Patent ID: 6433885
Filing Date: 2002-08-13
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
A method for enabling a configurable printer driver resident on a source computer to respond to a print job request by manipulating a source bitmap prior by transmission to a destination printer, said printer driver comprising plural, substantially independent, source computer bitmap manipulation procedures, said method comprising the steps of:determining a set of source computer bitmap manipulation procedures selected from said substantially independent, bitmap manipulation procedures to perform on said source computer to maximize processing efficiency of said print job request; assembling a bitmap processor pipeline from said determined set of source computer bitmap manipulation procedures to perform source computer bitmap manipulations on said source bitmap, said determined set of source computer bitmap manipulation procedures arranged in a required bitmap processing order that proceeds from upstream to downstream, so that when a bitmap segment proceeds through said bitmap processor pipeline, all bitmap processing actions are performed in a prescribed order, and wherein any bitmap manipulation procedure in said bitmap processor pipeline is only enabled to respond to a pull request to perform a requested bitmap processing action that is initiated by a bitmap manipulation procedure located downstream therefrom and is further enabled to initiate a pull request to a bitmap manipulation procedure that is located upstream therefrom; and performing bitmap manipulations using said assembled bitmap processor pipeline.