Abstract: Personal identifying information is obtained from a person receiving information content via an output device and sent back to the source of the information e.g. the sender. The personal information such as that in VCARD format is entered by the person receiving the document from a smart card or similar device. The system offers confirmation to users of computer communication systems as to the identity of the recipient of information they have transmitted over the system.

Abstract: A data structure, document data stream, method and apparatus for identifying resources prior to printing. A print data stream structure is provided that can be specified at the beginning of a document or job, or on any page boundary in a document or job, and that identifies complex resources that are required by the pages that follow. This structure is processed by a print server, which uses the resource references to download any missing resources before printing of the following pages is started. Accordingly, print underruns are avoided by ensuring that complex resources are downloaded to the printer before the first page is initiated.

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: A method and system for nesting finishing operations specifies finishing operations for a printfile according to a first architecture, establishes a first communications link from a data source to a print server and carries printer control data for the finishing operations according to the first architecture, matches the printer control data with a predetermined set of rules which define an order in which the finishing operations are performed, establishes a second communications link from the print server to at least one print controller, communicates the finishing operations and the predetermined set of rules to the at least one print controller according to a second architecture, establishes a third communications link from the at least one print controller to at least one post-processing device, communicates the finishing operations to the at least one post-processing device, and performs the finishing operations according to the predetermined set of rules.

Abstract: A system and method for communicating commands and data to a printer and pre- and post-processors through a link using different protocols. In the exemplary embodiment, UP3I finishing instructions for a print file are specified in a MO:DCA Form Definition and processed by a print server on a host computer. Print commands are generated by the host computer and transmitted to a printer using the Intelligent Printer Data Stream (IPDS) Architecture. The processor within the printer receives and processes the UP3I pre- and post-processor commands received via the IPDS communications link and generates commands on a separate communications channel according to the Universal Printer Pre- and Post-Processing Interface (UP3I) for transmission to the pre- and post-processors. Status reported by the pre- and post-processors according to the UP3I™ specification are received by the printer and transmitted to the host computer.

Abstract: A conversion program selectively decomposes viewable files, such as PDF files, and generates a print-structured, bi-directional stream composed of print data objects, resource objects and command objects. The conversion program uses a mapping table to determine which resources have already been sent to the printer so that redundant resources are not re-sent to the printer. The resources and page data for each page are assembled in order and sent to the printer so that the resources necessary to render a page precede the page data. In this manner the printer always has the resources necessary to print each page. The print data, resource and command objects are sent from a print server which controls the print system to a printer by means of a containerized data stream which is bi-directional. A reply object is used to provide information concerning processing of the data from the print server to the printer.

Abstract: An intelligent printing system is extended to handle print objects such as EPS and PDF print objects without requiring the objects to be reformatted by selectively decomposing the EPS and PDF print objects and placing resource information contained in the objects in a resource database along with the print data. The resource information is not duplicated; only the first appearance of a resource is stored, later duplicates are discarded. Appropriate references are placed in the page description data stream so that the resource information can be retrieved and downloaded to the printer when the data is being processed at the print server. The downloading of a particular resource occurs only once. When the print data is sent to the printer, the downloaded resource information is recombined with the data and the combination is sent to a conventional EPS or PDF rasterizing program which converts the objects to printable data.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for displaying, on a display device, a selected page from a print document inserts formatting parameters at the beginning of each page in the data stream representing the print document. The apparatus and method further locate a specified page in the print document, and then display the specified page utilizing the formatting parameters at the beginning of the page. There is no need to process the entire document in a manner similar to that used for printing since each page includes the formatting parameters.

Abstract: A printing system wherein a first print driver utilizes an Intelligent Printer Data Stream (IPDS) to send a first job at a first font resolution to a printer and a second job at a second font resolution or a second job utilizing a non-IPDS data stream to the printer. A second print driver also utilizing the IPDS data stream is connected to the same printer for sending a third job. By sending a "Manage IPDS Dialog (MID)" IPDS command to the printer upon conclusion of the first job, the printer is enabled to switch immediately to the second job. The printer is enabled to switch between the first and second print drivers by use of the MID command at the conclusion of a print job.

Abstract: A method and system for presenting a document at a presentation device utilizing a presentation data stream having a continuous ordered stream of uniquely identified data objects and associated elements which specify format and presentation parameters for each of those data objects. The data stream contains a plurality of documents, including a resource document and a presentation document, which each comprise a collection of the uniquely identified data objects and associated elements. A save object command structure is defined within a resource document within the presentation data stream. Within the save object command structure, a particular data object is identified. In response to receipt of the save object command structure at the presentation device, the particular data object is stored within storage media. Thereafter, an include saved object command structure is defined within a diverse presentation document within a presentation data stream.