Method and apparatus for transmitting image production device-related information to a remote service facility

An image production device, comprising:

• a processor coupled to a memory to maintain image production device-related information, wherein the image production device-related information is selected from a group consisting of at least one of registration information, diagnostic information, account information, copy count information, alert information, fault information, configuration information, and update information;
• a communication interface that facilitates one of email or facsimile transmissions from the image production device;
• and
• a paper user interface generator that generates a printed page by printing images on an image receiving medium substrate in the image production device the paper user interface generator being programmed to:
• upon receiving a request for the image production device-related information automatically causing the processor to read the image production device-related information from the memory,
• cause the processor to encode the image production device-related information read from the memory in the image production device into one or more machine-readable markings, wherein the one or more machine-readable markings may be any one, two, or three-dimensional marking,
• cause the processor to generate a paper user interface by printing the one or more machine-readable markings representing the encoded received image production device-related information on the image receiving media substrate as the printed page in the image production device,
• receive a transmission mode selection, the transmission mode selection being one of an email transmission and a facsimile transmission;
• and
• transmit using the selected transmission mode the paper user interface generated as the printed page with the one or more machine-readable markings representing the encoded received image production device-related information printed thereon using a communication interface at the image production device to the remote service facility.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions for controlling a computing device in an image production device that, when executed by the computing device, cause the image production device to execute steps of a method for providing image production device-related information to a remote service facility, the method comprising:

• maintaining the image production device-related information in a memory at an image production device, wherein the image production device-related information is selected from a group consisting of at least one of registration information, diagnostic information, account information, copy count information, alert information, fault information, configuration information, and update information;
• upon receiving a request for the image production device-related information automatically causing a processor to read the image production device-related information from the memory in the image production device;
• causing the processor to encode the image production device-related information read from the memory in the image production device into one or more machine-readable markings, wherein the one or more machine-readable markings may be any one, two, or three-dimensional marking;
• generating in the image production device a paper user interface by printing the one or more machine-readable markings representing the encoded received image production device-related information on an image receiving media substrate as a printed page generated by the image production device;
• outputting from the image production device the generated printed page that is the paper user interface with the one or more machine-readable markings representing the encoded received image production device-related information printed thereon;
• and
• transmitting to a remote service facility by using a selected transmission mode the paper user interface using a communication interface at the image production device.