System and methods for real-time printing
OwnerSamuel M. Lester, Jimmy Sfaelosinventors
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The system and methods described herein relate to printing a document in real-time. That is, upon activation of a print command, a printing device can immediately begin moving print media and output printed material. Rather than requiring printing resources to process a document all at once, the system and methods spread processing demands out over the duration of the document's composition. Advantages of the disclosed system and methods include reduced or nonexistent delay times between the activation of a print command and the initiation of printed output and a reduction in printing failures.
Claims26
A method for real-time printing comprising:
- during generation of a document,
- continually converting new document information into a fractional print job;
- sending each fractional print job to a printer;
- and
- rendering each fractional print job as a raster data package.
A method for real-time printing comprising:
- during generation of a document,
- continually converting new document information into a fractional printjob;
- and
- storing each fractional print job to create a print job.
A method for real-time printing comprising:
- receiving fractional print jobs;
- rendering each fractional print job as one or more raster data packages;
- storing each raster data package.
A printer comprising:
- a processor;
- a memory;
- and
- a collection module executable on the processor to receive fractional print jobs, convert fractional print jobs into raster data packages, and store raster data packages as raster pages in the memory, each raster page comprising one or more raster data packages.
A computer comprising:
- a processor;
- a memory;
- an application program executable on the processor to generate a document;
- and
- a real-time driver configured to convert document information into fractional print jobs during generation of the document and send the fractional print jobs to a printer.
A system comprising:
- a computer having a real-time driver, the real-time driver configured to continually convert newly generated document information into a fractional print job and to send each fractional print job to a printing device;
- and
- the printing device having a collection module configured to receive each fractional print job, convert each fractional print job into one or more raster data packages, and store the one or more raster data packages;
- wherein, upon receiving a print instruction from the computer, the printing device immediately begins printing raster data packages.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.