US 2002O099884A1 (19) United States (12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2002/0099884A1 Chang et al. (43) Pub. Date: Jul. 25, 2002 (54) OUTPUT CONTROLLER SYSTEMS AND (52) U.S. Cl. ................................................................ 710/62 METHOD FOR UNIVERSAL DATA OUTPUT (76) Inventors: William Ho Chang, Vancouver, WA (57) ABSTRACT (US); Christina Ying Liu, Vancouver, WA (US) Ad ata output controller method controls interaction between Correspondence Address: an output device and an information apparatus in connection SMITH-HILL AND BEDELL with the output device rendering content accessed with the 12670 NW BARNES ROAD information apparatus. The method includes managing a SUTE 104 communication channel with the information apparatus. An PORTLAND, OR 97229 output device profile associated with the output device and enabling at least part of the content to be rasterized for (21) Appl. No.: 10/054,547 rendering at the output device is provided to the information apparatus over the communication channel. An intermediate (22) Filed: Jan. 18, 2002 output data that includes one or more raster output images is received by the output device over the communication Publication Classification channel for rendering. The raster output images correspond to at least part of the content and are conformed at least in (51) Int. Cl." ..................................................... G06F 13/12 part with the output device profile. 102 100 DATA CONTENT 110 RASTER MAGE PROCESSING 120 CREATE DEVICE DEPENDENT OUTPUT DATA 130 TRANSMIT OUTPUT DATA TO OUTPUT DEVICE 140 RECEIVE OUTPUT DATA GENERATE FINAL OUTPUT Patent Application Publication Jul. 25, 2002 Sheet 1 of 14 US 2002/0099884A1 104 102 100 100 DATA CONTENT DATA CONTENT 110 160 5g GENERATE RASTER IMAGE OUTPUT DATAN PROCESSING PDL g; ! 3 120 170 CREATE DEVICE DEPENDENT TRANSMIT OUTPUT OUTPUT DATA DATA TO OUTPUT DEVICE 130 TRANSMIT OUTPUT DATA TO OUTPUT DEVICE 80 RECEIVE OUTPUT DATA 140 RASTER MAGE PROCESSING RECEIVE OUTPUT DATA 150 GENERATE FINAL GENERATE FINAL OUTPUT OUTPUT FIG 1 A FIG 1 B Patent Application Publication Jul. 25, 2002 Sheet 2 of 14 US 2002/0099884 A1 202 NFORMATION APPARATUS 210 205 OUTPUT DEVICE 230 CENT APPLICATION APPLICATIONS OUTPUT CONTROLLER 2 O4. 2 s as - - s As - -an 4. - a a.5 AO- 200 240 OUTPUT DEVICE INFORMATIONAPPARATUS 210 205 230 CLIENT APPLICATION APPLICATIONS OUTPUT CONTROLLER FIG 2B OUTPUT SYSTEM Patent Application Publication Jul. 25, 2002 Sheet 3 of 14 US 2002/0099884A1 OTHER APPLICATION (e.g. DOCUMENT INTERMEDIATE ACQUISITION, OUTPUT DATA EDITING, GENERATOR BROWSING) CLIENT APPLICATION FIG 3A OTHER - - - - - - - - - - - - - APPLICATION 1. (e.g. R DOCUMENT INTERMEDIATE ACQUISITION, H OUTPUT DATA EDITING, 2 GENERATOR BROWSING) Y CLENT APPLICATION l 380B PROCESSOR MEMORY STORAGE NFORMATIONAPPARATUS FIG 3B Patent Application Publication Jul. 25, 2002 Sheet 4 of 14 US 2002/0099884A1 PRINT DATA COMMUNICATION UNIT/ INTERFACE NTERPRETER RASTER IMAGE PROCESSOR (RIP) PRINTER CONTROLLER MEMORY BUFFER MARKING ENGINE PRINTER ENGINE PRINTER Fig. 4. A 400B OUTPUT DATA/PRINT DATA / COMMUNICAON UNIT/ INTERFACE - 42OB MARKING ENGINE/ MEMORY BUFFER DISPLAY ENGINE OUTPUT ENGINE(e.g. PRINTER ENGINE) OUTPUT DEVICE/PRINTER Fig. 4B Patent Application Publication Jul. 25, 2002 Sheet 5 of 14 US 2002/0099884A1 PRINT DATA 220(5A) INTERPRETER 230(5A) MAGE PROCESSOR OPTIONAL 530 A ENCODER/CONVERTER OUTPUT CONTROLLER ama in mo me- as PRINTER Fig. 5 A OUTPUT DATAVPRINT DATA 220(5B) MARKING ENGINE/ DISPLAY ENGINE OUTPUTENGINE(e.g. PRINTERENGINE) OUTPUT DEVICE/PRINTER Fig. 5 B Patent Application Publication Jul. 25, 2002 Sheet 6 of 14 US 2002/0099884 A1 660A 230 INTERPRETER MAGE PROCESSOR OPERATING SYSTEM 230 410C COMMUNICATION PRINTER UNIT NTERPRETER CONVERTER CONTROLLER - 680C OPERATING SYSTEM 660B 670 C 650C COMMUNICATION STORAGE OUTPUT CONTROLLER(COMBINED WITH PRINTER CONTROLLER) FG 6 C Patent Application Publication Jul. 25, 2002 Sheet 7 of 14 US 2002/0099884A1 220A PRINTER CONTROLLER ) INFORMATION OUTPUT APPARATUS CONTROLLER Fig. 7A INFORMATION APPARATUS Fig. 7B 220C 200 COMBINED CONTROLLER NFORMATION APPARATUS Fig. 7C Patent Application Publication Jul. 25, 2002. Sheet 8 of 14 US 2002/0099884 A1 220D s-1 N-n INFORMATION OUTPUT OUTPUT ENGINE APPARATUS CONTROLLER es PRINTER ENGINE a-Nu-NA FIG 7D 220E 17 N eas s OUTPUT CONTROLLER ) INFORMATION OUTPUT ENGINE APPARATUS UNCN).(e.g. PRINTERENGINE) FIG 7E 22OF NFORMATION COMBINED OUTPUT ENGINE APPARATUS CONTROLLER (e.g. PRINTER ENGINE) a-2a-2N-1 anN-1 1 FIG 7F Patent Application Publication Jul. 25, 2002 Sheet 9 of 14 US 2002/0099884A1 -se RF LINK INTERFACE RF TRANSCEIVER RF COMMUNICATION UNIT FIG 8A 820 ENCODER D IR COMMUNICATION UNIT FIG 8B Patent Application Publication Jul. 25, 2002 Sheet 10 of 14 US 2002/0099884A1 900 -902 DATA CONTENT (e.g. DGITAL DOCUMENT) 910 RASTERIZATION PROCESS 920 CREATE INTERMEDIATE OUTPUT DATA 930 TRANSMIT INTERMEDIATE OUTPUT DATA TO OUTPUT DEVICE INTERMEDIATE OUTPUTTPUT DATADAT 940 INTERPRET INTERMEDIATE OUTPUT DATA 950 FURTHER PROCESSING (e.g. iMAGE PROCESSING, CONVERSIONS) OUTPUT ENGINE OUTPUT DATA 960 GENERATING FINAL OUTPUT FIG 9 Patent Application Publication Jul. 25, 2002 Sheet 11 of 14 US 2002/0099884 A1 10O2 1OOO / USER NITATES OUTPUT PROCESS 1010 Yes OUTPUT DEVICE SELECTED NO 102O DSCOVERY PROCESS 1O3O CLIENT APPLICATION PROCESS 1040 OUTPUT DEVICE PROCESS FIG 10 Patent Application Publication Jul. 25, 2002 Sheet 12 of 14 US 2002/0099884 A1 1100 USER SPECIFIES SEARCHING CRITERIA (OPTIONAL) 1101 NFORMATION APPARATUS SEARCHES FOR OUTPUT DEVICES 1 102 1104 ANY AVAILABLE N9 ALTERNATIVES OUTPUT DEVICE 2 YES 1106 OBTAIN DEVICE AND SERVICE NFORMATION 1108 ANY OUTPUT DEVICE SELECTED 2 NO YES 1112 END INTATES CLENT APPLICATION PROCESS FG 11 Patent Application Publication Jul. 25, 2002 Sheet 13 of 14 US 2002/0099884A1 1202 1204 M 900 / 900 DATA CONTENT (e.g DATA CONTENT (e.g DIGITAL DIGITAL DOCUMENT) DOCUMENT) 1210 1220 OBTAIN OUTPUT DEVICE OBTAIN USER A TRIBUTES FOR PREFERENCES RASTERIZATION (OPTIONAL) 1220 1225 RASTERIZATION OBTANUSER (CONFORM CONTENT PREFERENCES INTO RASTER IMAGE (OPTIONAL) FORM) 1230 1240 RASTERIZATION (CONFORM GENERATE/ENCODE CONTENT INTO RASTER INTERMEDIATE OUTPUT iMAGE FORM) DATA 1240 GENERATE/ENCODE INTERMEDIATE OUTPUT TRANSMIT DATA INTERMEDIATE OUTPUT DATA TO OUTPUT 1250 DEVICE TRANSMIT INTERMEDIATE OUTPUT DATA TO OUTPU DEVICE FIG 12 A FIG 12 B Patent Application Publication Jul. 25, 2002 Sheet 14 of 14 US 2002/0099884A1 1302 1304 1300 1300 RECEIVE RECEIVE INTERMEDIATE INTERMEDIATE OUTPUT DATA OUTPUT DATA 1310 INTERPRET INTERPRET INTERMEDIATE INTERMEDIATE OUTPUT DATA OUTPUT DATA 1350 1320 CONVERT INTERMEDIATE MAGE PROCESSING OUTPUT DATA INTO OPERATIONS PRINTER CONTROLLER CONVERTINTERMEDIATE 1130 PRINTER OUTPUT DATA INTO CONTROLLER OUTPUT-ENGINE OUTPUT PROCESS DATA PRINTER-ENGINE PRINT DATA OUTPUT-ENGINE 1370 OUTPUT DATA PRINTERENGINE RENDER FINAL OUTPUTENGINE (e.g. 1370 OUTPUT PRINTERENGINE) RENDERS FINA OUTPUTS FIG 13 A FIG 13B US 2002/0099884 A1 Jul. 25, 2002 OUTPUT CONTROLLER SYSTEMS AND METHOD to a nearby printer or fax machine to have his e-mail printed. FOR UNIVERSAL DATA OUTPUT In addition, the mobile worker may also want to print a copy of his to-do list, appointment book, business card, and his CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED flight Schedule from his mobile device. AS another example, APPLICATION a user visiting an e-commerce Site using his mobile device may want to print out transaction confirmation. In Still 0001. This application claims benefit of Provisional another example, a user who takes a picture with a digital Application No. 60/262,764 filed Jan. 19, 2001, the entire camera may want to easily print it out to a nearby printer. In disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference any of the above cases, the mobile user may want to Simply herein for all purposes. walk up to a printer and conveniently print a file (word processing document, PDF, HTML etc) that is stored on the TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION mobile device or downloaded from a network (e.g., Internet, 0002 Present invention relates to providing content to an corporate network). output device and, in particular, to providing universal 0008 Conventionally, an output device (e.g., a printer) is output in which an information apparatus can pervasively connected to an information apparatus via a wired connec output content to an output device without the need to install tion Such as a cable line. A wireleSS connection is also a dedicated device dependent driver or applications for each possible by using, for example, radio communication or output device. infrared communication. Regardless of wired or wireleSS connection, a user must first install in the information BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION apparatus an output device driver (e.g., printer driver in the 0003. The present invention relates to universal data case the output device is a printer) corresponding to a output and, in particular, to providing a new data output particular output device model and make. Using a device method and a new raster image proceSS for information dependent or Specific driver, the information apparatus may apparatuses and output devices. process output content or digital document into a specific output device's input requirements (e.g., printer input 0004. As described herein, information apparatuses refer requirements). The output device's input requirements cor generally to computing devices, which include both Station respond to the type of input that the output device (e.g., a ary computers