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U.S. Patent: 10,841,798


Patent Title

Information apparatus or client software that wirelessly discovers, within short range, one or more output devices for establishing a wireless connection

Meta Information

Issued Date: November 17, 2020
Inventor: William Ho Chang et al

External Links: UPSTO, Google Patents

Technical Fields

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Abstract

Information apparatus that wirelessly discovers an output device, which is available within close physical vicinity for outputting digital content, is herein disclosed and enabled. The information apparatus includes wireless communication circuitry for establishing short range wireless communication between the information apparatus and the output device. The information apparatus wirelessly receives information from the output device that has been wirelessly discovered, and determines, from the information received, whether the output device matches a requirement for outputting digital content. When the requirement is matched, the information apparatus selects the discovered output device, conforms at least part of the content into output data, and transmits at least part of the output data over the short range wireless communication from the information apparatus to the selected output device. The information apparatus may include one or more of a smart phone, information pad, a digital camera, or an Internet appliance.

U.S. Patent: 10,841,798

Sample Claim

1. A method for an information apparatus to wirelessly output, at one or more output devices, at least part of content that is accessible by the information apparatus or stored at the information apparatus, the information apparatus is a distinct device from the one or more output devices, the information apparatus includes wireless communication circuitry for wireless communication, and a touch sensitive screen interface, wherein the method comprises:

(a) wirelessly discovering, over short range wireless communication and using the wireless communication circuitry of the information apparatus, at least two available output devices;

(b) wirelessly receiving, by the information apparatus, via the wireless communication circuitry of the information apparatus and over the short range wireless communication, information from an available output device, the information including at least an attribute of the available output device, and the available output device being one of the at least two available output devices that have been wirelessly discovered by the information apparatus in (a);

(c) determining, at the information apparatus and from the information wirelessly received from the available output device in (b), whether the attribute of the available output device matches a requirement for outputting at least part of the content, which is accessible by the information apparatus or stored at the information apparatus, from the information apparatus to the available output device, and, when the requirement is matched, either:

(d) receiving, via the touch sensitive screen interface of the information apparatus, an input from a user related to a selection of the available output device; conforming at least part of the content into output data, based, at least in part, on the information wirelessly received from the available output device in (b); and transmitting, via the wireless communication circuitry of the information apparatus, at least part of the output data over the short range wireless communication from the information apparatus to the selected available output device, or

(e) wirelessly receiving, via the wireless communication circuitry of the information apparatus and over the short range wireless communication, information from another available output device, the information specifying an attribute of the another available output device, and repeating at least steps (c) and (d), the another available output device being another output device of the at least two available output devices.