System and method for utilizing excess printing capability

• US 7,796,283 B2
• Filed: 03/03/2003
• Issued: 09/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PrintingForLess.com Incorporated (PFL Tech, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: PrintingForLess.com Incorporated (PFL Tech, Inc.)
• Inventors: Field, Andrew S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Haskins; Twyler L
• Assistant Examiner(s): DICKERSON, CHAD S
• Application Number:
  US10/378,165
• Publication Number:
  US 20030218770A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,752 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.9, 358 111- 118, 358/487, 358/506, 358/400, 358/407, 358/404, 358/468, 358/451, 358/452, 399/82, 399/84, 101/494, 709219-229
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063116 Schedule adjustment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/188 Electronic negotiation

Abstract

The present invention is a system and method for utilizing excess printing capacity. The present invention utilizes a printing network that consists of a printing service provider, one or more print jobs, a printing distribution system, and printing partners. The printing service provider uses a printing distribution system to distribute standardized print jobs to printing partners at a fixed price.

Claims

1. A method for utilizing excess printing capacity, the method comprising:

providing a printing service provider which administers a printing distribution system, the printing service provider receiving print orders directly from a customer and overseeing and ensuring completion of the print job and performing printing of print jobs;

establishing a network of one or more printing partners which perform excess print jobs of the printing service provider which are made available to the printing partners by the printing distribution system of the printing service provider, wherein an excess print job is a print job that the printing service provider does not have capacity to complete;

making one or more of the excess print jobs of the printing service provider available on-line by the printing distribution system of the printing service provider, to the printing partners at a fixed price that is a percentage of a customer-quoted price and set by the printing service provider, where the determination of which printing partners to make the excess print jobs available to is made exclusively by the printing distribution system of the printing service provider based on one or more pre-established criteria including performance parameters reflecting quality of past performance of the printing partners; and

allowing the printing partners to select and complete one or more of the excess print jobs.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further includes creating the one or more excess print jobs by aggregating one or more orders from customers and converting the one or more orders into a standard format that is understandable and useable by the printing partners.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the pre-established criteria includes geography and product attributes.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein each of the one or more excess print jobs includes printing specifications.

5. A system for utilizing excess printing capacity, the system comprising:

a printing service provider that administers a printing distribution system, the printing service provider receiving print orders directly from a customer and overseeing and ensuring completion of the print job and performing printing of print jobs;

one or more excess print jobs, wherein an excess print job is a print job that the printing service provider does not have the capacity to complete itself;

a network of one or more printing partners being established by the printing service provider, wherein the printing partners perform excess print jobs of the printing service provider, which are made available to the printing partners by the printing distribution system of the printing service provider at a fixed price that is determined by the printing service provider as a percentage of a customer-quoted price;

wherein the one or more excess print jobs of the printing service provider are made available on-line by the printing distribution system of the printing service provider, to the printing partners based on one or more pre-established criteria including performance parameters reflecting quality of past performance of the printing partners, and wherein the determination of which printing partners to make the excess print jobs available to is made exclusively by the printing distribution system of the printing service provider; and

the printing partners are allowed to select and complete the one or more excess print jobs at the fixed price established by the printing service provider.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the pre-established criteria includes geography and product attributes.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the one or more excess print jobs are in a standard format that is understandable and useable by the printing partners.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein each of the one or more excess print jobs includes printing specifications.

9. A system for utilizing excess printing capacity, the system comprising:

at least one customer-generated print order; and

a printing network comprising,

a printing service provider that receives the at least one customer-generated print order at a customer-quoted price provided by the printing service provider;

at least one print job that has been converted from at least one print order into a standard digital format by the printing service provider; and

at least one printing partner that can in real-time select on a first-come first-served basis any print job made available to it by the printing service provider at a price set by the printing service provider that is a percentage of the customer-quoted price;

wherein the printing service provider makes print jobs available to at least one printing partner through a printing distribution system that is administered and managed by the printing service provider, the printing distribution system determining whether a print job will be completed by the printing service provider or whether the print job will be completed by a printing partner, wherein if the print job will be completed by a printing partner, the printing distribution system determines which specific printing partner(s) to make a particular print job available to based on at least one of the printing partners'"'"' printing capabilities, location, or rating, where a printing partner'"'"'s rating may be at least partially established by the quality of the printing partners past performance.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the printing distribution system of the printing service provider makes excess print jobs available to printing partners, where excess print jobs are print jobs that are beyond the capacity of the printing service provider to complete.

11. The system of claim 9, the printing distribution system further comprising making at least one print job available to a printing partner that has completed a print job in the past for a customer that has submitted the at least one print job, wherein the at least one print job may be made exclusively available to the printing partner for a limited amount of time as established by the printing service provider.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein if the printing partner does not select the at least one print job to complete within the limited amount of time, the printing distribution system of the printing service provider will make the at least one print job available to other printing partners.

13. A method for a printing service provider to utilize excess printing capacity of printing partners in the printing service provider'"'"'s network of printing partners, the method comprising:

receiving at least one customer-generated print order by a printing service provider, wherein the price charged for the at least one print order is a customer-quoted price generated by the printing service provider;

converting the at least one customer-generated print order into a print job by making the print order into a standard digital format, wherein the print order is converted into a print job by the printing service provider;

pre-qualifying at least one printing partner to comprise the printing service provider'"'"'s network of printing partners, wherein the printing service provider pre-qualifies the printing partners;

using a printing distribution system that is administered and managed by the printing service provider to determine whether the at least one print job will be completed by the printing service provider or whether the at least one print job will be made available to one or more printing partners in the printing service provider'"'"'s network of printing partners;

using the printing distribution system of the printing service provider to make print jobs that will be made available to printing partners to determine which printing partners in the network of printing partners to make the print job available to based on at least one of the printing capabilities, location, or rating of each printing partner, where the rating of each printing partner may be at least partially established by the quality of each printing partner'"'"'s past performance;

setting a fixed price for each print job that is made available to at least one printing partner in the network of printing partners, wherein the fixed price is set by the printing service provider and is a percentage of the customer-quoted price; and

making a print job available to at least one printing partner in the printing service provider'"'"'s network of printing partners at the fixed price, wherein the first printing partner to select the print job in real-time is awarded the print job at the fixed price.