JP2002116835A - Application program accounting system and its device and its method and totaling server and accounting management server and accounting program and recording medium with accounting program recorded - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an application program accounting system and device and a totaling server and a accounting management server and an application program accounting method and a recording medium for recording an accounting program for allowing a user who uses an application program to acquire a reasonable charged result by performing accounting processing corresponding to a product actually generated by the application program and giving a discount according to a date without performing any accounting processing corresponding to the number of times of use or time of use of the application program or any specific function in the application program. SOLUTION: This system is provided with an accounting management server 1 for performing the accounting processing corresponding to a product, and for giving a discount according to a date such as a time zone or a day of the week so that it is possible to perform the accounting processing corresponding to the product obtained by a user, and to give a discount according to a date.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an application program accounting system, a device, a tallying server, and the like that are suitable for use in a system that provides and uses an application program (hereinafter, simply referred to as an application) specified by a user. The present invention relates to a charging management server, an application program charging method, a charging program, and a recording medium on which the charging program is recorded.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, application service providers (hereinafter simply referred to as AS
It is called P. A variety of related technologies have been developed, particularly focusing on charging technologies.

[0003] For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-83298 discloses an "operation management system and operation management method" which is a system for managing the operation of an application. Are weighted.

A predetermined value (battery value) is set in advance in the operation management counter. Every time a function for generating data is used, the count corresponding to the weight value is decremented. It is stated that the operation of the application is restricted when a predetermined limit value is reached.

Further, according to “Software use management method and system” in JP-A-11-212785,
Download the software from the network, return the usage time to the host at the time of execution, and charge (charge management at the host). Alternatively, the available time is set in advance, subtracted at the time of use, and when it becomes 0, the use is prohibited (Pre-paid method).

[0006] Further, according to the "Software use management system" of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-85502, a fee system is adopted in which charging is performed in accordance with the usage time and the number of times of use of each provided content, and reading is impossible. This is a software usage management system for playing back file format content in a readable format, whereby the content user can pay a fee according to the frequency of use.

According to the "information processing apparatus and software management method" disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-333901, when identification information of a user who uses an application program is input, a program for controlling the application issues a ticket. And make the application available for the time allowed by the ticket.

According to a "program license management system of a pay-as-you-go system" disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-320070, a program-based unit license and a usage time are stored in a pay-as-you-go program license in a server-client model. This allows the client to know the license fee for using the program on the server.

[0009] According to the "general application distribution method" of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-305675, when a general application becomes necessary, only necessary functions are purchased. Meanwhile, the maintenance and management (version upgrade, etc.) of the applications that have not been purchased are performed by the seller, and charging is performed according to the functions actually used by the purchaser.

The "software management system" disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei 6-19707 relates to the management of fee for use of paid software, and user-specific data in which software available fee is recorded in a prepaid manner for each user. It is stated that the usage fee is reduced every time the software is used, and the usage fee is reduced if the usage is insufficient, but it can be used again by adding the usage fee using an IC card.

[0011]

However, in the case of the above-described prior art, the following problems have occurred. Using application services in a conventional ASP system is not a visible product,
(1) whether you are charged for the application operation time, or (2)
The fee is charged based on the number of times the application is used, or (3) or charged per function.

In the case of (1), the user cannot judge whether or not the time for which the charge has been made is correctly counted as the time actually used for the benefit of the user. He was not always convinced of paying for the fee.

In the case of (2), the result desired by the user is not always output during one use, and a certain result may be obtained by the use a plurality of times depending on the user's convenience. Users were not convinced that they would be charged for the number of uses.

Further, in the case of (3), it is not satisfactory to the user for the same reason as in (1) and (2).

On the other hand, among the techniques disclosed in the above-mentioned publications, in the “operation management system and operation management method” of JP-A-10-83298, the unit of billing can be interpreted as a result of a function. If you look at the whole app, you can pay for each function in the app. If you use the function, the more you use it, the more you will be charged. It does not mean that no matter how many times you use the app, you will not be charged unless you output the product.

In the "Software use management method and system" of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-212785, communication between a host and a Client (denoted as "terminal" in the specification) includes the Internet. It is downloaded in advance and charged according to the usage time, and there is no concept of server sharing.

In the "Software use management system" disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-85502, both charging based on the number of times of use of the content provided by MO and charging based on the usage time are shown in the embodiment. Does not solve the above problems.

In the "information processing apparatus and software management method" disclosed in JP-A-10-333901, charging is performed when a ticket is issued, and permission / non-permission of application execution is controlled by an application control program. There is no charge according to the usage time, and a Pre-paid system using a ticket is adopted.

Further, in the "program license management system of the pay-as-you-go system" disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-320070, it is said that the management department or the like performs collective management, and each client can know the usage fee. And displays a license fee.

The "general application distribution method" disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-305675 is not a pay-as-you-go service but a function-based charge. Users who want to use only some of the functions of the integrated package software are required. It is intended for.

Further, the "software management method" of Japanese Patent Publication No. 6-19707 does not indicate what the charge unit of software use is, and at least suggests that the charge unit is a product. It is not shown.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and the object of the present invention is not charging processing for the number of times or use time of an application program or a specific function in the application program but for charging. It is possible to perform a charging process in accordance with the product actually generated by the application program, and to further provide a discount according to the date and time so that a user who uses the application program can obtain a satisfactory charging result. It is an object of the present invention to provide a possible application program charging system, device, totalizing server, charging management server, application program charging method, charging program, and recording medium on which the charging program is recorded.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of totalizing the usage fee of an application program used by a user in the same manner as the usage-based charging for printed matter in a normal copying machine or multifunction machine. An application program charging system that allows a copier or multifunction machine vendor to collectively charge and collect a print material charge by a copier or multifunction device installed at a user site and a usage charge by a user using an application program, Equipment, aggregation server, billing management server, application
An object of the present invention is to provide a program charging method, a charging program, and a recording medium on which the charging program is recorded.

Another object of the present invention is to cover not only printed matter but also facsimile output and files that have been subjected to some processing, etc., in order to increase the range of billing objects that can be satisfied by the user. Thus, an application program charging system, apparatus, totalizing server, charging management server, application program charging method, charging program, and charging program that can provide a more stable method of obtaining a revenue source for an application provider are provided. It is to provide a recorded recording medium.

[0025]

In order to achieve the above object, an application program billing system according to the present invention, when a product is obtained by using an application program, a section corresponding to the product. A charge management server that calculates the amount of money and charges the amount of charge at a discount rate at a discount rate according to the date and time when the product is obtained;

When a product is obtained by using an application program, a billing amount corresponding to the product is calculated, and a candidate for an expected amount to be discounted at a discount rate according to the date and time when the product is obtained for the billing amount is calculated. It is presented to the user for selection, and the product is obtained using the application program at the date and time that is the expected amount selected by the user.

[0027] A multifunction peripheral using the application program is connected to the charging management server via a network.

The multifunction device includes a print counter.

The multifunction peripheral has an application program server function of recording the execution contents of the application program designated by the user and the date and time when the product obtained by the application program is obtained in an application program use log;
A counting server function for counting the products by the program and recording it as application / program count information.

The totaling server function transfers the application program use log and the application program count information to the charging management server.

The multifunction peripheral has a billing table, and transmits to the billing management server a billing process result based on the application program use log, the application program count information, and the billing table.

The multifunction peripheral includes an application program designating means for designating an application program and a product.

The product is print data output by an application program.

The MFP includes a multifunction peripheral using the application program, and a user terminal connected to the multifunction peripheral via a network for a user to operate the application program.

The multifunction peripheral has an application program server function of downloading a designated application program to the user terminal device and executing the application program on the user terminal device or causing the user to execute the application program server.

An application program server connected to each other via a network for recording the execution contents of the designated application program and the date and time when the product obtained by the application program is obtained in an application program use log; and the application program Counting the deliverables by, and a totaling server that records as application program count information, and calculates a billing amount according to the deliverables,
A charge management server for discounting the charge amount at a discount rate according to the date and time when the product is obtained.

There is provided a user terminal device having an application program designating means for designating the application program and designating a product.

[0038] The application program server downloads an application program to the user terminal device.

The execution contents of the application program downloaded and executed by the user terminal device and the date and time when the product obtained by the application program is obtained are recorded in the application program use log.

The totaling server has a charging table, and transmits to the charging management server a result of the charging process using the application program use log, the application program count information, and the charging table.

The totalizing server transmits the application program use log and the application program count information to the charging management server.

There is provided printing means for printing the result of using the application program.

The result is print data output by the printing means after being processed by an application program.

There is provided facsimile means for facsimile transmitting the use result of the application program.

The deliverable is facsimile transmission data output by the facsimile means after being processed by the application program.

There is provided data transmission means for transmitting a result of using the application program.

The product is data that is processed by an application program and then transmitted to the outside by the data transmission means.

There is provided data output means for outputting a result of use of the application program.

The product is data that is processed by an application program and then output to a removable electronic recording medium by the data output means.

A multifunction peripheral having scanner means connected to a charging management server for charging according to the product and a network, and a user terminal device for operating the application program are provided.

The multifunction peripheral has an application program server function of recording the execution contents of the application program and the date and time when the product obtained by the application program was obtained in an application program use log.

The charge management server has a totalizing server function for performing a charge process for a product by the application program from the application program use log acquired from the multifunction peripheral.

The multifunction peripheral causes the scanner unit to start scanning, and instructs the scanner unit to store data without any processing, and the scanner unit to start scanning. Processing scanner input instructing means for instructing the scanner input data to be processed and accumulated after being processed by the application program.

The processing scanner input instructing means includes software designating means for designating the type of application program.

The application program server function, when instructed by the processing scanner input instructing means, executes the designated application program, and obtains the contents of the application program execution and the result of the application program. The date and time are recorded in the application program use log, and the application program use log is transmitted to the accounting management server.

The product is data input from the scanner means and processed by an application program.

The charge management server is configured to execute, via a network, an application program usage log indicating the execution contents of the application program and the date and time when the product obtained by the application program is obtained, and an application program count that counts the product obtained by the application program. Receive information.

In the apparatus of the present invention, the designated application program is executed, and the execution contents of the application program and the date and time when the product obtained by the application program is obtained are stored in the application program.
An application program server function for recording in a program use log, a counting server function for counting artifacts by the application program, and recording as application program count information,
And calculating a billing amount according to the product by the application program based on the application program use log and the application program count information, and a discount rate according to a date and time when the product is obtained for the billing amount. Charge at the discounted rate.

The tallying server according to the present invention detects the date and time when the product obtained by the application program is obtained, and detects the type and amount of the product generated by executing the application program, and uses the application program use log and the application program. · Aggregation information for updating the program usage counter, calculating the charge amount according to the product by the application program, and charging the charge amount at a discount rate at a discount rate according to the date and time when the product was obtained. Create

In the charge management server of the present invention, the charge amount is calculated according to the product by the application program, and the charge amount is charged at a discount rate at a discount rate according to the date and time when the product is obtained. A billing management server for detecting the date and time when the product by the application program is obtained and the type and amount of the product to update an application program use log and an application program use counter to create total information; .

According to the application program charging method of the present invention, the designated application program is executed, and the execution contents of the application program and the date and time when the product obtained by the application program is obtained are recorded in the application program use log. Recording the result by the application program, and recording the result as application program count information, based on the application program use log and the application program count information, Calculating a charge amount according to the deliverable, and charging the charge amount at a discount rate at a discount rate according to the date and time when the deliverable was obtained.

In the charging program according to the present invention, a charging amount is calculated in the computer according to the result of the application program, and the charging amount is charged at a discount rate based on a date and time when the result is obtained. A charging program for executing a specified application program, and
The execution content of the program and the date and time when the product obtained by the application program was obtained
Recording the first program as a program use log in the first recording device, counting the products by the application program, and recording the result in the second recording device as application program count information;
Based on the application program use log recorded in the first recording unit and the application program count information recorded in the second recording unit, the charge amount is calculated according to the product by the application program. And charging the billing amount at a discounted rate at a discount rate according to the date and time when the deliverable was obtained.

In the recording medium on which the charging program of the present invention is recorded, a charging amount is calculated in the computer in accordance with the result of the application program, and the charging amount is calculated at a discount rate according to the date and time when the result was obtained. A recording medium on which a charging program for charging at a discounted rate is recorded, in which a specified application program is executed, and the execution content of the application program and the date and time when the product obtained by the application program is obtained are displayed. Recording the first program as an application program use log in the first recording device; counting the product by the application program; and recording the result as application program count information in the second recording device; Recorded in the means Based on the application program use log and the application program count information recorded in the second recording means, the charge amount is calculated according to the product by the application program, and the product is calculated for the charge amount. And charging at a discounted rate at a discount rate according to the date and time when the information is obtained.

As described above, according to the present invention, in the ASP system, as a method of charging an application usage fee, a charging amount is calculated in accordance with a result of actually outputting an object to be processed by the used application, and this charging amount is calculated. Is charged at a discounted rate at a discount rate according to the date and time when the product is obtained.

The date and time when the product is obtained is a time zone or a day of the week when the product is obtained. In the present invention, a discount rate is set according to each time zone or day of the week.

The product is obtained by taking out a processing target that has been subjected to some processing by the application.

That is, in the present invention, unlike the conventional ASP system based on time charging, period charging, number-of-times charging, function-based charging, and the like, the product is charged, and the discount rate based on the date and time when the product is obtained from the charged amount is calculated. Discount on

The output form of the product includes at least one of the output quantity, output destination, and output form of the product.

In addition, the charge is not for the content but for the use of the application.

Further, a unique application server is placed in the system, and various products are charged, and the products are discounted at a discount rate according to the date and time when the products were obtained.

Further, the product is charged by the user operating the application from the user terminal which is a client PC, and the product is discounted at a discount rate according to the date and time when the product is obtained.

Also, the file server and the tallying server may be on different devices, the user may use the application on the client PC, and the counting of the result may be performed by the tallying server.

Here, various application programs can be considered. For example, image processing software, facsimile data creation software, printing software, software for processing data from a digital camera, OCR software, software for creating e-mail, software for sending and receiving e-mail, and the like.

The application program is supplied, for example, via a network or a CD-ROM.
Or the like via a recording medium such as.

Further, the multifunction peripheral in this specification includes an apparatus having only the function of a copying machine. In addition, the apparatus may be an apparatus in which any one of a copying machine, a scanner, and a facsimile is arbitrarily combined.

The application program designating means, the simple scanner input means, and the processed scanner input means include, for example, a touch panel, a numeric keypad, a mouse, and a pointing device.

The execution contents of the application program include the type and quality of the application program.

Further, the electronic recording medium of the present invention includes F
D, HD, MO, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, and the like.

As described above, according to the present invention, the user uses the application program and charges a product obtained by the use, for example, a printed material, at the time when the user obtains it. In addition, the user is not charged based on the number of times of use or the usage time, but a charging system that is satisfactory to the user can be provided. Then, since the user can receive a discount based on the date and time when the product is obtained using the application program, the user can adjust the fee and time for obtaining the product at the convenience of the user, and the user is satisfied. Billing can be implemented in the form.

Further, for the ASP system provider, not only the user's usage fee but also a bill for each product can be made at the same time, and the fee collection becomes easy.

Further, in response to the fact that the application program can use an arbitrary one, data such as data for facsimile other than printed matter,
Since any other data can be charged, the range of users can be expanded and the revenue source of the ASP can be expanded.

[0082]

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the dimensions of the components described in this embodiment,
The materials, shapes, relative arrangements, and the like are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention only to them unless otherwise specified.

In the following drawings, the same members as those described in the above-mentioned drawings are denoted by the same reference numerals. Further, in the following embodiments, each embodiment of the application program charging system according to the present invention will be described. However, the description of these embodiments is based on the device, the totaling server, the charging management server, the application
It also serves as a description of each embodiment of the program charging method, the charging program, and the recording medium on which the charging program is recorded.

Next, an embodiment of an application program charging system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

This embodiment uses an application program via a general network or a recording medium such as a CD-ROM, and retains logs in a tallying server.

When a product is generated by using the application, an application usage fee is charged for the product, the log on the totaling server is sent to the accounting management server, and the fee is distributed to the application provider. You.
The application runs on a PC.

FIG. 1 shows an application according to the present invention.
FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram illustrating a configuration of an embodiment of a program charging system, and is a diagram illustrating a state in which file servers 50 and 51 and an aggregation server 52 are used in a LAN 5 or an intranet.

As shown in FIG. 1, in this embodiment,
A charging management server 1, at least one or more application providers 2, and a router 7 are connected to a network (Internet) 4.

The LAN 5 is connected to the network 4 via the router 7. The LAN 5 is connected to file servers 50 and 51, an aggregation server 52, a user terminal 6, printers 53 and 54, a scanner 55, and a FAX 56.

Further, databases 57 and 58 storing application user data are connected to the file servers 50 and 51, respectively.

Then, an application is installed on the user terminal via a medium such as a CD-ROM,
Alternatively, an application is obtained from an application provider via the Internet.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the file servers 50 and 51 and the counting server 52 are provided separately.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a file server and a tallying server used in the present system. In this embodiment,
Although the file servers 50 and 51 and the aggregation server 52 are separate devices, they may be in the same device.

Next, the file server 5 shown in FIG.
The internal configuration of 0 and 51 will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 3 is an internal schematic diagram of the file server.

As shown in FIG. 3, inside the file server, an image is displayed on a network adapter 61 serving as a connection interface with a LAN, a FAX modem 62 for carrying data on a telephone line, and a monitor 66. A video card 63, a disk 65 as storage means for storing data, and a controller 64 for controlling the operation of these.

As can be seen from the figure, a disk 65, which is a storage device such as a hard disk, has a system area 67,
Application area 6 that holds applications
8, including a user area 69 for holding a user file.

This division only needs to be logically divided.
The disks may be separate disks or may be separated by directories on the same disk.

Next, the file server 5 shown in FIG.
The internal configuration of 0 and 51 will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 4 is a software block diagram of the file server shown in FIG. 1 and is divided into a user file management 73 connected to a network interface 71.

Various user files 75 are connected to the user file management 73.

As described above, the software of the file servers 50 and 51 of this embodiment manages the user file 75 and is accessed through the network.

Next, the internal configuration of the tallying server 52 shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG.
Is a software block diagram of the tallying server 52 shown in FIG. 2, and a billing table 82 and an application use log 83 are connected through a network interface 81 as seen in FIG. That is, a log when the application is used is accumulated in the tallying server 52, and the billing information is calculated based on the billing table 82 and the application use log 83.

Here, the update operation of the application use log of the tallying server 52 shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 shows the aggregation server 52 shown in FIG.
5 shows a flowchart of an application use log update operation of FIG. In FIG. 6, N is a number for distinguishing an application program, K is a number indicating the type of data processing, and D is data stored in a log.

First, the counting server 52 receives the N of the application number selected in the user terminal 6, the type of data processing, and the data stored in the log (step S222). The types of data processing include FAX transmission, printing, and the like, and the data held in the log includes the number of transmissions, the number of printings, and the like. Then, the type is stored in K and the data is stored in D (step S223).

Next, the data D is stored in the application number N of the application use log and the field K representing the processing.
Is added (step S224), and the operation ends.

Next, a charging table used in this embodiment will be described. FIG. 7 is a billing table used in the present embodiment. The fee differs depending on the application, the method of extracting the deliverable, or the output destination.

That is, when printing, sending to another by E-mail, sending to another by facsimile, and taking out the finished product as electronic data (content taking out), the fee is different. If a product involves multiple applications, it will be charged in duplicate.

[0107] Here, the retrieval of the product refers to the case where a file created using the application is retrieved from the application server, and may be retrieved in a manner other than described here. Good.

It is also possible to set the same amount of content to be taken out except for the unintended way of taking out the content.

However, FIG. 7A shows a standard billing table, and FIG. 7B shows a discount billing table. That is, the billing table does not need to be fixed to one,
For example, the charge setting may be changed depending on the output destination of the product or various conditions.

For example, the table shown in FIG. 7B is cheaper than the table shown in FIG. 7A.

Next, an operation of generating output information in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG.
FIG. 7 shows a flowchart of an operation when the file server generates output information in the present embodiment.

When generating output information, first, a drive name of an output destination is obtained (step S210). And
In step S211, it is determined whether or not the output destination drive is a drive on the file server. If the drive is a drive on the file server (Yes), the operation ends.
o) In step S212, the fact that the file is a file is stored in the output information, and the operation ends.

Next, the application use log 83 stored in the tallying server 52 shown in FIG. 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the application use log 83 held in the tallying server 52. The example shown in FIG. 9 is an application use log with a user ID. The application program use log can also serve as the application program count information of the present invention.

Although the table shown in FIG. 9 is sorted by user ID, the present invention is not limited to such a case. For example, for the application A, the person with the user ID 0001 has 102 prints,
Mail transmission is 42 kbytes and the number of faxes is 1
The number is three, and the number of times content is taken out is two. The same applies to other examples.

Further, the application program use log can also store the date and time when printing or the like was output by using the application program.

Next, the charge amount calculation result calculated by the tallying server 52 shown in FIG. 1 of this embodiment is shown in FIG.
0 will be described. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the calculation result of the charging amount with the user ID derived by the charging amount calculation process in the totaling server 52.

In the example shown in FIG. 10, the number of print jobs and the like are stored for each type of application used by the user, and the resulting total amount is stored.

Next, the operation of calculating the billing amount calculated by the aggregation server 52 shown in FIG. 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
1 and FIG.

FIG. 11 shows a flowchart of the accounting calculation operation performed by the tallying server 52 shown in FIG. 1 of this embodiment.

In the flowchart shown in FIG. 11, first, the counting server 52 waits for a processing request (step S8).
1). When the file save is selected (Ye
s) The process moves to step S84, and if not selected (No), the process moves to step S83 (step S8).
2).

In step S84, it is determined whether or not the file is stored in the file server. If the file is stored in the server (Yes), the operation is terminated. If the file is not stored in the server (No), step S87 is performed. Move to

Then, in step S83, E-m
It is determined whether or not aile has been selected. If E-mail has been selected (Yes), the process proceeds to step S87, and if not, the process proceeds to step S85.

Then, in step S85, the FAX
It is determined whether or not has been selected. If FAX is selected (Yes), the process proceeds to step S87, and if not, the process proceeds to step S86.

Then, in a step S86, it is determined whether or not the printing is selected. If printing has been selected (Yes), the flow proceeds to step S87, and if not, the flow proceeds to step S88.

That is, steps S83 and S8
5. In step S86, the user
You are determining whether you are trying to obtain deliverables as a result of using the program.

To obtain a product such as E-mail, the total information is updated in step S87, and charging is performed. Then, other processing is performed in step S88, and the operation is completed.

Next, a second example of the billing amount calculation operation calculated by the tallying server 52 shown in FIG. 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the charging amount calculation operation calculated by the tallying server 52 shown in FIG. 1 of the present embodiment, in which the charges are different in the output destination domain.

However, the flowchart shown in FIG. 12 differs from the flowchart shown in FIG. 11 in steps S89 to S95, and therefore these different operations will be described.

In this operation, E- is determined in step S83.
If mail is selected (Yes), or step S
When it is determined that the server is not inside the server in the determination of 84 (No)
In step S9, it is determined whether the output destination is the same domain.
Judge with 1.

If the domains are the same, (Ye
s) Then, the processing shifts to step S90 to make the charging table a discounted charging table, and then shifts to step S87.

On the other hand, when the domains are not the same, (N
o) Then, the processing shifts to step S89 to make the charging table a standard table, and shifts to step S87.

Here, step S89 includes step S
When FAX is selected in the judgment of 85 (Ye
s), and also when printing is selected in the determination of step S86 (Yes).

That is, in the operation shown in FIG. 12, the accounting table is changed to change the accounting status depending on whether or not the data output destination is the same domain.

After the total information is updated in step S87, in steps S92 to S95, a discount based on the date and time such as a time zone or a day of the week is further reduced from the billing amount obtained from the billing table determined in step S89 or step S90. The calculation is performed, and the billing amount to be finally charged is determined.

In step 92, based on the current day of the week and time zone for which the user has made a processing request, a billing amount in the case where the output is performed immediately immediately is calculated.

At this time, the discount rate is obtained based on the discount rate according to the time period shown in FIG. 13A and the discount rate according to the day of the week as shown in FIG. 13B, and the billing amount is calculated.
For example, if it is 14:30 on Tuesday, the time zone in FIG. 13A is A and there is no discount. FIG.
The discount zone on the day of the week (b) is a, and there is no discount here. Therefore, at 14:30 on Tuesday, no discount is applied.

For example, if it is 19:00 on Saturday, the time zone is B and the discount rate is 20%. Then, the discount zone on the day of the week is c, which is a 30% discount rate, and a total of 44% discount rate is applied.

As described above, since the discount rate is applied depending on the time zone and the day of the week, it is better to apply the discount for a user who does not need to output the information in a hurry. , The rate and the discount rate of the number of patterns to which the discount can be applied are shown to the user, and the user is allowed to select in which time zone to output. At this time, as a candidate selection method, all discountable patterns are calculated based on the current time, and three patterns having a large discount rate among them are selected.

In step S93, the date and time when the discount can be applied, the fee and the discount rate are displayed to the user, and the fields are also displayed so that the user can output the data at an arbitrary time. Allows you to choose which discount to apply. For example, as shown in FIG. 14, a charge selection screen is displayed, and the user is allowed to select an output time zone and a day of the week.

In step S94, the time zone and the day of the week selected by the user are awaited. If no selection is made, the user individually waits until a selection is made. If there is a selection, the process proceeds to step S95.

At step S95, a discount rate is applied based on the user's selection, and a billing process is performed.

The time zone and day of the week selected by the user are stored in an application program use log.

Here, the discount table according to the time zone and the day of the week shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B is a provisional one, and it is needless to say that it can be arbitrarily changed by the charging manager. Nor.

Next, in the present embodiment, the operation of saving data in the file server 50 or the file server 51, the operation of printing the saved data, and the
A sequence at the time of transmitting X or E-mail will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 15 shows an operation of storing data in a file server, an operation of printing the stored data, and transmitting the data by FAX or E-
FIG. 4 shows a sequence diagram when sending a mail.

In FIG. 15, the user (terminal) requests the application provider to download the application via the Internet (step S10).
1). Alternatively, the user himself installs it from a storage medium including an application such as a CD-ROM. Then, the application provider receiving the request via the Internet performs an authentication process and a file transfer process (step S102).

Next, the user executes the application and requests data storage by this execution (steps S103 and S104). Based on this request, the file server performs a saving process (step S105).
In this case, after the download, the file server may issue an execution instruction command to the downloaded application program and execute it.

Next, the user requests and executes any one or any combination of a print request, a FAX transmission request, and an E-mail transmission request (step S10).
6, S108, S109, S111, S112, S11
4).

Then, the tallying server updates the application use log based on each of the above requests (step S1).
07, S110, S113).

Next, with reference to FIG. 16, a description will be given of a sequence of operations when storing data outside the file server, when retrieving contents, and when performing billing collection processing in this embodiment. FIG. 16 shows a sequence diagram of the operation in the present embodiment when storing data outside the file server, when retrieving content, and when performing billing collection processing.

In FIG. 16, the user (terminal) requests the application provider to download the application via the Internet (step S10).
1). Alternatively, the user himself installs it from a storage medium including an application such as a CD-ROM. Then, the application provider receiving the request via the Internet performs an authentication process and a file transfer process (step S102).

Next, the user executes the application and requests data storage by this execution (steps S103 and S104). Based on this request, the file server performs a saving process (step S105). However, this storage is assumed to be outside the file server. In this case, after the download, the file server may issue an execution instruction command to the downloaded application program and execute it.

The file server that has received the storage request is
At the same time as performing the saving process (step S105), a request is made to the aggregation server to update the application use log.
Data transmission is performed (steps S121 and S12).
3). The user receives this data (step S
122).

Next, the user requests the file server to take out the product (step S124). In response to this request, the file server performs an application fetching process (step S125), and requests the counting server to update the application use log. Then, the tallying server calculates some candidates at the discount rate in the time zone (step S127) and shows the candidates to the user, and the user selects his / her favorite time zone from among them (step S128), which is determined. After that, data transmission is performed in that time zone (step S129). The user receives this data (step S130).

Next, the totaling server 52 calculates the charge amount,
The calculated billing amount is transmitted to the billing management server 1 at the request of the billing management server 1 (steps S131 and S13).
2).

Then, the charging management server 1 outputs a payment request for the payment amount based on the received charging information and remits a portion to the application provider (steps S133, S134).

As described above, the example shown in FIG. 16 shows a case where the product of the application program is taken out as electronic data as it is in a reusable form (content taking out).

Here, the operation when the billing amount is transmitted from totaling server 52 to billing management server 1 will be described with reference to FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 17 shows the present embodiment.
5 shows a flowchart of an operation when a billing amount is transmitted from the tallying server 52 to the billing management server 1.

The flowchart shown in FIG. 17A is a flowchart when the calculated amount is transmitted from the tallying server 52 to the accounting management server 1 in the present embodiment, and is a flowchart shown in FIG. Is
It is a flowchart at the time of performing the settlement payment request of the accounting management server 1.

As shown in FIG. 17A, when transmitting the calculated amount from the totaling server 52 to the charging management server 1, first, the totaling server 52 calculates the amount from the application use log and the charging table. Then, this amount is sent to the charging management server 1 (step S301,
Step S302).

As shown in FIG. 17 (b), when the accounting management server 1 makes a settlement payment request, it acquires the accounting information and then issues a bill (steps S303, S304). .

Next, the calculation operation of the billing amount performed in the tallying server 52 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 18 shows a flowchart of the operation of calculating the billing amount performed in the tallying server 52 of the present embodiment. When calculating the charge amount, as shown in FIG. 18, first, the total amount of the charge amount is calculated from the application use log and the charge table (step S141).

Then, it is determined in step S142 whether all application processes have been completed. If not completed (No), the process proceeds to step S141. If completed (Yes), the operation is terminated. Finish.

Next, a screen displayed on the user terminal 6 as a client PC in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 19 to 2
8 (excluding FIG. 26) is a schematic diagram of a screen displayed on the user terminal 6 as a client PC in the present embodiment.

FIG. 19 shows a screen of an application download software operating on the user terminal 6.

With this software, a user can download an application to be used from an arbitrary application provider (application provider 2 in FIG. 1). FIG. 19 also shows a state when an application provider is selected with this software. At this time, the same selection can be made when extracting the application from a storage medium such as a CD-ROM.

FIG. 20 is a screen for presenting to the user a list of applications in the server of the selected application provider and a fee list when a result is generated by the application.

On this screen, the user selects an application suitable for the purpose of use and budget. In this example, the second application B is selected.

This fee is 30 yen for printing, 100 yen for E-Mail attachment, 10 yen for Fax, and 200 yen for content retrieval.
It is disclosed to the user that it is 0 yen.

If the user is satisfied with this fee, he / she presses the “OK” button at the lower right to indicate his intention to accept the fee and download the application B.

At this timing, the user ID is notified to the file server.

In the present embodiment, the information is notified to the file server on a non-description login screen. In addition, a technology for sharing the login screen of the OS without using the login screen has been disclosed, and the user ID can be easily obtained on the server side.

The application B self-starts after downloading and presents the initial screen shown in FIG. The application B is OCR software in this example.

The user selects an image file to be subjected to OCR from “Input” of Menu.

As the input target file, the file managed by the file server in the MFP is displayed. In this embodiment, only items managed by the file server in the MFP are displayed. However, even if a file outside the MFP can be input, the present invention can be applied.

Next, as shown in FIG. 22, the input image file is displayed on the middle image display section, and the OCR is executed by the upper right execution button.

Then, as shown in FIG. 23, the TEXT generated as a result of the OCR being executed is displayed in the lower result display section.

As further shown in FIG.
By selecting Print / Fax / E-mail from the menu output, the product can be output. Here, FIG.
Reference numeral 4 indicates a time when printing is selected.

Then, the charge confirmation dialog of FIG.
When the user confirms the user's consent and presses "OK", the printing is executed, and the number of copies, the print size, and the like are notified to the totaling server 52 via the application server 50 or the file server 51.

The content of the notification is the type of output (print, fax, E
mail attachment, content extraction) and data (number of prints, number of transmissions, file size, etc.).

Here, the information transmission operation from the file server 50 or the file server 51 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 26 shows a flowchart of an operation of transmitting information from the file server 50 or the file server 51 to the aggregation server 52 in the present embodiment.

When transmitting information, first, an application number is input (step S151). Then, output information is obtained (step S152).

Next, in step S153, it is determined whether or not the output is a print. If the output is a print (Yes), the process proceeds to step S154. If not, the process proceeds to step S155.

In step S154, printing is stored for each type, the number of prints is stored in data, and the flow advances to step S161.

Next, in step S155, the output is FA
X, and if it is a FAX, (Ye
s) Then, the process proceeds to step S156. If the received fax is not a facsimile (No), the process proceeds to step S157.

In step S156, FAX is stored in the type, and the number of FAX transmissions is stored in the data.
161.

Next, at step S157, the output is E-
It is determined whether or not it is an E-mail. If it is an E-mail (Yes), the process proceeds to step S158, and
If it is not il (No), the process moves to step S159.

In step S158, the type is set to E-mai.
After storing 1 and storing FileSize in the data, the process shifts to step S161.

Next, in a step S159, it is determined whether or not the output is a file.
es) The process proceeds to step S160, and if the file is not a file (No), the operation ends.

In step S160, the content extraction is stored for the type, 1 is stored in the data as the file number, and the flow advances to step S161.

At step S161, the application number N and the stored type and data are transmitted to the totalizing server 52.

In this way, the output type (print, Fa,
x, E-mail attachment, content extraction) and data (number of prints, number of transmissions, file size, etc.) from file server 50 or file server 51 to totaling server 52
Notified to.

Further, as shown in FIG. 27, by selecting storage of the menu of the application B,
T data can be stored as a file.

That is, the option of the selection in the server,
Outside the server but can be stored in the same domain, outside the server and outside this domain.

However, in the case of only storage, a dialog indicating that storage is free is displayed as shown in FIG. Then, when the server is selected, the dialog shown in FIG. 28 is displayed, and at this time, it can be stored free of charge.

However, there is a possibility that a product to be charged, such as printing, will be output in a subsequent file operation. At this time, information indicating that the application B has been used at the timing of file storage is shown in FIG. 29, in order to prevent the result of the output from being performed by another application and to reduce the usage fee of the application to zero. In this way, recording is performed as shown in the file management information when a plurality of applications are used.

Here, FIG. 29 shows the state of the present embodiment.
FIG. 4 shows a conceptual diagram of file management information when a plurality of applications are used. As shown in FIG. 29, in this case, the directory stores pointers and application information of each file, and refers to the file by the file pointer, and the application information of the file includes the number of used applications and the used application information. Is stored.

Next, if the same domain is selected outside the server, it is difficult to take it out of the server and print it as much as possible.
Take-out outside the server is set at a high price.

However, as shown in FIG. 7B, since the content is taken out in the same domain, the calculation is performed by applying a discount.

[0200] On the other hand, if the storage outside the server and outside the domain is selected, this discount is not applied, and FIG.
Is applied. The above movement is processed according to the flowchart shown in FIG.

As described above, according to the embodiment of the application program charging system according to the present invention, the file server 50 or the file server 51 that stores and downloads the application program and the usage status of the user's application program are determined. Even when the tallying server 52 for tallying is separately provided, the contents of the tallying of the tallying server 52 are transmitted to the charging management server through the network 4, and when the user is charged, the user uses the application program. For example, when a product is obtained by performing a data extraction process such as a printing process or e-mail transmission, a charge amount corresponding to the result is calculated, and a time period when the product is obtained for the charge amount or Since charges are made at a discounted rate based on the date and time of the day of the week, Regardless of the number of times of use and the use time of the publication program, it is possible to adjust the date and time and rates of acquisition of artifacts to the user's convenience, it is possible to perform the billing in the form that the user has convinced.

In the above embodiment, the storage means of the present invention is the file server 50 or the file server 51 shown in FIG. 1, and the instruction means and the execution means are the user terminal 6 shown in FIG. The output means is a printer 53, 54, a scanner 55 or a facsimile shown in FIG.
56, and the accounting means is the accounting management server 1.

In the log, the usage status of the application program within a predetermined period up to now is stored as an application program usage log, and is used to determine the user's billing amount. This log can be the first recording means and the second recording means of the present invention.

[0204]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Instead of charging the user for the usage time, the number of times of use, and the use function of the application program as in the past, when the product is used and the product is obtained, the charge amount corresponding to the product is charged. The calculated amount is charged, and the product is charged at a discount rate at a discount rate according to the date and time (time zone or day of the week) at which the product was obtained. The user can adjust the fee, time, and the like for the user's convenience, and can perform charging in a form consenting to the user.

Further, since the results of the use of the application program by the user are totaled and this totaling status is transmitted to the charging management server through the network to perform the charging process, the user can determine the location and time of the application program at any time. Even if a program is used, billing processing can be performed more easily.

Furthermore, since the application program can be applied to facsimile output, E-mail output, data retrieval, and the like in addition to printed matter, the application range of the application program product used by the user is expanded. In addition, a stable revenue source can be provided to the application program provider due to the increase in users.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of an embodiment of an application program charging system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a file server and an aggregation server shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is an internal schematic diagram of the file server shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a software block diagram of the file server shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a software block diagram of a tallying server shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an application use log updating operation of the tallying server shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a charging table used in the embodiment of the application program charging system according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of an operation when an application provider generates output information in the embodiment of the application program charging system according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an application use log held in the tallying server illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a calculation result of a charging amount with a user ID derived by a charging amount calculation process in the totalizing server illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a billing amount calculation operation performed by the tallying server shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 12 is a flowchart of a billing amount calculation operation performed by the tallying server shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 13 is a discount table for a time zone and a day of the week used in the embodiment of the application program charging system according to the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a state in which a user can select an output time in consideration of a discount rate in the embodiment of the application program charging system according to the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a sequence diagram showing an operation of saving data in a file server, an operation of printing the saved data, and a process of transmitting the data by FAX or E-mail in the embodiment of the application program charging system according to the present invention. It is.

FIG. 16 is a sequence diagram of an operation in a case where data is stored outside a file server, a case where content is retrieved, and a case where a charge collection process is performed in the embodiment of the application program charging system according to the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart of an operation when a billing amount is transmitted from the totaling server to the billing management server in the embodiment of the application program billing system according to the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart of an operation of calculating a billing amount performed in the tallying server of the present embodiment in the embodiment of the application program billing system according to the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram of a screen displayed on a user terminal as a client PC in the embodiment of the application program charging system according to the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a schematic diagram of a screen displayed on a user terminal as a client PC in the embodiment of the application program charging system according to the present invention.

FIG. 21 is a schematic diagram of a screen displayed on a user terminal as a client PC in the embodiment of the application program charging system according to the present invention.

FIG. 22 is a schematic diagram of a screen displayed on a user terminal as a client PC in the embodiment of the application program charging system according to the present invention.

FIG. 23 is a schematic diagram of a screen displayed on a user terminal as a client PC in the embodiment of the application program charging system according to the present invention.

FIG. 24 is a schematic diagram of a screen displayed on a user terminal as a client PC in the embodiment of the application program charging system according to the present invention.

FIG. 25 is a schematic diagram of a screen displayed on a user terminal as a client PC in the embodiment of the application program charging system according to the present invention.

FIG. 26 is a flowchart of an operation of transmitting information from a file server or a file server to a tallying server in the embodiment of the application program charging system according to the present invention.

FIG. 27 is a schematic diagram of a screen displayed on a user terminal as a client PC in the embodiment of the application program charging system according to the present invention.

FIG. 28 is a schematic diagram of a screen displayed on a user terminal as a client PC in the embodiment of the application program charging system according to the present invention.

FIG. 29 is a conceptual diagram of file management information when a plurality of applications use the application program charging system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Charge management server 2 Application provider 4 Network 5 LAN 6 User terminal 7 Router 50, 51 Application server 52 Total server 53, 54 Printer 55 Scanner 56 FAX 57, 58 Database 61 Network adapter 62 FAX modem 63 Video card 64 Controller 65 Disk 66 Monitor 67 System area 68 Application area 69 User area 71 Network interface 73 User file management 75 User file 81 Network interface 82 Billing table 83 Application usage log

Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat II (reference) G06F 17/60 332 G06F 9/06 660A

Claims (39)

[Claims] When a product is obtained using an application program, a billing amount corresponding to the product is calculated, and the charge amount is discounted at a discount rate according to the date and time when the product is obtained. An application program charging system including a charging management server for charging in the system. 2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising: calculating a charge amount corresponding to the product when obtaining the product using the application program; The application program billing system according to claim 1, wherein the candidate is presented to the user for selection, and a product is obtained using the application program at a date and time corresponding to the estimated amount selected by the user. 3. The application program charging system according to claim 1, further comprising a multifunction peripheral that uses said application program and is connected to said charging management server via a network. 4. The application program charging system according to claim 3, wherein said multifunction peripheral includes a print counter. 5. An application program server function for recording, in an application program use log, an execution content of an application program designated by a user and a date and time when a product obtained by the application program is obtained;・
The application program billing system according to claim 3, further comprising: a counting server function of counting deliverables by the program and recording the result as application program count information. 6. The application program accounting system according to claim 5, wherein said totaling server function transfers said application program use log and said application program count information to said accounting management server. 7. The charging apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the multifunction peripheral has a charging table and transmits a result of the charging process using the application program use log, the application program count information, and the charging table to the charging management server. 7. The application program charging system according to any one of claims 1 to 6. 8. The application program charging system according to claim 3, wherein said multifunction peripheral comprises an application program designating means for designating an application program and a product. 9. The product according to claim 1, wherein the product is print data output by an application program.
An application / program charging system according to any one of the preceding claims. 10. The multifunction peripheral using the application program, and a user terminal device connected to the multifunction peripheral via a network for allowing a user to operate the application program. Application program billing system. 11. The multifunction peripheral according to claim 10, further comprising: an application program server function for downloading a designated application program to said user terminal device and causing said user terminal device to execute said program on said user terminal device or to allow a user to execute said application program. Application program billing system. 12. A network connected to each other by a network,
An application program server that records the execution contents of the designated application program and the date and time when the product obtained by the application program is obtained in an application program use log; and an application program that counts the product by the application program. 3. An aggregation server that records as count information, and a charge management server that calculates a charge amount according to the deliverable, and discounts the charge amount at a discount rate according to the date and time when the deliverable is obtained. The application program charging system according to 1. 13. The application program charging system according to claim 12, further comprising a user terminal device having an application program designating means for designating the application program and designating a product. 14. The application program charging system according to claim 12, wherein said application program server downloads an application program to said user terminal device. 15. The application program use log according to claim 14, wherein the contents of execution of the application program downloaded and executed by said user terminal device and the date and time when a product obtained by said application program is obtained are recorded in said application program use log. Application program billing system. 16. The accounting server according to claim 12, wherein said totaling server has a billing table and transmits a result of billing processing based on said application program use log, said application program count information and said billing table to said billing management server. 16. The application program charging system according to any one of claims 15 to 15. 17. The application program charging system according to claim 12, wherein said totaling server transmits said application program use log and said application program count information to said charging management server. 18. A printing apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising printing means for printing a use result of said application program.
An application / program charging system according to any one of the preceding claims. 19. The application program charging system according to claim 18, wherein said product is print data output by said printing means after being processed by an application program. 20. The application program charging system according to claim 12, further comprising facsimile means for facsimile transmitting the use result of said application program. 21. The facsimile transmission data output by the facsimile means after being processed by an application program.
The application program charging system according to 1. 22. The application program charging system according to claim 12, further comprising a data transmission unit for transmitting a use result of the application program. 23. The application program charging system according to claim 22, wherein the product is data which is processed by an application program and then transmitted to the outside by the data transmission means. 24. The application program charging system according to claim 12, further comprising data output means for outputting a result of using the application program. 25. The application program charging system according to claim 24, wherein the product is data that is processed by an application program and then output to a removable electronic recording medium by the data output unit. 26. An MFP according to claim 1, further comprising: a multifunction peripheral having scanner means, which is connected to a charging management server for charging according to said product by a network, and a user terminal device for operating said application program. 3. The application program charging system according to item 2. 27. The multi-function peripheral according to claim 27, wherein:
The execution content of the program and the date and time when the product obtained by the application program was obtained
27. The application program billing system according to claim 26, further comprising an application program server function of recording in a program use log. 28. The application program accounting according to claim 27, wherein said accounting management server has an aggregation server function for performing accounting processing on a product by said application program from an application program usage log acquired from said multifunction peripheral. system. 29. The multifunction peripheral comprises: a simple scanner input instructing means for instructing the scanner means to start a scan and accumulating scanner input data without any processing; 29. The application program charging system according to claim 26, further comprising: a processing scanner input instructing unit for instructing to start and store the data after processing the scanner input data by the application program. 30. The application program charging system according to claim 29, wherein said processing scanner input instructing means includes software designating means for designating a type of an application program. 31. The application program server function, when instructed by the processing scanner input instructing means, executes a designated application program, and executes the application program execution contents and the product by the application program. 31. The application program charging system according to claim 29, wherein the obtained date and time are recorded in an application program usage log, and the application program usage log is transmitted to a charging management server. 32. The application program charging system according to claim 26, wherein the product is data input from the scanner means and processed by an application program. 33. The charging management server, via a network, an application program usage log indicating the execution content of the application program and the date and time when the product obtained by the application program was obtained, and the application program that counted the product by the application program. 33. The application / program accounting system according to claim 26, wherein the application / program accounting system receives program count information. 34. An application program server function for executing a designated application program, and recording in the application program use log the execution contents of the application program and the date and time when the product obtained by the application program is obtained, and the application A counting server function that counts the product by the program and records it as application program count information, based on the application program use log and the application program count information, A device that calculates a billing amount in accordance with the billing amount, and bills the billing amount at a discounted rate at a discount rate according to the date and time when the product is obtained. 35. An application program use log and an application program use counter are updated by detecting the date and time when the product by the application program was obtained and the type and amount of the product generated by execution of the application program. A tallying server for calculating a billing amount in accordance with the product by the application program and creating tallying information for charging the billing amount at a discount rate at a discount rate according to the date and time when the product is obtained. 36. A billing management server for calculating a billing amount according to a deliverable by an application program, and billing said billing amount at a discount rate at a discount rate according to the date and time when said deliverable is obtained. A billing management server that detects the date and time when the product obtained by the program and the type and amount of the product and updates the application program use log and the application program use counter to create total information. 37. A step of causing a designated application program to be executed, and recording the execution contents of the application program and the date and time when a product obtained by the application program is obtained in an application program use log; Counting the deliverables and recording as application program count information; and, based on the application program use log and the application program count information, calculating a billing amount according to the deliverables by the application program, Charging the charge at a discounted rate at a discount rate according to the date and time when the deliverable was obtained. 38. A billing program for calculating a billing amount in accordance with a deliverable by an application program and causing the computer to bill the billing amount at a discount rate based on a date and time when the deliverable is obtained. And execute the specified application program,
Recording the execution contents of the application program and the date and time when the product obtained by the application program was obtained in the first recording means as an application program use log; and counting the product by the application program. Recording the information as count information in a second recording means, based on the application program use log recorded in the first recording means and the application program count information recorded in the second recording means, Calculating the billing amount according to the deliverable by the application program, and billing the billing amount at a discount rate at a discount rate according to the date and time when the deliverable was obtained. 39. A billing program for calculating a billing amount in accordance with a product by an application program and causing the computer to bill the billing amount at a discount rate based on a date and time when the product is obtained. A recording medium on which the specified application program is executed,
Recording the execution contents of the application program and the date and time when the product obtained by the application program was obtained in the first recording means as an application program use log; and counting the product by the application program. Recording the information as count information in a second recording means, based on the application program use log recorded in the first recording means and the application program count information recorded in the second recording means, Calculating the charge amount according to the product by the application program, and charging the charge amount at a discount rate at a discount rate according to the date and time when the product was obtained. Body.