Method and apparatus for processing document service requests originating from a mobile computing device

• US 20030069921A1
• Filed: 09/07/2001
• Published: 04/10/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: MacLean, Allan, Lamming, Michael G., Frayling, Anthony F.
• Granted Patent: US 6,922,725 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents

Abstract

A document service request is processed that originates from a mobile computing device and that is directed at an output device in communication with the mobile computing device over a first communications channel of the mobile computing device. A document server communicates with a transceiver to receive over a second communications channel a document service request originating from the mobile computing device. The document service request includes a first parameter identifying a document available to the document server and a second parameter identifying a type of output device available over the first communications channel. The document server transmits to the output device, via the second communications channel established by the mobile computing device, the document rendered in a format suitable for the output device.

Claims

1. An apparatus for processing a document service request originating from a mobile computing device and directed at an output device in communication with the mobile computing device over a first communications channel of the mobile computing device, said apparatus comprising:

a transceiver for responding to a request to establish a second communications channel with the mobile computing device; and

a document server being adapted to communicate with said transceiver to receive over the second communications channel a document service request originating from the mobile computing device;

the document service request including a first parameter identifying a document available to the document server and a second parameter identifying a type of output device available over the first communications channel;

wherein the document server transmits to the output device, via the second communications channel established by the mobile computing device, the document rendered in a format suitable for the output device.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the document server:

locates the document identified by the first parameter of the document service request;

loads a driver corresponding to the type of output device identified by the second parameter of the document service request;

renders the located document using the loaded driver;

stores the rendered document in a print file; and

transmits the print file to the output device via the mobile computing device.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the document server and the output device have no preexisting communications channel there between.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the document server prepares the document identified by the first parameter in a format that conforms to at least one format the output device is adapted to process.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the document server applies one of a document enrichment, translation, conversion, summarization, recommender service to the document before preparing the document in the format suitable for the output device.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the document server communicates with a file server for retrieving the document.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the output device is one of a printer, a display, a file server, and a speaker.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the format suitable for the output device is a device dependent format.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for recording the document service request for accounting purposes at the document server.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the document service request includes a third parameter identifying one or more document services to apply to the document.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the document services identified by the third parameter is one of a summarization service, an enrichment service, a recommender service, and a translation service.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second communications channel is a wireless communications channel.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the document server forms part of an input device.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the input device is an image-recording device.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the second communications channel is a limited communications channel.

16. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second communications channel is an unlimited communications channel.

17. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the type of output device available is obtained by executing a discovery request at the mobile computing device.

18. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the type of output device available is obtained using a profile of the output device and confirmed by executing a discovery request at the mobile computing device.

19. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the document server and the output device have an inadequate preexisting communications channel there between.

20. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second parameter identifying the type of output device available over the first communications channel is a class of service.

21. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the class of service is wireless printing.

22. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first parameter and the second parameter are specified using a name of the document.

23. A method for processing a document service request originating from a mobile computing device and directed at an output device in communication with the mobile computing device over a first communications channel of the mobile computing device, said method comprising:

responding to a request to establish a second communications channel with the mobile computing device;

receiving over the second communications channel a document service request originating from the mobile computing device;

the document service request including a first parameter identifying a document available to the document server and a second parameter identifying a type of output device available over the first communications channel; and

transmitting to the output device, via the second communications channel established by the mobile computing device, the document rendered in a format suitable for the output device.

24. An article of manufacture, comprising:

a storage medium; and

program instructions stored on the storage medium for processing a document service request on a document server having a processor where the document service request originates from a mobile computing device and is directed at an output device in communication with the mobile computing device over a first communications channel of the mobile computing device;

the processor in executing the program instructions;

responding to a request to establish a second communications channel with the mobile computing device;

receiving over the second communications channel a document service request originating from the mobile computing device;

the document service request including a first parameter identifying a document available to the document server and a second parameter identifying a type of output device available over the first communications channel; and

transmitting to the output device, via the second communications channel established by the mobile computing device, the document rendered in a format suitable for the output device.