System and method for mobile printing from a desktop operating system using a portable computing device

• US 8,699,053 B2
• Filed: 01/24/2002
• Issued: 04/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Hoover, Rick P., Simpson, Shell S.
• Primary Examiner(s): KAU, STEVEN Y
• Application Number:
  US10/053,673
• Publication Number:
  US 20030137690A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,464 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.15, 358/1.9, 358/1.13, 358/402, 358/403, 358/407, 358/468, 709/223, 709/224, 709/206, 715/700, 715/526, 715/527
• 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 3/1222 Increasing security of the print job
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1238 Secure printing, e.g. user identification, user rights for device usage, unallowed content, blanking portions or fields of a page, releasing held jobs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1263 based on job priority, e.g. re-arranging the order of jobs, e.g. the printing sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1267 Job repository, e.g. non-scheduled jobs, delay printing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1269 by broadcasting server
• 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 3/1273 Print job history, e.g. logging, accounting, tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1274 Deleting of print job
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1287 via internet
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1288 in client-server-printer device configuration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1292 Mobile client, e.g. wireless printing

Abstract

A method, printer, system, and program product for mobile printing, comprising, in one embodiment, the steps of: obtaining a portable computing device with a reference to a printer-independent On-the-Go-print queue on the Internet; obtaining print data; and transferring the print data to the On-the-Go Print Queue on the Internet. In a further aspect of the present invention, the On-the-Go Print Queue may be accessed to set at least one storage or print parameter. In a further aspect of the present invention, the print data may be converted to generic print data and encrypted prior to transferring the print data to the On-the-Go Print Queue. In a yet further aspect, a key for decryption and the reference for the On-the-Go print queue may obtained at a printer from a portable computing device such as a smart card.

Claims

1. A method for mobile printing, comprising:

reading with a printer a reference to a print queue from a portable computing device, the reference read from the portable computing device including a location of the print queue on the Internet to which print data was transferred for storage;

accessing the print queue with the printer;

receiving with the printer the print data stored on the print queue; and

printing the print data on the printer.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the print data comprises generic print data;

and

wherein the reference read from the portable computing device includes a location of the print queue on the Internet to which the generic print data was transferred for storage.

3. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the print data comprises encrypted print data;

and

wherein the reference read from the portable computing device includes a location of the print queue on the Internet to which the encrypted print data was transferred for storage; and

wherein the portable computing device includes a key for decryption recorded therein.

4. The method as defined in claim 3,

wherein the print data is encrypted with a session key;

and

wherein the session key is encrypted using a public key.

5. The method as defined in claim 3, wherein the print data is encrypted using a public key from a public key-private key pair;

and wherein the key for decryption is the private key.

6. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the portable computing device is a smart card configured for insertion into the printer.

7. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising, after accessing the print queue, displaying a list of jobs available for printing on a front panel display of the printer.

8. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising, after accessing the print queue, displaying print parameter options on a front panel display of the printer.

9. The method as defined in claim 7, further comprising reordering print jobs in the print queue with the printer front panel display.

10. The method as defined in claim 7, further comprising deleting a print job from the print queue with the printer front panel display.

11. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising providing proof of printer authenticity to the print queue prior to the printer receiving the print data.

12. A method for mobile printing, comprising:

reading with a printer a reference to a print queue from a portable computing device, the reference read from the portable computing device including a location of the print queue on the Internet to which print data was transferred for storage;

accessing the print queue with the printer;

receiving with the printer the print data stored on the print queue;

printing the print data on the printer; and

accessing the print queue to set at least one storage or print parameter.

13. The method as defined in claim 12, wherein the parameter is the ordering or deletion of print jobs.

14. A method for mobile printing, comprising:

reading with a printer a reference to a print queue from a portable computing device, the reference read from the portable computing device including a location of the print queue on the Internet to which print data was transferred for storage;

accessing the print queue with the printer;

receiving with the printer the print data stored on the print queue;

printing the print data on the printer; and

displaying a message to a user if print data was successfully submitted to the print queue.

15. A method for mobile printing, comprising:

reading with a printer a reference to a print queue from a portable computing device, the reference read from the portable computing device including a location of the print queue on the Internet to which print data was transferred for storage;

accessing the print queue with the printer;

receiving with the printer the print data stored on the print queue;

printing the print data on the printer; and

displaying information on a cost of printing a print job on a front panel display of the printer.

16. The method as defined in claim 15, further comprising linking to an accounting system to bill/debit a user account for the cost of printing.

17. The method as defined in claim 16, wherein the accounting system computes a split of any proceeds from the billing/debiting among at least two other parties.

18. A method for mobile printing, comprising:

reading with a printer a reference to a print queue from a portable computing device, the reference read from the portable computing device including a location of the print queue on the Internet to which print data was transferred for storage;

accessing the print queue with the printer;

receiving with the printer the print data stored on the print queue; and

printing the print data on the printer,

wherein the accessing the print queue comprises providing a security ID that is separate from the portable computing device to the print queue to obtain access thereto.

19. A method for mobile printing, comprising:

reading with a printer a reference to a print queue from a portable computing device, the reference read from the portable computing device including a location of the print queue on the Internet to which print data was transferred for storage;

accessing the print queue with the printer;

receiving with the printer the print data stored on the print queue;

printing the print data on the printer; and

validating an identity of the printer prior to the printer receiving the print data.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable media having stored thereon a program product for mobile printing, the program product comprising machine-readable program code to:

read with a printer a reference to a print queue from a portable computing device, the reference read from the portable computing device including a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) for the print queue on the Internet to which print data was transferred for storage;

access the print queue with the printer; and

receive with the printer the print data stored on the print queue to enable printing of the print data on the printer.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable media as defined in claim 20, wherein the print data comprises generic print data;

and

wherein the reference read from the portable computing device includes a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) for the print queue on the Internet to which the generic print data was transferred for storage.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable media as defined in claim 20, wherein the print data comprises encrypted print data;

and

wherein the reference read from the portable computing device includes a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) for the print queue on the Internet to which the encrypted print data was transferred for storage; and

wherein the portable computing device includes a key for decryption recorded therein.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable media as defined in claim 22,

wherein the print data is encrypted with a session key;

and

wherein the session key is encrypted using a public key.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable media as defined in claim 22, wherein the print data is encrypted using a public key from a public key-private key pair;

and wherein the key for decryption is the private key.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable media as defined in claim 20, wherein the portable computing device is a smart card configured for insertion into the printer.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable media as defined in claim 20, further comprising code to display a list of jobs available for printing on a front panel display of the printer.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable media as defined in claim 20, further comprising code to display print parameter options on a front panel display of the printer.

28. The non-transitory computer-readable media as defined in claim 20, further comprising code to provide proof of printer authenticity to the print queue prior to the printer receiving the print data.

29. A non-transitory computer-readable media having stored thereon a program product for mobile printing, the program product comprising machine-readable program code to:

read with a printer a reference to a print queue from a portable computing device, the reference read from the portable computing device including a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) for the print queue on the Internet to which print data was transferred for storage;

access the print queue with the printer; and

receive with the printer the print data stored on the print queue to enable printing of the print data on the printer; and

access the print queue to set at least one storage or print parameter.

30. The non-transitory computer-readable media as defined in claim 29, wherein the parameter is the ordering or deletion of print jobs.

31. A non-transitory computer-readable media having stored thereon a program product for mobile printing, the program product comprising machine-readable program code to:

read with a printer a reference to a print queue from a portable computing device, the reference read from the portable computing device including a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) for the print queue on the Internet to which print data was transferred for storage;

access the print queue with the printer;

receive with the printer the print data stored on the print queue to enable printing of the print data on the printer; and

display a message to a user if print data was successfully submitted to the print queue.

32. A non-transitory computer-readable media having stored thereon a program product for mobile printing, the program product comprising machine-readable program code to:

read with a printer a reference to a print queue from a portable computing device, the reference read from the portable computing device including a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) for the print queue on the Internet to which print data was transferred for storage;

access the print queue with the printer;

receive with the printer the print data stored on the print queue to enable printing of the print data on the printer; and

validate an identity of the printer.

33. A printer for facilitating mobile computing, comprising:

a component for accessing the Internet;

structure for reading a smart card and obtaining from the smart card a reference to a print queue on the Internet, the reference obtained from the smart card comprising an Internet address of the print queue at which the print data is stored;

a component for accessing the print queue and downloading therefrom print data; and

structure for printing the print data.

34. The printer as defined in claim 33, further comprising a decryption engine for decrypting the print data prior to printing.

35. The printer as defined in claim 34, further comprising a component for accessing the smart card to obtain a decryption key in order to facilitate the decryption of the print data.

36. The printer as defined in claim 34, further comprising a component for causing the smart card to decrypt a session key, and a decryption engine for decrypting the print data using the session key.

37. The printer as defined in claim 33, further comprising a front panel display screen for displaying queued print jobs for a user.

38. The printer as defined in claim 37, further comprising the printer front panel display screen enabling reordering print jobs in the print queue.

39. The printer as defined in claim 37, further comprising the printer front panel display screen enabling deleting a print job from the print queue.

40. The printer as defined in claim 33, further comprising a component for providing proof of printer authenticity to the print queue prior to the printer receiving the print data.

41. A printer for facilitating mobile computing, comprising:

a component for accessing the Internet;

structure for reading a smart card and obtaining from the smart card a reference to a print queue on the Internet, the reference obtained from the smart card comprising an Internet address of the print queue at which the print data is stored;

a component for accessing the print queue and downloading therefrom print data

structure for printing the print data; and

a front panel display screen for accessing the print queue to set at least one storage or print parameter.

42. The printer as defined in claim 41, wherein the parameter is the ordering or deletion of print jobs.

43. A printer for facilitating mobile computing, comprising:

a component for accessing the Internet;

structure for reading a smart card and obtaining from the smart card a reference to a print queue on the Internet, the reference obtained from the smart card comprising an Internet address of the print queue at which the print data is stored;

a component for accessing the print queue and downloading therefrom print data

structure for printing the print data; and

a front panel display screen for displaying information on a cost of printing a print job.

44. The printer as defined in claim 43, further comprising a component for linking to an accounting system to bill/debit a user account for the cost of printing.

45. The printer as defined in claim 44, wherein the accounting system computes a split of any proceeds from the billing/debiting among at least two other parties.

46. A printer for facilitating mobile computing, comprising:

a component for accessing the Internet;

structure for reading a smart card and obtaining from the smart card a reference to a print queue on the Internet, the reference obtained from the smart card comprising an Internet address of the print queue at which the print data is stored;

a component for accessing the print queue and downloading therefrom print data

structure for printing the print data; and

a component for validating an identity of the printer prior to the printer receiving the print data.