Process and apparatus for variable imaging system

Abstract

The present invention is useful for assembling a book. The inventive method includes the steps of specifying pagination information including an indication of whether a page is to be selectively included in the book, determining whether the page is to be assembled into the book based on the pagination information, and generating page description language instructions for production of the book in accordance with the pagination information.

1 - 13 . (canceled)  
   
   
       14 . An apparatus for controlling an electronic press, the apparatus including a computer readable medium having stored thereon: 
 first and second data sets representing associated first and second templates, respectively, each data set having master data representing reusable objects to be printed and position data representing a position on a page at which a variable object is to be printed; and    a computer executable program comprising: 
 a first routine that separates the master data from the position data for each data set in preparation for rasterization;  
 a second routine that reads a database having a number of entries each of which represents a variable object; and  
 a third routine that causes an electronic press to print output pages with the separated master data and the variable objects.  
   
   
   
       15 . The apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein the program includes a fourth routine that converts the data sets and the database into page sequence commands for the electronic press specifying sequence and content of page production.  
   
   
       16 . The apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein auxiliary production devices are coupled to the electronic press and the database includes control information, wherein the control information controls at least one of the electronic press and the auxiliary production devices.  
   
   
       17 . The apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein the third routine causes a further electronic press to print a first portion of the output pages and causes the first-named electronic press to print a second portion of the output pages.  
   
   
       18 . The apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein the first routine further generates a master data set representing the reusable object from the data sets.  
   
   
       19 . The apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein the first routine still further generates variable data sets representing the variable objects from the data sets.  
   
   
       20 . The apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein the first data set and the second data set are different so that the first and second templates are different.  
   
   
       21 . The apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein the master data of the first and second data sets are different such that the reusable objects of the first and second templates are different.  
   
   
       22 . The apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein the master data of the first and second data sets are identical, and a position of the master data in the first template differs from a position of the master data in the second template.  
   
   
       23 . The apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein the variable objects of the first and second data sets are identical, and the position of the variable object in the first template differs from the position of the variable object in the second template.  
   
   
       24 . The apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein the variable objects of the first and second data sets are different.  
   
   
       25 . The apparatus of  claim 24 , wherein the position of the variable object in the first template is the same as the position of the variable object in the second template.  
   
   
       26 . An apparatus for controlling an electronic press, the apparatus including a computer readable medium having stored thereon: 
 a data set representing a template, the data set having master data representing reusable objects to be printed and position data representing a position on a page at which a variable object is to be printed; and    a computer executable program comprising: 
 a first routine that separates the master data from the position data in the data set in preparation for rasterization;  
 a second routine that reads a database having a number of entries each of which represents a variable object; and  
 a third routine that causes an electronic press to print output pages with the separated master data and the variable objects.  
   
   
   
       27 . The apparatus of  claim 26 , wherein the program includes a fourth routine that converts the data set and the database into page sequence commands for the electronic press specifying sequence and content of page production.  
   
   
       28 . The apparatus of  claim 26 , wherein the first routine further generates a master data set representing the reusable object from the data set.  
   
   
       29 . The apparatus of  claim 28 , wherein the first routine still further generates variable data sets representing the variable objects from the data set.  
   
   
       30 . An apparatus for controlling an electronic press that is responsive to a data set representing a template, the data set having master data representing reusable objects to be printed and position data representing a position on a page at which a variable object is to be printed, the apparatus comprising a computer readable medium having stored thereon a computer executable program comprising: 
 a first routine that reads a database having a number of entries each of which represents a variable object;    a second routine that causes an electronic press to print output pages with the reusable objects and variable objects by separating the master data from the position data for the data set in preparation for rasterization.    
   
   
       31 . The apparatus of  claim 30 , wherein the program includes a third routine that converts the data set and the database into page sequence commands for the electronic press specifying sequence and content of page production.  
   
   
       32 . The apparatus of  claim 30 , wherein auxiliary production devices are coupled to the electronic press and the database includes control information, wherein the control information controls at least one of the electronic press and the auxiliary production devices.  
   
   
       33 . The apparatus of  claim 30 , wherein the program includes a third routine that generates a master data set representing the reusable object from the data set.