IP Library › Granted Patent US 7,451,117

Granted Patent B2

US 7,451,117 · App. 10/952,290 · Granted Nov 11, 2008

System and method for digital payment of document processing services

Assignees: Toshiba Corporation; Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha

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Quick Facts

Patent No.: US 7,451,117
App. No.: 10/952,290
Granted: Nov 11, 2008
Kind: B2

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USPTO Patent Center↗ Full Patent PDF↗

Abstract

This invention is directed to a system and method for the digital payment of document processing services. More particularly, this invention is directed to a system and method which uses a pre-paid or digital payment mechanism to charge for document processing services.

Claims (88)

1. A system for digital payment of document processing services comprising:

means for opening a wireless data communication link between a portable document data device and an associated financial institution;

means for communicating identification data from the portable document data device to the associated financial institution;

means for selecting a payment method from a plurality thereof;

means for selecting a credit amount representative of a desired digital credit to be associated with the portable document data device for future document processing operations to be performed therewith;

means for receiving encoded digital credit data, which digital credit data includes data representative of the selected credit amount, into a data storage associated with a device driver disposed on the portable document data device upon approval of the selected credit amount from the associated financial institution rendered in accordance with the selected credit amount and the identification data;

means for receiving the digital credit data inclusive of certificate data representative of authenticity of the encoded digital credit data;

means for placing the portable document data device in data communication with an associated document processing service, which document processing service includes at least one of copying, printing, facsimile transmission, scanning, storage, and distribution;

means for opening at least one electronic document in an application running on the portable document data device;

means for receiving data representative of at least one selected document processing service to be performed on a selected, electronic document;

means for enabling the driver from within the application in accordance with a selected document processing service;

means for selectively communicating the digital credit data from the portable document data device to the document processing service via the driver;

means for selectively communicating the communicating the electronic document data from the portable document data device to the document processing service via the driver;

means for receiving final cost data corresponding to a cost associated with completion of the at least one selected document processing service on the electronic document data as determined by an analysis of the communicated electronic document data after communication thereof;

means for receiving authorization data for completion of the at least one selected document processing service in accordance with received final cost data and communicated digital credit data;

means for processing the at least one selected document processing service on the electronic document data in accordance with received authorization data;

means for generating debit data corresponding to a cost associated with processing of the electronic document data;

means for communicating the debit data to the portable document data device; and

means for decrementing the value of the encoded digital credit data in accordance with debit data.

2. The system for digital payment of document processing services of claim 1 , further comprising means for selectively communicating the debit data with an associated financial system.

3. The system for digital payment of document processing services of claim 2 , wherein the device driver of the portable document data device is a print driver to which the digital credit data is appended.

4. The system for digital payment of document processing services of claim 1 , wherein data representative of a desired document processing operation is communicated from the portable document data device to the document processing service.

5. A method for digital payment of document processing services comprising:

opening a wireless data communication link between a portable document data device and an associated financial institution;

communicating identification data from the portable document data device to the associated financial institution;

selecting a payment method from a plurality thereof;

selecting a credit amount representative of a desired digital credit to be associated with the portable document data device for future document processing operations to be performed therewith;

receiving encoded digital credit data, which digital credit data includes data representative of the selected credit amount, into a data storage associated with a device driver disposed on the portable document data device upon approval of the selected credit amount from the associated financial institution rendered in accordance with the selected credit amount and the identification data;

receiving the digital credit data inclusive of certificate data representative of authenticity of the encoded digital credit data;

placing the portable document data device in data communication with an associated document processing service, which document processing service includes at least one of copying, printing, facsimile transmission, scanning, storage, and distribution;

opening at least one electronic document in an application running on the portable document data device;

receiving data representative of at least one selected document processing service to be performed on a selected, electronic document;

enabling the driver from within the application in accordance with a selected document processing service;

selectively communicating the digital credit data from the portable document data device to the document processing service via the driver;

selectively communicating the electronic document data from the portable document data device to the document processing service via the driver;

receiving final cost data corresponding to a cost associated with completion of the at least one selected document processing service on the electronic document data as determined by an analysis of the communicated electronic document data after communication thereof;

receiving authorization data for completion of the at least one selected document processing service in accordance with received final cost data and communicated digital credit data;

processing the at least one selected document processing service on the electronic document data in accordance with received authorization data;

generating debit data corresponding to a cost associated with processing of the electronic document data;

communicating the debit data to the portable document data device; and

decrementing the value of the encoded digital credit data in accordance with debit data.

6. The method for digital payment of document processing services of claim 5 , further comprising the step of selectively communicating the debit data with an associated financial system.

7. The method for digital payment of document processing services of claim 6 , wherein the device driver of the portable document data device is a print driver to which the digital credit data is appended.

8. The method for digital payment of document processing services of claim 5 , wherein data representative of a desired document processing operation is communicated from the mobile document data device to the document processing service.

9. A computer-readable medium of instructions with computer readable instructions stored thereon for digital payment of document processing services comprising:

instructions for opening a wireless data communication link between a portable document data device and an associated financial institution;

instructions for communicating identification data from the portable document data device to the associated financial institution;

instructions for selecting a payment method from a plurality thereof;

instructions for selecting a credit amount representative of a desired digital credit to be associated with the portable document data device for future document processing operations to be performed therewith;

instructions for receiving encoded digital credit data, which digital credit data includes data representative of the selected credit amount, into a data storage associated with a device driver on the portable document data device upon approval of the selected credit amount from the associated financial institution rendered in accordance with the selected credit amount and the identification data;

instructions for receiving the digital credit data inclusive of certificate data representative of authenticity of the encoded digital credit data;

instructions for placing the portable document data device in data communication with an associated document processing service, which document processing service includes at least one of copying, printing, facsimile transmission, scanning, storage, and distribution;

instructions for opening at least one electronic document in an application running on the portable document data device;

instructions for receiving data representative of at least one selected document processing service to be performed on a selected, electronic document;

instructions for enabling the driver from within the application in accordance with a selected document processing service;

instructions for selectively communicating the digital credit data from the portable document data device to the document processing service via the driver;

instructions for selectively communicating electronic document data from the portable document data device to the document processing service via the driver;

instructions for receiving final cost data corresponding to a cost associated with completion of the at least one selected document processing service on the electronic document data as determined by an analysis of the communicated electronic document data after communication thereof;

instructions for receiving authorization data for completion of the at least one selected document processing service in accordance with received final cost data and communicated digital credit data;

instructions for processing the at least one selected document processing service on the electronic document data in accordance with received authorization data;

instructions for generating debit data corresponding to a cost associated with processing of the electronic document data;

instructions for communicating the debit data to the portable document data device; and

instructions for decrementing the value of the encoded digital credit data in accordance with debit data.

10. The computer-readable medium of instructions with computer-readable instructions stored thereon for digital payment of document processing services of claim 9 , further comprising instructions for selectively communicating the debit data with an associated financial system.

11. The computer-readable medium of instructions with computer-readable instructions stored thereon for digital payment of document processing services of claim 10 , wherein the device driver of the portable document data device is a print driver to which the digital credit data is appended.

12. The computer readable medium of instructions with computer-readable instructions stored thereon for digital payment of document processing services of claim 9 , wherein data representative of a desired document processing operation is communicated from the mobile document data device to the document processing service.

13. A computer-implemented method for digital payment of document processing services comprising:

opening a wireless data communication link between a portable document data device and an associated financial institution;

communicating identification data from the portable document data device to the associated financial institution;

selecting a payment method from a plurality thereof;

selecting a credit amount representative of a desired digital credit to be associated with the portable document data device for future document processing operations to be performed therewith;

receiving encoded digital credit data, which digital credit data includes data representative of the selected credit amount, into a data storage of an associated mobile document data device upon approval of the selected credit amount from the associated financial institution rendered in accordance with the selected credit amount and the identification data;