1. A remote printing server which receives data from a client computer via a local network and sends formatted data over a global network so as to print the formatted data on a remote printer which does not exist in the local network, comprising:
print response means for performing a print control protocol for a local printer in the local network so that the client computer can recognize said remote printing server as a local printer in the local network, receiving print data from the client computer and performing a print completion response to the client computer thereby completing a print process of the print data locally between the client computer and said remote printing server before the received print data is converted into a transferrable format and transferred to the remote printer;
spooling means for spooling the print data received by said print response means in a spooling area in said remote printing server;
transferring data conversion means for converting the print data spooled by said spooling means into the transferrable format in which the print data can be transferred to the remote printer over the global network using a predetermined transfer protocol; and
remote transfer means for transferring the print data converted into the transferrable format by said transferring data conversion means to the remote printer over the global network using the predetermined transfer protocol.
2. The remote printing server according to claim 1, further comprising:
recovery means for performing a recovery process on the print completion job transferred by said remote transfer means as necessary.
3. The remote printing server according to claim 1, further comprising:
selection means for selecting a transfer protocol for remote transfer of the data.
4. The remote printing server according to claim 1, wherein said remote transfer means uses a file transfer protocol or a mail distribution protocol.
5. The remote printing server according to claim 1, further comprising:
encipher means for enciphering print completion job transferred by said remote transfer means.
6. The remote printing server according to claim 1, further comprising:
transfer control means for controlling a transfer parameter setting file and said remote transfer means by referring to the transfer parameter setting file.
7. A remote print system, comprising:
the remote printing server and the remote printer according to claim 1.
8. A data processing method performed by a remote printing server for receiving data from a client computer via a local network and for sending formatted data over a global network so as to print the formatted data on a remote printer which does not exist in the local network, comprising:
a print response step of performing a print control protocol for a local printer in the local network so that the client computer can recognize said remote printing server as a local printer in the local network, receiving print data from the client computer and performing a print completion response to the client computer thereby completing a print process of the print data locally between the client computer and said remote printing server before the received print data converted into a transferrable format and transferred to the remote printer;
a spooling step of spooling the print data received in said print response step in a spooling area in said remote printing server;
a transferring data conversion step of converting the print data spooled in said spooling step into the transferrable format in which the print data can be transferred to the remote printer over the global network using a predetermined transfer protocol; and
a remote transfer step of transferring the print data converted into the transferrable format in said transferring data conversion step to the remote printer over the global network using the predetermined transfer protocol.
9. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program used to direct a computer to use as a remote printing server for receiving data from a client computer via a local network and for sending formatted data over a global network so as to print the formatted data on a remote printer which does not exist in the local network, comprising:
a print response step of performing a print control protocol for a local printer in the local network so that the client computer can recognize said remote printing server as a local printer in the local network, receiving print data from the client computer and performing a print completion response to the client computer thereby completing a print process of the print data locally between the client computer and said remote printing server before the received print data is converted into a transferrable format and transferred to the remote printer;
a spooling step of spooling the, print data received in said print response step in a spooling area in said remote printing server;
a transferring data conversion step of converting the print data spooled in said spooling step into the transferrable format in which the print data can be transferred to the remote printer over the global network using a predetermined transfer protocol; and
a remote transfer step of transferring the print data converted into the transferrable format in said transferring data conversion step to the remote printer over the global network using the predetermined transfer protocol.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method of avoiding transmission collisions within an in-building wireless sensor system, comprising: programming a delay value into each of one or more wireless repeater units of the in-building wireless sensor system by the base unit of the in-building wireless sensor system, wherein the delay value is a programmed delay period and the one or more wireless repeater units communicate using ultra-high frequency (UHF) band; waiting for said programmed delay period by each of said one or more wireless repeater units before forwarding communications from a base unit to one or more wireless sensor units; and waiting for said programmed delay period by each of said one or more wireless repeater units before forwarding communications on the UHF band from said one or more wireless sensor units to said base unit, such that said delay value is used to delay transmission of communication packets transmitted on the UHF band from said base unit to said one or more wireless sensor units and from said one or more wireless sensor units to said base unit, wherein the wireless repeater unit forwards the communications on the UHF band as one or more encrypted packets, each encrypted packet comprising a checksum and authenticity code for use in verifying an authenticity of the packet.
2. The method of avoiding transmission collisions within the in-building wireless sensor system of claim 1, wherein each of said one or more wireless repeater units is configured to begin transmission on different frequency channels, such that if two repeaters attempt to begin transmission at the same time, the transmissions will begin on different channels.
3. The method of avoiding transmission collisions within the in-building wireless sensor system of claim 1, further comprising:
forwarding communications from the base unit to the one or more wireless sensor units on a first frequency channel; and
forwarding communications from said one or more wireless sensor units to said base unit on a different frequency channel, such that if two repeaters attempt to begin transmission at the same time, the transmissions will begin on different channels.
4. The method of avoiding transmission collisions within the in-building wireless sensor system of claim 1, wherein each of said one or more wireless repeater units is configured to listen to a frequency channel, wherein the waiting for said programmed delay period by each of said one or more wireless repeater units is in response to a determination that there is activity on the frequency channel.
5. A wireless repeater unit for use in an in-building wireless sensor system, the wireless repeater unit comprising: a wireless transceiver capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving information using ultra-high frequency (UHF) band to and from electronic devices located remotely from the wireless repeater unit, the electronic devices being part of the wireless sensor system; a power source for powering operation of the wireless repeater unit; and a controller operatively coupled to the wireless transceiver and the power source and configured to: program a delay value into the wireless repeater unit, the delay value being received via the wireless transceiver from a base unit that is part of the in-building wireless sensor system; cause the wireless repeater unit to wait for said delay value before forwarding communications, via the wireless transceiver, from the base unit to one or more wireless sensor units; and cause the wireless repeater unit to wait for said delay value before forwarding communications on the UHF band, via the wireless transceiver, from said one or more wireless sensor units to said base unit, such that said delay value is used to delay transmission of communications from said base unit to said one or more wireless sensor units and from said one or more wireless sensor units to said base unit, wherein the wireless repeater unit forwards the communications on the UHF band as one or more encrypted packets, each encrypted packet comprising a checksum and authenticity code for use in verifying an authenticity of the packet.
6. The wireless repeater unit of claim 5, further comprising a list of sensor units, wherein the controller is configured to cause the wireless repeater unit to forward communications from the base unit to one or more wireless sensor units only when the one or more wireless sensor units are on the list of sensor units.
7. The wireless repeater unit of claim 5, further comprising a unique identifier associated with the wireless repeater unit for uniquely identifying the wireless repeater unit within a network, wherein the controller is further configured to:
receive a communication from the base unit;
determine whether the communication includes the unique identifier;
when it is determined that the communication includes the unique identifier, forward the communication to the one or more wireless sensor units after waiting for the delay value; and
when it is determined that the communication does not include the unique identifier, ignore the communication.
8. The wireless repeater unit of claim 7, wherein the communication includes a command for instructing at least one of the one or more wireless sensor units to perform an operation.
9. The wireless repeater unit of claim 8, wherein the command is selected from the group consisting of: wake up, report status, and change wake-up interval.
10. A method of avoiding transmission collisions within an in-building wireless sensor system, comprising determining, by a base unit, a delay value for a wireless repeater unit, wherein the base unit and the wireless repeater unit are part of the in-building wireless sensor system and the delay value is a programmed delay period; transmitting, by the base unit, to the wireless repeater unit, the delay value in encrypted form; waiting for the programmed delay period before forwarding communications from the base unit to one or more wireless sensor units via the wireless repeater unit; waiting for the programmed delay period before forwarding communications from said one or more wireless sensor units to said base unit via the wireless repeater unit, such that the delay value is used to delay transmission of communications from said base unit to said one or more wireless sensor units and from said one or more wireless sensor units to said base unit; and after waiting the programmed delay period, forwarding, by the wireless repeater unit, a communication from said one or more wireless sensor units to the base unit in UHF band as one or more encrypted packets, each encrypted packet comprising a first checksum and first authenticity code for use in verifying an authenticity of the packet.
11. The method of avoiding transmission collisions within the in-building wireless sensor system of claim 10, wherein the communications forwarded from the base unit to the one or more wireless sensor units are sent by the wireless repeater unit directly to the one or more wireless sensor units until an acknowledgement message is received by the wireless repeater unit from the one or more wireless sensor units.
12. The method of avoiding transmission collisions within the in-building wireless sensor system of claim 10, further comprising:
receiving, at the wireless repeater unit and from the one or more wireless sensor units for forwarding to the base unit, communications at programmed intervals; and
receiving, at the wireless repeater unit and from the one or more wireless sensor units for forwarding to the base unit, communications at intermittent periods of time that are representative of a dangerous condition, the dangerous condition indicating that an ambient environmental condition exceeds at least one threshold of at least one sensor included in the one or more wireless sensor units.
13. The method of avoiding transmission collisions within the in-building wireless sensor system of claim 10, wherein the communications received at intermittent periods of time that are representative of a dangerous condition include a message indicative of an ambient environmental condition exceeding a threshold of a sensor included in one of the one or more wireless sensor units, a unique identifier that uniquely identifies the one of the one or more wireless sensor units within the wireless sensor system, and an integrity portion for verifying the integrity of the message.