Patent ID: 7652779
Filing Date: 2010-01-26
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. An image-forming system comprising: a printing engine; and a graphic user interface operatively connected to the printing engine, the graphic user interface having an interconnection architecture including: a first software application, providing an image viewing functionality, having a first plug-in interface; a second software application, which is a master plug-in to the first software application, providing an image-forming management functionality, having a second plug-in interface, said second software application being directly connected as a plug-in to said first software application by said first plug-in interface; and a first plug-in package directly connected as a plug-in to the first software application by the first plug-in interface and directly connected as a plug-in to the second software application by the second plug-in interface, wherein the first and second software applications share the the first plug-in package in essentially the same process space, using the plug-in interfaces; and a second separate plug-in package, different from the first plug-in package, directly connected as a plug-in to the first software application by the first plug-in interface and directly connected as a plug-in to the second software application by the second plug-in interface, wherein the first and second software applications share the second plug-in package in essentially the same process space, using the plug-in interfaces.