MFP Billing Management via Automatic Department Authentication
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current billing management methods for image forming apparatuses, such as MFPs, lack fairness in charging when document data is printed across departments, as they require complex operations to designate billing destinations and may incorrectly charge for undesired printing operations.
Innovation Solution
An image forming apparatus with an input unit for document data, a registration unit, and a request unit that allows for simple operation of managing billing by accepting commands, authenticating departments, and registering document data with designated billing information, ensuring accurate billing to the appropriate department.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If information for designation of billing destination is added to document data before distribution, then billing can be issued to the correct department, but the operation at the time of issuing the request becomes complicated
Solution Approach 1:
The image forming apparatus automatically determines the billing destination based on the department that issued the request, without requiring manual addition of billing information by the user. The system serves itself by automatically attaching the correct billing department information when the print request is processed.
Solution Approach 2:
The billing destination information is pre-configured in the system before the print request is made. When a request is issued, the system automatically retrieves and attaches the appropriate billing information based on the requesting department, eliminating the need for manual designation at the time of printing.
2Measurement precision
If document data is printed out in the sales department with added billing information, then billing can be issued to the general affairs department, but billing for undesired printing operations is also issued to the general affairs department
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides feedback by automatically checking and confirming the billing destination information when a print request is processed. The image forming apparatus verifies that the billing information attached to the document data matches the requesting department, and only issues billing to the correct department based on this feedback verification.
Solution Approach 2:
The billing determination is made dynamic based on the actual requesting department at the time of the print request, rather than using static pre-assigned billing information. The system adapts the billing destination based on who is currently issuing the request, allowing for flexible and accurate billing that prevents undesired billing scenarios.
3Device complexity
If billing is issued to the department that owns the image forming apparatus, then billing management is simple, but fairness is lost when document data is printed across departments
Solution Approach 1:
The image forming apparatus acts as an intermediary between the document creation department and the printing department. It automatically mediates the billing process by determining the correct billing destination based on the requesting department, rather than simply charging the department that owns the printing apparatus or the department that receives the printed documents.
Data Source
AI summary
Upon registration of such document data that a general affairs department issues a request to print out the document data to a sales department, the document data is registered in a billing management box designated as a registration destination in an MFP allocated to the sales department. The MFP adds a department ID of the general affairs department which is authentication information at this operation, as billing destination information, to the document data. When the general affairs department sets an upper limit of printout of the print data, an upper limit value counter is added to the document data. When the general affairs department issues a request of notification, a fact that the document data is registered is displayed on a panel of the MFP allocated to the sales department; thus, the sales department receives the notification.