Printing client management method and wireless LAN printer in wireless network

• US 8,284,421 B2
• Filed: 10/09/2003
• Issued: 10/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: HP Printing Korea Co., Ltd. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Hyuck-Jae
• Primary Examiner(s): Kassa, Hilina S
• Application Number:
  US10/681,178
• Publication Number:
  US 20040141487A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,288 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/00 Arrangements for producing a permanent visual presentation of the output data , e.g. computer output printersprinting or plotting combined with another operation, e.g. with conveying, G06K17/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/00 Wireless channel access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A printing client management method and a wireless LAN printer in a wireless network is provided. According to the printing client management method for a wireless Local Area Network (LAN), information is extracted from Media Access Control (MAC) frames of the printing clients that associate with a Basic Service Set (BSS) including the wireless LAN printer. A list of the printing clients is formed using MAC addresses of the MAC frames as indexes, and management of printing operations of the printing clients is completed according to the list.

Claims

1. A printing client management method of a wireless Local Area Network printer that functions as a network server and manages at least one printing client in a Local Area Network, comprising:

extracting information from a Media Access Control frame of the at least one printing client that is associated with a Basic Service Set, which includes the wireless LAN printer as a master of the Basic Service Set, the extracted information being information specifying whether the at least one printing client is authenticated to receive services of the wireless LAN printer;

forming a list of the at least one printing client by using a Media Access Control address of the Media Access Control frame as an index, the list reflecting a state of the at least one printing client in relation to the wireless LAN printer;

managing printing operations of the at least one printing client according to the list by permitting only printing clients authenticated to receive services of the wireless LAN printer to associate with the wireless LAN printer, and

monitoring the number and the traffic of the at least one printing client that is associated with the Basic Service Set, and rearranging the association of the at least one printing client to diffuse the traffic of the Basic Service Set,

wherein the list of the at least one printing client is restructured in real time according to a beacon signal, and the list is updated when a state of the at least one printing client changes,

wherein the at least one printing client is a personal computer, a personal digital assistant, or a cellular phone, that includes a wireless Local Area Network functionality, and

wherein the Basic Service Set, including the wireless LAN printer as the master, further includes the only printing clients authenticated to receive services of the wireless LAN printer to associate with the wireless LAN printer as other members of the Basic Service Set.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the wireless Local Area Network printer and the at least one printing client operate within the IEEE 802.11b standard.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the list of the at least one printing client denotes state of the at least one printing client in relation to the wireless Local Area Network printer and includes fields for at least one of synchronization and association.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the list of the at least one printing client includes fields specifying whether each printing client is allowed to associate with the wireless Local Area Network printer.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the list of the at least one printing client includes fields assigning a printing priority to the at least one printing client.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the list of the at least one printing client includes fields denoting whether specific functions of the wireless Local Area Network printer are usable by the at least one printing client.

7. The method of according to claim 2, wherein the list of the at least one printing client is restructured in real time according to a beacon signal, and the list is updated when a state of the at least one printing client changes.

8. The method of according to claim 2, wherein the list of the at least one printing client denotes a state of the at least one printing client in relation to the wireless Local Area Network printer and includes fields for at least one of synchronization, association, and authentication.

9. The method of according to claim 2, wherein the list of the at least one printing client includes fields specifying whether the at least one printing client is allowed to associate with the wireless LAN Local Area Network printer.

10. The method of according to claim 2, wherein the list of the at least one printing client includes fields assigning a printing priority to the at least one printing client.

11. The method of according to claim 2, wherein the list of the at least one printing client includes fields denoting whether specific functions of the wireless Local Area Network printer are usable by the at least one printing client.

12. A wireless Local Area Network printer that functions as a network server and manages at least one printing client in a Local Area Network, comprising:

an extraction unit to extract information from a Media Access Control frame of the at least one printing client that is associated with a Basic Service Set, which includes the wireless LAN printer as a master of the Basic Service Set, the extracted information being information specifying whether the at least one printing client is authenticated to receive services of the wireless LAN printer;

a list forming unit to form a list of the at least one printing client using a Media Access Control address of the Media Access Control frame as an index, the list reflecting a state of the at least one printing client in relation to the wireless LAN printer; and

a management unit to manage printing operations of the at least one printing client according to the list by permitting only printing clients authenticated to receive services of the wireless LAN printer to associate with the wireless LAN printer,

wherein the list of the at least one printing client is restructured in real time according to a beacon signal, and the list is updated when a state of the at least one printing client changes,

wherein the at least one printing client is a personal computer, a personal digital assistant, or a cellular phone, that includes a wireless Local Area Network functionality,

wherein the Basic Service Set, including the wireless LAN printer as the master, further includes the only printing clients authenticated to receive services of the wireless LAN printer to associate with the wireless LAN printer as other members of the Basic Service Set, and

wherein the wireless LAN printer is associated to the Basic Service Set through a printer management server, and the printer management server monitors the number and the traffic of the at least one printing client that is associated with the Basic Service Set, and arranges the association of the at least one printing client to diffuse the traffic of the Basic Service Set.

13. The wireless Local Area Network printer according to claim 12, wherein the wireless Local Area Network printer and the at least one printing client operate within the IEEE 802.11b standard.

14. The wireless Local Area Network printer according to claim 12, wherein the list denotes a state of the at least one printing client in relation to the wireless Local Area Network printer and includes fields for at least one of synchronization and association.

15. The wireless Local Area Network printer according to claim 12, wherein the list of the at least one printing client includes fields specifying whether each printing client is allowed to associate with the wireless Local Area Network printer.

16. The wireless Local Area Network printer according to claim 12, wherein the list of the at least one printing client includes fields assigning a printing priority to the at least one printing client.

17. The wireless Local Area Network printer according to claim 12, wherein the list of the at least one printing client includes fields denoting whether specific functions of the wireless Local Area Network printer are usable by the at least one printing client.

18. The wireless Local Area Network printer according to claim 12, wherein the extraction unit, the list forming unit, and the management unit are implemented in network cards of the wireless Local Area Network printer.

19. The wireless Local Area Network printer according to claim 12, wherein the extraction unit, the list forming unit, and the management unit are implemented as hardware or software.

20. The wireless LAN Local Area Network printer of according to claim 13, wherein the list of the at least one printing client is restructured in real time according to a beacon signal, and the list is updated when a state of the at least one printing client changes.

21. The wireless LAN Local Area Network printer of according to claim 13, wherein the list denotes a state of the at least one printing client with respect to the wireless LAN Local Area Network printer and includes fields for at least one of synchronization, association, and authentication.

22. The wireless LAN Local Area Network printer of according to claim 13, wherein the list of the at least one printing client includes fields specifying whether the at least one printing client is allowed to associate with the wireless Local Area Network printer.

23. The wireless LAN Local Area Network printer of according to claim 13, wherein the list of the at least one printing client includes fields assigning a printing priority to the at least one printing client.

24. The wireless LAN Local Area Network printer of according to claim 13, wherein the list of the at least one printing client includes fields denoting whether specific functions of the wireless Local Area Network printer are usable by the at least one printing client.

25. The wireless Local Area Network printer according to claim 13, wherein the extraction unit, the list forming unit, and the management unit are implemented in network cards of the wireless Local Area Network printer.

26. The wireless Local Area Network printer according to claim 13, wherein the extraction unit, the list forming unit, and the management unit are implemented as hardware or software.

27. The wireless Local Area Network printer according to claim 12, further comprising:

an association forming unit to associate each authenticated printing client with the wireless Local Area Network printer using the list of the at least one printing client.

28. The wireless Local Area Network printer according to claim 12, further comprising:

a media access control software is used to extract information from the Media Access Control frame of the at least one printing client; and

an application programming interface is used to form a list of the at least one printing client using Media Access Control address associated with the Media Access Control frame as an index.

29. The wireless Local Area Network printer according to claim 12, wherein the printer maintains a wired or wireless connection to a printer management server.

30. The wireless Local Area Network printer according to claim 29, wherein the printer management server includes a wireless Local Area Network printer remote management program.

31. The printer according to claim 17, wherein each field denoting whether specific functions of the wireless Local Area Network printer is enabled or disabled according to functions desired by a user.

32. A printing client management method of a wireless Local Area Network (LAN) printer, comprising:

forming a list that includes at least one printing client using a Media Access Control address of the Media Access Control frame related to the at least one printing client as an index, the list reflecting whether the at least one printing client is authenticated to receive services of the wireless LAN printer which is included as master of a Basic Server Set;

associating only printing clients authenticated to receive services of the wireless LAN printer with the wireless LAN printer using the list of the at least one printing client, and

monitoring the number and the traffic of the at least one printing client that is associated with the Basic Service Set, and rearranging the association of the at least one printing client to diffuse the traffic of the Basic Service Set,

wherein the list of the at least one printing client is restructured in real time according to a beacon signal, and the list is updated when a state of the at least one printing client changes,

wherein the at least one printing client is a personal computer, a personal digital assistant, or a cellular phone, that includes a wireless Local Area Network functionality, and

wherein the Basic Service Set further included the only printing clients authenticated to receive services of the wireless LAN printer to associate with the wireless LAN printer as other members of the Basic Service Set.

33. The method according to claim 32, wherein allowance of association of the at least one printing client in relation to the wireless Local Area Network printer is determined based on fields denoting association permission.