EP0473340A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Pipeline structures for full-colour computer graphics
Assignee: Canon Information Systems Research Australia Pty Ltd
•
Filing: 1991-08-15
•
Granted: —
•
Expires: 2011-08-15
Abstract
Abstract A full-colour desk top publishing (DTP) system (100) is disclosed that includes a general purpose computer system (200), a full-colour high resolution graphics system (300) and peripheral devices such as a colour laser copier (150) including a scanner (152) and a printer (154), a workscreen display (140) and user inputs such as a digitiser (110) and a keyboard (112). The DTP system (100) can generate graphics images in bands across a page image with the images being stored in DRAM (420) as compressed images using ADCT compession and the JPEG standard. The DTP system (100) includes various pipeline structures (Figs. 3 - 6) which are used in image creation and realisation. <IMAGE>
Inventors
- 👤 Kia Silverbrook
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-26 05:13
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06T; G06T9/00; G06T9/007; G06K; G06K15/00; G06K15/02; G06K15/18; G06K15/1848; G06K15/1849; G06K15/1851; G06K15/1856; G06K15/1861; G06K15/1863; G06K15/1865; G06T11/00; G06T11/40; H; H04; H04N; H04N1/00; H04N1/387; H04N1/46; H04N1/64; H04N1/646
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 50
Claim 1
Independent Claim
104 words
A pipeline processing system for computer graphics to manipulate compressed image data received from a source or sent to a destination, said system comprising: a data source; a data destination; a data compressor/expander to convert image pixel data into compressed image data, and vice versa, and a pixel data manipulator to manipulate said image data in pixel form, said data compressor/expander being located between said data source and said data destination to modify the form of the data passed from said source to said destination, and said manipulator being connected to said compressor/expander to receive therefrom and/or send thereto, only said image pixel data.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
44 words
A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said image pixel data comprises a pre-determined number of bands each of which comprises a predetermined number of adjacent lines of the image, each of said data bands being processed by said system in pipeline fashion.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
54 words
A system as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein said manipulator is connected between said destination and said compressor/expander to receive image pixel data from said compressor/expander and send manipulated image pixel data to said destination, the output of said compressor/expander being expanded image data received as compressed image data from said source.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
35 words
A system as claimed in claim 3, wherein said destination comprises a data bus and said manipulator comprises a synchronising buffer to permit said data bus and said compressor/expander to operate at different data rates.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
32 words
A system as claimed in claim 4, wherein a converter which converts RGB image data to MCYK image data is connected to said data bus and said converter outputs to a printer.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
34 words
A system as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein said manipulator is connected to receive image pixel data from said compressor/expander, manipulate same, and send said manipulated image pixel data to said compressor/expander.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
20 words
A system as claimed in claim 6, wherein said source and said destination respectively send and receive compressed image data.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
22 words
A system as claimed in claim 7, wherein said source and said destination comprise different address locations of the same memory means.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
35 words
A system as claimed in claim 7, wherein said compressor/expander expands compressed image data from said source for transmission to said manipulator, and compresses image pixel data from said manipulator for transmission to said destination.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
29 words
A system as claimed in claim 9, wherein a memory store adapted to store at least one band of image lines is interposed between said manipulator and said compressor/expander.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
14 words
A system as claimed in claim 9, wherein said manipulator comprises a graphics engine.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
46 words
A system as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein said manipulator is connected between said source and said compressor/expander to receive image pixel data from said source and send manipulated image pixel data to said compressor/expander, said destination receiving compressed image data from said compressor/expander.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
35 words
A system as claimed in claim 12, wherein said source is a data bus and said manipulator comprises a synchronising buffer to permit said data bus and said compressor/expander to operate at different data rates.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
23 words
A system as claimed in claim 13, wherein said data bus is connected to an image scanner for providing said image pixel data.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
68 words
A pipeline processing system for computer graphics for creating colour page images, said system comprising: means for rendering bands of pixel image data of an image; means for compressing the bands and storing compressed image information; means for expanding the compressed information into bands of pixel information; and means for compositing said bands of pixel information with further bands of rendered pixel image data to vary said image.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
24 words
A system as claimed in claim 15, wherein said means for compressing utilize adaptive discrete cosine transform methods for compressing and expanding image data.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
24 words
A system as claimed in claim 15, wherein said adaptive discrete cosine transform methods are implemented in accordance with ISO/IEC JTC1/SC2/WG8 JPEG Technical Specifications.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
113 words
An image system for creating colour page images from a page description language, said system comprising: computing means for compiling from said page description language a display list of objects of an image to be created; rendering means for rendering bands of pixel image data of said image from said display list; compression means for compressing said bands of said image; storage means for storing compressed bands of said image as compressed band data; expansion means for expanding said compressed band data into bands of pixel image data; and compositing means for compositing additional rendered bands of pixel image data with existing bands of pixel image data to created edited pixel image data.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
132 words
A system as claimed in claim 18, wherein: said rendering means comprises a render processor having an input connected to said computing means, for converting said display list objects into pixel image data; said compositing means comprises a graphics engine and a compositing memory, said graphics engine having a first pixel data input connected to said render processor, a second pixel data input and pixel data output being connected via a compositing bus to said compositing memory; and said compression means and said expansion means are included within a compander, said compander having a first compressed data port connected to said storage means and a second pixel data port connected to said compositing bus, said compositing bus also connecting to said storage means and a pixel data input of said render processor.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
27 words
A system as claimed in claim 19, wherein said compositing bus is adapted to carry red (R), green (G), blue (B) and matte (M) pixel image data.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
28 words
A system as claimed in claim 20, wherein said system maintains an image density equivalent to 400 dots per inch at all stages of image manipulation and storage.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
30 words
A system as claimed in claim 20, further comprising at least one display means connected to said compositing bus and adapted to display bands of pixel image data in concert.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
23 words
A system as claimed in claim 22, wherein said display means comprises a printer configured to display said bands as a page image.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
24 words
A system as claimed in claim 23, wherein said printer is capable of producing page image sizes up to at least International A3 standard.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
38 words
A system as claimed in claim 23, wherein interposed between said printer is a converter for converting red, green and blue pixel image data to magenta, cyan, yellow and black pixel image data for printing by said printer.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
30 words
A system as claimed in claim 22, wherein said display means comprises an electronic display having an associated display memory connected to said compositing bus, for displaying said page image.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
26 words
A system as claimed in claim 26, wherein said electronic display is selected from the group consisting of a video display or a liquid crystal display.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
47 words
A system as claimed in claim 26, further comprising a pan/zoom device having an input connected to said compositing bus and an output connected to said display memory, wherein said pan/zoom device permits a selectable portion of said page image to be displayed on said electronic display.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
35 words
A system as claimed in claim 20, further comprising an image scanner connected to said compositing bus and adapted to output red, green and blue pixel image data corresponding to a page image scanned thereby.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
20 words
A system as claimed in claim 29, further comprising a printer configured to display said bands as a page image.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
21 words
A system as claimed in claim 30, wherein said scanner and said printer each form part of a colour laser copier.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
24 words
A system as claimed in claim 19, wherein said means for compressing utilize adaptive discrete cosine transform methods for compressing and expanding image data.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
24 words
A system as claimed in claim 32, wherein said adaptive discrete cosine transform methods are implemented in accordance with ISO/IEC JTC1/SC2/WG8 JPEG Technical Specifications.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
36 words
A system as claimed in claim 33, wherein Huffman tables required for both compression and expansion are stored in said storage means and are transferred to said compander when compression and expansion operations respectively take place.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
57 words
A system as claimed in claim 19, wherein said computing means creates from said display list at least one render list including objects to be rendered by said render processor, said render list being transferred from said computing means via a system bus to said storage means, from where said render processor can access said render list.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
36 words
A system as claimed in claim 35, wherein said computing means further provides font data which is stored in said storage means and accessible by said render processor for the generation of text and graphic images.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
30 words
A system as claimed in claim 26, wherein said computing means has direct access to said display for directly writing pixel data thereto having been generated by said computing means.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
30 words
A system as claimed in claim 18, wherein connected to said computing are user input devices selected from the group consisting of a keyboard, a digitizing pad, and a mouse.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
31 words
A system as claimed in claim 18, further comprising a non-volatile storage means connected to said computing means from which image data can be transferred from and to said storage means.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
29 words
A system as claimed in claim 18, wherein said computer means further comprises means for connection to a communications network to which data can be transferred, and vice versa.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
121 words
A system as claimed in claim 33, wherein when said bands of pixel image data are compressed, marker codes are inserted to identify individual bands, said marker codes permitting any one band of a compressed page image to be expanded by said compander and stored in said compositing memory, said one band being input to said second pixel input of said graphics engine which composites said one band with data output from said render processor to create an edited band which is transferred via said pixel data output of said graphics engine to said compositing memory, said edited band thereby being compressible by said compander, and storable in said storage means in concert with other bands of said compressed page image.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
21 words
A system as claimed in claim 33, wherein said compositing memory can store an integral number of bands of said image.
Claim 43
Dependent Claim
18 words
A system as claimed in claim 18, wherein said bands each comprise 8 lines of said page image.
Claim 44
Dependent Claim
20 words
A system as claimed in claim 42, wherein said compositing memory can store at least 3 bands of said image.
Claim 45
Dependent Claim
18 words
A system as claimed in claim 44, wherein said bands each comprise 8 lines of said page image.
Claim 46
Dependent Claim
19 words
A system as claimed in claim 18, wherein said storage means is capable of storing multiple compressed page images.
Claim 47
Dependent Claim
17 words
A system as claimed in claim 46, wherein each said compressed page image occupies about 4 MBytes.
Claim 48
Dependent Claim
18 words
A system as claimed in claim 47, wherein said storage means is composed of 32 MBytes of DRAM.
Claim 49
Dependent Claim
34 words
A system as claimed in claim 18, wherein said pixel image data for a full page image occupies about 96 MBytes which is compressible to about 4 MBytes for retention in said storage means.
Claim 50
Dependent Claim
13 words
A desktop publishing system characterised in that it comprises pipelined image processing means.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
Maintenance schedule is calculated for granted US utility patents.