Electrophotography – Remote monitoring
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-11
2001-09-04
Lee, Susan S. Y. (Department: 2852)
Electrophotography
Remote monitoring
C399S012000, C399S024000, C399S027000, C399S081000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06285835
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention generally relates to printing devices with memory and, more particularly, to printing devices utilizing memory to display marketing information to the user.
BACKGROUND
In a free market economy, where consumer markets are driven by competition between providers of goods, a provider wishing to compete for consumer business must make potential customers aware of the advantages and benefits of the provider's product. Such a provider must rely on effective marketing campaigns to educate potential customers about the product.
Designing an effective marketing campaign is necessarily limited by the means of the provider to fund advertising. Since virtually all providers have limited funds available for advertising, it is important to employ an advertising strategy that is efficient as well as effective.
Identifying consumers of similar products who might use the provider's product (the relevant market) and delivering a message about the product to as many such consumers as possible is the goal of an advertising campaign. Indirect marketing techniques—such as television commercials and magazine advertisements—are methods through which a provider delivers one advertising message that may reach many potential customers. While indirect marketing is common, the most efficient delivery of an advertising message is through direct marketing. With direct marketing, the provider delivers one advertising message for each identified potential customer that the provider plans to reach. This makes the most efficient use of the provider's funds spent on advertising
For example, when a provider pays for a television commercial to advertise his product, he cannot definitively know how many likely consumers of his product he will reach with the advertisement. While the provider may rely on statistics to determine how many people receive the message, it is impossible for the provider to know how many people receiving the message are within the relevant market and how many are not. Direct marketing has the advantage that the provider can be assured that all the money being spent on advertising is going to delivering the message to the consumers who are likely to be in the relevant market.
Manufacturers of printing devices such as printers, fax machines, copiers, etc., and replacement parts for such devices face the same marketing problems as any other provider in a competitive market. However, such manufacturers have a slight advantage in that, when a sale of such a device is made, replaceable component will inevitably be required for the device, such as toner cartridges, drums, etc. In addition, the devices may require service at some time or another. These events may be utilized to trigger marketing messages directed to the owner of the printing device.
SUMMARY
Many printing devices are equipped with an electronic memory. This memory can be utilized by a manufacturer of such a printing device to provide a consumer message to a user of the printing device. Thus, the manufacturer of the printing device is afforded an excellent opportunity to reach every customer directly, thereby greatly increasing the likelihood of retaining the customer's future business. The consumer message may be related to accessories and replacement parts for the printing device, to services available for the printing device, or to other printing devices marketed by the manufacturer.
The present invention contemplates a printing system that provides consumer messaging to printing device users by storing user message data in memory located in the printing device. User messages are displayed to the user based on the occurrence of a predetermined and/or user-determined trigger event. The user message is designed to be displayed to the user when a trigger event occurs. For example, a user message may be printed on a test page whenever the printing device prints a test page for examination by the user. In a laser printer, the user message may be displayed when a replaceable component such as a toner cartridge is initially installed into the printing device and a test page is printed to ensure the functionality of the parts that were replaced. The test page may be designed to include a marketing message directed to the printing device user.
The user message data from which a user message is derived may comprise the complete electronic representation of the message. Alternatively, the user message data may comprise a pointer that identifies one of various messages that are stored in memory external to the cartridge, such as in a host computer connected to the printing device.
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Lalande, John; “Cut Printers' Consuming Costs”;Smart Computing in Plain English; vol. 10, Issue 6; Jun. 1999.
Guillemin Gustavo M.
Wiechers Alejandro
Hewlett--Packard Company
Lee Susan S. Y.
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