Print authority management system and print authority display program

Abstract

The present invention proposes an optimal printing permission acquisition method for a printing device and a user, and improves convenience. The print service provision system (1) acquires, in S5, S15, S40, transition information relating to a transition of a guaranteed print amount or a number of printable sheets of the multifunction peripheral (200), determines, in S10, S20, S45, a new print permission acquisition method to be proposed to the corresponding user or multifunction peripheral (200) on the basis of the acquired transition information, and provides a print permission to the multifunction peripheral (200). In S25, S50, and S60, proposal information corresponding to the determined print permission acquisition mode is output to a mobile terminal (300) corresponding to the user or the multifunction peripheral (200).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a printing authority management system and a printing authority display program for managing printing authority in a printing device. Background Art

[0002] In a printing service in which a user of a printing device pays a fee corresponding to the printed content to a service provider, a prepaid fee system is sometimes introduced. Conventionally, for example, as described in Patent Document 1, there is a known technology in which a user can purchase a printing authority for a fee and print with a prescribed printing volume guaranteed by the purchased printing authority (hereinafter appropriately referred to as "purchased printing authority") as an upper limit.

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2021-68372 Summary of the invention

[0006] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0007] In the above-mentioned previous technology, when the printing process based on the guaranteed print volume guaranteed by the purchased printing authority is completed and the upper limit value that can be printed in the printing device, that is, the allowed print volume, becomes zero, the user can increase the allowed print volume by newly purchasing printing authority and adding the guaranteed print volume guaranteed by the purchased printing authority, and can continue printing.

[0008] However, if a user who prints based on the guaranteed print volume of the prepaid method frequently purchases additional printing rights, the labor and burden will increase. On the other hand, if the labor and burden of purchasing additional printing rights are too low, unnecessary printing will increase and the cost burden will increase.

[0009] An object of the present invention is to provide a printing authority purchase management program and a printing authority purchase management system that can propose an optimal printing authority acquisition method for a printing device or a user and improve convenience.

[0010] Means for solving problems

[0011] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present application invents a printing authority management system, which manages a printing device that can perform printing with an allowed printing amount as an upper limit, and can increase the allowed printing amount according to a specified guaranteed printing amount guaranteed by the printing authority obtained by the user by paying money, wherein it comprises: an information acquisition unit, which acquires transition information related to the transition of the guaranteed printing amount or the allowed printing amount in the printing device; a method determination unit, which determines a new printing authority acquisition method proposed to the corresponding user or the printing device based on the transition information obtained by the information acquisition unit; and a proposed information output unit, which outputs the proposed information corresponding to the printing authority acquisition method determined by the method determination unit to an information terminal corresponding to the user or the printing device.

[0012] The printing authority management system of the present invention manages the printing authority in the printing device. The user can obtain the printing authority by paying money. The printing device is configured to perform printing with the allowed printing amount as the upper limit. The printing authority management system can increase the allowed printing amount according to the specified guaranteed printing amount guaranteed by the printing authority obtained by the user.

[0013] The printing authority management system of the present invention comprises an information acquisition unit, a method determination unit, and a proposal information output unit. The information acquisition unit acquires transition information related to transition of a guaranteed print volume or an allowable print volume in a printing device.

[0014] Based on the acquired transition information, the method determination unit determines a new printing authority acquisition method to be proposed to the corresponding user or printing device. In the method determination unit, when changing the printing authority acquisition method can reduce labor and economic burden, such as when a user who obtains printing authority in a prepaid method and prints frequently purchases additional printing authority, the changed method can be determined as the new printing authority acquisition method. Proposal information corresponding to the printing authority acquisition method determined by the method determination unit is output by the proposal information output unit to an information terminal corresponding to the user or printing device.

[0015] According to the present invention, it is possible to propose the best printing authority acquisition method for the printing apparatus and the user, thereby improving convenience.

[0016] Effects of the Invention

[0017] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a printing authority purchase management program and a printing authority purchase management system that can propose the best printing authority acquisition method for a printing apparatus or a user and improve convenience. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

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

[0019] Figure 2 It is a functional block diagram showing the schematic structure of a mobile terminal.

[0020] Figure 3 This is a diagram showing the overall network configuration of the print service providing system.

[0021] Figure 4 This is a diagram showing a method of sending and receiving information when one user uses a plurality of multifunction peripherals.

[0022] Figure 5 This is a diagram showing a method of information transmission and reception when a plurality of users use one multifunction peripheral.

[0023] Figure 6 This is a diagram showing an example of screen transitions in a mobile terminal.

[0024] Figure 7 This is a diagram schematically showing an event management table stored in the management server.

[0025] Figure 8 This is a diagram showing an example of screen transitions in a mobile terminal.

[0026] Fig. 9 This is a flowchart showing an example of a control process executed by the CPU of the mobile terminal.

[0027] Fig.10 This is a diagram showing an event management table in a modified example in which the number of printable sheets is associated with each user.

[0028] Fig.11 This is a diagram showing an example of screen transitions in a mobile terminal.

[0029] Fig.12 This is a diagram showing an example of screen transition in a mobile terminal in a modified example in which the number of printable sheets common to each multifunction peripheral is associated with one user who uses a plurality of multifunction peripherals.

[0030] Fig.13 This is a diagram showing an event management table.

[0031] Fig.14 This is a flowchart showing an example of a control process executed by the CPU of the mobile terminal in a modification example of proposing a change from a subscription print service to a prepaid print service. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] Please refer to the attached Figure 1 Embodiments of the present invention will be described below.

[0033] exist Figure 11 shows a system configuration of a print service providing system as one embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is an embodiment of a print service providing system 1 that can provide a print service in which a user as a customer can use the print function of a multifunction machine 200 by purchasing a print authorization.

[0034] <Overview of Print Service Providing System>

[0035] exist Figure 1 In the embodiment, the printing service providing system 1 includes a management server 100, a multifunction machine 200, a mobile terminal 300 and a transaction server 400. The management server 100, the multifunction machine 200, the mobile terminal 300 and the transaction server 400 are connected to a network NT including a mobile phone communication line and can communicate with each other. It should be noted that the printing service providing system 1 is an example of a printing authority management system, the multifunction machine 200 is an example of a printing device, and the mobile terminal 300 is an example of an information terminal and also an example of a terminal device.

[0036] <Management Server>

[0037] The management server 100 is a server installed and managed by the manufacturer of the multifunction device 200, for example, and includes a processor 110, a storage device 115, and a communication interface 190. The processor 110, the storage device 115, and the communication interface 190 are connected to each other via a bus 105. The management server 100 is an example of an information processing device.

[0038] The storage device 115 includes a volatile storage device 120 and a nonvolatile storage device 130. The volatile storage device 120 is, for example, a DRAM, and stores various programs and data to be processed. The nonvolatile storage device 130 is, for example, a hard disk drive or a solid state drive, and has a program storage area 131 and a data storage area 132.

[0039] Various programs are stored in the program storage area 131. For example, the data storage area 132 stores Figure 7 , Fig.10 , Fig.13 As shown in the figure, the event management table stores information related to various events that the user has executed in the past for the print service as a history.

[0040] The processor 110 is a device for performing data processing, such as a CPU, and executes various programs including the program related to the print service of this embodiment stored in the program storage area 131. The processor 110 performs various processes including data communication with the mobile terminal 300, the multifunction machine 200, and the transaction server 400 connected to the network NT. The processor 110 cooperates with the mobile terminal 300 to perform the event history processing of the print service providing system 1 of this embodiment.

[0041] The communication interface 190 is a wired LAN interface or a wireless interface for communicating with other devices, and is connected to the network NT.

[0042] It should be noted that the above-mentioned storage device 115 is not limited to the structure implemented by the above-mentioned device elements, for example, it can also be composed of removable recording media such as RAM, ROM, EEPROM, HDD, USB memory loaded and unloaded relative to the mobile terminal 300, a buffer possessed by the processor 110, etc., or a combination thereof.

[0043] It should be noted that the storage device 115 may also be a computer-readable storage medium. A computer-readable storage medium is a non-temporary medium. In addition to the above examples, non-temporary media also include recording media such as CD-ROMs and DVD-ROMs. In addition, non-temporary media are also tangible media.

[0044] The same applies to the storage device 215 of the multifunction peripheral 200 described later.

[0045] <Multifunctional machine>

[0046] The multifunction machine 200 is owned by, for example, a print service provider or a user that provides the above-mentioned print service. The multifunction machine 200 includes a scanner 280, a printer 290, a processor 210, a storage device 215, a display unit 240, an operation unit 250, a communication unit 285, and a communication interface 270. The scanner 280, the printer 290, the processor 210, the storage device 215, the display unit 240, the operation unit 250, the communication unit 285, and the communication interface 270 are connected to each other via a bus 205.

[0047] The storage device 215 includes a volatile storage device 220 and a nonvolatile storage device 230. The volatile storage device 220 is, for example, a DRAM, and includes an image data storage area 222 for storing image data of a print target. The nonvolatile storage device 230 is, for example, a flash memory, and includes a program storage area 232. Various programs are stored in the program storage area 232 as, for example, firmware. The storage device 215 stores a multifunction device ID for identifying the multifunction device 200.

[0048] The processor 210 is a device that performs data processing, such as a CPU, and executes various programs stored in the program storage area 232 .

[0049] The display unit 240 is, for example, a liquid crystal display, and can display various information. The operation unit 250 is a device for accepting user operations. The user can input various instructions to the multifunction machine 200 by operating the operation unit 250. The communication interface 270 is a wired or wireless network interface for communicating with other devices, and is connected to the network NT.

[0050] The scanner unit 280 optically reads a document as a reading object by using a photoelectric conversion element such as a CCD or a CMOS, and generates scan data representing the read image.

[0051] The printing unit 290 takes out and transports the paper in the paper feed tray using a transport mechanism (not shown) and prints an image on the transported paper in a predetermined manner. The following description takes the case of printing using an inkjet method as an example. The printing unit 290 forms an image on the paper using liquid ink of an ink cartridge detachably mounted in an ink cartridge holder (not shown) according to a print job sent from the mobile terminal 300 or a print job generated by itself based on an operation at the operation unit 250.

[0052] The communication unit 285 is, for example, a terminal, and is electrically connected to a cartridge memory (IC chip) included in the ink cartridge mounted in the cartridge holder.

[0053] <Mobile Terminal>

[0054] exist Figure 2 The system structure of the mobile terminal 300 is shown in FIG. Figure 2 In the example, the mobile terminal 300 is a mobile terminal such as a smartphone owned by a user, and is connected to the network NT via wireless communication. The mobile terminal 300 includes a CPU 310, a memory 320, a communication control unit 330 for connecting to the network NT via wireless communication, a touch panel 340, and a large-capacity storage device 350.

[0055] The large-capacity storage device 350 is, for example, a flash memory, and includes a program storage area 351 and a data storage area 352. The program storage area 351 stores various programs, for example, as firmware. The various programs include Fig. 9 The CPU 310 executes the printing authority program of the present embodiment stored in the program storage area 351. The CPU 310 cooperates with the management server 100 to perform the display of the proposal information described later, including data communication with the management server 100 connected to the network NT. In the data storage area 352, a user ID issued based on the above program or the above printing service is stored as identification information that can identify the user corresponding to the mobile terminal 300.

[0056] In addition, the mobile terminal 300 uses a touch panel 340 that is a combination of a liquid crystal display and a touch pad to display various information and accept various user operations. The user can input various instructions to the mobile terminal 300 by operating the touch panel 340. An example of the display content of the touch panel 340 will be described later. It should be noted that the various displays in the touch panel 340 are performed based on, for example, a display control signal output from the CPU 310. Therefore, the so-called CPU 310 controls the touch panel 340 to perform various displays, in other words, it is equivalent to the CPU 310 outputting a display control signal to the touch panel 340 for performing the display.

[0057] It should be noted that other information terminals such as a tablet computer and a personal computer may be used instead of the mobile terminal 300. Hereinafter, these information terminals are collectively referred to as "mobile terminals" as appropriate. The CPU 310 is an example of a computing unit.

[0058] <Trading Server>

[0059] The transaction server 400 is installed in, for example, a company that provides various online services for network settlement, and includes a processor, a storage device, and a communication interface (not shown) for connecting to the network NT.

[0060] <Prepaid Printing Service>

[0061] In the print service providing system 1 of the present embodiment, the management server 100, the multifunction machine 200, the mobile terminal 300 and the transaction server 400 are connected via the network NT in a manner capable of transmitting and receiving information. Figure 3 As shown, a plurality of mobile terminals 300 owned by a plurality of users and a plurality of multifunction machines 200 installed in various places individually send and receive information to and from the management server 100. The management server 100 centrally manages events that are respectively performed from the plurality of mobile terminals 300 to the plurality of multifunction machines 200. Events are purchase or acquisition of printing authority, execution of printing to a designated multifunction machine 200, etc., and these events are executed when the user instructs the management server 100 via the mobile terminal 300.

[0062] An example of a printing service provided by the printing service providing system 1 is a prepaid printing service. The prepaid printing service is a printing service in which the number of sheets that can be printed by the target multifunction machine 200 is added to the corresponding number of sheets charged when the user purchases the printing authority. For example, the management server 100 accepts a purchase application for the printing authority from the mobile terminal 300, and applies the purchased printing authority to the designated multifunction machine 200. The management server 100 centrally manages the purchased printing authorities purchased by a plurality of mobile terminals 300 or a plurality of multifunction machines 200.

[0063] The purchase of recharge services, i.e., prepaid recharge, can be performed by selecting and purchasing any of a plurality of recharge services having different prices and purchase units, such as 10 tickets = 100 yen, 30 tickets = 280 yen, 50 tickets = 450 yen, 100 tickets = 900 yen, according to the number of recharge tickets.

[0064] The number of recharged sheets guaranteed by the recharge service purchased by the user can be added to the printable number of sheets of the multifunction machine 200 specified by the user. The printable number of sheets decreases each time the printing process in the multifunction machine 200 is executed, and the user can print until the printable number of sheets held by the multifunction machine 200 finally reaches 0.

[0065] The number of recharged sheets guaranteed by each recharge service is an example of a guaranteed print volume and an example of a print volume purchase unit. The above-mentioned number of printable sheets is an example of an allowable print volume.

[0066] It should be noted that, in this example, the printing authority corresponding to the recharge service purchased by the user is obtained in a form of establishing a correspondence with the multifunction machine 200 specified by the user, and the number of recharged sheets guaranteed by the recharge service is added to the number of printable sheets set for each multifunction machine 200. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the printing authority may be obtained in a form of establishing a correspondence with the user ID, and the number of recharged sheets is added to the number of printable sheets set for each user ID.

[0067] <Subscription Print Service>

[0068] Another example of a printing service provided by the printing service providing system 1 is a so-called subscription printing service. In a subscription printing service, a prescribed subscription contract is signed between a user and a printing service operator, and a quota printing right is provided that guarantees the upper limit number of prints within a prescribed period by the user bearing the quota. It should be noted that the amount of the above-mentioned quota is sometimes paid in advance before printing, and sometimes paid by collection after printing. If a subscription contract is signed, for example, the above-mentioned quota printing right corresponding to the contract is applied from the management server 100 to the individual multifunction machine 200 specified by the contract. In the case of this subscription contract, as described above, the management server 100 centrally manages the quota printing right associated with multiple mobile terminals 300 or multiple multifunction machines 200.

[0069] Regarding the subscription contract, the user can select and sign a contract from a variety of service plans, such as a plan that guarantees a print limit of 100 sheets at a fixed cost of 800 yen per month, a plan that guarantees a print limit of 200 sheets at a fixed cost of 1,500 yen per month, etc. In this case, the print limit guaranteed by each plan is an example of a guaranteed print volume.

[0070] It should be noted that, in principle, the printing authority for the remaining number of sheets that the user has not printed within the above-mentioned prescribed period will disappear with the expiration of the prescribed period, but the printing authority for the remaining number of sheets can be carried forward to the next prescribed period based on a predetermined period. In this case, the carried-forward remaining number of sheets is added to the printable number of sheets of the target multifunction machine 200, and is accumulated as the printable number of sheets together with the newly guaranteed print quantity in the above-mentioned next prescribed period. In the case where the printing authority for the remaining number of sheets is not carried forward, each time a new next prescribed period begins, the guaranteed number of sheets set for each prescribed period is newly set as the upper limit of the printable number of sheets.

[0071] In either case, as described above, the number of printable sheets is an example of the permissible printing amount, and printing can be executed with the multifunction peripheral 200 until the number of printable sheets increased according to the contracted plan finally reaches 0.

[0072] In this case as well, the printing authority corresponding to the contracted service plan is obtained in a form of being associated with the multifunction machine 200 designated by the user, and the upper limit number of prints guaranteed by the service plan is added to the number of printable sheets set for each multifunction machine 200. In addition, without limitation to this, the printing authority may be obtained in a form of being associated with the user ID, and the upper limit number of prints is added to the number of printable sheets set for each user ID.

[0073] In this embodiment, if Figure 4As shown, one user can use a plurality of multifunction machines 200. In this case, the user can execute printing processing within the range of the printable number of sheets set for each multifunction machine 200 according to the printing authority established for each of the plurality of multifunction machines 200.

[0074] In addition, in this embodiment, if Figure 5 As shown, multiple users may also share and use a common multifunction machine 200. In this case, multiple users can share the printable number set for the multifunction machine 200 according to the print authority associated with the multifunction machine 200 and execute printing processing within the range of the printable number of sheets.

[0075] <Example of using prepaid printing service at mobile terminal>

[0076] As an example, using Figure 6 (a) to (e) are used to illustrate the screen displayed on the mobile terminal 300 and the user's operations when using the above-mentioned prepaid printing service.

[0077] First, if the user starts the dedicated application program involved in the above program in the mobile terminal 300, Figure 6 As shown in (a), a screen 340A is displayed on the touch panel 340 of the mobile terminal 300. In the screen 340A, identification information of the multifunction machines 200 that the user can select as the use object, i.e., the multifunction machine ID, is displayed in the form of icons. In this example, only one multifunction machine ID "No. 026" is displayed as a multifunction machine that the user can select.

[0078] If the user performs a selection operation on the multifunction machine 200 of "No. 026", the touch panel 340 displays Figure 6 The screen 340B shown in (b) of FIG. 1 is transferred to display the status information of the multifunction machine 200, the number of printable sheets, the "Recharge" button, and the "Print" button. In this example, as the status information, it is displayed that the multifunction machine 200 "No. 026" is connected to the mobile terminal 300 in an online state. In addition, the number of printable sheets at this time point is 5 sheets.

[0079] If the user operates the "Print" button in the screen 340B, printing is executed in the multifunction machine 200. As a result, Figure 6 As shown in screen 340C of (c), a message "Printing completed" is displayed. In this example, it is displayed that the number of printable sheets has decreased by one sheet to four sheets.

[0080] If the user presses the "Recharge" button in screen 340B, Figure 6The screen 340D shown in (d) is transferred. In this example, the screen 340D displays buttons indicating the respective charging services of "10 sheets / 100 yen", "30 sheets / 280 yen", and "50 sheets / 450 yen", and any one of these three charging services can be selected.

[0081] For example, if the user operates the "30 sheets / 280 yen" button in the screen 340D, Figure 6 The screen 340E shown in (e) is transferred. On the screen 340E, a message "Number of prints added" is displayed, and it is displayed that the number of printable sheets has increased by 30 sheets to 35 sheets by operating the above button.

[0082] <Features of the embodiment>

[0083] For example, as described above, when a user who is using a prepaid print service frequently purchases additional print rights, the labor and economic burden of purchase may be reduced by using the subscription print service instead of the prepaid print service.

[0084] In this embodiment, in such a case, a change is proposed to the user from the purchase of printing rights for the prepaid printing service to the fixed-quota printing rights based on the subscription printing service, and the change of the method of obtaining the printing rights. This can reduce the above-mentioned labor and burden for the user and improve the convenience. It should be noted that there may be a case where it is best to keep the prepaid printing service unchanged and only change the number of recharged sheets of the above-mentioned printing rights at the time of purchase, that is, the printing volume purchase unit. In this embodiment, the change is proposed for such a case.

[0085] In the following, regarding the above-mentioned proposed method in this embodiment, Figure 7 and Figure 8 Let me explain it in detail.

[0086] <Event Management Table>

[0087] In this embodiment, in order to determine whether the change of the printing authority described above is appropriate, the management server 100 manages events indicating the user's usage trend of the multifunction device 200 in the form of an event management table. Figure 7 An example of an event management table is shown in FIG.

[0088] exist Figure 7 In the event management table, the multifunction machine 200 having the multifunction machine ID No. 026 is taken as the target, and the events instructed from the plurality of mobile terminals 300 to the management server 100 are recorded in the execution order of the events.

[0089] The recorded items include the content of the event executed, the date of execution, the target MFP ID, the content of the authority obtained by the MFP 200 through the event, the price for obtaining the authority, the increase or decrease in the number of printable sheets, and the current number of printable sheets at the time point after each event is executed.

[0090] It should be noted that, in the event management table, identification information of the user of the mobile terminal 300 who instructed each event is not displayed, but it may be displayed. In addition, the user who instructed the event is not limited to one person, but may be multiple.

[0091] like Figure 7 As shown, in this example, first, on January 18, 2021, 100 yen was paid to purchase the recharge service for 10 sheets. As a result, the corresponding recharged sheets of 10 sheets are acquired as the printing authority, and the number of sheets that can be printed by the multifunction machine 200 increases by 10 sheets to a total of 10 sheets.

[0092] On January 18, 2021, the same day as the above-mentioned recharge, printing of two sheets was executed, and as a result, the number of printable sheets of the multifunction peripheral 200 decreased by 2 sheets to 8 sheets.

[0093] On the next day, January 19, 2021, printing of a further 8 sheets was performed, and the number of printable sheets of the multifunction peripheral 200 decreased by 8 sheets, and as a result, the number of printable sheets became 0 sheets.

[0094] Correspondingly, on the same January 19, 2021, the user purchased a 30-sheet recharge service by paying 280 yen. The 30 sheets of recharged sheets are acquired as the printing authority, and the number of sheets that can be printed becomes 30 sheets.

[0095] On January 20, 2021, the day after the above recharge, I purchased the recharge service for 10 tickets again. The recharged 10 tickets were obtained as printing permissions, and the number of printable tickets became 40.

[0096] Then, on January 21, 2021, the day after the recharge, 40 sheets of printing were executed. As a result, the number of printable sheets of the multifunction peripheral 200 suddenly decreased by 40 sheets to 0 sheets.

[0097] In this example, as described above, regarding the multifunction machine 200, the user frequently purchases additional recharge services due to concerns about the insufficient number of printable sheets during printing. Accordingly, at appropriate timings from January 21, 2021 to the last day of January, the user is advised to change the method of obtaining the printing authority for the multifunction machine 200 from obtaining based on prepaid recharge to obtaining based on a subscription contract.

[0098] <Change to Subscription Contract in Mobile Terminal>

[0099] use Figure 8 (a) to (c) are used to illustrate an example of the display behavior of the mobile terminal 300 when the above-mentioned proposal is made.

[0100] At appropriate timings from January 21 to the last day of January, in order to propose the above-mentioned change, for example, a message is displayed on touch panel 340. Figure 8 Screen 340F shown in (a) of FIG. In screen 340F, a message "It may be more cost-effective if you change to subscription service" is displayed, which recommends switching to obtaining quota printing rights based on subscription contracts, and buttons "Try subscription contract" and "Don't try". It should be noted that in the drawings and descriptions of this application, for example, Figure 8 As shown in (a), "subscription" is appropriately referred to as "Subs" in abbreviated form.

[0101] If the user operates the "Try to Subscribe" button in screen 340F, Figure 8 The screen 340G shown in (b) is transferred. In the screen 340G, it is suggested that the following information be displayed according to the multifunction device 200: Figure 7 One or more service plans including the best service plan determined based on the behavior shown.

[0102] In this example, as in Figure 7 As shown in the example of the extract of a part in FIG. 340G, the past printing performance of the multifunction machine 200, for example, the average monthly printing volume is 80 sheets, and as the best service plan, a plan is displayed that guarantees the upper limit of the printing number of 100 sheets by a monthly quota burden of 800 yen. In addition, as another service plan similar to the best plan, a plan that guarantees the upper limit of the printing number of 200 sheets by a monthly quota burden of 1500 yen is also displayed. It should be noted that these displays in the screen 340G are examples of proposal information.

[0103] It should be noted that the screen 340G may also display the amount of money that can be saved when switching to each service plan, a message that specifies the best plan and recommends switching, an application form for each service plan, etc. It should be noted that the various displays in the screen 340G are also examples of proposal information.

[0104] When the user performs a selection operation on a desired plan on the screen 340G, the contract signing for the plan is promoted to the multifunction peripheral 200 (details omitted).

[0105] In the aforementioned Figure 7 In the example shown, by operating Figure 8The user clicks the "100 sheets / month 800 yen" button in the screen 340G and signs a subscription contract on February 1. At this time, the corresponding upper limit of 100 sheets is obtained as the printing authority of the multifunction machine 200. As a result, the number of sheets that can be printed by the multifunction machine 200 increases by 100 sheets of the printing authority, making the total 100 sheets.

[0106] <Change to other methods while keeping the prepaid service unchanged>

[0107] On the other hand, if the user does not accept the proposal of changing from acquisition based on prepaid recharge to acquisition based on subscription contract, the prepaid print service is maintained and the print volume purchase unit is proposed again at the time of purchase.

[0108] That is, if Figure 8 If the user presses the "Don't try" button in the screen 340G, Figure 8 The screen 340H shown in (c) is transferred. In the screen 340H, one or more recharge services including the optimal print volume purchase unit determined based on the above-mentioned behavior of the multifunction peripheral 200 are proposed.

[0109] In this example, corresponding to the monthly average print volume of 80 sheets, "100 sheets / 900 yen" is determined as the optimal purchase unit, which is different from "10 sheets / 100 yen", "30 sheets / 280 yen", and "50 sheets / 450 yen" in the above screen 340D. In addition, three buttons of "30 sheets / 280 yen", "50 sheets / 450 yen", and "100 sheets / 900 yen" are displayed in the screen 340H in a selectable manner so as to include them. That is, the three buttons of "10 sheets / 100 yen", "30 sheets / 280 yen", and "50 sheets / 450 yen" are originally displayed in the screen 340D, but the three buttons of "30 sheets / 280 yen", "50 sheets / 450 yen", and "100 sheets / 900 yen" are proposed after shifting to the side of increasing the number of sheets.

[0110] Note that the screen 340H may also display the amount of money that can be saved when switching to the purchase unit of each recharge service, a message identifying the best purchase unit and recommending switching, etc. The various displays on the screen 340H are also examples of the suggestion information.

[0111] When the user selects a desired recharge service on the screen 340H, the multifunction device 200 is recharged with an amount corresponding to the selection result.

[0112] <Control Process>

[0113] use Fig. 9An example of a control process executed by the CPU 310 of the mobile terminal 300 to implement the above-mentioned method in this embodiment is described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Figure 6 The execution of this process begins when the "Recharge" button described in (b) is pressed, or at a predetermined time such as the end of each month.

[0114] First, in S5, the CPU 310 obtains the frequency of the number of printable sheets of the target multifunction machine 200 reaching 0, which is less than a predetermined threshold value, for example, less than 1 sheet, from the event management table recorded in the management server 100. The threshold value in this case is an example of the second threshold value, and the frequency of reaching is an example of transition information.

[0115] In S10, the CPU 310 determines whether the frequency of reaching the target obtained in S5 is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold value, for example, more than 3 times a month. The threshold value in this case is an example of a third threshold value. If it is determined that the frequency of reaching the target is more than 3 times a month, the process moves to S25 described later. If it is not determined that the frequency is more than 3 times a month, the process moves to S15.

[0116] It should be noted that in this example, it is determined whether the above-mentioned frequency of attainment is greater than or equal to the third threshold value, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and a new printing authority acquisition method may be determined based on the magnitude relationship between the above-mentioned frequency of attainment and the third threshold value. In addition, instead of the frequency of attainment, for example, a value of the total number of attainments may be compared with a third threshold value determined separately, and a new printing authority acquisition method may be determined based on the magnitude relationship between the total number of attainments and the third threshold value determined separately. In this case, the number of attainments is an example of transition information.

[0117] In S15 , the CPU 310 acquires the past recharge frequency in the target multifunction machine 200 , that is, the purchase frequency of the recharge service, from the event management table.

[0118] In S20, the CPU 310 determines whether the recharge frequency obtained in S15 is greater than a predetermined threshold value, for example, more than twice a week. The threshold value in this case is an example of a first threshold value, and the recharge frequency is also an example of transition information. If it is not determined that the recharge frequency is more than twice a week, the flow ends. If it is determined that the recharge frequency is more than twice a week, the process moves to S25.

[0119] It should be noted that in this example, it is determined whether the recharge frequency is above the first threshold, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and a new printing authority acquisition method may be determined based on the magnitude relationship between the recharge frequency and the first threshold. In addition, instead of the recharge frequency, for example, the total number of purchases, i.e., the number of recharges, may be compared with a first threshold determined separately, and a new printing authority acquisition method may be determined based on the magnitude relationship between the two. In this case, the number of recharges is an example of transition information.

[0120] In S25, CPU 310 displays on touch panel 340 a recommendation for changing the acquisition method of printing authority from prepaid recharge to subscription contract. Figure 8 In the screen 340F of (a), there is a message suggesting switching the method of obtaining printing authority from prepaid recharge to subscription contract, a "Try Subscription Contract" button inducing the change procedure to the subscription contract, and the like.

[0121] In S30, the CPU 310 determines whether the user has adopted the switch of the method for obtaining the printing authority proposed in S25. Specifically, in the above example, it is determined whether the "Try to Subscribe" button on the screen 340F has been operated or the "Don't Try" button has been operated. If the "Try to Subscribe" button has been operated, the process moves to S35, and if the "Don't Try" button has been pressed, the process moves to S55.

[0122] In S35, CPU 310 obtains a list of multiple fixed-rate service plans that can be provided to the user from management server 100. Specifically, for example, all service plans prepared in advance corresponding to multiple subscription contracts that can be signed in advance in the country or region where the target multifunction machine 200 is installed are obtained.

[0123] The service plan acquired at this time is an example of a print authority candidate, and CPU 310 of mobile terminal 300 that executes S35 functions as an example of an authority candidate acquisition unit.

[0124] In S40, the CPU 310 obtains the actual print volume performance of the target multifunction machine 200 in the past predetermined period, for example, the number of prints per month, from the event management table of the management server 100. The actual print volume performance is also an example of transition information.

[0125] It should be noted that S5, S15, and S40 are examples of information acquisition steps, and CPU 310 of mobile terminal 300 that executes S5, S15, and S40 functions as an example of an information acquisition unit.

[0126] In S45, the CPU 310 determines the best service plan from the plurality of service plans obtained in S35 based on the actual print volume performance obtained in S40. Specifically, the best service plan may be determined based on the magnitude relationship between the actual print volume performance and a predetermined threshold value. This threshold value is an example of a fourth threshold value.

[0127] For example, when the threshold is 150 sheets / month, if the print volume obtained is less than the threshold 150 sheets, a plan of 100 sheets / month based on a fixed burden of 800 yen is determined; if the print volume obtained is greater than the threshold 150 sheets, a plan of 200 sheets / month based on a fixed burden of 1500 yen is determined.

[0128] Alternatively, the service plan with the lowest fee among the service plans whose guaranteed print volume is greater than the actual print volume performance may be determined as the optimal plan.

[0129] It should be noted that, in the above determination, for example, the reaching frequency acquired in S5 and, in the case where S15 has been passed, the charging frequency acquired in S15 may also be considered and determined.

[0130] In S50, CPU 310 displays on touch panel 340 a screen including one or more service plans including the optimal service plan determined in S45. Figure 8 In screen 340G, in addition to the 100-sheet plan with a burden of 800 yen that is determined to be the best, a 200-sheet plan with a burden of 1,500 yen is also displayed.

[0131] In S55, CPU 310 determines a recharge service including a different print quantity purchase unit from the recharge services that can be provided to the user, from the recharge services that were displayed on touch panel 340 and selected by the user in the previous operation. For example, in the above example, three items "10 sheets / 100 yen", "30 sheets / 280 yen", and "50 sheets / 450 yen" are displayed on screen 340D and selected, but in this S55, three items "30 sheets / 280 yen", "50 sheets / 450 yen", and "100 sheets / 900 yen" are determined.

[0132] It should be noted that, in the above determination, for example, the above-mentioned reaching frequency obtained in S5 and, if S15 has passed, the charging frequency obtained in S15 may also be considered and determined. In addition, the past printing volume performance may be obtained and determined.

[0133] It should be noted that S10 , S20 , S45 , and S55 are examples of a method determination step, and the CPU 310 of the mobile terminal 300 that executes S10 , S20 , S45 , and S55 functions as an example of a method determination unit.

[0134] In S60, CPU 310 displays a screen including one or more recharge services on touch panel 340, and the one or more recharge services include the recharge service determined in S55. Figure 8 In the screen 340H, three recharge services, "30 sheets / 280 yen", "50 sheets / 450 yen" and "100 sheets / 900 yen", are displayed in a selectable manner.

[0135] S25, S50, and S60 are examples of a suggestion information output step, and CPU 310 of mobile terminal 300 executing S25, S50, and S60 functions as an example of a suggestion information output unit. CPU 310 of mobile terminal 300 executing S25 also functions as an example of a message output unit.

[0136] It should be noted that the display on the touch panel 340 in at least one of the above steps S5 to S60 may be performed on the display unit 240 of the multifunction peripheral 200 instead of on the touch panel 340 .

[0137] <Effects of the present embodiment>

[0138] As described above, in the print service providing system 1 of the present embodiment, the CPU 310 of the mobile terminal 300 obtains the frequency of the number of printable sheets of the multifunction machine 200 becoming less than the threshold value in S5, obtains the recharge frequency of the multifunction machine 200 after S15, and obtains the print volume performance of the multifunction machine 200 in S40. The above-mentioned proposal information corresponding to the acquisition method of the new print authority based on the obtained information is displayed on the touch panel 240 in S25, S50, and S60.

[0139] According to the present embodiment, in the prepaid printing service and the subscription printing service, the optimal service is proposed in the mobile terminal 300. The user can reduce the labor of charging or reduce the printing fee, so the convenience is improved.

[0140] In addition, in this embodiment, in particular, users who purchase print authority, that is, users who use prepaid print services, can be offered to obtain fixed-quota print authority, that is, use so-called subscription print services as a new print authority acquisition method.

[0141] For example, if the above-mentioned reaching frequency acquired in S5 and the charging frequency acquired in S15 are high, it is possible to save the labor of charging or reduce the printing fee per sheet when switching from the prepaid printing service to the subscription printing service.

[0142] According to the present embodiment, even if the user does not conduct such research by himself, switching from the prepaid print service to the subscription print service is automatically suggested via mobile terminal 300 , thereby improving the convenience of the user.

[0143] In addition, in a subscription contract, sometimes the duration, purchase unit, price, etc. of the service plan provided to the target user or printer may differ depending on geographical conditions such as country, province, or other regions, or time conditions such as year, month, or season.

[0144] In this embodiment, in particular, in S35, a plurality of service plans that can be provided are acquired, and in S45, a proposed service plan is determined from the acquired service plans. According to this embodiment, it is possible to propose the acquisition of the best quota printing authority that can be provided at this time according to the geographical conditions and time conditions of using the multifunction machine 200. According to this embodiment, the user is spared the effort of studying the best plan according to the geographical conditions and time conditions, thereby improving convenience.

[0145] In addition, in this embodiment, in particular, the user who purchases the purchase printing authority using the prepaid printing service can be suggested to change the print volume purchase unit while maintaining the use of the prepaid printing service in S55. According to this embodiment, the user does not need to study the optimal print volume purchase unit, so the convenience is improved.

[0146] In this embodiment, in particular, a comparison is performed in S20 to obtain a comparison result between the number of recharges or the recharge frequency obtained as transition information in S15 and the first threshold, and a new printing authority acquisition method is proposed in S45 or S55 based on the result.

[0147] According to this embodiment, it is possible to propose a change to a subscription contract when the number of recharges and the recharge frequency of prepaid recharge are relatively large, and conversely, it is possible to propose a change to a service plan of a slightly smaller subscription contract when the number of recharges and the recharge frequency are relatively small. In addition, it is possible to propose a change to a smaller unit of purchase of print volume for prepaid recharge without changing the prepaid method.

[0148] In this embodiment, in particular, the frequency of the number of printable sheets of the multifunction peripheral 200 reaching a value less than the second threshold is obtained as transition information in S5, and a new print authority acquisition method is determined in S10 based on the magnitude relationship between the frequency and the third threshold.

[0149] According to the present embodiment, when the number of printable sheets becomes less than the threshold value, the acquisition of the fixed-quota print authority based on the subscription contract can be proposed instead of the purchase of the purchase of the print authority based on the prepaid recharge. On the contrary, when the number of printable sheets becomes less than the threshold value, the purchase of the print authority based on the prepaid recharge can be maintained unchanged, and the purchase of the recharge service with a smaller print quantity purchase unit can be proposed in S55. In addition, a service plan suitable for the case where the number of printable sheets becomes 0 is less, such as a relatively small subscription contract, can be proposed.

[0150] It should be noted that when a new printing authority acquisition method is determined based on the magnitude relationship between the above-mentioned frequency of reaching and the third threshold in S10, it is also possible to propose printing authority acquisition that automatically purchases the printing authority without the operation of the user at the mobile terminal 300. In this case, for example, when the number of printable sheets obtained in S5 reaches 0, the frequency is extremely high, etc., the so-called automatic recharge method of printing authority acquisition can be proposed.

[0151] In the present embodiment, in particular, a new printing authority acquisition method is determined in S45 based on the result of comparison between the past printing volume performance acquired as transition information in S40 and the fourth threshold.

[0152] According to the present embodiment, for example, when the amount of printing within a predetermined period is relatively large, it is possible to propose a change from a prepaid payment method to a subscription contract-based printing authority acquisition method.

[0153] According to the present embodiment, in S25, a message recommending change (in other words, switching) of print authority is displayed on touch panel 340. According to the present invention, the displayed message allows the user to recognize that convenience is improved by switching to the proposed new print authority acquisition method.

[0154] <Modification>

[0155] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the main purpose and technical concept thereof. Such modifications are described in sequence. The same reference numerals are used for the parts equivalent to the above-mentioned embodiments, and the description is appropriately omitted or simplified.

[0156] (1) Setting the number of printable sheets for each user

[0157] <Event Management Table>

[0158] In the above-mentioned embodiment Figure 7 Corresponding Fig.10 An example of an event management table involved in this variation is shown in FIG. Fig.10In the event management table, three users with user IDs 001, 002, and 003 share the multifunction machine 200 with ID No. 026, and each of them purchases and prints the printing authority. In this variant, the printing authority of the prepaid recharge, subscription contract, etc. purchased by the user is associated with the user ID and is not shared with other users.

[0159] like Fig.10 As shown, in this example, first, on January 18, 2021, a user with a user ID of "002" (hereinafter referred to as "user 002" etc.) purchased a recharge service of 10 sheets by paying a consideration of 100 yen. As a result, the corresponding recharged sheets of 10 sheets are obtained as the printing authority of user 002, and the number of printable sheets held by user 002 at that time increases by 10 sheets to a total of 10 sheets.

[0160] On January 18, 2021, the same day as the recharge, user 002 performed printing of 2 sheets, and the number of printable sheets decreased by 2 sheets to 8 sheets.

[0161] On January 19, 2021, user 001 executed printing of 8 sheets. As a result, the number of printable sheets held by user 002 at that time was reduced from 10 sheets to 2 sheets.

[0162] Correspondingly, on the same January 19, 2021, user 001 purchased a recharge service for 30 sheets by paying 280 yen. The recharged number of 30 sheets is acquired as the printing authority, and the number of sheets that user 001 can print becomes 32 sheets.

[0163] On January 20, 2021, user 003 purchased the recharge service for 10 sheets by paying 100 yen. As a result, the number of printable sheets that user 003 has at that time increased by 10 sheets from 20 sheets to 30 sheets.

[0164] Then, on January 21, 2021, the day after the recharge, user 003 prints 30 sheets. As a result, the number of printable sheets of user 003 decreases by 30 sheets to 0 sheets.

[0165] In this example, the number of prints executed by user 003 is relatively large. Accordingly, at appropriate timings from January 21 to the last day of January, for example, the mobile terminal 300 of user 003 is advised to change the method of obtaining the printing authority for the multifunction device 200 from prepaid charging to obtaining based on a subscription contract.

[0166] <Change to Subscription Contract in Mobile Terminal>

[0167] Using the above-mentioned embodiment Figure 8 (a)~(c) correspond to Fig.11 (a) to (c) are used to illustrate an example of the display behavior of the mobile terminal 300 when the above-mentioned proposal is made.

[0168] At the above appropriate timing, in the touch panel 340, in order to make the above change proposal, for example, Figure 8 (a) Similarly, it shows Fig.11 Screen 340I shown in (a) of FIG. In screen 340I, the user ID is displayed, a message "It may be more cost-effective if you change to subscription service" recommending switching to acquisition of fixed-quota printing rights based on a subscription contract, and buttons "Try subscription contract" and "Don't try" are displayed.

[0169] If the user operates the "Try to Subscribe" button in screen 340I, Fig.11 The screen 340J shown in (b) is transferred. In the screen 340J, one or more service plans including the optimal service plan determined for the user 003 are proposed.

[0170] In this example, according to the past printing performance of user 003, for example, the average monthly printing volume is 70 sheets and the number of recharges is 2.6 times, a plan is displayed as the best service plan, which guarantees the upper limit of the printing number of 100 sheets by paying a fixed amount of 800 yen per month. In addition, a similar plan is also displayed, which guarantees the upper limit of the printing number of 200 sheets by paying a fixed amount of 1,500 yen per month. It should be noted that these displays in the screen 340J are examples of the proposal information in this modification.

[0171] When the user selects a desired plan on the screen 340J, a contract for the plan is signed with the user 003 (details omitted).

[0172] In the previous example, by operating Fig.11 The user 003 clicks the "100 sheets / month 800 yen" button in the screen 340J of (b) and signs a subscription contract with the user 003 on February 1. At this time, the corresponding upper limit of 100 sheets is obtained as the printing authority of the user 003, and as a result, the number of sheets that the user 003 can print increases by 100 sheets of the printing authority, making the total 100 sheets. At this time, the subscription contract signed by the user 003 is not shared with other users 001 and 002.

[0173] <Change to another method while keeping the prepaid service status unchanged>

[0174] On the other hand, if the user does not accept the proposal of change to the acquisition based on the subscription contract, the prepaid print service is maintained unchanged, and the print volume purchase unit at the time of purchase is proposed again.

[0175] That is, if Fig.11 If the user presses the "Don't try" button in the screen 340I of (a), Fig.11 The screen 340K shown in (c) is transferred to propose one or more recharge services including the optimal print volume purchase unit determined based on the above-mentioned behavior of the user 003.

[0176] In this example, "100 sheets / 900 yen" is determined as the optimal purchase unit corresponding to the monthly average print volume of 70 sheets and the recharge frequency of 2.6 times of the user 003 mentioned above. In addition, three buttons of "30 sheets / 280 yen", "50 sheets / 450 yen" and "100 sheets / 900 yen" are displayed in a selectable manner on the screen 340K in a manner including them. The various displays on the screen 340K are also examples of the suggestion information.

[0177] When the user selects a desired recharge service on the screen 340K, recharge is performed for the user in an amount corresponding to the selection result.

[0178] It should be noted that the control method of the CPU 310 of the mobile terminal 300 of this modification is different from that of the present invention except that the reaching frequency obtained in S5, the charging frequency obtained in S15, and the printing volume performance obtained in S40 are not the values ​​of each multifunction machine 200 but the values ​​of each user. Fig. 9 It is the same, and the explanation is omitted.

[0179] <Effects of Modification Example>

[0180] In this modification, the same effects as those of the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

[0181] In addition, in this variant, the number of printable sheets is associated with each user and is not shared with other users. Therefore, it is suitable, for example, when each user wants to bear the cost of purchasing printing rights. In addition, there is also the advantage of being able to select the best plan and recharge service for each user.

[0182] (2) When a user uses multiple multifunction devices and sets the number of sheets that can be printed for each device

[0183] This modification is in the aforementioned Figure 4 The structure shown is a modified example of a case where a user issues an event instruction from one mobile terminal 300 to a plurality of multifunction peripherals 200.

[0184] <Example of using prepaid printing service in mobile terminal>

[0185] Using the above-mentioned embodiment Figure 6 (a)~(e) correspond to Fig.12 (a) to (e) are used to illustrate the screen displayed on the mobile terminal 300 and the user's operation in this variation.

[0186] First, if the user starts the dedicated application program involved in the above program in the mobile terminal 300, Fig.12 As shown in (a), a screen 340A′ corresponding to the aforementioned screen 340A is displayed on the touch panel 340, and the screen 340A′ displays the MFP IDs of the MFPs 200 that the user can select as use objects. In this example, two MFPs 200 with ID “No.xx” and MFP 200 with ID “No.yy” are displayed as MFPs that the user can select.

[0187] For example, when the user selects the multifunction machine 200 of "No. xx", the screen corresponding to the above-mentioned screen 340B is displayed. Fig.12 The screen 340B′ shown in (b) is transferred to display status information, the number of printable sheets, a “recharge” button, and a “print” button. It should be noted that in this variation, no matter which multifunction machine 200 is selected, “No. xx” or “No. yy”, the number of printable sheets displayed is the same.

[0188] The operations and displayed contents in the subsequent screens 340C', 340D', and 340E' are the same as those in the aforementioned screens 340C, 340D, and 340E, except that the multifunction machine ID is changed to "No. xx", and the description thereof is omitted.

[0189] As described above, in this variation, the number of printable sheets is associated with the user based on the print authority purchased by the user. Until the number of printable sheets becomes 0, the user can use the acquired print authority, i.e., the recharged number of sheets, for either the MFP 200 with ID "No. xx" or the MFP 200 with ID "No. yy".

[0190] <Event Management Table>

[0191] In the above Figure 7 , Fig.10 Corresponding Fig.13 An example of an event management table involved in this variation is shown in FIG. Fig.13 In the event management table, a user with the user ID "User-a" (hereinafter referred to as "User a") purchases the common printing authority for the two MFPs 200 with the above-mentioned MFP IDs "No.xx" and "No.yy" and executes printing.

[0192] like Fig.13 As shown, in this example, first on January 18, 2021, 10 sheets of recharge service were purchased by paying 100 yen. As a result, the corresponding recharged sheets of 10 sheets were obtained as printing rights, and the number of printable sheets of user a increased by 10 sheets to a total of 10 sheets. On the same day, January 18, 2021, two sheets of printing were executed using the multifunction machine 200 with ID "No. xx" (hereinafter appropriately referred to as "multifunction machine xx", etc.), and as a result, the number of printable sheets of user a decreased by 2 sheets to 8 sheets.

[0193] On the next day, January 19, 2021, 8 sheets are printed using multifunction machine yy, and the number of printable sheets of user a decreases by 8 sheets, resulting in the number of printable sheets becoming 0 sheets.

[0194] Correspondingly, on the same January 19, 2021, user a purchased a recharge service of 30 sheets by paying a consideration of 280 yen. The recharged number of 30 sheets is acquired as the printing authority, and the number of sheets that user a can print becomes 30 sheets.

[0195] On the next day, January 20, 2021, user a again purchased a recharge service for 10 sheets. The recharged number of 10 sheets was obtained as printing rights, and the number of sheets that user a can print became 40 sheets.

[0196] After that, on January 21, 2021, 40 sheets of printing were executed using multifunction machine yy, and the number of printable sheets of user a decreased by 40 sheets to 0 sheets.

[0197] In this example, as described above, due to concerns about the insufficient number of printable sheets or insufficient number of sheets when printing, user A makes additional purchases of the recharge service at a relatively high frequency. Accordingly, at appropriate timings from January 21, 2021 to the last day of January, user A is advised to change the method of obtaining printing rights from obtaining based on prepaid recharge to obtaining based on a subscription contract.

[0198] It should be noted that the display behavior of the mobile terminal 300 during the proposal is the same as the above Figure 8 The same method as (a) to (c) is sufficient, so the explanation is omitted.

[0199] Based on the above proposal, user a selects a desired plan in mobile terminal 300, and a contract for the plan is signed with user a (details omitted).

[0200] In this example, if Fig.13As shown, the subscription contract was signed on February 1, and the corresponding upper limit of 100 sheets of printing is acquired as the printing authority of user a. As a result, the number of printable sheets of user a increases by 100 sheets of printing authority, making the total number of printable sheets 100 sheets.

[0201] <Effects of Modification Example>

[0202] In this modification, the same effects as those of the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

[0203] In addition, in this modification, the print authority purchased by the user a can be used for any of the plurality of multifunction peripherals 200 , so there is no need to charge or sign a subscription contract for each of the plurality of multifunction peripherals 200 , thereby improving convenience.

[0204] It should be noted that in the above-mentioned modified example, when one user a uses a plurality of multifunction machines 200, the number of printable sheets based on the purchased printing authority is associated with the user a in a manner that can be used in common for all multifunction machines 200. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the user a may purchase printing authority for each multifunction machine 200, and the number of printable sheets corresponding to each printing authority may be associated with each multifunction machine 200.

[0205] (3) Changing from subscription printing service to prepaid printing service

[0206] In the above, the case where a user who purchases printing rights for a prepaid printing service and uses the multifunction peripheral 200 is advised to change to fixed-quota printing rights based on a subscription contract is described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0207] That is, for a user who is using the subscription print service with the subscription fixed-quota print authority, depending on the usage status of the multifunction peripheral 200, it may be more convenient to use the prepaid print service by switching from the fixed-quota print authority to the purchased print authority.

[0208] In this variation, in such a case, the user is advised to change the method of obtaining the printing rights from the fixed-quota printing rights to the purchased printing rights. In addition, there may be a case where it is best to keep the subscription printing service unchanged and only change the amount of the fixed quota to be borne, that is, to change the above service plan. In this variation, such a change is also suggested for such a case.

[0209] use Fig.14 An example of a control process executed by CPU 310 of mobile terminal 300 to implement the above-mentioned method in this variation is described with reference to a flowchart of FIG.

[0210] exist Fig.14In the process, first, in S2, it is determined whether it is the contract renewal period. If it is not the contract renewal period, the process is terminated. If it is the contract renewal period, the print volume during the subscription period is obtained in S7, and it is determined in S12 whether the print volume during the subscription period is less than the threshold. If it is determined in S12 that the print volume during the subscription period is less than the threshold, in S25′ corresponding to S25, the CPU 310 of the mobile terminal 300 displays on the touch panel 340 a suggestion information recommending a change in the method of obtaining the printing authority from the subscription contract to the prepaid recharge.

[0211] As a proposal information, for example Figure 8 Similarly, screen 340F displays a message "It may be more cost-effective to switch to prepaid service" recommending the acquisition of purchase printing rights based on the prepaid printing service, and buttons such as "Try prepaid payment" and "Don't try".

[0212] After S25′, or when it is determined in S12 that the print volume during the subscription period is less than the threshold value, Fig. 9 In S30', the CPU 310 displays a screen (not shown) on the touch panel 340 for the user to select whether to continue the subscription contract (in other words, whether to try the prepaid printing service). If the user chooses not to try the prepaid printing service in S30', the corresponding step is executed. Fig. 9 Similarly, S35 to S50, when the prepaid printing service is selected, the process moves to S55'. It should be noted that in this variant, the CPU 310 of the mobile terminal 300 that executes S35 also functions as an example of the authority candidate acquisition unit. In addition, S7 and S40 are examples of information acquisition steps, and the CPU 310 of the mobile terminal 300 that executes S7 and S40 functions as an example of the information acquisition unit.

[0213] In with Fig. 9 In S55′ corresponding to S55 of S55, the CPU 310 determines, from the recharge services that can be provided to the user, a recharge service that includes the best print volume purchase unit corresponding to the print volume performance of the user during the subscription period obtained in S7. At this time, the best print volume purchase unit can be determined based on the size of a prescribed threshold value corresponding to the above-mentioned print volume performance. The above-mentioned print volume performance is an example of transition information in this modification, and the above-mentioned threshold value is an example of a fourth threshold value. In addition, S45 and S55′ are examples of a method determination step in this modification, and the CPU 310 of the mobile terminal 300 that executes S45 and S55′ functions as an example of a method determination unit in this modification.

[0214] In with Fig. 9In S60′ corresponding to S60 of S55′, the CPU 310 displays the recharge service including the optimal print volume purchase unit determined in S55′ on the touch panel 340. It should be noted that the display of the recharge service at the mobile terminal 300 is similar to the above-mentioned Fig.11 The screen 340K of (c) is also sufficient. The print volume displayed here is the print volume during the subscription period (1 month), and the number of recharges is not displayed.

[0215] S25', S50, S60' are examples of the suggestion information output step in this modification, and the CPU 310 of the mobile terminal 300 that executes S25', S50, S60' functions as an example of the suggestion information output unit in this modification. The CPU 310 of the mobile terminal 300 that executes S25' also functions as an example of the message output unit.

[0216] <Effects of Modification Example>

[0217] This modification also has the same effects as those of the above-described embodiment.

[0218] According to the present variation, the MFP 200 that executes printing under a subscription contract, that is, obtains quota printing authority, can be offered execution of printing based on prepaid charging, that is, purchase of printing authority as a new printing authority acquisition method.

[0219] In addition, according to this variation, it is also possible to propose a change in the amount of the fixed quota (in other words, a change in the guaranteed amount of printing) to a user who obtains fixed-quota printing authority and performs printing based on a so-called subscription contract while maintaining the method of obtaining printing authority based on the subscription contract. Specifically, even if the user chooses not to try the prepaid printing service in S30′, the best service plan is determined from the service plans obtained in S35 in S45 and proposed as a new method of obtaining printing authority in S50. As a result, the user does not need to study and re-evaluate the service plan by himself, which can improve the convenience of the user.

[0220] above, Fig. 9 , Fig.14 The flowcharts shown in the flowcharts do not limit the present invention to the steps shown in the flowcharts, and steps may be added / deleted or their order may be changed without departing from the gist and technical concept of the invention.

[0221] In addition to what has been described above, the techniques of the above-described embodiment and each modified example may be combined as appropriate and utilized.

[0222] In addition, although not specifically described, the present invention can be implemented with various modifications added thereto without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0223] Description of Reference Numerals

[0224] 1 Printing service provision system (an example of a printing authority management system)

[0225] 100 Management server (an example of an information processing device)

[0226] 200 Multifunction machine (an example of a printing device)

[0227] 300 Mobile terminal (information terminal, an example of terminal device)

[0228] 310 CPU (an example of a computing unit)

[0229] 352 Data storage area

[0230] 340 Touch Panel

[0231] NT network.

Claims

1. A printing authority management system that manages a printing device that can perform printing with an allowable printing amount as an upper limit, and can increase the allowable printing amount according to a predetermined guaranteed printing amount guaranteed by the printing authority obtained by the user by paying money, wherein: have: an information acquisition unit that acquires change information related to a change in the guaranteed print volume or the allowed print volume in the printing device; a method determination unit that determines a new printing authority acquisition method to be proposed to the corresponding user or the printing device based on the transition information acquired by the information acquisition unit; and The proposal information output unit outputs proposal information corresponding to the printing authority acquisition method determined by the method determination unit to an information terminal corresponding to the user or the printing apparatus.

2. The printing authority management system according to claim 1, The printing authority is a purchased printing authority for which the corresponding guaranteed printing amount is added to the permissible printing amount of the printing device after the user makes a purchase. The method determination unit determines the new printing authority acquisition method as acquisition of a fixed-quota printing authority instead of the purchased printing authority, wherein the fixed-quota printing authority guarantees the guaranteed printing volume within a predetermined period by a fixed-quota burden based on conclusion of a predetermined contract with a user.

3. The printing authority management system according to claim 2, The printing authority management system further comprises an authority candidate acquisition unit for acquiring a plurality of printing authority candidates that can be determined in the method determination unit as the newly acquired printing authority. The mode determination unit determines one of the fixed-quota printing authorities to be newly acquired from among the plurality of printing authority candidates acquired by the authority candidate acquisition unit.

4. The printing authority management system according to claim 1, The printing authority is a purchased printing authority for which the corresponding guaranteed printing amount is added to the permissible printing amount of the printing device after the user makes a purchase. The method determination unit determines the new printing authority acquisition method as a purchase of printing authority based on any one of a plurality of printing volume purchase units, wherein the plurality of printing volume purchase units includes at least one printing volume purchase unit that is different from any one of a plurality of printing volume purchase units proposed to the user when purchasing the printing authority.

5. The printing authority management system according to claim 2 or 4, The transition information acquired by the information acquisition unit includes the number of purchases or the purchase frequency of the purchased printing authority for each of the users, or the number of purchases or the purchase frequency of the purchased printing authority for each of the printing devices. The method determination unit determines the new print authority acquisition method based on a magnitude relationship between the number of purchases or the purchase frequency acquired by the information acquisition unit and a corresponding first threshold value.

6. The printing authority management system according to claim 2 or 4, The transition information acquired by the information acquisition unit includes the number of times or the frequency at which the allowed print volume of each user becomes less than a predetermined second threshold, or the number of times or the frequency at which the allowed print volume of each printing device becomes less than a predetermined second threshold, The method determination unit determines the new print authority acquisition method based on a magnitude relationship between the number of times or the frequency of reaching acquired by the information acquisition unit and a corresponding third threshold value.

7. The printing authority management system according to claim 6, When the number of times or the frequency of times reached is greater than the third threshold, the method determination unit determines the new printing authority acquisition method as the acquisition of printing authority based on automatic purchase, in which the printing authority is automatically purchased without the user's operation.

8. The printing authority management system according to claim 1, The printing authority is a quota printing authority that guarantees the guaranteed printing volume within a prescribed period by a quota burden based on the conclusion of a prescribed contract with the user, The method determination unit determines the new printing authority acquisition method as a purchase of printing authority based on the purchase of printing authority that replaces the quota printing authority, and the purchased printing authority will add the corresponding guaranteed printing amount to the allowable printing amount of the printing device after the user purchases it.

9. The printing authority management system according to claim 1, The printing authority is a quota printing authority that guarantees the guaranteed printing amount within a prescribed period through a quota burden based on the conclusion of a prescribed contract with the user, The method determination unit determines the new printing authority acquisition method as a printing authority acquisition method based on other types of fixed-quota printing authority, wherein the other types of fixed-quota printing authority are based on a fixed-quota burden of an amount different from the fixed-quota burden amount involved in one type of fixed-quota printing authority set when the prescribed contract is signed.

10. The printing authority management system according to claim 9, The printing authority management system further comprises an authority candidate acquisition unit for acquiring a plurality of printing authority candidates that can be determined in the method determination unit as the newly acquired printing authority. The method determination unit determines to acquire the printing authority based on the other type of fixed-quota printing authority selected from the plurality of printing authority candidates acquired by the authority candidate acquisition unit.

11. The printing authority management system according to any one of claims 2, 4, 8 and 9, The transition information acquired by the information acquisition unit includes past print volume performance of each of the users or past print volume performance of each of the printing devices. The method determination unit determines the new printing authority acquisition method based on a magnitude relationship between the actual printing volume performance acquired by the information acquisition unit and a corresponding fourth threshold value.

12. The printing authority management system according to any one of claims 2, 4, 8 and 9, The printing authority management system further includes a message output unit configured to output a message recommending switching to the printing authority acquisition method determined by the method determination unit to an information terminal corresponding to the user or the printing apparatus.

13. A printing authority management program for causing a computing unit of a terminal device capable of communicating with an information processing device to execute an information acquisition step, a method determination step, and a proposed information display step, The information processing device is capable of communicating with a printing device, the printing device is capable of executing printing with an allowable printing volume as an upper limit, and is capable of increasing the allowable printing volume according to a predetermined guaranteed printing volume guaranteed by a printing authority obtained by a user by paying money, In the information acquisition step, change information related to the change of the guaranteed print volume or the allowed print volume in the printing device is acquired. In the method determination step, a new printing authority acquisition method to be proposed to the corresponding user or the printing device is determined based on the transition information acquired in the information acquisition step. In the proposal information display step, proposal information corresponding to the printing authority acquisition method determined in the method determination step is displayed on a display unit.

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