Method and system for flowing data to an arbitrary path defined by a page description language
US6599325B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 30, 2002 |
| Grant date | Jul 29, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 30, 2022 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06K15/1856
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method for flowing data, such as text data, into an arbitrary path defined by a page description language specification (“PDL specification”) generally comprises the steps of: identifying a path defined in the PDL specification as a datawrapping path; associating a data block with the data-wrapping path; and generating a bitmap representation of the data block according to the path boundary and according to a predefined flow rule. Preferably, the identifying step includes the steps of associating a graphics state with the path and storing the graphics state in memory, and the generating step includes the step of applying the stored graphics state to the data block. Therefore, the generating step can be repeated for multiple data blocks to generate multiple bit map representations. The text wrapping path is preferably identified in the PDL specification by an attribute string associated with the path. Therefore, when the wrapping path is identified, the graphic states of the attribute string are saved in memory and are then subsequently applied to the data blocks when the bitmap representations of the data blocks are generated.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.