Output device for mobile and pervasive output

• US 20020062406A1
• Filed: 11/18/2001
• Published: 05/23/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Flexiworld Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Flexiworld Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Chang, William Ho, Liu, Christina Ying
• Granted Patent: US 7,953,818 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• 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 3/1247 by conversion to printer ready format
• 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: G06F 3/1292 Mobile client, e.g. wireless printing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/32 using wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3224 Transactions dependent on location of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/327 Short range or proximity payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2805 Home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2809 indicating that an appliance service is present in a home automation network monitoring functionality H04L43/0817; discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services, H04L67/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2812 describing content present in a home automation network, e.g. audio video content retrieval from the Internet G06F16/95
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2834 Switching of information between an external network and a home network access arrangements H04L12/2856
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2838 Distribution of signals within a home automation network, e.g. involving splitting/multiplexing signals to/from different paths adaptations of television systems for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution H04N7/106; hybrid transport H04L12/6418; home network arrangements specially adapted for distribution of digital video signals H04N7/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/285 Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 : wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0492 : by using a location-limited connection, e.g. near-field communication or limited proximity of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 : specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 : Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 : Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 : Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 : Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5651 : Reducing the amount or size of exchanged application data
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 999/99 : dummy group

Abstract

Pervasive output capability is provided so that an information apparatus can pervasively output digital content to an output device regardless of the processing power, display screen size and memory space of the information apparatus. This allows small mobile devices with limited display, processing power, and memory to be able to output a digital document (e.g., PDF, HTML, PowerPoint etc) in its full original richness, without resorting to downsizing, truncating, reducing, clipping or otherwise altering the original document. A data output device for rendering output content managed from an information apparatus may include a rendering engine that imparts output on a medium in accordance with output data acceptable to the output device and a memory storage that stores at least part of one or more output device objects, with one or more attributes corresponding to the output device. The output device may further include means for providing at least part of the output device object to the information apparatus and means for receiving output data from the information apparatus, the output data related to the output content managed from the information apparatus and acceptable to the output device.

Claims

1. A data output device for rendering output content managed from an information apparatus, comprising:

a rendering engine that imparts output on a medium in accordance with output data acceptable to the output device; and

memory storage that stores at least part of one or more output device objects, with one or more attributes corresponding to the output device;

the output device having means for providing at least part of the output device object to the information apparatus, and means for receiving output data from the information apparatus, the output data related to the output content managed from the information apparatus and acceptable to the output device.

2. The output device of claim 1 further comprising means for storing one or more output device objects with one or more attributes corresponding to the one or more output devices.

3. The output device of claim 1 further comprising means for receiving plural service requests from plural information apparatuses, the output device providing the at least part of the output device object to each of the plural information apparatuses.

4. The output device of claim 1 in which the output device includes an audio output device.

5. The output device of claim 1 in which the at least part of the output device object is provided to the information apparatus in response to a service request received from the information apparatus.

6. The output device of claim 1 further includes means for providing the at least part of the output device object to the information apparatus as unsolicited information without a request therefor from the information apparatus.

7. The output device of claim 1 in which the at least part of the output device object is provided to the information apparatus in more than one communication session with the information apparatus.

8. The output device of claim 1 further includes means for implementing payment processing as compensation for rendering of the output content on the output device.

9. The output device of claim 1 further includes means for implementing job management functionalities with one or more of data output job queuing and spooling.

10. The output device of claim 1 further includes means for providing a user interface for receiving user-implemented modifications of the output device.

11. The output device of claim 1 further includes means for implementing a security procedure that limits access to the rendering provided by the selected output device.

12. The output device of claim 11 in which the security procedure includes storing in a memory component an access control list specifying an information apparatus for which the selected output device will render output content.

13. The output device of claim 11 in which the security procedure includes one or more of a subscription indicator, a login, a password, and an authentication.

14. The output device of claim 1 further comprising an output controller with means for communicating with the information apparatus.

15. The output device of claim 14 in which the output controller is separate from the output device.

16. The output device of claim 14 in which the output controller further includes means for converting the output data into a form acceptable to a printer controller.

17. The output device of claim 14 in which the output controller further including means for converting the output data into a form compatible with an output engine.

18. The output device of claim 1 in which the output data received by the output device includes device dependent data acceptable to the output engine.

19. The output device of claim 1 further includes means for converting the output data content into a form compatible with the output engine.

20. The output device of claim 1 in which the output device includes one of a display device or a projection device.

21. The output device of claim 1 in which the output device further includes means for performing at least partial raster image processing operations on the output data.

22. The output device of claim 21 in which the image processing operation includes one or more of an interpretation operation, a conversion operation, a rasterization operation, a scaling operation, a segmentation operation, color space transform operation, an image enhancement operation, a color correction operation, a halftoning operation, a compression operation, and an encryption operation.

23. The output device of claim 1 in which the output device includes a printer.

24. The output device of claim 1 in which the output data includes device dependent data in relation to the output device.

25. The output device of claim 1 in which the output medium is one or more of a substrate, a paper, a display screen, and a projection.

27. The output device of claim 26 in which the output data received at the output device is from a network.

28. The output device of claim 26 in which the output data received at the output device is from the information apparatus.

29. The output device of claim 26 in which the output data includes device dependent data in relation to the output device.

30. The output device of claim 26 in which the output medium is one or more of a substrate, a paper, a display screen, and a projection.

31. The output device of claim 26 in which the output controller further comprises means for storing one or more output device objects with one or more attributes corresponding to the one or more output devices.

32. The output device of claim 26 further comprising means for receiving plural service requests from plural information apparatuses, the output controller providing the at least part of the output device object to each of the plural information apparatuses.

33. The output device of claim 26 in which the output device includes a printer.

34. The output device of claim 26 in which the output controller further includes means for implementing payment processing as compensation for rendering of the output content on the output device.

35. The output device of claim 26 in which the output controller further includes means for implementing job management functionalities with one or more of data output job queuing and spooling.

36. The output device of claim 26 in which the output controller further includes means for providing a user interface for receiving user-implemented modifications of the controller.

37. The output device of claim 26 in which the output controller further includes means for implementing a security procedure that limits access to the rendering provided by the selected output device.

38. The output device of claim 26 in which the output controller is included in the output device.

39. The output device of claim 26 in which the output controller is separate from the output device.

40. The output device of claim 26 in which the output controller further includes means for converting the output data content into a form compatible with the output engine.

41. The output device of claim 26 in which the output controller further includes means for performing at least partially, raster image processing operations on the output data.

26. In a data output device for rendering output content managed with an information apparatus, the data output device including a rendering engine that imparts output on a medium in accordance with output data received at the output device, and a memory storage that stores data for rendering;

the improvement comprising;

an output controller having means for providing to the information apparatus at least part of an output device object having one or more attributes corresponding to the output device, means for receiving output data related to the output content managed from the information apparatus, and means for passing the output data for rendering of the output content at the output device.

42. In a data output device for rendering output content managed with an information apparatus, the data output device including a rendering engine that imparts output on a medium in accordance with output data received at the output device, and a memory storage that stores data for rendering;

the improvement comprising;

means for providing to the information apparatus at least part of an output device object having one or more attributes corresponding to the output device, means for receiving output data related to the output content managed from the information apparatus, and means for sending the output data to the output engine for rendering of the output content.