Data output control device and portable terminal

• US 20020026479A1
• Filed: 09/12/2001
• Published: 02/28/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Taniguchi, Shinya, Aoki, Mikio
• Granted Patent: US 7,099,928 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1204 resulting in reduced user or operator actions, e.g. presetting, automatic actions, using hardware token storing data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1226 Discovery of devices having required properties
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1232 Transmitting printer device capabilities, e.g. upon request or periodically
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/126 Job scheduling, e.g. queuing, determine appropriate device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1292 Mobile client, e.g. wireless printing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1293 Printer information exchange with computer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

It is an object of the present invention to provide a portable terminal and data output control device suitably used for readily obtaining detailed information on a network.

A data output control terminal 300 communicably connects a user-owned portable terminal 100, printing devices PR₁ through PR_n situated at various locations for outputting data, and WWW servers DS₁ through DS_m, via the Internet 400, receives data printing requests containing portable terminal position data generated by the portable terminal 100 from the portable terminal 100, searches printing device position data of a storage device 62 based on portable terminal position data contained in the data printing request, selects a printing device PR which is considered to be closest either distance-wise or time-wise with the position of the portable terminal 100 as a reference, and outputs data relating to the data printing request to the selected printing device PR.

Claims

1. A data output control device, which communicably connects to a user-owned portable terminal which is portable and sends data output requests, and a plurality of output terminals situated at various locations for outputting data, via a network, so as to receive data output requests from said portable terminal, and output data relating to said data output requests to said output terminals, comprising:

storage means for storing output terminal position data for specifying the output terminal installation location for each output terminal;

selecting means for searching output terminal position data of said storage means based on the portable terminal position data for specifying the position of said portable terminal, and selecting an output terminal which is considered to be closest either distance-wise or time-wise, with the position of said portable terminal as a reference, and output means for outputting data relating to said data output request to the output terminal selected by said selecting means;

wherein said portable terminal position data is generated based on position data relating to the position of said portable terminal from base stations to which said portable terminal connects.

2. A data output control device, which communicably connects to a user-owned portable terminal which is portable and sends data output requests, and a plurality of output terminals situated at various locations for outputting data, via a network, so as to receive data output requests from said portable terminal, and output data relating to said data output requests to said output terminals, comprising:

storage means for storing output terminal position data for specifying the output terminal installation location for each output terminal;

selecting means for searching output terminal position data of said storage means based on the portable terminal position data for specifying the position of said portable terminal, and selecting an output terminal which is considered to be closest either distance-wise or time-wise, with the position of said portable terminal as a reference, and output means for outputting data relating to said data output request to the output terminal selected by said selecting means;

wherein, as portable terminal position data, that the data generated by said portable terminal is used.

3. A portable terminal which uses the data output control device according to claim 2, comprising:

position measuring means for measuring the position of said terminal;

position data generating means for generating said portable terminal position data based on the position measured with said position measuring means; and

data output request originating means for sending said data output requests containing portable terminal position data generated by said position data generating means to said data output control device.

4. A portable terminal which uses the data output control device according to claim 2, comprising:

position data obtaining means for obtaining position data relating to the position of said terminal from base stations to which said terminal connects;

position data generating means for generating said portable terminal position data based on the position data obtained by said position data obtaining means; and

data output request originating means for sending said data output requests containing the portable terminal position data generated by said position data generating means to said data output control device.