Writing system

In a writing system including a writing bed, a pen or other writing means attached to the bed for movement relative thereto for writing on an item supported on said bed, and a computer or other processor for controlling movement of the pen or other writing means relative to the bed, that improvement comprising:

• first means responsive to data representative of the height and width of each of a plurality of said items for
• (i) determining the preferred location for a first one of said items,
• (ii) thereafter determining if a second of said items can be positioned on said writing bed in a first stack extending in one orthogonal direction such that an edge of said second item abuts an edge of said one item perpendicular to said one orthogonal direction and a pair of side edges of said items are parallel to said orthogonal direction and are aligned with each other, and
• (iii) if said second item can be so positioned, determines a preferred location of said second item in said item stack with said edges of said items so positioned, and
• second means for thereafter causing said writing meas to draw on said bed a said plurality of positioning marks which indicate the proper location of edge portions of said first item and of said second item of said second item can be so positioned, thereby to indicate the said preferred location of each of said items.

In a writing system including a writing bed, a pen or other writing means attached to said bed for movement relative thereto for writing on an item supported on said bed, and a computer or other processor for controlling movement of the pen or other writing means relative to the bed, that improvement comprising:

• (a) means for storing daaa representative of the height and width of each of the items of a set comprising a plurality of different items,
• (b) means responsive to said data for determining a preferred layout of the items of said set and a preferred location of a first said layout on said bed and
• (c) means for determining whether a second said layout can be positioned on said bed, and
• (d) means for causing said writing means to draw on said bed a plurality of positioning marks which indicate the proper location of edge portions of at least one of said items of a said set when the layout including said set is in the said preferred location thereof.

In the process of positioning an item to be written on the writing bed of a system of the type including an x-y plotter, a pen or other writing means mounted for movement relative to the plotter, and a digital computer for controlling movement of the pen relative to the writing bed, that improvement including self-aligning said pen relative to said item by:

• (a) entering the height and width of the item into the memory of the computer;
• (b) causing the computer to determine a preferred location on said bed of said item;
• (c) causing said pen or other writing means to draw positioning marks on said bed, said positioning marks indicating the location of each portions of said item on said bed in said preferred location;
• (d) placing said item on said bed in said preferred location;
• and
• (e) causing said pen or other writing means to write indicia on said item.