JP2023098430A - Onerous authority information purchase processing system - Google Patents

Abstract

To send an invoice information for purchase costs at a timing with the most consent feeling when a user purchases onerous authority information.SOLUTION: A print service providing system 1 has a printer 200, a request reception unit 800 for receiving a purchase request for a charge plan by a user, a charging processing unit 600 for, in response to reception of the charging plan by the request reception unit 800, carrying out addition of a charging print paper number relating to the charging plan to an accumulated charging print paper number in the printer 200, a settlement processing unit 610 for issuing settlement instructions relating to the charge plan purchase costs before the addition by the charting processing unit 600 if a predetermined condition is satisfied and for, if, on the other hand, the predetermined condition is not satisfied, issuing the settlement instructions relating to the charging plan purchase costs after the addition by the charging processing unit 600, and a receipt acquiring unit 810 for acquiring an image of a receipt of the purchase costs after the settlement instructions by the settlement processing unit 610.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a purchase processing system for fee-based authorization information that a user purchases for a desired amount of printing.

2. Description of the Related Art A prepaid billing system may be introduced in a printing service in which a user of a printing device pays a billing fee to a service provider according to the contents of printing. In this case, the user can purchase chargeable authorization information for executing printing, and print based on the chargeable guaranteed print volume guaranteed by the chargeable authorization information.
Conventionally, for example, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-200010, there is known a technique in which a paid guaranteed print amount guaranteed by paid authorization information purchased by a user is added to an allowable print amount already allowed for a printing apparatus. .

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-68372

In the conventional technology described above, no consideration is given to the processing after the user purchases the paid authorization information at a predetermined purchase cost.
Now, let us consider a case where, after the user purchases the paid authorization information and the payment of the purchase cost is completed, the receipt information for the cost is generated and sent to the user. In this case, the timing of sending the receipt information is when the purchase of the paid authorization information is applied for, and when the payment of the purchase cost of the paid authorization information is completed, the amount of guaranteed printing for the charged authorization information will reach the allowable printing amount. Various timings are conceivable, such as when added to.
Since the user's ultimate goal is to increase the number of printable sheets at his/her own expense, sending the receipt information at the timing when the allowable print amount increases is the most convincing for the user. When the timing comes, you should be able to get a big sense of conviction.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a purchase processing system for chargeable authority information, capable of sending receipt information for the purchase cost at the timing when the user purchases the chargeable authority information with the greatest sense of satisfaction. It is in.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a printing unit for forming an image on a print medium, an application accepting unit for accepting a purchase application for fee-based authorization information for guaranteeing a fee-based guaranteed print volume from a user, and the printing unit. department, and in response to the acceptance of the purchase application for the paid authorization information by the application accepting unit, the amount of guaranteed printing of the paid authorization information related to the paid authorization information is reduced to the allowable printing quantity of the printing unit. and a charged print amount addition unit for executing the addition of the paid authorization information before the addition by the paid print amount addition unit if a predetermined condition is satisfied after the purchase application is accepted by the application acceptance unit. a settlement instruction unit for issuing a settlement instruction for the purchase cost of the chargeable authorization information after the addition by the chargeable print amount addition unit when the predetermined condition is not satisfied, and the chargeable printing; a receipt information acquisition unit configured to acquire receipt information of the purchase cost after the addition by the amount addition unit and after the payment instruction by the payment instruction unit.

In the paid authority information purchase processing system of the present invention, when a user who wants to print by the printing section applies for the purchase of paid authority information, the application is accepted by the application accepting section. When the application reception unit accepts the application, the paid print amount addition unit adds the paid guaranteed print amount guaranteed by the paid authorization information to the allowable print amount in the printing unit, thereby enabling printing in the printing unit. amount increases.

An instruction for settling the purchase cost at the time of purchasing the paid authorization information is issued by the settlement instruction unit. The payment instruction by the payment instruction unit is performed after acceptance of the purchase application and before addition to the allowable print amount if a predetermined condition is satisfied, and is added to the allowable print amount if the predetermined condition is not satisfied. is done after

The receipt information on the purchase cost is acquired by the receipt information acquisition section after the addition to the allowable print amount by the charged print amount addition section and after the payment instruction by the payment instruction section.

According to the present invention, acquisition of receipt information by the receipt information acquisition unit is performed by the paid print amount adding unit regardless of when payment is made in response to the payment instruction. Always done after adding to the quantity. According to the invention of the present application, the receipt information is sent at the timing when the allowable print amount increases, so the user can obtain a great sense of satisfaction.

According to the present invention, when the user purchases the paid authorization information, the receipt information for the purchase cost can be sent at the timing when the user can obtain the greatest sense of satisfaction.

1 is a functional block diagram showing an overall schematic configuration of a print service providing system according to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. It is a software block configuration diagram related to various processes in the embodiment. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a display screen of a payment notification and a receipt image displayed on a display unit of a mobile terminal; FIG. 4 is an external view showing an example of a receipt printed by a printer; 4 is a sequence chart showing an example of a control procedure performed by cooperation of a mobile terminal, an information management server, a settlement server, and a printer; 4 is a sequence chart showing an example of a control procedure performed by cooperation of a mobile terminal, an information management server, a settlement server, and a printer; FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a payment notice sent to a mobile terminal when the printer is offline; FIG. 10 is a software block configuration diagram related to various processes in a modified example in which a receipt image is generated by an information management server and transmitted;

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a print service providing system according to one embodiment of the present invention. The present embodiment is a printing service providing system 1 that can provide a prepaid printing service (hereinafter referred to as "prepaid printing service" as appropriate) in which a user who is a customer pays in advance to use the printing function of the printer 200. Embodiment. A printing service providing system is an example of a paid authorization information providing system.

<Outline of print service provision system>
1, the print service providing system 1 includes an information management server 100, a printer 200, a mobile terminal 300, and a settlement server 400. FIG. These information management server 100, printer 200, and mobile terminal 300 are connected to the network NT and can communicate with each other.

<Management server>
The information management server 100 is installed and managed by, for example, the manufacturer of the printer 200 and has a processor 110 , a storage device 115 and an interface 190 . These processor 110 , storage device 115 and interface 190 are interconnected via bus 105 .

The storage device 115 includes a volatile storage device 120 and a non-volatile storage device 130 .
The volatile storage device 120 is, for example, a DRAM, and has a user ID storage area 121, a device number storage area 122, and a service information storage area 123 for storing service information, which will be described later. The nonvolatile storage device 130 is, for example, a hard disk drive or solid state drive, and has a program storage area 131 and a charge table storage area 132 .
Various programs are stored in the program storage area 131 . The various programs include various programs related to the provision of the printing service of the present embodiment based on software block diagrams in FIGS. 2 and 8 and sequence diagrams in FIGS. 5 and 6, which will be described later.
The charge table storage area 132 stores a predetermined correlation for calculating the charge to be charged to the user for printing, for example, when the above-mentioned prepaid printing service contract is concluded.

The processor 110 is a device that performs data processing, such as a CPU, and executes various programs including a program related to the print service of this embodiment stored in the program storage area 131 . The processor 110 performs various processes shown in FIGS. 5, 6, etc., including data communication with the mobile terminal 300, the printer 200, the settlement server 400, etc. connected to the network NT. The processor 110 cooperates with the printer 200, the mobile terminal 300, the settlement server 400, and the like to execute processing methods related to the transmission and reception of receipt information and the issuance of receipts, which will be described later, by the print service providing system 1 of the present embodiment. do.

The interface 190 is a wired LAN interface or wireless interface for communicating with other devices and is connected to the network NT.

Note that the storage device 115 is not limited to the configuration of the device elements described above. , or a combination thereof.
Note that the storage device 115 may be a computer-readable storage medium. A computer-readable storage medium is a non-transitory medium. In addition to the above examples, non-transitory media include recording media such as CD-ROMs and DVD-ROMs. A non-transitory medium is also a tangible medium.
The same applies to the storage device 215 of the printer 200, which will be described later.

<Printer>
The printer 200 is owned by, for example, a printing service provider that provides the above printing service or by a user. The printer 200 has a printing section 290 , a transport section 295 , a processor 210 , a storage device 215 , a display section 240 , an operation section 250 and a communication interface 270 . The printing unit 290 , processor 210 , storage device 215 , display unit 240 , operation unit 250 and communication interface 270 are connected to each other via the bus 205 .

Storage 215 includes volatile storage 220 and nonvolatile storage 230 . The volatile storage device 220 is, for example, a DRAM, and has a service information storage area 221 for storing management service information, which will be described later. The nonvolatile storage device 230 is, for example, a flash memory, and includes a program storage area 232 and a contract information storage area 233 for storing the details of the contract signed by the user with the contract source. Various programs are stored in the program storage area 232 . The various programs include various programs related to the provision of the printing service of the present embodiment based on software block diagrams in FIGS. 2 and 8 and sequence diagrams in FIGS. 5 and 6, which will be described later. These programs are stored in advance in the program storage area 232 as firmware, for example.

The processor 210 is a device that performs data processing, such as a CPU. The processor 210 executes various programs stored in the program storage area 232, and implements processing methods related to transmission and reception of receipt information, issuance of receipts, and the like, which will be described later, by the print service providing system 1 of the present embodiment. It is executed in cooperation with the mobile terminal 300, the settlement server 400, and the like.

The display unit 240 is, for example, a liquid crystal display, and can display various information. The display unit 240 may not be a liquid crystal display, and may be a dedicated LED lamp or the like, for example.
The operation unit 250 is a device that receives an operation by a user. A user can input various instructions to the printer 200 by operating the operation unit 250 . The communication interface 270 is a wired or wireless network interface for communicating with other devices, and is connected to the network NT.

The transport unit 295 takes out the paper in the paper feed tray and transports it along a predetermined transport path. Paper is an example of a print medium.

The printing section 290 forms an image on the sheet conveyed by the conveying section 295 using a predetermined method. A case where an image is formed by an inkjet method will be described below as an example. The printing unit 290 prints a print job sent from the mobile terminal 300 together with a print job execution instruction (hereinafter simply referred to as a “print instruction”) or a print job generated by itself based on the operation of the operation unit 250. An image is formed on paper using the ink in the ink cartridge 50 that is detachably attached to the cartridge holder 51 .

<Mobile terminal>
The mobile terminal 300 is, for example, a mobile terminal such as a smartphone owned by a user, and is connected to the network NT via wireless communication. The mobile terminal 300 has an operation unit, a processor, a storage device, and an interface for connecting to the network NT (not shown).

Various programs are stored in a program storage area provided in the storage device. The various programs include various programs related to the provision of the printing service of the present embodiment based on software block diagrams in FIGS. 2 and 8 and sequence diagrams in FIGS. 5 and 6, which will be described later.
The processor executes a program related to the print service of this embodiment stored in the program storage area. The processor performs various processes shown in FIGS. 5, 6, etc., including data communication with the information management server 100, the printer 200, the settlement server 400, etc. connected to the network NT. The processor cooperates with the information management server 100, the printer 200, the settlement server 400, and the like to execute processing methods related to the transmission and reception of receipt information and the issuance of receipts, which will be described later, by the print service providing system 1 of this embodiment. do.

The mobile terminal 300 also includes a display unit 301 (see FIG. 3 and the like, which will be described later). An example of display contents of the display unit 301 will be described later.
Note that, instead of the mobile terminal 300, another information terminal such as a personal computer or a tablet computer may be used. Hereinafter, these information terminals will be collectively referred to simply as "mobile terminal 300" as appropriate.

<Prepaid printing service>
As described above, in this embodiment, a prepaid printing service is provided in which the user pays a fee based on the usage contract in advance to use the printing function of the printer 200 . The service processing unit 530 of the information management server 100 accepts an application for the prepaid print service from the mobile terminal 300 , and the prepaid print service is applied to the printer 200 . In other words, it is a pay-as-you-go service in which the user purchases print authorization for the printer 200 via the mobile terminal 300 in advance for a fee, and can print only the number of printable pages guaranteed by the print authorization.

<charge amount and number of charges>
In the case of a prepaid billing system, the user is responsible for the number of printable pages (hereinafter simply referred to as the "charged number" as appropriate) that is guaranteed by the printing authorization acquired by the amount paid as the billing fee (hereinafter simply referred to as the "charged amount"). ), printing can be performed.
In this case, for example, it is possible to present a plurality of plans to the user, such as a charge amount of ¥500 and a charge amount of ¥500 that allows printing of 100 sheets, and a charge amount of ¥1000 and a charge amount of 220 sheets that can be printed. A ¥1,000 charge plan that enables printing, a ¥2,000 charge plan that allows printing of 450 sheets with a charge amount of ¥2,000, and the like are conceivable. Charging plans such as the ¥500 billing plan, ¥1000 billing plan, ¥2000 billing plan, etc., in other words, the charging amount is an example of charged authorization information, and the corresponding 100, 220, 450, etc. The charged number of sheets is an example of the print amount guaranteed for a fee guaranteed by the authority for a fee.
In this embodiment, as described above, after the user purchases each billing plan as paid authorization information and completes payment of the purchase cost, receipt information for the cost is generated and the user's It is sent to the mobile terminal 300 .

<Software block configuration>
FIG. 2 shows a software block configuration related to the receipt generation and sending process in this embodiment.

<Service processing part of management server>
In FIG. 2, the information management server 100 has a service processing section 530 . As an example, the service processing unit 530 is configured by the processor 110 described above and corresponding portions of the programs stored in the program storage area 131 .

The service processing unit 530 of the information management server 100 receives an application for the printing service or the like from the user via the mobile terminal 300, refers to the latest service information, and executes appropriate processing necessary to provide each service. do.
The service information is information stored in the service information storage area 123 in the volatile storage device 120 of the information management server 100 shown in FIG. In this example, the service information includes, as described above, the cumulative value of the number of charges guaranteed by charging by purchasing one billing plan, that is, the cumulative number of charges, and when and which user purchased what kind of billing plan. and purchase information representing, etc. Note that the cumulative number of charged sheets, which is the result of purchasing the billing plan multiple times, is an example of the allowable print amount because the printer 200 can print with the cumulative number of charged sheets as the upper limit.
The service processing unit 530 of the information management server 100 registers the corresponding purchase information when the user purchases the billing plan. The service processing unit 530 stores the user ID corresponding to the purchase information in the user ID storage area 121 in association with the purchase information.

<Printer control section of printer>
The printer 200 has a print control section 540 . As an example, the print control unit 540 is configured by the processor 210 described above and corresponding portions of the programs stored in the program storage area 232 . A print control unit 540 of the printer 200 controls the printing operation of the inkjet head 3 .
The management service information is information stored in the service information storage area 221 in the volatile storage device 220 of the printer 200 shown in FIG. 1, and includes the cumulative number of charged sheets. The service information is appropriately backed up in a rewritable non-volatile storage device (not shown) so as not to be lost when the power of the printer 200 is turned off.
The print control unit 540 also has a function of transmitting the service status including the content of the management service information at that time to the mobile terminal 300 and presenting it to the user.

<Application reception desk for mobile devices>
The mobile terminal 300 has an application accepting section 800 . As an example, the application reception unit 800 is configured by the processor of the mobile terminal 300 described above and the corresponding part of the program stored in the program storage area of the storage device.
The application reception unit 800 receives a purchase application for the billing plan by the user via the operation unit of the mobile terminal 300 .

<Other functional units of the information management server>
The information management server 100 further includes a charge processing unit 600 , a payment processing unit 610 and a status identification unit 620 . As an example, charge processing unit 600 , payment processing unit 610 , and status identification unit 620 are configured by processor 110 described above and corresponding portions of programs stored in program storage area 131 .

When the purchase application for the billing plan is received by the application receiving unit 800 of the mobile terminal 300, the charge processing unit 600 accumulates the value of the charge number corresponding to the billing plan in the management service information of the printer 200. Add to the value of the number of charges. The charge processing unit 600 is an example of a charged print amount addition unit.
The charge processing unit 600 also sets the value of the charged number corresponding to the billing plan to the value of the accumulated charged number in the service information of the information management server 100 in accordance with the addition of the accumulated charged number of sheets of the management service information. By adding, the content of the accumulated charged number is updated. Note that the charge processing unit 600 associates the device number of the printer 200 corresponding to the accumulated charged number with the accumulated charged number and stores it in the device number storage area 122 .

The status identification unit 620 identifies by a known method whether the printer 200 is in an online state in which communication with the information management server 100 is possible or in an offline state in which communication with the information management server 100 is impossible. Note that the offline state is an example of satisfying the predetermined condition, and the online state is an example of not satisfying the predetermined condition.

After the application for purchase of the billing plan is received by the application reception unit 800 of the mobile terminal 300, the payment processing unit 610 performs predetermined processing related to payment.
For example, if the status identification unit 620 identifies an offline state, the payment processing unit 610 performs payment related to the purchase cost of the charging plan before adding the management service information by the charge processing unit 600 to the accumulated number of charged sheets. An instruction is sent to the settlement server 400 . The payment processing unit 610 is an example of a payment instruction unit.
For example, when the status identification unit 620 identifies the online state, the payment processing unit 610 performs the payment related to the purchase cost of the charging plan before the charge processing unit 600 adds the management service information to the cumulative charge number. make a reservation. The payment processing unit 610 is also an example of a payment reservation unit. In this case, the settlement processing unit 610 instructs the settlement server 400 to settle the purchase cost of the billing plan after the charge processing unit 600 adds the management service information to the accumulated charged number.

After issuing the payment instruction to the payment server 400 as described above, the payment processing unit 610 transmits a corresponding payment notification to the mobile terminal 300 . An example of the payment notification received by the mobile terminal 300 and displayed on the display unit 301 will be described with reference to FIG. 3(a).

As shown in FIG. 3A, in this example, the display unit 301 displays a payment notification display screen 301A. On the display screen 301A, the date of notification, user ID, contents of the billing plan, the charge amount due to the billing, and a message such as "the above settlement processing has been completed" are displayed.

In this example, the user can select whether or not to send and receive receipt information corresponding to the content of the payment on the payment notification display screen 301A. The display screen 301A further includes a message "Do you want to issue a receipt?", and an "issue" button 311a and a "do not issue" button 311b. In this case, when the user operates the “Issue” button 311 a , the corresponding receipt image is generated in the settlement server 400 and transmitted to the mobile terminal 300 . A receipt image is an example of receipt information. When the user operates the "do not issue" button 311b, the generation and transmission of the receipt image are not performed. It should be noted that the receipt image may be always generated and transmitted instead of the user selection method using the buttons 311a and 311b. In this example, the receipt image is generated and transmitted by the settlement server 400 in the print service providing system 1, but the receipt image is not limited to this. It may be generated and transmitted.

<Receipt acquisition part of mobile terminal>
The mobile terminal 300 also has a receipt acquisition unit 810 . As an example, the receipt acquisition unit 810 is composed of the processor of the mobile terminal 300 described above and the corresponding part of the program stored in the program storage area of the storage device. The receipt acquisition unit 810 is an example of a receipt information acquisition unit.
The receipt acquisition unit 810 acquires the receipt image related to the purchase cost transmitted from the payment server 400 after the payment is made by the payment server 400 in accordance with the payment instruction from the payment processing unit 610 as described above. An example of a receipt image received by the mobile terminal 300 and displayed on the display unit 301 will be described with reference to FIG. 3(b).

As shown in FIG. 3B, in this example, the display unit 301 displays a receipt image 301B. In the receipt image 301B, the date of receipt, user ID, contents of the billing plan, the charge amount received by the billing, and the proviso "However, as the charge for the printer" are displayed.

Further, instead of transmitting the receipt image 310B from the payment server 400 or the payment processing unit 610 to the mobile terminal 300 and displaying it as described above, the receipt image is transmitted to the print control unit 540 of the printer 200 and received. A receipt corresponding to the receipt image may be printed by the printer 200 under the control of the print control unit 540 . In this case, the function of the print control unit 540 that receives the receipt image is an example of the receipt information acquisition unit. The receipt may be printed together with the receipt image 310B displayed on the mobile terminal 300. FIG. FIG. 4 shows an example of a receipt 900 printed on the paper by the printer 200 under the control of the print control unit 540. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 4, in this example, the receipt 900 is printed with the same contents as the receipt image 301B shown in FIG. 3B. That is, on the receipt 900 are printed the date of receipt, the user ID, the content of the billing plan, the charge amount received by the billing, and the proviso "as a printer charge".
As described above, in the printer 200, printing can be executed with the accumulated charged number as the upper limit, and the value of the accumulated charged number decreases by one each time printing on one sheet is completed. On the other hand, for printing the receipt 900, the subtraction processing of the value of the accumulated number of charged cards may not be performed, in other words, the printing of the receipt 900 may prevent the number of charged cards from decreasing.

<Control procedure>
An example of a control procedure performed by cooperation of the mobile terminal 300, the information management server 100, the settlement server 400, and the printer 200 in order to realize the above method will be described below with reference to the sequence charts of FIGS.

In FIG. 5, first, in S5, when the user applies to purchase a desired billing plan through the operation unit of the mobile terminal 300, the application is accepted by the application acceptance unit 800, and a corresponding payment request is sent to the information management server 100. and is sent.

In S10, the status identification unit 620 of the information management server 100 identifies the status of the printer 200, that is, whether it is online or offline so that it can communicate with the information management server 100 or the like.

<Online>
If the online state is identified, a No determination is made in S15, and in S20, the charge processing unit 600 of the information management server 100 sends the payment server 400 a payment reservation for the purchase cost of the charging plan. A provisional payment instruction is sent.

At S25, the service processing unit 530 of the information management server 100 registers the purchase information corresponding to the purchase of the billing plan by the user as one of the service information.
In S<b>30 , the settlement processing unit 610 of the information management server 100 adds the value of the number of charged sheets corresponding to the billing plan to the value of the cumulative number of charged sheets in the management service information of the printer 200 . As a result, in S35, the printer 200 updates the accumulated number of charged sheets in the management service information.
After updating, the corresponding addition completion notification is sent from the printer 200 to the information management server 100 in S40. In response to this addition completion notification, the charge processing unit 600 updates the cumulative charge number in the service information in S45.

In S 50 , the charge processing unit 600 of the information management server 100 transmits to the settlement server 400 a settlement instruction for the purchase cost of the billing plan.
In S55, the charge processing unit 600 of the information management server 100 transmits the payment notification illustrated in FIG. For example, when the "Issue" button 311a is operated on the display screen 301A of the mobile terminal 300 described above, a notification to that effect is transmitted from the mobile terminal 300 to the settlement server 400 via the information management server 100. FIG.
In S<b>60 , the receipt image corresponding to the payment is transmitted from the payment server 400 to the mobile terminal 300 , acquired by the receipt acquisition unit 810 and displayed on the display unit 301 .

<When offline>
On the other hand, if the offline state is identified in S10, a determination of Yes is made in S15, and in S65 of FIG. A payment instruction for the purchase cost of the billing plan is transmitted to the payment server 400 .

At S70, the service processing unit 530 of the information management server 100 registers the purchase information corresponding to the purchase of the billing plan by the user as one of the service information, as in S25.

In S75, the charge processing unit 600 of the information management server 100 transmits a payment notification to the mobile terminal 300, as in S55 above.
The payment notification at this time may have different contents from those illustrated in FIG. 3A, for example. FIG. 7 shows an example of payment notification in this offline state.

As shown in FIG. 7, in this example, the display unit 301 displays a payment notification display screen 301C. On the display screen 301C, as with the display screen 301A in FIG. 3A, the date of notification, user ID, details of the billing plan and the charge amount due to the billing, and the message "The above settlement process has been completed." etc. are displayed.
In this example, the display screen 301C further displays a message "In addition, since the printer is currently offline, please go online" to prompt the user to cancel the offline state and return to the online state. be done. Furthermore, on the display screen 301C, there is a message "I will issue and send a receipt after going online" to inform the user that the receipt image can be displayed on the mobile terminal 300 when the mobile terminal 300 goes online. Is displayed.

Returning to FIG. 6, in S77, as in S10 above, the status of the printer 200, that is, whether the printer 200 is on-line or off-line so as to be able to communicate with the information management server 100 or the like is determined by the status identification unit 620 of the information management server 100. identified.

If the online state is identified, a determination of Yes is made in S80, and in S85, as in S30 above, the settlement processing unit 610 of the information management server 100 sets the value of the charge number corresponding to the billing plan to It is added to the value of the cumulative number of charged sheets in the management service information of the printer 200 . As a result, in S90, the printer 200 updates the accumulated number of charged sheets in the management service information.
After updating, the corresponding addition completion notification is sent from the printer 200 to the information management server 100 in S95. In response to this addition completion notification, the charge processing unit 600 updates the cumulative charge number in the service information in S100.

After updating the accumulated charged number in the information management server 100 , a notification to that effect is sent to the settlement server 400 . In response to this, in S105, as in S60 above, the receipt image corresponding to the payment is transmitted from the payment server 400 to the mobile terminal 300, acquired by the receipt acquisition unit 810, and displayed on the display unit 301. be.

<Effects of this embodiment>
As described above, in the print service providing system 1 of the present embodiment, when a user who wants to print using the printer 200 applies to purchase a billing plan, the application is accepted by the application acceptance unit 800 of the mobile terminal 300 . When the application acceptance unit 800 accepts the application, the charge processing unit 600 adds the charge number guaranteed by the billing plan to the accumulated charge number in the printer 200 (S30 in FIG. 5). , the printable amount increases (S35 in FIG. 5).

The settlement processing unit 610 issues an instruction to settle the purchase cost at the time of purchasing the billing plan. The settlement instruction by the settlement processing unit 610 is performed before addition to the cumulative number of charged sheets when a predetermined condition is satisfied after acceptance of the purchase application, or when the printer 200 is offline in the above example ( S65 in FIG. 6). If the predetermined condition is not satisfied, that is, if the printer 200 is on-line in the above example, addition to the accumulated number of charged sheets is performed (S45 in FIG. 5).

In either case, the receipt image 301B for the purchase cost is generated by the payment processing unit 610 after the addition to the accumulated charge number by the charge processing unit 600 (S35 in FIG. 5, S90 in FIG. 6). After the payment instruction (S55 in FIG. 5, S75 in FIG. 6), the receipt is obtained by the receipt obtaining unit 810 (S60 in FIG. 5, S105 in FIG. 6).

According to this embodiment, the acquisition of the receipt image 301B by the receipt acquisition unit 810 is performed by the charge processing unit 600 regardless of when the payment corresponding to the payment instruction is performed. always after being added to According to this embodiment, the receipt image 301B is sent at the timing when the accumulated number of charged cards increases, so the user can obtain a great sense of satisfaction.

Further, particularly in this embodiment, the information management server 100 is configured to be able to communicate with the printer 200, and when the application reception unit 800 receives an application for purchasing a billing plan, the number of accumulated charged sheets is calculated via communication. is increased. If the printer 200 is online with respect to the information management server 100, the increase processing can be performed. However, if the printer 200 is offline with respect to the information management server 100, the increase processing cannot be performed until the printer 200 becomes online. do not have.
According to this embodiment, the status identification unit 620 is provided to identify whether the printer 200 is online or offline with respect to the charge processing unit 600 (S10 in FIG. 5 and S77 in FIG. 6). As a result, appropriate processing can be performed thereafter depending on whether the device is in the online state or the offline state.

Further, when the printer 200 is in the online state, various processes including the process of increasing the accumulated number of charged sheets can always be executed between the printer 200 and the charge processing unit 600 via communication. In this embodiment, especially in the online state, after addition to the accumulated number of charged sheets by the charge processing unit 600 (S35 in FIG. 5), payment corresponding to the payment instruction is performed (S50 in FIG. 5), so printing is possible. It is possible to perform processing in a natural flow of settlement of the purchase cost after the number of sheets is certainly increased.

Also, for example, if the settlement server 400 that actually performs settlement processing in response to a settlement instruction from the settlement processing unit 610 is a server of a third party company, or is a server outside the print service providing system 1, etc. As described above, there are cases where it is preferable to perform preparatory processing for performing the payment in advance before performing the payment processing after waiting for the payment instruction after the increase in the accumulated number of charged cards.
Particularly in this embodiment, when the printer 200 is online, the payment processing unit 610 performs provisional payment for the purchase cost of the billing plan before the charge processing unit 600 adds it to the accumulated charge number (see FIG. 5). S20), and after that, the settlement processing unit 610 issues a settlement instruction in a state in which the provisional settlement is made (S50 in FIG. 5).
According to this embodiment, the payment server 400 of a third party or a server outside the system, for example, which actually performs the payment processing, can perform preparatory processing for the payment before performing the payment processing. , the settlement process can be executed more smoothly.

Further, when the printer 200 is in the off-line state, the processing for increasing the accumulated number of charged sheets cannot be performed through communication between the printer 200 and the charge processing section 600 .
In this embodiment, in particular, when the status identification unit 620 identifies that it is in the offline state, the payment processing unit 610 performs the A settlement instruction for the purchase cost is issued (S65 in FIG. 6). When the status identification unit 620 identifies that the online state is established after the payment instruction is issued (S80: Yes), the charge processing unit 600 adds the number of charges to the accumulated number of charges (see FIG. 6). S85).
According to the present embodiment, if the printer 200 is offline, the settlement process is completed first, and then the printer 200 is online before the cumulative number of charged sheets is increased. Even in the case of , the process can proceed smoothly.

Further, particularly in this embodiment, the receipt image 310B that has been transmitted is acquired by the receipt acquisition unit 810 of the mobile terminal 300 . According to this embodiment, even if the payment server 400 is a server of a third party company, or a server outside the printing service providing system 1, for example, even if the payment server 400 executes the payment processing, Receipt image 310B can be obtained from server 400 or a server outside the system.

Moreover, particularly in this embodiment, as described above, the printer 200 can print the receipt 900 based on the receipt image acquired by the print control unit 540 of the printer 200 (see FIG. 4). In this case, the user can obtain a receipt 900 printed on actual paper based on the acquired receipt image (see FIG. 4).
At that time, as described above, it is also possible to prevent the number of charge sheets corresponding to the user's paid purchase from being reduced by printing the receipt 900 . In this case, it is possible to prevent the billing plan purchased by the user from being wasted by printing the receipt 900 .

<Modification>
It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and includes, for example, the following modifications within its technical scope. In the description of each modified example below, the same reference numerals are given to the parts equivalent to those of the above-described embodiment, and the description will be omitted or simplified as appropriate.

(1) When a receipt image is generated by the information management server 100 and sent Alternatively, the receipt image 301B may be generated in the information management server 100 and transmitted to the mobile terminal 300. FIG. FIG. 8 shows a diagram corresponding to FIG. 2 of the above embodiment, showing the software block configuration in this modified example.

In FIG. 8, the information management server 100 of this modified example newly includes a receipt generation unit 630 in addition to the service processing unit 530, charge processing unit 600, settlement processing unit 610, and status identification unit 620 described above. . The receipt generator 630 is an example of a receipt information generator.
As an example, the receipt generation unit 630 is composed of the processor 110 described above and corresponding portions of the program stored in the program storage area 131 .

In S60 of FIG. 5 and S105 of FIG. 6, in this modification, the receipt image 301B transmitted from the receipt generation unit 630 of the information management server 100 is acquired by the receipt acquisition unit 810 of the mobile terminal 300. . Note that, in this modified example, similarly to the above, the receipt image 301B is transmitted to the print control unit 540 of the printer 200, and the receipt image is printed by the printer 200 based on the control of the print control unit 540 that receives the receipt image. A corresponding receipt may be printed. Also in this case, the function of the print control unit 540 that receives the receipt image is an example of the receipt information acquisition unit. The receipt may be printed together with the receipt image 310B displayed on the mobile terminal 300. FIG.

In this modification, receipt image 301B is generated in receipt generation unit 630, and receipt image 301B transmitted from receipt generation unit 630 is acquired and displayed by receipt acquisition unit 810 of mobile terminal 300. be.
According to this modification, the mobile terminal 300 can acquire the receipt image 301B generated within the print service providing system 1 .

(2) Case where provisional payment is made regardless of whether it is online or offline In the above embodiment, only when the printer 200 is identified as being online in S10 shown in FIG. Although the provisional settlement instruction is transmitted to the server 400, it is not limited to this.
That is, regardless of whether the printer 200 is online or offline, in S20 of FIG. Payment instructions may be sent. That is, in this case, in S50, the payment processing unit 610 performs the plan A settlement instruction for the purchase cost is issued. In this case, S10 and S15 in FIG. 5 and S65 to S105 in FIG. 6 are omitted.

According to this modification, regardless of whether the printer 200 is online or offline, the payment server 400 that actually performs the payment processing or a server outside the system performs the payment in advance before performing the payment processing. Since the preparatory process for performing the payment can be performed, the settlement process can be executed more smoothly.

(3) Others Although the case where printing is performed by the inkjet method has been described as an example, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a laser printer may be used instead of the inkjet printer.

In the above, the arrows shown in FIGS. 2 and 8 show an example of signal flow, and do not limit the direction of signal flow.

In the above, the sequence charts shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 do not limit the present invention to the procedures shown in the sequence charts. You may change the order.

In addition to the methods already described above, the methods according to the above-described embodiments and modifications may be appropriately combined and used.

In addition, although not exemplified one by one, the present invention can be implemented with various modifications within the scope of the invention.

1 Printing service providing system (an example of a paid authorization information providing system)
100 Information management server 200 Printer 290 Printing unit 300 Mobile terminal 310B Receipt image (an example of receipt information)
400 Settlement server 530 Service processing unit 540 Print control unit 600 Charge processing unit (an example of paid print amount addition unit)
610 Payment processing unit (example of payment instruction unit, payment reservation unit)
620 status identification unit 630 receipt generation unit (an example of a receipt information generation unit)
800 Application reception unit 810 Receipt acquisition unit (an example of a receipt information acquisition unit)
900 receipt NT network

Claims (10)

a printing unit for forming an image on a receiving medium;
an application reception unit that receives a purchase application for chargeable authorization information that guarantees a chargeable print volume from a user;
communicable with the printing unit, and in response to acceptance of a purchase application for the fee-based authority information by the application receiving unit, allowable printing in the printing unit of the guaranteed print amount for fee-based authority information related to the fee-based authority information a paid print amount addition unit that performs addition to the amount;
After the purchase application is received by the application receiving unit, if a predetermined condition is met, a settlement instruction is issued for the purchase cost of the paid authorization information before the addition by the paid print amount adding unit, and the predetermined condition is satisfied. a payment instruction unit that, if not satisfied, instructs payment for the purchase cost of the paid authorization information after the addition by the paid print amount addition unit;
a receipt information acquisition unit for acquiring receipt information of the purchase cost after the addition by the paid print volume addition unit and after the payment instruction by the payment instruction unit;
A purchase processing system for paid authorization information. After the purchase application is accepted by the application accepting unit, if the predetermined condition is not satisfied, a settlement reservation is made for the purchase cost of the paid authorization information before the addition is made by the paid print amount addition unit. further having a part
The payment instruction unit
2. The purchase processing system for paid authorization information according to claim 1, wherein after said addition by said paid print amount addition unit, said payment reservation unit issues a payment instruction for said purchase cost for which said payment reservation has been made. 2. The paid authorization according to claim 1, further comprising a status identification section for identifying whether the status of said printing section is in an online state in which communication with said paid printing amount addition section is possible or in an offline state in which communication is impossible. Information purchase processing system. When the status identification unit identifies that the user is in the on-line state, the payment instruction unit instructs the user to perform the addition by the paid printing amount addition unit after the purchase application has been received by the application reception unit. 4. The purchase processing system for paid authorization information according to claim 3, wherein afterward, a settlement instruction for the purchase cost of said paid authorization information is given. When the status identification unit identifies that the user is in the online state, the paid authorization is performed after the purchase application is accepted by the application acceptance unit and before the addition is made by the paid printing amount addition unit. further comprising a settlement reservation unit for making a settlement reservation related to the purchase cost of the information;
The payment instruction unit
5. The purchase processing system for paid authorization information according to claim 4, wherein after said addition by said paid print amount addition unit, said payment reservation unit issues a payment instruction for said purchase cost for which said payment reservation has been made. When the status identification unit identifies that the user is in the off-line state, the payment instruction unit instructs the payment instruction unit to perform the addition by the paid printing amount addition unit after the purchase application has been received by the application reception unit. before, performing a settlement instruction related to the purchase cost of the paid authorization information,
The paid print amount addition unit
After the settlement instruction for the purchase cost is given by the settlement instruction unit, when the status identification unit identifies that the state is in the online state, the guaranteed print amount for charge related to the authorization information for charge is changed to the allowable print amount. 4. The paid authorization information purchase processing system according to claim 3, wherein The receipt information acquisition unit
7. The paid authority according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein said receipt information transmitted from outside said paid authority information purchase processing system is acquired in response to completion of said payment instruction by said payment instruction unit. Information purchase processing system. further comprising a receipt information generation unit that generates the receipt information in response to completion of the payment instruction by the payment instruction unit;
The receipt information acquisition unit
7. The paid authorization information purchase processing system according to claim 1, wherein said receipt information transmitted from said receipt information generation unit is acquired. The printing unit
9. The paid authorization information purchase processing system according to claim 1, wherein a corresponding receipt is printed based on said receipt information acquired by said receipt information acquisition unit. 10. The purchase processing system for chargeable authority information according to claim 9, wherein said guaranteed chargeable print amount guaranteed by said chargeable authority information is not reduced by printing said receipt by said printing unit.

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