Centralized queue in network printing systems

Abstract

A centralized queue for a network printing system is provided for allowing clients of a network printer to make job requests and enter a spot in a job queue without transmitting the actual print job data to the network. More particularly, an imaging device protocol (IDP) is provided which operates independently of the network layers below and only requires that a transport protocol/port be bidirectional. A wide variety of heterogenous network protocols may be supported by IDP for placing all of the incoming print job information in a print queue regardless of the protocol. Print job information from both IDP and non-IDP protocol/ports may be placed in the print queue by emulating IDP on the non-IDP protocol/ports. As a result, job information for all of the print jobs attempting to access a busy printer may be stored in the print queue so that the print jobs can be printed by the printer with a fair arbitration once the network printer becomes available.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.