Abstract: A job ticket service center includes features to provide security and to control access to a job ticket and related resources. The service center may include programming or servers to authenticate a processor and to authorize the processor to access a particular job ticket. An authentication server receives authentication information from a processor and an authorization server uses the information to check authorization functionality. The authorization or access rights of the processor may be carried as a part of the job ticket. Using these features, the service center may provide trusted authentication information about the processor to the authorization server, and the authorization server then performs its authority check functions. The job ticket maybe signed with an industry standard public key encryption message digest (MD) signature, and may be protected by a public key encryption system.

Abstract: A system for web based imaging comprising: at least one graphic store for storing a plurality of different graphics; a group composition store for storing a plurality of compositions, with each different composition referencing at least one graphic in a graphic store that is external to the group composition store and including data to place the referenced graphic within the composition; and a plurality of different user profiles, each for a different imaging client, with each user profile including a reference to the group composition store.

Abstract: In a web based imaging environment, a user accesses a destination service representing a printer having manual duplex printing capability, and selects a manual duplex option. If the selected printer is unfamiliar to the destination service, it guides the user through a training process describing the paper input path of the printer. The destination service prints an image on a page, asks the user to reload the page in a certain orientation and prints an image on the page again. The user provides feedback about the orientations of the printed images, which the destination service uses to formulate instructions to later guide the user through manual duplex printing using the selected printer. In a variation, the destination service stores the manual duplex instructions formulated for various printers, thus avoiding the need to retrain.

Abstract: A printing system that includes a personal computer, a primary printer and an alternate printer is described. The primary printer and the alternate printer each include an embedded Web Server. The primary printer can serve a first program to the personal computer upon request. The first program enables the computer to use the primary printer to print a document. In addition, the first program enables the computer to display a hyperlink referring to a second program if the primary printer fails to successfully print the document. The second program enables the computer to print the document using the alternate printer.

Abstract: A program product, method and system including machine readable code for accessing compositions, comprising: code for providing access to a plurality of user profiles, with each different user profile including a reference to a different composition store and a different graphics store; and code for selecting one of the plurality of user profiles. In one embodiment, the plurality of user profiles include an internal user profile including a reference to an internal composition store inside a firewall and a reference to a default internal graphic store inside the firewall; and an external user profile including a reference to an external composition store outside the firewall and a reference to a default external graphic store outside the firewall.

Abstract: Printer drivers in printer clients which have internal clocks take time/date data from the clock of the printer client and append that data to each transmission of a print job to a connected printer. The printer's processor extracts that time/date data from the print job transmission and uses that time or automatically set or adjust the time kept by a clock circuit internal to the printer. In this way, the printer's clock circuit consistently provides accurate time/date data that can be used to more efficiently manage the operation of the printer.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention include a toner cartridge for the printing of MICR characters that includes a memory device that is programmed with the requisite font for MICR characters. The font is accessible for the printing of MICR characters when the toner cartridge is installed in a printer. In a further embodiment, the memory device on the toner cartridge may also contain a data flag indicating that a print job must print at least one symbol in the MICR font. Corresponding printer firmware may then determine if this flag is present, and, if present, will prevent the printing of print jobs that do not include at least one character to be printed in the MICR font. This prevents MICR toner from being wasted on documents that do not require MICR toner, such as normal office correspondence.

Abstract: A method, system and program product for printer processing comprising the steps of: receiving a print designation to print a document; constructing an ordering of graphics; selecting a graphic to send to a printer; getting graphic data for the selected graphic; and sending the graphic data for printer processing.

Abstract: In a web-based imaging environment, a user accesses a destination service (e.g., representing a printer), which retrieves user's imaging data and configures available production options for a processing job. The user selects desired production options, after which the destination service estimates the time duration required to process the user's job based on the selected options. The user selects an option indicating whether subsequent copies of a current job can be interrupted. If so, a subsequent user can interrupt either manually or via the destination service, delivering a status message to the first user. The interrupted job is stored and is resumed intact after the interrupting job has processed. Subsequent output copies can be delivered into the original output tray, or can be separated in other ways. In some embodiments, if the currently processing job includes multiple output copies, then it is allowed to complete the current copy before being interrupted.

Abstract: A method and apparatus select a peripheral for use with a computer. The method comprises the following steps: identifying a network switch to which the computer is connected; determining all peripherals connected to the network switch; and choosing one of the determined peripherals according to a predetermined criteria. According to the predetermined criteria, if the number of predetermined peripherals is one, then the predetermined peripheral is chosen; if the number of predetermined peripherals is more than a predetermined number, then none of the predetermined peripherals is chosen; if the number of predetermined peripherals is less than a predetermined number, then one of the predetermined peripherals is chosen. Optionally, the method also reads a connection table in the network switch. The apparatus comprises a network switch identification module, a peripheral determination agent and a peripheral selection logic.

Abstract: Specialized encoded media are detected when inserted into the multipurpose paper input tray of the printer. Each specialized media is displayed in a list of available media provided by the web-based imaging service. Graphics representing each of the specialized media are downloaded e.g., from a site on the Internet accessed through information encoded on the specialized media, and are displayed to provide a preview of the user's image data superimposed in register on an image of the specialized media. In a variation, the multipurpose tray includes an integral bar code scanner that automatically identifies the specialized media. Among other variations, the multipurpose tray uses the motion of insertion to scan the specialized media, and inks “visible” only through infrared scanning mechanisms are encoded on the media.

Abstract: This invention relates to a Web-based imaging system that provides a print preview. Such systems of this type, generally, allow the user to preview the print job prior to printing of the print job. In particular, if the media to be printed upon is non-white, the system will provide the user with a view of how the print job will look on the non-white media.

Abstract: A method, system and program product for operating a web imaging system for use with a browser on an imaging client, comprising the steps of: receiving a request from external web content for a reference to a resource; translating the request to an imaging client specific command; creating an opaque reference that is mapped to the imaging client specific command; and providing this opaque reference to the web content, without supplying a reference to the resource or the imaging client specific command to the web content.

Abstract: The present invention provides an improved for providing a history list of existing imaging compositions having links to imaging data that is serviced as a single unit that can be later retrieved by the user associated with the history list. The present invention includes a history list of existing imaging compositions, which has links to imaging data that are serviced as a single unit. The present invention further includes a personal imaging repository having a composition store for storing the history list and the existing imaging compositions, and it acts as an exchange infrastructure between the imaging data and available web services on the Internet. The composition store of the personal imaging repository also maintains the history list.

Abstract: An original receipt is created for a document on a server. The receipt is copied from the server to a print job agent. The print job agent requests a page of the document from the server. The server provides the requested page to the print job agent then updates the original receipt to indicate the requested page has been provided to the print job agent. The print job agent communicates the requested page to an output device. The output device prints the page. When the output device has finished printing the page, the output device confirms to the print job agent that the page has been successfully printed. Once the print job agent receives confirmation from the output device that the page has been printed, the print job agent updates the copy of the receipt to indicate that the page has been printed.

Abstract: A method, system, and program product for printer processing comprising the steps of: receiving a print designation to print a document that comprises a set of canvases; constructing a canvas order from the set of canvases; getting graphics data in the canvas order; and sending the graphics data in canvas order for printer processing.

Abstract: A method of apprising a user of print job status includes assessing what portion of a print job has been processed, displaying a status of the print job reflecting the portion of the print job that has been processed, iterating assessing and displaying until assessing determines that the print job has been entirely processed and terminating the print job when assessing determines that the print job has been entirely processed.

Abstract: A method for use in printing a print job from an application program on a printer. The printer has associated job settings which include a private portion containing a printer-specific job setting. The method includes providing a program interface configured to enable the application program to access the printer-specific job setting. The method also typically includes, from the application program, sending a command to the program interface to perform an operation related to the printer-specific job setting, and performing the operation related to the printer-specific job setting.

Abstract: In a web-based imaging environment, a user selects the duplex printing option and elects to print. A destination service representing a printer then retrieves in order and prints the first sides of the user's image data, then issues a request to reload the copies. The destination service displays in the user's browser instructions specific to the selected printer for manually reloading the copies in a proper orientation for second side printing using the selected printer. After reloading, the user indicates that the pages have been reloaded, and the second sides of user's image data are retrieved in order and printed onto the non-printed surfaces opposite the first sides. In some variations, the printer provides status displays that first (second) sides are printing and/or indicates when the job is complete. Embodiments provide means of performing manual duplex printing by interacting with a printer through platform independent web-based imaging.

Abstract: A memory integrated into a removable cartridge for an image forming device is formatted to store a state variable reflecting a state of a printing component. A method embodiment includes reading the state variable. An image enhancement technique, selected according to the state variable, is implemented. In another embodiment, the memory contains technique selection criteria. The technique selection criteria is processed with the state variable to select a template set identifying one or more image enhancement techniques.