Job information managing system, job information managing method, program for implementing the method, and storage medium storing the program

• US 20050243366A1
• Filed: 04/28/2005
• Published: 11/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Fukuda, Hiroki
• Granted Patent: US 7,636,174 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.150
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0875 Itemisation or classification of parts, supplies or services, e.g. bill of materials
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99938 Concurrency, e.g. lock management in shared database
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access

Abstract

A job information managing system which can improve convenience in managing and using management codes and improve user-friendliness and convenience in printing management using the management codes. A client computer generates a job for a printer and generates job information on the job. A server computer acquires the job information from the client computer and manages the job information. The client computer creates a label in association with a plurality of management codes for managing job information. The created label is sent to the server computer and stored in association with the plurality of management codes.

Claims

1. A job information managing system comprising:

at least one image processing apparatus;

at least one information processing apparatus that generates a job for said image processing apparatus and generates job information on the job; and

a job information managing apparatus that acquires the job information from said information processing apparatus and manages the job information,

wherein said information processing apparatus comprises;

a creating device that creates an identifier in association with a plurality of management codes for managing the job information; and

a sending device that sends the identifier created by said creating device to said job information managing apparatus; and

wherein said job information managing apparatus comprises a storage device that stores the sent identifier in association with the plurality of management codes.

2. A job information managing system according to claim 1, wherein:

said information processing apparatus comprises a designating device responsive to input of the identifier or the management codes, to designate the plurality of management codes for the job information; and

said sending device of said information processing apparatus sends the job information and the designated plurality of management codes to said job information managing apparatus;

said storage device of said job information managing apparatus stores the job information and the designated plurality of management codes in association with each other; and

said job information managing apparatus comprises a counting device that counts the job information with respect to each of the plurality of management codes.

3. A job information managing system according to claim 1, wherein the management codes are used for counting system usage charges including charges for job processes including printing processes, usage rights for the management codes being settable for specific users so as to permit the users to count the system usage charges using the management codes.

4. A job information managing system according to claim 1, wherein usage rights for the identifier can be set for specific users.

5. A job information managing method of acquiring and managing job information on a job to be output from an information processing apparatus to an image processing apparatus, comprising:

a storing step of storing an identifier in association with a plurality of management codes for managing the job information.

6. A job information managing program executable by a computer to acquire and manage job information on a job to be output from an information processing apparatus to an image processing apparatus, comprising:

a storing module for storing an identifier in association with a plurality of management codes for managing the job information.

7. A job information managing program according to claim 6, comprising:

a designating module for designating the plurality of management codes for the job information when the identifier or the plurality of management cods are input; and

a second storing module for storing the job information and the designated plurality of management codes in association with each other; and

a counting module for counting the job information with respect to each of the plurality of management codes.

8. A job information managing program according to claim 6, wherein usage rights for the management codes can be set for specific users.

9. A job information managing program according to claim 6, wherein usage rights for the identifier can be set for specific users.

10. A storage medium storing a job information managing program according to any of claims 6 to 9.

11. A job information managing apparatus that acquires job information on a job to be output from an information processing apparatus and manages the job information, comprising:

a storage device that stores an identifier in association with a plurality of management codes for managing the job information.

12. An information processing apparatus that generates a job for an image processing apparatus, generates job information on the job, and sends the generated job information to a job information managing apparatus that manages the job information, comprising:

a creating device that creates an identifier in association with a plurality of management codes for managing the job information; and

a sending device that sends the created identifier to the job information managing apparatus.

13. A computer-executable program applied to a job information management system comprising a job information managing apparatus that counts job information by specifying counting units using a plurality of management codes, and at least one information processing apparatus connected to said job information managing apparatus, comprising:

an acquiring module for acquiring an identifier associated with the plurality of management codes stored in the job information managing apparatus;

an updating module for updating the management codes with which the identifier acquired by said acquiring module is associated; and

a transfer module for transferring the identifier updated by said updating module to store the identifier in the job information managing apparatus.

14. A computer-executable program applied to a job information management system comprising a job information managing apparatus that counts job information by specifying counting units using a plurality of management codes, and at least one information processing apparatus connected to said job information managing apparatus, comprising:

a managing module for managing a plurality of management codes and an identifier used for counting of the job information in association with each other; and

a display control module for displaying a selection screen for prompting determination as to whether the plurality of management codes managed by said managing module are to be designated or the identifier managed by said managing module is to be designated, when counting the job information.

15. A program according to claim 14, wherein said display control module displays the selection screen in response to a printing instruction.