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US 6,908,034 B2Granted
XML system
AssigneeZIH Corp.
InventorBruce N. Alleshouse
Life of this patent
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AssigneeZIH Corp.
InventorBruce N. Alleshouse
Estimating the term…
An XML system is configured to print bar code labels, tags, tickets, cards, or other media, and/or encode RFID devices embedded in media, based upon an extensible markup language (XML) input data stream. The XML system includes a computer system having a memory subsystem, a communication interface operatively coupled to a network, an XML processor configured to receive and process the XML input data stream, and an extensible stylesheet language transformation (XSLT) processor configured to either obtain a stylesheet identified in the XML data stream or obtain the stylesheet from a stylesheet repository. The XSLT processor transforms data in the XML input data stream into transformed XML data based upon the stylesheet obtained. Also included is an extensible stylesheet language formatting object (XSLFO) processor configured to format the transformed XML data into formatted XML data based upon XSLFO instructions contained in the stylesheet, and a rendering subsystem configured to receive the formatted XML data and generate a printable representation of the bar code label, tag, ticket, card, other media, and/or generate encoding information for an RFID device.
An XML system configured to facilitate printing of bar code labels, tags, tickets, cards, or other media, and/or encoding of RFID devices embedded in media, based upon an extensible markup language (XML) input data stream, the XML system comprising:
An XML system configured to facilitate printing of bar code labels, tags, tickets, cards, or other media, and/or encoding of RFID devices embedded in media, based upon an extensible markup language (XML) input data stream, the XML system comprising:
An XML system configured to facilitate printing of bar code labels, tags, tickets, cards, or other media, and/or encoding of RFID devices embedded in media, based upon an extensible markup language (XML) input data stream, the XML system comprising:
A computer readable memory or data storage means encoded with data representing a computer program for an XML system, the XML system configured to facilitate printing of bar code labels, tags, tickets, cards, or other media, and/or encoding of RFID devices embedded in media, based upon an extensible markup language (XML) input data stream, the computer readable memory or data storage means comprising:
For use in a barcode and/or RFID apparatus, an XML processing system comprising:
A method for generating a bar code label, tag, ticket, card, and/or encoding RFID devices embedded in media, in an XML system adapted based upon an extensible markup language (XML) input data stream, the method comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.
Tree-structured documents: markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. print management: resulting in increased flexibility in input data format or job format or job type
Image or content composition onto a page: variable data printing, e.g. document forms, templates, labels, coupons, advertisements, logos,…
Job translation or job parsing, e.g. page banding: by handling markup languages, e.g. XSL, XML, HTML
Term ended 18 Aug 2022 (estimated)
A portion of this disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office Patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
The present invention relates generally to a method and apparatus for printing media, such as tickets, tags, cards, barcode labels, sheet fed paper, continuous and fan-folded paper, plastic media, and for encoding RF (Radio Frequency) identification circuitry (RFID) that may be embedded in media, and more specifically to a native printer that prints such as printed media and/or encodes RFID devices based on an XML data stream.
Printer systems for printing barcodes and for transmitting data to a barcode printer are known. However, many such systems use proprietary methods of data encoding, and therefore such methods cannot be used interchangeably with other barcode printers. Also, known data encoding methods typically render the underlying data unreadable by humans. While this presents no impediment to the computer systems, it may be burdensome to humans attempting to review, debug or understand certain data appearing in the underlying barcode element names.
The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a high-level hardware block diagram of a specific embodiment of an XML system according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a high-level software block diagram of a specific embodiment of an XML system;
In this written description, the use of the disjunctive is intended to include the conjunctive. The use of definite or indefinite articles is not intended to indicate cardinality. In particular, a reference to “the” object or thing or “an” object or “a” thing is intended to also describe a plurality of such objects or things.
Referring now to FIG. 1, a specific embodiment of a high-level hardware block diagram of an XML system 10 is shown generally. The XML system 10 includes a computer or processing system 12, which includes various hardware components, such as RAM 14, ROM 16, hard disk storage 18, cache memory 20, database storage 22, and the like (also referred to as “memory subsystem” 26), as is known in the art. The computer system 12 may include any suitable processing device 28, such as a computer, microprocessor, RISC processor (reduced instruction set computer), CISC processor (complex instruction set computer), mainframe computer, work station, single-chip computer, distributed processor, server, controller, micro-controller, discrete logic computer and the like, as is known in the art. For example, the processing device 28 may be an Intel Pentium® microprocessor, ×86 compatible microprocessor, or equivalent device.
The memory subsystem 26 may include any suitable storage components, such as RAM, EPROM (electrically programmable ROM), flash memory, dynamic memory, static memory, FIFO (first-in first-out) memory, LIFO (last-in first-out) memory, circular memory, semiconductor memory, bubble memory, buffer memory, disk memory, optical memory, cache memory, and the like. Any suitable form of memory may be used whether fixed storage on a magnetic medium, storage in a semiconductor device or remote storage accessible through a communication link.