Patent ID: 7385721

Claim:
A system for printing documents from a portable data device comprising: print request receiver means adapted for receiving a print request from an associated portable data device, wherein the print request includes a selected one of a request for a printout of electronic document data stored on the portable data device, identification data corresponding to an origin of a received print request, and reference data representative of an electronic document stored in a location other than the portable data device; means adapted for testing for a first data connection type between the portable data device and a document processing device; means adapted for testing for an alternative connection type between the portable data device and the document processing device when the testing indicates that the first data connection type is unavailable; means adapted for selecting a data connection type in accordance with at least one of the means adapted for testing; protocol selection means adapted for selecting a file transmission protocol between the portable data device and the document processing device in accordance with a determined data connection type; document data receiver means adapted for receiving document data representative of a document for which a printout is desired via a protocol established by the protocol selection means; formatting means adapted for formatting document data in accordance with a selected associated printing device; communicating means adapted to communicate formatted document data to the selected associated printing device so as to facilitate printing a document therefrom, and wherein the first data connection type has improved transmission characteristics over the alternative connection type.