Schema-facilitated device capability discovery

• US 7,493,327 B1
• Filed: 09/23/2004
• Issued: 02/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Fenelon, Michael P
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; Debbie M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hotelling; Harold A
• Application Number:
  US10/948,056
• Time in Patent Office: 1,608 Days
• Field of Search: 707/100
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 3/1228 Printing driverless or using generic drivers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1232 Transmitting printer device capabilities, e.g. upon request or periodically
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1285 Remote printer device, e.g. being remote from client or server
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

A standard schema is used to describe the capabilities of a peripheral device, such as a printer device, in a structured and easily discoverable way. The schema can allow different peripheral device implementations to describe their capabilities in a consistent way to those entities that might query for the capabilities. The schema syntax can allow for direct querying of individual values, as well as for querying whole sections of the schema so that an accurate and complete understanding of the device can be gleaned.

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage media embodying a schema comprising:

multiple nodes arranged in a hierarchical structure, wherein the hierarchical structure describes a peripheral device'"'"'s properties and capabilities;

wherein individual nodes are associated with device properties or data values, wherein one property node comprises a device information node that pertains to data that is associated with the device, and wherein the device information node comprises a child manufacturer node associated with a device manufacturer; and

wherein the schema is protocol-independent allowing one or more standardized schema queries to be constructed by one or more devices to query the peripheral device for information associated with its properties and capabilities, wherein each of the one or more schema queries is defined by the schema, at least one schema query being directed to discovering a particular data value by having syntax identifying the particular data value.

2. The computer-readable storage media of claim 1, wherein the property nodes have zero or more children containing properties and data.

3. The computer-readable storage media of claim 1, wherein data value nodes comprise a data name, a data type and a data value.

4. The computer-readable storage media of claim 1, wherein data value nodes comprise a data name, a data type and a data value, wherein data value nodes do not have children.

5. The computer-readable storage media of claim 1, wherein the device information node comprises a child name node associated with a definable device name.

6. The computer-readable storage media of claim 1, wherein the device information node comprises a child model name node associated with a device model name.

7. The computer-readable storage media of claim 1, wherein the device information node comprises a child location node associated with a current device location.

8. The computer-readable storage media of claim 1, wherein the device information node comprises a child comment node associated with information associated with the device that is provided by an administrator.

9. The computer-readable storage media of claim 1, wherein one property node comprises a configuration node that pertains to configuration data that is associated with the device.

10. The computer-readable storage media of claim 9, wherein the configuration node comprises a child memory node that contains values associated with the memory installed on the device.

11. The computer-readable storage media of claim 9, wherein the configuration node comprises a child hard disk node that contains values associated with a hard disk that is installed on the device.

12. The computer-readable storage media of claim 1, wherein one property node comprises a status node that pertains to a current state of the device.

13. A computer-readable storage media embodying a schema comprising:

multiple nodes arranged in a hierarchical structure, wherein the hierarchical structure describes a printer'"'"'s properties and capabilities;

wherein individual nodes are associated with printer properties or data values; and

wherein the schema is protocol-independent allowing one or more standardized schema queries to be constructed by one or more devices to query the printer for information associated with its properties and capabilities, wherein each of the one or more schema queries is defined by the schema, at least one schema query being directed to discovering a particular data value by having syntax expressly identifying a data value node associated with the particular data value,

and wherein one property node comprises at least one of;

a printer information node that pertains to data that is associated with the printer, wherein the printer information node comprises a child manufacturer node associated with a printer manufacturer;

a configuration node that pertains to configuration data that is associated with the printer, and wherein the configuration node comprises at least one of;

a child memory node that contains values associated with the memory installed on the printer, and wherein the memory node comprises a child node associated with memory size and a child node associated with an amount of memory available to a Postscript interpreter;

or

a child hard disk node that contains values associated with a hard disk that is installed on the printer, and wherein the hard disk node comprises a child node that represents whether a hard disk is installed on the printer, a child node that represents the capacity of an installed hard disk, and a child node that represents currently available free space of an installed hard disk;

a consumables node that pertains to information associated with consumable supplies in the printer, and wherein the consumables node comprises a child type node that corresponds to a consumable type on the printer, wherein the child type node comprises a child color node that corresponds to the color of a consumable, wherein the color node comprises a child installed node that represents whether a consumable is installed on the printer, a child display name node that represents a localized name for a particular consumable, and a child level node that represents a current level of a referenced consumable;

or

a layout node that pertains to data associated with how a print job is applied on a page, wherein the layout node comprises a child number up node that contains information associated with how many logical pages should be placed on a single page of media and which direction to layout multiple pages.

14. The computer-readable storage media of claim 13, wherein the property nodes have zero or more children containing properties and data.

15. The computer-readable storage media of claim 13, wherein data value nodes comprise a data name, a data type and a data value.

16. The computer-readable storage media of claim 13, wherein data value nodes comprise a data name, a data type and a data value, and wherein data value nodes do not have children.

17. The computer-readable storage media of claim 13, wherein the printer information node comprises a child name node associated with a definable printer name.

18. The computer-readable storage media of claim 13, wherein the printer information node comprises a child model name node associated with a printer model name.

19. The computer-readable storage media of claim 13, wherein the printer information node comprises a child location node associated with a current printer location.

20. The computer-readable storage media of claim 13, wherein the printer information node comprises a child comment node associated with information associated with the printer that is provided by an administrator.

21. The computer-readable storage media of claim 13, wherein one property node comprises a configuration node that pertains to configuration data that is associated with the printer.

22. The computer-readable storage media of claim 13, wherein one property node comprises a configuration node that pertains to configuration data that is associated with the printer, and wherein the configuration node comprises a child memory node that contains values associated with the memory installed on the printer.

23. The computer-readable storage media of claim 13, wherein the configuration node comprises a child duplex node that contains values associated with a duplex print attachment on the printer.

24. The computer-readable storage media of claim 13, wherein the configuration node comprises a child duplex node that contains values associated with a duplex print attachment on the printer, and wherein the duplex node comprises a child node that represents whether or not a duplex print unit is installed on the printer.

25. The computer-readable storage media of claim 13, wherein the number up node comprises a child pages per sheet node that contains values associated with how many data stream pages should be placed on a single side of a selected media, a child direction node that contains values associated with which order/direction to place local pages on a selected media.

26. The computer-readable storage media of claim 13, wherein the layout node comprises a child orientation node that contains information associated with which orientation pages should be printed.

27. The computer-readable storage media of claim 15, wherein the layout node comprises a child resolutions node that contains information associated with which print resolutions are supported by the printer.

28. The computer-readable storage media of claim 13, wherein the layout node comprises a child input bin node that contains information describing device input bins.

29. The computer-readable storage media of claim 13, wherein the layout node comprises a child input bin node that contains information describing device input bins, wherein the child input bin node comprises a child current value node that represents the current default input bin, a child tray name node that is associated with individual input bins.

30. The computer-readable storage media of claim 13, wherein the layout node comprises a child input bin node that contains information describing device input bins, wherein the child input bin node comprises a child current value node that represents the current default input bin, a child tray name node that is associated with individual input bins, wherein a child tray name node holds a value associated with a vendor-provided tray name.

31. The computer-readable storage media of claim 13, wherein the layout node comprises a child input bin node that contains information describing device input bins, wherein the child input bin node comprises a child current value node that represents the current default input bin, a child tray name node that is associated with individual input bins, wherein the child tray name node comprises a child installed node that represents whether a bin is installed, a child display name node that represents a localized name, a child media size node that represents the size of media available from an associated bin, a child media type node that represents the type of media available from an associated bin, a child media color bin that represents the color of media available from an associated bin, a child feed direction node that represents which paper edge enters a media path first for an associated bin, a child capacity node that represents capacity in sheets of an associated bin, and a child level node that represents a percent of remaining capacity for an associated bin.

32. The computer-readable storage media of claim 13, wherein one property node comprises a finishing node that pertains to how a print job is composed upon completion.

33. The computer-readable storage media of claim 13, wherein one property node comprises a finishing node that pertains to how a print job is composed upon completion, wherein the finishing node comprises a child collation supported node that represents whether the printer supports hardware collation of printed documents.

34. The computer-readable storage media of claim 13, wherein one property node comprises a finishing node that pertains to how a print job is composed upon completion, wherein the finishing node comprises a child jog offset supported node that represents whether the printer supports offsetting separate copies of a print job or separate print jobs in printer output trays.

35. The computer-readable storage media of claim 13, wherein one property node comprises a finishing node that pertains to how a print job is composed upon completion, wherein the finishing node comprises a child staple node that contains information describing the printer'"'"'s stapling features.

36. The computer-readable storage media of claim 13, wherein one property node comprises a finishing node that pertains to how a print job is composed upon completion, wherein the finishing node comprises a child staple node that contains information describing the printer'"'"'s stapling features, wherein the staple node comprises a child installed node that represents whether the printer has a stapling feature installed, a child location node that contains values associated with staple locations that are applied to output pages, and a child angle node that contains values associated with the angle at which staples are applied to output pages.

37. The computer-readable storage media of claim 13, wherein one property node comprises a finishing node that pertains to how a print job is composed upon completion, wherein the finishing node comprises a child hole punch node that contains information describing a printer'"'"'s hole punch features.

38. The computer-readable storage media of claim 13, wherein one property node comprises a finishing node that pertains to how a print job is composed upon completion, wherein the finishing node comprises a child hole punch node that contains information describing a printer'"'"'s hole punch features, wherein the child hole punch node comprises a child installed node that represents whether the printer has a hole punch feature installed, a child pattern node that pertains to hole punch patterns that are punched into output pages, and a child edge node that contains values that pertain to paper edges where holes are punched into output pages.

39. The computer-readable storage media of claim 13, wherein one property node comprises a finishing node that pertains to how a print job is composed upon completion, wherein the finishing node comprises a child output bins node that contains information that describes a printer'"'"'s output bins.

40. The computer-readable storage media of claim 13, wherein one property node comprises a finishing node that pertains to how a print job is composed upon completion, wherein the finishing node comprises a child output bins node that contains information that describes a printer'"'"'s output bins, wherein the child output bins node comprises a child current value node that represents a current default output bin, and a child tray name bin associated with the name of an output bin.

41. The computer-readable storage media of claim 13, wherein one property node comprises a finishing node that pertains to how a print job is composed upon completion, wherein the finishing node comprises a child output bins node that contains information that describes a printer'"'"'s output bins, wherein the child output bins node comprises a child current value node that represents a current default output bin, and a child tray name bin associated with the name of an output bin, wherein the tray name bin comprises a value provided by a third party hardware vendor.

42. The computer-readable storage media of claim 13, wherein one property node comprises a finishing node that pertains to how a print job is composed upon completion, wherein the finishing node comprises a child output bins node that contains information that describes a printer'"'"'s output bins, wherein the child output bins node comprises a child current value node that represents a current default output bin, and a child tray name bin associated with the name of an output bin, wherein the tray name node comprise a child installed node that represents whether an associated bin is installed, a child display name node that represents a localized name, a child capacity node that represents capacity in sheets of an associated bin, and a child level node that represents percent of remaining capacity in an associated bin.

43. The computer-readable storage media of claim 13, wherein one property node comprises a status node that pertains to a current state of the printer.

44. The computer-readable storage media of claim 13, wherein one property node comprises a status node that pertains to a current state of the printer, wherein the status node comprises a child summary node that contains values associated with a summary of the current printer state.

45. The computer-readable storage media of claim 13, wherein one property node comprises a status node that pertains to a current state of the printer, wherein the status node comprises a child summary node that contains values associated with a summary of the current printer state, wherein the summary node comprises a child state node that represents the processing state of the printer, and a child state reason node that represents selected reasons for a particular printer state.

46. The computer-readable storage media of claim 13, wherein one property node comprises a status node that pertains to a current state of the printer, wherein the status node comprises a child detailed node that contains information associated with a detailed list of problems or information conditions currently active in the printer.

47. The computer-readable storage media of claim 13, wherein one property node comprises a status node that pertains to a current state of the printer, wherein the status node comprises a child detailed node that contains information associated with a detailed list of problems or information conditions currently active in the printer, wherein the detailed node comprises a child event node that contains information associated with a particular event.