Printer with hardware and software interfaces for media devices

• US 7,573,593 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2004
• Issued: 08/11/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Piersol, Kurt W., Graham, Jamey, Hart, Peter E., Hull, Jonathan J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Thompson; James A
• Application Number:
  US10/814,932
• Publication Number:
  US 20050068572A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,960 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.15, 358/1.16, 358/1.9, 358/518, 358/1.13, 382/117, 382/118, 382/162, 382/170, 345/505, 345/619, 709/205, 709/220, 715/738, 348/207.11, 348/207.2, 348/14.03
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00127 Connection or combination of a still picture apparatus with another apparatus, e.g. for storage, processing or transmission of still picture signals or of information associated with a still picture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00326 with a data reading, recognizing or recording apparatus, e.g. with a bar-code apparatus arrangements for the associated working of recording or reproducing apparatus with related apparatus G11B31/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00339 with an electronic or magnetic storage medium I/O device RFID or the like H04N1/00342
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0082 Image hardcopy reproducer H04N2201/0091 - H04N2201/0094 take precedence

Abstract

A printing system enables the printing of multimedia received from a media source that is communicatively coupled to the printer. Based on the received multimedia data, the printing system produces a paper or other printed output as well as a related electronic output. Together, the printed and electronic outputs provide a representation of the multimedia. The printer is also capable of communicating and controlling the functionality of the media source. Depending on the desired application for the printer, the printer may include any combination of mechanisms for receiving media data, printing the printed output, and producing the electronic output.

Claims

1. A printer for printing time-based media, the printer comprising:

a printing sub-system within the printer for receiving and printing standard document formats;

an interface within the printer that receives the time-based media from a media source, the interface coupled to the printing sub-system;

a multimedia processing system within the printer and coupled to the interface that issues a command that controls the media source to transmit the time-based media to the multimedia processing system and that distributes, between the multimedia processing system within the printer and a system external to the printer, a determination of an electronic representation and a printed representation of the time-based media;

a first output device, within the printer and in communication with the multimedia processing system to receive the electronic representation, for producing a corresponding electronic output from the electronic representation of the time-based media; and

a second output device, within the printer and in communication with the multimedia processing system to receive the printed representation, for producing a corresponding printed output from the printed representation of the time-based media.

2. The printer of claim 1, wherein the printed output is generated on a video paper.

3. The printer of claim 1, wherein the electronic output is stored on a media recorder.

4. The printer of claim 1, wherein the electronic output is stored on a removable storage device.

5. The printer of claim 4, wherein the removable storage device is selected from a group consisting of a DVD, a CD-ROM, an audio cassette tape, a video tape, a flash card, a memory stick, and a computer disk.

6. The printer of claim 1, wherein the interface comprises an ultrasonic pen capture device.

7. The printer of claim 1, wherein the interface comprises a parallel port.

8. The printer of claim 1, wherein the interface comprises a wireless communication interface.

9. The printer of claim 1, wherein the interface comprises a serial interface.

10. The printer of claim 9, wherein the serial interface is a USB interface.

11. The printer of claim 1, wherein the interface comprises a docking station.

12. The printer of claim 11, wherein the docking station is built into the printer.

13. The printer of claim 1, wherein the interface comprises an optical port.

14. The printer of claim 1, wherein the interface comprises a video port.

15. The printer of claim 1, wherein the interface comprises a port for connecting the media source, the port selected from a group consisting of SCSI, IDE, RJ11, composite video, component video and S-video.

16. The printer of claim 1, wherein the interface comprises a removable storage reader.

17. The printer of claim 16, wherein the removable storage reader comprises media reader selected from a group consisting of a DVD reader, a flash card reader, a memory stick reader, a CD reader, a computer disk reader, and an SD reader.

18. The printer of claim 1, wherein the media source comprises a cellular telephone.

19. The printer of claim 1, wherein the media source comprises a video camcorder.

20. The printer of claim 1, wherein the media source comprises a digital audio recorder.

21. The printer of claim 1, wherein the media source comprises a media input device selected from a group consisting of a DVD reader, a video cassette tape reader, a CD reader, an audio cassette tape reader, a flash card reader, a digital video recorder, a video capture device, and a meeting recorder.

22. The printer of claim 1, wherein the multimedia processing system comprises a video stream processor.

23. The printer of claim 22, wherein the multimedia processing system comprises a video key frames extractor.

24. The printer of claim 22, wherein the multimedia processing system generates a bar code, the bar code corresponding to a video segment in the video stream.

25. The printer of claim 1, wherein the multimedia processing system is configured to generate a web page representation of the multimedia.

26. The printer of claim 1, wherein the multimedia processing system is configured for controlling at least one external functionality of the media source.

27. The printer of claim 1, wherein the multimedia processing system is configured to automatically detect a communicative coupling of the media source.

28. The printer of claim 1, wherein the multimedia processing system is configured to automatically download multimedia data from the media source.

29. The printer of claim 1, wherein the interface comprises a database server.

30. The printer of claim 29, wherein the database server comprises a music catalog.

31. The printer of claim 29, wherein the database server comprises a video database.

32. The printer of claim 29, wherein the database server comprises a web search engine.

33. The printer of claim 1, wherein the multimedia processing system comprises a text-to-speech system.

34. The printer of claim 1, wherein the multimedia processing system comprises an image detection system.

35. The printer of claim 1, wherein the multimedia processing system comprises a face recognition system.

36. The printer of claim 1, wherein the multimedia processing system comprises a speech recognition system.

37. The printer of claim 1, wherein the system external to the printer is an external computing device.

38. The printer of claim 1, wherein the system external to the printer is an external network service.

39. The printer of claim 1, wherein the multimedia processing system is configured to communicate with the system external to the printer.

40. The printer of claim 1, wherein the multimedia processing system is configured to control functionality in the system external to the printer.

41. The printer of claim 1, wherein sending commands to the media source further comprises controlling the media source to transmit the time-based media to a system separate from the printer.

42. The printer of claim 1, wherein sending commands to the media source further comprises controlling the media source to capture external data.

43. The printer of claim 1, wherein the multimedia processing system is configured to output a status message for display on a display of the media source.

44. The printer of claim 1, wherein the multimedia processing system is configured to output video for display on a display of the media source.

45. The printer of claim 1, wherein the multimedia processing system is configured to output audio using a speaker of the media source.

46. A method for printing time-based media, the method comprising:

receiving and printing at a printing sub-system within a printer standard document formats in response to user input;

issuing a command from a multimedia processing system within the printer that controls the media source to transmit the time-based media to the multimedia processing system;

receiving the time-based media from the media source;

automatically determining an electronic representation and a printed representation of the time-based media, wherein the determining is distributed between the multimedia processing system and a system external to the printer;

producing a corresponding electronic output from the electronic representation of the time-based media; and

producing a corresponding printed output from the printed representation of the time-based media.

47. The method of claim 46, wherein the electronic output is stored on a media recorder.

48. The method of claim 46, wherein the electronic output is stored on a removable storage device.

49. The method of claim 48, wherein the removable storage device is selected from a group consisting of a DVD, a CD-ROM, an audio cassette tape, a video tape, a flash card, a memory stick, and a computer disk.

50. The method of claim 46, wherein the media source comprises a cellular telephone.

51. The method of claim 46, wherein the media source comprises a video camcorder.

52. The method of claim 46, wherein the media source comprises a digital audio recorder.

53. The method of claim 46, wherein the media source comprises a media input device selected from a group consisting of a DVD reader, a video cassette tape reader, a CD reader, an audio cassette tape reader, a flash card reader, a digital video recorder, a video capture device, and a meeting recorder.

54. The method of claim 46, wherein the system external to the printer is an external computing device.

55. The method of claim 46, wherein the system external to the printer is an external network service.

56. The method of claim 46, wherein sending commands to the media source further comprises controlling the media source to transmit the time-based media to a system separate from the printer.

57. The method of claim 46, wherein sending commands to the media source further comprises controlling the media source to capture external data.