Patents Portfolio

U.S. Patent: RE42,725

Patent Title

Output service over a network

Meta Information

Issued Date: September 20, 2011
Inventor: Christina Ying Liu, William Ho Chang
External Links: UPSTO, Google Patents

Technical Fields

Streaming Device

Abstract

An output system providing output service over a network. The output service enables an information apparatus to pervasively output digital content to an output device. The output system may be configured to obtain a document object, an output device object, and one or more job objects. The one or more job objects may include information such as payment, subscription, authentication, identification, instructions, and or output options. The objects may be provided to a server application over a network for rendering at the output device. The server then may send over the network output data to an output controller having a connection to one or more output devices. The output controller may convert the output data into a file format for output to the output device. The service may send status information and may send a confirmation of the output job.

Sample Claim

1. A data output method for rendering at an output device output content managed from an information apparatus, comprising the following computer-implemented steps:

obtaining a document object relating to the output content managed from the information apparatus;

obtaining an output device object with one or more attributes corresponding to the output device;

providing the document object and the output device object to a server application operated on a server that is distinct from the information apparatus and the output device, and generating with the sewer server application output data employing at least partly the document object and the output device object; and

providing the output data to the output device for rendering the output content,;

wherein the output device includes an output engine that can output the output content to an output medium in accordance with a device-dependent output data acceptable to the output engine and a connection to an output controller, and

wherein the output controller provides at least part of the output device object to the information apparatus, receives an output data from the information apparatus, passes the output data to a selected output device for rendering of the output content, and provides a user interface for receiving user-implemented modifications of the controller.