System and method of selectively Printing at remote printers via portable digital device

• US 6,980,319 B2
• Filed: 03/02/2001
• Issued: 12/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Ohta, Yasutoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Douglas
• Application Number:
  US09/798,628
• Publication Number:
  US 20010029531A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,761 Days
• Field of Search: 358 11- 118
• US Class Current: 358/1.18
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1204 resulting in reduced user or operator actions, e.g. presetting, automatic actions, using hardware token storing data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1226 Discovery of devices having required properties
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1265 Printing by reference, e.g. retrieving document/image data for a job from a source mentioned in the job
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1267 Job repository, e.g. non-scheduled jobs, delay printing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1292 Mobile client, e.g. wireless printing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/00 Access restriction access security to prevent unauthorised access H04W12/08; Network selection; Access point selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

The remote printing system allows one user to ultimately send a hard copy to another via a portable digital device such as a cellular phone. Upon receiving an e-mail print notice, the portable digital device wirelessly searches an appropriate print station in the vicinity by broadcasting a signal. In response to the broadcasted search signal, the print stations each send information on their printer characteristics such as availability status and print resolution to the portable digital device, a print server or a client that originated the print request. The recipient of the printer characteristic information selects an appropriate print station based upon a predetermined selection rule.

Claims

1. A method of printing information at a convenient location, comprising:

providing a plurality of print stations in a predetermined area, the print stations being networked to a print server which stores information to be printed;

sending a first wireless signal from a portable digital device directly to the print stations in the predetermined area;

determining at least a positional relation between the portable digital device and each of the print stations in response to the first wireless signal;

selecting at least one of the print stations based upon at least the positional relation;

sending a selected printer signal from the selected print station to the print server;

receiving the information to be printed at the selected print station; and

printing the information at the selected print station.

2. The method of printing information at a convenient location according to claim 1 further comprising:

sending from the print server to the portable digital device a second wireless signal indicative of the information prior to sending the first wireless signal;

sending the second wireless signal from the portable digital device to the selected print station prior to said printing the information; and

receiving the information at the selected print station from the print server based upon content of the second wireless signal after said sending the second wireless signal from the portable digital device to the selected print station and prior to said printing the information.

3. The method of printing information at a convenient location according to claim 2 wherein the second wireless signal is sent to the portable digital device directly from the printer server.

4. The method of printing information at a convenient location according to claim 2 wherein the second wireless signal includes a pointer to a file where the information is stored.

5. The method of printing information at a convenient location according to claim 2 wherein the second wireless signal includes printer requirements for printing the information is stored.

6. The method of printing information at a convenient location according to claim 2 wherein the second wireless signal includes origination information on the information.

7. The method of printing information at a convenient location according to claim 2 wherein the second wireless signal includes destination information for the information to be delivered.

8. The method of printing information at a convenient location according to claim 2 wherein the second wireless signal includes a brief description of the information to be printed.

9. The method of printing information at a convenient location according to claim 1 when more than one print station is selected:

gathering printer information on each of the selected print stations, the printer information including status information and color print information; and

further selecting one of the print stations based upon the printer information prior to said printing the information.

10. The method of printing information at a convenient location according to claim 1 wherein the first wireless signal is non-directional.

11. The method of printing information at a convenient location according to claim 1 wherein the print stations are networked to the print server via the Internet.

12. The method of printing information at a convenient location according to claim 1 wherein the print stations are networked to the print server via an intranet.

13. The method of printing information at a convenient location according to claim 1 wherein the predetermined area is an area within a predetermined building.

14. The method of printing information at a convenient location according to claim 1 wherein the predetermined area is an area containing a plurality of predetermined buildings.

15. The method of printing information at a convenient location according to claim 1 wherein the printer server selects at least the one of the print stations based upon the positional relation.

16. The method of printing information at a convenient location according to claim 1 wherein the portable digital device selects at least the one of the print stations based upon the positional relation.

17. The method of printing information at a convenient location according to claim 1 wherein a user selects at least the one of the print stations.

18. The method of printing information at a convenient location according to claim 1 wherein the positional relation is determined based upon a current position of the portable digital device with respect to a predetermined map of the print stations.

19. The method of printing information at a convenient location according to claim 1 further comprising:

sending a third wireless signal from each of the print stations in response to the first wireless signal and wherein the positional relation is determined at the portable digital device based upon reception strength of the third wireless signal.

20. A system for printing information at a convenient location, comprising:

a print server storing information to be printed;

a plurality of print stations connected to said print server in a predetermined area; and

a portable digital device sending a first wireless signal directly to each of said print stations in the predetermined area;

wherein said print server determines at least a positional relation between said portable digital device and each of said print stations in response to upon the first wireless signal, the system selecting at least one of said print stations based upon at least the positional relation, said selected print station sending a selected print station signal to said print server, in response to the selected print station signal, said selected print station receiving the information from said print server, and said selected print station printing the received information.

21. The system for printing information at a convenient location according to claim 20 wherein said print server sends said portable digital device a second wireless signal indicative of the information, said portable digital device sending the first wireless signal in response to the second wireless signal.

22. The system for printing information at a convenient location according to claim 21 wherein said portable digital device further sending the second wireless signal to the selected print station prior to printing the information, said selected print station subsequently receiving the information from said print sever based upon content of the second wireless signal.

23. The system for printing information at a convenient location according to claim 21 wherein said printer server is connected to the Internet and the second wireless signal is sent to said portable digital device via the Internet.

24. The system for printing information at a convenient location according to claim 21 wherein the second wireless signal includes a pointer to a file where the information is stored.

25. The system for printing information at a convenient location according to claim 21 wherein the second wireless signal includes printer requirements for printing the information is stored.

26. The system for printing information at a convenient location according to claim 21 wherein the second wireless signal includes origination information on the information.

27. The system for printing information at a convenient location according to claim 21 wherein the second wireless signal includes destination information for the information to be delivered.

28. The system for printing information at a convenient location according to claim 21 wherein the second wireless signal includes a brief description of the information to be printed.

29. The system for printing information at a convenient location according to claim 20 wherein the system gathers information on each of the selected print stations when more than one print station is selected, the printer information including status information and color print information, the system further selecting one of the print stations based upon the printer information prior to printing the information.

30. The system for printing information at a convenient location according to claim 20 wherein the first wireless signal is non-directional.

31. The system for printing information at a convenient location according to claim 20 wherein said print stations are networked to said print server via the Internet.

32. The system for printing information at a convenient location according to claim 20 wherein said print stations are networked to said print server via an intranet.

33. The system for printing information at a convenient location according to claim 20 wherein the predetermined area is an area within a predetermined building.

34. The system for printing information at a convenient location according to claim 20 wherein the predetermined area is an area containing a plurality of predetermined buildings.

35. The system for printing information at a convenient location according to claim 20 wherein said print server selects at least the one of the print stations based upon the positional relation.

36. The system for printing information at a convenient location according to claim 20 wherein said portable digital device selects at least the one of the print stations based upon the positional relation.

37. The system for printing information at a convenient location according to claim 20 further comprising a user display for displaying a plurality of said print stations to a user for selecting at least the one of the print stations.

38. The system for printing information at a convenient location according to claim 20 wherein the positional relation is determined based upon a current position of said portable digital device with respect to a predetermined map of said print stations.

39. The system for printing information at a convenient location according to claim 20 wherein each of said print stations sends a third wireless signal in response to the first wireless signal, said portable digital device determining the positional relation based upon reception strength of the third wireless signal at said portable digital device.

41. The system for printing information at a convenient location according to claim 20 wherein said print server is a client device.

40. A system for printing information at a convenient location, comprising:

a print server storing information to be printed;

a portable digital device having a wireless communication unit for sending a first wireless non-directional signal in the predetermined area; and

a plurality of print stations each having a wireless communication unit for wirelessly communicating directly with said portable digital device in a predetermined area, said print stations being networked with said print server;

wherein said print server determining at least a positional relation between said portable digital device and each of said print stations in response to the first wireless non-directional signal, said print server selecting one of said print stations that is the closest to said portable digital device based upon the positional relation, said selected print station sending a selected print station signal to said print server, in response to the selected print station signal, said selected print station receiving the information from said print server, and said selected print station printing the received information.