Methods and systems for print job handling

• US 8,370,299 B2
• Filed: 11/29/2006
• Issued: 02/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Chrisop, Roy K., Patton, Ronnie Neil
• Primary Examiner(s): Corrielus, Jean M
• Application Number:
  US11/564,722
• Publication Number:
  US 20080126392A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,260 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/2, 707/10, 707/621, 707/975, 358/1.15, 717/178, 710/15
• US Class Current: 707/621
• 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 3/1222 Increasing security of the print job
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1236 Connection management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1237 Print job management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/128 Direct printing, e.g. sending document file, using memory stick, printing from a camera

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention comprise systems and methods for print job handling using a portable document system residing on a portable memory device.

Claims

1. A portable document processing method, said method comprising:

detecting an operative connection of a portable memory device to a receiving device;

launching a portable document processing application residing on said portable memory device;

generating an electronic document using said portable document processing application;

generating an electronic job ticket using said portable document processing application, wherein said electronic job ticket comprises;

document-specific information comprising a communication link to a storage location associated with a document processing application used to generate said electronic document; and

print job information;

storing said electronic document on said portable memory device; and

storing said electronic job ticket on said portable memory device.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said document-specific information further comprises application information related to said document processing application used to generate said electronic document.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein said document-specific information further comprises a source link to a source file used to generate said electronic document.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein said portable memory device is a Universal Serial Bus memory device.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein said receiving device is a multi-function peripheral.

6. A method according to claim 1 further comprising sending said electronic job ticket to a print provider to estimate the cost of the print job associated with said electronic job ticket.

7. A method according to claim 1 further comprising receiving a cost estimation of the print job associated with said electronic job ticket.

8. A method according to claim 1 further comprising storing, on said portable memory device, at least one source file used to generate said electronic document.

9. A method according to claim 1 further comprising storing, on said portable memory device, said document processing application used to generate said electronic document.

10. A method for printing a document, said method comprising:

receiving a portable memory device in a printing device;

accessing a job ticket on said portable memory device, wherein said job ticket comprises;

document-specific information comprising a communication link to a storage location associated with a document processing application to generate an electronic document, and

print job information related to a print job associated with said job ticket;

accessing a document file on said portable memory device, wherein said document file is associated with said print job;

generating an output file associated with said print job; and

spooling said output file on said portable memory device.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein said portable memory device is a Universal Serial Bus memory device.

12. A method according to claim 10, wherein said printing device is a multi-function peripheral.

13. A method according to claim 10, wherein said generating an output file associated with said print job comprises accessing said document processing application at said storage location.

14. A method according to claim 10, wherein said generating an output file associated with said print job comprises accessing a source file residing on said portable memory device, wherein said source file is indicated in said job ticket.

15. A method according to claim 10, wherein said printing device is a printing kiosk.

16. A portable document processing system residing on a portable memory device, said system comprising:

detecting an operative connection of a portable memory device to a receiving device;

a launcher for launching a portable document processing application residing on a portable memory device;

an electronic-job-ticket interpreter for generating an electronic document corresponding to an electronic job ticket using said portable document processing application, wherein said electronic job ticket comprises;

document-specific information comprising a communication link to a storage location associated with a document processing application used to generate said electronic document; and

print job information;

storing said electronic document on said portable memory device; and

storing said electronic job ticket on said portable memory device.

17. A system according to claim 16, wherein said portable memory device is a Universal Serial Bus memory device.

18. A system according to claim 16, wherein said document-specific information further comprises application information associated with said document processing application used to generate said electronic document.

19. A system according to claim 16, wherein said document-specification information further comprises source file information associated with a source file used to generate said electronic document.

20. A system according to claim 16 further comprising a job-cost estimator.

21. A portable document processing system residing on a portable memory device, said system comprising:

a launcher for launching a portable document processing application residing on a portable memory device;

an electronic-document generator for generating an electronic document using said portable document processing application;

an electronic-job-ticket generator for generating an electronic job ticket using said portable document processing application, wherein said electronic job ticket comprises;

document-specific information comprising a communication link to a storage location associated with a document processing application used to generate said electronic document; and

print job information;

storing said electronic document on said portable memory device; and

storing said electronic job ticket on said portable memory device.