Patent ID: 7130070

Claim:
An asynchronous print tracking system on a computer network including a plurality of client computers and a server, the asynchronous print tracking system for recouping costs for performance of a print job at a first time, comprising: a message queue module on the server, wherein said message queue is formatted to comprise a plurality of records, and wherein each of the records comprise data pertaining to a plurality of print jobs submitted from the plurality of client computers; an unbilled print alert module resident on at least one of the plurality of client computers for automatically generating a message of unbilled print cost data on the corresponding client computer when cost recoupment data is required by the server from the corresponding client computer at a later second time temporally independent from or not synchronous the first time when the print job was performed; and a workstation monitor module resident on the one of the plurality of client computers on which the unbilled print alert module is resident and in communication across the network with said message queue module and with said unbilled print alert module, wherein said workstation monitor module comprises means for transmitting a message to said unbilled print alert module if said message queue module contains a record pertaining to a print job submitted from the corresponding client computer.