Automatic discovery of print media attributes

• US 20070263236A1
• Filed: 04/27/2006
• Published: 11/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Selvaraj, Senthil
• Application Number:
  US11/414,280
• Publication Number:
  US 20070263236A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.900
• 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 3/1226 Discovery of devices having required properties
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1288 in client-server-printer device configuration

Abstract

A technique is provided for automatically discovering the values of attributes of print media disposed in input bins of a printing device. A driver process associated with the printing device queries a configuration file to retrieve information pertaining to the input bins. Based on the information, a request is generated and sent to the printing device. The query may include an identifier that identifies an attribute of a print medium currently disposed in an input bin of the printing device. The printing device receives the request and queries a database associated with the printing device. The printing device retrieves, from the database, a value associated with the identifier. The driver process receives the value from the printing device and updates a variable, corresponding to the attribute, with the value.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for the automatic discovery of a value of an attribute of a print medium, comprising:

generating a request for the value of the attribute of the print medium, wherein the print medium is currently disposed in an input bin of a printing device;

sending the request to the printing device;

receiving a response indicating the value for the attribute; and

updating a variable with the value, wherein the variable is associated with the attribute.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the request includes an identifier;

the identifier identifies the attribute; and

based on the identifier, the printing device retrieves the value.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending the request and receiving a response are performed using one of the following communication protocols:

Simple Network Management Protocol, Universal Plug and Play, and Web Services Discovery.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the printing device communicates with a database using the Simple Network Management Protocol.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the request is sent to the printing device upon the occurrence of one of the following events:

a driver associated with the printing device is installed;

a detection of an update on the printing device;

a particular input from a user is received; and

a completion of a scheduled cycle.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the attribute of the print medium includes one of the following attributes:

thickness, size, type, color, orientation, and whether a particular medium is pre-printed.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating a request comprises:

querying a configuration file associated with the printing device; and

retrieving, from the configuration file, an identifier that identifies the attribute.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the configuration file is in XML format.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein:

a graphical user interface (GUI) is associated with the printing device; and

the variable corresponds to a GUI object associated with the GUI.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the request identifies the input bin.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the generating a request includes a printer driver generating the request;

the sending the request includes the printer driver sending the request;

the receiving a response includes the printer driver receiving the response; and

the updating a variable includes the printer driver updating the variable.

12. A computer-implemented method for the automatic discovery of a value of an attribute of a print medium, comprising:

receiving, from a requesting process, a request for the value of the attribute, wherein the print medium is currently disposed in an input bin of a printing device;

retrieving the value from a database associated with the printing device; and

sending, to the requesting process, a response that includes the value.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the database is a management information base (MIB).

14. The method of claim 12, wherein:

the request includes an identifier;

the identifier identifies the attribute; and

the retrieving the value from a database comprises retrieving the value from a database, based on the identifier.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the receiving a request and the sending a response are performed using one of the following communication protocols:

Simple Network Management Protocol, Universal Plug and Play, and Web Services Discovery.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the retrieving the value from a database is performed using the Simple Network Management Protocol.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the request is received upon the occurrence of one of the following events:

a driver associated with the printing device is installed;

a detection of an update on the printing device;

a particular input from a user is received; and

a completion of a scheduled cycle.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the attribute includes one of the following attributes:

thickness, size, type, color, orientation, and whether a particular medium is pre-printed.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the request identifies the input bin.

20. A computer-readable medium for the automatic discovery of a value of an attribute of a print medium, the computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the computer-implemented steps of:

generating a request for the value of the attribute of the print medium, wherein the print medium is currently disposed in an input bin of a printing device;

sending the request to the printing device;

receiving a response indicating the value for the attribute; and

updating a variable with the value, wherein the variable is associated with the attribute.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein

the request includes an identifier;

the identifier identifies the attribute; and

based on the identifier, the printing device retrieves the value.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the sending the request and receiving a response are performed using one of the following communication protocols:

Simple Network Management Protocol, Universal Plug and Play, and Web Services Discovery.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the printing device communicates with a database using the Simple Network Management Protocol.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the request is sent to the

printing device upon the occurrence of one of the following events:

a driver associated with the printing device is installed;

a detection of an update on the printing device;

a particular input from a user is received; and

a completion of a scheduled cycle.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the attribute of the print medium includes one of the following attributes:

thickness, size, type, color, orientation, and whether a particular medium is pre-printed.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein generating a request comprises:

querying a configuration file associated with the printing device; and

retrieving, from the configuration file, an identifier that identifies the attribute.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 26, wherein the configuration file is in XML format.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein:

a graphical user interface (GUI) is associated with the printing device; and

the variable corresponds to a GUI object associated with the GUI.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the request identifies the input bin.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein:

the generating a request includes a printer driver generating the request;

the sending the request includes the printer driver sending the request;

the receiving a response includes the printer driver receiving the response; and

the updating a variable includes the printer driver updating the variable.

31. A computer-readable medium for the automatic discovery of a value of an attribute of a print medium, the computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the computer-implemented steps of:

receiving, from a requesting process, a request for the value of the attribute, wherein the print medium is currently disposed in an input bin of a printing device;

retrieving the value from a database associated with the printing device; and

sending, to the requesting process, a response that includes the value.

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 31, wherein the database is a management information base (MIB).

33. The computer-readable medium of claim 31, wherein:

the request includes an identifier;

the identifier identifies the attribute; and

the retrieving the value from a database comprises retrieving the value from a database, based on the identifier.

34. The computer-readable medium of claim 31, wherein the receiving a request and the sending a response are performed using one of the following communication protocols:

Simple Network Management Protocol, Universal Plug and Play, and Web Services Discovery.

35. The computer-readable medium of claim 31, wherein the retrieving the value from a database is performed using the Simple Network Management Protocol.

36. The computer-readable medium of claim 31, wherein the request is received upon the occurrence of one of the following events:

a driver associated with the printing device is installed;

a detection of an update on the printing device;

a particular input from a user is received; and

a completion of a scheduled cycle.

37. The computer-readable medium of claim 31, wherein the attribute includes one of the following attributes:

thickness, size, type, color, orientation, and whether a particular medium is pre-printed.

38. The computer-readable medium of claim 31, wherein the request identifies the input bin.