Mirrored remote peripheral interface

• US 8,761,831 B2
• Filed: 10/15/2010
• Issued: 06/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Z124 LLC (Flexis)
• Original Assignee: Z124 LLC (Flexis)
• Inventors: Reeves, Paul E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wendell, Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRANDAI, CINDY HUYEN
• Application Number:
  US12/905,920
• Publication Number:
  US 20120094716A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,348 Days
• Field of Search: 455/557, 455/550.1, 455/552.1, 455/554.2, 455/556.1, 455/3.06, 455 411- 413, 702150-153, 702/68, 702 94- 95, 702/104, 702/116, 702/155, 702/188, 709/224, 709/203, 709/219, 345/3.06, 345/30, 345/48, 345/107, 345/156, 345/158, 345/679, 345/659, 345/656, 345/653, 345/649, 358 111- 115
• US Class Current: 455/557
• 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 3/1253 Configuration of print job parameters, e.g. using UI at the client
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1292 Mobile client, e.g. wireless printing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/00 Substation equipment, e.g. for use by subscribers subscriber services or facilities provided at exchanges H04M3/00; prepayment telephone coin boxes H04M17/00; current supply arrangements H04M19/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion

Abstract

A mobile telecommunication/computing device that can print to a printer, the device having a sensor therein that determines the physical orientation of the device and the device displaying documents on a display in accordance with the orientation of the device. The device sends information to a printer that directs the printer to print the document in the orientation that the document is displayed on the device. The display orientation and print orientation may be portrait or landscape. Similar methods can be used to control other printer variables or, more generally, variables on other peripheral devices.

Claims

1. A method implemented in a mobile telecommunication/computing device for printing an electronic document on a paper document printer, the method comprising:

providing the mobile telecommunication/computing device including at least one sensor, a print driver, a display configured to display an electronic document, and a means of directly communicating with the paper document printer therein, wherein the mobile telecommunication/computing device includes three orthogonal dimensions, a first dimension, a second dimension, and a third dimension, wherein the first dimension is longer than the second dimension and the second dimension is longer than the third dimension;

displaying the electronic document on the display in an orientation that corresponds to a physical orientation of the mobile telecommunication/computing device;

sensing the orientation of the mobile telecommunication/computing device by use of the at least one sensor;

selecting the mobile telecommunication/computing device orientation as one of portrait and landscape based on a rotation of the mobile telecommunication/computing device about an axis parallel to the third dimension;

assigning a print orientation identical to the selected mobile telecommunication/computing device orientation;

generating a print instruction from the mobile telecommunication/computing device;

assembling print characteristics;

providing the print orientation to the print driver; and

sending a print job command via the print driver from the mobile telecommunication/computing device directly to the paper document printer for controlling the operation of the paper document printer, the command including information therein related to the mobile telecommunication/computing device orientation, the print instruction, and the print characteristics;

wherein the paper document printer, in response to the information, configures the orientation of a paper document to be printed based on the information related to the orientation of the mobile telecommunication/computing device, and, in response to the command, prints the paper document in the assigned print orientation.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein if the at least one sensor determines that the mobile telecommunication/computing device is within 40 degrees from a horizontal the orientation is landscape mode.

3. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein if the longest dimension of the mobile telecommunication/computing device is closer to horizontal than vertical, the mobile telecommunication/computing device orientation is selected as landscape mode.

4. The method as defined in claim 2, wherein the sensor in the mobile telecommunication/computing device includes an accelerometer.

5. A method for printing a paper document from a mobile telecommunication/computing device having at least one sensor, a display and a means of directly communicating with a paper document printer thereon, the paper document being printed on a printer, the method comprising:

providing the mobile telecommunication/computing device, wherein the mobile telecommunication/computing device further includes three orthogonal dimensions, a first dimension, a second dimension, and a third dimension, wherein the first dimension is longer than the second dimension and the second dimension is longer than the third dimension;

displaying an electronic document on the display in an orientation that corresponds to a physical orientation of the mobile telecommunication/computing device;

sensing the orientation of the mobile telecommunication/computing device by use of the at least one sensor, the mobile telecommunication/computing device orientation being one of landscape and portrait;

generating a print instruction from the mobile telecommunication/computing device;

sending a command directly to the printer to print the electronic document;

sending information, with the command, from the mobile telecommunication/computing device directly to the printer, the information including information about the electronic document to be printed and about a printing orientation in which the electronic document is to be printed; and

wherein the printer changes, in response to the information, the printing orientation of the paper document based on the orientation of the mobile telecommunication/computing device such that the printing orientation is the same as the mobile telecommunication/computing device orientation.

6. The method as defined in claim 5, further including receiving a command from a user to print the electronic document.

7. The method as defined in claim 5, wherein when a longest dimension of the mobile telecommunication/computing device is closer to horizontal than vertical, the mobile telecommunication/computing device orientation is selected as landscape.

8. The method as defined in claim 5, wherein the orientation of the electronic document displayed on the mobile telecommunication/computing device is one of portrait orientation and landscape orientation, wherein if the at least one sensor determines that the mobile telecommunication/computing device is within 40 degrees from a horizontal the orientation is landscape mode.

9. A mobile telecommunication/computing device thatprints to a printer, comprising:

a display that displays an electronic document stored on the mobile telecommunication/computing device;

a sensor that determines orientation information about a physical orientation of the mobile telecommunication/computing device;

a means of communicating with a paper document printer; and

a processor that receives the orientation information and controls an orientation of the electronic document being displayed on the display in accordance with the orientation of the mobile telecommunication/computing device, the processor being further operative to;

change the orientation of the electronic document based on a change in the orientation information;

control the sending of printing information including a representation of the electronic document directly to the printer, wherein the representation of the electronic document is identical to the orientation of the mobile telecommunication/computing device; and

wherein the printing information includes information to direct the printer to print a paper document in an orientation that is one of portrait and landscape mode.

10. The mobile telecommunication/computing device as defined in claim 9, wherein the mobile telecommunication/computing device includes three orthogonal dimensions, a first dimension, a second dimension, and a third dimension, wherein the first dimension is longer than the second dimension and the second dimension is longer than the third dimension;

wherein when a longest dimension of the mobile telecommunication/computing device is closer to horizontal than vertical, the mobile telecommunication/computing device orientation is selected as landscape.

11. The mobile telecommunication/computing device as defined in claim 9, wherein the sensor includes at least one accelerometer.

12. The mobile telecommunication/computing device as defined in claim 9, further comprising a print driver.