Service switching management device and printing service switching system

Abstract

The present invention switches printing services at timing desired by a user and thereby maintains a cost burden situation desired by the user until said timing.　A printing service provision system 1 is configured to be capable of executing: a prepaid printing service that can increase a printable number of sheets that is an upper limit for the printing of images on sheets by a printer 200 in accordance with a charged number of sheets guaranteed by a purchased printing authority purchased on the basis of a purchase request by a user; and a subscription printing service that can set the printable number of sheets that is the upper limit for the printing of images on sheets by the printer 200 in accordance with a contract plan number of sheets guaranteed by a fixed amount printing authority granted for a prescribed period of time on the basis of a fixed amount burden contract for the user. A mobile terminal 300 executes a step S45 for receiving: a request for service switching from provision of the subscription printing service to provision of the prepaid printing service; and the switching timing of the service switching.

Description

Service switching management device and printing service switching system

[0001] The present invention relates to a service switching management device and a print service switching system that perform switching management when switching between and providing a plurality of print services.

[0002] In the past, there have been known printing services in which a user of a printing device pays a fee to a service provider according to the print content. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-122222 describes a technology that provides a delivery service for ink, a consumable item for a printer, based on a fee plan selected by the user.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-082178

[0004] The delivery service of the above-mentioned prior art is a service in which the user of the delivery service pays a usage fee for using the delivery service for a certain period of time, and is a so-called subscription-based printing service. In this subscription-based printing service, the user can print for free up to a certain printing volume within the certain period. On the other hand, so-called prepaid-based printing services are also known, in which the user purchases printing rights for a fee and can print up to the printing volume guaranteed by the purchased printing rights.

[0005] As users' printing environments become more diverse, it is expected that they will need to switch between multiple printing services, including the subscription and prepaid methods described above. However, because the financial burden for each of these multiple printing services may differ, users may wish to continue using their current printing service without switching to a new printing service until a certain point.

[0006] The object of the present invention is to provide a printing service management device and printing system that can switch printing services at the user's desired timing, thereby continuing the user's desired cost burden pattern until that time, thereby improving convenience for the user.

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the service switching management device of the present invention is a service switching management device that manages the switching of printing services for a printing system that has a service providing server and a printing device, and the printing system is configured to be able to execute a first service in which a first allowable printing volume, which is the upper limit when the printing device prints an image on a sheet, can be increased in accordance with a first guaranteed printing volume guaranteed by a purchased printing authority purchased based on a user's purchase request, and a second service in which a second allowable printing volume, which is the upper limit when the printing device prints an image on a sheet, can be set in accordance with a second guaranteed printing volume guaranteed by a fixed-rate printing authority granted for a predetermined period based on the user's fixed-rate contract, and the service switching management device is configured to execute a switching reservation acceptance process that accepts an application for switching from providing the first service to providing the second service, or from providing the second service to providing the first service, and the timing of the switch.

[0008] In the present invention, it is possible to selectively implement a so-called prepaid type first service that can increase the first allowable printing volume according to the first guaranteed printing volume guaranteed by the purchase printing authority, and a so-called subscription type second service that can set the second allowable printing volume according to the second guaranteed printing volume guaranteed by the fixed-rate printing authority.

[0009] When switching between the two services, a switching reservation acceptance process is executed in the service switching management device. In the switching reservation acceptance process, a user's application for switching to the first service or the second service and a designation of the switching time are accepted, and the service switching is executed at the designated switching time.

[0010] According to the present invention, the first service provision switch and the second service provision switch are executed at the time designated by the user, and the current service before the switch is provided until the time of the switch. As a result, the user can continue to pay the costs corresponding to the current service until the time of the switch, thereby improving convenience.

[0011] In addition, in order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the printing service switching system of the present invention is equipped with a service providing server and a printing device, and is configured to be able to execute a first service in which a first allowable printing volume, which is the upper limit when the printing device prints an image on a sheet, can be increased in accordance with a first guaranteed printing volume guaranteed by a purchased printing authority purchased based on a user's purchase request, and a second service in which a second allowable printing volume, which is the upper limit when the printing device prints an image on a sheet, can be set in accordance with a second guaranteed printing volume guaranteed by a fixed-rate printing authority granted for a specified period based on the user's fixed-rate contract, and the printing service switching system has a switching reservation receiving unit that receives applications for switching from providing the first service to providing the second service, or from providing the second service to providing the first service, and the timing of the switch.

[0012] According to the present invention, when switching printing services, the switching can be performed at a timing desired by the user, allowing the user's desired cost sharing mode to be continued until that timing, thereby improving convenience for the user.

[0013] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the system configuration of a printing system according to a first embodiment. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a server. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a printer. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a mobile terminal. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an overview of a prepaid printing service provided by the printing service providing system. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an overview of a subscription printing service provided by the printing service providing system. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a reservation sequence when switching from a subscription printing service to a prepaid printing service. FIG. 7 is an example of a display screen of a mobile terminal in a subscription execution state. FIG. 8 is an example of a display screen of a mobile terminal when setting a service transition time. FIG. 9 is an example of a display screen of a mobile terminal in a prepaid transition state. FIG. 10 is an example of a display screen of a mobile terminal in a prepaid execution state. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing in detail the procedure executed by the CPU of a mobile terminal when displaying a print service information screen, etc.. FIG. 12 is an example of a display screen of a mobile terminal when switching between two print service information screens in the prepaid transition state. FIG. 13 is an example of a print service information screen of a mobile terminal when displaying display content conforming to the prepaid printing service in the prepaid transition state. 10 is an example of a print service information screen on a mobile terminal when displaying content conforming to a prepaid print service during a subscription transition state.

[0014] First Embodiment A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0015] <Overview of Network Connection Configuration in Print Service Providing System> Figure 1 shows an example of the configuration of a print service providing system 1 according to an embodiment. The print service providing system 1 is configured to be able to selectively provide multiple print services with different billing methods for the number of prints. In this embodiment, a case will be described in which the print service providing system 1 provides, for example, a prepaid print service and a subscription print service. In Figure 1, the print service providing system 1 includes a first server 100A, a second server 100B, a printer 200, a mobile terminal 300, and a transaction server 400. The first server 100A, the second server 100B, the printer 200, the mobile terminal 300, and the transaction server 400 are connected to a network NT and can communicate with each other.

[0016] The network NT includes, for example, the Internet and mobile phone communication lines. In particular, the mobile terminal 300 and printer operating in close proximity on the same premises may directly transmit and receive information via wireless communication such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) or Bluetooth (registered trademark). The first server 100A and the second server 100B are examples of service providing servers, the printer 200 is an example of a printing device, the mobile terminal 300 in this embodiment is an example of a service switching management device, and the printing service providing system 1 is an example of a printing system and a printing service switching system.

[0017] <Server> The first server 100A and the second server 100B have almost the same configuration as servers 100 equipped with a communication function for sending and receiving data and an information processing function for processing data, and this common configuration is shown in Fig. 2. As shown in Fig. 2, the 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 has a program storage area 131 and a data storage area 132. The program storage area 131 stores various programs that perform processing to provide the print service. The data storage area 132 stores various data generated by the processing programs.

[0019] The processor 110 is a device that performs data processing, such as a CPU, and executes various programs stored in the program storage area 131. The processor 110 performs various processes including data communication with the printer 200 and the mobile terminal 300.

[0020] The communication interface 190 is a network interface for connecting to the network NT and transmitting and receiving information.

[0021] The storage device 115 is not limited to being configured with the above-mentioned device elements, but may also be configured with, for example, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, HDD, portable recording media such as a USB memory that can be attached to or detached from the server 100, a buffer provided in the processor 110, or a combination thereof.

[0022] Furthermore, 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. Non-transitory media are also tangible media. The same applies to the storage device 215 of the printer 200, which will be described later.

[0023] 3, the printer 200 has a processor 210, a storage device 215, a touch panel 240, operation keys 250, a transport mechanism 260, a communication interface 270, and a printing unit 290. The processor 210, the storage device 215, the touch panel 240, the operation keys 250, the transport mechanism 260, the communication interface 270, and the printing unit 290 are connected via a bus 205 so as to be able to transmit 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 includes an image data storage area 222 that stores image data to be printed. The volatile storage device 220 is, for example, a DRAM. The non-volatile storage device 230 includes a program storage area 231 and a data storage area 232. The non-volatile storage device 230 is, for example, an NVRAM, a flash memory, or the like. Various programs are stored in the program storage area 231. The various programs include firmware such as a print processing program. The data storage area 232 stores various data generated by the processing programs.

[0025] The processor 210 is a device that performs data processing. The processor 210 is, for example, a CPU. The processor 210 executes various programs stored in the program storage area 231.

[0026] The touch panel 240 can display various information and accepts user operations at coordinates on the display screen. The touch panel 240 is, for example, a device that integrally combines a liquid crystal display and a transparent touchpad. The operation keys 250 are devices that mechanically accept user presses. The communication interface 270 is a network interface that connects to the network NW and transmits or receives information.

[0027] The transport mechanism 260 transports sheets supplied from a tray capable of holding multiple sheets. The printing unit 290 is provided on a path along which sheets are transported by the transport mechanism 260, and forms an image corresponding to a print job on the sheet transported by the transport mechanism 260 using a predetermined method. The predetermined method is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, an inkjet method or a laser method. The printing unit 290 prints on the sheet in accordance with a print job sent from the mobile terminal 300 or a print job that the printing unit 290 has generated itself based on operations on the touch panel 240 and operation keys 250.

[0028] <Mobile Terminal> The mobile terminal 300 is configured as a portable terminal such as a smartphone that has a function of displaying image information, a function of inputting operations, a communication function of sending and receiving data, and a function of processing data, and its common configuration is shown in FIG. 4.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 4, the mobile terminal 300 includes a CPU 310 , a memory 320 , a communication control unit 330 , a touch panel 340 , and a large-capacity storage device 370 .

[0030] The mass storage device 370 includes a program storage area 371 and a data storage area 372. The mass storage device 370 is, for example, a flash memory. Various programs are stored in the program storage area 371 as, for example, firmware. The various programs include processing programs based on the flowchart in FIG. 12 , which will be described later. The CPU 310 executes the various programs stored in the program storage area 371. The CPU 310 executes various processes, including data communication with the server 100 and the printer 200, via the communication control unit 330, over the network NW, a mobile phone communication line, or wireless communication such as a wireless LAN.

[0031] The mobile terminal 300 displays various information and accepts various operations by the user on a touch panel 340, which is, for example, an integrated combination of a liquid crystal display and a transparent touch pad. The user can input various instructions to the mobile terminal 300 by operating the touch panel 340.

[0032] The mobile terminal 300 may be another information terminal such as a general-purpose personal computer or a tablet computer, etc. The mobile terminal 300 is an example of a terminal device.

[0033] 1, the transaction server 400 is a server for performing online settlement via the network NT. The transaction server 400 has a processor, a storage device, and a communication interface for connecting to the network NT (not shown).

[0034] <Prepaid Printing Service and Subscription Printing Service> Figures 5 and 6 respectively show overviews of the prepaid printing service and subscription printing service provided by the print service providing system 1. First, as shown in Figure 5, the first server 100A provides the prepaid printing service. The prepaid printing service is a printing service in which the upper limit of the number of printable sheets when printing an image on a sheet can be increased according to the charge number guaranteed by the prepaid printing authority purchased based on the user's purchase request. Note that the prepaid printing service is an example of a first service, the number of printable sheets in the prepaid printing service is an example of a first allowable printing amount, the prepaid printing authority is an example of a purchased printing authority, and the charge number is an example of a first guaranteed printing amount.

[0035] In a prepaid printing service, a user purchases a charge amount by paying a fee to print. That is, the user purchases a charge amount by paying a financial burden using a so-called prepaid method. When the user requests the purchase of a charge amount on the mobile terminal 300, the printer 200 identification information and a purchase request for the charge amount are sent to the first server 100A. When the processor 110A of the first server 100A accepts the purchase request, the transaction server 400 performs a payment process for the charge amount for the user and adds the value of the charge amount newly purchased by the user to the printable number of pages corresponding to the specified printer 200. The printable number is stored in the data storage area 132A of the non-volatile storage device 130A of the first server 100A for each individual printer 200. The added printable number is sent from the first server 100A to the printer 200, and the printable number stored in the data storage area 232 of the non-volatile storage device 230 of the printer 200 is also updated.

[0036] The processor 210 of the printer 200 executes printing when it receives a print job from the user's mobile terminal 300. The print job does not necessarily have to be received from the mobile terminal 300; it may be received from another terminal such as a PC, or it may be received via the touch panel 240 or operation keys 250 of the printer 200 in response to a user operation. The processor 210 of the printer 200 subtracts the number of printable sheets stored in the data storage area 232 of the non-volatile storage device 230 by the number of sheets printed, and updates the number. The subtracted number of printable sheets is sent from the printer 200 to the first server 100A, and the number of printable sheets stored for each individual printer 200 in the data storage area 132A is also updated. In other words, the number of printable sheets is managed synchronously in both the first server 100A and the printer 200. When the processor 210 of the printer 200 receives a print job, it consumes the number of printable sheets to execute printing, and printing becomes impossible when the number of printable sheets reaches zero.

[0037] Next, as shown in FIG. 6 , the second server 100B provides a subscription printing service. The subscription printing service is a printing service in which the maximum number of printable sheets when printing images on a sheet can be set according to the contract plan number guaranteed by the subscription printing authority granted for a predetermined period based on the user's flat-rate contract. When printing more than the contract plan number, the subscription printing service may charge the user an additional fee corresponding to the number of sheets exceeding the contract plan number in addition to the flat-rate fee. Note that the subscription printing service is an example of a second service, the printable number in the subscription printing service is an example of a second allowable printing volume, the subscription printing authority is an example of a flat-rate printing authority, and the contract plan number is an example of a second guaranteed printing volume.

[0038] In a subscription printing service, a user's contract is automatically renewed periodically at a specified subscription contract period in order to print, and the printing service fee for each subscription contract period is billed to the user in arrears at the end of that contract period. Multiple contract plans are available, each with a specified contract period and a contract limit, and the user selects one of the plans to sign up. As long as the actual number of pages printed by the user within the specified period is within the contract plan limit, printing is possible without additional charges. If the actual number of pages printed during the specified period exceeds the contract plan limit, the user is charged an additional fee for the excess number of pages. Furthermore, if the actual number of pages printed during a subscription contract period does not reach the contract plan limit, the remaining number, calculated by subtracting the actual number of pages printed from the contract plan limit, is carried over to the following month with a validity period.

[0039] For this reason, as shown in the figure, the second server 100B and the printer 200 each synchronize and store two parameters, the period print count and the carryover print count, and also store the contract plan count set to the same value as a fixed value. In other words, when a user selects a contract plan to use a subscription printing service via the second server 100B, the contract plan count corresponding to that contract plan is sent from the second server 100B to the printer 200 and stored as a fixed value. Note that if synchronization between the second server 100B and the printer 200 is not particularly necessary, it may be omitted.

[0040] For example, if the subscription contract period is one month from the beginning to the end of the month, the parameters for the number of pages printed during the period are reset to 0 at the beginning of each month for both the second server 100B and the printer 200. After that, the number of pages actually printed during the subscription contract period is counted up by the printer 200 as the number of pages printed during the period, and this value is sent to the second server 100B each time printing is performed by the printer 200, or periodically, and stored to be synchronized.

[0041] Furthermore, at the beginning of each month, the second server 100B calculates the number of carryover prints and stores it in synchronization with the printer 200. That is, if the number of prints during the previous month's subscription contract cycle does not reach the number of prints in the contract plan, the remaining number obtained by subtracting the number of prints during the period from the number of prints in the contract plan is calculated as the number of carryover prints for the current month. Although not specifically shown, if the number of prints during the subscription contract cycle exceeds the number of prints in the contract plan, the excess number may be counted up as the additional number of prints for the current month for the user and stored in synchronization with the second server 100B.

[0042] The processor 210 of the printer 200 can continue printing during the current month's subscription contract period as long as the number of prints during the period does not exceed the total number of prints in the contract plan and the number of prints carried over. Even if the number of prints exceeds the total, the excess number of prints may be counted up and synchronously stored as an additional print number, and the corresponding additional fee may be charged the following month.

[0043] In both the prepaid and subscription printing services, the cost of consumables such as ink and toner is included in the fee for the printing service. Therefore, even if a consumable runs out, the user can request the manufacturer or operating company to ship the consumables and have them replenished without incurring any additional costs.

[0044] In the printing service providing system of this embodiment, the user can selectively switch between the prepaid printing service and the subscription printing service. Although not shown, the printer 200 and the mobile terminal 300 share and store information about which printing service is currently being used.

[0045] <Reserving a switch from a subscription printing service to a prepaid printing service> The prepaid printing service described above has a different contract structure in that the contract is renewed based on the number of printable pages charged, whereas the subscription printing service has a contract that is renewed based on a period known as the subscription contract cycle. However, as printing environments become more diverse and changeable, users may find themselves wanting to switch from one printing service to another while using the other.

[0046] For example, consider the case where a user wishes to switch to a prepaid printing service while using a subscription printing service. First, assume that the user immediately switches to the prepaid printing service when the user decides to switch to the prepaid printing service during the subscription contract period. In this case, the remaining number of pages that could have been printed from that point until the end of the subscription contract period, i.e., the number of pages in the contract plan minus the number of pages printed during the period at the time of the switch, will be lost unused. Depending on usage, this could result in a significant economic loss for the user. Note that switching from a subscription printing service to a prepaid printing service is an example of switching to the first service.

[0047] To minimize such losses, one possible procedure would be to continue the subscription printing service until the end of the subscription contract period and then apply to switch to a prepaid printing service just before the contract is renewed. However, waiting several days or more in the future to perform this procedure is often cumbersome and users tend to forget. Therefore, in this embodiment, even if a user wants to switch to a prepaid printing service during the subscription contract period, they can apply for the reservation procedure at that time, and the system will automatically switch to the prepaid printing service at the next contract renewal.

[0048] FIG. 7 shows an example of a reservation sequence for switching from a subscription printing service to a prepaid printing service. In FIG. 7 , the subscription printing service is continuously used by periodically and automatically renewing the contract at subscription contract intervals. The contract status at this time is the subscription execution status. When a user performs a service switching reservation procedure during a subscription contract interval, the contract status changes to a prepaid transition status, but the subscription printing service continues to be used until the end of that subscription contract interval. After the end of that subscription contract interval, the system automatically switches to the prepaid printing service, and the contract status changes to a prepaid execution status. This allows the user to effectively use the contract plan number for that subscription contract interval from that point onward, even if the user performs a service switching reservation procedure to the prepaid printing service during the subscription contract interval. This improves user convenience both economically and procedurally. The prepaid transition status period is an example of a switching reservation period.

[0049] <Display of Print Service Information Corresponding to Each Contract Status> In the print service providing system 1 in which a plurality of print services can be selectively switched and used as described above, it is necessary for the user to be able to easily check the print service currently being applied and its usage status. Therefore, in the example of this embodiment, when the user performs a predetermined operation on the mobile terminal 300, screens of print service information such as those shown in Figures 8 to 11 are displayed on the touch panel 340 according to the contract status at that time.

[0050] For example, when the contract status is a subscription execution status, a printing service information screen 340A shown in FIG. 8 is displayed. This printing service information screen 340A displays 341 the model number and serial number of the printer 200 currently being checked, a display 342 indicating that the contract status at that time is a subscription execution status, a circular gauge 343 and numerical value 344 indicating the number of prints during the subscription contract period at that time, a display 345 of the contract plan number and the carryover number of prints, and a button 346 for performing the service switching setting procedure. Note that to switch the printer 200 to be checked, an icon button in display 341 is pressed to display a list of other printers 200 in a pull-down menu, and a selection operation is performed; illustration and description of this will be omitted here.

[0051] The contract status display 342 indicates that the print service currently being used is a subscription.

[0052] The current number of sheets printed during that period is displayed by a roughly annular circular gauge 343 and a numerical value 344. On the print service information screen 340A for the subscription print service, the number of sheets printed during that period is displayed in increasing display mode. In increasing display mode, the progress of the print volume is represented by an increase in the numerical value 344 and an increase in the length of the circular gauge 343. Note that the length of the circular gauge 343 refers to the portion representing the contents of the circular gauge 343, i.e., the length of the black portion extending clockwise in an arc from the left end of the circular gauge 343 in FIG. 8 . In the example shown in FIG. 8 , the user has subscribed to a monthly contract plan for 100 sheets, and the current number of sheets printed during that period is 90 sheets. From this state, if further printing is performed, the numerical value 344 of the number of sheets printed during that period increases, and the length of the circular gauge 343 increases clockwise.

[0053] When the user presses button 346, the screen transitions to a procedure screen (not shown), where the user can apply for contract processing on each server 100A, 100B, set the switching timing, and proceed with the contract procedure for switching to the prepaid printing service, including payment processing on transaction server 400. Note that the circular gauge 343 is an example of a second print volume display object, the display mode of this circular gauge 343 is an example of a second mode, and the printing service information screen 340A is an example of a second screen.

[0054] To set the switching time, a service switching time setting screen 340C shown in Fig. 9 is displayed. The service switching time setting screen 340C in the illustrated example displays a message 348 prompting the user to specify the date on which the system actually wants to switch the printing service, as well as four options 349, 350, 352, and 354 for specifying the switching date, parameter entry fields 351 and 353, and a setting button 355.

[0055] In this example, the four options are an automatic option 349, an option 350 to specify by date, an option 352 to specify by the number of remaining printable sheets, and an option 354 to transfer immediately, each of which is displayed with a radio box, and the user can select only one of them.

[0056] When the user selects the automatic option 349, the operator of the printing service providing system 1 is left to select the most suitable date as the time to switch services, such as a date that is convenient for administrative procedures based on the calendar, such as the beginning of the next month, a date that is convenient for the user, such as the date on which the usage fee is paid, or a date that is convenient for the system, such as the scheduled end date of system maintenance. In this case, a predetermined discount on the usage fee may be applied for convenience.

[0057] For option 350, which specifies a date, the user can enter any specific date in parameter entry field 351. For option 352, which specifies a remaining printable number of pages, the user can specify in parameter entry field 353 the point at which the service will be switched, based on the remaining printable number (considered the contract plan number minus the period printable number of pages). The date specification expires on the scheduled service switch date, and the specified printable number of pages becomes invalid after the scheduled service switch date has passed. For option 354, which specifies an immediate switch, the user can specify to skip the prepaid transition state and switch to the prepaid printing service immediately. When setting button 355 is pressed, the selected option is applied, and the specific service transition date is set. This completes the acceptance of the service switch application and the switch time, i.e., the acceptance of the switch reservation. Note that the display of the four options 349, 350, 352, and 354 is an example of a designation display, option 350 and parameter entry field 351 are an example of a date and time designation field, option 352 and parameter entry field 353 are an example of a print volume designation field, option 354 is an example of an immediate designation field, and option 349 is an example of an entrusted designation field.

[0058] Furthermore, once the acceptance of the switching reservation is completed and the contract status changes to the prepaid transition status, a printing service information screen 340B shown in FIG. 10 is displayed. The display of the printing service information screen 340B is an example of a screen display after a reservation. This printing service information screen 340B displays a display 341 of the printer 200 to be checked, a display 342B indicating the current contract status corresponding to the prepaid transition status, a circular gauge 343 and numerical value 344 indicating the number of prints per period, a display 345 of the contract plan number and the carryover number of prints, and a setting button 347 for setting the service transition time. The service transition time setting button 347 allows the user to change the service transition time for the service switching reservation. Pressing the setting button 347 displays a service transition time setting screen 340C shown in FIG. 9, allowing the user to re-set the service transition time as described above.

[0059] The display 342B showing the contract status indicates that the printing service being used at that time is a subscription, and also shows a description indicating the prepaid transition status (shown in the figure as "Prepaid switch reserved").

[0060] When the contract status is the prepaid status, a printing service information screen 340D shown in Fig. 11 is displayed. This printing service information screen 340D displays a display 341 of the printer 200 to be checked, a display 342D indicating that the contract status at that time is the prepaid status, a circular gauge 356 and a numerical value 357 indicating the number of printable sheets, and a button 358 for charging.

[0061] The contract status display 342D indicates that the printing service currently being used is prepaid.

[0062] The current number of printable sheets is displayed by a roughly annular circular gauge 356 and a numerical value 357. On the print service information screen 340D for the prepaid print service, the number of printable sheets is displayed in a decreasing display mode. In this display mode, the progress of the print volume is indicated by the decreasing length of the circular gauge 356 as the numerical value 357 decreases. In the example shown in FIG. 11 , the user has not yet charged by purchasing printing authorization, and the number of printable sheets at this time is 0. If the user presses button 358 at any time, the screen transitions to a procedure screen (not shown), allowing charging procedures including charging processing on the first server 100A and settlement processing on the transaction server 400. After charging, the number of printable sheets increases by the number of sheets charged under the applied charge plan, and is represented by the length of the circular gauge 356 together with the numerical value 357. When further printing is performed, the numerical value 357 of the number of printable sheets decreases, and the length of the circular gauge 356 decreases counterclockwise. The print service information screen 340D is an example of the first screen when a service is to be transferred.

[0063] In this embodiment, the printing service information screen 340B (see FIG. 10) that is displayed when the contract status is in the prepaid transition status does not display the charging procedure button 358, meaning that charging for the printable number of pages is not possible while the contract status is in the prepaid transition status. Therefore, charging is only possible after the contract status has actually switched to the prepaid printing service.

[0064] As described above, in this embodiment, depending on the contract status of the subscription execution status, the prepaid transition status, and the prepaid execution status, the corresponding print service information screens 340A, 340B, and 340D can be switched and displayed on the mobile terminal 300. This allows the user to clearly confirm the current contract status without confusion and to perform the required processing and procedures.

[0065] <Control Procedure> An example of a control procedure executed by the CPU 310 of the mobile terminal 300 to realize the above-described processing in this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 12. When the user performs an operation on the mobile terminal 300 to display a print service information screen, the flow in Fig. 12 is repeatedly executed.

[0066] First, in step S5, information on the current contract status is acquired, and in the next step S10, various information on each printing service at that time is acquired from the first server 100A, the second server 100B, and the printer 200. Then, in step S15, based on the acquired information, only basic information from the printing service information screen is displayed on the touch panel 340. Note that the basic information is information common to each contract status, such as the display 341 of the printer 200 to be checked.

[0067] Next, the process proceeds to step S20, where it is determined whether the contract state at that time is the subscription execution state shown in Fig. 7. If the contract state is the subscription execution state, the determination is satisfied (S20: YES), and the printing service information screen 340A shown in Fig. 8 is displayed in steps S25 to S35. In step S25, content 342 corresponding to the subscription execution state is displayed as the contract state at that time, and in step S30, a circular gauge 343 and a numerical value 344 relating to the number of sheets printed during the period are displayed, and in step S35, a service switching setting button 346 is displayed.

[0068] Next, the process proceeds to step S40, and when the service switching setting button 346 is pressed, the process proceeds to step S43. In step S43, the service transition time setting screen 340C shown in FIG. 9 is displayed to accept the service switching time. In step S45, the printing service is switched and the associated reservation is set, and the resulting information is registered in each of the servers 100A, 100B, the printer 200, and the mobile terminal 300. This flow then ends. If the service switching setting button 346 is not pressed in step S40 (step S40: No), this flow ends.

[0069] On the other hand, if the determination in step S20 above shows that the subscription is not in progress, the condition is not satisfied (S20: NO), and the process proceeds to step S50. In step S50, it is determined whether the current contract state is the prepaid transition state shown in Fig. 7. If the contract state is the prepaid transition state, the condition is satisfied (S50: YES), and in steps S55 to S65, the printing service information screen 340B, which is displayed when the contract state is the prepaid transition state shown in Fig. 10, is displayed. In step S55, content 342B corresponding to the prepaid transition state is displayed as the current contract state, and in step S60, a circular gauge 343 and a numerical value 344 relating to the number of prints per period are displayed, and in step S65, a service transition time setting button 347 is displayed.

[0070] Next, the flow proceeds to step S70, and if the service transition time setting button 347 is pressed, the flow proceeds to step S75. In step S75, the service transition time setting screen 340C is displayed, and a setting (resetting) to change the service transition time is performed, and the resulting information is registered in each of the servers 100A, 100B, the printer 200, and the mobile terminal 300. Then, this flow ends. If the setting button 347 is not pressed in step S70, the setting to change the service transition time is not performed, and this flow ends.

[0071] On the other hand, if the determination in step S50 above is that the card is not in the prepaid transition state, the determination is not satisfied (S50: NO), and printing service information screen 340D shown in Fig. 11 is displayed in steps S80 to S90. In step S80, content 342D corresponding to the prepaid execution state as the contract state at that time is displayed, and in step S85, a circular gauge 356 and a numerical value 357 relating to the number of printable sheets are displayed, and in step S90, a charge button 358 is displayed.

[0072] Next, the flow proceeds to step S95, and when the charge button 358 is pressed, the flow proceeds to step S100. In step S100, the charge procedure is carried out, and the resulting information is registered in each of the servers 100A, 100B, the printer 200, and the mobile terminal 300. Then, this flow ends. If the charge button 358 is not pressed in step S95, the charge procedure is not carried out, and this flow ends.

[0073] In the above, steps S40, S43 and S45 are examples of a switching reservation acceptance process and a switching reservation acceptance section, step S30 is an example of a service in-progress display process, steps S55, S60 and S65 are examples of a post-reservation display process, and steps S95 and S100 are examples of a purchase acceptance process.

[0074] <Effects of the First Embodiment> As described above, the mobile terminal 300 provided in the printing service providing system 1 of this embodiment can selectively execute a so-called prepaid printing service, which allows the number of printable sheets to be increased according to the number of sheets charged guaranteed by the purchase printing authority, and a so-called subscription printing service, which allows the number of printable sheets to be set according to the number of sheets in the contract plan guaranteed by the fixed-rate printing authority.

[0075] When switching between these two services, steps S40, S43, and S45 are executed on the mobile terminal 300. These steps accept the user's application to switch from the subscription printing service to the prepaid printing service and the user's designation of the timing of the switch, and the service switch is executed at the designated switching time.

[0076] According to this embodiment, the switch from the subscription printing service to the prepaid printing service is executed at the time designated by the user, and the current service before the switch is provided until the time of the switch. As a result, the user can continue paying the costs corresponding to the current service until the time of the switch, improving convenience.

[0077] Furthermore, particularly in this embodiment, when the subscription print service is provided, the mobile terminal 300 executes step S30, thereby displaying a print service information screen 340A including a circular gauge 343 and a numerical value 344. During the prepaid transition state, steps S55, S60, and S65 are executed, thereby displaying a print service information screen 340B.

[0078] According to this embodiment, even if the current service before the switch is being provided before the switch time specified by the user, the user can be notified and made aware that a reservation for the service switch has been made.

[0079] Furthermore, particularly in this embodiment, the display content before switching, including the circular gauge 343 and the numerical value 344, is maintained on the display of the print service information screen 340B. Since there is little difference from the display corresponding to the current service provision status before the switching reservation was made, the user does not feel any visual discomfort.

[0080] Furthermore, in this embodiment in particular, the user can specify the desired date and time or the desired number of printable sheets in the parameter entry fields 351, 353, thereby ensuring that the service switching is performed at the timing desired by the user.

[0081] In particular, in this embodiment, option 354 allows for immediate switching, thereby meeting the needs of users who desire quick switching, and option 349 allows for the timing of switching to be left to the operator, thereby eliminating the need for users to specify the timing of switching.

[0082] <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.

[0083] (1) Modification 1 of the Print Service Information Screen in the Prepaid Transition State In the first embodiment described above, the print service information screen 340B displayed on the mobile terminal 300 in the prepaid transition state was only a screen with display content similar to that of the print service information screen 340A in the subscription execution state. In contrast to this, in the prepaid transition state, for example, a print service information screen 340E corresponding to the subscription execution state as shown in FIG. 13(a) and a print service information screen 340F corresponding to the prepaid execution state as shown in FIG. 13(b) may be displayed in a switchable manner.

[0084] Specifically, printing service information screen 340E and printing service information screen 340F each display a display 341 of the printer 200 to be checked, a display 342B indicating that the current contract status is prepaid transition status, and a newly added switching button 359. Printing service information screen 340E displays a circular gauge 343 and numerical value 344 indicating the number of prints per period, a display 345 of the contract plan number and the number of carryover prints, and a setting button 347 for setting the service transition period. Printing service information screen 340F displays a circular gauge 356 and numerical value 357 indicating the number of prints available, and a button 358 for charging. Each time the user presses switching button 359, the printing service information screen 340E and printing service information screen 340F are alternately displayed.

[0085] In this example, the charge button 358 displayed on the printing service information screen 340F can be pressed, and the charge procedure for the printable number of pages, including the payment process, can be performed even in the prepaid transition state before switching to the prepaid printing service. The printable number added through this charge procedure can be used from the scheduled service switching date onwards.

[0086] As described above, in this modified example, the printing service information screen displayed in the prepaid transition state displays both display content including a circular gauge 343 and numerical value 344 indicating the number of sheets to be printed in the period before the switch, and display content including a circular gauge 356 and numerical value 357 indicating the number of sheets that can be printed after the switch. Because both a display corresponding to the current service provision state before the switch reservation is made and a display of the new service provision state to which the transition will occur after the switch are made are displayed, the user can be given information both before and after the switch.

[0087] Furthermore, in this modification, the print service information screen 340F allows the user to purchase the print authorization required when switching from the subscription print service to the prepaid print service beforehand, further improving convenience. It is also possible to complete the payment process associated with the purchase.

[0088] Furthermore, in this modified example in particular, the printing service information screen 340F displays a circular gauge 356 and a numerical value 357 indicating the number of prints that can be made according to the purchase of print authorization when switching to the prepaid printing service, thereby making it possible to notify the user in advance of the upper limit of printing that will be realized after the switch.

[0089] (2) Modification 2 of the Printing Service Information Screen in the Prepaid Transition State In the prepaid transition state, only the printing service information screen 340G corresponding to the prepaid execution state may be displayed, as shown in FIG. 14 . In this example, a setting button 347 for setting the service transition date is also displayed. In this example, the charge button 360 displayed on the printing service information screen 340G is grayed out, meaning that it cannot be pressed, and charging cannot be performed. The charge button 360 also displays a message indicating that charging is possible from the date of the service transition date ("2023 / 9 / 15" in the illustrated example).

[0090] 14, a circular gauge 356 and a numerical value 357 are displayed showing the number of printable sheets, which is increased by 10 to carry over the carryover print count when switching from the subscription printing service to the prepaid printing service. The printing service information screen 340G is an example of a third screen. According to this modified example, in the prepaid transition state, a new information screen 340G dedicated to the prepaid transition state is displayed, which is different from the information screen 340A for the subscription execution state or the information screen 340D for the prepaid execution state. This allows the user to reliably recognize that a reservation for switching services has been made.

[0091] In particular, in this modification, the purchase of print authorization, which is required when switching from a subscription print service to a prepaid print service, is not permitted before the switch, thereby preventing the incurrence of additional financial burdens for the service after the switch. Note that the charge button 360 displayed on the print service information screen 340G in this prepaid transition state may also be made pressable to allow charging.

[0092] In particular, in this modification, the time when purchase of purchase printing authority becomes possible is displayed within the charge button 360. In this way, if the user is prohibited from purchasing purchase printing authority before switching to the prepaid printing service, it is possible to clearly indicate to the user the time when such purchase will become possible again.

[0093] In particular, in this modification, the number of printable pages in the subscription printing service before the switch is subtracted, and the number of printable pages corresponding to the subtracted number is added to the number of printable pages in the prepaid printing service after the switch. According to this modification, even when the printing service is switched, the remaining number of printable pages used in the service before the switch can be carried over and used in the next service after the switch.

[0094] Second Embodiment A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0095] This embodiment describes the case where a reservation is made to switch from a prepaid printing service to a subscription printing service, and descriptions of configurations and processes equivalent to those in the first embodiment will be omitted where appropriate. In this embodiment, a reservation to switch to a subscription printing service can be made in the prepaid execution state. Note that this switching from a prepaid printing service to a subscription printing service is an example of switching to the second service.

[0096] In this case, when the prepaid status is reached, the mobile terminal 300 displays an information screen (not shown) in which a service switching setting button 346 is added to the printing service information screen 340D shown in FIG. 11 . Then, after the switching reservation is made and before the switching time, the subscription transition state is reached, and at this time, the printing service information screen 340H shown in FIG. 15 is displayed. This printing service information screen 340H displays a display 341 of the printer 200 to be checked, a display 342H indicating that the current contract status corresponds to the subscription transition state, a circular gauge 356 and numerical value 357 indicating the number of printable sheets, a button 358 for charging, and a button 347 for setting the service transition time. The circular gauge 356 indicating the number of printable sheets is an example of a first print volume display object, the display mode of this circular gauge 356 is an example of a first mode, and the printing service information screen 340H is an example of a first screen.

[0097] In this example, the charge button 358 displayed on the print service information screen 340H can be pressed, allowing the procedure for charging the printable number of sheets, including payment processing, to be performed even in the subscription transition state before switching to the subscription print service. However, it may also be grayed out and inoperable, like the charge button 360 in Figure 14 above. In particular, if the remaining printable number is more than a predetermined number, this grayed-out display can prevent the remaining printable number from becoming excessive when the service transitions.

[0098] As described above, according to this embodiment, the switch from the prepaid printing service to the subscription printing service is executed at the time designated by the user, and the current service before the switch is provided until the time of the switch. As a result, the user can continue paying the costs corresponding to the current service until the time of the switch, improving convenience.

[0099] In the above embodiments, the display of the print service information screen, the service switching reservation, and the setting of the switching time were performed by the mobile terminal 300. Alternatively, similar display and processing may be performed by each of the servers 100A, 100B or the printer 200. In this case, the device that executes the processing acquires the information necessary for the processing, generates and transmits / receives the print service information screen, and performs various procedural processing. In this case, each of the servers 100A, 100B and the printer 200 is an example of a service switching management device.

[0100] When each server 100A, 100B is operated as an example of a service switching management device, for example, page data is transmitted from each server 100A, 100B to the mobile terminal 300 for each processing step. The mobile terminal 300 displays the page data on the touch panel 340 via the browser. The contents of user operations on the touch panel 340 are then transmitted to each server 100A, 100B via the browser.

[0101] When the printer 200 is operated as an example of a service switching management device, for example, an embedded web server (EWS) is installed in the printer 200, and the printer 200 is controlled using the browser of the mobile terminal 300 in the same manner as when each of the servers 100A and 100B is operated as an example of a service switching management device.

[0102] Furthermore, a single device does not necessarily have to operate as the service switching management device, and a print service switching system may be configured by a plurality of devices, including the servers 100A, 100B, the printer 200, the mobile terminal 300, and other devices.

[0103] Furthermore, in the above, the flowchart shown in Figure 12 does not limit the present invention to the procedures shown in the flowchart, 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.

[0104] In addition to the above, the methods according to the above embodiments and modifications may be used in appropriate combination.

[0105] Although not specifically illustrated, the present invention can be implemented with various modifications within the scope of the invention.

[0106] 1 Print service providing system (an example of a print service switching system) 100A First server (an example of a service providing server, a service switching management device) 100B Second server (an example of a service providing server, a service switching management device) 200 Printer (an example of a printing device, a service switching management device) 300 Mobile terminal (an example of a service switching management device) 340A Print service information screen (an example of a second screen) 340B Print service information screen (an example of a post-reservation screen) 340D Print service information screen (an example of a first screen) 340E Print service information screen (an example of a post-reservation screen) 340F Print service information screen (an example of a post-reservation screen) 340G Print service information screen (an example of a post-reservation screen) 340H Print service information screen (an example of a post-reservation screen) 343 Circular gauge (an example of a second print amount display object) 356 Circular gauge (an example of a first print amount display object) 400 Transaction server NT Network

Claims

1. A service switching management device that manages switching of printing services for a printing system that includes a service providing server and a printing device, wherein the printing system is configured to be able to execute a first service in which a first allowable printing volume, which is an upper limit when the printing device prints an image on a sheet, can be increased according to a first guaranteed printing volume guaranteed by a purchased printing authority purchased based on a user's purchase request, and a second service in which a second allowable printing volume, which is an upper limit when the printing device prints an image on a sheet, can be set according to a second guaranteed printing volume guaranteed by a fixed-rate printing authority granted for a predetermined period based on a fixed-rate payment contract of the user, and the service switching management device is configured to execute a switching reservation acceptance process that accepts an application for switching from providing the first service to providing the second service, or from providing the second service to providing the first service, and the timing of the switching.

2. The service switching management device of claim 1 is further configured to execute an in-service display process, when the switching reservation acceptance process for the first service switching or the second service switching has not been performed, for displaying a first screen including a first print volume display object showing the progress of the print volume in a first manner when the first service is provided, and for displaying a second screen including a second print volume display object showing the progress of the print volume in a second manner different from the first manner when the second service is provided; and a post-reservation display process, for displaying a post-reservation screen during a switching reservation period until the switching time after the switching reservation acceptance process for the first service switching or the second service switching.

3. A service switching management device as described in claim 2, wherein the post-reservation screen display is a display including the second printing volume display object before the switching in the first service switching before the switching reservation acceptance process, or a display including the first printing volume display object before the switching in the second service switching before the switching reservation acceptance process.

4. A service switching management device according to claim 2, wherein the post-reservation screen display uses a display including the second print volume display object and a display including the first print volume display object in combination.

5. A service switching management device according to claim 2, wherein the post-reservation screen display is a third screen display dedicated to the switching reservation period, different from the first screen and the second screen.

6. A service switching management device as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the switching reservation acceptance process displays a designation display for designating the switching time, and the designation display includes at least one of a date and time designation field for designating the desired switching time based on a date and time, and a printing volume designation field for designating the desired switching time based on the value of the first allowable printing volume or the second allowable printing volume.

7. A service switching management device as described in claim 6, wherein the designation display includes at least one of an immediate designation field for requesting immediate switching, and a discretionary designation field for leaving the timing of switching to the discretion of the operator of the printing service.

8. The service switching management device of claim 2, further configured to: execute a purchase acceptance process to accept the purchase of the purchase printing authority on the post-reservation screen display when the switching reservation acceptance process for the first service switching has been performed.

9. The service switching management device of claim 8, configured to, after accepting the purchase of the purchased printing authority in the purchase acceptance process, display the first allowable printing volume to which the corresponding first guaranteed printing volume has been added on the post-reservation screen display.

10. The service switching management device of claim 2, wherein when the switching reservation acceptance process for the first service switching is performed, the service switching management device is configured not to accept the purchase of the purchased printing authority during the switching reservation period.

11. The service switching management device according to claim 10, wherein the service switching management device is configured to display, on the post-reservation screen display, a time when the purchase printing authority will be available for purchase.

12. The service switching management device of claim 1, further configured to execute a print volume handover process in which, when the second service switching is executed upon the arrival of the switching period, the first permissible print volume is subtracted and an additional amount corresponding to the subtracted amount is added to the second permissible print volume, or, when the first service switching is executed upon the arrival of the switching period, the second permissible print volume is subtracted and an additional amount corresponding to the subtracted amount is added to the first permissible print volume.

13. A printing service switching system comprising a service providing server and a printing device, and configured to execute a first service in which a first allowable printing volume, which is the upper limit when the printing device prints an image on a sheet, can be increased according to a first guaranteed printing volume guaranteed by a purchased printing authority purchased based on a user's purchase request, and a second service in which a second allowable printing volume, which is the upper limit when the printing device prints an image on a sheet, can be set according to a second guaranteed printing volume guaranteed by a fixed-rate printing authority granted for a specified period based on a fixed-rate contract by the user, the printing service switching system having a switching reservation receiving unit that receives an application for switching from providing the first service to providing the second service, or from providing the second service to providing the first service, and the timing of the switching.

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