Hewlett-Packard Company

Claude W Nichols, Iii

Joseph H Bauman

Mark P Elworthy

The invented method, device and resulting font structure recognize that different fonts may have shared characters or common bit patterns. For example, if the character '.sub.-- ' is the same in two different fonts, it only needs to be stored in memory once. It can then be referenced by both fonts. Specifically, the invention identifies shared characters or bit patterns, stores one of the shared characters or patterns at one location, and references that location in all fonts needing the character or pattern.

Method and device for accessing shared character patterns, and resulting

The invented blank strip compression method recognizes that different font characters may have strips of blank data. For example, in the character '.sub.-- ' the blank space above the character itself does not need to be stored in memory. The method identifies strips of blank and non-blank bit images that define characters and saves in memory only the bit images that are within the strips that include non-blank bit images resulting in a stored, decompressible font.

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Vancouver, WA, United States of America

Claude W Nichols, Iii