PRINTING DEVICES SUPPORTING PRINTING OVER AIR OR PRINTING OVER A WIRELESS NETWORK

• US 20180024791A1
• Filed: 09/22/2017
• Published: 01/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Flexiworld Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Flexiworld Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Chang, William Ho, Liu, Christina Ying
• Granted Patent: US 10,873,856 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1203 Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. print management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1205 resulting in increased flexibility in print job configuration, e.g. job settings, print requirements, job tickets
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1208 resulting in improved quality of the output result, e.g. print layout, colours, workflows, print preview
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/122 with regard to computing resources, e.g. memory, CPU
• 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 3/1229 Printer resources management or printer maintenance, e.g. device status, power levels
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1236 Connection management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1238 Secure printing, e.g. user identification, user rights for device usage, unallowed content, blanking portions or fields of a page, releasing held jobs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1245 by conversion to intermediate or common format
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1247 by conversion to printer ready format
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1253 Configuration of print job parameters, e.g. using UI at the client
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1258 by updating job settings at the printer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/128 Direct printing, e.g. sending document file, using memory stick, printing from a camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1284 Local printer device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1285 Remote printer device, e.g. being remote from client or server
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1286 via local network
• 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: G06F 3/14 : Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/162 : Interface to dedicated audio devices, e.g. audio drivers, interface to CODECs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 : Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/02 : using printers
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/181 : Receiving print data characterized by its formatting, e.g. particular page description languages
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1836 : Rasterization
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 : specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 : Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/30 : Distributed recognition, e.g. in client-server systems, for mobile phones or network applications
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/223 : Execution procedure of a spoken command
• 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: H04N 1/00244 : with a server, e.g. an internet server fax-servers or the like for store and forward H04N1/324
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00283 : with a television apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00307 : with a mobile telephone apparatus constructional features of portable telephone sets H04M1/0202; mobile radio systems H04W84/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00403 : Voice input means, e.g. voice commands
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00411 : the display also being used for user input, e.g. touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00488 : providing an audible output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00854 : Recognising an unauthorised user or user-associated action
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00938 : Software related arrangements, e.g. loading applications program loading in general G06F9/445
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32534 : details of interfacing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32582 : Output interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4413 : involving the use of passwords, ID codes or the like, e.g. PIN
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/442 : using a biometric data reading device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0039 : Connection via a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0041 : Point to point H04N2201/0039 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0053 : Optical, e.g. using an infrared link
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0055 : By radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0082 : Image hardcopy reproducer H04N2201/0091 - H04N2201/0094 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0094 : Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/16 : Analogue secrecy systems; Analogue subscription systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 : Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/068 : using credential vaults, e.g. password manager applications or one time password [OTP] applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 : Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 : Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 : Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 : Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 : Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 : WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 : Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

Printing devices (including controllers) supporting printing in a wireless local area network, printing over air, or network printing by registering the printing device with a service over a network are herein disclosed and enabled. The printing device may include wireless communication circuitry that supports part of IEEE 802.11 standards for (1) connecting to a wireless local area network (LAN) to establish communication with an information apparatus that is in the wireless LAN; (2) transmitting device information related to the printing device from the printing device to the information apparatus; and (3) receiving print data from the information apparatus over the wireless LAN for printing at the printing device. The print data is based on the device information transmitted to the information apparatus. A printer driver specific to the printing device may or may not be necessary to be installed in the information apparatus for printing to the printing device.

Claims

1. A method for a printing device to wirelessly provide printing services, the printing device includes wireless communication circuitry for establishing a wireless local area network connection to a wireless local area network, the method comprises:

(1) wirelessly connecting, using the wireless communication circuitry of the printing device, to the wireless local area network;

(2) wirelessly establishing communication, using the wireless communication circuitry of the printing device, with an information apparatus that is in the wireless local area network in (1);

(3) wirelessly transmitting, using the wireless communication circuitry and over the wireless local area network, device information from the printing device to the information apparatus in (2), the device information includes at least one of identification information, capability information, address information, status information, or attribute information, individually or in any combination, related to the printing device;

(4) wirelessly receiving, via the wireless communication circuitry of the printing device, print data from the information apparatus for printing at the printing device, the print data is based, at least in part, on the device information transmitted to the information apparatus in (3).

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the printing device is operable to provide printing service to the information apparatus without requiring the information apparatus to install, or to have preinstalled, a printer specific printer driver associated with the printing device at the information apparatus.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the device information transmitted from the printing device to the information apparatus in (3), includes identification information related to the printing device, the identification information includes one or more of a name, a model, a brand, an identifier, a registration, a URL, a security key, a PIN, or an IP address, individually or in any combination, and the identification information is to facilitate, at least in part, the information apparatus identifying the printing device for service.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the device information transmitted from the printing device to the information apparatus in (3), further includes capability information related to one or more languages or formats supported by the printing device, and wherein the print data received at the printing device is in accordance, at least in part, to the one or more languages or formats supported by the printing device and specified in the device information.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the wireless communication circuitry includes one or more chips or chipsets, the one or more chips or chipsets are compatible, at least in part, with at least part of a protocol within IEEE 802.11 standards for wirelessly connecting to the wireless local area network in (1).

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the printing device further includes an interface for interacting with a user, and prior to wirelessly connecting to the wireless local area network, the method further comprises:

receiving, via the interface of the printing device, security information or authentication information for establishing the wireless local area network connection; and

using the received security information or the authentication information to wirelessly connect to the wireless local area network in (1).

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the printing device further includes a wireless device discovery component, and wherein the establishing of wireless communication with the information apparatus in (2) includes the printing device using the wireless device discovery component for the information apparatus to wirelessly discover the printing device or for the printing device to wirelessly discover the information apparatus.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the information apparatus includes software program executable at the information apparatus, and wherein the method further comprises:

(a) accessing, by the software program, one or more servers operated, at least in part, by a service provided over a network, the accessing of the one or more servers is based, at least in part, on having obtained, by the software program, appropriate security or authentication information for accessing the service;

(b) wirelessly receiving, by the software program at the information apparatus, the device information in (3) from the printing device over the wireless local area network in (1);

(c) transmitting, using the software program, at least part of the device information received from the printing device in (3) to the one or more servers accessed in (a);

(d) receiving, by the software program at the information apparatus, output data from the one or more servers, the output data is device specific for printing at the printing device and is based, at least in part, on the device information transmitted in (c); and

(e) transmitting, by the software program and over the wireless local area network, the print data in (4) to the printing device, the print data is related, at least in part, to the output data received from the one or more servers in (d).