Operating system with object-oriented printing interface
AssigneeTaligent, Inc.
InventorL. Bayles Holt
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An object-oriented printing interface includes document grouping or folio objects which, once created, provide complete and flexible printing capability that is transparent to an application program. The printing interface objects include objects that are capable of automatically paginating printable information in several different formats, providing page composition including the addition of margins, footnotes, page numbers and registration marks, n-up printing and page imposition and combining text material with graphic material.
Claims46
A computer system for controlling a print device to generate a printed output having a format, the computer system comprising:
- (a) an application program for generating printable information;
- (b) storage apparatus;
- (c) a processor for storing the printable information in the storage apparatus and retrieving the printable information from the storage apparatus;
- (d) an operating system stored in the storage apparatus and cooperating with the processor for controlling the print device;
- and
- (e) a first printing interface object created by the application program from commands and functions stored in the operating system, the printing interface object controlling the processor to manipulate the printable information received from the application program to change the format of the printed output.
A computer system for controlling a print device to generate a printed output having a format, comprising:
- (a) an application program for generating printable information;
- (b) storage apparatus;
- (c) a processor for storing the printable information in the storage apparatus and retrieving the printable information from the storage apparatus;
- (d) interface apparatus connected to the print device and responsive to the printable information for controlling the print device to print;
- (e) an operating system stored in the storage apparatus and cooperating with the processor for transferring the printable information from the storage apparatus to the interface apparatus, said operating system comprising printing commands and functions;
- and
- (f) a first printing interface object created by the application program from the printing commands and functions comprising the operating system, the printing interface object controlling the processor to manipulate the printable information retrieved from the storage apparatus before the printable information is provided to the interface apparatus in order to change the format of the printed output.
A method for controlling a print device by means of a computer system having an application program and an operating system in order to generate a printed output having a format, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) generating printable information at a predetermined location by means of the application program;
- (b) creating a first printing interface object from commands and functions stored in the operating system;
- (c) passing the predetermined location of the printable information to the first printing interface object;
- (d) using the first printing interface object to manipulate the printable information to format the printable information in a first format;
- and
- (e) forwarding the formatted printable information to the print device for printing.
A method for generating a printing interface for an application program which cooperates with an operating system in order to manipulate printable information to generate printable information with a format, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) creating a first printing interface class including pagination commands and functions in the operating system;
- (b) referencing the first printing interface class in the application program to create a first printing interface object derived from the first printing interface class;
- and
- (c) creating an instance of the first printing interface object to manipulate the printable information to generate printable information formatted into a plurality of pages.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.