Printing System Padding Data Boundary Management

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Solution Overview

Problem

The imposition process in printing systems using hardware circuits results in padding data being positioned at image boundaries, causing unwanted blank spaces between printed pages, which affects the quality of the printed matter, especially when the data size is not an integral multiple of the block size processed by the hardware.

Innovation Solution

A printing system that generates and imposes image data with padding added to a data area opposite to the boundary, ensuring no blank space forms between images by relocating or adjusting the padding data within the image data processing units, thereby maintaining image integrity and quality.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If the imposition process is executed by hardware circuit, then processing speed is improved, but padding data is positioned at image boundaries causing blank spaces

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprocessing speedVSAvoidimage boundary precision

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by calculating the boundary area of images before the imposition process and determining in advance where padding data should be positioned. This allows the hardware circuit to process data efficiently while avoiding the placement of padding data at image boundaries, thus preventing blank spaces in the final printed output.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary control mechanism that manages the interaction between the hardware circuit's block-based processing and the image data structure. This intermediary layer ensures that padding data is strategically positioned away from image boundaries while maintaining the hardware circuit's efficient processing capabilities.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Adaptability or versatility

If padding data is added to make data size an integral multiple of block size, then hardware circuit compatibility is improved, but blank spaces are formed in boundary areas

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvehardware circuit compatibilityVSAvoidboundary area accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by treating different regions of the image data differently. Specifically, it identifies boundary areas and ensures that padding data is positioned in non-boundary regions, giving different quality requirements to different parts of the data structure. This allows the system to maintain both hardware compatibility and boundary accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the positioning parameter of padding data from a fixed position to a dynamically determined position based on the calculated boundary area. This parameter change allows the system to adapt the padding data location to avoid image boundaries while still maintaining the required block size alignment for hardware circuit compatibility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Manufacturing precision

If software is used for imposition process, then image quality is improved, but processing speed decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveimage qualityVSAvoidprocessing speed

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent substitutes the software-based imposition process with a hardware circuit-based process, while using a calculated boundary area approach to maintain image quality. This replacement leverages the speed advantage of hardware circuits while the preliminary calculation of boundary areas ensures that padding data does not degrade image quality by appearing at image boundaries.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentUS8488159B2Printing system, printing method, printing control apparatus, printing control method, and computer readable recording medium stored with printing control program for adding padding data to image data

Publication Date: 2013.07.16 KONICA MINOLTA BUSINESS TECH INC

AI summary

The printing system comprises: a print data generating unit for generating print data; an image data generating unit for generating image data for each page having a data size of an integral multiple of a specified block size based on the print data; a delivering unit for delivering the image data; an imposing unit for imposing the image data in such a way that images for a plurality of pages will be printed on a sheet of paper; and a printing unit for printing images for a plurality of pages on a sheet of paper, wherein a process for preventing a blank space being formed in a boundary area between the images to be printed on a sheet of paper due to padding data added to the image data in order to make data size of the image data to be an integral multiple of the block size, is executed.