Methods for universal data output

• US 7,609,402 B2
• Filed: 01/18/2002
• Issued: 10/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Flexiworld Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Flexiworld Incorporated
• Inventors: Chang, William Ho, Liu, Christina Ying
• Primary Examiner(s): Popovici; Dov
• Application Number:
  US10/053,651
• Publication Number:
  US 20020097415A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,839 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.15, 358/1.14, 358/1.13, 358/1.16, 358/1.17, 358/1.18, 358/1.1, 358/1.6, 358/1.9, 358/1.2, 358/1.5, 358/1.11, 358/400, 358/401, 358/407, 358/468, 358/434, 358/435, 358/436, 358/437, 358/438, 358/439, 347/2, 347/3, 347/5, 347/14, 347/23, 399/1, 399/8, 455/3.01, 455/557, 455/151.2
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• 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

A data output method for rendering at an output device content accessible with an information apparatus, includes obtaining at the information apparatus one or more rasterization parameters corresponding to the output device and conforming at the information apparatus at least part of the data content into one or more output images with said one or more rasterization parameters. An intermediate output data is transmitted from the information apparatus to an output controller that is distinct from the information apparatus and associated with the selected output device, the intermediate output data including one or more output image. The intermediate output data is converted at the output controller into an output data acceptable for rendering at the output device.

Claims

1. A pervasive mobile data output method for rendering at an output device content at least partly accessible with an information apparatus, the information apparatus including at least one wireless communication unit, the pervasive mobile output method comprising:

accessing at the information apparatus at least part of said content;

opening at the information apparatus a wireless communication channel;

searching wirelessly at the information apparatus for wireless output devices available for wireless communication;

receiving at the information apparatus and over the wireless communication channel at least one attribute corresponding to each wireless output device found in the search;

selecting at the information apparatus a wireless output device found in the search based at least in part on a received attribute;

conforming at the information apparatus at least part of the content into one or more output images;

generating at the information apparatus an intermediate output data that includes said one or more output images, the intermediate output data conforming at least partly based on said received attribute of the selected output device;

establishing a wireless connection between the information apparatus and the selected wireless output device;

transmitting the intermediate output data from the information apparatus to an output controller that is distinct from the information apparatus and associated with the selected output device, the output controller including at least one wireless communication unit;

converting at the output controller the intermediate output data into an output data acceptable for rendering at the output device, and delivering the output data to the output device for rendering;

conforming at the output device the output data into a data format that is acceptable for rendering by a rendering engine in the output device, and delivering the data format to the rendering engine for output,

whereby, the information apparatus is able to output, in a mobile pervasive manner, one or more images representative of said content to an output device without the need to install an output device driver specific to that output device.

2. The method of claim 1 in which establishing a wireless connection with the selected wireless output device comprises authenticating wireless access to the output device by sending over the wireless communication channel one or more of a name, a password or security code, an ID number or address, a signatures, a physical or digital security key biometrics, a fingerprints, and a voice.

3. The method of claim 1 in which the receiving at least one attribute over the wireless communication channel comprises receiving one or more of a device name, a device type, an address or ID number, an indication of a supported device profile, a device profile, and a security code.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising obtaining at the information apparatus one or more rasterization parameters corresponding to the output device and related at least in part to the received attribute from the output device or from user input.

5. The method of claim 1 in which the conforming at the information apparatus at least part of the content into one or more output images includes one or more of a rasterization operation, a scaling operation, an interpolation operation, a decoding operation, an encoding operation, a filtering operation and a compression operation.

6. The method of claim 1 in which the content includes one or more of a text, a graphics element data, a video data, an audio data, and an image data.

7. The method of claim 1 in which the output controller is included in the output device.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising performing at the output controller one or more processing operations on the one or more output images included in the intermediate output data, the one or more processing operations including one or more of a color correction operation, a color matching operation, a color management operation, a scaling operation, an interpolation operation, a color space conversion, a compression operation, an audio processing and a halftoning operation.

9. A pervasive mobile data output method for rendering content to an output device from a mobile wireless information apparatus, the content being at least partly accessible with the information apparatus, the output device being a distinct device from the information apparatus and including a wireless communication unit, the method comprising:

opening a wireless communication channel at the information apparatus;

searching wirelessly at the information apparatus for wireless output devices available for wireless communication;

receiving over the wireless communication channel at least one device attribute associated with at least one available wireless output device, the device attribute including at least an indication of a supported output device profile;

selecting a wireless output device found in the search based at least in part on the received device attribute;

conforming at the information apparatus at least part of the content into one or more device independent output images with at least one predefined or standard parameter;

generating at the information apparatus an intermediate output data that includes said one or more output images, the intermediate output data conforming at least partly to said supported output device profile of a selected output that is included in said device attribute of the selected wireless output device and received over the wireless communication channel;

establishing a point to point wireless connection between the information apparatus and the selected output device;

delivering the intermediate output data over the wireless connection for rendering at the selected wireless output device;

decoding at the output device the intermediate output data;

converting at said output device the intermediate output data into an output data format acceptable for rendering by an output engine included in said output device, and

sending the output data to the output engine for rendering, whereby the wireless information apparatus is able to pervasively output one or more images representative of said content to an output device without need to install an output device driver specific to that output device.

10. The method of claim 9 in which establishing a wireless connection with the selected wireless output device comprises authenticating wireless access to the output device by sending over the wireless communication channel one or more of a name, a password or security code, an ID number or address, a signatures, a physical or digital security key, biometrics, a fingerprints, and a voice.

11. The method of claim 9 in which the receiving at least one attribute over the wireless communication channel comprises receiving one or more of a device name, a device type, an address or ID number, an indication of a supported device profile, a device profile, and a security code.

12. The method of claim 9 in which the intermediate output data conforms at least partly to said at least one device attribute received over the communication channel and relating to the selected output device.

13. A method of mobile wireless data output from an information apparatus with access to at least part of a content to a wireless output device by short range wireless communication, wherein the information apparatus includes at least one wireless communication unit and is a distinct device from the output device, the method comprising:

opening a wireless communication channel;

discovering wirelessly one or more wireless devices that are available for wireless connection;

receiving over the wireless communication channel an attribute corresponding to each discovered wireless device, the attribute including one or more of a name, a device type, a device address, and an indication of a supported output device profile;

selecting a wireless output device from among the one or more discovered wireless devices based at least in part on the received attribute;

obtaining a security key at the information apparatus, the security key enabling wireless data transfer to the selected output device;

sending a security code related at least partly to the security key over the wireless communication channel and requesting the selected wireless output device to open a wireless connection channel for data transfer;

receiving over the wireless communication channel a response related to an authentication; and

if the received response is positive,

establishing a wireless connection channel between the information apparatus and the selected wireless output device,

conforming, at the information apparatus, at least part of the content into an output data encoded with at least one format, the conforming relating at least in part to the attribute received over the wireless communication channel, and transferring the output data from the information apparatus to the selected output device over said wireless connection channel for rendering,

receiving at the selected output device the output data,

performing at the selected output device at least one decoding operations on said output data, and converting the output data into an output engine data acceptable for rendering by an output engine included in the selected output device.

14. The method according to claim 13 in which the information apparatus is one of a mobile phone, a digital camera, a laptop, and a PDA.

15. The method according to claim 13 in which the output device is one of a printer, a projection, a copier, a speaker, an audio output device, a display screen, and a TV.

16. The method of claim 13 in which discovering one or more output devices includes one or more output devices posting their availability as discoverable and the information apparatus finding one or more output devices.

17. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

obtaining a payment information at the information apparatus, the payment information enabling data rendering service by the selected output device;

sending the payment information over the wireless communication channel and requesting the selected wireless output device to open a wireless connection channel for enabling data rendering service.

18. The method of claim 13 in which the conforming, at the information apparatus, related at least in part to the supported output device profile of the selected output device and included in said attribute received over the wireless communication channel.

19. The method of claim 13 in which said security key comprises at least one of a user name, password, ID number, signatures, physical or digital security key, biometrics, fingerprints, and a voice.

20. The method of claim 13 in which the step of obtaining said security key comprises inputting by a user or retrieving a key that was previously stored in the information apparatus.

21. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

receiving at the output device and over the wireless communication channel established a security key for authentication;

comparing the received security key with an access control list stored in the output device or input by a user; and

if the step of comparing the received security key with an access control list is successful, granting the information apparatus a secured wireless connection channel access to the output device.

22. The method of claim 13 in which the step of obtaining said security key comprises inputting by a user and the method further comprises:

receiving at the information apparatus and over the wireless communication channel established with the wireless output device a security key for authentication;

comparing the received security key with the security key input by the user; and

if the step of comparing the received security key is successful, granting the wireless output device a secured wireless communication connection to the information apparatus, thereby enabling a two way authentication and verification for a secured bi-directional wireless communication.

23. A pervasive mobile data output method for rendering at an output device content that is at least partly accessible with an information apparatus, the information apparatus being a distinct device from the output device and including a wireless communication unit, the output device including a wireless communication unit for wireless communication, a controller for decoding intermediate output data received at the output device, and a rendering engine, the pervasive mobile output method comprising:

accessing at the information apparatus at least part of said content;

opening at the information apparatus a wireless communication channel;

searching wirelessly at the information apparatus for wireless output devices available for wireless communication;

receiving at the information apparatus and over the wireless communication channel at least one attribute corresponding to each wireless output device found in the search;

selecting at the information apparatus a selected wireless output device found in the search based at least in part on a received attribute, the selected wireless output device having an associated output controller;

conforming at the information apparatus at least part of the content into one or more output images;

generating at the information apparatus an intermediate output data that includes said one or more output images;

the intermediate output data being at least partly compatible with said received attribute of the selected wireless output device;

establishing a wireless connection between the information apparatus and the selected wireless output device;

wirelessly transmitting the intermediate output data from the information apparatus to the selected wireless output device where the intermediate output data are decoded for rendering at the output device.

24. The method of claim 23 in which establishing a wireless connection with the selected wireless output device comprises authenticating wireless access to the output device by sending over the wireless communication channel one or more of a name, a password or security code, an ID number or address, a signature, a physical or digital security key, biometric, a fingerprint, and a voice.

25. The method of claim 23 in which the receiving at least one attribute over the wireless communication channel comprises receiving one or more of a device name, a device type, an address or ID number, an indication of a supported device profile, a device profile, and a security code.

26. The method of claim 23 in which the conforming at the information apparatus of at least part of the content into one or more output images includes one or more of a rasterization operation, a scaling operation, an interpolation operation, a decoding operation, an encoding operation, a filtering operation and a compression operation.

27. The method according to claim 23 in which the information apparatus is one of a personal computer, a mobile phone, a smart phone, a digital camera, a laptop, and a PDA.

28. A pervasive mobile data output method for rendering content to an output device from a mobile wireless information apparatus, the content being at least partly accessible with the information apparatus, the output device being a distinct device from the information apparatus and including a wireless communication unit, the method comprising:

opening a wireless communication channel at the information apparatus;

searching wirelessly at the information apparatus for wireless output devices available for wireless communication;

receiving over the wireless communication channel at least one device attribute associated with at least one available wireless output device, the device attribute including at least an indication of a supported output device profile;

selecting a wireless output device found in the search based at least in part on the received device attribute;

conforming at the information apparatus at least part of the content into one or more device independent output images with at least one predefined or standard parameter;

generating at the information apparatus an intermediate output data that includes said one or more output images, the intermediate output data conforming at least partly to said supported output device profile of a selected output that is included in said device attribute of the selected wireless output device and received over the wireless communication channel;

establishing a point to point wireless connection between the information apparatus and the selected output device; and

delivering the intermediate output data over the wireless connection for rendering at the selected wireless output device for rendering.

29. The method of claim 28 in which establishing a wireless connection with the selected wireless output device comprises authenticating wireless access to the output device by sending over the wireless communication channel one or more of a name, a password or security code, an ID number or address, a signature, a physical or digital security key, biometric, a fingerprint, and a voice.

30. The method of claim 28 in which the receiving at least one attribute over the wireless communication channel comprises receiving one or more of a device name, a device type, an address or ID number, an indication of a supported device profile, a device profile, and a security code.

31. The method according to claim 28 in which the information apparatus is one of a personal computer, a mobile phone, a smart phone, a digital camera, a laptop, and a PDA.

32. The method according to claim 28 in which the output device is one of a printer, a projection, a copier, a speaker, an audio output device, a display screen, and a TV.

33. A method of mobile wireless data output from an information apparatus with access to at least part of a content to a wireless output device by short range wireless communication, wherein the information apparatus includes at least one wireless communication unit and is a distinct device from the output device, the method comprising:

opening a wireless communication channel;

discovering wirelessly one or more wireless devices that are available for wireless connection;

receiving over the wireless communication channel an attribute corresponding to each discovered wireless device, the attribute including one or more of a name, a device type, a device address, and an indication of a supported output device profile;

selecting a wireless output device from among the one or more discovered wireless devices based at least in part on the received attribute;

obtaining a security key at the information apparatus, the security key enabling wireless data transfer to the selected output device;

sending at least part of the security key over the wireless communication channel and requesting the selected wireless output device to open a wireless connection channel for data transfer;

receiving over the wireless communication channel a response related to an authentication; and

if the received response is positive,

establishing a wireless connection channel between the information apparatus and the selected wireless output device, and

conforming, at the information apparatus, at least part of the content into an output data encoded with at least one format, the conforming relating at least in part to the attribute received over the wireless communication channel, and transferring the output data from the information apparatus to the selected output device over said wireless connection channel for rendering.

34. The method according to claim 33 in which the information apparatus is one of a personal computer, a mobile phone, a smart phone, a digital camera, a laptop, and a PDA.

35. The method according to claim 33 in which the output device is one of a printer, a projection, a copier, a speaker, an audio output device, a display screen, and a TV.

36. The method of claim 33 in which the conforming, at the information apparatus, related at least in part to the supported output device profile of the selected output device and included in said attribute received over the wireless communication channel.

37. The method of claim 33 in which said security key comprises at least one of a user name, password, ID number, signature, physical or digital security key, biometric, fingerprint, and a voice.