CENTRALIZED CONTROLLED PRINTING AND ADMINISTRATION
Cross Reference to Related Applications
This present invention comprises an improvement in or modification of the Indian Patent Application No. 68/CHE/2009 titled “Centralized Printing and Administration in a set up of Networked Devices” filed on January 10, 2009 at the Indian Patent Office.
Field of the Disclosure: -
The present disclosure relates to printing of documents in a distributed network and more particularly, but not limited to, centralized and controlled printing and administration of documents in a distributed network.
Background: -
A typical computer network comprises of a number of shared resources, most prevalent among which are printers. Computer users on the network use printers to take physical prints of official documents, e-mails and personal documents. Being shared resources, printers often have a number of jobs lined in a queue.
Print management systems currently available in the field provide generic mechanism for accessing and controlling a printer, as well as managing printer resources and other related information from local as well as remote locations. However, these systems though provide many features also tend to slow down due to a large no. of user requests in a distributed environment. This results in wastage to time and available resources.
Summary: -
Embodiments of the present disclosure refer to centralized controlled printing and administration of documents. An embodiment of the present disclosure refers to a network system for centralized controlled printing and administration of documents
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comprising at least one user interface configured to enable a user to input print commands and printing preferences, at least one Print Center Driver coupled to the at least one user interface configured to receive print commands and render information based on the print commands and print preferences, at least one Print Center Server coupled to the at least one Print Center Driver configured to control and optimize execution of the print commands and printing preferences and multiple Print Center Devices coupled to the at least one Print Center Server configured to deliver output on execution of the print commands.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the Print Center Driver is configured to forward documents directly to Print Center Devices at a remote location.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the Print Center Server is configured to store print commands received, executed and cancelled.
According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the Print Center Server is configured to allow access to documents by a user for activities such as printing and downloading.
According to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the Print Center Server is configured to calculate and provide Return on Investment (ROI) for execution of each print command. The ROI is provided in financial as well as environmental terms such as energy saved, trees saved, money saved and greenhouse gases reduced.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure, the Print Center Server is configured to store documents which are commonly referred to by a user.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure, the Print Center Server is configured to alert a user of status of a print command through SMS and/or emails.
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Yet another embodiment of the present disclosure refers to a network system for centralized controlled printing and administration of documents comprising at least one user interface configured to enable a user to input print commands and printing preferences, at least one Print Center Driver coupled to the at least one user interface configured to receive print commands and render information based on the print commands and print preferences, at least one Print Center Panel comprising a print center application coupled to the at least one Print Center Driver configured to allow access of documents by a user, at least one Print Center Server coupled to the at least one Print Center Panel configured to control and optimize execution of the print commands and printing preferences and multiple Print Center Devices coupled to the at least one Print Center Server configured to deliver output on execution of the print commands.
An embodiment of the present disclosure refers to a printing system for centralized controlled printing and administration of documents comprising at least one user interface configured to enable a user to input print commands and printing preferences, at least one Print Center Driver coupled to the at least one user interface configured to receive print commands and render information based on the print commands and print preferences, at least one Print Center Server coupled to the at least one Print Center Driver configured to control and optimize execution of the print commands and printing preferences and multiple Print Center Devices coupled to the at least one Print Center Server configured to deliver output on execution of the print commands.
Another embodiment of the present disclosure refers to a method for centralized controlled printing and administration of documents receiving a print command and printing preferences through a user interface, rendering information corresponding to the print command, controlling and optimizing execution of the print command and the printing preferences and delivering output on execution of the print command.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, rendering information corresponding to the print command further comprises forwarding documents directly to Print Center Devices at a remote location.
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According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, controlling and optimizing execution of the print command and printing preferences comprises storing print commands received, executed and cancelled, calculating and providing Return on Investment (ROI) for execution of each print command, storing documents commonly referred to by a user and alerting a user of status of a print command through SMS and/or emails. ROI is provided in financial as well as environmental terms such as energy saved, trees saved, money saved and greenhouse gases reduced.
Embodiments of the present disclosure ensure effective failover handling to avoid any loss of commands. Further, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide an intelligent print job pool management that automatically balances load on the system resulting in higher availability and fast speed of operation.
Brief Description of Drawings: -
The detailed description is described with reference to the accompanying figures. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. The same numbers are used throughout the drawings to reference like features and components.
Figure 1 illustrates a block diagram representation of a centralized controlled printing and administration system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Figure 2 illustrates a block diagram representation of a centralized controlled printing and administration system according to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure.
Figure 3 illustrates a flow diagram representation of a method for centralized controlled printing and administration according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
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Detailed Description: -
The following discussion provides a brief, general description of a suitable computing environment in which various embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented. The aspects and embodiments are described in the general context of computer executable mechanisms such as routines executed by a general purpose computer e.g. a server or personal computer. The embodiments described herein can be practiced with other system configurations, including Internet appliances, hand held devices, multi-processor systems, microprocessor based or programmable consumer electronics, network PCs, mini computers, mainframe computers and the like. The embodiments can be embodied in a special purpose computer or data processor that is specifically programmed configured or constructed to perform one or more of the computer executable mechanisms explained in detail below.
Exemplary embodiments now will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey its scope to those skilled in the art. The terminology used in the detailed description of the particular exemplary embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings is not intended to be limiting. In the drawings, like numbers refer to like elements.
The specification may refer to “an”, “one” or “some” embodiment(s) in several locations. This does not necessarily imply that each such reference is to the same embodiment(s), or that the feature only applies to a single embodiment. Single features of different embodiments may also be combined to provide other embodiments.
As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless expressly stated otherwise. It will be further understood
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that the terms “includes”, “comprises”, “including” and/or “comprising” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “connected” or “coupled” to another element, it can be directly connected or coupled to the other element or intervening elements may be present. Furthermore, “connected” or “coupled” as used herein may include wirelessly connected or coupled. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations and arrangements of one or more of the associated listed items.
Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.
The figures depict a simplified structure only showing some elements and functional entities, all being logical units whose implementation may differ from what is shown. The connections shown are logical connections; the actual physical connections may be different. It is apparent to a person skilled in the art that the structure may also comprise other functions and structures. It should be appreciated that the functions, structures, elements and the protocols used in communication are irrelevant to the present disclosure. Therefore, they need not be discussed in more detail here.
Also, all logical units described and depicted in the figures include the software and/or hardware components required for the unit to function. Further, each unit may comprise within itself one or more components which are implicitly understood. These components may be operatively coupled to each other and be configured to communicate with each other to perform the function of the said unit.
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Figure 1 illustrates a block diagram representation of a centralized controlled printing and administration system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Users 101 input print commands as well as printing preferences through a user interface 102. The user interface 102 then directs the command to a Print Center Driver 103 coupled to the user interface. The Print Center Driver 103 is configured to receive print commands and render information based on the print commands and print preferences. The Print Center Driver 103 is coupled to at least one Print Center Server 104 which is configured to control and optimize execution of the print commands and printing preferences. Multiple Print Center Devices 105a, 105b and 105c are coupled to the at least one Print Center Server 104 configured to deliver output on execution of the print commands.
Another embodiment of the present disclosure relating to a Print Center Panel comprising a Print Center Panel application is illustrated in Figure 2. At least one user interface 202 configured to enable users 201 to input print commands and printing preferences is coupled to at least one Print Center Driver 203 which is configured to receive print commands and render information based on the print commands and print preferences. The Print Center Driver 203 is coupled to at least one Print Center Panel 204 comprising a print center application 204a which is configured to allow access of documents by a user. A Print Center Server 205 is coupled to the Print Center Panel 204 wherein the Print Center Server is configured to control and optimize execution of the print commands and printing preferences and multiple Print Center Devices 206a, 206b and 206c are coupled to the Print Center Server 205 to deliver output on execution of the print commands.
According to embodiment described under Figure 1, a user can directly print documents using commands such as print now without having to log into the print center panel while in the embodiment described in Figure 2, a user is required to log into the system to print documents. Further, embodiments of the present disclosure enable a user to select printing options such as print now, print and hold, print for other users and print after approval where print now does not require any login while print and hold refers to printing of a document at some particular time specified by the user and its pickup later. Print for other user refers to printing for users that may
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be located at another location, remote or otherwise. In case of print after approval, the document to be printed is sent to the approving authority where only after approval, the document is printed.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the Print Center Driver is downloaded through a URL and does not require any special installation.
A user is equipped to configure scheduled printing in a system wherein the user specifies the time limit ranging from a few seconds to certain minutes to hours, for later execution of print commands. Such print commands are stored in the Print Center Server via the Print Center Driver which at the scheduled time of execution of the print command executes the same at the desired Print Center Device. For example, a user specifies that a print command is to be given at the printer on the first floor of the building at 7:00am next morning, the Print Center Server stores the information and next morning at 7:00am, the print command is automatically sent to the specified printer and the document is printed. The user can also modify these settings, if required, at any point of time.
According to the embodiment, the Print Center Driver is also configured to forward documents directly to Multiple Print Center Devices at a remote location. As an example, a user in New Delhi can request for a print to be taken directly at a printer located in Mumbai. This is made possible by the Print Center Driver which in conjunction with the Print Center Server directs the print command for printing print ready documents to a remote location directly.
According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the Print Center Driver is configured to set job tags wherein a user is enabled to tag and label each document that is to be printed. The tags and labels are intended to sort and organize the printed documents due to which categorization and searching is easier. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the tags and labels of each printed document are stored at a Web Client on the network and are made available at the Print Center Panel where after searching by a user for a particular document or details of previously printed documents is easier.
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Yet another embodiment of the present disclosure refers to a Print Center Driver configured to optimize the print setting so as to lower the printing cost. It presents the user with cost effective solutions such as selection of least cost printer, duplex printing, multiple pages per sheet printing and printing color documents in Black and White. A user is also enabled to view the exact number of pages in color in a document which is to be printed. Further, certain policies are stored on the Print Center Server such as color suppression policy which are enforced by way of the Print Center Driver. Therefore, if documents such as emails and web pages are to be printed, the prints are automatically taken in Black and white unless especially specified if color printouts are required. According to another document, color suppression policy is enforced on a particular user’s account wherein the user is not allowed color printouts of any document.
Embodiments of the present disclosure provide users with flexibility to configure the kind of notifications generated for various printing commands using Notification Policy stored in the Print Center Server.
An embodiment of the present disclosure automatically lists all Printer Center Drivers installed on the system so that a user can easily select and add required printers for management through the embodiment of the present disclosure. The Printer Center Drivers are further configured to automatically list all groups and users from Light Weight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) compatible user directory such as Active Directory.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the Print Center Server is configured to calculate and provide Return on Investment (ROI) for execution of each print command wherein the Return on Investment (ROI) is provided in financial as well as environmental terms such as money saved on lower paper wastage, trees saved, energy saved and greenhouse gases reduced.
According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the Print Center Server is configured to provide Group Heads of functionality in an establishment to
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configure and display various reports on Printer Dashboard. The Print Center Server is further configurable by a manager to receive periodic mails to Group Heads with details of the Printer Dashboard.
Yet another embodiment of the present disclosure illustrates the Print Center Server configured to alert a user of status of a print command through SMS and/or emails. For example, on completion of scheduled print job, the Print Center Server forwards an SMS alert to the user. According to another example of the embodiment, the Print Center Server forwards an SMS to the user on successful forwarding or receiving of a print ready document to or from a remote location. According to yet another example of the embodiment, an SMS is forwarded to the user on receiving approval or rejection from the approving authority.
According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the Print Center Server is configured to store documents which are commonly referred to by a user. As an example of the embodiment of the present disclosure, a typical banking scenario requires various bank forms and paper documents like account opening forms and cash deposit receipts to be printed in bulk and distributed at various locations and branches. However, such documents change dynamically as their format and codes keep changing. Therefore, a lot of resource wastage, such as paper wastage, takes place as new documents replace old documents which are discarded. Also, while filling in of details, there is a lot of paper wastage as the wrong data is filled in by the user and therefore, the document has to be discarded. Therefore, in accordance with the present embodiment the Print Center Server stores the common documents referred to by a customer such as credit card application, debit card application, deposit slips and withdrawal slips, making the printed documents available to users at nearest bank branches and bank ATMs by way of usual login into their personal account. Forms for account opening are available by way of direct printing itself and does not require any login details.
According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, for an already existing customer, our system can automatically fill in the personal details of the user in the form like customer name, customer address, account no. etc. The user can fill in the
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remaining details in the forms online itself to ensure that wrong details have not been filled and only on correct details being filled, a print of the form is made available. Therefore, wastage of paper as well as time is avoided. Also, its time and energy saving for the customer as he has to feed in the minimum details on his own.
An embodiment of the present disclosure is configured to handle failover and direct the particular print command to another Print Center Device ensuring smooth running of operations in case of system crashes.
Embodiments of the method for centralized controlled printing and administration of documents in a distributed network according to the present disclosure are described in Figure 3. The method is illustrated as a collection of blocks in a logical flow graph, which represents a sequence of operations that can be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination thereof. The order in which the process is described is not intended to be construed as a limitation, and any number of the described blocks can be combined in any order to implement the process, or an alternate process.
Figure 3 refers to a method for centralized controlled printing and administration in a distributed network according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The embodiment comprises receiving a print command through user interface 301, rendering information corresponding to the print command 302, controlling and optimizing execution of the print command and the printing preferences 303 and delivering output on execution of the print command 304.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, rendering information corresponding to the print command further comprises forwarding documents directly to Print Center Devices at a remote location.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, controlling and optimizing execution of the print command and printing preferences comprises storing print commands received, executed and cancelled, calculating and providing Return on Investment (ROI) for execution of each print command, storing documents commonly referred to by a user and alerting a user of status of a print command through SMS and/or emails. ROI is provided in financial as well as environmental
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terms such as money saved on lower paper wastage, energy saved, trees saved, and greenhouse gases reduced.
Embodiments of the present disclosure encompass an intelligent print job pool management that automatically balances print load to multiple servers resulting in high system availability and fast speed of operation.
As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art, the present invention may be embodied as a method, system, or computer program product. Accordingly, the present invention may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, a software embodiment or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects all generally referred to herein as a "circuit" or "module." Furthermore, the present invention may take the form of a computer program product on a computer-usable storage medium having computer-usable program code embodied in the medium.
Furthermore, the present invention was described in part above with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention.
It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer- readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instruction
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means which implement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
The flowchart and schematic diagrams of Figures 1-3 illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operations of some embodiments of methods, systems, and computer program products for centralized and controlled printing and administration. In this regard, each block may represent a module, segment, or portion of code, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be noted that in other implementations, the function(s) noted in the blocks may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending on the functionality involved.
In the drawings and specification, there have been disclosed exemplary embodiments of the invention. Although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined by the following claims
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We claim: -
1. A network system for centralized Controlled printing and administration of documents comprising: -
a. at least one user interface configured to enable a user to input print commands and printing preferences;
b. at least one Print Center Driver coupled to the at least one user interface configured to receive print commands and render information based on the print commands and print Preferences;
c. at least one Print Center Server coupled to the at least one Print
Center Driver configured to control and optimize execution of the print commands and printing preferences ; and
d. multiple Print Center Devices coupled to the at least one Print Center Server configured to deliver output on execution of the print commands.

2. A network system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the Print Center Driver is configured to forward documents directly to Print Center Devices at a remote location.

3. A network system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the Print Center Server is configured to store print commands received, executed and cancelled.

4. A network system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the Print Center Server is configured to allow access to documents by a user for activities such as printing and download.

5. A network system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the Print Center Server is configured to calculate and provide Return on Investment (ROI) for execution of each print command.

6. A network system as claimed in claim 5 wherein Return on Investment is provided in financial as well as environmental terms such as energy saved, trees saved, money saved and greenhouse gases reduced.

7. A network system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the Print Center Server is configured to store documents which are commonly referred to by a user.

8. A network system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the Print Center Server is configured to alert a user of status of a print command through SMS and/or emails.

9. A network system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the Print Center Server is configured to handle failover and direct the particular print command to another Print Center Device.

10. A network system for centralized controlled printing and administration of documents comprising: -
a. at least one user interface configured to enable a user to input print commands and printing preferences;
b. at least one Print Center Driver coupled to the at least one user interface configured to receive print commands and render information
based on the print commands and print preferences;
c. at least one Print Center Panel Comprising a print center application coupled to the at least one Print Center Driver configured to allow access of documents by a user;
d. at least one Print Center Server coupled to the at least one Print
Center Panel configured to control and optimize execution of the print commands and printing preferences ; and
e. multiple Print Center Devices coupled to the at least one Print Center Server configured to deliver output on execution of the print commands.

11. A printing system for centralized controlled printing and administration of
documents comprising: -
a. at least one user interface configured to enable a user to input print commands and printing preferences;
b. at least one Print Center Driver coupled to the at least one user interface configured to receive print commands and render information
based on the print commands and print Preferences;
c. at least one Print Center Server coupled to the at least one Print Center Driver configured to control and optimize execution of the print commands and printing preferences ; and
d. multiple Print Center Devices coupled to the at least one Print Center Server configured to deliver output on execution of the print commands.

12. A printing system as claimed in claim 11 wherein the Print Center Driver is configured to forward documents directly to Print Center Devices at a remote location.

13. A printing system as claimed in claim 11 wherein the Print Center Server is configured to store print commands received, executed and cancelled.

14. A printing system as claimed in claim 11 wherein the Print Center Server is configured to allow access to documents by a user for activities such as printing and download.

15. A printing system as claimed in claim 11 wherein the Print Center Server is configured to calculate and provide Return on Investment (ROI) for execution of each print command.

16. A printing system as claimed in claim 15 wherein Return on Investment is provided in financial as well as environmental terms such as energy saved, trees saved, money saved and greenhouse gases reduced.

17. A printing system as claimed in claim 11 wherein the Print Center Server is configured to store documents which are commonly referred to by a user.

18. A printing system as claimed in claim 11 wherein the Print Center Server is configured to alert a user of status of a print command through SMS and/or emails.

19. A printing system as claimed in claim 11 wherein the Print Center Server is configured to handle failover and direct the particular print command to another Print Center Device.

20. A printing system for centralized controlled printing and administration of documents comprising: -
a. at least one user interface configured to enable a user to input print commands and printing preferences;
b. at least one Print Center Driver coupled to the at least one user interface configured to receive print commands and render information
based on the print commands and print preferences;
c. at least one Print Center Panel comprising a print center application coupled to the at least one Print Center Driver configured to allow access of documents by a user;
d. at least one Print Center Server coupled to the at least one Print Center Panel configured to control and optimize execution of the print commands and printing preferences ; and
e. multiple Print Center Devices coupled to the at least one Print Center Server configured to deliver output on execution of the print
commands.

21. A method for centralized controlled printing and administration of documents comprising: -
a. receiving a print command and printing preferences through a user interface;
b. rendering information corresponding to the print command;
c. controlling and optimizing execution of the print command and the printing preferences; and
d. delivering output on execution of the print command.

22. A method as claimed in claim 21 wherein rendering information corresponding to the print command further comprises: -
a. forwarding documents directly to Print Center Devices at a remote location.

23. A method as claimed in claim 21 wherein controlling and optimizing execution of the print command and printing preferences comprises: -
a. storing print commands received, executed and cancelled;
b. calculating and providing Return on Investment (ROI) for execution of each print command;
c. storing documents commonly referred to by a user; and
d. alerting a user of status of a print command through SMS and/or emails.

24. A method as claimed in claim 23 wherein Return on Investment is provided in financial as well as environmental terms such as energy saved, trees saved, money saved and greenhouse gases reduced.