Image output apparatus and method
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorKIYOHIRO TSUNEKAWA
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Upon receiving print data from a host computer, a printer determines whether the data is an instruction for generating form data. If the print data is such an instruction, the printer generates the form data an image data, encodes the data and then stores the encoded data. If the print data is a print instruction other than the above-mentioned instruction, the printer determines whether the print data is a page to be overlaid on form data. If such is the case, the encoded form data is decoded and drawn and the data to be printed is output upon being superposed on the drawn form data.
Claims30
An image output apparatus comprising:
- form storage means for encoding and storing form data generated as image data;
- form generating means for generating form data as image data, encoding the form data and storing it in said form storage means;
- and
- overlay output means for decoding the encoded form data that has been stored in said form storage means, superposing print data on the decoded form data and outputting the result in a case where the print data is to be output upon being overlaid on the form data.
An image output method comprising:
- a form generating step of generating form data as image data, encoding the form data and storing it in form storage means;
- and
- an overlay output step of decoding the encoded form data that has been stored, superposing print data on the decoded form data and outputting the result in a case where the print data is to be output upon being overlaid on the form data.
A computer-readable memory storing a program which causes a computer to implement the functions of:
- form generating means for generating form data as image data, encoding the form data and storing it in form storage means;
- and
- overlay output means for decoding the encoded form data that has been stored, superposing print data on the decoded form data and outputting the result in a case where the print data is to be output upon being overlaid on the form data.
An image output system comprising:
- a host apparatus for converting print data to a print instruction having a format in which it can be interpreted by a printing apparatus, outputting the print instruction, combining form data with print data and outputting the result;
- and
- a printing apparatus for interpreting the print instruction output by said host apparatus and converting the print instruction to an image;
- said host apparatus having means for measuring degree of complexity for each type of print data;
- and means for instructing said printing apparatus to execute an encoding procedure that conforms to the degree of complexity measured;
- and
- said printing apparatus encodes or decodes form data using the encoding procedure instructed.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.