Centralized print server for interfacing one or more network clients with a plurality of printing devices

• US 6,020,973 A
• Filed: 04/15/1997
• Issued: 02/01/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Levine, Jonathan D., Gombert, Barry G., Mayer, James L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Johns, Andrew W.
• Application Number:
  US08/842,584
• Time in Patent Office: 1,022 Days
• Field of Search: 395/113, 395/114, 709/300, 709/301, 709/302, 709/226, 709/104, 358/1.14, 358/1.15
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1203 Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. print management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1232 Transmitting printer device capabilities, e.g. upon request or periodically
• 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

Abstract

A method for use with a printing system of a type in which one or more clients communicate with a plurality of printers by way of a network and print server is provided. The print server includes a communications layer with a plurality of connectivity modules, and each of the connectivity modules communicates with at least one of the plurality of printers. The method includes the steps of generating a document processing function call in the print server, in response to a request from one of the one or more clients, and selecting one of the plurality of connectivity modules. In turn, the document processing function call is transmitted to the selected one of the plurality of connectivity modules; and, in response to analyzing the document processing function call with the communications interface, a set of information is obtained with the selected connectivity module. The set of information is transferred between the selected one of the plurality of connectivity modules and the one of the plurality of printers to perform an operation with or obtain a set of information from the one of the plurality of printers.

Claims

1. A method of operating a print server in which a client communicates with one of a plurality of digital printers, comprising the steps of:

providing, within the print server, an application layer, the application layer generating a document processing function call in response to a request from the client;

providing, within the print server, a plurality of connectivity modules, each connectivity module being associated with at least one of the plurality of printers, each connectivity module converting a function call and argument from the application layer to a form understandable by a digital printer associated with the connectivity module; and

selecting a connectivity module associated with a digital printer desired to be used, and directing a function call from the application layer to a connectivity module associated with the desired printer.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of

providing an HTTP server interposed between the application layer and the client, for communication between the client and the application layer, the application layer converting messages received through the HTTP server to function calls to the connectivity modules.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of

retaining, in a database, information about each of the plurality of digital printers which are accessible through the connectivity modules.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising the step of

time-stamping information about individual digital printers as the information is placed in the database.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising the step of

checking information about a selected digital printer in the database before sending a function call to the connectivity module associated with the selected digital printer.

6. The method of claim 5, the checking step including

checking that a digital printer being requested by a client is associated with a connectivity module.

7. The method of claim 5, the checking step including

when a client requests that a digital printer is added to a set of digital printers serviced by the print server, checking the database if the requested digital printer is already associated with the print server.