JP2007334585A - Printing management device and printing system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printing system and a document management device for surely securing the use of a printing device by a person who has cast charge to a charging device, and for improving operability in the printing system. <P>SOLUTION: This printing system is provided with a printing management device for instructing the printing of a document, a printing device including an operation part for instructing the printing of the document for performing printing based on a printing instruction from the printing management device and a printing instruction form the operation part, and a charging device for accepting the payment of the charge of printing in the printing device. The printing management device acquires the operating status showing the presence/absence of the use of the printing device and charging information showing the presence/absence of the use of the charging device, and makes an occupancy instruction for inhibiting printing based on the printing instruction from the operation part of the printing device according to the operating status and the charging information. The printing device inhibits the printing instruction from the operation part of the printing device according to the occupancy instruction, and performs printing based on the printing instruction from the printing management device. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing system including a charging device that accepts payment of a printing fee in a printing apparatus.

  When a printer connected to a network is simultaneously accessed from a plurality of client terminals, image formation cannot be controlled exclusively, and print data is inconsistent.

  In view of this, a network management system that prevents the occurrence of inconsistencies in print data due to simultaneous access has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  This network management system has exclusive control management means for occupying the printer when the client terminal starts the operation of the printer and releasing the occupation at the end of the operation. Inconsistency is prevented.

  More specifically, when a certain client terminal makes a lock request to the printer, the printer notifies the client terminal that the lock request has been accepted and enters a locked state. After that, when another client terminal makes a lock request to the printer, the printer has already entered the lock state, so this request is rejected and the client terminal is notified that the lock request has been rejected.

  However, in a printing system including a charging device, it is not sufficient to manage exclusive control between a printer and a plurality of client terminals, and it is necessary to manage exclusive control including the charging device. Therefore, the network management system cannot be applied to a printing system including a charging device as it is.

Therefore, in a printing system including a charging apparatus, sufficient exclusive control cannot be performed, and there is a possibility that a print request by a user different from the user who has charged the charging apparatus is accepted.
JP 2002-268848 A

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems of the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to appropriately accept a print request from a person who has charged a fee in a charging apparatus in a printing system including the charging apparatus. It is an object of the present invention to provide a printing system and a print management apparatus that can perform printing.

  The above object of the present invention is achieved by the following means.

  (1) A print management apparatus for instructing printing of a document and an operation unit for instructing printing of the document, and performing printing based on the print instruction from the print management apparatus and the print instruction from the operation unit A printing system having a printing device to perform and a billing device that accepts payment of a printing fee in the printing device, wherein the print management device includes an operating state indicating whether or not the printing device is used, and the billing device An acquisition unit that acquires charging information indicating presence / absence of use, and an exclusive instruction for prohibiting printing based on a printing instruction from an operation unit of the printing apparatus according to the operation state and the charging information. Occupying means for performing the operation, and the printing apparatus prohibits a print instruction from the operation unit of the printing apparatus in response to the occupancy instruction, and the print management apparatus Printing system; and a printing unit that performs printing based on al print instruction.

  (2) A print management device for instructing printing of a document and an operation unit for instructing printing of the document, and performing printing based on the print instruction from the print management device and the print instruction from the operation unit A printing management apparatus used in a printing system having a printing apparatus to perform and a charging apparatus for receiving payment of a printing fee in the printing apparatus, the operating state indicating whether or not the printing apparatus is used, and the charging apparatus An acquisition unit that acquires charging information indicating whether or not the printer is used, and an occupation that performs an occupation instruction for prohibiting printing based on the printing instruction from the operation unit of the printing apparatus according to the operation state and the charging information And a print instruction means for instructing the printing apparatus to print a document after the occupation instruction is given by the occupation means. .

  (3) It further has an input means for receiving an input of authentication information for authenticating the user, and the acquisition means receives the input of the authentication information by the user and acquires the operation state and the billing information. The print management apparatus according to (2) above.

  (4) The occupying unit further includes a determining unit that determines whether to perform the occupancy instruction based on the operation state and the charging information, and determines that the printing apparatus and the charging apparatus are not in use. The print management apparatus according to (2) or (3), wherein the occupancy instruction is issued in the event of a failure.

  (5) Occupancy cancellation means for issuing an occupation cancellation instruction for canceling printing prohibition based on a printing instruction from the operation unit of the printing apparatus when printing of the document is completed in the printing apparatus. The print management apparatus according to any one of (2) to (4) above.

  (6) A print management apparatus for instructing printing of a document and an operation unit for instructing printing of the document, and performing printing based on the print instruction from the print management apparatus and the print instruction from the operation unit A printing management method executed in a printing management apparatus used in a printing system having a printing apparatus to perform and a charging apparatus for receiving payment of a printing fee in the printing apparatus, and indicates whether or not the printing apparatus is used Acquiring charging information indicating an operating state and whether or not the charging device is used, and prohibiting printing based on a print instruction from an operation unit of the printing device according to the operating state and the charging information. And a step of instructing the printing apparatus to print a document after the occupation instruction has been issued. Print management method.

  (7) A print management apparatus for instructing printing of a document and an operation unit for instructing printing of the document, and performing printing based on the print instruction from the print management apparatus and the print instruction from the operation unit An operation state indicating whether or not the printing apparatus is used, which is a program executed in a printing management apparatus used in a printing system having a printing apparatus to perform and a charging apparatus that receives payment of a printing fee in the printing apparatus And a procedure for acquiring charging information indicating whether or not the charging device is used, and an occupation for prohibiting printing based on a print instruction from the operation unit of the printing device according to the operation state and the charging information. Print for causing a print management apparatus to execute a procedure for giving an instruction and a procedure for giving a print instruction to the printing apparatus after giving the occupation instruction Management program.

  (8) A computer-readable recording medium on which the print management program according to (7) is recorded.

  The present invention prohibits printing based on a print instruction from the operation unit of the printing apparatus after recognizing the usage status of the printing apparatus and the charging apparatus. According to the present invention, it is possible to ensure the use of the printing apparatus by a person who has charged a fee for the charging apparatus and to improve the operability in the printing system.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing the overall configuration of a printing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The printing system shown in FIG. 1 includes a client terminal 10, a document management server 20, an MFP (Multi-Function Peripheral) 30, and a coin vendor 40.

  The client terminal 10, the document management server 20, and the MFP 30 are connected to each other via a network 50 so that they can communicate with each other. The document management server 20 and the MFP 30 are connected to a coin vendor 40 via a local network so that serial communication is possible. ing.

  The network 50 includes a LAN in which computers and network devices are connected according to standards such as Ethernet (registered trademark), token ring, and FDDI, or a WAN in which LANs are connected by a dedicated line. The type and number of devices connected to the network 50 are not limited to the example shown in FIG.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the client terminal 10 shown in FIG. The client terminal 10 is, for example, a PC (personal computer).

  The client terminal 10 includes a CPU 11, a ROM 12, a RAM 13, a hard disk 14, a display 15, an input device 16 and a network interface 17, which are connected to each other via a bus 18 for exchanging signals.

  The CPU 11 performs control of each part and various arithmetic processes according to the program. The ROM 12 stores various programs and various data. The RAM 13 temporarily stores programs and data as a work area. The hard disk 14 stores various programs including an operating system and various data.

  The hard disk 14 has a program storage unit that is an area for storing various programs. Here, an application for creating a document file and an application for registering the created document file in the document management server 20 are installed. The client terminal 10 transmits the document file to the document management server 20 and receives the user ID and password, thereby registering in the document management server 20. The user ID and password assigned here are used for user authentication in the document management server 20.

  The display 15 displays various information. The input device 16 is a pointing device such as a mouse or a keyboard, and is used for performing various inputs.

  The network interface 17 is an interface for communicating with other devices via the network 50, and standards such as Ethernet (registered trademark), token ring, and FDDI are used.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the document management server 20 shown in FIG. The document management server 20 includes a CPU 21, a ROM 22, a RAM 23, a hard disk 24, a network interface 25, a local interface 26, an input device 27, and a display 28, which are connected to each other via a bus 29 for exchanging signals. Has been. Of the above-described units of the document management server 20, portions having the same functions as those of the above-described units of the client terminal 10 are not described in order to avoid redundant description.

  The hard disk 24 includes a program storage unit that is an area for storing various programs and a data storage unit that is an area for storing various data. The program storage unit stores a program for managing document files and generating PDL data from the document files. The data storage unit stores setting data such as print parameters, document files, and print data. The local interface 26 is an interface for making a local connection with the coin vendor 40 via a serial cable or the like.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the MFP 30 shown in FIG. The MFP 30 includes a CPU 31, a ROM 32, a RAM 33, an operation panel unit 34, a printing unit 35, a network interface 36, and a local interface 37, which are connected to each other via a bus 38 for exchanging signals. Of the respective units of the MFP 30, portions having the same functions as those of the respective units of the client terminal 10 are not described in order to avoid redundant description.

  In the ROM 32, normal processing such as drawing processing for expanding the print data transferred from the document management server 20 into print actual data which is bitmap format image data, and print processing for printing the print actual data on paper. In addition to the program, a program for performing charge collection control in cooperation with the coin vendor 40 is also stored.

  The operation panel unit 34 includes a touch panel, a numeric keypad, a start button, a stop button, and the like, and is used for displaying various information and inputting various instructions. The printing unit 35 prints various data on a recording material such as paper using a known image forming process such as an electrophotographic process.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the coin vendor 40 shown in FIG. The coin vendor 40 includes a CPU 41, a ROM 42, a RAM 43, a hard disk 44, an operation unit 45, a display unit 46, and a local interface 47, which are connected to each other via a bus 48 for exchanging signals. In addition, about the part which has the function similar to the said each part of the client terminal 10 among the said each part of the coin vendor 40, the description is abbreviate | omitted in order to avoid duplication.

  The ROM 42 or the hard disk 44 receives an operation status of the MFP 30 and the accounting information of the coin vendor 40 from the client terminal 10 in addition to a processing program for performing normal accounting collection control in cooperation with the MFP 30, A program for transmitting billing information is also stored.

  The operation unit 45 includes a coin insertion slot for the user to insert coins, a balance return button for the user to request the return of the balance, and a balance return port for returning the returned balance. . The display unit 46 is composed of an LCD, for example, and displays the amount of money input or the balance.

  Note that the client terminal 10, the document management server 20, the MFP 30, and the coin vendor 40 may each include components other than the above-described components, or include some of the above-described components. It does not have to be.

  Next, the operation of the printing system will be described.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a processing procedure in the printing system including the client terminal 10, the MFP 30, the document management server 20, and the coin vendor 40. Note that the algorithm shown in FIG. 6 is stored as a program in a storage unit such as a hard disk of each device, and is executed by the CPU of each device.

  When a login request is made by a user operation, the document management server 20 transmits an acquisition request for acquiring the operating state of the MFP 30 and the billing information of the coin vendor 40 to the coin vendor 40 (step S101).

  The login request is made when the user inputs the user ID and password on the login screen displayed on the display 28 and presses the OK button. The login screen 70 shown in FIG. 7 includes a user ID input field 71, a password input field 72, and an OK button 73. The user inputs the user ID and password acquired when the document file is registered in the document management server 20 into the user ID input field 71 and the password input field 72 and presses an OK button 73 to log in. Make a request.

  The charging information is information indicating the amount of money charged to the coin vendor 40, and indicates whether or not the charging device is used. The operation state is information indicating whether or not the MFP 30 is operating (printing operation), and indicates whether or not the MFP is used.

  Upon receiving the acquisition request, the coin vendor 40 notifies the document management server 20 of the amount of money to be charged as billing information and transfers the operation state acquisition request to the MFP 30 (step S102).

  The MFP 30 notifies the document management server 20 of the operation state via the coin vendor 40 (step S103).

  When the billing information and the operation state are acquired, the document management server 20 accepts a login request by a user operation when the billing information is 0 yen and the operation state is waiting. Then, an occupation start request is transmitted to the coin vendor 40 (step S104). If the login request is not accepted, a waiting screen 80 shown in FIG. 8 is displayed on the display 28, indicating that the MFP 30 is in use, and prompts re-login.

  When the coin vendor 40 receives the occupation start request, the coin vendor 40 displays “in use by the document management server” on the input amount display unit 46 and transfers the occupation start request to the MFP 30. The user ID is displayed on the input amount display section 46 together with “in use by the document management server” so that the user who made the login request can confirm that his / her login request has been accepted. May be.

  When the MFP 30 receives the occupation start request, the MFP 30 displays the occupation screen 90 shown in FIG. 9 and prohibits the operation of the operation panel unit 34. That is, printing by operating the operation panel unit 34 of the MFP 30 is stopped, and printing by a person who has logged in in the document management server 20 is ensured.

  Here, after receiving the login request, the document management server 20 displays a document selection screen showing a list of documents registered in the document management server 20.

  The document selection screen 100 shown in FIG. 10 displays a list of registered documents and indicates that a selection unit 101 for selection, a check button 102 arranged at the head of each document name, and a print document have been selected. An OK button 103 and a logout button 104 are included. The user can select a document to be printed by clicking the check button 102 arranged at the head of the document name in the selection unit 101. Then, an OK button 103 is pressed to confirm a document to be printed.

  After the print document is confirmed, the document management server 20 displays a print start screen 110 shown in FIG. 11 on the display 28 and prompts the user to insert a fee (coins). Note that the document management server 20 stands by for a predetermined time until a fee is charged to the coin vendor 40.

  Next, when a charge (coin) is inserted into the coin insertion slot, the coin vendor 40 notifies the document management server 20 of the insertion amount (step S105). Here, when the document management server 20 receives the notification of the input amount from the coin vendor 40, the document management server 20 displays the input amount as shown in FIG. 11 on the print start screen 110 and makes it possible to press the print start button 112. To do.

  When the print start button 112 is pressed, a print start request is transmitted to the MFP 30 via the coin vendor 40 (step S106). The coin vendor 40 receives the print start request from the document management server 20 and transfers the print start request to the MFP 30.

  The MFP 30 executes a charging collection process with the coin vendor 40 while printing the document selected on the document selection screen 100 (step S107).

  Here, an example of the charge collection process will be described. When receiving a print start request from the document management server 20, the coin vendor 40 confirms that an amount more than the amount necessary for printing a certain number of sheets is charged, and transmits a print start request to the MFP 30.

  When the MFP 30 receives the print start request, the MFP 30 prints a certain number of sheets, and transmits a command to the coin vendor 40 to urge the subtraction of the billing amount for the number of output sheets. Upon receiving this command, the coin vendor 40 subtracts the billing amount and displays the balance on the display unit 46. The document management server 20 determines whether or not printing of the desired number of sheets requested has been completed. If printing of the desired number of sheets has not been completed, it is confirmed again that the remaining amount more than the necessary amount has been charged. The print continuation request is transmitted.

  Thereafter, the coin vendor 40 receives a command for prompting the subtraction of the billing amount from the MFP 30, transmits a print continuation request while confirming that there is a balance, and executes printing until printing of the desired number of sheets is completed.

  Then, when the desired number of sheets requested by the document management server 20 have been printed, the MFP 30 transmits a print end notification (step S108).

  Upon receiving the print end notification, the document management server 20 transmits an occupation end request to the coin vendor 40 (step S109). When the coin vendor 40 receives the occupation end request, the coin vendor 40 terminates the display of the input amount on the display unit 46 and transfers the occupation end request to the MFP 30. When the MFP 30 receives the occupation end request, it cancels the prohibition of the operation panel unit 34.

  Next, the document management server 20 transmits a fee return request to the coin vendor 40 (step S110). When the coin vendor 40 receives the charge return request, the coin vendor 40 returns the charged balance.

  By executing such processing, after the usage status of the MFP 30 and the coin vendor 40 is recognized, printing by operating the operation panel unit 34 of the MFP 30 is stopped, and printing by a person who has logged in at the document management server 20 To ensure. Therefore, in a printing system including the coin vendor 40, it is possible to appropriately accept a print request from a person who has charged the coin vendor 40.

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in the document management server 20. The algorithm shown in the flowchart of FIG. 12 is stored as a program in a storage unit such as the ROM 22 of the document management server 20, and is executed by the CPU 21.

  In the login screen 70 shown in FIG. 7, when the user ID and password are input by the user's operation, the document management server 20 processes a login request by inputting the user ID and password (step S201).

  After the login request is made, the document management server 20 transmits an operation state and billing information acquisition request to the coin vendor 40 and the MFP 30 in order to obtain the operation state of the MFP 30 and the billing information of the coin vendor 40. A notification of accounting information is received (step S202).

  In response to the notification of the operation state of the MFP 30, the document management server 20 determines whether the MFP 30 is on standby or being used by another user (step S203).

  When the MFP 30 is on standby (step S203: YES), the document management server 20 receives the notification of the billing information of the coin vendor 40, and determines whether or not the coin vendor 40 has an insertion amount of 0 yen (step S203: YES). Step S204). That is, when the inserted amount is 0 yen, the coin vendor 40 determines that it is waiting, and when the inserted amount is not 0 yen, it is determined that it is being used by another user.

  When the MFP 30 and the coin vendor 40 are waiting (steps S203 and S204: YES), the document management server 20 accepts a login request and instructs the MFP 30 and the coin vendor 40 to start occupancy (step S205). That is, after confirming that the MFP 30 and the coin vendor 40 are not being used by other users, the document management server 20 accepts a login request and transmits an occupation start request to the MFP 30 and the coin vendor 40.

  On the other hand, when the MFP 30 is in use (step 203: NO), or when the coin vendor 40 is in use (step S204: NO), the waiting screen 80 shown in FIG. 8 is displayed and the user is re-logged in. Prompt.

  After making the MFP 30 and the coin vendor 40 occupied, the document management server 20 displays the document selection screen 100 shown in FIG. 9 and prompts the user to select a print document (step S206).

  After the print document is selected by the user's operation, the print start screen 110 shown in FIG. 11 is displayed to prompt the user to insert a fee (coin) into the coin vendor 40 (step S207). When a fee is inserted into the coin vendor 40, as shown in FIG. 11, the amount is displayed in the amount column 101 and the print start button 112 can be pressed.

  Subsequently, the document management server 20 determines whether or not the print start button 112 has been pressed (step S208). If the print start button 112 has not been pressed (step S208: NO), it is determined whether or not the logout button 103 has been pressed (step S209). If the logout button 103 is pressed (step S209: YES), the process proceeds to step S215.

  On the other hand, if the logout button 103 is not pressed (step S209: NO), it is determined whether a time-out has occurred (step S210). If it is determined that the time-out has not occurred (step S210: NO), the process returns to step S208, and steps S208 to S210 are repeated until the print start button 112 or the logout button 103 is pressed or a time-out occurs.

  When the print start button 112 is pressed (step S208: YES), the MFP 30 is instructed to start printing (step S211). Specifically, a print start request is transmitted to the MFP 30 via the coin vendor 40, and printing of the print document selected in step S206 is started.

  Next, the bill collection process is instructed to the coin vendor 40 (step S212). In other words, the bill collection process is executed so that the MFP 30 confirms that the coin vendor 40 has been charged for the input amount and prints the selected document. In the charging collection process, the coin vendor 40 confirms that an amount more than the amount necessary for printing a certain number of sheets is charged, and instructs the MFP 30 to print. On the other hand, the MFP 30 executes printing of a certain number of sheets, and instructs the coin vendor 40 to subtract the billing amount for the number of output sheets.

  The document management server 20 receives the print end notification from the MFP 30 and determines the end of printing (step S213). When printing is completed (step S213: YES), the process proceeds to step S215. On the other hand, if the printing is not finished (step S213: NO), the charging process is continued until the printing is finished.

  If the print start screen times out (step S210: YES), automatic logout is executed (step S214). That is, when the print start button 112 or the logout button 103 is not pressed for a predetermined time, it is determined that a time-out has occurred and automatic logout is executed. As described above, by performing the timeout control, it is possible to improve the convenience of the printing system by releasing the occupied state by the user who does not perform printing.

  After completion of printing or logging out, the document management server 20 transmits an occupation end request to the coin vendor 40 and the MFP 30 to release the occupation state (step S215).

  Thereafter, the document management server 20 transmits a balance return request to the coin vendor 40, and returns the balance charged to the coin vendor 40 (step S216).

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims.

  The means and method for performing various processes in the printing system according to the present invention can be realized by either a dedicated hardware circuit or a programmed computer. The program may be provided by a computer-readable recording medium such as a flexible disk or a CD-ROM, or may be provided online via a network such as the Internet. In this case, the program recorded on the computer-readable recording medium is usually transferred to and stored in a storage unit such as a hard disk. Further, the program may be provided as a single application software, or may be incorporated in the software of each apparatus as one function of the printing system.

  In the above embodiment, an image forming apparatus such as a printer or a facsimile may be used instead of the MFP 30. In the above embodiment, for example, a dedicated terminal may be used instead of the client terminal 10.

  Further, although the coin vendor 40 is exemplified as the charging device, the charging device of the present invention is not limited to this. The billing device of the present invention may include, for example, a bill slot in addition to a coin slot, and further includes a device for reading and writing various recording media such as an IC card, a magnetic card, and a portable terminal. The accounting process may be executed by reading / writing the medium.

1 is an overall configuration diagram of a printing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the client terminal shown by FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the document management server shown by FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the MFP illustrated in FIG. 1. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the coin vendor shown by FIG. It is a figure which shows the procedure of the process in a printing system. It is a figure which shows an example of a login screen. It is a figure which shows an example of a waiting screen. It is a figure which shows an example of an occupation screen. It is a figure which shows an example of a document selection screen. It is a figure which shows an example of a printing start screen. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence in a document management server.

Explanation of symbols

10 client terminal,
20 document management server,
30 MFP,
40 Coin vendor,
50 network,
11, 21, 31, 41 CPU,
12, 22, 32, 42 ROM,
13, 23, 33, 43 RAM,
14, 24, 44 hard disk,
15, 28 display,
16, 27 input devices,
34 Operation panel section
35 Printing Department,
45 Operation unit,
46 display section,
17, 25, 36 Network interface,
18, 29, 38, 48 bus,
26, 37, 47 Local interface 70 Login screen,
80 waiting screen,
90 occupied screen,
100 Document selection screen,
110 Print start screen.

Claims (8)

A printing apparatus including a print management apparatus for instructing printing of a document and an operation unit for instructing printing of the document, and performing printing based on the printing instruction from the printing management apparatus and the printing instruction from the operation section And a charging system that accepts payment of a printing fee in the printing apparatus,
The print management device acquires an operating state indicating whether or not the printing device is used, and charging information indicating whether or not the charging device is used; and
Occupying means for performing an occupancy instruction for prohibiting printing based on a print instruction from an operation unit of the printing apparatus according to the operation state and the billing information;
The printing apparatus includes an operation prohibiting unit that prohibits a print instruction from an operation unit of the printing apparatus according to the occupation instruction;
A printing system comprising: a printing unit that performs printing based on a print instruction from the print management apparatus. A printing apparatus including a print management apparatus for instructing printing of a document and an operation unit for instructing printing of the document, and performing printing based on the printing instruction from the printing management apparatus and the printing instruction from the operation section And a printing management device used in a printing system having a charging device that accepts payment of a printing fee in the printing device,
An operating state indicating whether or not the printing apparatus is used, and acquisition means for acquiring charging information indicating whether or not the charging apparatus is used;
Occupying means for performing an occupancy instruction for prohibiting printing based on a print instruction from the operation unit of the printing apparatus according to the operation state and the billing information;
A print management apparatus, comprising: a print instruction unit that instructs the printing apparatus to print a document after an occupation instruction is given by the occupation unit. It further has an input means for receiving input of authentication information for authenticating the user,
The print management apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the acquisition unit receives the authentication information by a user and acquires the operation state and the billing information. The occupying unit further includes a determination unit that determines whether to perform the occupancy instruction based on the operation state and the billing information,
The print management apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the occupation instruction is issued when it is determined that the printing apparatus and the charging apparatus are not in use.   An occupancy canceling unit that issues an occupancy cancellation instruction for canceling the prohibition of printing based on a print instruction from an operation unit of the printing apparatus when printing of the document is completed in the printing apparatus. The print management apparatus according to any one of 2 to 4. A printing apparatus including a print management apparatus for instructing printing of a document and an operation unit for instructing printing of the document, and performing printing based on the printing instruction from the printing management apparatus and the printing instruction from the operation section And a print management method executed in a print management device used in a printing system having a charging device that accepts payment of a printing fee in the printing device,
Obtaining an operating state indicating whether or not the printing apparatus is used, and charging information indicating whether or not the charging apparatus is used;
Performing an occupation instruction for prohibiting printing based on a printing instruction from an operation unit of the printing apparatus according to the operation state and the billing information;
And a step of instructing the printing apparatus to print a document after the occupation instruction is issued. A printing apparatus including a print management apparatus for instructing printing of a document and an operation unit for instructing printing of the document, and performing printing based on the printing instruction from the printing management apparatus and the printing instruction from the operation section And a program executed in a print management device used in a printing system having a charging device that accepts payment of a printing fee in the printing device,
An operating state indicating whether or not the printing apparatus is used, and a procedure for acquiring charging information indicating whether or not the charging apparatus is used;
A procedure for performing an occupation instruction for prohibiting printing based on a printing instruction from the operation unit of the printing apparatus according to the operation state and the charging information;
A print management program for causing a print management apparatus to execute a procedure for instructing the printing apparatus to print a document after performing the occupation instruction.   A computer-readable recording medium on which the print management program according to claim 7 is recorded.

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