JP6604480B2 - Scan external storage system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a scan external storage system, an image forming apparatus, and a scan external storage program for reading an image from a document by a reading device and storing the image in an external storage medium.

  Conventionally, there has been known a system that includes a coin vendor capable of paying a fee by cash and a copying machine, and executes the payment of the fee by the coin vendor in real time when executing a copying job by the copying machine. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

JP 2001-351167 A

  However, in the system described in Patent Document 1, the copy job is stopped when the cash put into the coin vendor by the user decreases and the payment of the fee is delayed, and then the coin vendor receives cash. Since the copy job is resumed when the additional fee is charged and the fee can be paid, there is a problem that the convenience is poor.

  Further, in the system described in Patent Document 1, since the fee stored in cash in the coin vendor needs to be collected periodically by a person on the copier administrator side, it costs labor. There is.

  In the system described in Patent Document 1, since the fee is stored in the coin vendor in cash, the cash stored in the coin vendor may be stolen and the administrator of the copier cannot receive the fee. There is a problem of having sex.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a scan external storage system, an image forming apparatus, and a scan external storage program capable of realizing an improvement in convenience, a reduction in labor costs, and a safe receipt of a fee. To do.

  The scan external storage system according to the present invention is based on an image forming apparatus including a reading device, an image storage unit that stores an image read from a document by the reading device in a storage unit, and a result of reading the document by the reading device. Charge calculating means for calculating the charge, and payment code notifying means for notifying the payment code issued by the online payment service for the charge calculated by the charge calculating means, the image forming apparatus comprising: External storage for storing the image stored in the storage unit in an external storage medium when the fee is paid via the online payment service using the payment code notified by the payment code notification means Means are provided.

  With this configuration, the scan external storage system of the present invention stores an image generated by reading a document by a reading device in a storage unit, and after an accurate fee based on the result of the reading is paid, Since this image is stored in an external storage medium, the execution of the scan external storage job “read the image from the document by the reading device and store this image in the external storage medium” is halfway due to the late payment of charges. Therefore, the convenience can be improved. In addition, since the scan external storage system of the present invention uses an online payment service instead of a coin vendor for payment of fees, there is no need to acquire fees from the coin vendors, and labor costs are reduced and fees are secured. Receiving can be realized.

  In the scan external storage system of the present invention, the image forming apparatus may include a display device, and the payment code notification unit may notify the payment code by display on the display device.

  With this configuration, in the scan external storage system of the present invention, since the image forming apparatus notifies the payment code by displaying on the display device, the payment is notified via the online payment service using the payment code notified by the image forming apparatus. Even when the user terminal for payment and the image forming apparatus cannot communicate with each other, the user terminal pays the fee via the online payment service using the payment code displayed on the display device of the image forming apparatus. be able to.

  The scan external storage system of the present invention comprises a user terminal for paying the fee via the online payment service using the payment code notified by the payment code notification means, and the user terminal The payment code displayed on the display device may be obtained by photographing with the photographing device.

  With this configuration, the scan external storage system of the present invention improves the convenience because the user of the user terminal does not need to manually input the payment code displayed on the display device of the image forming apparatus to the user terminal. be able to.

  In the scan external storage system of the present invention, the payment code notification means may display the payment code as a two-dimensional code on the display device.

  With this configuration, in the scan external storage system of the present invention, since the payment code is compactly displayed on the display device of the image forming apparatus as a two-dimensional code, it is easy to shoot with the shooting device of the user terminal, improving convenience. be able to.

  The image forming apparatus of the present invention is online with respect to a reading device, an image storage unit that stores an image read from a document by the reading device in a storage unit, and a fee based on a reading result of the document by the reading device. A payment code notification means for notifying a payment code issued by a payment service; and the storage when the fee is paid via the online payment service using the payment code notified by the payment code notification means. External storage means for storing the image stored in the storage unit in an external storage medium.

  With this configuration, the image forming apparatus of the present invention stores an image generated by reading a document by a reading device in a storage unit, and after an accurate fee based on the result of the reading is paid, Since the image is stored in an external storage medium, the execution of the scan external storage job “read the image from the document by the reading device and store this image in the external storage medium” due to a delay in the payment of charges The convenience can be improved without being stopped. In addition, since the image forming apparatus of the present invention uses an online payment service instead of a coin vendor for payment of fees, there is no need to acquire fees from coin vendors, reducing labor costs and receiving fees safely. And can be realized.

  The scan external storage program of the present invention is based on an image storage device that stores an image read from a document by the reading device in a storage unit in an image forming apparatus including the reading device, and a result of reading the document by the reading device. A payment code notifying means for notifying the payment code issued by the online payment service for the charged fee, and the charge is paid via the online payment service using the payment code notified by the payment code notifying means. And an external storage means for storing the image stored in the storage unit in an external storage medium.

  With this configuration, the image forming apparatus that executes the scan external storage program of the present invention stores an image generated by reading a document by the reading device in the storage unit, and an accurate fee based on the result of the reading is stored. Since this image is stored in an external storage medium after being paid, the execution of a scan external storage job of “reading an image from a document by a reading device and storing this image in an external storage medium” is charged Therefore, it is possible to realize an improvement in convenience. In addition, since the image forming apparatus that executes the scan external storage program of the present invention uses an online payment service instead of a coin vendor for payment of fees, there is no need to acquire fees from coin vendors, and labor costs can be reduced. And safe receipt of charges.

  The scan external storage system, the image forming apparatus, and the scan external storage program of the present invention can realize an improvement in convenience, a reduction in labor costs, and a safe reception of charges.

1 is a block diagram of a scan external storage system according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram of the user terminal shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the MFP shown in FIG. 1. It is a figure which shows an example of the image management information shown in FIG. It is a block diagram of the computer shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of MFP management information illustrated in FIG. 5. It is a figure which shows an example of the payment code management information shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the information which the online payment service shown in FIG. 1 memorize | stores. It is a figure which shows an example of the payment code management information shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram of operations of the scan external storage system shown in FIG. 1 until an MFP to which an instruction to execute a scan external storage job is input displays a two-dimensional code. FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the operation of the MFP shown in FIG. 3 when executing ScanToApp. FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram of the operation of the scan external storage system shown in FIG. 1 from when the user terminal reads the two-dimensional code until the MFP finishes executing the scan external storage job. It is a figure which shows an example of the payment screen displayed on the display part of the user terminal shown in FIG.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  First, the configuration of the scan external storage system according to the present embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a scan external storage system 10 according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the scan external storage system 10 performs online payment with a user terminal 20 used by a user, an MFP (Multifunction Peripheral) 30 as an image forming apparatus, and a computer 40. An online payment service 50 and a bank account management system 60 that manages bank accounts are provided.

  The MFP 30 can be installed in various facilities such as a commercial facility such as a convenience store and a public facility such as a university. The MFP 30 is a device that stores an image read from a document in an external storage medium in accordance with payment of a fee by a user.

  The computer 40 may be capable of executing not only the process related to the charge of the MFP 30 but also the process related to the charge of at least one MFP similar to the MFP 30.

  Each of the online payment service 50 and the bank account management system 60 is a cloud service and is a system realized by a server such as a cloud server.

  The user terminal 20 and the online payment service 50 can communicate via a network such as the Internet.

  The MFP 30 and the computer 40 can communicate via a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network), the Internet, or directly by wire or wireless without going through the network.

  The computer 40 and the online payment service 50 can communicate via a network such as the Internet.

  The online payment service 50 and the bank account management system 60 can communicate via a network such as the Internet.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the user terminal 20.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the user terminal 20 is a display device such as an operation unit 21 that is an input device such as buttons for inputting various operations and an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) that displays various information. A display unit 22; a shooting unit 23 that is a shooting device such as a camera; and a communication unit 24 that is a communication device that communicates with an external apparatus directly via a network or via a network without being connected via a network. A storage unit 25 that is a nonvolatile storage device such as a semiconductor memory that stores various types of information, and a control unit 26 that controls the entire user terminal 20 are provided. The user terminal 20 may be a mobile terminal such as a smartphone or a tablet, for example.

  The storage unit 25 stores a payment program 25a for payment by the online payment service 50 (see FIG. 1). The settlement program 25a may be installed in the user terminal 20 at the manufacturing stage of the user terminal 20, or additionally installed in the user terminal 20 from an external storage medium such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory. Alternatively, it may be additionally installed on the user terminal 20 from the network.

  The control unit 26 includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory) storing a program and various data, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) used as a work area of the CPU. Yes. The CPU executes a program stored in the ROM or the storage unit 25.

  The control unit 26 implements a settlement instruction unit 26a that instructs the online settlement service 50 to perform settlement by executing the settlement program 25a.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the MFP 30.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the MFP 30 includes an operation unit 31 that is an input device such as buttons for inputting various operations, a display unit 32 that is a display device such as an LCD that displays various information, and an image from a document. Fax communication is performed via a communication line such as a public telephone line such as a scanner 33 which is a reading device, a printer 34 which is a printing device which prints an image on a recording medium such as paper, and an external facsimile apparatus (not shown). A fax communication unit 35 that is a fax device, a communication unit 36 that is a communication device that communicates with an external device directly via wired or wireless communication via a network or not via a network, and an external storage medium A USB port 37 as a connection unit to which the USB memory 11 can be connected and various information are stored. Semiconductor memory, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) storage unit 38 is a nonvolatile storage device such as, and a control unit 39 which controls the entire MFP 30.

  The scanner 33 includes an ADF (Auto Document Feeder) that can automatically read a plurality of originals and double-sided originals.

  The storage unit 38 stores a scan external storage program 38a for executing a scan external storage job for storing an image read from a document by the scanner 33 in an external storage medium. The scan external storage program 38a may be installed in the MFP 30 at the manufacturing stage of the MFP 30, or may be additionally installed in the MFP 30 from an external storage medium such as a USB memory, or may be additionally installed in the MFP 30 from the network. May be.

  The storage unit 38 can store a plurality of images 38b read from the document by the scanner 33.

  The storage unit 38 can store image management information 38c for managing the image 38b.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the image management information 38c.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the image management information 38c is information in which an image ID, which is identification information of the image 38b (see FIG. 3), and a job ID, which is job identification information, are associated with each other.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the storage unit 38 can store read image file format information 38 d indicating the file format of an image read from a document by the scanner 33. Examples of the file format of the image read from the document by the scanner 33 include a PDF (Portable Document Format) format, a TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) format, and a JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) format. The file format of the image read from the document by the scanner 33 can be set via the operation unit 31, for example.

  The control unit 39 includes, for example, a CPU, a ROM storing programs and various data, and a RAM used as a work area for the CPU. The CPU executes a program stored in the ROM or the storage unit 38.

  The control unit 39 is calculated by an image storage unit 39a that stores an image read from the document by the scanner 33 in the storage unit 38 and a computer 40 (see FIG. 1) by executing the scan external storage program 38a. Payment code notification means 39b for notifying the payment code issued by the online payment service 50 (see FIG. 1) for the fee, and using the payment code notified by the payment code notification means 39b, via the online payment service 50 The external storage unit 39c that stores the image 38b stored in the storage unit 38 in the USB memory 11 as an external storage medium when the fee is paid is realized.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the computer 40.

  As illustrated in FIG. 5, the computer 40 stores various types of information and a communication unit 41 that is a communication device that communicates with an external device directly via a network or via a network without using a network. A storage unit 42 that is a nonvolatile storage device such as a semiconductor memory, and a control unit 43 that controls the entire computer 40.

  The storage unit 42 stores a payment program 42a for payment by the online payment service 50 (see FIG. 1). The payment program 42a may be installed in the computer 40 at the manufacturing stage of the computer 40, or may be added to the computer 40 from an external storage medium such as a USB memory, a CD (Compact Disk), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk) or the like. It may be installed, or may be additionally installed on the computer 40 from the network.

  The storage unit 42 stores MFP management information 42b for managing the MFP.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the MFP management information 42b.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the MFP management information 42b is information in which an MFP ID that is identification information of the MFP and an administrator ID that is identification information of the administrator of the MFP are associated with each other.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the storage unit 42 can store payment code management information 42c for managing a payment code issued by the online payment service 50 (see FIG. 1).

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the payment code management information 42c.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the payment code management information 42c is information in which a payment code, an MFP ID, and a job ID are associated with each other.

  The control unit 43 illustrated in FIG. 5 includes, for example, a CPU, a ROM that stores programs and various data, and a RAM that is used as a work area of the CPU. The CPU executes a program stored in the ROM or the storage unit 42.

  The control unit 43 executes a payment program 42a, thereby calculating a charge based on the result of reading the original by the scanner 33 (see FIG. 3) and an online payment service 50 (see FIG. 1). The communication means for settlement 43b for executing the communication for the settlement according to (1) is realized.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of information stored in the online payment service 50.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the online payment service 50 includes user bank account information 50 a that shows user bank account information for each user ID that is user identification information, and account information of the administrator of the MFP 30. Is stored for each administrator ID.

  The user bank account information 50a includes information related to the user's bank account, such as the name of the bank that manages the user's bank account and the account number of the bank account. The user, for example, the user bank of the online payment service 50 via the operation unit 21 (see FIG. 2) of the user terminal 20 (see FIG. 2) via the payment program 25a (see FIG. 2). It is possible to register the user's bank account information in the account information 50a.

  The administrator can register the account information of the administrator in the administrator account information 50b of the online payment service 50 via, for example, an arbitrary PC (Personal Computer) via the Internet. The administrator's account is an account managed by the online payment service 50, not a bank account.

  The online payment service 50 can store payment code management information 50c for managing payment codes.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of the payment code management information 50c.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the payment code management information 50c is information in which a payment code, an administrator ID, a fee, and a computer ID that is computer identification information are associated with each other.

  Next, the operation of the scan external storage system 10 will be described.

  First, the operation of the scan external storage system 10 until the MFP 30 to which the instruction to execute the scan external storage job is input displays the two-dimensional code will be described.

  FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram of the operation of the scan external storage system 10 until the MFP 30 to which the instruction to execute the scan external storage job is input displays the two-dimensional code.

  The user can connect the USB memory 11 as an external storage medium to the USB port 37 and can input an instruction to execute a scan external storage job via the operation unit 31. When an instruction to execute a scan external storage job is input via the operation unit 31, the image storage unit 39 a of the MFP 30, as shown in FIG. 10, reads “the image read from the document by the scanner 33 in the storage unit 38. Of these, the “operation to store in a specific area for the scan external storage program 38a” (hereinafter referred to as “ScanToApp”) is executed (S101). Here, the image storage unit 39a stores the image ID of the image stored in S101 in association with the job ID of the current job in the image management information 38c.

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart of the operation of the MFP 30 when executing ScanToApp.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the image storage means 39a reads an image from a document by the scanner 33 (S131).

  Next, the image storage unit 39a stores the image read in S101 in the file format indicated by the read image file format information 38d as an image 38b in a specific area for the scan external storage program 38a in the storage unit 38. (S132), the operation shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the payment code notification unit 39b of the MFP 30 acquires the job attributes of the current scan external storage after the processing of S101 (S102).

  Here, the scan external storage job attribute is, for example, an image file stored in a specific area for the scan external storage program 38a in the storage unit 38 in S101 (hereinafter referred to as "image file"). Page number information indicating the number of pages; color information indicating whether the image data in the image file is monochrome data or color data; recording medium size information indicating the size of the recording medium in the image file; It includes aggregation information indicating whether pages are consolidated into one page in the image file, and magnification information indicating the magnification of reading by the scanner 33.

  The payment code notification means 39b determines the page number information based on the actual reading result of the original by the scanner 33.

  The payment code notification means 39b determines the color information according to the setting in the job execution instruction of the scan external storage input via the operation unit 31. However, the payment code notification means 39b may determine the color information based on the actual reading result of the original by the scanner 33. For example, the payment code notification means 39b automatically determines whether to store the image data in the image file as monochrome data or color data in response to the job execution instruction of the scan external storage input via the operation unit 31. When the determination is set, the color information is determined according to the color of the read original as a result of actually reading the original with the scanner 33. Further, even if the payment code notification means 39b is set to store the image data in the image file as color data in the execution instruction of the scan external storage job input via the operation unit 31, When the original is actually monochrome as a result of reading the original by the scanner 33, the image data in the image file may be set to be stored as monochrome data.

  The payment code notification means 39b determines the recording medium size information in accordance with the setting in the scan external storage job execution instruction input via the operation unit 31. However, the payment code notification means 39b may determine the recording medium size information based on the actual reading result of the original by the scanner 33. For example, the payment code notifying means 39b uses the scanner 33 to actually copy the original when the “automatic” is set as the size of the recording medium in the execution instruction of the scan external storage job input via the operation unit 31. As a result of reading, appropriate recording medium size information may be automatically determined according to the size of the read document.

  The payment code notification means 39b determines the aggregate information and the magnification information according to the setting in the scan external storage job execution instruction input via the operation unit 31.

  After the process of S102, the payment code notifying means 39b transmits a request for calculating a fee based on the attribute acquired in S102 to the computer 40 (S103). Here, the payment code notification means 39b transmits the MFP ID of the MFP 30 and the job ID of the current job to the computer 40 together with the request in S103.

  Upon receiving the request transmitted from the MFP 30 in S103, the fee calculation unit 43a of the computer 40 is based on the attribute transmitted from the MFP 30 together with this request, that is, the attribute acquired in S102 and a specific calculation criterion. Then, the charge for the current scan external storage job is calculated (S104).

  Next, the payment communication means 43b of the computer 40 requests the online payment service 50 for a payment code at the fee calculated in S104 (S105). Here, the settlement communication unit 43b includes the administrator ID associated in the MFP management information 42b with the MFP ID transmitted from the MFP 30 together with the request in S103 and the computer ID of the computer 40 in the request in S105.

  Therefore, the online payment service 50 issues a payment code in response to the request of S105 and returns it to the computer 40 (S106). The online payment service 50 stores the issued payment code in the payment code management information 50c in association with the administrator ID, fee, and computer ID included in the request in S105.

  The payment communication means 43b of the computer 40 generates a two-dimensional code such as a QR code (registered trademark) indicating the payment code returned from the online payment service 50 in S106 (S107). The payment communication means 43b stores the payment code returned from the online payment service 50 in S106 in the payment code management information 42c in association with the MFP ID and job ID transmitted from the MFP 30 in S103.

  Next, the settlement communication unit 43b transmits the two-dimensional code generated in S107 to the MFP 30 (S108).

  Therefore, the payment code notification means 39b of the MFP 30 displays the two-dimensional code transmitted from the computer 40 in S108 on the display unit 32 (S109).

  Next, the operation of the scan external storage system 10 from when the user terminal 20 reads the two-dimensional code to when the MFP 30 finishes executing the scan external storage job will be described.

  FIG. 12 is a sequence diagram of the operation of the scan external storage system 10 from when the user terminal 20 reads the two-dimensional code until the MFP 30 finishes executing the scan external storage job.

  A user can operate the user terminal 20 so that the photographing unit 23 of the user terminal 20 reads the two-dimensional barcode displayed on the display unit 32 of the MFP 30 in S109. When the user terminal 20 is operated so that the photographing unit 23 reads the two-dimensional barcode displayed on the display unit 32, the settlement instruction unit 26a of the user terminal 20 displays the display unit as shown in FIG. The two-dimensional barcode displayed in 32 is read by the photographing unit 23 (S161).

  Next, the settlement instruction unit 26a interprets the two-dimensional barcode read in S161, and transmits the payment code indicated by the two-dimensional barcode and the user ID to the online settlement service 50 (S162).

  Therefore, the online payment service 50 determines the charge associated with the payment code in the payment code management information 50c and the user ID based on the payment code and user ID transmitted from the user terminal 20 in S162. The bank account information associated in the user bank account information 50a is returned to the user terminal 20 (S163).

  When the charge and bank account information are transmitted from the online payment service 50, the payment instruction means 26a of the user terminal 20 displays a payment screen 70 (see FIG. 13) for payment of the charge on the display unit 22. (S164).

  FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of the payment screen 70.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the payment screen 70 includes a text 71 indicating bank account information transmitted from the online payment service 50, a text 72 indicating charges transmitted from the online payment service 50, and a bank account information. It includes a text box 73 for entering a password, that is, a password for allowing the bank account management system 60 to debit the bank account.

  In FIG. 13, the name of the bank is shown as the bank account information displayed on the payment screen 70. However, information other than the bank name may be displayed on the payment screen 70 as the bank account information in addition to the bank name or instead of the bank name. In S163, only the information displayed on the payment screen 70 among the bank account information may be returned.

  As shown in FIG. 12, when the bank account password is entered in the text box 73, the settlement instruction unit 26a transmits the entered password to the online settlement service 50 (S165).

  Accordingly, the online payment service 50 is transmitted from the user terminal 20 in S162 out of bank accounts managed by the bank account management system 60 only when the password transmitted from the user terminal 20 in S165 is correct. The charge associated with the payment code transmitted from the user terminal 20 at S162 in the payment code management information 50c is withdrawn from the bank account associated with the received user ID in the user bank account information 50a ( S166).

  Next, the online payment service 50 converts the fee withdrawn in S166 into the administrator ID associated in the payment code management information 50c with the payment code transmitted from the user terminal 20 in S162 in the administrator account information 50b. Transfer money to the associated account (S167).

  Next, the online payment service 50 associates the payment completion notification indicating that the payment of the fee has been completed with the payment code transmitted from the user terminal 20 in S162 in the payment code management information 50c. It is transmitted to the computer 40 having the computer ID that has been assigned (S168).

  When the payment completion notification is transmitted from the online payment service 50 in S168, the payment communication means 43b of the computer 40 adds the payment code management information 42c to the payment code transmitted together with the payment completion notification from the online payment service 50 in S168. A payment completion notification indicating that payment of the fee for the job with the job ID associated in step S3 is completed is transmitted to the MFP 30 with the MFP ID associated with this payment code in the payment code management information 42c (S169).

  When the payment completion notification is transmitted from the computer 40 in S169, the external storage unit 39c of the MFP 30 receives the image 38b having the image ID associated with the job ID indicated in the payment completion notification in the image management information 38c. Is stored in the USB memory 11 (S170).

  As described above, the scan external storage system 10 stores the image generated by reading the document by the scanner 33 in the storage unit 38 (S101), and an accurate fee based on the result of the reading is paid. After this (S165 to S167), this image is stored in the USB memory 11 which is an external storage medium (S170). Therefore, “the scanner 33 reads the image from the document and stores this image in the external storage medium. The execution of the scan external storage job “Yes” is not interrupted due to a delay in the payment of charges, and the convenience can be improved.

  Since the scan external storage system 10 uses the online payment service 50 instead of the coin vendor for payment of the fee, the fee is directly transferred from the bank account of the user of the MFP 30 to the account of the administrator of the MFP 30. No fee acquisition work is required, and labor costs can be reduced and the fee can be received safely.

  Since the scan external storage system 10 uses the online payment service 50 instead of a coin vendor for payment of a fee, it can be easily introduced even in a country where coin vendors are not used much.

  In the scan external storage system 10, since the MFP 30 notifies the display of the payment code on the display unit 32 (S109), even if the user terminal 20 and the MFP 30 cannot communicate with each other, the scan external storage system 10 is displayed on the display unit 32 of the MFP 30. A fee can be paid by the user terminal 20 via the online payment service 50 using the displayed payment code.

  In the scan external storage system 10, since the payment code is compactly displayed as a two-dimensional code on the display unit 32 of the MFP 30, it is easy to photograph by the photographing unit 23 of the user terminal 20, and convenience can be improved. In the scan external storage system 10, the payment code may be displayed on the display unit 32 in such a manner that it is difficult for the image capturing unit 23 of the user terminal 20 to capture an image such as a character string or a one-dimensional code.

  Since the scan external storage system 10 obtains the payment code displayed on the display unit 32 by photographing with the photographing unit 23, the user of the user terminal 20 uses the payment code displayed on the display unit 32 of the MFP 30. There is no need to manually enter the person terminal 20. Therefore, the scan external storage system 10 can improve convenience. Note that the scan external storage system 10 displays a payment code on the display unit 32 in a manner that can be understood by the user of the user terminal 20 such as a character string instead of a two-dimensional barcode. The displayed payment code may be manually input to the user terminal 20 by the user of the user terminal 20.

  In this embodiment, the scan external storage system 10 uses an account managed by the online payment service 50 as the account of the administrator of the MFP 30. However, the scan external storage system 10 may be configured to use a bank account instead of the account managed by the online payment service 50 as the account of the administrator of the MFP 30.

  In the present embodiment, scan external storage system 10 uses a bank account as the account of the user of MFP 30. However, the scan external storage system 10 may be configured to use an account managed by the online payment service 50 instead of a bank account as an account of the user of the MFP 30.

  The scan external storage system 10 may be configured such that the MFP 30 realizes at least a part of the above-described functions of the computer 40 by executing the scan external storage program 38a. For example, the scan external storage system 10 may have a configuration in which the MFP 30 realizes a function corresponding to the fee calculation unit 43 a of the computer 40. The scan external storage system 10 may not include the computer 40 when the MFP 30 realizes all the functions of the computer 40 described above.

  The “external storage medium” of the present invention is a USB memory in the present embodiment, but may be a storage medium other than a USB memory, such as an SD card.

  The image forming apparatus of the present invention is an MFP in the present embodiment, but may be an image forming apparatus other than the MFP, such as a scanner dedicated machine.

10 Scan external storage system 20 User terminal 23 Imaging unit (imaging device)
30 MFP (image forming apparatus)
32 Display unit (display device)
33 Scanner (reading device)
38 storage unit 38a scan external storage program 38b image 39a image storage means 39b payment code notification means 39c external storage means 43a charge calculation means 50 online payment service

Claims (4)

An image forming apparatus including a reading device;
With a computer,
Image storage means for storing in the storage unit an image read from the document by the reading device;
Charge calculation means for calculating a charge based on a result of reading the document by the reading device;
Payment code notifying means for notifying a payment code issued by an online payment service for the charge calculated by the charge calculating means,
When the fee is paid via the online payment service using the payment code notified by the payment code notifying unit, the image forming apparatus externally stores the image stored in the storage unit. Comprising external storage means for storing in a storage medium ;
The image storage unit stores the image in the storage unit when the job for storing the image read from the document by the reading device is executed in the storage medium, and serves as identification information of the image. The image ID and the job ID as the job identification information in association with each other,
When the image is stored in the storage unit by the image storage unit, the image forming apparatus transmits an image forming apparatus ID as identification information of the image forming apparatus and the job ID to the computer,
When the image forming apparatus ID and the job ID are transmitted from the image forming apparatus, the computer transmits a request for the payment code at the fee calculated by the fee calculating means to the online payment service. And
When the payment code is returned from the online payment service, the computer stores the payment code in association with the image forming apparatus ID and the job ID transmitted from the image forming apparatus. ,
The payment code notification means notifies the payment code when the payment code is returned to the computer from the online payment service,
The computer, when the fee is paid via the online payment service using the payment code notified by the payment code notifying means, together with a notification indicating that the payment of the fee is completed, and the online payment A payment completion notification indicating that payment of the fee for the job with the job ID stored in association with the payment code transmitted from the service is completed is stored in association with the payment code. Send the image forming apparatus ID to the image forming apparatus,
When the payment completion notification is transmitted from the computer to the image forming apparatus, the external storage unit has been transmitted from the computer to the image forming apparatus among the images stored in the storage unit. A scan external storage system , wherein the image having the image ID stored by the image storage unit in association with the job ID indicated in the payment completion notification is stored in the storage medium . The image forming apparatus includes a display device,
The scan external storage system according to claim 1, wherein the payment code notification unit notifies the payment code by display on the display device. A user terminal for paying the fee via the online payment service using the payment code notified by the payment code notification means;
The scan external storage system according to claim 2, wherein the user terminal includes an imaging device, and acquires the payment code displayed on the display device by imaging with the imaging device.   The scan external storage system according to claim 3, wherein the payment code notification unit displays the payment code as a two-dimensional code on the display device.

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