The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jan. 25, 1977
Filed:
Nov. 11, 1974
Gerald I Findley, Morgan Hill, CA (US);
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY (US);
Abstract
In a buffered printer in which lines of character code bytes representing characters to be printed are translated into lines of graphic code bytes by a translate table, assembled into a page format in a page buffer and applied to a character generator module to select sets of character image bits in storage locations within the module corresponding to the graphic code bytes, the selected sets of character image bits being applied to modulate a scanning laser beam to effect printing of the desired characters, each line of graphic code bytes provided by the translate table is entered into the page buffer in a selected location determined by a channel command associated with the previously entered line. Each 'write and no space' command accompanying a line of graphic code bytes stored in the page buffer results in the immediately following line of graphic code bytes being stored in the same location. The two different lines are combined in accordance with a merge algorithm. A 'write and space one line' command accompanying a line of graphic code bytes stored in the page buffer results in the next line of graphic code bytes being stored in the next line of graphic code bytes being stored in the next available storage location within the page buffer. The lines of graphic code bytes as so assembled in the page buffer are thereafter applied, one line at a time, to the character generator module to effect printing of the various characters represented by the graphic code bytes. The printing arrangement may be provided with plural translate tables to provide for printing of different characters in the same line using the same character code byte. Two or more lines, each containing the same character code byte, are directed by the associated channel commands into different ones of the translate tables for conversion of the character code byte into different graphic code bytes in the two resulting lines of graphic code bytes. The two lines of graphic code bytes are merged into a single line in the page buffer, following which the two different graphic code bytes are applied to the character generator module to effect printing of the two different characters represented thereby.