Image forming apparatus, method for controlling image forming apparatus, and storage medium

Abstract

To prevent the occurrence of unintended additional charging when executing printing based on a hold printing job.SOLUTION: When the number of printed pages of the received held print job is equal to or less than the number of remaining printable pages not requiring additional charging, the image forming apparatus stores the held print job and subtracts the number of printed pages of the held print job from the number of remaining printable pages not requiring additional charging, the image forming apparatus includes a first control unit configured to perform control to execute printing based on the stored held print job when execution of the stored held print job is instructed within a first period, and a second control unit configured to perform control to display that the number of print pages of the received print job is not equal to or less than the number of remaining printable pages that do not require additional charging.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an image forming apparatus, a control method for an image forming apparatus, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Image forming devices such as multifunction peripherals (MFPs) and copiers that have functions such as copying, printing, scanning, and facsimile have become widespread and developed for a wide range of uses, from business to personal. As user needs become more diverse, the content of maintenance contracts for such image forming devices has also become more diverse.

[0003] Traditionally, the mainstream billing system was a counter system in which users purchased an image forming device and paid a fee for the number of pages printed, allowing them to receive maintenance services including the purchase of consumables such as toner.

[0004] However, in recent years, a billing system called a subscription system has become popular, which allows users to receive maintenance services, including for consumables such as toner, within the scope of the basic fee paid initially, without purchasing an image forming device.

[0005] When signing a subscription-based maintenance contract, for example, the contract may state that "up to 1,000 pages per month can be printed within the scope of the initial basic fee paid." If you sign such a maintenance contract, you only have to pay the basic fee if you print up to 1,000 pages, but if you print 1,100 pages per month, you will have to pay an additional 100 pages in addition to the basic fee.

[0006] Patent document 1 discloses a method for preventing unintentional exceeding of the contracted limit by displaying on a screen whether printing is possible or not when a print instruction is given that would exceed the contracted limit, and confirming with the user whether they wish to print. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-124342 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] One of the printing functions of image forming devices is the "stored printing" function, but with this function, there is a time lag between receiving a job and executing the job. In this case, after a stored printing job is submitted, another copy job may be submitted and printed before the job has been printed. In this case, depending on the remaining number of pages, even if the contracted page limit is not exceeded when the stored printing job is submitted, the contracted page limit may be exceeded when the stored job is actually printed, which could result in unintentional additional charges.

[0009] An object of the present disclosure is to prevent unintended additional charges from occurring when printing based on a stored print job is executed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The image forming device has a first control means that, if the number of pages to be printed of a received reserved print job is equal to or less than the number of remaining pages that can be printed without additional charges, stores the reserved print job, subtracts the number of pages to be printed of the reserved print job from the number of remaining pages that can be printed without additional charges, and, if an instruction to execute the stored reserved print job is given within a first period, controls to execute printing based on the reserved print job, and a second control means that, if the number of pages to be printed of the received print job is not equal to or less than the number of remaining pages that can be printed without additional charges, controls to display that fact. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to prevent unintended additional charges from occurring when printing based on a stored print job is executed. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an external view of an image forming apparatus. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an image forming apparatus. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is an external view of a user interface unit. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a controller unit. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display when the number of printable pages is exceeded. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display on a user PC when the number of printable pages in reserved printing has been exceeded. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display when the number of printable pages in reserved printing has been exceeded. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a process for saving a reserved job. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart showing a printing process based on a received instruction. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart when a print job is received. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a process for saving a reserved job. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the components described in the embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the claims.

[0014] (First embodiment) 1 is an external view of an image forming apparatus 10 according to a first embodiment. The image forming apparatus 10 is an MFP (Multifunction Peripheral) equipped with multiple functions such as a print function, a scanner function, and a copy function. The image forming apparatus 10 has a printer unit 120, a scanner unit 130, and a user interface (UI) unit 150.

[0015] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an image forming apparatus 10. The image forming apparatus 10 is an MFP equipped with multiple functions such as a scanner function and a copy function. The image forming apparatus 10 has a controller unit 100, a power supply unit 300, a printer unit 120, a scanner unit 130, a user interface (UI) unit 150, and a power switch 148. The image forming apparatus 10 is also connected to a network 118.

[0016] The controller unit 100 controls each unit of the image forming apparatus 10. Other details of the controller unit 100 will be described later.

[0017] Power supply unit 300 supplies power to each component within image forming apparatus 10. When the power is OFF, AC power is isolated by power switch 148, and when power switch 148 is turned ON, AC power is supplied, and a DC power voltage is generated by power supply unit 300 and supplied to each component within image forming apparatus 10.

[0018] The scanner unit 130 reads an original and generates binary black and white or multi-value color image data. The printer unit 120 prints the image data generated by the scanner unit 130 onto paper (sheets).

[0019] 3, the UI unit 150 has an operation unit 200 that allows the user to perform various operations on the image forming apparatus 10, and a display 108 that displays the status of the image forming apparatus 10 and menus for various operations. The various operations by the user include, for example, instructions for operations such as copying and scanning via the operation unit 200, and setting of multiple print modes including single-sided printing and double-sided printing. The UI unit 150 may be a touch panel in which the operation unit 200 and the display 108 are integrated.

[0020] Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the controller unit 100 in Fig. 2. The controller unit 100 has a ROM 103, a RAM 104, a CPU 105, a network I / F 106, a BIOS 107, a printer I / F 121, a printer control unit 122, a scanner I / F 131, and a scanner control unit 132. The controller unit 100 also has a storage control unit 501, a storage 502, and a UI unit I / F 199.

[0021] The CPU 105 executes software programs stored in the RAM 104 and performs overall control of the image forming apparatus 10 .

[0022] The ROM 103 stores, for example, programs for executing configurations related to the startup of the controller unit 100, fixed parameters, and the like.

[0023] The RAM 104 is used to store programs and temporary data when the CPU 105 controls the image forming apparatus 10. The programs and temporary data stored in the RAM 104 are read from the ROM 103 or a storage 502 (described later).

[0024] The BIOS 107 is a non-volatile memory that stores a boot program (BIOS).

[0025] When performing print processing via the printer I / F 121, the printer control unit 122 receives setting information set by the user through communication with the CPU 105, and controls the operation of the printer unit 120 based on the setting information.

[0026] When performing scanner processing via the scanner I / F 131, the scanner control unit 132 receives setting information set by the user through communication with the CPU 105, and controls the operation of the scanner unit 130 based on the setting information.

[0027] The network I / F 106 transmits and receives data to and from the network 118. Specifically, the network I / F 106 receives data sent from the network 118, and transmits image data read by the scanner unit 130 or image data stored in the storage 502 to a predetermined destination via the network 118.

[0028] The network I / F 106 is also connected to a flat-rate system server (not shown) and acquires a predetermined number of pages that the user can print. The predetermined number of pages is the number of pages specified by the contracted flat-rate system.

[0029] In this embodiment, the flat-rate system can be contracted on a monthly basis, with the closing date being the end of the month. However, the flat-rate period may also be set on a yearly or weekly basis, rather than monthly, with the print limit set for the flat-rate system.

[0030] For example, the content might be something like, "You can print up to 1,000 pages per month within the basic fee you initially paid, and if you print more than that, you will be charged an additional 2 yen per page." In this case, if you print 1,100 pages in a month, you will be charged an additional 200 yen for 100 pages in addition to the basic fee.

[0031] The predetermined number of print pages that the user can print may be obtained not only from the server of the flat-rate system but also from a predetermined storage means provided within the image forming apparatus 10.

[0032] CPU 105 subtracts the number of pages actually printed within the fixed-fee period from the predetermined number of pages obtained from the server. CPU 105 saves the calculated number of pages as the remaining number of printable pages in storage 502. At the same time, CPU 105 transmits the remaining number of printable pages to the flat-fee system server via network I / F 106. Each time printing is performed, the process of subtracting the number of printed pages from the remaining number of printable pages and transmitting the remaining number of printable pages to the flat-fee system server is repeated. Then, when the closing date at the end of the month has passed, the remaining number of printable pages returns to the predetermined number of pages.

[0033] For example, if you have a contract that allows you to print 1,000 pages within the basic fee, and you print 50 pages, the remaining number of pages you can print will be 950, and if you print another 100 pages, the remaining number of pages you can print will be 850. Then, once the closing date at the end of the month has passed, the number will return to 1,000 pages.

[0034] The UI unit I / F 199 is an interface with the UI unit 150. The CPU 105 generates screen display image data to be displayed on the display 108 of the UI unit 150 by executing the OS and application programs, and outputs the screen display image data from the operation unit I / F 199 to the display 108. The CPU 105 also acquires information input as a user operation from the operation unit 200 of the UI unit 150 via the operation unit I / F 199 by executing the OS and application programs.

[0035] The storage 502 serves as main storage and stores programs executed by the CPU 105, program management tables, and various data. The storage 502 can also store print jobs. When a print job is stored, the storage 502 stores print information such as the number of pages, color / black and white type, single-sided / double-sided printing, and enlargement / reduction. After a print job has been stored, if a user issues a print instruction, the print job is printed. Examples of the storage 502 include an HDD, an SSD, an eMMC, a NAND flash memory, and a NOR flash memory.

[0036] Next, the behavior of image forming apparatus 10 when performing reserved printing will be described. Here, the description will be based on the case where a print job is sent from a user PC (not shown) connected to image forming apparatus 10 via network 118. When a print job is sent from the user PC, CPU 105 compares the remaining number of printable pages with the number of pages in the print job, and if the remaining number of printable pages is equal to or greater than the number of pages in the print job, stores the print data in storage 502.

[0037] The CPU 105 subtracts the number of pages of the print data saved in the storage 502 from the number of remaining printable pages. For example, the number of remaining printable pages before the saved print job sent from the user PC is 100 pages. If the saved print job is 30 pages, after the saved print job is saved in the storage 502, the number of remaining printable pages becomes 70 pages.

[0038] When another print job is subsequently input, if the number of pages in that job is equal to or less than the new number of remaining printable pages, the job will be printed as is. For example, if the image forming device 10 reads and receives a print job, if the number of pages in that print job is 20, that is equal to or less than the 70 remaining printable pages, so the job will be printed as is.

[0039] If the number of pages is greater than the new remaining number of printable pages, for example, if the print job in this example has 80 pages, this exceeds the upper limit by 10 pages, so a message will be displayed on the display 108 indicating that you are attempting to print beyond the fixed price range, as shown in Figure 5.

[0040] If the user selects "Continue" in Figure 5, printing will continue as is. In that case, an additional fee will be charged for the 10 pages that exceed the fixed fee. If the user selects "Print partially" in Figure 5, only the pages that do not incur an additional fee, i.e., 70 pages, will be printed, and printing of the remaining pages will be stopped. If the user selects "Cancel" in Figure 5, the print job will be deleted and no printing will occur.

[0041] Here, an example is shown in which printing is performed on the image forming apparatus 10 after saving using reserved printing. If the printable amount is exceeded when printing from a user PC connected via the network 118 after saving using reserved printing, it is also possible to display a message on the user PC indicating that the printable amount has been exceeded, as in the case of FIG. 5.

[0042] A print job saved in storage 502 is saved for a certain period of time, and is printed if the user instructs execution of the print job within the saving period. If no instruction to execute the print job is given, the print job is deleted. CPU 105 adds the number of pages of the deleted print job to the number of remaining printable pages. For example, if a 20-page print job is not printed within the saving period, the print job is deleted and 20 pages are added to the number of remaining printable pages.

[0043] If the number of remaining printable pages is less than the number of pages in the print job, CPU 105 transmits information to the user PC via network I / F 106 indicating that the fixed rate limit has been exceeded. A display is displayed on the user PC indicating that the fixed rate limit has been exceeded this month, as shown in FIG. 6. For example, if the number of remaining printable pages is 100 pages, then 30 pages have been exceeded. Therefore, CPU 105 transmits information to the user PC indicating that the fixed rate limit has been exceeded, and the display shown in FIG. 6 is displayed on the user PC upon receiving the information from CPU 105.

[0044] 6, when the user selects "Continue," an instruction to continue is sent from the user PC to the image forming apparatus 10. The image forming apparatus 10 stores the print job data sent from the user PC in storage 502. When the user selects "Cancel" in FIG. 6, an instruction to cancel printing is sent from the user PC to the image forming apparatus 10, and the image forming apparatus 10 does not store the print data in storage 502 and cancels printing.

[0045] After the user selects "Continue" in FIG. 6 and the print data is saved in the storage 502, when the user attempts to start printing on the image forming apparatus 10, the display 108 displays FIG.

[0046] 7, if the user selects "Continue," the printing will continue. In this case, an additional fee will be charged for pages exceeding the fixed fee range (i.e., 30 pages in this embodiment).

[0047] 7, if the user selects "Print part way through and save," only the portion for which no additional charge is required (i.e., 100 pages in this embodiment) is printed, and the remaining pages (30 pages) are not printed and remain saved in storage 502. The pages for which printing has been completed are deleted.

[0048] If the user selects "Print partially and delete" in Figure 7, only the pages that do not incur an additional charge (i.e., 100 pages in this embodiment) will be printed, and the remaining pages will not be printed and will be deleted from storage 502.

[0049] 7, if the user selects "Cancel," the print job is deleted from storage 502 and printing is not performed. A print job saved in storage 502 is saved for a predetermined period after the closing date, and if it has not been printed by then, it is deleted from storage 502. If the print job has been executed, it is printed.

[0050] If a paper jam occurs during printing, the printer will restart printing from the point where the paper jam occurred. In this case, the number of pages that were restarted due to the paper jam is excluded from the number of pages printed, and is not deducted from the number of remaining printable pages.

[0051] Next, the operation of the image forming apparatus 10 when performing reserved printing will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 8. A control method for the image forming apparatus 10 will be described below.

[0052] First, in step S801, the CPU 105 receives a reserved print job from a user PC.

[0053] In step S802, CPU 105 determines whether the number of print pages for the received reserved print job is equal to or less than the remaining number of printable pages. Here, the remaining number of printable pages is the number of printable pages remaining for the current month without additional charges, and is reset when the closing date (e.g., the end of the month) has passed. If the number is equal to or less than the remaining number of printable pages, proceed to step S803; if not, proceed to step S811.

[0054] In step S803, the CPU 105 stores the received reserved print job in the storage 502.

[0055] In step S804, the CPU 105 subtracts the number of pages printed for the reserved print job from the number of remaining printable pages.

[0056] If a paper jam occurs during printing, the CPU 105 does not subtract the number of jammed pages from the number of remaining printable pages.

[0057] In step S805, CPU 105 determines whether or not an instruction to execute a reserved print job stored in storage 502 has been issued within a predetermined period of time. If an instruction to execute a reserved print job has been issued within the predetermined period of time, the process proceeds to step S806; if an instruction to execute a reserved print job has not been issued within the predetermined period of time, the process proceeds to step S807.

[0058] In step S806, the CPU 105 functions as a control unit and controls the printer unit 120 to execute printing based on the stored print job.

[0059] In step S807, the CPU 105 deletes the reserved print job from the storage 502 and cancels printing based on the reserved print job.

[0060] In step S808, CPU 105 adds the number of printed pages of the deleted reserved print job to the number of remaining printable pages.

[0061] In step S811, CPU 105 transmits, via network I / F 106, display information for the selection screen including information indicating that the remaining number of printable pages (fixed rate range) has been exceeded, as shown in FIG.

[0062] The selection screen in Figure 6 is a selection screen where at least "Continue" and "Cancel" can be selected. "Continue" means to continue the stored print job. "Cancel" means to cancel the stored print job.

[0063] In step S812, CPU 105 determines whether or not selection information on the selection screen of Fig. 6 has been received from the user PC. If selection information of "Cancel" for the reserved printing on the selection screen of Fig. 6 has been received, the process proceeds to step S817, where CPU 105 cancels printing based on the reserved printing job. If selection information of "Continue" for the reserved printing job on the selection screen of Fig. 6 has been received, the process proceeds to step S813.

[0064] In step S813, CPU 105 saves the reserved print job in storage 502. After the user selects "Continue" in Fig. 6 and the print data is saved in storage 502, when the user attempts to start printing on image forming apparatus 10, CPU 105 controls display 108 to display the selection screen in Fig. 7.

[0065] The selection screen in FIG. 7 is a selection screen where at least "Continue", "Print partially and save", "Print partially and delete", "Cancel", and "Abort" can be selected.

[0066] "Continue" means to execute the reserved print job by paying an additional fee. "Print partially and save" means to print and save only the remaining number of printable pages of the reserved print job. "Print partially and delete" means to print and delete only the remaining number of printable pages of the reserved print job.

[0067] In step S815, CPU 105 determines whether the user has made a selection on the selection screen in Fig. 7 within a predetermined period of time since the print job was saved in storage 502. If a selection on the selection screen in Fig. 7 has been made within the predetermined period of time, the process proceeds to step S816. If a selection on the selection screen in Fig. 7 has not been made within the predetermined period of time, the process proceeds to step S817, where CPU 105 deletes the reserved print job from storage 502 and cancels printing based on the reserved print job.

[0068] In step S816, CPU 105 processes the print job based on the received instruction. The specific contents of this process will be described later.

[0069] Next, the print job processing in step S816 in FIG. 8 will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG.

[0070] First, in step S900, CPU 105 determines the selection content on the selection screen in Fig. 7. If "Print partially and save" in Fig. 7 is selected, the process proceeds to step S901. If "Continue" in Fig. 7 is selected, the process proceeds to step S902. If "Print partially and delete" in Fig. 7 is selected, the process proceeds to step S903. If "Cancel" in Fig. 7 is selected, the process proceeds to step S904.

[0071] In step S901, the CPU 105 controls the printing so that only the remaining number of printable pages of the reserved print job are printed, and stores the unprinted pages of the reserved print job in the storage 502. Then, the process proceeds to step S905.

[0072] In step S902, the CPU 105 performs control so that an additional fee is charged and printing is performed based on the reserved print job stored in the storage 502. The printer unit 120 performs printing based on the reserved print job. Then, the process proceeds to step S905.

[0073] In step S903, CPU 105 controls the printing so that only the remaining printable number of pages of the reserved print job are printed, does not print the remaining pages, and deletes the reserved print job from storage 502. Then, the process proceeds to step S905.

[0074] In step S905, CPU 105 subtracts the number of pages that have been printed without being charged from the number of remaining printable pages. That is, CPU 105 sets the number of remaining printable pages to zero.

[0075] In step S904, the CPU 105 deletes the reserved print job from the storage 502 and cancels printing based on the reserved print job.

[0076] 10, the operation when the image forming apparatus 10 receives a print job other than a reserved printing job will be described. This operation is the same regardless of whether the reserved printing job is saved in the storage 502 or not.

[0077] In step S1000, CPU 105 receives a print job other than a reserved print job. The print job is, for example, a copy job of image forming apparatus 10.

[0078] In step S1001, CPU 105 determines whether the number of print pages of the received print job is equal to or less than the remaining number of printable pages. If it is equal to or less than the remaining number of printable pages, the process proceeds to step S1002. If it is not equal to or less than the remaining number of printable pages, the process proceeds to step S1004.

[0079] In step S1002, the CPU 105 functions as a control unit and controls the printer unit 120 to execute printing based on the print job.

[0080] In step S1003, CPU 105 subtracts the number of printed pages of the print job that has been printed from the number of remaining printable pages.

[0081] If a paper jam occurs during printing, the CPU 105 does not subtract the number of jammed pages from the number of remaining printable pages.

[0082] In step S1004, CPU 105 controls display 108 to display a selection screen including a message indicating that the remaining number of printable pages (fixed rate range) has been exceeded, as shown in FIG.

[0083] The selection screen in FIG. 5 is a selection screen where at least "Continue," "Print partway through," and "Cancel" can be selected. "Continue" means continuing the print job. "Print partway through" means printing only the remaining number of printable pages out of the number of pages to be printed in the print job. "Cancel" means canceling the print job.

[0084] In step S1005, CPU 105 determines the content of the user's instruction to select a process shown in Fig. 5. If the instruction to "continue" shown in Fig. 5 is received, the process proceeds to step S1006. If the instruction to "print partway" shown in Fig. 5 is received, the process proceeds to step S1007. If the instruction to "cancel" shown in Fig. 5 is received, the process proceeds to step S1008.

[0085] In step S1006, CPU 105 performs control so that an additional fee is charged and printing based on the print job is executed. At this time, an amount exceeding the fixed fee range is charged separately. Printer unit 120 prints based on the print job. Then, the process proceeds to step S1009.

[0086] In step S1007, CPU 105 controls the printing so that only the remaining number of printable pages of the print job are printed, and stops printing the remaining pages, and then proceeds to step S1009.

[0087] In step S1009, CPU 105 subtracts the number of pages that have been printed without being charged from the number of remaining printable pages. That is, CPU 105 sets the number of remaining printable pages to 0.

[0088] In step S1008, the CPU 105 deletes the print job from the storage 502 and stops printing based on the print job.

[0089] As described above, when the image forming apparatus 10 saves a reserved printing job in the storage 502 in step S803, it counts the number of printed pages of that print job as already printed in step S804. This makes it possible to avoid unintended costs when printing reserved printing, even if another print job comes in in step S1000 and exceeds the upper limit before actual printing. Also, if the upper limit on the number of printable pages is exceeded when performing reserved printing, the user can achieve the same effect by selecting an appropriate process.

[0090] (Second embodiment) In the second embodiment, if the print limit page count is exceeded when a print job for reserved printing is saved, the job is saved for a certain period of time after the cut-off date in storage 502 and then deleted. The second embodiment is the same as the first embodiment except that the timing for deleting a print job for reserved printing when the print limit page count is exceeded changes. Therefore, in the second embodiment, a process will be described in which CPU 105 detects whether the cut-off date has passed when the print limit page count is exceeded and a print job for reserved printing is saved.

[0091] The operation of the image forming apparatus 10 when performing reserved printing will be described using the flowchart of Fig. 11. Steps S1101 to S1113 and S1117 are the same as steps S801 to S813 and S817 in Fig. 8, respectively.

[0092] After the print job is saved in the storage 502 in step S1113, the process proceeds to step S1114.

[0093] In step S1114, CPU 105 determines whether the closing date has passed. The closing date is the date (for example, the end of the month) on which the number of remaining printable pages is reset. If the closing date has passed, CPU 105 resets the number of remaining printable pages and proceeds to step S1104. If the closing date has not passed, proceeds to step S1115.

[0094] In step S1115, CPU 105 determines whether or not an instruction to process the print job of Fig. 7 has been received from the user. If an instruction to process the print job has been received, the process proceeds to step S1116; if an instruction to process the print job has not been received, the process returns to step S1114.

[0095] If no selection is made on the selection screen of FIG. 7 by the closing date, the process proceeds from step S1114 to step S1104.

[0096] In step S1116, CPU 105 performs printing processing based on the received instruction, similar to step S816. The details of the printing processing are the same as those in FIG.

[0097] As described above, when the image forming apparatus 10 saves a reserved printing job in the storage 502, if the print limit page count is exceeded, the image forming apparatus 10 deletes the print job after a predetermined period of time after the closing date. This makes it possible to print after the closing date, thereby reducing additional costs.

[0098] According to the first and second embodiments, when the image forming device 10 receives a reserved print job, it can execute printing based on the reserved print job without additional charges even if it subsequently receives another print job as long as the remaining number of printable pages is less than or equal to the number of pages that can be printed. This allows the image forming device 10 to avoid incurring unintended costs when performing reserved printing in a subscription service.

[0099] (Other embodiments) The present disclosure can also be realized by a process in which a program that realizes one or more 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 the computer of the system or device read and execute the program. The present disclosure can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

[0100] It should be noted that the above-described embodiments merely illustrate specific examples of implementing the present disclosure, and the technical scope of the present disclosure should not be construed as being limited by these embodiments. In other words, the present disclosure can be implemented in various forms without departing from its technical concept or main features.

[0101] The disclosure of this embodiment includes the following configuration, method, and program. (Configuration 1) a first control means for controlling, when the number of print pages of a received reserved print job is equal to or less than the number of remaining printable pages that do not require additional charges, storing the reserved print job, subtracting the number of print pages of the reserved print job from the number of remaining printable pages that do not require additional charges, and, when an instruction to execute the stored reserved print job is given within a first period, executing printing based on the reserved print job; a second control means for controlling the printer to display a message to the effect that the number of pages to be printed in the received print job is not equal to or less than the number of remaining printable pages without additional charges; An image forming apparatus comprising: (Configuration 2) The image forming apparatus according to configuration 1, characterized in that if execution of the stored reserved print job is not instructed within the first period, the first control means cancels printing based on the reserved print job and adds the number of printed pages of the reserved print job to the number of remaining printable pages that do not require additional charges. (Configuration 3) The image forming apparatus according to configuration 1 or 2, characterized in that the first control means, if the number of pages to be printed of the received reserved print job is not less than the number of remaining printable pages without additional charges, sends information to that effect. (Configuration 4) The image forming device according to any one of configurations 1 to 3, characterized in that, when the number of pages to be printed of the received reserved printing job is not less than the number of remaining pages that can be printed without additional charges, the first control means sends display information of a first selection screen that allows the user to select at least whether to continue the reserved printing job or to cancel the reserved printing job. (Configuration 5) The first control means When information on the first selection screen indicating a selection to cancel the reserved print job is received, the printing based on the reserved print job is canceled; The image forming device according to configuration 4 is characterized in that, when information on the first selection screen for selecting whether to continue the stored print job is received, the stored print job is saved and a second selection screen is displayed on which at least the user can select whether to execute the stored print job by paying an additional fee. (Configuration 6) The image forming apparatus according to configuration 5, characterized in that the first control means controls the printing based on the stored print job by charging an additional fee if execution of the stored print job by charging an additional fee is selected on the second selection screen within the second period. (Configuration 7) the second selection screen is a selection screen that allows a user to select at least whether to execute the reserved print job by paying an additional fee or to print only the remaining number of printable pages of the reserved print job without paying an additional fee, The first control means If execution of the reserved print job with the additional charge is selected on the second selection screen within the second period, control is performed so that printing based on the reserved print job is executed with the additional charge, and the number of remaining printable pages without the additional charge is set to 0; The image forming device according to configuration 5, characterized in that if printing only the remaining number of printable pages that do not require an additional charge among the number of print pages of the stored print job is selected on the second selection screen within the second period, the image forming device is controlled to print only the remaining number of printable pages that do not require an additional charge among the number of print pages of the stored print job, and the remaining number of printable pages that do not require an additional charge is set to 0. (Configuration 8) the second selection screen is a selection screen that allows selection of at least execution of the reserved print job by additional charging, printing and saving only the remaining number of printable pages of the reserved print job that do not require additional charging, and printing and deleting only the remaining number of printable pages of the reserved print job that do not require additional charging, The first control means If printing and saving only the remaining number of printable pages that do not require additional charge among the number of print pages of the reserved print job on the second selection screen is selected within the second period, control is performed to print only the remaining number of printable pages that do not require additional charge among the number of print pages of the reserved print job, save the reserved print job for pages that have not been printed, and set the remaining number of printable pages that do not require additional charge to 0; The image forming device according to configuration 7, characterized in that if, within the second period, printing only the remaining number of printable pages that do not require an additional charge out of the number of print pages of the reserved print job on the second selection screen and deleting is selected, the image forming device controls to print only the remaining number of printable pages that do not require an additional charge out of the number of print pages of the reserved print job, deletes the reserved print job, and sets the remaining number of printable pages that do not require an additional charge to 0. (Configuration 9) The image forming apparatus according to any one of configurations 5 to 8, wherein the first control means cancels printing based on the reserved print job if no selection is made on the second selection screen within a second period. (Configuration 10) The image forming apparatus according to any one of configurations 1 to 9, wherein the second control means, when the number of pages to be printed of the received print job is equal to or less than the number of remaining pages that can be printed without additional charges, controls to execute printing based on the print job, and subtracts the number of pages to be printed of the print job from the number of remaining pages that can be printed without additional charges. (Configuration 11) The image forming device according to any one of configurations 1 to 10, characterized in that the second control means controls the device to display a third selection screen that allows the user to select at least whether to continue the print job or to cancel the print job when the number of print pages of the received print job is not equal to or less than the number of remaining printable pages that do not require additional charges. (Configuration 12) The second control means When the user selects "Stop the print job" on the third selection screen, the user stops printing based on the print job; The image forming device according to configuration 11, characterized in that when continuing the print job is selected on the third selection screen, the image forming device controls to perform printing based on the print job by charging an additional fee, and sets the number of remaining printable pages that do not require an additional fee to 0. (Configuration 13) the third selection screen is a selection screen that allows a user to select at least continuing the print job, canceling the print job, or printing only the remaining number of printable pages for which no additional charge is required out of the number of print pages of the print job, The second control means The image forming device according to configuration 12, characterized in that when printing only the remaining number of printable pages that do not require an additional charge among the number of print pages of the print job is selected on the third selection screen, the image forming device is controlled to print only the remaining number of printable pages that do not require an additional charge among the number of print pages of the print job, and the remaining number of printable pages that do not require an additional charge is set to 0. (Configuration 14) the second period is a period until a cut-off date when the remaining number of printable pages for which no additional charge is required is reset, The image forming device according to configuration 7 or 8, characterized in that if no selection is made on the second selection screen by the closing date, the first control means resets the number of remaining printable pages that do not require additional charges, subtracts the number of printable pages of the reserved print job from the number of remaining printable pages that do not require additional charges, and if an instruction to execute the saved reserved print job is given within a third period, controls to execute printing based on the reserved print job. (Configuration 15) The image forming apparatus of configuration 14 is characterized in that, if execution of the stored reserved print job is not instructed within the third period, the first control means cancels printing based on the reserved print job and adds the number of printed pages of the reserved print job to the number of remaining printable pages that do not require additional charges. (Configuration 16) The image forming apparatus according to any one of configurations 1 to 15, wherein the first control means, when a paper jam occurs during the printing operation, does not subtract the number of pages that have jammed from the number of remaining printable pages that do not require additional charges. (Method 1) a first control step of storing the received reserved print job when the number of print pages of the received reserved print job is equal to or less than the number of remaining printable pages that do not require additional charging, subtracting the number of print pages of the reserved print job from the number of remaining printable pages that do not require additional charging, and controlling to execute printing based on the reserved print job when an instruction to execute the stored reserved print job is given within a first period; a second control step of controlling to display a message to the effect that the number of pages to be printed in the received print job is not equal to or less than the number of remaining printable pages without additional charges; 1. A method for controlling an image forming apparatus, comprising: (Program 1) A program for causing a computer to function as the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to sixteenth aspects. [Explanation of symbols]

[0102] 105: CPU, 108: Display, 150: UI section, 200: Operation section, 502: Storage

Claims

1. a first control means for controlling, when the number of print pages of a received reserved print job is equal to or less than the number of remaining printable pages that do not require additional charges, storing the reserved print job, subtracting the number of print pages of the reserved print job from the number of remaining printable pages that do not require additional charges, and, when an instruction to execute the stored reserved print job is given within a first period, executing printing based on the reserved print job; a second control means for controlling the device to display a message to the effect that the number of pages to be printed in the received print job is not equal to or less than the number of remaining printable pages without additional charges; An image forming apparatus comprising:

2. The image forming device according to claim 1, characterized in that, if execution of the stored reserved print job is not instructed within the first period, the first control means cancels printing based on the reserved print job and adds the number of printed pages of the reserved print job to the number of remaining printable pages that do not require additional charges.

3. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first control means transmits information to the effect that the number of pages to be printed of the received reserved print job is not less than the number of remaining printable pages without additional charges.

4. The image forming device described in claim 1, characterized in that, when the number of pages to be printed of the received reserved printing job is not less than the number of remaining pages that can be printed without additional charges, the first control means sends display information of a first selection screen that allows the user to select at least whether to continue the reserved printing job or to cancel the reserved printing job.

5. The first control means When information on the first selection screen indicating a selection to cancel the reserved print job is received, the printing based on the reserved print job is canceled; The image forming device according to claim 4, characterized in that when information on the first selection screen to select the continuation of the stored print job is received, the stored print job is saved and a second selection screen is displayed on which at least the selection of execution of the stored print job by additional charge can be selected.

6. The image forming device according to claim 5, characterized in that the first control means controls the printing based on the stored printing job by charging an additional fee when the execution of the stored printing job by charging an additional fee is selected on the second selection screen within the second period.

7. the second selection screen is a selection screen that allows a user to select at least whether to execute the reserved print job by paying an additional fee or to print only the remaining number of printable pages of the reserved print job without paying an additional fee, The first control means If execution of the reserved print job with the additional charge is selected on the second selection screen within the second period, control is performed so that printing based on the reserved print job is executed with the additional charge, and the number of remaining printable pages without the additional charge is set to 0; The image forming device described in claim 5, characterized in that if printing only the remaining number of printable pages that do not require additional charges out of the number of print pages of the stored print job is selected on the second selection screen within the second period, the image forming device is controlled to print only the remaining number of printable pages that do not require additional charges out of the number of print pages of the stored print job, and the remaining number of printable pages that do not require additional charges is set to 0.

8. the second selection screen is a selection screen that allows selection of at least execution of the reserved print job by additional charging, printing and saving only the remaining number of printable pages of the reserved print job that do not require additional charging, and printing and deleting only the remaining number of printable pages of the reserved print job that do not require additional charging, The first control means If printing and saving only the remaining number of printable pages that do not require additional charge among the number of print pages of the reserved print job on the second selection screen is selected within the second period, control is performed to print only the remaining number of printable pages that do not require additional charge among the number of print pages of the reserved print job, save the reserved print job for pages that have not been printed, and set the remaining number of printable pages that do not require additional charge to 0; The image forming device described in claim 7, characterized in that if, within the second period, printing only the remaining number of printable pages that do not require additional charges out of the number of print pages of the stored print job on the second selection screen and deleting is selected, the image forming device controls to print only the remaining number of printable pages that do not require additional charges out of the number of print pages of the stored print job, deletes the stored print job, and sets the remaining number of printable pages that do not require additional charges to 0.

9. 6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the first control unit cancels printing based on the reserved print job if no selection is made on the second selection screen within a second period.

10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, when the number of pages to be printed of the received print job is equal to or less than the number of remaining pages that can be printed without additional charges, the second control means controls to execute printing based on the print job, and subtracts the number of pages to be printed of the print job from the number of remaining pages that can be printed without additional charges.

11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, when the number of pages to be printed of the received print job is not less than the number of remaining printable pages without additional charges, the second control means controls to display a third selection screen that allows the user to select at least whether to continue the print job or to cancel the print job.

12. The second control means When the user selects "Stop the print job" on the third selection screen, the user stops printing based on the print job; 12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 11, wherein when continuing the print job is selected on the third selection screen, the apparatus controls to perform printing based on the print job by charging an additional fee, and sets the number of remaining printable pages that do not require an additional fee to 0.

13. the third selection screen is a selection screen that allows a user to select at least continuing the print job, canceling the print job, or printing only the remaining number of printable pages for which no additional charge is required out of the number of print pages of the print job, The second control means 13. The image forming apparatus according to claim 12, wherein when printing only the remaining number of printable pages that do not require an additional charge among the number of print pages of the print job is selected on the third selection screen, the image forming apparatus is controlled to print only the remaining number of printable pages that do not require an additional charge among the number of print pages of the print job, and the remaining number of printable pages that do not require an additional charge is set to 0.

14. the second period is a period until a cut-off date when the remaining number of printable pages for which no additional charge is required is reset, The image forming device described in claim 7, characterized in that if no selection is made on the second selection screen by the closing date, the first control means resets the remaining number of pages that can be printed without additional charges, subtracts the number of pages to be printed of the reserved printing job from the remaining number of pages that can be printed without additional charges, and if an instruction to execute the saved reserved printing job is given within a third period, controls to execute printing based on the reserved printing job.

15. The image forming apparatus according to claim 14, characterized in that if execution of the stored reserved print job is not instructed within the third period, the first control means cancels printing based on the reserved print job and adds the number of printed pages of the reserved print job to the number of remaining printable pages that do not require additional charges.

16. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when a paper jam occurs during the printing operation, the first control means does not subtract the number of pages that have jammed from the number of remaining printable pages that do not require additional charges.

17. a first control step of storing the received reserved print job when the number of print pages of the received reserved print job is equal to or less than the number of remaining printable pages that do not require additional charging, subtracting the number of print pages of the reserved print job from the number of remaining printable pages that do not require additional charging, and controlling to execute printing based on the reserved print job when an instruction to execute the stored reserved print job is given within a first period; a second control step of controlling to display a message to the effect that the number of pages to be printed of the received print job is not equal to or less than the number of remaining printable pages without additional charges; 1. A method for controlling an image forming apparatus, comprising:

18. A program for causing a computer to function as the image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 16.

Images