Budget control for printing and copying
AssigneeCanon Europa N.V.
InventorChris TICKLER
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A printing and copying system is provided that includes a server configured to manage user account information related to a user, and an apparatus connected to the server, the apparatus configured to send a printing request or a copying request to the server. The user account information includes a plurality of wallets associated with the user, and the plurality of wallets each represent funds available to the user. The server is configured to determine whether to authorise the printing request or copying request based on the funds available in the plurality of wallets.
Claims23
A printing and copying system comprising:
- a server configured to manage user account information related to a user, the user account information including a plurality of wallets associated with the user, and the plurality of wallets each representing funds available to the user;
- and
- an apparatus connected to the server, the apparatus configured to send a printing request for a print job, or a copying request for a copy job, to the server in accordance with an instruction from the user,
- wherein the server is configured to determine whether to authorise the printing request or copying request based on the funds available in the plurality of wallets.
A printing system comprising:
- a client computer configured to generate print data in response to an action from a user;
- a server connected to the client computer and configured to manage user account information related to the user, the user account information including a plurality of wallets associated with the user, and the plurality of wallets each representing funds available to the user;
- and
- a printing apparatus connected to the server and configured to send a request for the print data to the server in accordance with a print instruction from the user,
- wherein, the server is configured to determine whether the printing apparatus is authorised to receive the print data based on the funds available in the plurality of wallets.
A copying system comprising:
- a copying apparatus comprising a scanning device and a printing device;
- and
- a server connected to the copying apparatus and configured to manage user account information related to a user, the user account information including a plurality of wallets associated with the user, and the plurality of wallets each representing funds available to the user,
- wherein, in accordance with a copy instruction from the user, the scanning device is configured to scan a document to generate scanned data and send a copy request for printing the scanned data by the printing device to the server, and
- wherein the server is configured to determine whether to authorise the copy request based on the funds available in the plurality of wallets.
A printing and copying method in a printing and copying system including a server connected to an apparatus, the method comprising:
- managing, at the server, user account information related to a user, the user account information including a plurality of wallets associated with the user, and the plurality of wallets each representing funds available to the user;
- sending a printing request for a print job or a copying request for a copy job from the apparatus to the server in accordance with an instruction from the user;
- and
- determining, at the server, whether to authorise the printing request or copying request based on the funds available in the plurality of wallets.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.