Manager for device-to-device pervasive digital output

Abstract

An electronic system and method of pervasive output allow an information apparatus to output digital content conveniently to virtually any output device. The information apparatus includes an output manager that may be implemented as application software, a client application, or device driver. The output manager may be capable of communicating with, managing and synchronizing data or software components with an output device or an output controller associated with the output device.

We claim:  
     
         1 . In an information apparatus with access to data content, a data output manager method for managing output of data content to a selected output device, comprising: 
 managing a communication channel between the information apparatus and the selected output device;    receiving over the communication channel one or more components that are associated with the selected output device and enable the data content to be rendered by the selected output device;    conforming the data content to an output data associated with the selected output device with the one or more components; and    directing the conformed data content over the communication channel to the selected output device to be rendered.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  in which the communication channel includes a wireless communication channel.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  in which the one or more components includes a device dependent component.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  in which the one or more components include a software application.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  in which the one or more components includes one or more device drivers.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5  in which the one or more device drivers include a printer driver.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 4  in which the device dependent component includes one or more data, information, identifier of data, and identifier of information, characterizing the output device.  
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7  in which the data or information includes one or more of a device identification, an device type, a device make, a device model, a device type, a device input data format, device input language, an output data type, a device resolution, a device bit depth, a device color space identifier, a device number of colors, a color table, and a halftoning table.  
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 7  in which the data or information includes one or more service attributes indicating one or more of a feature set, device specification, payment information, authentication information, a security setting, quality of service information, a job status, a job priority, and a job queuing.  
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1  in which the one or more components includes software code.  
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10  in which the software code includes one or more of a compression and decompression method, file conversion, graphics representation, graphics rendering, image processing operation, image enhancement operation, color space transformation and data conversion, encoding and decoding technique, color matching and management method, image transformation, interpolation and halftoning technique.  
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 3  in which the device dependent component includes one or more user interface controls for controlling one or more parameters and adjustments for color, print quality, number of copies, number of cards per page, number of pages per sheet, duplex, portrait or landscape, security information, identification information, and payment information.  
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1  in which the data content resides in the information apparatus.  
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1  further including obtaining the data content from a data source distinct from the information apparatus.  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1  further including obtaining the data content from a data source application residing on the information apparatus.  
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15  in which the data source application does not perform the data output manager method.  
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15  in which the data source application performs the data output manager method.  
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 15  in which data content is obtained from the data source application via an operating system included in the information apparatus.  
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 15  in which data content is obtained from the data source application via an object model.  
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 1  in which conforming the data content to the predefined output format includes performing a raster image processing operation on the data content.  
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 1  further including discovering one or more output devices available to render the data content.  
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21  in which discovering the one or more output devices includes automatically selecting one of one or more output device base on a predefined selection criteria.  
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 21  in which discovering the one or more output device includes sending an output service request to one or more output devices.  
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 21  in which discovering the one or more output devices includes the one or more output devices satisfying an output service requirement.  
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 21  in which the information apparatus discovers the one or more output devices with wireless communication.  
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 21  further comprising obtaining output device information for each of the one or more output devices that are discovered.  
     
     
         27 . The method of claim A 20  further comprising rendering on the information apparatus information based upon the output device information for each of the one or more output devices that are discovered and obtaining from a user a selection of the selected output device.  
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 21  in which discovering the one or more output devices includes the information apparatus sending an output service request and awaiting a response from each of the one or more output devices.  
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 21  in which discovering the one or more output devices includes the one or more output devices posting their availability and the information apparatus contacting each of the one of one or more output devices.  
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 21  in which discovering the one or more output devices includes the information apparatus obtaining from a service node information about the one or more output devices and the information apparatus contacting each of the one of one or more output devices.  
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 1  in which the information apparatus includes at least one of a mobile computing device, a digital camera, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, and a mobile phone.  
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 1  in which the output device includes at least one of a printing device, a display device, a projection device, and an audio output device.  
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 1  in which the output device includes at least one of a marking engine and a rendering engine.  
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 1  in which the output device includes at least one of a printer engine and an output engine.  
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 1  in which the wireless communication includes at least one of radio communication and infrared communication.  
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 1  in which the output data includes at least one of image data, graphics data, text data, video data, audio data, page description language, markup language, and instructions.  
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 36  in which the output data further includes at least one of security data and authentication data.  
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 1  in which the output data includes compressed data.  
     
     
         39 . In a computer readable medium, information apparatus data output manager software for managing output of data content on an information apparatus to a selected output device, comprising: 
 software for managing a communication channel between the information apparatus and the selected output device;    software for receiving over the communication channel one or more components that are associated with the selected output device and enable the data content to be rendered by the selected output device;    software for conforming the data content to an output data associated with the selected output device with the one or more components; and    software for directing the conformed data content over the communication channel to the selected output device to be rendered.    
     
     
         40 . The medium of  claim 39  in which the communication channel includes a wireless communication channel.  
     
     
         41 . The medium of  claim 39  in which the one or more components includes a device dependent component.  
     
     
         42 . The medium of  claim 39  in which the one or more components include a software application.  
     
     
         43 . The medium of  claim 39  in which the one or more component includes one or more device drivers.  
     
     
         44 . The medium of  claim 43  in which the one or more device drivers include a printer driver.  
     
     
         45 . The medium of  claim 42  in which the device dependent component includes data or information characterizing the output device.  
     
     
         46 . The medium of  claim 45  in which the data or information includes one or more of a device identification, an output device type identifier, an output data type identifier, a resolution identifier, a bit depth identifier, a color space identifier, a number of colors identifier, a color table identifier, and a half-toning table.  
     
     
         47 . The medium of  claim 45  in which the data or information includes one or more service attributes indicating one or more of a feature set, payment information, authentication information, a security setting, quality of service information, a job status, a job priority, and a job queuing.  
     
     
         48 . The medium of  claim 42  in which the device dependent component includes software code.  
     
     
         49 . The medium of  claim 48  in which the software code includes one or more of a compression and decompression method, file conversion, graphics representation, graphics rendering, image processing and enhancement operations, color space transformation and data conversion, encoding and decoding techniques, color matching and management methods, image transformation, interpolation and half-toning techniques.  
     
     
         50 . The medium of  claim 42  in which the device dependent component includes one or more user interface controls for controlling one or more parameters and adjustments for color, print quality, number of copies, number of cards per page, number of pages per sheet, duplex, portrait or landscape, security information, identification information, payment information.  
     
     
         51 . The medium of  claim 39  further including software for obtaining the data content from a data source application residing on the information apparatus.  
     
     
         52 . The medium of  claim 51  in which the data source application does not perform the data output manager method.  
     
     
         53 . The medium of  claim 51  in which the data source application performs the data output manager method.  
     
     
         54 . The medium of  claim 51  in which data content is obtained from the data source application via an operating system included in the information apparatus.  
     
     
         55 . The medium of  claim 39  in which the software for conforming the data content to the predefined output format includes software for performing a raster image processing operation on the data content.  
     
     
         56 . The medium of  claim 39  further including software for discovering the selected output device as one of one or more output devices available to render the data content.  
     
     
         57 . The medium of  claim 56  in which the software for discovering the selected output device includes software for sending an output service request to the one or more output devices.  
     
     
         58 . The medium of  claim 56  in which the software for discovering the one or more output devices utilizes wireless communication.  
     
     
         59 . The medium of  claim 56  further comprising software for obtaining output device information for each of the one or more output devices that are discovered.  
     
     
         60 . The medium of claim B 20  further comprising software for rendering on the information apparatus information based upon the output device information for each of the one or more output devices that are discovered and obtaining from a user a selection of the selected output device.  
     
     
         61 . The medium of  claim 56  in which the software for discovering the one of one or more output devices includes the software for sending an output service request and awaiting a response from each of the one or more output devices.  
     
     
         62 . The medium of  claim 56  in which the software for discovering the one of one or more output devices includes software for obtaining from a service node information about the one of one or more output devices and the information apparatus contacting each of the one of one or more output devices.  
     
     
         63 . The medium of  claim 39  in which the information apparatus includes at least one of a mobile computing device, a digital camera, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, and a mobile phone.  
     
     
         64 . The medium of  claim 39  in which the output device includes at least one of a printing device, a display device, and an audio output device.  
     
     
         65 . The medium of  claim 39  in which the output device includes at least one of a marking engine and a rendering engine.  
     
     
         66 . The medium of  claim 39  in which the output device includes at least one of a printer engine and an output engine.  
     
     
         67 . The medium of  claim 39  in which the wireless communication includes at least one of radio communication and infrared communication.  
     
     
         68 . The medium of  claim 39  in which the output data includes at least one of image data, graphics data, text data, video data, audio data, page description language, markup language, and instructions.  
     
     
         69 . The medium of  claim 68  in which the output data further includes at least one of security data and authentication data.  
     
     
         70 . The medium of  claim 39  in which the output data includes compressed data.