IP Library Granted Patent US 7,515,297
Granted Patent B2
US 7,515,297 · App. 10/056,857 · Granted Apr 7, 2009

System and method for improving throughput in printing impositioned documents

View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,515,297
App. No.
10/056,857
Granted
Apr 7, 2009
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method, apparatus, article of manufacture, and a memory structure for efficiently printing impositioned documents with using a wide spectrum of resources and document elements is disclosed. A print optimizer and an imposition engine operate cooperatively to generate and managed skeletonized document versions to efficiently effect changes to the impositioned document.

Claims (80)

1. A method of printing an impositioned document, comprising the steps of:

receiving a print job including page content of the impositioned document;

creating a first imposition layout of the impositioned document based on the page content;

receiving a first job ticket generated from the page content, the first job ticket including an identifier identifying a resource included in the impositioned document and layout information describing the first imposition layout of the resource in the impositioned document;

determining whether the resource is locally stored on a printing device by:

determining a checksum of the resource;

comparing the checksum of the resource to other checksums of resources locally stored on the printing device; and

determining that the resource is locally stored on the printing device if another checksum matches the checksum of the resource;

storing the resource locally on the printing device responsive to determining that the resource is not locally stored on the printing device;

printing the impositioned document based on the first job ticket using the resource locally stored on the printing device;

receiving a second job ticket referencing the identifier of the resource in the impositioned document; and

printing the impositioned document based on the second job ticket using the resource locally stored on the printing device.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the resource comprises a page of the impositioned document.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second job ticket includes second layout information describing a second impositioning layout of the resource in the impositioned document.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the impositioned document comprises variable data, and the method further comprises the step of:

augmenting the first or second job ticket with the variable data.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the step of augmenting the first or second job ticket with variable data comprises the steps of:

receiving the page content including variable data tags;

determining customized data corresponding with the variable data tags;

inserting the customized data into the first or second job ticket; and

printing the impositioned document using the customized data in the first or second job ticket, the customized data replacing the variable data tags.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of:

converting the resource to a printer-renderable format if the resource is not in the printer-renderable format.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the printer-renderable format is compliant with a page description language.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the resource is stored in a memory of the printing device or in a memory of a print server communicatively coupled to the printing device.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of:

normalizing the resource into a series of pages.

10. An apparatus for printing an impositioned document, comprising:

means for receiving a print job including page content of the impositioned document;

means for creating a first imposition layout of the impositioned document based on the page content;

means for receiving a first job ticket generated from the page content, the first job ticket including an identifier identifying a resource included in the impositioned document and layout information describing the first imposition layout of the resource in the impositioned document;

means for determining a checksum of the resource;

means for comparing the checksum of the resource to other checksums of resources locally stored on the printing device;

means for determining that the resource is locally stored on the printing device if another checksum matches the checksum of the resource;

means for storing the resource locally on the printing device responsive to determining that the resource is not locally stored on the printing device;

means for printing the impositioned document based on the first job ticket using the resource locally stored on the printing device;

means for receiving a second job ticket referencing the identifier of the resource in the impositioned document; and

means for printing the impositioned document based on the second job ticket using the resource locally stored on the printing device.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the resource comprises a page of the impositioned document.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the second job ticket includes second layout information describing a second impositioning layout of the resource in the impositioned document.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the impositioned document comprises variable data, and the apparatus further comprises:

means for augmenting the first or second job ticket with the variable data.

14. The apparatus of claim 10 , further comprising:

means for receiving the page content including variable data tags;

means for determining customized data corresponding with the variable data tags;

means for inserting the customized data into the first or second job ticket; and

means for printing the impositioned document using the customized data in the first or second job ticket, the customized data replacing the variable data tags.

15. The apparatus of claim 10 , further comprising:

means for converting the resource to a printer-renderable format if the resource is not in the printer-renderable format.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the printer-renderable format is compliant with a page description language.

17. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the resource is stored in a memory of the printing device or in a memory of a print sewer communicatively coupled to the printing device.

18. The apparatus of claim 10 , further comprising:

normalizing the resource into a series of pages.

19. A computer-readable medium, tangibly embodying at least one program of instructions executable by the computer to perform method steps of printing an impositioned document, the method steps comprising the steps of:

receiving a print job including page content of the impositioned document;

creating a first imposition layout of the impositioned document based on the page content;

receiving a first job ticket generated from the page content, the first job ticket including an identifier identifying a resource included in the impositioned document and layout information describing the first imposition layout of the resource in the impositioned document;

determining whether the resource is locally stored on a printing device by:

determining a checksum of the resource;

comparing the checksum of the resource to other checksums of resources locally stored on the printing device; and

determining that the resource is locally stored on the printing device if another checksum matches the checksum of the resource;

storing the resource locally on the printing device responsive to determining that the resource is not locally stored on the printing device;

printing the impositioned document based on the first job ticket using the resource locally stored on the printing device;

receiving a second job ticket referencing the identifier of the resource in the impositioned document; and

printing the impositioned document based on the second job ticket using the resource locally stored on the printing device.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 19 , wherein the resource comprises a page of the impositioned document.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 19 , wherein the second job ticket includes second layout information describing a second impositioning layout of the resource in the impositioned document.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 19 , wherein the impositioned document comprises variable data, and the method steps further comprise:

augmenting the first or second job ticket with the variable data.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 22 , wherein the method step of augmenting the first or second job ticket with variable data further comprises:

receiving the page content including variable data tags;

determining customized data corresponding with the variable data tags;

inserting the customized data into the first or second job ticket; and

printing the impositioned document using the customized data in the first or second job ticket, the customized data replacing the variable data tags.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 19 , wherein the method steps further comprise:

converting the resource to a printer-renderable format if the resource is not in the printer-renderable format.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 24 , wherein the printer-renderable format is compliant with a page description language.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 19 , wherein the resource is stored in a memory of the printing device or in a memory of a print server communicatively coupled to the printing device.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 26 , wherein the method steps further comprise:

normalizing the resource into a series of pages.

Assignments (6)
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE NATURE OF CONVEYANCE PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ON REEL 037593 FRAME 0641. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE CHANGE OF NAME TO AN ASSIGNMENT. Recorded Feb 22, 2016
From: RICOH PRODUCTION PRINT
To: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
Reel/Frame 037868/0632 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jan 26, 2016
From: RICOH PRODUCTION PRINT
To: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
Reel/Frame 037593/0641 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jan 26, 2016
From: INFORPRINT SOLUTIONS COMPANY, LLC
To: RICOH PRODUCTION PRINT SOLUTIONS LLC
Reel/Frame 037593/0888 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 6, 2007
From: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION, A NEW YORK CORPORATION; IBM PRINTING SYSTEMS, INC., A DELAWARE CORPORATION
To: INFOPRINT SOLUTIONS COMPANY, LLC, A DELAWARE CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 019649/0875 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 29, 2002
From: SPENCE, ALAN H.
To: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 012851/0137 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 24, 2002
From: WARDELL, RAYMOND G.
To: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 012540/0936 →