WO1995003669A1

WO1995003669A1 - Active raster image duplicating processor

Info

Publication number: WO1995003669A1
Application number: PCT/EP1994/002385
Authority: WO
Inventors: Kostadin Gurcilov
Original assignee: Nilson, Christina, M.
Priority date: 1993-07-19
Filing date: 1994-07-19
Publication date: 1995-02-02
Also published as: SE9302455D0; AU7531694A

Abstract

An improved method for producing on a single page multiple copies of a photographic image that has been entered into a computer system and stored as image data is disclosed. The image data is converted into a page description language, such as PostScript, and subsequently outputted to an output device such as a color copier. The present invention is also directed to a method of automatically scanning all work stations connected to a computer network for valid image data files, transmitting the image data files to a storage means, and outputting the image data to an output device such as a color copier.

Description

ACTIVE RASTER IMAGE DUPLICATING PROCESSOR

BACKGROUND Introduction

At the beginning we present some basic ideas that are essential to understanding the problems that the method of the present invention is designed to solve and the environments in which it is intended to operate. We also establish some terminology that will be used throughout the remainder of this application. Description of the Related Art

In today's computer printing industry, raster output devices with different properties are proliferating, as well as the applications capable of generating output with different quality needs on those devices. A page description language is the link between the application program and the output device as illustrated in Figure 1.

The basic operating system on the server is DOS 5.0. With Quatradeck Deskview 6.0 multi-tasking environment loaded directly at boot time. Hardware

CPU Intel 80486, 66 MHz

16 Mbyte Primary memory

250 Mbyte HD Drive

64 Mbytes Raster Memory Used By the RIP

3 Com Etherlink 16 Network Card

Monochrome VGA adapter Card

Monochrome Monitor

Keyboard Third Party Software Used On The RIP

Microsoft MS Dos Ver. 5.0 Copyright Microsoft Inc.

DeskView 6.0 Copyright Quatradeck Systems Inc.

Freedom Of Press Professional Copyright Custom Applications Inc.

Timbuktu AppleShare FileServer PC Access Copyright Faralon Computing Inc. Information Flow on a Prior Art System for Producing Personal Stamps.

Referring to Figure 2, the information flow on a prior art system for producing personalized stamps is illustrated. The production process of the prior art can be divided into four major steps:

1. Scanning the original image, and storing it on the disk on the work station in some of the standard desktop image file formats.

2. Making a page layout on a standard pattern and repeating the same picture positions that the perforated paper. Placing text optionally.

3. Producing a PostScript file and transmitting it to the RIP.

4. Rendering the file and outputting it to the copier. The total production time for one page is at this time 14 minutes and the process needs to be repeated for every new document. It requires a human operator to initialize the first 3 stages of the production. This means that on a daily basis only 34 pages can be produced using the standard PostScript solution.

Looking closely into the infoπnation flow shewed the weak points in the production process and what can be done to improve the system performance. Weak Production Points of the Prior Art System

The weakest point of the prior art system is in the INTERPRETIVE nature on the Raster Image Processor (RIP). This forces the application program to place 36 repetitions of the same image data in the final PostScript file. This is because the image data is treated by the standard color image operator on the RIP as an executable object which is thrown away as soon as the RIP has executed it (painted it on the current page). Practically this means that the PostScript files generated by the page layout application are extremely large (14 Mbytes). And consists of 36 repetitions of same image data plus new positioning commands for the following picture. A sample of the PostScript file is as follows:

%%PS adobe 2.0 %%Creator: QuarkXPress %%IncludeProcSects : AldusD±ct 2.1

PostScript Header (34 Kbytes ) follows here.

/10 10 moveto %%Posltion the current point at first image on the

/I I translate scale %%page and scale the coordinate system to 1 to 1

[285 450 8-250 450] colorimage %%beg±n image data

<10203345A14576AB12 54 56767

374200 bytes of image data follows

234823234984239482394884234 > end image data

/10 30 moveto %%Position the current point at the second image on the

/I 1 translate scale %%page and scale the coordinate system to 1 to 1

[285 450 8-250 450] colorimage XXbeg±n image data

< 10203345 R14576RB12 54 56767

•

374200 bytes of image data follows 234823234984239482394884234 > end image data

36 repetitions of the procedure above marked with bold follows to the end of the PostScript file.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to an improved method for producing on a single page multiple copies of a photographic image that has been entered into a computer system and stored as image data. The image data is converted into a page description language, such as PostScript, and subsequently outputted to an output device such as a color copier.

There are two complementary approaches toward describing the server operation of the present invention. On one hand it is a general purpose Raster Image Processor (RIP) capable of taking a general purpose page description language program used for interchanging data between different software applications and output devices, such as PostScript, and outputting those programs on a variety of non-page description language reading devices including ^* color copiers. On the other hand it is an active computer network server for automatically scanning all the workstations connected to the computer network for valid image data files, transmitting the image data files to its own disk, preparing the image data files for output and outputting the image data files on the color copier.

The coexistence of complex RIP capabilities together with powerful network and page description language generating capabilities is possible with use of a multi-tasking environment computer program for DOS operating systems, such as Deskview. The link between those two separate parts of the system is done through Terminate But Stay Resident (TSR) programs that start and stop different processes of the server. All of those are defined as separate DOS windows that work simultaneously.

Either of those views could serve as basis for describing the server operation but either one taken alone does not tell the entire story. Both views and the links between them are equally valid and they interact to provide a complete model of an "Active Raster Image Processor".

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating the function of a general purpose page description language computer program.

Figure 2 is a block diagram illustrating the information flow on a prior art system for producing multiple copies of a photographic image.

Figure 3 is block diagram illustrating the global operation of the server of the present invention. Figure 4 is a block diagram illustrating the steps of the Network Window Manager of the present invention used for scanning all the workstations connected to a server.

Figure 5 is a block diagram illustrating the steps of the server of the present invention used for generating page description language files.

Figure 6 is a block diagram illustrating the steps of the Raster Imaging Processor Window of the present invention used for interpreting page description language and outputting data.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Server Operation Global Blockdiagram Referring to Figure 3, a block diagram illustrating the global operation of the server of the present invention is shown. There are three separate DOS partitions working simultaneously on the server of the present invention. The window manager is starting and stopping different processes in the server. The interchange of data between the separate partitions is done via the Environmental Variable Table which is available to each separate partition and via TSR programs. Window Manager

Network Window

Referring to Figure 4, a block diagram of the Network Window of the present invention is shown. The purpose of this window is to scan all the workstations connected to the server for valid image data files and transmit them to the server. It also does administration on a files that have been processed, and informs the Window Manager about the current status.

Letterserve Window

Referring to Figure 5, a block diagram of the Letterserve Window of the present invention is shown. As soon as files have been transmitted to the server disk and the window manager has been informed about it and activates this window in which PostScript files are generated for each image file that have arrived in the system. RIP Window

Referring to Figure 6, a block diagram of the Raster Image Processor Window of the present invention is shown. This is the window that is started as soon as PostScript files have been generated and are waiting to be outputted. PostScript Interpreting and output is done in this window.

Practical PostScript Implementation At The System

Producing Personal Stamps

The goal of the present invention was to build a system that will take as input photographic images, scan them into the workstations disk, produce a page layout consisting of 36 repetitions of the same image file on the page, and optionally add text and output such a page on a pre-perforated paper. The output should have continuous tone quality.

Tests were made on different computer platforms and variety of output devices with their corresponding RIP's. The only output device that meet those quality and material needs were the color copiers produced by Canon, Kodak and Agfa.

It is directly noticeable that implementing a new colorimage operator in the PostScript language that would be able to reuse the image data in the rendering process would gain a large savings in the production time. That means that the size of the PostScript file would be 400 Kbytes, which reduces the time needed to generate and transmit such a file under 10 seconds.

Furthermore an offline PostScript generator would be able to produce the PostScript files with standard positioning for the pictures on the page and standard converting of the raw scanned image data to hex coded interleaved data needed by the RIP. Such approach would remove steps 2, 3 and 4 from the production process of the prior art described above in the Description of the Related Art. By removing those three time demanding production steps from the workstations to the server we accomplish a number of benefits among which the most significant are:

1. Workstation operators no longer need to wait 6 minutes for the computer to produce and transmit the PostScript file to the RIP. The PostScript generation is done on the server.

2. The most expensive components in the system the copier and the RIP can be used much more efficiently. As long as there are picture files on some of the workstation disks the server will output them with no human interaction, which theoretically means they can be used 24 hours a day.

3. Total production time is 1 min. 15 sec. for one A4 ark with 36 pictures generated thereon measured from the moment the server "saw" the image file on some of the workstations.

4. The RIP performance is improved 10 times due to the smaller amount of data in tne PostScript files that are processed (300 Kbytes compared to 14 Mbytes).

5. All unnecessary human involvement in producing the same page layout with different pictures over and over again is moved to the server.

6. The amount of data transmitted over the network is 36 times smaller.

7. The workstation operator is capable of producing approx 200 pictures per day. And the system in total is producing approx 700 customers a day. A minimal investment is needed (3 workstations with scanners) to come up to this production volume.

Basic Concepts Operating System

In order to be able to handle both RIP functions and PostScript generation functions simultaneously from a fairly low cost hardware, multitasking environment around powerful processor like Intel80486 was definitely the only way to go.

Choice was between DeskView 6.0 from Quatradeck Systems Inc. and SCO Unix from Santa Cruse Operations Inc. The only RIP working on those environments is Freedom Of Press Professional Software RIP by Custom Applications Inc.

The preliminary tests on both of those operation systems, price and performance of the RIP under Quatradeck + Dos was a better choice. The unique possibility to allow Virtual 80386 mode for the main processor for each of the tasks did made DeskView the only possible solution among Other systems offering multitasking possibilities under DOS. Levels of a Page Description

In principle, a page to be printed on a raster output device can be described as an array of pixel values with one to one correspondence to the printer dots. In this case an application can describe the desired output as a full-page pixel array and transmit it to the printer. Pages containing combinations of text, graphics and sampled images can be described in this way. Such an arrangement is unsatisfactory for many reasons. Chief among them are:

1. The description is bulky and is expensive to transmit and store

2. The pixel array is device dependent; it is valid for output devices of only one particular resolution and one choice of possible data values per pixel.

3. Scan conversion from internal to pixel format is time consuming process. Requiring an application program to perform a scan conversion is putting very large demands from the processor and memory on the workstation level. Meeting those demands on workstation level is far beyond the means of many small machines such as personal computers.

With low level raster descriptions inadequate to solve those problems even with use of advanced compressing method, we are led into the realm of a higher level page description language. Ideally, such a language should be capable of describing appearance of pages containing arbitrary text and graphic at relatively high level, in terms of abstract graphical entities rather then in terms of device pixels. Such a description is economical and device - independent.

Producing printed output from an application program then becomes a two-stage process. First the application generates a device independent description of the desired output in the page description language. Second a program controlling the output device interprets the description and renders it on the device. The two stages may be executed in different places and different times.

The PostScript language is today recognized as a broad industry page description language. Its design has benefitted from nearly two decades experience with several predecessor languages. The language has its beginnings in 1976 at the Evans & Sutherland Computer Corporation, known as "Design System". In 1978 the language was reimplemented at Xerox Palo Alto Research Center under the name of "JaM". The third incarnation of the language was done 1982 at "Adobe Systems Incorporated" and since then is known as "PostScript".

While the present invention has been described in detail with regards to the preferred embodiment, it is appreciated that other variations of the present invention may be devised which do not depart from the inventive concept of the present invention.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A method for reproducing multiple copies of one or more photographic images onto a single page, comprising the steps of: scanning at least one photographic image into a computer system; storing the photographic image as image data; converting the image data into a page description language that represents the photographic image to be outputted, said page description language including a single set of said image data for each photographic image scanned; outputting said page description language to an output device; and producing multiple copies of at least one photographic image on a single output sheet utilizing said single set of said image data for each photographic image scanned.

2. The method of claim 1 in which said page description language is PostScript.

3. The method of claim 1 in which said output device is a color photocopier.

4. A method for automatically scanning an active computer network system for valid image data files, comprising the steps of:

(1) scanning the active computer network for a valid image data file;

(2) transmitting image data from the valid image data files to a data storage means; (3) converting the image data into a page description language and creating page description language files;

(4) outputting said page description language files to an output device; and (5) repeating steps 1 through 4 automatically in an endless loop.

5. The method of claim 4 in which said page description language is PostScript.

6. The method of claim 5 in which said non-page format language output device is a color photocopier.