Printing device

• US 20060087678A1
• Filed: 10/22/2004
• Published: 04/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Simpson, Shell S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,623,255 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.150
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/34 involving the use of external additional devices, e.g. dongles or smart cards

Abstract

A printing device can transmit authentication data to a client computer remotely connected to the printing device. The authentication data can be used by the client computer to authenticate itself to a server computer.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

transmitting, by a printing device, authentication data to a client computer remotely connected to the printing device; and

wherein the authentication data can be used by the client computer to authenticate itself to a server computer.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

reading, by the printing device, at least some of the authentication data from a memory;

wherein the memory is an integrated part of a component installed in the printing device; and

wherein the reading step is performed prior to the transmitting step.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

reading, by the printing device, at least some of the authentication data from a memory; and

wherein the memory is an integrated part of a print cartridge presently installed in the printing device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

reading, by the printing device, at least some of the authentication data from a memory of a print cartridge; and

wherein the print cartridge contains a supply of toner or ink.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the printing device, a print cartridge that includes a memory, where the memory stores cartridge authentication data;

reading, by the printing device, the cartridge authentication, data from the memory; and

wherein the authentication data transmitted to the client computer includes the cartridge authentication data and an identifier identifying the printing device.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the transmitting step includes:

transmitting a web page to the client computer;

wherein the web page includes a hyperlink;

wherein the client computer displays the web page;

wherein a selection of the hyperlink causes the client computer to transmit a request to the server computer; and

wherein the request includes the authentication data.

7. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

transmitting, by the printing device, a web page to the client computer;

displaying, by the client computer, the web page;

receiving, by the client computer, a user selection of a hyperlink included in the web page;

in response to the hyperlink selection, transmitting a request; and

wherein the request includes the authentication data.

8. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving, by the client computer, the authentication data;

displaying, by the client computer, a user interface that includes a hyperlink;

wherein a selection of the hyperlink causes the client computer to transmit a request to the server computer; and

wherein the request includes the authentication data.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the user interface is a web page.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the user interface is a Graphical User Interface.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving, by the server computer, the request; and

using, by the server computer, the authentication data included in the request to determine if the client computer is authorized to access a resource.

12. A printing device including a printing mechanism, comprising:

a control system configured to transmit authentication data to a first computer, where the first computer can use the authentication data to authenticate itself to a second computer.

13. The printing device of claim 12, wherein the authentication data is in accordance with a pre-determined authentication protocol.

14. The printing device of claim 12, wherein the control system is configured to obtain at least a portion of the authentication data from a memory of a component installed in the printing device.

15. The printing device of claim 14, wherein the component is a print cartridge.

16. The printing device of claim 12,

wherein the control system transmits the authentication data embedded in a hyperlink;

wherein the hyperlink points to a resource provided by the second computer; and

wherein the first computer can use the authentication data to demonstrate authority to access a resource that is available over the Public Internet.

17. The printing device of claim 12,

a printing mechanism coupled to the control system.

18. A printing device, comprising:

means for receiving a request from a client computer remotely connected to the printing device;

means for responding to the request by transmitting authentication data to the client computer;

wherein the authentication data enables the client computer to authenticate itself to a particular server computer; and

wherein the server computer is remotely connected to the client computer.

19. The printing device of claim 18, further comprising:

means for reading at least some of the authentication data from a memory of an installed print cartridge.

20. The printing device of claim 18, further comprising:

at least one memory that stores a serial number assigned to the printing device and a URL address assigned to a resource provided by the server computer; and

means for creating a hyperlink that specifies the URL address and the authentication data; and

wherein the responding means transmits the authentication data by transmitting a web page that includes the hyperlink to the client computer.

21. The printing device of claim 18, wherein the resource is a Web page.

22. In a system that includes a printing device, a first computer and a second computer, a method comprising:

(a) receiving, by the first computer, authentication data from the printing device;

(b) transmitting, by the first computer, the authentication data to the second computer;

(c) using, by the second computer, the authentication data to determine if the first computer is an authorized party.

23. In a system that includes a printing device, a first computer and a server computer, a method comprising:

receiving, by the printing device, a print cartridge that includes a memory, where the memory stores authentication data;

reading, by the printing device, the authentication data;

transmitting, by the printing device, the authentication data to the first computer;

transmitting, by the first computer, the authentication data to the server computer; and

using, by the server computer, the authentication data to determine if the first computer is an authorized party.

24. The system of claim 23, further comprising:

if the server computer concludes that the first computer is an authorized party, permitting, by the server computer, the first computer to access a resource.

25. A print cartridge for use in a printing device, comprising:

(a) a supply of print material; and

(b) a memory;

wherein the memory stores authentication data for use by a client computer to demonstrate to a particular server computer that the client computer is an authorized party.

26. The print cartridge of claim 25, wherein the print material is dry toner.

27. The print cartridge of claim 25, wherein the print-material is liquid toner.

28. The print cartridge of claim 25, wherein the print material is ink.

29. The print cartridge of claim 25, wherein the authentication data includes a random number and an identifier that identifies the client computer.

30. The printing cartridge of claim 25, wherein the authentication data includes a large number that is greater than 2000 bits.

31. The printing cartridge of claim 25, wherein the authentication data includes at least one encrypted number.

32. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a printing device, a component that includes a memory that stores data;

reading, by the printing device, the data;

transmitting, by the printing device, the data to a client computer remotely connected to the printing device;

transmitting, by the client computer, the data to a server computer;

using, by the server computer, the data to determine if the client computer is an authorized party.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the component is a print cartridge.

34. In a client computer, a method of requesting access to a resource, comprising:

receiving, from a printing device, authentication data;

transmitting a request to access the resource; and

wherein the request includes the authentication data received from the printing device.

35. The method of claim 34,

wherein the request is transmitted to a server;

and

wherein the server uses the authentication data to determine if the originator of the request is authorized to access the resource.

36. The method of claim 34,

wherein the client computer transmits the request to the server over the Public Internet.

37. The method of claim 34,

wherein the printing device obtains the authentication data from a memory that is an integrated part of a replaceable component;

and

wherein the replaceable component is installed in the printing device.

38. The method of claim 34,

wherein the printing device obtains the authentication data from a memory that is an integrated part of a replaceable component;

and

wherein the replaceable component is a print cartridge.

39. The method of claim 34, further comprising:

displaying a user interface that includes a hyperlink to the resource;

receiving a user selection of the hyperlink; and

wherein the transmitting step is performed in response to a user selection of the hyperlink.

40. The method of claim 34, further comprising:

receiving, from the printing device, a serial number assigned to the printing device;

wherein the request further includes the printing device serial number.

41. The method of claim 34, further comprising:

receiving a Web page that includes a hyperlink from the printing device;

wherein the transmitting step is performed in response to the a user selection of the hyperlink.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein the request is transmitted to a server system;

and

wherein the server system uses the authentication data and the printing device serial number to determine if the computer is authorized to access the resource.

44. The method of claim 42, where the authentication further includes an identifier identifying the printing device and the method further comprising:

using a message history database to determine if a secret number specified by the authentication data has been compromised.

46. The method of claim 44, wherein the content is delivered in a form that is selected from a list consisting of text, digital images, artwork, animation, streaming multimedia video and streaming audio.

43. In a Server Computer, a method comprising:

receiving from a client computer a request for a resource, wherein the request includes authentication data;

using the authentication data to determine if the client computer is an authorized party;

wherein the client computer obtained the authentication data from a printing device; and

wherein the authentication data includes an identifier identifying a print cartridge that is presently installed in the printing device.

45. A method of delivering content to a client computer, comprising:

receiving, by a client computer, authentication data from a printing device;

transmitting, by the client computer to a server computer, the authentication data;

using, by the server computer, the authentication data to determine if the client computer is an authorized party;

if the client computer is determined to be an authorized party, then delivering, by the server computer, content to the client computer.

47. One or more computer-readable media containing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a printing device, perform the following steps:

reading authentication data from a memory; and

transmitting the authentication data to a remote computer connected to the printing device;

wherein the remote computer uses the authentication data to authenticate itself to a remote computer.

48. In a printing device, a method comprising:

receiving a challenge block from a client computer;

generating a response block using a private key;

transmitting the response block to the client computer; and

wherein the client computer uses the response block to authenticate itself to a remote computer.