Secure federation of cloud print services

• US 9,329,810 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2011
• Issued: 05/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Shustef, Yevgeniy
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Tammy
• Assistant Examiner(s): Leland, III, Edwin S
• Application Number:
  US13/334,523
• Publication Number:
  US 20130163027A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,594 Days
• Field of Search: 358 114- 115, 709/203, 726/1
• 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 3/1226 Discovery of devices having required properties
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1228 Printing driverless or using generic drivers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/126 Job scheduling, e.g. queuing, determine appropriate device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1288 in client-server-printer device configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0209 Architectural arrangements, e.g. perimeter networks or demilitarized zones

Abstract

A method and system are disclosed for federation among cloud print services. Based upon identification data and location data received from a user device, a primary cloud print service determines the best document processing device for output of a document. The primary cloud print service uses trusted relationships with other cloud print services, established via secure sharing of information, to allow for transparent printing across clouds to any device registered by the user or available and proximate to the user'"'"'s location.

Claims

1. A federation method among cloud print services, comprising:

with a processor, designating a selected one of a plurality of cloud print services a s a primary cloud print service associated with the user, wherein each cloud print services includes at least one document processing device registered therewith;

receiving identification data representative of an identification of an associated user via the primary cloud print service;

establishing a trusted relationship between the primary cloud print service and each of one or more additional cloud print services, wherein the trusted relationship is established via a token exchange or a certificated exchange between the primary cloud print service and at least one of the one or more additional cloud print services, and wherein a trusted relationship is extended between the primary cloud print service and an other cloud print service in accordance with only an established trusted relationship between the at least one of the one or more additional cloud print services and the other cloud print service;

storing, in a database associated with the primary cloud print service and a database associated with each of the one or more additional cloud print services, data representative of the established trusted relationships;

aggregating data representative of one or more additional trusted cloud print services by the primary cloud print service so as to generate a federation of trusted cloud print serves, the federation including the primary cloud print service;

receiving selection data corresponding to a trusted cloud print service selected from among the federation trusted cloud print services;

retrieving, from the selected additional trusted cloud print service, data representative of at least one document processing device separate from the loud print service registered in accordance with the received identification data;

aggregating data representative of each document processing device available from the primary cloud print service and each of the one or more additional cloud print services having a trusted relationship therewith into a list of available document processing devices, wherein the aggregated list available document processing devices is transparent to the associated user such that each document processing device is listed as associated with the selected cloud print service regardless of the cloud print service to the which the document processing device is registered;

receiving selection data corresponding to a selected document processing device associated with the selected cloud print service from the aggregated list thereof; and

communicating job data representative of a document processing operation to the selected document processing device for processing thereon.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the retrieving of document processing device data further comprises:

querying the selected additional trusted cloud print service in accordance with received identification data for at least one document processing device registered in accordance therewith; and

receiving, in response to the query, data representative of at least one document processing device associated with the selected cloud print service registered in accordance with the received identification data.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the primary cloud print service, the job data representative of the document processing operation for the selected document processing device from an associated user device;

receiving status data representative of a status of processing of the job data by the selected document processing device by the primary cloud print service from the selected additional trusted cloud print service; and

communicating received status data to the associated user device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the identification data comprises at least one of an open identification, a username and a password.

5. A system for federating cloud print services comprising memory which stores instructions for performing the method of claim 1 and a processor in communication with the memory for executing the instructions.

6. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory recording medium storing instructions, which when executed by a computer causes the computer to perform the method of claim 1.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving registration data from the associated user of at least one additional document processing device, the registration data including a selection corresponding to the primary cloud print service or the one or more additional cloud print services for registration thereof; and

registering the at least one additional document processing device with the selected cloud print service in accordance with the received registration data, wherein the received selection data corresponds to the at least one additional document processing device associated with the selected cloud print service.

8. A method for federating document processing devices among cloud print services, comprising:

with a processor, designating a selected one of a plurality of cloud print services as a primary cloud print service associated with the user, wherein each cloud print services includes at least one document processing device registered therewith;

receiving a request to initiate cloud printing by a primary cloud printing service, the request comprising at least one of identification data and location data;

exchanging, between the primary cloud print service and one or more additional cloud print services, a token or certificate to establish a trusted relationship between the primary cloud print service and at least one of the one or more additional cloud print service, wherein a trusted relationship is extended between the primary cloud print service and an other cloud print service in accordance with only an established trusted relationship between the other cloud print service and the at least one of the one or more additional cloud print services;

storing, in database associated with the primary cloud print service and a database associated with each of the one or more additional cloud print services, data representative of the established trusted relationships;

querying at least one additional trusted cloud print service in accordance with the received at least one of identification data and location data for at least one document processing device available in accordance therewith;

aggregating data representative of one or more available document processing devices on, and separate from, each cloud printing service in response to the query thereof by the primary cloud print service;

aggregating data representative of each document processing device available from the primary cloud print service and available from each of the one or more additional cloud print services having a trusted relationship therewith into a list of available document processing devices, wherein the aggregated list of document processing devices is transparent to the associated user such that each document processing device is listed as associated with the selected cloud print service regardless of the cloud print service to which the document processing device is registered;

receiving selection data corresponding to a selected document processing device from among the one or more available document processing devices from the aggregated list thereof; and

communicating job data representative of a document processing operation to the selected document processing device for processing thereon.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising receiving location data corresponding to a location of the associated user, wherein the querying further comprises querying the at least one additional trusted cloud print service for at least one document processing device available relative to the received location data.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving a request from the associated user for a document processing device in accordance with a location associated therewith; and

relaying the received request and location data to the at least one trusted cloud print service.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the aggregation is performed in accordance with the received identification data and the received location data.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more available document processing devices are publically available document processing devices.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the identification data comprises at least one of an open identification, a username and a password.

14. A system for federating document processing devices of cloud printing services comprising memory which stores instructions for performing the method of claim 8 and a processor in communication with the memory for executing the instructions.

15. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory recording medium storing instructions, which when executed by a computer causes the computer to perform the method of claim 8.

16. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving registration data from the associated user of at least one additional document processing device, the registration data including a selection corresponding to the primary cloud print service or the one or more additional cloud print services for registration thereof; and

registering the at least one additional document processing device with the selected cloud print service in accordance with the received registration data, wherein the received selection data corresponds to the at least one additional document processing device associated with the selected cloud print service.

17. A system for federating document processing devices among cloud print services, comprising:

a processor;

memory that stores data. representative of trusted relationships among one or more cloud print services; and

a communications interface operative to communicate data among the one or more cloud print services,

wherein the memory is in communication with the processor, which stores instructions which are executed by the processor for;

establishing a trusted relationship with at least one additional cloud print service via an exchange of at least one of tokens or certificates with the at least one additional cloud print services via the communications interface,

extending a trusted relationship to an other cloud print service in accordance with only an established trusted relationship between the other cloud print service and the at least one additional cloud print service,

storing, in each of a plurality of databases associated with each of the one or more cloud print services, one or more established trusted relationship between the one or more cloud print services,

receiving a request to initiate cloud printing, wherein the request includes at least one of identification data and location data,

aggregating data representative of trusted cloud print services in accordance with the one or more established trusted relationships stored on at least one of the plurality of databases so as to generate a federation thereof,

receiving selection data corresponding to a selected cloud print service from among the federation of trusted cloud print services,

retrieving, from the selected trusted cloud print service, data representative of at least one document processing device separate from the cloud print services and registered in accordance with the received identification data,

aggregating data representative of each document processing device available from the primary cloud print service and from each trusted cloud print service into a list thereof, wherein the aggregated list of document processing devices is transparent such that each document processing device is listed as associated with the selected trusted cloud print services regardless of the cloud print service to which the document processing device is registered;

receiving selection data corresponding to a selected document processing device associated with the selected trusted cloud print service, from the aggregated list thereof, and

communicating job data representative of a document processing operation to the selected document processing device for processing thereon.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the memory further stores instructions which are executed by the processor for:

querying each trusted cloud print service in accordance with the received location data for data representative of at least one document processing devices from each of the trusted cloud print services based upon a location of the document processing device with respect to the location data,

wherein the available document processing devices aggregated in the list thereof are indentified on each cloud printing service in response to the query thereof; and

receiving selection data corresponding to a selected document processing device from among the one or more available document processing devices,

wherein the job data is communicated to the selected document processing device in accordance with the received selection data for processing thereon.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the memory further stores instructions which are executed by the processor for

receiving status data corresponding to the processing of the job data by the selected document processing device;

and

communicating received status data to at least one of a user device or a web-based interface accessible in accordance with the received identification data.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the status data comprises at least one of a job completion indication, a time to completion, an error or a successful transmission.