Mobile document paging service

• US 6,430,601 B1
• Filed: 03/16/1999
• Issued: 08/06/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Jones, Christopher M., Eldridge, Margery A., Lamming, Michael G., Flynn, Michael J., Kleyn, Michiel F. E., Pendlebury, David L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Burgess, Glenton B
• Assistant Examiner(s): Flynn, Kimberly D
• Application Number:
  US09/270,645
• Time in Patent Office: 1,239 Days
• Field of Search: 709/245, 709/242, 709/231, 709/204, 709/206, 709/225
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A method and a system are presented for transmitting document references or tokens to users of integrated wireless and wire-based communication services. The system includes workstations, files servers, printers and other devices coupled to a wire-based network. Mobile computing devices are coupled to the wire-based network through either IR (infrared) or RF (radio) transceiver gateways. Each mobile computing device appears to hold a user'"'"'s personal collection of documents: the device is programmed to receive, transmit, and store document tokens. A document services request available to users of the portable devices is a document paging service. Using this service, a process operating on a repository of shared documents monitors for changes to specified files or file locations. Identification of changes made to documents on the repository of shared documents results in the transmission of a document token to selected users of the mobile computing devices identifying the changes. Once the document token identifying the changed document on the repository of shared documents is received, the document referenced by the document token is readily printed, displayed, or forwarded using available document services.

Claims

1. A method for operating a token-enabled server coupled to a network, comprising the steps of:

receiving a first set of data identifying a set of mobile computing devices;

said receiving step providing the token-enabled server with addresses for communicating with each mobile computing device in the set of mobile computing devices over a wireless communications transceiver system;

receiving a second set of data identifying a set of document elements;

the set of document elements defining locations of documents stored on the network;

defining a lookup table using the first set of data and the second set of data;

the lookup table associating at least one document element in the set of document elements with at least one address identifying one of the mobile computing devices in the set of mobile computing devices;

spawning a process for monitoring modifications to documents identified by the set of document elements;

observing, using the spawned process, a modification to one of the documents identified by the set of document elements;

selecting, using the lookup table, each mobile computing device associated with the document element corresponding to the modified document;

notifying the selected mobile computing devices with a message identifying the modified document specified by the document element;

wherein said notifying step further comprises the step of transmitting a document token identifying the modified document stored on the network to the selected mobile computing devices; and

receiving from ones of the selected mobile computing devices a request to transmit the document identified by the document token to a document services device coupled to the network after receiving notification of the modification to the document;

said receiving step causing the modified document specified by the document element from the database to be output to a network device providing the requested document service.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of retrieving the modified document specified by the document element from a file server coupled to the network.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the modified document is output to a printer coupled to the network.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the modified document is output to an audio-visual view station coupled to the network.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of receiving the set of document elements from an input device coupled to the network.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said step of receiving the first set of data further comprises the step of providing the token-enabled server with pager IDs for communicating with each mobile computing device in the set of mobile computing devices.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein said step of receiving the second set of data comprises the step of receiving a set of document elements that identify document tokens of documents stored on the network.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein said step of receiving the second set of data comprises the step of receiving a set of directory locations of documents stored on the network.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of embedding a command for updating the document token on the selected mobile computing devices;

wherein the command performs one of updating, deleting, and adding the document token on the mobile computing device.

10. A token-enabled server coupled to a network, comprising:

means receiving a first set of data identifying a set of mobile computing devices;

said receiving means providing the token-enabled server with addresses for communicating with each mobile computing device in the set of mobile computing devices over a wireless communications transceiver system;

means for receiving a second set of data identifying a set of document elements;

the set of document elements defining locations of documents stored on the network;

means for defining a lookup table using the first set of data and the second set of data;

the lookup table associating at least one document element in the set of document elements with at least one address identifying one of the mobile computing devices in the set of mobile computing devices;

means for spawning a process for monitoring modifications to documents identified by the set of document elements;

means for observing, using the spawned process, a modification to one of the documents identified by the set of document elements;

means for selecting, using the lookup table, each mobile computing device associated with the document element corresponding to the modified document;

means for notifying the selected mobile computing devices with a message identifying the modified document specified by the document element;

wherein said notifying means further comprises means for transmitting a document token identifying the modified document stored on the network to the selected mobile computing devices; and

means for receiving from ones of the selected mobile computing devices a request to transmit the document identified by the document token to a document services device coupled to the network after receiving notification of the modification to the document;

said receiving step causing the modified document specified by the document element from the database to be output to a network device providing the requested document service.

11. The token-enabled server according to claim 10, further comprising means for retrieving the modified document specified by the document element from a file server coupled to the network.

12. The token-enabled server according to claim 11, wherein the modified document is output to a printer coupled to the network.

13. The token-enabled server according to claim 11, wherein the modified document is output to an audio-visual view station coupled to the network.

14. The token-enabled server according to claim 10, further comprising means for receiving the set of document elements from an input device coupled to the network.

15. The token-enabled server according to claim 10, wherein said means for receiving the first set of data further comprises means for providing the token-enabled server with pager IDs for communicating with each mobile computing device in the set of mobile computing devices.

16. The token-enabled server according to claim 10, wherein said means for receiving the second set of data comprises means for receiving a set of document elements that identify document tokens of documents stored on the network.

17. The token-enabled server according to claim 10, wherein said means for receiving the second set of data comprises means for receiving a set of directory locations of documents stored on the network.

18. The token-enabled server according to claim 10, further comprising means for embedding a command for updating the document token on the selected mobile computing devices;

wherein the command performs one of updating, deleting, and adding the document token on the mobile computing device.