Printing system with automatic statistical compilation and billing

• US 5,146,344 A
• Filed: 09/28/1990
• Issued: 09/08/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Raven, Claudia, Rourke, John L., Bennett, Elizabeth A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fuller, Benjamin R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): FRAHM, ERIC S
• Application Number:
  US07/590,125
• Time in Patent Office: 711 Days
• Field of Search: 358/296, 355/202, 355/323
• US Class Current: 358/296
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/50 Machine control of apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern, e.g. regulating differents parts of the machine, multimode copiers, microprocessor control sequencing control G03G21/14
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 21/02 Counting the number of copies; Billing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0014 for vending, access and use of specific services not covered anywhere else in G07F17/00 meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas or electricity G07F15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/26 for printing, stamping, franking, typing or teleprinting apparatus ticket printing or the like apparatus G07F17/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/34 for coin-freed systems ; Pay systems

Abstract

An electronic reprographic printing system which is capable of scanning a set of documents, electronically storing in memory images of the scan documents, and printing the electronic images in accordance with operator specified reprographic system functions for the print job. Customer accounts are set up within the reprographic printing system, and billing rates for the various system functions are specified within each account. When a print job is to be performed, the system operator of the reprographic system can allocate the cost of the system functions of the print job to a default account, or to a particular customer account. The billing rates for the various accounts can be changed by the system operator, and statistical and billing reports can be generated covering many different time frames.

Claims

1. An electronic reprographic printing system comprising:

means for electronically storing in memory a plurality of customer accounts;

means for scanning a set of original documents which comprise a print job;

means for electronically storing in memory images of the scanned documents;

means for converting the images to electronic pages for printing;

means for specifying by an operator which of a plurality of reprographic system functions are to be performed for the print job, said operator specified reprographic system functions being any number of said plurality of reprographic system functions;

means for printing pages corresponding to said electronic pages in accordance with said operator specified reprographic system functions for said print job, said system functions being performed within a length of time;

means for counting a number of printed pages under corresponding system functions of said print job to arrive at count totals;

means for storing the count totals of the system functions performed for the print job under an account number, the account number having billing rates for corresponding reprographic system functions; and

means for determining a total cost for the print job by calculating a system function cost based on the count totals and the billing rates of respective system functions, and calculating a time cost by assigning a billing rate per unit time and multiplying the billing rate per unit time by the length of time taken for printing the electronic pages in accordance with the operator specified system functions for the print job.

2. The electronic reprographic printing system of claim 1, further comprising a means for generating statistical reports for analyzing said system functions.

3. The electronic reprographic printing system of claim 1, further comprising a means for generating billing reports at predetermined levels.

4. The electronic reprographic printing system of claim 1, further comprising means for deactivating and reactivating customer accounts, and means for deleting customer accounts.

5. The electronic reprographic printing system of claim 1, further comprising a timing means for monitoring the length of time required to perform said system functions, and a time billing means for assigning a billing rate per unit of said length of time.

6. A method for operating an electronic reprographic printing system comprising the steps of:

electronically storing in memory a plurality of customer accounts;

creating a set of electronic page images which comprise a print job;

electronically storing in memory the electronic page images;

specifying by an operator which of a plurality of reprographic system functions are to be performed for the print job, said operator specified reprographic system functions being any number of said plurality of reprographic system functions;

converting the electronic page images to corresponding printed pages in accordance with said operator specified reprographic system functions for the print job;

counting the reprographic system functions for the print job to arrive at count totals;

storing the count totals of the system functions performed for the print job under an account number, the account number having billing rates for corresponding reprographic system functions; and

determining a total cost for the print job by calculating a system function cost based on the count totals and the billing rates of respective system functions, and calculating a time cost by assigning a billing rate per unit time and multiplying the billing rate per unit time by a length of time taken for printing the electronic pages in accordance with the operator specified system functions for the print job.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the counted system functions are scanning, simplex printing, duplex printing, binding, single stitching, dual stitching, wrapping, or printing on special stock.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of:

creating a new account with selected billing rates for the new account, prior to storing the count totals of the print job under the account number.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of calculating a total length of time necessary for a performance of various printing functions.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising the steps of:

printing the system function count totals for at least one print job performed under a particular account over a specified time frame.

11. The method according to claim 6, further comprising the step of:

printing the system function count totals for all system functions and all accounts over a specified time frame.

12. An electronic reprographic printing system comprising:

means for electronically storing in memory a plurality of customer accounts;

means for scanning a set of original documents which comprise a print job;

means for electronically storing in memory images of the scanned documents;

means for specifying by an operator which of a plurality of reprographic system functions are to be performed for the print job, said operator specified reprographic system functions being any number of said plurality of reprographic system functions;

means for performing said operator specified reprographic system functions including printing pages from said electronically stored images, said system functions being performed within a length of time;

means for assigning said print job to one of said plurality of customer accounts wherein predetermined billing rates for corresponding system functions are stored within said one customer account;

means for changing said billing;

means for calculating a print job cost by multiplying said billing rates by a number of said corresponding system functions performed;

means for displaying said system functions performed for said print job and said print job cost;

wherein a plurality of print jobs can be performed over a time period and be assigned to said one customer account, said printing system further comprising

means for displaying a total number of each system function performed for said plurality of print jobs over said time period;

means for displaying a total cost of said plurality of print jobs performed over said time period, said total cost based on said predetermined billing rates and a total number of each corresponding system function performed during said time period.

13. The electronic reprographic printing system of claim 12, wherein said system functions comprise a bound mode, and the billing rate for the bound mode is a predetermined rate.

14. The electronic reprographic printing system of claim 12, wherein the system functions comprise a wrapping mode, and the billing rate for the wrapping mode is a predetermined rate.

15. The electronic reprographic printing system of claim 14, further comprising a means for generating statistical reports for analyzing said system functions.

16. The electronic reprographic printing system of claim 14, further comprising a means for generating billing reports on a regular basis.

17. The electronic reprographic printing system of claim 14, further comprising means for deactivating and reactivating customer accounts, and means for deleting customer accounts.

18. The electronic reprographic printing system of claim 14, further comprising a timing means for monitoring the length of time required to perform said system functions.

19. The electronic reprographic printing system of claim 12, wherein said means for assigning said print job includes:

means for assigning billing rates to said system functions for calculating a cost of said system functions; and

time billing means for assigning a billing rate per unit of said length of time for calculating a time based printing cost.

20. The electronic reprographic printing system of claim 16, wherein the means for generating billing reports generates billing reports weekly, monthly, quarterly, or yearly.