U.S. patent application number 12/906675 was filed with the patent office on 2011-02-03 for print job management method and system.
This patent application is currently assigned to GLOBALPRINT SYSTEMS, INC.. Invention is credited to Bruce G. Bard, Jonathan Charles Dewees.
Application Number | 20110026065 12/906675 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37728033 |
Filed Date | 2011-02-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110026065 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Bard; Bruce G. ; et
al. |
February 3, 2011 |
PRINT JOB MANAGEMENT METHOD AND SYSTEM
Abstract
A printing system includes a job management server and multiple
remote print stations. The print stations have user input
capability, and a user may enter identification information and
request that a document stored by the job management server be
printed at the print station.
Inventors: |
Bard; Bruce G.; (Voorhees,
NJ) ; Dewees; Jonathan Charles; (Medford,
NJ) |
Correspondence
Address: |
PEPPER HAMILTON LLP
ONE MELLON CENTER, 50TH FLOOR, 500 GRANT STREET
PITTSBURGH
PA
15219
US
|
Assignee: |
GLOBALPRINT SYSTEMS, INC.
Marlton
NJ
|
Family ID: |
37728033 |
Appl. No.: |
12/906675 |
Filed: |
October 18, 2010 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
11199855 |
Aug 9, 2005 |
7839521 |
|
|
12906675 |
|
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
358/1.14 ;
358/1.15; 705/39 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 21/608 20130101;
G06Q 20/382 20130101; G06F 3/1239 20130101; G06Q 20/085 20130101;
G06F 3/1273 20130101; G06F 3/1288 20130101; G06F 3/1267 20130101;
H04L 67/02 20130101; G06Q 20/10 20130101; G06Q 20/20 20130101; G06F
3/1222 20130101; G06F 3/1238 20130101; G06F 3/121 20130101; G06F
3/1287 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
358/1.14 ;
358/1.15; 705/39 |
International
Class: |
G06F 3/12 20060101
G06F003/12; G06K 15/00 20060101 G06K015/00; G06Q 40/00 20060101
G06Q040/00 |
Claims
1. A printing system, comprising: a job management server
configured to: receive, from a first network, a print stream
associated with a user, wherein the print stream is representative
of a document or graphic, and store the print stream in a user
account in a job management database, wherein the user account is
associated with the user; and a print station located remotely from
the job management server, wherein the print station is in
communication with the job management server via a second network,
wherein the print station includes a user interface, wherein the
print station is configured to: in response to receiving
identifying information from the user via the user interface,
receive information regarding available print streams in the user's
user account from the job management server, display a menu of the
available print streams on the user interface, receive, via the
user interface, a selection from the user of one or more of the
available print streams to print at the print station, receive a
copy of each selected available print stream, and print each
selected available print stream.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the job management server is
further configured to store a selected available print stream in
the job management database for a period of time after the selected
available print stream is printed at the print station.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein: the job management server is
further configured to compress and encrypt the print stream; and
the print station comprises one or more decompression and
decryption modules for decompressing and decrypting the print
stream.
4. The system of claim 1, wherein: the print stream is in a print
stream format that is recognized by a printer at the print station;
and the print stream was created using a print driver located on an
electronic device located on the first network.
5. The system of claim 1, wherein: the print station comprises a
printer; and the print station is further configured to permit
printing of each of the selected available print streams only at
the printer and only after the identifying information is
authenticated.
6. The system of claim 1, wherein the print station is dedicated to
the job management server.
7. The system of claim 1, wherein the print station comprises a
parameter monitoring system that is in communication with a remote
monitoring system.
8. The system of claim 7, wherein the parameter monitoring system
is configured to notify the remote monitoring system or the user
when a service level alert condition is met.
9. The system of claim 1, wherein: the job management server is
configured to monitor usage patterns of the print station; and the
system is configured to adjust one or more service level alert
conditions for the print station based on the usage patterns.
10. The system of claim 1, wherein the print station comprises a
port that accepts a file storage device.
11. A method of printing a document, comprising: receiving, by a
job management server from a first network, a print stream in a
print stream format, wherein the print stream corresponds to one or
more documents and is associated with a user; storing, by the job
management server, the print stream in a user account in a job
management database, wherein the user account is associated with
the user; receiving, by the job management server from the user via
a print station that is connected to a second network, user
identification information; verifying the user identification
information; transmitting to the print station a menu of documents
that are in the user account and available to the user for
printing, receiving, by the job management server from the user via
the print station, a selection of a document from the menu of
documents; and delivering, by the job management server to the
print station for printing, a copy of the print stream
corresponding to the selected document.
12. The method of claim 11, further comprising: retaining the print
stream corresponding to the selected document in the job management
database for a period of time after the print stream corresponding
to the selected document is printed at the print station; and
deleting the print stream from the job management database after
expiration of the period of time.
13. The method of claim 11, further comprising: compressing and
encrypting the print stream; transmitting the print stream to the
print station; and decompressing and decrypting the print stream by
the print station.
14. The method of claim 11, further comprising monitoring one or
more parameters of the print station via a remote monitoring
system.
15. The method of claim 14, further comprising determining, by the
remote monitoring system, whether a service level alert condition
is met for the print station.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein; the parameter monitoring
system monitors usage patterns of the print station; and the method
further comprises adjusting one or more of the service level alert
conditions for the print station based on the usage patterns.
17. The method of claim 11, further comprising determining, by the
print station, whether the selected document is an original
document.
18. The method of claim 11, further comprising: determining a cost
of printing the selected document; determining whether the user has
a print service account balance; if the print service account
balance is less than the cost, prompting the user to recharge the
print service account balance; and if the print service account
balance is greater than the cost, debiting the cost from the print
service account balance.
19. The method of claim 11, further comprising: presenting, to the
user at the print station, a cost of printing the selected
document; and receiving, by the job management server from the user
via the print station, a form of payment by the user.
20. The method of claim 19, wherein the cost is based on one or
more of the following: number of pages, number of copies, and a
color print.
21. The method of claim 11, wherein receiving a print stream
comprises: debiting an upload cost from a print service account
balance associated with the user when the one or more documents are
uploaded to the job management server.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 11/199,855 filed Aug. 9, 2005 and claims the
benefit and priority of that application, which is incorporated
herein by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND
[0002] This document generally describes document storage,
retrieval and/or printing services and systems.
[0003] Today, the timely delivery of electronic information has
become increasingly important to the core operations of many
businesses in the global market. Many companies have expanded their
operations throughout the world, and as a result, rely on the
ability to transmit information from one place to another in a
short period of time.
[0004] With the enormous capability of computer networks to
communicate information between remote locations, business
travelers continue to depend on these networks for the delivery and
receipt of information while on the road. Furthermore, not only is
the capability to deliver electronic information important to a
business traveler, but so is the ability to access and print that
information at a convenient location. For instance, a business
traveler in a hotel may need to print an electronic mail message,
correspondence, presentation, or other documents from his or her
laptop while on travel. In order for the business traveler to
obtain a hard copy of the document, he or she may have to print it
to the hotel's printer. With the present technology, the business
traveler would have to take several steps before a document may be
delivered from the laptop to the hotel's printer. For instance, in
one situation the traveler may have to first obtain the network
identification of the printer and information about the type of
printer, and configure the laptop to connect to the printer before
printing may occur. Alternatively, the traveler must provide the
hotel staff with a disk, memory stick, key or other file storage
medium containing the document. This results in time delays based
on the availability of hotel staff, as well as security and privacy
issues due to loss of control over the file. Further, if a document
has been prepared using specific software and the hotel's computer
does not have that software or the latest version of the software,
then the document may not print, or it may print in a different
format or quality than that to which it was originally created.
[0005] Many businesses today transmit information through
electronic mail. Sending electronic information over the Internet
has become increasingly prominent in even the basic operations of
many corporations. However, the use of email for delivering
information could be problematic, as email is usually produced in
an ASCII based format that is not compatible with many other forms
of complex documents. Furthermore, the delivery of information
through email requires the recipient to possess an email account
and the necessary application on his computer in order to load,
view, and/or print the document. Finally, security and privacy
issues also arise in this context, as the delivery of a file to
hotel staff by email can result in hotel staff having access to
confidential, personal or otherwise sensitive information.
[0006] Although many companies typically transmit information
electronically, it is often more desirable to business travelers to
receive such information in hard copy form. Currently, there are
several methods for delivering hard copy information, including
Express Mail, Federal Express, and UPS. However, these types of
services have many drawbacks. For instance, a recipient may have to
schedule a time for pick-up that may not be convenient during
travel, delivery of the document may be delayed, the document may
be lost in the process of delivery, the recipient has to wait a
period of time for the document to be delivered, the document may
be damaged if not packaged properly, and the cost for prompt or
overnight delivery is high.
[0007] Current methodologies for transmitting and printing
information have already been introduced into the marketplace, such
as those developed by Gecht et. al (U.S. Pat. No. 6,859,832),
Bradley et. al (U.S. Pat. No. 6,466,328), and Adamske et. al (U.S.
Pat. No. 6,615,234). However, these prior systems usually require
the recipient to have a computer and the appropriate application to
receive, view, and load a document. Furthermore, these prior art
systems may not be able to provide security for the data during
transmission. In addition, these prior art systems may not be able
to provide high quality color or black and white printing of the
data. Other systems, such as that described in Keeney et al. (U.S.
Pat. No. 6,748,471), require the user to recall a document-specific
identification code, and they plug into existing hotel printers and
thus require knowledge of specific printer capabilities. In
addition, they do not solve the problem of security.
[0008] Thus, there is a need in the art for an improved remote
document, storage, access, printing and/or system. This document
describes attempts to solve one or more of the above-listed
problems.
SUMMARY
[0009] In an embodiment, a printing system includes a job
management server that receives data from a first network and
communicates with many print stations located remotely from the
server. The server then delivers data to one of the print stations
for printing when a user who is authorized to access the print
stream enters appropriate information at the print station
location.
[0010] In some embodiments, the job management server may include a
database of multiple print streams that remain in the database for
a certain period of time, even after a print stream is transmitted
to and printed at a print station. Therefore, a user may reprint
the data after the first printing occurred, as long as the print
stream continues to remain in the database.
[0011] The print stream may be compressed and/or encrypted when
stored in the database and delivered to a print station. The print
station may then decompress and decrypt the print stream prior to
printing the data. The format of the print stream may be universal
or otherwise in a format that is recognized by the print station
printers. Therefore, any type of document may be printed from the
print stations.
[0012] In some embodiments, the print stations may have a parameter
monitoring system that alerts a remote monitoring system when the
stations are not operating normally, such as low toner, low paper
levels or other critical or non-critical alerts.
[0013] In another embodiment, a method for printing a document
includes receiving, by a management server, a print stream data in
a print stream format. The print stream data corresponds to one or
more documents, is associated with a user, and may be stored in a
database of the job management server. When a user enters user
identification and the system verifies that information, the print
stream is then delivered to a print station. The user may be
presented with a menu of documents that are stored in the database
by the job management server.
[0014] The print stream corresponding to a selected document may
continue to remain in the database for a predetermined period of
time even after printing has occurred. A user may reprint the data
while the print stream still remains in the database.
[0015] In some embodiments, the print stream data stored in the
database may be compressed and/or encrypted by the job management
server. After the compressed and encrypted data may be delivered by
the server to a print station, the data is decompressed and
decrypted at the print station prior to printing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary document
management and printing system.
[0017] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary print station.
[0018] FIG. 3 is a flowchart of an exemplary print job management
process.
[0019] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an exemplary print station
monitoring method.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0020] Before the present method and system are described, it is to
be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the particular
methodologies and systems described. It is also to be understood
that the terminology used in the description is for the purpose of
describing the particular versions or embodiments only, and is not
intended to limit the scope.
[0021] It must also be noted that as used herein and in the claims,
the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural references
unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example,
reference to a "print station" is a reference to one or more print
stations and equivalents thereof known to those skilled in the art,
and so forth. Unless defined otherwise, all technical and
scientific terms used herein have the same meanings as commonly
understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. Although any
methods, materials, and devices similar or equivalent to those
described herein can be used in the practice or testing of
embodiments of the invention, the preferred methods, materials, and
devices are now described. All publications mentioned herein are
incorporated by reference. Nothing herein is to be construed as an
admission that the invention is not entitled to antedate such
disclosure by virtue of prior invention.
[0022] Referring to FIG. 1, in an embodiment a print station system
10 may include one or more of the following elements: a job
management server 12, one or more user computers 14 that
communicate with the job management server 12 via a communications
network 16, and any number of print stations 20 that communicate
with the job management server 12 via a communication network 24.
The job management server 12 may be any device, or program or
combination that is capable of storing a document file and
communicating that file to other devices via a communication
network. For example, job management server 12 may include a
computer having a software program that provides services to other
computers. The communications networks 16 and 24 may be the
Internet, an intranet, a local area network, a wide area network or
any communication system over which a file may be transmitted.
Communications networks 16 and 24 may be different networks, or at
least a portion of the same network, and may change over time. The
print stations 20 may include any kiosk, terminal or device through
which a user may request a document from the job management server
12 and at which the document will print. User computer 14 may be
any electronic device from which a document file may be uploaded to
the job management server 12, such as a desktop computer, laptop
computer, personal digital assistant, cell phone, file storage
device such as a memory stick or universal serial bus (USB) memory
device, media player or other device.
[0023] In various embodiments, user computer 14 may include a print
driver 22 that provides a transport mechanism to transfer data from
the user computer 14 to the job management server 12 for future
output printing at a print station 20. The print driver 22 may be
designed to allow any user, such as a user of a computer having a
Windows, Linux, Apple or other operating system, to "virtually"
print documents, photos, graphics, contents of a window such as a
web page, or other material, each of which is referred to herein as
a "document," from any software application that provides the
option to print a document. With the print driver 22 installed in
the user computer 14, when a user selects a print option from the
print menu on the user computer 14, the user may choose the job
management server 12 as a device that will receive a print job. The
print driver 22 will then convert the document to a print stream
format that is recognized by the print stations 20, and it will
deliver the converted print job to the job management server 12 for
storage and further routing.
[0024] In some embodiments, the print driver 22 may function in a
manner similar to one or more other print drivers currently
installed on the user's computer 14 that print documents to a
locally attached printer. Upon successful login, the print job may
be converted to a Postscript or other print stream format
compatible with the printers of the print stations or kiosks 20.
The print stream may be compressed and/or encrypted, and then
transmitted to the job management server 12, where it may be stored
in a database with data connecting it to the user, such as a Print
Job Record, for future retrieval and printing at a print station 20
(or any other output device).
[0025] In some embodiments, before uploading the print job to the
job management server 20, to ensure that the user is authorized to
send documents to the job management server 12, the user may be
prompted to provide authentication information such as an account
number, account password, customer name and/or any other
combination of information previously provided by the customer. In
addition, the system may require or permit the user to select from
several printing options which may include any or all of the
following: page orientation, color/black and white print quality,
paper type, paper size or any other printing parameters in some
embodiments. If the customer fails to choose any of these
parameters, the system may select a parameter as a default.
[0026] In some embodiments, when a print job is being spooled to
the server 12, a print port monitor may continually or periodically
check for a connection between the user computer 14 and the
communications network 16 until a connection exists or until the
customer cancels the print job from the print spool. When there is
a successful connection, the job management server 12 or user
computer 12 may check the customer's information such as account
number and/or password for validation before spooling the print
job. If validation fails, the user computer 14 may display a dialog
box requesting the user to re-enter validation information such as
account number and/or password. This process of validation may be
repeated until the system successfully validates the customer's
information or until the job is canceled. In the alternative, the
validation process may be repeated for a limited number of times,
after which the system may block the user from further
attempts.
[0027] After successful validation, the print stream may be
retrieved from the print spooler, and linked with a unique identity
file for the user. The print stream may then be compressed and
encrypted using an encryption key from the identity file. The print
job may then be sent to the job management server 12, and a dialog
box indicating the progress of transmitting the print job to the
server 12 may be displayed on the user computer 14. Optionally, the
displayed dialog box may also indicate that the upload process
requires a certain fee. Other optional calculation of charges may
be displayed or occur as well. In some embodiments, an option to
cancel the transaction may also be provided in the dialog box.
[0028] If the print job is interrupted for any reason before the
print job is completed, such as due to Internet connection failure,
in some embodiments the user computer 14 may display a failure
message in a dialog progress box with a "re-try" or "cancel" print
job option. If the user chooses the cancel option, then the print
job may be permanently deleted from the spooler. While the print
job is being sent, the print port monitor may continuously or
periodically check for communication network 16 connection to the
server 12 until connection exists or until customer cancels the
print job from print spool.
[0029] The print job may be sent to the server 12 by any suitable
method, such as file transfer protocol, packet communication,
email, virtual fax number, universal messaging or other delivery
mechanisms and methods.
[0030] Upon successfully sending the print job to the job
management server 12, customer may receive an acknowledgement from
the job management server 12, and/or the customer may receive a
message indicating that the print job was successfully sent. In
addition, the server 12 may indicate to spooler that the print job
is completed, so that the user computer 14 will know that the print
job may now be purged from the spool.
[0031] The job management server 12 is the central hub of the
printing station system and may be responsible for many functions
in some embodiments. For example, the server 12 may receive print
jobs from customers or other user via the print drivers 22
installed on one or more user computers 14. The server 12 may then
store these print jobs for future retrieval and output printing at
print stations 20. Other functions that the job management server
12 may perform include any or all of the following: (1) provide
security for a customer's data by validating the customer's account
prior to allowing access to the system; (2) manage the data
transmission and storing process by receiving the print jobs from
user computers 14 via the print driver 22 and subsequently storing
the print jobs for later retrieval; (3) manage the printing of data
on print station or kiosks 20 when requested by a customer at a
print station 20; (4) manage customer account balances by
performing functions such as estimating the costs of the print jobs
and requesting payment of funds from customer or charging
customer's credit card shown on customer's account; (5) transfer
the print stream to the print station 20 for output printing; and
(6) communicate with specific print stations 20 as well as other
devices on the network of the system to check on the health and
status of each print station 20. For instance, if a print station
is low on toner or not functioning properly, the server 12 may send
a message indicating that a service person should attend to that
particular station or kiosk 20 to cure the problem, or in some
embodiments the server 12 may communicate to that station or kiosk
20 to automatically replace the low toner with another new toner
cartridge which may be stored in the kiosk.
[0032] Upon successful receipt of a print job package, the server
12 may create a job record in a job management database for the
customer's data. In some embodiments, the server 12 may perform
some or all of the following functions: decrypt the print stream
package; decompress the print stream package; charge the applicable
customer account for a cost of the upload (such as on a
document-based or per-page basis); suspend the print job if
customer has not yet paid a balance on the account; send an email
notifying the customer that the account is deficient and that the
print job is suspended; and/or direct the customer to a website,
help desk or other center in order to solve any problems with the
customer's account or printing jobs.
[0033] To help provide security, in some embodiments the print job
package may be encrypted using any suitable encryption technology,
including those now existing and those that may be developed in the
future. The job management server 12 and/or the print station 20
may contain software that enables decryption of the print job
package before printing. Other security systems may include
requiring the user to enter or provide a password, biometric
identifier (such as a fingerprint or retina scan), access code or
other security measure before allowing the user to retrieve a print
job.
[0034] The print stations 20 produce the hard copy of the data. The
print stations 20 may be conveniently located in public venues such
as hotel lobbies, hotel business centers or airport terminals as
well as in other locations where business travelers and/or the
general public may congregate, thus allowing users to easily access
a printing station to print documents from their portable computing
devices while out of the office and on the road.
[0035] Referring to FIG. 2, each print station 20 may include any
or all of the following components: (i) a physical walk up kiosk
housing containing a computing device; (ii) a screen or monitor 32
optionally with touch screen input capability; (iii) a printer 34,
such as a high capacity, low maintenance and high quality color
laser printer (such as one having approximately 2,100 page paper
capacity); (iv) a print job output tray 36, an exposed USB or other
port 38 for optional file input; an input device 40, such as a
keyboard and/or a trackball; and (v) audio input/output equipment
such as one or more speakers 42 and an audible microphone 44.
Optionally, the print station 20 will include a front or side
access panel 46 or door, through which paper, toner and other
required items may be supplied.
[0036] A print station 20 may contain many software and web
applications. The print station's applications, printer and
internal computer may be contained in a housing 30 that is locked
down so that the interior elements of the print station may not be
exposed or accessed by customers or unauthorized persons. The
majority of the processing may be server based, and in some
embodiments the print station 20 may be dedicated to the job
management server 12. However, due to the rich application
functionality required, other software applications may be included
to deliver additional functionality for the print station or its
computer.
[0037] One of the print station's applications may provide a main
menu with several choices for the customer. For instance, the menu
may provide the customer with the option of selecting "My
PrintStation Queue" that allows the customer to access a list of
print job(s) previously requested by the customer. The customer may
then select which job(s) to print at the kiosk 20. Print jobs may
be divided into two categories: "pending" and "completed." There
may be additional options on the menu for received faxes and other
print tasks.
[0038] In some embodiments, the kiosk 20 may have a port 44 through
which a user can insert a USB data stick or drive, navigate the
folders and files on the USB data stick, and select a document to
be printed at the print station. Other optional applications that
may be featured at the print station may permit the user to print
airline and train boarding passes and/or tickets.
[0039] The print station 20 may include one or more features to
help provide security. For example, the print station 20 may
include a video or still camera to gather visual images of users
who access the print station. The images may simply be stored in
memory to be visually reviewed at a later date if suspicious
activity is believed to have occurred as a print station (such as
would occur in known camera-based security systems). Also, the
images may be stored in a database and matched against known images
using any suitable pattern recognition technology to further verify
a user's identity by determining whether the visual image matches
an expected image in the database. This verification may be
performed before a user is permitted to access the system, and/or
it may be an option that can be performed for forensic purposes
after users access the print station. Such applications may be
useful in environments such as secure environments or closed
network, such as individual corporations, or locations having
national security-related concerns.
[0040] The print station 20 may include other secure features such
as a housing 30 that is partially or fully made of radio
frequency-resistant alloys to resist remote detection. For example,
the housing may include a copper mesh and/or polymer coating with
magnetically-charged iron particles to inhibit access or
interference from external signals. The print station 20 may also
include one or more biometric inputs, such as a retina scanning
device or a fingerprint collection device, to collect biometric
information from a user and compare that information to a database
of known biometric information for authorized users.
[0041] In addition, the print station 20 may be equipped with one
or more features to allow detection of an original document versus
a copy. For example, the print station may use magnetic ink
character recognition (MICR) toner, which contains iron oxide or
other particles in a suitable percentage, such as about 50% to
about 60%, and one or more print heads that allow printing with a
distribution of the particles in a pattern that may be recognized
by electronic processing equipment.
[0042] The print station may also print using random letter slices,
or very small blank lines or patterns through printed areas in
predetermined locations. For example, the system my perform this by
capturing a spool file and scanning for text, generating random
lines constrained to fall within the boundaries of text when text
is found, draw the lines (such as by using PostScript commands)
using the background color of the text, recording coordinates of
lines draw, and sending the modified spool file to the printer.
Alternately, the system may look for graphics and similarly insert
lines or slices into certain portions of the graphic item.
Optionally, the slices may be inserted in a pattern that is
specific to a particular document. The pattern may be stored in a
memory along with the associated document, print location, print
station user and/or print time so that a person or machine may
later view an original or photocopied document, identify the slice
pattern, and compare it to slice patterns in the database to
determine where, when or by whom the original document printed.
[0043] When a customer wishes to print a document from a print
station, the customer may walk up to any print station and touch
the screen, keyboard or another input device, or use other
activation systems such as speech recognition, to use the print
station. FIG. 3 illustrates various steps that may be followed in
an exemplary process. A login dialog requesting identification
information such as customer account number and password may appear
on the screen. After the appropriate information is entered 50 by
the customer, the kiosk application may send a request to the job
management server to validate 52 the customer account number and
password. If validation fails, a message to re-enter 50 customer
account number and password may be displayed on the screen of the
kiosk. If validation continues to fail, the kiosk may display a
message directing 54 the customer to a website or service website
for account and password assistance, and/or the system may freeze
the account or kiosk after a predetermined number of unsuccessful
logins. Other help and tutorial options may be available at the
kiosk in some embodiments.
[0044] Upon successful login, several options may be displayed on
the screen. One option may be a "My PrintStation Queue" which, if
selected, may display 56 a list of print jobs that have been
uploaded to the job management server for the customer's account.
Thus, the kiosk may request the job management server to display
the pending print jobs. The list of print jobs may be displayed in
any suitable format, such as in a scrollable, row and column list
window. The customer may then select 58 a print job from the queue
list to be printed. After selecting the print job to be printed, in
some embodiments one or more printing parameters to be selected by
the customer may be displayed 60 on the screen. These parameters
may include any or all of the following: color, black and white,
grayscale, number of copies to be printed, and/or duplex or other
parameters. Before printing the document, the customer may select
or change the printing parameters at any time. After the customer
selects the desired parameters, the customer may then select a
"Print" option to start printing the document.
[0045] In some embodiments, the total number of pages printed and
the total cost of the print job may be calculated based on the
options and parameters selected by the customer. The screen may
display 62 the total cost of the print job for user to confirm. In
some embodiments, if the customer account balance is zero or less
than total cost of print job and/or if the customer has an
unsatisfactory payment history, the kiosk may prompt the user to
recharge its account or pay by credit card. If customer account is
not deficient and validation is successful, the server then sends
the data to the print station and marks the print job as "Ready for
Printing." After the data is decompressed and decrypted for
printing by the print station, the server may re-compress the data
and store the data package in the job record for any future
re-printing.
[0046] Optionally, in embodiments that use an input port (element
44 in FIG. 2), the system may also permit printing of documents
that are loaded directly to the print station from a disk, USB
device or other storage media. In such embodiments, the print
station must be equipped with appropriate document management
software to accept the file, format it and generate a print stream
for printing by the printer.
[0047] The operation of each print station may be constantly or
periodically monitored 64 by the job management server or another
monitoring system to ensure that it is properly functioning. If,
for instance, the system determines 66 that a print system kiosk
does not have enough supply of paper and/or toner to produce a high
quality document for a particular print job, the screen may display
the number of copies the print station's supply can support,
request the customer to change the printing parameters, request the
customer to re-submit the print job request, or direct the customer
to another nearby kiosk. If the kiosk can successfully support the
print job, then the job management server may send 68 the print job
to the kiosk. When the print job arrives, the data package may be
decrypted, decompressed, and/or ready to be printed 70. Then, the
print job may be printed 72 at the printer. In some embodiments, in
addition to the print stations or kiosks, the system may allow
users to log in and access a print job from any computer so that
the job can be printed to an attached printer.
[0048] Because the system delivers document files in recognized
print stream formats, the print station will be able to print
documents authored by any software program, so long as the document
has been "printed" to the job management server using the
recognized print stream format. However, in other embodiments the
documents may be delivered to the print station in another common
format, such as portable document format, and a print stream may be
created using a print driver at the print station.
[0049] If the print job fails, in some embodiments a failure
message may be sent to the server, and information about the
failure may be displayed on the print station screen to notify the
customer of such failure. The job management server may initiate a
service request for that particular kiosk or may send a service
person to that kiosk to fix the problem. If the print job is
successful, customer may retrieve the printed hard copy from the
kiosk. An acknowledgement of the successful printing with
information relating to the number of pages printed, or the cost of
the job may be sent to the customer. A message that the print job
is completed may be sent to the kiosk.
[0050] The customer account balance may be updated by job
management server after each print job is successful. If a request
from kiosk is received indicating the print job is successfully
completed, the server may calculate the final print job cost,
update the customer account balance to reflect the cost, retain the
history record, and move and store the print job package to the
history record in the database. Optionally, the print job may
continue to be stored by the job management server for a
predetermined time period, such as seven days, one month or until
deleted by the user. Also, if a request from a print station is
received indicating that the print job failed, the job management
may continue to keep the print job package active in the system for
future printing.
[0051] In some embodiments, the system may include a print station
parameter monitoring system. Referring to FIG. 4, the system may
monitor 80 parameters for the print station such as toner level,
paper level, paper jam, power failure and other aspects that may
indicate that service is or will be required. If the parameter is
found to be within a service level, the print station monitoring
system may notify 82 a remote monitoring system that service is
required. For example, if the paper level is below fifty percent,
the remote system may be advised to dispatch a technician to refill
the paper soon. The specific levels may vary by print station, and
in some embodiments the print station monitoring system will adjust
84 the service conditions based on actual usage of the kiosk. Also
optionally, alert levels may escalate 86 after hitting various
parameters, such as "paper 50% empty," "paper 60% empty," "paper
70% empty" and so on.
[0052] The disclosed embodiments relate to methods and systems for
remote printing which operates within a communications network
environment, such as the Internet. In some embodiments, users may
use both the user computer and the print station to access the job
management server via a website or websites. The print station's
website may serve as a marketing and customer service site, and it
may also direct prospective customers who are interested in using
the print station system to the account management setup process.
In the account management setup process, new customers may be
guided through one or several new account data entry screens or
forms, and upon successful account setup they may be provided with
installation services or software in order for the print station's
print driver to be installed on the customer's local computer such
as a laptop or another type of portable computing device.
[0053] Prior to printing from a print station, first time users may
need to establish a valid account. The account setup process may
include, among other things, entering a valid credit card,
establishing a positive account balance in the system and
downloading or installing the print station's print driver on the
user's computing device.
[0054] When the user creates an account, the user may be prompted
to provide any or all of the following information: user's name,
company, address, telephone number, fax number, email address,
and/or the type of account desired (i.e., business or personal).
After the user provides the appropriate information, the system may
create a unique account number and password for the user. An
account record for the user may also be created and stored in the
system's database. Other information about the user may be
requested during this new account set-up process. For example, such
information may be related to the user's form of payment, i.e.
credit card or debit card. For instance, if the user wishes to pay
for the printing services with a credit card, the system may
request the user's credit card billing name and/or company name,
user's personal credit card number or company's credit card number,
the credit card security code, and or the billing address of the
credit card owner. The system may also create an account balance
form that may display the customer's usage profiles and the amount
to be charged on the customer's credit card for the printing
services. In addition, for security the system may require
biometric information from the user, such as a fingerprint or
retina scan, which may then be used to verify user access of print
stations. A photograph of the user may also be gathered to allow
for visual verification of the user at the print station.
[0055] Before providing the user with the option to download and
install the print station's print driver onto the user's computer,
the system may need to validate the customer's credit card
information or other billing information with the credit card
company, bank or other financial institution. If the customer's
financial information is validated, the customer may continue to
the next step by downloading and installing the print driver. The
customer may also download the customer's unique identity file
which may contain customer's information. If, due to some technical
problem, the print driver fails to be downloaded and installed onto
the customer's computer, a message may be sent to the job
management server indicating the status of the download and
installation. A dialog box indicating this failure may be displayed
on the customer's computer, and the customer may be directed to a
website, phone service or other system for technical support and
subsequent print driver download.
[0056] In order for the customer to pay for the printing services,
the system may require authorization of payment from the customer.
If authorization fails due to customer account problems, the system
may send an email to the customer indicating that a problem has
been encountered and requesting the customer to visit a website,
phone service or other system to rectify the problem by providing
certain information such as updating the account with the proper
credit card information or providing a new credit card. If
authorization is successful, the balance will be charged on the
customer's credit card, and the customer's account balance form
will be updated accordingly. After an account is set-up, the system
may send an email to the customer confirming successful account
setup along with the customer's account number and the amount
charged to the customer's credit card. The system may send another
email to customer with the customer's private password to the print
station account.
[0057] It will be appreciated that variations of the above
disclosure and other features and functions, or alternatives
thereof, may be desirably combined into many other different
systems or applications. Also, various presently unforeseen or
unanticipated alternative, modifications, variations or
improvements therein may be subsequently made by those skilled in
the art which are also intended to be encompassed by the following
claims.
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