Methods for Universal Data Output

• US 20100039660A1
• Filed: 10/19/2009
• Published: 02/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Flexiworld Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Flexiworld Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Liu, Christian Ying, Chang, William Ho
• Granted Patent: US 8,169,649 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.140
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1203 Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. print management
• 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 3/1208 resulting in improved quality of the output result, e.g. print layout, colours, workflows, print preview
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/122 with regard to computing resources, e.g. memory, CPU
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1226 Discovery of devices having required properties
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1228 Printing driverless or using generic drivers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1229 Printer resources management or printer maintenance, e.g. device status, power levels
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1236 Connection management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1238 Secure printing, e.g. user identification, user rights for device usage, unallowed content, blanking portions or fields of a page, releasing held jobs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1245 by conversion to intermediate or common format
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1247 by conversion to printer ready format
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1253 Configuration of print job parameters, e.g. using UI at the client
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1258 by updating job settings at the printer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/128 Direct printing, e.g. sending document file, using memory stick, printing from a camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1284 Local printer device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1285 Remote printer device, e.g. being remote from client or server
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1286 via local network
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1288 : in client-server-printer device configuration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1292 : Mobile client, e.g. wireless printing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 : Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/162 : Interface to dedicated audio devices, e.g. audio drivers, interface to CODECs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 : Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/02 : using printers
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/181 : Receiving print data characterized by its formatting, e.g. particular page description languages
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1836 : Rasterization
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 : specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 : Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/30 : Distributed recognition, e.g. in client-server systems, for mobile phones or network applications
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/223 : Execution procedure of a spoken command
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 : Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 : Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00244 : with a server, e.g. an internet server fax-servers or the like for store and forward H04N1/324
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00283 : with a television apparatus
• 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 1/00403 : Voice input means, e.g. voice commands
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00411 : the display also being used for user input, e.g. touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00488 : providing an audible output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00854 : Recognising an unauthorised user or user-associated action
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00938 : Software related arrangements, e.g. loading applications program loading in general G06F9/445
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32534 : details of interfacing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32582 : Output interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4413 : involving the use of passwords, ID codes or the like, e.g. PIN
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/442 : using a biometric data reading device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0039 : Connection via a network
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0094 : Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/16 : Analogue secrecy systems; Analogue subscription systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 : Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/068 : using credential vaults, e.g. password manager applications or one time password [OTP] applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 : Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 : Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 : Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 : Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 : Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 : WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 : Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A data output method for rendering at an output device content accessible with an information apparatus, includes obtaining at the information apparatus one or more rasterization parameters corresponding to the output device and conforming at the information apparatus at least part of the data content into one or more output images with said one or more rasterization parameters. An intermediate output data is transmitted from the information apparatus to an output controller that is distinct from the information apparatus and associated with the selected output device, the intermediate output data including said one or more output image. The intermediate output data is converted at the output controller into an output data acceptable for rendering at the output device.

Claims

1-22. -22. (canceled)

23. A wireless mobile data output method for rendering content to a wireless output device from a wireless mobile information apparatus, the wireless information apparatus being a distinct device from the wireless output device, the wireless information apparatus including a wireless communication unit for communicating with one or more output devices, the wireless information apparatus further including a graphical user interface for interacting with a user, the wireless and mobile output method comprising:

obtaining at the information apparatus at least part of a content and displaying at least part of the content over the graphical user interface to the user;

opening at the information apparatus a wireless communication channel;

receiving at the information apparatus and over the wireless communication channel at least an indication related to a wireless output device;

selecting at the information apparatus a selected wireless output device based at least in part on the received indication;

conforming at the information apparatus at least part of the content into one or more output images, the one or more output images being encoded in one or more image layers;

generating at the information apparatus a device independent intermediate output data that includes said one or more output images, at least one image layer including output images encoded with compression, and the device independent intermediate output data conforming to a predefined or standard compression method, format or language;

establishing a wireless connection between the information apparatus and the selected wireless output device;

transmitting over the wireless connection the device independent intermediate output data from the information apparatus to the selected wireless output device for rendering of the content.

24. The method according to claim 23 further comprising searching wirelessly at the information apparatus for wireless output devices available for wireless communication;

and discovering one or more wireless output devices.

25. The method of claim 23 in which establishing a wireless connection with the selected wireless output device further comprising authenticating wireless access to the output device that includes sending over the wireless communication channel one or more of an identity of the information apparatus, a user name, password, ID number, signatures, physical or digital security keys, biometrics, fingerprints, and a voice.

26. The method according to claim 23 further comprising obtaining user preferences over the graphical user interface of the wireless information apparatus, the preferences being parameters related to rendering of the content at the selected output device.

27. The method according to claim 23 further comprising transmitting over the wireless connection to the selected wireless output device payment information as payment for rendering of the content at the wireless selected output device.

28. The method of claim 23 in which encoding the one or more output images in one or more image layers includes encoding each image layer with a distinct resolution.

29. The method according to claim 23 in which the wireless information apparatus is one of a laptop computer, a mobile phone, a smart phone, an Internet pad, an Internet appliance, a digital camera, and a PDA.

30. A wireless mobile data output method for rendering content to an output device from a mobile wireless information apparatus, the content including at least one of an image, graphics, text, video and audio data and being at least partly accessible with the information apparatus, the wireless information apparatus being a distinct device from the information apparatus and including a wireless communication unit for communicating with one or more wireless output devices, the wireless information apparatus further including a graphical user interface for interacting with a user, the wireless mobile method comprising:

opening a wireless communication channel at the wireless information apparatus;

receiving over the wireless communication channel at least an indication associated with one or more wireless output devices,

authenticating wireless access to one or more wireless output device by sending over the wireless communication channel one or more security keys, and if the authentication associated with an output device is successful, establishing a secure wireless access from the information apparatus to the output device;

obtaining at the wireless information apparatus at least part of the content;

conforming at the information apparatus at least part of the content into one or more output images and encoding the one or more output images into one or more image layers, at least one image layer includes encoding with compression;

generating at the information apparatus a device independent intermediate output data that includes said one or more output images, the device independent intermediate output data conforming at least partly to a predefined or standard compression method, format or language; and

delivering the device independent intermediate output data over the secured wireless connection to the said output device for rendering of the content.

31. The method according to claim 30 further comprising searching wirelessly at the information apparatus for wireless output devices available for wireless communication;

discovering one or more wireless output devices; and

selecting a wireless output device found in the search based at least in part on the received indication from the output device over the wireless communication channel.

32. The method according to claim 30 further comprising obtaining user preferences over the graphical user interface of the wireless information apparatus, the preferences relating to parameters for rendering of the content at the output device.

33. The method according to claim 30 further comprising transmitting payment information over the secure wireless connection as payment for rendering of the content at the output device.

34. The method of claim 30 in which said security key comprises one or more of an identity of the information apparatus, a user name, password, ID number, signatures, physical or digital security keys, biometrics, fingerprints, and a voice.

35. The method of claim 30 in which encoding the one or more output images into one or more image layers, includes encoding each image layer with a distinct resolution.

36. The method of claim 30 in which the conforming at the information apparatus at least part of the content into one or more output images further includes one or more of a rasterization operation, a scaling operation, an interpolation operation, a decoding operation, an encoding operation, a color correction operation, a color space transformation, a color matching operation, a halftoning operation, an image processing operation, an image enhancement, a segmentation, a digital watermark, a conversion operation, a smoothing operation, an anti-aliasing operation, an encryption operation, and a compression operation.

37. A method of mobile wireless data output from an information apparatus with access to at least part of content to a wireless output device, wherein the information apparatus includes at least one wireless communication unit for communicating with one or more wireless output devices and a graphical user interface for interacting with a user, the wireless information apparatus being a distinct device from the wireless output device, the wireless mobile method comprising:

obtaining at the wireless information apparatus at least part of the content;

opening a wireless communication channel;

discovering wirelessly one or more wireless devices that are available for wireless connection;

receiving over the wireless communication channel an attribute corresponding to each discovered wireless device, the attribute including one or more of a name, an identity, a device type, a device address, and an indication of a supported output device profile;

selecting a wireless output device from among the one or more discovered wireless devices based at least in part on the received attribute;

obtaining a security key at the information apparatus, the security key enabling wireless data transfer to the selected output device;

sending at least part of the security key over the wireless communication channel and requesting the selected wireless output device to open a secured wireless connection for data transfer;

receiving over the wireless communication channel a response related to an authentication; and

if the received response is positive, establishing a secure wireless access between the information apparatus and the selected wireless output device;

obtaining at the wireless information apparatus at least part of the content;

conforming, at the information apparatus, at least part of the content into an output data encoded with a format or language for transmitting to the selected output device; and

transmitting the output data from the information apparatus to the selected output device over the said secured wireless connection for rendering of the content.

38. The method according to claim 37 in which the wireless information apparatus is one of a laptop computer, a mobile phone, a smart phone, an Internet pad, an Internet appliance, a digital camera, and a PDA.

39. The method of claim 37 in which the said security key comprises at least one of an identity of the information apparatus, a user name, password, ID number, signatures, physical or digital security keys, biometrics, fingerprints, and a voice.

40. The method of claim 37 in which the output data includes compressed data and comprising one or more of an audio data, a video data, and an image data.

41. The method of claim 37 in which conforming, at the information apparatus, at least part of the content into an output data comprising conforming at least part of the content into a device dependent output data that is related at least in part to the attribute received over the wireless communication channel and from the selected output device.

42. The method of claim 37 in which conforming, at the information apparatus, at least part of the content into an output data comprising conforming at least part of the content into device independent output data that is related at least in part to a predefined or standard compression, format or language.