Printing Apparatus Image Data Compression and Storage Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge lies in managing storage capacity in printing apparatuses while ensuring that print image data is retained for potential restarts after interruptions, such as paper jams, without requiring excessive memory resources.
Innovation Solution
The solution involves creating and transmitting both irreversibly-compressed and reversibly-compressed print image data, where irreversibly-compressed data is used for efficient storage and reversibly-compressed data is used for complete data integrity, allowing for data deletion after print completion and restart capabilities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If print image data is deleted early from the printing apparatus to save storage capacity, then storage capacity is improved, but the ability to restart print processing after interruption is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the compressed image data into multiple uncompressed image data sets corresponding to different image regions. This segmentation allows the printing apparatus to store and manage smaller data units independently, enabling selective retention of data needed for restart while deleting other data to save storage capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The information processing apparatus performs preliminary compression of the entire image data before transmission, creating a compressed version that can be used for initial printing. This preliminary action allows the printing apparatus to have backup compressed data available for restart scenarios without requiring full uncompressed data to be retained in storage.
2Reliability
If reversibly-compressed data is kept stored to enable restart after interruption, then restart capability is improved, but storage capacity is consumed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different data retention strategies to different parts of the image data. Completely uncompressed image data is retained for regions where interruption may occur, while other regions use compressed formats. This local differentiation optimizes storage capacity while maintaining restart capability where most needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a nested data structure where compressed image data contains embedded uncompressed image data sets for specific regions. This nesting allows the system to store comprehensive restart capability within the compressed data structure itself, enabling restart without requiring separate full-size uncompressed data storage.
3Quantity of substance
If high compression ratios are used to reduce storage needs, then storage capacity is improved, but image quality may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the compression parameter from irreversible to reversible compression. This parameter change allows the system to achieve high compression ratios while maintaining the ability to perfectly reconstruct the original image data when needed for restart, thus preserving image quality without sacrificing storage efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
A non-transitory storage medium stores a program readable by a computer of an information processing apparatus. The information processing apparatus includes a communication interface configured to communicate with a printing apparatus. When executed by the computer, the program causes the information processing apparatus to perform: creating irreversibly-compressed data representing a to-be-printed image and reversibly-compressed data representing the to-be-printed image as print image data, the to-be-printed image being an image to be printed on a sheet, the print image data being image data for printing; and transmitting the created print image data to the printing apparatus.