JP6973174B2 - Information processing equipment, methods, systems, and programs - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to information processing devices, methods, systems, and programs.

Conventionally, an information processing device that manages a plurality of devices (MFP (Multifunction Peripheral), etc.) registered for each company has been used. As such an information processing device, one that acquires daily data from each device and executes monthly processing to calculate monthly data from the daily data at the timing according to the closing date set for each company. Are known.

The monthly processing is a database (DB) processing, and when the number of daily data (the number of registered devices) n increases, the amount of calculation increases in the order of O (n) or more. Therefore, by equalizing the number of devices that execute monthly processing at each execution date and time, the total calculation amount of monthly processing can be reduced and the total calculation time can be shortened.

However, in reality, many companies set the closing date at the end of the month, so in the monthly processing executed at the timing corresponding to the closing date, the number of target devices becomes extremely large, and the monthly processing is performed. The amount of calculation becomes extremely large. As a result, there is a problem that the total calculation amount of monthly processing increases and the total calculation time becomes long.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to reduce the total amount of calculation of monthly processing in an information processing apparatus that manages a plurality of devices.

The information processing device according to the embodiment is an information processing device that executes monthly processing for calculating monthly data from daily data for each device registered for each user, and is a preset monthly information processing device. Based on the next execution date and time of the process, the user identification unit that identifies the target user to be the target of the monthly process and the device of the target user are specified as the target device of the monthly process. Based on the device identification unit, the monthly processing unit that executes the monthly processing for the target device, the preset closing date of the monthly data of the target user, and the time difference corresponding to the target user. An information processing device including an execution date / time update unit for updating the next execution date / time of the target user.

According to each embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the total amount of calculation of monthly processing in the information processing apparatus that manages a plurality of devices.

The figure which shows an example of the structure of an information processing system. The figure which shows an example of the hardware configuration of the management server. The figure which shows an example of the functional configuration of a management server. The figure which shows an example of a data file. The figure which shows an example of the daily usage in a table format. A diagram showing an example of monthly usage in a table format. The figure which shows an example of user information in a table format. The figure which shows an example of time difference information in a table format. The figure which shows an example of the next execution date and time in a table format. The figure which shows an example of the last execution date and time in a table format. The figure which shows an example of the device information in a table format. A flowchart showing an example of monthly processing. The figure which shows an example of user information in a table format. The figure which shows an example of time difference information in a table format. A flowchart showing an example of monthly processing. The figure which shows an example of the device information in a table format. A flowchart showing an example of monthly processing.

Hereinafter, each embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Regarding the description of the specification and the drawings according to each embodiment, the components having substantially the same functional configuration are designated by the same reference numerals, and the superimposed description will be omitted.

<First Embodiment>
The information processing system 100 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 12. The information processing system 100 according to the present embodiment can be applied to any system that collects daily data from a large amount of devices registered in the system and calculates monthly data from the daily data by monthly processing. Examples of such a system include a sales management system that collects daily sales (daily data) and a device management system that collects daily usage of equipment (daily data). Devices managed by the device management system include image forming devices, projectors, electronic blackboards, video conference devices, cameras, industrial devices, medical devices, refrigerators, air conditioning devices, lighting devices, and the like.

Hereinafter, a case where the information processing system 100 is an image forming system that manages a plurality of image forming devices registered for each user will be described as an example. The image forming system is an example of an equipment management system. It collects daily usage (daily data) from a plurality of registered image forming devices and calculates monthly usage (monthly data) by monthly processing. Then, the daily usage amount and the monthly usage amount of the device are provided to the owner or the user who is the user of the device. The user of the information processing system 100 is, for example, an individual, a company, a government office, or a non-profit organization, but is not limited thereto.

First, the configuration of the information processing system 100 will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the information processing system 100 according to the present embodiment. The information processing system 100 of FIG. 1 includes a management server 1, information collecting terminals 2a and 2b, image forming devices 3a to 3d, a web server 4, and a user terminal 5.

The management server 1, the information collection terminals 2a and 2b, the web server 4, and the user terminal 5 are connected via the network N1. The information collecting terminal 2a and the image forming devices 3a and 3b are connected via the network N2. The information collecting terminal 2b and the image forming devices 3c and 3d are connected via the network N3. The networks N1 to N3 may be the Internet, an intranet, or a combination thereof.

The management server 1 is an example of an information processing device, and is a server computer including a DB. In the present embodiment, the information processing apparatus can be any computer (for example, a client computer) having the same function as the management server 1. The management server 1 receives the data of the image forming devices 3a to 3d from the information collecting terminals 2a and 2b via the network N1 and manages the received data.

The management server 1 may directly receive data from at least a part of the image forming apparatus included in the information processing system 100. Further, a plurality of devices such as a gateway and a router may intervene between the management server 1 and the information collection terminals 2a and 2b. Further, in the example of FIG. 1, it is assumed that the information processing apparatus is configured by one computer (management server 1), but the information processing apparatus is configured by a plurality of computers such as a DB server and an application server. You may.

The information collecting terminal 2a collects data from the image forming devices 3a and 3b via the network N2, and transmits the collected data to the management server 1. The information collecting terminal 2a is, for example, a server computer, but is not limited thereto. In the example of FIG. 1, the information collecting terminal 2a collects data from two image forming devices 3a and 3b, but may collect data from one or more image forming devices.

Since the configuration of the information collecting terminal 2b is the same as that of the information collecting terminal 2a, the description thereof will be omitted. Hereinafter, when the information collecting terminals 2a and 2b are not distinguished, they are referred to as an information collecting terminal 2. In the example of FIG. 1, the information processing system 100 includes two information collecting terminals 2a and 2b, but may include one or three or more information collecting terminals 2.

The image forming apparatus 3a is a device registered as a management target of the management server 1, and transmits the daily usage amount to the information collecting terminal 2a via the network N2. The image forming apparatus 3a is, for example, an MFP, a printer, a fax machine, a scanner, or a copier, but is not limited thereto. The daily usage amount will be described in detail later.

Since the configurations of the image forming apparatus 3b to 3d are the same as those of the image forming apparatus 3a, the description thereof will be omitted. Hereinafter, when the image forming devices 3a to 3d are not distinguished, they are referred to as an image forming device 3. In the example of FIG. 1, two image forming devices 3 are connected to each information collecting terminal 2, but one or more image forming devices 3 may be connected. Further, a plurality of devices such as a gateway and a router may be interposed between the image forming device 3 and the information collecting terminal 2. Further, each image forming apparatus 3 may be of the same type or may be of a different type.

The web server 4 acquires the data stored in the management server 1 in response to the request from the user terminal 5, generates a web page for displaying the information according to the acquired data, and generates the generated web page. It is a server computer provided to the user terminal 5.

The user terminal 5 is a client computer used by the user of the information processing system 100. The user terminal 5 is, for example, a PC (Personal Computer), a smartphone, or a tablet terminal, but is not limited thereto. The user terminal 5 includes a web client and displays a web page generated by the web server 4 on a display device. The user of the information processing system 100 causes the user terminal 5 to display desired information (such as the usage status of the image forming apparatus 3 used by the user for each predetermined period) according to the data stored in the management server 1. be able to.

As described above, the information processing system 100 according to the present embodiment is not limited to the image forming system. For example, the information processing system 100 may be applied to a sales management system that manages orders from a plurality of user terminals, or may be applied to a sensor system that manages data from a plurality of sensors.

Next, the hardware configuration of the management server 1 will be described. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the management server 1. The management server 1 of FIG. 2 displays a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 14, and an input device 15. A device 16, a communication interface 17, and a bus 18 are provided.

By executing the program, the CPU 11 controls the entire management server 1 and realizes the function of the management server 1. The ROM 12 stores various data including a program executed by the CPU 11. The RAM 13 provides a working area for the CPU 11. The HDD 14 stores various data including a program executed by the CPU 11. The HDD 14 includes a DB for storing the data collected from the image forming apparatus 3.

The input device 15 inputs information according to the operation from the user to the management server 1. The input device 15 is, for example, a mouse, a keyboard, a touch panel, or a hardware button, but is not limited thereto. The display device 16 displays various information output by the management server 1. The display device 16 is, but is not limited to, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display. The communication interface 17 connects the management server 1 to the network N1. The management server 1 receives the data of the image forming apparatus 3 via the communication interface 17. The bus 18 connects the CPU 11, the ROM 12, the RAM 13, the HDD 14, the input device 15, the display device 16, and the communication interface 17 to each other.

Since the hardware configurations of the information collection terminal 2, the web server 4, and the user terminal 5 are the same as those of the management server 1, the description thereof will be omitted. Further, the image forming apparatus 3 is configured by adding hardware (printer, fax, scanner, etc.) corresponding to the function of the image forming apparatus 3 to the hardware of FIG.

Next, the functional configuration of the management server 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the management server 1 according to the present embodiment. The management server 1 of FIG. 3 includes a receiving unit 101, a daily DB 102, a monthly DB 103, a user information storage unit 104, a time difference information storage unit 105, a next execution date / time storage unit 106, and a previous execution date / time storage unit. It includes 107, a device information storage unit 108, and a user identification unit 109. Further, the management server 1 includes a device specifying unit 110, a monthly processing unit 111, and an execution date / time updating unit 112. These functional configurations are realized by the CPU 11 collaborating with other hardware. The daily DB 102 and monthly DB 103, the user information storage unit 104, the time difference information storage unit 105, the next execution date / time storage unit 106, the previous execution date / time storage unit 107, and the device information storage unit 108 are on the ROM 12, RAM 13, or HDD 14. It will be provided.

The receiving unit 101 receives a data file from the information collecting terminal 2. The data file is a file including the daily usage amount of the image forming apparatus 3 collected by the information collecting terminal 2, and is generated by the information collecting terminal 2 based on the daily usage amount received from each image forming apparatus 3. Send to management server 1. That is, the receiving unit 101 receives the daily usage amount from the image forming apparatus 3 via the information collecting terminal 2. The data file is, for example, a CSV (Comma Separated Values) file, but is not limited to this.

The receiving unit 101 may receive the data file at a predetermined time interval, may receive the data file at a predetermined time, or may receive the data file at an arbitrary timing when the information collecting terminal 2 transmits the data file. May be received. Further, the receiving unit 101 may receive one data file at a time, or may receive a plurality of data files at a time.

Here, the daily usage amount will be described in detail. The daily usage amount is an example of daily data, and is data indicating the usage amount of the image forming apparatus 3 aggregated for each day. When the daily usage amount is totaled, the image forming apparatus 3 transmits the date of the target date and the identification information of the image forming apparatus 3 (hereinafter referred to as “DID”) to the information collecting terminal 2 in association with each other. The daily usage amount may be the usage amount used on the target day or the cumulative usage amount used by the target day. Further, the image forming apparatus 3 may transmit a plurality of types of daily usage amounts. Examples of the daily usage amount include the number of job executions, the number of prints, the number of scans, the number of faxes, and the number of copies.

In the present embodiment, the image forming apparatus 3 transmits the daily usage amount to the information collecting terminal 2 on the day after the target day, and the information collecting terminal 2 sends the data file including the daily usage amount to the information collecting terminal 2 on the day after the target day. It is assumed that the data is sent to the management server 1. That is, it is assumed that the daily usage amount is transmitted from the image forming apparatus 3 to the management server 1 on the day after the target day (the transmission date of the daily usage amount is the day after the target day). However, the transmission date of the daily usage amount is not limited to the day following the target date, and can be arbitrarily set. Further, even if the transmission date of the daily usage amount is set to the day after the target date, the transmission date may not be the day after the target date. This is because the power of the image forming apparatus 3 may be turned off at the time of transmitting the daily usage amount from the image forming apparatus 3 to the information collecting terminal 2. In such a case, the image forming apparatus 3 may transmit the daily usage amount to the information collecting terminal 2 two days or more after the target day.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a data file. Each record in FIG. 4 corresponds to the daily usage of each target day of each image forming apparatus 3. Each record of FIG. 4 includes a date of a target date, a DID, and daily usage amounts (usage amounts 1 to 3) indicating three types of usage amounts. Since the data file of FIG. 4 is a data file received by the management server 1 on 3/9, the daily usage amount of 3/8 is mainly included, but the daily data of 3/7 is also included. There is. This is because, as described above, the daily usage amount may be transmitted two days or more after the target date.

When the receiving unit 101 receives the data file as shown in FIG. 4, the receiving unit 101 stores each daily usage amount included in the received data file in the daily DB 102. The information contained in the data file is not limited to the example of FIG. The data file may include other information (such as set values) about the image forming apparatus 3 in association with the daily usage amount.

The daily DB 102 is a DB that stores the daily usage amount. The daily DB 102 stores the daily usage amount of each target day for each image forming apparatus 3.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the daily usage amount stored in the daily DB 102 in a table format. Each record of FIG. 5 contains the daily usage of each image forming apparatus 3 for 3 days. For example, the daily usage of 3/6 of the image forming apparatus 3 having a DID of 001 is 80, the daily usage of 3/7 is 170, and the daily usage of 3/8 is 260. In the example of FIG. 5, one type of daily usage amount is stored for each target day of each image forming apparatus 3, but as in the example of FIG. 4, a plurality of types of daily usage amount are stored. May be done. Hereinafter, the image forming apparatus 3 having a DID of D00X will be referred to as an image forming apparatus 00X.

The monthly DB 103 is a DB that stores monthly usage. The monthly usage amount is an example of monthly data, and is data indicating the usage amount of the image forming apparatus 3 aggregated every month. As the monthly usage amount of the target month, the usage amount of the image forming apparatus 3 from the day after the closing day of the target month to the closing day of the target month is totaled. For example, when the closing date is 25 days, the monthly usage amount in March is the usage amount of the image forming apparatus 3 from 2/26 to 3/25. The closing date is the last day of the monthly usage calculation period and is set in advance for each user. The monthly DB 103 stores the monthly usage amount in association with the target month and the DID.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the monthly usage amount stored in the monthly DB 103 in a table format. Each record of FIG. 6 contains the monthly usage of each image forming apparatus 3 for 3 months. For example, the monthly usage of the image forming apparatus 001 in January is 2400, the monthly usage in February is 5100, and the monthly usage in March is 7800. In the example of FIG. 6, one type of monthly usage amount is stored for each target month of each image forming apparatus 3, but as in the example of FIG. 4, a plurality of types of monthly usage amount are stored. May be done.

The user information storage unit 104 stores user information for each user. The user information is arbitrary information about the user, and includes user identification information (hereinafter referred to as "UID"), a user name, a closing date of monthly usage, and an area to which the user belongs.

The area to which the user belongs is an area including the location of the user, and is preset for each user. Areas may be set on a continental basis, such as Asia, Europe, and North America, on a country basis, such as Japan, United Kingdom, and the United States, or on a country basis, such as Tokyo, London, and Washington. It may be set in units of cities, or it may be set in multiple units.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of user information stored in the user information storage unit 104 in a table format. Each record in FIG. 7 corresponds to the user information of each user. In the example of FIG. 7, the user information includes a UID, a user name, a closing date, and an area. For example, the username of a user with a UID of U001 is ABC Bank, the closing date is the last day, and the area is Asia. The user information is not limited to the example of FIG. 7. The user information may include information other than the UID, closing date, and area (user contact information, etc.). Hereinafter, the user whose UID is U00X will be referred to as user 00X.

The time difference information storage unit 105 stores the time difference information for each area. The time difference information includes a preset time difference with respect to the reference time. The reference time is a time that serves as a reference for the operation of the management server 1. The reference time may be Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) or Greenwich Mean Time. Hereinafter, it is assumed that the reference time is UTC.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the time difference information stored in the time difference information storage unit 105 in a table format. Each record in FIG. 8 corresponds to the time difference information in each area. In the example of FIG. 8, the time difference information of each area includes the area set for each continent and the time difference. For example, the time difference in Asia is +9 hours. This means that local time in Asia is nine hours ahead of UTC. The time difference information stored in the time difference information storage unit 105 is not limited to the example of FIG. As shown in the example of FIG. 8, the time difference information storage unit 105 may store the time difference for each area of the continental unit, may store the time difference for each area of the country unit or the city unit, or may store a plurality of time differences. The time difference may be stored in each unit.

The next execution date / time storage unit 106 stores the next execution date / time of the preset monthly process for each user. The next execution date and time is the date and time when the monthly process is scheduled to be executed next, and is stored in association with the UID. The management server 1 receives the daily usage amount of the closing date after the day after the closing date. Therefore, the next execution date and time of the monthly process using the daily usage amount of the closing date is set after the day after the closing date.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the next execution date and time stored in the next execution date and time storage unit 106 in a table format. In the example of FIG. 9, it is assumed that the closing date of user 001 is the last day, and the next execution date and time is set to 15:00 on April 2, 2018. The method of setting the next execution date and time (update method) will be described later.

The previous execution date / time storage unit 107 stores the previous execution date / time of the monthly process. The last execution date / time storage unit 107 may store the execution date / time of the monthly process executed two or more times before.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the previous execution date and time stored in the previous execution date and time storage unit 107 in a table format. In the example of FIG. 10, the previous execution date and time is 14:00 on April 1, 2018.

The device information storage unit 108 stores device information for each image forming apparatus 3. The device information includes the DID and the UID of the user of the image forming apparatus 3.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of device information stored in the device information storage unit 108 in a table format. Each record in FIG. 11 corresponds to the device information of each image forming apparatus 3. In the example of FIG. 11, the device information of each image forming apparatus 3 includes a DID, a UID, an installation location and an installation date of the image forming apparatus 3. For example, the UID of the image forming apparatus 001 is U001, the installation location is building A, and the installation date is 2013/5/10. As in the example of FIG. 11, the device information may include information other than DID and UID (installation location and installation, etc.).

The user specifying unit 109 identifies a target user to be processed monthly from among the users of the information processing system 100. The user specifying unit 109 identifies a user whose next execution date and time has arrived as a target user.

The device specifying unit 110 identifies a target device to be subject to monthly processing from the image forming apparatus 3 registered in the information processing system 100. The device specifying unit 110 identifies the image forming device 3 of the target user as the target device.

The monthly processing unit 111 executes monthly processing for each user. Specifically, the monthly processing unit 111 calculates the monthly usage amount from the daily usage amount of the target device, and stores the calculated monthly usage amount in the monthly DB 103.

When the daily usage amount is the usage amount used on the target day, the monthly processing unit 111 uses each target day included in the calculation period (from the day after the closing day of the previous month of the target month to the closing day of the target month). By summing up the daily usage of, the monthly usage of the target month can be calculated. For example, if the closing date is 25th and the target month is March, the monthly processing unit 111 totals the daily usage amount from February 26th to March 25th, so that the monthly usage amount in March is used. Can be calculated.

Further, when the daily usage amount is the cumulative usage amount up to the target day, the monthly processing unit 111 calculates the daily usage amount on the closing day of the previous month of the target month from the daily usage amount on the closing day of the target month. By subtracting, the monthly usage amount of the target month can be calculated. For example, if the closing date is 25th and the target month is March, the monthly processing unit 111 subtracts the daily usage amount of 2/25 from the daily usage amount of 3/25 to obtain the daily usage amount of March. Monthly usage can be calculated. If the management server 1 has not received the daily usage on the closing date of the target month at the time of executing the monthly processing, the monthly processing unit 111 substitutes for the daily usage on the closing date of the target month. In addition, the monthly usage amount of the target month may be calculated by using the daily usage amount of the date closest to the closing date of the target month for which the daily usage amount has been received.

The execution date / time update unit 112 updates the next execution date / time of the user who executed the monthly process based on the area to which the user belongs, the time difference corresponding to the area, and the closing date of the monthly usage amount. Specifically, the execution date / time update unit 112 adds the waiting time to the end time (24:00) of the closing day of the next month (the target month of the next monthly processing), and sets the time difference corresponding to the area to which the user belongs. The subtracted date and time is calculated as the next execution date and time.

Next execution date and time = end time of the closing day of the next month + waiting time + time difference corresponding to the area to which the user belongs

The waiting time is a time for waiting for the reception of the daily usage amount on the closing date, and is a preset fixed value. Since the management server 1 receives the daily usage amount of the closing date after the day following the closing date, the waiting time is preferably 24 hours or more. For example, if the next month (the target month for the next monthly processing) is March, the closing date is 25 days, the waiting time is 48 hours, and the time difference corresponding to the area to which the user belongs is +9 hours, the next execution date and time is 3. It will be 15:00 on / 27. The execution date / time update unit 112 updates the next execution date / time stored in the next execution date / time storage unit 106 by storing the calculated next execution date / time in the next execution date / time storage unit 106.

As described above, the execution date / time update unit 112 updates the next execution date / time according to the time difference corresponding to the area to which the user belongs, so that even if there are many users with the same closing date, each user The execution date and time of the monthly processing of can be changed for each area to which each user belongs. As a result, the number of target users (number of daily usages) at each execution date and time can be made uniform, the total calculation amount of monthly processing can be reduced, and the total calculation time can be shortened.

Further, as described above, the execution date / time update unit 112 updates the next execution date / time according to the time difference corresponding to the area to which the user belongs, thereby reliably securing the waiting time in the local time of the area to which the user belongs. be able to. For example, the above-mentioned next execution time (15:00 on March 27) is 24:00 on March 28 in local time. This corresponds to the date and time in local time, which is the end time of the closing day of the following month plus the waiting time. That is, the waiting time is secured in the local time. By securing the waiting time in this way, the management server 1 can more reliably receive the daily usage amount of the closing date by the execution date and time of the monthly processing.

Next, the monthly processing executed by the management server 1 will be described. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of monthly processing. The management server 1 executes the monthly processing of FIG. 12 at predetermined time intervals. That is, the execution date and time of the monthly process arrives at predetermined time intervals. The predetermined time is set to be equal to or less than the minimum value of the time difference interval that can be set. For example, if the minimum time difference interval is 1 hour, the predetermined time is set to 1 hour or less.

When the execution date and time of the monthly process arrives, the user specifying unit 109 refers to the next execution date and time storage unit 106 and identifies a user whose next execution date and time is before the current date and time as the target user (step S101). In the example of FIG. 9, when the current date and time is 15:00 on April 2, 2018, user 001 is specified as the target user. At this time, a plurality of users may be specified as target users. Further, the user specifying unit 109 may read the previous execution date / time from the previous execution date / time storage unit 107 and check whether there is a user whose next execution date / time is before the previous execution date / time. This makes it possible to identify a user whose next execution date and time has not been updated for some reason during monthly processing. If there is a user whose next execution date and time is not specified, the next execution date and time of the target user may be updated together with the next execution date and time of the target user in step S104 described later. The user identification unit 109 notifies the device identification unit 110 and the execution date / time update unit 112 of the UID of the target user.

When the device identification unit 110 is notified of the UID of the target user, the device information storage unit 108 is referred to, and the image forming device 3 of the target user is specified as the target device (step S102). Specifically, the device specifying unit 110 identifies the image forming apparatus 3 whose UID included in the device information matches the UID of the target user as the target device. In the example of FIG. 11, when the target user is user 001, the image forming apparatus 001,002 is specified as the target device. The device identification unit 110 notifies the monthly processing unit 111 of the DID of the target device.

When the monthly processing unit 111 is notified of the DID of the target device, the monthly processing unit 111 reads the daily usage amount of the target device from the daily DB 102 and calculates the monthly usage amount of the target device (step S103). The monthly processing unit 111 stores the calculated monthly usage amount in the monthly DB 103 as the monthly usage amount of the target month of the target device. The method for calculating the monthly usage amount is as described above. When the storage of the monthly usage amount is completed, the monthly processing unit 111 requests the execution date / time update unit 112 to update the next execution date / time.

When the execution date / time update unit 112 is requested to update the next execution date / time, the execution date / time update unit 112 reads the closing date and area of the target user from the user information storage unit 104, and obtains the time difference corresponding to the area to which the target user belongs from the time difference information storage unit 105. read out. The execution date / time update unit 112 calculates and calculates the next execution date / time of the target user based on the preset waiting time and the read-out closing date and time difference (time difference corresponding to the target user) of the target user. The next execution date and time is saved in the next execution date and time storage unit 106. As a result, the next execution date and time of the target user is updated (step S104). The method of calculating the next execution date and time is as described above.

The execution date / time update unit 112 stores the current date / time in the previous execution date / time storage unit 107 after updating the next execution date / time of the target user. As a result, the previous execution date and time is updated to the current date and time (step S105).

By the above processing, monthly processing is executed for the target user whose next execution date and time has arrived, and the next execution date and time of the target user is updated.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the next execution date and time of each user is updated according to the time difference corresponding to the area to which the user belongs. As a result, even if there are many users with the same closing date, the execution date and time of the monthly processing of each user can be changed for each area to which each user belongs. Therefore, it is possible to equalize the number of target users (the number of daily usages) at each execution date and time, reduce the total calculation amount of monthly processing, and shorten the total calculation time. As a result, the computational resources of the management server 1 can be efficiently utilized.

Further, by updating the next execution date and time according to the time difference corresponding to the area to which the user belongs, it is possible to surely secure the waiting time in the local time of the area to which the user belongs. As a result, the management server 1 can more reliably receive the daily usage amount of the closing date by the execution date and time of the monthly processing.

In the above, the case where the time difference is set for each continent has been described as an example, but it is preferable that the time difference is set for each country or city. This makes it possible to set the time difference more finely than when setting the time difference on a continental basis. This corresponds to being able to finely change the execution date and time of each user's monthly processing for each area to which each user belongs. As a result, the number of target users (number of daily usages) at each execution date and time can be made more uniform, the total calculation amount of monthly processing can be reduced, and the total calculation time can be shortened.

<Second Embodiment>
The information processing system 100 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 to 15. In this embodiment, the management server 1 whose next execution date and time is updated in consideration of daylight saving time will be described mainly on the differences from the first embodiment. Since the hardware configuration and the functional configuration of the management server 1 in this embodiment are the same as those in the first embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted.

The user information storage unit 104 stores user information for each user. The area included in the user information is set for each city. This is because the presence or absence of summer time and the period of implementation differ depending on the city.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of user information stored in the user information storage unit 104 in a table format. Each record in FIG. 13 corresponds to the user information of each user. In the example of FIG. 13, the user information includes a UID, a user name, a closing date, and an area. For example, the user name of the user whose UID is U001 is ABC Bank, the closing date is the last day, and the area is Tokyo. The user information is not limited to the example of FIG.

The time difference information storage unit 105 stores the time difference information for each area. The time difference information includes an area set for each city, a time difference, whether or not daylight saving time is implemented, and the start date and time and end date and time of daylight saving time. Daylight saving time is a system that advances local standard time by one hour during the summer.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of the time difference information stored in the time difference information storage unit 105 in a table format. Each record in FIG. 14 corresponds to the time difference information in each area. In the example of FIG. 14, the time difference information of each area includes the time difference, the presence / absence of implementation of daylight saving time, and the start date / time and end date / time of daylight saving time. For example, the time difference in New York is -5 hours, with or without daylight saving time, the start date and time is 2:00 AM on the second Sunday in March (local standard time), and the end date and time is 2:00 AM on the first Sunday in November. The time difference information stored in the time difference information storage unit 105 is not limited to the example of FIG.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing an example of monthly processing. Since steps S201 to S203 in FIG. 15 are the same as steps S101 to S103 in FIG. 12, the description thereof will be omitted. Hereinafter, steps S204 and subsequent steps will be described.

When the execution date / time update unit 112 is requested by the monthly processing unit 111 to update the next execution date / time, the execution date / time update unit 112 reads the closing date and area of the target user from the user information storage unit 104, and the target user belongs to the time difference information storage unit 105. Read the time difference corresponding to the area. The execution date / time update unit 112 calculates the next execution date / time of the target user based on the preset waiting time and the read-out closing date and time difference of the target user (step S204). The method of calculating the next execution date and time is as described above.

Next, the execution date / time update unit 112 reads from the time difference information storage unit 105 whether or not the area to which the target user belongs has daylight saving time, and confirms whether the area to which the target user belongs is the area where the daylight saving time is executed (step S205). When the area to which the target user belongs is an area where daylight saving time is not executed (step S205: NO), the process proceeds to step S208.

On the other hand, when the area to which the target user belongs is the area where the daylight saving time is executed (step S205: YES), the execution date / time update unit 112 sets the start date / time and the end date / time of the summer time in the area to which the target user belongs from the time difference information storage unit 105. Read and confirm whether summer time is in progress (step S206). If daylight saving time is not in progress (step S206: NO), processing proceeds to step S208.

On the other hand, when daylight saving time is being executed (step S206: YES), the execution date / time update unit 112 advances the next update date / time calculated in step S204 by one hour (step S207).

After that, the execution date / time update unit 112 stores the next execution date / time in the next execution date / time storage unit 106. As a result, the next execution date and time of the target user is updated (step S208).

The execution date / time update unit 112 stores the current date / time in the previous execution date / time storage unit 107 after updating the next execution date / time of the target user. As a result, the previous execution date and time is updated to the current date and time (step S209).

By the above processing, monthly processing is executed for the target user whose next execution date and time has arrived, and the next execution date and time of the target user is updated.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the area to which the target user belongs is executing daylight saving time, the next execution date and time of the target user is set one hour earlier. As a result, the execution date and time of the monthly processing can be unified to a predetermined time of the local time regardless of whether or not the summer time is carried out.

<Third Embodiment>
The information processing system 100 according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 16 and 17. In the present embodiment, the management server 1 that updates the next execution date and time of the target user based on the area where the target device is installed will be described focusing on the differences from the first embodiment. Since the hardware configuration and the functional configuration of the management server 1 in this embodiment are the same as those in the first embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted.

The device information storage unit 108 stores device information for each image forming apparatus 3. The device information includes a DID, a UID, and an area in which the image forming apparatus 3 is installed.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of device information stored in the device information storage unit 108 in a table format. Each record in FIG. 16 corresponds to the device information of each image forming apparatus 3. In the example of FIG. 16, the device information of each image forming apparatus 3 includes a DID, a UID, an installation location and an installation date of the image forming apparatus 3, and an area in which the image forming apparatus 3 is installed. For example, the UID of the image forming apparatus 003 is U002, the installation location is the B factory, and the area is Europe. The UID of the image forming apparatus 004 is U002, the installation location is the C factory, and the area is North America. As in the example of FIG. 16, the device information may include information other than DID and UID (installation location and installation, etc.).

In this embodiment, it is assumed that the image forming apparatus 3 of the same user is installed in a plurality of areas as in the image forming apparatus 003,004 of FIG. In such a case, if the next execution date and time is set based on the time difference corresponding to the area to which the user belongs, the monthly processing of the image forming apparatus 3 installed in the area where the time difference is smaller than the time difference corresponding to the area will be the local time. It will be executed before the waiting time of the end time of the closing date in. That is, in local time, it becomes impossible to secure the waiting time for monthly processing.

For example, if the waiting time is 48 hours, the closing date is 25 days, and the area to which the user belongs is Asia (time difference + 9 hours), if the next execution date and time is set based on the time difference corresponding to the area to which the user belongs, the next execution date and time can be set. Is set at 15:00 (UTC) on the 27th of the following month. If the user's image forming apparatus 3 is installed in North America (time difference −5 hours), the monthly processing of the image forming apparatus 3 is executed at 10:00 on the 27th in local time. That is, the monthly processing of the image forming apparatus 3 is executed 14 hours earlier than 24:00 on the 27th, which is after the waiting time of the end time of the closing day in local time. In this way, when the image forming apparatus 3 of the same user is installed in a plurality of areas, if the next execution date and time is set based on the time difference corresponding to the area to which the user belongs, the waiting time for monthly processing in local time is set. May not be secured.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the execution date / time update unit 112 updates the next execution date / time based on the time difference corresponding to the area in which the image forming apparatus 3 is installed. Specifically, the execution date / time update unit 112 adds the waiting time to the end time (24:00) of the closing day of the next month (the target month of the next monthly processing), and the user's image forming apparatus 3 is installed. The date and time obtained by subtracting the smallest time difference (minimum time difference) among the time differences corresponding to the area is calculated as the next execution date and time.

Next execution date and time = end time of the closing day of the next month + waiting time + minimum time difference corresponding to the area where the user's image forming device 3 is installed

As described above, the execution date / time update unit 112 updates the next execution date / time according to the minimum time difference corresponding to the area in which the image forming apparatus 3 of the user is installed, so that the area in which the image forming apparatus 3 is installed is installed. The waiting time can be surely secured in the local time. For example, if the waiting time is 48 hours, the closing date is 25 days, the area to which the user belongs is Asia (time difference + 9 hours), and the user's image forming apparatus 3 is installed in Asia and North America (time difference -5 hours), the minimum Since the time difference is -5 hours, the next execution date and time is set to 5:00 (UTC) on the 28th of the following month. That is, the monthly processing of the image forming apparatus 3 installed in North America is executed at 24:00 on the 27th of the following month in local time, and the monthly processing of the image forming apparatus 3 installed in Asia is the next month in local time. It will be executed at 9:00 on the 28th. As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to secure a standby time in the local time for all the image forming devices 3 of the user.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing an example of monthly processing. Since steps S301 to S303 in FIG. 17 are the same as steps S101 to S103 in FIG. 12, description thereof will be omitted. Hereinafter, steps S304 and subsequent steps will be described.

When the execution date / time update unit 112 is requested by the monthly processing unit 111 to update the next execution date / time, the execution date / time update unit 112 reads out the area where the target device is installed from the device information storage unit 108, and installs the target device from the time difference information storage unit 105. Read the time difference corresponding to the specified area. The execution date / time update unit 112 acquires the smallest time difference among the read time differences as the minimum time difference (step S304).

When the execution date / time update unit 112 acquires the minimum time difference, the execution date / time update unit 112 reads out the closing date of the target user from the user information storage unit 104. The execution date / time update unit 112 calculates the next execution date / time of the target user based on the preset waiting time, the read closing date of the target user, and the acquired minimum time difference (time difference corresponding to the target user). Then, the calculated next execution date and time is saved in the next execution date and time storage unit 106. As a result, the next execution date and time of the target user is updated (step S305). The method of calculating the next execution date and time is as described above.

The execution date / time update unit 112 stores the current date / time in the previous execution date / time storage unit 107 after updating the next execution date / time of the target user. As a result, the previous execution date and time is updated to the current date and time (step S306).

By the above processing, monthly processing is executed for the target user whose next execution date and time has arrived, and the next execution date and time of the target user is updated.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the next execution date and time of the target user is updated based on the minimum time difference corresponding to the area in which the image forming apparatus 3 of the target user is installed. As a result, it is possible to secure a waiting time for all the image forming devices 3 of the target user in the local time of the area where the image forming device 3 is installed.

The present invention is not limited to the configurations shown here, such as combinations with other elements in the configurations and the like described in the above embodiments. These points can be changed without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and can be appropriately determined according to the application form thereof.

1: Management server 2, 2a, 2b: Information collection terminal 3, 3a to 3d: Image forming device 4: Web server 5: User terminal 100: Information processing system 101: Receiving unit 102: Daily DB
103: Monthly DB
104: User information storage unit 105: Time difference information storage unit 106: Next execution date and time storage unit 107: Last execution date and time storage unit 108: Device information storage unit 109: User identification unit 110: Device identification unit 111: Monthly processing unit 112: Execution date and time update section

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 3-252671

Claims (9)

An information processing device that executes monthly processing to calculate monthly data from daily data for each device registered for each user.
A user identification unit that identifies a target user to be the target of the monthly processing from among the users based on a preset next execution date and time of the monthly processing.
A device identification unit that identifies the device of the target user as the target device of the monthly processing, and
A monthly processing unit that executes the monthly processing for the target device,
An execution date / time update unit that updates the next execution date / time of the target user based on a preset closing date of the monthly data of the target user and a time difference corresponding to the target user.
Information processing device equipped with. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the time difference corresponding to the target user is a time difference set in advance for each user and corresponding to the area to which the user belongs. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the time difference corresponding to the target user is a time difference corresponding to an area in which the device is installed, which is preset for each device. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the area is set for each continent, country, or city. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the execution date / time update unit adds a waiting time on the closing date and subtracts the time difference corresponding to the target user. The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the execution date / time update unit advances the next execution date / time when the area to which the target user belongs is performing daylight saving time. It is an information processing method that executes monthly processing to calculate monthly data from daily data for each device registered for each user.
A user identification step for specifying a target user to be the target of the monthly process from among the users based on a preset next execution date and time of the monthly process.
A device identification step for specifying the device of the target user as the target device for the monthly processing, and
A monthly processing step for executing the monthly processing for the target device, and
An execution date / time update step for updating the next execution date / time of the target user based on a preset closing date of the monthly data of the target user and a time difference corresponding to the target user.
Information processing method. Information including an information processing device that executes monthly processing for calculating monthly data from daily data for each device registered for each user, and the device connected to the information processing device via a network. It's a processing system
The information processing device is
A user identification unit that identifies a target user to be the target of the monthly processing from among the users based on a preset next execution date and time of the monthly processing.
A device identification unit that identifies the device of the target user as the target device of the monthly processing, and
A monthly processing unit that executes the monthly processing for the target device,
An execution date / time update unit that updates the next execution date / time of the target user based on a preset closing date of the monthly data of the target user and a time difference corresponding to the target user.
Information processing system equipped with. It is an information processing method that executes monthly processing to calculate monthly data from daily data for each device registered for each user.
A user identification step for specifying a target user to be the target of the monthly process from among the users based on a preset next execution date and time of the monthly process.
A device identification step for specifying the device of the target user as the target device for the monthly processing, and
A monthly processing step for executing the monthly processing for the target device, and
An execution date / time update step for updating the next execution date / time of the target user based on a preset closing date of the monthly data of the target user and a time difference corresponding to the target user.
A program that causes a computer to execute an information processing method.

Images