Data output control device and portable terminal

• US 20020049870A1
• Filed: 09/12/2001
• Published: 04/25/2002
• 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 7,054,920 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/5
• 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 3/1239 Restricting the usage of resources, e.g. usage or user levels, credit limit, consumables, special fonts
• 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: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• 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: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/59 Providing operational support to end devices by off-loading in the network or by emulation, e.g. when they are unavailable
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

It is an object of the present invention to provide a data output control system and portable terminal 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, data relating to data printing requests from the portable terminal 100 is obtained from a WWW server DS, a printing device PR which is considered to be optimal for the user of the portable terminal 100 to receive data from is selected from multiple printing devices PR, and the obtained data is output to the selected printing device PR. Further, guidance information, for guiding the user to the installation location where the printing device PR decided upon is installed, is transmitted to the portable terminal 100.

Claims

1. A data output control device, which communicably connects to a user-owned portable terminal which is portable and sends output requests for data, 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 selecting one of said plurality of output terminals;

guidance data generating means for generating guidance data indicating guidance information for guiding the user of said portable terminal; and

output means for outputting data relating to said data output request to the output terminal selected by said selecting means and also for outputting guidance data generated by said guidance data generating means to said portable terminal;

wherein said guidance data generating means generates guidance data indicating guidance information for guiding the user of said portable terminal to the location in which the output terminal selected by said selecting means is installed, based on the output terminal position data of said storing means.

2. A data output control device according to claim 1;

wherein said guidance data generating means generates guidance data indicating guidance information for guiding the user of said portable terminal to the location in which the output terminal selected by said selecting means is installed with the position of said portable terminal as a reference, based on portable terminal position data for specifying the position of said portable terminal.

3. A data output control device according to either claims 1 or 2;

wherein said guidance information is map information for guiding the user of said portable terminal to the location in which the output terminal selected by said selecting means is installed.

4. A portable terminal using the data output control device according to any of the claims 1 through 3;

comprising output means for outputting said guidance information based on said guidance data.