Information management method and image forming apparatus

Abstract

To provide an information management method that allows a user to accurately grasp a necessary option function.SOLUTION: A multi-functional machine 1 comprises a control unit 50 that, when a user registered as a user uses the multi-functional machine 1, displays, on an operational panel 20, information on an option function that can be added to the multi-functional machine 1, receives an evaluation of the option function made by the user on the operational panel 20, when receiving a request for acquiring the evaluation of the option function from a communication I / F 10, creates an evaluation result obtained by aggregating evaluations made by a plurality of users registered as users, and transmits the created evaluation result to a transmission source of the acquisition request.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information management method and an image forming apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known a technique for presenting the effect of adding an optional function to an image forming apparatus. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an optional function information processing device that determines whether or not an optional function that can be installed is installed, obtains the effect of installing an optional function that has been determined not to be installed, and displays the effect of the obtained optional function. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-4441 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the people who can judge the necessity of optional functions are the users who use the image forming apparatus in their daily work, and their opinions may not coincide with those of the administrator who decides whether or not to purchase optional functions. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The present disclosure is an information management method that includes determining whether login information input from a reception unit of an image forming device is the login information of a registered user; if the login information is the login information of a registered user, displaying information regarding optional functions that can be added to the image forming device on a display unit of the image forming device; receiving the user's evaluation of the displayed optional functions by the reception unit; and, when a request to obtain an evaluation of the optional functions is received by a communication unit of the image forming device, generating an evaluation result that aggregates the evaluations of multiple registered users; and transmitting the generated evaluation result to the sender of the acquisition request.

[0006] The present disclosure relates to an image forming device that includes a communication unit that communicates with other devices via a network, a reception unit that receives operations, a display unit, and a control unit, wherein the control unit determines whether login information received by the reception unit is the login information of a registered user, and if the login information is the login information of a registered user, displays information on optional functions that can be added to the image forming device on the display unit, receives the user's evaluation of the optional function displayed on the display unit by the reception unit, and, upon receiving a request to obtain an evaluation of the optional function by the communication unit, generates an evaluation result that aggregates the evaluations of multiple registered users, and transmits the generated evaluation result to the sender of the acquisition request. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a multifunction peripheral. [Figure 2] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a first database. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a second database. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a system configuration of a system including a multifunction peripheral. [Figure 5] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a home screen. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an option introduction screen. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an evaluation result screen. [Figure 8] 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the multifunction peripheral. [Figure 9] 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the multifunction peripheral. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a multifunction peripheral 1 to which the present invention is applied. The multifunction peripheral 1 corresponds to an image forming apparatus. The multifunction device 1 includes a communication interface 10, an operation panel 20, a scanner unit 30, an image forming unit 40, and a control unit 50. Hereinafter, the interface will be abbreviated as I / F.

[0009] The communication I / F 10 corresponds to a communication unit. The communication I / F 10 is a wired interface having a terminal such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus) connector or an Ethernet connector, and an interface circuit. The communication I / F 10 may also be an interface for wireless communication. Ethernet is a registered trademark.

[0010] The operation panel 20 corresponds to a display unit and a reception unit. The operation panel 20 includes a display panel 21 and a touch sensor 23, and functions as a touch panel that receives touch operations from the user. The display panel 21 may be, for example, a liquid crystal panel or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) panel. The touch sensor 23 is disposed on top of the display panel 21 and detects touch operations on the operation panel 20. The touch sensor 23 detects the position on the operation panel 20 that the user's finger touches as a touch operation. The touch sensor 23 outputs an operation signal including coordinate information indicating the detected position on the operation panel 20 to the control unit 50. The operation panel 20 may also include hardware buttons.

[0011] The scanner unit 30 reads an image of a document placed on a document table, and outputs image data, which is data of the read image, to the control unit 50 . The image forming unit 40 prints an image based on image data input from the control unit 50 onto a recording medium.

[0012] The control unit 50 is a computer device that includes a memory unit 60 and a processor 70 .

[0013] The storage unit 60 includes a volatile memory such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) and a non-volatile memory such as a ROM (Read Only Memory).

[0014] The storage unit 60 stores a control program 61 executed by the processor 70, a first database 63, a second database 65, and various setting information.

[0015] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the first database 63. As shown in FIG. One record in the first database 63 includes a user ID, a password, and administrator information. Hereinafter, a user who has registered a user ID and password in advance in the first database 63 will be referred to as a registered user. In addition, below, when a user ID and password are collectively referred to, they will be referred to as login information. Administrator information is information that identifies a user who is registered as an administrator. In the record of a user who is registered as an administrator, administrator information indicating that the user is an administrator is recorded. In addition, in the record of a user who is not registered as an administrator, administrator information is not recorded.

[0016] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the second database 65. As shown in FIG. One record in the second database 65 includes the function name of an optional function that can be added to the multifunction device 1 and a user's evaluation result for the optional function with that function name. The evaluation result includes an evaluation value that indicates the degree of necessity of the optional function as evaluated by the user. In this embodiment, three evaluation values, A rating, B rating, and C rating, are recorded in the second database 65. In this embodiment, a case will be described in which three levels of evaluation values, A rating, B rating, and C rating, are recorded, but the evaluation value may be two levels, or four or more levels.

[0017] A rating indicates that the optional feature is absolutely necessary. If a user judges that an optional feature is absolutely necessary, the user is classified as having an A rating. A B rating indicates that the necessity of the optional feature is "nice to have." If a user evaluates that the optional feature is nice to have, the user is classified as having a B rating. A C rating indicates that the necessity of the optional feature is "unnecessary." If a user evaluates the optional feature as unnecessary, the user is classified as having a C rating.

[0018] The evaluation results also include the number of users and the user IDs of the users who gave the evaluations. The number of users and the user IDs are recorded for each evaluation value. That is, the number of users who gave an A rating and the user IDs of the users who gave an A rating are registered in the second database 65 in association with the evaluation value of the A rating. The same applies to B and C ratings.

[0019] The processor 70 is an arithmetic processing device that includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and an MPU (Micro Processing Unit). The processor 70 executes a control program 61 to control each part of the multifunction peripheral 1.

[0020] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the system configuration of a system including the multifunction peripheral 1. As shown in FIG. The multifunction device 1 is connected to an administrator terminal 5 and a server device 7 via a network 3 . The administrator terminal 5 is a terminal such as a personal computer or tablet PC used by the administrator. The administrator can use the administrator terminal 5 to refer to the evaluation results of each optional function registered in the second database 65. The server device 7 is a device provided by the vendor of the multifunction device 1. The administrator can access this server device 7 and purchase additional optional functions for the multifunction device 1.

[0021] Next, the operation of the control unit 50 will be described. When using the multifunction device 1, a user first inputs login information via the operation panel 20. The control unit 50 performs user authentication to determine whether the input login information matches the login information of a registered user registered in the first database 63. If the input login information does not match the login information of a registered user registered in the first database 63, the control unit 50 displays an authentication error on the operation panel 20. At this time, the control unit 50 may display on the operation panel 20 a message confirming whether the user has completed user registration and a message for user registration.

[0022] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the home screen 110. As shown in FIG. If the input login information matches the login information of a registered user registered in the first database 63, the control unit 50 causes the operation panel 20 to display a home screen 110. The home screen 110 is provided with function selection buttons 111 for selecting a function to be executed by the multifunction device 1, an option introduction button 113 for requesting introduction of optional functions, and the like. The function selection buttons 111 include a copy selection button 111A, a print selection button 111B, a scanner selection button 111C, and the like.

[0023] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the option introduction screen 120. As shown in FIG. When the user presses the option introduction button 113, the control unit 50 causes the operation panel 20 to display an option introduction screen 120 shown in FIG. The option introduction screen 120 displays an image introducing optional functions that are not installed in the multifunction device 1 and that have not been evaluated by the currently logged-in user. This image may be a still image or a moving image. The introduction of the optional function may be a text introduction or may include an image.

[0024] Rating buttons 121 for the user to input a rating are displayed on the option introduction screen 120. The rating buttons 121 include a rating button 121A, a rating button 121B, and a rating button 121C. The rating button 121A is a button to be pressed when the user rates the optional function introduced on the option introduction screen 120 as "absolutely necessary." When the rating button 121A is pressed, the control unit 50 determines that the user has given this optional function an A rating, and records the user ID of the user in the record whose rating result is an A rating. The rating button 121B is a button to be pressed when the user rates the optional function introduced on the option introduction screen 120 as "nice to have." When the rating button 121B is pressed, the control unit 50 determines that the user has given this optional function a rating of B, and records the user ID of the user in the record whose rating result is a rating of B. The rating button 121C is a button to be pressed when the user rates the optional function introduced on the option introduction screen 120 as "unnecessary." When the rating button 121C is pressed, the control unit 50 determines that the user has given this optional function a rating of C, and records the user ID of the user in the record whose rating result is a C rating. 6 displays "I want it!" as the text corresponding to "absolutely necessary." In this way, each evaluation button 121 may display different text corresponding to "absolutely necessary," "nice to have," or "unnecessary."

[0025] 5 is pressed, the control unit 50 displays a setting screen for the function corresponding to the pressed function selection button 111. For example, if the pressed function selection button 111 is the print selection button 111B, the setting screen displays settings such as the number of copies to be printed, double-sided printing, single-sided printing, color printing, and black-and-white printing. In addition, the setting screen may display an introduction button that introduces optional functions of the function corresponding to the function selection button 111. For example, if the print selection button 111B is pressed as the function selection button 111, an introduction button that introduces optional functions related to printing that are not installed in the multifunction device 1 may be displayed on the print setting screen.

[0026] Furthermore, after the setting screen has been set and the multifunction device 1 is executing processing, an option introduction screen 120 for optional functions that have not been evaluated by the logged-in user and are not installed in the multifunction device 1 may be displayed on the operation panel 20. For example, the control unit 50 counts the number of times that the user has used the multifunction device 1, i.e., the number of logins, since the last time the option introduction screen 120 was displayed. When the control unit 50 determines that the number of times that the user has used the multifunction device 1 is equal to or greater than a preset number of times, it causes the operation panel 20 to display the option introduction screen 120 for unevaluated optional functions.

[0027] Furthermore, when an optional function is purchased and added to the multifunction device 1, an evaluation button 121 for evaluating the added optional function may be displayed on the operation panel 20. In this case, buttons with text such as "Very Good," "Good," and "Average" are displayed on the operation panel 20. The control unit 50 stores the evaluation corresponding to the pressed evaluation button 121 in the storage unit 60.

[0028] Furthermore, the optional function to be evaluated by the user may be an optional function that is permitted to be used for a limited period of time by the multifunction device 1. In other words, the optional function can be used for a limited period of time to allow the user to recognize the usefulness of the optional function, and evaluations of the optional function can be accepted even for so-called trial optional functions.

[0029] For example, the multifunction device 1 receives a license key issued by the server device 7. This license key includes an identifier that identifies the optional function and information about the validity period during which use of the optional function is permitted. The control unit 50 executes the received license key and enables the optional function for the period specified by the license key. The control unit 50 also displays the option introduction screen 120 shown in Fig. 6 for optional functions that are permitted to be used for a certain period of time, and receives evaluations from the user.

[0030] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the evaluation result screen 130. As shown in FIG. When the control unit 50 receives a request from the administrator to refer to the evaluation results, it references the second database 65 and generates an evaluation result screen 130 that aggregates the evaluations of multiple users. The evaluation result screen 130 is generated, for example, from data of a web page that can be viewed in a web browser. The evaluation result screen 130 includes a function name 131 of each optional function, an evaluation result 132, and link information 133. 7 shows an example in which the number of users who gave an A rating and the percentage of users who gave an A rating are displayed as evaluation results 132, but the number of users who gave a B rating and a C rating may also be displayed. Also, the number of users who gave all evaluation results from A rating to C rating may be displayed at the same time. Link information 133 is link information to a purchasing site where the optional function indicated by the function name can be purchased. By clicking on link information 133, the administrator can access the site where the corresponding optional function can be purchased. This site is provided by server device 7.

[0031] The control unit 50 may also transmit the generated evaluation result screen 130 to the server device 7 of the seller of the multifunction device 1. The seller of the multifunction device 1 can obtain an evaluation of the optional functions, which can facilitate smooth processing between the user and the seller.

[0032] 8 and 9 are flowcharts showing the operation of the multifunction peripheral 1. FIG. The operation of the multifunction peripheral 1 will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. First, the control unit 50 determines whether or not login information has been accepted by the operation panel 20 (step S1). If login information has not been accepted (step S1 / NO), the control unit 50 waits to start processing until login information is accepted.

[0033] When the control unit 50 receives the login information (step S1 / YES), it performs user authentication based on the user ID and password received as the login information (step S2). The control unit 50 determines whether the received user ID and password match the user ID and password of a registered user registered in the first database 63. If the received user ID and password do not match the user ID and password of the registered user, the control unit 50 determines that user authentication has failed (step S3 / NO) and displays an authentication error on the operation panel 20 (step S4). The control unit 50 then returns to the determination in step S1.

[0034] If the received user ID and password match the user ID and password of the registered user, the control unit 50 determines that the user authentication is successful (step S3 / YES). If the control unit 50 determines that the user authentication is successful, it causes the operation panel 20 to display the home screen 110 (step S5).

[0035] The control unit 50 determines whether or not an operation to select one of the function selection buttons 111 displayed on the home screen 110 has been accepted (step S6). If the control unit 50 has not accepted an operation to select one of the function selection buttons 111 (step S6 / NO), the control unit 50 determines whether or not an operation to select the option introduction button 113 has been accepted (step S7).

[0036] If the control unit 50 has not received an operation to select the option introduction button 113 (step S7 / NO), the control unit 50 returns to the determination of step S6. On the other hand, if the control unit 50 receives an operation to select the option introduction button 113 (step S7 / YES), the control unit 50 causes the operation panel 20 to display the option introduction screen 120 (step S8). Then, the control unit 50 determines whether the rating button 121 has been pressed (step S9). If the rating button 121 has not been pressed (step S9 / NO), the control unit 50 waits until the rating button 121 is pressed.

[0037] Furthermore, when the rating button 121 is pressed (step S9 / YES), the control unit 50 registers the rating result corresponding to the pressed rating button 121 and the user ID of the logged-in user in the corresponding record of the second database 65 (step S10). After that, the control unit 50 returns to the determination of step S1.

[0038] Furthermore, when a function selection button 111 is selected (step S6 / YES), the control unit 50 causes the operation panel 20 to display a setting screen corresponding to the selected function selection button 111. After that, when the setting on the setting screen is completed, the control unit 50 executes the function selected by the function selection button 111 (step S11).

[0039] While a function such as printing is being executed, the control unit 50 determines whether there are any unevaluated optional functions that the currently logged-in user has not rated (step S12). An unevaluated optional function may be an optional function related to the currently executed print function. If there are no unevaluated optional functions (step S12 / NO), the control unit 50 waits for the currently executed function to finish, and then ends this processing flow.

[0040] Furthermore, if there are any unevaluated optional functions (step S12 / YES), the control unit 50 determines whether the number of times the logged-in user has used the multifunction device 1 has reached a preset number of times or more (step S13). The control unit 50 determines whether the number of times the multifunction device 1 has been used since the option introduction screen 120 was last displayed on the operation panel 20 has reached a preset number of times or more (step S13).

[0041] If the control unit 50 determines that the number of times the multifunction device 1 has been used is not equal to or greater than the preset number of times (step S13 / NO), it waits for the currently executing function to finish and ends this processing flow. If the control unit 50 determines that the number of times the multifunction device 1 has been used is equal to or greater than the preset number of times (step S13 / YES), it proceeds to step S8 and performs the control from step S8 to step S10 described above.

[0042] Next, the operation of the multifunction device 1 when an administrator requests acquisition of the evaluation results will be described. The control unit 50 determines whether or not login information has been received from the administrator terminal 5 via the communication I / F 10 (step S21). If login information has not been received (step S21 / NO), the control unit 50 waits to start processing until login information is received.

[0043] When the control unit 50 receives the login information (step S21 / YES), it performs user authentication based on the user ID and password received as the login information (step S22). The control unit 50 determines whether the received user ID and password match the user ID and password of the administrator registered in the first database 63. If the received user ID and password do not match the user ID and password of the administrator registered in the first database 63 (step S23 / NO), the control unit 50 sends an authentication error to the administrator terminal 5 (step S24).

[0044] Furthermore, if the received user ID and password match the user ID and password of the administrator registered in the first database 63 (step S23 / YES), the control unit 50 determines whether or not a request to obtain an evaluation result has been received (step S25). If the control unit 50 has not received a request to obtain an evaluation result (step S25 / NO), it executes other processing requested by the administrator terminal 5 (step S28) and returns to the determination in step S21.

[0045] Furthermore, when the control unit 50 receives a request to acquire the evaluation result from the administrator terminal 5 (step S25 / YES), the control unit 50 references the second database 65 and generates the evaluation result screen 130 (step S26). The control unit 50 transmits the generated evaluation result screen 130 to the administrator terminal 5 (step S27).

[0046] As described above, the multifunction device 1 of this embodiment includes the control unit 50. The control unit 50 performs the following operations. The control unit 50 determines whether the input login information is the login information of a registered user, and if the login information is the login information of a registered user, causes the operation panel 20 to display information regarding optional functions that can be added to the multifunction device 1. In addition, the control unit 50 accepts user evaluations of the displayed optional functions via the operation panel 20, and when a request to obtain an evaluation of the optional function is received via the communication I / F 10, generates an evaluation result that aggregates the evaluations of multiple registered users. The control unit 50 transmits the generated evaluation result to the sender of the acquisition request.

[0047] Therefore, when a user is using the multifunction device 1, the multifunction device 1 of this embodiment displays information about the optional functions on the operation panel 20 to notify the user of the information about the optional functions. The multifunction device 1 also accepts users' evaluations of the optional functions and calculates a summary result by aggregating the evaluations of each user. The calculated summary result is then sent to the sender of the acquisition request. This makes it possible to accurately grasp the optional functions that the user actually needs.

[0048] The evaluation result sent to the sender of the acquisition request also includes link information 133 to a site where the optional function can be purchased.

[0049] Therefore, optional functions can be easily purchased based on the evaluation results.

[0050] Furthermore, displaying information about optional functions that can be added to the multifunction device 1 on the operation panel 20 includes displaying on the operation panel 20 a plurality of buttons that indicate the degree of necessity of the optional functions. Furthermore, receiving the user's evaluation of the optional function through operation panel 20 includes determining which of a plurality of buttons has been selected and receiving the user's evaluation.

[0051] Therefore, the user can reflect his or her own intention in purchasing an optional function simply by pressing a button corresponding to the degree of necessity of the optional function.

[0052] Displaying information about optional functions that can be added to the multifunction device 1 on the operation panel 20 includes displaying information about the optional functions on the operation panel 20 every time the user uses the multifunction device 1 a preset number of times, if the user does not appreciate the optional functions.

[0053] Therefore, it is possible to obtain evaluations of the optional functions from a plurality of users.

[0054] The optional functions for which the user's evaluation is received via the operation panel 20 include functions that are permitted to be used in the multifunction device 1 for a preset period of time.

[0055] Therefore, even optional functions that are permitted to be used in the multifunction device 1 for a preset period can be evaluated by the user.

[0056] The method further includes transmitting the evaluation result to the distributor of the multifunction device 1.

[0057] Therefore, the seller of the multifunction device 1 can obtain an evaluation of the optional functions, and the process between the user and the seller can proceed smoothly.

[0058] The above-described embodiment shows one aspect, and any modifications and applications are possible. For example, in the above-described embodiment, an evaluation result screen 130 was generated that includes the function name 131 of the optional function, the evaluation result 132, and link information 133, but various other information such as the user's account information, the option fee, and support information may also be displayed.

[0059] Furthermore, each unit shown in FIG. 1 is an example and is not particularly limited. It is not necessarily required that hardware corresponding to each unit is implemented, and it is of course possible to configure the functions of each unit to be realized by a single processor executing a program. Some of the functions realized by software may be implemented by hardware, or some of the functions realized by hardware may be implemented by software. In addition, the specific detailed configuration of each unit of each device in the multifunction device 1 may be changed as desired.

[0060] When the information management method is implemented using a computer installed in the multifunction peripheral 1, the program executed by the computer can be configured as a recording medium or a transmission medium for transmitting the program. The recording medium can be a magnetic or optical recording medium or a semiconductor memory device. Examples of such recording media include portable or fixed recording media such as flexible disks, HDDs (Hard Disk Drives), CD-ROMs, DVDs, Blu-ray Discs, magneto-optical disks, flash memories, and card-type recording media. The recording medium can also be a non-volatile storage device such as RAM, ROM, or HDD, which is an internal storage device of the server device. Blu-ray is a registered trademark.

[0061] The operation step units shown in Figures 8 and 9 are divided according to the main processing content in order to facilitate understanding of the operation of each device in the multifunction peripheral 1, and are not limited by the way in which the processing units are divided or the names of the processing units. The operation may be divided into more step units depending on the processing content. One step unit may also be divided so that it includes more processing. The order of the steps may be changed as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0062] 1...Multifunction device, 3...Network, 5...Administrator terminal, 7...Server device, 10...Communication interface, 20...Operation panel, 23...Touch sensor, 30...Scanner unit, 40...Image forming unit, 50...Control unit, 60...Memory unit, 61...Control program, 63...First database, 65...Second database, 70...Processor, 110...Home screen, 111...Function selection button, 111A...Copy selection button, 111B...Print selection button, 111C...Scanner selection button, 113...Option introduction button, 120...Option introduction screen, 120...Operation panel, 121, 121A, 121B, 121C...Evaluation button, 130...Evaluation result screen.

Claims

1. determining whether login information input from a reception unit of an image forming apparatus is login information of a user registered in the image forming apparatus; If the login information is login information of a registered user, displaying information about optional functions that can be added to the image forming apparatus on a display unit of the image forming apparatus; receiving, by the receiving unit, an evaluation by the user of the displayed optional function; When a request for obtaining an evaluation of the optional function is received by a communication unit of the image forming apparatus, an evaluation result is generated by aggregating evaluations from a plurality of registered users; transmitting the generated evaluation result to a source of the acquisition request; Information management methods, including:

2. 2. The information management method according to claim 1, wherein the evaluation result sent to the sender of the acquisition request includes link information to a site where the optional function can be purchased.

3. Displaying information about optional functions that can be added to the image forming apparatus on the display unit displaying a plurality of buttons indicating the degree of necessity of the optional functions on the display unit; The receiving unit receives the user's evaluation of the optional function, 3. The information management method according to claim 1, further comprising: determining which of the plurality of buttons has been selected and receiving an evaluation from the user.

4. Displaying information about optional functions that can be added to the image forming apparatus on the display unit 4. The information management method according to claim 1, further comprising: displaying information about the optional function on the display unit each time the user uses the image forming device a predetermined number of times if the user does not evaluate the optional function.

5. The information management method according to claim 1 , wherein the optional functions for which the user's evaluation is received by the reception unit include functions that are permitted to be used in the image forming device for a predetermined period of time.

6. transmitting the evaluation result to a distributor of the image forming apparatus; The information management method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

7. a communication unit that communicates with other devices via a network; a reception unit that receives operations; A display unit; An image forming apparatus including a control unit, The control unit determining whether the login information received by the reception unit is login information of a user registered in the image forming apparatus; If the login information is login information of a registered user, displaying information about optional functions that can be added to the image forming apparatus on the display unit; receiving, by the receiving unit, an evaluation by the user of the optional function displayed on the display unit; When a request for obtaining an evaluation of the optional function is received by the communication unit, generating an evaluation result by aggregating evaluations of a plurality of registered users; Transmitting the generated evaluation result to a source of the acquisition request; An image forming apparatus that performs the above.

Images