EVALUATING AND MANAGING IMAGE QUALITY PERFORMANCE AND IMPROVING SERVICE EFFECTIVENESS OF GROUPS OF PRODUCTION PRINTERS

• US 20130107313A1
• Filed: 10/31/2011
• Published: 05/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Thomas, Timothy D., Gungor, Mehmet Anil, Koenig, Cheryl Marie, Kirby, Michael Philip, Weldon, Nathan James Jr., Smith, Bruce H.
• Granted Patent: US 9,069,494 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1203 Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. print management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1229 Printer resources management or printer maintenance, e.g. device status, power levels
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1273 Print job history, e.g. logging, accounting, tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1282 High volume printer device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1285 Remote printer device, e.g. being remote from client or server

Abstract

Method and systems maintain historical printing device information from a plurality of printing devices, maintain historical actions performed on the printing devices, and maintain historical print image quality produced by the printing devices within a storage medium of a computerized device. These methods and systems determine which of the historical actions increase the print image quality and which of the historical actions decrease the print image quality, using the computerized device. The methods and systems output an action effectiveness report from the computerized device. The action effectiveness report indicates which of the historical actions increase/decrease the print image quality.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

maintaining historical printing device information from a plurality of printing devices within a non-transitory storage medium of a computerized device;

maintaining historical actions performed on said printing devices within said non-transitory storage medium of said computerized device;

maintaining historical print image quality produced by said printing devices within said non-transitory storage medium of said computerized device;

determining which of said historical actions increase said print image quality and which of said historical actions decrease said print image quality, using said computerized device;

determining a cost of each of said historical actions; and

outputting an action effectiveness report from said computerized device, said action effectiveness report including costs of said historical actions and indicating which of said historical actions increase said print image quality and which of said historical actions decrease said print image quality to provide cost/benefit information of said historical actions.

2. The method according to claim 1, said historical printing device information comprising printing component age, printing component usage, printing component condition, types of printing actions performed, and types of document processing actions performed.

3. The method according to claim 1, said historical actions comprising printing component replacement and printer maintenance actions.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising determining an effect that non-performance of potential printing component replacement and printer maintenance actions have on print image quality produced by said printing devices, using said computerized device.

5. The method according to claim 4, said action effectiveness report further indicating which of said non-performance of potential printing component replacement and printer maintenance actions increase said print image quality and which of said non-performance of potential printing component replacement and printer maintenance actions decrease said print image quality.

6. A method comprising:

maintaining recommended maintenance schedules for a plurality of printing devices within a non-transitory storage medium of a computerized device;

grouping said printing devices into different demographic groups of printing devices, using said computerized device;

maintaining historical printing component failure information separately for each of said different demographic groups, within said non-transitory storage medium of said computerized device;

maintaining historical actions performed on said printing devices within said non-transitory storage medium of said computerized device; and

altering said recommended maintenance schedules separately for each of said demographic groups of printing devices based on said component failure information,

said altering of said recommended maintenance schedules increasing a time between service actions to reduce overall service costs.

7. The method according to claim 6, said demographic groups of printing devices being distinguished from one another according to types of printing actions performed and types of document processing actions performed by said printing devices.

8. The method according to claim 6, said historical printing device information comprising printing component age, printing component usage, printing component condition, types of printing actions performed, and types of document processing actions performed.

9. The method according to claim 6, said historical actions comprising printing component replacement and printer maintenance actions.

10. The method according to claim 6, further comprising determining an effect that non-performance of potential printing component replacement and printer maintenance actions have on print image quality produced by said printing devices, using said computerized device.

11. A method comprising:

maintaining recommended maintenance schedules for a plurality of printing devices within a non-transitory storage medium of a computerized device;

maintaining historical printing device information from said printing devices within said non-transitory storage medium of said computerized device;

maintaining historical actions performed on said printing devices within said non-transitory storage medium of said computerized device;

grouping said printing devices into different demographic groups of printing devices, using said computerized device;

maintaining historical print image quality produced by said printing devices, using said computerized device;

maintaining historical printing component failure information separately for each of said different demographic groups within said non-transitory storage medium of said computerized device;

determining which of said historical actions increase said print image quality and which of said historical actions decrease said print image quality separately for each of said demographic groups of printing devices, using said computerized device;

determining a cost of each of said historical actions;

outputting an action effectiveness report separately for each of said demographic groups of printing devices from said computerized device, said action effectiveness report including costs of said historical actions and indicating which of said historical actions increase said print image quality and which of said historical actions decrease said print image quality for each of said demographic groups to provide cost/benefit information of said historical actions; and

altering said recommended maintenance schedules separately for each of said demographic groups of printing devices based on said component failure information,

said altering of said recommended maintenance schedules increasing a time between service actions to reduce overall service costs.

12. The method according to claim 11, said historical printing device information comprising printing component age, printing component usage, printing component condition, types of printing actions performed, and types of document processing actions performed.

13. The method according to claim 11, said historical actions comprising printing component replacement and printer maintenance actions.

14. The method according to claim 11, further comprising determining an effect that non-performance of potential printing component replacement and printer maintenance actions have on print image quality produced by said printing devices, using said computerized device.

15. The method according to claim 14, said action effectiveness report further indicating which of said non-performance of potential printing component replacement and printer maintenance actions increase said print image quality and which of said non-performance of potential printing component replacement and printer maintenance actions decrease said print image quality.

16. The method according to claim 11, said demographic groups of printing devices being distinguished from one another according to types of printing actions performed and types of document processing actions performed by said printing devices.

17. A system comprising:

at least one non-transitory storage medium of at least one computerized device, said computerized device being in communication with a plurality of printing devices, said non-transitory storage medium maintaining recommended maintenance schedules for said printing devices, historical printing device information from said printing devices, historical actions performed on said printing devices, historical print image quality produced by said printing devices, and historical printing component failure information separately for each a plurality of different demographic groups of printing devices;

at least one processor operatively connected to said non-transitory storage medium, said processor grouping said printing devices into said different demographic groups, said processor determining which of said historical actions increase said print image quality and which of said historical actions decrease said print image quality separately for each of said demographic groups of printing devices, and said processor determining a cost of each of said historical actions; and

at least one interface operatively connected to said processor, said interface outputting an action effectiveness report separately for each of said demographic groups of printing devices from said computerized device,

said action effectiveness report including costs of said historical actions and indicating which of said historical actions increase said print image quality and which of said historical actions decrease said print image quality for each of said demographic groups to provide cost/benefit information of said historical actions,

said processor altering said recommended maintenance schedules separately for each of said demographic groups of printing devices based on said component failure information, and

said altering of said recommended maintenance schedules increasing a time between service actions to reduce overall service costs.

18. The system according to claim 17, said historical printing device information comprising printing component age, printing component usage, printing component condition, types of printing actions performed, and types of document processing actions performed.

19. The system according to claim 17, said historical actions comprising printing component replacement and printer maintenance actions.

20. The system according to claim 17, said processor determining an effect that non-performance of potential printing component replacement and printer maintenance actions have on print image quality produced by said printing devices.

21. The system according to claim 20, said action effectiveness report further indicating which of said non-performance of potential printing component replacement and printer maintenance actions increase said print image quality and which of said non-performance of potential printing component replacement and printer maintenance actions decrease said print image quality.

22. The system according to claim 17, said demographic groups of printing devices being distinguished from one another according to types of printing actions performed and types of document processing actions performed by said printing devices.