System and method for walk-up printing

• US 6,892,251 B2
• Filed: 06/18/2001
• Issued: 05/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Revel, Daniel, Anderson, Jeff M., Bunn, Jeremy, Staas, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Gaffin, Jeffrey
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tanh Q.
• Application Number:
  US09/884,318
• Publication Number:
  US 20020194404A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,422 Days
• Field of Search: 710/1, 710/20, 710/62, 710/64, 710/65, 710/72, 358/1.1, 358/1.13, 358/1.15, 719/321, 719/327, 709/200, 709/201, 709/202, 709/203
• US Class Current: 710/20
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1206 resulting in increased flexibility in input data format or job format or job type
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/122 with regard to computing resources, e.g. memory, CPU
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1247 by conversion to printer ready format
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/128 Direct printing, e.g. sending document file, using memory stick, printing from a camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1292 Mobile client, e.g. wireless printing

Abstract

Disclosed are various systems and methods for printing documents. In one embodiment, a printing system is provided that comprises a host and a local printer coupled thereto, the local printer having a portable device communications port with which to establish a communications link a portable device. The local printer includes means for relaying a non-rendered document received via the portable device communications port to the host for rendering. The host includes means in the host for orchestrating a rendering of the non-rendered document into a rendered document with a printer format compatible with the local printer, the non-rendered document being rendered using one of a number of applications in the host, and, means in the host for transmitting a rendered document to the local printer to be printed.

Claims

1. A printing method, comprising:

determining whether a non-rendered document received in a local printer from a portable device via a portable device communications port is embodied in a format compatible with the local printer;

relaying the a non-rendered document from the a local printer to a host coupled thereto if the non-rendered document is not embodied in the format compatible with the local printer;

identifying one of a number of applications in the host that is compatible with the non-rendered document;

rendering the non-rendered document with the one of the number of applications into a format compatible with the local printer, thereby creating a rendered document; and

sending the rendered document to the local printer for printing.

2. The printing method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a file type of the non-rendered document; and

wherein the step of identifying the one of the number of applications in the host that is compatible with the non-rendered document further comprises searching through the number of applications In the host to identify the one of the number of applications that is compatible with the file type.

3. The printing method of claim 1, further comprising storing the non-rendered document received from the local printer in a memory in the host.

4. The printing method of claim 1, further comprising wirelessly communicating with the portable device, wherein the portable device communications port is a wireless communications port.

5. The printing method of claim 1, further comprising the step of rendering the non-rendered document with the one of the number of applications into the format compatible with the local printer further comprises launching the one of the number of applications in the host with instructions to print the non-rendered document using the local printer.

6. The printing method of claim 2, further comprising:

generating a print failure message in the host upon a failure to identify the one of the number of applications in the host that is compatible with the file type;

transmitting the print failure message to the local printer; and

printing the print failure message using the local printer.

7. A document relay system in a printer, comprising:

a processor circuit with a processor and a memory;

a portable device communications port coupled to the processor circuit to establish a data communication between the printer and a remote device; and

a document relay service stored in the memory and executable by the processor, the document relay service comprising;

logic that determines whether a document received from the remote device via the portable device communications port is rendered in a format compatible with the printer; and

logic that relays the document to a host to be rendered for the printer if the document is not compatible with the printer.

8. A printing system, comprising:

a host and a local printer coupled thereto, the local printer having a portable device communications port with which to establish a communications link with a portable device;

means in the local printer for determining whether a non-rendered document received in the local printer from the portable device via the portable device communications port is embodied in a format compatible with the local printer;

means in the local printer for relaying the a non-rendered document to the host for rendering if the non-rendered document is not embodied in the format compatible with the local printer;

means for determining a file type of the non-rendered document;

means for identifying one of a number of applications in the host that is compatible with the file type;

means in the host for orchestrating a rendering of the non-rendered document into a rendered document with a printer format compatible with the local printer, the non-rendered document being rendered using the one of the number of applications in the host; and

means in the host for transmitting a rendered document to the local printer to be printed.

9. The printing system of claim 8, wherein the host further comprises means for storing the non-rendered document relayed by the local printer In a memory in the host.

10. The printing system of claim 8, wherein the portable device communications port is a wireless communications port to facilitate a wireless communication link between the printer and the portable device.

12. The printing system of claim 8, further comprising:

means in the host for generating a print failure message upon a failure to Identify the one of the number of applications in the host that is compatible with the file type; and

means for transmitting the print failure message to the local printer.

11. A printing system, comprising:

a host and a local printer coupled thereto, the local printer having a portable device communications port with which to establish a communications link with a portable device;

means in the local printer for determining whether a non-rendered document received in the local printer from the portable device via the portable device communications port is embodied in a format compatible with the local printer;

means in the local printer for relaying the a non-rendered document to the host for rendering if the non-rendered document is not embodied in the format compatible with the local printer;

means in the host for orchestrating a rendering of the non-rendered document into a rendered document with a printer format compatible with the local printer, the non-rendered document being rendered using the one of the number of applications in the host;

means in the host for transmitting a rendered document to the local printer to be printed; and

wherein the means in the host for orchestrating the rendering of the non-rendered document into the rendered document further comprises means for launching the one of the number of applications in the host with instructions to print the non-rendered document using the local printer.