Apparatus and method for metering, monitoring and providing real time enterprise printing information
US8879091B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 14, 2007 |
| Grant date | Nov 4, 2014 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 4, 2032 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06Q10/06
- WIPO fieldIT methods for management
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
The invention relate to an apparatus and a method for monitoring all printers in an enterprise. The method includes for each transaction, authenticating a customer associated with the enterprise and obtaining a session ticket. The method also includes executing a printer list fetcher for downloading a list of in-service printer and print scan load frequency for each location with in the enterprise and executing a scheduler for implementing different categories of scans. The method further includes executing a network scan on a computer network to obtain information for all printers attached to the computer network, executing a local scan on each computer that is attached to a non-network printer to obtain information for all non-network printers in the enterprise and executing a port scan to obtain information for all non-cataloged printers. The method also includes compiling all scanned information, obtained from executing the network scan, the local scan and the port scan, in a file and dispatching the file to an external server and using the file in the external server to provide printer status information and usages for each printer in the enterprise.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.