# US 8,751,411 B2 · System and method for determining a billing structure for documents based on color estimations in an image path > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,751,411 B2 - Document ID: US8751411B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 12/246,956 - Filed: 2008-10-07 - Published: 2010-04-08 - Granted: 2014-06-10 - Earliest claimed: 2008-10-07 - Assignees: Xerox Corporation - Applicants: Ramesh Nagarajan; Xing Lin - Inventors: Ramesh Nagarajan; Xing Lin - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8751411B2 ## CPC - G06Q 30/04: Billing or invoicing - G06Q 10/0875: Itemisation or classification of parts, supplies or services, e.g. bill of materials - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR ## Abstract Disclosed herein is a method and system for determining a billing structure for outputting documents using an image processing apparatus. If image data of the document includes color pixels, a billing structure is determined based on an estimated total color pixel count. The color pixels of the image data are counted in a device independent space and the total color pixel count of the image data to be output in a device dependent space is estimated. Based on the estimation, a billing structure is chosen. Processing and determining a billing structure based on image data in the device independent space avoids charging a customer for color print job when only a small amount of color pixels are printed. It also encourages determining charges independently of the marking engine or output device. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A processor-implemented method for determining a billing structure for outputting documents comprising at least one page using an image processing apparatus, the image processing apparatus comprising an image input terminal for inputting documents into image data, at least one processor, and an image output terminal for outputting documents, the method being implemented by the at least one processor, the method comprising: receiving image data of a document via the image input terminal, the image data comprising a plurality of pixels; processing the pixels of the image data into a device dependent space using the at least one processor, the processing including determining whether any color pixels are present in the received image data, and, in response to color pixels being present in the image data: examining the pixels of the image data to determine a pixel count of color pixels in a device independent space; estimating a total color pixel count of the image data to be output in the device dependent space using the determined pixel count; determining a billing structure based on the estimated total color pixel count, and outputting the processed image data of the document in device dependent space using the image output terminal. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) A method according to claim 1, further comprising estimating an amount of toner/ink consumption for outputting the image data of the document based on the estimated total color pixel count. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) A method according to claim 2, wherein the estimated amount of toner/ink consumption is determined using a Look Up Table. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) A method according to claim 3, wherein the Look Up Table is based on an output quality mode selected and a marking resolution for the image processing apparatus. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) A method according to claim 1, wherein the image processing apparatus further comprises a front end processor, and wherein the examination and estimation of the image data in the device independent space is performed using the front end processor of the image processing apparatus. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) A method according to claim 1, further comprising, in response to color pixels not being present in the received image data, determining a billing structure based on black and white pixels of the image data. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) A method according to claim 1, wherein the determined billing structure is based on the estimated total color pixel count comprising an amount equal to or higher than a percentage threshold, the percentage threshold based on a total window size required for the image data to be determined to have color pixels. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) A method according to claim 1, wherein the determined, billing structure is based on a multi-tiered threshold value, the multi-tiered threshold value being determined using accumulated total pixel counts for each color and a total color value. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) A method according to claim 1, wherein a billing cost for outputting the document is calculated based on the determined billing structure. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) A method according to claim 1, further comprising: determining an output pixel count of color pixels in the device dependent space, and determining toner consumption based on the determined output pixel count. ### Claim 11 A computer system for determining a billing structure for outputting documents comprising at least one page using an image processing apparatus, the image processing apparatus comprising an image input terminal for inputting documents and at least one processor for executing stored machine readable instructions, the system comprising: the image input terminal for inputting a document into image data, the image data comprising a plurality of pixels; and the at least one processor for processing the pixels of the image data into a device dependent space, each processor comprising an input and an output, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute stored machine readable instructions to determine an amount of color pixels present in the input image data, and, in response to color pixels being present in the image data: examine the pixels of the image data to determine a pixel count of color pixels in a device independent space; estimate a total color pixel count of the image data to be output in the device dependent space using the determined pixel count; and determine a billing structure based on the estimated total color pixel count. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) A system according to claim 11, further comprising a front end processor, and wherein the examination and the estimation of the image data in the device independent space is performed using the front end processor. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) A system according to claim 11, the system further comprising an image output terminal for marking image data of the document, and wherein the determination of the billing structure is independent of marking the image data using the image output terminal. ### Claim 14 A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored computer executable instructions, wherein the computer executable instructions, when executed by a computer, directs a computer to perform a method for determining a billing structure for outputting documents using an image processing apparatus, the method comprising: receiving image data of the document, the image data comprising a plurality of pixels; processing the pixels of the image data into a device dependent space, the processing including determining whether any color pixels are present in the received image data, and, in response to color pixels being present in the image data: examining the pixels of the image data to determine a pixel count of color pixels in a device independent space; estimating a total color pixel count of the image data to be output in the device dependent space using the determined pixel count; determining a billing structure based on the estimated total color pixel count, and outputting the processed image data of the document in device dependent space. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) A medium according to claim 14, further comprising, in response to color pixels not being present in the received image data, determining a billing structure based on black and white pixels of the image data. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) A medium according to claim 14, wherein the determined color billing structure is based on the estimated total color pixel count comprising an amount equal to or higher than a percentage threshold, the percentage threshold based on a total window size required for the image data to be determined to have color pixels. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) A medium according to claim 14, wherein the determined color billing structure is based on a multi-tiered threshold value, the multi-tiered threshold value being determined using accumulated total pixel counts for each color and a total color value.