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:
Sep. 12, 1995
Filed:
Apr. 29, 1993
Francis E Bockman, San Diego, CA (US);
Kirt A Winter, Escondido, CA (US);
Hewlett-Packard Company, Palo Alto, CA (US);
Abstract
A color printer receives P, N-bit values indicating a computer generated color to be printed, there being 2.sup.NP possible combinations of bits in the P, N-bit color values. Each N-bit value has a least significant bit (LSB). Upon receiving P, N-bit color values, the color printer creates an address from P combined multiple-bit segments of each of the received N-bit values, each multiple bit segment excluding at least a LSB of each N-bit value. The color printer includes a cache memory having substantially less addresses than 2.sup.NP, each cache address including first and second entries, a first entry being P values indicative of a computer generated color and a second entry being P values usable by the color printer to reproduce the first entry. A processor determines if there is a match at an address created from a received computer color value between a first entry and the received computer color value, the match disregarding an LSB of each N-bit value comprising the first entry at the address. The processor is responsive to a determined match to access the second entry at the address and to employ the second entry to control the color printer. Exclusion of the LSB's in determination of the presence of a match enables a substantially greater probability of finding such a match in the cache memory.