Information processing device, authority purchase reception device, and information processing system

Abstract

The present invention improves convenience by variably presenting a printing authority purchase mode suitable for each user.　A management server 100 includes a non-volatile storage device 130 and a processor 110. The processor 110 is configured to be capable of executing printing using the number of printable sheets as an upper limit. The processor 110 is configured to execute: ST10 for acquiring model number information unique to a printer 200 for which the number of printable sheets is increased on the basis of a predetermined number of purchasable sheets guaranteed by purchased printing authority, which is purchased through a user's monetary payment; ST25 for determining, on the basis of the acquired model number information, a charge plan to propose to the corresponding user or the printer 200; and storage processing after ST30 for storing, in the nonvolatile storage device 130, the printer 200 for which the model number information has been acquired in ST15 and the charge plan determined in ST25 in association with each other.

Description

Information processing device, authority purchase acceptance device, and information processing system

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device, an authority purchase acceptance device, and an information processing system that perform processing related to printing authority in a printing device.

[0002] In some printing services, where users of printing devices pay a fee to a service provider according to the print content, a prepaid fee system is introduced. For example, as described in Patent Document 1, a technology is known in which a user purchases printing authority for a fee and is allowed to print up to a predetermined print volume guaranteed by the purchased printing authority.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-68372

[0004] In the above-described conventional technology, when a printing process based on the guaranteed print volume guaranteed by a printing authority is completed and the allowable print volume, which is the upper limit of printable volume, reaches zero, the user purchases new printing authority, or so-called charging. This increases the allowable print volume by adding the guaranteed print volume guaranteed by the purchased printing authority, allowing printing to continue. Now, consider the process of accepting a new purchase of printing authority from a user. In this case, for example, multiple printing authority purchase modes are presented to the user as options, and the purchase of printing authority is accepted according to the purchase mode selected by the user. However, if the same printing authority purchase mode is presented to various users, such as users of high-spec models and users of standard models, or users who print a lot and users who print a little, there is a risk that the presented options may not be appropriate for some users.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide an information processing device, an authority purchase accepting device, and an information processing system that can variably present a printing authority purchase mode suitable for each user, thereby improving convenience.

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has a memory unit and a control unit, and the control unit is configured to be able to perform printing up to an allowable printing volume, and is configured to execute an information acquisition process to acquire unique related information specific to a printing device that is the target of increasing the allowable printing volume in accordance with a predetermined guaranteed printing volume guaranteed by a purchased printing authority purchased at the user's financial expense; a mode determination process to determine a printing authority purchase mode to be proposed to the corresponding user or printing device based on the unique related information acquired in the information acquisition process; and a mode storage process to associate the printing device from which the unique related information was acquired in the information acquisition process and the printing authority purchase mode determined in the mode determination process and store them in the memory unit.

[0007] In the present invention, the control unit executes an information acquisition process to acquire unique associated information of the printing device, and then a mode determination process to determine a printing authority purchase mode corresponding to the acquired unique associated information. The printing device from which the unique associated information was acquired and the printing authority purchase mode determined corresponding to the unique associated information are associated with each other in a mode storage process, and are stored in the storage unit.

[0008] In the present invention, a printing device and a printing authority purchase mode corresponding to the printing device are associated with each other and stored in advance. According to the present invention, the printing authority purchase mode associated with the printing device can be read out to present an appropriate printing authority purchase mode to a user who prints using the printing device.

[0009] In addition, in order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention has a display unit and a control unit, and the control unit is configured to be able to perform printing up to an allowable printing volume, and is configured to execute: a device designation acceptance process that accepts designation of a printing device for which the allowable printing volume is to be increased in accordance with a predetermined guaranteed printing volume guaranteed by purchased printing authority purchased at the user's financial expense; a mode display process that displays on the display unit at least one printing authority purchase mode corresponding to the printing device whose designation was accepted in the device designation acceptance process in accordance with an association between the printing device and a printing authority purchase mode that is preset based on unique association information specific to the printing device; and a mode designation acceptance process that accepts designation of the printing authority purchase mode based on the display on the display unit in the mode display process.

[0010] In the present invention, a printing device is associated with a printing authority purchase mode corresponding to the unique associated information of the printing device in advance. For example, when a user specifies a printing device when printing, the specification is accepted in a device specification acceptance process executed by the control unit. At least one printing authority purchase mode based on the unique associated information of the specified printing device is displayed on the display unit in a mode display process. When the user specifies the printing authority purchase mode they wish to purchase in response to the display, the specification is accepted in the mode specification acceptance process.

[0011] According to the present invention, the printing authority purchase mode associated with the unique related information of the printing device to be used for printing is displayed to the user who has specified the printing device, thereby presenting the appropriate printing authority purchase mode.

[0012] In addition, to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention includes a printing device that is configured to be able to print up to an allowable printing volume and that is the target of increasing the allowable printing volume in accordance with a predetermined guaranteed printing volume guaranteed by a purchased printing authority purchased at the user's financial expense; an information acquisition unit that acquires unique related information specific to the printing device; a mode determination unit that determines a printing authority purchase mode to propose to the corresponding user or printing device based on the unique related information acquired by the information acquisition unit; a mode memory unit that stores the printing device from which the unique related information was acquired by the information acquisition unit and the printing authority purchase mode determined by the mode determination unit in association with each other; a device designation acceptance unit that accepts the designation of the printing device; a mode display signal output unit that outputs a signal displaying at least one of the printing authority purchase modes corresponding to the printing device whose designation was accepted by the device designation acceptance unit in accordance with the association stored in the mode memory unit; and a mode designation acceptance unit that accepts the designation of the printing authority purchase mode based on the display signal output by the mode display signal output unit.

[0013] According to the present invention, it is possible to variably present the purchasing mode of printing authority suitable for each user, thereby improving convenience.

[0014] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the system configuration of a print service providing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the system configuration of a mobile terminal. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration for information transmission and reception between a management server, a printer, and a mobile terminal. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a schematic representation of an example of a user database. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a schematic representation of an example of a plan group table in a charge plan database. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a schematic representation of an example of an applicable plan group table by model number in a charge plan database. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the screen transitions between a print charge purchase screen that displays a charge plan and a printer switching designation screen. FIG. 7 is a sequence chart showing the processing sequence of each device during the print charge purchase procedure. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a print charge purchase screen when plan groups for multiple model numbers are displayed together.

[0015] An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0016] <Outline of Print Service Providing System> FIG. 1 shows an example of the system configuration of a print service providing system according to one embodiment of the present invention. The print service providing system 1 provides a prepaid printing service in which a customer user pays a fee in advance to use the printing function of a printer 200. In FIG. 1, the print service providing system 1 includes a management server 100, a printer 200, a mobile terminal 300, and a transaction server 400. The management server 100, the printer 200, the mobile terminal 300, and the transaction server 400 are connected to a network NT including a mobile phone communication line and are capable of communicating with each other. Note that the print service providing system 1 is an example of an information processing system, the management server 100 is an example of an information processing device, the printer 200 is an example of a printing device, and the mobile terminal 300 is an example of an authority purchase accepting device.

[0017] <Management Server> The management server 100 is a server installed and managed by, for example, the manufacturer of the printer 200. As shown in Fig. 1, the management server 100 has a processor 110, a storage device 115, and a communication interface 190. The processor 110, the storage device 115, and the communication interface 190 are connected via a bus 105 so as to be able to send and receive data to and from each other.

[0018] The storage device 115 includes a volatile storage device 120 and a non-volatile storage device 130. The volatile storage device 120 is, for example, a DRAM, and stores various programs and data to be processed. The non-volatile storage device 130 is, for example, a hard disk drive or a solid state drive, and includes a program storage area 131, a charge plan database storage area 132, and a user database storage area 133.

[0019] Various programs are stored in the program storage area 131. These programs include programs related to managing and outputting print authorization charge plans based on the sequence chart in FIG. 8, which will be described later. The charge plan database storage area 132 stores information such as charge plans and plan groups used when purchasing print authorization. The user database storage area 133 stores various information related to users who have subscribed to the prepaid printing service. The charge plan database and user database will be described in detail later with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6.

[0020] The processor 110 is a device that performs data processing, such as a CPU, and executes various programs, including a program that manages the charge plan, stored in the program storage area 131. The processor 110 performs various processes, including data communication with the mobile terminal 300, printer 200, and transaction server 400 connected to the network NT. The processor 110 executes the purchase of printing authority by the print service providing system 1 of this embodiment. The non-volatile storage device 130 is an example of a storage unit, and the processor 110 and the program stored in the program storage area 131 are an example of a control unit.

[0021] The communication interface 190 is a wired LAN interface or a wireless interface for communicating with other devices, and is connected to the network NT.

[0022] The storage device 115 is not limited to the configuration of the device elements described above, and may be configured, for example, by RAM, ROM, EEPROM, HDD, portable recording medium such as a USB memory that is detachably attached to the management server 100, a buffer provided in the processor 110, or a combination thereof. The storage device 115 may be a computer-readable storage medium. A computer-readable storage medium is a non-transitory medium. In addition to the above examples, non-transitory media also include recording media such as CD-ROMs and DVD-ROMs. A non-transitory medium is also a tangible medium. The same applies to the storage device 215 of the printer 200, which will be described later.

[0023] <Printer> The printer 200 is owned, for example, by a user who receives the prepaid printing service. As shown in Figure 1, the printer 200 has a processor 210, a storage device 215, a display unit 240, an operation unit 250, a communication unit 285, a communication interface 270, and a printing unit 290. The processor 210, storage device 215, display unit 240, operation unit 250, communication interface 270, and printing unit 290 are connected via a bus 205 so as to be able to send and receive data to and from each other.

[0024] The storage device 215 includes a volatile storage device 220 and a non-volatile storage device 230. The volatile storage device 220 is, for example, a DRAM, and includes an image data storage area 221 that stores image data to be printed. The non-volatile storage device 230 is, for example, a flash memory, and includes a program storage area 232 and a data storage area 233. Various programs are stored in the program storage area 232 as, for example, firmware. The data storage area 233 stores the number of printable pages, a printer ID for identifying the printer 200, and the like.

[0025] The processor 210 is a device that performs data processing, such as a CPU. The processor 210 executes various programs stored in the program storage area 232. The processor 210 and the programs stored in the program storage area 232 are an example of a control unit.

[0026] The display unit 240 is, for example, a liquid crystal display, and is capable of displaying various types of information. The operation unit 250 is a device that accepts operations by the user. The user can input various instructions to the printer 200 by operating the operation unit 250. The communication interface 270 is a wired or wireless network interface for communicating with other devices, and is connected to the network NT.

[0027] The printing unit 290 prints an image on the transported paper using a predetermined method while removing and transporting paper from a paper feed tray using a transport mechanism (not shown). The printing method is not particularly limited, but inkjet or laser printing is used, for example. The printing unit 290 forms an image on the paper using ink from an ink cartridge or toner from a toner cartridge (not shown) in accordance with a print job sent from the mobile terminal 300 or a print job generated by the printing unit 290 itself based on operations on the operation unit 250.

[0028] <Mobile Terminal> Figure 2 shows an example of the system configuration of a mobile terminal 300. The mobile terminal 300 is, for example, a portable terminal such as a smartphone owned by a user, and is connected to a network NT via wireless communication. As shown in Figure 2, the mobile terminal 300 has a CPU 310, a memory 320, a communication control unit 330 for connecting to the network NT via wireless communication, a touch panel 340, and a large-capacity storage device 350.

[0029] The mass storage device 350 is, for example, a flash memory, and includes a program storage area 351 and a data storage area 352. Various programs are stored in the program storage area 351 as, for example, applications. The CPU 310 executes the various programs stored in the program storage area 351. The CPU 310 executes various processes, including data communication with the management server 100 connected to the network NT. The data storage area 352 stores information such as a user ID issued based on the program or the printing service and used to identify the user corresponding to the mobile terminal 300. The CPU 310 is an example of a control unit, and the touch panel 340 is an example of a display unit.

[0030] The mobile terminal 300 also displays various information and accepts various operations by the user on a touch panel 340 that integrally combines a liquid crystal display and a touch pad. The user can input various instructions to the mobile terminal 300 by operating the touch panel 340.

[0031] Instead of a portable terminal, the mobile terminal 300 may be another information terminal such as a tablet computer or a desktop PC.

[0032] 1, the transaction server 400 is a server for performing online settlement via the network NW. The transaction server 400 has a processor, a storage device, and a communication interface for connecting to the network NT (not shown).

[0033] <Prepaid Printing Service> In the printing service providing system 1 of this embodiment, the management server 100, printers 200, mobile terminals 300, and transaction server 400 are connected via a network NT so that they can send and receive information. As shown in FIG. 3 , one mobile terminal 300 owned by a specific user and multiple printers 200 that the user has available for selective use each send and receive information individually to the management server 100. The management server 100 centrally manages the purchase procedures for charge amounts (described below) performed from the mobile terminal 300 for each of the multiple printers 200, and manages the increase and decrease in the number of printable sheets and the total number of printable sheets for each printer 200. The management server 100 periodically communicates with each printer 200 to periodically update the number of printable sheets and the total number of printable sheets, which change as each printer 200 prints.

[0034] In this embodiment, the printing service provided by the print service providing system 1 is a prepaid printing service. A prepaid printing service is a service in which a charge amount guaranteed for a printing authorization purchased in advance by a user is added to the printable number of the target printer 200, allowing printing processing on the printer 200 up to the printable number. The charge amount is added to the printable number by, for example, the processor 110 of the management server 100 and periodically transmitted to the printer 200. The printable number is stored, for example, in the user database storage area 133 of the nonvolatile storage device 130 of the management server 100 or the data storage area 233 of the nonvolatile storage device 230 of the printer 200, and is reduced by the number of printed sheets each time printing is performed. The printable number is reduced by, for example, the processor 210 of the printer 200 and periodically transmitted to the management server 100. The charge amount is an example of a guaranteed print amount, and the printable number is an example of an allowable print amount.

[0035] In the print service providing system 1 of this embodiment, the printing authority can be purchased based on a user's purchase request. The purchase of printing authority based on a user's purchase request is executed when a purchase request for the printing authority is sent from the mobile terminal 300 to the management server 100 in response to a user operation and accepted by the management server 100. The purchase of printing authority is executed at any timing desired by the user. At this time, the user selects one of a number of charge plans with different purchase quantities and purchase amounts, such as a charge of 50 sheets for 500 yen, 100 sheets for 900 yen, or 250 sheets for 2000 yen, and purchases the corresponding printing authority (described in detail below).

[0036] In this example, multiple charge plans corresponding to printing authority that can be purchased by the user are acquired in a manner that corresponds to the model number information of each of the multiple printers 200 owned by the user. These multiple charge plans are organized into plan groups for each model number of each printer 200 and stored in the management server 100. These plan groups are displayed on the mobile terminal 300 as needed, and one of the charge plans is selected by the user. The charge number guaranteed for the printing authority purchased corresponding to the selected charge plan is added to the number of printable pages of the printer 200. Note that a charge plan is an example of a printing authority purchase mode.

[0037] <Features of the embodiment> For example, when accepting a user's purchase of a new charge plan, the user is presented with a selection of multiple charge plans with different purchase quantities and purchase amounts, as described above, and the purchase of printing authority is accepted according to the charge plan selected by the user. The reason for presenting a plan group that groups together multiple charge plans with different combinations of purchase quantities and purchase amounts is to accommodate diverse needs, such as different desired printing volumes and price ranges, depending on the user. Furthermore, the higher the purchase quantity of a charge plan, the more discounted the corresponding purchase amount, so a wide variety of charge plans can be presented to the user in terms of cost performance.

[0038] Factors that generally affect the printing cost of printer 200 include differences in the printing method used by the printing unit 290, such as inkjet or laser printing, the associated price of paper, and differences in specifications and prices of consumables such as ink and toner, such as the number of pages that can be printed. Depending on the combination of these factors, the printing cost required may vary significantly as the number of pages printed increases. Considering user convenience, charge plans and plan groups that reflect such differences in printing costs should be presented. However, if the same charge plan were presented to a variety of users, such as users of high-spec models and users of standard models, or users who print a lot and users who print a little, the plan presented might not be appropriate for some users.

[0039] Therefore, the printing service providing system 1 of this embodiment presents charge plans with appropriate content depending on the differences in hardware factors that affect printing costs as described above. Specifically, in this embodiment, the hardware factors that affect printing costs for a printer 200 are collectively and uniquely defined by the model number information of the printer 200, and a plan group of charge plans is set corresponding to each model number. When a user switches between printers 200, the plan group corresponding to the model number of the printer 200 being used is applied, and multiple charge plans included in that plan group are presented to the user. Furthermore, when setting up the plan group, an upgrade plan is also provided as a service for heavy users who have printed a large number of pages in total.

[0040] Note that information on factors that affect the printing costs of printer 200 as described above is an example of attribute information of the printing device, and information on the total number of printed sheets, which indicates how much a user has printed using printer 200, is an example of operation history information of the printing device, and each of these is an example of unique related information.

[0041] <Various Information Related to Charge Plans and Their Display Modes> Figures 4 to 6 schematically show various types of information related to charge plans stored by the management server 100. First, Figure 4 shows a portion of the contents of the user database stored in the user database storage area 133 in the non-volatile storage device 130 of the management server 100. In Figure 4, the user database is a database that stores information about users who have signed up to receive the prepaid printing service of the printing service providing system 1. Corresponding to an ID, which is the identification information for each user, is recorded the user's username, the owned model number, which is the model number information of the printers 200 that the user owns and can switch between, the serial number of each owned printer 200, the number of printable pages remaining on each printer 200 at that time, and the total number of prints, which is the total number of pages printed by each printer 200 up to that point. Note that in this embodiment, the owned model number and serial number information in the user database is sent to and registered in the management server 100 when the user first connects and initializes the printer 200.

[0042] 5 and 6 are diagrams showing the contents of the charge plan database stored in the charge plan database storage area 133 in the nonvolatile storage device 130 of the management server 100. The charge plan database is a database that stores information about the fee structure of the prepaid printing service provided by the print service providing system 1, and as its contents, the plan group table shown in FIG. 5 and the model number application plan group table shown in FIG. 6 are stored separately.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 5, the plan group table lists multiple charge plans (Plans 1 through 4 in the figure) in ascending order of purchase quantity and purchase price, corresponding to four plan groups A through D in the illustrated example. Each charge plan consists of two pieces of information: the number of sheets to be purchased and the corresponding purchase price. The user ultimately selects one of these charge plans to purchase the corresponding printing authority. The difference in purchase quantity or the corresponding purchase price between the charge plans in each plan group varies slightly. Note that a specific plan group, such as plan group A, is an example of a first authority mode group, and plan groups other than plan group A, such as plan group B, are examples of second authority mode groups. Plan groups A through D in this example are examples of printing authority mode groups.

[0044] 6, the applicable plan group table by model number stores information on the plan group to be normally applied, information on a more cost-effective upgrade plan group to be applied to users who print a lot with the printer 200 of that model number, and information on the upgrade applicable print count, which is the total print count condition for applying the upgrade plan group, for each model number of all printers 200 that are applicable to the print service providing system 1. The plan groups in this applicable plan group table by model number are set in advance by the operator of the print service providing system 1, taking into account the actual printing costs of each printer 200 of that model number.

[0045] In this embodiment, when the user purchases printing authority for the printer 200 that is currently being used, that is, when the user operates the mobile terminal 300 to purchase a printing charge, a printing charge purchase screen such as that shown in Fig. 7(a) is displayed on the touch panel 340. On this printing charge purchase screen, information about the printer 200 that is currently being used (product name, model number, and serial number in the illustrated example) is displayed together in the form of an icon 11, and the number of printable sheets at that time and buttons 12 for multiple charge plans that apply to that model number are displayed together as a plan group.

[0046] In the illustrated example, the print charge purchase screen displays an end button 13 at the bottom, and pressing this end button 13 transitions to another screen (not shown), where the print charge purchase procedure is completed. The illustrated example print charge purchase screen also displays a switch button 14 at the top right, and pressing this switch button 14 transitions to a printer selection list screen, as shown in FIG. 7B. This printer selection list screen displays information icons 11 for all printers 200 that the user owns and can select and switch between. The user can select and switch between printers 200 to be used subsequently by pressing any one of the icons 11.

[0047] In the illustrated example, the topmost icon 11 is pressed, causing the screen to transition to and display a print charge purchase screen (see FIG. 7C) for the printer 200 corresponding to the selected icon 11. At this time, model number information for the selected printer 200 is sent to the management server 100, which acquires the plan group of the charge plan to be applied based on the received model number information and returns this to the mobile terminal 300. As a result, the print charge purchase screen for the newly selected printer 200 can present buttons 12 indicating charge plans in the plan group suitable for the selected printer 200.

[0048] When the management server 100 obtains the corresponding plan group, it first references the model-specific applicable plan group table to obtain the regular plan group corresponding to the received model number information, and then references the plan group table to obtain all corresponding charge plans. Furthermore, if the user database is referenced and the total number of prints corresponding to the model number information is equal to or greater than the upgrade-applicable print number corresponding to the same model number information in the model-specific applicable plan group table, the upgrade plan group is applied as the corresponding plan group. In the example shown in Figure 7(c), the total number of prints (8,459 sheets) corresponding to the selected model number "HL-L3333" exceeds the upgrade-applicable print number (7,000 sheets), indicating that the upgrade plan group has been applied.

[0049] As described above, in this embodiment, various charge plans and plan groups that reflect differences in printing costs are set, and the plan group to be applied can be switched depending on the model number and usage status of the printer 200 being used, making it possible to present an appropriate charge plan to the user.

[0050] <Sequence when purchasing a printing charge> Next, the processing sequence of each device when purchasing a printing charge in the printing system 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 8. Note that this processing sequence starts when the user performs an operation on the mobile terminal 300 to start the printing charge purchasing procedure.

[0051] First, in ST5, the mobile terminal 300 transmits to the management server 100 information indicating that a print charge purchase procedure has been initiated by a user operation. The information indicating that a print charge purchase procedure has been initiated includes, for example, the user's ID, which is identification information for the user, and information such as the model number and serial number that identify the printer 200 currently being used by the user. Next, in ST10, the management server 100 acquires the model number of the currently used printer 200 corresponding to the user's ID, which has been stored in the user database storage area 133 up to that point, as well as information on all retained model numbers. In ST11, the management server 100 acquires the current printable number and total printable number for each printer 200 corresponding to the user's ID. The acquired printable number and total printable number are updated and stored in the user database storage area 133. All acquired information, such as the model number, serial number, and printable number, is transmitted from the management server 100 to the mobile terminal 300 in ST12.

[0052] In step ST15, the mobile terminal 300 displays other printers 200 as selectable printers based on the model number and serial number information transmitted from the management server 100 when the switch button 14 shown in FIG. 7A or 7C is operated (FIG. 7B), and determines whether the printer 200 to be used has been selected by the user. If a printer 200 has been selected, the mobile terminal 300 transmits information identifying the currently used printer 200 (e.g., model number and serial number information) to the management server 100 in step ST20. If a printer 200 has not been selected, the mobile terminal 300 waits. The process in step ST10 and the process in step ST20 in which the management server 100 receives the model number and other information are examples of an information acquisition process and an information acquisition unit. The process in step ST15 is an example of a device designation acceptance process and a device designation acceptance unit.

[0053] Then, in ST25, the management server 100 determines an appropriate plan group corresponding to the model number of the printer 200 currently being used by the user. Specifically, as described above, the management server 100 obtains the normal plan group corresponding to the currently used model number information by referencing the model number-specific application plan group table (FIG. 6) stored in the charge plan database storage area 132. Next, the management server 100 obtains all corresponding charge plans by referencing the plan group table (FIG. 5) stored in the charge plan database storage area 132. The management server 100 also obtains the total number of prints for the printer 200 currently being used by the user, which is stored in the user database storage area 133. The management server 100 compares the obtained total number of prints with the upgrade-application print number in the model number-specific application plan group table to determine whether an upgrade is applicable. If applicable, the management server 100 determines the corresponding upgrade plan group as the plan group. The processing in ST25 is an example of a mode determination process and a mode determination unit, and the processing in ST25 to obtain information on the total number of prints in the user database stored in the user database storage area 133 is an example of information acquisition processing. Information on the determined plan group is then sent to the mobile terminal 300 in ST30. At this point, the process of storing the information about the plan group determined by the management server 100 in the non-volatile storage device 130 of the management server 100 is an example of a mode storage process and a mode storage unit.

[0054] The mobile terminal 300 that has received the plan group information displays buttons 12 for each charge plan on the print charge purchase screen in ST35, as shown in Figure 7(a) or 7(c). Thereafter, in ST40, it is determined whether or not the user has operated a charge plan to specify a charge plan, and if one of the buttons 12 has been operated to specify a charge plan, information about the specified charge plan is sent to the management server 100 in ST45. If no charge plan has been specified, the process remains in standby. Note that ST35 above is an example of a mode display process and a mode display signal output unit, and ST40 is an example of a mode command reception process and a mode specification reception unit.

[0055] In ST50, management server 100, having received the charge plan information, carries out the purchase procedure for the print charge under the charge plan specified for the currently used model number. Specifically, information about the user, model number information, and charge plan information is sent to transaction server 400, which then carries out a separate payment procedure. Then, when the payment procedure is completed, the number of printable sheets in the user database is overwritten by adding the number of sheets purchased under the charge plan. The added number of printable sheets is sent to printer 200 in ST52, and printer 200 executes printing processing according to the added number of printable sheets.

[0056] Then, in ST55, the mobile terminal 300 determines whether the Finish button 13 on the print charge purchase screen (FIG. 7(a) or FIG. 7(b)) has been pressed. If the Finish button 13 has been pressed, the print charge purchase screen transitions to a separate screen (not shown) and the purchase procedure is completed. If the Finish button has not been pressed, the process returns to ST15 and the same procedure is repeated.

[0057] Effect of the embodiment As described above, in the management processing server 100 provided in the printing system 1 of this embodiment, model number information of the printer 200 is acquired in the reception processing of ST10 and ST20 executed by the processor 110, and a charge plan corresponding to the acquired model number information is determined in ST25. The printer 200 for which model number information has been acquired and the charge plan determined corresponding to the model number information are associated with each other in the storage processing after ST30, and are stored in the non-volatile storage device 130.

[0058] In this embodiment, the printer 200 and the charge plan corresponding to the printer 200 are pre-stored in association with each other. According to this embodiment, the charge plan associated with the printer 200 can be read out to present an appropriate charge plan to a user who is printing using the printer 200.

[0059] In particular, in this embodiment, the processor 110 acquires model number information in the reception process of ST10 or ST20 when connected to the printer 200 and initial settings are performed. In this embodiment, the reception process of ST10 or ST20 is executed during the initial settings of the printer 200 to acquire the model number information. According to this embodiment, for example, the model number information of the printer 200 can be automatically acquired without the user having to manually perform an acquisition operation, thereby improving convenience.

[0060] The management server 100 may acquire the model number information of the printer 200 when the user specifies the printer 200 that will actually be used. The printer 200 that will actually be used is an example of a print execution device. In this case, the model number information is acquired when the printer 200 is specified when printing is performed. This makes it possible to automatically acquire the model number information of the printer 200 without the user having to manually perform the acquisition operation, thereby improving convenience. As a result, charge plans suitable for each user can be variably presented, improving convenience.

[0061] In particular, in this embodiment, the processor 110 acquires model number information of the printer 200 as information on factors that affect printing costs during the reception process in ST10 and ST20, and determines a corresponding charge plan based on the model number information in ST25. In this embodiment, the charge plan is determined in ST25 according to the model number information, which is information on factors that affect printing costs for the printer 200. This embodiment makes it possible to present a charge plan that is suited to the attributes of the printer 200 used when printing. Note that, in addition to the model number information of the printer 200, other information on factors that affect printing costs may also be used, such as printer 200 specification information, monochrome or color print engine information, information on consumables such as paper, ink, and toner, and destination information.

[0062] In this embodiment in particular, the processor 110 acquires information on the total number of printed sheets from the user database as information related to the printer 200 in ST25, and determines a corresponding charge plan based on the information on the total number of printed sheets in ST25. In this embodiment, the charge plan is determined in ST25 according to the total number of printed sheets and other factors used in the printer 200. According to this embodiment, a charge plan suited to the actual past usage of the printer 200 can be presented.

[0063] In particular, in this embodiment, in the storage process after ST30, the processor 110 selectively associates one of multiple charge plans with each printer 200 depending on the total number of printed pages, and stores the associated information in the non-volatile storage device 130. In this embodiment, multiple charge plans can be associated with each printer 200. Which of the multiple charge plans is associated can be set depending on the total number of printed pages in the storage process after ST30. According to this embodiment, for example, a printer 200 or its user with a particularly high total number of printed pages can be offered a more affordable upgrade charge plan than a printer 200 or its user with a lesser total number of printed pages, thereby improving service. In addition to the total number of printed pages, the length of the usage period can also be used as a condition for applying a charge plan upgrade. In this case, it is recommended that information such as the start date of use be stored for each model number in the user database.

[0064] In particular, in this embodiment, multiple plan groups A to D are set, including, for example, plan group A, which has multiple charge plans in which the purchase amount and purchase quantity increase in stages, and plan group B, for example, which has multiple charge plans in which the purchase amount and purchase quantity increase in stages and has different contents from plan group A. Then, in ST25, processor 110 determines, from among the multiple plan groups A to D, a plan group to propose to the corresponding printer 200 based on the model number information acquired in the reception process of ST10 or ST20. Then, in the storage process after ST30, the printer 200 for which the model number information acquired in the reception process of ST10 or ST20 was acquired and the plan group determined in ST25 are stored in non-volatile memory device 130 in association with each other.

[0065] In this embodiment, multiple plan groups are set in advance. Each plan group includes multiple charge plans. Each charge plan is set so that the purchase amount and purchase quantity increase in stages. In other words, for each plan group, multiple charge plans are set in predetermined increments of price and print volume, such as "XX sheets can be printed for XX yen," "■■ sheets can be printed for □□ yen," and so on.

[0066] In ST25, a determination is made as to which of the multiple plan groups for which charge plans have been set in multiple stages as described above should be selected based on the acquired model number information. In the storage process after ST30, the plan group determined as described above is associated with the target printer 200 and stored.

[0067] According to this embodiment, by applying a plan group associated with the printer 200 to a user who prints using the printer 200, it is possible to present an appropriate charge plan in more detail.

[0068] In addition, in the mobile terminal 300 provided in the printing system 1 of this embodiment, the CPU 310 is configured to be able to perform printing up to an upper limit on the number of printable sheets, and executes ST15 to accept designation of the printer 200 for which the number of printable sheets is to be increased in accordance with a specified purchase number guaranteed by the printing authority purchased at the user's financial expense; ST35 to display on the touch panel 340 at least one charge plan corresponding to the printer 200 whose designation was accepted in ST15 in accordance with the association between the printer 200 and a charge plan that has been preset based on model number information unique to the printer 200; and ST40 to accept the designation of a charge plan based on the display on the touch panel 340 in ST35.

[0069] In this embodiment, a printer 200 is associated in advance with a charge plan corresponding to the model number information of the printer 200. For example, when a user specifies a printer 200 when printing, the specification is accepted in ST15 executed by the CPU 310. At least one charge plan based on the model number information of the specified printer 200 is displayed on the touch panel 340 in ST35. When the user specifies the charge plan they wish to purchase in response to this display, the specification is accepted in ST40. According to this embodiment, the charge plans associated with the model number information of the printer 200 are displayed to the user who specified the printer 200 to use for printing, making it possible to present an appropriate charge plan.

[0070] Furthermore, particularly in this embodiment, in ST35, the CPU 310 displays on the touch panel 340 at least one charge plan corresponding to the printer 200 whose designation was accepted in ST15, in accordance with the association between the printer 200 and a charge plan that has been preset based on the model number information of the printer 200, which is information about factors that affect printing costs. In this embodiment, the charge plan is displayed in ST35 in accordance with the association that has been preset based on the attribute information of the printer 200, such as model number information, specification information, monochrome or color print engine information, information on consumables such as paper, toner, and ink, destination information, etc. According to this embodiment, a charge plan that has been previously associated with the printer 200 in accordance with the attributes of the printer 200 used when printing is able to be displayed and presented on the touch panel 340.

[0071] Furthermore, particularly in this embodiment, in ST35, the CPU 310 displays on the touch panel 340 at least one charge plan corresponding to the printer 200 whose designation was accepted in ST15, in accordance with the association between the printer 200 and a charge plan that has been preset based on the total number of pages printed by the printer 200. In this embodiment, the charge plan is displayed in ST35 in accordance with the association that has been preset based on, for example, the total number of pages printed by the printer 200. According to this embodiment, it is possible to display and present on the touch panel 340 a charge plan that has been previously associated with the printer 200 that is used when printing, in accordance with the actual past usage of the printer 200.

[0072] In particular, in this embodiment, multiple plan groups are set, including, for example, plan group A, which has multiple charge plans in which the purchase amount and purchase quantity increase stepwise, and plan group B, for example, which has multiple charge plans in which the purchase amount and purchase quantity increase stepwise and has different contents from plan group A. Then, in ST35, CPU 310 displays on touch panel 340 at least one plan group corresponding to printer 200, whose designation was accepted in ST15, in accordance with the association between printer 200 and a plan group that was previously set based on the model number information and total number of prints unique to that printer 200.

[0073] In this embodiment, the printer 200 is associated in advance with the plan group corresponding to the model number information and total number of prints of the printer 200. At least one plan group based on the model number information and total number of prints of the specified printer 200 is displayed on the touch panel 340 in ST35. According to this embodiment, by applying and displaying the plan group associated with the printer 200 to the user who prints using the printer 200, it is possible to present an appropriate charge plan in more detail.

[0074] <Modifications> The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the spirit and technical concept of the present invention. Such modifications will be described below in order.

[0075] (1) Displaying Plan Groups for Multiple Model Numbers Together In the above embodiment, only the plan group corresponding to the model number of the printer 200 currently being used was displayed on the touch panel 340. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 9 , plan groups corresponding to other printers 200 owned may be displayed together with the plan group corresponding to the printer 200 currently being used to facilitate comparison and consideration. In this case, the buttons 15 for the plan groups of the other printers 200 are displayed in a relatively inconspicuous manner, i.e., grayed out, and the button 12 for the plan group corresponding to the currently used printer 200 is displayed to be given priority and highlighted. Note that the screen shown in FIG. 9 represents the entire screen displayed by vertical scrolling on the touch panel 340.

[0076] As described above, in the mobile terminal 300 of this modified example, in ST35, the CPU 310 displays on the touch panel 340 at least one charge plan button 12 corresponding to the printer 200 for which designation was accepted in ST15, as well as at least one charge plan button 15 corresponding to the printer 200 for which designation was not accepted in ST15. Note that the printer 200 for which designation was accepted in ST15 is an example of a first printing device, and the at least one charge plan corresponding to that printer 200 is an example of a first charge plan, and the printer 200 for which designation was not accepted in ST15 is an example of a second printing device, and the at least one charge plan corresponding to that printer 200 is an example of a second charge plan.

[0077] As a result, in ST35, not only the charge plans related to the printer 200 that the user has specified to be used, but also the charge plans related to the printers 200 that the user has not specified are displayed on the touch panel 340. According to this embodiment, by also presenting information related to the printers 200 that the user has not specified as reference information, convenience can be improved.

[0078] Furthermore, in this modification, in ST35, the CPU 310 displays on the touch panel 340 the charge plan of the printer 200 for which designation has been accepted, in a manner that prioritizes it over the charge plans of the printers 200 for which designation has not been accepted. This priority can be achieved by graying out the button 15 for the charge plan of the printer 200 for which designation has not been accepted, as described above, to make it less noticeable, or by displaying the button 12 for the charge plan of the printer 200 for which designation has been accepted in the top row. This makes it possible to display the button 15 for the charge plan related to the printer 200 not designated by the user as reference information as described above without impeding the visibility of the charge plan related to the designated printer 200, which is what the user most wants to know.

[0079] Furthermore, in the above, the sequence shown in Figure 8 does not limit the present invention to the procedures shown in the sequence, and procedures may be added, deleted, or the order may be changed within the scope that does not deviate from the intent and technical idea of ​​the invention.

[0080] 8, the processing of mobile terminal 300 is executed by a program stored in program storage area 351 of mobile terminal 300. However, each process of mobile terminal 300 may be displayed and operations may be accepted based on web data generated by a web server of an external device via a browser installed on mobile terminal 300. The external device may be, for example, management server 100, printer 200 (a printer with an embedded web server), or another device. In this case, the external device, together with mobile terminal 300, is an example of an authority purchase acceptance device.

[0081] Furthermore, the processing of each device already described above may be performed by another device. The management of the number of printable sheets may be performed by any of the management server 100, printer 200, and mobile terminal 300, either alone or in cooperation with each other. The charge plan database and user database may be stored in, for example, the printer 200 or the mobile terminal 300, and the charge plan may be displayed based on this. Therefore, any of the management server 100, printer 200, and mobile terminal 300 may be configured to operate as an example of a standalone information processing device, or any of the management server 100, printer 200, and mobile terminal 300 may be configured to operate in cooperation with each other as an example of an information processing system.

[0082] In addition to the above, the methods according to the above embodiments and modifications may be used in appropriate combination.

[0083] Although not specifically illustrated, the present invention can be implemented with various modifications within the scope of the invention.

[0084] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Print service providing system (an example of an information processing system) 100 Management server (an example of an information processing device) 110 Processor (an example of a control unit) 130 Non-volatile storage device (an example of a storage unit) 200 Printer (an example of a printing device) 300 Mobile terminal (an example of an authority purchase reception device) 310 CPU (an example of a control unit) 340 Touch panel (an example of a display unit) 400 Transaction server NT Network

Claims

1. An information processing device having a memory unit and a control unit, wherein the control unit is configured to execute an information acquisition process for acquiring unique associated information unique to a printing device that is configured to be able to perform printing up to an allowable printing volume, and for which the allowable printing volume is to be increased in accordance with a specified guaranteed printing volume guaranteed by a purchased printing authority purchased at the user's financial expense; a mode determination process for determining a printing authority purchasing mode to be proposed to the corresponding user or printing device based on the unique associated information acquired in the information acquisition process; and a mode storage process for storing in the memory unit the printing device about which the unique associated information was acquired in the information acquisition process and the printing authority purchasing mode determined in the mode determination process in association with each other.

2. An information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to acquire the unique associated information in the information acquisition process when the control unit is connected to the printing device and initial settings are made.

3. An information processing device as described in claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to acquire the unique associated information in the information acquisition process when an operation for designating the printing device as a print execution device is performed.

4. An information processing device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control unit is configured to: acquire attribute information of the printing device as the unique related information in the information acquisition process; and determine the corresponding printing authority purchase mode based on the attribute information in the mode determination process.

5. An information processing device as described in claim 1 or claim 3, wherein the control unit is configured to: acquire operation history information of the printing device as the unique related information in the information acquisition process; and determine the corresponding printing authority purchase mode based on the operation history information in the mode determination process.

6. An information processing device as described in claim 5, wherein the control unit is configured to, in the mode storage process, selectively associate one of a plurality of printing authority purchase modes with one of the printing devices depending on the contents of the operation history information, and store the associated mode in the memory unit.

7. An information processing device as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a plurality of printing authority mode groups are set, including a first authority mode group having a plurality of printing authority purchase modes in which the purchase amount and the guaranteed printing amount increase stepwise sequentially, and a second authority mode group having a plurality of printing authority purchase modes in which the purchase amount and the guaranteed printing amount increase stepwise sequentially and having different contents from the first authority mode group, and wherein the control unit is configured to: in the mode determination process, determine the printing authority mode group to be proposed to the corresponding user or printing device based on the unique related information acquired in the information acquisition process from among the plurality of printing authority mode groups; and in the mode storage process, associate the printing device from which the unique related information was acquired in the information acquisition process and the printing authority mode group determined in the mode determination process with each other and store them in the memory unit.

8. An authority purchase acceptance device having a display unit and a control unit, wherein the control unit is configured to be capable of printing up to an allowable printing volume, and is configured to execute an apparatus designation acceptance process that accepts designation of a printing device for which the allowable printing volume is to be increased in accordance with a predetermined guaranteed printing volume guaranteed by a purchased printing authority purchased at the user's financial expense; a mode display process that displays on the display unit at least one printing authority purchase mode corresponding to a printing device whose designation has been accepted in the apparatus designation acceptance process in accordance with an association between the printing device and a printing authority purchase mode that has been preset based on unique association information that is unique to the printing device; and a mode designation acceptance process that accepts designation of the printing authority purchase mode based on the display on the display unit in the mode display process.

9. The authority purchase acceptance device of claim 8, wherein the control unit is configured to, in the mode display process, display on the display unit at least one printing authority purchase mode corresponding to the printing device whose designation has been accepted in the device designation acceptance process, in accordance with an association between the printing authority purchase mode and a pre-set printing authority purchase mode based on attribute information of the printing device as the unique associated information.

10. The authority purchase acceptance device of claim 8, wherein the control unit is configured to, in the mode display process, display on the display unit at least one of the printing authority purchase modes corresponding to the printing device whose designation has been accepted in the device designation acceptance process, in accordance with an association between the printing authority purchase mode and a pre-set printing authority purchase mode based on the operation history information of the printing device as the unique associated information.

11. An authority purchase acceptance device as described in any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the control unit is configured to, in the mode display process, display on the display unit at least one first printing authority purchase mode corresponding to a first printing device whose designation has been accepted in the device designation acceptance process, in addition to at least one second printing authority purchase mode corresponding to a second printing device whose designation has not been accepted in the device designation acceptance process.

12. The authority purchase acceptance device as described in claim 11, wherein the control unit is configured to, in the mode display process, display the first printing authority purchase mode on the display unit in a mode that takes priority over the second printing authority purchase mode.

13. An authority purchase acceptance device as described in claim 8, wherein a plurality of printing authority mode groups are set, including a first authority mode group having a plurality of printing authority purchase modes in which the purchase amount and the guaranteed printing amount increase stepwise sequentially, and a second authority mode group having a plurality of printing authority purchase modes in which the purchase amount and the guaranteed printing amount increase stepwise sequentially and having different contents from the first authority mode group, and wherein the control unit is configured to, in the mode display process, display on the display unit at least one of the printing authority mode groups corresponding to the printing device whose designation has been accepted in the device designation acceptance process, in accordance with the association between the printing device and the printing authority mode group that has been preset based on the unique association information unique to the printing device.

14. An information processing system comprising: a printing device configured to be capable of printing up to an allowable printing volume, and for which the allowable printing volume is increased in accordance with a specified guaranteed printing volume guaranteed by a purchased printing authority purchased at the user's financial expense; an information acquisition unit acquiring unique associated information unique to the printing device; a mode determination unit determining a printing authority purchase mode to be proposed to the corresponding user or printing device based on the unique associated information acquired by the information acquisition unit; a mode memory unit storing the printing device from which the unique associated information was acquired by the information acquisition unit and the printing authority purchase mode determined by the mode determination unit in association with each other; a device designation acceptance unit accepting designation of the printing device; a mode display signal output unit outputting a signal displaying at least one of the printing authority purchase modes corresponding to the printing device whose designation was accepted by the device designation acceptance unit in accordance with the association stored in the mode memory unit; and a mode designation acceptance unit accepting designation of the printing authority purchase mode based on the display by the display signal output by the mode display signal output unit.

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