Universal mobile print agent

A method of operating a mobile device for providing print output, the method comprising:

• determining a location of the mobile device by initiating a position location procedure;
• querying a local database that is maintained by the mobile device to determine output device options based, at least in part, on the determined location of the mobile device and one or more filtering criteria which include at least a threshold proximity of the determined location of the mobile device to one or more of the output device options;
• determining the output device options from the local database in response to the query;
• receiving a selection of one of the output device options for printing an image stored within the mobile device;
• enabling, by the mobile device from the determined location, a connection to the selected output device via a wireless transceiver within the mobile device, wherein the connection is determined to be wireless based on an identity of the selected output device;
• and
• communicating, via a print application interface to the wireless transceiver for transmission over the wireless connection, the image to the selected output device for conversion into a hard copy.

An apparatus configured to provide mobile print output, the apparatus comprising:

• an image capture device;
• a wireless transceiver;
• a communication processing module coupled to a wired communication port;
• a position location module configured to support location determination of the apparatus;
• and
• a Universal Print Agent (UPA) configured to utilize a determined location of the apparatus by initiating a position location procedure via the position location module, to query a local database that is maintained by the apparatus to determine a list of output devices from which an output device can be selected based, at least in part, on the determined location of the mobile device and one or more filtering criteria which include at least a threshold proximity of the determined location of the mobile device to one or more of the output device options, to determine the list of output devices from the local database in response to the query, and to selectively communicate, to the wireless transceiver for transmission over a connection between the apparatus and the selected output device that is available at the determined location, an image captured by the image capture device to a selected output device for conversion into a hard copy, wherein the connection is determined to be wireless based on an identity of the selected output device.

An apparatus comprising a machine-readable memory storing a set of processor executable instructions, which, when executed by a mobile device, cause the mobile device to perform a method comprising:

• receiving a command to initialize a print output from the mobile device;
• determining a location of the mobile device by initiating a position location procedure;
• querying a local database that is maintained by the mobile device to determine output device options based, at least in part, on the determined location of the mobile device and one or more filtering criteria which include at least a threshold proximity of the determined location of the mobile device to one or more of the output device options;
• determining the output device options from the local database in response to the query;
• determining whether a selected output device is local or remote, the selected output device being selected from among the output device options;
• determining that a connection from the mobile device to the selected output device is wireless based on an identity of the selected output device, wherein the connection from the mobile device to the selected output device is available at the determined location of the mobile device;
• and
• communicating, via a print application interface to a wireless transceiver for transmission over the connection, at least one image stored within the mobile device to the selected output device for conversion into a hard copy.

An apparatus configured to provide mobile print output, the apparatus comprising:

• means for receiving a command to initialize a print output from a mobile device;
• means for determining a location of the mobile device by initiating a position location procedure;
• means for querying a local database that is maintained by the mobile device to determine output device options based, at least in part, on the determined location of the mobile device and one or more filtering criteria which include at least a threshold proximity of the determined location of the mobile device to one or more of the output device options;
• means for determining the output device options from the local database in response to the query;
• means for determining whether a selected output device is local or remote, the selected output device being selected from among the output device options;
• means for determining that a connection from the mobile device to the selected output device is wireless based on an identity of the selected output device, wherein the connection from the mobile device to the selected output device is available at the determined location of the mobile device;
• and
• means for communicating, via a print application interface to a wireless transceiver for transmission over the connection, at least one image stored within the mobile device to the selected output device for conversion into a hard copy.

An apparatus configured to provide mobile print output, the apparatus comprising:

• logic configured to initialize a print output from the mobile device;
• logic configured to determine a location of the mobile device by initiating a position location procedure;
• logic configured to query a local database that is maintained by the mobile device to determine output device options based, at least in part, on the determined location of the mobile device and one or more filtering criteria which include at least a threshold proximity of the determined location of the mobile device to one or more of the output device options;
• logic configured to determine the output device options from the local database in response to the query;
• logic configured to determine whether a selected output device is local or remote, the selected output device being selected from among the output device options;
• logic configured to determine that a connection from the mobile device to the selected output device is wireless based on an identity of the selected output device, wherein the connection from the mobile device to the selected output device is available at the determined location of the mobile device;
• and
• logic configured to communicate, via a print application interface to a wireless transceiver for transmission over the connection, at least one image stored within the mobile device to the selected output device for conversion into a hard copy.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by an apparatus configured to provide mobile print output, cause the apparatus to perform operations, the instructions comprising:

• program code to initialize a print output from the mobile device;
• program code to determine a location of the mobile device by initiating a position location procedure;
• program code to query a local database that is maintained by the mobile device to determine output device options based, at least in part, on the determined location of the mobile device and one or more filtering criteria which include at least a threshold proximity of the determined location of the mobile device to one or more of the output device options;
• program code to determine the output device options from the local database in response to the query;
• program code to determine whether a selected output device is local or remote, the selected output device being selected from among the output device options;
• program code to determine that a connection from the mobile device to the selected output device is wireless based on an identity of the selected output device, wherein the connection from the mobile device to the selected output device is available at the determined location of the mobile device;
• and
• program code to communicate, via a print application interface to a wireless transceiver for transmission over the connection, at least one image stored within the mobile device to the selected output device for conversion into a hard copy.