SERVER APPLICATIONS AND SYSTEMS FOR RENDERING RECEIVED DIGITAL CONTENT

• US 20110279863A1
• Filed: 05/16/2011
• Published: 11/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Flexiworld Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Flexiworld Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Chang, William Ho, Liu, Christina Ying
• Granted Patent: US 8,705,097 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• 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 3/1247 by conversion to printer ready format
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/126 Job scheduling, e.g. queuing, determine appropriate device
• 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: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/32 using wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3224 Transactions dependent on location of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/327 Short range or proximity payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2805 Home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2809 indicating that an appliance service is present in a home automation network monitoring functionality H04L43/0817; discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services, H04L67/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2812 describing content present in a home automation network, e.g. audio video content retrieval from the Internet G06F16/95
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2834 Switching of information between an external network and a home network access arrangements H04L12/2856
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2838 Distribution of signals within a home automation network, e.g. involving splitting/multiplexing signals to/from different paths adaptations of television systems for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution H04N7/106; hybrid transport H04L12/6418; home network arrangements specially adapted for distribution of digital video signals H04N7/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/285 Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 : wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0492 : by using a location-limited connection, e.g. near-field communication or limited proximity of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 : specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• 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: H04L 67/56 : Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 : Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5651 : Reducing the amount or size of exchanged application data

Abstract

Server applications and systems for rendering digital content received from an information apparatus, the systems including a server, one or more server applications enabling multiple concurrent users to log on and access the one or more server applications in separate and protected sessions, and an output device. The server may receive a content object that includes digital content and instructions for manipulating the digital content. The server may further receive one or more job objects including at least one of authentication information, payment information, and subscription information. The server may generate an output data related to the output job, and send the output data for rendering at the output device. The systems may send a confirmation related to the output of digital content to the information apparatus. The systems may also store digital content at a server node over the Internet for use by the information apparatus.

Claims

1. A data output service method implemented by a data output computing system for rendering digital content received from an information apparatus, the information apparatus including a browsing application for viewing and selecting at least part of the digital content, the data output computing system including:

a server over the Internet that is distinct from the information apparatus,

one or more server applications at the server for receiving one or more objects in accordance with an object model or a software component model,

a multi-user operating system at the server for enabling multiple concurrent users to log on and access the one or more server applications in separate and protected sessions,

an output device for rendering digital content onto an output medium, the output device being a distinct device from the information apparatus and the server, and

an output controller having a connection to the output device, the output controller being a distinct device from the output device, the information apparatus, and the server, the method comprising;

receiving, at the server, one or more content objects from the information apparatus over the Internet, the one or more content objects being in accordance with an object model or a software component model acceptable to the one or more server applications at the server, and the one or more content objects including;

at least part of the digital content for rendering, and

one or more instructions associated with changing, manipulating or processing of the digital content;

receiving, at the server, one or more job objects from the information apparatus over the Internet, the one or more job objects being in accordance with an object model or a software component model acceptable to the one or more server applications at the server, the one or more job objects including;

at least one of security and authentication information related to at least one of the information apparatus and a user of the information apparatus, and

at least one of payment and subscription information related to the at least one of the information apparatus and a user of the information apparatus;

generating, by the one or more server applications at the server, an output data related to an output job, the output data for rendering the digital content at the output device, and the output data including information related, at least in part, to the one or more job objects received at the server, and the output data including information related, at least in part, to the one or more content objects received at the server;

sending, from the server over the Internet, the output data to the output controller for rendering at the output device;

receiving, at the output controller, the output data over the Internet from the server;

processing, at the output controller, at least part of the output data for rendering at the output device;

passing at least part of the output data from the output controller to the output device for rendering;

rendering the digital content at the output device onto an output medium with the received output data; and

sending a confirmation, by the data output computing system to the information apparatus, the confirmation including information associated with the output job.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the confirmation includes information related to the digital content and information related to a service fee.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more content objects further includes a pointer or reference to the digital content, and the one or more server applications operating at the server are further configured to obtain at least part of the digital content from a content server at a network node over the Internet.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving an output device object with an identification attribute related to the output device.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more job objects further includes one or more attributes corresponding to at least one of (1) one of color and grayscale, (2) one of duplex and single sided, and (3) number of cards per page.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising processing the output data at the output controller, the processing of the output data at the output controller comprising performing one or more image processing operations including at least one of rasterization, a scaling, a segmentation, a color space transformation, an image enhancement, a color correction, a digital halftoning, and a format conversion.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising sending, from the data output system to the information apparatus, at least one of an estimated processing time and a status associated with the output job.

8. A data output system for rendering digital content received from an information apparatus, the information apparatus including a browsing application for viewing and selecting at least part of the digital content, the data output system including:

a server over the Internet that is distinct from the information apparatus,

one or more server applications at the server for receiving one or more objects in accordance with an object model or a software component model,

a multi-user operating system at the server for enabling multiple concurrent users to log on and access the one or more server applications in separate and protected sessions,

an output device for rendering digital content onto an output medium, the output device being a distinct device from the information apparatus and the server,

an output controller having a connection to the output device, the output controller being a distinct device from the output device, the information apparatus, and the server, the data output system further comprising;

means for receiving, at the server, one or more content objects from the information apparatus over the Internet, the one or more content objects being in accordance with an object model or a software component model acceptable to the one or more server applications at the server, and the one or more content objects including at least part of the digital content for rendering;

means for receiving, at the server, one or more job objects from the information apparatus over the Internet, the one or more job objects being in accordance with an object model or a software component model acceptable to the one or more server applications at the server, the one or more job objects including;

security and authentication information related to at least one of the information apparatus and a user of the information apparatus, the security information including a security key and the authentication information including at least one of identity information and biometric information,

at least one of payment and subscription information related to the at least one of the information apparatus and a user of the information apparatus, and

an instruction related to an output job;

means for generating, by the one or more server applications at the server, an output data related to the output job, the output data for rendering the digital content at the output device, and the output data including information related, at least in part, to the one or more job objects received at the server, and the output data including information related, at least in part, to the one or more content objects received at the server;

means for sending, from the server over the Internet, the output data to the output controller for rendering at the output device; and

means for sending, by the data output system, a confirmation to the information apparatus, the confirmation including information related to the digital content and information related to a service fee.

9. The data output system of claim 8 further comprising means for obtaining, at the server, one or more output device objects from the information apparatus, the one or more output device objects including an identity attribute related to the output device.

10. The data output system of claim 8 in which the output device includes one or more of a printing device, a television device, and an audio output device.

11. The data output system of claim 8 in which the one or more job object further includes an instruction related to the output job.

12. The data output system of claim 8 further comprising means for processing the output data at the output controller, the means for processing the output data at the output controller comprising means for performing one or more image processing operations that includes at least one of a rasterization, a scaling, a segmentation, a color space transformation, an image enhancement, a color correction, a digital halftoning, and a format conversion.

13. The data output system of claim 8 wherein the one or more job objects further includes one or more attributes corresponding to at least one of (1) one of color and grayscale, (2) one of duplex and single sided, and (3) number of cards per page.

14. A data output service method implemented by a computing system for rendering digital content received from an information apparatus, the information apparatus including a browsing application for viewing and selecting at least part of the digital content, the computing system including:

a server over the Internet that is distinct from the information apparatus,

one or more server applications at the server for receiving one or more objects in accordance with an object model or a software component model,

a multi-user operating system at the server for enabling multiple concurrent users to log on and access the one or more server applications in separate and protected sessions,

an output device for rendering digital content onto an output medium, the output device being a distinct device from the information apparatus and the server, and

an output controller having a connection to the output device, the output controller being a distinct device from the information apparatus and the server, the method implemented by the computing system comprising;

receiving, at the server, one or more job objects from the information apparatus over the Internet, the one or more job objects being in accordance with an object model or a software component model acceptable to the one or more server applications at the server, the one or more job objects including;

at least one of security and authentication information related to at least one of the information apparatus and a user of the information apparatus, and

at least one of payment and subscription information related to the at least one of the information apparatus and a user of the information apparatus;

receiving, by the one or more server applications, the digital content from the information apparatus over the Internet;

storing, by the one or more server applications, the digital content received from the information apparatus at a server node over the Internet;

receiving, at the server, one or more content objects from the information apparatus over the Internet, the one or more content objects being in accordance with an object model or a software component model acceptable to the one or more server applications at the server, and the one or more content objects including;

a pointer or reference to the digital content, and

one or more instructions associated with changing, manipulating, or processing of the digital content;

obtaining, by the one or more server applications, the digital content stored at the server node over the Internet employing, at least in part, the pointer or reference to the digital content included in the one or more content objects received at the server;

generating, by the one or more server applications at the server, an output data from the obtained digital content from the server node, the output data including information related, at least in part, to the one or more job objects received at the server, and the output data including information related, at least in part, to the one or more content objects received at the server, and wherein the generating of the output data by the one or more server applications at the server includes processing the digital content using the one or more instructions included in the one or more content objects associated with changing, manipulating, or processing the digital content;

sending, from the server over the Internet, the output data to the output controller for processing, at the output controller, at least part of the output data for rendering at the output device.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising obtaining, at the server, one or more output device objects from the information apparatus, the one or more output device objects including an identity attribute related to the output device.

16. The method of claim 14 further comprising sending, from the computing system to the information apparatus, at least one of an estimated processing time and a status associated with the output job.

17. The method of claim 14 in which the one or more job objects further includes an instruction related to the output job.

18. The method of claim 14 in which the authentication information includes at least one of a security key and biometric information.

19. The method of claim 14 in which the data output service method is a video output service method and the output device includes a television.

20. The method of claim 14 in which the data output service method is a printing service method and the output device includes a printing device.