JP7183948B2 - Image forming apparatus, information processing system, information processing method, and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, an information processing system, an information processing method, and a program.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, image forming apparatuses such as printers, copiers, facsimiles, and multifunction peripherals (MFPs) of these have been known. Such image forming apparatuses are installed in various stores such as convenience stores.

Further, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, a fee is calculated based on the content of a copy job using an MFP, and a payment code issued by an online payment service is notified for the calculated fee. A job execution system is known that executes a copy job when a payment is made via an online payment service using a payment code provided by the company.

This job execution system stores a job log that is a history of jobs, and if a job that has not completed normally is determined based on the job log, at least a portion of the charge for the job that has not completed normally request an online payment service for a refund of

JP 2018-45565 A

In the job execution system disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-300013, a job log must be left in order to perform refund processing.

In the above-described online payment service, if a problem occurs in the image forming apparatus during job execution that the store owner or the store clerk cannot handle, the store owner or the like waits until the service person arrives to save power. It is assumed that the power supply (specifically, the main power supply) of the image forming apparatus is turned off.

When the power is turned off, the power supply to the control board of the image forming apparatus is also cut off. Therefore, unless the power is turned on again, the image forming apparatus cannot request refund processing from the server.

However, in such online payment, there is a case where a refund period is set for the fee once paid. Therefore, if the timing at which the power is turned on again exceeds the refundable deadline, there is a problem that the refund processing is not performed.

The present disclosure has been made in view of the above problems, and its purpose is to reliably return to the user the fees for jobs that have not been performed, out of the fees collected (charged) from the user through advance online payment. To provide an image forming apparatus, an information processing system, an information processing method, and a program capable of

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, the image forming apparatus includes, before starting a job, a calculation means for calculating a billing amount for a job, and a settlement requesting a billing amount settlement process for an external server for performing settlement processing. a job control means for causing the image forming apparatus to execute a job on the condition that the billing amount is settled; and a power switch of the image forming apparatus that is turned off while the execution of the job is interrupted. When the image forming apparatus receives the operation to do so, refund processing request means for requesting the external server to refund the difference between the charged amount and the charged amount for the executed job among the jobs, and refunding the difference to the external server. an apparatus state control means for executing shutdown processing for shutting down the image forming apparatus after a request is made to the image forming apparatus.

Preferably, the image forming apparatus further includes a memory for storing job data, and a deletion means for deleting the job data from the memory before shutdown processing is executed.

Preferably, the device state control means shuts down the image forming device on condition that a response notification indicating that the difference has been refunded has been received from the external server.

Preferably, the image forming apparatus further includes notification means for notifying that the difference has been refunded.

Preferably, the notification means notifies the administrator of the image forming apparatus by e-mail that the difference has been refunded.

Preferably, the image forming apparatus further includes an operation panel. The notification means causes the operation panel to display that the difference has been refunded.

Preferably, the apparatus state control means shuts down the image forming apparatus on the condition that the operation panel accepts the operation of the confirmation button after the operation panel displays that the difference has been refunded.

Preferably, if there is another job for which the charge amount has been settled after the suspended job, the refund processing request means refunds the charge amount paid for the other job to the external server. demand more.

Preferably, the image forming apparatus further includes a memory for storing job data, and deletion means for deleting the job data from the memory when an operation of turning on the power switch is received after the shutdown process is executed.

Preferably, the image forming apparatus further includes invalidation means for invalidating job data when the image forming apparatus receives an operation to turn off the power switch. The deleting means deletes the invalidated job data from the memory after the power switch is turned on.

Preferably, the image forming apparatus includes an operation panel, a non-volatile memory, and when the image forming apparatus receives an operation to turn off the power switch, the interrupted job is restarted when an operation to turn on the power switch is received. display control means for displaying on the operation panel a display for the user to select whether or not to continue execution; and writing means for writing to the. The refund processing request means does not request the external server to refund the difference when the user selects to continue the execution of the interrupted job.

Preferably, the image forming apparatus does not accept new jobs while executing shutdown processing.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, an information processing system includes an image forming device and a server that performs payment processing. The image forming apparatus calculates the billing amount for the job before starting the job. The image forming apparatus requests the server to process the settlement of the billing amount. The server executes payment processing for the billing amount based on the request. The server notifies the image forming apparatus that the settlement process has been completed. The image forming apparatus executes the job on the condition that the billing amount is settled. If the image forming apparatus accepts an operation to turn off the power switch of the image forming apparatus while the job execution is suspended, the difference between the charged amount paid and the charged amount for the executed job is refunded to the server. make a request to After requesting the server to refund the difference, the image forming apparatus executes shutdown processing for shutting down the image forming apparatus.

According to still another aspect of the present disclosure, an information processing method includes the steps of calculating a billing amount for a job before the image forming apparatus starts the job; a step of requesting payment processing of the billing amount, a step of causing the image forming device to execute a job on condition that the payment processing of the billing amount is completed, and a step of causing the image forming device to execute the job. is suspended, if the image forming apparatus accepts an operation to turn off the power switch of the image forming apparatus, the difference between the charged amount and the charged amount for the executed jobs among the jobs is refunded to the external server. and the image forming apparatus executing shutdown processing for shutting down the image forming apparatus after the refund of the difference is requested to the external server.

According to still another aspect of the present disclosure, the program, before starting the job, calculates a billing amount for the job, and requests an external server that performs the billing process to settle the billing amount. , a step of causing the image forming apparatus to execute a job on the condition that the billing amount is settled, and an operation of turning off the power switch of the image forming apparatus while the execution of the job is interrupted. , a step of requesting the external server to refund the difference between the billed amount and the billed amount for the jobs that have been executed among the jobs; and executing a shutdown process for shutting down the apparatus.

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to reliably return to the user the fees for jobs that have not yet been performed, out of the fees collected from the user through online payment in advance.

1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a network system; FIG. 2 is a block diagram for explaining an example of the hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus; FIG. FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing the first half of a series of processes; FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing the second half of a series of processes; FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram for explaining the flow of processing when trouble occurs; 2 is a functional block diagram for explaining the functional configuration of the image forming apparatus; FIG. It is the figure which showed the outline|summary of a management table. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a user interface displayed on the operation panel;

An image forming apparatus according to embodiments will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the embodiments described below, when referring to the number, amount, etc., the scope of the present disclosure is not necessarily limited to the number, amount, etc., unless otherwise specified. The same reference numbers are given to the same parts and equivalent parts, and redundant description may not be repeated.

In the drawings, there are portions that are not illustrated according to actual dimensional ratios, but are illustrated with changed ratios so as to clarify the structure in order to facilitate understanding of the structure. In addition, each modified example described below may be selectively combined as appropriate.

Further, although an image forming apparatus as a color printer will be described below, the image forming apparatus is not limited to a color printer. For example, the image forming apparatus may be a monochrome printer, a FAX, or a multi-function peripheral (MFP: Multi-Functional Peripheral) of monochrome printer, color printer and FAX.

<A. Overall Configuration of Network System>
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a network system 1000. As shown in FIG.

Referring to FIG. 1 , network system 1000 includes image forming apparatus 1 , terminal device 2 and server 3 .

The image forming apparatus 1 is communicably connected to the server 3 via the network 901 . The image forming apparatus 1 includes a main body 10 and a post-processing device 20 . The main unit 10 includes a controller (control board) 31 , an operation panel 34 and a power switch 39 .

The terminal device 2 can communicate with the image forming device 1 . The terminal device 2 is configured to be able to communicate with the image forming apparatus 1 by, for example, AirPrint (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), NFC (Near Field Communication), WifiDirect (registered trademark), or the like. The terminal device 2 is, for example, a portable device such as a smart phone or a tablet terminal.

The terminal device 2 can communicate with the server 3 via the network 902 . Typically, the terminal device 2 communicates with the server 3 via the base station 8 in which it is located and the relay station 9 connected to the base station 8 .

The server 3 is a server for settlement. The server 3 makes online payments for services provided by the image forming apparatus 1 . Specifically, the server 3 makes a payment (charging) for the processing (job) desired by the user before providing the service. That is, the server 3 performs advance payment (preliminary billing).

An application program for online payment is installed in the terminal device 2 . Specifically, the terminal device 2 is installed with an application program for pre-payment online. For example, the terminal device 2 can use settlement services such as WeChatPay (registered trademark), Air pay (registered trademark), NaverPay, and LINE Pay (registered trademark) by the application program.

<B. Hardware Configuration of Image Forming Apparatus>
FIG. 2 is a block diagram for explaining an example of the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 1. As shown in FIG.

Referring to FIG. 2, main unit 10 includes controller 31, fixed storage device 32, short-range wireless IF (Interface) 33, power switch 39, scanner unit 12, operation panel 34, and paper feeder. It has a unit 14 , a media sensor 16 , an image forming unit 11 , a printer controller 35 , a network IF 36 and a wireless IF 37 . Each unit 11 , 12 , 14 , 16 , 32 to 37 , 39 is connected to the controller 31 via a bus 30 .

The controller 31 controls operations of the image forming apparatus 1 . The controller 31 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 311, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 312 storing a control program, an S-RAM (Static Random Access Memory) 313 for work, and various settings related to image formation. and a battery-backed NV-RAM (Non-Volatile RAM) 314 and a clock IC (Integrated Circuit) 315 . Each section 311 to 315 is connected via a bus 30 . Also, the controller 31 is typically built into the main body 10 as a control board.

The power switch 39 is a switch for turning on and off the image forming apparatus 1 . The power switch 39 is a main power switch. When the power switch is turned on by a user operation, power from an external commercial power supply is supplied to each section of the image forming apparatus 1 .

When the power switch 39 is turned off, power supply to each part of the image forming apparatus 1 is stopped. That is, when the power switch 39 is turned off, all functions are turned off. In this case, since the power supply to the controller 31 is also stopped, the image forming apparatus 1 cannot communicate with the server 3 and the terminal device 2 .

The image forming apparatus 1 has a sub power switch (not shown). A sub power switch is provided on the operation panel 34 . When the sub power switch is turned off, the power save mode is entered. In this embodiment, a description will be given focusing on processing when the main power is turned off.

The operation panel 34 has keys for various inputs and a display. The operation panel 34 is typically composed of a touch screen and hardware keys. A touch screen is a device in which a touch panel is superimposed on a display.

The network IF 36 transmits and receives various types of information to and from external devices such as the server 3, PCs (not shown), and other image forming apparatuses (not shown) connected via a network.

Printer controller 35 generates a copy image from the print data received by network IF 36 . The image forming unit 11 forms a copy image on paper.

Note that the fixed storage device 32 is typically a hard disk device. Various data are stored in the fixed storage device 32 . Note that the fixed storage device 32 may be a flash memory.

<C. Processing sequence>
Processing executed in network system 1000 will be described. Specifically, processing executed by the terminal device 2, the image forming device 1, and the server 3 will be described.

First, normal processing when executing a job will be described. Next, a description will be given of the processing when the main power supply is turned off due to trouble or the like occurring in the middle of a job.

(c1. Normal processing)
Job execution processing can be roughly divided into processing for instructing job execution, processing for holding the instructed job, processing for billing calculation, processing for confirming fees, processing for orders, and processing for payment confirmation. processing and processing of job output.

FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram showing the first half of a series of processes. Specifically, FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the above-described processing for instructing job execution, processing for holding the instructed job, processing for charge calculation, processing for charge confirmation, and order processing. is.

Referring to FIG. 3, terminal device 2 sends a job execution instruction to image forming device 1 in sequence SQ1. The terminal device 2 instructs the image forming device 1 to print, copy, scan, or the like as a job. As a method for realizing a print job, for example, as described above, communication based on AirPrint, Bluetooth, NFC, WifiDirect, etc. can be used.

The job execution instruction is not limited to the above communication protocol, and may be an instruction using a communication network based on standards such as 3G (3rd Generation), 4G, 5G, etc. shown in FIG. .

In sequence SQ2, the image forming apparatus 1 holds (holds) the job based on the user operation of the terminal device 2 (the job instructed to be executed in sequence SQ1). In other words, the image forming apparatus 1 does not immediately execute the job, but waits until the job becomes executable.

In sequence SQ3, the image forming apparatus 1 performs billing calculation. Specifically, the image forming apparatus 1 calculates the billing amount for the job before starting the job.

In sequence SQ4, a fee confirmation process is performed. Specifically, sequence SQ4 includes processing of sequences SQ40 to SQ42.

In sequence SQ40, image forming apparatus 1 notifies terminal apparatus 2 of the fee to be charged. When the user of terminal device 2 performs an operation to agree to the charge to be charged (sequence SQ41), terminal device 2 transmits an approval notice to image forming apparatus 1 (sequence SQ42). The communication protocol used for the transmission is also not particularly limited.

In the above description, in sequence SQ4, the configuration of communicating with the image forming apparatus 1 via an application is taken as an example.

In sequence SQ5, order processing is performed. Specifically, in sequence SQ5, the server 3 that performs the payment process is requested to process the payment of the billing amount. Specifically, sequence SQ5 includes processing of sequences SQ50 to SQ55.

In sequence SQ50, image forming apparatus 1 creates an order form. In sequence SQ51, the server 3 is requested for payment. For example, when using WechatPay, the image forming apparatus 1 requests payment to a Wechatpay API (Application Programming Interface).

In sequence SQ52, a series of processing relating to payment is started. In sequence SQ53, server 3 notifies image forming apparatus 1 of a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) used for payment processing. In sequence SQ54, the image forming apparatus 1 creates a two-dimensional code based on the URL. Typically, the image forming apparatus 1 creates a QR code (registered trademark).

Thereafter, in sequence SQ55, image forming apparatus 1 displays the created two-dimensional code on operation panel . As a result, the user of the terminal device 2 (that is, the user who receives the service provided by the image forming device 1) can read the two-dimensional code with the terminal device 2. FIG.

FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing the second half of the series of processes. Specifically, FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the payment confirmation process and the job output process described above.

Referring to FIG. 4, in sequence SQ6, payment confirmation processing is performed. Specifically, sequence SQ6 includes the processes of sequences SQ60 to SQ69.

In sequence SQ<b>60 , the user uses terminal device 2 to scan the two-dimensional code displayed on operation panel 34 of image forming apparatus 1 . In this example, the application (application program for online payment) of the terminal device 2 includes an application function for scanning a two-dimensional code.

In sequence SQ61, the terminal device 2 transmits the URL to the server 3 via the network 902 or the like. That is, the terminal device 2 transmits the URL obtained by scanning the two-dimensional code to the server 3 . Note that the URL transmission path is not limited to the above.

In sequence SQ62, the server 3 confirms the URL received from the terminal device 2. FIG. Specifically, the server 3 confirms whether or not the URL matches the URL transmitted to the image forming apparatus 1 .

In sequence SQ63, on the condition that the URL received from the terminal device 2 is correct (on the condition that it has been authenticated), the terminal device 2 is notified of the approval of the payment. When the user inputs a predetermined password and approval of payment to the terminal device 2 (sequence SQ64), these input data are transmitted to the server 3 in sequence SQ65.

In sequence SQ66, the server 3 confirms the data sent from the terminal device 2 (authentication of the password, etc.), and if there is no problem, the payment is completed. After that, in sequence SQ67, the server 3 transmits to the terminal device 2 a notification indicating that the payment processing was successful.

In sequence SQ68, the image forming apparatus 1 transmits a notification to the server 3 for confirming the status. Specifically, the image forming apparatus 1 periodically transmits to the server 3 a notification inquiring whether or not payment (payment processing) has been completed.

In sequence SQ69, server 3 sends a payment completion notice to image forming apparatus 1 on condition that payment processing is completed.

Upon receiving the payment completion notification from the server 3, the image forming apparatus 1 outputs the job (executes the job) in sequence SQ7. In this manner, the image forming apparatus 1 executes the job on the condition that the billing amount is settled.

(c2. Processing when the power is turned off)
FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram for explaining the flow of processing when trouble occurs in sequence SQ7 of FIG. Specifically, FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram for explaining the process when a job is interrupted due to a problem and the power switch 39 is turned off while the job is being interrupted. Problems that cause interruption include, for example, the occurrence of jams, the emptyness of consumables such as paper and toner, and the life of replacement parts.

Referring to FIG. 5, in sequence SQ101, image forming apparatus 1 interrupts execution of a job due to trouble. In sequence SQ102, the image forming apparatus 1 determines whether or not the user has performed a power-off operation. If there is a power-off operation (YES in sequence SQ102), image forming apparatus 1 does not execute (start) shutdown processing until sequences SQ103 to SQ107, which will be described later, are completed. If there is no power-off operation (NO in sequence SQ102), image forming apparatus 1 does not perform the processes after sequence SQ103.

In sequence SQ103, the image forming apparatus 1 calculates the refund amount. Specifically, the image forming apparatus 1 calculates a refund of the difference between the charged amount (settled amount) and the charged amount for the executed job among the instructed jobs. For example, when the image forming apparatus 1 receives an instruction to print 10 sheets and the printing of 8 sheets is completed, the image forming apparatus 1 calculates the charge (difference) for the remaining 2 sheets.

In sequence SQ104, image forming apparatus 1 notifies server 3 of a refund processing request. Specifically, the image forming apparatus 1 transmits to the server 3 a notice requesting refund of the calculated difference. In sequence SQ105, the server 3 executes refund processing. When the refund process is completed, the server 3 transmits a notification indicating that the refund has been completed to the image forming apparatus 1 in sequence SQ106.

In sequence SQ107, image forming apparatus 1 displays on operation panel 34 that the refund process has been completed and the refund amount. Thereby, the user can know that the refund processing for the unexecuted job has been performed and the refund amount.

After sequence SQ107, processing for shutting down the image forming apparatus 1 is sequentially executed. In sequence SQ108, CPU 311 of controller 31 terminates access to the HDD (that is, fixed storage device 32). In sequence SQ109, CPU 311 turns off operation panel 34 . In sequence SQ110, CPU 110 stops power supply to the control board (that is, controller 31).

(c3. Summary)
As described above, the image forming apparatus 1 calculates the billing amount for the job before starting the job. Further, the image forming apparatus 1 requests the server 3, which performs payment processing, to perform payment processing for the billing amount. The image forming apparatus 1 executes the job on the condition that the billing amount is settled.

When the image forming apparatus 1 receives an operation to turn off the power switch 39 of the image forming apparatus 1 while the execution of the job is suspended, the image forming apparatus 1 sets the charge for the executed job among the charge amount and the job. The server 3 is requested to refund the difference from the amount. After requesting the server 3 to refund the difference, the image forming apparatus 1 executes shutdown processing for shutting down the image forming apparatus 1 .

According to such a configuration, the image forming apparatus 1 can request the server 3 to process the refund without turning on the power switch 39 again. Therefore, even if the server 3 sets a refundable time limit for the once-paid fee (settled billing amount), the refundable time limit will not be exceeded. Therefore, according to the image forming apparatus 1, it is possible to reliably return to the user the fee for the unexecuted job among the fees collected from the user through advance online payment (settled billing amount).

Other functions of the image forming apparatus 1 will be described later.
<D. Functional configuration>
FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram for explaining the functional configuration of the image forming apparatus 1. As shown in FIG.

6, image forming apparatus 1 includes control portion 100, scanner unit 12, communication interface portion 17, operation panel 34, power switch 39, storage portion 38, post-processing device 20, and an image forming unit 11 .

A control unit 100 corresponds to the controller 31 shown in FIG. The communication interface unit 17 corresponds to the short-range wireless IF 33, the network IF 36, and the wireless IF 37 shown in FIG. Storage unit 38 typically corresponds to fixed storage device 32 .

The operation panel 34 includes an operation section 341 and a display section 342 . An operation unit 341 corresponds to physical keys and a touch panel. The display unit 342 corresponds to the display.

Control unit 100 includes accounting control unit 110 , job control unit 120 , device state control unit 130 , job data processing unit 140 , and notification unit 150 . Billing control unit 110 has calculation unit 111 , settlement processing request unit 112 , and refund processing request unit 113 . Job data processing unit 140 has deletion unit 141 , invalidation unit 142 , and writing unit 143 . The notification unit 150 has a display control unit 151 .

Processing of the control unit 100 will be described below based on various aspects.
(d1. Outline of processing)
Billing control unit 110 executes processing related to billing.

The calculation unit 111 calculates the billing amount for the job before starting the job. The calculated billing amount is notified to the terminal device 2 via the communication interface unit 17 (see sequence SQ40 in FIG. 3).

The payment processing requesting unit 112 requests the server 3, which performs payment processing, to perform payment processing for the calculated billing amount. Specifically, based on the reception of the approval notification from the user, a request is made to process the settlement of the calculated billing amount (see sequences SQ41, SQ42, SQ50, and SQ51 in FIG. 3).

The job control unit 120 causes the image forming apparatus 1 to execute the job on condition that the billing amount is settled. For example, when the job is printing or copying, job control section 120 causes image forming unit 11 to form an image (sequence SQ7 in FIG. 4).

When the image forming apparatus 1 receives an operation to turn off the power switch 39 of the image forming apparatus 1 while the execution of the job is suspended, the refund processing requesting unit 113 returns the charged amount and the amount of the executed job. Requests the server 3 to refund the difference between the amount charged for the job (see sequence SQ104 in FIG. 5). Specifically, the refund processing request unit 113 requests the server 3 to refund the difference through the communication interface unit 17 .

After requesting server 3 to refund the difference, device state control unit 130 executes shutdown processing for shutting down image forming device 1 (see sequences SQ108 to SQ110 in FIG. 5).

Therefore, according to the image forming apparatus 1, it is possible to reliably return to the user the fee for the unexecuted job among the fees collected from the user through advance online payment (settled billing amount).

(d2. Details of processing)
(1) The storage unit 38 stores data of jobs that have been instructed to be executed. The deletion unit 141 deletes job data from the storage unit 38 before shutdown processing is executed. Note that the timing at which the job data is deleted by the deleting unit 141 is not particularly limited as long as it is after the job is interrupted and before the shutdown process is executed.

According to such a configuration, job data is deleted from the storage section 38 in a shutdown state. Therefore, the job will not be executed after the power is turned on. Deleting data also improves security. Furthermore, it is possible to prevent the storage capacity from decreasing due to data (unnecessary data).

(2) The device state control unit 130 shuts down the image forming device 1 on condition that a response notification (see sequence SQ106 in FIG. 5) indicating that the difference has been refunded has been received from the server 3. With such a configuration, it is possible to more reliably return the fee for the unexecuted job to the user.

(3) The notification unit 150 notifies that the difference has been refunded. For example, the notification unit 150 notifies the administrator of the image forming apparatus 1 by e-mail that the difference has been refunded. According to such a configuration, it is possible for the administrator to inform the user that the refund has been processed. Therefore, it is possible to give the user a sense of security.

In addition, the notification unit 150 may cause the display unit 342 of the operation panel 34 to display that the difference has been refunded. According to such a configuration, the user can confirm that the refund has been processed on the spot. Furthermore, the notification unit 150 may cause the display unit 342 of the operation panel 34 to display information on the difference. According to such a configuration, the user can know the refunded amount (difference) on the spot.

It is preferable that the notification unit 150 causes the display unit 342 to display the difference and that the difference has been refunded.

(4) Device state control unit 130 typically displays that the difference has been refunded on display unit 342 of operation panel 34, and then operation panel 34 presses a confirmation button (not shown). The image forming apparatus 1 is shut down on the condition that the operation of . According to such a configuration, it is possible to shut down after obtaining the user's confirmation. Also, the user can be made aware that the refund has been processed.

(5) The refund processing request unit 113 refunds the charge amount paid for the other job when there is another job for which the charge amount has been settled after the suspended job. make further demands on In other words, the refund processing requesting unit 113 requests the server 3 to refund a job to be executed after the interrupted job and for which payment processing has already been performed. According to such a configuration, there is no need to separately and independently perform only the refund processing for the succeeding job.

(6) In the above description, the deleting unit 141 deletes the job before executing the shutdown process, but the configuration is not limited to this. For example, the deletion unit 141 may delete the job data from the storage unit 38 upon receiving an operation to turn on the power switch 39 after the shutdown process is executed.

Further, when the image forming apparatus 1 receives an operation to turn off the power switch 39, the invalidation unit 142 invalidates the job data before executing the shutdown process, and after the power switch 39 is turned on, the job data is invalidated. The data of the job that has been processed may be deleted from the storage unit 38 .

(7) The display control section 151 displays various images on the display section 342 . When the image forming apparatus 1 receives an operation to turn off the power switch 39, the display control unit 151 allows the user to determine whether to continue execution of the interrupted job when the operation to turn on the power switch 39 is received. is displayed on the display unit 342 of the operation panel 34. Typically, display control unit 151 causes display unit 342 to display a software key (for example, a software key to continue and a software key to cancel) that allows the user to select whether to continue execution of the interrupted job. to display.

The writing unit 143 writes data of the job to the storage unit 38 (nonvolatile memory) when a selection to continue execution of the interrupted job is made. The refund processing request unit 113 does not request the server 3 to refund the difference when the user selects to continue the execution of the interrupted job.

According to such a configuration, the user can select whether or not to perform the refund process on the spot. Therefore, it is possible to perform processing that respects the intention of the user.

(8) The image forming apparatus 1 does not accept new jobs while executing shutdown processing.

(9) The storage unit 38 stores a management table. Billing control unit 110 calculates the billing amount and the refund amount based on the management table.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an overview of the management table. Referring to FIG. 7, in the management table, user information (user name, etc.), number of originals, number of copies, presence or absence of designation of color mode, billing amount, and settlement amount are associated with job numbers. Information such as the presence/absence, the number of output sheets, and the refund amount is described for each job.

Specifically, control unit 100 (specifically, CPU 311) assigns a job number when a job is generated. Control unit 100 registers the job number in the management table. If the user can be identified by user authentication or the like, the control unit 100 records the user's information in the management table. In addition, the control unit 100 records information (number of originals, number of prints, color mode, etc.) required for billing amount in the management table. In this example, if the unit price for outputting one sheet is 20 yen for a color copy and 10 yen for a monochrome copy, the billing amount is "number of originals*number of copies*unit price". When the charge has been collected, the control unit 100 records information on the charge completed in the management table. When printing is started, the control unit 100 records the number of output sheets in the management table each time the sheets are output. In this example, the refund amount is calculated by "charging amount - (number of prints x unit price)". The control unit 100 may calculate the refund amount for each paper output, or may calculate the refund amount when the refund process is actually performed.

It should be noted that the charge amount and the refund amount may not simply be "unit price x number of printed sheets", but may take the form of a discount service by adding a predetermined amount.

<E. UI>
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a user interface displayed on the operation panel 34. As shown in FIG.

Referring to FIG. 8, the display control unit 151 causes the display unit 342 to display the refund amount (the difference) and that the refund process for the difference has been completed. Specifically, the display control unit 151 causes the display unit 342 to display an image 3421 indicating that the difference has been refunded and the difference.

According to such a display, as described above, the user can know on the spot that the refund has been processed and the refunded amount (difference).

Processing in image forming apparatus 1 is implemented by each piece of hardware and software executed by CPU 311 . Such software may be pre-stored in fixed storage device 32 (eg, HDD). Software may also be stored in other storage media and distributed as program products. Alternatively, the software may be provided as a downloadable program product by a so-called Internet-connected information provider. Such software is temporarily stored in fixed storage device 32 after being read from the storage medium by a reading device or downloaded via network IF 36 or the like. The software is read from fixed storage device 32 by CPU 311 and stored in RAM 314 in the form of an executable program. CPU 311 executes the program.

Each component constituting the image forming apparatus 1 shown in the figure is a general one. Therefore, it can be said that the essential part of the present invention is software stored in RAM 314, fixed storage device 32 (HDD) or flash memory, storage media, or software downloadable via a network. Since the operation of each hardware of image forming apparatus 1 is well known, detailed description thereof will not be repeated.

In addition, the recording medium is not limited to DVD-RAM, DVD-ROM, CD-ROM, FD, hard disk, magnetic tape, cassette tape, optical disk, EEPROM, semiconductor memory such as flash ROM, etc. Holds the program fixedly. It may be a medium that Also, the recording medium is a non-transitory medium in which the program or the like can be read by the computer. The program here includes not only a program that can be directly executed by the CPU, but also a program in source program format, a compressed program, an encrypted program, and the like.

It should be considered that the embodiments disclosed this time are illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the scope of the claims rather than the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the scope of the claims.

1 image forming apparatus, 2 terminal device, 3 server, 8 base station, 9 relay station, 10 main unit, 11 image forming unit, 12 scanner unit, 14 paper feeding unit, 17 communication interface unit, 20 post-processing device, 30 bus , 31 controller, 32 fixed storage device, 34 operation panel, 36 network IF, 38 storage unit, 39 power switch, 100 control unit, 110 accounting control unit, 111 calculation unit, 112 payment processing request unit, 113 refund processing request unit, 120 job control unit 130 device state control unit 140 job data processing unit 141 deletion unit 142 invalidation unit 143 writing unit 150 notification unit 151 display control unit 341 operation unit 342 display unit 901, 902 network, 1000 network system.

Claims (15)

An image forming apparatus,
calculating means for calculating a billing amount for said job before starting the job;
payment processing request means for requesting payment processing of the billing amount from an external server that performs payment processing;
job control means for causing the image forming apparatus to execute the job on condition that the payment processing for the billing amount is completed;
When the image forming apparatus accepts an operation to turn off the power switch of the image forming apparatus while the execution of the job is suspended, the difference between the billing amount and the billing amount for the executed job among the jobs. a refund processing request means for requesting the external server to refund the
and an apparatus state control unit that executes shutdown processing for shutting down the image forming apparatus after the refund of the difference is requested to the external server. a memory for storing data of the job;
2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising deleting means for deleting said job data from said memory before said shutdown processing is executed. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said apparatus state control means shuts down said image forming apparatus on condition that a response notification indicating that said difference has been refunded has been received from said external server. Device. 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising notifying means for notifying that said difference has been refunded. 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said notification means notifies an administrator of said image forming apparatus by e-mail that the difference has been refunded. Equipped with an operation panel,
5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said notifying means causes said operation panel to display that the difference has been refunded. The apparatus state control means shuts down the image forming apparatus on condition that the operation panel accepts the operation of the confirmation button after the operation panel displays that the difference has been refunded. 7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein The refund processing request means, if there is another job for which settlement processing of the billing amount has been performed after the interrupted job, refunds the billing amount paid for the other job. 8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further requesting an external server. a memory for storing data of the job;
2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising deleting means for deleting said job data from said memory when an operation of turning on said power switch is received after said shutdown process is executed. further comprising invalidation means for invalidating the data of the job when the image forming apparatus receives an operation to turn off the power switch;
10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said deleting means deletes the invalidated job data from said memory after said power switch is turned on. an operation panel;
non-volatile memory;
displaying, when the image forming apparatus receives an operation of turning off a power switch and receiving an operation of turning on the power switch, a display that prompts a user to select whether to continue execution of the interrupted job; display control means for causing the operation panel to perform;
writing means for writing data of the job to the nonvolatile memory when a selection to continue execution of the interrupted job is made;
2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said refund processing requesting means does not request said external server to refund said difference when a selection to continue execution of said interrupted job is made. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein no new job is accepted while the shutdown process is being executed. An information processing system comprising an image forming device and a server that performs payment processing,
The image forming apparatus is
calculating a billing amount for said job before starting the job;
requesting the server to process payment for the billing amount;
The server is
Execute settlement processing for the billing amount based on the request;
notifying the image forming apparatus that the payment process has been completed;
The image forming apparatus is
Execute the job on the condition that the payment process for the billing amount is completed,
When an operation to turn off the power switch of the image forming apparatus is accepted while the execution of the job is suspended, the difference between the charged amount paid and the charged amount for the executed job is refunded to the server. demand against
An information processing system that executes shutdown processing for shutting down the image forming apparatus after requesting the server to refund the difference. an image forming device calculating a billing amount for the job before starting the job;
a step in which the image forming apparatus requests payment processing of the billing amount to an external server that performs payment processing;
a step of causing the image forming apparatus to execute the job on condition that the image forming apparatus has completed payment processing for the billing amount;
When the image forming apparatus receives an operation to turn off the power switch of the image forming apparatus while the execution of the job is suspended, the billing amount and the executed job among the jobs requesting the external server to refund the difference between the amount charged for
An information processing method, comprising: executing a shutdown process for shutting down the image forming apparatus after the image forming apparatus requests the external server to refund the difference. calculating a billing amount for said job prior to initiating said job;
a step of requesting an external server that performs payment processing to process the payment of the billing amount;
a step of executing the job on condition that the billing amount has been settled;
When the image forming apparatus receives an operation to turn off the power switch while the execution of the job is interrupted, the difference between the charged amount and the charged amount for the executed job among the jobs is refunded to the external unit. making a request to the server; and
and executing a shutdown process for shutting down the image forming apparatus after the refund of the difference is requested to the external server.

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