Patent ID: 8310695

Claim:
A system for accounting for a print job comprising: at least one print device having at least one database; and at least one server having at least one database; wherein the at least one print device and the at least one server communicate via a network; at least one of said at least one print device and said at least one server having means for dynamically updating accounting information for the print job, the means for dynamically updating in operative communication with the at least one print device and with the at least one server via the network, the accounting information residing in at least one of the at least one database of the at least one print device and the at least one database of the at least one server, wherein the system integrates discrete, mutually exclusive accounting mechanisms comprising at least one of authentication using said print device or using an external accounting system server, authorization of funds and services available according to said authentication, and image counting into a single, dynamically selectable accounting mode system having the at least one dynamically updatable database of the at least one print device and/or the at least one server, wherein the at least one print device communicates with the at least one server via the network via at least one of the at least one print device and the at least one server dynamically creating a user account stored in at least one user account database.