PROVIDING DEVICE DEFINED USER INTERFACE MODIFIERS TO A COMPUTER SYSTEM

• US 20100100832A1
• Filed: 10/17/2008
• Published: 04/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Tian, Lifen, Wang, Yao-Tian
• Granted Patent: US 8,271,703 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/764
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

In an embodiment, a computer-implemented process comprises, in a computer peripheral device that is configured to be coupled to a computer system, creating and storing one or more user interface modifiers that are defined by the device and configured to be used by the computer system to modify rendering of a user interface in the computer system; and providing the device defined user interface modifiers to the computer system. In an embodiment, the device defined user interface modifiers comprise one or more priority values for one or more features of the device; each of the one or more priority values is associated with an identifier of one of the features; and each of the priority values indicates a relative importance of the associated feature in comparison to other features.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented process comprising:

in a computer peripheral device that is configured to be coupled to a computer system;

creating and storing one or more user interface modifiers that are defined by the device and configured to be used by the computer system to modify rendering of a user interface in the computer system;

providing the device defined user interface modifiers to the computer system.

2. The process of claim 1, wherein the device defined user interface modifiers further comprise one or more display names, one or more constraints, and one or more visibility values;

wherein each of the constraints describes whether an associated feature is allowed or disallowed in combination with another feature;

wherein each of the visibility values specifies whether an associated feature shall be visible in a user interface display.

3. The process of claim 1 further comprising rendering by the computer system a device specific user interface based at least in part upon the provided device defined user interface modifiers.

4. The process of claim 1 further comprising generating the device defined user interface modifiers in a native device language and translating the device defined user interface modifiers to a language compatible with the computer system.

5. The process of claim 1 further comprising creating and storing the device defined user interface modifiers in a user interface modifier table in a memory of the device, wherein the user interface modifier table includes an index for associating a device code with a device feature.

6. The process of claim 4 wherein the translating comprises creating and storing an intermediary mapping table which associates a native device code with a feature for rendering at least a portion of the user interface by the computer system.

7. The process of claim 1, wherein the device defined user interface modifiers comprise one or more priority values for one or more features of the device;

wherein each of the one or more priority values is associated with an identifier of one of the features;

wherein each of the priority values indicates a relative importance of the associated feature in comparison to other features.

8. The process of claim 1 further comprising dynamically pushing the device defined user interface modifiers to the computer system when a change to the configuration of the device is self-determined.

9. The process of claim 1 further comprising storing the device defined user interface modifiers in the computer system, and updating the device defined user interface modifiers in the computer system in response to providing new device defined user interface modifiers from the device to the computer system.

10. A computer-readable storage medium storing one or more sequences of instructions which when executed by one or more processors cause:

in a computer peripheral device that is configured to be coupled to a computer system;

creating and storing one or more user interface modifiers that are defined by the device and configured to be used by the computer system to modify rendering of a user interface in the computer system;

providing the device defined user interface modifiers to the computer system.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the device defined user interface modifiers comprise one or more priority values for one or more features of the device;

wherein each of the one or more priority values is associated with an identifier of one of the features;

wherein each of the priority values indicates a relative importance of the associated feature in comparison to other features.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the device defined user interface modifiers further comprise one or more display names, one or more constraints, and one or more visibility values;

wherein each of the constraints describes whether an associated feature is allowed or disallowed in combination with another feature;

wherein each of the visibility values specifies whether an associated feature shall be visible in a user interface display.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 further comprising instructions which when executed cause rendering by the computer system a device specific user interface based at least in part upon the provided device defined user interface modifiers.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 further comprising instructions which when executed cause generating the device defined user interface modifiers in a native device language and translating the device defined user interface modifiers to a language compatible with the computer system.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 further comprising instructions which when executed cause creating and storing the device defined user interface modifiers in a user interface modifier table in a memory of the device, wherein the user interface modifier table includes an index for associating a device code with a device feature.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 further comprising instructions which when executed cause dynamically pushing the device defined user interface modifiers to the computer system when a change to the configuration of the device is self-determined.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 wherein the device is a printer coupled to a computer system.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 wherein the device is a multifunction printer.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 further comprising instructions which when executed cause storing the device defined user interface modifiers in the computer system, and updating the device defined user interface modifiers in the computer system in response to providing new device defined user interface modifiers from the device to the computer system.

20. An image forming apparatus comprising:

one or more processors;

a computer interface configured to couple the apparatus to a computer system;

a computer-readable storage medium storing one or more sequences of instructions which when executed by the one or more processors cause;

creating and storing one or more user interface modifiers that are defined by the apparatus and configured to be used by a computer system to modify rendering of a user interface in the computer system;

providing the apparatus defined user interface modifiers to the computer system.