Xionics Told to Expect New Embedded Imaging Patent.BURLINGTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 11, 1998--Printers, copiers and multifunction peripherals can process complex graphics better and improve their memory management because of soon-to-be-patented embedded Inserted into. See embedded system. imaging technologies. Xionics Document Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq:XION) today announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO USPTO abbr. United States Patent and Trademark Office ) has allowed Xionics' application for a patent for error diffusion Error diffusion is a type of halftoning in which the quantization residual is distributed to neighboring pixels which have not yet been processed. Its main use is to convert a multi-level image into a binary image, though it has other applications. and lossy compression A compression technique that does not decompress data back to 100% of the original. Lossy methods provide high degrees of compression and result in very small compressed files, but there is a certain amount of loss when they are restored. techniques used in Xionics' embedded imaging systems. The patent for the technologies, which are currently shipping in leading OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) The rebranding of equipment and selling it. The term initially referred to the company that made the products (the "original" manufacturer), but eventually became widely used to refer to the organization that buys the products and printers and printer-copiers, is likely to be issued within the next few months. The technologies were developed in part to improve print reliability and lower memory requirements leading to cost savings. This will be the fifth patent for Xionics, which develops embedded imaging systems for the worldwide peripherals market. The technologies play a key role in the error diffusion circuit in XipChip(R), the first system-on-a-chip for advanced multifunction peripherals (MFPs). They optimize visual image fidelity while minimizing memory requirements for such devices. XipChip is the processor in the Ricoh Bizworks 406 printer-copier, which recently began shipping to dealers and end-users. The lossy compression method described in the allowed patent application is designed to prevent out-of-memory printing errors and help ensure that pages with any graphic complexity will print in minimal memory configurations. The lossy compression method developed by Xionics ship as a standard feature in the company's print languages, which include IPS-PRINT(TM) PS2 PostScript compatible interpreter and IPS-PRINT SIX, IPS-PRINT FIVE-E and IPS-PRINT FIVE-C, based on PCL (Printer Command Language) The page description language for HP LaserJet printers. It has become a de facto standard used in many printers and typesetters. PCL Level 5, introduced with the LaserJet III in 1990, also supports Compugraphic's Intellifont scalable fonts. 6, PCL 5E, and PCL 5C languages, respectively. Xionics is the worldwide leading provider of printer device languages (PDLs). The lossy compression and error diffusion technologies are useful in both color and monochrome devices. "Print reliability and memory cost savings are important benefits to OEMs who build printers and MFPs," said Pete Simone, Xionics' president and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. . "We are proud that the USPTO has recognized the continuing technological innovation that enables Xionics to deliver these benefits to its customers." When issued, the newly allowed patent will become a part of Xionics' intellectual property portfolio that already includes four patents on imaging technology used in Xionics' industry-leading page description language A high-level language for commanding a printer to print text and graphics on a page. The two major languages are Adobe's PostScript and HP's PCL, which are device independent and supported by most every printer. interpreters. -- U.S. Patent No. 5,287,195 covers Xionics' SuperMultigray(TM) screening technology, a specialized halftoning method that preserves excellent edge quality while maintaining a large range of tone, allressing portions of the page depending on the arinter. -- U.S. Patent No. 5,555,358 covf innovative software and silicon for printing, scanning, copying, processing and transmitting documents to in Japan and Germany. This release contains forward-looking statements forward-looking statement A projected financial statement based on management expectations. A forward-looking statement involves risks with regard to the accuracy of assumptions underlying the projections. , including statements about expected future actions of the USPTO. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those suggested in the forward-looking statements include, among others, unforeseen procedural difficulties. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements in this release. Xionics and XipChip are registered trademarks and IPS-PRINT, SuperMultigray and SoftBand are trademarks of Xionics Document Technologies, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries. PostScript is a trademark of Adobe Systems Adobe Systems Incorporated (pronounced a-DOE-bee IPA: /əˈdoʊbiː/) (NASDAQ: ADBE) (LSE: ABS) is an American computer software company headquartered in San Jose, California, USA. Incorporated that may be registered in certain jurisdictions. All other product names are trademarks of their respective companies. |
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