Contract management system and contract management method

Abstract

To prevent disadvantage to a subscriber when the content of a contract cannot be modified due to a failure at the time of initiating the use of a service or modifying the service.SOLUTION: When configuration information is not reflected in a device, configuration information confirmation means determines that configuration information distribution means has failed. When a service use setting status for a subscribed service cannot be acquired from a service providing server, service setting confirmation means determines that service setting means has failed. When the configuration information confirmation means or the service setting confirmation means determines the occurrence of a failure, and when completion time and date for setting a service exceeds service start and modification time and date, contract management means compensates for unavailable time of the subscribed service.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a contract management system and a contract management method, and more particularly to a technique for providing compensation when a contract service cannot be started. [Background technology]

[0002] An information terminal management system has been proposed that can update the settings of an information terminal even when the status of a service contract changes, without causing much trouble to the user, etc. In Patent Document 1, a copier receives device setting information for available services from a management device, inquires about the availability status of the services at a predetermined timing, and updates the device setting information in accordance with the result of the inquiry from the management device.

[0003] Furthermore, a system has been proposed that compensates for the license information for a function when the function realized by the electronic device through the granting of a license becomes unable to be realized due to reasons unrelated to the user. In Patent Document 2, the compensation is performed by determining the period during which the license cannot be used based on printing information (operation information) periodically collected from the device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-216817 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 4948311 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In a contract management system that updates device and service settings in response to the status of a service contract, settings must be updated in response to the start and change of the service contract status. However, in such cases, if a failure occurs in the device, service, or communication between them, the settings cannot be updated. This causes the subscriber to be unable to use the service from the start or change period of the contract, resulting in a disadvantage. In particular, the method disclosed in Patent Document 2 compensates for the service downtime based on operation information collected from the device. Therefore, if a service cannot be changed due to a malfunction in the service settings, compensation for the unavailable time cannot be provided.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to prevent disadvantages to contractors when a failure prevents contract modification work from being carried out when starting or modifying service use. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A contract management system according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a contract management means for managing contracts for services used by a device, a configuration information distribution means for distributing configuration information to the device for using the contracted service on the device when the contract for the service used by the device is started or changed, a service setting means for performing settings for using the contracted service on the device in a service providing server that provides the contracted service when the contract for the service used by the device is started or changed, a configuration information confirmation means for confirming that the configuration information has been normally distributed to the device by the configuration information distribution means, and a configuration information confirmation means for confirming that the service providing server has been normally configured by the service setting means. and a service setting confirmation means for confirming that the configuration information has been reflected in the device, wherein the configuration information confirmation means determines that a failure has occurred in the configuration information distribution means if the configuration information has not been reflected in the device, the service setting confirmation means determines that a failure has occurred in the service setting means if the service usage setting status for the contracted service cannot be acquired from the service providing server, and the contract management means compensates for the unavailable time of the contracted service if the configuration information confirmation means or the service setting confirmation means determines that a failure has occurred and the service setting completion date and time is beyond the contract start date and change date and time for the service. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent disadvantages to users when contract change work cannot be carried out at the time of starting or changing service use due to communication failures, etc. In particular, compensation can be provided not only when a failure occurs in a device but also in the service being used. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a contract management system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a printer. [Figure 3]FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a contract management server. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a procedure for checking contract information. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing a procedure linked to a contract. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing a procedure linked to a contract. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a procedure for acquiring configuration information. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a procedure for acquiring a service usage setting status. [Figure 9] 10 is a table showing contract information. [Figure 10] 10 is a table showing contract information for a consumable flat-rate service. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] The following describes embodiments of the present invention with reference to the 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] <Embodiment 1> FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a contract management system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The contract management system 100 includes a printer 101, a router 102, the Internet 103, a contract management server 104, a setting distribution server 105, and a service providing server 106. While FIG. 1 shows a configuration in which the contract management system 100 includes two printers 101, the number of printers 101 may be other than the above. The printer 101 is an example of a device. The printer 101 is an example of an image forming apparatus. The printer 101 is connected to the Internet 103 via the router 102. The contract management server 104, the setting distribution server 105, and the service providing server 106 are directly connected to the Internet 103.

[0012] The printer 101 can communicate with a contract management server 104, a setting distribution server 105, and a service providing server 106 via the Internet 103. The contract management server 104, the setting distribution server 105, and the service providing server 106 can also communicate with each other via the Internet 105.

[0013] The contract management server 104 manages services contracted by the user of the printer 101 and used by the printer 101. The setting distribution server 105 receives instructions from the contract management server 104 and distributes to the printer 101 firmware, applications, and setting value information (hereinafter, these three items are collectively referred to as configuration information) required for using the contracted services on the printer 101. The service providing server 106 provides services used by the printer 101. Examples of services include a consumables delivery service that delivers consumables to the user's location when the printer 101 runs out, and a consumables flat-rate service that provides printing up to a maximum number of pages for a fixed period for a flat fee.

[0014] 1, in order to simplify the explanation of this embodiment, each component is illustrated as being composed of one unit, but there is no intention to limit or restrict the number of units in the configuration. Each component may be composed of one or more elements.

[0015] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the printer 101. The printer 101 is an image processing device with printing and reading functions. The printer 101 includes a system bus 201, a CPU 202, an operation panel 203, a ROM 204, and a RAM 205. CPU is an abbreviation for Central Processing Unit. ROM is an abbreviation for Read Only Memory. RAM is an abbreviation for Random Access Memory. The printer 101 also includes a reading unit 206, a printing unit 207, an image processing unit 208, and an I / F unit 209. I / F is an abbreviation for interface.

[0016] The CPU 202 controls the printer 101 by expanding and executing programs stored in the ROM 204 on the RAM 205. The operation panel 203 is composed of keys and a touchpad for user operation, and a display that displays screens for presenting images and various information to the user. The operation panel 203 is shown as an example of a means for accepting settings for using a service from the user to the service providing server 106. The ROM 204 stores a control command program for the printer 101, and is shown as an example of a means for storing configuration information distributed from the setting distribution server 105. As described above, the RAM 205 operates as a working memory for the CPU 202 and is also used as a storage area for a print job spooler.

[0017] The reading unit 206 has an optical sensor for reading an original and generates an image read by the optical sensor on the RAM 205. The printing unit 207 prints the image on a print medium. The image processing unit 208 performs image processing on the image read by the reading unit 206 so that it can be printed by the printing unit 207. This also realizes a copy function. The I / F unit 209 is an interface for exchanging data with devices connected via a wired or wireless LAN or a network (e.g., the Internet) based on a protocol such as TCP / IP. LAN is an abbreviation for Local Area Network. TCP / IP is an abbreviation for Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol. The I / F unit 209 is shown as an example of a means for communicating with the contract management server 104, the setting distribution server 105, and the service providing server 106. Note that, although the printer 101 has been described here as a multifunction device equipped with a printing function and a reading function, it may be a device without a printing function.

[0018] 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the contract management server 104. The contract management server 104 includes a system bus 301, a CPU 302, a RAM 305, a ROM 304, a hard disk 305, a display 306, an input unit 307, and an I / F unit 308.

[0019] The CPU 302 calculates, determines, and controls data and commands in accordance with software stored in the RAM 303, ROM 304, or hard disk 305. The RAM 303 is used as a temporary storage area when the CPU 302 performs various processes. The ROM 304 stores a boot program required for system startup. The hard disk 305 stores the operating system and other software. The display 306 displays GUIs and other software. The input unit 307, such as a mouse or touch sensor, allows the user to issue various instructions to the contract management server 104. The system bus 301 exchanges data between the connected CPU 302, RAM 303, ROM 304, and hard disk 305. The I / F unit 308 uses a wireless or wired LAN to exchange data with devices connected to the same network or the Internet using protocols such as TCP / IP. While FIG. 3 illustrates the contract management server 104 as an integrated unit comprising the display 306, input unit 307, and other components, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the contract management server 104 may be a virtual server provided as a service on the Internet.

[0020] The setting distribution server 105 and the service providing server 106 have the same hardware configuration as the contract management server 104, and a description thereof will be omitted here. In another embodiment, at least one of the setting distribution server 105 and the service providing server 106 may have a hardware configuration different from that of the contract management server 104.

[0021] 4 is a flow diagram showing the procedure for checking contract information, in which the contract management server 104 checks whether or not any contract information has been added or changed. This flow is executed periodically at a predetermined timing, such as once a day. This process is realized by the CPU 302 of the contract management server 104 executing processing based on a program stored in the RAM 303, ROM 304, or hard disk 305.

[0022] In step S401, the contract management server 104 checks whether newly added or changed contract information exists, i.e., whether new or changed contract information exists. Then, in step S402, the contract management server 104 determines whether new or changed contract information exists. If the contract management server 104 determines that new or changed contract information exists, the process of step S403 is executed. If the contract management server 104 determines that new or changed contract information does not exist, the process ends.

[0023] In step S401, the contract management server 104 sets the set start date and time to a few days (X days before) before the contract start date and time. The set start date and time is the date and time that triggers the start of the contract-linked processing described below. The set start date and time may be set before the contract start date and time, for example, one day before the contract start date and time, as long as there are enough days to complete the series of contract-linked processing.

[0024] 9(A), 9(B), and 9(C) are contract information tables managed by the contract management server 104, each showing contract information. In this contract information table, "No." is an identifier for identifying each row. "Customer ID" is an identifier for uniquely identifying the customer who has concluded a contract. A customer is a user of the printer 101 who has contracted for a service to be used with the printer 101. "Contract ID" is an identifier for uniquely identifying the contract. "Service Name" is the name of the service contracted for use with the printer 101 and indicates the service provided by the service providing server 106. "Printer ID" is an identifier for identifying a printer that can use the service indicated by the "Service Name." "Contract Start Date and Time" is the date and time when the contract starts or is changed. "Monthly Fee" indicates the fee for using the service based on the contract. Note that the fee is assumed to be monthly here, but other fee structures, such as a daily fee or a pay-as-you-go fee, may also be used. "Set Start Date and Time" is the date and time when the contract-linked processing shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 starts, and is set in step S403 of FIG. 4. The "setting completion date and time" is the date and time when the contract-linked processing was completed. The "failure occurrence flag" indicates whether or not a failure occurred during the contract-linked processing described below. The contract management server 104 updates the contract information table as necessary.

[0025] Here, if "No" is N, it is called No. N. Fig. 9(A) shows examples of contract information No. 1 to No. 4. In Fig. 9(A), contracts A and C of No. 1 and No. 4 show a state in which the "set start date and time" has already been set in the processing of step S403 in Fig. 4. On the other hand, contract B of No. 2 and No. 3 is in a state in which the "set start date and time" has not yet been set.

[0026] In contrast, Figure 9(B) shows the state in which the "set start date and time" for contract B No. 2 and No. 3 has been set in the processing of step S403 in Figure 4, and shows the state in which the set start date and time has been set one day before the "contract start date and time."

[0027] As shown in Contract B in Figure 9(B), in this embodiment, one contract includes multiple services, but this is not limited to this, and one contract may include one service, or one service may include multiple printers.

[0028] 5 and 6 are diagrams showing a series of flows of contract-linked processing. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing processing following the processing of FIG. 5. This processing is triggered by the arrival of the setting start date and time set in the processing of step S403 of FIG. 4. This processing is realized by the CPU 302 of the contract management server 104 executing processing based on a program stored in RAM 303, ROM 304, or hard disk 305. This processing is also realized by the CPU 302 of the setting distribution server 105 executing processing based on a program stored in RAM 303, ROM 304, or hard disk 305. This processing is also realized by the CPU 302 of the service providing server 106 executing processing based on a program stored in RAM 303, ROM 304, or hard disk 305. This processing is also realized by the CPU 202 of the printer 101 executing processing based on a program stored in RAM 205 or ROM 204.

[0029] In step S501 of FIG. 5, the contract management server 104 acquires contract information to be processed from the contract information table it manages. Here, the acquired contract information is processed on a contract-by-contract basis, and if one contract includes multiple services, the processing of step S502 sequentially processes the multiple services. For example, when processing contract B illustrated in FIG. 9(B), processing is performed sequentially for service B1 and service B2. However, this embodiment is not limited to this, and processing may be performed on a customer-by-customer or service-by-service basis. The processing of step S502 is processing that executes the processing of steps S503 and S509 for a contract whose set start date and time has arrived. The processing of step S501 is an example of a contract management means that manages contracts for services used by the printer 101.

[0030] Next, in step S503, if the contract management server 104 determines that it is necessary to distribute configuration information to the printer 101 in order to use the service, then in step S504 it performs two processes in parallel.

[0031] First, in step S505, as a first process, the contract management server 104 instructs the setting distribution server 105 to distribute configuration information to the printer 101. Upon receiving the instruction, the setting distribution server 105 distributes configuration information necessary for using the service to the printer 101 in step S506. In step S507, the printer 101 that has received the distribution installs the configuration information and prepares to use the service. The process of step S506 is an example of a configuration information distribution means that distributes configuration information to the printer 101 for using a contracted service on the printer 101 in conjunction with the start or change of a contract for the service used by the printer 101.

[0032] As the second process, in step S508, the contract management server 104 performs configuration information acquisition processing in cooperation with the printer 101. The configuration information acquisition processing will now be described with reference to Fig. 7. The processing in step S508 is an example of a configuration information confirmation means that confirms that the configuration information has been successfully distributed to the printer 101 by the configuration information distribution means.

[0033] 7 is a flow diagram of the configuration information acquisition process that the contract management server 104 performs in cooperation with the printer 101. This process is realized by the CPU 302 of the contract management server 104 executing processing based on a program stored in the RAM 303, the ROM 304, or the hard disk 305.

[0034] In step S601, the contract management server 104 acquires printer configuration information from the printer 101. Next, in step S602, the contract management server 104 determines whether or not the configuration information was acquired. If the contract management server 104 determines that the configuration information was acquired, the process of step S603 is executed. If the contract management server 104 determines that the configuration information was not acquired, the process of step S601 is executed.

[0035] In step S603, the contract management server 104 determines whether the configuration information acquired from the printer 101 has been updated to the distributed configuration information. If the contract management server 104 determines that the configuration information acquired from the printer 101 has been updated to the distributed configuration information, the processing ends. If the contract management server 104 determines that the configuration information acquired from the printer 101 has not been updated to the distributed configuration information, the processing of step S604 is executed.

[0036] In step S604, the contract management server 104 determines that some kind of failure has occurred in the configuration information distribution process to the printer 101 by the setting distribution server 105 in steps S506 and S507 described above, and turns on a failure flag. The value of the failure flag is stored in the "failure flag" in the contract information table shown in Fig. 9. The processing in step S604 is an example of a configuration information confirmation means that determines that a failure has occurred in the configuration information distribution means if the configuration information has not been reflected in the printer 101.

[0037] The printer 101 is not always connected to the Internet, and may become unable to connect to the Internet due to reasons such as the printer being powered off, even if no failure has occurred in the printer 101. The failure occurrence flag indicates that some kind of problem has occurred in the processing between the setting and distribution server 105 and the printer 101. For this reason, in step S602, if the setting and distribution server 105 is unable to acquire the configuration information of the printer 101 for reasons other than an abnormal state, such as the printer 101 being powered off, it is determined that no failure has occurred.

[0038] 5 and 6. If the printer 101 determines in step S509 of Fig. 6, which follows step S508 of Fig. 5, that service usage settings are required to use the service, then in step S510, the printer 101 performs two processes in parallel.

[0039] First, in step S511, the printer 101 performs settings on the service providing server 106 to use the service. For example, in the case of a consumables delivery service, the settings for using the service include whether delivery is on or off and the remaining amount of consumables that serves as the delivery standard. Upon receiving the notification from the printer 101, the service providing server 106 reflects the setting values ​​related to the settings for using the service in step S512. The settings for using the service may be configured to be performed automatically after the installation of the configuration information in step S507, or may be configured to be set by the user via the operation panel 203 of the printer 101. The processing in step S512 is an example of a service setting means in which the service providing server 106 performs settings for using the contracted service on the printer 101 in response to the start or change of a contract for the service used by the printer 101.

[0040] As the second process, in step S513, the contract management server 104 performs a service usage setting status acquisition process in cooperation with the service providing server 106. The service usage setting status acquisition process will now be described with reference to Fig. 8. The process of step S513 is an example of a service setting confirmation means that confirms that the service setting means has normally configured the service providing server 106.

[0041] 8 is a flow diagram of the service usage setting status acquisition process that the contract management server 104 performs in cooperation with the service providing server 106. This process is realized by the CPU 302 of the contract management server 104 executing processing based on a program stored in the RAM 303, the ROM 304, or the hard disk 305.

[0042] In step S701, the contract management server 104 acquires the service usage setting status from the service providing server 106. The service usage setting status indicates whether or not the settings for using the service have been made, which are performed in steps S511 and S512 described above.

[0043] In step S702, the contract management server 104 determines whether or not the service usage setting status has been acquired. If the contract management server 104 determines that the service usage setting status has been acquired, the process proceeds to step S703. If the contract management server 104 determines that the service usage setting status has not been acquired, the process proceeds to step S704.

[0044] In step S704, the contract management server 104 determines that some kind of failure has occurred in the settings made by the service providing server 106 to the printer 101 in steps S511 and S512 described above to use the service. Having made this determination, the contract management server 104 turns on a failure occurrence flag in step S704. The value of the failure occurrence flag is stored in the "failure occurrence flag" in the contract information table shown in Fig. 9. The processing in step S704 is an example of a service setting confirmation means that determines that a failure has occurred in the service setting means if the service usage setting status for the contracted service cannot be acquired from the service providing server 106.

[0045] In step S703, the contract management server 104 checks the acquired service usage setting status and determines whether the service usage setting status has been updated and the service is available. If the contract management server 104 determines that the service is available, the process ends. If the contract management server 104 determines that the service usage setting status has not been updated, the process of step S701 is executed.

[0046] 5 and 6, the explanation will be continued. In step S514 of Figure 6, when the above-mentioned configuration information acquisition process and service usage setting status acquisition process are completed, the contract management server 104 determines that the contract setting is complete. At this time, for any failure occurrence flags that are not ON, the contract management server 104 sets the failure occurrence flag to OFF in the "failure occurrence flag" in the contract information table. Furthermore, the time at this time is saved in the "setting completion date and time" in the contract information table.

[0047] In step S515, the contract management server 104 determines whether the failure occurrence flag set in the configuration information acquisition process and the service usage setting status acquisition process is ON and whether the setting completion date and time is later than the contract start date and time or the change date and time. If the contract management server 104 determines that the failure occurrence flag is ON and the setting completion date and time is later than the contract start date and time or the change date and time, the process proceeds to step S516.

[0048] In step S516, the contract management server 104 performs a process to compensate for the time that has elapsed since the contract start date and time. Here, the process to compensate for the time that has elapsed since the contract start date and time will be explained with reference to the contract information table in FIG. 9(C). FIG. 9(C) shows the contract information table in a state where the contract settings have been completed. In the contract information table in FIG. 9(C), the settings for four contracts No. 1 to No. 4 have been completed. The process in step S516 is an example of a contract management means that compensates for the time when the contracted service is unavailable.

[0049] In case No. 1, the failure occurrence flag is OFF, so compensation is not generated. In case No. 2, the failure occurrence flag is ON, so it is determined that a failure occurred during the contract-linked processing. In case No. 2, the setup completion date and time is later than the contract start date and time, so compensation is generated. In this case, the setup completion date and time is two days after the contract start date and time, so compensation is returned to the user in the form of, for example, 130 yen, which is the monthly fee of 2,000 yen calculated on a daily basis for two days. In case No. 3, the failure occurrence flag is ON, so it is determined that a failure occurred during the contract-linked processing, but compensation is not generated because the setup completion date and time does not exceed the contract start date and time. In case No. 4, the failure occurrence flag is OFF, so compensation is not generated. In case No. 4, the setup completion date and time is later than the contract start date and time, but it is determined that this is due to a reason other than a failure, such as a delay in the distribution of configuration information because the printer 101 was turned off.

[0050] As described above, according to this embodiment, if a failure prevents the contract change process from being completed due to a failure when starting or changing service usage, a failure occurrence flag is maintained, and the occurrence of the failure is detected during the contract linkage process, and compensation is provided. This prevents a contractor from being disadvantaged when they are unable to start using the service.

[0051] <Embodiment 2> The following describes embodiment 2. Note that the drawings and descriptions common to embodiment 1 will be omitted, and only the differences will be described.

[0052] In this embodiment, the compensation method in step S516 in Fig. 6 is different. In other words, in the first embodiment, the compensation method was to compensate the fee for the unavailable time as a part of the monthly fee. If the contracted service is a flat-rate consumables service, the compensation is to increase the maximum number of prints provided for a fixed period of time for a flat-rate fee.

[0053] 10 is an example of a contract information table showing contract information for a consumable flat-rate service, and shows the state in which the contract setup is completed. In the explanation of FIG. 10, explanations of items that are the same as those in the contract information table shown in FIG. 9 will be omitted.

[0054] As shown in Figure 10, the contract information table showing the contract information for the flat-rate consumables service has a "Maximum Print Count" that indicates the maximum number of pages that can be printed each month. Here, for items No. 1 and No. 4, the failure occurrence flag is OFF, so no compensation will be generated. For item No. 3, the failure occurrence flag is ON, but the setup completion date and time does not exceed the contract start date and time, so no compensation will be generated.

[0055] For No. 2, the error flag is ON and the setup completion date and time is later than the contract start date and time, so compensation will be provided to the user. In this case, since the setup completion date and time is two days later than the contract start date and time, the maximum print limit of 100 sheets is calculated on a daily basis, and two days' worth, for example, six sheets, is provided as compensation to the user.

[0056] Alternatively, if the contracted service is a consumables delivery service, the compensation may be to provide the user with consumables (for example, ink, toner, etc.) instead of paying the fee.

[0057] <Embodiment 3> Needless to say, the object of the present invention can also be achieved in the following embodiments. That is, a recording medium storing software program code that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or device. A computer (or a CPU or MPU) of the system or device reads and executes the program code stored on the supplied recording medium. In this case, the program code read from the recording medium itself realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments, and the recording medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention.

[0058] Examples of storage media that can be used to supply program code include flexible disks, hard disks, optical disks, magneto-optical disks, CD-ROMs, CD-Rs, magnetic tapes, non-volatile memory cards, ROMs, and DVDs. CD-ROM is an abbreviation for Compact Disc Read Only Memory. CD-R is an abbreviation for Compact Disk Recordable. DVD is an abbreviation for Digital Versatile Disc.

[0059] Furthermore, the functions of the above-described embodiments are not necessarily realized by a computer executing the read program code. Needless to say, this also includes cases where an OS running on a computer performs some or all of the actual processing based on the instructions of the program code, and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by that processing. OS is an abbreviation for Operating System.

[0060] Furthermore, the present invention also includes a configuration in which the program code read from the storage medium is written to a memory provided in a function expansion board inserted into a computer or a function expansion unit connected to a computer, and a CPU provided in the function expansion board or function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing based on the instructions of the program code, thereby realizing the functions of the above-mentioned embodiments.

[0061] (Other embodiments) The present invention can also be realized by supplying a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and having one or more processors in the computer of the system or device read and execute the program. It can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

[0062] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention.

[0063] The disclosure of this embodiment includes the following configurations and methods. (Configuration 1) A contract management means for managing contracts for services used on the device; a configuration information distribution means for distributing, to the device, configuration information for using the contracted service in the device in response to the start or change of a contract for the service to be used in the device; a service setting means for performing settings for using the contracted service on the device in a service providing server that provides the contracted service in response to the start or change of a contract for the service to be used on the device; a configuration information confirmation means for confirming that the configuration information has been normally distributed to the device by the configuration information distribution means; a service setting confirmation means for confirming that the service setting means has normally set the service providing server, the configuration information confirmation means determines that a failure has occurred in the configuration information distribution means if the configuration information is not reflected in the device; the service setting confirmation means determines that a failure has occurred in the service setting means when the service usage setting status for the contracted service cannot be acquired from the service providing server; When the configuration information confirmation means or the service setting confirmation means determines that a failure has occurred and the date and time of completion of the service setting is beyond the contract start date or change date of the service, the contract management means compensates for the time the contracted service is unavailable. A contract management system characterized by: (Configuration 2) The compensation will be made according to the amount of time the service is unavailable based on the contracted service fee. 2. The contract management system according to configuration 1. (Configuration 3) the device is an image forming apparatus, In the case where the contracted service is a consumable flat-rate service that provides printing up to a maximum number of sheets for a certain period of time with the image forming device for a flat rate, the compensation is to increase the maximum number of sheets that can be printed for a certain period of time for a flat rate. 3. The contract management system according to configuration 1 or 2. (Configuration 4) the device is an image forming apparatus, In the case where the contracted service is a consumables delivery service that delivers consumables to the user's address when the consumables used in the image forming device run out, the compensation is to provide the consumables to the user. 4. The contract management system according to any one of configurations 1 to 3. (Method 1) A contract management process for managing contracts for services used on devices; a configuration information distribution step of distributing configuration information to the device for using the contracted service in the device in response to a contract start or change for the service to be used by the device; a service setting step of performing settings for using the contracted service on the device in a service providing server that provides the contracted service in response to a start or change of a contract for the service to be used on the device; a configuration information confirmation step of confirming that the configuration information has been normally delivered to the device in the configuration information delivery step; a service setting confirmation step of confirming that the setting of the service providing server has been normally performed in the service setting step, the configuration information confirmation step determines that a failure has occurred in the configuration information distribution step if the configuration information has not been reflected in the device; the service setting confirmation step determines that a failure has occurred in the service setting step when the service usage setting status for the contracted service cannot be acquired from the service providing server; When it is determined that a failure has occurred in the configuration information confirmation step or the service setting confirmation step, and when the date and time of completion of the service setting is beyond the contract start date or change date of the service, the contract management step compensates for the time during which the contracted service is unavailable. A contract management method characterized by: [Explanation of symbols]

[0064] 101 Printer 104 Contract Management Server 105 Configuration distribution server 106 Service provider server

Claims

1. A contract management means for managing contracts for services used on the device; a configuration information distribution means for distributing, to the device, configuration information for using the contracted service in the device in response to the start or change of a contract for the service to be used in the device; a service setting means for performing settings for using the contracted service on the device in a service providing server that provides the contracted service in response to the start or change of a contract for the service to be used on the device; a configuration information confirmation means for confirming that the configuration information has been normally distributed to the device by the configuration information distribution means; a service setting confirmation means for confirming that the service setting means has normally set the service providing server, the configuration information confirmation means determines that a failure has occurred in the configuration information distribution means if the configuration information is not reflected in the device; the service setting confirmation means determines that a failure has occurred in the service setting means when the service usage setting status for the contracted service cannot be acquired from the service providing server; When the configuration information confirmation means or the service setting confirmation means determines that a failure has occurred and the date and time of completion of the service setting is beyond the contract start date or change date of the service, the contract management means compensates for the time the contracted service is unavailable. A contract management system characterized by:

2. The compensation will be made according to the amount of time the service is unavailable based on the contracted service fee. The contract management system according to claim 1 .

3. the device is an image forming apparatus, In the case where the contracted service is a consumable flat-rate service that provides printing up to a maximum number of sheets for a certain period of time with the image forming device for a flat rate, the compensation is to increase the maximum number of sheets that can be printed for a certain period of time for a flat rate. The contract management system according to claim 1 .

4. the device is an image forming apparatus, In the case where the contracted service is a consumables delivery service that delivers consumables to the user's address when the consumables used in the image forming device run out, the compensation is to provide the consumables to the user. The contract management system according to claim 1 .

5. A contract management process for managing contracts for services used on devices; a configuration information distribution step of distributing configuration information to the device for using the contracted service in the device in response to the start or change of a contract for the service to be used in the device; a service setting step of performing settings for using the contracted service on the device in a service providing server that provides the contracted service in response to a start or change of a contract for the service to be used on the device; a configuration information confirmation step of confirming that the configuration information has been normally delivered to the device in the configuration information delivery step; a service setting confirmation step of confirming that the setting of the service providing server has been normally performed in the service setting step, the configuration information confirmation step determines that a failure has occurred in the configuration information distribution step if the configuration information has not been reflected in the device; the service setting confirmation step determines that a failure has occurred in the service setting step when the service usage setting status for the contracted service cannot be acquired from the service providing server; When it is determined that a failure has occurred in the configuration information confirmation step or the service setting confirmation step, and when the date and time of completion of the service setting is beyond the contract start date or change date of the service, the contract management step compensates for the time during which the contracted service is unavailable. A contract management method characterized by:

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