Patents Portfolio
U.S. Patent: 9,036,181
Patent Title
Wireless printing device for printing digital content received via wireless communication compatible, at least partly, with IEEE 802.11 or Bluetooth
Meta Information
Issued Date: May 19, 2015
Inventor: William Ho Chang et al
External Links: UPSTO, Google Patents
Technical Fields
Abstract
A wireless printer for rendering digital content received from wireless information apparatus is herein disclosed and enabled. The wireless printer includes a wireless communication unit compatible with at least part of a protocol within IEEE 802.11 or Bluetooth. The wireless printer may access and connect to a local area wireless network for wireless connection, or may communicate directly with the wireless information apparatus via direct wireless communication. The wireless printer may wirelessly broadcast an indication of the wireless printer to the wireless information apparatus for selection and service. The wireless printer may include an output controller for decoding output data; an image processor for image processing the output data; a marking engine for printing an image onto a substrate; and may further include an operating system that enables installation of additional applications for expanding or updating the functionalities of the wireless printer.
Sample Claim
1. A wireless printing device, distinct and separate from one or more wireless information apparatus, for rendering digital content received from the one or more wireless information apparatus over a short range wireless communication link, said wireless printing device comprising:
a radio wireless communication unit to receive intermediate output data over the short range wireless communication link from the one or more wireless information apparatus, the intermediate output data corresponding to at least part of the digital content, said intermediate output data including at least one of image elements, graphics elements, and text elements, the short range wireless communication link being compatible with at least part of a protocol within IEEE 802.11 wireless standards or within Bluetooth standards;
one or more components for establishing and managing the short range wireless communication link with the one or more wireless information apparatus, the managing of the short range wireless communication link comprising broadcasting, at the radio wireless communication unit and over the short range wireless communication link, at least an indication of the identity of the wireless printing device over the short range wireless communication link to the one or more wireless information apparatus for the one or more wireless information apparatus to select the wireless printing device for service;
a display screen at the wireless printing device;
a touch screen user interface over the display screen for interfacing with a user;
an output controller at the wireless printing device for processing digital content;
an operating system for managing one or more application software running at the wireless printing device and for enabling installation of additional applications or application software for providing additional functionalities to the wireless printing device;
an interpreter for receiving the intermediate output data over the short range wireless communication link from the one or more wireless information apparatus and for retrieving image data from said intermediate output data, the image data including two or more image layers or color channels;
an image processor for carrying out at least one image processing operation on at least part of the image data, said image processing operation including at least one of a bit depth operation, a color space operation, a color correction operation, an output size operation, and a resolution operation of the image data, individually or in any combination; and
a print engine for receiving at least part of the image data from said image processor and employing at least part of the image data received from the image processor to print an image corresponding to at least part of the digital content onto a substrate with a marking engine included in the wireless printing device; and
wherein the wireless printing device is configured to interface with the user over the touch screen user interface and to enable installation of additional applications or application software at the wireless printing device for providing additional functionalities to the wireless printing device or for upgrading the wireless printing device; and
wherein the wireless printing device further enables the one or more wireless information apparatus to wireless device discover the wireless printing device over the short range wireless communication link between the one or more wireless information apparatus and the wireless printing device for enabling the wireless printing device to be selected for service; and
wherein the wireless printing device is further operable to facilitate a digital halftoning operation on at least part of the digital content for printing an image corresponding to at least part of the digital content onto a substrate.