Allocating carbon offsets for printing tasks

• US 7,996,287 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2008
• Issued: 08/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hamilton, Rick A. II, O'Connell, Brian M., Pickover, Clifford A., Walker, Keith R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Frenel; Vanel
• Application Number:
  US12/138,761
• Publication Number:
  US 20090313145A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,152 Days
• Field of Search: 705/30, 705/7, 705/317, 358/1.9, 358/159, 715/764, 101/183
• US Class Current: 705/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1204 resulting in reduced user or operator actions, e.g. presetting, automatic actions, using hardware token storing data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1221 with regard to power consumption
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1239 Restricting the usage of resources, e.g. usage or user levels, credit limit, consumables, special fonts
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1254 Automatic configuration, e.g. by driver
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1285 Remote printer device, e.g. being remote from client or server
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/84 Greenhouse gas [GHG] management systems

Abstract

Methods, services, program products and devices are provided for correlating carbon offsetting and printing. Methods comprise a requester initiating a print job on a printing device; analyzing the print job; identifying at least one print job metric relevant to the print job as a function of the analyzing, the metric associated with a carbon offset value; calculating a total amount of carbon offset from the identified at least one metric; printing the print job; and transferring the carbon offset total amount to a carbon offsetting entity for debiting or crediting against a printing entity as a function of the printing. Systems and devices and articles of manufacture comprising a computer usable medium having a computer readable program in said medium are provided. Service methods comprise deploying applications for correlating carbon offsetting and printing.

Claims

1. A method for correlating carbon offsetting and printing, comprising:

providing a printing device in communication with a user through a user interface, wherein the printing device;

identifies a metric of a print job initiated by the user through the user interface;

calculates a carbon offset value for the print job as a function of the print job metric and a user-specified degree of carbon offsetting associated with the user and applicable to the printing job;

displays the calculated carbon offset value in association with the print job to the user in the user interface;

prints the print job in response to a direct input from the user through the user interface, wherein the user direct input comprises an acceptance or a revision of at least one of the print job metric and the carbon offset value associated with the print job displayed to the user in the user interface, and wherein the revision of the carbon offset value comprises;

recalculating the calculated carbon offset value associated with the print job displayed to the user in the user interface in response to the user revising the print job metric or the applicable user-specified degree of carbon offsetting;

or

revising the calculated carbon offset value associated with the print job and displayed to the user in the user interface to a revised carbon offset value as specified by the user;

determines a final carbon offset value of the printed print job as a function of the user direct input and the calculated carbon offset value or the recalculated calculated carbon offset value or the revised calculated carbon offset value; and

transfers the determined final carbon offset value of the printed print job to a carbon offsetting entity.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface is a photocopier panel interface on the printing device, or a computer client application dialog box displayed to the user through a computer client application.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the print job metric comprises at least one of a user-specified degree of carbon offsetting, a number of paper sheets printed in the printing the print job, a supply paper type, a printing toner type, an amount of toner consumed in the printing the print job, and an energy associated with the printing the print job.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the printing device identifies the metric of the print job initiated by the user by:

reading a supply paper type metric code from a printer device paper supply packaging;

or

reading a toner type metric code from a printer device toner cartridge.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the printing device further determines the final carbon offset value of the printed print job as the function of the calculated carbon offset value and the user direct input by:

receiving a recycling activity input; and

lowering an initial determined carbon offset value for the printed print job to the final determined carbon offset value of the printed print job as a function of the recycling activity input.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the print job metric is a number of pages of paper printed in printing the print job;

and

wherein the recycling activity input is a number of pages of paper received from the user by an automated recycling bin in communication with the printing device.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the carbon offsetting entity is a service provider that directly effects a carbon offsetting activity having a value equivalent to the final determined carbon offset value.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the printing device selects the user-specified degree of carbon offsetting as a function of a user identity, wherein a first user-specified degree of carbon offsetting associated with a first user identity achieves a higher carbon offset value than a second user-specified degree of carbon offsetting associated with a second user identity for print jobs having similar print job metrics.

9. A system, comprising:

a processing unit, computer readable memory and a computer readable storage system;

first program instructions to identify a metric of a print job initiated by a user through a user interface and calculate a carbon offset value for the print job as a function of the print job metric and a user-specified degree of carbon offsetting associated with the user and applicable to the printing job;

second program instructions to display the calculated carbon offset value in association with the print job to the user in the user interface and print the print job in response to a direct input from the user through the user interface, wherein the user direct input comprises an acceptance or a revision of at least one of the print job metric and the carbon offset value associated with the print job displayed to the user in the user interface, and wherein the revision of the carbon offset value comprises

recalculating the calculated carbon offset value associated with the print job displayed to the user in the user interface in response to the user revising the print job metric or the applicable user-specified degree of carbon offsetting;

or

revising the calculated carbon offset value associated with the print job and displayed to the user in the user interface to a revised carbon offset value as specified by the user; and

third program instructions to determine the final carbon offset value of the printed print job as the function of the user direct input and the calculated carbon offset value or the recalculated calculated carbon offset value or the revised calculated carbon offset value, and to transfer the determined final carbon offset value of the printed print job to a carbon offsetting entity; and

wherein the first, second and third program instructions are stored on the computer readable storage system for execution by the processing unit via the computer readable memory.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the user interface is a photocopier panel interface, or a computer client application dialog box displayed to the user through a computer client application.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the print job metric comprises at least one of a user-specified degree of carbon offsetting, a number of paper sheets printed in the printing the print job, a supply paper type, a printing toner type, an amount of toner consumed in the printing the print job, and an energy associated with the printing the print job;

and

wherein the first program instructions are further to identify the metric of the print job initiated by the user by using a scanning means to read a supply paper type metric code from a printer device paper supply packaging, or to read a toner type metric code from a printer device toner cartridge.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the third program instructions are further to determine the final carbon offset value of the printed print job as the function of the calculated carbon offset value and the user direct input by receiving a recycling activity input and lowering an initial determined carbon offset value for the printed print job to the final determined carbon offset value of the printed print job as a function of the recycling activity input.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the print job metric is a number of pages of paper printed in printing the print job;

and

wherein the recycling activity input is a number of pages of paper received from the user by an automated recycling bin in communication with the processing unit.

14. A computer program product for correlating carbon offsetting and printing, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage medium;

first program instructions to identify a metric of a print job initiated by a user through a user interface and calculate a carbon offset value for the print job as a function of the print job metric and a user-specified degree of carbon offsetting associated with the user and applicable to the printing job;

second program instructions to display the calculated carbon offset value in association with the print job to the user in the user interface and print the print job in response to a direct input from the user through the user interface, wherein the user direct input comprises an acceptance or a revision of at least one of the print job metric and the carbon offset value associated with the print job displayed to the user in the user interface, and wherein the revision of the carbon offset value comprises;

recalculating the calculated carbon offset value associated with the print job displayed to the user in the user interface in response to the user revising the print job metric or the applicable user-specified degree of carbon offsetting;

or

revising the calculated carbon offset value associated with the print job and displayed to the user in the user interface to a revised carbon offset value as specified by the user; and

third program instructions to determine a final carbon offset value of the printed print job as a function of the user direct input and the calculated carbon offset value or the recalculated calculated carbon offset value or the revised calculated carbon offset value, and to transfer the determined final carbon offset value of the printed print job to a carbon offsetting entity; and

wherein the first, second and third program instructions are stored on the computer readable storage medium.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the user interface is a photocopier panel interface on a printing device, or a computer client application dialog box displayed to the user through a computer client application.

16. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the print job metric comprises at least one of a user-specified degree of carbon offsetting, a number of paper sheets printed in the printing the print job, a supply paper type, a printing toner type, an amount of toner consumed in the printing the print job, and an energy associated with the printing the print job;

and

wherein the first program instructions are further to identify the metric of the print job initiated by the user by using a scanning means to read a supply paper type metric code from a printer device paper supply packaging, or to read a toner type metric code from a printer device toner cartridge.

17. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the third program instructions are further to determine the final carbon offset value of the printed print job as the function of the calculated carbon offset value and the user direct input by receiving a recycling activity input and lowering an initial determined carbon offset value for the printed print job to the final determined carbon offset value of the printed print job as a function of the recycling activity input.

18. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the first program instructions are to select the user-specified degree of carbon offsetting as a function of a user identity, wherein a first user-specified degree of carbon offsetting associated with a first user identity achieves a higher carbon offset value than a second user-specified degree of carbon offsetting associated with a second user identity for print jobs having similar print job metrics.