Device independent spooling in a print architecture
US5845058A · kind A · utility
76Cited by
20References
16Claims
0Family size
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 20, 1996 |
| Grant date | Dec 1, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 20, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F3/1285
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Print jobs are automatically and transparently spooled in a device-independent format, such as an enhanced metafile format. The enhanced metafile format provides a format into which documents are readily converted and which occupies a minimal amount of storage space. Each spooled print job is asynchronously printed relative to a program that requested the print job. Such spooled print jobs are de-spooled in a background processor mode. An operating system provides the resources for converting a print job into enhanced metafile format and spooling the print job in the enhanced metafile format.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.