Method for discovering a network printer by assigning dedicated sockets to different printer types and polling the dedicated sockets to learn the corresponding state

A method for discovering a printer of a printer type in a network, the method comprising the steps of:

• establishing a socket having a socket identifier (ID) associated with the printer type, the network communicating with the printer through the socket, the socket having a poll mode and a listen mode, the socket when in the poll mode awaiting and obtaining outgoing data from the network tagged with the socket ID and sending the obtained outgoing data to the printer, the socket when in the listen mode awaiting and obtaining incoming data from the printer and sending the obtained incoming data to the network;
• establishing a printer information object for storing printer information associated with the printer once the printer is discovered, the network maintaining and updating the printer information therewith;
• establishing a timer providing a periodic timing signal TICK;
• periodically polling for the printer once every N TICKs, each polling step comprising the steps of:
• placing the socket in the poll mode;
• sending polling data tagged with the socket ID to the socket for receipt by the printer;
• placing the socket in the listen mode;
• and
• waiting to determine whether the socket has obtained printer data from the printer;
• if the socket has obtained printer data from the printer, determining from the printer information object whether the printer has been previously discovered based on whether the printer information object has stored printer information for the printer;
• and
• if the printer has not been previously discovered, creating printer information for the printer and storing the created printer information in the printer information object.