Web print submission from within an application

• US 7,031,004 B1
• Filed: 08/26/1999
• Issued: 04/18/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Parsons, David M., Hayward, Ken, Marchionda, Dawn M., Krolczyk, Marc, Lyon, Susan W.
• Primary Examiner(s): WALLERSON, MARK E
• Application Number:
  US09/383,981
• Time in Patent Office: 2,427 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.15, 358/1.1, 358/1.13, 358/1.16, 358/448, 358/400, 358/401, 358/1.12, 358/1.14, 358/202, 358/203, 358/225, 358/230, 358/1.17
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• 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 3/1272 Digital storefront, e.g. e-ordering, web2print, submitting a job from a remote submission screen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1287 via internet
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1288 in client-server-printer device configuration

Abstract

A method, computing machine and computer readable medium provides a computer user with the ability to route a print job to a service bureau over the Internet. The computer receives a print command input for printing a document. In response to the print command, the document is routed over the Internet to a service bureau for printing. Routing may involve activating a communications browser program in the computer and transmitting the document to a server associated with the service bureau. An Internet print web page including information identifying print job options and a print order form is retrieved from the server and displayed on the computer screen. In response to ther user'"'"'s selection of a print job option identified on the print job order form, the print job and order form is transmitted to the service bureau.

Claims

1. A method for submitting a document in electronic form from a computer to a service bureau for printing, comprising:

displaying on the computer plural printer routing options, one of the printer routing options being a service bureau for printing;

receiving a print command input to the computer for printing at the service bureau a document stored in memory accessible to the computer wherein the print command includes user individualized instructions;

responsive to the print command, routing the document over Internet from the computer to at least one of the service bureau and an intermediary for printing, comprising

automatically activating a communications program in the computer upon selection of the print command, and

transmitting the document from the computer to a server associated with the service bureau or the intermediary;

storing user selected individualized instructions in the memory accessible by the computer; and

providing the stored user selected individualized instructions upon a subsequent selection of one of the displayed printer routing options.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the print command further comprising:

retrieving a print web page from the server, the print web page including information identifying plural print job options;

displaying the print web page on the computer, the web page including a print job order form; and

responsive to a user selection of one or more print job options identified on the print job order form, transmitting the print job order form to the service bureau.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the server is an intermediary server, and transmitting the print job order form includes transmitting the print job order form by way of the server to a server of the service bureau.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the print job options include service bureau location.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving the print command includes receiving the print command from within an active application operating on the document.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the active application can be any one of a word processing program, a database program, a graphics program, or a multimedia program.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein another of the printer routing options is a direct-networked printer.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving an acknowledgment that the document has been submitted to the service bureau for printing.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the document includes multimedia content.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the printer destinations are selected from at least one of an Internet print shop printer, local network printers and direct network printers.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the user selected individualized instructions are stored as a cookie in the memory of the computer.

12. A computing machine, comprising:

a computer controlled by software modules;

a first module to sense an Internet print request, the first module displaying plural printer routing options, one of the printer routing options being the Internet print request;

a second module to automatically launch a communications module upon a selection of the Internet print request to access a server associated with at least one of a service bureau and an intermediary at a predefined address, the server providing a browser with a print order form;

a third module to display the print order form;

a fourth module to transmit user individualized print order data and a document to be routed form the computer to the server providing the browser with the print order form, wherein the computer controlled by the modules selects the appropriate printer destinations; and

a fifth module to store user selected individualized print order data in a memory accessible by the computer and to provide the user selected individualized print order data upon a subsequent selection of one of the printer routing options.

13. The machine of claim 12, wherein the document to be printed includes multimedia content.

14. The machine of claim 12, wherein said first module is for sensing print requests for direct networked printers.

15. The machine of claim 12, further comprising an applications module which is active when during operation of said first and second modules.

16. The machine of claim 15, wherein the applications module can be any one of a word processing program, a database program, a graphics program, or a multimedia program.

17. The machine of claim 12, wherein the printer destination is selected from at least one of an Internet print shop printer, local network printers and direct network printers.

18. The machine of claim 12, wherein the user selected individualized print order data are stored as a cookie in the memory of the computer.

19. A computer readable medium to control a computer and having modules stored thereon, the modules comprising:

a first module to sense an Internet print request, the first module displaying plural printer routing options, one of the printer routing options being the Internet print request;

a second module to automatically launch a communications module upon selection of the Internet print request to access a server associated with at least one of a service bureau or an intermediary at a predefined address, the server providing a browser with a print order form;

a third module to display the print order form;

a fourth module to transmit user individualized print order data and a document to be routed from the computer to the server providing the browser with the print order form,

wherein the computer controlled by the modules selects the appropriate printer destination; and

a fifth module to store user selected individualized print order data in a memory accessible by the computer and to provide the user selected individualized print order data upon a subsequent selection of one of the printer routing options.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the document to be printed includes multimedia content.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 19, further comprising an applications module which is active when during operation of said first and second modules.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 21, wherein the applications module can be any one of a word processing program, a database program, a graphics program, or a multimedia program.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the printer destination is selected from at least one of an Internet print shop printer, local network printers and direct network printers.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the user selected individualized print order data are stored as a cookie in the memory of the computer.

25. A computer readable storage medium storing a set of program instructions executable on a data processing device and usable to submit a document in electronic form to a service bureau, the set of program instructions comprising:

instructions for displaying plural printer routing options;

instructions for inputting a selection of one of the plural printer routing options, one of the printer routing options being the Internet print request;

instructions for receiving a print command input to the computer for printing at the service bureau a document stored in memory accessible to the computer wherein the print command includes user individualized instructions;

instructions for routing the document from the computer over the Internet to at least one of the service bureau and an intermediary for printing in response to the print command comprising;

instructions for automatically activating a communications program in the computer upon selection of the print command; and

instructions for transmitting the document to a server associated with the service bureau or the intermediary;

instructions for storing user selected individualized instructions in the memory accessible by the computer and providing the stored user selected individualized instructions upon a subsequent selection of one of the displayed printer routing options.

27. The storage medium of claim 25, wherein the instructions for operating the Internet print request while an application is active comprises instructions defining at least one of a word processing program, a database program, a graphics program, or a multimedia program.

28. The storage medium of claim 25, wherein the set of program instructions further comprises instructions for selecting an appropriate printer driver that includes at least one of an Internet print shop printer, local network printer, and direct network printer.

29. The storage medium of claim 25, wherein the user selected individualized instructions are stored as a cookie in the memory of the computer.

26. The storage medium of clam 25, wherein the set of program instructions further comprises instructions for operating the Internet print request while an application is active during operation.