1. An electronic device comprising:
a central processing unit;
memory in data communication with the central processing unit;
a network connector in data communication with the central processing unit;
a firmware image stored in a compressed format within the memory, wherein the firmware image includes a plurality of software components; and
an update agent stored within the memory and configured to provide a list of software components for communication out the network connector,
wherein the electronic device is configured to communicate the list of software components out the network connector and receive a modified firmware image in a compressed format that includes at least one additional software component.
2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is a display device.
3. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the display device is a television.
4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the update agent is further configured to monitor an amount of the memory not in use by the electronic device and communicate the amount of memory out the network connector.
5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the update agent is further configured to communicate out the network connector a list of hardware components located within the electronic device.
6. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is further configured to receive and display a list of additional software components available for the electronic device.
7. A television comprising:
a central processing unit;
memory in data communication with the central processing unit; and
a network connector in data communication with the central processing unit;
a plurality of software components stored within the memory,
wherein the television is configured to communicate information out the network connector and receive at least one additional software component for installation into the memory.
8. The television of claim 7, wherein one of the software components is a software update agent, and wherein the software update agent is designed to collect the information from the television and communicate the information out the network connection.
9. The television of claim 7, wherein the information relates to hardware components within the television.
10. The television of claim 7, wherein the information includes a size of the memory available for use.
11. The television of claim 7, wherein the television is further configured to receive and display a list of additional software components available for the television.
12. A method of modifying a compressed firmware image on an electronic device, the method comprising the steps of:
expanding a compressed firmware image including a plurality of software components;
running at least some of the software components;
transmitting a list of the plurality of software components out a network connector;
receiving a modified compressed firmware image via the network connector, wherein the modified compressed firmware image includes the plurality of software components and at least one additional software component; and
replacing the compressed firmware image with the modified compressed firmware image.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein the electronic device is a display device.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein the display device is a television.
15. The method of claim 12, before the receiving step further comprising the step of transmitting a list of hardware components located within the television out the network connector.
16. The method of claim 12, before the receiving step further comprising the step of displaying a list of additional software components available for installation on the electronic device.
17. The method of claim 12, before the receiving step further comprising the step of monitoring an amount of available memory and transmitting the amount of available memory out the network connector.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A color printing apparatus comprising:
color print means for printing in multi tone levels using at least yellow, magenta, cyan and black printing materials;
font storage means for storing font data in advance, wherein the font data corresponds to the yellow, magenta, cyan and black colors has at least different tone levels for respective colors, in correspondence with a character code, and the font data of at least one of yellow, magenta, cyan and black colors is data having the multi tone levels being different from tone level of other font data;
development means for reading out the font data stored in said font storage means for respective colors, in correspondence to a code, and storing the font data for each color into a print buffer corresponding to each color; and
control means for outputting the font data for each color stored in the print buffer to said color print means and controlling to cause said color print means to print an image corresponding to the code,
wherein said font storage means stores font data of colors which can be printed by said color print means, and
wherein the font data corresponding to the black color is binary data indicating the presenceabsence of a pixel, and a data size of font data corresponding to each of yellow, magenta, and cyan colors is 2n, with n being a positive integer, times of the data size of the font data corresponding to black color.
2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the number of pixels of the font data in a horizontal direction is set to be an integer multiple of a least common multiple of a bit length for representing each pixel of the font data corresponding to each color.
3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said color print means has a plurality of print heads, each of said print heads ejects ink having a different color from each other, and said font storage means stores the font data having different tone levels for respective colors in correspondence with the ink ejected from said plurality of print heads.
4. A method of controlling a color printing apparatus having color print means for printing in multi tone levels using at least yellow, magenta, cyan and black printing materials, and font storage means for storing font data corresponding to the yellow, magenta, cyan and black colors and for respective colors including data of multi tone levels in advance, in correspondence with codes, wherein the font data of at least one of yellow, magenta, cyan and black colors is data having the multi tone levels being different from the tone level of other font data, the method comprising:
a development step of reading out the font data for respective colors stored in the font storage means in correspondence to a code, and storing the font data for each color into a print buffer corresponding to each color; and
a control step of outputting the font data for each color stored in the print buffer to the color print means and controlling the color print means to print an image corresponding to the code,
wherein the font storage means stores font data of colors which can be printed by the color print means, and
wherein the font data corresponding to black color is binary data indicating the presenceabsence of a pixel, and a data size of font data corresponding to each of yellow, magenta, and cyan colors is set to be 2n, with n being a positive integer, times of the data size of the font data corresponding to black color.
5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the number of pixels of the font data in a horizontal direction is set to be an integer multiple of a least common multiple of a bit length for representing each pixel of the font data corresponding to each color.
6. A method according to claim 4, wherein the color print means has a plurality of print heads, each of the print heads ejecting ink having a different color from each other, and the font storage means stores the font data having different tone levels for respective colors in correspondence with the ink ejected from the plurality of print heads.