JP2008210351A - Print management system, image forming apparatus, image forming method, image forming program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a print management system, an image forming apparatus, an image forming method, and an image forming program capable of restricting the number of printed sheets, and performing required printing any time. <P>SOLUTION: In the image forming apparatus 300, the upper limit value of the accumulated value of the number of printable sheets for each user is stored in a storage section 320. When further execution of the print processing is commanded beyond the upper limit value in the image forming apparatus 300, the image forming apparatus 300 interrupts the print processing, and executes the print processing after acquiring print approval information for approving the print processing from an approver PC 400. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a print management system, an image forming apparatus, an image forming method, and an image forming program for managing the number of image forming processes.

  In recent image forming apparatuses, various devices have been made so as not to perform unnecessary printing in order to reduce costs. In such an image forming apparatus, for example, a function for counting the number of printed sheets for each user is provided to set an upper limit number of prints, and when this upper limit number is exceeded, printing is prohibited. In this case, not only the number of prints is restricted by prohibiting printing exceeding the upper limit number of prints, but also a deterrent effect that makes the user aware of avoiding unnecessary printing can be expected.

  As a technique in which such a contrivance has been made, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses that a function of limiting the number of printed sheets for each user is provided while reducing the cost, reducing the burden on the administrator, and always limiting the number of sheets. A printing system is described that enables printing within the range. Patent Document 2 describes a print management system that limits the number of printed sheets accurately and at high speed regardless of the hardware configuration of the printing apparatus.

Further, in Patent Document 3, it is possible to count the number of prints for each user in an arbitrary period using print log information, and to set a print upper limit number for each user or each printer in advance. PRINT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, PRINT MANAGEMENT METHOD, PRINT MANAGEMENT PROGRAM, AND RECORDING MEDIUM WHICH CAN REMOVE PRINT REQUESTS FROM USER WHEN THE NUMBER OF PRINTS PER USER OR PRINTER OVER COUNTER BASED ON INFORMATION Is described.
JP 2005-339383 A JP 2005-100111 A JP 2003-67171 A

  However, in the above-described conventional technique, when the number of printed sheets exceeds the upper limit number, the printing process is prohibited regardless of whether printing is necessary or not, and thus even the necessary printing process cannot be executed. In order to solve this problem, apart from the setting of the maximum number of prints for each user, for example, the maximum number of prints for each group such as a department to which the user belongs is set. For example, there is a system that defines a rule that printing of materials shared by each user such as materials used in a meeting is counted as printing for each group.

  However, in such a system, for example, a user who has already printed up to the set upper limit number of prints may cause unauthorized use such as using personal printing as group printing.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has a print management system, an image forming apparatus, and an image forming method capable of performing necessary printing at any time while limiting the number of printed sheets. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming program.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention can be configured as follows.

  The print management system of the present invention includes an image forming apparatus having a storage device that stores an upper limit value of the cumulative amount of image forming processing in the image forming apparatus, and a management apparatus that manages execution of printing processing in the image forming apparatus The image forming apparatus comprises: an upper limit determination unit that determines whether or not an accumulated value of the image formation processing amount exceeds the upper limit stored in the storage device; Control means for performing control of the above, and approval information acquisition means for acquiring print approval information indicating whether or not execution of the printing process has been approved by the management device, wherein the control means includes the upper limit value determining means. When the cumulative value of the image formation processing amount is determined to exceed the upper limit value, the printing process is prohibited, and the approval information acquisition unit receives the print approval for the print process from the management apparatus. It may be configured to acquire information.

  In the print management system of the present invention, a storage device that stores an upper limit value of an accumulated image formation processing amount in the image forming apparatus, and an upper limit that stores the accumulated value of the image formation processing amount in the storage device. In a print management system comprising an image forming apparatus connected to an upper limit determination device for determining whether or not the value exceeds a value, and a management device for managing execution of print processing in the image forming device, the image forming device comprises: Control means for controlling the printing process; and approval information obtaining means for obtaining print approval information indicating whether or not execution of the printing process has been approved by the management apparatus, wherein the control means includes the upper limit value. When the determination device determines that the cumulative value of the image formation processing amount exceeds the upper limit value, the determination device prohibits the print processing, and the approval information acquisition unit performs the print processing from the management device to the print processing. It can be configured to get the serial printing approval information.

  According to such a configuration, it is possible to perform necessary printing at any time while limiting the number of printed sheets.

  Further, the image forming processing amount can be configured to be indicated by the number of printed sheets or a printing fee in the image forming apparatus.

  According to such a configuration, the cumulative value of the image formation processing amount and the upper limit value of the image formation processing amount can be indicated as the value of the number of printed sheets, the printing fee, and the money amount.

The image forming apparatus of the present invention has a storage device that stores an upper limit value of the cumulative value of the image forming processing amount in the image forming apparatus, and is connected to a management device that manages execution of printing processing in the image forming apparatus. In the image forming apparatus, an upper limit determination unit that determines whether or not an accumulated value of the image formation processing amount exceeds the upper limit stored in the storage device, a control unit that controls print processing, Approval information acquisition means for acquiring print approval information indicating whether or not execution of the print processing has been approved from the management device, and the control means is configured such that the upper limit value determination means When it is determined that the accumulated value exceeds the upper limit value, the printing process is prohibited, and the approval information acquisition unit acquires the print approval information for the print process from the management apparatus.
The image processing apparatus according to the present invention includes a storage device that stores an upper limit value of an accumulated image formation processing amount in the image forming apparatus, and an upper limit that stores the accumulated value of the image formation processing amount in the storage device. An upper limit determination device that determines whether or not the value exceeds a value, a control unit that controls printing processing in an image forming device connected to a management device that manages execution of printing processing in the image forming device, and the management Approval information acquisition means for acquiring print approval information indicating whether or not execution of the print processing has been approved from the apparatus, and the control means is configured such that the upper limit value determination device is configured to calculate the cumulative value of the image formation processing amount. Print processing is prohibited when it is determined that the value exceeds the upper limit value, and the print approval information for the print processing is acquired from the management apparatus by the approval information acquisition means.

  According to such a configuration, it is possible to perform necessary printing at any time while limiting the number of printed sheets.

  The storage device stores, as a post-approval upper limit value, an upper limit value of an image formation processing amount in an unapproved printing process before the print approval information is acquired after the image forming processing amount exceeds the upper limit value. And a post-approval determination unit that determines whether or not an image formation processing amount in the unapproved printing process exceeds the post-approval upper limit value, and the control unit includes the post-approval determination unit. When the image formation processing amount in the unapproved print process is determined not to exceed the post-approval upper limit value, the print approval for the unapproved print process is performed by the approval information acquisition unit after the unapproved print process is executed. It is good also as a structure which acquires information.

  According to such a configuration, even when the image forming processing amount exceeds the upper limit value, if the number is small, the printing process can be executed before receiving approval.

  Further, the storage device stores an upper limit value of the cumulative value of the image formation processing amount in the unapproved print processing as an unapproved upper limit value, and the cumulative value of the image formation processing amount in the unapproved print processing is stored in the storage device. An unapproved determination unit that determines whether or not an unapproved upper limit value is exceeded, and the control unit determines that the cumulative value of the image formation processing amount in the unapproved printing process is determined by the unapproved determination unit. When it is determined that the upper limit value is exceeded, the unapproved print processing may be prohibited, and the print approval information for the unapproved print processing may be acquired by the approval information acquisition unit.

  According to such a configuration, it is possible to limit the number of sheets that can be printed unapproved after the cumulative value of the image formation processing amount exceeds the upper limit value.

  An image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes a storage device that stores a first upper limit value and a second upper limit value of cumulative values of image forming processing amounts in the image forming apparatus, and print processing in the image forming apparatus. In an image forming apparatus connected to a management apparatus that manages execution of the image, a first upper limit determination unit that determines whether an accumulated value of the image formation processing amount exceeds the first upper limit, and the image The second upper limit determination unit that determines whether or not the cumulative value of the formation processing amount exceeds the second upper limit, the control unit that controls the printing process, and the management device execute the printing process. Approval information acquisition means for acquiring print approval information indicating whether approval has been made, and the control means is configured such that the first upper limit value determination means determines that the cumulative value of the image formation processing amount is the first upper limit value. And the second upper limit value determining means When it is determined that the cumulative value of the image formation processing amount exceeds the second upper limit value, the print processing is prohibited, and the print approval information for the print processing is acquired from the management apparatus by the approval information acquisition unit. It can be.

  According to such a configuration, it is possible to limit the number of sheets that can be printed without approval after the image formation processing amount exceeds the first upper limit value, and to reduce the number of complicated approval information acquisition processes.

  The image forming method of the present invention includes a storage device that stores an upper limit value of the cumulative value of the image forming processing amount of the image forming apparatus, and is connected to a management device that manages execution of printing processing in the image forming apparatus. In the image forming method by the image forming apparatus, an upper limit determination procedure for determining whether or not the cumulative value of the image forming processing amount exceeds the upper limit value, and the cumulative value of the image forming processing amount exceeds the upper limit value. And a control procedure for prohibiting the printing process when it is determined to be, and an approval information obtaining procedure for obtaining print approval information indicating whether or not the execution of the printing process has been approved by the management apparatus. .

  According to such a method, necessary printing can be performed at any time while limiting the amount of image forming processing.

  The image forming method of the present invention includes a storage device in which a first upper limit value and a second upper limit value of the cumulative value of the image forming processing amount of the image forming apparatus are stored, and print processing in the image forming apparatus In an image forming method by an image forming apparatus connected to a management apparatus that manages execution of the above, a first upper limit determination procedure for determining whether or not an accumulated value of the image formation processing amount exceeds the first upper limit value; A second upper limit determination procedure for determining whether or not the cumulative value of the image formation processing amount exceeds the second upper limit value, and the cumulative value of the image formation processing amount exceeds the first upper limit value. When the determination is made and it is determined that the cumulative value of the image formation processing amount exceeds the second upper limit value, the execution of the printing process is approved by the control procedure for performing the control for prohibiting the printing process and the management apparatus. Print approval information indicating whether or not It may be as a method having the approval information acquisition procedure.

  According to this method, after the image forming processing amount exceeds the first upper limit value, it is possible to limit the number of sheets that can be printed without approval, and to reduce the number of complicated approval information acquisition processes.

  The image forming program of the present invention has a storage device that stores an upper limit value of the cumulative amount of image forming processing in the image forming apparatus, and is connected to a management device that manages execution of printing processing in the image forming apparatus. In the image forming program in the image forming apparatus, an upper limit determination step for determining whether or not the cumulative value of the image forming processing amount exceeds the upper limit value, and the cumulative value of the image forming processing amount is set to the upper limit. A program for executing a control step for prohibiting a print process when it is determined that the value exceeds a value, and an approval information acquisition step for acquiring print approval information indicating whether or not the execution of the print process has been approved from the management device; did.

  According to such a program, necessary printing can be performed at any time while limiting the amount of image forming processing.

  The image forming program of the present invention includes a storage device that stores a first upper limit value and a second upper limit value of the cumulative value of the image forming processing amount in the image forming apparatus, and print processing in the image forming apparatus. In an image forming program in an image forming apparatus connected to a management apparatus that manages execution of the image, a first upper limit for determining whether or not the cumulative value of the image forming processing amount exceeds the first upper limit value in a computer A determination step; a second upper limit determination step for determining whether the cumulative value of the image formation processing amount exceeds the second upper limit value; and the cumulative value of the image formation processing amount is the first upper limit value. And a control step for performing control to prohibit printing processing when it is determined that the cumulative value of the image forming processing amount exceeds the second upper limit value, and the printing device Execution may be programmed to execute the authorization information obtaining step of obtaining printing approval information indicating whether or not approved.

  According to such a program, after the image forming processing amount exceeds the first upper limit value, it is possible to limit the number of sheets that can be printed without approval, and to reduce the number of complicated approval information acquisition processes.

  According to the present invention, necessary printing can be performed at any time while limiting the number of printed sheets.

In the present invention, the upper limit value of the cumulative value of the number of printable sheets for each user is stored in advance in the male storage device of the image forming apparatus. When the image forming apparatus is instructed to execute further print processing exceeding the upper limit value, the image forming apparatus interrupts the print processing and acquires the print approval information for approving the print processing from the management device, and then performs the print processing. Execute.
(First embodiment)
In the description of the present embodiment, a case where the image forming processing amount described in the claims is indicated by the number of printed sheets in the image forming apparatus will be described in order to deepen the understanding of the present invention. In addition to the number of printed sheets, the image forming processing amount may be indicated by, for example, a printing fee charged for each printing process in the image forming apparatus. The image forming processing amount may be indicated by, for example, the amount of toner used in the image forming apparatus.

  A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a print management system 100 according to the first embodiment of this invention.

  The print management system 100 according to the present embodiment is configured by connecting a user PC (personal computer) 200, an image forming apparatus 300, and an approver PC 400 via a network. In the print management system 100 according to the present embodiment, print data generated by the user PC 200 is transmitted to the image forming apparatus 300, and the image forming apparatus 300 performs print processing of the print data. The approver PC 400 plays a role of a management device that performs management related to execution of print processing of the image forming apparatus 300.

  Below, each apparatus which comprises the printing management system 100 of this embodiment is further demonstrated.

  The user PC 200 is a general computer including an arithmetic processing device and a storage device, and for example, an application 210 that generates print data is installed therein. In the user PC 200, print data is generated by the user using the application 210, and the print data is transmitted to the image forming apparatus 300 together with a print instruction.

  The image forming apparatus 300 receives the print instruction from the user PC 200 and executes print data print processing. The image forming apparatus 300 includes a printing unit 310, a storage device 320, and a processing unit 330. The printing unit 310 is realized by, for example, a plotter unit and a control unit that controls the plotter unit.

  The storage device 320 includes a user counter unit 321 and a limit value storage unit 322. The user count unit 321 stores a cumulative value of the number of printed sheets for each user counted in the image forming apparatus 300. The limit value storage unit 322 stores an upper limit value of the cumulative value of the number of printed sheets for each user in the image forming apparatus 300. This upper limit value is set and stored in advance for each user by an administrator who has an authority to approve execution of printing processing in the image forming apparatus 300, for example.

  The processing unit 330 performs processing executed in the image forming apparatus 300. A control unit 331, an upper limit determination unit 332, an approval information acquisition unit 333, and a count unit 334 are included. The control unit 331 controls processing executed in the image forming apparatus 300. The upper limit determination unit 332 determines whether or not the cumulative value of the number of printed sheets for each user exceeds the upper limit stored in the limit value storage unit 322. The approval information acquisition unit 333 acquires print approval information from the approver PC 400 via the network. Details of processing in the approval information acquisition unit 333 will be described later. The counting unit 334 counts the number of sheets printed by the printing process in the image forming apparatus 300.

  Like the user PC 200, the approver PC 400 is a general computer having an arithmetic processing device and a storage device. The approver PC 400 has an input / output unit 410. When a print approval information acquisition request from the image forming apparatus 300 is received by the input / output unit 410, a selection screen for selecting whether to approve the print process is displayed on the display device of the approver PC 400. Then, the approver PC 400 transmits information indicating whether or not to approve a printing process, which is a selection result by the approver on the selection screen, to the image forming apparatus 300. Here, the information transmitted from the approver PC 400 to the image forming apparatus 300 and indicating whether or not to approve the printing process is referred to as print approval information.

  Next, the operation of each apparatus in the print management system 100 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the print management system 100 according to the first embodiment.

  In the print management system 100, print data is generated by the application 210 in the user PC 200 and an instruction to execute print processing is issued. When the print data and the print instruction are transmitted to the image forming apparatus 300, the image forming apparatus 300 The printing process is started. The image forming apparatus 300 receives a print instruction sent from the application 210 in the processing unit 330 (S201).

  In the image forming apparatus 300, when the control unit 331 receives the print instruction, the control unit 331 acquires, from the user counter unit 321, an accumulated value of the number of printed sheets of the user who sent the print instruction (S202). In addition, the control unit 331 acquires the upper limit value of the cumulative value of the number of printed sheets stored in the limit value storage unit 332 (S203). Then, the control unit 331 uses the counter unit 334 to count the number of sheets to be printed in the print processing that has received the print instruction in S201. The control unit 331 uses the value of the number of sheets to be printed in this printing process to calculate an accumulated value of the number of printed sheets when the printing process in response to the print instruction is executed in S201.

  The control unit 331 uses the upper limit determination unit 332 to determine whether or not the cumulative value of the number of printed sheets when the print process in response to the print instruction in S201 is executed exceeds the upper limit acquired in S203 (S204). . If the upper limit determination unit 332 determines in S204 that the accumulated value of the number of printed sheets does not exceed the upper limit acquired in S203, the control unit 331 determines the number of sheets counted by the counting unit 334. The accumulated value of the number of printed sheets stored in the user count unit 321 is updated (S205). Then, the control unit 331 executes print processing by the printing unit 310 (S206).

  If the upper limit determination unit 332 determines in S204 that the cumulative value of the number of printed sheets when the printing process in response to the print instruction is executed in S201 exceeds the upper limit acquired in S203, the control unit 331 The information acquisition unit 333 sends a print approval information acquisition request to the approver PC 400 (S207). Details of processing of the approval information acquisition unit 333 in the present embodiment will be described below.

  When the control unit 331 receives a print approval information acquisition instruction, the approval information acquisition unit 333 reads the IP address of the approver PC 400 from the storage device 320. Then, the approval information acquisition unit 333 follows this IP address and transmits a print approval information acquisition request to the approver PC 400. At this time, the IP address is stored in advance in the storage device 320 of the image forming apparatus 300 as the IP address of the management apparatus that manages the execution of the printing process of the image forming apparatus 300.

  When the approver PC 400 receives the print approval information acquisition request, the input / output unit 410 displays on the display device a selection screen that allows the approver to select whether or not to approve the printing process (S208). When the selection screen is displayed in S208, whether or not to approve the execution of the printing process in response to the print instruction in S201 is selected by the approver on this screen. Then, in the approver PC 400, the input / output unit 410 transmits the selection result as print approval information to the image forming apparatus 300 (S209).

  In the image forming apparatus 300, the approval information acquisition unit 333 acquires print approval information. If the execution of the printing process instructed for printing in S201 is approved in the print approval information (S210), the control unit 331 causes the printing unit 310 to execute the printing process (S206). If execution of the printing process is not approved by the printing approval information (S210), the control unit 331 transmits information indicating that the printing process cannot be executed to the user PC 200 (S211). Upon receiving this information, the user PC 200 may display to the user that the application 210 cannot execute the printing process.

  In this embodiment, the method of using the IP address of the approver PC 400 has been described as the process when the approval information acquisition unit 333 acquires the print approval information. However, the method of acquiring the print approval information is limited to this. It is not a thing. For example, the approver's e-mail address is stored in advance in the storage device 320 of the image forming apparatus 300, and the approval information acquisition unit 333 may transmit a print approval information acquisition request to the e-mail address.

  In this case, in the approver PC 400, the input / output unit 410 receives an e-mail that is a print approval information acquisition request, displays on the display device that the print approval information acquisition request has been received, and approves the approver. You may encourage.

  In the print management system 100 according to the present embodiment, the case where there is one approver PC 400, which is a management apparatus that manages execution of print processing, has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, for each user who uses the image forming apparatus 300, a plurality of approver PCs that manage the execution of print processing may be installed.

  In the print management system 100 of this embodiment, the storage device 320 is described as being provided in the image forming apparatus 300. However, the storage device 320 is connected to the outside of the image forming apparatus 300 by an appropriate method. Also good.

  Furthermore, in the print management system 100 of the present embodiment, the upper limit determination unit 332 has been described as being provided in the image forming apparatus 300. However, the upper limit determination unit 332 is the upper limit determination unit 332 described in the present embodiment. May be connected to the outside of the image forming apparatus 300 by an appropriate method. Alternatively, the upper limit determination unit 332 may be provided in a PC or the like connected to the image forming apparatus 300 via a network, or may be provided in the approver PC 400 that manages the image forming apparatus 300.

  In the present embodiment, the user count unit 321 may be periodically reset. For example, when the upper limit value stored in the limit value storage unit 322 is the upper limit value of the number of printed sheets for one month, the user counter unit 321 may be reset every other month.

As described above, in the present embodiment, when the cumulative value of the number of different prints for each user exceeds the upper limit value, the print process can be executed by obtaining approval for the print process from the approver. it can. For this reason, for example, when a user whose cumulative number of printed sheets exceeds the upper limit value performs an emergency printing process or a printing process of a highly important document, the printing process is easily executed if approval is obtained. be able to.
(Second embodiment)
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The second embodiment of the present invention is different from the first embodiment in that an approval can be obtained after executing the print process for the print process after the cumulative value of the number of printed sheets exceeds the upper limit. . Therefore, in the description of the second embodiment, only differences from the first embodiment will be described, and those having the same functional configuration as those of the first embodiment will be used in the description of the first embodiment. The same code | symbol is provided and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the functional configuration of the print management system 100A according to the second embodiment.

  In the image forming apparatus 300A of the present embodiment, the post-approval upper limit value for each user is stored in the limit value storage unit 322A of the storage device 320A. The post-approval upper limit value can be printed before acquiring print approval information for execution of the printing process in the printing process executed after the cumulative value of the number of printed sheets for each user exceeds the upper limit value in the image forming apparatus 300A. Indicates the upper limit of the number of sheets. The post-approval upper limit value is set in advance and stored in the storage device 320A by, for example, an administrator who has the authority to approve execution of printing processing in the image forming apparatus 300A.

  The processing unit 330A of the image forming apparatus 300A according to the present embodiment includes a post-approval determination unit 335 in addition to the units included in the processing unit 330 included in the image forming apparatus 300 according to the first embodiment. The post-approval determination unit 335 prints the number of prints in the non-approved print process (post-approved print number) that is the print process before acquiring print approval information after the cumulative value of the print number for each user exceeds the upper limit. It is determined whether or not the post-approval upper limit value stored in the limit value storage unit 322A of the storage device 320A is exceeded.

  The operation of the print management system 100A of this embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the print management system 100A of the second embodiment.

  The processing from S401 to S406 in FIG. 4 is the same as the processing from S201 to S206 in FIG.

  In S404 of FIG. 4, when the upper limit determination unit 332 determines that the cumulative value of the number of printed sheets when the printing process in response to the print instruction is performed in S401 exceeds the upper limit acquired in S403, the control unit 331 obtains a post-approval upper limit value from the limit value storage unit 322 of the storage device 320 (S407). Then, the control unit 331 uses the post-approval determination unit 335 to determine whether or not execution is possible before acquiring print approval information for the print process for which the print instruction has been received (S408).

  When the post-approval determination unit 335 executes the printing process that received the print instruction in S401 in S408, the control unit 331 determines that the value of the post-approval print number does not exceed the post-approval upper limit value. It is determined that this printing process can be executed before obtaining the print approval information. Therefore, the control unit 331 issues a print instruction to the printing unit 310 and executes a printing process (S409). Here, the counter unit 334 stores and holds the number of printed sheets.

  Then, the control unit 331 transmits a print approval information acquisition request to the approver PC 400 by the approval information acquisition unit 333 in order to obtain the post-approval of the print processing executed in S409 (S410). The processing from S410 to S413 in FIG. 4 is the same as the processing from S207 to S210 in FIG.

  If the post-approval of the execution of the printing process is not obtained in S413, the control unit 331 stores the number of sheets counted by the counter unit 334 in S409 in the user counter unit 321 as the number of post-approval (S414). . Here, the value of the number of sheets stored in the user count unit 321 is stored again in the user count unit 321 as the accumulated value of the number of printed sheets after the reset when the user count unit 321 is reset.

  Then, the control unit 331 transmits to the user PC 200 that the print processing in S409 has not been approved afterwards (S415). The user PC 200 may display that the post-approval of the printing process executed after the printing instruction has been given has not been obtained.

  In S408, when the post-approval determination unit 335 determines that the value of the number of accident-approved prints exceeds the post-approval upper limit when the print processing received the print instruction in S401 is performed, It is determined that the printing process cannot be executed before obtaining approval. Then, the control unit 331 transmits a print approval information acquisition request to the approver PC 400 in order to obtain an approval for the print processing received in S401 by the approval information acquisition unit 333 (S416). The processing from S416 to S420 in FIG. 4 is the same as the processing from S207 to S211 in FIG.

As described above, according to this embodiment, even when the cumulative value of the number of printed sheets by the user exceeds the upper limit value, printing processing can be performed as long as it is within a preset number of sheets. Therefore, for example, when a user whose cumulative value of the number of printed sheets exceeds the upper limit value needs to perform an urgent print process, the print process can be executed without waiting for approval.
(Third embodiment)
A third embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The third embodiment of the present invention is an embodiment obtained by further improving the second embodiment. Therefore, in the description of the present embodiment, only differences between the present embodiment and the second embodiment will be described, and those having the same functional configuration as the second embodiment will be described in the description of the second embodiment. The same reference numerals as those used are assigned, and the description thereof is omitted.

  In the third embodiment of the present invention, after the cumulative value of the number of printed sheets exceeds the upper limit value, there is a limitation on the cumulative value of the number of printed sheets in the unapproved printing process executed before acquiring the print approval information. This is different from the second embodiment. The print management system 100B of this embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the print management system 100B according to the third embodiment.

  The storage device 320B included in the image forming apparatus 300B of the present embodiment includes a user counter unit 321, a limit value storage unit 322B, and an unapproved counter unit 323. The limit value storage unit 322B of this embodiment stores an unapproved upper limit value for each user in addition to each value stored in the limit value storage unit 322A of the storage device 320A of the second embodiment. The unapproved upper limit value indicates the upper limit value of the cumulative value of the number of printed sheets in the unapproved printing process executed before acquiring the print approval information in the image forming apparatus 300B of the present embodiment.

  Further, the storage device 320B of the present embodiment has an unapproved counter unit 323. The unapproved counter unit 323 stores the accumulated value of the number of printed sheets after the accumulated value of the number of printed sheets exceeds the upper limit value. Here, the number of printed sheets is counted by the counter unit 344. In this embodiment, when the print approval information for the executed unapproved print process is acquired, the value of the number of printed sheets in the unapproved print process is subtracted from the accumulated value stored in the unapproved count unit 323. It is assumed that the user count unit 321 is added.

  The processing unit 330B included in the image forming apparatus 300B according to the present embodiment includes an unapproved determination unit 336 in addition to the units included in the processing unit 330A of the image forming apparatus 300A according to the second embodiment. The unapproved determination unit 336 determines whether the cumulative value of the number of printed sheets in the unapproved printing process exceeds the unapproved upper limit value stored in the limit value storage unit 322B of the storage device 320B.

  The operation of the print management system 100B of this embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the print management system 100B of the third embodiment.

  The processing from S601 to S613 in FIG. 6 is the same as the processing from S401 to S408 and from S416 to S420 in FIG. 4 described in the second embodiment, and thus description thereof is omitted.

  In step S608, when the post-approval determination unit 335 determines that the print process that received the print instruction in step S601 can be executed in an unapproved state, the control unit 331 performs printing in the unapproved print process from the unapproved counter 323 in the storage device 320B. The cumulative value of the number is acquired (S614). Next, the control unit 331 acquires an unapproved upper limit value from the limit value storage unit 322B (S615). Then, the control unit 331 uses the accumulated value acquired in S614 to calculate the accumulated value of the number of printed sheets in the unapproved print process when the print process in response to the print instruction in S601 is executed unapproved. Here, it is assumed that the number of printed sheets when the printing process in response to the printing instruction in S601 is executed is counted and held by the counter unit 334.

  Then, the control unit 331 determines whether the cumulative value of the number of printed sheets in the unapproved printing process when the unapproved determination unit 336 receives the print instruction in S601 exceeds the unapproved upper limit value acquired in S615. It is determined whether or not (S616).

  In S616, when the unapproved determination unit 336 determines that the cumulative value of the number of printed sheets in the unapproved printing process exceeds the unapproved upper limit value, the control unit 331 receives the print instruction in S601, It is determined that execution in an unapproved state is impossible. Then, the control unit 331 transmits a print approval information acquisition request from the approval information acquisition unit 333 to the approver PC 400 in order to acquire the approval of the execution of the printing process (S609). And the control part 331 performs the process from S610 to S613.

  In S616, when the unapproved determination unit 336 determines that the cumulative value of the number of printed sheets in the unapproved print process does not exceed the unapproved upper limit value, the control process 331 determines that the print process that received the print instruction in S601 is unprinted. Judged to be executable in the state. Then, the control unit 331 uses the value counted by the counting unit 334 to update the cumulative value of the number of printed sheets stored in the unapproved counter unit 323 (S617).

  Then, the control unit 331 causes the printing unit 310 to execute a printing process (S618). The processing from S619 to S624 is the same as the processing from S410 to S415 in FIG.

  Here, if the execution of the printing process is approved in S622, the printing process executed in S618 is post-approved. Therefore, the control unit 331 updates the number of prints printed in the unapproved printing process in S618 by subtracting it from the accumulated value stored in the unapproved counter unit 323 (S625). If the execution of the printing process is not approved in step S622, the number of sheets printed in the printing process executed in step S618 is stored in the user counter unit 321 as a value of the number of sheets not approved after the fact. Therefore, the control unit 331 updates the number of prints printed in the unapproved printing process in S618 by subtracting it from the accumulated value stored in the unapproved counter unit 323 (S625).

As described above, in the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent the printing process from being performed without limitation without obtaining approval for the execution of the printing process.
(Fourth embodiment)
Hereinafter, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The fourth embodiment of the present invention is a modification of the first embodiment. Therefore, in the description of the present embodiment, only differences between the present embodiment and the first embodiment will be described, and those having the same functional configuration as the first embodiment will be described in the description of the first embodiment. The same reference numerals as those used are assigned, and the description thereof is omitted.

  The fourth embodiment of the present invention is different from the first embodiment in that, in addition to the upper limit value of the cumulative number of printed sheets for each user, the upper limit value of the cumulative number of printed sheets for each user group is provided. To do. In this embodiment, the user group is a department to which the user belongs, and an upper limit value of the number of prints for each department is set. The print management system 100C of this embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a print management system 100C according to the fourth embodiment.

  The storage device 320C included in the image forming apparatus 300C according to the present embodiment includes a user counter unit 321, a limit value storage unit 322C, and a department counter unit 324. The limit value storage unit 332C stores an upper limit value for the number of prints for each department in addition to the upper limit value for the number of prints for each user. The department counter unit 324 stores a cumulative value of the number of printed sheets for each department.

  The processing unit 330C included in the image forming apparatus 300C according to the present embodiment includes a department upper limit determination unit 337 in addition to the units included in the processing unit 330 included in the image forming apparatus 300 according to the first embodiment. The department upper limit determination unit 337 determines whether or not the cumulative value of the number of printed sheets for each department stored in the department counter unit 334 exceeds the department upper limit value stored in the limit value storage unit 322C.

  The operation of the print management system 100C of this embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the print management system 100C of the fourth embodiment.

  Since the processing from S801 to S806 in FIG. 8 is the same as the processing from S201 to S206 in FIG. 2 described in the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted.

  In S804, when the upper limit determination unit 332 determines that the cumulative value of the number of printed sheets when the print process received in S801 is executed exceeds the upper limit, the control unit 331 receives the print instruction received in S801. Is used to identify the department to which the user who issued this print instruction belongs. Then, the control unit 331 acquires, from the department counter unit 324, an accumulated value of the number of printed sheets of the department to which the user belongs when the printing process in response to the print instruction in S801 is executed (S807). Next, the control unit 331 acquires a department upper limit value from the limit value storage unit 322C (S808).

  The control unit 331 determines whether the cumulative value acquired in S807 exceeds the department upper limit value acquired in S808 by the department upper limit determination unit 337 (S809). In step S809, when the department upper limit determination unit 337 determines that the cumulative value acquired in step S807 does not exceed the department upper limit value acquired in step S808, the control unit 331 determines the cumulative value acquired in step S807 as the cumulative value of the department counter unit 314. (S810). Then, the control unit 331 causes the printing unit 310 to execute a printing process (S806).

  In step S809, when the department upper limit determination unit 337 determines that the cumulative value acquired in step S807 exceeds the department upper limit value acquired in step S808, the control unit 331 prints the approval information acquisition unit 333 to obtain approval for execution of the printing process. An approval information acquisition request is transmitted to the approver PC 400 (S811). The processing from S812 to S815 in FIG. 8 is the same as the processing from S208 to S211 in FIG.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, since the upper limit value for each user group is provided separately from the upper limit value for each user, for example, the cumulative value of the number of printed sheets for each user has reached the upper limit value. However, it can be printed as printing for each user group. For this reason, it is possible to reduce the number of complicated approval operations while imposing a certain printing restriction.
(Fifth embodiment)
The fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The fifth embodiment of the present invention is an embodiment obtained by further improving the first embodiment. Therefore, in the description of the present embodiment, only differences between the present embodiment and the first embodiment will be described, and those having the same functional configuration as the first embodiment will be described in the description of the first embodiment. The same reference numerals as those used are assigned, and the description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the functional configuration of the print management system 100D according to the fifth embodiment. When transmitting the print approval information acquisition request, the image forming apparatus 300D of the present embodiment transmits print data to be approved to the approver PC 400A, and causes the approver PC 400A to display a print data preview image. The print management system 100D of the present embodiment is configured by connecting a user PC 200A, an image forming apparatus 300D, and an approver PC 400A via a network.

  The user PC 200A of the present embodiment includes an application 210A and a display device 220. The application 210 </ b> A includes a display control unit 211 that indicates a display control function that controls the display of the display device 220.

  The processing unit 330D of the image forming apparatus 300D of this embodiment includes a data transmission unit 340 in addition to the units included in the processing unit 330 of the first embodiment. The data transmission unit 340 includes a print data transmission unit 341 and a message transmission unit 342. The print data transmission unit 341 transmits print data to be printed by the image forming apparatus 300D to the approver PC 400A.

  The message transmission unit 342 transmits the message created by the application 210A of the user PC 200A to the approver PC 400A together with the print data. The message created by the application 210A relates to print data and is created by the user. Specifically, for example, the purpose of the printing process and the use of the output print data.

  The approval information acquisition unit 333A of the image forming apparatus 300D acquires the print approval information and the message created by the approver PC 400A from the approver PC 400A. The message created by the approver PC 400A may be, for example, a reason for not approving printing, a cautionary note when approving printing, or the like, and is created by the approver.

  The approver PC 400A of this embodiment includes an input / output unit 410A and a display device 420. The input / output unit 410A includes a display control unit 411 that controls the display of the display device 420.

  The operation of the print management system 100D of this embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the print management system 100D of the fifth embodiment.

  In the print management system 100D, print data is generated by the application 210A in the user PC 200A. Further, the user PC 200A creates a message related to the print data. The user PC 200A transmits print data and a message to the image forming apparatus 300D as a print instruction (S1001).

  Image forming apparatus 300D accepts a print instruction sent from application 210A in processing unit 330D. The processing from S1002 to S1006 in FIG. 10 is the same as the processing from S202 to S206 connected in FIG.

  If it is determined in S1004 that the cumulative value of the number of printed sheets when the upper limit determination unit 332 executes the print instruction exceeds the upper limit acquired in S1003, the approval information acquisition unit 333A sends the print approval information to the approver PC 400A. Send an acquisition request. Further, the print data transmission unit 241 transmits the print data included in the print instruction received in S1001 to the approver PC 400A together with the acquisition request. Further, the message transmission unit 242 transmits the message included in the print instruction received in S1001 to the approver PC 400A together with the acquisition request (S1007).

  In the approver PC 400A, the input / output unit 410A receives a print approval information acquisition request, print data, and a message. The display control unit 411 of the input / output unit 410A generates a preview image to be displayed on the display device 420 from the received print data (S1008).

  In the approver PC 400A, the display control unit 411 causes the display device 220 to display a selection screen that allows the approver to select whether or not to approve the printing process. Further, the display control unit 211 displays a preview image generated from the print data and a message created by the application 210A on the selection screen (S1009). When the selection screen is displayed in S1009, the approver selects whether to approve the execution of the printing process. The input / output unit 410A of the approver PC 400A transmits the selection result as print approval information to the image forming apparatus 300D.

  When the approver PC 400A approves the execution of the printing process (S1010), the input / output unit 410A transmits print approval information indicating that the execution of the printing process has been approved to the image forming apparatus 300D (S1011). In the image forming apparatus 300D, the approval information acquisition unit 333 acquires print approval information. The control unit 331 proceeds to the process of S1006 based on the acquired print approval information.

  In approver PC400A and others. If the execution of the printing process is not approved (S1010), the input / output unit 410A transmits print approval information indicating that the execution of the printing process is not approved to the image forming apparatus 300D. The input / output unit 410A transmits the message created by the approver PC 400A to the image forming apparatus 300D. The image forming apparatus 300D acquires the print approval information and the message created by the approver PC 400A by the approval information acquisition unit 333A. Then, the image forming apparatus 300D transmits information indicating that the printing process is not approved and a message created by the approver PC 400A to the user PC 200A (S1012).

  The user PC 200A causes the display control unit 211 of the application 210A to display a message created by the approver on the display device 220.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the preview image of the print data to be approved and the message regarding the print data created by the user in the user PC 200A are displayed on the display device 420 of the approver PC 400A. The Therefore, the approver can grasp the contents of the print data from the preview image when determining whether to approve the execution of the printing process. Further, the approver can grasp the usage of the output print data and the like from the message regarding the print data input by the user. Therefore, the approver can reliably determine unnecessary printing.

  Thus, according to the present embodiment, necessary printing can be performed at any time while limiting the number of printed sheets.

  In this embodiment, since the message created by the approver is displayed on the user PC 200A when the execution of the printing process is not approved, the user can grasp the reason why the printing process is not approved. Therefore, the user can consider a countermeasure for executing the target print processing based on the reason for not being approved.

  In this embodiment, the data transmitted from the image forming apparatus 300D to the approver PC 400A is the print data and the message created by the user PC 200A. However, the present invention is not limited to this. In the present embodiment, the information transmitted from the image forming apparatus 300D to the approver PC 400A may be only print data or only a message created by the user PC 200A.

  In addition, the procedure for realizing each function in the embodiment described above may be recorded on a recording medium as a computer-readable program.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a recording medium on which a program for realizing each function described in each embodiment is recorded. The functions recorded in the present embodiment can be realized by the program recorded in the recording medium 610 being read into the computer 500 and executed.

  For example, the computer 500 includes a CPU 510, a hard disk 520, a memory 530, a display unit 540, an input unit 550, a communication unit 560, and a recording medium reading unit 570. The CPU 510 is an arithmetic processing unit, and executes arithmetic operations and processes executed in the computer 500. The hard disk 520 is a recording unit that stores data, and stores an application that operates on the computer 500, data created by the application, and the like. The memory 530 stores various setting values related to the computer 500, calculation results in the CPU 510, and the like.

  The display unit 540 is a display or the like, and displays data created in the computer 500 so that the user can view it. The input unit 550 is, for example, a keyboard or a mouse, and various data are input by a user operation. The communication unit 560 is a network control unit, for example, and is used for the computer 500 to communicate with an external device. The recording medium reading unit 570 reads data and programs recorded on various recording media, and is, for example, a floppy (registered trademark) disk driver.

  The recording medium 610 records an image forming program 600 that realizes each function of the present embodiment. The image forming program 600 is read by the recording medium reading unit 570 and executed by the CPU 510. The recording medium 610 may be, for example, a floppy (registered trademark) disk or a CD-ROM (Compact Disk Read Only Memory), and may be any medium that can be read by the computer 500. The image forming program 600 may be received by the communication unit 560 via a network and stored in the hard disk 520 or the like.

  As described above, the present invention has been described based on each embodiment. However, the present invention is not limited to the requirements shown here, such as the configurations described in the above embodiment and combinations with other elements. With respect to these points, the present invention can be changed within a range that does not detract from the gist of the present invention, and can be appropriately determined according to the application form.

  The present invention can be used in a print management system, an image forming apparatus, an image forming method, and an image forming program that limit the number of printed sheets.

It is a figure explaining the functional structure of the printing management system 100 of 1st embodiment. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the print management system 100 of the first embodiment. It is a figure explaining the functional structure of 100 A of printing management systems of 2nd embodiment. It is a flowchart explaining operation | movement of 100 A of printing management systems of 2nd embodiment. It is a figure explaining the functional structure of the printing management system 100B of 3rd embodiment. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a print management system 100B according to a third embodiment. It is a figure explaining the function structure of the printing management system 100C of 4th embodiment. It is a flowchart explaining operation | movement of 100 C of print management systems of 4th embodiment. It is a figure explaining the function structure of the printing management system 100D of 5th embodiment. It is a flowchart explaining operation | movement of the printing management system 100D of 5th embodiment. It is a figure explaining the recording medium with which the program which implement | achieves each function demonstrated in each embodiment was recorded.

Explanation of symbols

100, 100A, 100B, 100C, 100D Print management system 200, 200A User PC
210, 210A Application 300, 300A, 300B, 300C, 300D Image forming apparatus 310 Printing unit 320, 320A, 320B, 320C Storage device 321 User counter unit 322, 322A, 322B, 322C Limit value storage unit 323 Unapproved counter unit 324 Department Counter unit 330, 330A, 330B, 330C, 330D Processing unit 331 Control unit 332 Upper limit determination unit 333, 333A Approval information acquisition unit 334 Count unit 335 Post-approval determination unit 336 Unapproved determination unit 337 Department upper limit determination unit 400, 400A Approve PC
410, 410A Input / output unit 500 Computer 600 Image forming program 610 Recording medium

Claims (13)

In a print management system comprising an image forming apparatus having a storage device storing an upper limit value of an accumulated value of image forming processing amount in the image forming apparatus, and a management apparatus managing execution of print processing in the image forming apparatus.
The image forming apparatus includes:
Upper limit determination means for determining whether or not the cumulative value of the image forming processing amount exceeds the upper limit stored in the storage device;
Control means for controlling the printing process;
Approval information acquisition means for acquiring print approval information indicating whether or not execution of printing processing has been approved by the management device;
The control means includes
When the upper limit determination unit determines that the cumulative value of the image formation processing amount exceeds the upper limit, the print process is prohibited, and the approval information acquisition unit obtains the print approval information for the print process from the management device. A print management system characterized by being acquired. A storage device storing an upper limit value of an accumulated image formation processing amount in the image forming apparatus; and determining whether the accumulated value of the image formation processing amount exceeds the upper limit value stored in the storage device. In a print management system comprising an image forming apparatus connected to an upper limit determination device and a management apparatus that manages execution of print processing in the image forming apparatus,
The image forming apparatus includes:
Control means for controlling the printing process;
Approval information acquisition means for acquiring print approval information indicating whether or not execution of printing processing has been approved by the management device;
The control means includes
When the upper limit determination device determines that the cumulative value of the image formation processing amount exceeds the upper limit, the print processing is prohibited, and the approval information acquisition unit obtains the print approval information for the print processing from the management device. A print management system characterized by being acquired.   The print management system according to claim 1, wherein the image forming processing amount is indicated by a number of printed sheets or a printing fee in the image forming apparatus. In an image forming apparatus having a storage device storing an upper limit value of an accumulated value of an image forming process amount in the image forming apparatus and connected to a management apparatus that manages execution of print processing in the image forming apparatus.
Upper limit determination means for determining whether or not the cumulative value of the image forming processing amount exceeds the upper limit stored in the storage device;
Control means for controlling the printing process;
Approval information acquisition means for acquiring print approval information indicating whether or not execution of the printing process has been approved from the management device;
The control means includes
When the upper limit determination unit determines that the cumulative value of the image formation processing amount exceeds the upper limit, the print process is prohibited, and the approval information acquisition unit obtains the print approval information for the print process from the management device. An image forming apparatus that acquires the image forming apparatus. A storage device storing an upper limit value of an accumulated image formation processing amount in the image forming apparatus; and determining whether the accumulated value of the image formation processing amount exceeds the upper limit value stored in the storage device. In an image forming apparatus connected to an upper limit determination apparatus and a management apparatus that manages execution of print processing in the image forming apparatus,
Control means for controlling the printing process;
Approval information acquisition means for acquiring print approval information indicating whether or not execution of the printing process has been approved from the management device;
The control means includes
When the upper limit determination device determines that the cumulative value of the image formation processing amount exceeds the upper limit, the print processing is prohibited, and the approval information acquisition unit obtains the print approval information for the print processing from the management device. An image forming apparatus that acquires the image forming apparatus. The storage device stores, as a post-approval upper limit value, an upper limit value of an image formation processing amount in an unapproved printing process before the print approval information is acquired after the image forming processing amount exceeds the upper limit value. And
A post-approval determination unit for determining whether an image formation processing amount in the unapproved print process exceeds the post-approval upper limit;
The control means includes
When the post-approval determination unit determines that the image formation processing amount in the non-approved print process does not exceed the post-approval upper limit value, the approval information acquisition unit performs the unapproved print process and then executes the unapproved print process. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein print approval information for unapproved print processing is acquired. In the storage device, an upper limit value of the cumulative value of the image formation processing amount in the unapproved print processing is stored as an unapproved upper limit value,
An unapproved judging means for judging whether or not a cumulative value of the image forming processing amount in the unapproved printing process exceeds the unapproved upper limit;
The control means includes
When the unapproved determination unit determines that the cumulative value of the image formation processing amount in the unapproved print processing exceeds the unapproved upper limit value, the unapproved print processing is prohibited, and the approval information acquisition unit The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein print approval information for the unapproved print processing is acquired. A management device having a storage device storing a first upper limit value and a second upper limit value of an accumulated value of the image forming processing amount in the image forming apparatus, and managing execution of printing processing in the image forming apparatus; In the connected image forming apparatus,
First upper limit determination means for determining whether or not the cumulative value of the image formation processing amount exceeds the first upper limit;
Second upper limit determination means for determining whether or not the cumulative value of the image forming processing amount exceeds the second upper limit;
Control means for controlling the printing process;
Approval information acquisition means for acquiring print approval information indicating whether or not execution of the printing process has been approved from the management device;
The control means includes
The first upper limit determination unit determines that the cumulative value of the image formation processing amount exceeds the first upper limit value, and the second upper limit determination unit determines that the cumulative value of the image formation processing amount is the second value. When it is determined that the upper limit value is exceeded, the print processing is prohibited, and the approval information acquisition unit acquires the print approval information for the print processing from the management device.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the image forming processing amount is indicated by a number of printed sheets or a printing fee in the image forming apparatus. An image forming method by an image forming apparatus having a storage device storing an upper limit value of an accumulated value of an image forming process amount in the image forming apparatus and connected to a management apparatus that manages execution of print processing in the image forming apparatus In
An upper limit determination procedure for determining whether or not the cumulative value of the image formation processing amount exceeds the upper limit;
A control procedure for prohibiting print processing when it is determined that the cumulative value of the image formation processing amount exceeds the upper limit;
An approval information acquisition procedure for acquiring print approval information indicating whether or not execution of the print processing has been approved by the management apparatus. A management device having a storage device storing a first upper limit value and a second upper limit value of the cumulative value of the image forming processing amount of the image forming apparatus, and managing execution of printing processing in the image forming apparatus; In an image forming method using a connected image forming apparatus,
A first upper limit determination procedure for determining whether or not a cumulative value of the image formation processing amount exceeds the first upper limit;
A second upper limit determination procedure for determining whether or not a cumulative value of the image formation processing amount exceeds the second upper limit;
When it is determined that the cumulative value of the image formation processing amount exceeds the first upper limit value and it is determined that the cumulative value of the image formation processing amount exceeds the second upper limit value, print processing is prohibited. A control procedure for performing control;
An approval information acquisition procedure for acquiring print approval information indicating whether or not the execution of the print processing has been approved from the management device. An image forming program in an image forming apparatus having a storage device storing an upper limit value of an accumulated image forming amount in the image forming apparatus and connected to a management apparatus that manages execution of printing processing in the image forming apparatus In
On the computer,
An upper limit determination step for determining whether or not a cumulative value of the image formation processing amount exceeds the upper limit;
A control step of prohibiting print processing when it is determined that the cumulative value of the image formation processing amount exceeds the upper limit;
An image forming program for executing an approval information acquisition step of acquiring print approval information indicating whether or not execution of the printing process has been approved by the management apparatus. A management device having a storage device storing a first upper limit value and a second upper limit value of an accumulated value of the image forming processing amount in the image forming apparatus, and managing execution of printing processing in the image forming apparatus; In an image forming program in a connected image forming apparatus,
On the computer,
A first upper limit determining step for determining whether or not an accumulated value of the image forming processing amount exceeds the first upper limit;
A second upper limit determination step for determining whether or not an accumulated value of the image forming processing amount exceeds the second upper limit value;
When it is determined that the cumulative value of the image formation processing amount exceeds the first upper limit value and it is determined that the cumulative value of the image formation processing amount exceeds the second upper limit value, print processing is prohibited. A control step for performing control;
An approval information acquisition step for acquiring print approval information indicating whether or not the execution of the printing process has been approved by the management apparatus.

Images