Third-party authorization for home-based printing

• US 6,795,205 B1
• Filed: 03/15/2000
• Issued: 09/21/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Gacek, Paul Nicholas
• Primary Examiner(s): Coles, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): Park, Chan S.
• Application Number:
  US09/526,475
• Time in Patent Office: 1,651 Days
• Field of Search: 725/2, 358/1.1, 358/1.6, 358/1.9, 358/1.13, 358/1.15, 358/434, 358/435, 358/436, 358/437, 358/438, 707/10, 709/217, 705/51, 705/52, 705/53, 705/78, 705/79, 705/14, 705/400
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/027 involving a payment switch or gateway
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/0855 involving a third party
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources

Abstract

Authorized transmission of print data from an internet application to a home access device having a printer connected thereto, the printer being serviced by a remote print server which controls data transmission to the home access device, in which authorization is obtained from an intermediary service for the internet application to transmit the print data to the home access device via the remote print server, and in which the authorized print data is transmitted to the home access device via the remote print server for printing on the printer.

Claims

1. A method for transmission of print data, the method comprising the steps of:

generating the print data by an internet application;

calculating, by an intermediary server, a payment amount based on parameters for printing the print data designated from the internet application;

negotiating, between the intermediary server and the internet application, the calculated payment amount;

executing a process of providing the payment from the internet application to the intermediary server;

issuing a token to the internet application; and

sending the print data with the token from the internet application to a remote print server for printing on a printer.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the internet application resides on a first network and a home access device resides on a second network, and wherein the remote print server resides on the second network and is in communication with the first network.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the second network is any of a digital cable network, a wireless data network, a data network, and a digital satellite network.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the home access device is any of a set-top box, a residential gateway, and a personal computer.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the internet application is a world wide web application.

6. A method according to claim 2, wherein the step of issuing the token includes the intermediary server providing the internet application with an address corresponding to a location of the home access device on the second network.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the parameter is any of a number of pages to be printed on the printer, a type of paper to be used by the printer to print the print data, information relating to options and capabilities of the printer, and a print made of the printer for printing the print data.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the payment is transferred from the intermediary server to a user of a home access device.

9. A method according to claim 2, wherein the sending step includes sending the print data from the internet application to the remote print server over the first network, and then from the remote print server to the home access device over the second network.

10. A method according to claim 2, wherein the sending step includes sending the print data from the internet application to the intermediary server over the first network, from the intermediary server to the remote print server over the first network, and from the remote print server to the home access device over the second network.

11. A method according to claim 2, wherein the first network is any of a data network, internet and world wide web.

12. A method according to claim 2, wherein the first network provides for secure communication by use of a secure protocol.

13. A method according to claim 1, wherein the printer is any of an ink jet printer, an ink bubble jet printer, a laser printer and a coupon printer.

14. A method according to claim 1, wherein the print data relates to any of sales information, a coupon financial information and a billing statement.

15. A method according to claim 1, wherein the payment is provided from the internet application to the intermediary server electronically.

16. A method according to claim 1, wherein the payment is provided from the internet application to the intermediary server after the print data is transmitted to a home access device.

17. A method for according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

verifying, by the remote print server, whether the token is authentic;

permitting a transmission of the print data to a home access device, if the token is authentic; and

prohibiting the transmission of the print data to the home access device, if the token is not authentic.

18. An apparatus for transmission of print data from an internet application to a home access device having a printer connected thereto, the home access device being connected to a remote print server which controls print data transmission, comprising:

a program memory that stores process steps executable to perform a method according to claim 1; and

a processor that executes the process steps stored in said program memory.

19. Computer-executable process steps stored on a computer readable medium, said computer-executable process steps for transmission of print data from an internet application to a home access device having a printer connected thereto, the home access device being connected to a remote print server which controls print data transmission, said computer-executable process steps comprising process steps executable to perform a method according to claim 1.

20. A computer-readable medium which stores computer-executable process steps, the computer-executable process steps for transmission of print data from an internet application to a home access device having a printer connected thereto, the home access device being connected to a remote print server which controls print data transmission, said computer-executable process steps comprising process steps executable to perform a method according to claim 1.

21. A method for initiating transmission of print data, the method comprising the steps of:

generating the print data;

negotiating, between an intermediary server and an internet application, a payment amount calculated according to parameters for printing the print data designated from the internet application;

sending the payment to the intermediary server;

receiving a token from the intermediary server; and

sending the print data with the token to a remote print server.