application is run in the host computer to determine whether the PC to printer connection is able to maintain at least a predetermined speed of data transfer. The cable test provides an accurate measure of the true throughput of the I/O connection during a print job, for example by sending special blocks of data, each tagged so that it is recognizable by the printer firmware's formatter as a "speed test block" that may be discarded after it has been processed, not only by the printer firmware's I/O process, but also by the downstream formatter process. This provides a more accurate measure of data transmission speed than simply having the I/O process throw away not yet formatted test data, and does not require the waste or spoilage of any print media or other expendable supplies.

Abstract: In the picture quality stabilizer for a color laser printer, changes in the gray level characteristic and the color balance caused by changes in temperature and humidity are compensated in order to stabilize the reproduced image. The apparatus includes a temperature and humidity sensor, an upper-bound correction table, a gamma correction table and a mixed color correction table, each optimized with respect to a reference environment, interpolation means for those tables, and a gray level correction means for correcting the gray level with correction coefficients obtained by the interpolation means and the mixed color correction means for compensating any failure of the color balance with the linear transformation. With this configuration, the correction coefficients are so modified as to establish a stable gray level characteristic and color balance, and a stable reproduced image can be obtained.

Abstract: A computer system includes a computer and a peripheral the peripheral having an object oriented run-time environment (e.g., JAVA) and object resource brokering facilities (e.g., CORBA). Public methods of the peripheral are exposed to objects of the computer system and vice versa for more efficient peripheral operation and shared program code.

Abstract: A print system includes a printer having a printer controller. One or more optional support devices are associated with the printer, wherein each optional support device includes a device controller. The system further includes a bi-directional serial communications path, including one or more trunklines, which provides serial electrical interconnection between the printer controller and each device controller of each optional support device of the system. The printer controller automatically assigns a unique device address to each optional support device. Transmission error detection system and method are provided at the printer controller and/or each optional support device.

Abstract: In a printer, periodic testing of printer ink density occurs once the number of print operations exceeds a particular threshold. The threshold is either determined from use or from statistics which summarize the performance of a particular manufacturer and ink supply. Testing results are reported to a maintenance facility and to an MIS application over a network or over a point to point link. Local warnings may be given that the ink supply is low and double printing may be used to darken the printed product until the ink supply is changed.

Abstract: Compressing graphic data for a first computer system, e.g. an emulated system, on a second computer system. For each scanline of the graphic data for the first computer system, a number of colors present on the scanline are counted. A new color palette for the scanline is formed at a reduced representation. Then, a representation of each color of each pixel on the scanline is converted to the new palette. The scanline is then run-length encoded. The graphic data is compressed so that it can be, for example, transmitted between a client (e.g. an X client) and a server (e.g. an X server) and conserve network bandwidth.

Abstract: A method and system for generating and formatting information, specifically test questions, in a desirable and predetermined manner. The system has dynamic-content and dynamic-presentation capabilities so that a wide variety of test problems and, ultimately, tests which consist of test problems can be created. The system includes a data processor such as a personal computer having a means for storing at least one computer program and a means for printing indicia such as a laser printer. The software component of the system includes an authoring tool which is used to create generalized expressions of a problem. A variation rules module or engine stores the variations rules which are a language for describing how to create varying questions from the generalized expression or definition of and a problem created in the authoring tool. Then another component of the software, the print engine interprets the variation rules and produces screen displays or printed tests.

Abstract: A coded data output apparatus comprises an image data input or generation section, a resolution parameter specifying section, a resolution parameter modifying section and an image data output section. The image data input or generation section inputs or generates data for a dot code image to be printed. The resolution parameter specifying section specifies parameter data relating to the resolution of the image data input or generated by the image data input or generation section. The resolution parameter modifying section modifies the parameter data relating to the resolution specified by the resolution parameter specifying section according to the characteristic specific to the applied plate making apparatus. The image data output section outputs the input or generated image data according to the parameter data relating to the resolution and modified by the resolution parameter modifying section.

Abstract: A system and method for calibrating a printer includes the steps or functions of: printing a predetermined color test pattern with the printer by transforming data, representing said predetermined color test pattern, from a device-independent color space to a device-dependent color space associated with the printer by use of a color transform, said predetermined color test pattern including a set of color patches with one of said color patches representing a preferred mid-gray hue; providing a predetermined reference gray surface; comparing said reference gray surface to said set of colored patches of the printed test pattern to find a closest matching one of said patches, if the closest matching one of said patches is the patch representing the preferred mid-gray hue, then ending the method; otherwise determining, for each color channel of the printer, a solution set of correction values as a function of believed gray versus actual gray, said solution set derived from and including a white point, a black poi

Abstract: A print control apparatus receives front-side data and back-side data from an external apparatus and causes a printer to print the received front-side and back-side data on front and back sides of a recording medium. The print control apparatus includes a unit for detecting a jam in the printer. It also includes a unit for executing a jam recovery function if the detection unit detects a jam during printing on the front side, and executing no jam recovery function if the detection unit detects a jam during printing on the back side.

Abstract: The present invention is to provide an image processing apparatus which comprises connection means for connecting to a computer network to which a plurality of computers are connected and record means for recording and outputting image data sent from the computer through the connection means, the apparatus comprises access means for accessing one of the plurality of computers, selection means for selecting a file to be recorded and output by the record means, from among the files managed by the computer accessed by the access means, and request means for requesting, to the computer accessed by the access means, a sending of the image data in the file selected by the selection means, wherein the record means records and output the image data sent from the computer in accordance with the request means, whereby the image processing apparatus can access the computer which is placed far from that apparatus and output the contents of the computer.