WO2000023912A1 - Network document delivery system - Google Patents

Network document delivery system Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2000023912A1
WO2000023912A1 PCT/US1999/024482 US9924482W WO0023912A1 WO 2000023912 A1 WO2000023912 A1 WO 2000023912A1 US 9924482 W US9924482 W US 9924482W WO 0023912 A1 WO0023912 A1 WO 0023912A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
document
name
recipient
data stream
programmed
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US1999/024482
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Dennis W. Hicks
Richard Newman
Gary Johnson
Lisa O'toole
David Hay
Chris Gyllenskog
Steven C. Johnson
Matt Stephenson
Frank Hartmann
Ray Asbury
Eric Luttmann
Original Assignee
Oce-Usa Inc.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from US09/175,905 external-priority patent/US7086001B1/en
Application filed by Oce-Usa Inc. filed Critical Oce-Usa Inc.
Priority to AU65211/99A priority Critical patent/AU6521199A/en
Publication of WO2000023912A1 publication Critical patent/WO2000023912A1/en

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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F40/00—Handling natural language data
    • G06F40/10—Text processing
    • G06F40/103—Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents

Definitions

  • Microfiche Appendix This specification has appended hereto a microfiche appendix tiavlng 17 flche containing approximately 4600 frames. 5
  • This invention generally relates to document handling on a computer network, and more particularly, this invention relates to a recipient based system for printing, faxing, storing and transmitting electronic documents !5 across networks.
  • this general end Is achieved by a system of networked computers, peripherals and document delivery software which provlde ⁇ the user with a familiar simple user interface, such as a print dialog box in a Windows® environment, to deliver documents to a variety of different destinations, both within the network, across networks and outside of the network via remote links
  • a document generation device participating In the system may be provided with a print driver which translates an electronic document into a non-specific, or printer independent, printer language file and appends to this file a job ticket containing any other rendering characteristics which may not be supported by the printer independent language.
  • Rendering characteristics include such things as color or monochrome output, duplex printing, number of original copies, stapling, collating, binding, recipient and destination information, etc. This entire file Is then transmitted to the system server which analyzes the file, including the rendering characteristics; determines the best output devlce(s); appends output device specific commands to the general printer language file; and transmits this file to the device(s).
  • the Job ticket and related flexibility of the software also enable recipient baaed delivery and result based delivery, both of which represent a paradigm shift away from device based printing Reoipient based delivery focuses upon the location of a particular reoipient and the medium through which that recipient prefers to receive information, as opposed to a particular printer in the general location of the recipient.
  • Result based delivery focuses on the presentation and medium for delivery of Information, as opposed to a particular device or device location
  • the software on the server assigns an affinity value to each print job based upon the job size, destination and rendering characteristics This affinity value Is then used to determine which output devlce( ⁇ ) will receive the document
  • the server must therefor be aware of what output devices are participating In the system, where they are located, what their specific characteristics are and w ether or not any particular device is currently available, This Information may be gathered automatically by having the server poll for network resources, the Information may be manually entered by a user or system administrator, or the Information may be input by a combination of the two methods.
  • the user may elect to bypass the invention by selecting a specific printer driver rather than that of the invention.
  • the invention software on the server
  • This system facilitates the ability to implement many other valuable and desirable features.
  • One such feature is the ability to distribute a large job over two or more output devices participating In the system, essentially defining multiple output devices as a single output device This Is most advantageous where a single job contains multiple original copies and each output device receives one or more entire copies to output, thereby decreasing output time by a factor of the number of output devices and not causing the user to collate pages from multiple output devices. Additionally, the Invention can distribute jobs over the output resources on the network to even distribute the workload.
  • an activity log or journal which can provide detailed Information concerning usage.
  • the log can provide such information as the size and number of print jobs requested by any combination of users for billing purposes; job completion verification; diagnostic Information to allow an operator to determine when and why Jobs failed; and resource utilization Information such as toner usage for a printer to plan for Inventory, expenses and maintenance.
  • the journal may be kept In a standard database format which may be easily Imported to accounting, database or other computer applications.
  • the invention can support virtually any output device such as: standard Image forming devices Including printers, plotters, and video; facsimile devices; email communications; data communications links; and archival devices.
  • output device such as: standard Image forming devices Including printers, plotters, and video; facsimile devices; email communications; data communications links; and archival devices.
  • banner and receipt pages can be generated.
  • Banner pages can be used to identify sets of > jobs on each printer and notify the operator of any finishing operations to be performed.
  • Receipt pages can be used to provide a short job summary and verify job completion.
  • Supported data communications can include serial telecommunications via data mode s, network communications using TCP/IP,
  • archival and storage of documents may be done in a platform Independent format such as ADOBE'S Portable Document Format (PDF).
  • PDF Portable Document Format
  • RDF allows a user of virtually any operating system to view and print archived 5 documents using a freely distributed viewing program, ADOBE ACROBAT READER.
  • the software on the server can be oonfigured so that a job sent to a specific port or by a particular type of printer driver Is always output the same way or according to a specific set of rules
  • a printer specific printer 0 .driver such as a HEWLETT PACKARD LASERJET driver, and still have the job output to one or more different devices.
  • FIG. 1 Is a schematic representation of a network document delivery system acoordlng to the Invention
  • Fig. 2 Is a block diagram illustrating the functional aspects of the ⁇ oftwar ⁇
  • Fig. 3 Is a graphic representation of the connections that may be made 5 to a representative hardware system;
  • Fig. 4 is a graphic representation of a high level system object model of the Invention;
  • Fig. 5 Is a graphic representation of a subordinate level object model showing the relationship between a task and a job
  • Fig 6 is a graphic representation of a subordinate level object model ) showing the relationship between users and objects
  • Fig. 7 Is a graphic representation of a subordinate level object model showing the relationship between the general product and different types of output
  • Fig. 10 Is a graphic representation of a subordinate level object model showing the hierarchical relationship between a system device and an atomic device; 0 Figs. 11 and 12 describe the general life cycle model and rely on the schemata Figs. 13 through 55;
  • Fig, 56 describes the Fusion notation used In Figs. 4 through 10;
  • Fig. 57 describes the Life Cycle Model notation used in Figs. 11 and
  • Fig. 62 Is an object interaction graph Illustrating how affinity Is determined
  • Fig. 63 Is an object interaction graph illustrating the submit Job 0 sequence
  • Fig. 64 is an object interaction graph illustrating the Instruct to job ticket sequenoe
  • Fig. 65 is an object interaction graph Illustrating the Instruct to Instruction set sequence
  • Fig 66 is an object Interaction graph illustrating the normal execute sequence
  • Figs. 67 through 81 Illustrate one possible graphical user Interface for the Job ticket and show some of the various delivery options.
  • the network shown includes at least one document generator 11, such as a networked personal computer, having a client user Interface 12 Installed therein; a server 13 having main job processing software 14 therein Including a server user Interface 15; and two or more document output devices 16.
  • Fig. 3 shows a representative hardware connection configuration or network on whloh the Invention may be implemented.
  • the simplified user model illustrated in Fig. 2 provides a procedural view Of system operation.
  • the overall system may Include a main program 14, multiple data sources, such as client print driver 17, and/or other Input clients, such as a manufacturer specific print driver 18, and multiple output devices 16.
  • a job is sent from a data source such as document generator 11 to main program 14 via a data port 19,
  • a Job must contain a data stream to be rendered, also referred to as image data, on some output device.
  • the job may also contain a job ticket, which is a coiiection of specific Information concerning the desired output presentation, such as a standard hard copy print job; a fax; an archival; an email; finishing features; routing information; and even billing Information, l ⁇ the case, where print driver 17 is used, here when the user selects "auto" as the print destination, job ticket information is provided by client print driver 17,
  • print driver 17 Includes a generic language translator 24 which translates an electronic document Into a non-specific, or printer independent, printer language file and appends to this file a job ticket containing any other rendering characteristics which may not be supported by the printer independent language.
  • the job information may be provided by 'default' Job tickets or port profiles associated with a data port, a user name which can be determined from the network name, or a
  • Job parser 20 examines the Incoming job for a job ticket and applies ) default job tickets as required, then sends the job to routing and affinity process 21 .
  • Routing and affinity process 21 determines the capabilities required to complete the job successfully and the affinity of each potential output device for the job, Routing and affinity process 21 assigns an affinity value to each print job based upon the job size, destination and rendering characteristics by comparing the requested features 3 with the available features logged in resource library 25. Available resources may be gathered and logged Into resource library 25 by server 13 automatically by polling the network for resources.
  • the information may be manually entered by a user or system administrator or It may be Input by a combination of the two methods,
  • the job is then routed to a device specific assembler 22, also sometimes 0 called the 'transform', to change the image data to a device specific form.
  • the Image data Is then sent to the appropriate output devlce(s) 16 via a communications channel 23,
  • the current status of each device can be monitored by the main program via communication channel 23.
  • output devices 16 are printers, but they can also be 5 fax machines, electronic storage media, such as a 'file' on diskette, removable media, hard disk, tape drive, network drive, etc., or even email.
  • the simplified model can be extended to Include multiple data ports with an associated default job ticket or port profile for each A combination of port and port profile is referred to as a 'virtual queue'
  • client print driver 17 '.0 can reside on the same host as main program 1 , so that the operator of main program 14 can also submit Jobs.
  • Fig. 2 provides a procedural view of system operation
  • the following Illustrative embodiment takes advantage of the multitasking nature of a host operating system, such as WINDOWS > NT and the capabilities of object oriented programming techniques. This embodiment is Illustrated in Fig. 4.
  • the main program Is actually a set of programs running simultaneously. Also, the Job parsing, routing, and assembling functions are spread out over a set of objects.
  • One possible set of object models are shown in Figs. 4 -
  • a job is a task, and a job includes at least one document. Tasks may have one or more parent/child relationships.
  • External agents such as the human operator, are also represented by objects, even though the object may
  • FIG. 4 Each of the objects shown in Fig. 4 can be decomposed or broken down into other objects as shown in the other figures.
  • the objects enclosed within dashed lines are programs The Operator, Recipient, and User are people as shown In Fig. 6.
  • a Product Is the output of the system as shown Fig. 7.
  • a job is created by a data source such as a document generator 1 1 and more specifically, usually by client print driver 17.
  • Fig. 8 shows a more detailed view of possible types of data sources and their relationships to data ports. Note that remote systems can send jobs Just like any local source. Likewise, a remote system may be configured as a device. This allows passing of a Job from system to
  • the purpose for configuring the Systems this way is to reduce phone charges by using local area network (LAN) communications between main systems. This allows jobs to be passed to LAN or phone connected printers, even though the printers are not available to the local " system.
  • LAN local area network
  • the job parsing function Is performed by the data port.
  • the port creates a job object In the system that includes a document, I.e. Image data, and job ticket as shown in Fig. 5.
  • the job ticket may need to be formed from an associated port
  • the job ticket Is designed to allow routing of the Job to the best device and storing of data for billing and management purposes,
  • the Job ticket allows separation of the job specific features, such as number of copies, finishing, recipient information, etc., from the image data.
  • job specific Information needs to be In a form unique to each printer or output device, depending on Its manufacturer and its configuration as it was Installed, as some finishing features such as sorters and staplers are optional.
  • the Specialization of the generic or device independent data stream to the actual production device data stream is done after the production device is chosen by the System,
  • the data port creates a job and passes it to the system device.
  • Fig. 9 shows the device hierarchy
  • Fig. 10 shows the device relationships.
  • the devices contain the routing function ⁇ jipwn in the simplified model. All devices are implemented as objects.
  • Device Objects are serialized meaning configuration parameters are stored to disk so that they rriay be restored after a system reset.
  • a key feature of the device design is the relationship between pool6, arrays, and atomic devices as Illustrated In Fig. 10, A pool Is generally a grouping of
  • Jlk ⁇ devices Jlk ⁇ devices.
  • the grouping can be by function such as faxes, printers, or archive , devices, or by some other criteria such as location, e.g. all printers on the second . floor, permissions, or routing.
  • An array Is a collection of like devices.
  • An atomic device represents the smallest whole constituent part. As far as the parent pool is conoerned, an array is an atomic device, and thus the array class is derived from the atomic device class. At the lowest level, an atomic device 'knows' that It is capable
  • Devices contain many of the unique features of the invention As an example, arrays are defined as collections of devices which are capable of receiving and producing the desired output. The device hierarchy and built in routing capability allow arrays to break a job down into tasks, one task per copy. The separate tasks are sent to each of the devices constituting the array as each device is ready to receive Jt. Another example of a unique feature is the intelligent routing accomplished through capabilities and affinities The logic for routing is built in to each atomic device. The pass/fall response on capabilities and affinity number for a task Is passed to the parent device, which then compares the responses from each child device and sends the task to the appropriate device.
  • Another unique feature of the invention is intelligent translation of a job defined for one type of output device into another. Incoming jobs are often In a data stream that is incompatible with the best fit output device.
  • the intelligent translation device performs the appropriate translation based upon a separate determination of the best fit output device.
  • a current embodiment is capable of translating from ROSTSCRlPT to various forms of HP-PCL and PDF
  • the resource library and activity log or journal are advantageously coded as separate systems running simultaneously with the main system.
  • the aotivity Journal may be a database containing various tables, entries, queries, and reports relevant to the system.
  • the database interface can be provided by the operating system.
  • the database and its schema, e g. tables, queries, etc., are created at system startup if they don't already exist.
  • Exemplary database tables might Include: an ActlonLog which contains system startup and configuration change information; a Billing log which contains originator billing Information; a Company log which contains company address information, a FaxLlst log which relates fax completion statistics to recipients; a Job log which contains Job Information, such as ⁇ tart tlme, Stop time, originator, etc.; an Originator log which contains originator Information such as address, phone number, etc ; a Recipient log which contains recipient address information; a Recipient list which relates jobs to recipients; a Task JPg which contains task information such as start time, stop time, production device, etc., and a device log which contains physical device information.
  • ActlonLog which contains system startup and configuration change information
  • Billing log which contains originator billing Information
  • Company log which contains company address information
  • FaxLlst log which relates fax completion statistics to recipients
  • Job log which contains Job Information, such as ⁇ tart tlme, Stop time, originator, etc.
  • the operator user Interface allows the operator to configure the main system for the needs of a particular installation, and is Implemented as a separate program from the main system.
  • the main system is capable of operating without the operator user interface running.
  • the operator user interface also saves and loads Job templates. Job templates are job tickets that have been saved for later use, and Pan p ⁇ edited before submitting a job.
  • the invention examines the job ticket Information to route print Jobs to the most effective printer. This feature may be disabled during configuration. If a specific printer is selected by the user, and the printer does not exist, then the Job remains unassignable.
  • Each job is routed to a printer depending on whether the Job can be printed at ail, printer capabilities, and the best fit of additional performance or postprocessing factors, I.e. the affinity of the job to a printer or printer to a job.
  • Devices have a subset of attributes that define the types of tasks that can ba processed. If a task requests a function that is outside the set defined by the device's attributes, then the device Is considered to be Incapable of processing the task.
  • the attributes include the range of number of pages allowed in a single task, the ability to print color or strictly back and white pages, the ability to print duplex, and the ability to support a requested paper size, color or weight. A task's requirements must fall within all of these restrictions A task for which no capable devices can be found Is considered "Unassignable".
  • Automatic Assignment Is device selection that is Insensitive to the device's name If Automatic Assignment is not allowed by a device, and the task does not request that device specifying its name specifically, than the device Is considered Incapable. If a task requests a specific device, all devices that do not have the name requested are also * cons ⁇ dered incapable. If no device by the requested name is present In the system, or if no direct path to the requested device Is present, then the task is changed to allow Automatic Assignment Without regard for originally requested device name If no device name is ever requested by the task, Automatic Assignment Is assumed
  • Devices have another subset of attributes that define the device's ability to automate a number of processing options which Include the device's processing performance, and the operator's preference toward device
  • the affinity value for a device is calculated by accumulating the individual affinities given by examining each of the individual attributes
  • the automation attributes include the device's ability to collate, to $taple, to fold, to drill, to bind, and to add covers If a task requests one of these functions, the devices that provide the function are given a higher affinity than those devices that do not provide the function. Additional automation functions supported by the device, that are not requested by the task, are simply ignored
  • the device's performanpe is given as a single Impressions Per Minute (IPM) value.
  • IPM Impressions Per Minute
  • the assumption Is made that one minute is the optimal average amount of time that a device should spend processing a single task, and that thirty seconds Is the standard deviation.
  • the affinity of an array can be determined by averaging all of the affinities of the capable and available subordinate devices. There Is only one adjustment to the standard affinity calculations performed by the sub-devices The device's performance Is not factored into the result because, again, the page count for each device Is not known. All other affinity factors are evaluated normally.
  • Fi ⁇ s. 11 through 55 describe a life cycle model of one embodiment of the Invention.
  • the life cycle model describes the order in which system operations may occur.
  • Alphabet Any input or output event may be used in an expression. Output events are prefixed with #.
  • Name may be used In other expressions, but substitutions must not be recursive.
  • the recipient and result based paradigms mentioned earlier can be belter understood making reference to Figs. 67 - 81.
  • a user simply selects the recipient from the recipient list as Is shown In Fig. 67.
  • the Information is then delivered to that recipient based upon the recipient's preferred device or devices.
  • New recipients can be defined by entering the new recipient's Information, such as that shown In Figs. 68 - 70, or possibly as a result of that particular recipient joining the system as a new user by entering new user Information, such as that shown in Figs. 71 - 73.
  • Printing and delivery options can be selected by entering in the desired characteristics on the job ticket such as those shown In Flg ⁇ . 74 - 81.
  • the result oriented delivery paradigm is more of an inherent result of the design of the invention and is directly related to the affinity feature and a device's capability to produce the requested output.
  • output characteristics beyond the capability of a particular output device either simply were not presented as available options to the user or were altered, usually by being eliminated altogether, by the device specific print driver as the job was output.
  • all or some of the paradigms can be Implemented to whatever degree Is desired.

Abstract

A system of networked computers and peripherals and document delivery software which provides a user with a familiar simple user interface (12) to deliver documents to a variety of different destinations. Each document generation device participating in the system is provided with a unified print driver which translates an electronic document into a non-specific or printer independent printer language file and appends to this file a job ticket containing any other rendering characteristics which may not be supported by the printer independent language (24). This entire file is then transmitted to the system server which analyzes the file, including the rendering characteristics; determines the best output device(s); appends output device specific (18) commands to the general printer language file; and transmits this file to the device(s) for final output.

Description

5 TITLE OF INVENTION: Network Document Delivery System
INVENTORS: Steven C. Johnson, Eagle, Idaho, Dennis W. Hicks, Eagle, Idaho, Richard D, Newman, Meridian, Idaho; Gary Johnson, Boise, Idaho; Lisa O'Toole, Eagle, Idaho; David Hay, Boise, Idaho; Chris Gyllenskog, Boise, Idaho; Matt 0 Stθphenεorl, Stratford, Wisconsin; Frank Hartmann, Boise, Idaho; Ray Asbury, Boise, Idaho; Eric Luttman, Boise, Idaho.
Microfiche Appendix; This specification has appended hereto a microfiche appendix tiavlng 17 flche containing approximately 4600 frames. 5
RELATED APPLICATIONS: This application claims the priority of Provisional Appllcatlon-Sβrial No. 60/063,891 filed October 22, 1997.
D E S C R I P T I O N
:0 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Tθphnical Field. This invention generally relates to document handling on a computer network, and more particularly, this invention relates to a recipient based system for printing, faxing, storing and transmitting electronic documents !5 across networks.
Background. Modern business requires that computing environments become more flexible, easy to use, allow for growth, and in particular, be measurably cost effective. A fundamental element of computing environments is the handling of 0 documents. The concept of a "document" is now much more than just a printed piece of paper, A document can be printed in both black and white and color, It can be viewed electronically, it can be archived on removable or fixed storage media, and it can be transmitted electronically. Unfortunately, the traditional mechanisms for delivering documents consist of independent solutions. This problem is 5 characteristic of the current device based paradigm for document delivery. It would therefor be desirable to provide a single integrated solution which allows a network user to deliver his or her document to one or more different destinations or recipients
In a single step regardless of the end form in which the document Is presented.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present Invention, this general end Is achieved by a system of networked computers, peripherals and document delivery software which provldeε the user with a familiar simple user interface, such as a print dialog box in a Windows® environment, to deliver documents to a variety of different destinations, both within the network, across networks and outside of the network via remote links, In one embodiment of the invention, a document generation device participating In the system, whether directly connected to the network or interacting full or part time through a remote link, may be provided with a print driver which translates an electronic document into a non-specific, or printer independent, printer language file and appends to this file a job ticket containing any other rendering characteristics which may not be supported by the printer independent language. Rendering characteristics Include such things as color or monochrome output, duplex printing, number of original copies, stapling, collating, binding, recipient and destination information, etc, This entire file Is then transmitted to the system server which analyzes the file, including the rendering characteristics; determines the best output devlce(s); appends output device specific commands to the general printer language file; and transmits this file to the device(s).
The Job ticket and related flexibility of the software also enable recipient baaed delivery and result based delivery, both of which represent a paradigm shift away from device based printing Reoipient based delivery focuses upon the location of a particular reoipient and the medium through which that recipient prefers to receive information, as opposed to a particular printer in the general location of the recipient. Result based delivery focuses on the presentation and medium for delivery of Information, as opposed to a particular device or device location
In one embodiment of the Invention, the software on the server assigns an affinity value to each print job based upon the job size, destination and rendering characteristics This affinity value Is then used to determine which output devlce(ε) will receive the document The server must therefor be aware of what output devices are participating In the system, where they are located, what their specific characteristics are and w ether or not any particular device is currently available, This Information may be gathered automatically by having the server poll for network resources, the Information may be manually entered by a user or system administrator, or the Information may be input by a combination of the two methods.
The user may elect to bypass the invention by selecting a specific printer driver rather than that of the invention. In this case, the invention software on the server
Simply forwards the print job on to the specific printer requested.
This system facilitates the ability to implement many other valuable and desirable features. One such feature is the ability to distribute a large job over two or more output devices participating In the system, essentially defining multiple output devices as a single output device This Is most advantageous where a single job contains multiple original copies and each output device receives one or more entire copies to output, thereby decreasing output time by a factor of the number of output devices and not causing the user to collate pages from multiple output devices. Additionally, the Invention can distribute jobs over the output resources on the network to even distribute the workload.
Another feature which may be Implemented is an activity log or journal which can provide detailed Information concerning usage. The log can provide such information as the size and number of print jobs requested by any combination of users for billing purposes; job completion verification; diagnostic Information to allow an operator to determine when and why Jobs failed; and resource utilization Information such as toner usage for a printer to plan for Inventory, expenses and maintenance. The journal may be kept In a standard database format which may be easily Imported to accounting, database or other computer applications.
The invention can support virtually any output device such as: standard Image forming devices Including printers, plotters, and video; facsimile devices; email communications; data communications links; and archival devices. In the case of hard copy image forming devices such as a laser printer, both banner and receipt pages can be generated. Banner pages can be used to identify sets of > jobs on each printer and notify the operator of any finishing operations to be performed., Receipt pages can be used to provide a short job summary and verify job completion. Supported data communications can include serial telecommunications via data mode s, network communications using TCP/IP,
NetBEUI, IPX/SPX and ETHERTALK, Supported storage devices for archival
) purposes as well as job submission, include floppy diskettes, IOMEGA JAZ drives and SYQUEST SYJET drives.
Advantageously, archival and storage of documents may be done in a platform Independent format such as ADOBE'S Portable Document Format (PDF). RDF allows a user of virtually any operating system to view and print archived 5 documents using a freely distributed viewing program, ADOBE ACROBAT READER.
In another embodiment of the Invention, the software on the server can be oonfigured so that a job sent to a specific port or by a particular type of printer driver Is always output the same way or according to a specific set of rules This enables document generation devices to uεe a standard printer specific printer 0 .driver, such as a HEWLETT PACKARD LASERJET driver, and still have the job output to one or more different devices.
Additional advantages and novel features of the Invention will be set forth in part In the description that follows, In the attached appendix and in part will become apparent to those skilled In the art upon examination of the following or may i5 be learned by practice of the Invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the Instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 0 Fig. 1 Is a schematic representation of a network document delivery system acoordlng to the Invention;
Fig. 2 Is a block diagram illustrating the functional aspects of the βoftwarø;
Fig. 3 Is a graphic representation of the connections that may be made 5 to a representative hardware system; ) Fig. 4 is a graphic representation of a high level system object model of the Invention;
Fig. 5 Is a graphic representation of a subordinate level object model showing the relationship between a task and a job,
Fig 6 is a graphic representation of a subordinate level object model ) showing the relationship between users and objects,
Fig. 7 Is a graphic representation of a subordinate level object model showing the relationship between the general product and different types of output;
Fig 8 Is a graphic representation of a subordinate level object model showing the relationship between a data source and the data port; 5 Fig. 9 Is a graphic representation of a subordinate level object model showing the relationship between a general device, a pool of devices, an atomic device, a remote system, a system device and an array of devices,
Fig. 10 Is a graphic representation of a subordinate level object model showing the hierarchical relationship between a system device and an atomic device; 0 Figs. 11 and 12 describe the general life cycle model and rely on the schemata Figs. 13 through 55;
Fig, 56 describes the Fusion notation used In Figs. 4 through 10;
Fig. 57 describes the Life Cycle Model notation used in Figs. 11 and
12;
!5 Figs 58 through 61 describe various notation schemes used In Figs.
62 through 66,
Fig. 62 Is an object interaction graph Illustrating how affinity Is determined;
Fig. 63 Is an object interaction graph illustrating the submit Job 0 sequence;
Fig. 64 is an object interaction graph illustrating the Instruct to job ticket sequenoe;
Fig. 65 is an object interaction graph Illustrating the Instruct to Instruction set sequence, Fig 66 is an object Interaction graph illustrating the normal execute sequence; and
Figs. 67 through 81 Illustrate one possible graphical user Interface for the Job ticket and show some of the various delivery options.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring now to the figures, one possible network document delivery system, generally designated at 10 in the figures, according to the Invention will be described in detail. The network shown includes at least one document generator 11, such as a networked personal computer, having a client user Interface 12 Installed therein; a server 13 having main job processing software 14 therein Including a server user Interface 15; and two or more document output devices 16. Fig. 3 shows a representative hardware connection configuration or network on whloh the Invention may be implemented.
The simplified user model illustrated in Fig. 2 provides a procedural view Of system operation. In this model, the overall system may Include a main program 14, multiple data sources, such as client print driver 17, and/or other Input clients, such as a manufacturer specific print driver 18, and multiple output devices 16.
A job is sent from a data source such as document generator 11 to main program 14 via a data port 19, A Job must contain a data stream to be rendered, also referred to as image data, on some output device. The job may also contain a job ticket, which is a coiiection of specific Information concerning the desired output presentation, such as a standard hard copy print job; a fax; an archival; an email; finishing features; routing information; and even billing Information, lη the case, where print driver 17 is used, here when the user selects "auto" as the print destination, job ticket information is provided by client print driver 17, In this case print driver 17 Includes a generic language translator 24 which translates an electronic document Into a non-specific, or printer independent, printer language file and appends to this file a job ticket containing any other rendering characteristics which may not be supported by the printer independent language. In other cases, the job information may be provided by 'default' Job tickets or port profiles associated with a data port, a user name which can be determined from the network name, or a system default job ticket
Job parser 20 examines the Incoming job for a job ticket and applies ) default job tickets as required, then sends the job to routing and affinity process 21 . Routing and affinity process 21 determines the capabilities required to complete the job successfully and the affinity of each potential output device for the job, Routing and affinity process 21 assigns an affinity value to each print job based upon the job size, destination and rendering characteristics by comparing the requested features 3 with the available features logged in resource library 25. Available resources may be gathered and logged Into resource library 25 by server 13 automatically by polling the network for resources. Additionally, the information may be manually entered by a user or system administrator or It may be Input by a combination of the two methods, The job is then routed to a device specific assembler 22, also sometimes 0 called the 'transform', to change the image data to a device specific form. The Image data Is then sent to the appropriate output devlce(s) 16 via a communications channel 23, In addition, the current status of each device can be monitored by the main program via communication channel 23.
Most commonly, output devices 16 are printers, but they can also be 5 fax machines, electronic storage media, such as a 'file' on diskette, removable media, hard disk, tape drive, network drive, etc., or even email.
The simplified model can be extended to Include multiple data ports with an associated default job ticket or port profile for each A combination of port and port profile is referred to as a 'virtual queue' Also, note that client print driver 17 '.0 can reside on the same host as main program 1 , so that the operator of main program 14 can also submit Jobs.
While the simplified user model illustrated in Fig. 2 provides a procedural view of system operation, the following Illustrative embodiment takes advantage of the multitasking nature of a host operating system, such as WINDOWS > NT and the capabilities of object oriented programming techniques. This embodiment is Illustrated in Fig. 4.
Here, the main program Is actually a set of programs running simultaneously. Also, the Job parsing, routing, and assembling functions are spread out over a set of objects. One possible set of object models are shown in Figs. 4 -
) 10. An explanation of the notation Is included in Figs. 56 - 61 , but in general, diamonds show relationships between models, and triangles denote hierarchy. For instance, referring to Fig. 5, a job is a task, and a job includes at least one document. Tasks may have one or more parent/child relationships. External agents, such as the human operator, are also represented by objects, even though the object may
5 not have a corresponding software Implementation.
Each of the objects shown in Fig. 4 can be decomposed or broken down into other objects as shown in the other figures. The objects enclosed within dashed lines are programs The Operator, Recipient, and User are people as shown In Fig. 6. A Product Is the output of the system as shown Fig. 7.
0 A job is created by a data source such as a document generator 1 1 and more specifically, usually by client print driver 17. Fig. 8 shows a more detailed view of possible types of data sources and their relationships to data ports. Note that remote systems can send jobs Just like any local source. Likewise, a remote system may be configured as a device. This allows passing of a Job from system to
5 6ystem, in a distributed network-like manner. The purpose for configuring the Systems this way is to reduce phone charges by using local area network (LAN) communications between main systems. This allows jobs to be passed to LAN or phone connected printers, even though the printers are not available to the local " system.
■0 The data source passes the job to the data port, Note that everything
Inside {he area surrounded by the dotted line, including the data port, are the main programs, The job parsing function Is performed by the data port. The port creates a job object In the system that includes a document, I.e. Image data, and job ticket as shown in Fig. 5. The job ticket may need to be formed from an associated port
(5 and/or user profile, I.e. a default job ticket. The job ticket Is designed to allow routing of the Job to the best device and storing of data for billing and management purposes, The Job ticket allows separation of the job specific features, such as number of copies, finishing, recipient information, etc., from the image data. Eventually job specific Information needs to be In a form unique to each printer or output device, depending on Its manufacturer and its configuration as it was Installed, as some finishing features such as sorters and staplers are optional. The Specialization of the generic or device independent data stream to the actual production device data stream is done after the production device is chosen by the System,
The data port creates a job and passes it to the system device. Fig. 9 shows the device hierarchy, and Fig. 10 shows the device relationships. There is nly ore system device in the system, and It is always the first device to receive .each job. Every device examines the Job to see If It can produce it, decompose It Into tasks, or route it to a child device. Thus, the devices contain the routing function εjipwn in the simplified model. All devices are implemented as objects. Device Objects are serialized meaning configuration parameters are stored to disk so that they rriay be restored after a system reset.
, . A key feature of the device design is the relationship between pool6, arrays, and atomic devices as Illustrated In Fig. 10, A pool Is generally a grouping of
, Jlkβ devices. The grouping can be by function such as faxes, printers, or archive , devices, or by some other criteria such as location, e.g. all printers on the second . floor, permissions, or routing. An array Is a collection of like devices. An atomic device represents the smallest whole constituent part. As far as the parent pool is conoerned, an array is an atomic device, and thus the array class is derived from the atomic device class. At the lowest level, an atomic device 'knows' that It is capable
■ pf producing a product, and thus will determine its capabilities and will calculate an
, affinity for a given job. All devices are ultimately derived from a single device class, This design pushes specialization to the lowest possible level, If a device needs a
, .particular resource to produce a product, fonts or electronic forms for example, It
: ; submit'e:a request to the resource library. Devices contain many of the unique features of the invention As an example, arrays are defined as collections of devices which are capable of receiving and producing the desired output. The device hierarchy and built in routing capability allow arrays to break a job down into tasks, one task per copy. The separate tasks are sent to each of the devices constituting the array as each device is ready to receive Jt. Another example of a unique feature is the intelligent routing accomplished through capabilities and affinities The logic for routing is built in to each atomic device. The pass/fall response on capabilities and affinity number for a task Is passed to the parent device, which then compares the responses from each child device and sends the task to the appropriate device.
Another unique feature of the invention is intelligent translation of a job defined for one type of output device into another. Incoming jobs are often In a data stream that is incompatible with the best fit output device. The intelligent translation device performs the appropriate translation based upon a separate determination of the best fit output device. A current embodiment is capable of translating from ROSTSCRlPT to various forms of HP-PCL and PDF
Other unique features can Include color separation where pages with color data are separated from a predominately black and white data stream and sent to a polor printer. Most of the document will be printed on a black and white printer which generally has a lower cost per page than color printers. This feature can be implemented by configuring the client print driver to put page boundary markers in the source document data stream.
The resource library and activity log or journal are advantageously coded as separate systems running simultaneously with the main system. The aotivity Journal may be a database containing various tables, entries, queries, and reports relevant to the system. The database interface can be provided by the operating system. The database and its schema, e g. tables, queries, etc., are created at system startup if they don't already exist. Exemplary database tables might Include: an ActlonLog which contains system startup and configuration change information; a Billing log which contains originator billing Information; a Company log which contains company address information, a FaxLlst log which relates fax completion statistics to recipients; a Job log which contains Job Information, such as βtart tlme, Stop time, originator, etc.; an Originator log which contains originator Information such as address, phone number, etc ; a Recipient log which contains recipient address information; a Recipient list which relates jobs to recipients; a Task JPg which contains task information such as start time, stop time, production device, etc., and a device log which contains physical device information.
The operator user Interface allows the operator to configure the main system for the needs of a particular installation, and is Implemented as a separate program from the main system. The main system is capable of operating without the operator user interface running. The operator user interface also saves and loads Job templates. Job templates are job tickets that have been saved for later use, and Pan pθ edited before submitting a job.
When the user selects "Auto" instead of a specific printer In the graphical user interface, the invention examines the job ticket Information to route print Jobs to the most effective printer. This feature may be disabled during configuration. If a specific printer is selected by the user, and the printer does not exist, then the Job remains unassignable.
Each job is routed to a printer depending on whether the Job can be printed at ail, printer capabilities, and the best fit of additional performance or postprocessing factors, I.e. the affinity of the job to a printer or printer to a job.
Devices have a subset of attributes that define the types of tasks that can ba processed. If a task requests a function that is outside the set defined by the device's attributes, then the device Is considered to be Incapable of processing the task. The attributes include the range of number of pages allowed in a single task, the ability to print color or strictly back and white pages, the ability to print duplex, and the ability to support a requested paper size, color or weight. A task's requirements must fall within all of these restrictions A task for which no capable devices can be found Is considered "Unassignable".
In addition to the above attributes each device Is given a unique name, and also has an Indicator that specifies if the device should be a candidate during "Automatic Assignment". Automatic Assignment Is device selection that is Insensitive to the device's name If Automatic Assignment is not allowed by a device, and the task does not request that device specifying its name specifically, than the device Is considered Incapable. If a task requests a specific device, all devices that do not have the name requested are also*consιdered incapable. If no device by the requested name is present In the system, or if no direct path to the requested device Is present, then the task is changed to allow Automatic Assignment Without regard for originally requested device name If no device name is ever requested by the task, Automatic Assignment Is assumed
Devices have another subset of attributes that define the device's ability to automate a number of processing options which Include the device's processing performance, and the operator's preference toward device The affinity value for a device is calculated by accumulating the individual affinities given by examining each of the individual attributes
The automation attributes include the device's ability to collate, to $taple, to fold, to drill, to bind, and to add covers If a task requests one of these functions, the devices that provide the function are given a higher affinity than those devices that do not provide the function. Additional automation functions supported by the device, that are not requested by the task, are simply ignored
The device's performanpe is given as a single Impressions Per Minute (IPM) value. The assumption Is made that one minute is the optimal average amount of time that a device should spend processing a single task, and that thirty seconds Is the standard deviation. A standard bell curve Is used to assign relative affinities to each device for a given task
The operators preference is given as a single value from one to ten. A higher value gives a higher affinity. Each of the above factors is weighted so that a priority relationship between them can be enforced A higher priority factor will take precedence over any single factor with a lower priority, and the sum of all factors with lower priorities, The priority standings are as follows 1) Collation, 2) Stapling; 3) Folding; 4) Stitching, Drilling, Binding, and Cover Insertion; 5) Operator Preference; 6) Cost; and 7) Performance Array Pools and the devices under them have special routing Issues The capability and affinity rules described above must be adjusted to account for these issues, An array Is capable of processing a task if any of the devices under it a e capable of processing the task. There are two adjustments to the standard capability testing performed by the devices under the array The allowable number of pages and the requested device name are tested at the array level, not at the subordinate device level The page range is not used because It is not always known ahead of time how many pages each device in the array will print. The device name testing would allow a maximum of only one device to be capable of defeating the purpose- of the array,
The affinity of an array can be determined by averaging all of the affinities of the capable and available subordinate devices. There Is only one adjustment to the standard affinity calculations performed by the sub-devices The device's performance Is not factored into the result because, again, the page count for each device Is not known. All other affinity factors are evaluated normally.
Fiαs. 11 through 55 describe a life cycle model of one embodiment of the Invention. The life cycle model describes the order in which system operations may occur. The life cycle model, together with the system operation schemata Shown speoiflcally In Figs. 13 through 55, fully describe the behavior of the system.
The following rules apply to interpreting the life cycle model and schemata:
Alphabet. Any input or output event may be used in an expression. Output events are prefixed with #.
Operators, Let x and y be life-cycle expression, then, x.y denotes x is followed by y, x]y denotes either x or y occurs x* denotes zero or more occurrences of x x~ denotes zero or more occurrences of x simultaneously [xj denotes that x Is optional. x||y means arbitrarily Interleaving the elements of x and y. Substitutions. An expression can be named in a substitution:
Name c Life-Cycle Expression
Name may be used In other expressions, but substitutions must not be recursive.
Operator precedence. In decreasing order the precedence is:
[ ] , * . + . ■ . I . l l Expressions may be bracketed to override default precedence.
The Operation models in the Life Cycle Model are done through textual schemata. Each schema within the schemata shown in Figs. 13 through 55 lists seven sections: (1) Operation - the name of the system operation being described; (2) Description - a free-form abstract of the intent of the operation; (3) Reads - a list of values that are accessed but not changed by the operation; (4) Changes <- a list of values that may be modified by the operation; (5) Sends - output events sent by the operation to objects outside the systems (these objects are known as agents); (6) Assumes - a list of conditions that are assumed as being true when the operation begins (If the conditions are not true and the operation is Invoked, then the operation's actions and results are undefined); and (7) Result - the conditions and changes in state that are true when the operation has completed.
The recipient and result based paradigms mentioned earlier can be belter understood making reference to Figs. 67 - 81. In the recipient based paradigm, a user simply selects the recipient from the recipient list as Is shown In Fig. 67. The Information is then delivered to that recipient based upon the recipient's preferred device or devices. New recipients can be defined by entering the new recipient's Information, such as that shown In Figs. 68 - 70, or possibly as a result of that particular recipient joining the system as a new user by entering new user Information, such as that shown in Figs. 71 - 73. Printing and delivery options can be selected by entering in the desired characteristics on the job ticket such as those shown In Flgε. 74 - 81.
The result oriented delivery paradigm is more of an inherent result of the design of the invention and is directly related to the affinity feature and a device's capability to produce the requested output. Prior to this invention, output characteristics beyond the capability of a particular output device either simply were not presented as available options to the user or were altered, usually by being eliminated altogether, by the device specific print driver as the job was output. With the flexibility of this invention and ability to alter the affinity weighting, all or some of the paradigms can be Implemented to whatever degree Is desired.
While there is shown and described certain embodiments of the Invention, It is to be distinctly understood that this invention is not limited thereto but may be variously embodied to practice within the scope of the following claims.
We claim:

Claims

1. A system for delivering documents across a network which
: comprises- i a document generator configured to output a data stream in a device
I independent format,
5 a computer configured to receive the device Independent format data
3 stream and programmed to analyze the data stream to determine a best output
7 dpvlpe by comparing any features required by the data stream with features of any
8 output devices available to the computer; and θ the computer further being programmed to translate the device
0 inde endent data stream into a device specific data stream for the best output
1 device and to transmit the device specific data stream to the best output device
1 2. The system of claim 1 wherein the document generator is
2 further configured to embed data into the data stream Indicative of a job ticket
3 containing information including rendering characteristics for a generated document and at least one task.
1 3. The system of claim 2 wherein the computer is further
2 programmed to determine a best output device based upon an affinity value for each
3 output device and whether a particular output device is capable of producing what the data stream requires.
1 4. The system of claim 1 wherein the computer is further
2 programmed to determine a best output device based upon an affinity value for each
3 , output device and whether a particular output device is capable of producing what
4 thβ'date stream requires.
1 5. The system of claim 4 wherein the output device includes a
2 plurality of commonly capable output devices and the computer is programmed to transmit at least a portion of the data stream to each of the commonly capable output device's.
6. The system of claim 3 wherein the output device Includes a plurality of commonly capable output devices and the computer Is programmed to transmit at least a portion of the data stream to each of the commonly capable output devices
7. The system of claim 2 wherein the output device includes a plurality of commonly capable output devices and the computer Is programmed to i transmit at least a portion of the data stream to each of the commonly capable \ "output devloes.
i 8. The system of claim 1 wherein the output device Includes a
. plurality -of commonly capable output devices and the computer is programmed to transmit at least a portion of the data stream to each of the commonly capable output devices.
θ. The system of claim 6 wherein the computer Is programmed to assign, for every data stream, an affinity value to each output device; compare each available output device based upon each of the output devices abilities and any . rendering characteristics required by a particular data stream; and to transmit the data stream to an output device which has a highest affinity value.
10, The system of claim 5 wherein the computer is programmed to assign, for every data stream, an affinity value to each output device; compare each avallabie.output device based upon each of the output devices abilities and any rendering characteristics required by,a particular data stream; and to transmit the data stream to an output device which has a highest affinity value.
11. The system of claim A wherein the computer is programmed to assign, for every data stream, an affinity value to each output device; compare each available output device based upon each of the output devices abilities and any rendering characteristics required by a particular data stream; and to transmit the
> data stream to an output device which has a highest affinity value.
12. The system of claim 3 wherein the computer is programmed to ! assign, for every data stream, an affinity value to each output device; compare each } available output device based upon each of the output devices abilities and any
\ rendering characteristics required by a particular data stream; and to transmit the 5 data stream to an output device which has a highest affinity value.
13. The system of claim 12 wherein the output device Includes a plurality of commonly capable output devices and the computer is programmed to transmit the data stream to each of the commonly capable output devices to distri ute production of multiple copies of a document out across the commonly capable output devices.
14. The system of claim 11 wherein the output device Includes a plurality of commonly capable output devices and the computer is programmed to transmit the data stream to each of the commonly capable output devices to distribute production of multiple copies of a document out across the commonly capable output devices.
15. The system of claim 10 wherein the output device includes a plurality of commonly capable output devices and the computer is programmed to transmit the data stream to each of the commonly capable output devices to distribute production of multiple copies of a document out across the commonly capable output devices.
16. The system of claim 9 wherein the output device Includes a plurality of commonly capable output devices and the computer is programmed to transmit the data stream to each of the commonly capable output devices to distribute production of multiple copies of a document out across the commonly capable output devices.
17. The system of claim 8 wherein the output device includes a plurality of commonly capable output devices and the computer Is programmed to transmit the data stream to each of the commonly capable output devices to distribute production of multiple copies of a document out across the commonly capable output devices.
18. The system of claim 7 wherein the output device includes a plurality of commonly capable output devices and the computer is programmed to i transmit the data stream to each of the commonly capable output devices to 1 distribute production of multiple copies of a document out across the commonly > capable output devices.
19. The system of claim 6 wherein the output device Includes a
? plurality of oommonly capable output devices and the computer is programmed to
3 transmit the data stream to each of the commonly capable output devices to
4 distribute production of multiple copies of a document out across the commonly
5 oapable output devices.
1 20. The system of claim 5 wherein the output device Includes a plurality of commonly capable output devices and the computer is programmed to transmit the data stream to each of the commonly capable output devices to distribute production of multiple copies of a document out across the commonly capable Output devices
21. The system of claim 4 wherein the output device includes a plurality of commonly capable output devices and the computer is programmed to transmit the data stream to each of the commonly capable output devices to distribute production of multiple copies of a document out across the commonly capable output devices.
22. The system of claim 3 wherein the output device includes a plurality of oommonly capable output devices and the computer Is programmed to transmit the data stream to each of the commonly capable output devices to distribute production of multiple copies of a document out across the commonly capable output devices.
23. The system of claim 2 wherein the output device includes a plurality of commonly capable output devices and the computer is programmed to transmit the data stream to each of the commonly capable output devices to distribute production of multiple copies of a document out across the commonly capable output devices.
24. The system of claim 1 wherein the output device Includes a plurality of commonly capable output devices and the computer is programmed to transmit the data stream to each of the commonly capable output devices to distribute production of multiple copies of a document out across the commonly capable output devices.
25. The system of claim 23 wherein embedded data Includes multiple tasks and each of the tasks Is destined for a different output device.
26. The system of claim 22 wherein embedded data includes multiple tasks and each of the tasks Is destined for a different output device.
27. The system of claim 19 v/herein embedded data includes multiple tasks and each of the tasks is destined for a different output device.
28. The system of claim 18 wherein embedded data includes multiple tasks and each of the tasks is destined for a different output device
29. The system of claim 16 wherein embedded data includes multiple tasks and each of the tasks is destined for a different output device.
30. The system of claim 13 wherein embedded data Includes multiple tasks and each of the tasks is destined for a different output device.
31. The system of claim 12 wherein embedded data includes : multiple tasks and each of the tasks Is destined for a different output device.
; 32. The system of claim 9 wherein embedded data includes
I multiple tasks and each of the tasks Is destined for a different output device.
i 33. The system of claim 7 wherein embedded data Includes
I .multiple taεks and each of the tasks is destined for a different output device.
l 34. The system of claim 6 wherein embedded data Includes
I multiple tasks and each of the tasks Is destined for a different output device.
1 35. The system of claim 3 wherein embedded data includes
2 multiple tasks and each of the tasks is destined for a different output device,
1 36. The system of claim 2 wherein embedded data includes
2 multiple tasks and each of the tasks Is destined for a different output device.
37. The system of claim 36 further comprising an output device which Is a separate system for delivering documents across a network.
38. The system of claim 35 further comprising an output device which is a separate system for delivering documents across a network.
39. The system of claim 34 further comprising an output device which Is a separate system for delivering documents across a network.
40. The system of claim 33 further comprising an output device which Is a separate system for delivering documents across a network
41. The system of claim 32 further comprising an output device which Is a separate system for delivering documents across a network
42. The system of claim 31 further comprising an output device which Is a separate system for delivering documents across a network.
43. The system of claim 30 further comprising an output device which is a separate system for delivering documents across a network,
44. The system of claim 29 further comprising an output device which is a separate system for delivering documents across a network.
45. The system of claim 28 further comprising an output device Which is a separate system for delivering documents across a network.
46. The system of claim 27 further comprising an output device hich is a separate system for delivering documents across a network
47. The system of claim 26 further comprising an output device which Is a separate system for delivering documents across a network.
48. The system of claim 25 further comprising an output device which is a separate system for delivering documents across a network
49. The system of claim 24 further comprising an output device hich is a separate system for delivering documents across a network.
50. The system of claim 23 further comprising an output device which Is a separate system for delivering documents across a network.
51 . The system of claim 22 further comprising an output device which is a separate system for delivering documents across a network,
52. The system of claim 21 further comprising an output device which Is a separate system for delivering documents across a network.
53. The system of claim 20 further comprising an output device whloh Is a separate system for delivering documents across a network.
54. The system of claim 19 further comprising an output device which Is a separate system for delivering documents across a network.
55. The system of claim 18 further comprising an output device which is a separate system for delivering documents across a network.
66. The system of cialm 17 further comprising an output device which is a separate system for delivering documents across a network.
57. The system of claim 16 further comprising an output device hich is a separate system for delivering documents across a network
58. The system of claim 15 further comprising an output device which is a Separate system for delivering documents across a network
59. The system of claim 14 further comprising an output device Which is a separate system for delivering documents across a network.
60. The system of claim 13 further comprising an output device which Is a separate system for delivering documents acrosε a network.
Θ1. The system of claim 12 further comprising an output device which Is a separate system for delivering documents across a network
62. The system of claim 11 further comprising an output device which is a separate system for delivering documents across a network.
63. The system of claim 10 further comprising an output device Which Is a separate system for delivering documents across a network.
64. The system of claim 9 further comprising an output device which is a separate system for delivering documents across a network
65. The system of claim 8 further comprising an output device
) which Is a separate system for delivering documents across a network.
66. The system of claim 7 further comprising an output device
) which Is a separate system for delivering documents across a network. 67 The system of claim 6 further comprising an output device which is a Separate system for delivering documents across a network
68. The system of claim 5 further comprising an output device whioh Js a separate system for delivering documents across a network
69 The system of claim 4 further comprising an output device Which Is a separate system for delivering documents across a network
70. The system of claim 3 further comprising an output device which Is a separate system for delivering documents across a network
7 . The system of claim 2 further comprising an output device which 1B a separate system for delivering documents across a network
72. The system of claim 1 further comprising an output device Which Is a separate system for delivering documents across a network
73. The system of claim 72 wherein the document generator is ponftgured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device lnfprrnatlon; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering Characteristics required by the data stream
74. The system of Claim 71 wherein the document generator Is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering cha acteristics required by the data stream
75. The system of claim 70 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device Information; and wherein the computer Is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
76. The system of claim 69 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device Information; and wherein the computer Is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering Characteristics required by the data stream
77. The system of claim 68 wherein the document generator Is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering Characteristics required by the data stream.
78. The system of claim 67 wherein the document generator Is oonflgured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
79. The system of claim 66 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device Information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream. 80 The system of claim 65 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a reoipient for a document as opposed to specific device information; and wherein the computer Is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream
81. The system of claim 64 wherein the document generator Is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device Information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
82. The system of claim 63 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device Information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering Characteristics required by the data stream
83. The system of claim 62 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device Information; and wherein the computer Is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
84. The system of claim 61 wherein the document generator Is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device Information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream
85. The system of claim 60 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device Information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
86. The system of claim 59 wherein the document generator Is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device Information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
87, The system of claim 58 wherein the document generator lε configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device information; and wherein the computer Is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
88. The system of claim 57 wherein the document generator Is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device information; and wherein the computer Is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
89. The system of claim 56 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device Information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
1 90. The system of claim 55 wherein the document generator Is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific
3 device Information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to
4 deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient s name and any rendering
5 characteristics required by the data stream
1 91. The system of claim 54 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific
3 device information, and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to
4 deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering
5 characteristics required by the data stream
1 92. The system of claim 53 wherein the document generator is
2 configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific
3 device Information; and wherein the computer Is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering
5 cha aetθHstics required by the data stream
1 93. The system of claim 52 wherein the document generator Is
2 configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific l
3 device Information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to
I 1 deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering l
5 characteristics required by the data stream
I 94. The system of claim 51 wherein the document generator is
. configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific
I device information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to
1 dθllver the document to a device based upon the recipient s name and any rendering
> όharacferlstlcβ required by the data stream 95 The system of claim 50 wherein the document generator is I configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device information, and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to I deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering > characteristics required by the data stream
1 96, The system of claim 49 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific
J device Information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to i deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering
5 characteristics required by the data stream
1 97, The system of claim 48 wherein the document generator is
2 configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device information, and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream
98. The system of claim 47 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific a lce Information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream
Θ9. The system of claim 46 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device Information, and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream 100 The system of claim 45 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device Information, and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream
101. The system of claim 44 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device Information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream
102. The system of claim 43 wherein the document generator is Configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device Information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering Characteristics required by the data stream.
103. The system of claim 42 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient s name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
104. The system of claim 41 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient ε name and any rendering Characteristics required by the data stream 105 The system of claim 40 wherein the document generator Is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
106. The system of claim 39 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering Oharacterlsticε required by the data stream.
107. The system of claim 38 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device Information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering Characteristics required by the data stream.
108. The system of claim 37 wherein the document generator Is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream
109 The system of claim 36 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device Information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering Characteristics required by the data stream 110 The system of claim 35 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device Information, and wherein the computer Is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient s name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream
111 The system of claim 34 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device Information, and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient ε name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream
12 The system of claim 33 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device Information, and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering Characteristics required by the data stream
113. The system of claim 32 wherein the document generator Is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device Information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient s name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream
114 The system of claim 31 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient s name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream 1 15 The system of claim 30 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream
1 16. The system of claim 29 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device information, and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
1 17. The system of claim 28 wherein the document generator Is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device Information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream
118. The system of claim 27 wherein the document generator Is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a devloe based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream
119. The system of claim 26 wherein the document generator Is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific devlcejnformatlon; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream
120. The system of claim 25 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device Information, and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering Characteristics required by the data stream
121. The system of claim 24 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific devloe Information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
122 The system of claim 23 wherein the document generator Is Configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device Information, and wherein the computer Is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream
123. The system of claim 22 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream
124. The system of claim 21 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream 125 The system of claim 20 wherein the document generator is Configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device Information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
126. The system of claim 19 wherein the document generator Is configμred to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device Information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
127. The system of claim 18 wherein the document generator Is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
128. The system of claim 17 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device Information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
129. The system of claim 16 wherein the document generator Is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device information, and wherein the computer Is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
130. The system of claim 15 wherein the document generator Is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device Information; and wherein the computer Is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream
131. The system of claim 14 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device Information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
132. The system of claim 13 wherein the document generator Is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
133. The system of claim 12 wherein the document generator Is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device Information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream
134. The system of claim 1 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device Information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream. 135 The system of claim 10 wherein the document generator Is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device Information, and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream
136. The system of claim 9 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device Information; and wherein the computer Is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
137 The system of claim 8 wherein the document generator Is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device Information, and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
138 The system of claim 7 wherein the document generator Is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device Information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering Characteristics required by the data stream
139. The system of claim 6 wherein the document generator Is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device information; and wherein the computer Is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream
140. The system of claim 5 wherein the document generator Is configured to embed the name of a reoipient for a document as opposed to specific device Information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering όharacterlstlcε required by the data stream.
141. The system of claim 4 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a reoipient for a document as opposed to specific device information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
142. The system of claim 3 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific devloe Information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering Characteristics required by the data stream.
143. The system of claim 2 wherein the document generator Is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document aε opposed to specific device Information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
144. The system of claim 1 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device Information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
145. A system for delivering documents across a network which comprises: a document generator configured to output a data stream in a format selected from the group of formats consisting of a device specific format and a device Independent format, a computer configured to receive the data stream from the document generator and programmed to analyze the data stream to determine a best output device by comparing any features required by the data stream with features of any output devices available to the computer; and the computer further being programmed to translate the data stream into a device specific data stream for the best output device and to transmit the device specific data stream to the best output device.
146. The system of claim 145 wherein the document generator is further configured to embed data Into the data stream indicative of a job ticket containing Information including rendering characteristics for a generated document and at least one task.
147. The system of claim 146 wherein the computer is further programmed to determine a best output device based upon an affinity value for each output device and whether a particular output device Is capable of producing what the data stream requires.
148. The system of claim 145 wherein the computer is further programmed to determine a best output device based upon an affinity value for each output device and whether a particular output device is capable of producing what the data stream requires
149. The system of claim 148 wherein the output device Includes a plurality of commonly capable output devices and the computer Is programmed to transmit at least a portion of the data stream to each of the commonly capable output devices.
150. The system of claim 147 wherein the output device includes a plurality of commonly capable output devices and the computer is programmed to transmit at least a portion of the data stream to each of the commonly capable output devices.
151. The system of claim 1 6 wherein the output device includes a plurality of commonly capable output devices and the computer is programmed to transmit at least a portion of the data stream to each of the commonly capable output devloes.
152. The syBtem of claim 145 wherein the output device includes a plurality of commonly capable output devices and the computer Is programmed to transmit at least a portion of the data stream to each of the commonly capable output devices,
153. The system of claim 150 wherein the computer is programmed to assign, for every data stream, an affinity value to each output device; compare each available output device based upon each of the output devices abilities and any rendering characteristics required by a particular data stream; and to transmit the data stream to an output device which has a highest affinity value.
154. The system of claim 149 wherein the computer Is programmed tp assign, for every data stream, an affinity value to each output device; compare each available output device based upon each of the output devices abilities and any rendering Characteristics required by a particular data stream; and to transmit the data stream to an output device which has a highest affinity value. 155 The system of claim 148 wherein the computer is programmed to assign, for every data stream, an affinity value to each output device, compare each available output device based upon each of the output devices abilities and any rendering characteristics required by a particular data stream, and to transmit the data stream to an output device which has a highest affinity value
156, The system of claim 147 wherein the computer is programmed to assign, for every data stream, an affinity value to each output device, compare each available output device based upon each of the output devices abilities and any rendering Characteristics required by a particular data stream; and to transmit the data Stream to an output device which has a highest affinity value
157 The system of claim 156 wherein the output device includes a plurality of commonly capable output devices and the computer is programmed to transmit the data stream to each of the commonly capable output devices to distribute production of multiple copies of a document out across the commonly capable output devices.
158 The system of claim 155 wherein the output device Includes a plurality of commonly capable output devices and the computer is programmed to transmit the data stream to each of the commonly capable output devices to distribute production of multiple copies of a document out across the commonly capable output devices
159. The system of claim 154 wherein the output device includes a plurality of commonly capable output devices and the computer Is programmed to transmit the data stream to each of the commonly capable output devices to distribute production of multiple copies of a document out across the commonly Capable output devices.
160. The system of claim 153 wherein the output device includes a plurality Df commonly capable output devices and the computer is programmed to transmit the data stream to each of the commonly capable output devices to distribute production of multiple copies of a document out across the commonly cap ble output devices.
161. The system of claim 152 wherein the output device includes a plurality of commonly capable output devices and the computer is programmed to transmit the data stream to each of the commonly capable output devices to distribute production of multiple copies of a document out across the commonly Capable output devices.
162. The system of claim 151 wherein the output device Includes a plurality of commonly capable output devices and the computer is programmed to transmit the data stream to each of the commonly capable output devices to distribute production of multiple copies of a document out across the commonly capable oμtput devices.
163. The system of claim 150 wherein the output device Includes a plurality of commonly capable output devices and the computer Is programmed to transmit the data stream to each of the commonly capable output devices to distribute production of multiple copies of a document out across the commonly ofepable output devices
164. The system of claim 1 9 wherein the output device Includes a plurality of commonly capable output devices and the computer is programmed to transmit the' data stream to each of the commonly capable output devices to distribute production of multiple copies of a document out across the commonly capable output devices, 165 The system of claim 148 wherein the output device includes a plurality of commonly capable output devices and the computer Is programmed to transmit the data stream to each of the commonly capable output devices to 'distribute production of multiple copies of a document out across the commonly oapable output devices
166 The system of claim 147 wherein the output device includes a plurality of commonly capable output devices and the computer is programmed to transmit the data stream to each of the commonly capable output devices to distribute production of multiple copies of a document out across the commonly capable output devices.
167 The system of claim 146 wherein the output device Includes a plurality of commonly capable output devices and the computer is programmed to transmit the data stream to each of the commonly capable output devices to distribute production of multiple copies of a document out across the commonly capable output devloes.
168 The system of claim 145 wherein the output device includes a plurality of commonly capable output devices and the computer is programmed to transmit the data stream to each of the commonly capable output devices to distribute production of multiple copies of a document out across the commonly capable output devices
169 The system of claim 167 wherein embedded data includes multiple tasks and each of the tasks Is destined for a different output device
170. The εystem of claim 166 wherein embedded data Includes multiple tasks and each of the tasks Is destined for a different output device
171. The system of claim 163 wherein embedded data includes multiple tasks and each of the tasks is destined for a different output device.
172. The system of claim 162 wherein embedded data includes multiple tasks and each of the tasks is destined for a different output device.
173. The system of claim 160 wherein embedded data includes multiple tasks and each of the tasks Is destined for a different output device
174. The system of claim 157 wherein embedded data includes multiple tasks and each of the tasks is destined for a different output device.
175. The system of claim 156 wherein embedded data includes nultlple tasks and each of the tasks is destined for a different output device.
176. The system of claim 153 wherein embedded data Includes multiple tasks and each of the tasks Is destined for a different output device.
177. The system of claim 151 wherein embedded data Includes multiple tasks apd each of the tasks Is destined for a different output device.
178. The system of claim 150 wherein embedded data Includes ! multiple tasks and each of the tasks is destined for a different output device.
17Θ. The system of claim 147 wherein embedded data includes : multiple tasks and each of the tasks Is destined for a different output device
i 180. The system of claim 146 wherein embedded data Includes
I multiple tasks and each of the tasks is destined for a different output device. 161 The system of claim 180 further comprising an output device
Which Is a separate system for delivering documents across a network
182 The system of claim 179 further comprising an output device which Is a separate system for delivering documents across a network
1 3. The system of claim 178 further comprising an output device which Is a separate system for delivering documents across a network.
184. The system of claim 177 further comprising an output device which Is a separate system for delivering documents across a network.
185. The system of claim 176 further comprising an output device which Is a separate system for delivering documents across a network
186. The system of claim 175 further comprising an output device which Is a separate system for delivering documents across a network
187. The system of claim 174 further comprising an output device hich Is a separate system for delivering documents across a network
188. The system of claim 173 further comprising an output device which lε a separate system for delivering documents across a network
189. The system of claim 172 further comprising an output device Which Is a separate system for delivering documents across a network
190. The system of claim 171 further comprising an output device which Is a separate system for delivering documents across a network
191. The system of claim 170 further comprising an output device hich Is a separate system for delivering documents across a network.
192. The system of claim 169 further comprising an output device Which is a separate system for delivering documents across a network.
193. The system of claim 168 further comprising an output device which Is a separate system for delivering documents across a network.
194. The system of claim 167 further comprising an output device which Is a separate system for delivering documents across a network
195. The system of claim 166 further comprising an output device which is a separate system for delivering documents across a network.
196. The system of claim 164 further comprising an output device Which is a separate system for delivering documents across a network.
197. The system of claim 164 further comprising an output device which Is a "separate system for delivering documents across a network.
198. The system of claim 163 further comprising an output device whlph is a separate system for delivering documents across a network.
199. The system of claim 162 further comprising an output device which is a separate System for delivering documents across a network.
200. The system of claim 161 further comprising an output device which is a separate 6ystem for delivering documents across a network,
201. The system of claim 160 further comprising an output device
Which is a separate system for delivering documents across a network.
202. The system of claim 159 further'comprising an output device which Is a separate system for delivering documents across a network.
203. The system of claim 158 further comprising an output device Whlch^ls a separate system for delivering documents across a network.
204. The system of claim 157 further comprising an output device which Is a separate system for delivering documents across a network.
205. The system of claim 156 further comprising an output device Which Is a separate system for delivering documents across a network
206. The system of claim 155 further comprising an output device which Is a separate system for delivering documents across a network.
207. The system of claim 154 further comprising an output device which iε a separate system for delivering documents across a network.
208. The system of claim 153 further comprising an output device which Is a separate system for delivering documents across a network.
209. The system of claim 152 further comprising an output device which Is a separate system for delivering documents across a network.
210. The system of claim 151 further comprising an output device hich is a separate system for delivering documents across a network. 211 The system of claim 150 further comprising an output device which Is a separate system for delivering documents across a network.
212 The system of claim 149 further comprising an output device which Is a separate system for delivering documents across a network.
213 The system of claim 148 further comprising an output device which is a Separate system for delivering documents across a network.
214. The system of claim 147 further comprising an output device which is a separate system for delivering documents across a network.
216. The syεte of claim 146 further comprising an output device which Is a separate system tor delivering documents across a network
216. The system of claim 145 further comprising an output device which is a separate system for delivering documents across a network
217. The system of claim 216 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device information; and wherein the computer Is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream
218. The system of claim 215 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
219. The system of claim 214 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device Information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream
220. The system of claim 213 wherein the document generator is - configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
221. The system of claim 212 wherein the document generator Is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device Information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
222. The system of claim 211 wherein the document generator Is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document aε opposed to specific device information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
223. The system of claim 210 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device Information; and wherein the computer Is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream. 224 The system oi claim 209 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device Information and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
225 The system of claim 208 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device Information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering Characteristics required by the data stream
226 The system of claim 207 wherein the document generator Is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device Information; and wherein the computer Is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream
227. The system of claim 206 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document aε opposed to specific devlo© iπfόrήrtation; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream
228 The system of claim 205 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream
229. The system of claim 204 wherein the document generator Is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document aε opposed to specific device Information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to ; deliver the document to a device based upon the-reciplent's name and any rendering Characteristics required by the data stream.
' 230. The system of claim 203 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device Information; and wherein the computer Is configured and programmed to 'deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
231. The system of claim 202 wherein the document generator Is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
232. The system of claim 201 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
233. The system of claim 200 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
234. The system of claim 199 wherein the document generator Is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device Information; and wherein the computer Is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the 'recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
235. The system of claim 198 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device Information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream
236. The system of claim 197 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device Information; and wherein the computer Is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering Characteristics required by the data stream.
237. The εystem of claim 196 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device Information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
238. The system of claim 195 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device Information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream. b4 239. The system of claim 194 wherein the document generator is coηflgured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream
240. The system of claim 193 wherein the document generator iε . configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream
241. The system of claim 192 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device Information; and wherein the computer Is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
242, The system of claim 191 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device information; and wherein the computer Is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream
243. The system of claim 190 wherein the document generator is oonflgured to embed the name of a recipient for a document aε opposed to specific device information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream. 244, The system of claim 189 wherein the document generator lε configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device Information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering Characteristics required by the data stream.
245. The system of claim 188 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device Information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
246. The system of claim 187 wherein the document generator Is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
. .. 247. The system of claim 186 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device Information; and wherein the computer Is configured and programmed to . deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient'ε name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
248. The system of claim 185 wherein the document generator is , configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device Information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to . deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
249. The system of claim 184 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
250. The system of claim 183 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a reoipient for a document as opposed to specific device Information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
251. The system of claim 182 wherein the document generator Is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device Information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
252. The system of claim 181 wherein the document generator Is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device Information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
253. The system of claim 180 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device Information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to , deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient'ε name and any rendering ' characteristics required by the data stream
254. The system of claim 179 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific d ice Information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
. 255. The system of claim 178 wherein the document generator Is configured to embed the name of a reoipient for a document aε opposed to specific device information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering -cnaracterlsflos required by the data stream.
256, The system of claim 177 wherein the document generator Is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device information; and wherein the computer lε configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data εtream.
257. The system of claim 176 wherein the document generator is , configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific . < device Information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering . characteristics required by the data stream.
258. The System of claim 175 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device Information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to . , deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient'ε name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
259. The syεtem of claim 174 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document aε opposed to specific device Information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteflstϊ s required by the data stream.
260. The system of claim 173 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
261. The system of claim 172 wherein the document generator Is conflgureα to embed the name of a recipient for a document aε opposed to specific device Information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
262. The system of claim 171 wherein the document generator Is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device Information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
263. The system of claim 170 wherein the document generator Is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific devioe Information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the. document to a device based upon the recipient'ε name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
264. The system of claim 169 wherein ♦*<
Figure imgf000061_0001
t configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specinc device information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
265. The system of aim 168 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
266. The system of claim 167 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
267. The system of claim 166 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
268. The system of claim 165 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
269. The system of claim 164 wherein th> jcument generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specitic device information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
270. The system of claim 163 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
271. The system of claim 162 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
272. The system of claim 161 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
273. The system of claim 160 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device information: and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
274. The system of claim 159 wherein the document generator Is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device information; and wherein the computer Is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient'ε name and any rendering "-characteristics required by the data stream.
275. The system of claim 158 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific devioe Information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream
276. The system of claim 157 wherein the document generator Is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device Information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering 'characteristics required by the data stream.
277. The system of claim 156 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device Information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
278. The system of olaim 155 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device Information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
279. The system of claim 154 wherein th is,
Figure imgf000064_0001
configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as uμμoseu ιo ϊpeαfic device information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
280. The system of claim 153 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
281. The system of claim 152 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
282. The system of claim 151 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
283. The system of claim 150 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
284. The system of claim 149 whereinjtt '«lφeιO
Figure imgf000065_0001
configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
285. The system of claim 148 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
286. The system of claim 147 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
287. The system of claim 146 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
288. The system of claim 1 5 wherein the document generator is configured to embed the name of a recipient for a document as opposed to specific device information; and wherein the computer is configured and programmed to deliver the document to a device based upon the recipient's name and any rendering characteristics required by the data stream.
PCT/US1999/024482 1998-10-20 1999-10-20 Network document delivery system WO2000023912A1 (en)

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EP1014272A3 (en) * 1998-12-23 2002-01-30 Nortel Networks Limited Universal peripheral interface
GB2379055A (en) * 2001-06-05 2003-02-26 Hewlett Packard Co Configuring Access to Services or a Database Using a Job Ticket
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