David A Stevenson

US Patent:

48932574, Jan 9, 1990

Filed:

Nov 10, 1986

Appl. No.:

6/929030

Inventors:

Ruben Dominguez - Boulder CO
David E. Finlay - Boulder CO
Stephen D. Hanna - Boulder CO
Jesus C. Lopez - Longmont CO
David C. Stevenson - Longmont CO
Donald W. Zegafuse - Nicholasville KY

Assignee:

International Business Machines Corporation - Armonk NY

International Classification:

G06F 309

US Classification:

364519

Abstract:

A character generator with multidirectional scan and variable line and character (or symbol) size capability is disclosed. Universality is implemented by producing a serial binary stream which can be used to print or display in any of eight combinations of scan direction and progression, that is, for scan direction left to right, or vice versa, progressing up or down, or scan direction top or bottom or vice versa, progressing left or right. In formatting the serial binary stream, a font is accessed (for basic symbol definition), which selectively provides for orthogonal scan of the symbol definitions. Variable line size is implemented by terminating a symbol row (or line) based on a predetermined size criteria regardless of the comparable font dimension and "filling" up to the line size to the extent the corresponding font dimension is less than the predetermined size criteria. Variable character (or symbol) size is implemented by independently multiplying the effect of a symbol definition by selected (integral) factors, in orthogonal directions. The general architecture includes a font table (for symbol definition), an address/escape (A/E) table, defining symbol size for comparison with line size parameters, a character position escape (CPE) table to define a leading character or symbol on each line and a page buffer (PB) memory defining the characters (symbols) in the document and their relationship with other characters (symbols).

US Patent:

48414530, Jun 20, 1989

Filed:

Nov 10, 1986

Appl. No.:

6/929036

Inventors:

David E. Finlay - Boulder CO
Stephen D. Hanna - Boulder CO
David C. Stevenson - Longmont CO
John T. Varga - Boulder CO

Assignee:

IBM Corporation - Armonk NY

International Classification:

G06F 1540

US Classification:

364519

Abstract:

A character generator with multidirectional scan and variable line and character (or symbol) size capability. Universality is implemented by producing a serial binary stram which can be used to print or display in any of eight combinations of scan direction and progression, that is, for scan direction left to right, or vice versa, progressing up or down, or scan direction top to bottom or vice versa, progressing left or right. In formatting the serial binary stream, a font is accessed (for basic symbol definition), which selectively provides for orthogonal scans of the symbol definitions. Variable line size is implemented by terminating a symbol row (or line) based on a predetermined size criteria regardless of the comparable font dimension and "filling" up to the line size to the extent the corresponding font dimension is less than the predetermined size criteria. Variable character (or symbol) size is implemented by independently multiplying the effect of a symbol definition by selected (integral) factors, in orthogonal directions. The general architecture includes a font table (for symbol definition), an address/escape (A/E) table, defining symbol size for comparison with line size parameters, a character position escape (CPE) table to define a leading character or symbol on each line and a page buffer (PB) memory defining the characters (symbols) in the document and their relationship with other characters (symbols).