Management system, method for controlling management system, and program

Abstract

To provide a mechanism that can provide a subscription service of an image forming apparatus that is available even when the image forming apparatus is in an off-line state.SOLUTION: In a management system 10, a communication terminal 400 transmits usage state information and contract information of an image forming apparatus 100, on the basis of information acquired from the image forming apparatus 100, to a service management server 300 via a device management server 200. The service management server 300 performs processing of determining whether the image forming apparatus 100 can be used on the basis of the received usage state information and contract information, and transmits a result of the processing of determining whether the image forming apparatus can be used, to the communication terminal 400 via the device management server 200. When the received result of the processing of determining whether the image forming apparatus can be used indicates that the image forming apparatus 100 is available, the communication terminal 400 gives a usage restriction cancellation instruction to the image forming apparatus 100.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a management system, a control method for a management system, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Subscription services for image forming devices are now in use. In image forming device subscription services, an image forming device is delivered to a user, and the user can use the image forming device for a fixed fee up to the maximum number of prints corresponding to the plan subscribed to by the user during the contract period (see Patent Document 1). This allows the user to print, scan, copy, etc. at low cost without purchasing an image forming device.

[0003] In the subscription service for an image forming device, the availability of the image forming device is determined based on the usage status of the image forming device. For example, a management server of the subscription service obtains the cumulative number of printed pages from the image forming device via the Internet and determines whether the cumulative number of printed pages exceeds the upper limit of the number of printed pages corresponding to the contracted plan. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2021-160203 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the above-mentioned conventional technology, when determining whether an image forming device can be used, it is assumed that the image forming device is connected to the Internet. On the other hand, there are a certain number of users of image forming devices who want to use the image forming device without connecting it to the Internet or who do not have a proper infrastructure environment. In the conventional technology, such users cannot use the subscription service of the image forming device.

[0006] The present invention has an object to provide a mechanism for providing a subscription service for an image forming device that can be used even when the image forming device is offline. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the management system of the present invention is a management system comprising an image forming device, a server that manages information for providing a subscription service for the image forming device, and a communication terminal that communicates with the server via a network and communicates directly with the image forming device that is not connected to the network, wherein the server comprises a means for acquiring usage information of the image forming device and contract information regarding the subscription service of the image forming device transmitted from the communication terminal, a means for determining whether the image forming device can be used based on the usage information of the image forming device and the contract information, and a means for transmitting the determination result by the determination means, and the communication terminal comprises a means for transmitting the usage information and the contract information of the image forming device based on information acquired from the image forming device, a means for acquiring the determination result transmitted from the server, and a means for transmitting an instruction to the image forming device to control the image forming device to be available when the determination result indicates that the image forming device is available. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a subscription service for an image forming apparatus that can be used even when the image forming apparatus is offline. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of a management system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 2 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus in FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] 2 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic hardware configuration of a device management server of FIG. 1. [Figure 4] 2 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic hardware configuration of a service management server of FIG. 1. [Diagram 5] 2 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic hardware configuration of the communication terminal of FIG. 1. [Figure 6] 1. FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing a processing procedure for a user to start using a subscription service in the management system of FIG. [Figure 7] 7A and 7B are diagrams showing examples of screens displayed on an operation unit of a communication terminal in the sequence of FIG. 6. [Figure 8] 1. FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing a processing procedure when a print job is executed in the management system of FIG. [Figure 9] 9 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on an operation unit of the communication terminal in the sequence of FIG. 8. FIG. [Figure 10] 1. FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing a processing procedure when a copy job is executed in the management system of FIG. [Figure 11] 11A and 11B are diagrams showing an example of a screen displayed on an operation unit of the communication terminal in the sequence of FIG. 10. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following drawings, the same or corresponding components, devices, and parts are denoted by the same reference numerals. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the present invention according to the claims, and not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the present invention.

[0011] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a management system 10 according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 1, the management system 10 includes an image forming apparatus 100, a device management server 200, a service management server 300, and a communication terminal 400.

[0012] The management system 10 provides a subscription service for an image forming device (hereinafter, simply referred to as a "subscription service") that allows a user to use the image forming device at low cost without purchasing the image forming device. The subscription service is a service that allows a user to use an image forming device for a fixed fee up to the maximum number of prints corresponding to the plan subscribed to by the user during the contract period. In the subscription service, an image forming device is delivered to a user who has signed a contract to use the subscription service. The user can use the functions corresponding to the subscribed plan on this image forming device.

[0013] The image forming apparatus 100 acquires the contract information notified from the service management server 300, and stores this contract information in a storage 114 in Fig. 2 described later. This contract information is used to control whether or not each function in the image forming apparatus 100 can be used. Details of the contract information and details of control of the image forming apparatus 100 based on the contract information will be described later.

[0014] The communication terminal 400 is, for example, a mobile terminal such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or a notebook PC. The communication terminal 400 communicates with the device management server 200 and the service management server 300 via a communication network 500 such as the Internet. The communication terminal 400 also communicates one-to-one with the image forming apparatus 100 that is not connected to the communication network 500. For example, the communication terminal 400 is connected to the image forming apparatus 100 via a USB cable and communicates with the image forming apparatus 100 via the USB cable. The communication terminal 400 also performs short-range wireless communication such as communication by BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) or communication by Wifi Direct. Thus, in this embodiment, the image forming apparatus 100 is in an offline state not connected to the communication network 500 and can communicate only with the communication terminal 400.

[0015] The device management server 200 holds the contract information notified by the service management server 300, and provides this contract information to the image forming apparatus 100 via the communication terminal 400. The device management server 200 also acquires usage status information, which will be described later, transmitted by the image forming apparatus 100 from the communication terminal 400, and provides the acquired usage status information to the service management server 300. Note that communication between the communication terminal 400 and the device management server 200, and communication between the device management server 200 and the service management server 300 each use a communication protocol such as Hypertext Transfer Protocol (hereinafter referred to as "HTTP").

[0016] In the present embodiment, a configuration in which the communication terminal 400 communicates with the service management server 300 via the device management server 200 will be described, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the communication terminal 400 may directly communicate with the service management server 300 via a communication network 500.

[0017] Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 100 in Fig. 1. In Fig. 2, the image forming apparatus 100 includes a control unit 110, an operation unit 116, a reading unit 118, and a printing unit 120. The control unit 110 includes a CPU 111, a ROM 112, a RAM 113, a storage 114, an operation unit I / F 115, a reading unit I / F 117, a printing unit I / F 119, an external storage I / F 121, and a communication I / F 123. Note that CPU is an abbreviation for Central Processing Unit. ROM is an abbreviation for Read Only Memory. RAM is an abbreviation for Random Access Memory. I / F is an abbreviation for interface. The CPU 111, ROM 112, RAM 113, storage 114, operation unit I / F 115, reading unit I / F 117, printing unit I / F 119, external storage I / F 121, and communication I / F 123 are connected to one another via a system bus .

[0018] The CPU 111 controls the operation of the image forming apparatus 100. The CPU 111 reads out a program stored in the ROM 112 or the storage 114 into the RAM 113 and executes the program. The program is, for example, a control program, and the CPU 111 executes the control program to perform various types of control such as reading control and printing control.

[0019] The ROM 112 stores the programs executed by the CPU 111. The ROM 112 also stores a boot program, font data, and the like.

[0020] The RAM 113 is a main storage memory for the CPU 111. The RAM 113 is used as a work area for the CPU 111 and as a temporary storage area for expanding programs stored in the ROM 112 and the storage 114. The RAM 113 is also used to temporarily store image data.

[0021] Storage 114 stores image data, print data, an address book, shortcuts, various programs, and various setting information. In this embodiment, a flash memory is assumed as storage 114, but an auxiliary storage device such as an SSD, HDD, or eMMC may also be used. Note that SSD is an abbreviation for Solid State Drive, HDD is an abbreviation for Hard Disk Drive, and eMMC is an abbreviation for Embedded Multi Media Card.

[0022] The operation unit I / F 115 connects the operation unit 116 and the control unit 110. The operation unit 116 has hard keys and a touch panel. The touch panel is configured by attaching a touch panel sheet to a display. The operation unit 116 accepts operations from a user via the hard keys and displays a screen via the touch panel.

[0023] The reading unit I / F 117 connects the reading unit 118 and the control unit 110. The reading unit 118 reads an image of a document and generates image data based on the image. The image data generated by the reading unit 118 undergoes character recognition processing, is sent to an external device, or is printed on a printing sheet.

[0024] The printing unit I / F 119 connects the printing unit 120 and the control unit 110. The CPU 111 transfers image data to be printed (image data to be printed) to the printing unit 120 via the printing unit I / F 119. The printing unit 120 prints an image on recording paper fed from a paper feed cassette. The method for printing an image may be an electrophotographic method that uses toner to print an image, or an inkjet method that uses ink to print an image.

[0025] The external storage I / F 121 connects the external storage device 122 and the control unit 110. The CPU 111 stores image data in the external storage device 122 via the external storage I / F 121. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the external storage I / F 121 is a USB interface and the external storage device 122 is a USB memory, but this is not limited to this. For example, an SD card or the like may be used as the external storage device 122.

[0026] The communication I / F 123 controls transmission and reception of data to and from an external device. In the present embodiment, the image forming apparatus 100 communicates with the communication terminal 400 using the communication I / F 123. Note that the communication between the image forming apparatus 100 and the communication terminal 400 is, for example, as described above, communication via a USB cable connecting the communication terminal 400 and the image forming apparatus 100, communication by BLE, or communication by Wifi Direct.

[0027] Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic hardware configuration of the device management server 200 of Fig. 1. In Fig. 3, the device management server 200 includes a CPU 201, a ROM 202, a RAM 203, a storage 204, and a communication I / F 205. The CPU 201, the ROM 202, the RAM 203, the storage 204, and the communication I / F 205 are connected to each other via a system bus 206.

[0028] The CPU 201 performs processes such as calculation, judgment, and control of data and commands according to programs stored in the ROM 202, the RAM 203, or the storage 204. The RAM 203 is used as a temporary storage area when the CPU 201 performs various processes. The storage 204 stores an operating system (OS), application software, programs, etc. The storage 204 also stores device identification information of the image forming apparatuses to be managed, contract information (to be described later), etc. acquired from the service management server 300.

[0029] The communication I / F 205 uses a wireless LAN or a wired LAN compatible with standards such as IEEE802.11a, and transmits and receives data to and from devices via the communication network 500 using a protocol such as TCP / IP. The system bus 206 transmits and receives data between the components connected to the system bus 206.

[0030] Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing a schematic hardware configuration of the service management server 300 of Fig. 1. In Fig. 4, the service management server 300 includes a CPU 301, a ROM 302, a RAM 303, a storage 304, and a communication I / F 305, which are connected to each other via a system bus 306. Note that the service management server 300 and the device management server 200 execute different programs (processing), but have basically the same hardware configuration. For this reason, the description of the hardware configuration of the service management server 300 is equivalent to the description of the hardware configuration of the device management server 200, and will not be repeated here.

[0031] In this embodiment, a configuration in which the device management server 200 and the service management server 300 are separate devices will be described, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, each function of the device management server 200 and the service management server 300 may be realized by one server. Also, each function of the device management server 200 and the service management server 300 may be realized by a server system consisting of three or more servers. Furthermore, each function of the device management server 200 and the service management server 300 may be realized by using a server on the cloud.

[0032] Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing a schematic hardware configuration of the communication terminal 400 in Fig. 1. In Fig. 5, the communication terminal 400 includes a CPU 401, a ROM 402, a RAM 403, a storage 404, a communication I / F 405, an operation unit I / F 407, and an operation unit 408. The CPU 401, the ROM 402, the RAM 403, the storage 404, the communication I / F 405, and the operation unit I / F 407 are connected to each other via a system bus 406.

[0033] The CPU 401 performs processes such as arithmetic, judgment, and control of data and commands according to a program stored in the ROM 402, the RAM 403, or the storage 404. The RAM 403 is used as a temporary storage area when the CPU 401 performs various processes. The storage 404 stores an operating system (OS), application software, programs, and the like. The system bus 406 exchanges data between components connected to the system bus 406. The communication I / F 405 uses a wireless LAN or a wired LAN compatible with standards such as IEEE802.11a, and exchanges data with devices via the communication network 500 using a protocol such as TCP / IP. The communication I / F 405 also performs one-to-one data communication with the image forming apparatus 100. The operation unit I / F 407 connects the operation unit 408 and the CPU 401. The operation unit 408 has hard keys and a touch panel. The touch panel is configured by attaching a touch panel sheet to a display. An operation unit 408 receives operations from a user using hard keys and displays a screen via a touch panel.

[0034] In this embodiment, since communication terminal 400 is assumed to be a mobile terminal such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or a notebook PC as described above, Fig. 5 illustrates a configuration in which operation unit 408 is included in communication terminal 400. However, communication terminal 400 is not limited to such a mobile terminal, and may be, for example, a desktop PC. When communication terminal 400 is a desktop PC, operation unit 408 and a display unit (not shown) are not included in communication terminal 400, but are configured to be externally attached to communication terminal 400.

[0035] FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram showing a procedure of a process for a user to start using a subscription service in the management system 10 of FIG. 1. In the present embodiment, a case where a user accesses a site managed by the service management server 300 from an information processing device (not shown) and makes a service contract will be described as an example. In FIG. 6, the process by the image forming device 100 is realized by the CPU 111 executing a program stored in the ROM 112 or the storage 114. The process by the device management server 200 is realized by the CPU 201 executing a program stored in the ROM 202 or the storage 204. The process by the service management server 300 is realized by the CPU 301 executing a program stored in the ROM 302 or the storage 304. The process by the communication terminal 400 is realized by the CPU 401 executing a program stored in the ROM 402 or the storage 404.

[0036] 6, first, the user accesses a site managed by the service management server 300 from the information processing device and makes a service contract to use the subscription service (S (step) 601). In this embodiment, as an example, it is assumed that the service contract is made with a plan selected by the user from a plurality of plans with different upper limit numbers of prints.

[0037] Next, the service management server 300 performs a service registration process (S602). In the service registration process, information on the user who has made a service contract and information on the plan subscribed to by this user are registered in association with the printer to be delivered to this user.

[0038] Next, the service management server 300 arranges for delivery of the printer registered in S602. As a result, the image forming device 100, which is the printer registered in S602, is delivered to the user 600 (S603).

[0039] The user who receives the image forming apparatus 100 unpacks the image forming apparatus 100. The user also instructs the communication terminal 400 to start an initial installation process (S604). The communication terminal 400 instructs the image forming apparatus 100 to execute the initial installation process according to the instruction received from the user (S605). At this time, the communication terminal 400 performs one-to-one communication with the image forming apparatus 100, such as communication via a USB cable, communication by BLE, or communication by Wifi Direct. In the initial installation process, initial settings such as country setting, language setting, and time setting are performed.

[0040] Next, the user operates the mobile app screen 701 of FIG. 7 displayed on the operation unit 408 of the communication terminal 400 to instruct the printer to be activated (S607). Specifically, the user presses the Subscribe button 702 on the mobile app screen 701 as an instruction to activate the printer. The Subscribe button 702 is an operation button for setting and updating contract information. In accordance with the instruction to activate the printer received from the user, the communication terminal 400 requests device identification information from the image forming apparatus 100 (S608). Note that the operation unit 408 of the communication terminal 400 displays a screen 703 of FIG. 7 indicating that the device identification information is being confirmed, from when the device identification information is requested until the device identification information is received from the image forming apparatus 100.

[0041] In response to a request received from the communication terminal 400, the image forming apparatus 100 transmits device identification information of the image forming apparatus 100 to the communication terminal 400. The device identification information of the image forming apparatus 100 is the MAC Address of the image forming apparatus 100 and the serial number of the image forming apparatus 100.

[0042] The communication terminal 400 transmits a device registration request together with the device identification information of the image forming apparatus 100 to the device management server 200 (S609). At this time, the operation unit 408 of the communication terminal 400 displays a screen 704 of Fig. 7 indicating that an inquiry to the server is being made. Note that the screen 704 is displayed on the operation unit 408 until contract information, which is a response to the acquisition request in S613 described later, is received.

[0043] The device management server 200 performs a device registration process to register the received device identification information (S610). Next, the device management server 200 returns the result of the device registration process to the image forming apparatus 100. In addition, the device management server 200 transmits a device registration completion notification including the device identification information of the registered image forming apparatus 100 to the service management server 300 (S611).

[0044] The service management server 300 creates contract information based on information associated with the device identification information included in the received device registration completion notification, and notifies the device management server 200 of this contract information (S612). The contract information includes information used for activation during initial setup of the image forming apparatus 100, and information for determining that a contract has been concluded. The contract information also includes information indicating an application corresponding to the contracted plan, and license information for this application. Note that the contract information does not include detailed information of the plan contracted for by the user, such as information on the maximum number of prints.

[0045] The device management server 200 stores the contract information notified by the service management server 300 in the storage 204. Then, when the device management server 200 receives a request to acquire the contract information from the communication terminal 400 in S613, it notifies the communication terminal 400 of the stored contract information by using an HTTP response. Note that this acquisition of contract information is a request to acquire the contract statuses of multiple services collectively, and is not a communication performed for each service.

[0046] The communication terminal 400 stores the received contract information in the storage 404. At this time, the operation unit 408 of the communication terminal 400 displays a screen 705 in Fig. 7 indicating that the contract information has been confirmed. In addition, the communication terminal 400 transmits the received contract information to the image forming apparatus 100 (S614).

[0047] The image forming apparatus 100 sets the received contract information. This contract information is stored in the storage 114 or the like. At this point, the image forming apparatus 100 is still controlled so that all basic functions such as the print function, the scan function, the copy function, etc. cannot be used. In this embodiment, when the service management server 300 determines that the image forming apparatus 100 is available in the sequences of Figs. 8 and 10 described later, the basic functions permitted for use in the plan subscribed to by the user out of the print function, the scan function, and the copy function become available. The above is the procedure of the process for the user to start using the subscription service in the management system 10.

[0048] Fig. 8 is a sequence diagram showing a processing procedure when a print job is executed in the management system 10 of Fig. 1. In Fig. 8, the processing by the image forming apparatus 100 is realized by the CPU 111 executing a program stored in the ROM 112 or the storage 114. The processing by the device management server 200 is realized by the CPU 201 executing a program stored in the ROM 202 or the storage 204. The processing by the service management server 300 is realized by the CPU 301 executing a program stored in the ROM 302 or the storage 304. The processing by the communication terminal 400 is realized by the CPU 401 executing a program stored in the ROM 402 or the storage 404.

[0049] In FIG. 8, a user who is a subscriber of the subscription service operates a mobile application screen 901 of FIG. 9 displayed on the operation unit 408 of the communication terminal 400 to instruct the image forming apparatus 100 to generate a print job (S801). Specifically, the user presses a Print button 902 on the mobile application screen 901 displayed on the operation unit 408. When issuing an instruction to generate a print job, the user specifies setting values ​​used to generate the print job, such as the number of sheets to be printed, on a setting screen (not shown). When the user presses the Print button 902, a screen 903 of FIG. 9 is displayed on the operation unit 408 of the communication terminal 400. The screen 903 is displayed on the operation unit 408 until usage status information and contract information, which will be described later, are acquired from the image forming apparatus 100.

[0050] Upon receiving the instruction to generate a print job, communication terminal 400 requests image forming apparatus 100 to acquire contract information. Image forming apparatus 100, which has received this request, transmits the contract information set in the sequence of Fig. 6 to communication terminal 400. As described above, this contract information does not include detailed information of the plan that the user has contracted for, such as information on the maximum number of prints.

[0051] Next, the communication terminal 400 requests the image forming apparatus 100 to acquire usage status information of the image forming apparatus 100 (S803). Upon receiving this request, the image forming apparatus 100 transmits the usage status information to the communication terminal 400. This usage status information includes a print job history indicating the cumulative number of printed sheets in the image forming apparatus 100, the remaining amount of toner, and the like. In this embodiment, the print job history is reset to "0" on the first day of the period in which the upper limit of the number of printed sheets is specified in the plan subscribed to by the user. For example, if the user subscribes to a plan that allows printing up to 200 sheets per month, the print job history is reset to "0" at midnight on the first day of the month.

[0052] Next, the communication terminal 400 adds the number of prints specified by the user in S801 to the received usage status information. The communication terminal 400 transmits the usage status information to which the number of prints has been added and the above-mentioned contract information to the device management server 200 (S804). At this time, a screen 904 in Fig. 9 is displayed on the operation unit 408 of the communication terminal 400. Note that the screen 904 is displayed on the operation unit 408 until the result of the usage permission determination process of the image forming apparatus 100 by the service management server 300 is received.

[0053] Next, the device management server 200 transmits the received usage information and the above-mentioned contract information to the service management server 300 (S805).

[0054] Next, the service management server 300 performs a process for determining whether the image forming apparatus 100 can be used based on the received usage status information and contract information (S806). For example, in S806, if the contract information managed by the service management server 300 does not match the received contract information, or if tampering with the print job history, such as a print job history that is less than the previous value, is detected, the image forming apparatus 100 is determined to be unusable.

[0055] In S806, the availability of the image forming apparatus 100 is determined based on whether the sum of the number of printed sheets included in the received usage status information and the number of printed sheets indicated by the print job history exceeds the upper limit number of printed sheets. In determining whether the image forming apparatus 100 is available using the upper limit number of printed sheets, the service management server 300 identifies the upper limit number of printed sheets from the received contract information and determines whether the sum exceeds the upper limit number of printed sheets. If the sum does not exceed the upper limit number of printed sheets, the service management server 300 determines that the image forming apparatus 100 is available, and if the sum exceeds the upper limit number of printed sheets, the service management server 300 determines that the image forming apparatus 100 is unavailable. The service management server 300 transmits the result of the availability determination process to the communication terminal 400 via the device management server 200.

[0056] Next, when the received result of the use permission determination process indicates that image forming apparatus 100 is available, communications terminal 400 issues an instruction to image forming apparatus 100 to remove usage restrictions (S807).

[0057] In accordance with the usage restriction release instruction, the image forming apparatus 100 performs a usage restriction release process to release the usage restriction on the basic functions. As a result, the basic functions permitted for use under the plan subscribed to by the user among the print function, scan function, and copy function become available in the image forming apparatus 100. When the usage restriction release process is completed, the image forming apparatus 100 notifies the communication terminal 400 of the completion.

[0058] Upon receiving this notification, the communication terminal 400 submits the print job generated in accordance with the instructions received in S801 to the image forming apparatus 100 (S809). At this time, the operation unit 408 of the communication terminal 400 displays a screen 905 in FIG. 9. The image forming apparatus 100 executes the submitted print job (S810). The above is the procedure for the process when a print job is executed in the management system 10.

[0059] According to the above-described embodiment, in the management system 10, the communication terminal 400 transmits the usage status information and contract information of the image forming apparatus 100 to the service management server 300 via the device management server 200 based on the information acquired from the image forming apparatus 100. The service management server 300 performs a usage permission determination process for the image forming apparatus 100 based on the received usage status information and contract information, and transmits the result of the usage permission determination process to the communication terminal 400 via the device management server 200. When the received result of the usage permission determination process indicates that the image forming apparatus 100 is usable, the communication terminal 400 issues an instruction to release the usage restriction to the image forming apparatus 100. That is, since the communication terminal 400 performs communication to release the usage restriction of the image forming apparatus 100 instead of the image forming apparatus 100, it is not necessary to connect the image forming apparatus 100 to the communication network 500. This makes it possible to provide a subscription service that can be used even when the image forming apparatus 100 is in an offline state not connected to the communication network 500.

[0060] In the embodiment described above, the information acquired from the image forming apparatus 100 is information transmitted from the image forming apparatus 100 as a response to an acquisition request made to the image forming apparatus 100 by the communication terminal 400 in response to receiving an instruction to generate a job to be input to the image forming apparatus 100. As a result, in a configuration in which an instruction to generate a job to be input to the image forming apparatus 100 is received by the communication terminal 400, a subscription service that can be used even when the image forming apparatus 100 is in an offline state can be provided.

[0061] In the above-described embodiment, the communication terminal 400 is a terminal used by a user who is a subscriber to the subscription service of the image forming apparatus 100. This allows the user to use the subscription service of the image forming apparatus 100 without connecting the image forming apparatus 100 to the communication network 500, simply by preparing the communication terminal 400.

[0062] In the above-described embodiment, communication terminal 400 is connected to image forming apparatus 100 via a USB cable, and communicates with image forming apparatus 100 via the USB cable. This allows communication terminal 400 to obtain information required to execute the usability determination process from image forming apparatus 100 even if image forming apparatus 100 is offline.

[0063] In the above-described embodiment, communication terminal 400 communicates with image forming apparatus 100 by short-range wireless communication. This allows communication terminal 400 to obtain information required for executing the usability determination process from image forming apparatus 100 even if communication terminal 400 is not connected to image forming apparatus 100 in an offline state by a USB cable.

[0064] 8, the communication terminal 400 adds the number of prints specified by the user in S801 to the usage status information received from the image forming apparatus 100, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the communication terminal 400 may notify the image forming apparatus 100 of the number of prints specified by the user in S801 when making a request to obtain usage status information in S803, and the image forming apparatus 100 may transmit usage status information including this number of prints to the communication terminal 400.

[0065] In addition, in the present embodiment, a configuration may be adopted in which a user instructs image forming apparatus 100 to generate a job, instead of communication terminal 400. In the following, as an example, a process procedure when a user instructs image forming apparatus 100 to generate a copy job will be described.

[0066] Fig. 10 is a sequence diagram showing a processing procedure when a copy job is executed in the management system 10 of Fig. 1. In Fig. 10, the processing by the image forming apparatus 100 is realized by the CPU 111 executing a program stored in the ROM 112 or the storage 114. The processing by the device management server 200 is realized by the CPU 201 executing a program stored in the ROM 202 or the storage 204. The processing by the service management server 300 is realized by the CPU 301 executing a program stored in the ROM 302 or the storage 304. The processing by the communication terminal 400 is realized by the CPU 401 executing a program stored in the ROM 402 or the storage 404.

[0067] 10, a user who is a subscriber of the subscription service operates the operation unit 116 of the image forming apparatus 100 to instruct the generation of a copy job (S1001). When instructing the generation of a copy job, the user specifies setting values ​​to be used for the generation of the copy job, such as the number of copies to be printed, on a setting screen (not shown).

[0068] Upon receiving this generation instruction, the image forming apparatus 100 performs a push notification of the contract information and the usage status information to the communication terminal 400 used by this user. The method of notifying the contract information and the usage status information may be periodic polling from the communication terminal 400 to the image forming apparatus 100. This contract information is the contract information set in the sequence of Fig. 6 described above. In addition, this usage status information includes the print job history, the remaining amount of toner, the number of prints specified by the user in S1001, etc.

[0069] The communication terminal 400, which has received the contract information and the usage status information from the image forming apparatus 100, displays a contract confirmation waiting job execution button 1102 on the mobile application screen 1101 of FIG. 11 displayed on the operation unit 408 (S1003).

[0070] Next, when the user presses contract confirmation waiting job execution button 1102 (S1004), communication terminal 400 transmits the contract information and usage status information received from image forming apparatus 100 to device management server 200 (S1005). At this time, screen 1103 of Fig. 11 is displayed on operation unit 408 of communication terminal 400. Note that screen 1103 is displayed on operation unit 408 until the result of the usability determination process of image forming apparatus 100 by service management server 300 is received.

[0071] The device management server 200 transmits the received contract information and usage status information to the service management server 300 (S1006).

[0072] The service management server 300 performs the usability determination process for the image forming apparatus 100 based on the received contract information and usage status information, similar to S806 described above (S1007). The result of the usability determination process is transmitted to the communication terminal 400 via the device management server 200.

[0073] Next, when the received result of the use permission determination process indicates that image forming apparatus 100 is available for use, communications terminal 400 issues an instruction to image forming apparatus 100 to remove usage restrictions (S1008).

[0074] The image forming apparatus 100 performs a usage restriction release process to release the usage restrictions on the basic functions in accordance with the usage restriction release instruction (S1009). Next, the image forming apparatus 100 executes the copy job generated in accordance with the instruction received in S1001 (S1010). At this time, the screen 1104 of Fig. 11 is displayed on the operation unit 408 of the communication terminal 400. The above is the procedure of the process when a copy job is executed in the management system 10.

[0075] In the embodiment described above, the information that communication terminal 400 acquires from image forming apparatus 100 is information transmitted from image forming apparatus 100 in response to a copy job creation instruction received from a user by image forming apparatus 100. This makes it possible to provide a subscription service that can be used even when image forming apparatus 100 is offline in a configuration in which a job creation instruction is received by image forming apparatus 100.

[0076] The above-mentioned usability determination process does not have to be performed every time a job is executed. For example, if there is a sufficient margin up to the upper limit of the number of prints, the usability determination process may be performed once for several jobs among the jobs executed in one day. This reduces the communication load between devices in the management system 10 that performs the usability determination process.

[0077] 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.

[0078] The disclosure of this embodiment includes the following configurations and methods. (Configuration 1) A management system comprising an image forming device, a server that manages information for providing a subscription service for the image forming device, and a communications terminal that communicates with the server via a network and communicates directly with the image forming device that is not connected to the network, wherein the server comprises a means for acquiring usage information of the image forming device and contract information regarding the subscription service of the image forming device transmitted from the communications terminal, a means for determining whether the image forming device can be used based on the usage information of the image forming device and the contract information, and a means for transmitting the determination result by the determination means, and the communications terminal comprises a means for transmitting the usage information and the contract information of the image forming device based on the information acquired from the image forming device, a means for acquiring the determination result transmitted from the server, and a means for transmitting an instruction to the image forming device to control the image forming device to be available when the determination result indicates that the image forming device is available. (Configuration 2) The management system described in configuration 1, characterized in that the information acquired from the image forming device is information transmitted from the image forming device in response to an acquisition request made to the image forming device by the communication terminal in response to receiving an instruction from a user to generate a job to be submitted to the image forming device. (Configuration 3) The management system described in configuration 1 or 2, characterized in that the information acquired from the image forming device is information transmitted from the image forming device in response to the image forming device receiving a job generation instruction from a user. (Configuration 4) The management system according to configuration 2 or 3, wherein the user is a subscriber to a subscription service for the image forming device, and the communication terminal is a terminal used by the user. (Configuration 5) The management system according to any one of configurations 1 to 4, wherein the communication terminal is connected to the image forming device by a USB cable and communicates with the image forming device via the USB cable. (Configuration 6) The management system according to any one of configurations 1 to 5, wherein the communication terminal performs short-range wireless communication with the image forming apparatus. [Explanation of symbols]

[0079] 10 Management Systems 100 Image forming device 200 Device Management Server 300 Service Management Server 301 CPU 305 Communication I / F 400 Communication terminal 401 CPU 405 Communication I / F

Claims

1. A management system including an image forming device, a server that manages information for providing a subscription service for the image forming device, and a communication terminal that communicates with the server via a network and directly communicates with the image forming device that is not connected to the network, The server, a means for acquiring usage status information of the image forming apparatus and contract information regarding a subscription service of the image forming apparatus, the usage status information being transmitted from the communication terminal; a means for determining whether the image forming apparatus is available for use based on the usage status information of the image forming apparatus and the contract information; a means for transmitting a determination result by the determining means, The communication terminal includes: a means for transmitting usage status information of the image forming apparatus and the contract information based on information acquired from the image forming apparatus; means for acquiring the determination result transmitted from the server; and if the determination result indicates that the image forming device is available for use, a means for transmitting to the image forming device an instruction for controlling the image forming device to make it available for use.

2. The management system described in claim 1, characterized in that the information acquired from the image forming device is information transmitted from the image forming device in response to an acquisition request made to the image forming device by the communication terminal following receipt from a user of an instruction to generate a job to be submitted to the image forming device.

3. 2. The management system according to claim 1, wherein the information acquired from the image forming apparatus is information transmitted from the image forming apparatus in response to a job generation instruction received by the image forming apparatus from a user.

4. the user is a subscriber to a subscription service of the image forming apparatus, 4. The management system according to claim 2, wherein the communication terminal is a terminal used by the user.

5. 2. The management system according to claim 1, wherein the communication terminal is connected to the image forming apparatus by a USB cable and communicates with the image forming apparatus via the USB cable.

6. The management system according to claim 1 , wherein the communication terminal performs wireless communication with the image forming apparatus using BLE.

7. A control method for a management system including an image forming apparatus, a server that manages information for providing a subscription service for the image forming apparatus, and a communication terminal that communicates with the server via a network and directly communicates with the image forming apparatus that is not connected to the network, comprising: The server, acquiring usage status information of the image forming apparatus and contract information regarding a subscription service of the image forming apparatus transmitted from the communication terminal; determining whether the image forming apparatus is available for use based on the usage status information of the image forming apparatus and the contract information; transmit a result of the determination as to whether the image forming apparatus is available for use; The communication terminal, transmitting usage status information and the contract information of the image forming apparatus based on information acquired from the image forming apparatus; Acquire the determination result transmitted from the server; a control method for controlling the image forming apparatus so as to make the image forming apparatus available, the method comprising the steps of: when the determination result indicates that the image forming apparatus is available, transmitting to the image forming apparatus an instruction for controlling the image forming apparatus so as to make the image forming apparatus available;

8. A program for causing a computer to execute the method for controlling a management system according to claim 7.

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