Pre-paid document processing devices and operating methods

US8542376B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Xerox Corporation · US

Inventors

• Charles Robert Carlson · Beaverton, US
• James Patrick VanWinkle · West Linn, US
• Paul Ronald Herman · West Linn, US
• Shanti Villarreal · Wilsonville, US
• Brent R. Jones · Sherwood, US
• Ashok Murthy · Lexington, US
• Sara Kleiman · Portland, US
• Mark Simon Boyt · Virginia Water, GB

Key dates

• Filing date: Jan 29, 2010
• Grant date: Sep 24, 2013
• Expiry date: Jan 24, 2032

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G06Q40/12
• WIPO field: IT methods for management
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

Document processing devices and methods are presented, in which the device stores a remaining print unit value in its memory that represents the amount of print units currently available to enable the device to perform the document processing operations, and a programmable computer of the device selectively performs document processing jobs for users and decrements the remaining print unit value until the value reaches zero and the device provides for expenditure of print units according to color content and/or coverage levels determined for a given job.