Protocol for interaction between wireless devices and other devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9891867-B2
Application number	US-201113100117-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 3, 2011
Priority date	Nov 10, 2010
Publication date	Feb 13, 2018
Grant date	Feb 13, 2018

Abstract

A proxy software service determines all I/O devices independent of subnet location, on a network; provides a network interface on a wireless subnet that can receive and respond to requests; responds to such requests for each I/O device so identified so that the I/O device is available to the wireless device user for device selection; transfers and translates, if necessary, the IPP stream received from the wireless device to the network address of the I/O device so that the I/O device simulates a compliant I/O device; and transfers and translates, if necessary, all necessary status and command messages from the present protocol to the protocol supported by a legacy I/O device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method comprising the steps of:
providing a network interface on a local wireless subnet and in communication with a global network, the network interface configured to receive and respond to a particular type of Internet Printing Protocol (IPP) request, the global network including a plurality of wireless subnets and a plurality of wired subnets, wherein a handheld wireless device is connected to the local wireless subnet, wherein the handheld wireless device is limited to communication with local input/output (I/O) devices only within, and not beyond, the local wireless subnet via a broadcast request in a first protocol that cannot pass across routers to different subnets beyond the local wireless subnet;
presenting, via the network interface, a plurality of I/O devices connected on the global network and beyond the local wireless subnet, wherein the plurality of I/O devices are presented for device selection by a user of the handheld wireless device, wherein each of the plurality of I/O devices is configured to operate using a second protocol, the first protocol being different from the second protocol such that the plurality of I/O devices are non-compliant with the first protocol;
receiving, via the network interface, a selection, from the user of the handheld wireless device, of an I/O device from the plurality of I/O devices;
receiving, via the network interface, an IPP request stream of the particular type, said IPP request stream intended for said selected I/O device;
translating, by the network interface, the IPP stream request from the first protocol to the second protocol;
presenting, by an operator interface, one or more selections representing one or more I/O features of said selected I/O device, wherein said one or more I/O features are not presented to the user from a user interface of the handheld wireless device;
receiving, from the operator interface, at least one particular selection from said one or more selections, said at least one particular selection representing at least one I/O feature of said selected I/O device;
adding said at least one particular selection to the translation in the second protocol to enable the at least one I/O feature of said selected I/O device;
transferring, by the network interface, the translated IPP stream request to the selected I/O device;
translating and transferring status and command messages from or to the first protocol to or from the second protocol;
presenting to said handheld wireless device a link that allows access to an I/O device control page of said selected I/O device via said handheld wireless device; and
said I/O device control page allowing to control said I/O device from said handheld wireless device.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of:
for a second selected input/output (I/O) device that is non-compliant with said handheld wireless device:
transferring and translating data received from said handheld wireless device on said local wireless subnet to a network address of the second selected I/O device, wherein the translated data enables the second selected I/O device to simulate a device that is compliant with the handheld wireless device; and
transferring and translating status and command messages from or to the first protocol associated with the handheld wireless device to or from a protocol supported by said second selected I/O device.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said handheld wireless device is a printer and said features comprise any of stapling, two-up printing, and booklet printing.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein said input/output (I/O) device comprises any of a printer, projector, network storage device, and optical device.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the steps of:
receiving, at a server through the network interface, said data from a user using the handheld wireless device, said data in a form of a presentation, said server in communication with said selected I/O device via the global network;
said server forwarding said presentation to said selected I/O device;
said server replying to said handheld wireless device with a link that allows access to an I/O device control page via said handheld wireless device, wherein said I/O device control page allows said user to control said I/O device from said handheld wireless device.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein said selected I/O device comprises a translation application for converting said data from the first protocol to the second protocol that is different.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the steps of:
for a particular handheld wireless device that does not allow file transfer, said network interface configured to provide a conduit for user access to particular data on said particular handheld wireless device; and
said network interface configured to transfer said particular data from said particular handheld wireless device to effect a file transfer protocol for said particular handheld wireless device.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of:
enabling, via the network interface, said handheld wireless device to send print data to a projector using a raster image processor (RIP) that is resident on the handheld wireless device.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of:
enabling said handheld wireless device to send print data to a projector using a RIP on the projector.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of:
enabling said handheld wireless device to send print data to a projector using a wide area network-based RIP.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of:
enabling said handheld wireless device to send print data to a projector using a mail server.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of:
enabling said handheld wireless device to send print data to a projector via a wide area network.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon program instructions which, when executed by a processor, implement the method of claim 1 .

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first protocol is an iOS protocol that is translated to a pre-iOS protocol supported by said selected I/O device.

15. The method of claim 8 , further comprising the steps of:
enabling said handheld wireless device to send a request in a discovery message form;
enabling a computer associated with the projector to respond to the handheld wireless device as if the computer were a printer that is compliant with the handheld wireless device;
enabling the handheld wireless device to rasterize a document to be sent to said projector;
enabling said handheld wireless device to send said rasterized document to the computer;
enabling said computer to collect said rasterized document for display on the projector;
enabling said computer to respond to the handheld wireless device with a ‘push’ message that requests a user to open a projector application on the handheld wireless device, wherein the projector application enables user control of document display on the projector.

16. The method of claim 9 , further comprising the steps of:
enabling said handheld wireless device to send a request in a discovery message form;
enabling a computer associated with the projector to respond to the handheld wireless device as if the computer were a printer that is compliant with the handheld wireless device;
enabling said handheld wireless device to send a document file to the computer, said computer rasterizing-said document file for display on the projector, said computer resp

Assignees

• Williams Leon
• Wood Patrick
• Marsden Jonathan
• Electronics For Imaging Inc

Inventors

• Williams Leon
• Wood Patrick
• Marsden Jonathan

Classifications

• G06F2206/1512

  Print-to a presentation device other than a printer, e.g. e-reader, e-paper, tablet · CPC title

• G06F3/1259

  Print job monitoring, e.g. job status · CPC title

• G06F3/1226

  Discovery of devices having required properties · CPC title

• G06F3/1209

  resulting in adapted or bridged legacy communication protocols, e.g. emulation, protocol extension · CPC title

• G06F3/1207

  resulting in the user being informed about print result after a job submission · CPC title