Print Driver Pipeline Filter Conformance Validation
AssigneeMicrosoft Corporation
InventorMariyan D. Fransazov
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Systems and methods for print driver pipeline filter conformance validation are described. In one aspect, a filter-based print driver processes a spool file to generate a page description language (PDL). The filter-based print driver utilizes multiple process filters to perform the processing. Each process filter implements a particular set of tasks to generate the PDL. One or more validation filters are utilized to automatically validate conformance of data input into and/or output from one or more of the process filters in view of conformance criteria.
Claims20
A method at least partially implemented by a computer, the method comprising:
- processing, by a filter-based print driver, a spool file to generate a page description language (PDL), the processing being performed by respective ones of multiple process filters, each of the respective ones performing a particular set of tasks to generate the PDL;
- and
- automatically validating, by one or more validation filters, conformance of input and/or output data for each of a select set of the respective ones, the conformance being based on one or more sets of conformance criteria.
A computer-readable medium comprising computer-program instructions executable by a processor, the computer-program instructions when executed by the processor performing operations comprising:
- configuring a filter-based print driver pipeline to execute multiple process filters and one or more validation filters in a particular order, each process filter being a self contained computer-program that receives respective input data to generate respective output data, each validation filter being a self-contained computer-program to validate conformance of data in view of conformance criteria, the data being designated for input to a particular process filter or output from the particular process filter;
- and
- in the particular order:
- processing by respective ones of the process filters, information associated with a structured document;
- and
- automatically validating, by respective ones of the validation filters, conformance of the respective input data and/or the respective output data as part of print driver testing operations.
A computing device comprising:
- a processor;
- and
- a memory coupled to the processor, the memory comprising computer-program instructions executable by the processor, the computer-program instructions when executed by the processor performing operations comprising:
- parsing a configuration file to configure a filter-based print driver pipeline designed to execute multiple process filters and one or more validation filters in a particular order, each process filter being a self contained computer-program that receives respective input data to generate respective output data, each validation filter being a self-contained computer-program to validate conformance of data in view of conformance criteria, the data being designated for input to a particular process filter or output from the particular process filter;
- and
- in the particular order:
- processing by respective ones of the process filters, information associated with a structured document;
- automatically validating, by respective ones of the validation filters, conformance of the respective input data and/or the respective output data as part of print driver testing operations;
- and
- logging conformance validation results for presentation to a user.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.