Method for controlling advertisement-attached copying

A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a copy control program to be executed by a first computer included in an image forming apparatus and a second computer included in a set top box, the copy control program comprising:

• a first program code that causes the first computer to print, in an image forming apparatus, on a recording medium;
• a second program code that causes the first computer to read, in an image forming apparatus, an image from an original document;
• a third program code that causes the first computer to store an advertisement in a first advertisement storage unit of the image forming apparatus;
• a fourth program code that causes the first computer to control, in the image forming apparatus, copying for printing the image on the recording medium;
• a fifth program code that causes the first computer to perform, in the image forming apparatus, in response to an instruction for advertisement-attached copying, one of the following:
• i) advertisement-printable medium copying, wherein the advertisement is printed on an advertisement-printable medium, and
• ii) advertisement-printed medium copying, wherein an advertisement-printed medium is used if the instructed copying satisfies a specific condition for printing on a plurality of recording media;
• a sixth program code that causes the second computer to receive, in a set top box, a box ID and an advertisement data from a server;
• a seventh program code that causes the second computer to generate, in the set top box, a group of advertisements based on the advertisement data;
• a eighth program code that causes the second computer to store in the set top box, the group of advertisements in an advertisement data folder of a second advertisement storage unit in association with the received box ID;
• and
• a ninth program code that causes the second computer to write in the set top box, the group of advertisements, in association with the box ID of the advertisement that has been printed in the advertisement-printable medium copying, to the first advertisement storage unit from the second advertisement storage unit.

A copy control method, comprising:

• printing, via a printing device of an image forming apparatus, on a recording medium;
• reading, via a reading device of the image forming apparatus, an image from an original document;
• storing, via an first advertisement storage unit of the image forming apparatus, an advertisement;
• controlling, via a copy control unit of the image forming apparatus, copying to enable the printing device to print the image on the recording medium;
• performing, via the copy control unit of the image forming apparatus, in response to an instruction for advertisement-attached copying, one of the following:
• i) advertisement-printable medium copying, wherein the advertisement is printed on an advertisement-printable medium, and
• ii) advertisement-printed medium copying, wherein an advertisement-printed medium is used if the instructed copying satisfies a specific condition for printing on a plurality of recording media;
• receiving, via a communication unit of a set top box, a box ID and an advertisement data from a server;
• generating, via a data control unit of the set top box, a group of advertisements based on the advertisement data;
• and
• storing, via the data control unit of the set top box, the group of advertisements in an advertisement data folder of a second advertisement unit of the set top box in association with the received box ID;
• and
• writing, via the data control unit of the set top box, the group of advertisements, in association with the box ID of the advertisement that has been printed in the advertisement-printable medium copying, to the first advertisement storage unit from the second advertisement storage unit.