Printer service denial

• US 6,826,547 B1
• Filed: 11/25/2000
• Issued: 11/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia, Lapstun, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): WINTER, JOHN M
• Application Number:
  US09/721,861
• Time in Patent Office: 1,466 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/27, 705/77, 705/14, 705/10, 705/35, 705/39, 705/44, 347/1, 380/1
• US Class Current: 705/77
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 13/106 for the sheet output section
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17513 Inner structure
• CPC Class Codes: B42C 19/02 starting with single sheets
• CPC Class Codes: B42C 9/0006 by applying adhesive to a stack of sheets
• CPC Class Codes: B42C 9/0081 applying adhesive to individual sheets for binding them together by fusing, welding B42C9/0093
• CPC Class Codes: B42P 2261/04 Producing books by printing sheets in following order, e.g. for ordering via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 29/34 from supports slid from under the articles
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 37/04 for securing together articles or webs, e.g. by adhesive, stitching or stapling adhering replacement to expiring web during change of web roll B65H19/18
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/033 Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user , e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor digitisers characterised by the transducing means G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/085 involving remote charge determination or related payment systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/19 by sensing codes defining pattern positions
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/225 based on a marking or identifier characterising the area
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/1423 the instrument generating sequences of position coordinates corresponding to handwriting preprocessing or recognising digital ink G06V30/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4015 where at least one of the additional parallel sessions is real time or time sensitive, e.g. white board sharing, collaboration or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 : Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 : specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 : Services making use of location information

Abstract

In a system in which a user obtains documents, a method of controlling what is supplied to the user, the method including providing one or more user accounts for the user and providing the or each user account with a separate first threshold, periodically determining the balance in the user account or accounts; and if the balance in the respective user account is below the first threshold, instituting modification of documents supplied or restrictions on what documents are supplied or both.

Claims

1. A method in a computer system for controlling the supply of a documents to a user, the system having a communication network, the document having an associated net effect, the net effect having either a positive, negative or zero value, the method including the steps of:

(a) storing on a computer readable medium at least one user account associated with the user, the at least one user account having an account balance and a first threshold;

(b) determining the balance of the at least one user account stored on the computer readable medium;

(c) if the account balance of the at least one user account stored on the computer readable medium, as determined in step (b), is equal to or greater than the first threshold, the method further includes the steps of;

(i) supplying the documents to the user via the communication network; and

(ii) updating the account balance of the at least one user account based on the net effect of the document supplied;

(d) if the account balance of the at least one user account stored on the computer readable medium, as determined in step (b), is less than the first threshold, the method further includes the steps of;

(i) determining the net effect of the document and, if the net effect of the document is negative, the method further includes the steps of;

(I) modifying the net effect of the document such that it has either a positive or zero value;

(II) supplying the modified document to the user via the communication network; and

(III) updating the account balance of the at least one user account based on the net effect of the modified document supplied.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the documents is supplied to the user in electronic form via the communication network.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the documents is supplied to the user in printed form via at least one printer in communication with the communication network.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the at least one printer is at least one user printer.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein there is a user account for each of the at least one user printers.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein there is one user account for multiple user printers.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the net effect value is derived from one or more elements of the group consisting of:

paper cost, ink cost, adhesive cost, binding cost, data transmission cost, publisher cost, advertising credits, time of printing, day of printing, user demographics, past history and an arbitrary value.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of updating the account balance of the at least one user account involves debiting or crediting the at least one user account for at least one of the following:

access debit;

click through credits;

or

purchase credits.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the computer system further comprises at least two entities and the net effect value is determined by adding at least two credits or debits charged by at least two entities.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the computer system further comprises at least one entity and the net effect value is an aggregate of multiple debits or credits aggregated by one entity.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein once the step of modifying the document has been performed once, every document which has a negative net effect value is modified before being supplied to the user until the respective user account is above a second threshold.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the second threshold is above the first threshold.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein if a user has multiple accounts and one of the accounts falls below the respective first threshold, the step of modifying a documents supplied is performed for all of the user'"'"'s accounts.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of supplying the document to the user further comprises adding the net value of the document to at least one of the user'"'"'s accounts.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein if a user has multiple accounts and one of the accounts falls below the respective first threshold, the step of prohibiting supply of a document is performed for all of the user'"'"'s accounts.

16. A method in a computer system for controlling the supply of a documents to a user, the system having a communication network, the document having an associated net effect, the net effect having either a positive, negative or zero value, the method including the steps of:

(a) storing on a computer readable medium at least one user account associated with the user, the at least one user account having an account balance and a first threshold;

(b) determining the balance of the at least one user account stored on the computer readable medium;

(c) if the account balance of the at least one user account stored on the computer readable medium, as determined in step (b), is equal to or greater than the first threshold, the method further includes the steps of;

(i) supplying the documents to the user via a communication networks; and

(ii) updating the account balance of the at least one user account based on the net effect of the document supplied;

(d) if the account balance of the at least one user account stored on the computer readable medium, as determined in step (b), is less than the first threshold, the method further includes the step of;

(i) prohibiting the supply of the document to the user.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the document is supplied to the user in electronic form via the communication network.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the document is supplied to the user in printed form via at least one printer in communication with the communication network.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the at least one printer is at least one user printer.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein there is a user account for each of the at least one user printers.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein there is one user account for multiple user printers.

22. The method of claim 16 wherein the net effect value is derived from one or more elements of the group consisting of:

paper cost, ink cost, adhesive cost, binding cost, data transmission cost, publisher cost, advertising credits, time of printing, day of printing, user demographics, past history and an arbitrary value.

23. The method of claim 16 wherein the step of updating the account balance of the at least one user account involves debiting or crediting the at least one user account for at least one of the following:

access debit;

click through credits;

or purchase credits.

24. The method of claim 16 wherein the computer system further comprises at least two entities and the net effect value is determined by adding at least two credits or debits charged by at least two entities.

25. The method of claim 16 wherein the computer system further comprises at least one entity and the net effect value is an aggregate of multiple debits or credits aggregated by one entity.

26. The method of claim 16 wherein if a user has multiple accounts and one of the accounts falls below the respective first threshold, the step of prohibiting supply of a document is performed for all of the user'"'"'s accounts.

27. A method in a computer system for controlling the supply of a document to a user, the system having a communication network, the document having an associated net effect, the net effect having either a positive, negative or zero value, the method including the steps of:

(a) storing on a computer readable medium at least one user account associated with the user, the at least one user account having an account balance and a first threshold;

(b) determining the balance of the at least one user account stored on the computer readable medium;

(c) if the account balance of the at least one user account stored on the computer readable medium, as determined in step (b), is equal to or greater than the first threshold, the method further includes the steps of;

(i) supplying the documents to the user via the communication network; and

(ii) updating the account balance of the at least one user account based on the net effect of the document supplied;

(d) if the account balance of the at least one user account stored on the computer readable medium, as determined in step (b), is less than the first threshold, the method further includes the steps of;

(i) determining the net effect of the document and, if the net effect of the document is negative, the method further includes the step of;

(1) prohibiting supply of the document to the user.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein the document is supplied to the user in electronic form via the communication network.

29. The method of claim 27 wherein the document is supplied to the user in printed form via at least one printer in communication with the communication network.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein the at least one printer is at least one use printer.

31. The method of claim 30 wherein there is a user account for each of the at least one user printers.

32. The method of claim 30 wherein there is one user account for multiple user printers.

33. The method of claim 27 wherein the net effect value is derived from one or more elements of the group consisting of:

paper cost, ink cost, adhesive cost, binding cost, data transmission cost, publisher cost, advertising credits, time of printing, day of printing, user demographics, past history and an arbitrary value.

34. The method of claim 27 wherein the step of updating the account balance of the at least one user account involves debiting or crediting the at least one user account for at least one of the following:

access debit;

click through credits;

or

purchase credits.

35. The method of claim 27 wherein the computer system further comprises at least two entities and the net effect value is determined by adding at least two credits or debits charged by at least two entities.

36. The method of claim 27 wherein the computer system further comprises at least one entity and the net effect value is an aggregate of multiple debits or credits aggregated by one entity.