Method and electronic apparatus for formatting and serving inkjet image data

A device for formatting raw image data and selectively delivering enhanced image data to a print processing subsystem, said device comprising:

• an image data bus section having an image bus interface adapted to be coupled to a host processing system to transmit the raw image data, a front end memory coupled to said image bus interface to receive said raw image data, a back end memory for receiving said enhanced image data, and a print interface coupled to said back end memory for transmitting print data based on said enhanced image data as read out of said front end memory and transmitting the enhanced image data to said print processing subsystem;
• a processor bus section having an image processor, a processor bus interface adapted to be coupled to said host processing system to communicate print processing instructions between said image processor and said host processing system;
• and
• a gateway coupling said image processor to said front end memory and said back end memory whereby said image processor formats said raw image data and transmits said enhanced image data to the back end memory.

The device according to claiml9 further comprising:

• an image data bus coupling said image bus interface to said front end memory;
• and
• a local bus coupling said processor bus interface to said image processor;
• wherein said gateway couples said image data bus and said local bus.

A method for formatting bitmapped image data comprising the steps of:

• transmitting raw image data, through an image bus interface coupled to a host processing system, to a front end memory coupled to the image bus interface for receiving said raw image data;
• communicating print processing instructions, through a processor bus interface coupled to said host processing system, to an image processor;
• transferring said raw image data from the front end memory to the print processor through a gateway coupling the print processor to the front end memory;
• formatting the raw image data via said image processor;
• transferring enhanced image data to a back end memory;
• reading said enhanced image data out of said back end memory;
• and
• transmitting said enhanced image data readout from the back end memory to a print processing subsystem via a print interface.

An image processing system comprising:

• a host processor having a component interface with a plurality of slots for coupling one or more component devices;
• an image processing board coupled to said host processor through a first of said plurality of slots (first slot) and including an image data interface for receiving image data from an image data source;
• and
• a plurality of color boards coupled to said host processor through remaining slots of said interface and including a print engine interface;
• wherein said image processing board is further adapted to receive image data through said image interface and commands from said host processor through said first slot, so that image data from said image data source can be selectively enhanced by said image processing board and passed to said color boards for rendering to a print engine through said print engine interface.