UNIVERSAL MOBILE PRINT AGENT

• US 20080004075A1
• Filed: 06/08/2007
• Published: 01/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Horton, Stephen
• Granted Patent: US 8,571,602 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/557
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00132 in a digital photofinishing system, i.e. a system where digital photographic images undergo typical photofinishing processing, e.g. printing ordering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00137 Transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00145 from a remote location
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00188 Printing, e.g. prints or reprints H04N1/0019, H04N1/00196 take precedence
• 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 2201/3253 Position information, e.g. geographical position at time of capture, GPS data

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for enabling output from a mobile device are described herein. A mobile device having an image capture device can selectively generate a hard copy output of a captured image by interfacing with an output device. The mobile device can selectively interface with the output device directly or indirectly via one or more intermediate devices and/or systems. The mobile device can interface directly with an output device using a wired or wireless connection, and can selectively operate as a host or client. The mobile device can selectively couple the stored image to a remote output device via a wireless connection. The mobile device can select the remote output device from a predetermined list of devices, or can be supplied a dynamic list of remote output devices. The dynamic list of output devices can be updated, for example, based on a location of the mobile device.

Claims

1. A method of providing print output for a mobile device, the method comprising:

initializing a print output from the mobile device;

determining whether a selected output device is local or remote;

determining whether a connection to the output device is established as wired or wireless; and

communicating at least one image stored within the mobile device to the selected output device via the connection.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, for a wireless connection, a corresponding wireless transceiver within the mobile device through which the at least one image is communicated to the selected output device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the corresponding wireless transceiver comprises a transceiver configured to communicate with a wireless telephone system.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the corresponding wireless transceiver comprises a transceiver configured to communicate over a packet-based network.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the corresponding wireless transceiver comprises a transceiver configured to support an IEEE 802.11 wireless communication standard.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the corresponding wireless transceiver comprises a transceiver configured to support a Bluetooth communication standard.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

initiating position location of the mobile device; and

determining output device options based, at least in part, on a location of the mobile device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein determining output device options comprises:

receiving one or more filtering criteria;

querying a database of output devices based on the location of the mobile device and the filtering criteria;

determining an output device listing satisfying the filtering criteria.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether the mobile device operates as a host device or a client device based in part on the selected output device.

10. A method of providing print output for a mobile device, the method comprising:

receiving a selection of an output device for printing an image stored within the mobile device;

enabling a connection to a selected output device via one of a wireless transceiver within the mobile device or a wired output port on the mobile device based on an identity of the selected output device; and

communicating the image to the selected output device by one of the wireless transceiver or the wired output port.

11. An apparatus configured to provide mobile print output, the apparatus comprising:

an image capture device;

a wireless transceiver;

a communication processing module coupled to a wired communication port;

an Universal Print Agent (UPA) configured to selectively communicate an image captured by the image capture device to an output device using one of the wireless transceiver or the wired communication port based on an identity of the output device.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising:

a position location module configured to support position location of the apparatus, and

wherein the UPA utilizes the position location to determine a list of output devices from which the output device is selected.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the position location module comprises a GPS receiver.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the position location module supports A-GPS position determination.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the wireless transceiver comprises a wireless telephone transceiver.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the wireless transceiver comprises a Bluetooth enabled transceiver.

17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the wireless transceiver comprises an IEEE 802.11 enabled transceiver.

18. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the communication processing module comprises a Universal Serial Bus host communication module.

19. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the communication processing module comprises a Universal Serial Bus peripheral communication module.

20. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the UPA interfaces to each of the wireless transceiver and communication processing module via a corresponding Application

Program Interface module.

21. An apparatus comprising a machine-readable memory storing a set of processor executable instructions, when executed by the processor configured to perform a method comprising:

receiving a command to initialize a print output from a mobile device;

determining whether a selected output device is local or remote;

determining whether a connection to the output device is established as wired or wireless; and

communicating at least one image stored within the mobile device to the selected output device via the connection.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the method further comprises establishing the connection by controlling a communication processing module corresponding to the connection.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the method further comprises determining, for a wireless connection, a corresponding wireless transceiver within the mobile device through which the at least one image is communicated to the selected output device.

24. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the method further comprises determining a configuration as a host device or a client device based in part on an identity of the selected output device.

25. An apparatus configured to provide mobile print output, the apparatus comprising:

means for receiving a command to initialize a print output from a mobile device;

means for determining whether a selected output device is local or remote;

means for determining whether a connection to the output device is established as wired or wireless; and

means for communicating at least one image stored within the mobile device to the selected output device via the connection.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, further comprising means for processing the at least one image to a communication protocol.

27. The apparatus of claim 25, further comprising:

means for initiating position location of the mobile device; and

means for determining output device options based, at least in part, on a location of the mobile device.