# US 10,372,949 B2 · Control device and printing apparatus

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- Number: US 10,372,949 B2
- Document ID: US10372949B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/243,563
- Filed: 2016-08-22
- Published: 2017-09-28
- Granted: 2019-08-06
- Earliest claimed: 2016-03-24
- Assignees: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Satoshi Watanabe; Yusaku Kurihara; Tsubasa Kitai; Noriaki Tanaka
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10372949B2

## CPC

- G06F 21/84: output devices, e.g. displays or monitors
- G06F 21/608: {Secure printing}
- G06K 15/40: {Details not directly involved in printing, e.g. machine management, management of the arrangement as a whole or of its constitutive parts (computer driven print job management G06F3/1237)}
- G06K 15/4065: {Managing print media, e.g. determining available sheet sizes (feeding means G06K15/16)}
- G06K 15/407: {Managing marking material, e.g. checking available colours}
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- G06K: GRAPHICAL DATA READING (image or video recognition or understanding G06V); PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS

## Abstract

A control device includes a prohibition unit that prohibits use of an electronic apparatus in a case where a sum of a cumulative amount of use of the electronic apparatus for a predetermined period of time and a new amount of use which is newly instructed by an user exceeds a permitted amount in the period of time which is permitted for the user, and a permission unit that permits use of the electronic apparatus by an amount based on an unused amount which is a difference between the permitted amount and the cumulative amount of use in an unreaching period when the unreaching period is present before the period of time in an accounting period including the period of time, in a case where the use of the electronic apparatus is prohibited by the prohibition unit.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A control device comprising:
a processor configured to:
prohibit use of an electronic apparatus by a user in a case where, for a predetermined period of time included in an accounting period, a sum of a cumulative amount of use of the electronic apparatus by the user and a new amount of use of the electronic apparatus newly instructed by the user exceeds a permitted amount; and
in a case where the user's use of the electronic apparatus would be otherwise prohibited, nonetheless permit use of the electronic apparatus by an amount based on an unused amount from an unreaching period that is before the predetermined period of time but included in the accounting period, the unreaching period being a period for which the cumulative amount of use does not reach the permitted amount, and the unused amount being a difference between the permitted amount in the unreaching period and the cumulative amount in the unreaching period.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The control device according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:
give notice that the cumulative amount of use of the electronic apparatus for the predetermined period of time exceeds the permitted amount for the predetermined period of time in a case where the use of the electronic apparatus is permitted.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The control device according to claim 2, wherein:
a plurality of the unreaching periods from before the predetermined period of time are present in the accounting period, and
in the case where the user's use of the electronic apparatus would be otherwise prohibited, the processor permits the use of the electronic apparatus by an amount based on the unused amounts from all of the plurality of the unreaching periods.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The control device according to claim 3, wherein the processor permits the use of the electronic apparatus by an amount obtained by multiplying a coefficient less than 1 by the unused amounts.

### Claim 5 (depends on 2)

The control device according to claim 2, wherein:
a plurality of the unreaching periods from before the predetermined period of time are present in the accounting period, and
in the case where the user's use of the electronic apparatus would be otherwise prohibited, the processor permits the use of the electronic apparatus by an amount based on the unused amount from the unreaching period immediately before the predetermined period of time.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The control device according to claim 5, wherein the processor permits the use of the electronic apparatus by an amount obtained by multiplying a coefficient less than 1 by the unused amount.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The control device according to claim 1, wherein:
a plurality of the unreaching periods from before the predetermined period of time are present in the accounting period, and
in the case where the user's use of the electronic apparatus would be otherwise prohibited, the processor permits the use of the electronic apparatus by an amount based on the unused amounts from all of the plurality of the unreaching periods.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The control device according to claim 7, wherein the processor permits the use of the electronic apparatus by an amount obtained by multiplying a coefficient less than 1 by the unused amounts.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The control device according to claim 1, wherein:
a plurality of the unreaching periods from before the predetermined period of time are present in the accounting period, and
in the case where the user's use of the electronic apparatus would be otherwise prohibited, the processor permits the use of the electronic apparatus by an amount based on the unused amount from the unreaching period immediately before the predetermined period of time.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The control device according to claim 9, wherein the processor permits the use of the electronic apparatus by an amount obtained by multiplying a coefficient less than 1 by the unused amount.

### Claim 11

A control device comprising:
a processor configured to:
permit a user to use an electronic apparatus,
wherein, in a case where a sum of a cumulative amount of use of the electronic apparatus by the user for a predetermined period of time included in an accounting period and a new amount of use newly instructed by the user exceeds a permitted amount for the predetermined period of time, and in a case where an unreaching period for which the cumulative amount of use does not reach the permitted amount is present in the accounting period and before the predetermined period of time, the processor permits the user to use the electronic apparatus by an amount based on an unused amount, which is a difference between the permitted amount and the cumulative amount of use in the unreaching period.

### Claim 12

A printing apparatus comprising:
a processor configured to:
prohibit printing performed by a user in a case where, for a predetermined period of time included in an accounting period, a sum of a cumulative number of printed sheets of the user and a new number of sheets to print newly instructed by the user exceeds a permitted number of sheets permitted for the user; and
in a case where the user's printing would be otherwise prohibited, nonetheless permit the user to perform printing based on a number of unused sheets from an unreaching period that is before the predetermined period of time but included in the accounting period, the unreaching period being a period for which the cumulative number of printed sheets does not reach the permitted number of sheets, and the number of unused sheets being a difference between the permitted number of sheets in the unreaching period and the cumulative number of printed sheets in the unreaching period.

### Claim 13

A printing apparatus comprising:
a processor configured to:
permit a user to perform printing;
wherein, in a case where a sum of a cumulative number of printed sheets of the user for a predetermined period of time included in an accounting period and a new number of sheets to print newly instructed by the user exceeds a permitted number of sheets for the predetermined period of time which is permitted for the user, and in a case where an unreaching period for which the cumulative number of printed sheets does not reach the permitted number of sheets is present in the accounting period and before the predetermined period of time, the processor permits the user to perform printing based on a number of unused sheets, which is a difference between the permitted number of sheets and the cumulative number of printed sheets in the unreaching period.