JP2004282274A - Department management control system for digital multifunctional printer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a department management control system for a digital multifunctinal printer capable of billing the number of counts with respect to processing onto a plurality of departments and managing the counts when the digital multifunctinal printer performs processing to a plurality of output destinations and repeats the same processing for a plurality of number of times in the case of performing the processing by the digital multifunctinal printer. <P>SOLUTION: In the department management control system for the multifunctinal printers having a plurality of input forms and output forms and capable of applying count control to each input output processing by each department, a count ratio to each of various input output processes is uniquely decided. In this case, when the output processing designates a plurality of different means and provides an output, it is preferred that each output means applies count-up processing to respective departments, and when the output processing is repetitively applied to the same output destination for a plurality of number of times, it is preferred that the count-up processing is applied to different departments. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a department management control system for a digital multi-function peripheral in an office or the like, and particularly to a case where processing for a plurality of output destinations and processing for repeating the same processing a plurality of times are performed. The present invention relates to a department management system for a digital multi-function peripheral, which is capable of allocating a count value to a plurality of departments for management.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In recent years, especially in companies, digital multifunction peripherals having not only a copier function but also an image scanner function, a facsimile function, a printer function, etc. are often used in order to save installation space for various office equipment. It has become. The digital multifunction peripheral is generally connected to computers (PCs) and servers of each department via a local area network (LAN) or the like, and further executes input / output processing of image data to / from an external storage device via various interfaces. In the digital multifunction peripheral, image data once received or input is stored in an image memory, and thereafter, output processing such as print output and data transfer is performed.
[0003]
On the other hand, such digital multifunction peripherals are often shared by a plurality of departments because of their excellent capabilities. For the number of sheets output to a sheet when using a printing function such as, operation management is performed in which a limit is set for each department in order to prevent unlimited output and prevent wasteful consumption of sheets and toner. For example, when using the printing function, a limit count value is set in advance for the amount of paper used and the amount of toner consumed, and when the cumulative number of prints or the accumulated amount of toner reaches the limit count value, By controlling the printing operation to be stopped, appropriate operation management for each department with respect to use of printing functions such as a printer function and a copying machine function is performed. In this case, for example, when performing a copy operation, if the user inputs the ID (personal identification number) of the department to which the user belongs, and then performs the copy operation, the count value of the department is added by the number of copies. It is normal that it is.
[0004]
However, in such a system, for example, a user who needs to copy a material to be distributed to another department enters his or her department management ID to make a copy for the department to distribute the copy. However, in this case, the count value is added to the user's department, and is not counted by other departments that actually benefit. With such a rigid department management system, department management in the office cannot be optimized, and if users dare to reduce the operations that are subject to department management, they will not be useful for improving office work efficiency. Also occurs.
[0005]
In order to solve such a problem of the related art, Patent Documents 1 and 2 described below reliably restrict the number of users and ensure that even if a request for image formation is received from another department, the request source is not changed. There is disclosed an image processing apparatus or an image forming apparatus capable of counting image forming operations in association with a department identifier, thereby realizing an appropriate billing.
[0006]
FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a count processing subroutine S50 of the image processing apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 below. First, in step S51, based on the detection of the ejection of the recording sheet, it is determined whether or not distribution to another department is selected when the user inputs the ID code. If distribution to another department has been selected, the distribution destination storage area is read from the storage means in step S52, the department for which the count flag is set is detected in step S53, and the department counter for each department is detected in step S54. Is performed, and when the counting process is completed, the count flag is reset in step S55, and the subroutine process S50 is completed.
[0007]
As a result, the number of copies of a copy to be distributed to another department is counted in the department counter of each distribution department, and when a series of copies for distribution to another department is completed, the copy number of the distribution department is calculated. The storage area of the distribution department is searched, and the count value of the counter for each division is accumulated and stored in the counter of the division in the storage area of each division.
[0008]
If it is determined in step S51 that distribution to another department has not been selected, the count processing of the department counter corresponding to the user ID code input in step S57 is performed, and the subroutine processing S50 ends. As a result, the number of times of copying for the user's department is counted in the department counter of this user department. In this case as well, when a series of copying is completed, the count value of the section-specific counter is accumulated and stored in the counter of the section in the storage area of the section.
[0009]
As described above, in the image processing apparatus disclosed in Patent Literature 1 below, when printing a material to be distributed to another department, it can be counted as a count value of another department that actually benefits. ing. However, in this image processing apparatus, department management is performed only based on the number of printed sheets.
[0010]
FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a count processing subroutine S60 of the image forming apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 2 below. First, in step S61, it is determined whether the ID of the requesting department that requested distribution to another department is stored based on the detection of the discharge of the recording sheet. In step S62, the counter corresponding to the requesting department ID is counted up.
[0011]
If the requesting department ID is not stored in step S61, it is determined whether or not the destination department ID is stored. If the destination department ID is stored, the destination department ID is stored in step S64. The counter corresponding to the ID is counted up. If the requesting department ID is not stored in step S61 and the transmission destination department ID is not stored in step S63, the counter corresponding to the used department ID is counted up.
[0012]
As described above, in the image processing apparatus disclosed in Patent Literature 2 below, the printing process requested by another department prints the count value of the department that requested the printing and the material distributed to the other department. In such a case, the count value of the department at the distribution destination (transmission destination) can be counted as the count value of the other department that actually receives the profit. However, also in this image forming apparatus, department management is performed only based on the number of printed sheets.
[0013]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
On the other hand, in the digital multifunction peripheral, not only the printing process but also the digitization of information by the scanner function, the process of transferring the information to various PCs and servers using various means, and the storage of the information in an external storage device Since many processes are being performed, and in addition, since image data is digitized, it is possible to send image data to multiple output destinations and destinations at once, In MFPs, department management for various processes only counts and counts the number of printed paper sheets and toner consumption at best, and department management is mostly performed for processes other than print processing. The fact was not.
[0014]
In addition, the digitization of information by the scanner function of the digital multi-function peripheral, the transfer of the information to various PCs and servers using various means, and the processing of storing the information in an external storage device are performed in the respective input / output forms. Due to the difference, there is a difference in the physical conditions used in the print processing, and the like, and it is inappropriate to handle the print processing at the same count ratio as the print processing.
[0015]
In addition, for example, in a case where a plurality of copies are processed by a digital multifunction peripheral, image data read by a normal document reading unit (scanner unit) is temporarily stored in page units in a storage unit such as a hard disk HDD or a semiconductor memory. When outputting to paper, there is a memory copy mode in which the image data stored in the storage means is read out, and in this memory copy mode, even when a plurality of copies are to be printed, a series of originals can be printed. If the data is read once and stored in the storage means, and output to paper, it is sufficient to read out and output from the storage means, and thereafter the scanner section is opened. Therefore, in the digital multifunction peripheral, it is inappropriate to handle the same print processing at the same count ratio even when printing a plurality of copies and when printing partly.
[0016]
Therefore, the present inventor has conducted various studies on the department management of the digital multifunction peripheral, and as a result, for processing other than printing processing such as a printer function and a copying machine function, for each input / output processing, for example, It has been found that if an arbitrary count ratio can be set on the basis of print processing, it is possible to manage departments so as not to cause unfairness in consideration of the difference in the use form of each department, and complete the present invention. It was reached.
[0017]
That is, an object of the present invention is to provide a digital multi-function peripheral capable of simultaneously performing department management for processes other than print processing such as a printer function and a copier function when performing department management with the digital multi-function peripheral. The purpose is to provide a department management system.
[0018]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-10-039703 (claims, paragraphs [0049] to [0052], FIG. 6)
[Patent Document 2]
JP-A-11-095721 (claims, paragraphs [0056] to [0058], FIGS. 7 and 16)
[0019]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The above object of the present invention can be achieved by the following configurations. That is, according to the present invention, in a department management control system of a digital multi-functional peripheral having a plurality of input modes and output modes and capable of controlling the count for each input / output process for each department, There is provided a department management system for a digital multi-function peripheral that can uniquely determine a count ratio for each. According to this aspect, it is possible to determine the count ratio for each input / output process, for example, how much the count value will be when converted to the operation of copying and printing one A4 sheet. Since a count value corresponding to the load required for processing can be given, it is possible to perform department management fairly based on the difference in the use form of each department.
[0020]
In this aspect, when the output processing specifies and outputs a plurality of different means, it is preferable that the count-up processing can be performed for different sections for each output means. With this configuration, the processing for the department to which the user belongs is the count value of the department to which the user belongs, and the processing for other departments is the count value of the department. Also, since the processing performed for the customer can be performed in various departments such as the count value of the department to which the user belongs or the department to which the processing is requested, the fairness of the department management can be realized. Is even stronger.
[0021]
In this aspect, when the output process repeats the same process for the same output destination a plurality of times, it is preferable that the count-up process can be performed for different departments. With such a configuration, for example, even in a case where a plurality of copies are copied and distributed to each department, it is possible to count up to the distribution destination department.
[0022]
Further, in this aspect, the setting of the count ratio for each of the various input / output processes is selected by the department administrator from the digital multifunction peripheral main body, a host computer directly connected to the digital multifunction peripheral, and a server or computer on a network. It is preferable that at least one of them can be set and managed in advance. With such a configuration, the count ratio for each input / output process can be appropriately determined from an arbitrary location where the administrator can access the digital multi-function peripheral, thereby facilitating the maintenance and management of the digital multi-function peripheral.
[0023]
Further, in this aspect, it is preferable that the digital multi-function peripheral holds a department code management correspondence table that associates the correspondence between the designated various input / output destinations and the unified department management code. With such a configuration, individual internal codes and individual departments can be assigned by specifying the public content used when the user specifies the department, such as the department name. The count-up process for various input / output processes can be accurately performed without knowing an authentication code such as a password that can be known only by users in each department.
[0024]
In this aspect, the department code management correspondence table and the count information corresponding to each department are selected from the digital multifunction peripheral main body, a host computer directly connected to the digital multifunction peripheral, and a server or computer on a network. It is preferable that at least one can be managed. With such a configuration, the administrator can appropriately access the department code management correspondence table and the count information corresponding to each department from any place where the digital MFP can be accessed. Is easier to do.
[0025]
Further, in this aspect, it is preferable that the count information corresponding to each of the departments is configured so that count values can be totaled for each department code and for each input / output process. With such a configuration, the actual usage of the digital multi-function peripheral can be understood in detail, which can be greatly used for maintenance and management of the digital multi-function peripheral.
[0026]
Further, in this aspect, the number of outputs for each of the output destinations and the setting processing of each of the plurality of output destinations are selected from the digital multifunction peripheral main body, a host computer directly connected to the digital multifunction peripheral, and a server or computer on a network. It is preferable to be able to execute in at least one of the operations described above. With such a configuration, the processing for the digital copier can be directly designated from any place where the user can access the digital multi-function peripheral by panel operation, keyboard operation, or command, thereby improving work efficiency in office. Will help.
[0027]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a digital multifunction peripheral used in the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the digital multifunction peripheral shown in FIG.
[0028]
As shown in FIG. 1, the digital multifunction peripheral 10 used in the present invention includes at least an operation unit 12, a facsimile unit 14, a scanner unit 16, an external memory interface 18, an input image processing / generation unit 20, various host interfaces 22, A job control unit 24, an information recording unit 26, an output control unit 28, a printing unit 30, and an internal memory 32 are provided. In some cases, the facsimile unit 14 is not provided in the digital multi-function peripheral. Further, since it is impractical to limit the reception or transmission of the facsimile, the division management of the digital multi-function peripheral of the present invention is not necessarily performed. Not a necessary function for the control system.
[0029]
Further, the “department management” in the present invention means not only the case of managing the use in an organization composed of a plurality of members such as a “department” unit, a “group” unit, and a “section” unit, but also This includes the case where an ID (password) is individually assigned and personally managed.
[0030]
The operation unit 12, the facsimile unit 14, the scanner unit 16, the external memory interface 18, and the various host interfaces 22 constitute at least an input processing group to the digital MFP 10, and input image processing / generation for managing these input data. It is connected to the unit 20.
[0031]
The operation unit 12 includes at least a touch panel input unit, and also serves as an input unit for an administrator ID, a department ID, a transfer destination or a department name to be counted up, and a selection unit for various operations. The facsimile unit 14 is connected to a public telephone line 34, and transmits and receives external facsimile data and image data supplied via the input image processing / generation unit 20 according to a predetermined communication system.
[0032]
The external memory interface 18 includes various interfaces such as a parallel interface, a serial interface, a USB (Universal Serial Bus), an IEEE1394, and a PC-Card bus, which are generally used. The external memory interface 18 includes a semiconductor memory, an HDD, and a CD. , CD-R, CD-RW, DVD, DVD-R, FD, and other external memories (storage means) are connected, and not only input / output of various image data but also administrator ID via these external memories 36 is performed. , Department ID, transfer destination or count-up target department name.
[0033]
The various host interfaces 22 are connected to the computers PC ₁ 40-1, PC ₂ 40-2, PC ₃ 40-3,. -5.
[0034]
The job control unit 24 includes at least
(1) a count ratio table 42 that stores the setting of the count ratio for each device and interface for various input / output processes;
(2) a department code management correspondence table 44 in which the correspondence between the designated various input / output destinations and the unified department management code is stored in association with each other, and
(3) detailed section information / count value table 46 for managing detailed settings, count values, etc. of various section information;
And an information recording unit 26 which is a recording unit including a HDD or a non-volatile memory provided with the image data. The information recording unit 26 stores the image data via the input image processing / generation unit 20 for processing the input data in the information recording unit 26. The information to be added is added, and the output destination to which the cumulative count value is added is automatically changed as necessary. After the processing in the output control unit 28 is completed normally, the setting is made in the information recording unit 26 for each section. The added processing of the accumulated count value corresponding to the counted ratio is performed, and the information is stored in the information recording unit 26. The details of the operation of the job control unit 24 will be described later.
[0035]
The output control unit 28 prints the image data sent via the input image processing / generation unit 20 and the job control unit 24 on paper by the printing unit 30 according to the purpose, stores the image data in the external memory 36, Alternatively, various types of host interface 22 through to computer _PC 1 40-1 of each _{department, PC 2 40-2, PC 3 40-3} , ··· PCn40-4, to be sent to the administrator for the server 40-5 Has been done. It should be noted that a dedicated host PC 48 is connected to the digital multifunction peripheral 10 via an output control unit 28 to display image data being processed via the output control unit 28, and a server for an administrator as necessary. The function of 40-5 may be provided.
[0036]
Next, the operation of each process in the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In the present invention, before use, first, the administrator uses the administrator ID to print the functions such as the printer function and the copier function for each department, the scanner function, and the like in the count ratio table 42 of the information recording unit 26. Set the conversion ratio of the count value for the use of functions that are subject to department management such as digital data conversion function, network transfer function, storage processing to external memory, and for processing that repeats the same processing multiple times. At the same time, the correspondence between the designated various input / output destinations and the unified department management code is stored in the department code management correspondence table 44 in association with each other, and each department code detailed information / count value table 46 is The default state of the limit count value for each department and each function is set.
[0037]
That is, since the use of each function described above is not equivalent from the viewpoint of cost and environmental load, the count value is weighted according to each function, for example,
(A) Assuming that the count value of the step of printing one A4 sheet is 1, the image scanning step by the scanner is 0.3 times, and the step of storing in the external memory is 0.1 times.
(B) When performing multiple copy processing, image scanning may be performed the same number of times as in the case of performing single copy processing.
The conversion ratio is set and stored in the count ratio table 42, and the correspondence between the designated various input / output destinations and the unified department management code is stored in the department code management correspondence table 44. Further, the ID of each department, the limit count value for each function, and the like are stored in the department code detailed information / count value table 46, and the initialization ends.
[0038]
Various table information, count value information, and setting management information relating to department management in the information recording unit 26 are transmitted via the operation unit of the digital MFP 10 or the host PC 48 directly connected to the MFP, or the various host interfaces 22. The computers can be managed on computers 40-1 to 40-4 and servers 40-5 of the respective departments connected via the network 38, all of which can be added or deleted by inputting an ID by an administrator. , Changes have been made possible.
[0039]
Also, as the count information, for each department code, a count value for each input / output process and various count information are held, and can be referred to and initialized as necessary. Additions and deletions can be managed by the same method. Further, the information recording unit 26 holds information related to the operation of the department management such as manager ID information, On / Off information of department management control of each function, and limit count information as overall management information. Can be added, changed, and deleted in the same manner as the table information.
[0040]
When using the digital MFP 10, as shown in FIG. 2, the user first inputs at least a department ID in step S1. The department ID may be input by a key from the operation unit 12 of the digital multi-function peripheral 10, may be input by using an external memory 36 such as an IC card, or may be input by the computers 40-1 to 40-1 of each department. The information may be input from the MFP 40-4 via the network 38, and may be appropriately selected according to the function of the digital MFP 10 to be used.
[0041]
If it is necessary to distribute image data and the like to other departments, a distribution destination is input at this time. The designation of the distribution destination may be a commonly used department name or section name, and in some cases, a person name, or the department ID may be directly input. The distribution destination data input here is finally associated with a unique department code by referring to the department code management correspondence table 44 of the information recording unit 26. If the purpose of use of the digital multi-function peripheral 10 is only to distribute generated image data and the like to other departments, and it is considered to be severe to handle the count value of the department to which the user belongs, the user ID is used. May be provided so that the user does not need to input the. If the job to be executed exceeds the limit count value and another output destination to be counted up is to be specified without referring to the department code management correspondence table 44 set by default, It can be specified here.
[0042]
Next, in step S2, image data is input from various input processing groups, and the data sent in the input image processing / generation unit 20 is processed according to the individual data. For example, if the data is written in an intermediate language such as PDL (Page Description Language), it is rasterized, compressed if necessary, and rasterized data such as scan data. In this case, compression processing is performed as needed, and in the case of data in a predetermined format such as file data, compression processing, rasterization processing, temporary storage in an internal file system, and the like are performed as necessary. The information source at the time of performing these processes is determined by the header information added to the header portion of each data. Further, additional information other than information necessary for generating data is used for entrusting management to the job control unit 24.
[0043]
Thereafter, in step S3, the job control unit 24 refers to the various tables recorded in the information recording unit 26, and uses the image data and the additional information sent from the input image processing / generation unit 20 to generate each page. Generate page information and job information for each job. In this job information, department code information for adding a cumulative count value subject to department management to input / output processing is first set based on the additional information. If this section code information is not directly specified by the additional information from the input image processing / generation section 20, the section code detailed information / count value table 46 of the information recording section 26 is referred to, and the distribution destination name and the section Name and department code assigned to each input / output process itself are obtained and set.
[0044]
After the department code for each input / output process is determined, in step S4, an actual output operation is requested to the output control unit 28, and in step S5, it is determined whether or not the output control unit 28 has received a report indicating that the output has been normally performed. It is confirmed that if the report indicating that the output is normal is not obtained, the process returns to step S4 to repeat the same operation. If the report indicating that the output is normal is obtained, the process returns to step S6. The count value of the corresponding department is incremented for the job. In these processes, in order to obtain a count ratio for each input / output process, a predetermined count-up is executed with reference to a previously input count ratio table 42 of the information recording unit 26.
[0045]
Note that the output process in step S6 is to execute the output of the designated data with respect to the image data from the job control unit 24 in the output control unit 28. At this time, the data conversion according to the output destination is performed. Perform processing. For example, in the case of print processing to the print unit, expansion processing of compressed data is performed, and in the case of storage and storage in the external memory 36, conversion to a predetermined file format is performed. Even when the data is transmitted by e-mail to 40-4 or the like, the data is converted into the specified file format, and then the actual output operation starts. When each output operation is completed normally, a completion report is sent to the job control unit 24.
[0046]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to manage the use of each digital multifunction peripheral in accordance with the needs of the times, and more specifically, to use the various input / output processes determined for each user. Since the count ratio can be defined, not only the printing process on paper but also the use of the digital MFP is counted up fairly.In addition, when providing information to other departments, the count value is automatically assigned to the necessary department. Since the allocation can be made, it is possible to manage in more detail which department has used the digital multifunction device and how much, and it is possible to reduce expenses and to distribute expenses fairly.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a digital multifunction peripheral used in the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the digital multi-function peripheral of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a count processing subroutine of a conventional image processing apparatus.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a count processing subroutine of a conventional image forming apparatus.
[Explanation of symbols]
Reference Signs List 10 digital multifunction peripheral 12 operation unit 14 facsimile unit 16 scanner unit 18 external memory interface 20 input image processing / generation unit 22 various host interfaces 24 job control unit 26 information storage unit 28 output control unit 30 printing unit 36 external memory 40-1 ..40-4 Computer 40-5 Server for administrator

Claims (8)

In a department management control system of a digital multi-function peripheral that has multiple input and output modes and can control the count of each input / output process for each department, the count ratio for each type of input / output process is uniquely determined. A department management system for a digital multi-function peripheral, characterized in that it can be performed. 2. The digital multi-function peripheral according to claim 1, wherein, when the output processing specifies and outputs a plurality of different means, the count-up processing can be performed for different sections for each of the output means. Department management system. 2. The department management system for a digital multi-function peripheral according to claim 1, wherein when the output process repeats the same process for the same output destination a plurality of times, the count-up process is performed for different departments. The setting of the count ratio for each of the various input / output processes is set in advance by the department manager in at least one selected from the digital multifunction peripheral main body, a host computer directly connected to the digital multifunction peripheral, and a server or computer on the network. The department management system for a digital multi-function peripheral according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the department management system can manage the department. 4. The digital multifunction peripheral according to claim 1, further comprising a department code management correspondence table in which correspondence between the designated various input / output destinations and a unified department management code is associated. A department management system for a digital multi-function peripheral according to any one of the above. The department code management correspondence table and count information corresponding to each department are managed in at least one selected from the digital multifunction peripheral main body, a host computer directly connected to the digital multifunction peripheral, and a server or computer on a network. 6. The department management system for a digital multi-function peripheral according to claim 5, wherein the department management system is configured to be able to perform the operation. 7. The department management system for a digital multi-function peripheral according to claim 6, wherein the count information corresponding to each of the departments can be totalized for each department code and for each input / output processing. The processing of setting the number of outputs for each of the output destinations and each of the plurality of output destinations is executed in at least one selected from the digital MFP main body, a host computer directly connected to the digital MFP, and a server or computer on a network The department management system for a digital multi-function peripheral according to claim 1, wherein the department management system is configured to be able to perform the department management.

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