Method and system for remote access and customization of internally generated printing node status report

• US 20080309967A1
• Filed: 06/14/2007
• Published: 12/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Ferlitsch, Andrew Rodney, Murdock, Joseph Bert
• Granted Patent: US 8,274,678 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/121 Facilitating exception or error detection and recovery, e.g. fault, media or consumables depleted
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1214 at the submitting node
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1234 Errors handling and recovery, e.g. reprinting G06F3/1261 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1273 Print job history, e.g. logging, accounting, tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1285 Remote printer device, e.g. being remote from client or server
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00222 details of image data generation or reproduction, e.g. scan-to-email or network printing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0017 Notifying a communication result
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0072 Detecting the status of a connected apparatus

Abstract

Methods and systems for facilitating remote access and customization of internally generated printing node status reports. In some embodiments, the methods and systems advantageously facilitate remote access and customization of internally generated printing node status reports by adapting preexisting features that generate local hard copies of printing node status reports in response to locally initiated commands. Such adaptation enables a printing node to receive, process and respond to remotely initiated requests for printing node status reports in a manner that permits remote customization of the style of printing node status reports.

Claims

1. A printing node, comprising:

a network interface; and

a processor communicatively coupled with the network interface, wherein the processor is adopted to receive a request for printing node status information via the network interface and in response to the request generate printing node status information, format the printing node status information in an internal printing format, reformat the printing node status information in a customizable viewing format and transmit a response including the reformatted printing node status information via the network interface.

2. The printing node of claim 1, wherein the internal printing format is a page description language (PDL) print data format.

3. The printing node of claim 1, wherein the internal printing format is a print engine-ready data format.

4. The printing node of claim 1, wherein the customizable viewing format is an extensible markup language (XML) data format.

5. The printing node of claim 1, wherein the customizable viewing format retains one or more generic layout elements of the internal printing format.

6. The printing node of claim 5, wherein the generic layout elements comprise one or more of page boundaries, line boundaries and column positions of text sequences.

7. The printing node of claim 1, wherein the request is an HTTP/HTML request.

8. The printing node of claim 1, wherein the request is a Web Services request.

9. The printing node of claim 1, wherein the request is an email request.

10. The printing node of claim 1, wherein the request is transmitted over the Internet.

11. The printing node of claim 1, wherein the response comprises a default style specification.

12. The printing node of claim 11, wherein the default style specification specifies an XML style sheet.

13. The printing node of claim 1, wherein the printing node status information comprises diagnostic information on or more of printing node hardware and software.

14. The printing node of claim 1, wherein the printing node is a multifunction printer.

15. A printing node, comprising:

a network interface; and

a processor communicatively coupled with the network interface, wherein the processor is adapted to receive a request for printing node status information via the network interface and in response to the request generate printing node status information in a printer-specific format, convert the printer-specific format into a customizable viewing format, and transmit a response including the printing node status information in the customizable viewing format via the network interface.

16. The printing node of claim 15, wherein the printer-specific format is a PDL print data format.

17. The printing node of claim 15, wherein the printer-specific format is a print engine-ready data format.

18. The printing node of claim 15, wherein the customizable viewing format is an XML data format.

19. A method for facilitating remote access and customization of internally generated printing node status reports, comprising the steps of:

receiving on a printing node from a remote node a request for printing node status information; and

in response to the request;

generating on the printing node printing node status information;

formatting on the printing node the printing node status information in an internal printing format;

reformatting on the printing node the printing node status information in an customizable viewing format; and

transmitting from the printing node to the remote node a response including the reformatted printing node status information.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the internal printing format is one of a PDL print data format and a print engine-ready data format and wherein the customizable viewing format is an XML data format.