Network based system and method for universal printing

• US 7,042,586 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2001
• Issued: 05/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2001
• 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: White, Craig R., Al-Kazily, Binnur
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams, Kimberly
• Assistant Examiner(s): EBRAHIMI DEHKORDY, SAEID
• Application Number:
  US09/874,482
• Publication Number:
  US 20020181016A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,800 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.15, 399/8, 399/81, 709/208, 709/229, 709/238, 709/245, 455/410, 707/200, 707/205, 370/352, 370/400
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1211 Improving printing performance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/122 with regard to computing resources, e.g. memory, CPU
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1224 Client or server resources management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1231 Device related settings, e.g. IP address, Name, Identification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1236 Connection management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1287 via internet
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1292 Mobile client, e.g. wireless printing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/18 Commands or executable codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00204 with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server programmed control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32561

Abstract

A universal printing system of the present invention is provided for remotely accessing and printing documents on any internet addressable printer. The universal printing system includes at least one remote communication device (RCD), a printer object or “remote printer”, and a network addressable device linked to the RCD and the remote printer. The network addressable device is constructed of various software components or processes operating on a communications network, such as the Internet for example. The network addressable device includes a document storage assembly and a universal remote interface assembly linked to the document storage assembly and the printer object. The universal remote interface assembly receives a document command from the RCD via a document command message sent in a SMTP code structure. The document command is provided for accessing the document storage assembly and for transmitting a print job command to the printer object in an internet addressable protocol code structure. In addition, the document command may include the additional operating instructions of finding a document and synchronizing between documents as well as publishing a document content index. Optionally, with a document contact card attached with the document command message, the network addressable device optimally references a desired document for implementing a document command thereto. In effect, through the network addressable device, a user of a RCD stores, retrieves, and/or prints documents on a remote printer in an internet addressable protocol code structure.

Claims

1. A network addressable device in a communications network for use with a network addressable printer object, the network addressable device comprising:

(a) a document storage assembly; and

(b) a universal remote interface assembly linked to the document storage assembly and, via the network, to the network addressable printer object wherein the universal remote interface assembly is configured to receives from a remote communications device a document command message for accessing the document storage assembly, the document command message identifying a particular network addressable printer object and including an attached document contact card identifying a particular stored document the universal remote interface assembly being further configured to transmit a print job for the particular stored document and print job command to the particular network addressable printer object.

2. The network addressable device according to claim 1 wherein the universal remote interface assembly includes:

(a) a request interface.

3. The network addressable device according to claim 2 wherein the request interface comprises a Simple Mail Transfer Protocol server.

4. The network addressable device according to claim 1 wherein the universal remote interface assembly includes:

(a) a document provider.

5. The network addressable device according to claim 4 wherein the document provider renders a document.

6. The network addressable device according to claim 4 wherein the document provider transmits the document from the network addressable device to the network addressable printer object.

7. The network addressable device according to claim 2 wherein the document storage assembly includes:

(a) a document indexing engine linked with the request interface.

8. The network addressable device according to claim 7 wherein the document indexing engine synchronizes a document.

9. The network addressable device according to claim 7 wherein the document indexing engine generates a contents index based on the document command.

10. The network addressable device according to claim 4 wherein the document storage assembly includes a document repository linked with the document provider.

11. The network addressable device according to claim 10 wherein the document repository stores a document.

12. The network addressable device according to claim 10 wherein the document repository sends a document to the document provider.

13. Computer code on computer readable media for facilitating remote access and printing of documents on a printer object included in a communications network, the computer code product comprising:

(a) a document storage assembly computer code for archiving a document in a document storage assembly; and

(b) a universal remote interface assembly computer code for remotely accessing via the network and printing the document on the printer object wherein the universal remote interface assembly computer code, when executed, is configure to receives from a remote communications device a document command message for accessing the document storage assembly, the document command message identifying a particular network addressable printer object and including an attached document contact card identifying a particular stored document the universal remote interface assembly code, when executed, being further configured to transmit a print job for the particular stored document and print job command to the particular network addressable printer object.

14. The computer code according to claim 13 wherein the universal remote interface assembly computer code product includes a request interface code product for receiving a document command according to Simple Mail Transfer Protocol.

15. In an communications network, a method for remotely accessing and printing of documents on a printer object, comprising the steps of:

(a) linking a universal remote interface assembly with a document storage assembly;

(b) remotely accessing the universal remote interface assembly via a document command message wherein the universal remote interface assembly receives from a remote communications device the document command message for accessing the document storage assembly, the document command message identifying a particular network addressable printer object and including an attached document contact card identifying a particular stored document; and

(c) the universal remote interface assembly transmitting a print job for the particular stored document and print job command to the particular network addressable printer object.

16. The method according to claim 15 wherein the step of remotely accessing the universal remote interface assembly includes the step of receiving the document command according to Simple Mail Transfer Protocol.