SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR RELEASING PRINT JOBS BASED ON LOCATION INFORMATION

• US 20120069386A1
• Filed: 09/17/2010
• Published: 03/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: PrinterOn Incorporated (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: St. Laurent, Michael, Onischke, Mark, Kuindersma, Michael, Krishnammagaru, Dharmesh, Stairs, Jonathon, Noreikis, Ken
• Granted Patent: US 8,570,566 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• 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 3/122 with regard to computing resources, e.g. memory, CPU
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1222 Increasing security of the print job
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1226 Discovery of devices having required properties
• 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 3/126 Job scheduling, e.g. queuing, determine appropriate device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1267 Job repository, e.g. non-scheduled jobs, delay printing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1285 Remote printer device, e.g. being remote from client or server
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1292 Mobile client, e.g. wireless printing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A system and method that provides a user interface on a mobile network terminal for operation with a printer resource access system wherein the user interface is modified for releasing a print job from a nearby printer resource. Since printer resources may include any number of print job release mechanism each requiring different authentication information, the user interface must be modified appropriately. The mobile network terminal obtains location information from a location service, such as GPS or an internet based location service, and provides the location information to a printer directory service in a printer resource access system. The printer directory service then consults the database of printer resource information and provides connection and configuration information for printer resource located nearby the mobile network terminal. The mobile network terminal modifies its user interface to accept the appropriate type of authentication and configuration information specified by the printer directory service. The authentication information may then be provided over a secure network connection to the printer resource to release the print job.

Claims

1. A method for releasing a print job from a printer resource in proximity to a mobile network terminal, the method comprising:

obtaining location information of the mobile network terminal through a location service;

providing location information to a printer directory service;

receiving connection and configuration information for the printer resource; and

modifying a user interface of the mobile network terminal to accept authentication information required to release the print job from the printer resource.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprises providing the authentication information to the printer resource.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the configuration information comprises at least one type of authentication information accepted by the printer resource and modifying the user interface further comprises modifying the user interface to accept the at least one type of authentication information.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the configuration information comprises at least one release mechanism type accepted by the printer resource and modifying the user interface further comprises modifying the user interface to accept the at least one release mechanism type.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the location information is geographical coordinates.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the connection information is a network address.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the network address corresponds to the printer resource.

8. A method of releasing a print job from a printer resource, the method comprising:

receiving location information;

querying a database of printer resource information to identify one or more printer resources near a location corresponding to the location information;

providing connection and configuration information from the database for the one or more printer resources;

receiving authentication information associated with the print job; and

releasing the print job if the authentication information is verified.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising receiving a selection of at least one of the one or more printer resources.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the configuration information comprises at least one type of authentication information accepted by the one or more printer resources.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein the configuration information comprises at least one release mechanism type accepted by the one or more printer resources.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein the location information is geographical coordinates.

13. The method of claim 8 wherein the location information is network information and the database contains network information for printer resources.

14. The method of claim 8 wherein the connection information is a network address.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the network address corresponds to the printer resource.

16. A mobile network terminal for releasing a print job from a nearby printer resource, the mobile network terminal comprising:

a network interface;

a memory for storing program code and data;

a processor having access to the memory to execute program code, the processor configured to obtain location information of the mobile network terminal through a location service, provide location information to a printer directory service, receive connection and configuration information for the printer resource, and modifying a user interface of the mobile network terminal to accept authentication information required to release the print job from the printer resource.

17. A system for releasing a print job from a printer resource, the system comprising:

a database of printer resource information; and

one or more servers having a processor and memory for storing program code, the one or more servers connected through a communications network to the printer resource and the database, the processor when executing the program code is configured to receive location information, query the database of printer resource information to identify one or more printer resources near a location corresponding to the location information, provide connection and configuration information from the database for the one or more printer resources, receive authentication information associated with the print job; and

release the print job if the authentication information is verified.