Patent ID: 6298164
Filing Date: 2001-10-02
Classification: G06K

Abstract:
A method for converting compressed image data into a compressed raster image in units of a scan line, the compressed image data including mixed portions of run-length encoded representations in which a first byte is a control byte that specifies a repeat count and a second byte is image data to be repeated, mixed together with literal representation portions in which a first byte is a control byte that specifies a byte count of uncompressed image data bytes that follow, the method comprising the steps of:monitoring control byte information as the compressed image data is being stored to a buffer, so as to determine when the end of a scan line has been reached;responsive to the end of a scan line being reached, modifying the control byte of the final portion of compressed image data in the buffer so as to correspond to exactly one scan line;transmitting image data in the buffer prefixed by a printer description language command that includes a byte count of the number of bytes in the transmission; andstarting a new scan line in the buffer beginning with any un-transmitted data together with a control byte that specifies either a repeat count or a byte count in correspondence to whether the un-transmitted image data was run length encoded or a literal representation, and followed by newly-received compressed image data.