IP Library Granted Patent US 9,298,410
Granted Patent B2
US 9,298,410 · App. 14/397,537 · Granted Mar 29, 2016

Exposing network printers to WI-FI clients

Inventors: Murilo Juchem (Porto Alegre, BR); Deny Joao Correa Azzolin (Porto Alegre, BR); Fernando Luis Caprio da Costa, Jr. (Porto Alegre, BR)
Assignee: HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, L.P.
G06F3/1292G06F3/1203G06F3/1204G06F3/1226G06F3/1236G06F3/1271G06F3/1286G06F3/1288H04L67/16H04W48/14G06F3/122
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,298,410
App. No.
14/397,537
Granted
Mar 29, 2016
Kind
B2
Abstract

In an embodiment, a processor-readable medium stores code representing instructions that when executed by a processor cause the processor to receive a printer discovery request from a WI-FI client. The instructions further cause the processor to forward the printer discovery request and an agent identification to an enterprise network server, and receive from the enterprise network server, a list of printers associated with the agent identification. The instructions also cause the processor to expose the list of printers to the WI-FI client.

Claims (41)

1. A non-transitory processor-readable medium storing code representing instructions that when executed by a processor in an agent device cause the agent device to:

receive a printer discovery request from a WI-FI client;

forward the printer discovery request and an agent identification to an enterprise network server, the agent identification identifying the agent device;

receive, from the enterprise network server in response to the printer discovery request, a list of printers associated with the agent identification, the printers in the list of printers comprising a non-WI-FI printer accessible by the WI-FI client through the agent device; and

expose the list of printers to the WI-FI client.

2. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the instructions further cause the agent device to:

receive, from the WI-FI client, a print request that includes a print job and a printer identification, wherein the printer identification identifies the non-WI-FI printer in the list of printers; and

forward the print request to the enterprise network server.

3. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 2 , wherein the instructions further cause the agent device to:

receive a print confirmation from the enterprise network server confirming the print job has been printed, or has been stored in a print queue for later printing, on the non-WI-FI printer; and

forward the print confirmation to the WI-FI client.

4. The processor-readable medium of claim 2 , wherein receiving the print request comprises receiving an IPP (Internet Printing Protocol) print request.

5. The processor-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the list of printers is associated with the agent identification based on an association selected from the group consisting of a manually defined association and a geographically defined association.

6. The processor-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the list of printers represents a segment of printers available on an enterprise network to which the enterprise network server is connected.

7. The processor-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein:

receiving the printer discovery request comprises receiving the printer discovery request wirelessly from the WI-FI client; and

exposing the list of printers comprises wirelessly transmitting the list of printers to the WI-FI client.

8. The processor-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the enterprise network server is selected from the group consisting of a private enterprise network server and a public enterprise network server.

9. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the non-WI-FI printer is without WI-FI capability and is unable to communicate over a WI-FI network over which the WI-FI client communicates.

10. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 9 , wherein the printer discovery request is received from the WI-FI client over the WI-FI network.

11. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the printers of the list of printers are part of a subset of printers of an enterprise network to which the enterprise network server is connected, the subset of printers determined as being in geographic proximity to the agent device.

12. A non-transitory processor-readable medium storing code representing instructions that when executed by a processor cause the processor to:

receive a printer discovery request from a WI-FI client, wherein receiving the printer discovery request from the WI-FI client comprises receiving a mDNS (multicast domain name service) printer discovery request;

forward the printer discovery request and an agent identification to an enterprise network server;

receive, from the enterprise network server, a list of printer associated with the agent identification; and

expose the list of printers to the WI-FI client.

13. The processor-readable medium of claim 12 , wherein receiving the list of printers comprises receiving the list of printers that includes non WI-FI printers.

14. An agent device comprising:

at least one processor; and

machine-readable instructions executable on the at least one processor to:

receive a printer discovery request from a WI-FI client over a WI-FI network; and

in response to the printer discovery request, provide, to the WI-FI client, identification of a plurality of printers accessible by the WI-FI client, the plurality of printers connected to an enterprise network and comprising a printer without WI-FI capability.

15. The agent device of claim 14 , further comprising:

print instructions executable on the at least one processor to receive a print request from the WI-FI client and forward the print request to a server connected to the enterprise network, the print request including a print job and a printer identification identifying the printer without WI-FI capability.

16. The agent device of claim 15 , wherein the print request requests printing of the print job at the printer without WI-FI capability, the printer without WI-FI capability unable to communicate over the WI-FI network.

17. A method comprising:

receiving, by an agent device comprising a processor, a print request from a WI-FI client over a WI-FI network;

in response to the print request, receiving, by the agent device, an identification of a non-WI-FI printer on an enterprise network that is nearby the WI-FI client, the non-WI-FI printer without capability to communicate over the WI-FI network;

exposing, by the agent, the non-WI-FI printer to the WI-FI client; and

causing, by the agent device, printing of a print job from the WI-FI client to the non-WI-FI printer.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the identification of the printer is received from an enterprise network server on the enterprise network.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 11, 2015
From: JUCHEM, MURILO; AZZOLIN, DENY JOAO CORREA; CAPRIO DA COSTA, FERNANDO LUIS, JR.
To: HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, L.P.
Reel/Frame 034942/0764 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20150103373A1 · Apr 16, 2015