Control device and printing apparatus

• US 10,122,881 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2016
• Issued: 11/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Business Innovation Corp. (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kurihara, Yusaku, Kitai, Tsubasa, Watanabe, Satoshi, Tanaka, Noriaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Menberu, Beniyam
• Application Number:
  US15/260,869
• Publication Number:
  US 20170289379A1
• Time in Patent Office: 788 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00832 Recording use, e.g. counting number of pages copied
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00917 Resuming after an intentional interruption, e.g. resetting parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2376 Inhibiting or interrupting a particular operation or device preventing unauthorised reproduction H04N1/00838
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/346 Accounting or charging based on a number representative of the service used, e.g. number of operations or copies produced
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/348 Accounting or charging based on time or day

Abstract

A control device includes: a prohibition unit that prohibits a user from using an electronic apparatus in a case where a sum of a cumulative usage amount of the electronic apparatus by the user for a predetermined period and a new usage amount which is newly instructed by the user exceeds a permitted amount for the user in the period; a subtraction unit that, in a case where the user instructs the electronic apparatus to be continuously used after the use of the electronic apparatus is prohibited by the prohibition unit, subtracts from permitted amounts for the user for a plurality of periods later than the period; and a permission unit that permits the user to use the electronic apparatus after the subtraction is performed by the subtraction unit.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program causing a computer to function as:

a prohibition unit that prohibits a user from using an electronic apparatus in a case where a sum of a cumulative usage amount of the electronic apparatus by the user for a predetermined period and a new usage amount which is newly instructed by the user exceeds a permitted amount for the user in the period;

a subtraction unit that, in a case where the user instructs the electronic apparatus to be continuously used after the use of the electronic apparatus is prohibited by the prohibition unit, divides an additional amount of use into portions, the additional amount of use being the sum of the cumulative usage amount by the user for the period and the new usage amount less the permitted amount for the user in the period, the number of portions being a number of a plurality of periods later than the period, each portion corresponding to a unique one of the plurality of periods later than the period, and subtracts each corresponding portion from a permitted amount for the user for the respective unique one of the plurality of periods later than the period; and

a permission unit that permits the user to use the electronic apparatus after the subtraction is performed by the subtraction unit.

2. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 1, wherein the program further causes the computer to function as:

a receiving unit that accepts designation of a number of the plurality of periods.

3. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 2,

wherein the receiving unit receives an instruction for replacing the plurality of periods with one period as a target for the subtraction performed by the subtraction unit.

4. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 1, wherein the program further causes the computer to function as:

a receiving unit that accepts designation of the plurality of periods.

5. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 4, wherein the program further causes the computer to function as:

a presentation unit that presents a permitted amount for each period which may serve as a target for the subtraction performed by the subtraction unit.

6. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 5,

wherein the receiving unit accepts designation of an amount of subtraction from the permitted amount for each period which may serve as the target for the subtraction performed by the subtraction unit.

7. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 6,

wherein the receiving unit receives an instruction for replacing the plurality of periods with one period as a target for the subtraction performed by the subtraction unit.

8. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 5,

wherein the receiving unit receives an instruction for replacing the plurality of periods with one period as a target for the subtraction performed by the subtraction unit.

9. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 4,

wherein the receiving unit receives an instruction for replacing the plurality of periods with one period as a target for the subtraction performed by the subtraction unit.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 1,

wherein the subtraction unit divides the additional amount of use into equal portions.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program causing a computer to function as:

a prohibition unit that prohibits a user from using a printing apparatus in a case where a sum of a cumulative usage amount of the printing apparatus by the user for a predetermined period and a new usage amount which is newly instructed by the user exceeds a permitted amount for the user in the period;

a subtraction unit that, in a case where the user instructs the printing apparatus to be continuously used after the use of the printing apparatus is prohibited by the prohibition unit, divides an additional amount of use into portions, the additional amount of use being the sum of the cumulative usage amount by the user for the period and the new usage amount less the permitted amount for the user in the period, the number of portions being a number of a plurality of periods later than the period, each portion corresponding to a unique one of the plurality of periods later than the period, and subtracts each corresponding portion from a permitted amount for the user for the respective unique one of the plurality of periods later than the period; and

a permission unit that permits the user to use the printing apparatus after the subtraction is performed by the subtraction unit.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 11,

wherein the subtraction unit divides the additional amount of use into equal portions.