Information management device for printing apparatus and information management method
AssigneeSeiko Epson Corporation
InventorHironori Matsugi
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The technique of the present invention reads job management data including an ID allocated to a printing apparatus receiving each print job and an ID allocated to a printing apparatus executing the print job from each of printing apparatuses 50a and 50b at regular intervals. The technique calculates profit distributions, cost distributions, and charge distributions at preset division rates to the printing apparatus receiving each print job and the printing apparatus executing the print job, based on the job management data. The technique then notifies each printing apparatus or each administrator of printing apparatuses of the calculated profit distributions, cost distributions, and charging distributions.
Claims26
An information management device for a printing apparatus, said information management device receiving expendable consumption information regarding an expendable consumed by multiple printing apparatuses to manage a consumption status of the expendable in the multiple printing apparatuses, the multiple printing apparatuses being located at different places and being capable of receiving a print job and of transferring the received print job via a communication line for execution,
- said information management device comprising:
- a job information storage module that receives and stores job reception information regarding reception of print jobs by the multiple printing apparatuses, job execution information regarding execution of print jobs by the multiple printing apparatuses, and job details information regarding details of the print jobs received by the multiple printing apparatuses;
- a profit distribution calculation module that calculates a reception-side profit distribution as a division of a profit produced by execution of each print job to an administrator of a printing apparatus receiving the print job and an execution-side profit distribution as a division of the profit to an administrator of a printing apparatus executing the print job at a preset profit ratio, based on the job reception information, the job execution information, and the job details information;
- and
- a profit distribution notification module that notifies each corresponding printing apparatus of the calculated reception-side profit distribution and the calculated execution-side profit distribution.
An information management device for a printing apparatus, said information management device receiving expendable consumption information regarding an expendable consumed by multiple printing apparatuses to manage charging to the multiple printing apparatuses, the multiple printing apparatuses being located at different places and being capable of receiving a print job and of transferring the received print job via a communication line for execution,
- said information management device comprising:
- a job information storage module that receives and stores job reception information regarding reception of print jobs by the multiple printing apparatuses, job execution information regarding execution of print jobs by the multiple printing apparatuses, and job details information regarding details of the print jobs received by the multiple printing apparatuses;
- a charging calculation module that calculates a reception-side charge as charging to an administrator of a printing apparatus receiving each print job and an execution-side charge as charging to an administrator of a printing apparatus executing the print job at a preset charging rate, based on the job reception information, the job execution information, and the job details information;
- and
- a charging notification module that notifies each corresponding printing apparatus of the calculated reception-side charge and the calculated execution-side charge.
An information management method for a printing apparatus, said information management method receiving expendable consumption information regarding an expendable consumed by multiple printing apparatuses to manage a consumption status of the expendable in the multiple printing apparatuses, the multiple printing apparatuses being located at different places and being capable of receiving a print job and of transferring the received print job via a communication line for execution,
- said information management method comprising the steps of:
- (a) receiving job reception information regarding reception of print jobs by the multiple printing apparatuses, job execution information regarding execution of print jobs by the multiple printing apparatuses, and job details information regarding details of the print jobs received by the multiple printing apparatuses;
- (b) calculating a reception-side profit distribution as a division of a profit produced by execution of each print job to an administrator of a printing apparatus receiving the print job and an execution-side profit distribution as a division of the profit to an administrator of a printing apparatus executing the print job at a preset profit ratio, based on the received job reception information, the job execution information, and the job details information;
- and
- (c) notifying each corresponding printing apparatus of the calculated reception-side profit distribution and the calculated execution-side profit distribution.
An information management method for a printing apparatus, said information management method receiving expendable consumption information regarding an expendable consumed by multiple printing apparatuses to manage charging to the multiple printing apparatuses, the multiple printing apparatuses being located at different places and being capable of receiving a print job and of transferring the received print job via a communication line for execution,
- said information management method comprising the steps of:
- (a) receiving job reception information regarding reception of print jobs by the multiple printing apparatuses, job execution information regarding execution of print jobs by the multiple printing apparatuses, and job details information regarding details of the print jobs received by the multiple printing apparatuses;
- (b) calculating a reception-side charge as charging to an administrator of a printing apparatus receiving each print job and an execution-side charge as charging to an administrator of a printing apparatus executing the print job at a preset charging rate, based on the received job reception information, the job execution information, and the job details information;
- and
- (d) notifying each corresponding printing apparatus of the calculated reception-side charge and the calculated execution-side charge.
A storage medium in which a computer program is stored, said computer program causing a computer to receive expendable consumption information regarding an expendable consumed by multiple printing apparatuses and thereby to manage a consumption status of the expendable in the multiple printing apparatuses, the multiple printing apparatuses being located at different places and being capable of receiving a print job and of transferring the received print job via a communication line for execution,
- said computer program comprising:
- (a) a module that receives job reception information regarding reception of print jobs by the multiple printing apparatuses, job execution information regarding execution of print jobs by the multiple printing apparatuses, and job details information regarding details of the print jobs received by the multiple printing apparatuses;
- (b) a module that calculates a reception-side profit distribution as a division of a profit produced by execution of each print job to an administrator of a printing apparatus receiving the print job and an execution-side profit distribution as a division of the profit to an administrator of a printing apparatus executing the print job at a preset profit ratio, based on the job reception information, the job execution information, and the job details information;
- and
- (c) a module that notifies each corresponding printing apparatus of the calculated reception-side profit distribution and the calculated execution-side profit distribution.
A storage medium in which a computer program is stored, said computer program causing a computer to receive expendable consumption information regarding an expendable consumed by multiple printing apparatuses to manage charging to the multiple printing apparatuses, the multiple printing apparatuses being located at different places and being capable of receiving a print job and of transferring the received print job via a communication line for execution,
- said computer program comprising:
- (a) a module that receives job reception information regarding reception of print jobs by the multiple printing apparatuses, job execution information regarding execution of print jobs by the multiple printing apparatuses, and job details information regarding details of the print jobs received by the multiple printing apparatuses;
- (b) a module that calculates a reception-side charge as charging to an administrator of a printing apparatus receiving each print job and an execution-side charge as charging to an administrator of a printing apparatus executing the print job at a preset charging rate, based on the received job reception information, the job execution information, and the job details information;
- and
- (c) a module that notifies each corresponding printing apparatus of the calculated reception-side charge and the calculated execution-side charge.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.