JP2017167928A - Information processing system, information processing method and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a system, a method and a program in which functions can be continuously used even when reaching the upper limit of a use amount set on a group.SOLUTION: A system includes: storage means to store an upper limit value of a use amount set for each group that uses functions that devices have, and a use result that shows the use amount of each group; first receiving means to receive a request of transfer of the use amount from a first group among a plurality of groups; selection means to select a request destination for the request from among the plurality of groups except the first group on the basis of the stored upper limit value and use result; transmission means to transmit a notification to request the request destination to transfer the use amount; second receiving means to receive a reply from the request destination; and management means to execute processing for increasing the upper limit value of the use amount stored in the storage means, and set for the first group according to the reply, and for decreasing the upper limit value of the use amount set for the request destination.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing system that adjusts the usage amount of a function of a device, an information processing method, and a program for causing a computer to execute the processing.

  There is a contract form in which a cost is charged each time a function such as a printer or MFP (Multi-Function Peripheral) is used. For such a contract form, a technique has been proposed in which the cost is set to a certain amount, an upper limit is set for the usage amount, and the usage is limited so as not to exceed the upper limit (for example, Patent Document 1). reference).

  However, with the above technology, even if it is necessary to use the device over the upper limit of the usage amount set for the group (group) of users who use the device, it cannot be used beyond the upper limit. There was a problem.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a system, method, and program capable of continuously using functions even when the upper limit of the usage amount set for the group is reached. The purpose is to provide.

  In order to solve the above problems and achieve the object, the present invention is an information processing system that adjusts the usage amount of a function of a device, and is set for each of a plurality of groups that use the function. A storage unit that stores an upper limit value of the usage amount and a usage record that indicates the usage amount of each group; a first receiving unit that receives a request to transfer the usage amount from a first group of the plurality of groups; Selecting means for selecting a request destination for the request received by the first receiving means from a plurality of groups excluding the first group based on the upper limit value and the usage record stored in the storing means; In response to the response received by the second receiving means, the transmitting means for transmitting a notification requesting transfer of the usage amount to the selected request destination, the second receiving means for receiving an answer from the requested destination, The first stored in the storage means Raising the upper limit of the set usage for the group, and a management means for executing a process to lower the upper limit of the set usage relative request destination, an information processing system.

  According to the present invention, even when the upper limit of the usage amount set for the group is reached, the function can be continuously used.

The figure which showed the whole structure of the information processing system. The figure which showed the hardware constitutions of MFP. The figure which showed the hardware constitutions of the management server. The sequence diagram which showed the flow of the 1st process which an information processing system performs. The functional block diagram which showed one structure of the user terminal and the management server. The figure which illustrated the user management table which manages the user of each group. The figure which illustrated the use management table which manages the upper limit of the number of printed sheets of each group, and a use track record. The figure which illustrated the utilization management table after updating a utilization track record. The figure which illustrated the content notified with respect to the manager of the group who updated the use track record. The figure which illustrated the login screen for an administrator to log in to a system. The figure which illustrated the content which an administrator requests transfer of the number of printed sheets. The figure which illustrated the transfer request management table for managing a transfer request. The figure which illustrated the organization chart. The flowchart which showed the flow of the 1st process which a management server performs. The figure explaining the selection method which selects the group of a request destination. The figure which illustrated the contents of the notice transmitted to a request place. The figure which illustrated the utilization management table after the transfer request was approved. The figure which illustrated the content notified to an administrator, after the transfer request is approved. The figure which illustrated the content notified to an administrator after a transfer request is rejected. The figure which illustrated the transfer result management table for managing the result of a transfer request. The sequence diagram which showed the flow of the 2nd process which an information processing system performs. The functional block diagram which showed another structure of the management server. The flowchart which showed the flow of the 2nd process which a management server performs. The figure which illustrated the transfer rejection management table for managing the group which rejected the transfer request.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an information processing system that adjusts the usage amount of a function of a device. The device may be any device as long as it has one or more functions, and examples thereof include an image forming apparatus such as a printer or an MFP. In the case of the image forming apparatus described above, the functions can include a print function, a scanner function, a copy function, and the like. When the function is a printing function, the usage amount can include the amount of toner used and the number of printed sheets. These are merely examples, and the functions and usage amounts are not limited to these. Hereinafter, the apparatus is assumed to be an MFP, the functions are assumed to be printing functions, and the usage amounts are assumed to be the number of printed sheets.

  Companies that have an information processing system adopt a contract form that charges each time they print a single MFP 10, and in order to keep the cost constant, each group within the organization has an upper limit on the number of prints. A value is set. This information processing system is a system that allows the use to be continued even when the upper limit is reached by adjusting the number of printed sheets between groups while keeping the cost constant. Note that the term group is used here, but the term group can also be used with the same meaning.

  The information processing system includes an MFP 10 as a device, a management server 11 that performs processing for adjusting the number of printed sheets, and user terminals 12 to 14. The user terminal 12 is a terminal used by a user who instructs the MFP 10 to print. The user terminal 13 is a terminal used by an administrator who manages the number of printed sheets of a group to which the user belongs. The user terminal 14 is a terminal used by the group heads of other groups. The group head is the person who has the authority to determine whether to approve or reject when a request is made to transfer the number of printed sheets.

  Although not shown in FIG. 1, the information processing system includes a user terminal used by the group head of the group to which the user or administrator belongs, and a user terminal used by another user belonging to the group. In addition, the information processing system includes user terminals used by users and administrators who belong to the other groups, and can further include user terminals used by users who belong to another group.

  The MFP 10, the management server 11, and the user terminals 12 to 14 are connected to a network 15 such as a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), and the Internet, and can communicate with each other via the network 15. The network 15 may be a wired network or a wireless network such as Wi-Fi. The network 15 is not limited to one network, and may be composed of two or more networks connected by a relay device such as a router or a proxy server.

  The MFP 10 is a multifunction device having a plurality of functions such as a print function, a copy function, a scanner function, a fax function, and a communication function. When the MFP 10 receives a function use request from the user terminal 12, the MFP 10 executes the function and notifies the management server 11 of the use of the function. Specifically, when the MFP 10 receives a print request for 10 sheets from the user terminal 12, the MFP 10 prints 10 sheets and notifies the management server 11 of information that 10 sheets have been printed.

  The MFP 10 also has an authentication function for authenticating the user. When the user uses the function, the MFP 10 requests input of authentication information such as a user ID and a password. If the input authentication information matches the authentication information held by the MFP 10, the MFP 10 determines that the authentication is successful and permits the use of the function. The input of the authentication information is not limited to the method input by the user, and may be a method of reading with an IC card or the like.

  The user terminal 12 may be any device that can request printing from the MFP 10 such as a desktop PC, a notebook PC, a tablet terminal, a smartphone, or a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant). The user terminal 12 displays a document or the like that the user wants to print, receives settings such as a print page and the number of sheets, receives a print execution instruction, transmits print data to the MFP 10, and requests printing. Incidentally, the print data includes document data to be printed, print setting information such as a print page, and further includes the above-described user ID and password. The print data is transmitted before the user authentication. Therefore, user authentication can be performed using this user ID or the like.

  The management server 11 receives information on the number of printed sheets from the MFP 10 and updates the function usage record. The usage record is a record of using the function, and is the cumulative number of sheets printed by users in the group so far. For example, when a notification is received that 65 sheets have been used so far and 10 sheets have been printed from the MFP 10, 10 sheets are added to 65 sheets and the use record is updated to 75 sheets.

  The management server 11 manages the above usage record and also manages the upper limit value of the number of printed sheets set for each group. The management server 11 receives a request to transfer the number of printed sheets from one group, requests transfer to another group, obtains an answer, and performs a process of adjusting the upper limit value. Details of this adjustment processing will be described later.

  In response to an instruction from the administrator, the user terminal 13 transmits a notification requesting transfer of the number of printed sheets to the management server 11. The request for transferring the number of printed sheets is made by designating a specific number of sheets such as 20 sheets. When the administrator designates the number of sheets and instructs the request, the administrator refers to the usage record and the upper limit value of the own group. Similarly to the user terminal 12, the user terminal 13 can also use a desktop PC, a notebook PC, a tablet terminal, a smartphone, a PDA, or the like.

  In response to the notification requesting the transfer from the management server 11, the user terminal 14 transmits a reply to the management server 11 to approve or reject the transfer. The group head of another group refers to the usage record and the upper limit of the other group, confirms whether the requested number of prints can be transferred, and decides whether to approve or reject it. . Similarly to the user terminals 12 and 13, the user terminal 14 can also be a desktop PC, notebook PC, tablet terminal, smartphone, PDA, or the like.

  In addition to the MFP 10, the management server 11, and the user terminals 12 to 14, the information processing system includes other devices such as a print server, a DNS (Domain Name System) server, and an external storage device for storing information managed by the management server 11. May be included.

  A hardware configuration of the MFP 10 will be briefly described with reference to FIG. The MFP 10 includes a controller 20, an operation panel 21, a scanner engine 22, and a print engine 23. The controller 20 includes a CPU 30, ROM 31, RAM 32, NVRAM 33, HDD 34, network I / F 35, operation panel I / F 36, scanner engine I / F 37, and print engine I / F 38 in order to control the entire MFP 10. The CPU 30 and the like are connected to the bus 39 and exchange information with each other via the bus 39.

  The CPU 30 reads and executes a program stored in the ROM 31 or the HDD 34. The CPU 30 uses setting information and the like stored in the NVRAM 33 as necessary when executing the program. The program can include an OS (Operating System), a boot program, firmware, and a program for executing the above authentication processing.

  The RAM 32 provides a work space for the CPU 30 to execute the program, and is used as a page memory when generating a print image for printing. The HDD 34 stores a program for executing the above-described OS, authentication processing, and the like, and also stores image data of an image read by the scanner engine 22.

  The network I / F 35 is connected to the network 15 and enables communication with the management server 11 and the user terminals 12 to 14 via the network 15. The operation panel I / F 36 connects the controller 20 to the operation panel 21 and receives information and instructions input to the operation panel 21. The operation panel I / F 36 sends information to be displayed to the operation panel 21 for display. Examples of information to be displayed include job processing status such as a print job, error information, and the like.

  The scanner engine I / F 37 sends a document reading instruction to the scanner engine 22 and receives scan job information and input of an image read by the scanner engine 22. The print engine I / F 38 sends print data to the print engine 23 and receives print job information.

  The scanner engine 22 reads a document or the like, and the print engine 23 prints the read image or the like. The scanner engine 22 can include a light source and a photoelectric conversion element for reading a document. The print engine 23 may be an electrophotographic printer, an inkjet printer, or a printer of any other type. In the case of an electrophotographic printer, a writing unit, a photosensitive drum, a developing unit, a transfer unit, a conveyance belt, a fixing unit, a paper feeding unit, and a paper discharging unit can be included. Since these light source, photoelectric conversion element, and each unit are well known, detailed description is omitted.

  The operation panel 21 functions as a display unit and an input unit, receives information input and instructions from the user, and displays job processing statuses, errors, and the like. The input of information is, for example, the input of print setting values, the input of a fax number, etc. The job processing status indicates the current status of each job such as a scan job, print job, copy job, etc. Information. Specifically, it is information such as job execution, job end, and job cancellation.

  Next, the hardware configuration of the management server 11 will be described with reference to FIG. The user terminals 12 to 14 are the same as the management server 11 except that they include a display device such as a liquid crystal display, an input device such as a keyboard and a mouse, and an input / output I / F for connecting them to a bus. Therefore, the description about the hardware configuration of the user terminals 12 to 14 is omitted.

  The management server 11 can include a CPU 40, a ROM 41, a RAM 42, an HDD 43, and a network I / F 44 as hardware. The CPU 40 and the like are connected to the bus 45 and exchange information with each other via the bus 45.

  The CPU 40 reads out and executes a program stored in the ROM 41 or the HDD 43. The program can include an OS, a boot program, firmware, a program that executes processing such as update of the above-described usage record, notification, and change of an upper limit value.

  The RAM 42 provides a work space for the CPU 40 to execute the program. The HDD 43 stores the above OS and programs, and also stores and manages the above usage records and upper limit values. The network I / F 44 is connected to the network 15 and enables communication with the MFP 10 and the user terminals 12 to 14 via the network 15.

  Before describing in detail the functional configuration of the user terminal 13 and the management server 11, the tables to be used, the contents of notification, etc., the overall processing flow executed by the information processing system will be briefly described with reference to FIG. . A user belonging to one group uses the user terminal 12 to access the MFP 10 and transmit print data. Upon receiving the print data, the MFP 10 requests user authentication information (S1). The user inputs the user ID and password as authentication information, and transmits the authentication information to the MFP 10 (S2). The MFP 10 executes authentication processing in comparison with authentication information included in the print data. If they match, the authentication is successful and a notification that permits the use of the function is sent. On the other hand, if they do not match, authentication is failed and prompts for input again.

  If the authentication is successful, the user requests use of the print function from the user terminal 12 (S3). For example, it requests execution of printing based on the transmitted print data. In response to the request, the MFP 10 executes printing (S4). After executing the printing, the MFP 10 notifies the management server 11 of the use of the printing function together with information on the user who has used the printing function (S5). Use of the print function is notified as information on the number of printed sheets.

  The management server 11 updates the usage record of the group to which the user belongs (S6). When this usage record is approaching the upper limit value of the number of prints set for the group, a notification that the usage record is approaching the upper limit is transmitted to the user terminal 13 of the manager of the group ( S7).

  Upon receiving the notification, the manager determines whether to request transfer of the number of printed sheets, and if so, specifies how many copies are requested. In response to the administrator's instruction, the user terminal 13 requests the management server 11 to transfer the designated number (S8). The management server 11 selects a request destination based on the upper limit value and usage record set for other groups, and the organization chart as organization information (S9). Here, an organization chart is also used, but the organization chart can be used as needed.

  When there is no transferable group, the management server 11 transmits a notification to the effect that there is no transferable group to the user terminal 13 (S10). On the other hand, if there is a group that can be transferred, a notification requesting transfer of the designated number is transmitted to the user terminal 14 of the group head of the group (S11). The user terminal 14 displays the contents of the notification and prompts the group head to approve or reject the request.

  In response to the approval instruction from the group head, the user terminal 14 transmits a reply indicating approval for the request (S12). The management server 11 receives the answer and transmits the result to the user terminal 13 (S13).

  When the management server 11 receives a reply to approve, the management server 11 adds the number requested by the manager of the request source group to the upper limit value set for the request source group and raises the upper limit value. . Then, the management server 11 notifies as a result that the transfer has been approved and the upper limit has been raised. As a result, the request source group can print up to the raised upper limit value.

  On the other hand, the management server 11 lowers the upper limit value of the requested group by the number requested by the requesting source. For this reason, the requested group can only print up to the reduced upper limit value.

  The functional configurations of the user terminal 13 and the management server 11 will be described with reference to FIG. The user terminal 13 generates a functional unit by the CPU 30 reading and executing the program to the RAM 32, and the management server 11 also generates the functional unit by the CPU 40 reading and executing the program to the RAM 42. Prepare. FIG. 5A illustrates a functional unit included in the user terminal 13, and FIG. 5B illustrates a functional unit included in the management server 11.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, the user terminal 13 includes a receiving unit 50, an input receiving unit 51, a control unit 52, a transmitting unit 53, and a display unit 54 as functional units. The receiving unit 50 receives a notification from the management server 11 that the usage record is approaching the upper limit value and the result of the transfer request.

  When the management server 11 receives information such as printing 10 sheets from the MFP 10, the management server 11 adds the number of printed sheets and updates the usage record. As a result of this update, the usage record becomes equal to or greater than the ratio (threshold value) to the predetermined upper limit value, and approaches the upper limit value set for the group. In such a situation, the management server 11 transmits a notification that the upper limit value is approached to the user terminal 13. At this time, notification can be made including the notification time point, that is, the updated usage record and the upper limit value. The receiving unit 50 receives this notification from the management server 11 and passes the received information to the control unit 52.

  The control unit 52 sends the information received by the receiving unit 50 to the display unit 54, and the display unit 54 uses the usage record, the upper limit value, the ratio to the upper limit value, and links and buttons for moving to a screen for requesting transfer. Etc. are displayed. As a screen for requesting transfer, a Web site, a mail creation screen, and the like can be cited.

  In response to selection of a link or pressing of a button by the administrator, the input receiving unit 51 displays a website or a mail creation screen on the display unit 54 and allows the administrator to input necessary information. The input accepting unit 51 accepts input of information from the administrator and passes the information to the control unit 52. The control unit 52 passes the input information to the transmission unit 53 as a transfer request, and the transmission unit 53 transmits the information to the management server 11 and requests transfer of the designated number of sheets.

  The control unit 52 passes the result received by the receiving unit 50 to the display unit 54 and displays the result. The administrator can know from the result that the transfer of the designated number of sheets has been approved or rejected.

  As shown in FIG. 5B, the management server 11 includes a storage unit 60, a first reception unit 61, a selection unit 62, a transmission unit 63, a second reception unit 64, and a management unit as functional units. Part 65 and a third receiving part 66. Here, in order to receive separately from each of the three devices of the user terminals 12 to 14, it is configured with three receiving units, but is not limited to this, and there may be one receiving unit. Further, although only one transmission unit is provided, since transmission is performed to each of the user terminals 13 and 14, the transmission unit may be configured by two of a first transmission unit and a second transmission unit.

  The storage unit 60 stores, for each group, a usage record that is the cumulative number of printed sheets at the current time and an upper limit value of the set number of printed sheets. The storage unit 60 also stores various other information. These pieces of information are stored in each management table such as a user management table, usage management table, transfer request management table, transfer result management table, and transfer rejection management table in the storage unit 60 and managed by the management unit 65. In addition to these management tables, the storage unit 60 also stores an organization chart as organization information.

  The third receiving unit 66 receives a notification that the MFP 10 has been used including the number of printed pages from the MFP 10. The management unit 65 manages each management table in the storage unit 60 and updates information stored in each management table. Specifically, the management unit 65 updates the usage record in the usage management table based on the information on the number of printed sheets received by the third receiving unit 66.

  More specifically, in the notification, the third receiving unit 66 receives the information of the user who instructed the printing together with the number of printed sheets. The management unit 65 refers to the user management table in the storage unit 60 and confirms which group the user belongs to and a notification destination of the manager of the group. As shown in FIG. 6, the user management table stores, for each group, identification information for identifying the user to which the user belongs, and an e-mail address as a notification destination of the manager and the group head. The identification information may be a user name, a user ID, a user employee number, or the like.

  The management unit 65 adds the notified number to the past usage record of the usage management table in the storage unit 60 and updates the usage record. As shown in FIG. 7, the usage management table stores, for each group, the upper limit value of the set number of printed sheets, the accumulated number of printed sheets as a usage record at the time of notification, and a threshold value (%) in association with each other. . This threshold value serves as a reference for transmitting a notification that the upper limit value is approached, and the notification is transmitted when the ratio of the usage record with respect to the upper limit value is equal to or greater than this threshold value.

  The usage management table shown in FIG. 7 stores the upper limit value, usage record, etc., separately for printing in color or monochrome. Therefore, in the notification, the third receiving unit 66 receives not only the information on the number of printed sheets but also information on whether the printing is color or monochrome.

  FIG. 8 shows a usage management table after the management unit 65 updates the usage record. In FIG. 8, the third receiving unit 66 receives a notification that a user in the group called section 1-1-1 has made 15 color prints, and the management unit 65 uses the color used by the section 1-1-1. Achievements have been updated from 77 to 92. Since the management unit 65 refers to the updated usage management table and exceeds 90% of the set ratio, the management unit 65 sends a notification that the usage record is approaching the upper limit to the transmission unit 63. Instruct.

  In response to the instruction, the transmission unit 63 transmits the notification to the user terminal 13. The notification includes information such as a usage record after update, an upper limit value, a ratio of the usage record with respect to the upper limit value, and a link to a screen for requesting transfer. FIG. 9 illustrates the contents of the notification. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the contents in the case of notification by mail. The e-mail includes a destination e-mail address, subject, and contents, updated usage record, upper limit, ratio, and button.

  The administrator uses the user terminal 13, receives the above-mentioned mail, sees the contents, logs into the system, displays a screen for requesting transfer, inputs necessary information, and then enters the management server 11 to request transfer.

  When logging in to the system, the user terminal 13 displays a login screen shown in FIG. This login screen can be displayed by pressing a button included in the mail. The administrator inputs the user ID and password on the login screen, logs in by pressing the login button, and displays the screen for requesting transfer shown in FIG.

  On this screen, the administrator inputs the number of prints requested to be transferred, the reason, the desired delivery date, and the remarks column, and presses the transfer request button to request the transfer. As for the number of printed sheets, the necessary number of sheets is input numerically for each of color and monochrome. The reason, delivery date, and remarks are used to determine whether the client approves the transfer.

  The first reception unit 61 receives this request and passes the information to the selection unit 62. The selection unit 62 selects a request destination for a transfer request for the number of printed sheets based on a use management table, a transfer request management table, and an organization chart stored in the storage unit 60 and managed by the management unit 65. Before describing a method for selecting a request destination, a transfer request management table and an organization chart will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13.

  In the transfer request management table shown in FIG. 12, identification information (ID) for identifying a request is assigned by the management unit 65 every time a transfer request is received, and a request source, a request destination, a request are associated with the ID. The number of printed sheets, reason, delivery date, remarks, etc. are stored. In the transfer request management table, when the request is approved, the number of printed sheets is transferred, and the usage management table is updated, the information of the request is deleted. The management unit 65 also executes this table update.

  The organization has a hierarchical structure that branches from a headquarters 70 such as a sales headquarters or a business headquarters into a center 71, a department 72, and a section 73. For this reason, the organization chart is represented by a tree structure having a headquarters as a root node and branches from the root node as shown in FIG. The upper limit value of the number of printed sheets is set for each of the headquarter 70, the two centers 71, the four sections 72, and the eight sections 73.

  The selection unit 62 refers to the organization chart, refers to the usage record of the other section in the department that is in the same organizational hierarchy as the requesting section, determines whether transfer is possible, and if transfer is possible, The other section is selected as the request destination. If the requesting section is section 1-1-1, refer to the usage record of section 1-1-2 in the same department 1-1 to determine whether transfer is possible.

  When selecting a request destination, the selection unit 62 notifies the management unit 65 of the request destination, the management unit 65 generates a notification requesting transfer to the request destination, and the transmission unit 63 requests the notification. For example, it is transmitted to the user terminal 14. The content of the notification may be any content as long as it includes a request for transfer, information on a request source, and the number of requested sheets. If transfer is not possible from any section in the same department, it is determined that assignment is not possible, and the selection unit 62 notifies the management unit 65 that there is no transferable group, and the management unit 65 generates a notification to that effect. Then, the transmission unit 63 transmits the notification to the user terminal 13.

  The group head who uses the user terminal 14 receives the notification, confirms the usage record and the upper limit of the own group, and approves the transfer when it is determined that the number of sheets is sufficiently large and can be transferred. . On the other hand, if the group head determines that the transfer is not possible, the group head rejects the transfer. The user terminal 14 receives an input from the group head, generates a response to approve the transfer or a response to reject the transfer, and transmits the response to the management server 11.

  The second receiving unit 64 receives an answer from the user terminal 14. When the management unit 65 receives the reply to approve, the management unit 65 updates the usage management table and the transfer request management table, generates a notification including the approval of the request, the updated upper limit value, and the like, and the transmission unit 63. Sends the notification. The management unit 65 updates the usage management table by raising the upper limit value of the request source and lowering the upper limit value of the request destination, and updates the transfer request management table by deleting the information of the request.

  When the management unit 65 receives an answer indicating that the request is rejected, the management unit 65 updates only the transfer request management table, generates a notification that the request is rejected, and the transmission unit 63 transmits the notification. Also in this case, the management unit 65 updates the transfer request management table by deleting information on the request.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 14, a process for selecting a request destination executed by the management server 11 will be described in detail. This processing is started from step 1400. In step 1405, a list of other groups having the same organization hierarchy as the request source group is acquired with reference to the organization chart shown in FIG. The same organizational hierarchy here is a section 73 in the same section 72. For this reason, when the request source is section 1-1-1, the other group in the same organizational hierarchy is only section 1-1-2 in the same section 72.

  By the way, when the requesting group is part 1-1, the other group in the same organizational hierarchy is only part 1-2 in the same center 71. When the request source group is the center 1, the other group in the same organizational hierarchy is only the center 2 in the same headquarters 70.

  In step 1410, for each group in the acquired group list, the usage record is subtracted from the upper limit value to calculate the number of sheets usable at the present time. In the example shown in FIG. 15, three groups of section 1-1-2, section 1-1-3, and section 1-1-4 are acquired as a group list, and the number of usable colors for each group is color and monochrome. Is calculated. The number designated in the transfer request is subtracted from the usable number, and the remaining usable number, which is the usable amount available after the transfer, is calculated. This is also calculated for color and monochrome.

  If the calculated remaining usable number becomes a negative value, the transfer request cannot be satisfied, so it is not selected as a request destination candidate and is deleted from the acquired group list. In the example shown in FIG. 15, if one of color and monochrome is negative, it is not set as a request destination candidate. For this reason, section 1-1-4 is excluded from the candidates for the request destination and deleted from the group list.

  Referring to FIG. 14 again, in step 1415, it is determined whether one or more groups remain in the group list. If it remains, the process proceeds to step 1420, and if it does not remain, the process proceeds to step 1435.

  In step 1425, the remaining group is searched for the group having the largest usable number. In order to perform this search, a search unit can be provided. The remaining usable number is the sum of the color usable number after transfer and the monochrome usable number, and the group having the largest number is searched. In the example shown in FIG. 15, section 1-1-2 is searched because section 1-1-2 has the largest number of 224 sheets and section 1-1-3 has 238 sheets.

  In step 1430, the retrieved group, section 1-1-3 in the above example, is selected as the request destination, and in step 1440, this process is terminated. The reason why the remaining number of usable groups is selected as a request destination is that such a group is more likely to be approved for a transfer request.

  In step 1435, since no group remains in the group list, it is not possible to select a request destination, and it is determined that there is no request destination. In step 1440, this processing ends.

  A notification of the content to be requested for transfer is transmitted to the group head of the group selected as the request destination in step 1430, and the content can be as shown in FIG. The notification can be sent by e-mail, and can include the number of requests for transfer, the reason, delivery date, remarks, the upper limit value of the request destination, and the usage record. In addition, this mail can include an approval button and a rejection button, and the group head can select and answer either of them in consideration of the upper limit value of the own group and the usage record.

  The management unit 65 updates the usage management table when the request is approved, and FIG. 17 illustrates the usage management table after the update. Since the request is for 20 colors as shown in FIG. 16, the management unit 65 raises the upper limit value of the color of the requesting section 1-1-1 from 100 to 120, and the requesting section 1-1- Reduce the upper color limit of 2 from 100 to 80.

  The management unit 65 generates a result including the approval, the content of the transfer request, the updated upper limit value, and the usage record after the usage management table is updated, and the transmission unit 63 transmits the result to the administrator user terminal. 13 to send. The content of the result can be as shown in FIG. In this result, since the upper limit value of the color has been increased, the ratio of the usage record to the upper limit value is 76.7%, which is lower than the notification threshold value of 90%.

  If it is determined in step 1435 that there is no request destination, the administrator can be notified that there is no request destination. The contents of the notification are illustrated in FIG. This notification can also be sent by email. This notification can include the content of the transfer request indicating that there is no request destination. Since the contents of the transfer request are included, the administrator can make a request again after making the number of requests for transfer smaller than the number requested previously.

  The result of the process shown in FIG. 14 can be stored and managed in the transfer result management table. The transfer result management table is illustrated in FIG. The transfer result management table stores a transfer request ID allocated when requesting transfer and the approval or no transferable group as a result in association with each other.

  As shown in FIG. 14, a request destination can be selected and transfer can be requested to the request destination, but an answer to approve the transfer request is not necessarily obtained. FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating a flow of the entire processing executed by the information processing system, including a case where a response to reject the transfer request is received. The processing from S1 to S11 is the same as the processing from S1 to S11 shown in FIG.

  In the example shown in FIG. 21, the user terminal 14 receives a rejection instruction from the group head and transmits a response to reject the transfer request (S12). The management server 11 receives the answer and searches for another request destination (S13). A group other than the group that has sent the reply to reject is searched from the acquired group list (S14). This search can also be performed by the search unit described above. Then, the process returns to S9.

  If there is only one group, that group is selected as the request destination. If there are two or more groups, the group with the largest remaining number of usable sheets is selected as the request destination as described above (S9). Then, a notification of the content requesting transfer is transmitted to the request destination (S11), and a response is received from the request destination (S12). If an approval response is obtained, the management server 11 generates a result including approval, the contents of the transfer request, the updated upper limit value, and the usage record, and transmits the result to the user terminal 13 (S15).

  On the other hand, if another request destination is searched and the request destination is not found, the management server 11 notifies the user terminal 13 that there is no transferable group, assuming that there is no transferable group. Then, it is transmitted (S10). Note that the processing in this case can be performed by an information processing system including the search unit 67 in addition to the functional unit shown in FIG. 5B, as shown in FIG. Since the content of the process performed by the search unit 67 has been described above, the description thereof is omitted here.

  In the processing shown in FIG. 21, processing for selecting a request destination executed by the management server 11 will be described with reference to FIG. Starting from Step 2300, Step 2305, Step 2310, Step 2320 and the subsequent steps are the same processing as Step 1405, Step 1410, Step 1415 and the subsequent steps in FIG. In this process, step 2315 is added.

  In step 2315, the group for which the transfer request has already been rejected is deleted from the group list. This information can be stored in the transfer rejection management table, and the rejected group can be managed. FIG. 24 illustrates a transfer rejection management table. In FIG. 24, in response to the request with the transfer request ID 102, the section 1-1-3 and the section 1-1-4 transmit a reply indicating that the transfer request is rejected.

  Up to now, the organization chart has been referenced and only the other groups in the same organizational hierarchy are searched. However, if the number of copies is limited for each center, not for each copy, Can also be a search target. In addition, when the number of sheets is limited for the headquarters, other centers in the headquarters can be searched.

  In this way, if you have a situation where you need to print suddenly by transferring the number of prints from another group, a preset upper limit can be set without increasing the total cost of that part. It is possible to print beyond this. Further, even when the transfer request is rejected, other request destinations can be automatically searched and requested to the request destination, so that the transfer request can be efficiently performed.

  The present invention has been described with the above-described embodiments as an information processing system, an information processing method, and a program. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. The present invention can be modified within a range that can be conceived by those skilled in the art, such as other embodiments, additions, modifications, and deletions, and the present invention is not limited as long as the operations and effects of the present invention are exhibited in any aspect. It is included in the scope of the invention.

  Therefore, the above program is a file in an installable or executable format, such as a floppy (registered trademark) disk, CD (Compact Disk), CD-R (Compact Disk Read Only Memory), DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), It can be configured to be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as an SD memory card (SD Memory Card) or a USB memory (Universal Serial Bus Memory). Further, the above program may be configured to be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet. Further, the program may be provided by being incorporated in advance in a ROM or the like together with other various software.

  In the above embodiment, each of the above functional units reads and executes a program stored in the HDD 43 or the like by the CPU 40, whereby a program that realizes each functional unit is loaded on the RAM 42. Has been generated. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, at least a part of each functional unit may be realized by a dedicated hardware circuit (for example, a semiconductor integrated circuit).

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... MFP, 11 ... Management server, 12-14 ... User terminal, 15 ... Network, 20 ... Controller, 21 ... Operation panel, 22 ... Scanner engine, 23 ... Print engine, 30 ... CPU, 31 ... ROM, 32 ... RAM 33 ... NVRAM, 34 ... HDD, 35 ... Network I / F, 36 ... Operation Panel I / F, 37 ... Scanner Engine I / F, 38 ... Print Engine I / F, 39 ... Bus, 40 ... CPU, 41 ... ROM, 42 ... RAM, 43 ... HDD, 44 ... Network I / F, 45 ... Bus, 50 ... Receiving unit, 51 ... Input receiving unit, 52 ... Control unit, 53 ... Transmitting unit, 54 ... Display unit, 60 ... Memory 61: First receiving unit, 62: Selection unit, 63: Transmission unit, 64: Second receiving unit, 65 ... Management unit, 66 ... Third receiving unit, 67 ... Searching unit, 70 ... Main unit, 71 ... Center, 72 ... Department, 73 ... Section

JP2011-259283A

Claims (9)

An information processing system that adjusts the usage amount of a function of a device,
Storage means for storing an upper limit value of the usage amount set for each of the plurality of groups using the function, and a usage record representing the usage amount of each group;
First receiving means for receiving a request for transfer of usage from a first group of the plurality of groups;
Based on the upper limit value and the usage record stored in the storage means, a request destination for the request received by the first receiving means is selected from the plurality of groups excluding the first group. A selection means;
A transmission unit that transmits a notification requesting transfer of a usage amount to the request destination selected by the selection unit;
Second receiving means for receiving an answer from the request destination;
In response to the answer received by the second receiving means, the upper limit value of the usage amount set for the first group stored in the storage means is raised and set for the request destination. Management means for executing processing for reducing the upper limit value of the usage amount. The first receiving means receives a request for transfer of a designated usage amount,
The selection means calculates a usable amount after the transfer by subtracting the usage record and the specified usage amount from the upper limit value, and selects the request destination based on the calculated usable amount The information processing system according to claim 1.   The information processing system according to claim 2, wherein the selection unit selects, as the request destination, a second group in which the available amount is a positive value and has the largest value.   4. The information according to claim 2, further comprising a search unit that searches for another request destination based on the available amount when the response received by the second receiving unit is a response indicating that the response is not transferred. 5. Processing system. The storage means stores information on an organization including the plurality of groups,
5. The information processing according to claim 1, wherein the selection unit selects the request destination based on the upper limit value, the usage record, and the organization information stored in the storage unit. system. The structure of the organization is a hierarchical structure,
The information processing system according to claim 5, wherein the selection unit selects the request destination from a group in the same hierarchy as the first group. Third receiving means for receiving the usage notification from the first group;
The management unit updates the usage record stored in the storage unit based on the usage amount received by the third receiving unit,
When the ratio of the usage record updated by the management unit with respect to the upper limit value is equal to or greater than a threshold, the transmission unit notifies the first group that the usage record is approaching the upper limit value. The information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: An information processing method for adjusting a usage amount of a function of a device,
Receiving a request for transfer of usage from a first group of a plurality of groups using the function;
The received request based on the upper limit value and the usage record stored in the storage means for storing the upper limit value of the usage amount set for each group and the usage record representing the use amount of each group Selecting a request destination for the plurality of groups excluding the first group;
Sending a notification requesting transfer of usage amount to the selected requestee;
Receiving an answer from the client;
In response to the received answer, the upper limit value of the usage amount set for the first group stored in the storage means is raised, and the upper limit value of the usage amount set for the request destination is increased. An information processing method including a step of lowering.   A program for causing a computer to execute each step included in the information processing method according to claim 8.