Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

William B McCormick

Stephen V Dennis

George H Douglas

James O Robarts

Sean C McDowell

Steven J Fluegel

Brett C Gerlach

Robert C Flagg

Paul A Schuster

Patrick Lee

Steve Shaiman

A computer system having a visual display indicating the status of an attached printer is disclosed. The visual display allows the user to determine various status states of the attached printer without physical examination of the printer itself. Printer states requiring user intervention, and printer states not requiring user intervention, are disclosed. In a preferred embodiment, the computer system displays a Printer Status window which both graphically and textually indicates the printer state. When printing, a graphical representation of the attached printer is displayed within a portion of the Printer Status window, and is animated to represent the actual printing of a page. If an error occurs while printing, the Printer Status window preferably indicates the nature of the error, and the steps which must be performed (if any) to continue printing. When not printing, the user may determine the present status of the attached printer, and such information is preferably presented to the user in graphical form. The Printer Status window may be iconized by the user, and the corresponding icon also displays to the user the state of the attached printer.

Printer status user interface and methods relating thereto

A resource oriented host computer-printer system in which the host computer and printer share information and data processing duties. A system and method for analyzing the execution times for draw primitives allows the host computer to determine whether the printer will be able to render draw primitives in real-time. A resource assembler calculates the cost of executing each draw primitive within a band to determine if the printer can render the draw primitive in real-time. If the band is too complex for the printer to render in real-time, the printer may pre-render the band or the host computer will render the band and transmit the bit-map of that band to the printer. The host computer makes a series of decisions as to the best form for transferring data from the host computer to the printer. If the printer cannot store the bit-map data file, the bit-map data file is compressed. If the printer cannot store the compressed bit-map data file, the host computer will reduce resolution in two stages, if necessary, until the printer can store the reduced resolution bit-map data file. The second stage of resolution reduction is guaranteed to fit within the printer. The host computer displays a message advising the user that the resolution has been reduced.

System and method for automatic resolution reduction

A host computer and printer and method of operation wherein the data file describing a document is processed in a manner that creates a frame of data to be transmitted from the host computer to the printer. The data frame contains a data stream which is wrapped in a create font command wrapper so that the printer will be able to process the data frame in some manner. If the printer is operating in a first mode and cannot process the actual stream data, the frame wrapper will allow the printer to process the wrapper and ignore the data stream. If the printer is operating in a second mode and can process the actual data stream, the printer ignores the wrapper and processes the data. The printer will print a message to the user if the printer cannot process the actual data stream. The message informs the user of the printer's inability to process the data stream.

System and method for font wrapping printer data

A host computer and printer and method of operation wherein the printer is able to switch between two modes of operation. When the printer is powered up, it initializes its internal data registers and printer memory, followed by a check to see if additional firmware, in the form of a cartridge or the like, is added to the printer. If additional firmware is present, the printer turns operational command over to the additional firmware. The present invention, residing in the additional firmware, stores a complete image of the printer state, internal registers, and memory in a location that cannot be accessed by either mode of operation. The present invention compresses the data so that the complete image of the printer state, internal registers, and memory occupies approximately eight KBytes of memory. The storage location may be part of the printer memory itself, or any other suitable location. The additional firmware then returns operational control to the original firmware within the printer thus allowing the printer to operate in the first mode of operation. The host computer may cause the printer to switch to the second mode of operation by simply overwriting the internal data registers and printer memory, except for the portion of printer memory that is used to store the compressed image of the initial printer state. The printer may be switched back to the first mode of operation by expanding the compressed image to restore the printer to its initial state. From the perspective of the printer, it has just completed initialization. Thus, the printer may be easily and quickly switched modes of operation.

System and method for mode switching

Growing community of inventors

Bellevue, WA, United States of America

William B McCormick