Systems and methods for print accounting

• US 20080082461A1
• Filed: 09/29/2006
• Published: 04/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Konica Minolta Laboratory U.S.A., Inc. (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Konica Minolta Systems Lab Incorporated (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Kamata, Takayuki
• Application Number:
  US11/541,093
• Publication Number:
  US 20080082461A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/408
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

Systems and methods consistent with embodiments of the present invention provide for a method for print accounting. In some methods for print accounting, statistics related to print events are maintained and reported. The print accounting report may include a human-readable section and an encoded machine-readable section. In some embodiments, information contained in the human-readable section may be a subset of the information in the machine-readable section. The encoded machine-readable section may comprise a bar code or other encoding depending on the medium used for generating the report. In some embodiments, the machine-readable section may be encrypted prior to encoding. In some embodiments, the human-readable section may include an invoice based on printer usage statistics contained in the print accounting report. Information contained in the machine-readable section may be used to authenticate and verify information in human-readable section.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

logging at least one of a plurality of events on a printing device;

updating stored accounting information for an event-triggered time period with the at least one of a plurality of logged events; and

generating a report for the event-triggered time period using the updated stored accounting information, wherein the report comprises human-readable print accounting information and encoded print accounting information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the event-triggered time period corresponds to the time between specified events.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one of a plurality of events logged on the printing device comprises one or more of the events of:

printing of color pages;

printing of monochrome pages;

utilization of color ink;

utilization of monochrome ink;

utilization of print cartridges;

error codes reported by printer components;

errors requiring service calls;

types of service performed during each service call;

length of each service call;

start of an event-triggered time period; and

end of an event-triggered time period.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein updating stored accounting information comprises one or more of the steps of:

archiving stored accounting information for the event-triggered time period;

storing printer status at the end of the event-triggered time period;

resetting and initializing stored accounting information;

directly adding the logged event information to an appropriate location in stored accounting information, if the stored accounting information comprises raw event data; and

performing mathematical operations to appropriately update stored accounting information, if the stored accounting information is derived from event information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein stored accounting information for an event-triggered time period comprises one or more of:

start of the event-triggered time period;

end of the event-triggered time period;

total number of pages printed;

total number of monochrome pages printed;

total number of color pages printed;

total numbers of pages printed, by size of printed page;

average monochrome coverage;

average color coverage;

duration of error free operation;

date of each failure;

mean time between failures;

average cost per page;

total number of service calls; and

average length of service calls.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the human-readable print accounting information includes a unique printer identification number and other print accounting information based on a user-specified reporting configuration.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the human-readable print accounting information comprises one or more of printer status information at the end of the event-triggered time period and an invoice for print services rendered over the event-triggered time period.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the human-readable print accounting information is a subset of the information contained in encoded print accounting information.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the encoded print accounting information is machine-readable.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the machine-readable encoded print accounting information comprises a bar-code.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the machine-readable encoded print accounting information comprises a two dimensional bar-code.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the encoded print accounting information is encrypted prior to encoding.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the encoded print accounting information is used to authenticate information contained in the human-readable print accounting information.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is performed by one or more of:

a printer;

a print server;

a print controller coupled to a printer; and

a computer coupled to a printer.

15. A computer-readable medium that stores instructions, which when executed by a processor perform steps in a method for print accounting, the steps comprising:

logging at least one of a plurality of events on a printing device;

updating stored accounting information for an event-triggered time period with the at least one of a plurality of logged events; and

generating a report for the event-triggered time period using the updated stored accounting information, wherein the report comprises human-readable print accounting information and encoded print accounting information.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein updating stored accounting information comprises one or more of the steps of:

archiving stored accounting information for the event-triggered time period;

storing printer status at the end of the event-triggered time period;

resetting and initializing stored accounting information;

directly adding the logged event information to an appropriate location in stored accounting information, if the stored accounting information comprises raw event data; and

performing mathematical operations to appropriately update stored accounting information, if the stored accounting information is derived from event information.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the human-readable print accounting information is a subset of the information contained in encoded print accounting information.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the encoded print accounting information is machine-readable.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the encoded print accounting information may be used to authenticate information contained in the human-readable print accounting information.

20. A system for print accounting comprising:

means for logging at least one of a plurality of events on a printing device;

means for updating stored accounting information for an event-triggered time period with the at least one of a plurality of logged events; and

means for generating a report for the event-triggered time period using the updated stored accounting information, wherein the report comprises human-readable print accounting information and encoded print accounting information.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein updating stored accounting information comprises one or more of the steps of:

means for archiving stored accounting information for the event-triggered time period;

means for storing printer status at the end of the event-triggered time period;

means for resetting and initializing stored accounting information;

means for directly adding the logged event information to an appropriate location in stored accounting information, if the stored accounting information comprises raw event data; and

means for performing mathematical operations to appropriately update stored accounting information, if the stored accounting information is derived from event information.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the human-readable print accounting information is a subset of the information contained in encoded print accounting information.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the encoded print accounting information is machine-readable.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the encoded print accounting information may be used to authenticate information contained in the human-readable print accounting information.