JP2005088312A - Image forming apparatus and charge managing system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus and a charge managing system which measure an actual using time without loading a burden on a manager and calculate a charge on the basis of the actual using time. <P>SOLUTION: The image forming apparatus detects whether or not the image forming apparatus is in a state in which it can normally carry out a printing process. At the time when the user tries to print with the use of the image forming apparatus, the image forming apparatus measures as the actual using time, a time while the image forming apparatus is detected to be in the state in which it can normally carry out the printing process. The image forming apparatus determines the charge on the basis of the actual using time. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus having a printing function, such as a printer, a copier, a multifunction machine, and a facsimile machine.

As a service for lending an image forming apparatus to a user, there is a service that adopts a billing form in which a usage fee is determined according to the usage time of the user's image reading apparatus, as described in JP-A-2002-312128. The use time is a time during which the user occupies the image forming apparatus.
While the user occupies, the image forming apparatus may not be printed at all or may not be performed normally due to a paper jam or the like. For this reason, the usage time includes a time during which the printing process is not normally performed.

For this reason, the usage fee is calculated based on the actual usage time obtained by subtracting the time during which the printing process is not normally performed from the usage time.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-312128

  The use time is managed by the image forming apparatus, but the image forming apparatus does not manage the time when the printing process is not normally performed, so the administrator of the image forming apparatus does not perform the printing process normally. Is managing. Management of the time that the user cannot use is a burden on the administrator. In addition, it is difficult for an administrator to accurately measure the actual usage time, and it may not be possible to calculate a usage fee that matches the actual usage time of the user.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus and a usage fee management system that measure an actual usage time without imposing a burden on an administrator and calculate a usage fee based on the actual usage time.

  An image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes a detecting unit that detects whether or not the printing unit is in a state in which a printing process can be normally performed, and a measuring unit that measures an actual use time based on a detection result of the detecting unit. Prepare. The measuring means actually uses the time during which the detecting means detects that the printing means can normally perform the printing process within the usage time from the start to the end of the printing process performed by the printing means. Measure as time.

  In addition, in the usage fee management system of the present invention, the image forming apparatus and the administrator's terminal are connected via a network so that the administrator can manage the usage fee and the actual usage time without much effort. Yes.

  By measuring the actual usage time by the image forming apparatus, the burden on the administrator can be reduced.

  By connecting the administrator's terminal to the image forming device, the administrator can use his / her terminal to display or print the usage fee and actual usage time on the monitor or printer. In addition, the administrator does not take time to manage the actual usage time.

  The image forming apparatus and usage fee management system of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

  The administrator who is the owner of the image forming apparatus 100 of the present invention lends the image forming apparatus 100 to the user and collects a usage fee from the user based on the actual usage time of the user. The actual use time is a time during which the printing unit 101 provided in the image forming apparatus 100 can normally perform printing processing while the user is using the image forming apparatus 100.

  In order to manage the actual use time, the image forming apparatus 100 includes a use start key 102, a use end key 103, and a detection unit 104. The use start key 102 and the use end key 103 are displayed on, for example, an operation panel of the image forming apparatus 100 so as to be easily operated by the user.

  When using the image forming apparatus 100, the user first presses the use start key 102 (S201). When the use start key 102 is pressed, operations other than the use start key 102 provided in the image forming apparatus 100 such as the print key 106 that instructs the printing unit 101 to perform printing can be operated. When the user presses the use start key 102, the user places a document on a document table or the like of the image forming apparatus 100 and presses the print key 106. In the case where the image forming apparatus is provided with an automatic document feeder that transports the document one by one and causes the printing unit 101 to read the document, the user places the document on the mounting table of the automatic document feeder instead of the document table. Then, the print key 106 may be pressed.

  When the use start key 102 is pressed, the printing unit 101 heats the fixing roller and prepares for the printing process. When the preparation is completed, the printing unit 101 notifies the detection unit 104 and the measurement unit 105 that measures time that the preparation is completed (S202).

  The measuring means 105 starts measuring the actual usage time by starting the timer from the time when it is notified that the preparation is complete (S203).

  When the detection means 104 is notified that the preparation is complete, the detection means 104 continues to detect whether or not the printing means 101 is in a state where the printing means 101 can be normally processed until the use end key 103 is pressed.

  When the preparation is completed, the printing unit 101 copies the document placed on the document table or the like. When there are a plurality of documents, when the first copy is performed, the user replaces the document on the document table with a document that has not yet been copied, and presses the print key 106.

  During the printing process from when the use start key 102 is pressed until the print end key 103 is pressed, the printing process is normal due to a failure of the printing unit 101, a paper jam, a paper shortage, etc. In the case where it is detected that the state has not been performed, the detection unit 104 instructs the measurement unit 105 to interrupt the measurement of the actual usage time (S204).

  When the measurement unit 105 is instructed to interrupt the measurement of the actual use time, the measurement unit 105 stops the timer and stops the measurement of the actual use time (S205).

  When the detection means 102 detects that the printing means 101 has entered a state in which printing processing cannot be performed normally, it instructs the measurement means 105 to resume measurement of the actual usage time (S206). ).

  When the measurement means 105 is instructed to resume the actual usage time measurement, the measurement means 105 activates the timer to resume the actual usage time measurement (S207).

  When all the originals have been copied, the user presses the use end key 103 (S208). When the use end key 103 is pressed, the detection unit 104 ends the detection and instructs the measurement unit 105 to end the measurement of the actual use time.

  When the measurement means 105 is instructed to end the measurement of the actual usage time, the measurement means 105 stops the timer and notifies the calculation means 107 of the time indicated by the timer as the actual usage time (S209).

  The calculation means 107 calculates a usage fee based on the notified actual usage time (S210).

  As described above, since the time during which the printing process is not normally performed is measured by the image forming apparatus 100, when the image processing apparatus 100 according to the present invention is lent to the user, the administrator performs the printing process normally. There is no need to manage the time that is not done.

  In the above description, when the printing process is not normally performed, the timer is stopped and the actual usage time is measured. However, the actual usage time measurement method is not limited to this. For example, the measuring unit 105 measures the usage time from when the printing unit 101 is notified that the preparation is complete until the detection unit 104 is instructed to end the measurement of the actual usage time. Separately from the measurement of the usage time, when the measurement unit 105 is instructed to stop the measurement of the actual usage time from the detection unit 104, the measurement unit 105 interrupts the period until the restart of the measurement of the actual usage time is instructed. Measure. The measuring means 105 measures the actual usage time by subtracting the interruption time from the usage time.

  In order to make it easier for the administrator to grasp the actual usage time and usage fee, the administrator receives the actual usage time from the measurement unit via the network at his / her terminal 200, or uses the usage fee from the calculation unit 107. A usage fee management system may be constructed so that can be received via a network. In such a usage fee management system, the administrator may use his / her terminal 200 to display the received actual usage time and usage fee on a monitor or to output them from a printing apparatus.

1 is a block diagram of an image forming apparatus of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the procedure of the real time measurement from the use start of the image forming apparatus of this invention to completion | finish.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Image forming apparatus 101 Printing means 104 Detection means 105 Measurement means 107 Calculation means

Claims (3)

Printing means for performing printing processing;
Measuring means for measuring the usage time from the start to the end of the printing process;
In an image forming apparatus provided with a calculation unit that calculates a usage fee based on the measured time,
Detecting means for detecting whether the printing means is in a state where the printing process can be normally performed;
The image forming apparatus, wherein the measuring unit measures an actual usage time in which the printing unit within the usage time can normally perform the printing process. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1;
A usage fee management system connected to the image forming apparatus via a network and configured by an administrator terminal that receives the actual usage time or the usage fee from the image forming apparatus. The usage fee management system according to claim 2, wherein the terminal displays the actual usage time or the usage time on a monitor or outputs the usage time from a printing apparatus.

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