Schedule-based printer selection

• US 7,084,997 B2
• Filed: 07/13/2001
• Issued: 08/01/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Clough, James
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams, Kimberly
• Assistant Examiner(s): SINGH, SATWANT K
• Application Number:
  US09/905,414
• Publication Number:
  US 20030011811A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,845 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.14, 358/1.13, 358/1.15, 399/87, 713/200, 715/744, 709/207, 340/7.41, 368/10, 379/90.01
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1204 resulting in reduced user or operator actions, e.g. presetting, automatic actions, using hardware token storing data
• 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 3/1226 Discovery of devices having required properties
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/126 Job scheduling, e.g. queuing, determine appropriate device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1285 Remote printer device, e.g. being remote from client or server

Abstract

A method and a system for selecting a printing site for a print job based on a schedule. The schedule includes a printing period linked to an appointment location. A start time for printing is compared with the printing period. If the start time is within the printing period, a printer is selected that corresponds to the appointment location.

Claims

1. A method for selecting a printing site for a print job of a user based on an appointment calendar of the user, comprising the steps of:

receiving a print job from a user selecting a start time and a document to be printed;

receiving an appointment calendar of a user including time periods linked to meetings scheduled for the user during the time periods;

comparing the start time with the time periods to identify a meeting having a linked time period corresponding to the start time;

selecting a printer that is proximate to the identified meeting; and

printing the document with the printer.

2. The method of claim 1, where the time periods include a pre-meeting interval.

3. The method of claim 1, where the time periods include a peri-meeting interval.

4. The method of claim 1, where the start time is current time.

5. The method of claim 1, further including requesting a confirmation of the printer.

6. The method of claim 1, where selecting is performed based on a printer-location table that ranks a plurality of printers based on relative proximity to the identified meeting.

7. A system for selecting a printing site for a print job of a user based on an appointment calendar of the user, comprising:

a plurality of printers that are proximate to respective meetings linked to time periods in an appointment calendar of a user; and

a processor operatively linked to the plurality of printers and adapted to receive a print job from a user selecting a start time and a document to be printed, to compare the start time with the time periods to identify a meeting having a linked time period in the appointment calendar corresponding to the start time, to select a printer proximate to the identified meeting and to print the document with the printer.

8. The system of claim 7, where the time periods include a pre-meeting interval.

9. The system of claim 7, where the time periods include a peri-meeting interval.

10. The system of claim 7, where the processor is further adapted to request a confirmation of the printer.

11. The system of claim 10, where the processor is adapted to offer a default printer in the confirmation request, as an alternative.

12. A program storage device readable by a processor, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the processor to perform method steps for selecting a printing site for a print job of a user based on an appointment calendar of the user, the method steps comprising:

receiving a print job from a user selecting a start time and a document to be printed;

receiving an appointment calendar of a user including time periods linked to meetings scheduled for the user during the time periods;

comparing the start time with the time penods to identify a meeting having a linked time period corresponding to the start time;

selecting a printer that is proximate to the identified meeting; and

printing the document with the printer.

13. The program storage device of claim 12, where the time periods include a pre-meeting interval.

14. The program storage device of claim 12, where the time periods include a peri-meeting interval.

15. The program storage device of claim 12, where the start time is current time.

16. The program storage device of claim 12, further including requesting a confirmation of the printer.

17. The program storage device of claim 12, where selecting is performed based on a printer-location table that ranks a plurality of printers based on relative proximity to the identified meeting.