Information processing device, information processing method, and program

Abstract

To provide a mechanism for suitably managing the number of sheets to be printed by an image forming device by using a non-fungible token (NFT) managed on a blockchain network, for example.SOLUTION: An information processing device according to the present embodiment is an information processing device that uses a printing service provided by an image forming device, and acquires an allowable number of sheets to be printed registered in association with a non-fungible token managed on a blockchain. When using the printing service, if the number of sheets to be printed in the instructed printing is within a range of the allowable number of sheets to be printed, the information processing device instructs the image forming device to perform printing processing. The information processing device notifies a smart contract of the number of sheets to be printed in the instructed printing, and receives from the smart contract an updated allowable number of sheets to be printed for the acquired non-fungible token.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program that limit the number of prints made by an image forming device using a non-fungible token (NFT) managed in a ledger by a blockchain. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 proposes a service that uses blockchain transactions to control the use of devices. In detail, the service is realized by decrypting a message for device control using a public key stored in a non-fungible token (NFT) and sending the message from an information processing device to the device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2022-123070 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the above-mentioned conventional technology has the following problems. In device access control using messages for device control as in the above-mentioned conventional technology, the device must receive a message for device control every time the device being used is accessed. In addition, it is difficult to prevent continued use of the device after the service has ended. For example, in a case where a printing service of an image forming apparatus (MFP) is provided by limiting the number of pages that can be printed by the MFP, it is difficult to perform control to prohibit access to the MFP after the number of pages printed by the MFP has reached the limited number.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of at least one of the above-mentioned problems, and provides a mechanism for suitably managing the number of prints made by an image forming device using non-fungible tokens (NFTs) managed on a blockchain network. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention is an information processing device that uses a printing service provided by an image forming device, and is characterized in that it comprises an acquisition means for acquiring a printable number of sheets registered in correspondence with a non-fungible token managed on a blockchain, a print instruction means for instructing the image forming device to perform a print process if the number of sheets instructed to be printed is within the range of the printable number when using the printing service, and a receiving means for notifying a smart contract of the instructed number of sheets to be printed and receiving from the smart contract the updated printable number for the non-fungible token. Effect of the Invention

[0007] In a printing service system using an image forming device with a limited number of printable sheets, by using NFTs purchased by an information processing device, it becomes possible to manage the number of printable sheets by the image forming device on the blockchain and control whether or not the printing service can be used. It also becomes possible to disable the printing service when the number of printable sheets reaches 0. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] System configuration diagram [Diagram 2] Example 1 of a screen display on an information processing device [Diagram 3] Example 2 of screen display on information processing device [Figure 4] Configuration diagram of information processing device [Diagram 5] Configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus [Figure 6] Flowchart regarding printing process in information processing apparatus [Figure 7]Flowchart for purchasing and additionally purchasing NFTs on information processing devices [Figure 8] Diagram explaining smart contract processing [Figure 9] Flowchart of smart contract NFT issuance process [Figure 10] Flowchart of smart contract NFT purchase process [Figure 11] Flowchart for smart contract NFT printing quantity notification process [Figure 12] Sequence diagram of sales site, information processing device, MFP, and smart contract DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Although the embodiments describe a number of features, not all of these features are essential to the invention, and the features may be combined in any manner. Furthermore, in the attached drawings, the same reference numbers are used for the same or similar configurations, and duplicated descriptions are omitted.

[0010] <System configuration> An embodiment of the present invention will be described below. First, an example of the configuration of a print service system according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. This print service system is composed of a print service company 100 that provides a print service, a print service 140 using an MFP that can be used in the print service, a block chain 120, and an information processing device 132 of a user 130 who uses the print service.

[0011] The sales site 110 is a site that sells non-fungible tokens (NFTs), which are non-fungible tokens for using the print service 140, and is provided by the print service company 100. The sales site 110 is composed of a front-end web service that issues NFTs, issues purchase instructions, and sets the model of MFPs that can be used with the service, and a back-end that transmits transaction blocks to the blockchain 120.

[0012] The print service 140 is a service that executes print processing (copying, data printing, etc.) using multiple image forming devices (MFPs 141-143) using the information processing device 132. To use the service, the user 130 purchases an NFT using the information processing device 132, acquires a usable print app from the NFT, and enables the print processing to be executed on the MFPs 141-143 of the print service 140 using the acquired print app. The MFPs 141-143 are configured to accept print processing only from the print app acquired by the NFT, and not to accept print jobs, copy operations, etc. from apps other than the print app.

[0013] The blockchain 120 is a system configured by P2P (peer-to-peer) communication between multiple information and communication devices arranged as nodes 121, and is also called a distributed management ledger. The blockchain 120 also uses blockchain technology that shares multiple blocked transaction data histories (transaction blocks) in a chain structure. Therefore, transaction blocks recorded in the blockchain 120 have the characteristics that they cannot be tampered with, there is no loss, and the owner can be identified reliably.

[0014] (Issuance of NFTs) The sales site 110 has a web service for issuing NFTs, and allows input of the NFT name (NFT111), the number of printable sheets (1000 color sheets), model information of the MFP used in the print service (MFP141), and the like. The NFT name is the name of the NFT that is displayed on the sales site 110. The number of printable sheets is a setting for the number of sheets to be printed by one or more MFPs available for the print service, and when the number of prints used in the print service reaches the number of printable sheets, the print service using the issued NFT becomes unavailable. The MFP model information includes the model name such as MFP141, MFP142, MFP143, and the printing capability (color, monochrome), and the like.

[0015] The NFT issuing web service uses the wallet of the print service company 100 and accepts a request to issue the NFT 111 based on the input information. The wallet is a wallet that can be used in the blockchain 120, and is used as a tool for sending transaction blocks to the blockchain 120, storing virtual currency used when selling and purchasing, and displaying issued and owned NFTs. When the NFT issuing web service accepts a request to issue the NFT 111, it sends a transaction block of issuance 801 to the smart contract 122. When the smart contract 122 receives the issuance 801, it generates an NFT 111 block, adds it to the blockchain 120, and returns an issuance success response S912 to the sales site 110. The owner of the NFT 111 immediately after issuance is set to the wallet address of the print service company 100. Note that, in the future, the description of the wallet address of the print service company 100 regarding the owner information will be abbreviated to the print service company 100. The issued NFT 111 is displayed as an NFT for sale on the sales site 110. The printing service company 100 also issues NFT 112 (set to 2,000 color and 4,000 monochrome copies) and NFT 113 (set to 4,000 color and 10,000 monochrome copies) similar to NFT 111, and sells them on the sales site 110. In this way, the printing service company 100 can provide NFTs for printing services with various conditions set by preparing an MFP that provides a printing service and issuing an NFT with the number of copies that can be printed by the MFP set.

[0016] (Print service available model settings) The print service company 100 requests the sales site 110 to make a model setting request 810 for the inventory status of the MFP that executes the print service, the addition of a model of the MFP compatible with the print service, etc. In the model setting request 810, the model name of the MFP, the number of available services, the maximum number of printable sheets, the setting unit of the number of printable sheets (1000 sheets), etc. are specified. The sales site 110 sets the serviceable model information of the smart contract 122 by sending a transaction block of the serviceable model setting 811 to the smart contract 122. Note that, when the number of MFPs compatible with the print service 140 becomes 0, the serviceable model information is deleted from the smart contract 122 by the transaction block of the serviceable model setting 811. Then, the NFT related to the MFP that can provide the service is deleted from the sales site 110. In addition, when the print service company 100 adds a new model, a setting request for model addition is made to the smart contract 122 by the serviceable model setting 811, and the NFT of the new model is added to the serviceable models of the smart contract.

[0017] (Purchasing NFTs) When purchasing the NFT 111 from the sales site 110, the user 130 purchases the NFT 111 using the wallet of the user 130. The information processing device 132 accesses the NFT purchasing web service of the sales site 110 and sets the wallet address of the user 130. The sales site 110 stores the information input as meta information of the NFT 111 in an IPFS (distributed file system) referenced by the URI of the NFT. The information processing device 132 generates a transaction block for purchase 802 from the NFT information of the NFT 111 displayed on the sales site 110 and transmits it to the smart contract 122. After receiving the purchase 802, the smart contract 122 changes the owner information of the NFT 111 to the user 130, and transmits a success of the owner change of the NFT 111 to the information processing device 132 in response to the purchase 802. When the owner of the NFT 111 changes, the sales site 110 sets the NFT 111 as unavailable for sale (hidden) on the sales site 110.

[0018] (Print count notification) Purchasing the NFT 111 enables the use of the print service, and at the same time, the information processing device 132 activates the print application (copy application 211). Furthermore, when the information processing device 132 executes the print application, upon receiving the number of prints from the MFP 141, it transmits a print number notification 804 to the smart contract 122. When the number of prints by the print application reaches the printable number of the NFT 111, the information processing device 132 sets the printable number to 0 and disables (stops functioning of) the print application.

[0019] The above is an overview of the printing service system using NFT. In this way, the present invention uses the NFT 111 and the smart contract 122 to manage the number of prints when using the printing service by the information processing device 132, and makes it possible to use the printing service by the printing app for the number of printable sheets at the time of purchasing the NFT. In addition, by issuing the NFT, the printing service company 100 can manage a series of operations from the start of use of the printing service, to monitoring the number of prints by the user 130, to the end of use of the printing service on the blockchain. In addition, the present invention uses the blockchain to realize a printing service system that is guaranteed to be tamper-proof, easy to check the history (traceability), and authentic (identification of the owner). Furthermore, the printing service company 100 can freely set the number of printable sheets in color and monochrome at the time of issuing the NFT.

[0020] <Screen transition of information processing device> 2 and 3, a description will be given of the transition of the display screen of the operation panel 409 of the information processing device 132 according to this embodiment. First, a description will be given with reference to FIG.

[0021] The home screen 201 is a home screen that is displayed on the panel 409 when the information processing device 132 that uses the print service 140 is started. This home screen 201 displays a copy application 211 and an NFT purchase 212 that are used with the print service 140. The screen that is displayed when the button of the copy application 211 is operated in this state will be described later with reference to FIG. 3. The NFT purchase 212 is a button for purchasing an NFT for using the print service 140. Operating this NFT purchase 212 launches an NFT purchase application with a wallet function for purchasing NFTs.

[0022] The NFT purchase screen 202 displays the sales site 110, and displays an NFT purchase button 221 (NFT111), an NFT purchase button 222 (NFT112), and an NFT purchase button 223 (NFT113) for purchasing NFTs that are being sold. Each NFT purchase button displays the number of printable sheets, and indicates the number of prints available in the print service 140. Here, operating the NFT purchase button 221 (NFT111) transitions to the NFT purchase screen 203.

[0023] The NFT purchase screen 203 is a screen for purchasing the NFT 111. A pop-up 231 displays a purchase confirmation message for the NFT 111, "Do you want to purchase NFT 111?", and when the OK button 232 is operated, a request for purchasing the NFT is sent to the sales site 110, and if the purchase is successful, the NFT purchase screen 204 is displayed. On the other hand, when the Cancel button 233 is operated, the NFT purchase is canceled and the screen returns to the NFT purchase screen 202.

[0024] The NFT purchase screen 204 is a screen that appears when the purchase of the NFT 111 is successful. To indicate that the NFT 111 has been purchased, a purchased button 241 indicating that the NFT 111 has been purchased is displayed in addition to the purchase button 221 for the NFT 111. Here, when the purchased button (NFT 111) 241 is operated, the screen transitions to the NFT purchase screen 205.

[0025] The NFT purchase screen 205 is a screen showing the status of the purchased NFT 111, and in order to show information about the NFT 111, it is displayed in the NFT 111 details display 252 in the owned NFT list display 251. In addition to operating the purchased button 241, the NFT 111 details display 252 can also be displayed by selecting the NFT 111 on the NFT purchase screen 204. When multiple NFTs have been purchased, the owned NFT list display 251 can also be used to switch between the multiple NFTs. The NFT 111 details display 252 displays information about the available MFPs (MFPs 141, 142, 143), the number of printable sheets (1000 color sheets, 0 monochrome sheets), and the owner (user 130).

[0026] The NFT purchase screen 206 is a screen that shows the status of an unpurchased NFT 112, and in order to show information about the NFT 112, details of the NFT 112 are displayed in an NFT detail display 261. A detail display 262 of the NFT 112 displays information about the available MFPs (MFPs 141, 142), the number of printable pages (2000 color pages, 4000 monochrome pages), and the owner (none: displayed as a - (hyphen)).

[0027] 2, the information processing device 132 enables the user 130 to purchase NFTs that can be used in the print service 140. In addition, by displaying details of the NFT on NFT purchase screens 205 and 206, details of the NFTs owned and the NFT to be purchased can be presented.

[0028] 3, a description will be given of transition of the display screen of the copy application 211 as an example of printing by the print service 140. The copy application 211 is an application for executing copying by the MFP of the print service 140 using the information processing device 132.

[0029] When the button for the copy application 211 is operated on the home screen 201, the display screen switches depending on whether or not an NFT has been purchased on the information processing device 132. If there is no NFT, the screen transitions to a copy application screen 307, and if there is an NFT, the screen transitions to a copy application screen 302.

[0030] The copy app screen 307 is a screen that is displayed when a button on the copy app 211 is operated if an NFT has not been purchased, and displays a no NFT display 371 ("You do not own an NFT. Please launch the app as you have purchased an NFT."). The no NFT display 371 also displays a message asking "Do you want to purchase an NFT?" in order to purchase an NFT, and operating an OK button 372 on this screen transitions to the screen 202 in FIG. 2, where it is possible to purchase an NFT from the sales site 110. On the other hand, operating a Cancel button 373 returns to the home screen 201.

[0031] The copy application screen 302 is a screen that is displayed when a button of the copy application 211 is operated if an NFT has already been purchased. The copy application screen 302 displays MFPs capable of printing with the print service 140 on a detected device display 321 screen. This detected device display 321 screen displays a message saying "A device capable of copying has been detected. Please select a device." and displays buttons for the detected MFPs (MFP 141, MFP 142, MFP 143) to enable selection by the user 130. Here, when the button of MFP 141 is operated, the screen transitions to a copy application screen 303.

[0032] The copy application screen 303 displays the selected MFP 141 in the title section 331, and displays the owned NFT 111 in the NFT button 332. In addition, the copy application screen 303 allows the user to perform copy settings (color setting, magnification, paper selection, number of copies, double-sided printing, page aggregation, etc.) in the copy setting 333. Operating the NFT button 332 transitions to the copy application screen 304. In addition to the settings displayed in the copy setting 333, the type of document (text / photo / map), sorting (ON / OFF), sharpness (-3 to 0 to +3), frame erasure (ON / OFF), etc. can be set by operating the other setting button 334 (not shown). In addition, by operating the reset button 336, the copy settings by the copy setting 333 and the other setting button 334 are cleared to the initial settings. The status check button 337 is a button for checking the copy status. Here, operating the start button 335 transitions to the copy application screen 305, 306.

[0033] The copy application screen 304 is a screen that displays detailed information about the owned NFT 111. In the NFT details display 341, information about the owned NFT 111 (printable number, expiration date, etc.) is displayed. Other information obtained from the NFT 111 may be displayed, such as the model name of the MFP that can be used with the print service 140, the owner's name, the NFT purchase price, etc. Here, operating an OK button 342 returns to the copy application screen 303.

[0034] Copy application screen 305 is a screen displayed when copying is performed by MFP 141 based on the copy settings made on copy application screen 303. Copy status display 351 displays the message "Copying," the number of sheets to be printed, the number of copies, and the paper (paper feed cassette stage 1, paper size A4). Operating close button 353 closes copy status display 351 and transitions to copy application screen 303 to enable the next copy setting. Operating stop button 352 stops the copy operation being performed and transitions to copy application screen 303.

[0035] The copy application screen 306 is a screen that is displayed when copying cannot be performed for the number of prints specified in the copy settings. Since the copy execution starts with scanning the document, the number of prints is determined by the number of scans x the number of copies. If the number of prints exceeds the number of printable sheets after scanning, the copy application screen 306 is displayed, and it is possible to cancel the copy execution or update the number of printable sheets. 361 is a display (operable object) that displays that the number of prints exceeds the number of printable sheets and printing is not possible, and asks whether to purchase additional NFTs. If additional NFTs are to be purchased, the screen 202 is transitioned to and the NFT sales site 110 is displayed by operating the OK button 362. Also, if additional NFTs are not to be purchased, the Cancel button 363 is operated to return to the copy application screen 304, and it is possible to change the number of prints in the copy settings.

[0036] The above is the transition of the display screen when executing copying from the copy application 211 of the information processing device 132 to the MFP 141 in the print service 140. Note that the displayed contents and operation procedures in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 show an example of executing an operation for printing on the MFP from an information processing device that owns an NFT, and are not limited to these screens.

[0037] <Hardware configuration of information processing device> Next, an example of the hardware configuration of the information processing device 132 according to this embodiment and a device built into the information processing device 132 will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Here, main configurations for realizing the present invention will be described, but it is not intended that the present invention be limited to these configurations, and other configurations may be included additionally or alternatively.

[0038] The controller unit 400 includes a CPU 402, a RAM 403, a ROM 404, a storage device 405, a network I / F 406, a display controller 407, and an operation unit I / F 408, which are connected to a system bus 401. The display controller 407 and the operation unit I / F 408 are connected to an operation panel 409, and execute a user's control of the panel buttons and an update control of the screen display on the operation panel. As an example of screen transition of the operation panel 409 of this embodiment, a touch panel type display panel is given as an example in Figs. 2 and 3, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0039] The CPU 402 is a central processing unit that controls the operation of the entire controller unit 400. The RAM 403 is a volatile memory. The ROM 404 is a non-volatile memory and stores the startup program for the CPU 402. The storage device 405 is a large-capacity storage device (e.g., hard disk drive: HDD, solid state drive: SSD) compared to the RAM 403. The storage device 405 has a wallet for accessing the blockchain 120 and holds address information, token amount (virtual currency), private key, public key, and NFT information on the blockchain 120. The NFT information includes the NFT name owned by the information processing device, NFT token (contract address and token ID), token URI, and description of the NFT. When the information processing device is started, the CPU 402 executes the startup program stored in the ROM 404. This startup program is for reading the control program stored in the storage device 405 and expanding it onto the RAM 403. When the CPU 402 executes the startup program, it then executes the control program expanded onto the RAM 403 to perform display and input control. Also, the CPU 402 stores and reads / writes the data used when executing the control program onto the RAM 403. On the storage device 405, various settings necessary when executing the control program can be stored. The various settings are read and written by the CPU 402. Also, the CPU 402 communicates with other devices (such as the MFP 141) on the network 104 via the network I / F 406, and with the sales site 110 on the Internet, the blockchain 120, and the smart contract 122 via the gateway.

[0040] The display controller 407 performs screen display control of the display of the connected operation panel 409 according to the instructions of the CPU 402. The operation I / F 408 inputs and outputs operation signals from the operation panel 409. When the touch panel of the operation panel 409 is operated, the CPU 402 acquires the coordinates of the operation on the touch panel via the operation I / F 408.

[0041] <Hardware Configuration of MFP> Next, the hardware configuration of the MFP according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a controller unit 500 of the MFP 141 and devices built into the MFP.

[0042] The controller unit 500 has a CPU 502, a RAM 503, a ROM 504, and a storage device 505, and these components are directly connected to a system bus 501. The controller unit 500 is also connected to external devices via a network I / F 506, a display controller 507, an operation I / F 508, a print controller 312, and a scan controller 514. These components are connected to the system bus 501 and can communicate with each other.

[0043] The CPU 502 is a central processing unit that controls the overall operation of the controller unit 500. The RAM 503 is a volatile memory. The ROM 504 is a non-volatile memory, and stores a startup program for the CPU 502.

[0044] The storage device 505 is a storage device (e.g., a hard disk drive: HDD) with a larger capacity than the RAM 503. The storage device 505 stores a control program for the MFP, which is executed by the CPU 502. The storage device 505 may be replaced with another storage device having the same function as a hard disk drive, such as a solid state drive (SSD).

[0045] At the time of startup such as power ON, the CPU 502 executes a startup program stored in the ROM 504. This startup program is for reading out a control program stored in the storage device 505 and expanding it on the RAM 503. After executing the startup program, the CPU 502 subsequently executes the control program expanded on the RAM 503 and performs control. The CPU 502 also stores data used when executing the control program on the RAM 503 and reads and writes it. The storage device 505 can further store various settings required when executing the control program and image data read by the scanner 515, which are read and written by the CPU 502. The CPU 502 communicates with the information processing device 132 on the network via the network I / F 506 and with the print service company 100 on the Internet via a gateway. Note that the network I / F 506 is not essential for the MFP constituting the print service 140 if it is capable of communicating with the information processing device 132. Alternatively, this embodiment can be realized if one-to-one communication with an information processing device can be performed using WiFi Direct, a USB cable, BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy), or the like without being connected to the Internet.

[0046] A display controller 507 controls the display screen on a connected operation panel 509 in response to an instruction from the CPU 502. An operation I / F 508 inputs and outputs operation signals. The operation I / F 508 is connected to the operation panel 509, and when the touch panel is operated, the CPU 502 obtains the operated coordinates of the touch panel via the operation I / F 508.

[0047] In response to an instruction from the CPU 502, the print controller 512 transmits a control command and image data to the connected print engine 513. The print engine 513 prints the received image data on a sheet in accordance with the control command received from the print controller 512.

[0048] In response to an instruction from the CPU 502, the scan controller 514 transmits a control command to the connected scanner 515 and writes image data received from the scanner 515 to the RAM 503. The scanner 515 reads an original on a platen glass (not shown) provided in the image forming apparatus 101 or an original placed on the ADF using an optical unit in accordance with the control command received from the scan controller 514. The original read by the scanner 515 is stored in the RAM 503 as image data, and the image data is converted by the CPU 502 into a file format of PDF / JPEG / TIFF in accordance with the file format setting and saved in the storage device 505.

[0049] <Printing Flowchart> Next, referring to FIG. 6, a process procedure when the print application of the information processing device 132 according to this embodiment instructs the MFPs 141 to 143 to perform print processing will be described. Here, the copy application 211 will be described as the print application. The information processing device 132 starts this flowchart by selecting the MFP 141 on the copy application screen 302 from the copy application 211 and operating the start button 335 on the copy application screen 303. Note that the information processing device 132 has already purchased the NFT 111 at the time of transition to the copy application screen 302, and is in a state in which the printable number of the NFT 111 is acquired when the start button 335 is operated. The process described below is realized by, for example, the CPU 402 of the information processing device 132 reading a program stored in the ROM 404 or the storage device 405 into the RAM 403 and executing it. In the following, the step numbers of each process included in the flowchart are indicated by numbers beginning with "S". The same applies to the subsequent flowcharts.

[0050] In S601, the CPU 402 transmits the copy settings set in the copy setting 333 to the MFP 141. Upon receiving the copy settings, the MFP 141 executes scanning of the MFP 141 according to the copy settings. In S602, the CPU 402 receives the number of scanned originals (number of scans) from the MFP 141, and obtains the number of prints to be printed by the MFP 141 from the number of scans and the copy settings (number of copies, double-sided, or combined pages).

[0051] In S603, the CPU 402 determines whether the number of prints acquired in S602 is equal to or less than the number of printable sheets, and if it is equal to or less than the number of printable sheets (YES), the process proceeds to S604, and if it is greater than the number of printable sheets (NO), the process proceeds to S608. If printing is possible, in S604, the CPU 402 transmits a print instruction to the MFP 141, and the MFP 141 executes the print process.

[0052] In S605, after the print process of the MFP 141 is completed, the CPU 402 receives the number of printed sheets from the MFP 141. The CPU 402 also transmits the received number of printed sheets to the smart contract 122 in a printed sheet number notification 804. After transmitting the printed sheet number notification 804, if the CPU 402 receives a printed sheet number notification success response, it acquires the updated number of printable sheets from the smart contract 122. If the CPU 402 receives a printed sheet number notification failure response, it ends the printed sheet number notification process and executes the printed sheet number notification process again from the upper application (copy application). In this embodiment, in S605, the number of printed sheets is received from the MFP 141 after printing is completed, but the print instruction in S604 may be used as the printed sheet number as is.

[0053] In S606, the CPU 402 determines whether the number of printable sheets has become 0, and if it is not 0 (NO), the process returns to the copy setting screen of the copy application, and if the number of printable sheets has become 0 (YES), the process transitions to S607 and disables the print function of the print application. If printing is not possible in S603, in S608, the CPU 402 transitions to the copy application screen 306 and displays 361.

[0054] In S609, when the CPU 402 confirms the additional purchase of an NFT in the display of 361 and operates the OK button 362 (YES), it transitions to S610. When it operates the Cancel button 363 (NO), it ends the printing process and returns to the copy app screen 303. In S610, the CPU 402 transitions to the process for additional purchase of an NFT. In S611, the CPU 402 updates the printable number of sheets to the printable number of the NFT for which the additional purchase has been made, and returns to S603.

[0055] As described above, by executing the printing process according to the flowchart of FIG. 6, it becomes possible to execute the printing function while monitoring the number of printed sheets by the NFT 111. Also, when the printable number of sheets of the NFT 111 becomes 0, by enabling the additional purchase of the NFT, even if it is not possible to predict in advance that the printable number of sheets will be close to 0, the printing function can be restored. Also, by preparing two types of printable numbers for color and monochrome, even if only the printable number of color becomes 0 and the printable number of monochrome has not reached 0, in the color selection of the copy settings 333, the color can be disabled and only monochrome can be made available.

[0056] <NFT Purchase / Additional Purchase Flowchart> Next, with reference to FIG. 7, the processing procedure for the NFT purchase app or the additional purchase of an NFT in S610 will be described. The processes described below are realized, for example, when the CPU 402 of the information processing apparatus 132 reads out the programs stored in the ROM 404 and the storage device 405 and executes them in the RAM 403.

[0057] In S701, the CPU 402 launches the NFT purchase app 212 from the home screen 201. In S702, the CPU 402 displays the sales site 110 in the NFT purchase app. In S703, the CPU 402 displays the NFT selected by the user 130 in the NFT purchase 231 and confirms whether to purchase it. In S704, the CPU 402 uses the wallet of the user 130 to send a purchase 802 block to the smart contract 122 to purchase the NFT.

[0058] In S705, the CPU 402 acquires the NFT information of the purchased NFT and adds the number of printable sheets that can be used in a print application (such as the copy application 211). Since the smart contract 122 subtracts the number of printable sheets for each NFT by the number of prints, the print application can be used until the number of printable sheets for the purchased NFT becomes 0.

[0059] The purchase and additional purchase of NFTs has been explained above. In this way, by constructing a print service system linked to NFTs, it is possible to start with a contract with a small number of printable sheets, and then purchase NFTs and increase or decrease the number of printable sheets according to the actual usage situation. In addition, it is possible to realize a contract that requires the purchase of NFTs three times a month as a condition for using the print service, or a contract for a print service for multiple MFPs, using the smart contract 122.

[0060] <Smart Contract> Next, the processing contents of the smart contract will be described with reference to FIG. 8. A smart contract is one of the blocks placed in the blockchain 120, and is written to the blockchain like other blocks and is a block shared between nodes. A smart contract is a block in which processing can be described, and differs from a transaction block in that execution instructions can be written in a received transaction block and a block generated from the execution result can be stored in the blockchain. In FIG. 8, the central blocks (811-813) show the processing in the smart contract for the transaction blocks (801-804) received by the smart contract. The blocks on the right show the blocks (821-824) output as the processing results. The print service company 100 and the user 130 indicate the source of instructions that transmit transaction blocks to the smart contract 122.

[0061] Issue 801 is a transaction block for issuing an NFT using the wallet of the print service company 100. The print service company 100 sets the number of printable sheets as 1000 color sheets and 0 monochrome sheets, the model name of the MFP, and the price of the NFT as information for issuing an NFT, and sends Issue 801 to the smart contract 122. Although FIG. 8 illustrates only the settings related to this embodiment, in order to issue an NFT, the NFT name, description, token ID, symbol, token URI, total number of issues, initial number of issues, tradability, etc. are also specified.

[0062] Issue 811 shows the NFT issuance process of the smart contract 122 when issue 801 is received. In the NFT issuance process, issue 811 generates block 821 and adds the generated block 821 to the blockchain 120. The main process of issue 811 is to check, from the block information of issue 801, whether the issuer is the print service company 100, whether the setting of the printable number of sheets is a number that can be set for the model name of the MFP, whether there are any problems with the price setting, etc.

[0063] Block 821 indicates a block referenced by the generated NFT, and the owner information is set to the print service company 100, and the number of printable sheets is set to 1000 as state variables, along with model information, etc. Since the NFT stores changes to the owner, state variables, etc. as blocks on the blockchain starting from block 821 generated at the time of issuance, it is possible to track changes to the issued NFT. In addition, it is possible to guarantee uniqueness, and only the issued NFT can be used in the print service provided by the print service company 100.

[0064] Purchase 802 is a transaction block for purchasing an issued NFT using the wallet of user 130. Purchase 802 sets the owner change to user 130 who is purchasing the NFT, payment information, and the purchase date.

[0065] Purchase 812 shows the NFT purchase process of the smart contract 122 when Purchase 802 is received. The NFT purchase process changes the owner of the NFT to the wallet address of the user 130, makes payment to the print service company 100, saves the purchase date, and generates block 822 that saves the results of the NFT purchase process.

[0066] Block 822 is a block of the NFT generated in purchase 812, where the owner has been changed to user 130 and the number of printable sheets remains set to 1000 color sheets. After block 822 is generated, when block 822 is added to the blockchain 120, a print app that uses the print service 140 becomes available on the information processing device 132 of user 130 in response to purchase 802. Note that the print app may be stored in storage indicated by the URI of the NFT, and the print app may be installed at the same time as purchasing the NFT.

[0067] Print count notification 803 is a transaction block for notifying the smart contract 122 of the number of sheets (100) printed by the MFP 141. Here, the number of 100 sheets printed used by the print service 140 is notified. Print count notification 813 is a process in which the smart contract 122 subtracts the number of sheets printed (100) from the printable number of sheets (1000) of the NFT and generates block 823 that changes the new printable number (900). Block 823 is saved in the blockchain as a block that updates the printable number to 900.

[0068] The print count notification 804 is a transaction block for notifying the smart contract 122 of the number of sheets (900) printed by the MFP 141. The print count notification 813 generates a block 824 in which the smart contract 122 subtracts the print count (900) from the printable count (900) of the NFT and changes the new printable count to (0). The block 824 is a block in which the printable count has become 0, and when it is added to the blockchain, the print app of the information processing device 132 will no longer be able to use the print service 140 due to the printable count being 0 as notified in response to the print count notification 805.

[0069] As described above, the processing of the smart contract 122 shown in FIG. 8 allows the user 130 to use the print service in the print service 140 up to the printable number of sheets of the NFT. In addition, since the printable number is managed by the print app and the smart contract, it is also possible to make all MFPs constituting the print service 140 available. The print service company 100 can check information such as the print history, start date of use, and end date of use of the user using the print app on the blockchain simply by setting the print service information (printable number of sheets, model name of MFP, and price) in the issuance 801. In addition, by using the smart contract 122, the print history of the user 130 can be stored on the blockchain in a form (block) that cannot be tampered with, and it is possible to prevent unintended use such as cheating on the number of sheets printed and use after the print service usage period. In addition, if the printable number is defined as color and monochrome in the issuance 801 of the NFT, when the printable number of sheets in either color or monochrome becomes 0, the print function with the printable number of sheets that becomes 0 is disabled. On the other hand, the printing function for which the number of printable pages is not 0 can be made continuously available.

[0070] <Smart Contract: NFT Issuance> Next, the processing procedure for issuing an NFT using a smart contract 122 will be described with reference to Fig. 9. In each step of Fig. 9, a transaction block (issuance 801) is verified by multiple nodes 121 in the blockchain, and an issuance process is executed.

[0071] In S901, the smart contract 122 receives the issue 801. Upon receiving the issue 801, the smart contract 122 executes a transaction block verification process in S902 to 904. In S902, the smart contract 122 verifies whether the sender is an address capable of issuing an NFT, and if it is an issuable address (YES), the process transitions to S903, and if it is not an issuable address (NO), the process transitions to S905. Note that the issuable address information may be saved when the smart contract 122 is deployed to the blockchain 120, or may be saved in the blockchain 120 as data that can be referenced from the smart contract 122.

[0072] In S903, the smart contract 122 refers to the model information and serviceable model information in the issue 801, and if the model is a serviceable model (YES), transitions to S904, and if the model is not a serviceable model (NO), transitions to S906. In S904, the smart contract 122 determines whether the setting of the printable number included in the issue 801 is correct based on the maximum printable number and the setting unit of the printable number (1000 sheets, etc.) in the serviceable model information. If the setting of the printable number is determined to be normal (YES), transitions to S908, and if the setting of the printable number is determined to be abnormal (NO), transitions to S907.

[0073] In S905, the smart contract 122 sets in the response to issue 801 that the wallet address of the issuer is not the wallet address of the print service company 100, and transitions to S911. In S906, the smart contract 122 sets in the response to issue 801 that the setting of the model name to be used for the print service is abnormal, and transitions to S911. In S907, the smart contract 122 sets in the response to issue 801 that the setting of the printable number is abnormal, and transitions to S911.

[0074] In S908, the smart contract 122 generates metadata for the NFT from the model information, sets the owner of the NFT to the print service company 100, and generates a block 821 in which the number of printable sheets is set as a state variable. In S909, the smart contract 122 generates a block 821 for the NFT including the transaction block of the received issuance 801, and requests the blockchain 120 to add the block 821.

[0075] In S910, the smart contract 122 verifies the added block 821 by each node 121 of the blockchain 120, and if it is confirmed that the block is legitimate, the addition of the block 821 to the blockchain 120 is completed. When the block 821 is added to the blockchain 120, it becomes accessible to all nodes 121 constituting the blockchain 120 and is stored as unalterable information. Then, if the addition to the blockchain 120 is OK, in S912, the smart contract 122 returns an NFT issuance success response to the sender of the NFT issuance 801 success response. On the other hand, if the addition to the blockchain 120 fails, in S911, the smart contract 122 returns an NFT issuance 801 failure response to the sender as a response to the issuance 801. When the smart contract 122 issues the NFT, it notifies the sales site 110 of the token ID of the issued NFT, making the NFT available for sale.

[0076] The issued NFT can be accessed by the token ID, the transaction block hash of block 821, and the transaction block ID. Furthermore, the issued NFT can also be accessed by the address of the smart contract 122 in which the NFT was issued and the token ID. The sales site 110 displays the issued NFT on the sales site, making it available for purchase from the information processing device 132 of the user 130.

[0077] <Smart Contract: NFT Purchase> Next, referring to Figure 10, we will explain the processing procedure when purchasing an NFT using the smart contract 122 in this embodiment.

[0078] In S1001, the smart contract 122 receives a transaction block for purchasing an NFT 802. In S1002, the smart contract 122 checks whether the wallet address of the destination (user 130) has the payment ability to purchase the NFT in order to confirm the destination information. The payment price includes the price of the NFT defined by the sender and the gas fee for generating a block of the NFT in the smart contract 122.

[0079] In S1003, if the destination (user 130) wallet has the ability to pay, and if the owner change is OK (YES), the smart contract 122 transitions to S1004, and if the owner change is not OK (NO), the smart contract 122 transitions to S1007.

[0080] If the owner change is OK, in S1004, the smart contract 122 generates a block 822 and adds it to the blockchain. On the other hand, if the owner change is NG, in S1005, the smart contract 122 transitions to S1006 if the addition to the blockchain is successful (YES), and transitions to S1007 if the addition to the blockchain is unsuccessful (NO).

[0081] If the addition to the blockchain is successful, in S1006, the smart contract 122 sends an NFT purchase success response to the destination (the information processing device 132 of the user 130). If the addition to the blockchain is unsuccessful, in S1007, the smart contract 122 sends an NFT purchase failure response to the destination (the information processing device 132 of the user 130).

[0082] The above is the processing of the smart contract 122 when purchasing an NFT. In this way, by controlling the processing of the owner change within the smart contract 122, the printing service company 100 can monitor the number of prints made by the user and grasp the usage status.

[0083] <Smart contract: Print quantity notification> Next, with reference to FIG. 11, a processing procedure for processing a print count notification from the information processing device 132 of the user 130 by the smart contract 122 according to this embodiment will be described.

[0084] In S1101, the smart contract 122 receives the print count notification 803 (print count color 100) or the print count notification 804 (print count color 900) as a transaction block of the print count notification.

[0085] In S1102, the smart contract 122 checks the sender of the print quantity notifications 803 and 804 and the NFT owner information, and if they are the same address (YES), transitions to S1103, and if they are different addresses (NO), transitions to S1108.

[0086] In S1103, the smart contract 122 subtracts the number of printable sheets notified by the print number notifications 804 and 805 from the number of printable sheets, and saves the result as the new number of printable sheets in the state variable of the smart contract 122. The new number of printable sheets is sent to the MFP 141 in response to the print number notifications 803 and 804. When the print number notification 803 is received, the printable number 900 is saved in the state variable of the smart contract 122. When the print number notification 804 is received, the printable number 0 is saved in the state variable of the smart contract 122.

[0087] In S1105, blocks 823 and 824 with the printable number of copies changed are generated and added to the blockchain 120. In S1106, the smart contract 122 determines whether the block generated in S1105 has been added to the blockchain 120. If the smart contract 122 adds a block to the blockchain (YES), it transitions to S1107; if it cannot be added (NO), it transitions to S1108.

[0088] When a block can be added to the blockchain, in S1107, the smart contract 122 sends a print count notification success response to the sender of the print count notifications 804 and 805. On the other hand, when a block cannot be added to the blockchain, in S1108, the smart contract 122 sends a print count notification failure response to the sender of the print count notification.

[0089] As described above, by the smart contract 122 executing the flowchart of FIG. 11, the printable number of copies of the NFT is updated, and it becomes possible to manage the number of copies when the user 130 who purchased the NFT uses the printing service 140. Also, by using the smart contract 122 described in the flowcharts of FIGS. 10 and 11, it becomes possible to construct a system for the printing service 140 using the NFT with the printable number of copies set. Further, the user 130 can print using all MFPs provided in the printing service 140 by owning the NFT of the present embodiment. For example, for the MFPs of the printing service 140 installed in convenience stores, homes, and companies, the printing function by the printing service becomes available by the information processing device 132 that purchased the NFT.

[0090] <Sequence from NFT issuance to the end of the printing service> Next, with reference to FIG. 12, the sequence from the issuance of the NFT according to the present embodiment to the start and end of the use of the printing service 140 will be described.

[0091] In S1201, the sales site 110 sends a transaction block (issuance 801) for issuing the NFT 111 to the smart contract 122. In S1202, the smart contract 122 sends an NFT issuance success response to the issuance 801 to the sales site 110. When the NFT 111 is issued, the sales site 110 sells it at the sales site 110.

[0092] In S1203, the information processing device 132 transmits a transaction block (Purchase 802) for purchasing the NFT 111 to the smart contract 122. In S1204, the smart contract 122 transmits an NFT purchase success response to the Purchase 802 to the information processing device 132. The owner of the NFT 111 is changed to the wallet address of the user 130. In addition, the print app of the information processing device 132 enters an NFT ownership state, is activated, and becomes available for use.

[0093] In S1205, the information processing device 132 transmits a print instruction to the MFP 131 for printing by the print application that has become available. In S1206, the information processing device 132 receives from the MFP 141 the number of sheets to be printed.

[0094] In S1207, the information processing device 132 transmits the number of prints received in S1206 to the smart contract 122 by a print number notification 803. The smart contract 122 subtracts the notified number of prints from the number of printable sheets to update the number of printable sheets.

[0095] In S1207, the smart contract 122 transmits a print count notification response for the NFT 111 to the information processing device 132. After receiving the print count notification response, the information processing device 132 receives the updated printable count of the NFT 111 from the smart contract 122. S1205 to S1208 are repeated each time printing is performed by the print service 140 until the printable count of the NFT 111 becomes 0. When the printable count of the NFT 111 becomes 0, the print function of the print app is disabled and printing by the print service 140 becomes impossible.

[0096] The above is an example of using the print service 140 in which the printable number is set in the smart contract 122 for the NFT 111. In this way, by using the smart contract 122, the print service company 100 can automatically manage the print number of the print service used by the user and enable / disable the print function of the print app until the printable number is reached. In this way, the print service system using NFT can set various conditions using the smart contract, making it possible to build a system that meets various conditions.

[0097] As described above, the information processing device according to the present embodiment is an information processing device that uses a printing service provided by an image forming device, and acquires the number of printable sheets registered in association with a non-fungible token managed on a blockchain. When using the printing service, if the number of sheets to be printed is within the range of the number of printable sheets, the information processing device instructs the image forming device to perform printing. The information processing device also notifies the smart contract of the number of sheets to be printed that has been instructed to be printed, and receives from the smart contract the updated number of printable sheets for the non-fungible token. This makes it possible to control whether or not the printing service provided by the image forming device can be used. <Other embodiments> The present invention can also be realized by a process in which a program for implementing one or more of the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or device read and execute the program. The present invention can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that implements one or more of the functions. The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the following claims are appended to apprise the public of the scope of the invention.

[0098] The disclosure of this specification includes the following information processing device, control method thereof, and program. (Item 1) An information processing device that uses a printing service provided by an image forming device, An acquisition means for acquiring the number of printable sheets registered in association with the non-fungible token managed on the blockchain; a print instruction unit that instructs the image forming device to perform a print process when the number of sheets to be printed is within a range of the number of sheets that can be printed when using a print service; a receiving means for notifying a smart contract of the number of sheets to be printed that has been instructed to be printed, and receiving an updated number of sheets that can be printed for the non-fungible token from the smart contract; An information processing device comprising: (Item 2) 2. The information processing device according to item 1, further comprising a display unit that displays on the image forming device that printing processing is not possible when the number of prints is greater than the number of printable sheets indicated by the non-fungible token. (Item 3) 3. The information processing device according to item 2, wherein the display means further displays an object for purchasing additional non-fungible tokens in an operable manner. (Item 4) The information processing device according to any one of items 1 to 3, characterized in that the number of printed sheets notified to the smart contract is the number of printed sheets received from the image forming device after printing is completed. (Item 5) An information processing device according to any one of items 1 to 4, characterized in that, when a non-fungible token is purchased, a print application for using a print service from a storage device indicated by the URI of the non-fungible token is installed. (Item 6) 6. The information processing device according to any one of items 1 to 5, further comprising a limiting unit that disables a setting of a printing function when the number of printable sheets becomes 0. (Item 7) 7. The information processing device according to item 6, wherein the number of printable sheets is set for each of color and monochrome printing functions. (Item 8) The limiting means is 8. The information processing device according to item 7, wherein the setting of the printing function for which the number of printable sheets has become 0 is invalidated. (Item 9) An information processing device according to any one of items 1 to 8, characterized in that it holds a wallet that can be used on a blockchain. (Item 11) The information processing device described in any one of items 1 to 9, characterized in that the non-fungible token can be set to multiple available image forming devices, and the print instruction means instructs printing to an image forming device among the multiple image forming devices that is capable of executing the print function to be instructed to print. (Item 11) An information processing method of an information processing device that uses a print service provided by an image forming device, comprising: An acquisition step in which an acquisition means acquires the printable number registered in association with the non-fungible token managed on the blockchain; a print instruction step of instructing the image forming apparatus to perform a print process when the print instruction means instructs the number of sheets to be printed when using a print service is within a range of the number of sheets that can be printed; A receiving step in which a receiving means notifies a smart contract of the number of sheets to be printed that has been instructed to be printed, and receives an updated number of sheets that can be printed for the non-fungible token from the smart contract; An information processing method comprising the steps of: (Item 12) An information processing method in an information processing device that uses a print service provided by an image forming device, comprising: An acquisition step in which an acquisition means acquires the printable number registered in association with the non-fungible token managed on the blockchain; a print instruction step of instructing the image forming apparatus to perform a print process when the print instruction means instructs the number of sheets to be printed when using a print service is within a range of the number of sheets that can be printed; A receiving step in which a receiving means notifies a smart contract of the number of sheets to be printed that has been instructed to be printed, and receives an updated number of sheets that can be printed for the non-fungible token from the smart contract; 13. An information processing method comprising: (Item 13) A computer program for using a printing service provided by an image forming apparatus, comprising: The computer, An acquisition means for acquiring the number of printable sheets registered in association with the non-fungible token managed on the blockchain; a print instruction unit that instructs the image forming device to perform a print process when the number of sheets to be printed is within a range of the number of sheets that can be printed when using a print service; a receiving means for notifying a smart contract of the number of sheets to be printed that has been instructed to be printed, and receiving an updated number of sheets that can be printed for the non-fungible token from the smart contract; A program characterized by causing a computer to function as described above. [Explanation of symbols]

[0099] 111: NFT (Non-Fungible Token), 120: Blockchain, 122: Smart Contract, 131: MFP (Multi Function Peripheral), 132: Information Processing Device

Claims

1. An information processing device that uses a printing service provided by an image forming device, An acquisition means for acquiring the number of printable sheets registered in association with the non-fungible token managed on the blockchain; a print instruction unit that instructs the image forming device to perform a print process when the number of sheets to be printed falls within the range of the number of sheets that can be printed when using a print service; a receiving means for notifying a smart contract of the number of sheets to be printed that has been instructed to be printed, and receiving an updated number of sheets that can be printed for the non-fungible token from the smart contract; An information processing device comprising:

2. 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a display unit that displays, when the number of prints is greater than the number of printable sheets indicated by the non-fungible token, that the image forming apparatus cannot perform print processing.

3. 3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the display means further displays an object for purchasing additional non-fungible tokens in an operable manner.

4. The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the number of printed sheets notified to the smart contract is the number of printed sheets received from the image forming device after printing is completed.

5. 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when the non-fungible token is purchased, a print application for using a print service from a storage device indicated by a URI of the non-fungible token is installed.

6. 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a limiting unit that invalidates a setting of a printing function when the number of printable sheets becomes zero.

7. 7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the number of printable sheets is set for each of color and monochrome printing functions.

8. The limiting means is 8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the setting of the printing function for which the number of printable sheets has become 0 is invalidated.

9. The information processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that it holds a wallet that can be used on a blockchain.

10. 10. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the non-fungible token can be set to a plurality of available image forming devices, and the print instruction means instructs printing to an image forming device among the plurality of image forming devices that is capable of executing the printing function to which printing is instructed.

11. An information processing method of an information processing device that uses a print service provided by an image forming device, comprising: An acquisition step in which an acquisition means acquires the printable number registered in association with the non-fungible token managed on the blockchain; a print instruction step of instructing the image forming apparatus to perform a print process when the print instruction means instructs the number of sheets to be printed when using a print service is within a range of the number of sheets that can be printed; A receiving step in which a receiving means notifies a smart contract of the number of sheets to be printed that has been instructed to be printed, and receives an updated number of sheets that can be printed for the non-fungible token from the smart contract; An information processing method comprising the steps of:

12. An information processing method in an information processing device that uses a print service provided by an image forming device, comprising: An acquisition step in which an acquisition means acquires the printable number registered in association with the non-fungible token managed on the blockchain; a print instruction step of instructing the image forming apparatus to perform a print process when the print instruction means instructs the number of sheets to be printed when using a print service is within a range of the number of sheets that can be printed; A receiving step in which a receiving means notifies a smart contract of the number of sheets to be printed that has been instructed to be printed, and receives an updated number of sheets that can be printed for the non-fungible token from the smart contract; 13. An information processing method comprising:

13. A computer program for using a printing service provided by an image forming apparatus, comprising: The computer, An acquisition means for acquiring the number of printable sheets registered in association with the non-fungible token managed on the blockchain; a print instruction unit that instructs the image forming device to perform a print process when the number of sheets to be printed falls within the range of the number of sheets that can be printed when using a print service; a receiving means for notifying a smart contract of the number of sheets to be printed that has been instructed to be printed, and receiving an updated number of sheets that can be printed for the non-fungible token from the smart contract; A program characterized by causing a computer to function as described above.

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