Mobile Print Server Remote Job Tracking via Email
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems are unable to effectively track the status of remote rendering jobs submitted from outside a traditional centralized office environment in networked rendering devices.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that utilizes a mobile print server to transmit rendering jobs with address information, providing tracking email messages with action links, allowing users to track job status without additional software on mobile devices, leveraging existing mobile print technologies for remote and mobile workforces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If prior art approaches using output management applications and print agents are used to track rendering job status, then tracking functionality is provided within traditional centralized office environments, but the system is unable to track remote rendering jobs submitted from outside the traditional centralized office
Solution Approach 1:
The mobile print server is designed to handle multiple functions: receiving rendering jobs from mobile communication devices, transmitting them to rendering devices, generating tracking email messages, and processing action links. This multi-functional approach allows the same system to serve both traditional office environments and remote mobile environments without requiring separate specialized systems, thereby improving adaptability while managing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a mobile print server as an intermediary component between mobile communication devices and rendering devices. This intermediary receives jobs from mobile devices, manages the transmission to rendering devices, and handles tracking communications. By placing this intermediary layer, the system can track remote jobs without requiring direct integration between mobile devices and the existing print management infrastructure, thus improving versatility while containing complexity within the intermediary component.
2Adaptability or versatility
If tracking functionality is extended to remote mobile environments, then adaptability to mobile workforces is improved, but additional software requirements on mobile devices would increase device complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The system allows mobile devices to submit rendering jobs and receive tracking information using existing standard email functionality. The mobile print server automatically generates and sends tracking email messages with action links to the mobile device. This self-service approach enables remote job tracking without requiring additional specialized software on the mobile device - the device simply uses its existing email client to send jobs and receive tracking updates, thereby improving adaptability while avoiding increased software complexity on mobile devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The solution leverages the universal email functionality already present on mobile communication devices to achieve job submission and tracking. By using the existing email capability for both job submission and status tracking, the system extends print management to mobile environments without adding new software requirements, thus improving versatility while maintaining simplicity on the mobile device side.
3Ease of operation
If email-based tracking with action links is implemented, then ease of operation for remote job monitoring is improved, but the system must process additional communication protocols
Solution Approach 1:
The mobile print server acts as an intermediary that handles all complex communication protocol processing. It receives rendering jobs from mobile devices via email, transmits them to rendering devices, generates tracking email messages, and processes action link responses. By concentrating all protocol handling in this intermediary component, the system improves ease of operation for end users while containing the complexity of protocol management within the server infrastructure rather than requiring complex client-side implementations.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for tracking a remote rendering job status within a network. A rendering job in association with address information of a desired rendering device can be transmitted to a mobile print server via a print job submission tool. A tracking email message including one or more action links with respect to the rendering job can be presented to a user in order to track the status of the rendering job. A command can be transmitted back to the mobile print server via an email message by accessing the action link provided in association with the tracking email message. Such an approach provides an effective print governance solution in a wide range of remote rendering applications.