Print by reference method for portable wireless devices

• US 7,385,718 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2001
• Issued: 06/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Morgan, Jeff, Stoltz, Pat, Fischer, Todd, Berkema, Alan Chris
• Primary Examiner(s): Grant, II; Jerome
• Application Number:
  US09/897,653
• Publication Number:
  US 20030003957A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,538 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.1, 358/1.12, 358/1.13, 358/1.14, 358/1.15, 358/407
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• 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 3/1207 resulting in the user being informed about print result after a job submission
• 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 3/1259 Print job monitoring, e.g. job status
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1265 Printing by reference, e.g. retrieving document/image data for a job from a source mentioned in the job
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1292 Mobile client, e.g. wireless printing

Abstract

A print by reference method for a portable wireless device allows the portable wireless device to obtain a reference that indicates where a print content is located and to wirelessly communicate the reference to a print device causing the print device to use the reference to locate and obtain a desired set of print content and further causing the print device to print the desired print content. Alternatively, the method may cause the portable wireless device to communicate the reference to a print service which responds to the reference by downloading the print content and then forwarding the print content to a print device for printing.

Claims

1. A print by reference method executable by a portable wireless device, the method comprising the steps of:

obtaining a reference to print content stored at a location indicated by the reference; and

wirelessly communicating the reference to another device to initiate a print by reference of the print content,

wherein the print content is printed in response to receipt of the reference by the another device, and wherein the print content is not communicated to the another device by the wireless device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the reference specifies a number of copies of the print content to be printed by a print device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the another device comprises a print service adapted to use the reference to obtain the print content, and wherein the print content is printed in response to receipt of the reference by the print service.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the reference specifies a print device to which the print service is adapted to transmit the print content.

5. The method of claim 3 further comprising the step of receiving the print content from the print service.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising the step of passing the print content to a print device for printing.

7. A print by reference method executable by a portable wireless device, the method comprising the steps of:

obtaining a reference to print content stored at a location indicated by the reference; and

wirelessly communicating the reference to another device to initiate a print by reference of the print content,

wherein the print content is printed in response to receipt of the reference by the another device, and wherein the print content is stored at a location directly specified by the reference and is not included in the reference.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the reference specifies print format information.

9. A print by reference method executable by a portable wireless device, the method comprising the steps of:

obtaining a reference to print content stored at an Internet location indicated by the reference;

including the reference in a communication signal formatted according to a Bluetooth communication protocol; and

wirelessly communicating the communication signal to a print device thereby causing the print device to use the reference to retrieve the print content from the Internet and to print the print content, wherein the communication signal is wirelessly communicated directly from the portable wireless device to the print device.

10. A print by reference method executable by a portable wireless device, the method comprising the steps of:

obtaining a reference to print content stored at an Internet location indicated by the reference;

including the reference in a communication signal formatted according to a Bluetooth communication protocol; and

wirelessly communicating the communication signal to a print device thereby causing the print device to use the reference to retrieve the print content from the Internet and to print the print content, wherein the communication signal is received in wireless form by the print device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the print content is printed in response to receipt of the reference by the print device.

12. A print by reference method executable by a portable wireless device, the method comprising the steps of:

obtaining a reference to print content stored at a location indicated by the reference; and

wirelessly communicating the reference to a printer to initiate a print by reference of the print content by the printer in response to receipt of the reference by the printer, wherein the printer provides the reference to a print service different from the wireless device and the printer, and receives the print content from the print service in response.

13. A print by reference method executable by a portable wireless device, the method comprising the steps of:

obtaining a reference to print content stored at a location indicated by the reference; and

wirelessly communicating the reference to a printer to initiate a print by reference of the print content by the printer in response to receipt of the reference by the printer, wherein the printer provides the reference to a content provider different from the wireless device and the printer, and receives the print content from the content provider in response.