International Business Machines Corporation

Helmut Hasselmeier

Dietrich J Bahr

Karl H Burckardt

Wilhelm G Spruth

Helmut H Weis

Bastian Bechtle

Hartmut J Bleher

Peter Stucki

For the layout of a page, text and image blocks with data for positioning them on the page are supplied to the data processing system. The image blocks contain pattern information and the text blocks character codes. The pattern information for the characters is stored in a typefont buffer. For editing the data to be recorded, a so-called 'window storage' (5) is provided, whose lines (W1-W7) are cyclically associated with successive dot pattern lines (P1, P2, P3 . . . ) on the page (4). For this purpose, the window storage (5), figuratively speaking, successively assumes different window positions (I, II, III) from top to bottom on the page. The height of the window storage (5) is chosen so that it is suitable for accommodating on the page a character with maximum ascender and descender heights. This ensures that the pattern information of a character is transferred to the window storage (5) at one go (in continuous periods). The edit sequence in the window storage (5) for pattern data of aligned or non-aligned lines of adjacent text blocks on the page depends on the sequence of the upper line boundaries and the baselines on the page, respectively.

Method of editing dot pattern data for character and/or image

Control circuit for a print head of a metal paper printer in which electrodes are arranged on a slope, said electrodes being staggered in horizontal projection by the D-fold of their electrode width. The martrix-like structurized character to be printed consists of individual image elements stored in a main storage. This character information is read out column-by-column and written into predetermined locations of a read/write buffer storage. The write phase is followed by a readout phase of predetermined locations of the buffer storage for the direct addressing of the electrodes of the writing head. Write and read phases alternate. For determining the address of the storage locations during the write and read phases two counters are used in connection with a multiplier and an adder as well as a register for storing the D-value.

Control circuit for metal paper printer head

Alphanumeric characters are stored in compressed form by creating a character list of information describing each character. The character is divided into rows and columns. To reconstruct the character, a position register is provided to accommodate successive positional values in a column where a transition from white/black (or vice versa) occurs. A decoder circuit, which has a number of outputs corresponding to the number of positional values possible, is coupled to the position register and provides an output associated with each of the transition values. The decoder circuit is followed by control means which is operable in response to the energized outputs of the decoder circuit to generate control signals which energize a utilization device to reconstruct continuous black areas in a column extending from transition value to transition value.

Compressed information storage for characters consisting of black and

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Aidlingen, Germany

Helmut Hasselmeier