US 6,476,930 B1 · Output processing and merging of hybrid electronic documents

Abstract

A method and apparatus for printing an automatically assembling an electronic document is disclosed. The electronic document comprises first and second sets of pages, in which the first set of pages has a first characteristic and the second set has a second characteristic. Using a parser or based on information embedded in the electronic document, the first and second sets of pages are identified. First and second output devices, that are respectively compatible with the first and second sets of pages, are selected. The sets of pages are routed to the respective output devices, where they are output. Identifying information is also routed to be output with the pages. After the pages are output, a complete document is automatically merged or assembled based on the identifying information. In a preferred embodiment, the electronic document has monochrome or black-and-white pages and color pages. The pages are identified within the document. The monochrome pages are routed to a black-and-white printer and the color pages are routed to a color printer, where they are printed. For the color pages, identifier pages are automatically generated and printed. After printing, the pages are merged into a single document based on the identifier pages. Bar code indicia and a merger apparatus may facilitate the automated merging process.

Claims12

Dependent claims

A method for printing an electronic document that comprises a first set of pages having a first characteristic and a second set of pages having a second characteristic, the method comprising:

identifying the first set of pages and the second set of pages within the electronic document based on contents of the electronic document;
selecting first and second output devices that are respectively compatible with the first and second characteristics;
removing, from the first set of pages that is to be sent to the second output device, one or more PDL commands that causes printing, so that the first set of pages will be printed by only the first output device;
routing each page in the first set of pages and the second sets of pages to both the first output device and the second output device, respectively, based on such identification and selection;
generating identifying data that specifies a relative position of each page in the first set of pages within the electronic document;
providing the identifying data to the first output device;
and
after the first and second sets of pages have been output, providing the identifying data to a merge station to allow the merge station to automatically merge the first and second sets of pages into a merged document by processing the identifying data.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Output processing and merging of hybrid electronic documents

Life of this patent

Output processing and merging of hybrid electronic documents

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims12