Driverless printing by a target printer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9658806-B2
Application number	US-201113995583-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 16, 2011
Priority date	Dec 16, 2011
Publication date	May 23, 2017
Grant date	May 23, 2017

Abstract

Systems and methods of operating a computing system may involve providing a native format driver to a print client in order to print a document. In one example, a print document communication including a print document in native format may be transmitted to the target printer, and the print document may be converted from the native format to a target printer format at the target printer.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method comprising:
determining, via a print client, that a driver for a target printer is not installed on the print client;
transmitting, via a client-side printing application, a request communication to the target printer to execute a print request, wherein the request communication includes characteristics of the print client and the print document to aid the target printer in completing the print request, and the characteristics of the print document include a native format;
transmitting, via the client-side printing application, a print document communication including a print document in a native format to the target printer; and
conducting, via the target printer, a conversion of the print document from the native format to a target printer format,
wherein the target printer includes one or more storage devices, and the one or more storages devices stores one or more document acquisition drivers, one or more printer-side printing applications, and one or more native format drivers.

2. The method of claim 1 , further including transmitting a return communication including at least one of the one or more document acquisition drivers to the print client.

3. The method of claim 2 , further including installing the at least one document acquisition driver on the print client.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the client-side printing application installs the at least one document acquisition driver.

5. The method claim 4 , wherein the at least one document acquisition driver generates the print document communication.

6. The method claim 1 , further including:
locating at least one of the one or more native format drivers; and
acquiring the at least one native format driver.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein a printer-side printing application locates and acquires the at least one native format driver.

8. The method claim 7 , wherein the printer-side printing application locates the at least one native format driver at least one of a printer memory device, a network database, a website, and an OEM database for the at least one native format driver.

9. The method of claim 6 , wherein the at least one native format driver converts the print document.

10. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising a set of print client instructions, which, if executed by a processor, cause a computer to:
determine, via a print client, that a driver for a target printer is not installed on the print client;
transmit, via a client-side printing application, a request communication to the target printer to execute a print request, wherein the request communication is to include characteristics of the print client and the print document to aid the target printer in completing the print request, and the characteristics of the print document include a native format;
receive, via the client-side printing application, a return communication including a document acquisition driver to the print client; and
transmit, via the document acquisition driver, a print document communication including a print document in a native format to the target printer,
wherein the target printer includes one or more storage devices, and the one or more storages devices is utilized to store one or more document acquisition drivers, one or more printer-side printing applications, and one or more native format drivers.

11. The medium of claim 10 , wherein, if executed, the instructions cause a computer to install at least one of the one or more document acquisition drivers on the print client.

12. The medium of claim 11 , wherein the client-side printing application installs the at least one document acquisition driver.

13. The medium of claim 12 , wherein the at least one document acquisition driver generates the print document communication.

14. The medium of claim 10 , wherein the client-side printing application generates the request communication.

15. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising a set of target printer instructions, which, if executed by a processor, cause a computer to:
receive, via a target printer, a request communication to execute a print request, wherein the request communication is to include characteristics of a print client and a print document to aid the target printer in completing the print request, and the characteristics of the print document include a native format;
receive, via a printer-side printing application, a print document communication including a print document in a native format; and
conducting, via the target printer, a conversion of the print document from the native format to a target printer format,
wherein the target printer includes one or more storage devices, and the one or more storages devices stores one or more document acquisition drivers, one or more printer-side printing applications, and one or more native format drivers.

16. The medium of claim 15 , wherein, if executed, the instructions cause a computer to:
transmit a return communication including at least one of the one or more document acquisition drivers to a print client.

17. The medium of claim 16 , wherein the at least one document acquisition driver is configured to generate the print document communication.

18. The medium claim 15 , wherein, if executed, the instructions cause a computer to:
locate at least one of the one or more native format drivers; and
acquire the at least one native format driver.

19. The medium of claim 18 , wherein the printer-side printing application locates and acquires the at least one native format driver.

20. The medium of claim 19 , wherein the printer-side printing application locates the at least one native format driver at least one of a printer memory device, a network database, a website, and an OEM database for the at least one native format driver.

21. The medium of claim 18 , wherein the at least one native format driver converts the print document.

22. A system comprising:
a client processing component;
a client memory device including a client-side printing application having a set of instructions to be executed by the client processing component;
a printer processing component; and
a processor memory device including a printer-side printing application having a set of instructions to be executed by the printer processing component,
wherein the client-side printing application and the printer-side printing application are configured to:
transfer, in response to a determination that a driver for the target printer is not installed on the print client, a request communication from a print client to a target printer to execute a print request, wherein the request communication is to include characteristics of the print client and the print document to aid the target printer in completing the print request, and the characteristics of the print document include a native format;
transfer a return communication from the target printer to the print client, the return communication to include a document acquisition driver; and
transfer a print document communication from the print client to the target printer, the print document communication to include a print document in a native format,
wherein the target printer includes one or more storage devices, and the one or more storages devices is utilized to store one or more document acquisition drivers, one or more printer-side printing applications, and one or more native format drivers.

23. The system claim 22 , wh

Assignees

• Fallon Michael F
• Wilde Myles
• Adiletta Matthew J
• Hillyard Dave
• Chang Yuh-Lin E
• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Fallon Michael F
• Wilde Myles
• Adiletta Matthew J
• Hillyard Dave
• Chang Yuh-Lin E

Classifications

• G06F9/4411

  Configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers · CPC title

• G06F3/1225

  Software update, e.g. print driver, modules, plug-ins, fonts · CPC title

• G06F3/1206

  resulting in increased flexibility in input data format or job format or job type · CPC title

• G06F3/1244

  Job translation or job parsing, e.g. page banding · CPC title

• G06F3/1204 Primary

  resulting in reduced user or operator actions, e.g. presetting, automatic actions, using hardware token storing data · CPC title