JPH0517546B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a management device for an image forming apparatus, and more particularly to a management device for an image forming apparatus that appropriately manages the number of images to be formed for each usage category.

[Prior Art] Conventionally, in order to bear the cost of copying for each department or user using a copying machine, the number of copies was mainly managed for each department (user). For example, when using a copying machine, the user records the department in use and the number of copies, and the administrator tallies the information by department at predetermined intervals, but this tabulation process is time-consuming. management is complicated.

To avoid this, key counters have recently been used. This key counter is stored for each department in which the copying machine is used, and when copying is performed, the key counter is inserted into the copying machine and connected to the copying machine so that signals can be sent and received.

This key counter is an electromagnetic counter that has a step motor and a several-digit number display ring, and sequentially counts the pulse signals obtained from one copying operation of the copying machine, and displays the cumulative value on the number display ring. I'm starting to do that.

Furthermore, this key counter has a function of limiting the department in which it is used by a key switch, and it is prohibited to use the copying machine without having a key counter.

However, since the key counter is stored for each department, it has the disadvantage that it is not possible to centrally manage copy number data for each department.

In order to improve this problem, we will provide one central storage means that divides the copy number data into sections for each department that uses copiers and collectively counts them. A management device capable of specifying the classification of the central storage means has been proposed (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 72057/1983).
In addition, as another conventional technology, in order to limit the users of the copying machine to specific persons, there is a storage means for storing codes and flags indicating whether copying is possible or not for each code, and enter the code and
By setting a flag for the address corresponding to this input code in the storage means, this input code is registered, and when copying, the code is re-entered using the numeric keypad, and the address corresponding to this input code is registered. An image processing apparatus has been proposed that determines permission/disapproval of a copying operation based on whether or not a flag is set (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 115157/1983).

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in the former proposal disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 54-72057, if the department code of the magnetic card and the registered code do not match, the copying operation is performed. The configuration is such that copying is prohibited, and if a match occurs, copying is enabled.

But with this configuration, you can lose the magnetic card and
If a third party steals the card, the code on the card matches the registered code, so copying is possible, and if the card is misused, the department (or individual) will have to bear the cost of copying. It has the disadvantage that it must be

On the other hand, the latter proposal, disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 55-115157, requires the administrator to register the code, which increases the burden on the administrator.

The purpose of the present invention is to effectively eliminate these drawbacks of the conventional technology, prevent the card from being misused by a third party even if the card is lost, and reduce the burden on the administrator when issuing a new card. An object of the present invention is to provide a management device for an image forming apparatus that has the following functions.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, an image forming apparatus management device according to the present invention identifies departments or individuals who use image forming apparatuses stored in a plurality of information media. code reading means for reading mutually different codes; nonvolatile storage means having a storage area corresponding to each code; receiving means for receiving a count-up signal output for each image forming cycle; count-up means for counting up by one the stored contents of a storage area of the non-volatile storage means corresponding to the code read by the reading means, based on the count-up signal received by the reception means; an invalid code registration means to be registered; an invalid code registration means for registering an invalid code in the invalid code registration means; an invalid code cancellation means for canceling the registration of the invalid code by the invalid code registration means; Invalid code registration/
a permitting means for permitting registration/cancellation of the invalid code by the canceling means; a comparing means for comparing the code read by the reading means with an invalid code registered in the invalid code registration means; and a comparison by the comparing means. and an image forming operation permission means for permitting the image forming operation of the image forming apparatus main body when the code read by the reading means does not match the invalid code registered in the invalid code registration means. That is.

[Example] Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

The management device 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a controller 2,
Card reader 3, display panel 4, address latch 5,
It is equipped with a nonvolatile RAM 6, a printer 7, and a management key switch 19.

The controller 2 includes an input/output interface circuit 8 and performs information processing for various controls.
It consists of a microcomputer in which a CPU (central processing unit) 9, a ROM (read only memory) 10 that stores a control program, and a working RAM 11 of the CPU 9 are integrated into one chip, and for example, an Intel 8048 can be used for this.
This controller 2 is part of an input/output interface circuit 8, including a card reader 3, a display panel 4, an address latch 5, a non-volatile RAM 6, a printer 7,
While being connected to the management key switch 19,
It is also connected to the copying machine main body 12, and performs predetermined control by exchanging signals with these.

The copying machine main body 12 is, for example, in the form of a transfer type electrophotographic machine that charges a photoreceptor, exposes it to light, visualizes the resulting latent image, and further transfers and fixes the image onto transfer paper. be.

The card reader 3 has an insertion hole into which a key card 13 is set. key card 1
3 has a function as a key that enables the copying operation of the copying machine main body 12 via the controller 2 by setting it in the card reader 3. This key card 13 is in the form of a magnetic card that stores a code corresponding to each department that uses the copying machine main body 12, and is distributed to each department according to the code. The insertion hole of the card reader 3 has built-in means for detecting that the key card 13 is set and means for reading the code of the key card 13, and these means are well-known magnetic detectors.

The display panel 4 includes a code display 14 that numerically displays the code of the key card 13 set in the card reader 3, a number display 15 that displays the cumulative number of copies of the code of the set key card 13,
It consists of a reset counter select switch 16 for clearing the cumulative number of copies on the display 15 and displaying only the current number of copies from the reset counter on the number display 15, a paper size display 17, etc. The number display 15 displays the cumulative number of copies (6 digit display) and the number of reset copies (3 digits on the right).
digit).

The non-volatile RAM 6 is readable and writable when energized, and has a function of retaining stored contents when not energized, and stores the cumulative number of copies for each code and the date of the previous total. For example, Toshiba TMM142C can be used for this. The memory mapping of the nonvolatile RAM 6 is as shown in FIG. Non-volatile RAM
An address latch 5 installed between the nonvolatile RAM 6 and the input/output interface circuit 8 indicates the address of the nonvolatile RAM 6, and outputs the address and data to the data bus 18 in a time-division manner.

The management key switch 19 is a key switch using a well-known lock, and is kept by the administrator, and by locking it in the OFF position, the contacts can be connected.

Using the master key card 13m stored by the administrator at the location of
stored in the invalid code storage area. That is,
By inserting the master key card 13m into the card reader 3 and pressing the switch 16 on the display panel 4 once, the number displayed on the code display 14 is incremented by 1. Therefore, for example, if the lost code is 10, by pressing the switch 16 several times, the number 10 will be displayed on the code display 14 and the cumulative number of copies of that code will be displayed on the number display 15. In addition, as mentioned above, the management key switch 19
When the code is located, the code is stored as an invalid code in the invalid code storage area of the nonvolatile RAM 6.

When the printer 7 is connected in the position,
All memory contents are printed out for each code, and the memory contents of the non-volatile RAM 6 are cleared at the location. Further, the date setting switch 20 is used to store the date of printout in the nonvolatile RAM 6. The printout format is "February 1, 1954" as shown in Figure 3.
The aggregation period, such as "February 28th printout," the date of printout of the aggregated data, such as "February 28th printout," all codes and the number of copies corresponding to each code, and the number of copies during the aggregation period. Each registered invalid code is displayed.

Note that since the printer 7 is not used all the time, it suffices if it is separable from the controller 2 and can be connected to the controller 2 only during aggregation.

Next, the operation of the copying machine management device described above will be explained with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, turn on the power. Non-volatile when the power is turned on
RAM6 becomes volatile and becomes readable and writable. When the key card 13 is not set, the lamp on the print switch (not shown) on the copying machine body 12 is red, and the code display 1 is on.
4. The number of copies display 15 is also off, indicating that copying is not possible.

When the key card 13 is set in the card reader 3, the set signal and code signal are sent to the controller 2.
to go into. The set signal is passed through the input/output interface circuit 8, and the code signal of the key card 13 is compared with the invalid code signal stored in the non-volatile RAM 6. If the code signal is not the same, the print switch lamp of the copying machine body 12 changes from red to green. , indicating that copying is possible. Further, if the code signal of the key card 13 and the invalid code signal are the same, an error display E is displayed on the code display 14, and the print switch of the copying machine main body 12 remains red and becomes prohibited from copying. On the other hand, the code signal is generated by displaying the code on the code display 14 by the operation of the controller 2, and by specifying the corresponding address of the non-volatile RAM 6 by the operation of the controller 2 and the address latch 5, and reading out the stored contents of the same address. Display number display 1 shows the cumulative number of copies up to
Displayed on 5. If the reset counter select switch 16 is pressed here, the reset counter is activated and the display on the number display 15 becomes 0, and the number of copies to be made will be displayed on the display 15. Note that the size of the transfer paper set in the copying machine main body 12 is displayed on the paper size display 17 based on a signal from the copying machine main body 12.

When you press the print switch on the copying machine main body 12,
The copying process begins. Once the copying process begins, every copying cycle (for example, every time a sheet of transfer paper is fed)
Then, a count-up signal arrives at the input/output interface circuit 8, and in processing by the CPU 9, it passes through the address latch 5 and adds 1 to the corresponding address in the nonvolatile RAM 6. If the reset counter is active, add 1 to it as well. The addition result is displayed on the sheet number display 15 one by one.

Copying is repeated in this manner, and when the required number of copies is completed, the cumulative number of copies for that code is displayed on the number display 15, and if the reset counter is selected, the current number of copies is displayed.
You can know.

When the necessary copying is completed, open the card reader 3.
When the key card 13 is pulled out, the code display 14 goes out and the print switch lamp on the copying machine main body 12 turns red, indicating that copying is not possible.

Next, a case where the key card 13 is lost will be explained. The administrator inserts the master key card 13m (which has a predetermined code) into the card reader 3, and presses the switch 16 several times until the number displayed on the code display section 14 of the display section 4 matches the lost code. push. In this way, the lost code is displayed on the code display 14, and when the management key switch 19 is turned to the position, the lost code becomes non-volatile.
Stored in the invalid code storage area of RAM6.
It will be treated as an invalid code from now on. Therefore, after that, insert the key card 13 of the lost code into the card reader 3.
Even if the code is inserted, E indicating an error is displayed on the code display 14, and the copying machine main body 12 enters a copying prohibited state.

Next, when the lost key card 13 is found, the invalidity of the code can be canceled by inserting the key card 13 into the card reader 3 and setting the management key switch 19 to the position.

Since the capacity of the non-volatile RAM 6 is limited, when a large number of cards are lost, invalidation can be canceled when the total number of printouts is cleared. That is, in order to total the number of copies for each department for each management period, the administrator prints out the copies using the printer 7. At this time, the administrator turns the management key switch to the position of the management lock. Then, as shown in the format of FIG. 3, the number of copies and invalidation codes for each code can be printed out. Then, by moving the management key switch 19 to the position, the contents of the nonvolatile RAM 6 are cleared.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, the image forming apparatus management device according to the present invention is capable of registering/cancelling an invalidation code, thereby preventing misuse of the card by a third party and preventing the card from being discovered. Even if a new card is issued, the discovered card can be reused, and the administrator does not need to register a code even when issuing a new card, reducing the burden on the administrator when issuing a new card. .

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a copying machine management device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a nonvolatile RAM in the same device.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a printout format by the same device, and FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the same device. 1... Management device, 2... Controller, 3...
Card reader (code reader), 4...display panel,
5...Address latte, 6...Non-volatile RAM (storage unit), 7...Printer, 9...CPU, 12...
Copying machine body, 13...Key card, 13m...Master key card, 19...Administrative key switch.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. Code reading means for reading mutually different codes recorded on a plurality of information media that identify departments or individuals using the image forming apparatus, and a storage area corresponding to each code. a non-volatile storage means having: a receiving means for receiving a count-up signal output for each image forming cycle; and a reading means for reading the non-volatile storage means by the count-up signal received by the receiving means. a count-up means for counting up by one the stored contents of a storage area corresponding to the code read by the means; an invalid code registration means for registering an invalid code; and a method for registering an invalid code in the invalid code registration means. invalid code registration means; invalid code cancellation means for canceling the registration of invalid codes by the invalid code registration means; permission means for permitting registration/cancellation of invalid codes by the invalid code registration/cancellation means; and the reading means. a comparison means for comparing the code read by the code with an invalid code registered in the invalid code registration means; and as a result of the comparison by the comparison means, the code read by the reading means is registered in the invalid code registration means. A management device for an image forming apparatus, comprising an image forming operation permission means for permitting an image forming operation of an image forming apparatus main body when the code does not match a registered invalidation code.