JP5245599B2 - Image forming system and control method thereof, image forming apparatus, information processing apparatus, program, and recording medium - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for restricting use of an image forming apparatus such as a printer or a multifunction peripheral (MFP), and more specifically, an image forming system capable of restricting use of an image forming apparatus, a control method thereof, and image formation The present invention relates to an apparatus, an information processing apparatus, a program, and a recording medium.

  In recent years, image forming apparatuses that can be connected to a network have become widespread, and in a corporate office or the like, a plurality of image forming apparatuses are connected to the network and are shared by a plurality of users.

  In such a case, if the use of the image forming apparatus is freely left to each user, for example, the image forming apparatus may be occupied by some users who perform mass printing, and the use of other users may be hindered. . In addition, when using these devices, there is a running cost (for example, expenses for consumables such as paper, toner, ink, etc.). Since the amount varies, unfairness occurs between users. For such problems, the usage status of the image forming apparatus by each user is grasped, and charging is performed according to the usage status. For users whose usage amount reaches a certain upper limit value, the usage of the device There is known a printing system that restricts (rejects) printing.

  In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-48165, when print data is received, it is checked whether there is a user ID in its header, and if there is no print data, it is determined that the user does not have the right to use the printer. After outputting the discard information, the received print data is discarded. When there is a user ID, it is checked whether the same user ID as that user ID is registered in advance. If it is not registered, use of the printer is prohibited. A printer that discards print data after outputting print data discard information is disclosed.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-185474 discloses a connection between a first network to which a job issuing device is connected and a second network to which a printer is connected, and from the job issuing device through the first network. Analyzing the received job and extracting the user identification code and the like, and determining whether the extracted user identification code is registered in advance, and when it is not registered, If the job is rejected and registered, the user or the group to which the user belongs will further exceed the limit by determining whether the cumulative fee exceeds the predetermined limit. In this case, a print management apparatus including an authentication unit that refuses to accept a job is disclosed.

  Japanese Patent No. 3875608 discloses a print network in which a plurality of client terminals, a plurality of printer apparatuses, and a print restriction server for restricting printing are connected to each other, and a plurality of print networks can be connected via a line. A network-compatible printing system comprising an authentication server is disclosed.

However, when the above-described usage restriction method is applied to a printing system used in a general office environment, a user who reaches a certain upper limit cannot use all the image forming apparatuses, and printing is not performed at all. There was a possibility that the business could be hindered because it could not be performed. Further, in an image forming system including a multi-function machine having a plurality of types of image forming functions such as a printer, a copy, a FAX transmission, and a scanner, the use of each function can be restricted in addition to the use restriction for each device. Therefore, application of a more detailed usage restriction method has been desired.
JP 9-48165 A JP-A-9-185474 Japanese Patent No. 3875608

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and the present invention provides an image forming system and a control method thereof, an image forming apparatus capable of restricting the use of the image forming apparatus in a more detailed manner with respect to the user of the image forming apparatus, An object is to provide a management device, a program, and a recording medium.

  As a result of earnestly examining the image forming system that can restrict the use of the user of the image forming apparatus in a more detailed manner, the inventor tabulated for each user in the image forming system including a plurality of image forming apparatuses. The counter information relating to the image forming process in each image forming apparatus is compared with the upper limit value set for each device group obtained by classifying the plurality of image forming apparatuses, and the upper limit value is determined for a user exceeding the upper limit value. The present invention has been conceived by conceiving a configuration for updating the usage restriction information of the image forming apparatuses belonging to the set device groups.

  The image forming system of the present invention includes a plurality of image forming apparatuses and a management apparatus that manages user usage restrictions on the image forming apparatuses. In the present invention, means for holding / managing counter information for each user and means for holding / managing usage restriction information for each image forming apparatus for each user can be provided for each image forming apparatus. The side can also hold and manage them collectively.

  Furthermore, in the present invention, the counter information is aggregated for each user group into which the users are classified, so that the use can be restricted on a user group basis. By storing and managing a plurality of types of image forming functions such as printer, copy, FAX transmission, and scanner executed by the forming apparatus for each function group, the use of the user can be restricted in units of functions.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below. First, the present invention will be described below with an embodiment in which each image forming apparatus includes means for holding / managing counter information for each user and means for holding / managing usage restriction information regarding each image forming apparatus for each user. .

  FIG. 1 shows an image forming system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming system 100 includes a plurality of (two in the example of FIG. 1) client PCs 110, a plurality of (two in the example of FIG. 1) printers 120, and a management device 130. Each is connected to a network 190 such as a LAN. In the image forming system 100, a plurality of printers 120 are shared by a plurality of client PCs 110 (a plurality of users using the same).

  The client PC 110 is an information processing apparatus that is used by a user to create a document to be printed by each printer 120 or to instruct the printing of the created document. The client PC 110 is configured by, for example, a personal computer or other computer, and includes a central processing unit (CPU), a memory (ROM and RAM), an external storage device (for example, a hard disk device and an optical disk device), and various interface units (for example, a network interface). Part), a display device (for example, a CRT display or a liquid crystal display), an input device (for example, a keyboard or a mouse), and the like. When the execution of printing is instructed by the user, the client PC 110 generates print data from a document or the like instructed to print, and transmits the generated print data or the like as a print job to the printer 120 designated as the output destination. To do. Note that the print job includes user identification information (for example, a user identification number described later) for identifying the user who has instructed printing.

  The printer 120 is an image forming apparatus that receives a print job sent via the network 190 and performs output on a sheet according to print data included in the received print job. The printer 120 includes, for example, an electrophotographic or inkjet print engine, a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, a non-volatile memory (for example, NVRAM), various interface units (for example, an NVRAM), as in a normal network-compatible printer or multifunction device. Network interface part). The printer 120 counts the number of printed sheets and the number of document pages (number of printed sheets) when performing printing instructed by the print job, and accumulates the count value (counter information) for each user. Manage.

The management device 130 is an information processing device that manages the image forming system 100 and restricts the use of each printer 120 according to the usage status of each user, for example. The management device 130 is configured by, for example, a personal computer or other computer, and includes a central processing unit (CPU), a memory (ROM and RAM), an external storage device (for example, a hard disk device and an optical disk device), and various interface units (for example, a network). Interface unit), a display device (for example, a CRT display or a liquid crystal display), an input device (for example, a keyboard or a mouse), and the like.
<< first embodiment >>
In the following, an embodiment in which the management apparatus 130 first counts the number of printed sheets of each user who uses the image forming system 100 and restricts (denies) the use of each printer 120 for each user (first embodiment). Will be described.

  In this embodiment, the plurality of printers 120 included in the image forming system 100 are classified into a plurality of device groups according to their performance, and an upper limit value (counter upper limit value) for the number of printed sheets is set for each device group. More specifically, three device groups of “high performance device”, “medium performance device”, and “low performance device” are provided, and each printer 120 is classified into one of the above three device groups depending on its performance. For example, a smaller counter upper limit value is set for the printer 120 belonging to the “high performance device” group, and a slightly larger counter upper limit value is set for the printer 120 belonging to the “medium performance device” group. For the printer 120 belonging to the “low performance device” group, the counter upper limit value is not set.

  In this way, by setting a smaller counter upper limit value for high-performance printers, it is possible to prevent high-performance printers from being occupied by some users while using low-performance printers. By not limiting the above, the minimum necessary use is ensured even for users who use a large amount.

  Note that, as a standard performance when providing a device group, for example, the number of printable sheets per unit time can be considered. In addition, when the printers 120 are classified into “high performance devices”, “medium performance devices”, and “low performance devices”, additional functions such as a color printing function may be considered. For example, it is conceivable to classify a device having an additional function as a “high performance device” and a device having no additional function as a “low performance device”.

  FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of the functional configuration of the printer 120 and the management apparatus 130. As shown in FIG. 2, the printer 120 includes a print control unit 121, a print processing unit 122, a counter unit 123, and a print information holding unit 124.

  The print control unit 121 receives a print job via the network 190 and controls print output according to the received print job. For example, as described later, it is determined whether or not to permit execution of a print job according to the print permission / rejection information held in the print information holding unit 124. The print processing unit 122 includes a print queue for storing the received print job. The print processing unit 122 is an image forming unit that forms an image corresponding to print data included in a print job received and permitted by the print control unit 121 and outputs the image on a sheet.

  The counter unit 123 counts the number of printed sheets (for example, the number of sheets and the number of document pages) printed by the print processing unit 122. The count value (counter information) counted by the counter unit 123 is notified to the print information holding unit 124. The print information holding unit 124 holds and manages information related to printing in the printer 120. More specifically, the print information holding unit 124 holds and manages counter information notified from the counter unit 123 for each user and manages the counter information. The print permission / rejection information set by the apparatus 130 is held and managed for each user. In order to hold these pieces of information, the print information holding unit 124 includes a print information table.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a print information table. The print information table is a table that holds the number of prints (counter information) of each user and print permission / rejection information indicating whether or not printing is permitted. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the print information table 300 includes a “user number” field 301, a “user name” field 302, a “number of printed sheets” field 303, and a “print permission / denial information” field 304. A “user number” field 301 stores a number (user identification number) for identifying each user, a “user name” field 302 stores a user name of each user, and a “print number” field. The number of prints up to the present time for each user is stored in 303, and the “print permission / denial information” field 304 is information indicating whether printing is permitted or rejected for each user (for example, “OK” or “NO”). ) Is stored.

  In the example shown in FIG. 3, the number of prints up to the present time for user 1 (user No. = 1, user name = yamada) is “40”, and user 1 is allowed to print. (User No. = 2, user name = kanda), the number of prints up to now is “100”, indicating that printing by user 2 is rejected.

  In this embodiment, the counter information and the print permission / rejection information are held in the same table. However, the table (counter information table) that holds the counter information of each user and the print permission / rejection information of each user are held. A table (print permission / denial information table) may be provided separately.

  In the printer 120, when the print job received from the client PC 110 is executed, the number of prints is counted by the counter unit 123. After the print job is finished, the “print number” field 303 of the print information table 300 is displayed by the print information holding unit 124. Is updated. That is, the value currently stored in the “print number” field 303 of the corresponding user is read, and the value counted this time is added to the read value, and the addition result is written in the “print number” field 303. Returned.

  In the printer 120, when a change in the print permission information is instructed from the management device 130, the “print permission information” field 304 of the print information table 300 is updated by the print information holding unit 124. For example, the print permission / rejection information stored in the “print permission / rejection information” field 304 of the corresponding user is changed from “permitted” to “not permitted”.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, the management apparatus 130 includes a counter information collection unit 131, a counter information totaling unit 132, a use restriction necessity determination unit 133, a device setting unit 134, and a management information holding unit 135. Prepare.

  The counter information collection unit 131 circulates each printer 120 included in the image forming system 100 and collects counter information (the number of printed sheets of each user) held by each printer 120.

  The counter information totaling unit 132 totals the counter information collected by the counter information collecting unit 131 for each user. That is, the total number of prints in the entire image forming system 100 is totaled for each user.

  The use restriction necessity determination unit 133 determines whether or not it is necessary to restrict the use of each printer 120 for each user, and the total number of prints for each user counted by the counter information totaling unit 132 is calculated. It is necessary to limit the use of the printer 120 belonging to each device group for each user by monitoring and comparing the total number of printed sheets and the counter upper limit value for each device group held in the management information holding unit 135. Determine whether or not. The determination result by the use restriction necessity determination unit 133 is notified to the device setting unit 134.

  The device setting unit 134 performs necessary settings for each printer 120. For example, each device 120 belonging to a device group that is determined to have its use restricted by the use restriction necessity determining unit 133 is used. On the other hand, the user is instructed to change the use permission / refusal information so as to refuse the use of the corresponding user.

  The management information holding unit 135 holds and manages information necessary for the management apparatus 130 to manage the image forming system 100. More specifically, information (device group information) regarding device groups in which the printers 120 included in the image forming system 100 are classified according to their performance, information (device information) regarding each printer 120 included in the image forming system 100, and an image Information about the number of printed sheets (number of printed sheets information) printed by each user in the forming system 100 is held and managed. The management information holding unit 135 includes a device group information table, a device information table, and a print number management table in order to hold these pieces of information.

  FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of the device group information table. The device group information table holds device group information. More specifically, the device group information table holds counter upper limit values set for each device group. The counter upper limit value is an upper limit value of the total number of printed sheets of each user in the entire image forming system 100. A user who has reached the counter upper limit value of the total number of printed sheets in the entire image forming system 100 has the counter upper limit value. Use of each printer 120 belonging to the set device group is restricted (for example, denied).

  As illustrated in FIG. 4, the device group information table 400 is a table that holds the counter upper limit value of each device group, and includes a “No.” field 401, a “device group name” field 402, and an “upper limit value” field. 403.

  A “No.” field 401 stores a number for identifying each row (record) constituting the device group information table 400, and a “device group name” field 402 stores a device group assigned to each device group. The “upper limit value” field 403 stores the counter upper limit value assigned to each device group.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, for the printer 120 belonging to the device group “high performance device”, the counter upper limit value is set to “100”, and for the printer 120 belonging to the device group “medium performance device”, The counter upper limit value is set to “300”, which indicates that the counter upper limit value is not set for the printer 120 belonging to the device group “low performance device”.

  In this case, the counter upper limit value is set for the high-performance device and the medium-performance device, and the counter upper limit value is not set for the low-performance device. Therefore, a user with a large amount of use occupies the printer 120 having high performance. Even when the high-performance printer 120 reaches the counter upper limit value and cannot be used, the printing with the low-performance printer 120 can be secured.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an embodiment of the device information table. The device information table is a table that holds information regarding each printer 120.

  As illustrated in FIG. 5, the device information table 500 includes a “No.” field 501, a “device name” field 502, an “IP address” field 503, and a “device group name” field 504. A “No.” field 501 stores a number for identifying each row (record) constituting the device information table 500, and a “device name” field 502 stores a device name assigned to each printer 120. The “IP address” field 503 stores the IP address assigned to each printer 120, and the “device group name” field 504 stores the name of the device group to which each printer 120 belongs.

In the example shown in FIG. 5, the device name “MFP model550”
The printer 120 to which (1) ”is assigned has an IP address“ 192.168.8.110 ”, belongs to the device group“ high performance device ”, and has the device name“ MFP model550 ”.
The printer 120 to which (2) ”is assigned has an IP address of“ 192.168.8.111 ”, belongs to the device group“ high performance device ”, and has the device name“ MFP model300 ”
The printer 120 to which (1) ”is assigned has an IP address of“ 192.168.8.112 ”, belongs to the device group“ medium performance device ”, and has the device name“ MFP model300
The printer 120 to which (2) ”is assigned has the IP address“ 192.168.8.113 ”, belongs to the device group“ medium performance device ”, and the printer 120 to which the device name“ LP (1) ”is assigned is The IP address is “192.168.8.114”, indicating that it belongs to the device group “low performance device”.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of the print number management table. The print number management table 600 is a table for managing the total print number of each user up to now in the entire image forming system 100. As shown in FIG. 6, the print number management table 600 includes a “user No.” field 601. , A “user name” field 602 and a “print number” field 603 are provided. A “user number” field 601 stores a number (user identification number) for identifying each user, a “user name” field 602 stores a user name of each user, and a “print number” field. 603 stores the total number of printed sheets of each user up to now.

  In the example shown in FIG. 6, the total number of prints up to the present time for user 1 (user No. = 1, user name = yamada) is “80”, and user 2 (user No. = 2, user name = kanda). It is indicated that the total number of printed sheets up to now is “240”.

  Next, operations of the printer 120 and the management apparatus 130 having the above-described configurations will be described. FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the printer 120.

  As shown in FIG. 7, in step S701, when the printer 120 receives a print job via the network 190, in step S702, the print control unit 121 causes the user identification information (user identification number) included in the print job to be received. Is used to refer to the print information table 300 to obtain print permission / inhibition information corresponding to the user identification information and determine whether or not printing by the user who has instructed printing is permitted.

  If the result of determination in step S702 is that printing by the user who has instructed printing is not permitted (S702: No), the processing ends without executing printing. Even when the user identification information included in the print job is not registered in the print information table 300, the process ends without executing printing.

  On the other hand, if the result of determination in step S702 is that printing by the user who has instructed printing is permitted (S702: Yes), the print processing unit 122 executes the print job in step S703. That is, an image corresponding to the print data included in the print job is formed and output on a sheet. At this time, the counter unit 123 counts the number of printed sheets. When the execution of the print job is completed, the print information holding unit 124 updates the print information table 300 using the number of prints notified from the counter unit 123 in step S704. That is, the number of prints of the corresponding user stored in the print information table 300 is read, the number of prints notified from the counter unit 123 is added to the read number of prints, and the addition result is written in the print information table 300. return. When the update of the print information table 300 is completed, the process ends.

  Note that when a new print job is received from the client PC 110 during the above processing, the print job is placed in a print queue included in the print control unit 121. When the above process is completed, the print job at the head of the print queue is sequentially taken out from the print queue, and the above-described processes S702 to S704 are executed for the print job.

  Next, the operation of the management apparatus 130 will be described from the outline of the operation of the management apparatus 130 first.

  The management device 130 periodically circulates each printer 120 included in the image forming system 100, collects the number of printed sheets (counter information) of each user held by each printer 120, and stores the current number in the image forming system 100. The total number of prints up to is totaled for each user.

  Next, the management device 130 compares the counter upper limit value set for each device group with the total number of prints of each user so far, and for users whose total print number exceeds the counter upper limit value, In order to restrict (reject) the use of each printer 120 belonging to the device group for which the counter upper limit value is set, the print permission information held by the printer 120 is changed.

  Next, details of the operation of the management apparatus 130 will be described. FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the management apparatus 130. The processing shown in FIG. 8 is periodically executed by the management apparatus 130.

  As shown in FIG. 8, in the management apparatus 130, first, in step S <b> 801, the counter information collection unit 131 circulates each printer 120 and acquires the number of printed sheets (counter information) of each user from each printer 120. . For example, the counter information collection unit 131 sequentially transmits a counter information acquisition request to each printer 120 registered in the device information table 500, and is transmitted from each printer 120 in response to the counter information acquisition request. Receive counter information. Each printer 120 that has received the counter information acquisition request from the management apparatus 130 transmits the number of prints of each user held in its print information table 300 to the management apparatus 130 as counter information.

  As described above, when the collection of the counter information from each printer 120 is completed, the counter information totaling unit 132 totals the collected counter information for each user in step S802. That is, the total number of printed sheets of each user in the entire image forming system 100 is totaled. For all the printers 120 included in the image forming system 100, the total number of printed sheets for each user is stored in the “number of printed sheets” field 603 of the printed number management table 600.

  In step S <b> 803, the use restriction necessity determination unit 133 determines whether there is a user who needs to restrict printing for each printer 120 with reference to the tabulation result for each user. That is, the printer 120 to be processed is selected from the printers 120 registered in the device information table 500, and the counter upper limit value set for the device group to which the selected processing target printer 120 belongs is set as the device upper limit value. It is obtained from the group information table 400, and the counter upper limit value is compared with the total print number of each user, and it is determined that printing needs to be restricted for users whose total print number exceeds the counter upper limit value.

  As a result of the determination in step S803, if there is a user who needs printing restriction (S803: Yes), in step S804, the device setting unit 134 restricts (rejects) the use of the processing target printer 120 of the user. Therefore, the print permission information of the user in the print information table 300 held by the processing target printer 120 is changed from “permitted” to “not permitted”. For example, the device setting unit 134 transmits a print permission / denial information change request to the processing target printer 120 via the network 190. When the processing target printer 120 receives the print permission information change request, the print information holding unit 124 changes the print permission information of the corresponding user in the print information table 300 from “permitted” to “not permitted”.

  When the process in step S804 is ended or, as a result of the determination in step S803, if there is no user who needs printing restriction (S803: No), the use restriction necessity determination unit 133 is performed in step S805. However, if there is an unprocessed printer, and if there is an unprocessed printer (S805: Yes), the next printer 120 to be processed is selected from the unprocessed printers 120 registered in the device information table 500. select. Then, the processes of steps S803 to S804 described above are repeated for the selected processing target printer 120. On the other hand, if there is no unprocessed printer (S805: No), that is, if the processing is completed for all the printers 120, the processing is terminated.

  As described above, the use of each printer 120 by each user is restricted according to the usage status of each printer 120 by each user. For example, even if a user who performs mass printing initially uses a high-performance device, the high-performance device cannot be used when a certain amount of printing is performed. The medium performance device must be used, and the medium performance device becomes unusable when a certain amount or more of printing is performed. Finally, only the low performance device can be used. Therefore, for the high-performance printer 120, it is possible to minimize the influence of mass printing by some users on other users. On the other hand, the use of a low-performance device for a user who performs mass printing is not limited, so that the minimum necessary use is ensured.

That is, according to the above-described embodiment, the range of printers that can be used by each user can be limited according to the usage amount of each user. It is possible to prevent the use of other users from being hindered without completely eliminating the use of users who use a large amount.
<< Second Embodiment >>
Next, another embodiment (second embodiment) of the present invention will be described. Below, a different part from 1st embodiment is mainly demonstrated.

  In the above-described embodiment, the total number of printed sheets for each user in the entire image forming system 100 is totaled, and a user whose count exceeds the counter upper limit set for each device group belongs to the device group. Although the use of the printer 120 is restricted (rejected), in the second embodiment, first, after classifying each user into a plurality of user groups, the number of prints is totaled for each user group, The usage status of the printer is grasped for each user group. If the count result for each user group exceeds the counter upper limit value set for each device group, the use of the printer belonging to the device group is restricted (rejected) for all users belonging to the user group. .

  Examples of user groups include a group that forms a company organization such as a department and a section, and a group that is based on a position or role in the company organization.

  The functional configurations of the printer 120 and the management apparatus 130 in the second embodiment are the same as those in the first embodiment shown in FIG.

  However, in the second embodiment, the counter information totaling unit 132 of the management apparatus 130 totals counter information for each user group, and the usage restriction necessity determining unit 133 uses each printer 120 for each user group. It is determined whether or not it is necessary to limit. Therefore, in the second embodiment, the management information holding unit 135 includes a user group information table. Further, the print number management table provided in the management information holding unit 135 holds information indicating a user group to which each user belongs.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a user group information table. The user group information table is a table that holds information about user groups. As shown in FIG. 9, the user group information table 900 includes a “No.” field 901, a “user group name” field 902, a “parent group” field 903, and a “print number” field 904.

  The “No.” field 901 stores a number for identifying each row (record) constituting the user group information table 900, and the “user group name” field 902 stores the user group assigned to each user group. The “parent group” field 903 stores information (for example, user group name) indicating an upper user group including each user group, and the “print number” field 904 stores each user group. Is stored.

  In the example shown in FIG. 9, the parent group of the user group “Sales Department” does not exist, the total number of printed sheets up to now is not counted, and the parent group of the user group “Sales Section 1” is “Sales”. The total number of prints to date is “80”, the parent group of the user group “Sales Section 2” is “Sales Department”, and the total number of prints to date is “780”. It is shown.

  FIG. 10 shows an embodiment of a print number management table in the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 10, the print number management table 1000 includes a “user number” field 1001, a “user name” field 1002, an “affiliation group” field 1003, and a “print number” field 1004. The “user number” field 1001 stores a number (user identification number) for identifying each user, the “user name” field 1002 stores the user name of each user, and the “affiliation group” field. Information indicating a user group to which each user belongs (for example, a user group name) is stored in 1003, and the total number of printed sheets up to the present time of each user is stored in a “print number” field 1004.

  In the example shown in FIG. 10, the group to which user 1 (user No. = 1, user name = yamada) belongs is “Sales 1 Section”, the total number of prints up to now is “80”, and User 2 (User No. = 2, user name = kanda) belongs to “Sales 2 Division”, the total number of prints up to now is “240”, and user 3 (user No. = 3, user name = suzuki) belongs to It is indicated that the group is “Sales Section 2” and the total number of prints to date is “540”.

  Next, the operation of the management apparatus 130 in the second embodiment will be described. Since the operation of the printer 120 is the same as that of the first embodiment, a description thereof will be omitted. First, the outline | summary of operation | movement of the management apparatus 130 in 2nd embodiment is demonstrated. The management device 130 periodically visits each printer 120 included in the image forming system 100, collects the number of printed sheets (counter information) of each user held in each printer 120, and The total number of printed sheets is totaled for each user group.

  Next, the management apparatus 130 compares the counter upper limit value set for each device group with the total print number of each user group, and belongs to the user group whose total print number exceeds the counter upper limit value. For the user who is, the print permission information held by the printer 120 is changed in order to restrict (reject) use of each printer 120 belonging to the device group for which the counter upper limit value is set.

  Next, details of the operation of the management apparatus 130 in the second embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the management apparatus 130 in the second embodiment. The process shown in FIG. 11 is periodically executed by the management device 130.

  As shown in FIG. 11, in the management apparatus 130, first, in step S <b> 1101, the counter information collection unit 131 circulates each printer 120 and acquires the number of printed sheets (counter information) for each user from each printer 120. . For example, the counter information collection unit 131 sequentially transmits a counter information acquisition request to each printer 120 registered in the device information table 500, and is transmitted from each printer 120 in response to the counter information acquisition request. Receive counter information.

  When the collection of the counter information from each printer 120 is completed, in step S1102, the counter information totaling unit 132 totals the collected counter information for each user. That is, the total number of printed sheets of each user in the entire image forming system 100 is totaled. For all the printers 120 included in the image forming system 100, the total number of printed sheets for each user is stored in a “number of printed sheets” field 1004 of the printed sheet number management table 1000.

  Further, in step S1103, the counter information totaling unit 132 totals the number of printed sheets for each user for each user group (for example, section) to which each user belongs. That is, the total number of prints of each user group in the entire image forming system 100 is totaled. Specifically, for each user group, the total print number of each user belonging to the user group is acquired from the “print number” field 1004 of the print number management table 1000, and all the user groups are added together. The total number of printed sheets is calculated. The calculated total number of prints of each user group is stored in the “number of prints” field 904 of the user group information table 900.

  Next, in step S1104, the use restriction necessity determination unit 133 determines whether there is a user group that needs to restrict printing for each printer 120 with reference to the aggregation result for each user group. To do. That is, the printer 120 to be processed is selected from the printers 120 registered in the device information table 500, and the counter upper limit value set for the device group to which the selected processing target printer 120 belongs is set as the device upper limit value. It is acquired from the group information table 400, the counter upper limit value is compared with the total print number of each user group, and it is determined that it is necessary to restrict printing for a user group whose total print number exceeds the counter upper limit value. To do.

  If the result of determination in step S1104 is that there is a user group that requires printing restrictions (S1104: Yes), the use of the processing target printer 120 is restricted (rejected) for each user belonging to the user group that requires printing restrictions. Therefore, in step S1105, the device setting unit 134 changes the print permission information of the user in the print information table 300 held by the processing target printer 120 from “permitted” to “not permitted”. For example, the device setting unit 134 transmits a print permission / denial information change request to the processing target printer 120 via the network 190. When the processing target printer 120 receives the print permission information change request, the print information holding unit 124 changes the print permission information of the corresponding user in the print information table 300 from “permitted” to “not permitted”.

  When the processing in step S1105 is ended or, as a result of the determination in step S1104, if there is no user group that requires printing restriction (S1104: No), a use restriction necessity determination unit is determined in step S1106. 133 checks whether there is an unprocessed printer 120. If there is an unprocessed printer 120 (S1106: Yes), the next process target is selected from the unprocessed printers 120 registered in the device information table 500. The printer 120 is selected. Then, the processes of steps S1104 to S1105 described above are repeated for the selected processing target printer 120. On the other hand, when there is no unprocessed printer (S1106: No), that is, when the processing is finished for all the printers 120, the processing is finished.

As described above, the use of each printer 120 by each user belonging to each user group is restricted according to the usage status of the printer 120 by each user group. For example, even if a user group that performs large-scale printing initially uses high-performance equipment, the high-performance equipment becomes unavailable when a certain amount or more of printing is performed. Therefore, the medium-performance device cannot be used when a certain amount or more of printing is performed, and finally, only the low-performance device can be used. Therefore, for the high-performance printer 120, it is possible to minimize the influence of mass printing by some user groups on other user groups. On the other hand, even for a user group that performs mass printing, the use of low-performance devices is not limited, so that the minimum necessary use can be ensured.
<< Third embodiment >>
Next, still another embodiment (third embodiment) of the present invention will be described. In the first embodiment described above, the management apparatus 130, for a user whose total number of prints in the image forming system 100 has reached the counter upper limit value set for each device group, is the device for which the counter upper limit value is set. Although the use of each printer 120 belonging to the group has been rejected, in the third embodiment, the use of the printer 120 is not stopped, but the difference in the execution priority when there are a plurality of print jobs in the print queue at the time of printing. This prevents the user with a large amount of use from occupying the printer 120 and hindering the use of other users. That is, for a user's print job whose usage amount has reached a predetermined upper limit value, the priority is lowered, and the print job is executed only when there is no print job of another user.

  In the third embodiment, only a difference is given to the execution priority of the print queue, so that printing can be performed as usual in a non-congested time zone. For this reason, a user with a large amount of use can work in a vacant time zone if possible, so that the effect of smoothing the use of the device can be expected. Even in a busy time zone, printing can be performed without lowering the execution priority by using a low-performance printer. As a result, it is possible to promote the use of a lower-performance printer by a user with a large amount of use.

  The functional configuration of the printer 120 in the third embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIG. However, in the third embodiment, the print information holding unit 124 holds and manages priority order information indicating the print priority order of each user's print job instead of the print permission information, and the print control unit 121 prints the print information. The execution order of the print jobs is controlled in accordance with the priority order information held and managed in the holding unit 124.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a print information table provided in the print information holding unit 124 according to the third embodiment. The print information table in the third embodiment is a table that holds print priority information indicating the number of prints (counter information) of each user and print priority.

  As illustrated in FIG. 12, the print information table 1200 includes a “user number” field 1201, a “user name” field 1202, a “print number” field 1203, and a “print priority” field 1204. A “user number” field 1201 stores a number (user identification number) for identifying each user, a “user name” field 1202 stores a user name of each user, and a “print number” field. 1203 stores the number of prints to date for each user, and information (for example, “high” or “low”) indicating the print job execution priority of each user is stored in the “print priority” field 1204. Stored.

  In the example shown in FIG. 12, the number of prints up to the present time for user 1 (user No. = 1, user name = yamada) is “80”, and the execution priority of print job of user 1 is high. The user 2 (user No. = 2, user name = kanda) prints up to “240” so far, the print job execution priority of the user 2 is high, and the user 3 (user No. = 3). , (User name = suzuki) is “540”, and the execution priority of the print job of user 3 is low.

  In this embodiment, the counter information and the print priority information are held in the same table. However, the table (counter information table) that holds the counter information of each user and the print priority information of each user are stored. A table to be held (print priority order information table) may be provided separately.

  On the other hand, the functional configuration of the management apparatus 130 in the third embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIG. However, in the third embodiment, the device setting unit 134 does not change the use permission information for each printer 120 belonging to the device group for which use is determined to be restricted by the use restriction necessity determination unit 133. Without changing the priority information.

  Next, operations of the printer 120 and the management apparatus 130 in the third embodiment will be described. FIG. 13 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the printer 120 in the third embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 13, in the printer 120, when a printing operation is started, first, in step S1301, the print control unit 121 selects a print job to be executed from print jobs in the print queue. . That is, when there are a plurality of print jobs in the print queue, a print job having a high execution priority and closer to the head of the print queue is selected as a print job to be executed and taken out from the print queue.

  The level of execution priority is determined by referring to the print information table 1200 using user identification information (user identification number) included in each print job and acquiring execution priority information corresponding to the user identification information. to decide.

  In step S1302, the print processing unit 122 executes the print job selected in step S1301. That is, an image corresponding to the print data included in the print job is formed and output on a sheet. At this time, the counter unit 123 counts the number of printed sheets. When the execution of the print job is completed, the print information holding unit 124 updates the print information table 1200 using the number of prints notified from the counter unit 123 in step S1303. That is, the number of prints of the corresponding user stored in the print information table 1200 is read out, the read number of prints is added to the number of prints notified from the counter unit 123, and the addition result is displayed in the print information table 1200. Write back to

  Next, in step S1304, the print control unit 121 checks whether there is a print job in the print queue. If there is a print job (S1304: Yes), the processes in steps S1301 to S1303 described above are repeated. On the other hand, if there is no print job in the print queue (S1304: No), the process ends.

  FIG. 14 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the management apparatus 130 in the third embodiment. The process illustrated in FIG. 14 is periodically executed by the management device 130.

  As shown in FIG. 14, in the management apparatus 130, first, in step S <b> 1401, the counter information collection unit 131 circulates each printer 120 and acquires print number information (count information) for each user from each printer 120. . The process in step S1401 is the same as the process in step S801 described above.

  Next, in step S1402, the counter information totaling unit 132 totals the collected count information for each user. The process in step S1402 is the same as the process in step 802 described above.

  Next, in step S1403, there is a user whose usage restriction necessity determination unit 133 needs to restrict the use (lower the print execution priority) for each printer 120 with reference to the tabulation result for each user. Determine whether or not. That is, the printer 120 to be processed is selected from the printers 120 registered in the device information table 500, and the counter upper limit value set for the device group to which the selected processing target printer 120 belongs is set as the device upper limit value. It is necessary to limit the use of the processing target printer 120 for a user who is obtained from the group information table 400 and compares the counter upper limit value with the total print number of each user and the total print number exceeds the counter upper limit value. Judge.

  As a result of the determination in step S1403, if there is a user that needs to be restricted (S1403: Yes), in step S1404, the device setting unit 134 restricts the use of the processing target printer 120 by the user. The print priority information of the user in the print information table 1200 held by the target printer 120 is changed from “high” to “low”. For example, the device setting unit 134 transmits a print priority order information change request to the processing target printer 120 via the network 190. When the processing target printer 120 receives the print priority information change request, the print information holding unit 124 changes the print priority information of the corresponding user in the print information table 1200 from “high” to “low”.

  When the processing in step S1404 is ended or, as a result of the determination in step S1403, if there is no user who needs printing restriction (S1403: No), the use restriction necessity determination unit 133 is performed in step S1405. However, if there is an unprocessed printer and if there is an unprocessed printer (S1405: Yes), the next process target printer 120 is selected from the unprocessed printers 120 registered in the device information table 500. select. Then, the processing of steps S1403 to S1404 described above is repeated for the selected processing target printer 120. On the other hand, if there is no unprocessed printer (S1405: No), that is, if the processing is finished for all the printers 120, the processing is finished.

  As described above, the use of each printer 120 by each user is restricted according to the usage status of each printer 120 by each user. For example, even if a user who performs mass printing initially uses a high-performance device or medium-performance device, priority is given to execution of printing on the high-performance device or medium-performance device when a certain amount or more of printing is performed. Since the ranking is lowered, the printer 120 with lower performance has to be used in a crowded time zone. Therefore, for the high-performance printer 120, it is possible to minimize the influence of mass printing by some users on other users. On the other hand, even for users who perform mass printing, since the execution priority is not lowered for low-performance devices, printing can be performed with the same execution priority as other users even in a crowded time zone. Become.

That is, according to the third embodiment described above, the range of printers that can be easily used by each user can be limited according to the usage amount of each user. However, it is possible to prevent the use of other users from being hindered without completely eliminating the use of the users with a large amount of use.
<< 4th embodiment >>
Next, still another embodiment (fourth embodiment) of the present invention will be described.

  In the second embodiment described above, the management apparatus 130 uses, for a user group that has reached the counter upper limit value set for each device group, the use of each printer 120 belonging to the device group for which the counter upper limit value is set. In the fourth embodiment, the use of the printer 120 is not stopped, but the execution priority when there are a plurality of print jobs in the print queue is different at the time of printing, as in the third embodiment. By doing so, a user group with a large amount of use occupies the printer 120 and prevents the use of other users from being hindered. That is, for a print job of a user belonging to a user group whose usage amount has reached the upper limit value, the priority is lowered and the print job is executed only when there is no print job of another user.

  In the fourth embodiment, as in the third embodiment, only the queue print priority is differentiated, so that printing can be performed as usual in a non-congested time zone. For this reason, a user group with a large amount of use can also work in a vacant time zone if possible, so that the effect of smoothing the use of equipment over time can also be expected. Even in a busy time zone, printing can be performed without lowering the execution priority by using a low-performance printer. As a result, it is possible to promote the use of a lower-performance printer by a user group having a large amount of use.

  Since the functional configuration and operation of the printer 120 in the fourth embodiment are the same as those in the third embodiment described above, description thereof will be omitted. On the other hand, the functional configuration of the management apparatus 130 in the fourth embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIG.

  However, in the fourth embodiment, as in the third embodiment, the device setting unit 134 applies to each printer 120 belonging to the device group determined to be restricted in use by the use restriction necessity determining unit 133. Thus, it is instructed not to change the permission information but to change the priority information.

  Next, the operation of the management device 130 in the fourth embodiment will be described. FIG. 15 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the management apparatus 130 in the fourth embodiment. The process shown in FIG. 15 is periodically executed by the management device 130.

  As shown in FIG. 15, in the management apparatus 130, first, in step S <b> 1501, the counter information collection unit 131 circulates each printer 120 and acquires print number information (count information) for each user from each printer 120. . The process in step S1501 is the same as the process in step S1101 described above.

  In step S1502, the counter information totaling unit 132 totals the collected count information for each user. The process in step S1502 is the same as the process in step S1102 described above.

  Next, in step S1503, the counter information totaling unit 132 totals the number of printed sheets for each user for each user group (for example, section) to which each user belongs. The process in step S1503 is the same as the process in step S1103 described above.

  Next, in step S1504, the use restriction necessity determination unit 133 refers to the total result for each user group, and the user group that needs to restrict use (lower the print execution priority) for each printer 120. It is determined whether or not exists. That is, the printer 120 to be processed is selected from the printers 120 registered in the device information table 500, and the counter upper limit value set for the device group to which the selected printer 120 to be processed belongs is set. It is obtained from the device group information table 400, the counter upper limit value is compared with the total print number of each user group, and it is determined that it is necessary to limit the use of user groups whose total print number exceeds the counter upper limit value. .

  As a result of the determination in step S1504, if there is a user group that requires usage restriction (S1504: Yes), the use of the processing target printer 120 is restricted for each user belonging to the user group that requires usage restriction. In step S1505, the device setting unit 134 changes the print priority information of the user in the print information table 1200 held by the processing target printer 120 from “high” to “low”. For example, the device setting unit 134 transmits a print priority order information change request to the processing target printer 120 via the network 190. When the processing target printer 120 receives the print priority information change request, the print information holding unit 124 changes the print priority information of the corresponding user in the print information table 1200 from “high” to “low”.

  When the processing in step S1505 is terminated or, as a result of the determination in step S1504, if there is no user group that requires usage restriction (S1504: No), in step S1506, usage restriction necessity determination unit 133 checks whether there is an unprocessed printer 120. If there is an unprocessed printer 120 (S1506: Yes), the next process target is selected from the unprocessed printers 120 registered in the device information table 500. The printer 120 is selected. Then, the processing of steps S1504 to S1505 described above is repeated for the selected processing target printer 120. On the other hand, when there is no unprocessed printer 120 (S1506: No), that is, when the processing is finished for all the printers 120, the processing is finished.

  As described above, the use of each printer 120 by the users belonging to each user group is restricted according to the usage status of each printer 120 by each user group. For example, even if a user group that performs large-scale printing initially uses high-performance or medium-performance devices, printing is performed on high-performance or medium-performance devices when a certain amount or more of printing is performed. Since the priority is lowered, it is necessary to use a lower-performance device in a crowded time zone. Therefore, for the high-performance printer 120, it is possible to minimize the influence of mass printing by some user groups on other user groups. On the other hand, even for a user group that performs mass printing, the execution priority is not lowered for low-performance devices, so printing can be performed with the same execution priority as other users even during crowded time zones. It becomes.

  As described above, the present invention has been described with the first embodiment to the fourth embodiment. However, as described above, in the present invention, each image processing apparatus holds and manages counter information and usage restriction information for each user. The configuration is not limited to a configuration in which whether or not a user can be used is determined, and the usage restriction information managed by each image processing apparatus is changed on the management apparatus side. With respect to this point, the present invention will be described below with an embodiment in which the management apparatus side collectively holds and manages counter information and usage restriction information for each image processing apparatus.

<< 5th embodiment >>
In the following, when each printer receives a print job from a user, the execution of the print job is controlled by inquiring the management apparatus about the use restriction of the user each time (fifth embodiment). Will be described.

  FIG. 16 shows functional configurations of the printer 1600 and the management apparatus 1700 in the fifth embodiment. In FIG. 16, elements that are the same as those in the embodiment described with reference to FIG. 2 are given the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted as appropriate.

  As shown in FIG. 16, the printer 1600 includes a print control unit 1601, a print processing unit 122, and a counter unit 123, and further includes a counter information transmission unit 1602 and a usage restriction information inquiry unit 1603. On the other hand, the management apparatus 1700 includes a counter information totaling unit 132, a usage restriction necessity determining unit 133, a management information holding unit 135, and further includes a usage restriction information holding unit 1701.

  When the print control unit 1601 receives a print job via the network 190, the print control unit 1601 temporarily holds the print job, and then inquires the management apparatus 1700 about the use restriction information of the user who has instructed printing. In this embodiment, this inquiry can be made, for example, according to the following procedure. First, the print control unit 1601 sends the user identification information (user identification number) included in the received print job and the device identification information of the printer 1600 included in the print control unit 1601 to the usage restriction information inquiry unit 1603. The usage restriction information inquiry unit 1603 generates a usage restriction information inquiry request for acquiring the usage restriction information related to the user by using the user identification information and the device identification information, and sends the inquiry request via the network 190. The information is transmitted to the use restriction information holding unit 1701 of the management apparatus 1700. The use restriction information holding unit 1701 returns the use restriction information of the user to the use restriction information inquiry unit 1603 of the printer 1600 via the network 190 in response to the transmitted use restriction information inquiry request.

  The usage restriction information inquiry unit 1603 notifies the received usage restriction information of the user to the print control unit 1601, and the print control unit 1601 controls the execution of the print job according to the usage restriction information. For example, if the content of the usage restriction information relates to whether printing is possible, the print control unit 121 determines whether to allow the user to execute the print job based on the content of the usage restriction information. In the case of permission, the suspended print job is transmitted to the print processing unit 122, and the print processing unit 122 forms an image corresponding to the print data included in the received print job and outputs the image on a sheet. . On the other hand, when the execution of the print job by the user is not permitted, the print control unit 121 ends the process without transmitting the held print job to the print processing unit 122. If the content of the usage restriction information relates to the priority order of printing, the print control unit 121 determines the priority order of the user's print job based on the content of the usage restriction information, and the priority. Print jobs that have been put on hold according to their rank are stored in the print queue. In this case, the print control unit 121 extracts print jobs in accordance with the order stored in the print queue and transmits them to the print processing unit 122.

  When the print processing unit 122 executes a print job, the counter unit 123 counts (counts) the number of printed sheets (for example, the number of sheets and the number of document pages), and the count value (counter information) in the print job is calculated. The counter information transmission unit 1602 is notified. Whenever the count information (counter information) is notified from the counter unit 123, the counter information transmission unit 1602 transmits the count value (counter information) to the counter information totaling unit 132 of the management apparatus 1700 via the network 190. To do.

  When the counter information totaling unit 132 of the management apparatus 1700 receives the count value (counter information) from each printer 1600, the counter information is used for each device group (high performance device, medium performance device, low performance device) using the counter information. The total number of printed sheets in the entire image forming system is totaled for each user. For example, when there are a plurality of high-performance devices in the image forming system, the number of sheets printed by the user in all the high-performance devices existing is counted.

  The management information holding unit 135 in the present embodiment has the same configuration as that described in the first to fourth embodiments, and includes the device group information table 400 shown in FIG. 4 and the device information shown in FIG. A table 500 and a print number management table 600 shown in FIG. 6 can be provided. The printing number management table 600 in this embodiment is prepared for each device group (high performance device, medium performance device, low performance device), and the “printing number” field 603 is counted by the counter information counting unit 132 described above. It is updated sequentially based on the result. Furthermore, when the use restriction necessity determination unit 133 determines whether or not it is necessary to restrict the use of each printer 120 for each user group, the user group information table 900 shown in FIG. The number of printed sheets management table 1000 can be provided, and the “number of printed sheets” fields 904 and 1004 of each table are similarly updated.

  The use restriction necessity determination unit 133 determines whether or not the use of each printer 1600 needs to be restricted for each user. The determination by the use restriction necessity determination unit 133 is based on the print number management table 600. This is executed each time the “number of printed sheets” field 603 is updated, and the determination result is notified to the usage restriction information holding unit 1701.

  As in the first embodiment and the third embodiment, the use restriction necessity determination unit 133 according to this embodiment is configured for each user stored in the print number management table of the management information holding unit 135 for each device group. The total number of printed sheets is monitored, and the total number of printed sheets is compared with the counter upper limit value for each device group held in the device group information table of the management information holding unit 135, so that each user belongs to each device group. It is determined whether use of the printer 1600 needs to be restricted. Similarly to the second embodiment and the fourth embodiment, by calculating the total number of prints of each user group and comparing this with the counter upper limit value for each device group, It is also possible for each user to belong to determine whether or not it is necessary to limit the use of the printer 1600 belonging to each device group.

  The management apparatus 1700 of this embodiment includes a usage restriction information holding unit 1701 for holding and managing usage restriction information related to user printing. The use restriction information holding unit 1701 includes a use restriction information table for holding use restriction information for each user, and updates the contents of the use restriction information table based on the determination result notified from the use restriction necessity determination unit 133. .

  When the usage restriction information inquiry request transmitted from the usage restriction information inquiry unit 1603 of the printer 1600 is received, the usage restriction information holding unit 1701 receives the user identification information (user identification number) and the printer included in the usage restriction information inquiry request. The use restriction information table corresponding to the device identification information 1600 is referred to, the use restriction information of the user related to the inquiry is acquired, and the use restriction information is returned to the use restriction information inquiry unit 1603 of the printer 1600 via the network 190. To do.

  FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of the usage restriction information table. The use restriction information table is prepared for each printer 1600 and is a table that holds use restriction information of each user in each printer 1600. As illustrated in FIG. 17, the usage restriction information table 1800 includes a “user number” field 1801, a “user name” field 1802, and a “usage restriction information” field 1803. A “user number” field 1801 stores a number (user identification number) for identifying each user, a “user name” field 1802 stores the user name of each user, and “use restriction information”. A field 1803 stores information on usage restrictions for each user. In the “Usage Restriction Information” field 1803, for example, as shown in the first embodiment and the second embodiment described above, information indicating whether each user can perform printing (for example, “printing permitted” or “not permitted”). In addition, as shown in the third embodiment and the fourth embodiment described above, it is possible to store information indicating the print job execution priority of each user. FIG. 17 shows an example of a usage restriction information table 1800 that stores information indicating whether or not each user can print. In the example shown in FIG. “Allowed”, and “User name” kanda indicates “Not printable”.

  The usage restriction information holding unit 1701 uses the usage restriction information holding unit for each printer 1600 belonging to the device group determined to be restricted based on the determination result notified from the usage restriction necessity determination unit 133. The usage restriction information held in 1701 is changed. For example, as shown in FIG. 17, when the “usage restriction information” field 1803 stores information indicating whether each user can print, the “usage restriction information” field 1803 is changed from “printing possible” to “printing”. When the “usage restriction information” field 1803 stores information indicating the execution priority of each user's print job, the “usage restriction information” field 1803 is changed from “high priority”. Change to "Low priority".

  Next, operations of the printer 1600 and the management apparatus 1700 having the above-described configuration will be described. FIG. 18 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the printer 1600. Note that FIG. 18 illustrates an example in which the usage restriction information stored in the usage restriction information table 1800 is information indicating whether each user can print.

  As shown in FIG. 18, when the printer 1600 receives a print job from the client PC 110 via the network 190 in step S1801, the print control unit 1601 has user identification information included in the print job and itself in step S1802. Using the device identification information of the printer 1600, the management apparatus 1700 is inquired about the usage restriction information of the user who has instructed printing, and the usage restriction information of the user is acquired from the management apparatus 1700.

  In step S1803, based on the user usage restriction information acquired from the management apparatus 1700, it is determined whether or not the user who has instructed printing can print. If printing is not permitted (S1803: No), printing is executed. The process is terminated as it is.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S1803 that printing by the user who has instructed printing is permitted (S1803: Yes), the print processing unit 122 executes a print job in step S1804. That is, an image corresponding to the print data included in the print job is formed and output on a sheet. At this time, the counter unit 123 counts the number of printed sheets. When the execution of the print job is completed, in step S1805, the counter information transmission unit 1602 transmits the number of printed sheets notified from the counter unit 123 to the counter information totaling unit 132 of the management apparatus 1700, and the process ends.

  Next, details of the operation of the management apparatus 1700 will be described. FIG. 19 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the management apparatus 1700.

  As shown in FIG. 19, in the management apparatus 1700, first, in step S1901, it is determined whether or not the counter information totaling unit 132 has received print number information (counter information) for each user from each printer 1600. If so (S1901: Yes), the counter information received by the counter information totaling unit 132 is totaled for each user in step S1902. That is, the total number of printed sheets of each user in the entire image forming system 100 is totaled. For all the printers 1600 provided in the image forming system 100, the total number of printed sheets for each user is stored in the “number of printed sheets” field 603 of the printed number management table 600 provided in the management information holding unit 135.

  In step S 1903, the use restriction necessity determination unit 133 determines whether there is a user who needs to restrict printing for each printer 1600 with reference to the aggregation result for each user. That is, the printer 1600 to be processed is selected from the printers 1600 registered in the device information table 500, and the counter upper limit value set for the device group to which the selected processing target printer 1600 belongs is set as the device upper limit value. It is obtained from the group information table 400, and the counter upper limit value is compared with the total print number of each user, and it is determined that printing needs to be restricted for users whose total print number exceeds the counter upper limit value.

  If it is determined in step S1903 that there is a user whose usage needs to be restricted (S1903: Yes), in step S1904, the usage restriction information holding unit 1701 stores the user stored in the usage restriction information table 1800. The usage restriction information is changed, and the process ends. For example, if the “Usage Restriction Information” field 1803 stores information indicating whether each user can print, the “Usage Restriction Information” field 1803 is changed from “Printable” to “Printable”, When the “usage restriction information” field 1803 stores information indicating the execution priority of each user's print job, the “usage restriction information” field 1803 is changed from “high priority” to “low priority”. change.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S1901 that the counter information totaling unit 132 has not received the print number information (counter information) of each user from each printer 1600 (S1901: No), the use restriction is performed in step S1905. The information inquiry unit 1603 determines whether a usage restriction information inquiry request has been received from each printer 1600.

  If the use restriction information inquiry request has not been received as a result of the determination in step S1905 (S1905: No), the process returns to step S1901, and the counter information totaling unit 132 again prints each user from each printer 1600. It is determined whether or not the number information (counter information) has been received.

  On the other hand, if a usage restriction information inquiry request is received in step S1905 (S1905: Yes), in step S1906, the usage restriction information holding unit 1701 includes user identification information (user identification) included in the usage restriction information inquiry request. Number) and the device identification information of the printer 1600, the usage restriction information table is referred to, the usage restriction information corresponding to the user identification information and the device identification information of the printer 1600 is obtained, and the usage restriction information is stored in the printer 1600. Is returned to the usage restriction information inquiry unit 1603 and the processing is terminated.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, since the management apparatus side manages the counter information and the usage restriction information for each user for each image processing apparatus, the management apparatus side stores the usage control information stored in each table. It is possible to collectively change the use restriction conditions of all the image processing apparatuses included in the image forming system simply by changing.

  In the first to fifth embodiments described above, the management device sets a counter upper limit value for each device group, and a user whose usage amount has reached the upper limit value (or a user whose usage amount has reached the upper limit value). In the embodiment, the execution of the print job of the user belonging to the group) is limited for each device. However, the present invention further includes a printer and a copy for executing the above-described counter information and use restriction information by the image forming apparatus. In addition, it also includes a configuration in which the use of users is restricted on a function-by-function basis by holding and managing each type of image forming function such as FAX transmission and scanner for each function group. In this regard, the present invention will be described below with the following embodiments.

<< 6th embodiment >>
Still another embodiment (sixth embodiment) of the present invention will be described. This embodiment forms an image including a multi-function device (hereinafter referred to as a “multifunction device”) in which a plurality of types of image forming functions such as a printer, a copy, a FAX, and a scanner are integrated, such as a device called an MFP. In the system, a configuration is disclosed in which the use of a user is not limited in units of devices, but is limited in units of functions included in each device.

  In the present embodiment, the contents of each table provided in the management information holding unit of the management device are different from those in the first to fifth embodiments described above. That is, in this embodiment, the function information table 2000 shown in FIG. 20 is adopted instead of the device information table 500 described with reference to FIG. 5, and the device group information table 400 described with reference to FIG. Instead, the function group information table 2100 shown in FIG. 21 is adopted, and the function-specific count number management table 2200 shown in FIG. 22 is adopted instead of the print number management table 600 described with reference to FIG. In addition, about the other structure in this embodiment, unless it mentions especially, it shall be in common with 1st Embodiment thru | or 5th Embodiment mentioned above, The description is abbreviate | omitted. Hereinafter, each table will be described.

  FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an embodiment of the function information table 2000. The function information table 2000 is a table that holds information related to the functions of a plurality of devices including a multifunction peripheral included in the image forming system.

  As shown in FIG. 20, the function information table 2000 includes a “No.” field 2001, a “device name” field 2002, an “IP address” field 2003, a “function name” field 2004, and a “function group name”. Field 2005 is provided. A “No.” field 2001 stores a number for identifying each row (record) constituting the function information table 2000, and a “device name” field 2002 stores a device name assigned to each device. The “IP address” field 2003 stores the IP address assigned to each device, and the “function name” field 2004 stores the names of one or more functions included in each device, and the “function group name”. The field 2005 stores the name of the function group to which each device has a function.

  In other words, in the present embodiment, the “No.” field 2001 is associated with “function name” and “function group name” of each function included in each device. Here, the function group (high performance / medium performance / low performance) to which each function included in each printer 120 belongs should be determined as appropriate in consideration of the usage restriction mode of the user intended by the administrator. For example, it can be categorized according to the degree to which the user's usage restriction is requested.

  On the other hand, FIG. 21 shows an embodiment of the function group information table 2100. As illustrated in FIG. 21, the function group information table 2100 includes a “No.” field 2101, a “function group name” field 2102, and an “upper limit value” field 2103.

  A “No.” field 2101 stores a number for identifying each row (record) constituting the function group information table 2100, and a “function group name” field 2102 stores a function group assigned to each function group. The “upper limit value” field 2103 stores the upper limit value of the count value assigned to each function group.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 21, the upper limit value is set to “100” for the functions belonging to the function group “high performance” among the functions of each device, and belongs to the function group “medium performance”. For functions, the upper limit value is set to “300”, and for functions belonging to the function group “low performance”, no upper limit value is set.

  Here, the “count value” in the present embodiment will be described. In the first to fifth embodiments described above, the aspect of restricting the execution of the “print job” of the image processing apparatus has been described. Therefore, the “count value” corresponds to the number of printed sheets (number of printed sheets). In the present embodiment, the execution of each function is individually restricted for a multifunction peripheral having a plurality of functions such as a printer, a copy, a FAX, and a scanner. It is preferable for the person to provide a common definition for all functions for counting up, and in this embodiment, a “1” count is defined for the processing amount for one sheet. That is, the same “1” count is counted for each of the process of printing on one sheet, the process of copying on one sheet, the process of sending a FAX on the sheet, and the process of scanning the sheet.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, in each table including the “number of printed sheets” field shown in the first to fifth embodiments, the “count value” field is adopted instead of the “number of printed sheets” field. The In the present embodiment, the use restriction necessity determination unit 133 described above stores the value stored in the “upper limit value” field 2103 of the function group information table 2100 shown in FIG. 21 and the function-specific count management table 2200 shown in FIG. The “count value” field 2203 is compared with the value stored in the “count value” field 2203 to determine whether it is necessary to limit use.

  Again, referring to FIG. 20 and FIG. 21, an aspect of restricting user use in units of functions will be described below.

In the example shown in FIG. 20, the device name “MFP model 550” has four functions of “copy”, “print”, “FAX transmission”, and “scan”. The “print” function belongs to the “high performance” group, and the “fax transmission” function and the “scan” function belong to the “medium performance” group. Also, the device name “MFP
“model300 (1)” also has four functions of “copy”, “print”, “FAX transmission”, and “scan”, among which “copy” function and “print” function are “medium performance” "FAX transmission" function and "Scan" function belong to the "low performance" group.

  Here, if the user uses at least one of the “copy” function and the “print” function of “MFP model 550”, the total value of the count values in the entire image forming system is shown in FIG. When the upper limit value of the “high performance” group in the function group information table 2100 is reached, the user is thereafter restricted from using the “copy” function and “print” function of the “MFP model 550”. . However, in the present embodiment, for the “FAX transmission” function and “scan” function of the same “MFP model 550”, the total value of the count values in the entire image forming system is “medium performance” in the function group information table 2100. As long as the upper limit of the group is not exceeded, its use is not restricted.

  Further, if the user uses at least one of the “copy” function and the “print” function of “MFP model 330 (1)”, the total count value of the entire image forming system is shown in FIG. If the upper limit of the “medium performance” group shown is exceeded, the user will be restricted from using the “copy” and “print” functions of “MFP model330 (1)”, The use of “FAX transmission” function and “scanning” function of “MFP model 550”, which is another device, is also limited.

  Next, a modification of this embodiment will be described. As described above, the “count value” in the present embodiment is counted up based on a common definition used for quantifying the processing amount of a plurality of types of jobs such as printing, copying, FAX transmission, and scanning. . However, the administrator wishes to recommend or suppress the use of a specific function, for example, from the viewpoint of cost reduction or from the viewpoint of equally giving each user the opportunity to use each function. There is a case. In such a case, in the present embodiment, this can be realized by weighting the “count value”. This point will be specifically described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 23 shows an embodiment of the count-up amount information management table. As shown in FIG. 23, the count-up amount information management table 2300 includes a “No.” field 2301, a “function name” field 2302, a “job condition” field 2303, and a “weighting coefficient” field 2304.

  The “No.” field 2301 stores a number for identifying each row (record) constituting the count-up amount information management table 2300, and the “function name” field 2302 stores the name of each function. Yes. The “job condition” field 2303 stores job execution conditions for each function. In the example shown in FIG. 23, “no specification”, “copy” function, and “print” function are both set. Four “job conditions” of “aggregation”, “double-sided”, and “magnification” are set.

  Further, a “weighting coefficient” field 2304 stores a “weighting coefficient” for the count value set for each function including each job condition. In the present embodiment, when the above-described use restriction necessity determination unit 133 determines whether or not the use restriction of the user is necessary for each function (job condition), the “count value” field of the count count management table 2200 for each function The value obtained by multiplying the value stored in 2203 by the “weighting coefficient” set for each function (job condition) and the “upper limit value” field 2103 of the function group information table 2100 shown in FIG. The stored value is compared and a user (or user group) whose value obtained by multiplying the “weighting coefficient” exceeds the “upper limit value” is determined to need to be restricted.

  In the example shown in FIG. 23, since the “weighting coefficient” is “1.1” for the job whose “function name” is “copy” and “job condition” is “not specified”, “1” counts. As a result of being multiplied by “1.1”, the value “1.1” is added to the “count value” field. For a job whose “function name” is “print” and whose “job condition” is “unspecified”, the “weighting coefficient” is “1.0”, so “1. As a result of being multiplied by 0, the value “1.0” is added to the “count value” field. For the job whose “function name” is “FAX transmission”, since the “weighting coefficient” is “0.6”, the FAX transmission processing for “1” count is multiplied by “0.6”. The value “0.6” is added to the “count value” field. For the job whose “function name” is “scan”, since the “weighting coefficient” is “0.4”, the scan processing for “1” count is multiplied by “0.4”, resulting in “count value” The value “0.4” is added to the “” field.

  As a result, in the example shown in FIG. 23, compared to the “copy” function and the “print” function that consumes paper when using the paper, the “FAX transmission” function and “scan” function that consumes no paper are equivalent to one sheet. Since the increment of the count value with respect to the processing amount related to becomes smaller, execution of more processing is permitted until the “upper limit value” set in the function group information table 2100 shown in FIG. 21 is reached. .

  Further, even within the same function, different “weighting coefficients” can be set depending on “job conditions”. For example, taking the “print” function shown in FIG. 23 as an example, if two pages are printed when “job condition” is “not specified”, two sheets are consumed, but “job condition” is In “both sides”, printing is performed on both sides of the paper, so that only one piece of paper is consumed. Here, when the count value is not weighted, a “double-sided” print that consumes only one sheet is evaluated as a “2” count in the same manner as a “undesignated” print that consumes two sheets.

  In this regard, in the example shown in FIG. 23, even if the “print” function is the same, the “weighting coefficient” is set to “1.0” for the print with “job condition” “not specified”. For prints with “Job condition” set to “Double-sided”, “Weighting coefficient” is set to “0.7”. Therefore, when printing two sheets, “undesignated” printing is evaluated as “2” count, whereas even when printing the same two sheets, “double-sided” printing is “1.4”. "Evaluated as a count (2 x 0.7 = 1.4).

  As described above, for “job conditions” that contribute to paper cost reduction, such as “double-sided” or “aggregation”, the “weighting coefficient” is set to be small, so that the function group information table 2100 shown in FIG. More processes can be executed until the “upper limit value” set in the above is reached. As a result, the user is given an incentive to use the “job condition” that contributes to reducing the paper cost.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment in which the “count value” is weighted, the administrator can reduce the use of the function (job condition) recommended by the user by setting the “weighting coefficient” small. On the other hand, for a function (job condition) that requires a high usage restriction, its use can be suppressed by setting a large “weighting coefficient”.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the use of a user can be restricted not in units of devices but in units of functions provided in each device. Even in the case of restriction, the use of other functions of the equipment can be allowed instead of restricting the use of the equipment as a whole, and the use restriction of each function can be considered in consideration of cost reduction etc. Therefore, in the image forming system including a multi-function device in which a plurality of functions are aggregated, it is possible to implement finer use restrictions.

  The functions of the above-described embodiments are as follows: assembly language, C, Visual C, C ++, Visual C ++, Java (registered trademark), Java (registered trademark) Beans, Java (registered trademark) Applet, Java (registered trademark) Script, Perl , Ruby, and the like, which can be realized by a device-executable program written in a legacy programming language, an object-oriented programming language, or the like, and can be stored and distributed in a device-readable recording medium.

  Although the present invention has been described with embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and other embodiments, additions, changes, deletions, and the like are within the scope that can be conceived by those skilled in the art. Any of the embodiments is included in the scope of the present invention as long as the operations and effects of the present invention are exhibited.

1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an image forming system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a functional configuration of a printer and a management apparatus. The figure which shows embodiment of a printing information table. The figure which shows embodiment of an apparatus group information table. The figure which shows embodiment of an apparatus information table. The figure which shows embodiment of the printing number management table. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the printer. The flowchart for demonstrating operation | movement of a management apparatus. The figure which shows embodiment of a user group information table. The figure which shows embodiment of the printing number management table in 2nd embodiment. The flowchart for demonstrating operation | movement of the management apparatus in 2nd embodiment. The figure which shows embodiment of the printing information table with which the printing information holding part in 3rd embodiment is provided. Flowchart for explaining the operation of the printer in the third embodiment The flowchart for demonstrating operation | movement of the management apparatus in 3rd embodiment. The flowchart for demonstrating operation | movement of the management apparatus in 4th embodiment. The figure which shows embodiment of the function structure of the printer and management apparatus in 5th embodiment. The figure which shows embodiment of the use restriction information table in 5th embodiment. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of a printer according to a fifth embodiment. The flowchart for demonstrating operation | movement of the management apparatus in 5th embodiment. The figure which shows embodiment of the function information table in 6th embodiment. The figure which shows embodiment of the function group information table in 6th embodiment. The figure which shows the count number management table according to function in 6th embodiment. The figure which shows embodiment of the count-up amount information management table in 6th embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Image forming system, 110 ... Client PC, 120 ... Printer, 130 ... Management apparatus, 190 ... Network, 121 ... Print control part, 122 ... Print processing part, 123 ... Counter part, 124 ... Print information holding part, 131 ... Counter information collection unit, 132 ... Counter information totaling unit, 133 ... Usage restriction necessity determination unit, 134 ... Device setting unit, 135 ... Management information holding unit, 300 ... Print information table, 400 ... Device group information table, 500 ... Device Information table 600 ... Print number management table, 900 ... User group information table, 1000 ... Print number management table, 1200 ... Print information table, 1600 ... Printer, 1601 ... Print control unit, 1602 ... Counter information transmission unit, 1603 ... Use Restriction information inquiry unit, 1700... Management device, 17 1 ... use restriction information storage unit, 1800 ... use restriction information table, 2000 ... function information table, 2100 ... function group information table, 2200 ... function by counting the number of management table, 2300 ... count up the amount of information management table

Claims (3)

An image forming system comprising a plurality of image forming apparatuses and an information processing apparatus that manages the plurality of image forming apparatuses,
Each of the plurality of image forming apparatuses is
Image forming means for performing image forming processing;
Counter means for counting the image forming process by the image forming means;
Counter information holding means for holding the counter information counted by the counter means for each user;
Use restriction information holding means for holding priority information indicating execution priority of image forming processing for the image forming apparatus for each user;
Image forming processing control means for controlling execution of image forming processing by the image forming means for each user according to the priority information held in the use restriction information holding means,
The usage restriction information holding unit changes the priority information according to an instruction from the information processing apparatus,
The information processing apparatus includes:
An upper limit holding means for holding an upper limit for the counter information for each device group into which the plurality of image forming apparatuses are classified;
Counter information collecting means for collecting the counter information from the plurality of image forming apparatuses;
Counter information counting means for counting counter information collected by the counter information collecting means for each user or each user group that classifies users;
The counter information for each user or each user group that has been counted by the counter information counting unit is monitored, and the monitored counter information is added to the user or user group that has exceeded the upper limit value for each device group held in the upper limit value holding unit. On the other hand, use restriction necessity determining means for determining use restriction of image forming apparatuses belonging to each device group,
In the priority information, the execution priority of the image forming process of the corresponding user or user group is lowered with respect to each image forming apparatus belonging to the device group whose use is determined to be restricted by the use restriction necessity judging means. An image forming system comprising device setting means for instructing a change. An image forming system comprising a plurality of image forming apparatuses and an information processing apparatus that manages the plurality of image forming apparatuses,
Each of the plurality of image forming apparatuses is
Image forming means for performing image forming processing by executing a plurality of types of image forming functions;
Counter means for counting the execution of the image forming function by the image forming means;
Counter information holding means for holding the counter information counted by the counter means for each user;
Usage restriction information holding means for holding priority information indicating the execution priority of image forming processing for the image forming function of the image forming apparatus for each user;
Image forming processing control means for controlling execution of an image forming function by the image forming means for each user according to the priority order information held in the use restriction information holding means,
The usage restriction information holding unit changes the priority information according to an instruction from the information processing apparatus,
The information processing apparatus includes:
An upper limit holding unit that holds an upper limit for the counter information for each function group that classifies a plurality of types of image forming functions executed by the plurality of image forming apparatuses;
Counter information collecting means for collecting the counter information from the plurality of image forming apparatuses;
Counter information counting means for counting counter information collected by the counter information collecting means for each user or each user group that classifies users;
The counter information for each user or each user group counted by the counter information counting unit is monitored, and the monitored counter information is added to the user or user group that exceeds the upper limit value for each function group held in the upper limit value holding unit. On the other hand, use restriction necessity determination means for determining use restriction of image forming functions belonging to each function group;
Execution of an image forming process related to a corresponding user or a corresponding image forming function of a user group for each image forming apparatus having an image forming function belonging to a function group determined to be restricted by the use restriction necessity determining unit. An image forming system comprising device setting means for instructing change of the priority information so that the priority is lowered.   The usage restriction necessity determination unit weights the counter information when comparing the aggregated counter information for each user or user group with the upper limit value for each functional group. 3. The image forming system according to 2.

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