Marking machine user interface enhancement via portable electronic device

• US 20040041848A1
• Filed: 10/16/2002
• Published: 03/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Talbert, Bruce E., Wegeng, Donald L.
• Application Number:
  US10/272,870
• Publication Number:
  US 20040041848A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/864
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/166 related to integrated arrangements for adjusting the position of the main body with respect to the supporting surface, e.g. legs for adjusting the tilt angle
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00127 Connection or combination of a still picture apparatus with another apparatus, e.g. for storage, processing or transmission of still picture signals or of information associated with a still picture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00307 with a mobile telephone apparatus constructional features of portable telephone sets H04M1/0202; mobile radio systems H04W84/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00352 Input means H04N1/00411 takes precedence; input arrangements for computers G06F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/001 Sharing resources, e.g. processing power or memory, with a connected apparatus or enhancing the capability of the still picture apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0041 Point to point H04N2201/0039 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0053 Optical, e.g. using an infrared link
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0055 By radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0082 Image hardcopy reproducer H04N2201/0091 - H04N2201/0094 take precedence

Abstract

A user interface extension allows data entry into a field of a marking machine user interface from an electronic device via compatible communications ports. In embodiments, a marking machine includes a UI into which data must be entered. The user takes the UI to the point at which data must be entered, then lets the machine know that data will be transmitted from another source, at which point the machine begins monitoring its communications ports for the data. The user enters or selects data to be transmitted from the electronic device, then indicates that the data is ready to be sent, at which point the electronic device transmits the data to the machine via a communications port of the electronic device. Examples of suitable marking machines include multifunction inkjet and xerographic machines. Examples of suitable electronic devices include laptop computers, PDAs, cellular telephones, and PDA/telephone hybrid devices.

Claims

1. An interface comprising:

an input device with which a user can enter data into an electronic device;

a transmission system allowing transmission of data to a local user interface of a marking machine.

2. An interface according to claim 1 wherein the transmission system uses a wireless networking communications port of the electronic device.

3. The interface of claim 2 wherein the wireless networking system includes an infrared port.

4. The interface of claim 3 wherein the infrared port is an Infrared Data Association (IrDA) compatible infrared port.

5. The interface of claim 2 wherein the wireless networking system includes a radio based communications port.

6. The interface of claim 5 wherein the radio based communications port is a BlueTooth port.

7. The interface of claim 5 wherein the radio based communications port is an IEEE 802.11 based port.

8. The interface of claim 2 wherein the electronic device is a cellular telephone including Short Message Service and the marking machine can receive Short Message Service messages including the data a user enters.

9. The interface of claim 1 wherein the input device comprises a stylus.

10. The interface of claim 1 implemented as an applet in the electronic device.

11. The interface of claim 10 further comprising a component resident on the marking machine that receives the data and inserts the data into an active field of the local UI of the marking machine.

12. The interface of claim 11 wherein the local UI of the marking machine includes a numeric keypad and a touch screen.

13. A method of effectively extending a marking machine local UI comprising:

providing an electronic device with a communications port and an input device;

entering data on the electronic device with the input device; and

transmitting the data to the marking machine via the communications port.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising providing a software application on the marking machine that inserts the transmitted data into an active area on the local UI of the marking machine.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising equipping the marking machine with a wireless communications port.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the communications ports on the computer and the marking machine are IrDA compatible.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein equipping includes connecting the wireless communications port to the marking machine.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein equipping includes installing the wireless communications on a network to which the marking machine is connected.

19. The method of claim 13 wherein providing an electronic device with a communications port and an input device includes providing a stylus interface.

20. The method of claim 13 wherein the marking machine includes a UI dialog into which an entry must be made, and a command to receive data into the UI dialog from the communications port of the computer.

21. The method of claim 13 wherein entering text data includes indicating when text data entry is complete.

22. The method of claim 13 wherein entering text data includes reading at least a portion of an entry in a database on the computer.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the database is an address book and reading at least a portion of an entry in a database includes reading an e-mail address from the address book.

24. The method of claim 22 wherein the database is an address book and reading at least a portion of an entry in a database includes reading a fax number from the address book.

25. An interface comprising:

an input device with which a user can enter data into an electronic device;

a transmission system allowing transmission of data to a local user interface of a marking machine via a wireless networking communications port of the electronic device;

the interface further comprising;

interacting with a UI of the marking machine to enable an active area for data entry;

indicating to the marking machine UI that data will be entered via a remote device;

monitoring by the marking machine of a communications port of the marking machine;

providing an electronic device with a communications port and an input device;

entering data on the electronic device with the input device;

transmitting the data to the marking machine via the communications port;

detecting, by the marking machine, incoming data from the electronic device; and

entering the incoming data into the active UI area.