International Business Machines Corporation

Brian G Platte

Reinhard Heinrich Hohensee

David Earl Stone

Dwight Ross Palmer

Filip J Yeskel

James Warden Marlin

Ronald Dean Parrish

Jamsie R Treppendahl

Steven M Scott

Jeri L Sampson

Alexander Herzog

Karen D Walder

A method and system for presenting a document at a presentation device utilizing a presentation data stream having a continuous ordered stream of uniquely identified data objects and associated elements which specify format and presentation parameters for each of those data objects. The data stream contains a plurality of documents, including a resource document and a presentation document, which each comprise a collection of the uniquely identified data objects and associated elements. A save object command structure is defined within a resource document within the presentation data stream. Within the save object command structure, a particular data object is identified. In response to receipt of the save object command structure at the presentation device, the particular data object is stored within storage media. Thereafter, an include saved object command structure is defined within a diverse presentation document within a presentation data stream. The particular data object is identified within the include saved object command structure. In response to receipt of the include saved object command structure at the presentation device, the particular data object is presented within the presentation document, thereby enabling a portion of the resource document stored at the presentation device to be utilized within the presentation document such that presentation efficiency is enhanced.

Method and system for caching and referencing cached document pages

The user written application program (UAP) operates interactively with an application program interface (API) to produce multiple formatted documents from multiple data records without user intervention. The UAP calls the API to send set-up parameters to the API, and the API is set-up for formatting based on these parameters received from the UAP. The UAP sends page parameters to the API to establish the page environment at the API based on the page parameters. Then the UAP and the API interactively format the data records as paragraphs, tables or other page elements into a page. The interactive format process checks for errors in the format process at the API. The UAP and the API continue to format data unless a detected error is too severe. The format process is a state driven process. A hierarchy of states in the format process is defined, and the calls to the API set a current active state. Calls to a lower state may elect to override or not override default format parameters with defined parameters in the call.

Batch format processing of record data

This invention is a process for interconnecting an all points addressable printer with a host application program wherein the application presents output to be printed to the printer and wherein the host application can be present on a variety of different computer equipment such as a large host computer, a standalone workstation, or workstation on a local area network and wherein the all points addressable page printer can utilize any type of printing technology such as electrophotographic, magnetic or other and wherein the printer and the application host are interconnected by communicating means such as a channel, local area network, or telecommunication line and wherein any type of transmission protocol can be used and wherein the process enables the transmission of commands and data from the host application to the printer in a manner which is independent of the communication means and transmission protocol. And, finally, wherein the process enables the transmission of a variety of types of data including text, graphics, image, or bar code which may be merged together on a single printed page.

Interface process for an all points addressable printer

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Frisco, CO, United States of America

Brian G Platte