ASSOCIATION OF A PORTABLE SCANNER WITH INPUT/OUTPUT AND STORAGE DEVICES

• US 20110299125A1
• Filed: 08/01/2011
• Published: 12/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: King, Martin T., Grover, Dale L., Kushler, Clifford A., Stafford-Fraser, James Q.
• Granted Patent: US 8,531,710 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1293 Printer information exchange with computer
• 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 1/00326 with a data reading, recognizing or recording apparatus, e.g. with a bar-code apparatus arrangements for the associated working of recording or reproducing apparatus with related apparatus G11B31/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0036 Alphanumeric symbols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00374 on the same page as at least a part of the image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/107 with manual scanning
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32101 Display, printing, storage or transmission of additional information, e.g. ID code, date and time or title
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32133 on the same paper sheet, e.g. a facsimile page header
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32149 Methods relating to embedding, encoding, decoding, detection or retrieval operations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32771 in response to a request, e.g. for a particular document
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4406 Restricting access, e.g. according to user identity mechanisms actuated y cards, PIN or the like in apparatus for dispensing G07F7/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3205 of identification information, e.g. name or ID code H04N2201/3209 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3225 of data relating to an image, a page or a document
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3233 of authentication information, e.g. digital signature, watermark
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3249 data relating to a linked page or object, e.g. hyperlink
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3269 of machine readable codes or marks, e.g. bar codes or glyphs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3273 Display

Abstract

A device identifier is scanned with a portable scanner and communicated to a service provider. The service provider associates the device with the portable scanner. Information is scanned from a printed source and communicated to the service provider and subsequent information is received in response at a device identified by the device identifier. In some embodiments, a communication session identifier is scanned with a portable scanner and communicated to the service provider rather than (or in cooperation with) the device identifier.

Claims

1-16. -16. (canceled)

17. A method comprising:

a computing device receiving, from a portable scanning device, an association request for the portable scanning device to be associated with a candidate output device;

in response to receiving the association request, the computing device determining a physical location of the portable scanning device;

based on at least the physical location of the portable scanning device, the computing device selecting an output device that can produce output based on actions of the portable scanning device; and

after selecting the output device, the computing device forming an association between the portable scanning device and the output device, wherein the association between the portable scanning device and the output device facilitates the output device performing output on behalf of the portable scanning device.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the computing device has access to a database specifying physical locations of output devices, and wherein selecting the output device comprises using the physical location of the portable scanning device to find the output device in the database.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the portable scanning device has a portable scanning device identifier, and wherein the output device has an output device identifier, the method further comprising:

before selecting the output device, the computing device receiving an association between the portable scanning device identifier and the output device identifier,

wherein selecting the output device comprises selecting the output device based in part on the association between the portable scanning device identifier and the output device identifier.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein a session identifier is associated with the output device, wherein the association between the session identifier and the output device is accessible to the computing device, wherein the output device displays the session identifier, wherein the association request contains the session identifier, and wherein selecting the output device comprises selecting the output device using the session identifier.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein selecting the output device comprises selecting the output device based in part on the output device being located proximate to the portable scanning device.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein selecting the output device comprises selecting the output device based in part on the output device supporting voice recognition capabilities.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein selecting the output device comprises selecting the output device based in part on the output device supporting a given type of output.

24. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

after associating the portable scanning device and the output device, the computing device receiving, from the portable scanning device, a content request for multimedia content; and

in response to receiving the content request for multimedia content, the computing device transmitting the requested multimedia content to the output device.

25. An article of manufacture including a non-transitory computer-readable medium, having stored thereon program instructions that, if executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

receive, from a portable scanning device, an association request for the portable scanning device to be associated with a candidate output device;

in response to receiving the association request, determine a physical location of the portable scanning device;

based on at least the physical location of the portable scanning device, select an output device that can produce output based on actions of the portable scanning device; and

after selecting the output device, form an association between the portable scanning device and the output device, wherein the association between the portable scanning device and the output device facilitates the output device performing output on behalf of the portable scanning device.

26. The article of manufacture of claim 25, wherein the computing device has access to a database specifying physical locations of output devices, and wherein selecting the output device comprises using the physical location of the portable scanning device to find the output device in the database.

27. The article of manufacture of claim 25, wherein the portable scanning device has a portable scanning device identifier, and wherein the output device has an output device identifier, wherein the program instructions, if executed by the computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations further comprising:

before selecting the output device, receive an association between the portable scanning device identifier and the output device identifier,

wherein selecting the output device comprises selecting the output device based in part on the association between the portable scanning device identifier and the output device identifier.

28. The article of manufacture of claim 25, wherein a session identifier is associated with the output device, wherein the association between the session identifier and the output device is accessible to the computing device, wherein the output device displays the session identifier, wherein the association request contains the session identifier, and wherein selecting the output device comprises selecting the output device using the session identifier.

29. The article of manufacture of claim 25, wherein selecting the output device comprises selecting the output device based in part on the output device being located proximate to the portable scanning device.

30. The article of manufacture of claim 25, wherein selecting the output device comprises selecting the output device based in part on the output device supporting voice recognition capabilities.

31. The article of manufacture of claim 25, wherein selecting the output device comprises selecting the output device based in part on the output device supporting a given type of output.

32. The article of manufacture of claim 25, wherein the program instructions, if executed by the computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations further comprising:

after associating the portable scanning device and the output device, receive, from the portable scanning device, a content request for multimedia content; and

in response to receiving the content request for multimedia content, transmit the requested multimedia content to the output device.

33. A computing system comprising:

a server device configured to (i) receive, from a portable scanning device, an association request for the portable scanning device to be associated with a candidate output device, (ii) in response to receiving the association request, determine a physical location of the portable scanning device, (iii) based on at least the physical location of the portable scanning device, select an output device that can produce output based on actions of the portable scanning device, and (iv) after selecting the output device, associate the portable scanning device and the output device, wherein the association between the portable scanning device and the output device facilitates the output device performing output on behalf of the portable scanning device, and wherein the association between the portable scanning device and the output device is stored in a database; and

a content device configured to (i) receive, from the portable scanning device, a content request for multimedia content, and (ii) in response to receiving the content request for multimedia content, access the database to determine that the output device is associated with the portable scanning device, and (iii) based on the association between the portable scanning device and the output device, transmit the requested multimedia content to the output device.

34. The computing system of claim 33, wherein a session identifier is associated with the output device, wherein the association between the session identifier and the output device is stored in the database, wherein the output device displays the session identifier, wherein the association request contains the session identifier, and wherein the server device is configured to select the output device using the session identifier.

35. The computing system of claim 33, wherein the database contains specifications of physical locations of output devices, and wherein selecting the output device comprises using the physical location of the portable scanning device to find the output device in the database.

36. The computing system of claim 33, wherein selecting the output device comprises selecting the output device based in part on the output device being located proximate to the portable scanning device.