Method and apparatus for improving page description language (PDL) efficiency by recognition and removal of redundant constructs
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsScott David Mastie, Christopher Brian Hirsch, Arthur Ray Roberts
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and system for removing redundant or repeated information from a multiple-page document file is described. A master prolog is created for storing information which is repeated in two or more pages within the document file. Repeated information that is stored in both the master prolog and one or more pages within the document file are identified. The repeated information is then removed from one or more of the pages within the document file. The master prolog is implemented within one or more of the pages to provide a more efficient representation of the repeated information.
Claims20
A computer implemented method of processing a multiple-page page description language (PDL) file including pages having PDL commands to generate page data, comprising:
- (a) creating a master prolog for storing PDL page commands repeated in a prolog section of more than one page within the PDL file, wherein the prolog section of each page includes page commands that are used to generate the page data;
- (b) identifying the repeated PDL page commands stored in both the master prolog and the prolog section of multiple pages within the PDL file;
- (c) removing the identified repeated PDL page commands from the prolog section of pages within the PDL file;
- (d) including a reference to the master prolog within the pages within the PDL file from which repeated PDL page commands were removed, wherein redundant PDL page commands from the page prolog sections are defined once in the master prolog and referenced in the pages to use to create the page data;
- (e) measuring performance and/or size of an output file formed by processing the multi-page PDL file referencing the master prolog to define page prolog data;
- (f) determining whether the performance and/or size of the output file meets predetermined threshold values;
- (g) storing the output file with the master prolog if the predetermined threshold values are met;
- and
- (h) restoring an original output file without the master prolog if the predetermined threshold values are not met.
A system for processing a multiple-page page description language (PDL) file including pages having PDL commands to generate page. data, comprising:
- (a) means for creating a master prolog for storing PDL page commands repeated in a prolog section of more than one page within the PDL file, wherein the prolog section of each page includes page commands that are used to generate the page data;
- (b) means for identifying the repeated PDL page commands stored in both the master prolog and the prolog section of multiple pages within the PDL file;
- (c) means for removing the identified repeated PDL page commands from the prolog section of the pages within the PDL;
- (d) means for referencing the master prolog within the pages within the PDL file from which repeated PDL page commands were removed, wherein redundant PDL page commands from the page prolog sections are defined once in the master prolog and referenced in the pages to use to create the page data;
- (e) means for measuring performance and/or size of an output file formed by processing multi-page PDL file referencing the master prolog to define page prolog data;
- (f) means for determining whether the performance and/or size of the output file meets predetermined threshold values;
- and
- (g) means for storing the output file with the master prolog if the predetermined threshold values are met or for storing an original output file without the master prolog if the predetermined threshold values are not met.
A machine-readable medium having stored thereon data representing a sequence of instructions for processing a multiple-page page description language (PDL) file including pages having PDL commands to generate page data, the sequence of instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform:
- (a) creating a master prolog for storing PDL page commands repeated in a prolog section of more than one page within the PDL file, wherein the prolog section of each page includes PDL page commands that are used to generate the page data;
- (b) identifying the repeated PDL page commands stored in both the master prolog and the prolog section of multiple pages within the PDL file;
- (c) removing the identified repeated PDL page commands from the prolog section of the pages within the PDL file;
- (d) referencing the master prolog within the pages within the PDL file from which repeated PDL page commands were removed, wherein redundant PDL page commands from the page prolog sections are defined once in the master prolog and referenced in the pages to use to create the page data;
- (e) measuring performance and/or size of an output file formed by processing a multi-page PDL file including the master prolog to define page prolog data;
- (f) determining whether the performance and/or size of the output file meets predetermined threshold values;
- (g) storing the output file with the master prolog if the predetermined threshold values are met;
- and
- (h) restoring an original output file without the master prolog if the predetermined threshold values are not met.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.