Method for obtaining location data

• US 6,725,051 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2001
• Issued: 04/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Fidler, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Sinh
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Huy D
• Application Number:
  US09/846,022
• Publication Number:
  US 20020161547A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,086 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/456.5, 455/456.6, 455/456.3, 455/456.4
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/14 between corresponding nodes

Abstract

A method for obtaining location data for use by a peripheral device such as a printer or copier that may be moved from time to time has steps of querying portable second devices such as PDA'"'"'s, personal computers, and the like that may be near to the peripheral and that may have RTLS capabilities for location data. Preferably, a step of detecting a trigger event such as a time-out or an interrupt causes the peripheral to either initiate a search for a second device or to initiate a location data query with a second device already in communication with the peripheral. The location data obtained from the second device is preferably assigned a distance factor value corresponding to how close the second device is to the peripheral. The peripheral location data will regularly be updated with more reliable location data as it is obtained. Further, the location data may be broadcast to a network connected to the peripheral device so that all users of the network can easily locate the peripheral device.

Claims

1. A method for determining a location for a peripheral device comprising the steps of:

communicating via a wireless protocol with a second device;

querying said second device via said wireless protocol for location data;

obtaining said location data via said wireless protocol from said second device;

comparing said second device location data to peripheral device current location data;

replacing said peripheral device current location data with said second device location data if said second device location data is more reliable than said peripheral device current location data.

2. A method for determining a location for a peripheral device as defined by claim 1 wherein said step of communicating with a second device comprises searching for a second device with said wireless protocol.

3. A method for determining a location for a peripheral device as defined by claim 2 wherein said step of searching for a second device with said wireless protocol comprises the sequential steps of:

searching for a second device using a short-range wireless protocol;

searching for a second device using a medium range wireless protocol; and

,

searching for a second device using a long-range wireless protocol.

4. A method for determining a location for a peripheral device as defined by claim 1 wherein said wireless protocol has an operable range of less than about 10 meters.

5. A method for determining a location for a peripheral device as defined by claim 1 wherein said wireless protocol has an operable range of less than about 5 meters.

6. A method for determining a location for a peripheral device as defined by claim 1 wherein said wireless protocol is chosen from the group consisting of an infrared light beam wireless protocol and a radio frequency protocol.

7. A method for determining a location for a peripheral device as defined by claim 1 wherein the method further comprises the preliminary step of detecting a trigger to prompt said step of communicating by a wireless protocol with said second device.

8. A method for determining a location for a peripheral device as defined by claim 7 wherein said trigger is chosen from the group of events consisting of peripheral power-up, passage of a specified amount of time, detection of changed network connectivity settings, or reception of an interrupt signal.

9. A method for determining a location for a peripheral device as defined by claim 7 wherein said trigger having a first and a second stage, said first stage comprising receipt of an interrupt signal, and said second stage trigger comprising physical contact with the peripheral device.

10. A method for determining a location for a peripheral device as defined by claim 1 wherein said step of obtaining said second device location data via said wireless protocol comprises querying said second device for said location data after said second device has initiated communications via a wireless protocol with the peripheral to send job data to the peripheral for execution.

11. A method for determining a location for a peripheral device as defined by claim 1 wherein the method further comprises a step of transmitting said peripheral device current location data to an external network.

12. A method for determining a location for a peripheral device as defined by claim 1 wherein said step of querying said second device for location data further comprises first querying said second device to determine if said device has real time location system capabilities, and subsequently querying said device for location data if said device has real time location system capabilities.

13. A method for determining a location for a peripheral device as defined by claim 1 wherein said method further comprises the step of assigning a distance factor value to said second device location data, said distance factor value corresponding to the distance between said second device and the peripheral device, and wherein said step of comparing said second device location data to said peripheral device current location data comprises comparing said second device location data distance factor value to a distance factor value corresponding to said peripheral device current location data.

14. A method for determining a location for a peripheral device as defined by claim 13 wherein said step of assigning a distance factor value to said second device location data comprises:

assigning a first distance factor value if said wireless protocol comprises a first wireless protocol having a first operable range;

assigning a second distance factor value lower than said first distance factor value if said wireless protocol comprises a second wireless protocol having a second operable range greater than said first operable range; and

,

assigning a third distance factor value lower than said second distance factor value if said wireless protocol comprises a third wireless protocol having an operable range greater than said second operable range.

15. A method as defined by claim 14 wherein said first operable range comprises about 3 meters, said second operable range comprises about 10 meters, and said third operable range comprises about 100 meters.

16. A method for determining a location for a peripheral device as defined by claim 13 wherein the method further comprises the step of determining a signal strength for said wireless protocol, and wherein said distance factor value corresponds to said signal strength.

17. A method for determining a location for a peripheral device comprising the steps of:

detecting a trigger event of either an internal or an external type, communicating with a second device via a wireless protocol after detection of said external type trigger event, searching for said second device via at least one wireless protocol after detection of said internal type trigger event;

querying said second device via said wireless protocol for said second device location data;

obtaining said second device location data via said wireless protocol from said second device;

assigning a distance factor value to said second device location data, said distance factor value corresponding to the distance between said second device and the peripheral, said distance factor value trending higher as said distance trends smaller; and

,

comparing said second device location data distance factor value to a distance factor value corresponding to peripheral device current location data and replacing said current location data with said new location data if said second device location data has a higher distance factor value than said current location data.

18. A method for determining a location for a document production. apparatus connected to a communications network, the method comprising the steps of:

detecting the occurrence of either an external trigger event or an internal trigger event;

communicating with a second device after detection of said external trigger event;

initiating a search for said second device after the detection of said internal trigger event, said search comprising a sequence of first searching for said second device with a first wireless protocol having a first operable range and subsequently searching for said a second device with a second wireless protocol having an operable range greater than said first operable range;

querying said second device via a wireless protocol to determine if said second device has reportable location data, obtaining said second device location data if said second device has reportable location data;

determining a distance factor value for said second device location data by;

assigning a relatively high distance factor value if said second device is transmitting data comprising a job for execution to the document production apparatus;

assigning a relatively high distance factor value if said second device is communicating with the document production apparatus via wireless protocol having an operable range of not more than about 3 meters;

assigning a relatively medium distance factor value if said second device is communicating with the document production apparatus via a wireless protocol having an operable range of not more than about 10 meters;

comparing said second device location data distance factor value to a distance factor value corresponding to peripheral device current location data;

replacing said current location data with said second device location data if said second device location data has a higher distance factor value than said peripheral device current location data; and

,

transmitting said peripheral device current location data over the communications network.

19. A computer program product for use by a peripheral device to obtain location data for the peripheral device, the computer program product comprising computer executable instructions recorded in a computer readable medium, the instructions when executed causing the peripheral to:

communicate via a wireless protocol with a second device;

query said second device via said wireless protocol for location data;

obtain said location data via said wireless protocol from said second device;

compare said second device location data to peripheral device current location data; and

,

replace said peripheral device current location data with said second device location data if said second device location data is more reliable than said peripheral device current location data.

20. A computer program product as defined by claim 19 wherein causing the peripheral to search for a second device via a wireless protocol comprises searching for a second device through a sequence of searching for a second device within a first range, and searching for a second device within a second range that is greater than said first range.

21. A computer program product as defined by claim 19 wherein the computer program instructions when executed cause the peripheral to detect either an internal or external trigger event prior to causing the peripheral to communicate with said second device.

22. A computer program product as defined by claim 19 wherein the computer program instructions when executed further cause the peripheral to assign a distance factor value to said second device location data, said distance factor value corresponding to the distance between said second device and the peripheral, and wherein causing the peripheral to compare said second device location data said peripheral device to current location data comprises causing the peripheral to compare said second device location data distance factor value to a distance factor value corresponding to said peripheral device current location data.

23. A computer program product as defined by claim 22 wherein causing the peripheral to assign a distance factor value to said second device location data comprises causing the peripheral to:

assign a first distance factor value if said wireless protocol comprises a first protocol having a first operable range;

assign a second distance factor value lower than said first distance factor value if said wireless protocol comprises a second protocol having an operable range greater than said first operable range; and

,

assign a third distance factor value lower than said second distance factor value if said wireless protocol comprises a third protocol having an operable range greater than said second operable range.

24. A computer program product for use with a document production peripheral for obtaining location data for the document production peripheral, the computer program product comprising computer executable instructions embedded in a computer readable medium, the instructions when executed causing the document production peripheral to:

detect a trigger event of either an internal or an external type;

query a second device transmitting data to the document production peripheral via a wireless protocol for location data after detection of said external type trigger event;

search for a second device via at least one wireless protocol after detection of said internal type trigger event, and to query said second device via said at least one wireless protocol for second device location data;

obtain said second device location data via said wireless protocol from said second device;

assign a distance factor value to said second device location data, said distance factor value corresponding to the distance between said second device and the peripheral, with said distance factor value trending higher as said distance trends smaller; and

,

compare said second device location data distance factor value to a distance factor value corresponding to peripheral device current location data, and to replace said peripheral device current location data with said second device location data if device second device location data has a higher distance factor value than said peripheral device current location data.

25. A computer program product as defined by claim 24 wherein said external type trigger event comprises reception of an interrupt signal from an external source, and wherein said internal type trigger comprises passage of a pre-determined time limit or document production peripheral power-up.