Printing system, printing device, and non-volatile storage device storing printing processing program

Abstract

A printing system (1) is provided in which a printing task from an external device is sent to a data processing server and settled without providing a large-capacity memory in the printing device. In the printing system (1), a multifunction peripheral (200) receives a printing task sent from a PC terminal (500) and sends the printing task to a data processing server (100). The data processing server (100) sequentially stores the received printing tasks in a data storage area (125). The multifunction peripheral (200) further accepts designation of a desired printing task as a printing target via an operation unit (250) and sends a printing request for the designated printing task to the data processing server (100). The data processing server (100) sends a settlement approval indicating that settlement of the fee has been approved, and sends the printing task stored in the data storage area (125) to the multifunction peripheral (200). The multifunction peripheral (200) then performs printing based on the sent printing task.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a printing system, a printing device, and a printing processing program for performing printing based on a print job received from an external device. Background Art

[0002] In the past, a document printing system has been known, such as that described in Patent Document 1, in which printing data received from an external electronic device is stored in an MFP (Multi-Functional Peripheral), the printing data selected by the user is sent from the MFP to a computer and a price is calculated, and the MFP prints the data after settlement.

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-118406

[0006] Technical problem to be solved by the invention

[0007] The document printing system described in Patent Document 1 accumulates print data in an MFP, waits for a user's selection, and then transmits the selected print data to a computer for settlement. Summary of the Invention

[0008] An object of the present invention is to provide a printing system, a printing device, and a printing processing program that can transmit a print job from an external device to a data processing server and perform settlement, thereby performing printing without providing a large-capacity memory in the printing device.

[0009] Technical means for solving technical problems

[0010] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention comprises: a printing device and a data processing server, wherein the printing device comprises: a printing unit, which prints on a printed medium; an operating unit; and a first control unit, wherein the data processing server comprises: a server memory; and a second control unit, wherein the first control unit performs a print task acquisition process and a first print task sending process, wherein the print task acquisition process acquires a print task sent from an external device, and the first print task sending process sends the print task to the data processing server when the print task is acquired in the print task acquisition process, and the second control unit performs a first print task receiving process and a print task storage process, wherein the first print task receiving process receives the print task sent in the first print task sending process, and the print task storage process stores at least one of the print tasks received in the first print task receiving process in the server memory in order, The first control unit also executes designated acceptance processing and printing request sending processing, wherein the designated acceptance processing accepts the designation of a desired printing task as a printing object via the operating unit, and the printing request sending processing sends the printing request of the printing task specified in the designated acceptance processing to the data processing server. The second control unit also executes a second printing task sending processing, and the second printing task sending processing sends the printing task stored in the server memory to the printing device based on the sending of settlement approval. The settlement approval refers to the approval of the settlement of the cost of executing the printing task. The first control unit also executes a second printing task receiving processing and printing processing, wherein the second printing task receiving processing receives the printing task sent in the second printing task sending processing, and the printing processing controls the printing unit to perform printing based on the printing task received in the second printing task receiving processing.

[0011] A printing system according to the present invention includes a printing device having a first control unit and a data processing server having a second control unit.

[0012] When an external device sends a print job, the print job is acquired in the print job acquisition process executed by the first control unit, then sent to the data processing server in the first print job sending process, and then received in the first print job reception process executed by the second control unit. The received print job is stored in the server memory of the data processing server in the print job storage process executed by the second control unit.

[0013] Subsequently, when the user specifies a desired print job via the operation unit, the designation is accepted in the designation acceptance process executed by the first control unit, and a print request for the print job corresponding to the designation is transmitted to the data processing server in the print request transmission process. When the user understands the charges associated with the print request, a settlement approval is transmitted approving the payment of the charges.

[0014] Accordingly, in the second print job sending process executed by the second control unit, one print job related to the print request among the print jobs sequentially stored in the server memory as described above is sent to the printing device. After the sent print job is received in the second print job receiving process executed by the first control unit, it is printed by the printing unit in the printing process.

[0015] As described above, in the present invention, when a printing device receives a print job from an external device, the print job is sent to and stored by the data processing server before the user specifies the print job. In this state, settlement is performed for the user-specified print job. As a result, even if the printing device lacks large-capacity memory, it can still send print jobs from external devices to the data processing server, settle the payment, and perform printing.

[0016] Effects of the Invention

[0017] According to the present invention, it is possible to transmit a print job from an external device to a data processing server and perform settlement, thereby performing printing, without providing a large-capacity memory in the printing apparatus. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 This is a functional block diagram showing the overall schematic configuration of a printing system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 2 This is a flowchart showing the sequence of processing executed by a PC terminal, a mobile terminal, a multifunction device, a data processing server, and a transaction server.

[0020] Figure 3 This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a user ID input screen displayed on the display unit of the multifunction peripheral.

[0021] Figure 4 This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a registered job list display screen displayed on the display unit of the multifunction peripheral.

[0022] Figure 5 This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a PIN code input screen displayed on the display unit of the multifunction peripheral.

[0023] Figure 6This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a file information display screen displayed on the display unit of the multifunction peripheral.

[0024] Figure 7 This is a flowchart showing the sequence of processing executed by a PC terminal, a mobile terminal, a multifunction device, a data processing server, and a transaction server.

[0025] Figure 8 This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a payment screen displayed on the display unit of the multifunction peripheral.

[0026] Figure 9 This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an unsettled payment confirmation screen displayed on the display unit of the multifunction peripheral.

[0027] Figure 10 This is a flowchart showing the sequence of processing executed by a PC terminal, a mobile terminal, a multifunction device, a data processing server, and a transaction server. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] Figure 1 This embodiment is a printing system 1 that provides a printing service in which a user as a customer pays a fee to use the printing function of a multifunction peripheral 200 .

[0029] <Outline of Printing System>

[0030] exist Figure 1 In the example, the printing system 1 includes a data processing server 100, a multifunction peripheral 200, a mobile terminal 300, a transaction server 400, and a PC terminal 500. The PC terminal 500 is an example of an external device. The data processing server 100, the multifunction peripheral 200, the mobile terminal 300, the transaction server 400, and the PC terminal 500 are connected to a network NT and can communicate with each other.

[0031] <Data Processing Server>

[0032] The data processing server 100 is a server installed and managed by the manufacturer of the multifunction peripheral 200, for example, and includes a processor 110, a storage device 115, and an interface 190. The processor 110, storage device 115, and interface 190 are connected to each other via a bus 105.

[0033] The storage device 115 includes a volatile storage device 120 and a nonvolatile storage device 130 .

[0034] The volatile storage device 120 is, for example, a DRAM, and includes a job ID storage area 121, a device ID storage area 122, a transaction ID storage area 123, a print settings storage area 124, and a data storage area 125. The data storage area 125 is an example of server memory. The non-volatile storage device 130 is, for example, a hard disk drive or solid-state drive, and includes a program storage area 131 and a price list storage area 132. The storage contents of each are described in detail below.

[0035] The processor 110 is a device that performs data processing, such as a CPU. The processor 110 executes the program stored in the program storage area 131 to perform the following operations including data communication with the mobile terminal 300, the multifunction device 200, and the transaction server 400 connected to the network NT. Figure 2 、 Figure 7 、 Figure 10 The processor 110 is an example of a second control unit.

[0036] The interface 190 is a wired LAN interface or a wireless interface for communicating with other devices, and is connected to the network NT.

[0037] <Transaction Server 400>

[0038] The transaction server 400 is installed in, for example, a company that provides various online services for performing online settlements, and includes a processor, a storage device, and an interface (not shown) for connecting to the network NT.

[0039] <Multifunction printer>

[0040] The multifunction peripheral 200 is owned, for example, by a company that provides the aforementioned printing service. Furthermore, the multifunction peripheral 200 is an example of a printing device. The multifunction peripheral 200 includes a scanner 280, a printer 290, a processor 210, a storage device 215, a display 240, an operating unit 250 operable by a user, and a communication interface 270. The scanner 280, printer 290, processor 210, storage device 215, display 240, operating unit 250 operable by a user, and communication interface 270 are interconnected via a bus 205.

[0041] The storage device 215 includes a volatile storage device 220 and a non-volatile storage device 230. The volatile storage device 220 is, for example, a DRAM and includes a data storage area 222 capable of storing image data. The data storage area 222 is an example of a device memory. The non-volatile storage device 230 is, for example, a flash memory. The non-volatile storage device 230 includes a program storage area 232. The various programs stored in the program storage area 232 are related to the following programs. Figure 2 、 Figure 7 , Figure 10 The printing program of this embodiment related to the execution of the sequential flowchart such as Figure 10 is stored in advance as firmware in the non-volatile storage device 230, for example.

[0042] The processor 210 is a device for data processing, such as a CPU. The processor 210 executes the above-mentioned printing processing program stored in the program storage area 232, and the printing method of the printing system 1 of this embodiment is executed in cooperation with the processor 210. Thus, the processor 210 can cause the printing unit 290 to print an image based on the image data transmitted from the PC terminal 500. In addition, the processor 210 is an example of the first control unit.

[0043] The display unit 240 is, for example, a liquid crystal display. The operation unit 250 is a device for receiving user operations. By operating the operation unit 250, the user can input various instructions to the multifunction device 200. The communication interface 270 is a wired or wireless network interface for communicating with other devices and is connected to the network NT.

[0044] The scanning unit 280 optically reads a document as a reading object using a photoelectric conversion element such as a CCD or CMOS, thereby generating image data representing the read image.

[0045] The printing unit 290 takes out and conveys the paper in the paper tray through a conveyance mechanism (not shown), and prints an image on the conveyed paper in a prescribed manner. Hereinafter, the case of printing by an inkjet method will be described as an example. In addition, the paper is an example of a printing medium.

[0046] <Mobile Terminal>

[0047] The mobile terminal 300 is a mobile terminal such as a smart phone owned by the user in this example, and is connected to the network NT via wireless communication. The mobile terminal 300 includes a processor, a storage device, and an interface (not shown) for connecting to the network NT. In addition, instead of the mobile terminal 300, other information terminals such as a computer or a tablet can be used.

[0048] <PC Terminal>

[0049] The PC terminal 500 is set in the user's office or home in this example, and is connected to the network NT via wireless communication or wired communication. The PC terminal 500 has a processor, a storage device, and an interface (not shown) for connecting to the network NT.

[0050] <Features of the Embodiment>

[0051] In the printing system 1 having the above configuration, the present embodiment is characterized by the processing when the multifunction peripheral 200 receives a print job transmitted from the PC terminal 500 and subsequently transmits the print job to the data processing server 100. This will be described in detail below in order.

[0052] <Processing Flow>

[0053] In this embodiment, by Figure 2 、 Figure 7 、 Figure 10 The following describes the control steps of the processing executed by the processor 210 of the multifunction device 200, the processor 110 of the data processing server 100, the processor of the transaction server 400, the processor of the mobile terminal 300, and the processor of the PC terminal 500. Figure 2 、 Figure 7 、 Figure 10 In the related description, description of each processor is omitted, and “in the processor of the multifunction peripheral 200 ”, “through the processor of the multifunction peripheral 200 ”, etc. are simply described as “in the multifunction peripheral 200 ”, “through the multifunction peripheral 200 ”, etc.

[0054] <Sending and Receiving Print Jobs>

[0055] exist Figure 2 In the example, the user first instructs PC terminal 500 to send a print job containing image data prepared by the user for printing by appropriately operating the operation unit of PC terminal 500 (S11). Simultaneously, the user enters their user ID and a PIN code for securing the print job into PC terminal 500. This operation can be performed, for example, via a printer driver or application installed on the PC terminal.

[0056] In response, the print job, PIN code, and user ID are transmitted from the PC terminal 500 (S13). The transmitted print job, etc., is received and acquired by the multifunction peripheral 200 (S14). The print jobs acquired in S14 are sequentially stored in the data storage area 222. S14 is an example of a print acquisition step, and the processing executed in S14 is an example of print job acquisition processing.

[0057] The multifunction peripheral 200 transmits the print job received in S14, the device ID of the multifunction peripheral 200, and the user ID received in S14 (S33). The user ID is an example of user identification information, and the device ID is an example of apparatus identification information.

[0058] Here, the process from receiving the print job from the PC terminal 500 in S14 to sending the print job to the data processing server 100 in S33 is performed relatively quickly. Specifically, after the storage of the acquired print job in the data storage area 222 is started as described above, and before the storage of the print job in the data storage area 222 is completed, the sending of the print job to the data processing server 100 is started.

[0059] A specific embodiment of this may be, for example, that each time reception of one page of image data included in a print job transmitted from PC terminal 500 is completed, image data corresponding to one page is transmitted to data processing server 100 .

[0060] Alternatively, the image data sequentially acquired from the PC terminal 500 may be sequentially stored in the data storage area 222 , and transmission to the data processing server 100 may be started when the remaining memory capacity of the data storage area 222 becomes equal to or less than a predetermined value.

[0061] Alternatively, a first area and a second area for inputting image data may be provided in the data storage area 222. Then, the image data of the pages acquired from the PC terminal 500 are first inputted into the first area and stored in sequence. When the remaining memory capacity of the first area falls below a predetermined value, the input destination of image data is switched to the second area. Whenever acquisition of a page of image data is completed, the image data for that page is inputted into the second area, and the inputted image data is transmitted directly to the data processing server 100.

[0062] Note that S33 is an example of a print job sending step. The process executed in S33 is an example of a first print job sending process and is also an example of a print job sending process.

[0063] In the data processing server 100, the print job, user ID, and device ID transmitted from the multifunction peripheral 200 are received in S33 (S35). The processing performed in S35 is an example of the first print job acceptance process. Subsequently, the data processing server 100 generates a job ID (S40), associates the print job received in S35 with the generated job ID and the device ID received in S35, and stores the associated print job in the data storage area 135 (S42). The processing performed in S42 is an example of the print job storage process. The job ID is information used to identify the job, in other words, information used to identify the image data.

[0064] Then, in S43, the data processing server 100 calculates the price to be paid by the user when executing the print job received in S35, that is, when printing the image data included in the print job. The processing executed in S43 is an example of price determination processing. This calculation is performed, for example, based on a predetermined price table stored in the price table storage area 132 of the volatile storage device 120. Alternatively, the calculation may be performed taking into account the print settings that were sent from the PC terminal 500 along with the print job when the print job was sent and stored in the print settings storage area 124 of the data processing server 100.

[0065] Subsequently, in S44, the data processing server 100 issues a product ID for executing the service for printing the print job received in S35. Specifically, this product ID is generated uniquely for each print job. Furthermore, this product ID and the corresponding print job's JOBID are examples of job identification information.

[0066] Then, in S45, the print job, the corresponding device ID, the product ID generated in S4, and the price calculated in S43 are associated with each other. As a result, the print job, job ID, and device ID are stored and registered in the data storage area 125, job ID storage area 121, and device ID storage area 122 of the volatile memory device 120, respectively, in association with the price and product ID (S45). Furthermore, these print jobs, job IDs, and device IDs are also stored in association with the user ID received in S35.

[0067] Then, in S47, the data processing server 100 transmits a registration completion notification indicating that the registration in S45 is completed (S47), and the multifunction peripheral 200 receives the registration completion notification (S49).

[0068] Furthermore, each time a print job is transmitted from PC terminal 500 in S11, steps S11 through S49 are executed. Furthermore, each time a print job is received in S35, each print job is sequentially stored and accumulated in data storage area 125. Therefore, the number of print jobs stored in data storage area 125 is not limited to one; multiple print jobs may be stored. Specifically, at least one print job is stored in data storage area 125 in association with its corresponding job ID and device ID.

[0069] After S49, the MFP 200 waits until it receives an instruction to display a list of registered print jobs, described later (S53). While at least one print job is stored in the data storage area 125, if the user appropriately operates the operating unit 250 of the MFP 200 and instructs the data processing server 100 to display a list of registered print jobs, the MFP 200 receives the corresponding display instruction (S51). If the result of S53 is yes, the MFP 200 transmits a request for a list of registered print jobs to the data processing server 100 (S55).

[0070] When the data processing server 100 receives the registered job list request, it creates a registered job list based on the device ID of the requesting multifunction device. The registered job list lists and displays at least one print job that has been stored and registered in the data storage area 125 (S57). Furthermore, the device ID of the multifunction device 200 is sent along with the registered job list request in S55. When creating the registered job list in S57, only the print job corresponding to the sent device ID may be included among the print jobs that have been associated with the device ID and stored in S42.

[0071] The created registered job list is transmitted in S59 and received (S60) by the multifunction peripheral 200. The registered job list is an example of a job list, and the processing executed in S57 and S59 is an example of list transmission processing.

[0072] In the multifunction peripheral 200, when the instruction to display the list of the print jobs is received, the display unit 240 displays the list of the registered jobs in response to the reception of the list of the registered jobs in S60. Figure 3 The user ID input screen 241 is shown. The user ID input screen 241 displays a message M1 stating "Please enter your user ID." and a user ID input field 241a. While the user ID input screen 241 is displayed on the display unit 240, if the user performs an appropriate operation on the operation unit 250 and enters their user ID in the user ID input field 241a (S61), the multifunction peripheral 200 accepts this operation. This acceptance process is an example of user identification information acceptance processing.

[0073] Then, as described above, a registered job list including only the print jobs corresponding to the user ID among the print jobs registered in the data processing server 100 is displayed on the display unit 240 (S63). The processing performed in this S63 is an example of print job display processing. Hereinafter, "inputting by operating the input field displayed on the display unit 240 as described above" will be simply referred to as "inputting to the input field" on the display unit 240. Similarly, "operating, selecting, or designating via the operation unit 250" on the button key or display displayed on the display unit 240 will be simply referred to as "operating a button key" on the display unit 240, "pressing a button key," or "selecting or designating" the content corresponding to the displayed name.

[0074] Furthermore, in the above-described case, after the list of registered tasks related to all users is received from the data processing server 100 in S60, only the portion of the list corresponding to the user ID input in S61 may be selected and displayed on the multifunction peripheral 200. Alternatively, the list of registered tasks corresponding to the user ID may be transmitted from the data processing server 100 and received at the multifunction peripheral 200. Furthermore, if the security of the registered task list is not a concern, the input of the user ID in S61 may be omitted, and the list of registered tasks related to all users may be received in S60 and displayed on the display unit 240 in S63.

[0075] Furthermore, instead of registering a job list, each time the multifunction peripheral 200 receives a print job in S14, the name of the print job and the like are stored, and a list of print jobs in order is created in the multifunction peripheral 200. In this case, the list is not limited to the print job name, and a job ID and the like may be used.

[0076] Figure 4 An example of the registered task list displayed on the display unit 240 as described above is shown. Figure 4 In the example, display unit 240 displays a registered job list display screen 242. This screen displays a message M2 stating, "Registered jobs are shown below. Please select a job to print." It also lists identification information for multiple print jobs associated with the user ID, which in this example is the job file name. This print job identification information is an example of information associated with a print job. In the illustrated example, four print jobs with the file names "document.U-eno.doc," "document.D-tec.doc," "document.B-stars.doc," and "document.A-Mpf.doc" are displayed as candidate print targets, allowing them to be specified.

[0077] When the user specifies a desired print job by selecting the checkbox next to the job's file name while the registered job list display screen 242 is displayed (S65), the multifunction peripheral 200 accepts the specification (S67). While the user can specify only one print job in S65, multiple print jobs may also be specified. Furthermore, if the user knows the job name and job ID used to identify the print job to be printed by another method and can specify the print job without viewing the job ID displayed in a list, for example, steps S53 to S63 may be omitted.

[0078] The above-mentioned S67 is an example of a designation acceptance step, and the processing executed in S67 is an example of a designation acceptance processing.

[0079] When the above-mentioned one print job is designated, the display unit 240 of the multifunction peripheral 200 displays the Figure 5 PIN code input screen 243 is shown. PIN code input screen 243 displays a message M3 stating "Please enter the PIN code for the specified job." A PIN code input field 243a and numeric keys 243b are displayed. The user uses numeric keys 243b to re-enter the PIN code entered in S11 when specifying the print job in S65 into the PIN code input field 243a of PIN code input screen 243 (S69). The multifunction peripheral 200 then accepts the PIN code (S71), confirming the print job designation, and displays detailed file information for the specified print job (S72).

[0080] Figure 6 An example of the file information of the print job displayed on the display unit 240 as described above is shown. Figure 6 In the example, the display unit 240 displays the file information display screen 244, and in this example, the case where the print job of the above-mentioned file name "document.U-eno.doc" is specified is shown as an example. Figure 6 As shown, the document information display screen 244 includes a document information display field 244a, a "return" key 244b, and a "pay and print" key 244c.

[0081] The file information display column 244 a displays the file name “document.U-eno.doc”, the number of pages of the file of the print job, and the price charged for executing the print job as file information.

[0082] The price may be transmitted by the data processing server 100 as part of the job, including the amount calculated in S43, and received by the multifunction peripheral 200. Alternatively, the price may be independently calculated by the processor 210 of the multifunction peripheral 200. When the processor 210 calculates the price, the print job selected in S67 can be calculated using the same method as in S43. In this case, the calculation process executed at this time is an example of price determination processing.

[0083] In addition, the price of each printing job can also be added to the above Figure 4 In the displayed registered job list, the corresponding print job file name is displayed.

[0084] When the user operates the "Pay and Print" key 244c, this operation is the user's final print execution instruction to the multifunction peripheral 200 (S74). In addition, the operation of the key 244c is an example of a prescribed print instruction operation. As a result of this operation, a print request corresponding to the print execution instruction is sent from the multifunction peripheral 200 together with the designation information indicating the designation result of the above-mentioned one print job and the above-mentioned device ID (S75), and is received by the data processing server 100. In this S75, the above-mentioned sending step performed by the multifunction peripheral 200 is an example of a print request sending step, and the sending process is an example of a print request sending process. In addition, the above-mentioned receiving process performed by the data processing server 100 is an example of a print request receiving process.

[0085] Alternatively, when a print execution instruction is received in S74, the price required for executing the print job selected in S67 may be calculated in the same manner as in S43. In this case, the calculation process executed at this time is an example of price determination processing.

[0086] Move to Figure 7 In response to the printing request in S75, in the data processing server 100, the price to be paid by the user is recalculated in S76 based on the designated result of the printing task accepted in S75 and corresponding to the printing service of this time, that is, the printing of the designated printing task. At this time, the price is also calculated based on, for example, a prescribed price list in the same manner as described above. In addition, at this time, for example, based on the type of designated printing task, the number of pages included in the printing task, etc., the above amount may be appropriately discounted, and some benefits may be provided to the user, such as issuing discount coupons or coupons that can be used separately from checkout, granting points / mileage, granting other preferences, etc. In addition, S76 is also an example of a price determination step, and the processing performed in S76 is also an example of a price determination process.

[0087] Then, in S78, the price calculated in S76 and the product ID issued for the specified print job in S44 are associated and registered in the data server 100. In this case, the job ID may be used instead of the product ID.

[0088] Subsequently, in S79, the data processing server 100 performs a settlement reservation process. Specifically, the product ID associated with the designated print job, the user's payment amount calculated in S76, authentication information used for authentication on the transaction server 400, and a ConfirmURL, which is a URL for confirming settlement completion (in this embodiment, the URL of the data processing server 100), are sent to the transaction server 400. This transmission process is an example of price transmission processing.

[0089] In addition, the payment URL for the user to access and pay the fee and the transaction ID related to the payment procedure sent from the transaction server 400 in response to these transmissions are received by the data processing server 100.

[0090] Subsequently, the data processing server 100 associates the payment amount calculated in S76, the transaction ID obtained in S79, and the PaymentURL with the job ID (S81). A barcode, such as a QR code (registered trademark), corresponding to the PaymentURL is generated using a known and appropriate method (S83), and payment data including the QR code (registered trademark) is transmitted to the multifunction peripheral 200 having the corresponding device ID (S85). The payment data transmitted at this time is an example of payment procedure information, and the processing performed in S85 is an example of payment information transmission processing.

[0091] In addition to the QR code (registered trademark), the data required for payment also includes the aforementioned PaymentURL and JOBID, and the multifunction peripheral 200 receives this data (S87). The processing performed in S87 is an example of payment information reception processing. Upon receiving this data, the multifunction peripheral 200 displays a predetermined payment screen on the display unit 240, which displays at least the aforementioned data required for payment, including the QR code (registered trademark) (S89). The processing performed in S89 is an example of payment information display processing.

[0092] Figure 8 This shows an example of the payment screen. Figure 8 The payment screen 249 shown displays a QR code (registered trademark) QC, a message M7 of “Please visit the following URL to make a payment.”, and a URL display field 249a displaying a URL indicating the access address.

[0093] In addition, instead of displaying and outputting the data required for payment, the printing unit 290 may print on paper, that is, print output.

[0094] Here, the MFP 200 receives the following operation (S82): After viewing the payment screen 249 displayed as described above, the user changes their mind and performs an appropriate cancellation operation via the operation unit 250 to cancel the printing service (S80). A corresponding cancellation operation notification is then transmitted from the MFP 200 and received by the data processing server 100. Furthermore, the data processing server 100 transmits a cancellation notification to the transaction server 400 in response to this reception. Upon receiving the notification from the transaction server 400 that the current payment scheduled in S79 has been canceled, the corresponding predetermined cancellation process is executed (S84). Upon completion of the cancellation process, a cancellation completion notification is transmitted to the MFP 200, and the MFP 200 display indicates that the cancellation has been completed on the display unit 240.

[0095] Furthermore, after the payment screen 249 is displayed as described above, if a predetermined time has passed without the user performing any operation, the MFP 200 determines "yes" in step S86 and transmits a timeout notification (S88). Upon receipt of the timeout notification by the data processing server 100, the data processing server 100 confirms the settlement status with the transaction server 400 in response to the receipt. Upon receiving a notification from the transaction server 400 that the reservation in step S79 has not yet been settled, a corresponding unsettled notification is transmitted to the MFP 200. In response to receipt of the unsettled notification, the MFP 200 displays an unsettled confirmation screen (S90).

[0096] Figure 9 This shows an example of the unsettled payment confirmation screen. Figure 9 The unsettled payment confirmation screen 249 shown displays a QR code (registered trademark) QC, a message M8 stating "Payment not yet completed. To cancel, press the 'Cancel' key.", and a 'Cancel' key 248a. In this case, the user mechanically operates the 'Cancel' key 248a, which initiates the processing from S82 onwards and transmits a cancellation completion notification to the multifunction peripheral 200.

[0097] Move to Figure 10On the other hand, if the cancellation operation described above is not performed, the user reads the QR code (registered trademark) QC displayed on the payment screen 249 using the scanner or camera of the mobile terminal 300 before the predetermined time has elapsed (S91). Consequently, a display screen for the PaymentURL (not shown) is displayed on the mobile terminal 300. By accessing the PaymentURL displayed on the PaymentURL display screen, a price display screen including the calculated price is displayed, allowing the user to know the price they should pay for the current printing service.

[0098] Then, the user who has viewed the price performs appropriate operations on the price display screen displayed on the mobile terminal 300. As a result, a payment approval notification is sent from the mobile terminal 300 to the transaction server 400, indicating approval of the settlement process, in other words, approval of the payment of the price (S105).

[0099] After receiving the approval notification, transaction server 400 sends a Confirm URL corresponding to the Payment URL used during the settlement reservation (S79) to mobile terminal 300 (S107). Based on this Confirm URL, mobile terminal 300 sends a settlement completion request, which is received by data processing server 100 (S109). Consequently, data processing server 100 determines yes in S111 and proceeds with settlement completion confirmation (S113). Specifically, the authentication information, product ID, and transaction ID corresponding to the Confirm URL are sent to transaction server 400. Simultaneously, data processing server 100 receives a corresponding return code from transaction server 400.

[0100] After the settlement completion confirmation process described above, a settlement completion notification is transmitted from the data processing server 100 (S115) and received by the multifunction peripheral 200 (S117). The process performed in S115 is an example of the second print job transmission process, S117 is an example of the print job acceptance step, and the process performed in S117 is an example of the print job reception process. Furthermore, among the print jobs received in S35, one print job specified in the job designation information in S75 and whose price has been settled as described above is transmitted from the data processing server 100 (S125) and received by the multifunction peripheral 200 (S126). Subsequently, the print job received in S126 is executed by the printing unit 290 of the multifunction peripheral 200, and printing on paper begins (S127).

[0101] Furthermore, the process is not limited to the above-described steps S125 and S126, where a print job is sent from the data processing server 100, received by the multifunction peripheral 200, and printed at S127. Specifically, the multifunction peripheral 200 may sequentially store the print jobs received at S14, and print the job designated at S65 among these print jobs at S127. S127 is an example of a printing step, and the process executed at S127 is an example of a printing process.

[0102] In the multifunction peripheral 200, when all print job execution is complete and S277 returns a positive result, a print completion notification is sent along with the job identification information in S279. The processing performed in S279 is an example of job identification information transmission processing. Correspondingly, the data processing server 100, upon receiving the print completion notification and job identification information (S281), stores them in the data storage area 125 and deletes the print job corresponding to the received job identification information (S283). The processing performed in S283 is an example of print job deletion processing. This sequence flow chart then ends.

[0103] <Effects of Implementation>

[0104] As described above, the printing system 1 according to this embodiment includes the multifunction peripheral 200 and the data processing server 100 .

[0105] When the PC terminal 500 sends a print job, the print job is acquired by the multifunction peripheral 200 in S14, sent to the data processing server 100 in S33, and received in S35. The received print job is stored in the data storage area 125 of the data processing server 100 in S42.

[0106] Subsequently, when the user designates a desired print job via the operation unit 250, the multifunction peripheral 200 receives the designation at S67 and transmits a print request for the print job corresponding to the designation to the data processing server 100 at S75. When the user understands the charges associated with the print request, the multifunction peripheral 200 transmits a settlement approval to approve the payment of the charges (S105).

[0107] In response to this, in S125, one print job related to the print request among the print jobs sequentially stored in the data storage area 125 as described above is transmitted from the data processing server 100 to the multifunction peripheral 200. After the transmitted print job is received by the multifunction peripheral 200 in S126, it is printed by the printing unit 290 in S127.

[0108] As described above, in this embodiment, when the multifunction peripheral 200 receives a print job from the PC terminal 500, the print job is sent to and stored by the data processing server 100 before the user specifies the print job. In this state, the user-specified print job is settled. As a result, even if the multifunction peripheral 200 does not have a large memory capacity, it can still send the print job from the PC terminal 500 to the data processing server 100, settle the payment, and print.

[0109] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the multifunction peripheral 200 acquires a print job in S14, storage in the data storage area 222 is started first, and before the storage in the data storage area 222 is completed, transmission from the multifunction peripheral 200 to the data processing server 100 is started in S33. This method can reliably reduce the capacity of the data storage area 222 of the multifunction peripheral 200.

[0110] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the data processing server 100 can determine the price of a print job received from the multifunction peripheral 200 as described above. By associating the determined price with the JOBID of the print job, the relationship between the print job and the price can be clarified, allowing for smoother subsequent processing.

[0111] Furthermore, when the price is determined in S43 upon receipt of the print job, there is also an effect that the process immediately shifts to the settlement process when the multifunction peripheral 200 subsequently executes S75.

[0112] In this embodiment, the print job and the job ID are stored in association with each other in the data storage area 125. This allows a desired print job to be read smoothly from the data storage area 125 storing a plurality of print jobs using the job ID.

[0113] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the data processing server 100 receives a print request from the multifunction peripheral 200 in S75, it then transmits the price for executing the print job and the product ID associated with the print job to the transaction server 400 in S79. When the transaction server 400 performs settlement processing using the price, the data processing server 100 reads the print job corresponding to the product ID stored in the data storage area 125 in S125 and transmits it to the multifunction peripheral 200. Thus, upon receiving a print request from the multifunction peripheral 200, settlement of the print job and transmission to the multifunction peripheral 200 can be smoothly performed using the product ID.

[0114] In this embodiment, after S127 is completed in the multifunction peripheral 200, the JOBID of the completed print job is sent in S279, and the print job associated with the JOBID is deleted in S283 in the data processing server 100. By deleting the print job after printing is completed, the security of the print job can be ensured.

[0115] Furthermore, in this embodiment, particularly in S63 in the multifunction peripheral 200, when the user designates a print job as a print target, identification information of at least one print job that can be a candidate for the print job is displayed on the display unit 240. The user designates a print job from this displayed information, and the multifunction peripheral 200 accepts this designation in S67. This allows the user to easily and smoothly designate a print job that they wish to print from among the print jobs stored in the data storage area 125 of the data processing server 100, and execute printing.

[0116] In this embodiment, in particular, in S63 of the multifunction peripheral 200, when the identification information of at least one print job candidate is displayed in the registered job list, the cost price of the print job can also be displayed. This allows the user to easily understand the cost required to execute the print job.

[0117] Furthermore, in this embodiment, in particular, in S59 in the data processing server 100, a registered job list including at least one print job is generated and transmitted to the multifunction peripheral 200, and in S63, the registered job list is displayed on the display unit 240. Thus, the data processing server 100, which stores a plurality of print jobs in the data storage area 125, generates a registered job list, and by transmitting the generated registered job list to the multifunction peripheral 200, it is possible to present the user with print jobs that can be candidates for printing and to allow the user to specify a desired print job.

[0118] In this embodiment, the print job and the device ID are stored in association with each other in the data storage area 125 at S42. Therefore, when the registered job list is transmitted as described above, only the print jobs corresponding to the multifunction peripheral 200 can be read from the data storage area 125 using the device ID as described above, and the registered job list can also be easily created.

[0119] In this embodiment, when the user specifies a desired print job to be executed, he or she inputs a user ID (S61) via the operation unit 250. The input user ID is then accepted by the multifunction peripheral 200, and in the subsequent S67, only the designation of the print job corresponding to the user ID is accepted.

[0120] In this manner, by comparing the user who originally acquired the print job at the multifunction peripheral 200 with the user who designated the print job to be executed later, it is possible to ensure security and perform smooth processing.

[0121] In addition, in this embodiment, particularly when the multifunction peripheral 200 acquires the print job in S14 , it also acquires the PIN code from the PC terminal 500 .

[0122] Subsequently, the user specifies a desired print job to be executed via the operation unit 250 ( S65 ), and further inputs a PIN code ( S69 ), whereby a large print request for the specified print job is transmitted to the data processing server 100 in S75 .

[0123] In this manner, by comparing the PIN code entered when a print job is initially acquired from the PC terminal 500 with the PIN code entered when a print job to be executed subsequently is designated, security can be ensured and smooth processing can be performed.

[0124] Furthermore, in this embodiment, in particular, the user specifies a print job (S65), inputs a PIN code (S69), and performs a print instruction operation (S74) via the operation unit 250. As a result, at S75, the multifunction peripheral 200 transmits a print request and the device ID of the multifunction peripheral 200 to the data processing server 100. Thus, using the device ID, various information necessary for approval of the price of the print job to be subsequently executed can be reliably transmitted from the data processing server 100 to the multifunction peripheral 200.

[0125] Furthermore, in this embodiment, in particular, at S85 in the data processing server 100, data required for settlement approval is transmitted to the multifunction peripheral 200 identified by the device ID received at S75 as described above. In response, the multifunction peripheral 200 receives the transmitted data at S87, and further displays the received data on the display unit 240 at the subsequent S89.

[0126] In this way, by transmitting the data required for payment to the corresponding multifunction peripheral 200 and displaying it on the display unit 240 , the user's approval of the payment can be performed smoothly and reliably.

[0127] <Modification>

[0128] In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and technical concept thereof.

[0129] In other words, while the above description uses the example of calculating printing prices through "calculation," the method for determining prices is not limited to this. Specifically, the price table described above may associate price amounts with multiple ranges of various parameters, such as the number of pages printed and the effective area of ​​a print job, and prices may be determined by referring to this price table without performing any special calculations.

[0130] For example, taking the number of printed pages as an example, a price table might record the following: xx yen for a print number of 0 to △ pages, xx yen for a print number of △ to ⅓ pages, etc. Then, when the number of pages in a print job is obtained, the price can be directly determined by referring to this price table, without the aforementioned calculation.

[0131] In addition, the above description uses an example in which the present invention is applied when the multifunction peripheral 200 performs inkjet printing. However, the present invention is not limited to this example. Specifically, the present invention can be applied when the multifunction peripheral 200 performs laser printing, and the same effects described above can be achieved. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to inkjet or laser printing; it can also be applied to other known printing methods such as thermal transfer.

[0132] In addition, the above Figure 2 、 Figure 7 、 Figure 10 The sequential flowcharts shown in the flowcharts do not limit the present invention to the steps shown in the flowcharts. Steps may be added, deleted, or the order may be changed without departing from the gist and technical concept of the invention.

[0133] In addition to the contents described above, the methods of the above-described embodiment and each modified example may be appropriately combined and utilized.

[0134] Furthermore, although not all examples are given, the present invention can be implemented with various modifications without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0135] Explanation of symbols

[0136] 1 Printing system

[0137] 100 data processing servers

[0138] 110 Processor (an example of a second control unit)

[0139] 125 Data storage area (an example of server memory)

[0140] 200 Multifunction printer (an example of a printing device)

[0141] 210 Processor (an example of the first control unit)

[0142] 222 Data storage area (an example of device memory)

[0143] 240 Display unit

[0144] 250 Operation Department

[0145] 290 Printing Department

[0146] 300 mobile terminals

[0147] 400 Trading Server

[0148] 500 PC terminal (an example of an external device)

Claims

1. A printing system, characterized in that: Equipped with: printing device and data processing server, The printing device has: a printing unit for printing on a printed medium; Operations Department; as well as First control unit, The data processing server has: Server storage; as well as The second control unit, The first control unit executes a print job acquisition process and a first print job sending process, wherein the print job acquisition process acquires a print job sent from an external device, and the first print job sending process sends the print job to the data processing server upon receiving the print job in the print job acquisition process. The second control unit executes a first print job receiving process for receiving the print job sent in the first print job sending process and a print job storing process for sequentially storing at least one of the print jobs received in the first print job receiving process in the server memory. The first control unit further executes a designation acceptance process for accepting a designation of a desired print job as a print target via the operation unit and a print request sending process for sending a print request for the print job designated in the designation acceptance process to the data processing server. The second control unit further executes a second print job sending process, wherein the second print job sending process sends the print job stored in the server memory to the printing device upon sending a settlement approval, wherein the settlement approval is approval of settlement of the cost of executing the print job. The first control unit also performs a second printing task receiving process and a printing process, wherein the second printing task receiving process receives the one printing task sent in the second printing task sending process, and the printing process controls the printing unit to print based on the one printing task received in the second printing task receiving process.

2. The printing system according to claim 1, wherein: The printing device further comprises a device memory, In the first print job transmission process, the first control unit starts transmitting the acquired print job to the data processing server before completing storage of the acquired print job in the device memory.

3. The printing system according to claim 2, wherein: The second control unit further executes a price determination process for determining a price to be paid for executing the print job received in the first print job reception process. The second control unit associates the price determined in the price determination process with job identification information corresponding to the print job received in the first print job reception process.

4. The printing system according to claim 3, wherein: In the print job storage process, the second control unit associates at least one print job with the corresponding job identification information and stores the associated job in the server memory.

5. The printing system according to claim 3, wherein: The second control unit further executes a printing request receiving process and a price sending process. The printing request receiving process receives the printing request sent in the printing request sending process. The price sending process, upon receipt of the printing request in the printing request receiving process, sends the price determined in the price determining process and the task identification information corresponding to the price to the transaction server. In the second printing task sending process, in the transaction server, the second control unit sends the printing task stored in the server memory to the printing device when the settlement of the printing task corresponding to the price and the task identification information sent in the price sending process is completed.

6. The printing system according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that: The first control unit further executes a job identification information transmission process for transmitting the job identification information corresponding to the one print job printed by the print process to the data processing server. The second control unit further executes a print job deletion process for deleting, from the server memory, the one print job corresponding to the job identification information transmitted in the job identification information transmission process.

7. The printing system according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that: The printing device further includes a display unit. The first control unit further executes a print job display process for displaying information on at least one print job that can be a candidate for printing on the display unit. In the designation acceptance process, the first control unit accepts designation of the one print job corresponding to the display on the display unit in the print job display process.

8. The printing system according to claim 7, wherein: In the print job display process, information related to the at least one print job and the price corresponding to the print job determined in the price determination process are displayed on the display unit.

9. The printing system according to claim 7, wherein: In the print job storage process, the second control unit associates the at least one print job with device identification information corresponding to the printing device that sent the print job and stores the associated information in the server memory. and then, The second control unit executes a list transmission process for generating a job list including at least one print job that can be a candidate for the print target and transmitting the job list to the printing device. In the print job display process, the second control unit displays the job list transmitted in the list transmission process on the display unit.

10. The printing system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The first control unit further executes a user identification information acceptance process for accepting input of user identification information via the operation unit. In the designation acceptance process, the first control unit accepts designation of the one print job corresponding to the user identification information accepted in the user identification information acceptance process via the operation unit.

11. The printing system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: In the print job acquisition process, the first control unit acquires the print job and also acquires the PIN code corresponding to the print job from the external device. In the print request transmission process, the first control unit transmits the print request for the one print job to the data processing server when the one print job is designated and the PIN code is input via the operation unit.

12. The printing system according to claim 11, wherein: In the printing request sending process, the first control unit sends the printing request of the printing task and the device identification information corresponding to the printing device to the data processing server based on the designation of the printing task, the input of the PIN code, and the prescribed printing instruction operation via the operating unit.

13. The printing system according to claim 12, wherein: The second control unit further executes a payment information sending process for sending payment procedure information required for approving the settlement of the fee for executing the one print job to the printing device corresponding to the device identification information received in the print request sending process. The first control unit also performs payment information receiving processing and payment information display processing, wherein the payment information receiving processing receives the payment procedure information sent in the payment information sending processing, and the payment information display processing displays the payment procedure information received in the payment information receiving processing on the display unit of the printing device.

14. A printing device, characterized in that: have: a printing unit for printing on a printed medium; operating unit; and Control Department, The control unit performs the following processing: a print job acquisition process for acquiring a print job sent from an external device; a print job sending process, wherein the print job sending process is triggered by the print job being acquired in the print job acquiring process, and sends the print job to the data processing server; a designation acceptance process for accepting designation of a desired print job as a printing target via the operation unit; a print request sending process for sending a print request for the one print job designated in the designated acceptance process to the data processing server; a print job receiving process for receiving the print job transmitted from the data processing server upon transmission of a settlement approval, wherein the settlement approval is approval of settlement of a fee for executing the print job; as well as A printing process controls the printing unit to perform printing based on the one print job received in the print job receiving process.

15. A non-volatile storage device storing a printing process program, characterized in that: The control unit of a printing device including a printing unit for printing on a print medium, an operating unit, and a control unit executes the following steps: a print job acquisition step of acquiring a print job sent from an external device; a print task sending step, wherein the print task sending step is triggered by the print task being acquired in the print task acquiring step, and the print task is sent to a data processing server; a designation accepting step of accepting designation of a desired print job as a printing target via the operation unit; a printing request sending step of sending a printing request for the one print job specified in the specifying acceptance step to the data processing server; a print job receiving step of receiving the print job transmitted from the data processing server upon transmission of a settlement approval, wherein the settlement approval is approval of settlement of the cost of executing the print job; as well as a printing step of controlling the printing unit to perform printing based on the one print job received in the print job receiving step.

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