Client device using a markup language to control a periphery device via a printer

• US 9,280,305 B2
• Filed: 12/24/2013
• Issued: 03/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Takasu, Kazuhiro, Tsutsumi, Koichiro, Ikeda, Shigeo
• Primary Examiner(s): Rust, Eric A
• Application Number:
  US14/140,301
• Publication Number:
  US 20140185093A1
• Time in Patent Office: 805 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.15, 705/16
• 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 3/1205 resulting in increased flexibility in print job configuration, e.g. job settings, print requirements, job tickets
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1207 resulting in the user being informed about print result after a job submission
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1209 resulting in adapted or bridged legacy communication protocols, e.g. emulation, protocol extension
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1236 Connection management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1246 by handling markup languages, e.g. XSL, XML, HTML
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1253 Configuration of print job parameters, e.g. using UI at the client
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1279 Controller construction, e.g. aspects of the interface hardware
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1284 Local printer device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1286 via local network
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1291 Pool of printer devices: self-managing printing devices in a network, e.g. without a server
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1292 Mobile client, e.g. wireless printing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1294 Status or feedback related to information exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1297 Printer code translation, conversion, emulation, compression; Configuration of printer parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1298 Printer language recognition, e.g. programme control language, page description language
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/02 using printers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/208 Input by product or record sensing, e.g. weighing or scanner processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/209 Specified transaction journal output feature, e.g. printed receipt or voice output
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/14 Systems including one or more distant stations co-operating with a central processing unit data transmission in general H04L; telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station H04Q9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00334 : with an apparatus processing barcodes or the like arrangements for sensing record carriers G06K7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32 : Circuits or arrangements for control or supervision between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device, e.g. between a still-image camera and its memory or between a still-image camera and a printer device H04N1/38, H04N1/387 take precedence

Abstract

A device control system has a terminal 3 with an application 31, and a printer 5 that controls a device. The terminal 3 sends a request written in XML generated by the application 31. The printer 5 receives the XML request, the terminal 3 sends an XML response, and if the terminal 3 requested control of the device in the XML request, controls the device.

Claims

1. A device control system for a point-of-sale (POS) system, the device control system comprising:

a device responsive to device-control commands;

a terminal; and

a printer;

wherein the device is configured to connect to the printer, and is configured to input data from, and output data to, the printer;

wherein the terminal is configured to run an application that generates a control instruction for the device, to encode the control instruction as a markup language request, and to send the markup language request to the printer, said terminal being further configured to receive a response in markup language from the printer;

wherein the printer is configured to connect to the device, to interpret the markup language request received from the terminal, and to control the device using appropriate device-control commands to execute the interpreted markup language request, said printer being further configured to encode any response from the device as a markup language response and to send the markup language response to the terminal; and

wherein said device-control commands are not a markup language.

2. The device control system described in claim 1, wherein

the markup language response includes data denoting a result of device control.

3. The device control system described in claim 1, wherein

the application further sends to the printer an establish communication markup language request to establishment a communication link with the printer;

and

when the establish communication markup language request is received, the printer sends to the application a markup language response to the establish communication markup language request.

4. The device control system described in claim 3, wherein

the application establishes a communication link with the printer based on the markup language response to the establish communication markup language request sent by the printer.

5. The device control system described in claim 4, wherein

after the communication link is established, the application sends to the printer an open markup language request to open communication with the device connected to the printer.

6. The device control system described in claim 5, wherein

when the open markup language request is received, the printer sends to the application a markup language response to the open markup language request indicating whether a communication link with the device is established.

7. The device control system described in claim 6, wherein

the application receives from the printer the markup language response to the open markup language request, and based on whether a communication link between the printer and device is established as indicated by the markup language response to the open markup language request, communication between the application and the device is enabled through the printer.

8. The device control system described in claim 7, wherein

after communication between the application and the device is enabled, the application sends to the printer a close markup language request to close communication with the device.

9. The device control system described in claim 8, wherein

in response to receiving the close markup language request, the printer sends to the application a markup language response to the close markup language request indicating whether communication with the device is closed.

10. The device control system described in claim 9, wherein

in response to receiving the markup language response to the close markup language request, the application closes communication with the device based on whether the markup language response to the close markup language request indicates that communication with the device is closed.

11. A control method of a device control system for a point-of-sale (POS) system, comprising:

including in the device control system a device responsive to device-control commands, a terminal configured to run an application that generates a control instruction for the device, and a printer configured to connect to the device and to the terminal;

running the application on the terminal to encode the control instruction as a markup language request, and to send the markup language request to the printer; and

using the printer to;

(a) receive the markup language request sent by the terminal,

(b) interpret the markup language request received from the terminal;

(c) control the device using appropriate device-control commands to execute the interpreted markup language request;

(d) encode any response from the device as a markup language response; and

(e) send the markup language response to the terminal;

wherein said device-control commands are not a markup language.

12. The control method of a device control system described in claim 11, further comprising:

using the printer to send information contained in the markup language request to the device;

using the device to execute a process based on the information contained in the markup language request, and

using the device to send a result of the executed process to the printer; and

including the result of the executed process into the markup language response sent to the terminal by the printer.

13. The control method of a device control system described in claim 11, further comprising:

using the application to send to the printer an establish communication markup language request to establish a communication link with the printer; and

when the establish communication markup language request is received, the printer sending to the application a markup language response to the establish communication markup language request.

14. The control method of a device control system described in claim 13, further comprising:

the application establishing a communication link with the printer based on the markup language response to the establish communication the markup language request sent by the printer.

15. The control method of a device control system described in claim 14, further comprising:

after the communication link is established, the application sending to the printer an open markup language request to open communication with the device connected to the printer.

16. The control method of a device control system described in claim 15, further comprising:

when the open markup language request is received, the printer sending to the application a markup language response to the open markup language request indicating whether a communication link with the device is established.

17. The control method of a device control system described in claim 16, further comprising:

the application receiving from the printer the markup language response to the open markup language request; and

based on whether a communication link between the printer and device is established as indicated by the markup language response to the open markup language request, enabling communication between the application and the device.

18. The control method of a device control system described in claim 17, further comprising:

after communication with between the application and the device is enabled, the application sending to the printer a close markup language request to close communication with the device.

19. The control method of a device control system described in claim 18, further comprising:

in response to receiving the close markup language request, the printer sending to the application a markup language response to the close markup language request indicating whether communication with the device is closed.

20. The control method of a device control system described in claim 19, further comprising:

in response to receiving the markup language response to the close markup language request, the application closing communication with the device based on a whether the markup language response to the close markup language request indicates that communication with the device is closed.