Patent ID: 7568031
Filing Date: 2009-07-28
Classification: G06F,H04L,H04W

Abstract:
1. A printing method carried out by a printing device for receiving data from a plurality of data source apparatuses and then printing said data, said method comprising operations of: receiving a connection request from a first data source apparatus and establishing a logical connection with said first data source apparatus; receiving a connection request from a second data source apparatus; initially setting the role of said printing device as a communication slave while a connection is established with said first data source apparatus, and then switching the role of said printing device from a communication slave to a communication master to enable a connection to be established with both said first and second data source apparatuses; receiving data from said first and second data source apparatuses while the connections are established with said first and second data source apparatuses; processing and printing said data received from said first data source apparatus and said second data source apparatus; and further comprising an operation in which, if a logical connection is established with said second data source apparatus and data are received from said second data source apparatus while a connection is established with said first data source apparatus and data received from said first data source apparatus are being transferred to a first data processing portion, from among a plurality of data processing portions for processing data received from said data source apparatuses, then said received data are stored temporarily in a buffer, and if said data can be transferred to a second data processing portion, then said data are read from said buffer and transferred to said second data processing portion, wherein a logical connection is established with said first and second data source apparatuses in accordance with Bluetooth specifications in said connection operation, wherein a profile provided on an upper Object Exchange Protocol (OBEX) level is executed in at least one of said transfer operation and said transmitting back operation, wherein said profile is at least one of a Basic Printing Profile (BPP) and a Basic Imaging Profile (BIP), wherein if at least one of said BBP and said BIP receives a job preparation request from said second data source apparatus in a case where a first data transfer channel corresponding to said first data source apparatus is open, then said at least one of said BBP and said BIP executes operations comprising: wherein said reception possible signal is identical to a signal indicating that said second data transfer channel is open; wherein said stream pipe interface portion comprises an interface of a stream pipe for forming a plurality of data transfer channels to a plurality of data processing portions, wherein stream pipe interface portion serves to open one of said plurality of data transfer channels and to close all others of said plurality of data transfer channels, and wherein, if a requested one of said plurality of data transfer channels is closed, a request to open said requested data transfer channel is received from a profile, which is capable of connecting with said requested data transfer channel, and if data is not being transmitted over another open one of said plurality of data transfer channels, then said stream pipe interface portion opens said requested data transfer channel and closes all others of said plurality of data transfer channels, and thus enables data to be transferred over said open requested data transfer channel.