System and method for information handling system consumable automatic ordering

• US 20050192817A1
• Filed: 02/26/2004
• Published: 09/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Rodgers, Robert, Sorenson, Dustin, Hester, Keith
• Application Number:
  US10/787,399
• Publication Number:
  US 20050192817A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering

Abstract

Information handling system consumable orders, such as orders for printer supplies, are placed through a network, such as the Internet, by automatically monitoring consumable quantity to detect a consumable order trigger event for presentation at the information handling system. User initiated selection of a consumable order communicates order information to a consumable order server, which pre-populates a completed order form for display at the information handling system, such as an order form with consumable information, payment information and delivery information. For instance, the consumable order server is associated with the manufacturer of the information handling system and applies the payment and delivery information from the purchase of the information handling system to complete the order form so that a user need only confirm the accuracy of the completed order form to place the consumable order.

Claims

1. A system for managing orders through a network of consumables for an information handling system peripheral, the system comprising:

a consumable handler associated with the information handling system, the consumable handler operable to monitor the peripheral to detect a consumable trigger event and to assemble order information associated with the consumable trigger event in a predetermined format;

an order engine operable to present and accept an order form for the consumable through the network and at the information handling system; and

a pre-population engine interfaced with the consumable handler through the network and with the order engine, the pre-population engine operable to complete the order form for presentation to the information handling system in response to the order information.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the peripheral comprises an ink jet printer and the consumable comprises one or more of ink or ink head device.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the peripheral comprises a laser printer and the consumable comprises one or more of toner, imaging drum or imaging drum belt.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the consumable handler comprises a module operable to interface with an accounting application and plural peripherals, the module tracking an inventory of consumables to place aggregate orders for consumables to supply the plural peripherals.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the consumable handler module is further operable to automatically adjust the consumable inventory by decrementing the consumable supply at each consumable trigger event.

6. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

an information handling system database associated with the pre-population engine and having a unique identifier for each of plural information handling systems with payment and delivery information;

wherein the pre-population engine is further operable to complete the order form by populating the payment and delivery information of a unique identifier included with the order information.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the order engine is further operable to accept updates to the order form entered at the information handling system.

8. The system of claim 6 wherein the order information comprises printer identification information, and wherein the pre-population engine is further operable to complete the order form with a consumable associated with the printer.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the trigger event comprises one or more of consumable quantity, consumable consumption rate, time period between consumable orders, consumable usage patterns, consumable average daily use, or a user-selected parameter.

10. A method for managing orders through a network of consumables for an information handling system printer, the method comprising:

detecting a consumable trigger event associated with the peripheral;

assembling order information associated with the consumable trigger event in a predetermined format;

communicating the order information through the network to a consumable order server;

pre-populating an order form at the consumable order server in accordance with the order information;

presenting the order form through the network and at the information handling system;

accepting a confirmation of the order form at the information handling system; and

delivering the consumable in accordance with the order form.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the printer comprises an ink jet printer and the consumable comprises ink.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the consumable further comprises photographic printing paper.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein the printer comprises a laser printer and the consumable comprises toner.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein the order information comprises a unique identifier and pre-populating further comprises completing the order form in part with payment and delivery information stored at the order server.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the payment and delivery information are the payment and delivery information used to purchase the information handling system.

16. The method of claim 10 wherein the trigger event comprises one or more of consumable quantity, consumable consumption rate, time period between consumable orders, consumable usage patterns, consumable average daily use, or a user-selected parameter.

17. The method of claim 10 wherein detecting a trigger event further comprises:

monitoring consumable inventory for plural printers with accounting software; and

determining a trigger event for the aggregate of printers and the consumable inventory.

18. An information handling system comprising:

plural components operable to process information for printing by a printer onto a medium;

a printer interfaced with the plural components to accept and print the information with a consumable;

an operating system operable to coordinate operation of the plural components;

a printer driver associated with the operating system, the printer driver operable to coordinate communication of the information to the printer and to detect available consumable quantity;

a consumable handler interfaced with the printer driver to accept detected consumable quantity, to apply the detected consumable quantity to determine a trigger event, to display the trigger event at the information handling system for user-selected initiation of a consumable order, and to communicate order information to a consumable order server upon user-selected initiation of a consumable order; and

a browser interfaced with the consumable handler and the consumable order server, the browser operable to display a consumable order form provided by the consumable order server, the consumable order form automatically completed to support user-selected confirmation of a consumable order.

19. The information handling system of claim 18 wherein the printer comprises a laser printer, the order information comprises a laser printer identifier, and the order form comprises a laser printer toner associated with the laser printer identifier and automatically selected by the order server.

20. The information handling system of claim 18 wherein the printer comprises an ink jet printer, the order information comprises an ink jet printer identifier, and the order form comprises an ink jet cartridge associated with the ink jet printer identifier and automatically selected by the order server.