JP2003084953A - Control system for image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a control system for an image forming device for unitarily managing orders based on consumption of consumable goods, and charging the cost of the consumable goods with performance fee. SOLUTION: A consumable goods management and charge collecting server preliminarily transmits consumable goods information to the image forming device. The image forming devices stores the consumable goods information in an inner memory. When order information from the image forming device is transmitted, the consumable goods information in the inner memory is read to be displayed in an operation panel. A user selects a desired item among the consumable goods information, and presses an order button to send order information to the consumable goods management and charge collecting server. The consumable goods management and charge collecting server refers to the order information while recognizing stock and delivery date, and when it is acceptable, it issues an order number to be transmitted to the image forming device, while transmitting the order information to a delivery center. For collecting the charge, the performance fee and the cost of the consumable goods are charged on a customer from the consumable goods management and charge collecting server.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming system in which an image forming apparatus such as a fax machine and a management apparatus are connected via a communication line, and more particularly to a management system for an image forming apparatus which realizes order management of consumables. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, regarding a request for a consumable item for an image forming apparatus, an apparatus manager makes a judgment by himself, and the consumable item such as toner and recording paper is consumed on a telephone, a fax machine, or recently on the Internet. The order was placed on a website operated by a product sales company.

[0003]

As described above, there has been a method of ordering by telephone, fax, or the Internet, but only a system for ordering and a system for managing the budget on the customer side have been proposed. Was not built.

The present invention further includes customer budget control.
Order by phone or FA installed
X, copiers, digital multi-function peripherals, etc. Ordering from the operation panel of the image forming apparatus and ordering based on the consumption amount of the consumables in the image forming apparatus are centrally managed, and the image forming is performed to charge the costs of the consumables in accordance with the percha cost An object is to provide a device management system.

[0005]

In order to solve the above problems, an invention according to claim 1 is an image forming apparatus management system in which a plurality of image forming apparatuses and a server apparatus are connected via a management apparatus. Therefore, when the image forming apparatus consumes a preset amount of consumables in the image forming apparatus, the image forming apparatus notifies the management apparatus of the item and the total consumption information of the consumables, and the management apparatus displays A management unit that manages the number of consumables used in the image forming apparatus by calculating the number of used sheets based on the number of notifications from the apparatus and a preset amount, and the consumption specified by the operation panel provided in the image forming apparatus. The server device includes a receiving unit that receives the order information of the item and a transmitting unit that transmits the order information of the consumable item received by the receiving unit to the server device. Connected to the terminal device used by a person through the Internet line, and centrally manages the order information of the consumables transmitted from the terminal device and the order information transmitted from the management device by the transmission unit, It is characterized in that it has a charging means for charging the image forming apparatus.

According to a second aspect of the invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the management device has a budget amount setting means for setting a budget amount for each customer, and the server device is charged when the charging is performed by the charging means. It is characterized in that an invoice comprising the budget amount and the usage amount set by the budget amount setting means is issued.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to the second aspect, the management device is an image forming apparatus or terminal when the budget amount set by the budget amount setting means is small or when the budget amount is over. A feature is that warning information is transmitted to the device.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, the management apparatus sets a small amount of budget remaining set by the budget setting means when the consumable item is ordered by the image forming apparatus, or The feature is that the ordering operation is temporarily stopped when it exceeds.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to the second aspect, the management apparatus sets a small amount of the budget amount set by the budget amount setting means when the consumable item is ordered by the image forming apparatus, or When the ordering operation is temporarily stopped, the ordering operation is restarted by the approval operation of the authorizer when the ordering operation is temporarily stopped.

[0010]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Next, a management system for an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1 to 20 show an embodiment of a management system for an image forming apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a management system for an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, a management system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an image forming apparatus 1, a data communication apparatus 2, and a P
BX3, telephone 4, personal computer 5, card reader 6
, Telephone 7, exchange network 8, management device 9, consumables management / charge collection server 10, Web server 11, delivery center A 12, delivery center B 13, delivery vehicle (delivery terminal) 14. And are configured.

The image forming apparatus 1 is of a construction that enables ordering processing from the operation panel, and has a function of transmitting the consumption amount of consumable goods such as toner to the management apparatus 9. The signal transmitted from the image forming apparatus 1 is the data communication apparatus 2, P
It is sent to the management device 9 via the BX 3 and the switching network 8.

Further, a personal computer 5 for accessing the consumable goods ordering system by the Web server 11 and a card reader 6 for reading information such as an employee ID card for recognizing the user are provided.

In the management device 9, information such as a customer's name, address, telephone number, person in charge, authorizer, etc. as customer information and information such as model number and name of the image forming apparatus are stored in the database DB1. .

The management apparatus 9 also receives, stores, analyzes, and analyzes the information transmitted from the image forming apparatus 1.
It also has a function to acquire information to be sent to.

Further, the management device 9 is also connected to the consumables management / charge collection server 10 and stores the consumables information transmitted from the image forming apparatus 1, the number of printed sheets used by the image forming apparatus, and the customer information. It also has a function of transmitting to the consumables management / charge collection server 10.

The Web server 11 can be connected by connecting to the personal computer 5 of each customer via the Internet and inputting the URL of the consumables management system from the personal computer 5. In order to actually order consumables from the personal computer 5, it is possible to use the consumables management system by inputting an ID or password or recognizing that the person is a registered person such as an employee ID card or fingerprint. it can. The order information from the personal computer 5 is sent to the consumables management / charge collection server 10 via the Web server 11.

The consumables management server collects information sent from the management device and the Web server, and stores it in the database DB.
The acquisition time is added to 2 and accumulated. Database DB2
2 shows an example of data stored in.

The database DB2 stores customer information and user ID information, and the ID in the acquired information is stored.
Judging from the information whether the user is the correct user and the acquired information is managed according to the customer or a little more finely by management unit like customer-business-affiliation. Information on the number of sheets used by each image forming apparatus monthly is sent from the management apparatus as a pair with the model number information.

When the deadline comes, a statement of the number of used sheets of the month and the ordering information of consumables is prepared for each customer or each affiliation and a bill is issued to the customer. If the customer makes a payment by the designated date, the processing for the month is completed. If there is no deposit by the specified date, create a list of those customers and check again so that the deposit can be promoted.

The distribution centers A12 / B13 are a distribution center managed by the company and a distribution center managed by another company. This is because depending on the type of consumables, there are cases where they are handled by themselves and cases where they are handled by other companies.

Information for delivery to each customer is passed from the consumable goods management / charge collection server 10, and the goods are delivered to the customer from here. There are ranks for delivery, and they are divided into urgent, urgent, normal, and later, and the delivery cost differs depending on each. In the case of an emergency, the delivery vehicle 14 can be processed early by instructing the delivery vehicle 14 to acquire and deliver the product from the stocked temporary warehouse.

Before passing through the distribution center of another company, the database DB of the consumables management / charge collection server 10 is set in advance.
Information on a plurality of delivery centers of other companies is stored in 2, and a delivery request is made from a database DB2 to a predetermined delivery center according to the type of consumables. Of course, prior to the request, the inventory is checked and the request is made when the inventory is available.

Further, when there is no stock at one delivery center, it is possible to make a request to a plurality of delivery centers and collectively deliver to a customer at a specific delivery center.

The distribution center A12 / B13 issues a bill to the consumables management / charge collection server 10 when the request is sent, and bills the charge. In this method, information such as whether each company collects each time or bills collectively on a specific date is stored in each other's DB.

There are the following two methods for ordering consumables from the image forming apparatus 1. The first method is to count the number of sheets for each sheet size used for printing in the image forming apparatus 1 and set a preset number, for example, 1000 sheets and 5 sheets.
When the number of sheets reaches 000, the management device 9 is automatically notified.

The management device 9 takes out the model number and the information regarding which paper size it has from the information transmitted from the image forming device 1, and calculates the number of sheets used by the image forming device 1. Since the database DB1 stores the model number information of the image forming apparatus corresponding to the customer, the number of sheets used for each customer or each specific department can be known by matching this information. The management device 9 passes these pieces of information to the consumables management / charge collection server 10.

In the consumables management / charge collection server 10,
Since the end of consumables delivered to the customer is managed, the remaining number on the customer side is calculated from this value and the usage amount and the customer is automatically delivered, or the customer is contacted to perform an ordering operation. Therefore,
Since the customer always keeps the inventory of consumables, it is possible to avoid the situation where printing cannot be performed on the way.

However, depending on the customer, the stocked paper may be used by a fax machine, a printer, etc. instead of being used by a specific image forming apparatus, and the relationship with the stock quantity managed by the management apparatus side may not match. Sometimes. Furthermore, even in the case of a specific size, for example, A4, where thick paper, thin paper, color paper and the like are interwoven, the above method often does not fit. These customers are requested to order consumable items from the operation screen (operation panel) of the image forming apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the management system of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. First, in the image forming apparatus, the item (consumable item information) stored in the internal memory is displayed as an ordering screen (step S11). An example of this ordering screen is shown in FIG.

The user of the image forming apparatus 1 selects a necessary consumable item on the screen shown in FIG. 4 and inputs the quantity (step S12). The consumable item displayed here is sent from the management apparatus 9 to the image forming apparatus 1 in advance and is stored together with the time of updating the internal nonvolatile memory and Ver. This information is different for each customer, and the optimum item is set for each customer. Similarly, the management apparatus side 9 stores the image forming apparatus 1 in association with each model number and machine number, and the information is matched with each other. When displaying the ordering screen, the price may be displayed in the item column together with the product name. By inputting the quantity on this screen, the total cost of the consumables ordered this time is displayed.

When the order button is pressed (step S13), this information is sent to the management device 9 via the data communication device 2, the management device 9 adds the model number / order date and time, and then the consumable item. It is transmitted to the management / charge collection server 10 (step S14). Here, the customer is identified from the added model / machine number information, and the customer is divided into predetermined management units (for example, customer units and department units), and the acquisition date / time information is stored in the storage area of each database DB. It is stored with reception information added. In addition,
The information received by the consumables management / charge collection server 10 is assigned a different number each time it is received.

The consumables management / charge collection server 10 confirms the number of stocks and the delivery date based on the received information (step S15), and then the information of the number of stocks and the delivery date confirmed by the image forming apparatus. Notify (step S16).
This notification is displayed on the operation panel of the image forming apparatus (step S17), so that the user who has pressed the order button can confirm the inventory quantity and the delivery date on the spot. FIG. 5 shows an example of the acceptance completion screen.

When the user presses the confirmation button after confirming the contents of the acceptance completion screen shown in FIG. 5, the image forming apparatus stores the order information as a history in the communication log (step S18). Similarly, it is also stored in the communication log on the management device 9 side. The history of order information stored in this way is
When a print instruction is input from the user, print processing is performed as order information / history information (step S1).
9).

Although the order information is transmitted by pressing the order button, the consumables management / charge collection server 10 is controlled by the management device 9 due to a line failure or a failure.
If the message is not sent to the image forming apparatus 1, the management apparatus 9 sends a message screen as shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing an operation example when printing the order information / history information. When printing the order information / history information, first, the latest order information / history information stored in the internal memory of the image forming apparatus is read out and displayed on the operation panel (step S2).
1). Next, the user specifies desired ordering information / history information from the operation panel and displays it on the operation panel (step S22). This confirmation can also confirm the order history such as the order information of the specified month and the order history such as the total number of months.

FIG. 8 is a processing sequence of the image forming apparatus, the management apparatus, and the consumables management / charge collection server according to the embodiment of the present invention. First, the image forming apparatus 1 transmits order information to the management device 9 (step S3).
1).

When the management apparatus 9 receives the order information from the image forming apparatus 1, the consumables management / charge collection server 10 receives the order information.
Is called (step S32), and line connection processing is performed.

When the line connection processing with the consumables management / charge collection server 10 is completed, the management device 9 completes (step S3).
3) The order information is transmitted (step S34), the consumables management / price collection server 10 performs inventory confirmation and delivery confirmation based on the order information, and then returns the order number to the management device 9 (step S34). S35).

The management apparatus 9 sends the order number received from the consumable goods management / charge collection server 10 to the image forming apparatus 1 (step S36).

When confirming the order number (completion of acceptance of order information) transmitted from the management apparatus 9, the image forming apparatus 1 transmits receipt confirmation to the management apparatus 9 (step S37). The management device 9 sends this receipt confirmation to the consumables management / charge collection server 10 (step S38).

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of the ordering process for the consumables management / charge collection server and the image forming apparatus. First, the consumables management / charge collection server transmits in advance to the image forming apparatus consumables (item) information which is assumed to be needed by the customer.

The image forming apparatus stores the consumable item information transmitted from the consumable item management / charge collection server in the internal memory. When attempting to send order information from the image forming apparatus, the consumable information stored in the internal memory is read and displayed on the operation panel in the form of a consumable order card. The user selects and designates a desired item from the consumable item information displayed on the operation panel and presses the order button to send the order information (order item) to the consumable item management / charge collection server. .

Upon receipt of the order information from the image forming apparatus, the consumables management / price collection server checks the number of items in stock and the delivery date with reference to the order information, and if the order is accepted, receives the order number. Is issued, the order number is sent to the image forming apparatus, and the order information with the order number is sent to the distribution center.

When the image forming apparatus receives the order number from the consumable goods management / charge collection server, it completes the ordering process,
Record order history information in the communication log.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a fee collection process. The management apparatus 9 transmits the perforation fee of the image forming apparatus 1 and the order details of consumables such as toner and recording paper to the consumables management / charge collection server 10. The consumables management / charge collection server 10 accesses the merchandise management server 12a operated by the delivery center based on the order details, and transmits an ordering request for consumables. The product management server 12a returns the order details in response to the order request from the consumables management / charge collection server 10.

Further, the consumables management / charge collection server 1
0 creates a bill for the image forming apparatus 1 based on the perchage fee and order details transmitted from the management apparatus 9, and transmits or mails it. The customer pays based on the bill sent or mailed from the consumables management / price collection server 10. Specific examples of this bill are shown in FIGS. 11 and 12.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a consumable product delivery process. Upon receiving the order information with the order number from the consumable goods management / charge collection server 10, the product management server 12a confirms which warehouse the inventory is based on the order information, and then the delivery vehicle (delivery vehicle). A delivery instruction is issued to the terminal 14 to realize prompt delivery processing.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing the ordering process from the personal computer. The user of the image forming apparatus 1 accesses the consumables management / charge collection server 10 from the personal computer 5 via the Web server 11 and transmits the order information. The details will be described with reference to FIGS. 15 and 16.

FIG. 15 is a first sequence chart showing the ordering process from the personal computer. In FIG. 15, the personal computer 5 accesses the web server 11 and transmits authentication information such as an ID / password (step S4).
1). If the authentication based on the transmitted authentication information is OK, the Web server 11 transmits the initial screen information to the personal computer 5 (step S42). If the authentication is NG, the message screen prompting the input of the authentication information is transmitted again, or the process ends.

The personal computer 5 displays the initial screen information transmitted from the Web server 11 on the display, and when the user inputs the order information, transmits the order information to the Web server 11 (step S43). Since the customer name and affiliation can be specified on the initial screen at this time by the ID or terminal ID entered at the beginning, the optimum consumables list for this customer can be displayed, and all other items can be searched. Is also possible.

Upon receiving the order information, the Web server 11 sends information such as the order item, the quantity, and the ID constituting the order information to the consumable goods management / charge collection server 10 (step S44).

The consumables management / price collection server 10 confirms the inventory quantity and delivery date based on the order item, quantity, etc., and then transmits the order number to the Web server 11 and confirms the completion of the order. The reception completion screen shown is transmitted (step S45) and transmitted to the personal computer 5 via the Web server 11 (step S46).

FIG. 16 is a second sequence chart showing the ordering process from the personal computer. In FIG. 16, the personal computer 5 accesses the Web server 11 and transmits authentication information such as an ID / password (step S5).
1). If the authentication based on the transmitted authentication information is OK, the Web server 11 transmits the initial screen information to the personal computer 5 (step S52). If the authentication is NG, the message screen prompting the input of the authentication information is transmitted again, or the process ends.

The personal computer 5 displays the initial screen information transmitted from the Web server 11 on the display, and when the user inputs the order information, transmits the order information to the Web server 11 (step S53).

Upon receiving the order information, the Web server 11 sends information such as the order item, the quantity, and the ID constituting the order information to the consumable goods management / charge collection server 10 (step S54).

The consumables management / price collection server 10 confirms the inventory quantity and delivery date based on the order item, quantity, etc., and if the inventory quantity is insufficient, the inventory that can be currently secured is available. The number is transmitted as new quantity information to the Web server 11 (step S55), and the new quantity information is transmitted to the personal computer via the Web server 11 (step S5).
6).

The personal computer 5 confirms the new quantity information (the number of stocks that can be secured) transmitted from the consumable goods management / charge collection server 10 via the Web server 11, and then confirms the acceptance by the Web server. 11 (step S)
57). When the web server 11 receives the confirmation confirmation,
The order information such as the modified order item, the modified quantity, and the ID is transmitted to the consumables management / charge collection server 10 (step S5
8).

The consumables management / price collection server 10 transmits the order number to the Web server 11 after confirming that the order processing based on the modified order item and the modified quantity is possible, and indicates the completion of the order. The acceptance completion screen is transmitted (step S59) and transmitted to the personal computer 5 via the Web server 11 (step S60).

Since an unspecified number of people use it when ordering via the Internet with a personal computer, the user ID and password are entered as described above when the screen is opened, and the screen is displayed only when they match. To open. It should be noted that instead of the ID or password, the employee identification card, fingerprint, or the like may be used to confirm the identity. The collation information is used by the consumables management / charge collection server 10
Has been previously stored (registered) in the database DB2 of
By confirming this information with the Web server 11, a system environment is created in which only registered people can use it.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a management system for an image forming apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention. The same components as those of the above-described embodiment of the present invention are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the management device 9 has a budget amount setting function of presetting the budget amount of the customer. The management device 9 transmits a message screen prompting a warning to the image forming device 1 when the total amount of the percha charge or the charge based on the order information of consumables exceeds the budget amount, and the manager 15 approves the message screen. In that case, the ordering process is continued.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the management system for the image forming apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention. First, in the image forming apparatus, the item (consumable item information) stored in the internal memory is displayed as an ordering screen (step S71).

The user of the image forming apparatus 1 selects a necessary consumable item on the ordering screen and inputs the quantity (step S7).
2) When the order button is pressed (step S73), this information is sent to the management device 9 via the data communication device 2, and the management device 9 adds the model number / order date and time and then consumables management / It is transmitted to the fee collection server 10 (step S74).

The consumables management / fee collection server 10 recognizes from the transmitted model number which image formation order information (step S75), and the budget amount managed by the management device 9 and the use up to now. The balance is calculated from the accumulation (usage amount) (step S76), and it is determined whether or not the calculated balance is within a preset budget amount (step S7).
7).

In step S77, if it is within the budget amount (step S77 / YES), the consumables management / charge collection server 10 confirms the number of stocks and the delivery date based on the received order information (step S77). S79), the information on the confirmed inventory quantity and delivery date is notified to the image forming apparatus 1 and displayed on the operation panel (step S80). The image forming apparatus 1 stores the order information as a history in the communication log when the confirmation button is pressed after the user confirms the inventory number and the delivery date information displayed on the operation panel (step S81). Similarly, it is also stored in the communication log on the management device 9 side. The history of the stored order information is printed as order information / history information according to a print instruction from the user (step S82).

In step S77, if the budget amount is exceeded (step S77 / NO), warning information indicating that the budget amount is exceeded (warning message screen) is issued to the image forming apparatus 1 which is the ordering source. Etc.) is transmitted (step S78).

For example, such a warning message screen shows that the budget amount has been exceeded as shown in FIG. 19 or that the balance is very small as shown in FIG. There is.

If the reserve balance is exceeded, reordering can be performed with the administrator's permission, but if the warning is due to a small balance, the order item is changed. Alternatively, the reordering process can be performed when the payment of the fee corresponding to the ordering item is completed.

The consumables management / charge collection server 10
Adds the identification information such as large or ordinary to the customer information managed by the database DB2, returns the discounted amount information to the large-scale user to the image forming apparatus, and presents both the standard cost and the discounted cost. It may be configured.

Further, after the order is placed, the quantity can be changed or canceled by telephone. In this case, you can immediately cancel or change the quantity by telling the order number by phone. Further, the delivery progress can be searched based on the order number.

The above-described embodiment is a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and various modifications can be carried out without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0073]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the consumable item ordering information from the image forming apparatus and the consumable item ordering information via the Internet are transmitted via the management device. Since it can be centrally managed, it is possible to collectively charge the percha fee and the consumables price.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the information on the budget amount and the usage record of the customer can be provided together, the burden of management on the customer side can be reduced.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, when the budget amount preset by the customer is exceeded, a warning message screen is transmitted, so that the purchase procedure can be advanced according to the budget.

According to the fourth aspect of the invention, the ordering process is stopped when the budget amount preset by the customer is exceeded, so that the purchase procedure can be advanced according to the budget.

According to the fifth aspect of the invention, management is performed according to the budget amount set by the customer in advance, and when the budget becomes small, the order processing is stopped and the order processing is restarted with the authority of the administrator. You can proceed with the purchase procedure.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a management system for an image forming apparatus that is an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of data stored in a database DB2 of a consumables management / charge collection server.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation example of a management system of the image forming apparatus according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing an example of an ordering screen.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing an example of a reception completion screen.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing an example of a message screen prompting a retransmission process.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an operation example when performing print processing of order information / history information.

FIG. 8 is a processing sequence of the image forming apparatus, the management apparatus, and the consumables management / charge collection server according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of ordering processing for a consumables management / charge collection server and an image forming apparatus.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a fee collection process.

FIG. 11 is a plan view showing the first embodiment of the bill.

FIG. 12 is a plan view showing a second embodiment of the bill.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a consumable item delivery process.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing an ordering process from a personal computer.

FIG. 15 is a first sequence chart showing an ordering process from a personal computer.

FIG. 16 is a second sequence chart showing an ordering process from a personal computer.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a management system for an image forming apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing an operation example of a management system for an image forming apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a plan view showing a first embodiment of a warning message screen.

FIG. 20 is a plan view showing a second example of the warning message screen.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Image forming device 2 Data communication device 3 PBX 4 telephones 5 PC 6 card reader 7 telephone 8 switching network 9 management device 10 Consumables Management / Charge Collection Server 11 Web server 12 Delivery Center A 13 Delivery Center B 14 Delivery vehicles (delivery vehicle terminals) 15 Administrator

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Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A management system for an image forming apparatus in which a plurality of image forming apparatuses and a server apparatus are connected via a management apparatus, wherein the image forming apparatus has a consumable item set in advance in the image forming apparatus. When a certain amount is consumed, the management device is notified together with the item and the total usage information of the consumables, and the management device is based on the number of notifications from the image forming device and the preset amount. Management means for calculating the number of used consumables and managing the number of consumables used in the image forming apparatus; reception means for receiving ordering information of consumables designated from an operation panel provided in the image forming apparatus; Transmitting means for transmitting the ordering information of the consumable item accepted by the means to the server device, wherein the server device provides the owner of the image forming device to the owner via the Web server. Ri is connected via the terminal device and the internet to be used, and ordering information for the consumable sent from the terminal device,
A billing unit that centrally manages the order information transmitted from the management device by the transmitting unit, and bills the image forming device by combining the billing based on the order information and the aperture cost of the image forming device. An image forming apparatus management system comprising: 2. The management device includes budget amount setting means for setting a budget amount for each customer, and the server device sets the budget set by the budget amount setting means when charging by the charging device. The management system for an image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an invoice including an amount and a usage amount is issued. 3. The management device transmits warning information to the image forming device or the terminal device when the remaining budget amount set by the budget amount setting means is small or when the budget amount is over. An image forming apparatus management system according to claim 2. 4. The management device, when the consumable item is ordered by the image forming device, and the remaining budget amount set by the budget amount setting means is small,
3. The management system for the image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the ordering operation is temporarily stopped when the order is exceeded. 5. The management device, when a consumable item is ordered by the image forming device and the remaining budget amount set by the budget amount setting means is small,
3. The management system for the image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein when the ordering operation is temporarily stopped, the ordering operation is restarted by the approval operation of the approver when the ordering operation is temporarily stopped.