METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PRINTING IN A DISTRIBUTED COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK
First Claim
1. A method for printing in a distributed communications network, the network comprising a plurality of enterprise customers capable of printing to a plurality of color printer types, the method comprising acts of:
- determining a color reference;
determining a respective output associated with each of the plurality of color printer types; and
comparing the color reference to each respective output; and
determining, for each of the plurality of color printer types, a deviation in response to the act of comparing.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method and system is provided for printing jobs received from enterprise customers through a global printing network. One aspect relates to an architecture that interfaces customers, communication service firms (CSFs), and downstream digital print service providers (PSPs) in a global communications network. Such an architecture permits last-mile production functions that allow the distribution of print jobs to be optimized, containing costs, maintaining quality, and performing billing functions that improve the quality of such networks and make a global print network feasible. As a result, Enterprise customers benefit from lower costs and global sourcing while print service providers and graphics service firms benefit from increased revenue due to increased utilization of the overall global network.
19 Citations
36 Claims
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1. A method for printing in a distributed communications network, the network comprising a plurality of enterprise customers capable of printing to a plurality of color printer types, the method comprising acts of:
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determining a color reference; determining a respective output associated with each of the plurality of color printer types; and comparing the color reference to each respective output; and determining, for each of the plurality of color printer types, a deviation in response to the act of comparing. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method for printing in a distributed communications network, the network comprising a plurality of enterprise customers that are capable of submitting at least one print job to a global network, the method comprising acts of:
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receiving the print job form at least one of the plurality of enterprise customers; allocating at least one first portion of the print job to a first service provider; allocating at least one second portion of the print job to a second print service provider. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A system for printing in a distributed communications network, the system comprising:
a distributed print management system including a plurality of computer systems, at least one of which is located at a print service provider location, wherein the at least one computer system is adapted to perform acts of receiving a plurality of jobs through the distributed communications network from a plurality of enterprise customers, manage a local print process performed by the print service provider, and provide status information to at least one enterprise customer. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A system for printing in a distributed communications network connecting enterprise customers of a graphic service firm and a plurality of print service providers, the system comprising:
a financial component configured to charge a graphic service firm a service fee based on at least one global print job which is referred to at least one of the plurality of print service providers. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
Specification