International Business Machines Corporation

Infoprintsolutions Company, LLC

Susan Cheryl McElrafth

Reinhard Heinrich Hohensee

Roger Lee Buis

David Earl Stone

Jamsie R Treppendahl

Alan Lee Middendorf

Nancy Elizabeth Wood

A method and apparatus for formatting a computer-generated document for output, such as printing, is provided. Information necessary to generate a document is extracted from a database. The extraction program assigns a layout identifier to each data record retrieved from the database based on the type of information contained within the data record and how the information is to be formatted in the document. A layout program assigns specific layout parameters to each layout identifier, which specify the placement of an associated print data record within a document. Next, a formatting program applies the set of layout parameters to a data stream containing a plurality of data records to create a formatted document. The various elements of the invention such as the data extraction program, the database, the layout program and the formatter, may be integrated into a single software program, co-resident on a single computer system, or distributed across various computer systems on a network. It is also contemplated that the one or more of the various elements of the invention such as the formatter, the extraction program, or the layout program could be embodied as hardware instead of software.

Formatting computer generated documents for output

A registry is established in document presentation architecture that provides a unique numeric identifier for the most commonly used media types. Logic checks a print job and the accompanying form definition for a numeric identifier, a media name and a bin number in that order. Use of a numeric identifier eliminates ambiguity, caused by character matching that is utilized when using a media name identifier, between a request and printer media availability. Logic then attempts to find a matching numeric media identifier, a matching media name or a matching media bin in that order. If no matching identifier or name is found, the print server directs the media request to the default bin of the printer.

Method and system for media selection in a printer

Growing community of inventors

Longmont, CO, United States of America

Susan Cheryl McElrafth