Imaging documents with media bundled and used in packaging materials
AssigneeLexmark International, Inc.
InventorsKEVIN DEAN SCHOEDINGER, EDWARD LYNN TRIPLETT, SCOTT ALLAN KENDALL
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A business method includes imaging documents with an imaging device placed at a location. Media usage is monitored over a cellular network. Upon the media reaching a predetermined level, workers provide additional media. Workers exist in the “gig” economy and have preplaced media. No longer do users change or swap media in media trays. Packaging materials bundle the media. For use, only a portion of the packaging materials is opened thereby revealing an end of the media. Both the packaging materials and the exposed media are inserted into a reusable media shell in a manner making the media available for picking by the imaging device. Other embodiments are envisioned.
Claims20
A business method for imaging documents with an imaging device having a reusable media shell, comprising:
- placing the imaging device at a location;
- delivering media to the location, the media being bundled in packaging materials;
- opening only a portion of the packaging materials but not an entirety thereby keeping most of the packaging materials about the media but revealing an end of the media;
- and
- inserting into the shell both the opened packaging materials and the media, the end of the media being made available for picking by the imaging device.
A business method of imaging documents with an imaging device having a reusable media shell, comprising:
- placing the imaging device at a location;
- monitoring over a cellular network media usage in the imaging device;
- and
- upon the media usage reaching a predetermined level, dispatching a worker to deliver additional media for use in the imaging device, the media being bundled in packaging materials, whereby the worker opens only a portion of the packaging materials but not an entirety thereby revealing the media and inserts into the shell both the opened packaging materials and media.
A business method of imaging documents with an imaging device having a reusable media shell, comprising:
- placing the imaging device at a location;
- configuring the imaging device to receive imaging requests from users upon the users making a payment for the imaging requests;
- splitting the payment between a first entity associated with the location and a second entity owning or renting the imaging device;
- monitoring in the imaging device over a cellular network media usage associated with the imaging requests;
- upon the media usage reaching a predetermined level, dispatching a worker to deliver additional media for use in the imaging device, the media being bundled in packaging materials;
- the worker opening a portion of the packaging materials but not an entirety thereby revealing the media, whereby the worker inserts into the shell both the opened packaging materials and media;
- monitoring in the imaging device over the cellular network toner level in the imaging device;
- and
- upon the toner level reaching a predetermined low, dispatching the worker to collect an entirety of the imaging device from the location and replace the imaging device with a second imaging device having a toner level above the predetermined low.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.