Method and apparatus for configuring multiple printers on a network

• US 5,905,906 A
• Filed: 08/07/1997
• Issued: 05/18/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lexmark International Incorporated (Ninestar Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lexmark International Incorporated (Ninestar Corporation)
• Inventors: Goffinet, Kevin Patrick, Songer, Gail Marie, Young, Lloyd Phillip, Webb, James Francis, Rafferty, Francis Darrell Jr., Wedinger, Jeffrey Keith
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheikh, Ayaz R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Myers, Paul R.
• Application Number:
  US08/906,650
• Time in Patent Office: 649 Days
• Field of Search: 395/821, 395/114, 395/828, 395/839, 395/284
• US Class Current: 710/8
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1297 Printer code translation, conversion, emulation, compression; Configuration of printer parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/00 Arrangements for producing a permanent visual presentation of the output data , e.g. computer output printersprinting or plotting combined with another operation, e.g. with conveying, G06K17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2215/0002 Handling the output data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/28 characterised by path configuration, e.g. LAN [Local Area Networks] or WAN [Wide Area Networks] wireless communication networks H04W ; arrangements for dividing the transmission path H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0889 Techniques to speed-up the configuration process
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/26 Special purpose or proprietary protocols or architectures network applications for proprietary or special purpose networking environments H04L67/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A networked system having a host computer and multiple printers with bi-directional communications capabilities is provided in which the setup (configuration) of one printer can be easily communicated to another printer, using NPAP messages. The host computer can be used by a Network Administrator to "read" the setup or configuration information inside each of the printers connected to the network that have the required NPAP bi-directional communications capability. This setup information, once communicated to the host computer, can be stored in a long-term memory, such as a hard disk drive, for future reference. The setup information can also be communicated to one or more printers connected to the network, and such printers can be configured by the setup information in which that information is used either as their initial setup information, or as a modified setup. The Network Administrator can use a single command that specifies precisely which printers are to receive that setup information, and all specified printers will automatically be reconfigured with the new setup.

Claims

1. A networked system including a host computer, a plurality of printers, and a communications network therebetween, said networked system comprising:

(a) a host computer having a storage medium for holding data, a first memory circuit for temporary storage of data, a first communications port that receives and transmits data, a first processing circuit that controls the routing of data between said storage medium, first memory circuit, and first communications port;

(b) a first printer of said plurality of printers, said first printer having a bi-directional communications capability, a second memory circuit for storage of data including setup information which configures the first printer, a second communications port that receives and transmits data, a first print engine, a second processing circuit that controls the routing of data between said second memory circuit and second communications port, said second communications port being configured, after receiving a command from said host computer, to transmit the first printer'"'"'s setup information to said communications network;

(c) said first communications port being configured to receive said first printer'"'"'s setup information from said communications network, and said first memory circuit being configured to store said first printer'"'"'s setup information;

(d) a second printer of said plurality of printers, said second printer having a bi-directional communications capability, a third memory circuit for storage of data including setup information which configures the second printer, a third communications port that receives and transmits data, a second print engine, a third processing circuit that controls the routing of data between said third memory circuit and third communications port, said second printer being configurable in that the contents of said third memory circuit may be altered, thereby altering the second printer'"'"'s setup information;

(e) said first processing circuit being further configured, by use of a single command operation entered at said host computer by a user, to cause said first communications port to further transmit said first printer'"'"'s setup information to said communications network, and said third communications port being configured to receive said first printer'"'"'s setup information from said communications network; and

(f) said third processing circuit, without maintaining a dialog with the user at said host computer to allow the host computer to inspect the existing configuration of said second printer, being configured to operate upon said first printer'"'"'s setup information received via said third communications port and causing said third memory circuit to store, after being received by said third communications port, said first printer'"'"'s setup information and thereby automatically configure said second printer to have the identical setup as said first printer, by using said first printer'"'"'s setup information.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said second and third processing circuits each include a Network Printing Alliance Protocol processing circuit capable of receiving and transmitting information that conforms to the Network Printing Alliance Protocol.

3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said second printer is configured to contain an earlier setup in its third memory circuit, and is further configured to receive said first printer'"'"'s setup information and to overwrite the earlier setup with said first printer'"'"'s setup information into its third memory circuit, thereby configuring said second printer with the identical setup as said first printer.

4. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said second printer is initially configured to contain only a factory setup in its third memory circuit, and is further configured to receive said first printer'"'"'s setup information and to overwrite the factory setup with said first printer'"'"'s setup information into its third memory circuit, thereby automatically configuring said second printer with the identical setup as said first printer.

5. The system as recited in claim 1, further comprising a third printer of said plurality of printers, said third printer having a bi-directional communications capability, a fourth memory circuit for storage of data including setup information which configures the third printer, a fourth communications port that receives and transmits data, a third print engine, a fourth processing circuit that controls the routing of data between said fourth memory circuit and fourth communications port, said third printer being configurable in that the contents of said fourth memory circuit may be altered, thereby altering the third printer'"'"'s setup information;

and said first communications port being further configured to further transmit, under the control of said first processing circuit and by use of said single command operation entered at said host computer by said user, said first printer'"'"'s setup information to said communications network, and said fourth communications port being configured to receive said first printer'"'"'s setup information from said communications network, and said fourth memory circuit being configured to store said first printer'"'"'s setup information wherein said first printer'"'"'s setup information becomes said third printer'"'"'s setup information, thereby automatically configuring said third printer with the identical setup as said first printer.

6. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said second printer includes an Options Manager that controls the reading from and writing to operations of said third memory circuit, and said third memory circuit includes non-volatile random access memory which contains the setup information that configures the second printer.

7. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the storage medium of said host computer comprises a hard disk drive.

8. A method for configuring a printer from a host computer via a network, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) configuring a first printer having bi-directional communications capability with a particular setup, and thereby creating a data Set at said first printer;

(b) transmitting said data set via a communications port on said first printer to a network;

(c) receiving said data set via a communications port of a host computer from said network, and storing said data set in a memory residing on said host computer;

(d) selecting a second printer connected to said network to he configured with a setup;

(c) transmitting, using a single command operation entered at said host computer by a user, said data set via said communications port on said host computer to said network; and

(f) receiving said data set from said network via a communications port on said second printer then, without maintaining a dialog between said second printer and the user at said host computer to allow the host computer to inspect the existing configuration of said second printer, automatically configuring said second printer with information contained in said data set, thereby configuring said second printer to an identical setup as the first printer'"'"'s particular setup.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, further comprising the steps of selecting a third printer connected to said network to be configured with a setup;

and receiving said data set via a communications port on said third printer from said network, said third printer thereby being automatically configured to an identical setup as the first printer'"'"'s particular setup by said data set.

10. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the step of receiving said data set at said second printer further includes NPAP processing by a Network Printing Alliance Protocol processing circuit capable of receiving and transmitting information that conforms to the Network Printing Alliance Protocol.

11. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the step of automatically configuring said second printer includes the use of an Options Manager to control the reading from and writing to operations of a non-volatile random access memory within said second printer, said non-volatile random access memory containing setup information that configures the second printer, based upon said data set.

12. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the step of storing said data set in memory residing on said host computer comprises storing a data file on a hard disk drive.

13. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the step of receiving said data set at said second printer includes data size validation.