System and control method of system

Abstract

To appropriately set the upper limit number of printed sheets at the time of offline for each image forming apparatus when the number of printed sheets of one contract is shared by a plurality of image forming apparatuses unlike conventional techniques.SOLUTION: A management server 100: determines (S1005, S1007, S1009, S1010), for each of a plurality of contracted printers 110, on the basis of the number of sheets printed in a past first aggregation period of each of the printers, an upper limit number of sheets to be printed in an offline state in a second aggregation period after the first aggregation period; and notifies (S1012) each of the printers 110 of the upper limit number of sheets to be printed in the offline state determined therefor.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a system including a plurality of printers covered by a contract and a server that manages the plurality of printers covered by the contract, and a method for controlling the system. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, flat-rate printing services have been widely provided to users of image forming devices. Flat-rate printing services are also called subscription services, and can be subscribed to for each image forming device. In general, when using a flat-rate printing service, a user can print up to the contracted maximum number of pages per month on a contracted image forming device at a fixed rate, and an additional fee is often paid for any pages that exceed the contracted maximum number of pages. Note that a contracted image forming device needs to be able to communicate with a server to tally up the number of pages printed, but if the image forming device is restricted from using the image forming device when communication with the server is not possible, user convenience is reduced.

[0003] Patent Technology 1 describes a technique that allows multiple image forming devices to share the number of prints for one contract, and allows printing on the image forming devices even when communication with the server is not possible. Specifically, the technique describes a technique that sets the upper limit of the number of prints on an image forming device when communication with the server is not possible to a number less than the upper limit of the number of prints when communication with the server is possible. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-192982 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the technology of Patent Document 1, when the number of prints per contract is shared among multiple image forming devices, the upper limit of the number of prints per image forming device when offline may not be set appropriately. For example, a user may not use multiple image forming devices equally, and the number of prints per image forming device may vary. In such a usage situation, a frequently used image forming device may quickly reach the upper limit of the number of prints per image forming device when offline. In this case, the user must use another image forming device, for example, one that is installed far from the user's desk, which causes inconvenience. If the offline print limit for all printing devices is set to match a frequently used image forming device, the contracted print limit may be exceeded if all image forming devices print up to the offline print limit set when communication with the server is unavailable. Also, if the offline print limit for all printing devices is set to match a less frequently used image forming device, the offline print limit may be reached quickly.

[0006] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism that allows an appropriate setting of the upper limit of the number of prints for each image forming device when communication with the server is not possible. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention is a system including a plurality of printers under contract and a server that manages the plurality of printers under contract, wherein the server has a first management means for managing the contracted number of pages to be printed for the plurality of printers under contract, a second management means for managing, for each of the printers, an upper limit of the number of pages that can be printed offline when the printer is unable to communicate with the server, a third management means for managing the number of pages printed by each of the printers during a past collection period, a determination means for determining, based on the number of pages printed by each of the printers during the past first collection period, an upper limit of the number of pages that can be printed offline for each of the printers during a second collection period which is a different period after the first collection period, and a notification means for notifying each of the printers of the upper limit of the number of pages that can be printed offline determined for each of the printers. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, the upper limit of the number of prints that can be made when communication with the server is not possible can be appropriately set for each image forming apparatus. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a management server. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a process performed by the image forming apparatus when printing. [Diagram 5] 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an offline printing upper limit information update process of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a table held by the management server. [Figure 7] 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process performed by the management server when the management server receives an offline print sheet count upper limit update request. [Figure 8] 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a process performed by a management server at the time of a change of month. [Figure 9]13 is a flowchart showing an example of a process for creating data of an operation information aggregation table by a management server; [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a calculation process of an upper limit of the offline print count by a management server. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of an operation information table according to the second embodiment. [Figure 12] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of processing at the time of a change of days by a management server according to the second embodiment; [Figure 13] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a calculation process of an offline print upper limit number by a management server according to the second embodiment; [Figure 14] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of an offline print count information screen displayed on the image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment. [Figure 15] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of an offline print upper limit number changing process by the management server according to the second embodiment; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the present invention, and not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the present invention.

[0011] [First embodiment] <Configuration of information processing system> FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration of an information processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the information processing system of this embodiment includes a management server 100 that manages a plurality of image forming apparatuses under contract, and a plurality of image forming apparatuses 101. Each image forming apparatus 101 is a printer that forms (prints) an image on a recording medium, such as printing paper, by discharging a recording agent, such as ink, onto the recording medium. Each image forming apparatus may be a multifunctional printer (MFP) that has a plurality of functions, such as a copying function, a fax function, and a printing function, in an integrated manner. In this embodiment, each image forming apparatus is an apparatus that performs printing by an inkjet recording method, but is not limited to this, and may be an apparatus that performs printing by an electrophotographic method or a thermal dye sublimation method, for example.

[0012] Image forming apparatuses 101(1)-101(4) are capable of communicating with management server 100 via a network such as the Internet. Note that image forming apparatuses 101(1)-101(4) correspond to an example of "multiple image forming apparatuses," and hereafter, any one image forming apparatus will be referred to simply as "image forming apparatus 101."

[0013] The management server 100 is a server that provides an image forming device management service that manages each contracted image forming device 101 registered in the management server 100. That is, information on a plurality of image forming devices 101 is registered in the management server 100 in association with each contract information. The management server 100 obtains, for example, the number of printed sheets of each image forming device 101 and manages the printing status of each image forming device 101. Each communication is controlled through a protocol such as HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol), XMPP (Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol), MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport), etc. Note that the protocol is not limited to these, and other protocols may be used.

[0014] <Server configuration> FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the management server 100. As shown in FIG. The CPU 201 is a processor for comprehensively controlling the entire device in which it is installed.

[0015] The storage device 202 stores various files, as well as an application program 208, a database 209, and an OS (Operating System) to be read and executed by the CPU 201. The storage device 202 is configured, for example, with a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), an embedded multimedia card (eMMC), or the like, or may be configured with a combination of these. The memory 203 is configured with a RAM or the like, and is used, for example, for temporary storage and buffering of data by the CPU 201.

[0016] Each function of the server in this embodiment is realized, for example, by the CPU 201 of each server reading out a program stored in the storage device 202 into the memory 203 and executing it.

[0017] The display unit 204 includes, for example, an LED (light emitting diode) and an LCD (liquid crystal display), and displays a screen based on various display data. The operation unit 205 includes, for example, a keyboard and a mouse for the user to perform various input operations.

[0018] The network communication unit 206 is connected to a network such as the Internet via the network connection unit 207, and performs various types of communication. The network communication unit 206 has a configuration corresponding to the medium of the network, and can perform communication by, for example, a wired LAN or a wireless LAN. For example, when the network communication unit 206 is compatible with a wired LAN, the network connection unit 207 is a connector for connecting a cable of the wired LAN. When the network communication unit 206 is compatible with a wireless LAN, the network connection unit 207 is an antenna. The network connection unit 207 may be compatible with both a wired LAN and a wireless LAN.

[0019] The above-mentioned blocks are connected to each other, for example, via a bus 210. In addition, in the configuration of Fig. 2, a plurality of blocks may be configured as one block, or one block may be divided into two or more blocks.

[0020] The database 209 includes a database for managing information on each contract, as shown in FIG. 6(a) described below, a database for managing the monthly number of pages printed by each image forming device 101 and the maximum number of pages that can be printed offline, as shown in FIG. 6(b) and FIG. 6(c), and a database for managing data that tally up the number of pages printed by the image forming device 101 per month for each contract in order to calculate the maximum number of pages that can be printed offline, as shown in FIG. 6(d).

[0021] <Configuration of Image Forming Apparatus> Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 101. Fig. 3 shows an example in which the image forming apparatus 101 is configured as a multifunction peripheral.

[0022] In the image forming apparatus 101, the printing function is realized by a printer unit 301. The scanner function is realized by a scanner unit 302, and the storage function is realized by a memory card mounting unit 303 and a memory card 304.

[0023] The printer unit 301 executes printing based on, for example, image data received from an external source or image data stored in a memory card 304. The printer unit 301 also stores consumable information such as ink information such as the remaining amount of ink and paper information such as the remaining amount of paper. The image forming device 101 transmits the status information of the image forming device, such as the remaining amount of ink, to the management server 100.

[0024] The scanner unit 302 optically reads an original placed on a platen (not shown), converts it into electronic data, and further converts it into a specified file format to generate image data. The scanner unit 302 then transmits the generated image data to an external device via a network, or stores it in a storage area such as a memory card 304 or a hard disk drive (not shown).

[0025] In the image forming device 101, the copy function is realized by the scanner unit 302 reading a document set on a document tray and transferring the generated image data to the printer unit 301, which then prints an image based on the image data on printing paper.

[0026] Various file data are stored in memory card 304 inserted in memory card insertion section 303. The file data can be read and edited from an external device via a network. Also, the file data can be stored in memory card 304 from an external device via the network.

[0027] The image forming apparatus 101 further includes a CPU 305, a program memory 306, a work memory 307, a display unit 308, an operation unit 309, a network communication unit 310, a network connection unit 311, a flash memory 312, and the like.

[0028] The CPU 305 is a processor for overall control of each unit within the image forming apparatus 101 . The program memory 306 is composed of a ROM or the like, and stores various program codes, an application 314 for communicating with the management server 100, and the like. The work memory 307 is configured with a RAM or the like, and temporarily stores and buffers image data and the like when each service is executed. The operation of the image forming apparatus 101 in this embodiment is realized, for example, by the CPU 305 reading out a program stored in the program memory 306 into the work memory 307 and executing it.

[0029] The display unit 308 includes, for example, an LED (light emitting diode) and an LCD (liquid crystal display), and displays a screen based on various display data. The operation unit 309 includes switches for the user to perform various input operations.

[0030] The network communication unit 310 is connected to a network such as the Internet via the network connection unit 311, and performs various communications. The network communication unit 310 has a configuration corresponding to the medium of the network, and can perform communications by, for example, a wired LAN or a wireless LAN. For example, when the network communication unit 310 supports a wired LAN, the network connection unit 311 is a connector for connecting a cable of the wired LAN. When the network communication unit 310 supports a wireless LAN, the network connection unit 311 is an antenna. The network connection unit 311 may support both a wired LAN and a wireless LAN. In this embodiment, the network communication unit 310 supports, for example, a wireless LAN, and can connect to an access point according to a wireless communication method of the wireless LAN that complies with the IEEE802.11 standard series.

[0031] Flash memory 312 is a non-volatile memory that stores the offline print count, offline printing upper limit information, image data received by network communication unit 310, etc. The offline print count is the number of printed sheets that image forming apparatus 101 printed when unable to communicate with management server 100. The offline printing upper limit information includes the number of sheets that can be printed when unable to communicate with management server 100 at the beginning of allocation (offline printing upper limit number of sheets) and the number of sheets that can be printed at the present time when unable to communicate with management server 100 (remaining offline printing upper limit number of sheets).

[0032] The above-mentioned blocks are connected to each other, for example, via a bus 313. In addition, in the configuration of Fig. 3, a plurality of blocks may be configured as one block, or one block may be divided into two or more blocks. The image forming apparatus 101 is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 3, and may include blocks according to the functions that the image forming apparatus 101 can execute, as appropriate.

[0033] <<Processing of an image forming device in an information processing system>> In this embodiment, the image forming apparatus 101 is capable of printing when it can communicate with the management server 100. On the other hand, when it cannot communicate with the management server 100, the permission of printing is controlled based on the remaining offline printing upper limit number of sheets in the offline printing upper limit information stored in the flash memory 312.

[0034] <Initial Processing of Image Forming Apparatus> In this embodiment, when the CPU 305 of the image forming apparatus 101 is able to communicate with the management server 100 for the first time, the CPU 305 makes an offline print count upper limit information update request to the management server 100 in order to obtain offline print count upper limit information. Note that the request data for the offline print count upper limit information update request includes identification information (here, a "serial number" is used as an example) capable of identifying the image forming apparatus 101.

[0035] When the CPU 201 of the server 100 receives the offline printing sheet count upper limit information update request, the CPU 201 transmits offline printing sheet count upper limit information including the remaining offline printing sheet count calculated in the process of FIG. 7 to be described later as a response to the image forming apparatus 101. The CPU 305 of the image forming apparatus 101 stores the offline printing sheet count upper limit information acquired from the management server 100 in the flash memory 312.

[0036] <Processing during printing by the image forming device> Hereinafter, the process performed by the image forming apparatus 101 in this embodiment when printing will be described with reference to FIG. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of processing when the image forming apparatus 101 performs printing. Note that the processing of the flowchart shown in Fig. 4 and Fig. 5 described later is realized by the CPU 305 of the image processing apparatus reading a program stored in the program memory 306 into the work memory 307 and executing it.

[0037] In S401, the CPU 305 of the image forming apparatus 101 determines whether or not communication with the management server 100 is possible. If it is determined that communication with the management server 100 is possible (Yes in S401), the CPU 305 advances the process to S402 and executes print processing.

[0038] On the other hand, if it is determined that communication with the management server 100 is not possible (No in S401), the CPU 305 advances the process to S403. In S403, the CPU 305 reads the offline print count and the offline print upper limit information from the flash memory 312, and advances the process to S404.

[0039] In S404, the CPU 305 compares the offline printing number with the remaining offline printing upper limit number included in the offline printing upper limit information. Here, if the offline printing number is greater than the upper limit of the remaining offline printing number (No in S404), the CPU 305 advances the process to S405. In S405, the CPU 305 does not perform the print process, but causes the display unit 308 of the image forming apparatus 101 to display a message indicating that printing is not possible, and ends the process of this flowchart.

[0040] On the other hand, if the number of offline print pages is equal to or less than the upper limit of the number of offline print pages remaining (Yes in S404), the CPU 305 advances the process to S402 and executes the print process. After executing the print process, the CPU 305 advances the process to S406. In S406, the CPU 305 again determines whether communication with the management server 100 is possible. If it is determined that communication with the management server 100 is possible (Yes in S406), the CPU 305 advances the process to S407.

[0041] In S407, the CPU 305 transmits an offline printing sheet count upper limit information update request to the management server 100. This request transmits request data including the number of sheets printed in S402 above, the offline printing sheet count read from the flash memory 312, and the serial number of the image forming apparatus 101. The CPU 201 of the management server 100 transmits offline printing sheet count upper limit information including the remaining offline printing sheet count upper limit number calculated in the process of FIG. 7 described below, to the image forming apparatus 101 as a response to the request. The CPU 305 of the image forming apparatus 101 saves the offline printing sheet count upper limit information acquired from the management server 100 as a response to the offline printing sheet count upper limit information update request in the flash memory 312, and proceeds to S408.

[0042] In S408, the CPU 305 resets the offline print count to 0, stores the reset count in the flash memory 312, and ends the process of this flowchart.

[0043] On the other hand, if it is determined that communication with the management server 100 is not possible (No in S406), the CPU 305 advances the process to S409. In S409, the CPU 305 adds the number of sheets printed in S402 to the number of sheets printed offline, and advances the process to S410. In S410, the CPU 305 stores the number of offline prints in the flash memory 312, and ends the process of this flowchart.

[0044] <Processing for sending offline print count> In this embodiment, the image forming apparatus 101 transmits the offline print count stored in the flash memory 312 to the management server 100 not only after printing has been executed, but also when the CPU 305 of the image forming apparatus 101 completes some process other than the print process. For example, the count is transmitted when the image forming apparatus 101 goes from a power-off state to a power-on state and a series of processes executed when the image forming apparatus 101 is turned on is completed, or when the user operates the operation unit 309 of the image forming apparatus 101 and the CPU 305 of the image forming apparatus 101 completes a series of processes corresponding to that operation.

[0045] Hereinafter, the process for transmitting the offline print count in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Fig. 5(a) is a flowchart showing an example of a process for transmitting the offline print count of the image forming apparatus 101 to the management server 100. The process shown in the flowchart in Fig. 5(a) starts when the CPU 305 of the image forming apparatus 101 completes any process other than the print process.

[0046] In S501, the CPU 305 of the image forming apparatus 101 reads the offline print count from the flash memory 312, and advances the process to S502. In S502, the CPU 305 determines whether the offline printed number of sheets in the image forming apparatus 101 is greater than 0. If the offline printed number is 0 or less (No in S502), the CPU 305 ends the process of this flowchart.

[0047] On the other hand, if the number of offline printed sheets is greater than 0 (Yes in S502), the CPU 305 advances the process to S503.

[0048] In S503, the CPU 305 determines whether or not communication with the management server 100 is possible. If it is determined that communication with the management server 100 is not possible (No in S503), the CPU 305 ends the processing of this flowchart. On the other hand, if it is determined that communication with the management server 100 is possible (Yes in S503), the CPU 305 advances the process to S504.

[0049] In S504, CPU 305 makes an offline printing sheet count upper limit information update request to management server 100. In this request, request data including the offline printing sheet count and the serial number of image forming apparatus 101 is sent to management server 100. CPU 201 of management server 100 sends offline printing upper limit information including the remaining offline printing sheet count calculated in the process of Fig. 7 described below to image forming apparatus 101 as a response to the request. CPU 305 of image forming apparatus 101 saves the offline printing upper limit information acquired from management server 100 in flash memory 312, and proceeds to S505.

[0050] In S505, the CPU 305 resets the offline print count to 0, stores it in the flash memory 312, and ends the process of this flowchart.

[0051] <Updating offline printing limit information> In this embodiment, in response to a request to update the offline printing upper limit information from the management server 100 , the image forming apparatus 101 acquires the offline printing upper limit information from the management server 100 and stores it in the flash memory 312 .

[0052] Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 5B, a process performed when the image forming apparatus 101 receives a notification from the management server 100 in the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 5B is a flowchart showing an example of processing when the image forming apparatus 101 receives a notification from the management server 100 in the first embodiment.

[0053] In S511, when the CPU 305 of the management server 100 receives the notification from the server, the process proceeds to S512. In S512, the CPU 305 determines whether the notification received from the management server 100 is an update request for the offline printing upper limit information. If it is determined that the notification received from the management server 100 is not an update request for the offline printing upper limit information (No in S512), the CPU 305 ends the processing of this flowchart.

[0054] On the other hand, if it is determined that the notification received from the management server 100 is an update request notification for offline printing upper limit information (Yes in S512), the CPU 305 advances the process to S513.

[0055] In S513, CPU 305 makes a request to management server 100 to update the offline printing sheet count upper limit information. In this request, request data including the serial number of image forming apparatus 101 is sent to management server 100. CPU 201 of management server 100 sends offline printing upper limit information including the remaining offline printing sheet count calculated in the process of Fig. 7 described below, to image forming apparatus 101 as a response to the request. CPU 305 of image forming apparatus 101 saves the offline printing upper limit information acquired from management server 100 in flash memory 312, and ends the process of this flowchart.

[0056] <<Management server processing in information processing systems>> In this embodiment, the management server 100 receives the number of printed pages from the image forming apparatus 101 and records it by month. In addition, at the timing when the month changes, the management server 100 calculates the offline printing upper limit number of pages based on the actual number of printed pages of the image forming apparatus 101 in the previous month, and notifies the image forming apparatus 101 of this. Furthermore, in response to an inquiry from the image forming apparatus 101, the management server 100 returns to the image forming apparatus 101 the remaining offline printing upper limit number of pages, which is the number remaining until the offline printing upper limit number of pages of the image forming apparatus 101.

[0057] <Initial information registration process> In the information processing system of this embodiment, when a user starts using the subscription service, the user registers initial information on print control information and operation information in the management server 100.

[0058] FIG. 6A is a diagram showing an example of registration information of the print control information registered in the database 209 of the management server 100. As shown in FIG. The print control information table 600 includes items 601-605. An item 601 indicates a contract number, which is a value that is uniquely assigned to each contract. An item 602 indicates the contracted number of pages to be printed, which is the number of pages that can be printed from the contracted image forming apparatus 101 in one month for a fixed fee. An item 603 indicates the number of image forming apparatuses 101 under contract. Item 604 indicates the standard number of prints (standard number of sheets) that one image forming apparatus 101 will print in one month with average use (for example, when the image forming apparatuses covered by the contract are used evenly). In Fig. 6(a), the standard number of sheets 604 is set to the number of sheets calculated by dividing the contract number of prints 602 by the contract number of apparatuses 603. An item 605 indicates the number of printed sheets to be secured so that a minimum number of printed sheets can be printed offline (offline minimum print upper limit) even if the number of printed sheets last month was zero. Items 601 to 605 are set for each contract number.

[0059] 6B and 6C are diagrams showing an example of the registered information of the operation information registered in the database 209 of the management server 100. In FIG. The operation information table 610 includes items 611-615. An item 611 indicates the serial number of the image forming device 101 . An item 612 indicates the contract number of the contract to which the image forming apparatus 101 is linked. Item 613 indicates the date and time of the data. An item 614 indicates the number of sheets printed by the image forming apparatus 101 . An item 615 indicates the upper limit of the number of sheets that can be printed offline. Items 611 to 615 are set for each serial number. Fig. 6(b) shows an example at the start of service use, where the number of printed sheets 614 is 0, and the upper limit number of offline printing sheets 615 is set to the reference number 604. Fig. 6(c) will be described later.

[0060] <Inquiry from image forming device> Hereinafter, a process to be performed when the image forming apparatus 101 requests the management server 100 to update the offline print count upper limit information will be described with reference to FIG. Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of processing performed when an offline print count upper limit information update request is made from the image forming apparatus 101 to the management server 100. Note that the processing of the flowcharts shown in Fig. 7 and Figs. 8 to 10 described below is realized by the CPU 201 of the management server reading a program stored in the storage device 202 into the memory 203 and executing the program.

[0061] In step S701, when the CPU 201 of the management server 100 receives an offline print count upper limit information update request from the image forming apparatus 101, the CPU 201 extracts the serial number and the print count from the request data of the request.

[0062] Next, in S702, the CPU 201 obtains from the operation information table 610 of the management server 100 operation data whose serial number 611 matches the serial number extracted from the request data and whose year / month 613 is the current year / month.

[0063] Next, in S703, CPU 201 determines whether the request data includes the number of pages to be printed. If the request data includes the number of pages to be printed (Yes in S703), CPU 201 proceeds to S704. On the other hand, if the request data does not include the number of pages to be printed (No in S703), CPU 201 proceeds to S705.

[0064] In S704, the CPU 201 adds the number of printed sheets of the request data to the number of printed sheets 614 of the data of the operation information table 610 acquired in S702, and stores the result in the operation information table 610, and proceeds to S705.

[0065] In S705, the CPU 201 of the management server 100 calculates the remaining offline printing upper limit number of sheets using the offline printing upper limit number of sheets 615 and the number of printed sheets 614 of the data in the operation information table 610 identified in S702 above. Here, the calculation is made as follows: "Remaining offline printing upper limit number of sheets = offline printing upper limit number of sheets 615 - number of printed sheets 614".

[0066] Next, in S706, the CPU 201 transmits offline printing upper limit information including the remaining offline printing upper limit number of sheets calculated in S705 above and the offline printing upper limit number of sheets 615 to the image forming apparatus 101 as a response to the request received in S701 above, and ends the processing of this flowchart.

[0067] <Monthly offline print limit update process> In this embodiment, the management server 100 calculates a new offline print upper limit 615 at the timing when the month changes and notifies the image forming apparatus 101. This appropriately sets and controls the number of prints that can be made offline for multiple printers under the contract. The flow of this process will be described below with reference to FIG. 8. Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of a process in which management server 100 creates this month's offline print upper limit 615 according to last month's print count 614 in operation information table 610, and notifies image forming apparatus 101. The series of processes shown in the flowchart in Fig. 8 is started when the month changes, and is performed by CPU 201 of management server 100 loading program code stored in a disk device or the like into RAM and executing it.

[0068] In S801, the CPU 201 of the management server 100 reads data from the print control information table 600, and controls the subsequent processing to be performed for each contract number data. That is, the processing of S802 to S803 is repeatedly executed for each contract number that has been read.

[0069] In S802, CPU 201 sets the month and year of this month in [Year / Month] and the loaded contract number in [Contract Number] as parameters, and starts the process in Fig. 9 described later. Details will be described later, but the process in Fig. 9 corresponds to the process of creating expected data for this month calculated from the number of printed sheets last month for the operation information summary table 620. After completing the process in Fig. 9, CPU 201 proceeds to S803.

[0070] In S803, CPU 201 sets the month of the current month in [year / month] and the loaded contract number in [contract number] as parameters, and starts the process in Fig. 10 described later. Details will be described later, but the process in Fig. 10 corresponds to the process of creating this month's offline print upper limit 615 in operation information table 610 and notifying image forming apparatus 101. After completing the process in Fig. 10, CPU 201 controls to move on to the process for the next contract number.

[0071] The CPU 201 repeatedly executes the above-mentioned processes of S802 to S803 for the number of pieces of data of the contract numbers read from the print control information table 600. When the processes of S802 to S803 are completed for the data of all the contract numbers read, the CPU 201 ends the processing of this flowchart.

[0072] Here, as the process of FIG. 9, a process of creating expected data for this month calculated from the number of printed sheets for the previous month in the operational information summary table 620 will be described. FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing an example of a process for creating expected data for this month calculated from the number of printed sheets in the previous month in the operation information aggregation table 620 in FIG. 6(d) of the management server 100, which will be described later.

[0073] In S901, the CPU 201 of the management server 100 acquires the parameters [year / month] and [contract number] passed from the invocation source, and advances the process to S902. Before describing the process of S902, the performance information summary table 620 in FIG. 6(d) will be described.

[0074] FIG. 6D is a diagram showing an example of the performance information summary table 620 stored in the database 209 of the management server 100. As shown in FIG. The operation information summary table 620 is a table that summarises the number of printed pages for each contract last month and manages the expected data for this month in order to calculate the upper limit of the number of offline printed pages to be notified to the image forming apparatus 101 .

[0075] The operation information aggregation table 620 holds, for each contract number 621 and month 622, the “number of pages printed by the image forming device that printed the most last month 623”, “total number of pages expected to remain in print 624”, and “total number of pages expected to be printed 625”.

[0076] The "total expected number of sheets remaining for printing 624" is the total number of sheets tallied from the number of sheets printed by the image forming devices 101 in the month prior to the year and month 622, which is less than the reference number 604, and is the total expected number of sheets that can be allocated from the image forming devices 101 that have less than the reference number 604 to other image forming devices 101. The "total number of sheets expected to need to be printed 625" is the total number of sheets tallied from the number of sheets printed by the image forming device 101 that printed more than the reference number of sheets 604 in the month prior to the year and month 622, and is the number of sheets expected to need to be printed this month by the image forming device 101 that printed more than the reference number of sheets 604.

[0077] Returning now to the explanation of the flowchart in FIG. In S902, the CPU 201 sets the default value of "0" for each of the data for [year / month] and [contract number] in the operation information aggregation table 620, "Number of pages printed by the image forming device that printed the most last month 623," "Total number of pages estimated to have remaining printing 624," and "Total number of pages estimated to need to be printed 625," and saves them.

[0078] Next, in S903, CPU 201 reads data with contract number [contract number] and year / month [year / month]-1 from operation information table 610, and controls to perform subsequent processes for each data of operation information of the read image forming device. That is, the processes of S904 to S911 are repeatedly executed for each data of the read image forming device.

[0079] In S904, CPU 201 reads data where the contract number is [contract number] and the year and month is [year and month] from operation information aggregation table 620 in Figure 6 (d), and data where the contract number is linked to [contract number] from printing control information table 600 in Figure 6 (a).

[0080] Next, in S905, CPU 201 determines whether the number of printed pages 614 of the data for the year and month of the image forming device read in S903 above, which is [year and month] - 1, is greater than the number of printed pages 623 of the image forming device that printed the most last month of the data for which the contract number is [contract number] and the year and month is [year and month] read from the operation information aggregation table. Here, if it is determined that the number of printed sheets 614 is greater than the "number of printed sheets by the image forming apparatus that printed the most last month 623" (Yes in S905), the CPU 201 advances the process to S906. On the other hand, if it is determined that the number of printed sheets 614 is not greater than the "number of printed sheets by the image forming apparatus that printed the most last month 623" (No in S905), the CPU 201 advances the process to S907.

[0081] In S906, the CPU 201 of the management server 100 updates and saves the "number of printed sheets 623 of the image forming device that printed the most last month" of the data read in the operation information consolidation table for the contract number [contract number] and the year / month [year / month] with the number of printed sheets 614 of the year / month data of the image forming device read in S903 above ([year / month]-1). After processing in S906, the CPU 201 proceeds to S907.

[0082] In S907, CPU 201 determines whether the number of printed pages 614 of the data for the year and month of the image forming device read in S903 above, which is [year and month] - 1, is smaller than the offline minimum print limit number 605 of the data for which the contract number read from the printing control information table 600 is [contract number]. Here, if it is determined that the number of printed sheets 614 is smaller than the offline minimum upper limit number of printed sheets 605 (Yes in S907), the CPU 201 advances the process to S908.

[0083] In S908, the CPU 201 calculates the difference between the reference number 604 and the offline minimum print limit number 605 of the data whose contract number is [contract number] read from the printing control information table 600, and adds and saves the result of this calculation to the "total estimated printing capacity number 624" of the data whose contract number is [contract number] and whose month is [year / month] read from the operation information aggregation table.

[0084] On the other hand, if it is determined that the number of printed sheets 614 is not smaller than the offline minimum upper limit number of printed sheets 605 (No in S907), the CPU 201 advances the process to S909.

[0085] In S909, CPU 201 determines whether the number of prints 614 of the data for the year and month of the image forming device read in S903 above, which is [year and month]-1, is smaller than the reference number of prints 604 of the data for which the contract number read from the print control information table 600 is [contract number]. Here, if it is determined that the number of printed sheets 614 is smaller than the reference number of sheets 604 for the data (Yes in S909), the CPU 201 advances the process to S910.

[0086] In S910, the CPU 201 calculates the difference between the reference number 604 of the data whose contract number is [contract number] read from the printing control information table 600 and the number of printed pages 614 of the data for the year and month which is [year and month]-1 of the read image forming device, and adds and saves the result of this calculation to the "total estimated number of pages remaining for printing 624" of the data whose contract number is [contract number] and whose year and month is [year and month] read from the operation information aggregation table.

[0087] On the other hand, if it is determined that the number of printed sheets 614 is not smaller than the reference number of sheets 604 for the data (No in S909), the CPU 201 advances the process to S911.

[0088] In S911, CPU 201 adds the number of printed sheets 614 of the data for the year and month ([year and month]-1) of the read image forming device to the “total number of expected sheets to be printed 625” of the data for which the contract number is [contract number] and the year and month is [year and month] read from the operation information aggregation table, and saves the result.

[0089] CPU 201 repeatedly executes the above-mentioned processes of S904 to S911 for the data whose contract number is [contract number] and whose year and month is [year and month]-1 in operation information table 610. Then, when the processes for all the image forming device data read in S903 above are completed, CPU 201 ends the process of FIG.

[0090] Here, the process of FIG. 9 will be described using a specific example. For example, if in S903 the CPU 201 of the management server 100 reads data at 616 in FIG. 6(c) as operation information with the year and month being [year and month]-1, the data in the operation information aggregation table generated with the year and month being [year and month] will be as shown in 626 in FIG. 6(d). Since the number of printed sheets 614 of serial number "AAA004" is the largest, the "number of printed sheets 623 of the image forming device that printed the most last month" is "200", which is the number of printed sheets 614 of serial number "AAA004". The "total expected number of sheets remaining for printing 624" is as follows. First, the number of printed sheets 614 of serial number "AAA001" is 1 sheet, which is smaller than the number of sheets 100 of the reference number 604, so 90 sheets obtained by subtracting the number of sheets 10 of the offline minimum print upper limit number 605 from the number of sheets 100 are added to the "total expected number of sheets remaining for printing 624". Next, the number of printed sheets 614 of serial number "AAA002" is 40 sheets, which is larger than the number of sheets 10 of the offline minimum print upper limit number 605 and smaller than the reference number 604 of 100 sheets, so 60 sheets obtained by subtracting the number of printed sheets 614 of serial number "AAA002" of 40 from the reference number 604 of 100 sheets are added to the "total expected number of sheets remaining for printing 624". As a result, the "total expected number of sheets remaining for printing 624" becomes 150 sheets. In addition, the "total number of sheets expected to need to be printed 625" is the sum of 300 sheets, since the number of printed sheets 614 for serial number "AAA003" is 100 sheets and the number of printed sheets 614 for "AAA004" is 200 sheets, which are more than the reference number 604 of 100 sheets.

[0091] Next, as the process shown in FIG. 10, a process of creating the offline printing upper limit number 615 for this month in the operation information table 610 and notifying the image forming apparatus 101 will be described. FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing an example of a process in which the management server 100 creates the offline printing upper limit number 615 for this month in the operation information table 610 and notifies the image forming apparatus 101 of the same.

[0092] In S1001, the CPU 201 of the management server 100 acquires the parameters [year / month] and [contract number] passed from the initiation source. Next, in S1002, CPU 201 reads data in which the contract number is [contract number] and the year and month is [year and month]-1 from operation information table 610, and controls to perform subsequent processes for each data of the operation information of the read image forming device. That is, the processes of S1003 to S1012 are repeatedly executed for each data of the read image forming device.

[0093] In S1003, CPU 201 reads data where the contract number is [contract number] and the year and month is [year and month] from operation information aggregation table 620 in Figure 6 (d), and data where the contract number is linked to [contract number] from printing control information table 600 in Figure 6 (a).

[0094] Next, in S1004, CPU 201 determines whether “Number of prints 623 of the image forming device that printed the most last month” of the data read from operation information aggregation table 620 with contract number [contract number] and year / month [year / month] is smaller than reference number 604 of the data read from printing control information table 600 with contract number [contract number].

[0095] Here, if it is determined that the "number of printed sheets 623 of the image forming apparatus that printed the most last month" is smaller than the reference number 604 (Yes in S1004), the CPU 201 advances the process to S1005.

[0096] In S1005, the CPU 201 sets the reference number 604 of the data whose contract number is [contract number] read from the print control information table 600 as the calculation result of the offline print upper limit number, and proceeds to S1011.

[0097] On the other hand, if it is determined that the "number of printed sheets 623 of the image forming apparatus that printed the most last month" is not smaller than the reference number 604 (No in S1004), the CPU 201 advances the process to S1006.

[0098] In S1006, the CPU 201 determines whether the number of printed sheets 614 of the data for the month [year / month]-1 read from the image forming apparatus 101 is smaller than the offline minimum print upper limit number 605 of the data for which the contract number read from the print control information table 600 is [contract number]. Here, if it is determined that the number of printed sheets 614 is smaller than the offline minimum upper limit number of printed sheets 605 (Yes in S1006), the CPU 201 advances the process to S1007.

[0099] In S1007, the CPU 201 sets the minimum offline print limit 605 of the data associated with the [contract number] read from the print control information table 600 as the calculation result of the offline print limit, and proceeds to S1011.

[0100] On the other hand, if it is determined that the number of printed sheets 614 is not smaller than the offline minimum upper limit number of printed sheets 605 (No in S1006), the CPU 201 advances the process to S1008.

[0101] In S1008, the CPU 201 determines whether the number of prints 614 of the data of the read image forming apparatus 101 for the month [year / month]-1 is smaller than the reference number 604 of the data for which the contract number read from the print control information table 600 is [contract number].

[0102] Here, if it is determined that the number of printed sheets 614 is smaller than the reference number 604 (Yes in S1008), the CPU 201 advances the process to S1009. In S1009, the CPU 201 regards the number of printed sheets 614 of the data of the read year and month of the image forming apparatus 101, which is [year and month]-1, as the calculation result of the upper limit number of offline print sheets, and advances the process to S1011.

[0103] On the other hand, if it is determined that the number of printed sheets 614 is not smaller than the reference number 604 (No in S1008), the CPU 201 advances the process to S1010. In S1010, CPU 201 calculates the offline print upper limit number of sheets using reference number 604 of data with [contract number] read from print control information table 600, print number 614 of data with year and month equal to [year and month]-1 of read image forming apparatus 101, sum of estimated print capacity number of sheets 625 of data with contract number [contract number] and year and month equal to [year and month] read from the operation information consolidation table, and sum of estimated number of sheets required for printing 625. The calculation is performed using the formula: "offline print upper limit number of sheets = "reference number 604" + "sum of estimated print capacity number of sheets 624" × "number of printed sheets last month 614" ÷ "sum of estimated number of sheets required for printing 625". After completing this calculation, CPU 201 proceeds to S1011.

[0104] In S1011, the CPU 201 sets the offline print upper limit determined in S1005, S1007, S1009 or S1011 as the offline print upper limit for the data with the year and month being [year and month] for the read image forming apparatus 101, and saves it in the operation information table 610.

[0105] Next, in step S1012, the CPU 201 transmits a notification of a request to update the upper limit of the offline printing number to the image forming apparatus 101 of the read data.

[0106] CPU 201 repeatedly executes the above-mentioned processes of S1003 to S1012 for the data of image forming apparatus 101 whose year and month are [year and month]-1 read from operation information table 610. Then, when the processes for all the read operation information data are completed, CPU 201 ends the process of FIG.

[0107] Specifically, the offline printing upper limit number 615 is as follows: For example, in S1002, if the CPU 201 of the management server 100 reads the data 616 in Fig. 6(c) as the operation information for the year and month [year and month]-1, and reads 626 in Fig. 6(d) as the data of the operation information aggregation table for the year and month [year and month], the offline printing upper limit number 615 for the year and month [year and month] will be as shown in 617 in Fig. 6(c). First, the number of printed sheets 614 for the year and month [year and month]-1 for serial number "AAA001" is 1 sheet, which is smaller than the number of sheets 10 specified by the offline minimum printing upper limit number 605, so the offline printing upper limit number 615 for the year and month [year and month] will be the number of sheets 10 specified by the offline minimum printing upper limit number 605. Next, the number of printed pages 614 for serial number "AAA002" with the year and month set to [year and month]-1 is 40 pages, which is greater than the number of 10 that is the offline minimum print limit number 605 and less than the reference number 604 of 100 pages, so the offline print limit number 615 for the year and month set to [year and month] becomes the number of printed pages 614 for year and month set to [year and month]-1, which is 40 pages. The number of printed pages 614 for serial number "AAA003" with the year and month set to [year and month]-1 is 100 pages, and the number of printed pages 614 for "AAA004" with the year and month set to [year and month]-1 is 200 pages, both of which are greater than the reference number 604 of 100 pages. Therefore, for serial number "AAA003," 150 is the total estimated number of remaining print pages 624, multiplied by 100 sheets (the number of pages printed last month 614) and divided by 300 (the total estimated number of pages required to print 625), plus 100 sheets (the reference number 604), which is 50, to obtain 150, which is the offline print upper limit number for the year and month [year and month]. Also, for serial number "AAA004," 150 is the total estimated number of remaining print pages 624, multiplied by 200 sheets (the number of pages printed for the year and month [year and month]-1) and divided by 300 (the total estimated number of pages required to print 625), plus 100 sheets (the reference number 604), which is 200, to obtain 100, which is the offline print upper limit number for the year and month [year and month].

[0108] <Advantages of the First Embodiment> According to the first embodiment, the offline printing limit can be allocated and granted among image forming devices under the same contract according to the number of pages printed in the previous month. This allows image forming devices with a large number of pages printed to print sufficiently even when communication with the server is unavailable. In this embodiment, the reference number 604 is set to a value obtained by dividing the contracted number of printed sheets 602 by the contracted number of units 603, but a value such as the average number of printed sheets by the image forming device in the previous month may be set for each contract and may be changed every month.

[0109] The configuration has been described in which the offline printing upper limit is determined so that the offline printing upper limit is appropriately distributed and granted among image forming devices under the same contract based on the number of printed pages in the previous month. However, the present invention is not limited to the configuration in which the offline printing upper limit is determined for this month based on the number of printed pages in the previous month. For example, multiple collection periods such as the month before last, the month before last and last month, or the past three months may be used, or other past collection periods may be used. In other words, the present invention includes all configurations in which the offline printing upper limit for a different collection period after a past collection period is determined based on the number of printed pages in the past collection period.

[0110] Second Embodiment In the second embodiment, an embodiment is described in which the image forming device can check the estimated offline printing limit for next month, and also recalculates the offline printing limit in response to a request to add to the offline printing limit for next month or this month, and notifies the image forming device of the calculated offline printing limit. In this embodiment, the description of the contents common to the first embodiment will be omitted as appropriate, and the differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described.

[0111] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the operation information table 610 in the second embodiment. The estimated number of sheets to be printed 1101 is an item that has been added to the operation information table 610 of the first embodiment as shown in FIG. 6(b) and FIG. 6(c). The estimated number of sheets to be printed 1101 is the number of sheets to be printed next month, and is an item in which data is set by a user's input from the image forming apparatus 101 or the like.

[0112] <Monthly offline print limit update process> In the second embodiment, the processes of S905 to S907 and S909 to S911 in Fig. 9 used when calculating the upper limit number of offline print pages differ from those of the first embodiment in the following points. In these processes, if data of the estimated number of pages to be printed 1101 such as 1102 in Fig. 11 exists in the data read from the operation information table 610, each process is performed using the data of the estimated number of pages to be printed 1101 instead of the number of pages to be printed 614. The other processes are the same as those of the first embodiment. Hereinafter, it will be assumed that the above processes are performed in the process of Fig. 9 in this embodiment, even if not mentioned.

[0113] <<Create data on the expected maximum offline printing volume for next month>> In the second embodiment, a process is added in which the management server 100 creates an expected offline print upper limit 615 for the next month in the operation information table 610, for example, once a day, and notifies the image forming device of the upper limit. The flow of the process will be described with reference to FIG.

[0114] Fig. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of a process in which the management server 100 creates the expected offline printing upper limit number 615 for the next month in the operation information table 610 and notifies the image forming device of the created upper limit number 615 in the second embodiment. The series of processes shown in the flowchart in Fig. 12 is started, for example, once a day. However, the timing of the start is not limited to this. The processes shown in Fig. 12 and the flowcharts in Figs. 13 and 15 described later are realized by the CPU 201 of the management server reading a program stored in the storage device 202 into the memory 203 and executing the program.

[0115] 8 described in the first embodiment, the CPU 201 of the management server 100 reads data from the print control information table 600 and controls the subsequent processing for each contract number data. That is, the processing of S1201 to S1202 is repeatedly executed for the number of contract numbers read.

[0116] In S1201, CPU 201 sets the next month's year and month in [year / month] and the loaded contract number in [contract number] as parameters, and starts the process in Fig. 9. After the process in Fig. 9 is completed, CPU 201 proceeds to S1202. Note that since the process in Fig. 9 is started with the next month's year and month as the parameter [year / month], after the process in Fig. 9 is completed, forecast data for next month will be created in the performance information aggregation table 620 of management server 100. After the process in Fig. 9 is completed, CPU 201 proceeds to S1202.

[0117] In S1202, CPU 201 sets the next month's year and month in [year / month] and the loaded contract number in [contract number] as parameters, and starts the process in Fig. 13 described later. Details will be described later, but the process in Fig. 13 corresponds to the process of creating next month's expected offline print upper limit number 615 in operation information table 610 and notifying image forming apparatus 101. After completing the process in Fig. 13, CPU 201 controls to move on to the process for the next contract number.

[0118] The CPU 201 repeatedly executes the above-mentioned processing of S1201 to S1202 for the number of pieces of data of the contract numbers read from the print control information table 600. When the processing of S1201 to S1202 is completed for the data of all the contract numbers read, the CPU 201 ends the processing of this flowchart.

[0119] The process of FIG. 13 will be described below. Fig. 13 is a flow chart showing an example of processing in which management server 100 creates next month's expected offline printing upper limit number 615 in operation information table 610 and notifies image forming apparatus 101 in the second embodiment. Note that in Fig. 13, the same steps as in Fig. 10 are given the same step numbers. That is, steps S1301 to S1306 are different from the processing in Fig. 10, and these steps will be described below.

[0120] First, the processes of S1301 to S1304 differ from the processes of S1006, S1008, S1009, and S1010 in Fig. 10 in the following points: In the processes of S1301 to S1304, if a value exists in the estimated number of sheets to be printed 1101 of the data read from the operation information table 610, the CPU 201 of the management server 100 performs each process using the data of the estimated number of sheets to be printed 1101 (for example, the value of 1102 in Fig. 11) as the number of sheets to be printed instead of the number of sheets to be printed 614.

[0121] Next, the processes in S1305 and S1306 will be described. In S1305, the CPU 201 checks the value of the [year / month] received as a parameter. If the value of the [year / month] is the value of this month, the CPU 201 advances the process to S1012. On the other hand, if the value of the [year / month] received as the parameter is the value of next month, the CPU 201 advances the process to step S1306.

[0122] In step S1306, the CPU 201 notifies the image forming apparatus 101 of the expected offline printing upper limit number of sheets. Note that the notification of the expected offline printing upper limit number of sheets includes data of the expected offline printing upper limit number of sheets.

[0123] CPU 201 repeatedly executes the above-mentioned processes of S1003 to S1306 for the data of image forming apparatus 101 whose year and month are [year and month]-1 read from operation information table 610. Then, when the processes for all the read operation information data are completed, CPU 201 ends the process of FIG.

[0124] <Receiving the estimated maximum number of pages for offline printing> In the second embodiment, the CPU 305 of the image forming apparatus 101 receives a notification of the expected offline printing upper limit number from the management server 100 and stores the expected offline printing upper limit number in the flash memory 312 . Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 5C, a process performed when the image forming apparatus 101 receives a notification from the management server 100 in the second embodiment will be described. Fig. 5(c) is a flow chart showing an example of processing when the image forming apparatus 101 receives a notification from the management server 100 in the second embodiment. In Fig. 5(c), the same step numbers are given to steps that are the same as those in Fig. 5(b), and S521 and S522 are processing steps newly added to Fig. 5(b). These steps will be described below.

[0125] In S521, the CPU 305 of the image forming apparatus determines whether or not the notification received from the management server 100 is a notification of the expected offline printing upper limit number of sheets. If it is determined that the notification received from the management server 100 is not a notification of the expected offline printing upper limit number of sheets (No in S521), the CPU 305 ends the processing of this flowchart.

[0126] On the other hand, if it is determined that the notification received from the management server 100 is a notification of the expected offline printing upper limit number of sheets (Yes in S521), the CPU 305 advances the process to S522. In S522, the CPU 305 extracts the estimated offline printing upper limit number of sheets from the notification of the estimated offline printing upper limit number of sheets, stores it in the flash memory 312, and ends the processing of this flowchart.

[0127] <Displaying and changing the estimated offline printing limit and offline printing limit information> FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a UI screen displaying offline printing upper limit information and an expected offline printing upper limit number of sheets held in the flash memory 312 by the image forming apparatus 101 in the second embodiment. The UI screen 1400 is displayed on the display unit 308 of the image forming apparatus 101 . A field 1401 indicates the remaining number of sheets for offline printing and the upper limit number of sheets for offline printing. An expected upper limit number of sheets for offline printing is shown in 1402. If the expected upper limit number of sheets for offline printing is not stored in the flash memory 312, the display of 1402 may be left blank.

[0128] List 1403 is a list showing the month for which a number is to be added to the offline printing upper limit number. In list 1403, "this month" or "next month" can be selected. When "this month" is selected in list 1403, a request to change the offline printing upper limit number is made to add a number to this month's offline printing upper limit number. On the other hand, when "next month" is selected in list 1403, a request to change the offline printing upper limit number is made to add a number to the expected offline printing upper limit number. Note that if the expected offline printing upper limit number is not stored in flash memory 312, a request to change the offline printing upper limit number is made with the input value in input field 1404 set as the value of the expected offline printing upper limit number. An input field 1404 is an input field for inputting the number of sheets to be added.

[0129] The add request button 1405 is a button for executing transmission of an offline print sheet count upper limit change request to the management server 100. When the CPU 405 of the image forming apparatus 101 detects that the add request button 1405 displayed on the UI screen 1400 of the display unit 308 has been pressed by the user, the image forming apparatus 101 transmits an offline print sheet count upper limit change request to the management server 100. This request includes the serial number of the image forming apparatus, the value selected in the list 1403, and the expected number of sheets to be printed. When the current month is set in the list 1403, the expected number of sheets to be printed is a value obtained by adding the input value in the input field 1404 to the offline print sheet count upper limit. On the other hand, when the next month is set in the list 1403, the expected number of sheets to be printed is a value obtained by adding the input value in the input field 1404 to the expected offline print sheet count upper limit. Note that when the expected offline print sheet count is not stored in the flash memory 312, the input value in the input field 1404 is the expected number of sheets to be printed.

[0130] Hereinafter, a process in the second embodiment when the management server 100 receives an offline print sheet count upper limit change request from the image forming apparatus 101 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing an example of processing performed when the management server 100 receives an offline print sheet count upper limit change request from the image forming apparatus 101 in the second embodiment.

[0131] In S1501, when the CPU 201 of the management server 100 receives a request to change the upper limit of the offline print count from the image forming apparatus 101, it acquires the serial number and the estimated number of prints included in the received request. Next, the CPU 201 calculates a value corresponding to the target year and month. Note that the data of the value corresponding to the target year and month means the value of the year and month (YYYYMM format) corresponding to the next month if the target year and month included in the request is next month, and the value of the year and month (YYYYMM format) corresponding to this month if the target year and month included in the request is this month.

[0132] Next, in S1502, the CPU 201 acquires the contract number 612 of the data that matches the value corresponding to the serial number and the target year and month included in the request from the operation information table 610. The CPU 201 also updates the print estimate 1101 of the acquired data with the estimated number of pages to be printed included in the request, and saves the data in the operation information table 610.

[0133] Next, in S1503, the CPU 201 sets, as parameters, a value corresponding to the target year and month included in the request in [year and month], and the contract number 612 acquired in S1502 above in [contract number], and starts the process in Fig. 9. After completing the process in Fig. 9, the CPU 201 proceeds to S1504.

[0134] In S1504, the CPU 201 sets a value corresponding to the target year and month included in the request in [year and month], and sets the contract number 612 acquired in S1502 in [contract number] as parameters, and starts the process of Fig. 13. After completing the process of Fig. 13, the CPU 201 ends the process of this flowchart.

[0135] 13 is next month, the management server 100 recalculates the expected offline printing upper limit for all image forming devices linked to the contract number when the processing of Fig. 13 is completed, and notifies the image forming device 101 of the recalculated expected offline printing upper limit. On the other hand, if the parameter [year / month] passed to the processing of Fig. 13 is this month's value when the processing of Fig. 13 is completed, the management server 100 recalculates the offline printing upper limit for this month, and notifies the image forming device 101 of a request to update the offline printing upper limit. The image forming device 101 that has received the request to update the offline printing upper limit stores the recalculated offline printing upper limit information in the flash memory 312.

[0136] <Effects of the second embodiment> According to the second embodiment, the image forming device can check the expected offline printing limit for next month, and can recalculate the offline printing limit in response to a request to add to the offline printing limit for next month or this month, and notify the image forming device of the calculated offline printing limit.

[0137] According to each embodiment described above, the upper limit number of pages printed when communication with the management server is unavailable (upper limit number of offline printing pages) can be appropriately set for each image forming device. That is, the upper limit number of offline printing pages can be set to an appropriate number according to the history of the number of pages printed by each image forming device. Therefore, even in an image forming device that prints a large number of pages, sufficient printing is possible when communication with the management server is unavailable. In addition, even if all image forming devices print up to the set upper limit number of offline printing pages when communication with the management server is unavailable, it is possible to prevent the contracted number of pages from being excessively exceeded. In addition, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a situation in which only a frequently used image forming device quickly reaches the upper limit number of offline printing pages.

[0138] It goes without saying that the configurations and contents of the various data described above are not limited to those described above, and the data may have various configurations and contents depending on the application and purpose. Although one embodiment has been described above, the present invention can be embodied, for example, as a system, an apparatus, a method, a program, a storage medium, etc. Specifically, the present invention may be applied to a system composed of multiple devices, or may be applied to an apparatus composed of a single device. Furthermore, any combination of the above-described embodiments is also included in the present invention.

[0139] 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. Furthermore, the present invention may be applied to a system made up of a plurality of devices, or to an apparatus made up of a single device. The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and various modifications (including organic combinations of the embodiments) are possible based on the spirit of the present invention, and are not excluded from the scope of the present invention. In other words, the present invention includes all configurations that combine the above-mentioned embodiments and their modifications.

[0140] The disclosure of this embodiment includes the following configurations and methods. (Configuration 1) A system including a plurality of printers under contract and a server that manages the plurality of printers under contract, The server, a first management means for managing a contracted number of sheets to be printed for the plurality of printers that are the subject of the contract; a second management means for managing an upper limit of the number of pages that can be printed for each of the printers when the printers are offline and cannot communicate with the server; a third management means for managing the number of printed sheets by each of the printers during a past collection period; a determining means for determining an upper limit of the number of sheets that can be printed offline for each of the printers during a second counting period, which is a different period after the first counting period, based on the number of sheets printed during a past first counting period for each of the printers; a notification means for notifying each of the printers of the upper limit of the number of sheets that can be printed offline determined for each of the printers; A system characterized by: (Configuration 2) The system described in configuration 1, characterized in that the determination means determines, for each printer, the upper limit of the number of pages that can be printed offline for each printer during the second collection period based on the upper limit of the number of pages that can be printed offline for that printer during the first collection period and the number of pages printed. (Configuration 3) The server, a fourth management means for managing a reference number indicating the number of printed sheets that are estimated to be printed by each printer if each printer is used equally; a fifth management means for managing a minimum upper limit number of pages to be printed when offline, which is a minimum upper limit number of pages to be assigned to each of the printers regardless of the number of pages printed during the first collection period; The determining means is Regarding the upper limit of the number of prints during offline in the second collection period for a printer among the plurality of printers whose number of prints during the first collection period exceeds the reference number, determining a sum of the difference between the smaller of the number of printed sheets in the first collection period and the minimum upper limit number of printed sheets of a printer whose number of printed sheets in the first collection period does not exceed the reference number and the reference number, as a sum of a number of sheets allocated based on the number of printed sheets in the first collection period of a printer whose number of printed sheets in the first collection period exceeds the reference number, and the reference number; 3. The system according to configuration 2. (Configuration 4) The server, a fourth management means for managing a reference number indicating the number of printed sheets that are estimated to be printed by each printer if each printer is used equally; a fifth management means for managing a minimum upper limit number of pages to be printed when offline, which is a minimum upper limit number of pages to be assigned to each of the printers regardless of the number of pages printed during the first collection period; The determining means is If the number of printed sheets in the first collection period of at least one of the printers exceeds the reference number of printed sheets, For a printer whose number of printed sheets in the first counting period exceeds the minimum print upper limit number of sheets but does not exceed the reference number of sheets, the reference number is determined as the offline print upper limit number of sheets in the second counting period. 4. The system according to configuration 2 or 3. (Configuration 5) The server, a fourth management means for managing a reference number indicating the number of printed sheets that are estimated to be printed by each printer if each printer is used equally; a fifth management means for managing a minimum upper limit number of pages to be printed when offline, which is a minimum upper limit number of pages to be assigned to each of the printers regardless of the number of pages printed during the first collection period; when the number of printed sheets in the first counting period of at least any of the printers exceeds the reference number of printed sheets, for a printer whose number of printed sheets in the first counting period does not exceed the minimum upper limit number of printed sheets, the determination means determines the minimum upper limit number of printed sheets as the upper limit number of printed sheets when offline in the second counting period; 5. The system according to any one of configurations 2 to 4. (Configuration 6) the server has a fourth management means for managing a reference number indicating a number of printed sheets that are estimated to be printed by each of the printers if each of the printers is used equally; The system described in any one of configurations 2 to 5, characterized in that if the number of printed sheets in the first collection period for any of the printers does not exceed the reference number, the determination means determines the reference number as the upper limit number of printed sheets when offline in the second collection period for each of the printers. (Method 1) Multiple printers covered by the contract, a server for managing the multiple printers under contract, the server having a first management means for managing the contracted number of sheets to be printed for the multiple printers under contract, a second management means for managing the upper limit number of sheets to be printed for each of the printers when offline and unable to communicate with the server, and a third management means for managing the number of sheets printed by each of the printers during a past collection period; A method for controlling a system comprising: Executed by the server, determining an upper limit of the number of sheets that can be printed offline for each of the printers during a second counting period, which is a different period after the first counting period, based on the number of sheets printed during a past first counting period for each of the printers; a notification step of notifying each of the printers of the upper limit of the number of sheets that can be printed offline determined for each of the printers; 13. A method for controlling a system comprising:

Claims

1. A system including a plurality of printers under contract and a server that manages the plurality of printers under contract, The server, a first management means for managing a contracted number of sheets to be printed for the plurality of printers that are the subject of the contract; a second management means for managing an upper limit of the number of pages that can be printed for each of the printers when the printers are offline and cannot communicate with the server; a third management means for managing the number of printed sheets by each of the printers during a past collection period; a determining means for determining an upper limit of the number of sheets that can be printed offline for each of the printers during a second counting period, the second counting period being a different period after the first counting period, based on the number of sheets printed during a past first counting period for each of the printers; a notification means for notifying each of the printers of the upper limit of the number of sheets that can be printed offline determined for each of the printers; A system characterized by:

2. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that the determination means determines, for each printer, the upper limit of the number of pages that can be printed offline for each printer during the second collection period, based on the upper limit of the number of pages that can be printed offline for that printer during the first collection period and the number of pages printed.

3. The server, a fourth management means for managing a reference number indicating the number of printed sheets that are estimated to be printed by each of the printers if each of the printers is used equally; a fifth management means for managing a minimum upper limit number of pages to be printed when offline, which is a minimum upper limit number of pages to be assigned to each of the printers regardless of the number of pages printed during the first collection period; The determining means is Regarding the upper limit of the number of prints during offline in the second counting period of a printer among the plurality of printers whose number of prints during the first counting period exceeds the reference number of prints, determining a sum of the difference between the smaller of the number of printed sheets in the first collection period and the minimum upper print limit number of sheets of a printer whose number of printed sheets in the first collection period does not exceed the reference number and the reference number, as a sum of a number of sheets allocated based on the number of printed sheets in the first collection period of a printer whose number of printed sheets in the first collection period exceeds the reference number, and the reference number; 3. The system of claim 2.

4. The server, a fourth management means for managing a reference number indicating the number of printed sheets that are estimated to be printed by each of the printers if each of the printers is used equally; a fifth management means for managing a minimum upper limit number of pages to be printed when offline, which is a minimum upper limit number of pages to be assigned to each of the printers regardless of the number of pages printed during the first collection period; The determining means is If the number of printed sheets in the first counting period of at least one of the printers exceeds the reference number of printed sheets, For a printer whose number of printed sheets in the first counting period exceeds the minimum print upper limit number of sheets but does not exceed the reference number of sheets, the reference number is determined as the upper limit number of printed sheets when offline in the second counting period.

4. The system according to claim 2 or 3.

5. The server, a fourth management means for managing a reference number indicating the number of printed sheets that are estimated to be printed by each of the printers if each of the printers is used equally; a fifth management means for managing a minimum upper limit number of pages to be printed when offline, which is a minimum upper limit number of pages to be assigned to each of the printers regardless of the number of pages printed during the first collection period; when the number of printed sheets in the first counting period of at least any of the printers exceeds the reference number of printed sheets, for a printer whose number of printed sheets in the first counting period does not exceed the minimum upper limit number of printed sheets, the determination means determines the minimum upper limit number of printed sheets as the upper limit number of printed sheets when offline in the second counting period; 4. The system according to claim 2 or 3.

6. the server has a fourth management means for managing a reference number indicating a number of printed sheets that are estimated to be printed by each of the printers if each of the printers is used equally; The system described in claim 2 or 3, characterized in that if the number of printed sheets in the first collection period for any of the printers does not exceed the reference number, the determination means determines the reference number as the upper limit number of printed sheets when offline in the second collection period for each of the printers.

7. Multiple printers covered by the contract, a server for managing the multiple printers under contract, the server having a first management means for managing the contracted number of sheets to be printed for the multiple printers under contract, a second management means for managing the upper limit number of sheets to be printed for each of the printers when offline and unable to communicate with the server, and a third management means for managing the number of sheets printed by each of the printers during a past collection period; A method for controlling a system comprising: Executed by the server, determining an upper limit of the number of sheets that can be printed offline for each of the printers during a second counting period, which is a different period after the first counting period, based on the number of sheets printed during a past first counting period for each of the printers; a notification step of notifying each of the printers of the upper limit of the number of sheets that can be printed offline determined for each of the printers; 13. A method for controlling a system comprising:

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