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US 5,495,560 AGranted
Output apparatus which temporarily stores pattern data for output
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorShuichi Kumada
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
This output apparatus has a memory for storing compressed data obtained by compressing a pattern or dot data representing a pattern. A controller determines whether the dot data representing the pattern to be output is stored in the memory or not. The controller also determines whether the compressed data corresponding to the pattern to be output is stored in the memory if the controller determines that no dot data representing the pattern is stored in the memory.
Claims73
An output apparatus comprising:
- memory means for storing character data, the character data comprising compressed data or dot data, both the compressed and dot data being obtained by conversion from vector data representing a particular character;
- first determining means for determining whether dot data representing a character to be output is in said memory means;
- and
- second determining means for determining whether compressed data corresponding to the character to be output is in said memory means if said first determining means determines that the dot data representing the character to be output is not in said memory means.
1 more element
An output apparatus comprising:
- memory means for storing character data, the character data comprising compressed data or dot data, both the compressed and dot data being obtained by conversion from vector data representing the character;
- discriminating means for discriminating whether compressed data corresponding to a character to be output or dot data representing the character to be output is in said memory means;
- and
- converting means for converting vector data, corresponding to the character to be output, into dot data if said discriminating means determines that the compressed data corresponding to the character to be output is not in said memory means and if said discriminating means determines that the dot data corresponding to the character to be output is not in said memory means.
1 more element
An output apparatus comprising:
- memory means for storing, for each of a plurality of characters, data of a plurality of kinds of data formats, that data being obtained by conversion from data of a vector format;
- discriminating means for discriminating a size of one character;
- and
- converting means for converting vector data representing the one character into data of one data format of the plurality of kinds of data formats, the one data format being based on the size discriminated by said discriminating means.
1 more element
An output apparatus according to claim 10 or 27, further comprising means for controlling said memory means to store the data converted by said converting means.
An apparatus for converting vector data representing a character into dot data representing the character and outputting the dot data, said apparatus comprising:
- first cache means for converting the vector data into intermediate data different from the dot data and for storing the converted intermediate data in a memory;
- a second cache means for directly converting the vector data into the dot data and for storing the converted dot data in the memory;
- and
- determining means for determining whether a character to be output is to be converted by said first cache means in response to how fast said apparatus can output the character using the first versus the second cache means.
1 more element
An output apparatus having a memory for converting vector data representing a character into dot data representing the character and outputting the dot data, said apparatus comprising:
- first cache means for converting the vector data into intermediate data different from the dot data and for storing the converted intermediate data in a memory;
- second cache means for directly converting the vector data into the dot data and for storing the converted dot data in the memory;
- and
- determining means for determining whether a character to be output is to be converted by said first cache means or said second means, in response to a capacity of the memory.
1 more element
A method for outputting data, comprising the steps of:
- storing character data, the character data comprising compressed data or dot data, both the compressed and dot data being obtained by conversion from vector data representing a particular character;
- determining whether dot data representing a character to be output is stored;
- and
- determining whether compressed data corresponding to the character to be output is stored if the dot data corresponding to the character to be output is determined not to be stored.
1 more element
A method for outputting data, comprising the steps of:
- storing character data the or dot data, both the compressed and dot data being obtained by conversion from vector data representing a particular character;
- discriminating whether either compressed data or dot data representing a character to be output is stored;
- and
- converting vector data, corresponding to the character to be output, into dot data if both the compressed data and the dot data representing the character to be output are determined not to be stored.
1 more element
A method for outputting data, comprising the steps of:
- storing, for each of a plurality of characters, data of a plurality of kinds of data formats, that data being obtained by conversion from data of a vector format;
- discriminating a size of one character;
- and
- converting vector data representing the one character into data of one data format of the plurality of kinds of data formats, the one data format being based on the size discriminated by said discriminating step.
1 more element
A method for converting vector data representing a character into dot data representing the character and outputting the dot data, said method comprising the steps of:
- determining whether a character to be output is to be converted by direct or indirect conversion in response to how fast the character can be output by direct conversion versus by indirect conversion, respectively;
- and
- converting the vector data into the dot data and outputting the dot data, wherein said converting is performed by first converting the vector data into intermediate data different from the dot data and then storing the converted intermediate data, when it is determined in said determining step that indirect conversion is to be used, and wherein said converting is performed by directly converting the vector data into the dot data and storing the converted dot data, when it has been determined in said determining step that direct conversion is to be used.
A method for converting vector data representing a character into dot data representing the character and outputting the dot data, said apparatus comprising the steps of:
- determining whether a character to be output should be output by direct or by indirect conversion in response to an amount of data to be stored;
- and
- converting the vector data into the dot data and outputting the dot data, wherein said converting is performed by first converting the vector data into intermediate data different from the dot data and then and storing the converted intermediate data when it is determined in said determining step that indirect conversion is to be used, and wherein said converting is performed by directly converting the vector data into the dot data and storing the converted dot data, which it is determined in the determining step that direct conversion is to be used.
A character output apparatus comprising:
- first converting means for converting vector data defining the shape of a character to be output into compressed dot pattern data defining a corresponding output dot pattern;
- second converting means for converting said compressed dot pattern data into the corresponding output dot pattern;
- output means for outputting the dot pattern generated by said second converting means;
- character pattern storage means for storing the compressed dot pattern data converted by said first converting means;
- and
- means adapted to read the stored pattern data from the storage means in place of performing the conversion from vector data in response to a request for a subsequent output of the same said character.
3 more elements
A method of operating a character output apparatus comprising the steps of:
- converting vector data defining the shape of the character to be output into compressed dot pattern data defining a corresponding output dot pattern;
- converting said compressed dot pattern data into the corresponding output dot pattern;
- Supplying the output dot pattern to an output means of the apparatus;
- storing the compressed dot pattern data converted from said vector data in a storage means of the output apparatus;
- and
- in the event that the same character is to be output subsequently, reading the stored data from the storage means instead of performing the conversion from vector data.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.