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US 7,689,731 B2Granted
Exposing the supply state of a shared peripheral device to a remote network resource
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
InventorsShell S. Simpson, Mark A. Harper
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Supply state information associated with a peripheral device that is shared over a network while coupled to a local network resource is obtained and a representation of the supply state information is stored in a data repository that is accessible by remote network resources.
Claims19
A method for exposing a supply state of a printing device over a network to a remote network resource, the method comprising:
- with a local network resource operatively coupled to the printing device, configuring the local network resource to share the printing device with the remote network resource according to a share protocol, the share protocol not allowing the remote network resource to directly query or otherwise access the supply state from the printing device;
- the local network resource determining if a print job directed to the printing device is a pseudo print job, the pseudo print job being a request to obtain supply state information that is masked as an otherwise regular print job;
- and if the print job is identified as a pseudo print job, obtaining, at the local network resource, supply state information from the printing device and storing a representation of the supply state information in a data repository that is accessible to the remote network resource according to the share protocol;
- and if the print job is not a pseudo print job, processing the print job so that it is printed by the printing device.
1 more element
A computer readable medium having instructions for causing a local network resource to:
- share a printing device with a remote network resource according to a share protocol, the share protocol not allowing the remote network resource to directly query or otherwise access a supply state from the printing device;
- determine if a print job directed to the printing device is a pseudo print job, the pseudo print job being and a request to obtain supply state information that is masked as an otherwise regular print job;
- and
- if the print job is identified as a pseudo print job, obtain, at the local network resource, supply state information from the printing device and store a representation of the supply state information in a data repository that is accessible to the remote network resource according to the share protocol;
- and
- if the print job is not a pseudo print job, process the print job so that it is printed by the printing device.
3 more elements
A system comprising:
- a printing device;
- and
- a local network resource operatively coupled to the printing device through a local port and to a network link through another port, the local network resource comprising a processor and a memory, the memory including a data processor and logic, the logic when executed by the processor being operable to:
- share, according to a share protocol, the peripheral and to share the data repository with a remote network resource;
- determine if a print job directed to the printing device is a pseudo print job, the pseudo print job being and a request to obtain supply state information that is masked as an otherwise regular print job;
- and
- if the print job is identified as a pseudo print job, obtain supply state information from the printing device and store a representation of the supply state information in the data repository that is accessible to the remote network resource according to a share protocol;
- and
- if the print job is not a pseudo print job, processing the print job so that it is printed by the printing device.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.