Image forming apparatus having data compression/decompression system
US6741367B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignees
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 28, 2000 |
| Grant date | May 25, 2004 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 28, 2020 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06K2215/0071
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A PC supplies previously compressed print data to a printer. In the printer, image data are generated based on the supplied print data, and the generated image data are developed in an image memory. Since the print data are compressed, a compressor/decompressor decompresses the print data. If available free area in the image memory is insufficient for developing the image data, the compressor/decompressor compresses the image data previously stored in the image memory, and the image memory is refreshed with the compressed image data. The compressed image data are decompressed by the compressor/decompressor before output to a printer engine. The compressor/decompressor is available for decompressing the print data during a period since the data reception from the PC until a sheet of paper onto which an image is formed reaches a predetermined position. When the sheet of the paper reaches the predetermined position, the compressor/decompressor is switched to decompress only the image data in the image memory.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.