Abstract: A VUSB over NFC mobile printing method and system. In an exemplary arrangement, an imaging device has a network connection with an application server and an NFC interface for connecting with a client device. When a mobile user places his or her client device in proximity with the NFC interface, an NFC connection is established between the client device and the imaging device and the imaging device intermediates between the client device and the application server using a VUSB protocol to enable the user to select and upload from the client device to the imaging device a document file that the user wishes to print, after which the imaging device facilitates printing the document file in accordance with user preferences.

Abstract: A more holistic approach to batch job processing simplifies batch job creation, improves user understanding of batch job status and prevents unwanted batch job printing outcomes. In the approach, before printing any print element (e.g. file, document) in a batch job that includes supported print elements and unsupported print elements, a support status indication is outputted for each of the print elements and the user is required to input a group print instruction before the approach proceeds to print the supported print elements. The approach in some embodiments also allows the user to input a group cancel instruction instructing to cancel the batch job without printing any of the print elements and allows the user to input a change instruction requesting modification of one or more unsupported print elements in an attempt to convert them into supported print elements.

Abstract: A method and system for augmenting an imaging device with non-native job settings without unduly complicating the processing of imaging jobs that utilize only native job settings is disclosed. In one aspect, an imaging device comprises a processor, a user interface communicatively coupled with the processor and a network interface communicatively coupled with the processor, wherein under control of the processor in response to job settings selected on the user interface for an imaging job the imaging device selectively invokes via the network interface an external process to process the imaging job per at least one selected job setting based on a determination of whether at least one selected job setting is non-native to the imaging device.

Abstract: A method and system for follow-me scanning in a shared resource environment improves image scanning in a shared resource environment in part by decoupling the act of generating a scanned image from the act of identifying a destination for the scanned image. In accordance with the teachings of the invention, a user scans an image on a shared scanner device without identifying a destination for the scanned image. When the user later wants to use the scanned image, the user specifies a destination for the scanned image and the scanned image is sent to the destination. A user can thus without giving any consideration to a destination for a scanned image create the scanned image on an arbitrary scanner device and, at a later time, recover the scanned image using an arbitrary client device.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for managing network-connected devices in peak power periods. The method establishes a network of connected devices, identifying a first device in the network as an off-peak device, and a second device as a peak device. If a peak power warning signal is detected, the off-peak device is disabled, but not the peak device. Any job destined for the off-peak device from a source device is relayed to the peak device and processed by the peak device. If the job destined for the off-peak device is a job format associated with the off-peak device, relaying the job to the peak device may further include the operation of converting the job to a job format associated with the peak device. In one aspect, a destination change message is sent to the source device, indicating the location of the peak device processing the job.

Abstract: A method for controlling power usage on a device is described. A job is received at a device. The job is classified as an on-demand job or as a non-on-demand job. The job is placed on an on-demand job queue if the job is an on-demand job. The job is placed on a non-on-demand job queue if the job is a non-on-demand job. The on-demand job queue is processed. The non-on-demand job queue is processed only during an off-peak period.

Abstract: A method for reusing data in an imaging device is described. An imaging job is received at an imaging device. The imaging job includes file system information and a document in a first format. It is determined whether the document has been previously processed by the imaging device. The document is processed if it was determined that the document had not been previously processed by the imaging device. The processing provides a processed document in a second format. The processed document is saved if it was determined that the document had not been previously processed by the imaging device. A previously saved processed document is reused that corresponds to the document if it was determined that the document had been previously processed by the imaging device.

Abstract: A method and system for displaying for selection format-independent and format-specific imaging options for direct imaging. The method and system determines the type of imaging device that is to image an object file. It then determines and displays the format-independent imaging options supported by the imaging device, based on the type of imaging device. It determines the format of the object file. It then displays the imaging options supported by the printer that are specific to the format of the object file, based on the type of imaging device and the format of the object file. The method and system are particularly useful for direct imaging to a printer.

Abstract: Systems and methods for composition printing of a document that contains mixed printer-native formats are described. Each individual page may contain mixed native formats, and no print-time preprocessing is required on a host device external to the printing device. Instead, a printing device may be capable of taking as input both image-formatted data and PDL data. Proprietary tags in the image file are used to store the textual/PDL data. The image file with the embedded PDL data may be sent directly to the printer without preprocessing on the host. Any embedded PDL sequences are extracted and sent to the corresponding PDL interpreter. The image data is sent to the image interpreter. Another process then combines the processed data by overlaying the page fragment from the embedded PDL data onto the page surface generated from the image data. The new composed page is then output to the output engine.

Abstract: A printing system operates multiple different printing pipeline stages that together convert raster formatted print data or image formatted print data into a printer swath. The raster formatted print data or image formatted print data is received at the different printing pipeline stages according to the print data's level of rasterization. This allows the rasterization stages that have already been performed on the print data to be skipped. In another aspect of the printing system, the controller identifies job or page settings in the raster or image print data and uses the identified job setting in the different pipeline stages to rasterize the print data.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention comprise systems and methods for printing at one or more remote printing devices.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided that use a controlling application for a multifunction peripheral (MFP) that is external to the MFP and need not be preinstalled on the network or pre-registered with the MFP. The controlling application may be on a mobile device that is communicatively coupled with the MFP or a system or network of the MFP via a wireless connection. The controlling application may be downloaded from the mobile device or a data source to a service hosting service communicatively coupled to the network. The controlling application is then operative from the user interface of the mobile device. This permits a user to control the MFP from the mobile device and receive by-products of actions taken by the MFP at the mobile device.

Abstract: A method for providing access control and accounting information for one or more services is described. A service request is received from a device. A service to execute the service request is selected. A determination is made whether the device is authorized to access the selected service. The accounting information associated with executing the service request using the selected service is calculated.

Abstract: A method and system that facilitate recovery of lost printouts in shared print environments. The method and system enable an owner who believes that his or her lost printout may have been inadvertently taken from a shared imaging node to alert other users of the shared imaging node who are most likely to have taken the lost printout. More particularly, the method and system generate and transmit a lost printout alert to users whose printouts were output by the shared printer close in sequence to the lost printout.

Abstract: In accordance with a method for configuring notification messages about electronic device conditions, at least one recipient that is associated with a condition of an electronic device may be determined. A notification message may be created. The notification message may include a condition identifier and authorization information. The condition identifier may identify the condition, and the authorization information may indicate whether the at least one recipient is authorized to respond to the condition and what response actions the at least one recipient is authorized to perform. The notification message may be sent to the at least one recipient.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention comprise systems and methods for third-party administrative control of remote imaging jobs and imaging devices. In some embodiments, administrative controls may be used in conjunction with the remote user interface features to restrict access to the imaging device by remote user devices, remote user interface applications, and/or walkup users. In other embodiments, a server may provide a discovery process for imaging devices coupled thereto and may maintain a central repository for device capabilities information. The server may further emulate remote user interface capabilities for those imaging devices that do not directly support such features. In still other embodiments, a monitor process may be spawned to monitor status of the imaging device and jobs thereon and to control the state of job processing on the imaging device.

Abstract: A scan description language (SDL) system and method are provided for managing a scan job. The method comprises: scanning a document at a scanning device; constructing a scan job using SDL commands; partially performing the scan job at the scanning device in response to the SDL commands; and, partially performing the scan job at a node connected to the scanning device in response to the SDL commands. The scan job can be constructed at a scanning device front panel, a connected web page, or a client connected to the scanning device. Likewise, the scan job can be initiated from a front panel of the scanning device, a connected client, or a connected web page. Further, the scan job may be partially performed a locally connected client, a network-connected client, a network-connected server, a locally connected server, another scanning device, or a telephone network-connected client.

Abstract: Expedited administrative processing of a pay-for-print job addressing content that was the subject of a previous imaging job is realized through anticipatory generation and storage of print cost data for the content attendant to processing the previous imaging job. Anticipatory generation and storage of print cost data permits highly accurate print cost estimation without incurring a penalty in terms of delayed price quotations or delayed verification of funds for the pay-for-print job.

Abstract: The present invention improves the economy of repetitively printing Web pages by automatically storing and recalling persistent “per URL” print settings. An exemplary method comprises the steps of receiving from a user a first request to print a web page, selecting by the user print settings for the first request, persistently storing as default print settings for the web page in association with at least a portion of a URL of the web page the print settings selected for the first request, receiving from the user a second request to print the web page and retrieving the default print settings using at least a portion of the URL.

Abstract: Email pay-for-print system that affords users greater flexibility and transparency in billing. In one aspect, the invention comprises at least one mobile computing node, at least one printing node and a server node communicatively coupled with the mobile computing node and the printing node, wherein the server node receives via email a print job from the mobile computing node, transmits to the mobile computing node in response to the print job an email quotation for the print job comprising price information determined based at least in part on a cost analysis of the print job and, after receiving from the mobile computing node an acceptance of the quotation, transmits the print job to the printing node for outputting.