Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Tangis Corporation

Steven J Fluegel

James O Robarts

Dan Newell

Kenneth H Abbott

Joshua M Freedman

Kenneth J Birdwell

Patrick C O'Hanlon

Sean C McDowell

Stephen V Dennis

William B McCormick

Robert C Flagg

Brett C Gerlach

A facility for exchanging context attributes is described. A characterization module receives an invocation request to provide an attribute value that was generated by a requesting attribute consumer. The received invocation request identifies the attribute whose value is to be provided. In response to receiving the invocation request, the characterization module provides a value for the identified attribute to the requesting attribute consumer.

Interface for exchanging context data

A method and system for opportunistically downloading data from a server computer system to client computer systems. The server computer system has a point-to-point transmission mechanism for receiving data from each client computer system and has a broadcast transmission mechanism for broadcasting data to the client computer systems. Each client computer system has a broadcast receiver for receiving data broadcast by the broadcast transmission mechanism when the client computer system is in a receiving state. In a preferred embodiment, the server computer system selects data to be downloaded from the server computer system to the client computer systems, and broadcasts the selected data using the broadcast transmission mechanism. Each client computer system that is in the receiving state receives the broadcasted data and sends a confirmation that the client computer system has received the broadcasted data to the server computer system using the point-to-point transmission mechanism. Conversely, when a client computer system enters the receiving state, it sends a request to send the selected data to the server computer system using the point-to-point transmission mechanism. The server computer system receives the sent request and transmits the selected data to the client computer system that sent the request when the server computer system has not received confirmation that the client computer system that sent the request received the broadcasted data.

Method and system for confirming receipt of data opportunistically

Method and system for opportunistic broadcasting of data

A computer system having a visual display indicating the status of an attached printer is disclosed. The visual display allows the user to determine various status states of the attached printer without physical examination of the printer itself. Printer states requiring user intervention, and printer states not requiring user intervention, are disclosed. In a preferred embodiment, the computer system displays a Printer Status window which both graphically and textually indicates the printer state. When printing, a graphical representation of the attached printer is displayed within a portion of the Printer Status window, and is animated to represent the actual printing of a page. If an error occurs while printing, the Printer Status window preferably indicates the nature of the error, and the steps which must be performed (if any) to continue printing. When not printing, the user may determine the present status of the attached printer, and such information is preferably presented to the user in graphical form. The Printer Status window may be iconized by the user, and the corresponding icon also displays to the user the state of the attached printer.

Printer status user interface and methods relating thereto

A resource oriented host computer-printer system in which the host computer and printer share information and data processing duties. A system and method for analyzing the execution times for draw primitives allows the host computer to determine whether the printer will be able to render draw primitives in real-time. If the printer cannot render the draw primitives in real-time, the host computer may send the draw primitives to be pre-rendered by the printer. The rendering is accomplished in less than thirty seconds. The host computer can determine the execution times for the draw primitives and dynamically alter the timeout period accordingly. If the printer exceeds the determined execution time, the host computer generate a timeout error message. No false timeout error messages are generated by the host computer because the timeout period is related to the actual processing time required by the printer. If the printer is coupled to a network, the timeout period may be set to the maximum thirty second period because the host computer may not have continuous communication with the printer. The host computer will still not generate false timeout errors because the maximum timeout period is still related to the actual processing time required by the printer. The inventive system and method are applicable to any peripheral in which a timeout period is used.

System and method for dynamic printer timeout

Growing community of inventors

Hastings, MN, United States of America

Steven J Fluegel