JP7480518B2 - Information processing device and information processing method - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to an information processing device, an information processing system, and an information processing method.

As shown in Patent Document 1, a technique is known for performing billing processing for a print job using billing information associated with the print job. Patent Document 1 describes setting a discounted fee, such as a fraction of the normal fee for one page, for any portion exceeding a certain number of pages per form.

JP 2000-259386 A

In a service that periodically supplies and charges for consumables such as ink cartridges for printing devices, it is conceivable to set a discounted fee for each user for any portion exceeding a certain number of pages, as in conventional technology. In this case, although the discounted fee is set according to each user's usage, the usage of other users is not reflected in the discounted fee, which may result in cases where users are not encouraged to purchase consumables.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, an information processing device is provided for providing a service of periodically supplying consumables for a printing device and charging for the supply. The information processing device includes a storage unit that stores charge calculation information, which is information used to calculate a charge amount, and a charge processing unit that charges a user the charge amount calculated using the charge calculation information, and the charge calculation information includes contract period information indicating a contract period for the service, basic charge information indicating a basic charge corresponding to a target purchase quantity of the consumables to be purchased during the contract period, cumulative quantity information indicating a cumulative quantity of the consumables purchased by a group to which a specific user who receives the service belongs or by all users who receive the service, and discount information regarding a discounted fee corresponding to an excess quantity of the consumables exceeding the target purchase quantity when the cumulative quantity reaches a predetermined quantity, a stage-up quantity.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, an information processing method is provided for providing a service of periodically supplying consumables for a printing device and charging for the same. This information processing method includes a step of preparing charge calculation information, which is information used to calculate a charge amount, and a step of charging the user the charge amount calculated using the charge calculation information, and the charge calculation information includes contract period information indicating a contract period for the service, basic fee information indicating a basic fee corresponding to a target purchase quantity of the consumables to be purchased during the contract period, cumulative quantity information indicating a cumulative quantity of the consumables purchased by a group to which a specific user who receives the service belongs or by all users who receive the service, and discount information regarding a discount fee corresponding to an excess quantity of the consumables exceeding the target purchase quantity when the cumulative quantity reaches a predetermined quantity, a stage-up quantity.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an information processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 2 is an internal block diagram of the information processing device. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining charge calculation information. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a notification screen displaying a discount application notification. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a screen for making a pre-application. FIG.

A. Embodiments:
1 is a diagram showing an information processing system 200 according to the present embodiment. The information processing system 200 includes a group 100 to which a plurality of specific users belong, a supply source 80, and an information processing device 90. The information processing system 200 is a system for providing a service of periodically supplying consumables 20 for a printing device 50 to users and charging them for the supply.

The group 100 comprises a plurality of printing systems 10. When the plurality of printing systems 10 are used to distinguish one from another, the suffix "Xn" is added, with "n" being an integer equal to or greater than 1. The printing system 10 comprises a printing device 50 and a personal computer 9 as a control device in which a program for controlling the printing device 50 is stored. The printing device 50 is, for example, an inkjet printer that ejects ink from a head to form an image on a print medium. The printing device 50 comprises an ink cartridge 20 as a consumable item. The ink cartridge 20 is removably attached to the printing device 50 and supplies ink to the head. When the ink in the ink cartridge 20 is consumed and runs out, it is replaced with a new ink cartridge 20.

Group 100 includes specific users who receive a service in which consumables 20 for printing device 50 are periodically supplied and charged. A specific user refers to a user who meets specific conditions among users who receive the service, such as users who live in a specific location such as Tokyo or the Kanto region, users of a specific age, or users for each service course described below. Group 100 may also be made up of all users who receive the service regardless of the type of course, without applying specific conditions. In this embodiment, all users who receive the service are treated as a group.

The supplier 80 delivers the consumables 20 to the user in accordance with the content of the service or upon receiving an order from the user. The supplier 80 may also manufacture the consumables 20.

The information processing device 90 is a server that provides a service of periodically supplying consumables 20 and charging for them. The group 100, the supplier 80, and the information processing device 90 can send and receive information to and from each other via the Internet INT.

FIG. 2 shows an application screen 91 for applying for a service of regular supply of consumables 20. The application screen 91 is displayed on the monitor of the personal computer 9, for example, when a user specifies a URL using the personal computer 9. The URL is managed, for example, by the information processing device 90.

The application screen 91 includes an explanatory image IM1, a service selection image IM2, a note image IM3, a first input image IM4, a second input image IM5, and an application image IM6. The explanatory image IM1 is an image for explaining the application screen 91.

The service selection image IM2 is an image for explaining courses A to D, which are the contents of multiple services. The service selection image IM2 displays four types of services, courses A to D, that are provided in relation to regular supply and can be selected from these. The service selection image IM2 displays a selection box and the contents of each of courses A to D. The selection box displays a square image to the left of the contents of each of courses A to D, and courses A to D can be selected alternatively by selecting the square image.

The contents of each of Courses A to D include the contract period, annual basic fee, first annual purchase quantity, first fee, second annual purchase quantity, second fee, stage-up conditions, and third fee. The contract period is the contract period for the service. The annual basic fee is the basic fee for one year when the service is provided.

The first annual purchase quantity is the maximum quantity of consumables 20 that can be purchased within the annual basic fee. The first annual purchase quantity can also be considered the target purchase quantity for one year. For example, in the top course A service, the annual basic fee is 2,000 yen and up to four consumables 20 can be purchased. The first fee is the annual basic fee divided by the maximum quantity in the first annual purchase quantity, that is, the fee per consumable 20. It is preferable that the first fee is set lower than the purchase fee for consumables 20 when no subscription contract is made. This can encourage users to enter into a subscription contract.

The second annual purchase quantity indicates the quantity of consumables 20 that must be purchased at a separate fee in addition to the annual basic fee. For example, in course A, the second fee, which is an additional fee, is charged from the fifth consumable 20 purchased in a year.

The second fee indicates the fee for each quantity of consumables 20 that exceeds the first annual purchase quantity. In this embodiment, for each of courses A to D, the second fee is set to 10% higher than the first fee. It is preferable that the second fee is set higher than the purchase fee for the consumables 20 in the absence of a subscription contract. This can prevent users from unnecessarily purchasing consumables 20 and holding inventory.

The condition for moving up to the next stage indicates the cumulative sales quantity of the consumables 20 for which the third fee, which is a discounted fee described below, is applied. The condition for moving up to the next stage may be, for example, the cumulative quantity of consumables 20 of the same model number or the same product code sold. The cumulative quantity is the cumulative quantity of all users receiving the service in a predetermined period, for example, one year. For example, in course A, if the cumulative quantity of consumables purchased by a group to which a specific user receiving the service belongs reaches 400 million units in one year, and the user exceeds the first annual purchase quantity, which is the target purchase quantity, the third fee, which is a discounted fee, is applied. Note that the condition for moving up to the next stage may be for the group to which a specific user belongs, instead of the entire group.

The third fee is the fee for the consumables 20 corresponding to the excess quantity of the consumables 20 that exceeds the first annual purchase quantity when the stage-up conditions are met. The third fee is a fee lower than the first fee. In this embodiment, the third fee is a 20% discount off the first fee.

The note image IM3 describes the content of the service described in the service selection image IM2. Note that part of the description is omitted in FIG. 2.

The first input image IM4 is an image for selecting the payment method for the user receiving the service. The second input image IM5 is an image for inputting the contact information of the user receiving the service, which in this embodiment is an email address. The application image IM6 is an image for the user to apply for the course A to D that they desire. When the application image IM6 is pressed with the cursor, the information entered on the application screen 91 is sent to the information processing device 90 via the Internet INT.

Figure 3 is an internal block diagram of the information processing device 90. The information processing device 90 provides a service of periodically supplying consumables 20 for the printing device 50 and charging for the same. The information processing device 90 includes a control unit 92, a storage unit 97, and a communication unit 99.

The memory unit 97 is composed of RAM and ROM. In addition to various programs for controlling the information processing device 90, the memory unit 97 stores billing calculation information 98. The billing calculation information 98 is information used to calculate the amount to be charged to a user who has applied for the provision of a service.

The control unit 92 functions as a billing processing unit 94 and a notification processing unit 95 by executing various programs pre-stored in the storage unit 97. The billing processing unit 94 uses billing calculation information 98 to calculate the billing amount for a user who has applied to receive the service. The billing processing unit 94 also bills the user for the calculated billing amount. The billing processing unit 94 also updates the billing calculation information 98. Details of the billing calculation information 98 and the billing processing unit 94 will be described later.

When a predetermined condition is met, the notification processing unit 95 notifies the user eligible for the discounted rate of a discount application notification that the discounted rate can be applied via the communication unit 99. Specifically, the notification processing unit 95 sends the discount application notification to the email address entered on the application screen 91. The predetermined condition is a second case in which the user's purchase quantity of consumables 20 reaches the target purchase quantity during a predetermined period during the contract period, for example, within one year from the contract date, and the cumulative quantity, which is the purchase quantity of consumables 20 of the group to which the user belongs, reaches the stage-up quantity. The details of the process executed by the notification processing unit 95 will be described later. The communication unit 99 transmits and receives data to and from the outside, for example, the personal computer 9 or the supplier 80, via wired or wireless communication.

Figure 4 is a diagram for explaining the charge calculation information 98. The charge calculation information 98 has a user ID and individual contents associated with the user ID. The individual contents have service course information, contract period information, basic fee information, contract start date information, target purchase quantity information, actual purchase quantity information, surcharge information, stage-up quantity information, cumulative quantity information, and discount information.

The user ID is information for identifying a user. When the billing processing unit 94 accepts an application for a service via the application screen 91, it generates a user ID for identifying the user who applied, associates it with the individual content, and stores it in the memory unit 97.

The contract period information of the charge calculation information 98 corresponds to the contract years on the application screen 91 and indicates the contract period of the service. The basic fee information of the charge calculation information 98 corresponds to the annual basic fee on the application screen 91 and indicates the basic fee corresponding to the target purchase quantity of consumables 20 to be purchased during the contract period. The target purchase quantity information, as described above, indicates the maximum quantity of consumables 20 that can be purchased within the basic fee. The contract start date information indicates the date on which the user applies for the provision of the service via the application screen 91 and the contract is concluded. For example, the contract start date may be the date on which application is made via the application screen 91, or a predetermined number of days after the date on which application is made.

The target purchase quantity information in the billing calculation information 98 corresponds to the first annual purchase quantity on the application screen 91, and indicates the maximum number of consumables 20 that can be purchased within the basic fee. The actual purchase quantity information in the billing calculation information 98 indicates the actual purchase quantity of consumables 20 for each user who has applied for the service. The actual purchase quantity information is reset and counted, for example, every year from the contract start date.

The premium information of the charge calculation information 98 corresponds to the second fee of the application screen 91, and represents the fee per unit of the consumables 20 applied in the third case described below. The premium information is information on the premium corresponding to the purchase of the consumables 20 exceeding the target purchase quantity of the consumables 20. The third case is a case where the purchase quantity reaches the target purchase quantity during the contract period of the user, for example, during a period of one year from the contract date, and the cumulative quantity of the consumables 20 purchased by all users receiving the service does not reach the stage-up quantity. In another embodiment, the third case may be a case where the purchase quantity reaches the target purchase quantity during the contract period of the user, for example, during a period of one year from the contract date, and the cumulative quantity of the consumables 20 purchased by a group to which a specific user receiving the service belongs does not reach the stage-up quantity. The specific user may be a user of each course A to D, a user living in a specific place regardless of the course A to D, or a user who satisfies multiple conditions. The surcharge information does not have to represent the surcharge, but may be represented by first fee information representing the basic fee of the consumable 20 and a surcharge rate for the first fee.

The stage-up quantity information in the charge calculation information 98 corresponds to the stage-up conditions in the application screen 91. The cumulative quantity information in the charge calculation information 98 represents the cumulative quantity of consumables 20 purchased by all users receiving the services of courses A to D. Note that in other embodiments, the cumulative quantity information in the charge calculation information 98 may represent the cumulative quantity of consumables 20 purchased by a group to which a specific user receiving the service belongs. A specific user may be a user of each of courses A to D, a user living in a specific location regardless of courses A to D, or a user who satisfies multiple conditions.

The discount information in the charge calculation information 98 corresponds to the third fee on the application screen 91, and is information on the discount fee corresponding to the excess quantity of the consumables 20 that exceeds the target purchase quantity when the cumulative quantity reaches the stage-up quantity, which is a predetermined quantity. In this embodiment, the discount information represents the fee per unit of the consumables 20. Note that in other embodiments, the discount information does not need to represent the discount fee, and may be represented by first fee information representing the basic fee of the consumables 20 and a discount rate for the first fee.

The billing processing unit 94 shown in FIG. 3 acquires sales performance information including the sales quantity and purchase destination of the consumables 20 from the supplier 80 via the Internet INT at a predetermined timing, for example, at the end of each month. The billing processing unit 94 also acquires the service application information entered by the user on the application screen 91 via the Internet. The billing processing unit 94 updates the billing calculation information 98 using the acquired sales performance information and service application information.

The billing processing unit 94 also bills the user using the billing calculation information 98. Specifically, the billing processing unit 94 applies the basic fee to bill in the first case in which the user's purchase quantity of consumables 20 is less than the target purchase quantity during the contract period of the user, for example, during a one-year period from the contract date. The basic fee is charged at a predetermined timing, for example, on the contract start date or every year from the contract start date until the contract expires. For example, if the basic fee is charged on the contract start date, no charging will be performed within one year from the contract start date if the purchase quantity has not reached the target purchase quantity. The billing processing unit 94 may charge the user the basic fee in multiple installments.

For example, in the second case where the purchase quantity reaches the target purchase quantity during the contract period of the user, for example, during a one-year period from the contract date, and the cumulative quantity reaches the stage-up quantity, the billing processing unit 94 applies a discounted rate to the excess quantity and charges the user. For example, a user with a user ID of "100003" falls under the second case, so when the user newly purchases consumables 20, the billing processing unit 94 calculates the billing amount by multiplying the number of purchases by the discounted rate in the discount information, and charges the user. Note that in this embodiment, a prior application is required to receive the discounted rate. When this prior application has been made, the billing processing unit 94 applies the discounted rate. The details of the prior application will be described later.

In addition, in the third case described above, the billing processing unit 94 applies a surcharge to the excess quantity of consumables 20 and bills the user. For example, since a user with a user ID of "100004" falls under the third case, when purchasing new consumables 20, the billing processing unit 94 calculates the billing amount by multiplying the purchased quantity by the surcharge in the surcharge information and bills the user. This can prevent users from purchasing consumables 20 unnecessarily, thereby reducing the possibility of the user having an excess inventory of consumables 20.

Figure 5 shows a notification screen 110 that displays a discount application guide informing the user that a discount rate can be applied. The notification processing unit 95 notifies the user with the notification screen 110 when the cumulative quantity reaches the stage-up quantity for each user. For example, the notification processing unit 95 sends the notification screen 110 to a registered email address. The notification screen 110 includes the address of a website for making a prior application to receive the discount rate, and a dedicated ID required for the prior application.

6 is a diagram showing a screen 112 for making a pre-application. The screen 112 is displayed by accessing the address of the website shown in FIG. 5. The screen 112 includes items for inputting a user ID and a dedicated ID. The user ID is the same as the user ID shown in FIG. 4, and when the user applies for the service, the notification processing unit 95 sends it to the email address entered when applying for the service. The user inputs the user ID and the dedicated ID on the screen 112 and presses the application button with the cursor or the like, so that the information of the pre-application is sent to the information processing device 90. When the control unit 92 of the information processing device 90 receives the pre-application, it associates the application completion information indicating that the pre-application has been made with the user ID and stores it in the charge calculation information 98. When the purchase quantity during the contract period reaches the target purchase quantity and the cumulative quantity reaches the stage-up quantity in the second case, the charge processing unit 94 applies the discounted fee and charges when the application completion information is associated with the user ID. As described above, the notification processing unit 95 notifies the user of the address of the dedicated website for receiving the discounted fee and the dedicated ID, which is dedicated identification information for inputting on the dedicated website. This allows users to choose whether or not they want to receive discounted rates.

As described above, the notification processing unit 95 notifies the user that the second case has occurred and a discounted price can be applied, so that the user can know that he or she has acquired the right to purchase the consumables 20 at a discounted price. This can further encourage each user to purchase the consumables 20.

Figure 7 shows the status check screen 114. The status check screen 114 is displayed on the monitor of the personal computer 9 or mobile terminal by accessing the address of a web page prepared in advance. When the user applies for a service via the application screen 91, the address of the web page for the status check screen 114 is sent by the notification processing unit 95 to the email address entered on the application screen 91.

The status confirmation screen 114 includes an image that shows a schematic representation of the stage-up quantity and the current cumulative quantity of the service to which the user is applied. The user can easily check the cumulative quantity and the stage-up quantity on the status confirmation screen 114. This makes it possible to encourage the user to purchase consumables 20, for example. Specifically, for example, when the cumulative quantity is approaching the stage-up quantity, all users, or users belonging to a group, will try to purchase consumables 20 so that the cumulative quantity reaches the stage-up quantity in order to receive the discounted rate.

According to the above embodiment, a discounted rate can be applied when the cumulative number of consumables 20 purchased by the group to which the user belongs or by all users reaches the stage-up number, which can encourage users in the group or all users to purchase consumables 20.

Furthermore, according to the above embodiment, in the second case where the purchase quantity of the consumables 20 reaches the target purchase quantity and the cumulative quantity reaches the stage-up quantity, the billing processing unit 94 applies a discounted fee to the excess quantity and charges. In this way, by making the fact that the purchase quantity of the user has reached the target purchase quantity one of the conditions for applying the discounted fee, it is possible to encourage each user to purchase consumables 20.

B. Other embodiments:
B-1. Other embodiment 1:
In the above embodiment, the control unit 92 of the information processing device 90 shown in FIG. 3 calculates the charge amount using the charge calculation information 98, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the charge amount may be calculated by a person instead of the information processing device 90. In this case, the person displays the charge calculation information 98 stored in the storage unit 97 on a display device and calculates the charge amount using the displayed charge calculation information 98. The calculated charge amount is associated with the user ID and input to the information processing device 90. The charge processing unit 94 charges the input charge amount to the user. Although the charge calculation information 98 is stored in the storage unit 97, it may be written on a medium such as paper. Although the information processing device 90 is a single device, it may be configured by combining multiple devices. For example, it may be configured by a first device including the charge processing unit 94 and the notification processing unit 95, and a second device including a device including a storage unit that stores the charge calculation information 98. The first device and the second device are configured to be able to communicate data by wire or wirelessly.

B-2. Other embodiment 2:
In the above embodiment, the consumables 20 were ink cartridges, but are not limited to this as long as they are consumables for the printing device 50. For example, if the printing device 50 is equipped with an ink tank that can be refilled with ink instead of an ink cartridge, an ink bottle that supplies ink to the ink tank may be treated as the consumables 20. When the ink in the ink tank is low or has run out, the user purchases an ink bottle and injects ink into the ink tank. The consumables 20 may also be the ink itself. In other words, the supplier 80 sells ink by weight. When the ink in the ink tank is low or has run out, the user purchases the desired amount of ink from the supplier 80.

C. Other Forms:
The present disclosure is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and can be realized in various forms without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. For example, the present disclosure can be realized in the following forms. The technical features in the above-mentioned embodiments corresponding to the technical features in each form described below can be appropriately replaced or combined in order to solve some or all of the problems of the present disclosure, or to achieve some or all of the effects of the present disclosure. Furthermore, if the technical feature is not described as essential in this specification, it can be appropriately deleted.

(1) According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an information processing device for providing a service of periodically supplying consumables for a printing device and charging for the supply, the information processing device includes a storage unit that stores charge calculation information, which is information used to calculate a charge amount, and a charge processing unit that charges a user the charge amount calculated using the charge calculation information, the charge calculation information including contract period information indicating a contract period of the service, basic charge information indicating a basic charge corresponding to a target purchase quantity of the consumables to be purchased during the contract period, cumulative quantity information indicating a cumulative quantity of the consumables purchased by a group to which a specific user who receives the service belongs or by all the users who receive the service, and discount information regarding a discount fee corresponding to an excess quantity of the consumables exceeding the target purchase quantity when the cumulative quantity reaches a predetermined quantity, that is, a stage-up quantity.
According to this embodiment, a discounted rate can be applied when the cumulative number of consumables purchased by the group to which the user belongs, or by all users, reaches the stage-up number, thereby encouraging the purchase of consumables by users belonging to the group or all users.

(2) In the above embodiment, the billing processing unit may apply the basic fee to charge in a first case in which the user's purchase quantity during the contract period is less than the target purchase quantity, and may apply the discounted fee to the excess quantity to charge in a second case in which the user's purchase quantity during the contract period reaches the target purchase quantity and the cumulative quantity reaches the stage-up quantity.
According to this embodiment, by making the user's purchase quantity reaching a target purchase quantity one of the conditions for applying the discount rate, it is possible to encourage each user to purchase consumables.

(3) In the above aspect, a notification processing unit may further be provided that notifies the user that the second case has occurred and that the discount rate can be applied.
According to this embodiment, by notifying the user that a discount rate is available, it is possible to further encourage each user to purchase consumables.

(4) In the above embodiment, the notification processing unit may notify the user of the address of a dedicated website for receiving the discount rate and dedicated identification information to be entered on the dedicated website.
According to this embodiment, the user can select whether or not to receive the discounted rate.

(5) In the above embodiment, the charge calculation information further includes surcharge information regarding a surcharge corresponding to a purchase of the consumable in excess of the target purchase quantity, and the charge processing unit may apply the surcharge to the excess quantity and charge in a third case where the user's purchase quantity during the contract period reaches the target purchase quantity but the cumulative quantity has not reached the stage-up quantity.
According to this embodiment, the user can be prevented from purchasing consumables unnecessarily, and the possibility of the user having an excess inventory of consumables can be reduced.

(6) According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an information processing method for providing a service of periodically supplying consumables for a printing device and charging for the supply, the information processing method includes a step of preparing charge calculation information, which is information used to calculate a charge amount, and a step of charging the user the charge amount calculated using the charge calculation information, the charge calculation information including contract period information indicating a contract period of the service, basic fee information indicating a basic fee corresponding to a target purchase quantity of the consumables to be purchased during the contract period, cumulative quantity information indicating a cumulative quantity of the consumables purchased by a group to which a specific user who receives the service belongs or by all the users who receive the service, and discount information on a discount fee corresponding to an excess quantity of the consumables exceeding the target purchase quantity when the cumulative quantity reaches a predetermined quantity, that is, a stage-up quantity.
According to this embodiment, the discounted price is calculated according to the cumulative number of consumables purchased by the group to which the user belongs, or by all users, thereby encouraging purchases of consumables by users belonging to the group, or by all users.

The present disclosure can be realized in various forms other than an information processing device and an information processing method. For example, it can be realized in the form of an information processing system, a computer program that realizes an information processing method, a non-transitory recording medium on which the computer program is recorded, etc.

Not all of the multiple components of each of the above-mentioned embodiments of the present disclosure are essential, and in order to solve some or all of the above-mentioned problems or to achieve some or all of the effects described in this specification, it is possible to modify, delete, or replace some of the multiple components with new components, or to delete some of the limitations, as appropriate. In addition, in order to solve some or all of the above-mentioned problems or to achieve some or all of the effects described in this specification, it is also possible to combine some or all of the technical features included in one embodiment of the present disclosure described above with some or all of the technical features included in the other embodiment of the present disclosure described above to form an independent embodiment of the present disclosure.

9...personal computer, 10...printing system, 20...consumables, 50...printing device, 80...supplier, 90...information processing device, 91...application screen, 92...control unit, 94...charging processing unit, 95...notification processing unit, 97...storage unit, 98...charging calculation information, 99...communication unit, 100...group, 110...notification screen, 112...screen, 114...status confirmation screen, 200...information processing system, IM1...explanation image, IM2...service selection image, IM3...note image, IM4...first input image, IM5...second input image, IM6...application image, INT...internet

Claims (6)

An information processing device for providing a service of periodically supplying consumables for a printing device and charging for the same,
A storage unit that stores billing calculation information that is information used to calculate a billing amount;
a billing processing unit that bills a user the billing amount calculated using the billing calculation information,
The charge calculation information is
Contract period information indicating a contract period for the service;
Basic fee information indicating a basic fee corresponding to a target purchase quantity of the consumables to be purchased during the contract period;
cumulative quantity information indicating a cumulative quantity of the consumables purchased by a group to which the specific user who receives the service belongs, or by all the users who receive the service;
discount information on a discount rate corresponding to an excess quantity of the consumables exceeding the target purchase quantity when the cumulative quantity reaches a predetermined stage-up quantity ,
the billing processing unit applies the discount rate to the excess quantity and bills the user in a second case where the purchase quantity of the user during the contract period reaches the target purchase quantity and the accumulated quantity reaches the stage-up quantity;
, information processing device. 2. The information processing device according to claim 1,
The billing processing unit:
The information processing device applies the basic fee to bill in a first case in which the purchase quantity of the user during the contract period is less than the target purchase quantity. 3. The information processing device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an information processing device comprising: a notification processing unit that notifies the user that the second case has occurred and that the discount rate can be applied. 4. The information processing device according to claim 3,
The notification processing unit notifies the user of the address of a dedicated website for receiving the discount rate and dedicated identification information to be entered on the dedicated website. The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The billing calculation information further includes premium information regarding a premium fee corresponding to a purchase of the consumables exceeding the target purchase quantity,
The billing processing unit applies the surcharge to the excess quantity and charges the user in a third case where the user's purchase quantity during the contract period reaches the target purchase quantity and the cumulative quantity has not reached the stage-up quantity. 1. An information processing method for providing a service of periodically supplying consumables for a printing device and charging for the same, comprising:
A step of storing, in a storage unit , charge calculation information used by the computer to calculate a charge amount;
and a step of charging the user the charge amount calculated by the computer using the charge calculation information,
The charge calculation information is
Contract period information indicating a contract period for the service;
Basic fee information indicating a basic fee corresponding to a target purchase quantity of the consumables to be purchased during the contract period;
cumulative quantity information indicating a cumulative quantity of the consumables purchased by a group to which the specific user who receives the service belongs, or by all the users who receive the service;
discount information on a discount rate corresponding to an excess quantity of the consumables exceeding the target purchase quantity when the cumulative quantity reaches a predetermined stage-up quantity ,
The information processing method includes a step of charging the user when the user's purchase quantity during the contract period reaches the target purchase quantity and in a second case when the cumulative quantity reaches the stage-up quantity, charging the user by applying the discounted rate to the excess quantity.

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