US 7,617,446 B2 · Method and system for pre-print processing of web-based documents to reduce printing costs

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a method, apparatus, system, or computer program product that allows a user to choose one or more print options within a browser environment in order to conserve the consumption of physical resources, such as paper and printer ink, by modifying the content of a document. Web-based documents are generally printed for specific, limited purposes, and hardcopy versions of Web-based documents can be relatively expensive. By utilizing the extensible nature of browser applications and the standard formatting of structured documents on the World Wide Web, a methodology is provided for reducing the consumption of printing supplies in order to reduce printing costs of relatively expensive printouts of Web-based documents. By parsing the document and changing the structure, tags, elements, element attribute values, text, graphics, etc., of the document, the present invention creates a modified document that consumes less physical resources during the physical printing process.

Claims17

Dependent claims

A method of processing a structured document in an application, where the structured document comprises one or more elements, the method comprising:

configuring a print option, wherein the print option comprises one or more user-configurable print parameters that indicate a user preference with respect to reducing consumption of one or more physical resources during printing of the structured document by modifying the content of the structured document to remove one or more of the elements prior to printing;
receiving a print request to print a hardcopy of the structured document being displayed within a browser window;
in response to receiving the print request, detecting the print option;
in response to detecting the print option, generating a modified copy of the structured document for printing in accordance with the user-configurable print parameters by modifying the content of the structured document to remove one or more of the elements in accordance with the print option by filtering the structured document for printing to remove an element associated with a first Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) that is not located within a domain identified by a second URI by which the structured document was retrieved prior to being displayed within the browser window;
and
printing the hardcopy of the modified structured document.

3 more elements

An apparatus for processing a structured document in an application, where the structured document comprises one or more elements, the apparatus comprising:

configuring means for configuring a print option, wherein the print option comprises one or more user-configurable print parameters that indicate a user preference with respect to reducing consumption of one or more physical resources during printing of the structured document by modifying the content of the structured document to remove one or more of the elements prior to printing;
receiving means for receiving a print request to print a hardcopy of the structured document being displayed within a browser window;
detecting means for detecting the print option in response to receiving the print request;
generating means for generating a modified copy of the structured document for printing in accordance with the user-configurable print parameters by modifying the content of the structured document to remove one or more of the elements in accordance with the print option by filtering the structured document for printing to remove an element associated with a first Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) that is not located within a domain identified by a second URI by which the structured document was retrieved prior to being displayed within the browser window;
and
printing means for printing the hardcopy of the modified structured document.

3 more elements

A computer program product in a computer readable medium for use in a data processing system for processing a structured document comprising one or more elements, the computer program product comprising:

instructions for configuring a print option, wherein the print option comprises one or more user-configurable print parameters that indicate a user preference with respect to reducing consumption of one or more physical resources during printing of the structured document by modifying the content of the structured document to remove one or more of the elements prior to printing;
instructions for receiving a print request to print a hardcopy of the structured document being displayed within a browser window;
instructions for detecting the print option in response to receiving the print request;
instructions for generating a modified copy of the structured document for printing in accordance with the user-configurable print parameters by modifying the content of the structured document to remove one or more of the elements in accordance with the print option;
instructions for filtering the structured document for printing to remove an element associated with a first Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) that is not located within a domain identified by a second URI by which the structured document was retrieved prior to being displayed within the browser window;
and
instructions for printing the hardcopy of the modified structured document.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method and system for pre-print processing of web-based documents to reduce printing costs

Life of this patent

Method and system for pre-print processing of web-based documents to reduce printing costs

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims17