Enterprise Cloud Printing Metrics for Cost Attribution
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Solution Overview
Problem
In a home-office environment, enterprises face challenges in monitoring and managing the usage of printers by remote workers, as home printers are not typically connected to corporate device management tools, leading to difficulties in distinguishing between work-related and personal printing costs.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that allows home printers and computers to communicate with an enterprise server over a network, generating and transmitting print job metrics, including file information, user details, and time stamps, to differentiate between work-related and non-work-related printing, enabling accurate cost attribution and reimbursement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If home printers are not connected to corporate device management tools, then home-office workers have printing autonomy and can print locally, but the enterprise cannot monitor or distinguish between work-related and personal printing usage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary component (print monitoring software or gateway device) that sits between the home printer and the enterprise network. This intermediary captures print job metrics and transmits them to the enterprise server, enabling monitoring without requiring direct connection of the printer to corporate management tools, thus preserving printing autonomy while recovering usage information.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the enterprise pays for all printer supplies purchased by home-office workers, then workers have unrestricted access to printing supplies, but the enterprise incurs costs for both work-related and personal printing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where print job metrics (including user identification, timestamp, and job details) are collected and analyzed by the enterprise server. This feedback enables the enterprise to distinguish between work-related and personal printing, allowing for targeted reimbursement or charging policies that maintain printing access flexibility while optimizing supply expenses by paying only for work-related usage.
3Measurement precision
If print job metrics are transmitted to the enterprise server, then the enterprise can accurately attribute printing costs, but additional data transmission and processing infrastructure is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential print job metrics (user identification, timestamp, file information) needed for cost attribution, rather than transmitting complete print job data. This extraction approach achieves accurate cost attribution while minimizing data transmission requirements and reducing the complexity of the transmission and processing infrastructure.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for monitoring usage of a home printer in a home-office system, the home-office system including the home printer and a computer of a user, both of which are communicatively coupled to an enterprise server over a network. The method includes generating a print job to be printed on the home printer; determining print job metrics related to the print job, the print job metrics including file information related to at least one file to be printed as part of the print job; and transmitting the print job metrics to the enterprise server over the network. A print management server analyzes the print job metrics to determine whether the print job was work-related or non-work-related.