Printer With Embedded Retrieval and Publishing Interface

• US 20080037043A1
• Filed: 08/01/2007
• Published: 02/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Graham, Jamey, Piersol, Kurt, Hart, Peter, Hull, Jonathan
• Granted Patent: US 7,573,604 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.8
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4393 Multimedia presentations, e.g. slide shows, multimedia albums
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1201 Dedicated interfaces to print systems
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/11 by using information not detectable on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/28 by using information signals recorded by the same method as the main recording G11B27/22 takes precedence

Abstract

A system and method for a printer that receives a data containing multimedia information or a pointer to multimedia content and performs various actions in accordance with the received document. The printer may retrieve the multimedia content based on pointers within the document or the document itself may include multimedia content.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a printer, a document having a pointer pointing to data that is not in the received document; and

creating by the printer, in response to receipt of the document, a printable document in accordance with the pointer.

2. The method of claim 1, further including retrieving the data pointed to by the pointer and including the retrieved data in the printable document.

3. The method of claim 1, further including storing, by the printer in a database, the data pointed to by the pointer.

4. The method of claim 1, further including the pointer to the data as part of the printable document.

5. The method of claim 1, further including placing a bar code in the printable document that represents at least some of the data pointed to by the pointer.

6. The method of claim 1, further including placing a bar code in the printable document that represents a local storage location of at least some of the data pointed to by the pointer.

7. The method of claim 1, further including placing a bar code in the printable document that represents the pointer.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the received document is a PDL file.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the pointer is a World Wide Web pointer.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the pointer is a URL.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the printable document includes at least one frame grab of video data pointed to by the pointer.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the received document includes commands for the printer to perform a multimedia related action.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the printer analyses the received document to extract the pointer from the document.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the document is received from a print-driver that processes the document to identify the pointer.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the document is received from a plug-in that processes the document to identify the pointer.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the document is received from an standalone application that processes the document to identify the pointer.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the printer further interacts with a user before printing the document.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

printing the printable document; and

receiving input in accordance with the document printed by the printer and retrieving multimedia data in accordance with the input.

19. A method, comprising:

receiving by a printer a document containing multimedia information; and

creating by the printer, in response to receipt of the document, a printable document in accordance with the multimedia information.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the multimedia information is video.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the multimedia information is audio.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the multimedia information is animation.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the multimedia information is a composite document.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein the multimedia information points to multimedia content and further comprising retrieving the multimedia content in accordance with the multimedia information.

25. The method of claim 19, further comprising storing by the printer at least some of the multimedia information in a database.

26. The method of claim 19, further including printing at least a portion of the multimedia information as part of the printable document.

27. The method of claim 19, further including placing a bar code in the printable document that represents at least some of the multimedia information.

28. The method of claim 19, further including placing a bar code in the printable document that represents a pointer to multimedia content and that further represents at least some of the multimedia content.

29. The method of claim 19, wherein the received document is a PDL file.

30. The method of claim 19, wherein the multimedia information is a World Wide Web pointer to multimedia information.

31. The method of claim 19, wherein the printable document includes at least one frame grab of video data in accordance with the multimedia information.

32. A method performed by a printer, comprising:

gathering information about multimedia data that is accessible to the printer; and

creating a summary of the accessible multimedia data.

33. The method of claim 32, further comprising printing the created summary.

34. The method of claim 32, where the printer is connected to a network and can access multimedia data via the network.

35. The method of claim 32, where the printer stores multimedia data and the stored data is the data accessible by the printer.

36. The method of claim 32, where the printer has access to a database containing multimedia data.

37. The method of claim 32, where the summary includes a representation of audio data.

38. The method of claim 32, where the summary includes a representation of video data.

39. The method of claim 32, where the summary includes a representation of graphical data.

40. A printer, comprising:

means for receiving, by a printer, a document having a pointer pointing to data that is not in the received document; and

means for creating by the printer, in response to receipt of the document, a printable document containing at least a portion of the data pointed to by the pointer.

41. A method of improving print quality of a printer, comprising:

receiving, by a printer, a first document containing a first image;

searching, by the printer, a network in order to locate a similar image with better print quality;

creating, by the printer, a printable document equivalent to the first document, except that the similar image with better print quality replaces the first image.

42. A method, comprising:

providing, by a printer, a user interface allowing a user to enter a World Wide Web search query;

executing, by the printer, the user-entered World Wide Web search query;

creating, by the printer, a printable document containing the results of the user-entered World Wide Web search query, where the results are formatted so as to take advantage of the printer'"'"'s special capabilities.

43. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a printer, a file comprising URLs;

creating, by the printer, a printable document containing a summary of the contents, where the summary includes retrieved multimedia data.