Print by reference service communication protocol and interface

• US 20030035133A1
• Filed: 06/29/2001
• Published: 02/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Berkema, Alan C., Morgan, Jeff, Stoltz, Pat, Fischer, Todd
• Granted Patent: US 7,190,476 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/122 with regard to computing resources, e.g. memory, CPU
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1222 Increasing security of the print job
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1238 Secure printing, e.g. user identification, user rights for device usage, unallowed content, blanking portions or fields of a page, releasing held jobs
• 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 3/1289 in server-client-printer device configuration, e.g. the server does not see the printer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/129 in server-printer device-client configuration, e.g. print flow goes from server to printer and then bidirectional from printer to client, i.e. the client does not communicate with the server
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A print service, preferably realized as a web site or part of web site, supports print by reference operations. Software hosted or accessible by the web site performs the required functions. A print client may be a print device, for example, that has an Internet connection. A print client might also be a portable wireless device, for example, which then might transfer data transcoded by the print service to a print device. The protocol and operational structure of the interface to the remote print service facilitate these operations. In general, the interface formed by the protocol carried out by the remote print service should provide for access by many clients. The interface must carry out a basic level of reference resolution and should provide enhanced print by reference features for clients capable of taking full advantage of the print service through use of a protocol of the invention. The print service, using the protocol, accepts a reference to print content, resolves the reference, obtains the print content, transcodes the print content into a print device ready format, and allows the print client access to the transcoded print data. The print service method realized by such a web site provides commercial potential for web services and content provider partnerships, as a preferred use of the print service might commence with a user of a portable wireless device obtaining a reference to print content while web surfing, communicating that content, for example via a Bluetooth wireless connection to the print device, which then uses the print service to resolve and process the print by reference communication. Similar commercial potential is possible with respect to print device manufacturers and the manufacturers of portable wireless devices, such as personal digital assistant (PDA) devices.

Claims

1. A communication protocol for use in communication between a client and a print service for a print by reference operation to deliver referenced content from a referenced location to a print device, the protocol comprising a sequence of communications between the print service and the client including:

a job request from the client to the print service;

a job response from the print service to the client; and

a reference to print content identifying a location including print content, the reference being passed from the client to the print service.

2. The protocol according to claim 1, wherein said reference is included as part of said job request.

3. The protocol according to claim 1, wherein said reference comprises a universal resource locator address that addresses print content targeted for printing.

4. The protocol according to claim 3, wherein said reference comprises a reference list of individual references that each referenced print content stored at a location.

5. The protocol according to claim 4, wherein said reference includes a name for the print content.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the job request is initiated via a control channel.

7. The protocol according to claim 6, the control channel is established via an argument resolution protocol.

8. The protocol according to claim 7, wherein the argument resolution protocol is the Simple Object Access Protocol and wherein the reference is passed via a data channel.

9. The protocol according to claim 8, wherein the data channel is an HTTP channel.

10. The protocol according to claim 1, wherein said job request includes security data for accessing the print content.

11. The protocol according to claim 1, wherein said job response includes a universal resource locator address for the print data which the client will use to download print content from the print service.

12. The protocol according to claim 1, wherein said job response includes a JobID.

13. The protocol according to claim 1, wherein said job request includes a billing ID from the print client.

14. The protocol according to claim 1, comprising separate control and data operations.

15. The protocol according to claim 14, wherein the control operations include a print status request from the client and a print status response from the print service

16. The protocol according to claim 14, wherein the control operations include a print cancel from the client to the print service

17. The print service according to claim 14, wherein said data operations include an HTTP GET for the client to obtain print content from the print service.

18. The print service according to claim 14, wherein said data operations include an HTTP POST for the client to send print content to the print service.

19. A communication protocol interface for use in communication between a client and a print service for a print by reference operation to deliver referenced content from a referenced location to a print device, the interface including:

a SOAP control channel for establishment of communications between the print service and the client;

an HTTP data channel for data exchange between the print service and the client;

wherein the client and the print service

use the SOAP control channel to establish and maintain control communications for a print by reference operation, and

use the data channel to transfer the print content from the print service to the client.