JP2000206845A - Copy service charging system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize a copy service charging system permitting to provide services according to management environments such as plural kinds of copy service including color copy even in a self-service management environment, or permitting to provide only black-and-white copy service according to circumstances. SOLUTION: When coins are put into a coin rack (a 1st charging device) in the initial state, a charging control operation starts (F6-1), and when a user selects colors and a specific color processing mode by key operations, etc., (a specific mode 1), the system is changed over to the state of 'no charge'. In the state of 'no charge', a copying machine does not operate (F6-2) and returns to the initial state, and the color operation by the coin rack is limited. The limited color service is released by using a 2nd charging system (F6-7) by an IC card, etc.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a copy service billing system, and more particularly to a copy service billing system for producing a plurality of types of copies (for example, black and white and color copies) by a plurality of billing devices. The present invention relates to a copy service billing system in which a specific kind of copy service is performed by a particular billing device so that the service can be performed by separating the type of copy.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a black-and-white copy service,
Install copiers in convenience stores and other stores,
A copy service is provided for use by an unspecified number of people, and IC cards, magnetic cards, coin racks, etc. are used as billing devices for the copy service so that collection of fees and the like can be performed simply and accurately. It has been. FIG. 7 shows an example of an operation flow in a conventional black-and-white copy service in which a copying machine is operated by a charging apparatus. The operation of the illustrated flow will be described using an example of charging by a coin rack. In the initial state, when the user inserts a coin into the coin rack (charging device), a coin insertion detection signal is output, and when the signal is notified to the copying machine main body side, the charging control operation starts (F7-1). In this control, first, the amount of money inserted into the coin rack is detected, and the range of the copy service corresponding to the charged amount is determined. That is, the content of the desired service selected by the user by key operation or the like is recognized, and the copy fee is recognized. Is calculated (F7-2), it is determined whether the charge is within the range of the charge amount (F7-3), and if the charge by the coin rack is appropriate, a copy operation is performed (F7-4). ), Finish the procedure. As described above, in the conventional black-and-white copy service, all the procedures can be performed by the user operating the copying machine, so that the service can be used in an unmanned management environment.

On the other hand, in recent years, with the spread of color digital copying machines, the number of users of a color copy service is increasing. However, in the case of a color copy service, it has been difficult to separate color and black and white with a copy service device which has been developed mainly for the above-mentioned black and white copy, and furthermore, forgery of bills and certificates by color copy, and the like. To prevent problems, we use face-to-face sales,
Insufficient service is provided. In particular, the color copy service based on the coin rack settlement is performed only at a copy service center, and the service is not performed in an almost unmanned management environment currently performed at stores such as convenience stores.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of a billing system used in a copy service using a conventional color copying machine.
The purpose is to provide multiple types of copy services including a color copy service even in an almost unmanned management environment, as in the case of conventional black and white copiers. It is an object of the present invention to provide a copy service billing system that enables a service according to a management environment.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a copying machine which generates a copy in a plurality of recording modes, and a plurality of billing devices connected to the copying machine. In a copy service charging system for judging whether or not a copy fee calculated based on a copy condition selected by a copying machine has been charged and starting up the copying machine according to the judgment, a copy operation of a specific recording mode is performed by the copying machine. Is selected, the starting of the copying machine by a charging device other than a specific charging device is prohibited to limit the starting of the copying machine.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the copy service charging system according to the first aspect, the specific recording mode set as a condition for prohibiting activation of the copying machine by a charging device other than the specific charging device is set. It is characterized by having means for changing.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the copy service billing system according to the first or second aspect, a billing device operated by a key card capable of writing billing information is used as the specific billing device. It is.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the copy service charging system according to any one of the first to third aspects, an operation display section is provided in the copying machine, and charging information is displayed on the operation display section. It is assumed that.

[0009]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a copy service billing system according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the attached screen. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a copy service billing system according to this embodiment. This system is roughly composed of three parts. The accounting control device 200 is connected to a digital copying machine main body including an image scanner unit 100 on the upper side and a laser printer unit 300 arranged on the lower side, and constitutes the entire system. . Image scanner unit 1
At the top of 00, a contact glass on which a document is placed is arranged, and an optical scanning system is provided below the contact glass. The optical scanning system exposes the original with an exposure lamp controlled by the exposure system controller 103 and photoelectrically reads the image by scanning the image with a CCD line sensor or the like. The read image information is converted into image forming data for generating a copy image of a document by the image processing unit 102, and then the laser printer unit 30 is controlled by the scanner controller 101.
Sent to 0.

The laser light is modulated by a laser drive unit 310 using the image information sent to the laser printer unit 300 as an input. The modulated laser light passes through the polygon scanner drive unit 311 and the optical system for writing to the photosensitive drum 315.
An image is formed on the surface and the surface is scanned to form an electrostatic latent image thereon. The electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 315 forms a toner image by causing the developing unit 314 to adsorb the toner. When a color image is formed, toner images are formed four times in total for black, yellow, cyan, and magenta. On the other hand, from the paper feed unit 323 to the paper feed control unit 3
The transfer paper is fed out by the transfer drum 319 under the control of 18, the timing of which is synchronized with the timing of forming the toner image on the photosensitive drum 315, and is fed so as to overlap the surface of the photosensitive drum 315. Subsequently, the toner image on the photosensitive drum 315 is transferred to the transfer paper on the transfer drum 319 by the urging of the transfer charger. The transfer paper onto which the toner image has been transferred is separated from the photosensitive drum 315 and
The fixing process is performed by the fixing unit 322 through the fixing unit 21, and then the sheet is discharged from the discharge unit 324.

FIG. 2 is a control block diagram of the copy service charging system according to this embodiment. An image reading unit 1 for controlling the scanner unit 100 in FIG. 1, an input / output function for the user, that is, an operation control unit 4 for taking in operation input information by key input and displaying the information and displaying the information, and image reading A printer control unit 3 for controlling the printer unit 300 shown in FIG. 1 for recording a copy image or the like based on the image data read by the unit 1 is provided. Further, as elements of the control block, a system control unit 5 for controlling each of the above-described control units, an internal timer 7 for time control of device information, and a memory unit for image storage for performing processing such as processing of a read image. And a charging control unit 2 for performing charging control on the copying machine.

FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 are diagrams showing an embodiment of a charging device connected to a charging control device in the present system. In FIG. 3, a coin rack is connected, and in FIG. 4, a billing device using a medium on which information can be written, such as an IC card or a magnetic card, is connected in addition to the coin rack.

Next, a charging control operation in the above-described copy service charging system will be described with reference to a flowchart of FIG. Here, an example using a coin rack as the charging device (see FIG. 3) will be described as an example. First, in the initial state, when the user inserts a coin into the coin rack (charging device), a coin insertion detection signal is output, and when this is notified to the copying machine main body side,
The charging control operation starts (F5-1). Here, when a color color is selected as a recording mode by a user's key operation or the like, or when a specific color processing mode is selected (this mode is referred to as “specific mode 1”), the charging control unit 2 is switched off. The charge state is switched from the state with the charge to the state without the charge according to the control determination. If no charge occurs, the copier main body cannot operate and returns to the initial state (F5).
-2). In addition, such an operation is, as shown in the flowchart,
This operation is performed as a separate operation from the billing device control (F5-4) using the coin rack performed in the subsequent procedure. As described above, when the specific mode 1 is selected by charging the coin rack, the copying operation is not performed in the copying machine, and the color copy service using the coin rack is limited.

On the other hand, if automatic document reading is selected by a key operation of the user and the image actually read by the image reading control unit 1 is a color image (this mode is referred to as “specific mode 2”), To the system controller 5
In the same manner as described above, the charge state is switched from the state with the charge to the state without the charge, so that the copying operation is not performed on the copying machine side, and the color copy service by the coin rack is restricted (F5). -3). If the image read by the automatic document reading is determined to be a color image in the determination of the specific mode 2, the charging state is switched to no charging, and the charging control operation by the coin rack is not performed (F5-3). However, as shown in the flowchart, a monochrome copy operation may be performed (F5-6) to perform a monochrome copy service. In the flow of FIG. 5, if the user charges by the coin rack and desires the copy service using the black and white manuscript, it does not correspond to any of the specific modes 1 and 2 (F5-2-3). The charging control unit 2 performs charging device control processing and charging determination based on the input amount (F5-4-5), and if the charging amount is appropriate, the copying operation can be completed (F5-
6). The black-and-white copy service based on this accounting control operation provides the same service form as the conventional unattended black-and-white copy service (see the flowchart of FIG. 7 and its description).

In the above-described embodiment, an example has been shown in which information relating to color copying is used as a criterion in order to separate a color copy. However, the present invention is not limited to this. If the information (specific recording mode) can be set according to the information, the applicable range can be expanded. For this purpose, in the present invention, a memory is provided in the charging control unit 2, and information serving as a criterion is rewritably stored in the storage unit. In this case, the data stored in the memory is rewritten by the operation control unit 4, and the setting can be easily changed when, for example, a copy service person installs the machine or changes the setting later according to the usage of the user. be able to.

As means for switching the billing state, control may be switched by a hardware signal instead of switching by the information stored in the memory provided in the billing control unit 2 as described above. In other words, a control circuit that controls the switching operation of charging / non-charging depending on the recording mode signal may be used to control the switching of the connection path to the charging device connected to the charging control unit 2. In this example, the specific mode can be changed by changing the setting of the control circuit.

Next, another example of the operation will be described with reference to FIG. 6 showing a flowchart of the charging control operation. Here, two kinds of billing devices are prepared as billing devices (see FIG. 4), and the first billing device (the coin rack in the example of FIG. 5), whose use is restricted in the specific mode 1 in FIG. If a second charging device other than the above is used, for example, a device using an IC card, a magnetic card, or the like, the charge control unit 2 releases restrictions on the copy operation and the operation mode based on the usage information and uses the device. It is possible. Therefore, FIG.
In the flow of (2), as a procedure after the procedure F6-2 for restricting the use of the first billing device (coin rack) in the determination of the specific mode 1, the procedures F6-7 to F11 by the second billing device are performed.
Is provided. In addition, the procedure F6 by the first billing device in FIG.
Since -1 to 6 are the same as those in the flow of FIG.
It can be said that F6-7 to F11 are provided as a procedure added after the procedure F5-2 in the operation of FIG.

This additional procedure is a procedure for enabling the use of the second billing device. As shown in the flow chart, when it is determined in the specific mode 1 that the user has selected the color copy service, The use of the first charging device (for example, a coin rack) is restricted (F6-2), and then permission to use the second charging device is determined (F6-7). In this example, a charging device whose use is to be restricted is determined, and if it is another charging device, it is possible to perform a copy operation procedure by charging control. The procedure of the copy operation by the charge control is basically the same as the procedure F6-8 to the procedure F6-3 to F6-8.
Perform step 11.

A case where the color copy service is performed by a specific charging device in the above embodiment will be described below. In the black-and-white copy service, the billing fee depends on the size of the transfer paper. In the case of the color copy service, the billing fee varies depending on the toner color used and the billing system varies depending on the recording mode. Since it is difficult to understand, it is necessary to store the billing information in service management. Therefore, when the operation example shown in FIG. 6 is applied to a color copy service, a device that performs charging using a medium that can hold information is suitable as a second charging control device to be used. As a device satisfying the condition, a device using a key card such as an IC card or a magnetic card is preferable. In addition, since the charge system uses a fee that is difficult to understand as described above, when using the color copy service by the charge control operation, the user is notified of the charge and the user can check the charge information at the time of use. It is useful to be able to. For this purpose, the charging information is displayed on the display unit of the operation control unit 4 of the copying machine in which the user performs a desired copy selecting operation.

[0020]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when a copying machine that generates a plurality of types of copies (for example, monochrome and color copies) is operated by a plurality of billing devices, a specific type of copy service is specified. It is possible to separate the type of copy to provide a service by using the charging apparatus, or to restrict a specific copy service with a specific charging apparatus. Therefore, by selecting and using a billing device, a specific type of copy service can be restricted according to the management environment, or a plurality of types of copy services can be performed without restriction. For example, if a coin rack is used in an unmanned management environment, color copy services are restricted, and black-and-white copies are enabled as usual,
According to the billing device using a key card, color and black-and-white copy services can be provided in an almost unmanned management environment.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the type of the copy service for which the use of the charging device is restricted is, for example, the recording mode information stored in the rewritable internal memory is rewritten or the recording mode is notified. This can be changed by changing the setting of the connection control circuit of the billing device that operates on the hardware signal information. Therefore, by changing this setting, a service that meets the needs of the store can be provided.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, as a specific billing device used for a copy operation in a specific recording mode,
Since a charging device such as a C card or a magnetic card that operates with a key card capable of writing charging information is used, a clerk can check the usage fee from the charging information when using color copying. Sales can be done easily.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the charging control device controls whether the charging is performed by the first charging system or the second charging system according to the recording mode, so that color, black and white, and identification can be performed. The use in the mode can be separated and displayed on the display unit of the operation display unit 4, so that the use state can be presented to the user in an easy-to-understand manner.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a configuration of a copy service billing system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a control block diagram of the copy service charging system shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of a charging device in a copy service charging system according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of the charging device in the copy service charging system according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of an example of a charging control operation according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of another example of charging control operation according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 shows an example of an operation flow in a conventional copy service charging system.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Image reading control part, 2 ... Billing control part, 3 ... Printer control part, 4 ... Operation control part, 5 ... System control part, 6 ...
Image storage unit, 7: timer, 100: scanner, 101:
Scanner controller, 102 ... Image processing unit, 103 ...
Exposure controller, 200 ... Billing control device, 300 ...
Printer, 301: Printer unit controller, 302:
Image forming unit 310 laser drive unit 311 polygon scanner drive unit 314 developing unit 315 photosensitive drum 318 feed control unit 319 transfer drum 32
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Conveying part, 322 ... Fixing part, 323 ... Paper feeding part, 324
... Discharge unit.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A copying machine that generates a copy in a plurality of recording modes, and a plurality of billing devices connected to the copying machine, wherein the billing device calculates based on copy conditions selected by the copying machine. In the copy service billing system for activating the copying machine according to the determination as to whether or not the copy fee to be charged is charged, when a copy operation in a specific recording mode is selected in the copying machine, a device other than the specific billing device is used. A copy service charging system, wherein the start of the copier is prohibited by the charging device of (1). 2. The copying apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for changing the specific recording mode set as a condition for prohibiting activation of the copying machine by a charging device other than the specific charging device. Service billing system. 3. The copy service charging system according to claim 1, wherein a charging device operated by a key card capable of writing charging information is used as the specific charging device. 4. The copying machine according to claim 1, wherein an operation display unit is provided, and billing information is displayed on the operation display unit.
4. A copy service charging system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.