A system for printing an image of a signature on a matrix printer.

摘要

The specification describes a system for printing an image of a signature on a matrix printer (25) of the kind normally used for printing vertically spaced lines of alphanumeric characters by energizing successive selected combinations of dot printing elements carried by a print head as the latter is scanned line by line across a record medium, each selected combination of printing elements causing a corresponding vertical array of dots to be printed on the record medium, and being defined by a corresponding binary bit pattern (hereinafter referred to as a vertical bit slice) presented to the printer control circuitry.
<??>When using such a printer for printing an image of a signature binary information representing a signature image to be printed is presented to the printer (25) in a format which contains: a first portion of binary information defining the area of the record medium required to accommodate the signature image, the height of the area being defined as a number of substantially vertically contiguous print lines and the length of each line of the area being defined as a number of equal length line segments each corresponding to a predetermined number of vertical bit slices, a second portion of binary information which, in respect of each line, defines those line segments which are to contain a part of the signature image and those line segments which are blank, and a third portion of binary information which, in respect of each line, contains the vertical bit slices in sequence for those line segments which are to contain a portion of the signature image.
<??>The printer control circuitry comprises means responsive to the above format of binary information for printing, in respect of each line defined by the first portion of binary information, the vertical dot patterns corresponding to the vertical bit slices of the third portion of binary information in those line segments defined by the second portion of binary information as containing a part of the signature image, the print head being controlled to move through the blank line segments of each line relatively rapidly compared to its movement through the line segments in which vertical dot patterns are printed, and the record medium being controlled for vertically indexing in such manner that the successive lines are printed substantially contiguously.