Media selection methods in a multi-media printer utilizing print client indicators

• US 20040212834A1
• Filed: 11/21/2003
• Published: 10/28/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Codonics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Codonics Incorporated
• Inventors: Keefe, Gary W., Gilbert, Alan J., Edwards, Richard M., Botten, Peter O.
• Granted Patent: US 8,699,054 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.18
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1205 resulting in increased flexibility in print job configuration, e.g. job settings, print requirements, job tickets
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1253 Configuration of print job parameters, e.g. using UI at the client
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1285 Remote printer device, e.g. being remote from client or server
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/16 Means for paper feeding or form feeding

Abstract

A multi-media printer renders an image from a submitted print job. A decoding module receives the submitted print job and extracts a print client indicator from the submitted print job. A mapping module includes a plurality of entries, each of the plurality of entries including the print client indicator and a corresponding job settings file. A parameter determination module receives the at least one print client indicator and compares the print client indicator to the plurality of entries in the mapping module to determine if a matching entry corresponds to print client indicator. The parameter determination module determines if the corresponding job settings file in the matching entry includes at least one media selection parameter. The parameter determination module outputs at least one media selection parameter as one of the final media selection parameters if the corresponding job settings file in the matching entry is found in the mapping module and the media selection parameters are defined and operational.

Claims

1. A method of determining final media selection parameters, comprising:

receiving a print job including a print client indicator;

comparing the print client indicator to a plurality of entries in a mapping module;

determining if a matching entry including the print client indicator exists in the mapping module;

determining if the matching entry includes media selection parameters; and

outputting at least one of the media selection parameters as one of the final media selection parameters if the matching entry exists in the mapping module.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the print client indicator is a network identity.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the print client indicator is a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) port number.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the print client indicator is a modality indicator.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the print client indicator is a text attribute.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the text attribute is one of a username, a password, a queue name, a logical device name, an AppleTalk ID, a source file name, a destination file name, a destination directory name, a DICOM AE Title, source IP address alias, destination IP address alias, and a free form text field.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the print client indicator is at least two of network identity, a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) port number, a modality indicator, and a text attribute.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the at least two of the network identity, the TCP port number, the text attribute, and the modality indicator correspond to multiple matching entries and a priority indicator determines one of the multiple matching entries that is selected along with the corresponding media selection parameters.

9. A program code storage device, comprising:

a machine-readable storage medium; and

machine-readable program code, stored on the machine-readable storage medium, having instructions, which when executed cause a multi-media printer to;

receive a print job including a print client indicator;

compare the print client indicator to a plurality of entries in a mapping module;

determine if a matching entry including the print client indicator exists in the mapping module;

determine if the matching entry includes media selection parameters; and

output one of the media selection parameters as one of the final media selection parameters if the matching entry exists in the mapping module.

10. The program code storage device of claim 9, wherein the print client indicator is a network identity.

11. The program code storage device of claim 9, wherein the print client indicator is a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) port number.

12. The program code storage device of claim 9, wherein the print client indicator is a modality indicator.

13. The program code storage device of claim 9, wherein the print client indicator is a text attribute.

14. The program code storage device of claim 13, wherein the text attribute is one of a username, a password, a queue, a logical device name, a AppleTalk ID, a source file name, a destination file name, a destination directory name, a DICOM AE Title, a source IP address alias, a destination IP address, and another free-form text field.

15. The program code storage device of claim 9, wherein the print client indicator is at least two of an Internet Protocol (IP) address, a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) port number, a modality indicator, and a text attribute.

16. The program code storage device of claim 15, wherein the at least two of the network identity, the TCP port number, the text attribute, and the modality indicator correspond to multiple matching entries and a priority indicator determines one of the multiple matching entries that is selected along with the corresponding media selection parameters.

17. A multi-media printer to render an image from a submitted print job, comprising:

a decoding module to receive the submitted print job and to extract at least one print client indicator from the submitted print job;

a mapping module including a plurality of entries, each of the plurality of entries including at least one print client indicator and a corresponding media selection parameter; and

a parameter determination module to receive the at least one print client indicator from the decoding module, to compare the at least one print client indicator to the plurality of entries in the mapping module to determine if a matching entry corresponds to the at least one print client indicator, and to output at least one media selection parameter as one of the final media selection parameters if the matching entry is found in the mapping table.

18. The multi-media printer of claim 17, wherein the mapping module is stored on a mass storage device internal to the multi-media printer.

19. The multi-media printer of claim 17, wherein the mapping module is stored on a removable memory device.

20. The multi-media printer of claim 17, wherein the mapping module is updated via am operation panel of the multi-media printer.

21. The multi-media printer of claim 17, wherein the mapping module is updated by transmitting a file in a pre-determined format to the multi-media printer.

22. The multi-media printer of claim 17, wherein the mapping module is updated by transmitting a command from a print client.

23. The multi-media printer of claim 17, wherein the print client indicator is a TCP port number.

24. The multi-media printer of claim 17, wherein the print client indicator is a network identity.

25. The multi-media printer of claim 17, wherein the print client indicator is a modality indicator.

26. The multi-media printer of claim 17, wherein the print client indicator is a text attribute.

27. The multi-media printer of claim 17, wherein the at least one print client indicator has multiple mapping entries in the mapping module and a priority indicator identifies one of the multiple entries as the matching entry.

28. A multi-media printer to render an image from a submitted print job, comprising:

a decoding module to receive the submitted print job and to extract at least one print client indicator from the submitted print job;

a mapping module including a plurality of entries, each of the plurality of entries including at least one print client indicator and a corresponding job settings file, and

a parameter determination module to receive the at least one print client indicator from the decoding module, to compare the at least one print client indicator to the plurality of entries in the mapping module to determine if a matching entry corresponds to the at least one print client indicator, to determine if the job settings file in the matching entry includes at least one media selection parameter, to determine if the at least one media selection parameter is defined and operational, and to output the at least one media selection parameter as one of the final media selection parameters if the job settings file in the matching entry is found in the mapping module.

29. The multi-media printer of claim 28, wherein the mapping module is updated by one of 1) via an operation panel;

2) transmitting a file in a pre-determined format to the multi-media printer; and

     3) transmitting a command from a print client.

30. The multi-media printer of claim 28, wherein the print client indicator is one of a TCP port, a network identity, a modality indicator, and a text attribute.

31. The multi-media printer of claim 30, wherein the at least one print client indicator includes multiple mapping entries in the mapping module and a priority indicator identifies one of the multiple entries as the matching entry.

32. A medical imaging system, comprising:

a plurality of computing devices to transmit print jobs including print job parameters and print job data;

a plurality of medical imaging devices to transmit print jobs including print job parameters and print job data; and

a multi-media printer to receive the print jobs from either the plurality of computing devices or the plurality of medical imaging devices and to create an image from the print job data according to the print job parameters, wherein the multi-media printer includes

a decoding module to receive the submitted print job and to extract at least one print client indicator from the submitted print job;

a mapping module including a plurality of entries, each of the plurality of entries including at least one print client indicator and a corresponding media selection parameter, and

a parameter determination module to receive the at least one print client indicator from the decoding module, to compare the at least one print client indicator to the plurality of entries in the mapping module to determine if a matching entry corresponds to the at least one print client indicator, to determine if the at least one print client indicator is defined and operational, and to output at least one media selection parameter as one of the final media selection parameters if the matching entry is found in the mapping module.

33. The medical imaging system of claim 32, wherein the at least one print client indicator has multiple mapping entries in the mapping module and a priority indicator identifies one of the multiple entries as the matching entry.

34. A medical imaging system, comprising:

a plurality of computing devices to transmit print jobs including print job parameters and print job data;

a plurality of medical imaging devices to transmit print jobs including print job parameters and print job data; and

a multi-media printer to receive the print jobs from either the plurality of computing devices or the plurality of medical imaging devices and to create an image from the print job data according to the print job parameters, wherein the multi-media printer includes

a decoding module to receive the submitted print job and to extract at least one print client indicator from the submitted print job;

a mapping module including a plurality of entries, each of the plurality of entries including at least one print client indicator and a corresponding job settings file; and

a parameter determination module to receive the at least one print client indicator from the decoding module, to compare the at least one print client indicator to the plurality of entries in the mapping module to determine if a matching entry corresponds to the at least one print client indicator, to determine if the job settings file in the matching entry includes at least one media selection parameter, to determine if the at least one media selection parameter is defined and operational, and to output at least one media selection parameter as one of the final media selection parameters if the matching entry is found in the mapping module.