Charge transfer system

Abstract

To reduce a workload associated with transferring charges to image forming devices not associated with a user.SOLUTION: A charge transfer system has one or more processors. The one or more processors acquire print information related to printing performed on a first image forming device not associated with a user issuing a print command, and transfer the charges incurred by the first image forming device resulting from the printing obtained from the print information to a second image forming device associated with the user.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a charge transfer system. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 addresses the issue of not imposing costs on the printer device in a system for printing using a smart device. To solve this issue, Patent Document 1 discloses that when printing from a smart device while away from home or at a customer's premises, the user of the smart device pays the costs by utilizing the smart device's in-app billing mechanism. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-174815 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When an employee of a particular company visits a client, the employee may want to print using the client's image forming device. In this case, it is desirable to print without incurring printing costs for the client who owns the image forming device. The present invention aims to reduce the work involved in transferring charges to image forming devices that are not associated with a user. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The invention described in claim 1 is a charge transfer system having one or more processors, wherein the one or more processors acquire printing information regarding the execution of printing on a first image forming device that is not associated with the user who instructs the printing, and transfer the charge to the first image forming device incurred by the printing obtained from the printing information to a second image forming device that is associated with the user. The invention described in claim 2 is the charge transfer system described in claim 1, characterized in that the one or more processors acquire user information of the user who instructs printing, and determine from the acquired user information that the user and the second image forming device are associated. The invention described in claim 3 is the charge transfer system described in claim 2, characterized in that the one or more processors obtain an association between the user and multiple image forming devices, and identify the second image forming device from among the obtained multiple image forming devices. The invention described in claim 4 is a charge transfer system described in claim 3, characterized in that priorities are set for the multiple image forming devices when transferring charges, and the one or more processors identify the second image forming device from among the multiple image forming devices based on the priorities. The invention described in claim 5 is a charge transfer system described in claim 1, characterized in that in the first image forming device, a charge counter is incremented when the user executes printing, and the one or more processors cancel the value incremented to the charge counter of the first image forming device. The invention described in claim 6 is the charge transfer system described in claim 5, characterized in that the one or more processors add the canceled value to the charge counter of the second image forming device. The invention described in claim 7 is the charge transfer system described in claim 1, characterized in that the one or more processors provide information regarding the transfer to the second image forming device to an administrator who manages the second image forming device, and perform the transfer to the second image forming device after receiving approval from the administrator. The invention described in claim 8 is a charge transfer system described in claim 7, characterized in that information regarding the transfer is provided to the administrator before or after the user performs the printing on the first image forming device. The invention described in claim 9 is a charge transfer system having one or more processors, wherein the one or more processors transfer charges generated by printing on a first image forming device to a second image forming device different from the first image forming device, and display notification information regarding the charge transfer on the first image forming device and / or the second image forming device. A tenth aspect of the present invention is the charge transfer system according to the ninth aspect, wherein the notification information is information that can determine whether or not the charge transfer has been executed. The invention described in claim 11 is a charge transfer system described in claim 10, characterized in that the notification information displayed to the first image forming device includes information about the second image forming device as the destination to which the charge is transferred. The invention described in claim 12 is a charge transfer system described in claim 10, characterized in that the notification information displayed on the second image forming device includes information on the first image forming device as the source of the charge transfer. The invention of claim 13 is the charge transfer system of claim 9, characterized in that the notification information displays the charge transfer in a format that distinguishes it from normal charges. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the invention as set forth in claim 1, it is possible to reduce the work involved in transferring charges to image forming devices that are not associated with a user. According to the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the time and effort required for the user to select the image forming apparatus to which the charge is to be transferred. According to the invention as set forth in claim 3, the user can select the image forming device to be the target of the charge transfer. According to the invention as set forth in claim 4, when there are a plurality of image forming apparatuses that are the targets of charge transfer, the time and effort required for the user to make a selection can be reduced. According to the invention as set forth in claim 5, the charge for the amount of printing executed by the user is known, but the charge is not imposed on the first image forming apparatus. According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the charge for the amount of printing performed by the user can be transferred from the first image forming apparatus that performed the printing. According to the invention as set forth in claim 7, when executing charge reassignment, the administrator can check whether there are any errors in the target of charge reassignment, etc. According to the invention as set forth in claim 8, the administrator can check the timing according to the execution of printing. According to the invention as set forth in claim 9, the user can check information related to the replacement. According to the invention as set forth in claim 10, the user can grasp the fact that the replacement has occurred. According to the invention as set forth in claim 11, the user can check information on the destination to which the charge will be transferred. According to the invention as set forth in claim 12, the user can check information on the source of the charge transfer. According to the invention described in claim 13, it is possible to distinguish between replacement charges and normal charges. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a billing management system to which the present embodiment is applied. [Figure 2] 1 is an example of a hardware configuration of a computer that realizes a charge transfer system. [Figure 3]FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a charge transfer system. [Figure 4] 10 is a table showing the association between billing destination image forming apparatuses and users. [Figure 5] 10 is a table showing the association between the image forming apparatus to be charged and the administrator. [Figure 6] This is notification information to be displayed on the image forming apparatus. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing the processing of the charge transfer system before the image forming apparatus executes printing. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart showing the processing of the charge transfer system after the image forming apparatus has executed printing. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. <Billing management system> FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an account management system 1 to which this embodiment is applied. In FIG. 1, there are two companies, "Company A" and "Company B," that use the account management system 1. The account management system 1 has an image forming device 100 of Company A, which is under contract with Company A, and an image forming device 200 of Company B, which is under contract with Company B. Here, it is assumed that an employee of Company B visits a client, Company A, and uses the image forming device 100 under contract with Company A. In other words, it is assumed that a user, an employee of Company B, issues a printing instruction to the image forming device 100 of Company A, which is not associated with the employee of Company B.

[0009] The charge management system 1 also has, as services provided on the cloud network 10, a company A cloud 300 owned by company A and a company B cloud 400 owned by company B. The charge management system 1 also has, on the cloud network 10, a charge transfer system 500 that performs charge transfer. The charge transfer system 500 transfers charges incurred when an employee of company B prints on company A's image forming device 100 to company B's image forming device 200 that is associated with the employee of company B. The image forming device 100 of company A is an example of a first image forming device, and the image forming device 200 of company B is an example of a second image forming device. The charge transfer system 500 may be realized by multiple computers connected to the cloud network 10.

[0010] Company A's image forming apparatus 100 has an image forming unit 110 that forms images on paper and an information processing unit 120 that executes various processes. It also has a display unit 130 that displays various information to the operator. The display unit 130 accepts printing instructions from the operator. The display unit 130 also displays notification information related to replacement. Furthermore, Company A's image forming apparatus 100 has a communication unit 140 that communicates with external parties such as the cloud network 10.

[0011] Like the image forming apparatus 100 of company A, the image forming apparatus 200 of company B has an image forming unit 210 that forms an image on paper and an information processing unit 220 that executes various processes. It also has a display unit 230 that displays various information to the operator. The display unit 230 accepts printing instructions from the operator. The display unit 230 also displays notification information related to replacement. Furthermore, the image forming apparatus 200 of company B has a communication unit 240 that communicates with external parties such as the cloud network 10.

[0012] Company A's cloud 300 is a service that manages printing information of Company A's image forming device 100. Company A's cloud 300 acquires Company A's printing information from Company A's image forming device 100. Company A's printing information is information related to the execution of printing on Company A's image forming device 100. For example, Company A's printing information may include information on Company A's billing counter. Company A's billing counter is a counter that is incremented each time a user executes printing on Company A's image forming device 100.

[0013] Furthermore, the Company A cloud 300 acquires user information from the image forming device 100 of Company A. The user information is information about the user who instructs the image forming device 100 of Company A to print. In this embodiment, information about employees of Company B is acquired as the user information. Then, the Company A cloud 300 outputs the acquired printing information and user information of Company A to the charge transfer system 500.

[0014] Company B's cloud 400 is a service that manages printing information of Company B's image forming apparatus 200. Company B's cloud 400 acquires Company B's printing information from Company B's image forming apparatus 200. Company B's printing information is information related to the execution of printing in Company B's image forming apparatus 200. For example, Company B's printing information may include information on Company B's billing counter. Company B's billing counter is a counter that is incremented each time a user executes printing on Company B's image forming apparatus 200.

[0015] The charge transfer system 500 is a system that transfers the charge for the image forming device 100 of company A to the image forming device 200 of company B.

[0016] 2 shows an example of the hardware configuration of a computer that realizes the charge transfer system 500. The computer hardware that constitutes the information processing unit 120 of the image forming device 100 of company A and the information processing unit 220 of the image forming device 200 of company B also has the same configuration. The computer hardware that constitutes the company A cloud 300 and the company B cloud 400 also has the same configuration. As shown in FIG. 2, the computer that realizes the charge transfer system 500 has an arithmetic processing unit 11 that executes digital arithmetic processing according to a program, and a secondary storage unit 12 that stores information. The secondary storage unit 12 is realized by an existing information storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), a semiconductor memory, or a magnetic tape.

[0017] The arithmetic processing unit 11 is provided with a CPU 11a as an example of a processor. The arithmetic processing unit 11 is also provided with a RAM 11b used as a working memory for the CPU 11a, and a ROM 11c in which programs executed by the CPU 11a are stored. The arithmetic processing unit 11 is also provided with a nonvolatile memory 11d that is rewritable and can retain data even if the power supply is interrupted, and an interface unit 11e that controls each unit connected to the arithmetic processing unit 11.

[0018] The nonvolatile memory 11d is configured with, for example, a battery-backed SRAM, a flash memory, etc. The secondary storage unit 12 stores files, etc., as well as programs executed by the arithmetic processing unit 11. In this embodiment, the arithmetic processing unit 11 reads a program stored in the ROM 11c or the secondary storage unit 12, and thereby executes each process.

[0019] The program executed by the CPU 11a may be stored in a computer-readable recording medium and provided to the computer that implements the billing transfer system 500. Examples of the readable recording medium include magnetic recording media (such as magnetic tapes and magnetic disks), optical recording media (such as optical disks), magneto-optical recording media, and semiconductor memories. The program executed by the CPU 11a may be provided to the charge transfer system 500 via a communication means such as the Internet.

[0020] In this embodiment, the term "processor" refers to a processor in a broad sense. For example, the term "processor" includes a general-purpose processor (e.g., a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and the like). It also includes a dedicated processor (e.g., a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), a programmable logic device, and the like). Furthermore, the operations of the processor may not only be performed by a single processor, but may also be performed by multiple processors located at physically separate locations working together. The order of the operations of the processor is not limited to the order described in this embodiment, and may be changed.

[0021] 3 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of charge transfer system 500. Charge transfer system 500 has a user information acquisition unit 501, a print information acquisition unit 502, an association storage unit 503, a charge destination determination unit 504, a charge transfer unit 505, an administrator approval unit 506, and a user authentication unit 507.

[0022] The user information acquisition unit 501 acquires user information from the A company cloud 300 (see FIG. 1). As described in FIG. 1, the user information is information about a user who instructs the A company's image forming apparatus 100 (see FIG. 1) to print. The print information acquisition unit 502 acquires print information from the A company cloud 300 (see FIG. 1). As explained in FIG. 1, the print information is information on the A company's billing counter.

[0023] The association storage unit 503 stores an association between user information and the image forming device 200 of company B (see FIG. 1). Note that this association may be an association between user information and a plurality of image forming devices 200 of company B. The association storage unit 503 also stores an association between the image forming device 200 of company B and an administrator who manages the image forming devices 200 of company B. Note that the association stored in the association storage unit 503 is acquired, for example, from a terminal of an employee of company B who is the user.

[0024] The billing destination determination unit 504 determines that the user information acquired by the user information acquisition unit 501 is associated with an image forming device of company B, based on the association stored in the association storage unit 503. The billing destination determination unit 504 may also identify one image forming device 200 of company B from among a plurality of image forming devices 200 of company B.

[0025] The charge transfer unit 505 transfers the charge for the image forming apparatus 100 of Company A to the image forming apparatus 200 of Company B, which is associated with the user information. The charge transfer unit 505 performs the charge transfer by instructing each cloud server described in FIG. 1 to adjust the charge counter of each image forming apparatus. For example, assume that printing is performed on the image forming apparatus 100 of Company A at the instruction of an employee of Company B, and the value of the charge counter of Company A is incremented by the amount of printing. In this case, the charge transfer unit 505 instructs the company A cloud 300 to cancel the value incremented to the charge counter of Company A's image forming apparatus 100. The charge transfer unit 505 also instructs the company B cloud 400 to add the value canceled by the company A cloud 300 to the charge counter of Company B's image forming apparatus 200. In this embodiment, this instruction causes the company A cloud 300 to cancel the value incremented to the charge counter of Company A's image forming apparatus 100. Furthermore, in response to this instruction, the company B cloud 400 adds the value cancelled by the company A cloud 300 to the billing counter of the image forming device 200 of company B. As a result, the billing is transferred from the image forming device 100 of company A to the image forming device 200 of company B.

[0026] The administrator approval unit 506 provides information regarding the transfer to the image forming device 200 of Company B to the administrator who manages the image forming device 200 of Company B. The information regarding the transfer is, for example, information that confirms with the administrator whether or not to transfer the charge to the image forming device 200 of Company B. The information regarding the transfer may simply be information that notifies the administrator that a charge transfer will be performed. The information regarding the transfer is provided, for example, by outputting it to the administrator's terminal (not shown). Furthermore, the administrator approval unit 506 determines whether or not the image forming device 200 of Company B requires the administrator's approval. Furthermore, the administrator approval unit 506 receives approval from the administrator, for example, from the administrator's terminal.

[0027] The user authentication unit 507 verifies whether the user attempting to use the charge transfer system 500 is a user already stored in the association storage unit 503, etc. For example, the user authentication unit 507 authenticates the user by inputting a password from the user.

[0028] FIG. 4 is a table showing the association between the image forming apparatus to which charges are to be transferred and the user. The image forming apparatus to which charges are to be transferred is the image forming apparatus to which charges are to be transferred. In this embodiment, the image forming apparatus to which charges are to be transferred is the image forming apparatus 200 of company B (see FIG. 1), which is an example of a second image forming apparatus. FIG. 4 assumes that there are multiple image forming apparatuses 200 of company B as candidates for the image forming apparatus to which charges are to be transferred. FIG. 4 also assumes that there are multiple employees of company B (see FIG. 1) as users. Note that the image forming apparatus to which charges are to be transferred may be an image forming apparatus of a company other than company B, and the user may be an employee other than company B. Note that in this embodiment, the association shown in FIG. 4 is information stored in association storage unit 503 (see FIG. 3).

[0029] In FIG. 4, users "A," "B," and "C" who use charge transfer system 500 are set as "users." Also in FIG. 4, one or more image forming devices associated with each user are set as "charged image forming device 1" or "charged image forming device 2." For example, for user "A," "FB-0001" is set as "charged image forming device 1." For user "B," "FB-0002" is set as "charged image forming device 1" and "FB-0003" is set as "charged image forming device 2." Furthermore, for user "C," "FB-0004" is set as "charged image forming device 1" and "FB-0005" is set as "charged image forming device 2."

[0030] Furthermore, in FIG. 4, information is set as "automatic selection" to determine whether or not the charging destination determination unit 504 (see FIG. 3) will automatically select an image forming apparatus to be charged. For example, for user "A," "◯" is set as "automatic selection." Also, for example, for user "B," "×" is set as "automatic selection." Furthermore, for example, for user "C," "◯" is set as "automatic selection."

[0031] In addition, in FIG. 4, information for preferentially selecting one image forming apparatus from among a plurality of image forming apparatuses is set as "priority." For example, a priority of "1" is set for user "A." Furthermore, for example, a priority of "2" is set for user "B." Furthermore, for example, a priority of "1" is set for user "C."

[0032] In this embodiment, when automatically selecting an image forming apparatus to be charged, the charging destination determination unit 504 identifies one image forming apparatus from among multiple image forming apparatuses as the image forming apparatus to be charged based on the priority order when transferring charges. For example, for user "C," the automatic selection is "0" and the priority order is "2." In this case, the charging destination determination unit 504 automatically identifies "FB-0004," which is set as "Charging destination image forming apparatus 2," as the image forming apparatus to be charged.

[0033] In the case of user "A," automatic selection is "◯" and priority is "1." In this case, the billing destination determination unit 504 automatically identifies "FB-0001," which is set in "billing destination image forming device 1," as the billing destination image forming device. However, in the case of user A, there are not multiple billing destination image forming devices. Therefore, in the case of user A, priority may not be set and "FB-0001" may be automatically identified as the billing destination image forming device.

[0034] In the case of user "B," automatic selection is "x." In this case, the billing destination determination unit 504 does not automatically select an image forming device to be billed. Therefore, user B selects an image forming device to be billed. For example, user B can select one of image forming devices "FB-0002" and "FB-0003" as the image forming device to be billed.

[0035] 4 may be changed by a user's instruction, for example, by changing "Automatic Selection" from "◯" to "X."

[0036] Fig. 5 is a table showing the association between image forming devices to be charged and administrators. In Fig. 5, as in Fig. 4, it is assumed that there are multiple image forming devices 200 (see Fig. 1) of company B as image forming devices to be charged. Also, in Fig. 5, it is assumed that there are multiple administrators as explained in Fig. 3. Note that in this embodiment, the association shown in Fig. 4 is information stored in association storage unit 503.

[0037] In FIG. 5, "FB-0001," "FB-0002," and "FB-0003" are set as the image forming devices to which charges will be applied. Also in FIG. 5, administrator "X" is set as the administrator of "FB-0001." Furthermore, administrator "Y" is set as the administrator of "FB-0002." Furthermore, administrator "Z" is set as the administrator of "FB-0003." As described above in FIG. 3, when a charge is to be transferred to the image forming device to which charges will be applied, the administrator approval unit 506 (see FIG. 3) provides information regarding the transfer to the administrator. For example, in FIG. 5, when a charge is to be transferred to "FB-0001," information regarding the transfer is provided to administrator "X."

[0038] Fig. 6 shows notification information displayed on an image forming apparatus. This notification information is, for example, information displayed on display unit 130 (see Fig. 1) of image forming apparatus 100 (see Fig. 1) of company A, which is the first image forming apparatus. In Fig. 6, job names "a", "job", "b", "job", "c", and "d" are displayed. Here, a job refers to a process executed by the image forming apparatus. In Fig. 6, job "a", job "b", job "c", and job "d" refer to print jobs that execute printing.

[0039] Also, in Figure 6, the number of pages printed in each job is displayed as "Number of pages." For example, "4 pages" is registered for job "a," "2 pages" for job "b," "10 pages" for job "c," and "1 page" for job "d."

[0040] Furthermore, in Figure 6, the "Result" indicates whether or not the processing of each job was completed successfully. For example, for jobs "a," "c," and "d," "Completed normally" is registered, indicating that the processing was completed successfully. For job "b," "Completed abnormally" is registered, indicating that the processing was completed abnormally.

[0041] Also, in FIG. 6, information that can determine whether or not a charge has been transferred by the charge transfer unit 505 (see FIG. 3) is displayed as "charge transfer." For example, a check mark is displayed for jobs "a" and "d," indicating that a charge has been transferred. Also, for example, a hyphen "-" is displayed for jobs "b" and "c," indicating that a charge has not been transferred. Note that the information that can be determined may be text information. For example, the information that can be determined may be "The charge for FB-0001 has been transferred to FB-0002," etc.

[0042] 6, the image forming device to which charges will be applied for each job is displayed as "billing image forming device." For example, "FB-0001" is displayed as the billing image forming device for job "a." Also, for example, "FB-0002" is displayed as the billing image forming device for job "d."

[0043] 6, the user who used the image forming device that executed the printing is displayed as "user." For example, user "A" is displayed for job "a," and user "B" is displayed for job "d."

[0044] Note that the notification information shown in Fig. 6 may be changed to display charge reassignments in a format that distinguishes them from regular charges. For example, a "Charge" column indicating charges incurred upon successful completion of a print job may be added to the notification information shown in Fig. 6. Then, in the "Charge" column, a display indicating that charge reassignment has been performed may be added to the charges for which charge reassignment has been performed, to distinguish them from regular charges.

[0045] 6 may be displayed on the display unit 230 (see FIG. 1) of the image forming apparatus 200 (see FIG. 1) of company B, which is an example of the second image forming apparatus. In this case, the notification information may include information on the image forming apparatus 100 of company A, which is an example of the first image forming apparatus, as the source of the charge transfer. Furthermore, the notification information may be displayed on both the image forming apparatus 100 of company A and the image forming apparatus 200 of company B.

[0046] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the processing of the charge transfer system 500 before an image forming apparatus executes printing. For example, FIG. 7 assumes the processing of the charge transfer system 500 before an employee of Company B, who is the user described in FIG. 1, executes printing on the image forming apparatus 100 of Company A. First, the association storage unit 503 (see FIG. 3) of the charge transfer system 500 acquires from the user, for example, the image forming apparatus to be charged that is associated with the user through registration by the user (step 701). Next, the association storage unit 503 acquires, for example, the administrator of the image forming apparatus to be charged through registration by the user (step 702). Through steps 701 and 702, the information in the tables shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 is updated.

[0047] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the processing of the charge transfer system 500 after an image forming apparatus executes printing. For example, FIG. 8 assumes processing after an employee of Company B, who is the user described in FIG. 1, executes printing on the image forming apparatus 100 of Company A. The user authentication unit 507 (see FIG. 3) of the charge transfer system 500 acquires authentication from the user and executes user authentication (step 801). Next, the user authentication unit 507 determines whether the user authentication is successful (step 802). If the user authentication is successful (YES in step 802), the print information acquisition unit 502 (see FIG. 3) acquires print information of the target job from, for example, the Company A cloud 300 (see FIG. 1) (step 803). The print information of the target job is print information for one print job, such as the print information for job “a” shown in FIG. 6. This print information for the target job may be acquired from the image forming apparatus 100 of Company A (see FIG. 1) or from a terminal (not shown) of an employee of Company B. If the user authentication unit 507 is not successful (NO in step 802), the processing of the charge transfer system 500 is terminated. After acquiring the print information of the target job, the administrator approval unit 506 (see FIG. 3) transmits information regarding the transfer to the administrator of the image forming device to which the charge is to be made (step 804).

[0048] Next, the administrator approval unit 506 of the charge transfer system 500 determines whether approval from the administrator is required (step 805). If approval from the administrator of the image forming device to be charged is required (YES in step 805), it determines whether approval from the administrator has been obtained (step 806). If approval from the administrator has been obtained (YES in step 806), the charge transfer unit 505 (see FIG. 3) executes charge transfer (step 807). If approval from the administrator has not been obtained (NO in step 806), the processing of the charge transfer system 500 ends. If approval from the administrator of the image forming device to be charged is not required (NO in step 805), the charge transfer unit 505 executes charge transfer (step 807).

[0049] In this embodiment, information regarding reassignment is provided to the administrator after printing is executed, but information regarding reassignment may be provided to the administrator before printing is executed. In that case, the processes from step 805 to step 807 shown in Fig. 8 may be executed before printing is executed.

[0050] As described above, the billing management system 1 identifies the image forming device to which the charge will be transferred and adjusts the billing counters of the image forming device from which the charge will be transferred and the image forming device to which the charge will be transferred. This makes it possible, for example, to prevent customers such as Company A described in Figure 1 from having to bear the printing costs incurred in printing on paper. Furthermore, because the billing management system 1 can automatically identify the image forming device to which the charge will be transferred, it is possible to reduce the work involved in transferring printing costs.

[0051] <Additional Notes> (((1))) 1. A billing transfer system having one or more processors, comprising: the one or more processors: acquiring print information relating to the execution of printing in a first image forming apparatus that is not associated with the user who instructs printing; A charge for the first image forming apparatus generated by the printing obtained from the print information is transferred to a second image forming apparatus associated with the user. A charge transfer system characterized by: (((2))) the one or more processors: Obtain user information of the user who instructs printing, From the acquired user information, it is determined that the user is associated with the second image forming apparatus. The charge transfer system according to (((1))) is characterized in that (((3))) the one or more processors: acquiring associations between the user and a plurality of image forming devices; The second image forming apparatus is identified from the acquired plurality of image forming apparatuses. A charge transfer system according to (((2))). (((4))) A priority order is set for the plurality of image forming devices when transferring charges, the one or more processors: The second image forming apparatus is identified from among the plurality of image forming apparatuses based on the priority order. A charge transfer system according to (((2))) or (((3))). (((5))) In the first image forming device, a charge counter is incremented when the user executes printing; the one or more processors: The value added to the charging counter of the first image forming apparatus is canceled. The charge transfer system according to (((1))) is characterized in that (((6))) the one or more processors: The canceled value is added to the charging counter of the second image forming device. A charge transfer system according to (((5))). (((7))) the one or more processors: providing information regarding the replacement of the second image forming apparatus to an administrator who manages the second image forming apparatus; Upon receiving approval from the administrator, the image forming apparatus is switched to the second image forming apparatus. The charge transfer system according to (((1))) is characterized in that (((8))) The information regarding the replacement is provided to the administrator before or after the user executes the printing on the first image forming apparatus. A charge transfer system according to (((7))). (((9))) 1. A billing transfer system having one or more processors, comprising: the one or more processors: A charge incurred by printing on a first image forming apparatus is transferred to a second image forming apparatus different from the first image forming apparatus, Displaying notification information regarding the charge transfer on the first image forming apparatus and / or the second image forming apparatus A charge transfer system characterized by: (((10))) The charge transfer system according to (((9))) is characterized in that the notification information is information that can determine whether the charge transfer has been executed or not. (((11))) The charge transfer system described in (((9))) or (((10))) is characterized in that the notification information displayed to the first image forming device includes information about the second image forming device as the transfer destination of the charge. (((12))) A charge transfer system as described in any one of (((9))) to (((11))), characterized in that the notification information displayed to the second image forming device includes information about the first image forming device as the source of the charge transfer. (((13))) The charge transfer system according to any one of (((9))) to (((12))), wherein the notification information displays the charge transfer in a format that distinguishes it from normal charges.

[0052] According to the system of (((1))), it is possible to reduce the work involved in transferring charges to image forming devices that are not associated with a user. According to the system of (((2))), it is possible to reduce the time and effort required for the user to select the image forming apparatus to which the charge will be transferred. According to the system of (((3))), the user can select the image forming device that is the target of the charge transfer. According to the system of (((4))), when there are multiple image forming apparatuses that are the targets of charge transfer, it is possible to reduce the effort required for the user to select one. According to the system of (((5))), the charge for the amount of printing performed by the user is known, but the charge is not borne by the first image forming apparatus. According to the system of (((6))), the charge for the amount of printing performed by the user can be transferred from the first image forming apparatus that performed the printing. According to the system of (((7))), when a charge transfer is performed, the administrator can check whether there are any errors in the target of the charge transfer, etc. According to the system of (((8))), the administrator can check the execution of printing at a timing appropriate for the execution of printing. According to the system of (((9))), the user can check information related to the replacement. According to the system of (((10))), the user can grasp the fact of the change. According to the system of (((11))), the user can check information on the destination to which the charge is to be transferred. According to the system of (((12))), the user can check the information of the source of the charge transfer. According to the system of (((13))), it is possible to distinguish between replacement charges and normal charges. [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] 100... Image forming apparatus of company A, 200... Image forming apparatus of company B, 500... Charge transfer system

Claims

1. 1. A billing transfer system having one or more processors, comprising: the one or more processors: acquiring print information relating to the execution of printing in a first image forming apparatus that is not associated with the user who instructs printing; A charge for the first image forming apparatus generated by the printing obtained from the print information is transferred to a second image forming apparatus associated with the user. A charge transfer system characterized by:

2. the one or more processors: Obtain user information of the user who instructs printing, From the acquired user information, it is determined that the user is associated with the second image forming apparatus.

2. The charge transfer system according to claim 1.

3. the one or more processors: acquiring associations between the user and a plurality of image forming devices; The second image forming apparatus is identified from the acquired plurality of image forming apparatuses.

3. The charge transfer system according to claim 2.

4. A priority order is set for the plurality of image forming devices when transferring charges, the one or more processors: The second image forming apparatus is identified from among the plurality of image forming apparatuses based on the priority order.

4. The charge transfer system according to claim 3.

5. In the first image forming apparatus, a charge counter is incremented when the user executes printing; the one or more processors: The value added to the charging counter of the first image forming apparatus is canceled.

2. The charge transfer system according to claim 1.

6. the one or more processors: The canceled value is added to the accounting counter of the second image forming device.

6. The charge transfer system according to claim 5.

7. the one or more processors: providing information regarding the replacement of the second image forming apparatus to an administrator who manages the second image forming apparatus; After receiving approval from the administrator, the image forming apparatus is switched to the second image forming apparatus.

2. The charge transfer system according to claim 1.

8. The information regarding the replacement is provided to the administrator before or after the user executes the printing in the first image forming apparatus.

8. The charge transfer system according to claim 7.

9. 1. A billing transfer system having one or more processors, comprising: the one or more processors: a charge generated by printing on a first image forming apparatus is transferred to a second image forming apparatus different from the first image forming apparatus; Displaying notification information regarding the charge transfer on the first image forming apparatus and / or the second image forming apparatus A charge transfer system characterized by:

10. 10. The charge transfer system according to claim 9, wherein the notification information is information that enables determination of whether the charge transfer has been executed.

11. 11. The charge transfer system according to claim 10, wherein the notification information displayed on the first image forming apparatus includes information on the second image forming apparatus as a transfer destination of the charge.

12. 11. The charge transfer system according to claim 10, wherein the notification information displayed on the second image forming apparatus includes information on the first image forming apparatus as the source of the charge transfer.

13. 10. The charge transfer system according to claim 9, wherein the notification information displays the charge transfer in a format that distinguishes it from normal charges.

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