Mobile Print Template Mediator for Native Printer Language Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
Printer devices have varying printing languages, making it costly and inefficient for applications to support all commands and features, leading to reduced printing capabilities when only common features are supported, and printer drivers produce slow output in graphical mode.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method that receives a printing request from a mobile device, populates a print template with application data, and forwards it to the printer device in its native language, using a socket connection and print configuration rules to manage data retrieval and formatting, allowing for improved printer utilization and reduced development costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If applications are configured to support all commands and features of each printing language, then printing capabilities are comprehensive, but development and maintenance costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a print template as an intermediary layer between the application and the printer device. The template contains pre-defined print commands in the printer's native language and placeholders for application data. This mediator translates generic print requests into device-specific commands without requiring the application to understand multiple printing languages, thus maintaining comprehensive printing capabilities while reducing development complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The print template is designed to be universal and can be used with different printer devices by simply changing the template content rather than the application logic. A single application can support multiple printing languages through a single template file, making the system multi-functional without increasing application complexity
2Device complexity
If applications support only the most commonly used printing features, then development costs are reduced, but printer device capabilities are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The print template acts as a mediator that contains the full set of printing capabilities in its commands. Even though the application only needs to generate simple print requests with data, the template expands these into comprehensive print commands that utilize the printer's full capabilities including less common features, thus maintaining versatility without increasing application development costs
3Adaptability or versatility
If printer drivers are used to communicate with applications, then printing language compatibility is improved, but printing speed decreases due to graphical mode output
Solution Approach 1:
The print template serves as an intermediary that directly generates printer-native commands without going through graphical mode conversion. The template contains pre-formulated print commands in the printer's native language, allowing direct transmission of print data to the printer device, thus maintaining language compatibility while avoiding the speed penalty of graphical mode processing
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the traditional driver-based mechanical conversion process (application data → graphical mode → printer commands) with a direct substitution approach where the template provides printer-native commands directly. This eliminates the intermediate graphical mode conversion step, thereby maintaining compatibility while improving printing speed
Data Source
AI summary
A computer-implemented method and system for printing electronic documents. The method includes receiving a printing request from an application executed on the mobile device, via a socket connection conforming to a standard network communications protocol, the printing request generated from a print preview by the application. The method includes retrieving application data from the printing request. The method includes populating a print template with the retrieved application data, the print template including application data placeholders and print commands, the print commands being in a language of a printer device connected to the mobile device, wherein the retrieved application data replaces the application data placeholders. The method includes forwarding the populated print template to the printer device, the print commands instructing the printer device to print a document where the application data is presented according to the print template.