Printer resource sharing in a media exchange network

• US 20040114180A1
• Filed: 09/30/2003
• Published: 06/17/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP PTE Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bennett, James D., Karaoguz, Jeyhan
• Granted Patent: US 7,110,135 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1203 Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. print management
• 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: H04N 1/00291 with receiver circuitry television receiver circuitry per se H04N5/44
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00294 for printing images at a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0082 Image hardcopy reproducer H04N2201/0091 - H04N2201/0094 take precedence

Abstract

Systems and methods of printer resource sharing in a communication network are provided. In one embodiment, the system may comprise, for example, at least one communication device, a communication network, print server software, and at least one personal printer resource. The communication device may be deployed at a location. The communication network may be communicatively coupled to that communication device. The print server software may receive from the communication device via the communication network a request for printing of information content. The print server software may respond by coordinating the printing of the information content. The at least one personal printer resource may be communicatively coupled to the at least one communication device. The print server software may reside outside of the at least one personal printer resource, and the at least one personal printer resource may be accessed for printing by the communication device via the communication network.

Claims

1. A system providing printer resource sharing in a communication network, comprising:

at least one communication device deployed in at least one location;

a communication network communicatively coupled to the at least one communication device;

print server software that receives from the at least one communication device via the communication network a request for printing of information content and that responds by coordinating the printing of the information content; and

at least one personal printer resource, communicatively coupled to the at least one communication device,

wherein the print server software resides outside of the at least one personal printer resource, and

wherein the at least one personal printer resource is accessed for printing by at least one communication device via the communication network.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the communication network comprises at least one of a broadband access headend, a cable infrastructure, a satellite network infrastructure, a digital subscriber line (DSL) infrastructure, an Internet infrastructure, an intranet infrastructure, a wired infrastructure, a closed communication infrastructure, a local area network, and a wireless infrastructure.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the communication network comprises a local area network.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the communication network comprises at least one of an Ethernet and an 802.11b wireless network.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the information content comprises at least one of third party media content, digital video, digital images, digital audio, documents, files, broadcast television programs, radio channels, news programming, sporting events programming, special programming, and on-demand movies.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the information content format comprises at least one of an MPEG video format, a Windows media format, a Real-Player format, a Quick-Time video format, an H.263 video format, an H.323 video format, a JPEG image format, a TIFF image format, a bit map image format, a GIF image format, and a PCX image format.

7. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a media exchange server communicatively coupled to the communication network,

wherein the media exchange server provides functionality related to at least one of printer resource registration, media transcoding, billing for information content-related services, payment for information-content related services, information content management, communication device registration, and information content security.

8. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a printer service server communicatively coupled to the communication network; and

at least one network printer resource communicatively coupled to the communication network via the printer service server and via the print server software, the print server software residing on the at least one network printer resource.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the printer service server provides functionality related to at least one of communication device authorization, billing for information content-related services, buffering of print jobs received from the communication network, and delivering print jobs to the at least one network printer resource.

10. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

at least one storage device communicatively coupled to the communication network.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the storage device comprises at least one of a hard disk drive, a DVD player, a CD player, a floppy disk drive, a RAM, a memory stick, a PCMCIA card, and a compact flash card.

12. A system providing printer resource sharing in a communication network, comprising:

a first communication device deployed at a first location;

a second communication device deployed at a second location;

a communication network communicatively coupled to the first location and the second location;

information content residing on the first communication device;

a print server software residing on the second communication device and coordinating the printing of the information content; and

a personal printer resource communicatively coupled to the communication network,

wherein the first communication device performs at least one of pushing the information content to the second communication device and printing the information content on the personal printer resource.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein the second communication device is adapted to accept or to reject a request for printing on the personal printer resource, the request being received via the communication network.

14. The system according to claim 12, wherein the communication network comprises at least one of a broadband access headend, a cable infrastructure, a satellite network infrastructure, a digital subscriber line (DSL) infrastructure, an Internet infrastructure, an intranet infrastructure, a wired infrastructure, a closed communication infrastructure, a local area network, and a wireless infrastructure.

15. The system according to claim 12, wherein the communication network comprises a local area network.

16. The system according to claim 15, wherein the communication network comprises at least one of an Ethernet and an 802.11b wireless network.

17. The system according to claim 12, wherein the information content comprises at least one of third party media content, digital video, digital images, digital audio, documents, files, broadcast television programs, radio channels, news programming, sporting events programming, special programming, and on-demand movies.

18. The system according to claim 12, wherein the information content format comprises at least one of an MPEG video format, a Windows media format, a Real-Player format, a Quick-Time video format, an H.263 video format, an H.323 video format, a JPEG image format, a TIFF image format, a bit map image format, a GIF image format, and a PCX image format.

19. A method for printing images, comprising:

(a) searching through a plurality of video frames on a communication network via a communication device, the communication device being communicatively coupled to the communication network;

(b) selecting a video frame of the plurality of video frames using the communication device;

(c) transcoding the selected video frame using the communication device to obtain a single image frame; and

(d) printing the single image frame from the communication device on at least one network printer resource, the at least one network printer resource being communicatively coupled to the communication device via the communication network.

20. The method according to claim 19, further comprising:

(e) printing the single image frame from the communication device on a personal printer resource, the personal printer resource being communicatively coupled to the communication device via a print server software residing on the communication device.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein the printing on the personal printer resource may be accepted or may be rejected via the communication device.

22. The method according to claim 19, wherein the selected video frame is transcoded from at least one of an MPEG video format, a Windows media format, a Real-Player format, a Quick-Time video format, an H.263 video format, and an H.323 video format.

23. The method according to claim 19, wherein the selected video frame is transcoded to at least one of a JPEG image format, a TIFF image format, a bit map image format, a GIF image format, and a PCX image format.

24. The method according to claim 20, wherein selecting the video frame comprises selecting a set of video frames.

25. The method according to claim 20, wherein the transcoding of the selected video frame comprises transcoding of a set of video frames to obtain a single image frame.

26. A method for managing a printer resource, comprising:

(a) selecting or generating an image frame on a communication device, the communication device being communicatively coupled to the communication network;

(b) calling up printer resources available on the communication network using the communication device;

(c) selecting a printer resource from the available printer resources using the communication device;

(d) viewing printing parameters of the selected printer resource using the communication device;

(e) accepting the printer resource and the printing parameters using the communication device; and

(f) printing the image frame on the accepted printer resource.

27. The method according to claim 26, wherein the printer resource comprises a personal printer resource that is communicatively coupled to the communication network via a print server software.

28. The method according to claim 26, wherein the printing parameters comprise at least one of a cost of using the printer resource, a print size, a printing font, and a type of printing color.