Remote access to print job retention

• US 20020196460A1
• Filed: 06/22/2001
• Published: 12/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Parry, Travis J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,239,409 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• 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 3/1265 Printing by reference, e.g. retrieving document/image data for a job from a source mentioned in the job
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1267 Job repository, e.g. non-scheduled jobs, delay printing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1286 via local network
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1287 via internet
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1288 in client-server-printer device configuration

Abstract

The present invention provides methods and apparatus for remotely managing and accessing print jobs stored in job retention of a printing device, including displaying, printing, canceling, prioritizing, and otherwise controlling various aspects of the print jobs and/or the print queue. In a preferred embodiment, the present invention makes use of a Java-enabled Web browser on a workstation, a java applet accessible by the Web browser, and an embedded Web server incorporated in a printing device to provide the management and access functions. Rasterized images of the print jobs may also be viewed by using the applet file viewer.

Claims

1. A method of managing stored print jobs of a printing device, comprising:

providing a printing device incorporating a web server, said web server linked to a network;

initiating a remote request over said network for a web page from said web server, said web page having at least one applet tag referencing at least one applet thereby;

transmitting said web page over said network;

downloading and displaying said web page using a web browser;

downloading said at least one applet using said web browser in response to downloading said web page, said at least one applet programmed for providing control over data stored in job retention memory of said printing device; and

managing said data stored in job retention memory using said at least one applet operating within said web browser.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising requesting said at least one applet to retrieve a portion of said data from said job retention memory.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a workstation configured with said web browser.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising executing said at least one applet using a Java Virtual Machine platform on a workstation

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said web browser comprises a java-enabled web browser.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein managing said data comprises viewing rasterized images of stored print jobs.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said at least one applet functions as a file viewer.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein managing said data includes displaying a list of print jobs stored in said job retention memory.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein managing said stored data comprises at least one of printing, removing, or changing the priority of at least one print job in said list of print jobs.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein managing said stored data comprises rescheduling at least one print job in said list of print jobs.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein managing said stored data comprises categorizing said data into user selected categories.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein managing said stored data comprises creating copies of portions of said data.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein managing said stored data comprises converting portions of said data into a printer control language.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising executing said at least one applet using a Java Virtual Machine platform on a workstation.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein said web browser comprises a java-enabled web browser.

17. The system of claim 15, further comprising a Java Virtual Machine platform provided on said at least one workstation.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein said at least one applet is threaded to operate said web server.

19. The system of claim 15, further comprising a Java console accessible by said at least one workstation.

15. A system for managing stored print jobs of a printing device, comprising:

a printing device incorporating a web server, said web server linked to a network, said printing device comprising a job retention memory for storing print jobs sent by network-based devices;

at least one workstation for communicating with said network, said at least one workstation having a web browser thereon; and

at least one applet accessible by said at least one workstation, said at least one applet for managing stored data in said job retention memory of said printing device through user input on said at least one workstation.

20. A method of managing print jobs stored in job retention memory of a printing device, comprising:

providing a printing device incorporating a web server, said web server linked to a network;

providing a workstation, said workstation in communication with said network and configured with a java-enabled web browser and a Java Virtual Machine platform;

initiating a request over said network for a web page from said web server using said java-enabled web browser, said request initiated by specifying a network address of said web page to said java-enabled web browser, said web page having at least one applet tag referencing at least one applet responsive to said request, transmitting said web page over said network to said java-enabled web browser;

downloading and displaying said web page using said java-enabled web browser;

downloading said at least one applet using said java-enabled web browser in response to downloading said web page, said at least one applet programmed to provide control over data stored in job retention memory of said printing device;

executing said at least one applet using said Java Virtual Machine platform; and

managing said data stored in job retention memory using said at least one applet operating within said web browser.

21. A method of managing stored print jobs for a printing device having a web server linked to a network, comprising:

initiating a remote request over said network for a web page from said web server, said web page having at least one applet tag referencing at least one applet;

transmitting said web page over said network;

displaying said web page using a web browser;

downloading said at least one applet in response to downloading said web page, said at least one applet programmed for providing control over data stored in job retention memory of said printing device; and

managing said data stored in said job retention memory using said at least one applet.