Patent ID: 6784973
Filing Date: 2004-08-31
Classification: G06Q

Abstract:
A quality assurance system for retail photofinishing, comprising:a) a communication network; b) a retail photofinishing site including photofinishing equipment, a client computer connected to the communication network, and a process monitoring device connected to the computer; c) a computer located at a service center and connected to the communication network; d) client software running on the client computer, including: i) a quality management and reporting application for providing quality information to a manager of the photofinishing site, ii) an operator training and testing application for training and certifying an operator of the retail site and providing testing, training, and certification related data to the service center computer and the quality management application, iii) a quality evaluation application for monitoring the quality of the product and services provided by the photofinishing site and providing quality related data to the service center computer and the quality management application, iv) a process control application for monitoring the condition of the photofinishing equipment at the site and providing process control data to the service center computer and to the quality management application, and v) a customer feedback application for collecting customer feedback, managing follow-up by the retail site manager, and providing customer feedback data to the service center computer and the quality management application; and e) service center software running on the service center computer, including: i) an application for collecting, storing, and analyzing data from a plurality of photofinishing sites and producing a report on the quality of products and services provided by the sites, and wherein the operator testing and training application includes a color vision test and an operator training and testing module.