Information providing system and method for controlling the same

Abstract

To solve the problem in which it is difficult to determine if an image forming apparatus of a specific model is suitable for telecommuting or the like of a specific user by browsing device management information or the like.SOLUTION: In a device management service 111, a determination unit 305 acquires, from a job management unit 303, a printing use state of a user in one or more image forming apparatuses (S401), determines the degree of adaptation indicting, by stages, if the capability of an image forming apparatus of a specific model can satisfy the printing use state of the user (S402 to S418), and presents the degree of adaptation (S419).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information providing system and a control method thereof. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there have been management systems for checking device management information such as a list of image forming devices capable of scanning, copying, printing, etc., a list of users who use the image forming devices, and the number of printed sheets, etc. A method for utilizing device management information obtained by such management systems has also been proposed (Patent Document 1).

[0003] On the other hand, in recent years, many companies have adopted location-independent work styles, such as working from home or satellite offices. For example, users do not only use image forming devices installed in their own offices, but also image forming devices installed in multiple locations, such as at home, satellite offices, and shared offices, and use them according to the way they work. When introducing an image forming apparatus for telecommuting, it is conceivable to browse the above-mentioned device management information and prepare an image forming apparatus suited to the printing usage situation. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-64517 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, image forming devices used in offices generally have higher performance and more functions than image forming devices used for telecommuting. In addition, offices are often equipped with multiple image forming devices of different models that are used by an unspecified number of people. For this reason, it is not easy to determine whether a certain model of image forming device is suitable for telecommuting for a specific user by viewing the device management information described above.

[0006] The present invention has been made to solve the above problems. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a mechanism that allows a user to easily determine to what extent a single image forming device of a specific model can satisfy the usage situation of multiple image forming devices, and significantly reduces the burden of selecting a model suitable for telecommuting, etc. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention is an information providing system characterized by having a determination means for determining a degree of suitability which indicates, in stages, the extent to which a user's printing usage situation on one or more image forming devices can be satisfied by the capabilities of a specific model of image forming device, and a presentation means for presenting the degree of suitability determined by the determination means. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it becomes possible to easily determine to what extent a particular model of image forming device can satisfy a user's usage situation for multiple image forming devices. As a result, the burden of selecting a model suitable for telecommuting, etc. can be significantly reduced. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of devices constituting the system according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the software configuration of a device management service. [Figure 4] 6 is a flowchart showing a device compatibility display process according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a compatibility display screen according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] 13 is a dashboard display showing the printing usage status of a specific user in the first embodiment. [Figure 7] 6 is a user list display screen showing print usage statuses of multiple users in the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a compatibility display screen according to the second embodiment. [Figure 9] 13 is a user list display screen showing print usage statuses of multiple users in the second embodiment. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart showing a device suggestion process according to the second embodiment. [Figure 11] 13 is a user list display screen showing print usage statuses of multiple users in the third embodiment. [Figure 12] 13 is a user list model suggestion screen showing print usage statuses of multiple users in the third embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a compatibility display screen according to the fourth embodiment. [Figure 14] 13 is a user list display screen showing print usage statuses of multiple users in the fourth embodiment. [Figure 15] 10 is a flowchart showing a group classification process according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. [First embodiment] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The network 100 is, for example, the Internet, and a device management service 111, an image forming apparatus 101, and a client terminal 102 are connected to the network 100. Note that the network 100 is not limited to the Internet, and may be a LAN or other network.

[0011] The device management service 111 receives and stores print jobs from the client terminal 102. The device management service 111 also executes risk detection processing for print jobs, and when a job is received from the image forming apparatus 101 or the client terminal 102, it determines the risk of the job according to conditions previously specified for the job. The risk determination is performed, for example, by extracting keywords using a full-text search or by recognizing whether personal information is included. If the device management service 111 determines that the received job is risky, it executes a job stop processing for canceling execution of the job based on settings, or an administrator notification processing for notifying the administrator by means of e-mail or the like. Details of the functions of the device management service 111 will be described later with reference to FIG. 3.

[0012] Furthermore, the device management service 111 may take any form, and may be realized by one computer or multiple computers. For example, the device management service 111 may be an on-premise server or a service using cloud computing technology (cloud service).

[0013] The image forming apparatus 101 is, for example, a printer, an MFP (Multifunction Peripheral), etc. Although a plurality of image forming apparatuses 101 are illustrated in FIG. The client terminal 102 is, for example, a PC (Personal Computer), a tablet terminal, a smartphone, etc. Although one client terminal 102 is illustrated in Fig. 1, a plurality of client terminals may be present.

[0014] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the device management service 111, the image forming apparatus 101, and the client terminal 102. The hardware configuration of a general information processing apparatus can be applied to the PC and the image forming apparatus of this embodiment.

[0015] The CPU 201 performs overall control of each piece of hardware, controls each unit connected to the bus 200, and executes each function, such as printing and scanning. The ROM 202 is a memory dedicated to reading data, and stores, for example, a basic control program for the image forming apparatus. The RAM 203 is a memory from / to which data can be read / written, and is used as a working memory for the CPU 201, for example.

[0016] The storage device 204 is used as a storage area for temporary data during execution of each program and for permanent data. For example, the storage device 204 is often a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD), but may be a device that can read / write data by loading an external medium.

[0017] A communication device 205 connects the image forming device 101, the client terminal 102, and the device management service 111 to a LAN or the Internet, enabling data communication between the devices. The input device 206 is an operation unit for accepting input operations of characters and data by a user, such as a keyboard, a mouse, a hard key, or a touch panel. The display device 207 is a device for displaying various screens, and is, for example, a liquid crystal display or a touch panel. For example, in the case of the client terminal 102, a user can give instructions via the input device 206 on a user interface screen displayed on the display device 207, and can give instructions to the image forming device 101 to execute a job or to configure the device management service 111, etc.

[0018] In addition, a scanner device 208 and a printer device 209 are connected to the image forming apparatus 101 via the bus 200 . Furthermore, the device management service 111 and the client terminal 102 may not necessarily include the scanner device 208 and the printer device 209 .

[0019] Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the software configuration of the device management service 111. The software configuration shown in Fig. 3 is realized by the CPU 201 of the device management service 111 reading out a program stored in, for example, the ROM 202 or the storage device 204 into the RAM 203 and executing it. The device management service 111 is a service provided to, for example, a company or group that uses the service, and the unit for which the device management service 111 provides the service is called a "tenant."

[0020] The user management unit 301 manages users who use the device management service 111 on a tenant-by-tenant basis. The administrator registers users who wish to use the device management service 111 in the tenant. The registered users can use the functions provided by the device management service 111.

[0021] The device management unit 302 manages devices that use the device management service 111 on a tenant-by-tenant basis. A user or administrator registers a device that the user or administrator wishes to manage in the device management service 111 to a tenant. The user or administrator can use functions provided by the device management service 111 from the registered device.

[0022] A job management unit 303 manages job history information acquired from the image forming apparatus 101. The job history information includes the user who executed the job, the execution date and time, the job name, the function used, device information, and the like. The job history information may also hold the image file of the job. The administrator can check the history of jobs executed by users, and the like.

[0023] The setting management unit 304 stores and manages the setting values ​​of the functions provided by the device management service 111. The settings managed by the setting management unit 304 include settings such as data related to conditions for determining compatibility with a device in a device compatibility display process described later with reference to Fig. 4. For example, data such as information on the device specifications of each model is also stored. A determination unit 305 determines, based on the job history information managed by the job management unit 303, whether the printing usage status of a certain user is suitable for a specific model.

[0024] The UI control unit 306 controls, for example, a screen displayed on a web browser for the UI and UI operations required for the functions provided by the device management service 111. Specifically, the UI control unit 306 performs UI control for a dashboard display 600 shown in Fig. 6 and a user list display screen 700 shown in Fig. 7, which will be described later.

[0025] A communication unit 307 controls the overall communication process for connecting to the device management service 111. Specifically, communication for collecting device management information from the image forming apparatus 101 registered in the device management unit 302 is performed via the communication unit 307.

[0026] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of device suitability display processing by the device management service 111 of the first embodiment. This processing corresponds to processing for determining and displaying (presenting) device suitability, which indicates in stages whether a certain user's print usage status can be satisfied by the capabilities of a certain model of image forming device. This processing is started by an instruction to start the suitability display processing from a web browser running on the client terminal 102, for example, and is executed by each function of the device management service 111 shown in FIG. 3. At this time, it is assumed that the above-mentioned "certain user" and "certain model" are each designated from the web browser. Hereinafter, the designated user will be referred to as a "designated user" and the designated model as a "designated model". It is also possible to designate a user who is logged in to the device management service 111 as the "designated user".

[0027] In S401, the determination unit 305 of the device management service 111 acquires the job history of the designated user from the job management unit 303 of the device management service 111. The job history to be acquired covers the history of all devices used by the designated user, but may be differentiated according to the location where the device is installed, such as an office or a home. That is, here, the print usage status of one or more image forming devices by the designated user is acquired.

[0028] Next, in step S402 , the determination unit 305 acquires the device specifications of the specified model of image forming apparatus from the setting management unit 304 .

[0029] Next, in S403, the determination unit 305 obtains the total number of printed pages in a certain period from the job history of a certain user obtained in S401 above, and determines whether or not it is within the appropriate number of printed pages in the device specifications obtained in S402 above. Here, the appropriate number of printed pages may be, for example, the number of printed pages in a certain period calculated backwards from the lifespan and expected usage period of a manufacturer's standard number of printed pages in the device specifications, or the maximum number of printed pages in a certain period calculated from the printing speed. It may also be the number of printed pages per unit of ink cartridge or toner provided within a certain period.

[0030] Here, if the total number of printed sheets for the specified user during the certain period is within the appropriate number of printed sheets for the specified model (YES in S403), the determination unit 305 advances the process to S404. In S404, the determination unit 305 associates the item indicating the total number of prints with the information on "item display possible" as information indicating that the total number of prints by the specified user over a certain period of time meets the appropriate number of prints for the specified model, records this in the RAM 203 of the device management service 111, etc., and proceeds to S406.

[0031] On the other hand, if the total number of printed pages by the designated user for the certain period is not within the appropriate number of printed pages for the designated model (NO in S403), the determination unit 305 advances the process to S405. In S405, the judgment unit 305 of the device management service 111 associates the item indicating the total number of prints with the information indicating "item not displayed" as information indicating that the total number of prints by the specified user over a certain period of time does not meet the appropriate number of prints for the specified model, and records this in the RAM 203 of the device management service 111, etc., and proceeds to S406.

[0032] In S406, the determination unit 305 starts a loop process to determine whether or not the function (one or more) to be determined as the object of the conformance determination is installed in the specified model, and if not, to determine the utilization rate of the function for each function to be determined as the object of the conformance determination. Note that the function to be determined as the object of the conformance determination may be specified by default or may be specified by the user administrator.

[0033] First, in S407, the determination unit 305 selects one undetermined function from among the functions to be determined for conformity (hereinafter, "function to be determined") and determines whether or not the function is installed (installed function) in the specified model based on the information of the device specifications acquired in S402. Here, if the function to be determined is an installed function (YES in S407), the determination unit 305 proceeds to S409.

[0034] On the other hand, if the function to be determined is not an installed function (NO in S407), the determination unit 305 advances the process to S408. In S408, the determining unit 305 determines, from the job history information acquired in the process of S401, what percentage of the total number of printed sheets the designated user has used the function to be determined.

[0035] Here, if the designated user has not yet used the function to be determined (if "0%" in S408), the determination unit 305 advances the process to S409. Furthermore, if the designated user is using the function to be judged and the usage rate is less than the designated rate ("less than the designated rate" in S408), the judgment unit 305 advances the process to S410. Furthermore, if the usage rate of the determined function of the designated user is equal to or greater than the designated rate (S408: "equal to or greater than designated rate"), the determining unit 305 advances the process to S411. The designated ratio may be a fixed ratio by default, or the user administrator may be able to designate a ratio individually.

[0036] In S409, the judgment unit 305 associates the item indicating the function to be judged with the ``item available display'' information as information indicating that the function to be judged is installed, or that the function is not installed but has not been used by the specified user for a certain period of time, and records this in the RAM 203 of the device management service 111, and proceeds to S412.

[0037] In S410, the judgment unit 305 associates the item indicating the function to be judged with the information "some items can be displayed" as information indicating that the function is not installed but the usage rate of the specified user over a certain period of time is less than the specified rate, and records this in the RAM 203 of the device management service 111, etc., and proceeds to S412.

[0038] In S411, the judgment unit 305 associates the item indicating the function to be judged with the information indicating "item unavailable" as information indicating that the usage rate of the non-installed function by the specified user over a certain period of time is equal to or greater than the specified rate, and records this information in the RAM 203 of the device management service 111, and proceeds to S412.

[0039] In S412, the determination unit 305 determines whether or not all of the functions to be subjected to the conformance determination have been determined. If there are any functions to be subjected to the conformance determination that have not yet been determined (NO in S412), the determination unit 305 returns the process to S407 and performs control so as to perform a determination on the next function to be determined. On the other hand, if all of the functions to be subjected to the compatibility determination have been determined (YES in S412), the determining unit 305 advances the process to S413. In S413, the determination unit 305 ends the above-mentioned loop processing, and advances the process to S414.

[0040] In S414, the determination unit 305 determines whether or not there is an item recorded as "item not displayable" in S405 or S411 above. If there is an item recorded as "item not displayable" here (NO in S414), the determination unit 305 proceeds to S418. In S418, the determination unit 305 records the suitability of the specified user to the specified model as "not acceptable" in the RAM 203 or the like of the device management service 111, and proceeds to S419.

[0041] On the other hand, if there is no item recorded as "item not displayable" (YES in S414), the determination unit 305 advances the process to S415. In S415, the determination unit 305 determines whether or not there is an item recorded as "partially displayed item" in S410 above. If there is an item recorded as "partially displayed item" here (NO in S415), the determination unit 305 advances the process to S416. In S416, the determination unit 305 records the suitability of the specified user to the specified model as "partially possible" in the RAM 203 or the like of the device management service 111, and proceeds to S419.

[0042] On the other hand, if there is no item recorded as "Partially Displayed Item" (YES in S415), the determination unit 305 advances the process to S417. In S417, the determination unit 305 records the suitability of the specified user to the specified model as "possible" in the RAM 203 or the like of the device management service 111, and proceeds to S419. The suitability decreases in the order of "possible," "partially possible," and "not possible."

[0043] In S419, the UI control unit 306 performs control so that a suitability display screen as shown in Fig. 5 is displayed on the web browser or the like that instructed the start of the suitability display process based on the information (suitability determination result) determined and recorded by the determination unit 305 in the above S416 to S418. That is, in response to the instruction to start the suitability display process, the suitability display screen is transmitted to the web browser. Then, this flowchart ends.

[0044] 5 is a diagram showing an example of a compatibility display screen displayed by the UI control unit 306 of the device management service 111 of the first embodiment. This compatibility display screen is display-controlled by the UI control unit 306 of the device management service 111, and is intended to present a compatibility level indicating whether the print usage situation of a designated user can be satisfied by the capabilities of a designated model of image forming apparatus. Note that explanations of similar displays in Figs. 5(a) to 5(c) are omitted. Furthermore, the compatibility level may be displayed in other words such as compatible, partially compatible, and uncompatible, in addition to possible, partially possible, and not possible.

[0045] A possible display screen 500a shown in Fig. 5(a) is an example of a screen display when the compatibility is determined to be "possible". A model display 501 displays the model name specified as the target for compatibility determination. Another model may be selectable on this screen using a drop-down menu or the like. In that case, the device management service 111 performs the process of Fig. 4 again and then updates the screen display. The possible indication 502 indicates that the compatibility is "possible."

[0046] The mark "◯" shown in the item availability display 503 indicates that the printing usage status of the item, such as the function or the total number of prints, is "item availability display." This is based on the information recorded in the processing of S404 and S409 in FIG. The total number of printed sheets display 504 is displayed based on the process of S403 in Fig. 4. The denominator indicates the appropriate number of printed sheets for the specified model, and the numerator indicates the total number of printed sheets for the specified user. Each function display 505 indicates the result of the determination for each function determined in S406 to S413 in FIG. 4, the number of sheets printed by the designated user using the function, and the like.

[0047] A partially acceptable display screen 500b shown in FIG. 5(b) is an example of a screen display when the compatibility is determined to be "partially acceptable." The partially possible display 506 is a display indicating that the compatibility is "partially possible". The mark "△" shown in the item partial availability display 507 indicates that the usage status of the function item is "item partial availability display." This is based on the information recorded in the process of S410 in FIG. Each function display (some items can be displayed) 508 is displayed for the items of "some items can be displayed" among the function displays 505, and indicates the ratio of the number of printed sheets of the non-installed functions to the total number of printed sheets.

[0048] An unacceptable display screen 500c shown in FIG. 5(c) is an example of a screen display when the compatibility is determined to be "unacceptable." The "not acceptable" indicator 509 is an indicator indicating that the suitability is "not acceptable." The mark "x" shown in the unavailable display 509 indicates that the usage status of the function item is "unavailable display item." This is based on the information recorded in the processing of S405 or S411 in FIG. Each function display (item not available) 511 is displayed for the item of "item not available" among each function display 505, and indicates the ratio of the number of printed sheets of the non-installed function to the total number of printed sheets.

[0049] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a dashboard display 600 showing the printing usage status of a certain user, which is displayed by the UI control unit 306 of the device management service 111 according to the first embodiment. The dashboard may display a list of devices used by the user, changes in the number of pages printed by the user, and display information according to the printing location, and any of 500a to 500c in FIG. 5 may be displayed as part of the dashboard.

[0050] A period display 601 is a period of the job history that is to be displayed on the dashboard. This period can be specified by manual input or using a drop-down list, and when the specified period is changed, the device management service 111 updates the display of the dashboard display 600.

[0051] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a user list display screen 700 that indicates the print usage status of multiple users and is displayed by the UI control unit 306 of the device management service 111 according to the first embodiment. This screen allows you to display multiple users' usernames, number of prints, and usage status (summary) of each function for a certain period of time.

[0052] The model display 701 displays the model name specified as the target for determining the degree of compatibility. Another model may be selected from this screen using a drop-down menu or the like. In this case, the device management service 111 performs the process of FIG. 4 again with the selected function as the specified function and the multiple users displayed in the list as the specified users, and then updates the screen display.

[0053] User list suitability display 702 displays the suitability of each user for multiple users displayed as a user list for the model specified in model display 701. User list possible display 703, user list partially possible display 704, and user list not possible display 705 are displays corresponding to possible display 502, partially possible display 506, and not possible display 509 in Fig. 5, respectively, and show the suitability determined for each individual.

[0054] A user list total number of printed sheets 706 and a function usage status 707 display, for each user, the total number of printed sheets for each user, the number of printed sheets using each function, and the number of times of use (summary). The period display 708 is the period to be displayed. This period can be specified by manual input or using a drop-down list, and if the specified period is changed, the device management service 111 updates the display on the user list display screen 700.

[0055] As described above, according to the first embodiment, it is possible to determine at a glance whether a specific model of image forming device can satisfy the print usage status (number of prints, functions used, etc.) of a specific user in one or more image forming devices obtained from device management information. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the burden of determining whether a specific model of image forming device can satisfy the print usage status of a specific user.

[0056] Second Embodiment In the above first embodiment, a configuration was described in which the printing usage status of a user is acquired from multiple devices, whether a specific model satisfies the printing usage status is determined, and the suitability is graded and displayed. When the suitability is determined to be "not acceptable," it is difficult to select a model that can satisfy the printing usage status of the user. Therefore, in the second embodiment, a configuration is described in which a model with a higher suitability is selected and proposed.

[0057] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a compatibility display screen displayed by the UI control unit 306 of the device management service 111 according to the second embodiment. A suitability display screen 800 in FIG. 8 corresponds to the screen in FIG. 5 to which a suggestion display of a model that increases suitability (model suggestion 801) has been added.

[0058] Model suggestion 801 is a suggestion display that is displayed when the compatibility with the user's designated model is "not possible" or "partially possible" (i.e., not "possible"), and allows the user to determine at a glance that compatibility will improve by changing to another model. Model suggestion 801 may also be a link, and by clicking on model suggestion 801, a model with a higher compatibility will be designated as the designated model, and a compatibility display such as 500a or 500b will be displayed.

[0059] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a user list display screen 900 that indicates print usage statuses of multiple users and is displayed by the UI control unit 306 of the device management service 111 according to the second embodiment. A user list display screen 900 in FIG. 9 corresponds to a screen in which a proposal for a model that increases suitability (model proposal 901) is added to the user list display screen 700 in FIG.

[0060] Model suggestion 901 is a suggestion display that is displayed when the compatibility with the model specified by the user is "not possible" or "partially possible" (i.e., not "possible"), and allows the user to determine at a glance that compatibility will improve by changing to a different model. Model suggestion 901 may also be a link, and clicking on model suggestion 901 will set the model with improved compatibility as the specified model, and a compatibility display such as 500a or 500b will be displayed.

[0061] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of device suggestion processing by the device management service 111 of the second embodiment, which searches for a model that will improve suitability for the user's usage situation, and suggests the model if one is found. This processing is executed by each function of the device management service 111 shown in FIG.

[0062] S1001 corresponds to the compatibility display process in FIG. 4, and is a process in which the determining unit 305 of the device management service 111 determines the compatibility with the model designated by the user.

[0063] Next, in S1002, the determination unit 305 determines whether the conformance determined in S1001 above is “partially acceptable” or “unacceptable.” If the conformance is “acceptable” (NO in S1002), the determination unit 305 ends this flowchart.

[0064] On the other hand, if the degree of suitability is "partially acceptable" or "unacceptable" (YES in S1002), the determination unit 305 advances the process to S1003. In S1003, the determination unit 305 starts a loop process for searching for a model that increases suitability for the user.

[0065] In S1004, the determination unit 305 designates another model as the designated model to be subjected to the compatibility determination. Here, the other model is designated from among the models that are the subject of the model proposal and have not been determined. Note that the model that is the subject of the model proposal may be, for example, a higher-grade model than the currently designated model, or a model that has a function that is determined to be unacceptable or partially unacceptable in the compatibility determination in S1001 above, and the determination unit 305 may automatically designate the model based on the device specifications. Next, in S1005, the determination unit 305 performs a compatibility display process for the designated model designated in S1004 above. This process is similar to the compatibility display process in FIG. 4, so a description thereof will be omitted.

[0066] Next, in S1006, the determination unit 305 determines whether the compatibility determined in S1005 above is “possible.” If the compatibility is “possible” (YES in S1006), the determination unit 305 advances the process to S1008. On the other hand, if the compatibility is not "possible" (NO in S1006), the determination unit 305 advances the process to S1007.

[0067] In S1007, the determination unit 305 determines whether or not the suitability determination has been performed for all models that are the subject of the model proposal described above. If there is a model that is the subject of the model proposal for which the suitability determination has not yet been performed (NO in S1007), the determination unit 305 returns the process to S1004 and controls the process to proceed to the determination of the next different model. On the other hand, if the suitability determination has been performed for all models that are the subject of model proposals (YES in S1007), the determination unit 305 advances the process to S1008.

[0068] In S1008, the determination unit 305 ends the loop process of searching for a model that increases suitability for the user, and proceeds to S1009. In S1009, the determination unit 305 determines whether the suitability of the different model (i.e., the currently specified model) is higher than the suitability determined in S1001. If the suitability has not increased (NO in S1009), the determination unit 305 ends the process of this flowchart.

[0069] On the other hand, if the degree of compatibility has increased (YES in S1009), the determination unit 305 advances the process to S1010. In S1010, the UI control unit 306 performs a display proposing the currently specified model. This display corresponds to the model proposal 801 in Fig. 8 and the model proposal 901 in Fig. 9. Then, the processing of this flowchart ends.

[0070] As described above, according to the second embodiment, when the suitability for the user's printing usage situation is determined to be "partially acceptable" or "unacceptable," a model that will improve suitability for the user's printing usage situation can be easily suggested.

[0071] Third Embodiment In the first embodiment, the printing usage status of a user's multiple devices is acquired, and a process is performed in which it is determined whether a specific model satisfies the printing usage status, and the suitability is displayed in stages. Note that when calculating the suitability, the suitability is determined based on criteria such as whether the total number of printed sheets meets the appropriate number of printed sheets, and what percentage of the total number of printed sheets the non-equipped functions of the device to be judged as the suitability are used. In the second embodiment, a configuration is shown in which a model with a higher suitability is selected and proposed using the judgment method proposed in the first embodiment. In the third embodiment, by comparing the printing usage status of the same user for each usage location, it is possible to calculate the difference in printing tendency for each location (office / home, etc.). Then, when the printing tendency differs by a certain amount or more depending on the location (when there is a certain amount or more difference in the printing tendency depending on the location), a configuration is described in which a model is suggested using a suggestion method like that of the second embodiment.

[0072] For example, in the example shown in Figure 11 below, the proportion of A3 printing out of the total number of pages printed at the office and at home differs by more than 10%, so it is assumed that printing work that cannot be done at home is being done at the office, and a different model is proposed to improve printing work at home.

[0073] 11 is a diagram showing an example of a dashboard display 1100 showing a printing usage status of a certain user, displayed by the UI control unit 306 of the device management service 111 of the third embodiment. The dashboard display 1100 is obtained by adding a printing usage status display 1101 by location, and a suggestion display 1106 for when printing tendencies differ by location, to the dashboard display 600 shown in the first embodiment.

[0074] The office printing usage status 1102 and home printing usage status 1103 display printing performed by the user by location. This display is one example, and comparisons may be made between the office and a satellite office, or between a satellite office and home, for example. A function usage rate 1104 is the number of sheets printed using advanced printing functions. The example in Fig. 11 shows that A3 printing is used in 17% of the total number of sheets printed in the office. A non-installed function usage rate 1105 indicates the rate at which a non-installed function is used in the image forming apparatus currently used by the user for home printing, which is 0%.

[0075] A proposal display 1106 is an example of a model proposal screen that is displayed when the function usage rate 1104 corresponding to the location or the non-installed function usage rate 1105 differs by a certain percentage. In the example of Fig. 11, the certain percentage is set to 10%, and the A3 printing usage rate differs by 17% between the office and home in the print usage status display by location 1101. In order to solve the problem related to the difference in printing tendency between such locations, a proposed model derived using the model proposal method as in the second embodiment is presented in the proposal display 1106. For example, a model with a function with a large difference in usage tendency (A3 printing function in this example) (or a model with a higher level of this function) is selected as the model to be proposed, and the device proposal process shown in the second embodiment is performed.

[0076] In the proposal display 1106, a proposed model display 1107 presents the proposed model determined using the model proposal method shown in the second embodiment. A suitability display 1108 when using a proposed model shows the suitability when using the model presented in the proposed model display 1107. In the example of Fig. 11, the office printing usage status 1102 and the home printing usage status 1103 are added together, and the result determined using the suitability determination method proposed in the first embodiment is displayed.

[0077] 12 is a diagram showing an example of a user list model suggestion screen 1200 showing print usage statuses of multiple users, displayed by the UI control unit 306 of the device management service 111 of the third embodiment. The user list model suggestion screen 1200 is obtained by adding a model suggestion display similar to that of FIG. 11 to the user list display screen 700 shown in FIG. 7 of the first embodiment.

[0078] The location display 1201 displays the user names, number of printed pages, and usage status of each function for multiple users according to the location. In the example of Fig. 12, the number of printed pages and usage status of each function corresponding to "office" and "home" are displayed for each user. The used device display 1202 displays the model name of the image forming device used by each user for each location.

[0079] In the third embodiment, the multiple user suggested display 1203 is a model suggested display that is displayed when the user list display includes a specified number of users who meet the display conditions of the suggested display 1106. The specified number of users is determined by the device management service 111, and may be, for example, a certain percentage of the users in the user list, or a fixed number of users.

[0080] A proposed model display for multiple users 1204 presents proposed models determined using the device proposal process of the second embodiment to users who meet the display conditions of the proposed display for multiple users 1203. In addition, the target users for model proposals may be added or deleted at will by a user company administrator viewing the user list model proposal screen 1200.

[0081] The proposed model details page link 1205 is a link to a web page showing detailed information about the model proposed in the proposed model display for multiple users 1204, or a link to a purchase page. The link to the purchase page may be used to display the device installation locations of multiple users who proposed the model as delivery destinations on the purchase screen, or to export a contract for purchasing an image forming device.

[0082] As described above, according to the third embodiment, a model can be proposed according to the printing tendency of each user's place of use. This allows the user to easily replace the image forming device that the user uses at home, for example, with an image forming device model that suits the user's usage situation.

[0083] [Fourth embodiment] In the above-described second embodiment, a configuration has been described in which the method of determining suitability described in the first embodiment is used to propose to the user a specific model that has a higher suitability than the currently designated model. In the fourth embodiment, a configuration is described in which device specifications are classified into multiple stages, and the classification according to the user's printing usage status (the model belonging to the classification that is most suitable for the user's usage status) is presented, rather than suggesting a specific model, thereby assisting the user in selecting a model.

[0084] In the examples shown in Figures 13 and 14 below, the product group to be proposed is divided into groups of low, medium, and high spec models with similar specifications in advance, and the group to which the product belongs that matches the user's printing usage status is presented to the user. The number of groups to be divided is not limited to three, and it may be two groups of low and high, or four or more groups.

[0085] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a compatibility display screen displayed by the UI control unit 306 of the device management service 111 in the fourth embodiment, which is the compatibility display screen shown in FIG. 5 in the first embodiment with the addition of a display of the group to which the products that are compatible with the user's printing usage situation belong.

[0086] A low spec group display 1301 on a low spec group display screen 1300a, a medium spec group display 1302 on a medium spec group display screen 1300b, and a high spec group display 1303 on a high spec group display screen 1300c as conformity display screens in the third embodiment show device specs required to satisfy the print usage status of each user. The group displays 1301 to 1303 may be links, and models belonging to the group may be displayed by clicking on the group displays 1301 to 1303. The determination of which group a user belongs to will be described later with reference to FIG. 15.

[0087] 14 is a diagram showing an example of a user list display screen 1400 that shows the print usage status of multiple users and is displayed by the UI control unit 306 of the device management service 111 of the fourth embodiment. The user list display screen 1400 is obtained by adding a display of a spec group according to the print usage status of each user to the user list display screen 700 shown in FIG. 7 of the first embodiment.

[0088] The user list spec group display 1401 displays any one of the low spec group display 1301, the medium spec group display 1302, and the high spec group display 1303 described in FIG. 13 to which each user belongs.

[0089] 15 is a flowchart showing an example of group classification processing by the device management service 111 according to the fourth embodiment, which determines which spec group a user belongs to. This processing is executed by each function of the device management service 111 shown in FIG.

[0090] In S1501, the determination unit 305 of the device management service 111 starts a loop process for selecting a proposed model within each group. First, in S1502, the judgment unit 305 selects a group for which a proposed model is to be judged. This selection is made from an unjudged group. Next, in S1503, the determination unit 305 performs the model proposal process shown in Fig. 10, regarding the models classified into the group selected in S1502 as the models to be proposed. Note that the determination unit 305 records the results of the group-related process performed here in, for example, the RAM 203 of the device management service 111.

[0091] Next, in S1504, the determination unit 305 determines whether the model proposal process in S1503 has been performed for all groups. If there is a group for which the model proposal process has not yet been performed (NO in S1504), the determination unit 305 returns the process to S1502 and controls to move the process to the next group. On the other hand, if the model suggestion process has been performed for all groups (YES in S1504), the determination unit 305 advances the process to S1505. In S1505, the determination unit 305 ends the above-mentioned loop processing, and proceeds to S1506.

[0092] In S1506, the determination unit 305 determines the group to which the user who is the subject of the spec group determination belongs. In other words, it determines which group is in line with the user's printing usage situation. The determination method is to determine the group that proposes the model with the fewest "unacceptable" items and the fewest "partially acceptable" items in the compatibility determination process shown in FIG. 5, which is performed in the process of S1503 above. Note that if there are the same number of "unacceptable" items and "partially acceptable" items, the group with the lower specifications is determined. Then, the process of this flowchart ends.

[0093] As described above, according to the fourth embodiment, it is possible to easily propose a group of models that are suited to the printing usage situation of the user.

[0094] As described above, according to each embodiment, it becomes possible to easily determine to what extent a particular model of image forming device can satisfy a user's usage situation for multiple image forming devices. Therefore, it becomes possible to easily determine whether a particular model of image forming device is suitable for a particular user's telecommuting, etc. As a result, it is possible to significantly reduce the burden when selecting an image forming device for telecommuting, etc., and improve usability when selecting a model.

[0095] 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 embodiments is also included in the present invention.

[0096] 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.

[0097] The disclosure of this embodiment includes the following configurations and methods. (Configuration 1) An information providing system, a determination means for determining a degree of suitability indicating whether a user's printing usage situation in one or more image forming devices can be satisfied by the capabilities of a specific model of image forming device; a presentation means for presenting the conformity determined by the determination means; An information providing system comprising: (Configuration 2) The information providing system according to configuration 1, characterized in that the judgment means judges the suitability based on the total number of printed sheets for the user within a certain period of time and the appropriate number of printed sheets for the model within the certain period of time. (Configuration 3) The information providing system described in configuration 1 or 2, wherein the judgment means judges the suitability based on the functions of the model and the user's usage rate of each function, and changes the judgment result of the suitability for a function not equipped in the model depending on the user's usage rate of the function. (Configuration 4) The determination means determines the suitability for each of a plurality of users, 4. The information providing system according to any one of configurations 1 to 3, wherein the presenting means presents a result of the suitability judgment for each of the plurality of users. (Configuration 5) When the conformity of the specific model is lower than a predetermined conformity, the determining means determines the conformity of another model, The information providing system according to any one of configurations 1 to 4, characterized in that, when the other model is more suitable than the specific model, the presentation means proposes the other model as a model that is more suitable for the user's printing usage situation. (Configuration 6) when there is a predetermined difference between the usage tendency of the user at the first use location and the usage tendency of the user at the second use location, the determination means performs the determination of the suitability for a model other than the model used at the second use location, 4. The information providing system according to any one of configurations 1 to 3, wherein the presenting means proposes a model to be used at the second use location based on the result of the suitability determination. (Configuration 7) the determining means determines a suitability of a model belonging to each group to the printing usage situation of the specific user for each group obtained by classifying the model of the image forming device into a plurality of stages according to the specifications, and determines a group having a high suitability; 5. The information providing system according to any one of configurations 1 to 4, wherein the presenting means presents the group determined by the determining means as a group of models highly suitable for the user's printing usage situation. (Method 1) A method for controlling an information providing system, comprising: a determination step of determining a degree of suitability indicating whether a user's printing usage situation in one or more image forming devices can be satisfied by the capabilities of a specific model of image forming device; a presentation step of presenting the degree of conformity determined in the determination step; 13. A method for controlling an information providing system comprising:

Claims

1. An information providing system, a determination means for determining a degree of suitability which indicates in a scale whether a user's printing usage situation in one or more image forming devices can be satisfied by the capabilities of a specific model of image forming device; a presentation means for presenting the conformity determined by the determination means; An information providing system comprising:

2. 2. The information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the determination means determines the suitability based on a total number of printed sheets for the user within a certain period of time and an appropriate number of printed sheets for the model within the certain period of time.

3. The information providing system according to claim 1, characterized in that the judgment means includes a judgment based on the functions of the model and the user's utilization rate of each function in judging the degree of suitability, and changes the judgment result of the degree of suitability for a function not equipped in the model depending on the user's utilization rate of the function.

4. The determination means determines the suitability for each of a plurality of users, 4. The information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the presenting means presents the result of the suitability judgment for each of the plurality of users.

5. When the conformity of the specific model is lower than a predetermined conformity, the determining means determines the conformity of another model, The information providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, when the other model is more suitable than the specific model, the presenting means suggests the other model as a model that is more suitable for the user's printing usage situation.

6. the determination means, when there is a predetermined difference between the usage tendency of the user at the first use location and the usage tendency at the second use location, performs the determination of the suitability for a model other than the model used at the second use location; 4. The information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the presenting means proposes a model to be used at the second use location based on the result of the suitability determination.

7. the determining means determines a suitability of a model belonging to each group to the printing usage situation of the specific user for each group obtained by classifying the model of the image forming device into a plurality of stages according to the specifications, and determines a group having a high suitability; The information providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the presentation means presents the group determined by the determination means as a group of models highly suitable for the user's printing usage situation.

8. A method for controlling an information providing system, comprising: a determination step of determining a degree of suitability indicating whether a user's printing usage situation in one or more image forming devices can be satisfied by the capabilities of a specific model of image forming device; a presentation step of presenting the degree of conformity determined in the determination step; 13. A method for controlling an information providing system comprising:

Images