Universal print driver

• US 6,757,070 B1
• Filed: 08/21/2001
• Issued: 06/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Advanced Hi-Tech Corporation
• Original Assignee: Advanced Hi-Tech Corporation
• Inventors: Ho, Edward, Lin, Shane, Schempp, Fred
• Primary Examiner(s): Grant, II, Jerome
• Application Number:
  US09/934,111
• Time in Patent Office: 1,043 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.1, 358/1.6, 358/1.12, 358/1.15, 358/1.16, 715/527
• US Class Current: 358/1.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00209 Transmitting or receiving image data, e.g. facsimile data, via a computer, e.g. using e-mail, a computer network, the internet, I-fax
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00244 with a server, e.g. an internet server fax-servers or the like for store and forward H04N1/324
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32523 a plurality of output devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0082 Image hardcopy reproducer H04N2201/0091 - H04N2201/0094 take precedence

Abstract

A Universal Print Driver prints to a variety of output devices at the server in a client/server printing environment. The output devices include virtually any computer operated device including all types of printers. The server is either a print server or a web server. When printing using this print driver, web pages are provided by the server and displayed on the client by a browser invoked by the Universal Print Driver. The web pages allow users at the client to select output devices and specify the job submission parameters for the selected device. Application files are printed in electronic format in the output devices through the cooperation of the print driver and the server. Server-provided web pages reflect the output devices installed on the server and permit control and selection of these devices without specific print drivers being installed on the client computers.

Claims

1. A universal print driver system for outputting files from a client computer communicating with a computer network without installing specific output drivers on the client computer, the system comprising:

a computer network;

a client computer comprising;

means for communicating with the computer network;

a universal print driver installed on and able to operate in the client computer; and

browser software on the client computer activated by the universal print driver and capable of rendering and displaying data received from the computer network, receiving user input and transmitting the user input to the computer network; and

a server computer comprising;

means for communicating with the computer network;

output devices attached to and in electronic communication with the server computer; and

driver software specific for each output device installed on and able to operate in the server computer to output an application file on the specific output device; and

a printing process operating on the server computer communicating with the browser software on the client computer by means of the computer network when the network browser is invoked by the universal print driver, wherein the printing process transmits data indicative of output devices installed on the server computer and data representing selectable output parameters of each installed output device, wherein the data transmitted by the printing process is displayed by the browser software on the client computer, wherein a user makes a selection of an output device and related output parameters from the data displayed by the browser software and the selection is transmitted to the printing process which then selects the output device and sets the related output parameters so that when an application file is printed by the client computer through the universal print driver, the application file will traverse the computer network and be processed by the driver software specific to the output device specified in the selection and output by the corresponding output device using the output parameters specified by the selection.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the browser software is an internet browser.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer network communicates via Internet.

4. A universal print driver for outputting files from a client computer to a computer network in communication with the client computer for output through the computer network comprising:

means for invoking browser software running on the client computer, said browser software capable of rendering and displaying data received from the computer network, said data indicative of printing resources communicating with the computer network, said browser receiving selections from a user and transmitting to the computer network user selections representative of choice and configuration of printing resources according to the selections; and

means for transmitting designated files to the computer network for output through at least one of the printing resources communicating with the computer network,

wherein the user selections control the printing resources so that the designated files are output by the at least one printing resource without driver software specific to the at least one printing resource being installed on the client computer.

5. A method for outputting files from a client computer communicating with a computer network without installing specific output drivers on the client computer, comprising the steps of:

providing a client computer including browser software attached to a computer network;

installing a universal print driver on the client computer;

outputting a file from the client computer through the universal print driver for output by an output device installed on the computer network;

activating the browser software by means of the universal print driver in response to the step of outputting;

transmitting to the client computer data representative of output devices, including their output parameters, installed on the computer network;

using the browser software to display on the client computer the data received from the computer network;

receiving and transmitting to the computer network user input responsive to the data, wherein the user input represents a selection of an output device and related output parameters from the data displayed by the network browser;

providing a printing process running on the network, which process receives the user input and sets the output device and the related output parameters accordingly so that when a file is output by the client computer with the universal print driver, the file will traverse the computer network and be processed by driver software specific to the output device specified in the user input and output by that output device according to the output parameters specified by the user input.

6. A universal print driver system for outputting files from a client computer communicating with a computer network without installing specific output drivers on the client computer, the system comprising:

a computer network;

a client computer comprising;

means for communicating with the computer network;

a universal print driver installed on and able to operate in the client computer; and

browser software on the client computer activated by the universal print driver and capable of rendering and displaying data received from the computer network, receiving user input and transmitting the user input to the computer network; and

a server computer comprising;

means for communicating with the computer network;

output devices in electronic communication with the server computer; and

driver software specific for each output device installed on and able to operate in the server computer to output an application file on the specific output device; and

a printing process operating on the server computer in communication with the browser software on the client computer by means of the computer network when the network browser is invoked by the universal print driver, wherein the printing process transmits data related to output devices installed on the server computer, wherein the data transmitted by the printing process is displayed by the browser software on the client computer, wherein a user makes a selection from the data displayed by the browser software and the selection is transmitted to the printing process which then implements the selection so that when an application file is printed by the client computer through the universal print driver, the application file will traverse the computer network and be processed by the driver software according to the selection.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the browser software is an internet browser.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the computer network communicates via Internet.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the selection made by the user controls which output device outputs the application file.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the selection made by the user controls general job submission parameters of the output device which outputs the application file.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the general job submission parameters are selected from the group consisting of copy number, job priority, paper size, paper source, image orientation, two-sided printing and job scheduling.

12. The system of claim 6, wherein the selection made by the user controls job finishing parameters of the output device which outputs the application file.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the job finishing parameters are selected from the group consisting of stapling options, sorting options, binding options and folding options.

14. The system of claim 6, wherein the selection made by the user controls image quality parameters of the output device which outputs the application file.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the image quality parameters are selected from the group consisting of image resolution, toner usage, image color, image contrast and image brightness.