| Patent application number | Description | Published |
| 20080225306 | IMPOSITION SYSTEMS, METHODS AND DRIVERS FOR PRINTER PRODUCTS - Imposition system and drivers for printer products prepare a document for printing by receiving an electronic document to be printed, determining a smallest font size of the text of at least a portion of the document; determining a scale factor for at least one portion of the document based on the smallest font size and a predetermined minimum font size; and scaling at least a portion of the document by the scale factor. | 09-18-2008 |
| 20080259379 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CLASSIFYING A JOB IN A PRODUCTION ENVIRONMENT - A method and system for processing a job in a production environment includes a knowledge base containing multiple product intents. Each product intent includes parameter requirements and/or parameter restrictions for producing a finished product. The method and system receive a product description that includes desired properties of a proposed job, and use a semantic reasoning, system to infer which of the product intents in the knowledge base corresponds to the product description. | 10-23-2008 |
| 20090066992 | AUTOMATED PRINT SHOP SERVICE CAPABILITY DETERMINATION - A print shop management method or system is used for a print shop. The method or system uses a knowledge base containing device data elements and service data elements. Each device data element represents a device in the print shop, and each service data element represents a service that may be implemented by one or more of the devices. A workflow management system implements an automated reasoner that, when a new device is added or one or more parameters of a device in the print shop are modified, uses semantic reasoning to select a service that may be implemented by the modified device, updates the knowledge base to include a new device element for the new or modified device; and automatically associates the new device element and the selected service. | 03-12-2009 |
| 20090116055 | Transforming partially specified processing instructions and PDL data into a product description - A rule based system can produce a formal product description when only partially specified processing instructions and page description language (PDL) files are available. The PDL files contain product content data and can contain product description data. The partially specified processing instructions can be obtained from PDL file metadata or from other sources such as a Job Definition Format (JDF) Graybox. A knowledge based reasoning module can use the product description data and partially specified processing instructions to produce a formal product description from which a process network can be automatically produced. | 05-07-2009 |
| 20090216703 | SEMANTICALLY VALIDATING PRINT PRODUCT DEFINITIONS - A method provides a knowledgebase having a set of existing print product classes into which print product descriptions are classified. The method receives the new print product class from a user and maps the representation of new print product class conditions to be semantically consistent with the representation of existing class conditions. The method evaluates the new print product class to produce user feedback. The user feedback is output to the user. The new print product class is added to the knowledgebase only if the new print product class is valid and free of errors and semantically consistent with the definitions of already existing print product classes. | 08-27-2009 |
| 20100094793 | PRODUCT DESCRIPTION TRANSFORMATION METHODS AND SYSTEMS - Systems and methods for product description transformation use information about a specific Target Workflow that will be used to execute a job (Process Network), such as print job in a print shop. A knowledge/rule based system can mine facts from the Target Workflow and evaluate those facts using a knowledge base that will infer constraints and other information to be used during the actual transformation step. Differences between what is specified in a Product Description, such as a JDF Intent, and a Target Workflow can be reconciled to produce a workflow to manufacture a product. This information about the Target Workflow along with the information it uses from the JDF Intent (Product Description) is used to produce a Process Network (Workflow Plan/job) consistent with the JDF Intent and Target Workflow. | 04-15-2010 |
| 20100095246 | KNOWLEDGE GATHERING METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR TRANSFORMING PRODUCT DESCRIPTIONS INTO PROCESS NETWORKS - Methods and systems for automated, local product classification through knowledge engineering aided by visual representation of the product may be combined with some targeted queries. A library of product descriptions, particularly, print product descriptions, are visualized and custom document visualizations can be created and added. Products in the library can be searched and managed via a query mechanism that filters on values of the product characteristics. Knowledge encoded in the visual representation is automatically mapped into the classification system's internal representation of the print products which is thus made common throughout the shop and may be made common across shops. The characteristics as described by the product visualization, in combination with ranges and other parameter constraints, can be subsequently mapped into the internal abstraction of product type representation of a conversation system for transforming product descriptions into process networks. | 04-15-2010 |
| 20100128304 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR AUTOMATICALLY VALIDATING A WORKFLOW PLAN USING AN AUTOMATED PLANNER - An improved automated planning method and system includes the use of an automated planner for validating a workflow plan with respect to device capabilities. As such, the present invention provides for an improved method and system for implementing and managing workflow plans utilized in printing environments such as, for example, print shops. A plurality of device capability descriptions can be converted into a data indicative of facts and operators for utilizing in a knowledge-based reasoning system. Next, a workflow plan can be converted into properties indicative of a goal state. The goal state and the data indicative of facts and operators can then be utilized in association with a domain-independent or domain-dependent planner to determine if said workflow plan is valid and executable in order to thereby validate said workflow plan. | 05-27-2010 |
| 20100195140 | METHODS FOR AUTOMATICALLY DETERMINING WORKFLOW FOR PRINT JOBS - A method automatically determines a workflow for a print job via analysis of PDF documents is disclosed. A job synopsis comprising hashed information of a historical print job's document content along with a PDF document-level and object-level metadata and information about workflow nodes and parameters can be stored in a database. The job synopsis of a new incoming print job can then be compared to the historical print job synopses database. If the new print job matches the historical print job within a certain predefined similarity limit, then workflow and parameter information associated with the historical job can be utilized to augment an initial workflow for the incoming print job. | 08-05-2010 |
| 20100328725 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR A DESIGN WITH INTENT METADATA - Systems and methods for automatically assigning items to printable media are disclosed. A computer readable medium is in communication with a computing device and includes programming instructions for electronically obtaining a first template that includes a plurality of first content items, each including a first content area. For each first content item, first content area properties and first content item properties are identified. A second template including a plurality of second content areas is electronically obtained. For each second content area, second content area properties, second content item properties and content rules are automatically identified. For each first content item, it may be determined whether a first content item corresponds to a second content area based on the rules. The first content item may be automatically assigned to the second content area. A representation of each assigned content item may be printed. | 12-30-2010 |
| 20110019223 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR AUTOMATED GENERATION OF A FULLY PARAMETERIZED WORKFLOW PLAN - An improved automated planning method and system includes the use of an automated planner for generating a plan template and a final plan generator to produce a fully parameterized workflow plan. Such an approach provides for the generation of fully parameterized workflow plans utilized in rendering environments. A plurality of device capability descriptions can be converted into a data indicative of facts and operators for use with an automated planner, which can be either domain-independent or domain-dependent. Next, a formal product description can be converted into properties indicative of a goal state. The goal state and the data indicative of facts and operators can then be utilized with the automated planner to synthesize a plan template. The plan template is then provided to a final plan generator, along with a formal product description, to produce a fully parameterized workflow plan. | 01-27-2011 |
| 20110022209 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR AUTOMATICALLY IDENTIFYING AN EXISTING WORKFLOW TO MANUFACTURE A GIVEN PRODUCT TYPE - A method and system for automatically identifying an existing workflow to manufacture a given product type. A workflow description of a workflow can be transformed into a product type description utilizing particular facts associated with the workflow. An inferred product type description can then be at least one product type among a group of product type descriptions representing known product types. A mapping can then be derived of the workflow with respect to product types, in response to comparing the inferred product type description to the product type description(s) among product type descriptions representing known product types. The workflow description can be converted into the product type description utilizing a rule-based expert system. The particular facts can be one or more of the following: processing steps, sequences of processing steps, types of operations to be performed, and outputs produced. | 01-27-2011 |
| 20110022498 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR AUTOMATICALLY TRANSFORMING PRODUCT INTENT DESCRIPTIONS INTO A PROCESS NETWORK AND POPULATING AN ORDER ENTRY SYSTEM - A method and system for transforming a product intent description into a process network utilizing a target workflow. The product description can be classified as a specific product type and routed to a target workflow that is reliably classified to manufacture the product type associated with the product description. The classification of the workflow can be automatically accomplished by comparing a workflow description to a set of product type descriptions, in order to determine the product type(s) the workflow is intended to manufacture by a rule-based expert structure (e.g., system). The detailed product descriptions for the product types associated with the workflow can be utilized to create/populate the product catalog entries of an order entry system. Thereafter, a workflow automation system converts the product description to a workflow plan utilizing both the product description and the target workflow description. | 01-27-2011 |
| 20110047182 | AUTOMATIC UPDATE OF ONLINE SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES - Systems and methods maintain at least one point of interest data file within a computer-readable storage medium and automatically identify a current user location of a user based on a geographic positioning feature of a portable electronic device that is maintained within a first predetermined distance from the user. The systems and methods automatically compare the current user location with the point of interest data file to identify whether the user is located within a second predetermined distance of a point of interest maintained within the point of interest data file. If the user is within the second predetermined distance of a point of interest, the systems and methods automatically create a user status data file. The user status data comprises data identifying that the user is currently at the point of interest. The user status data file is comprised of, but is not limited to, video, still pictures, and audio captured at the current user location as well as textual description of the user's participation at the point of interest. The systems and methods automatically upload the user status data file to a social networking web site associated with the user as an activity post associated with the user. | 02-24-2011 |
| 20110047463 | KIOSK-BASED AUTOMATIC UPDATE OF ONLINE SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES - Systems and methods identify a current location of a user based on a known location of an electronic device including kiosk, beacon, or location-aware camera when the user interacts with the electronic device. The systems and methods automatically create a user status data file based on the known location. The user status data file contains data identifying that the user is currently at the known location and other data captured about the event or venue at that location. The systems and methods automatically upload the user status data file to a personal storage account which can then be used to post to a social networking web site associated with the user as an activity post associated with the user. | 02-24-2011 |
| 20110072035 | KNOWLEDGE-BASED METHOD FOR USING SOCIAL NETWORKING SITE CONTENT IN VARIABLE DATA APPLICATIONS - A method and system automatically obtain user page data from at least one social networking site, using at least one computerized device and automatically monitor the social networking site using the computerized device to detect an event. Upon the detection of an event, the method and system automatically identify a variable information document from a repository based on the topical content of the event using the computerized device. The method and system automatically select data from the user page data that matches the topical content of the event using the computerized device; automatically generate a variable data print instance by combining the images and text from the user page with the variable information document using the computerized device; and automatically output the variable data print instance to a user of the social networking site using the computerized device. | 03-24-2011 |
| 20110093802 | ELICITATION METHOD FOR CUSTOM IMAGE PREFERENCES USING KEYWORDS - A method and user interface for eliciting and processing user feedback includes displaying on a computing device display a digital asset, wherein the digital asset has an associated list having at least one keyword; displaying on the computing device display a user feedback interface, the user feedback interface comprising at least one input component configured to receive user generated input; receiving a keyword replacement pair via the at least one input component; storing the keyword replacement pair; analyzing the stored keyword replacement pair; and producing results indicting potential changes to the digital asset based upon the analyzing. Based upon the results of the analysis, an updated version of the digital asset may be produced including any user suggested changes. | 04-21-2011 |