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US 5,675,718 AGranted
Method and apparatus for dynamic font availability
AssigneeApple Computer, Inc.
InventorHoward A. Miller
Life of this patent
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AssigneeApple Computer, Inc.
InventorHoward A. Miller
Estimating the term…
Unused space in a storage medium such as a read only memory is used to store additional fonts in an apparatus, thereby increasing the total number of fonts stored in the apparatus. The number of fonts made available to a user is based upon the amount of random access memory that is available for fonts. All or a portion of the fonts are made available to the user based on the amount of random access memory that is available for fonts. The number of available fonts can be increased by increasing the amount of random access memory.
A method for dynamically making fonts available to a system, comprising the steps of:
A method for dynamically making fonts available to a system having a first storage medium and a collection of fonts stored in a second storage medium, wherein the collection of fonts is comprised of a plurality of fonts and at least one additional font, and wherein the at least one additional font is stored in the second storage medium in a manner that minimizes or eliminates an amount of unused space in the second storage medium, the method comprising the steps of:
A system for dynamic font availability, comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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No related US applications are recorded in the indexed filing history.
Arrangements for producing a permanent visual presentation of the output data , e.g. computer output printers: using printers
Generic data access: characterised by the storage means used
Characterised by the storage means used: removable memories, e.g. cartridges
Graphical data reading
Term ended 17 May 2015 (estimated)
USPTO file history isn’t available for this patent, so only indexed dates are shown.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to output devices such as printers, and more particularly to font availability in output devices. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for dynamic font availability.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The novel features believed characteristic of the invention are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, as well as a preferred mode of use, and further objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 illustrates a preferred system that may be used to implement the method and apparatus for dynamic font availability according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a pictorial representation of a read-only memory (ROM) according to the prior art;
With reference now to the figures and in particular with reference to FIG. 1, a preferred system is illustrated that may be used to implement the method and apparatus for dynamic font availability according to the present invention. Computer system 100 includes a computer 102, keyboard 104, a monitor 106 having a display screen 108, a cursor control device 110, shown here as a mouse, and a printer 112. Computer system 100 may be implemented using any suitable computer and printer, such as a Macintosh Performa.RTM. computer and a Color LaserWriter.RTM. 12/600 PS, both products of Apple Computer, Incorporated, located in Cupertino, Calif.
FIG. 2 is a pictorial representation of a read-only memory (ROM) according to the prior art. ROM 200 may be a single ROM or a set of ROMs. ROM 200 is comprised of operating software 202, fonts 204, and unused memory 206. Operating software 202 includes such items as an operating system, device drivers, and page description languages such as Postscript.RTM. or PCL.TM.. Fonts 204 are fonts stored in ROM 200 by the printer manufacturer, so that when the printer is purchased by a user, all of the fonts that can be used are included with the printer.
Typically ROM is assembled in a manner that results in the total amount of ROM being a factor of two, i.e. two megabytes, four megabytes, eight megabytes, or more. This factor of two construction is generally due to the cost of memory and the way memory is organized. But assembling ROM in this manner can result in a portion of the ROM not being used. For example, an apparatus that needs five megabytes of ROM may in actuality have six or eight megabytes of installed ROM. Thus, the apparatus will have one to three megabytes of unused ROM. The present invention utilizes this unused memory for storing additional fonts in an output device such as a printer. In the preferred embodiment, the number of fonts a user has access to is based upon the size of the font cache in random access memory.