INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS

• US 20110295695A1
• Filed: 01/25/2010
• Published: 12/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Ishihara, Hiroshi, Tsuda, Michihiko, Suzuki, Keiichi
• Granted Patent: US 8,849,702 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.66
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting

Abstract

An information processing apparatus includes a receiving unit configured to receive a utilization request for one of plural services provided by a computer; a service attribute information storage unit configured to store service attribute information of each of the services, the service attribute information including information indicating a type of the service and information indicating an evaluation of a content of the service; and a service recommending unit configured to search the service attribute information storage unit for the service attribute information corresponding to the type of the requested service, and determine a utilization-recommended service based on the evaluation information in the service attribute information retrieved from the service attribute information storage unit.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a receiving unit configured to receive a utilization request for one of plural services provided by a computer;

a service attribute information storage unit configured to store service attribute information of each of the services, the service attribute information including information indicating a type of service and information indicating an evaluation of a content of the service; and

a service recommending unit configured to

search the service attribute information storage unit for the service attribute information corresponding to the type of the requested service, and

determine a utilization-recommended service based on the evaluation information in the service attribute information retrieved from the service attribute information storage unit,

wherein a predetermined function is realized by utilizing a plurality of the services.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a service attribute information acquiring unit configured to

acquire, from an image forming apparatus with which the information processing apparatus can communicate, the service attribute information of a service that the image forming apparatus can provide, and

record the acquired service attribute information in the service attribute information storage unit,

wherein the service attribute information storage unit also stores the service attribute information of a service that is provided outside the image forming apparatus.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a utilization history record unit configured to record, in response to a notice of utilization of the service provided outside the image forming apparatus, a history of utilization of the service in a utilization history storage unit.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the services have a hierarchical relationship, wherein the service attribute information of an upper-level service of which a lower-level service in the hierarchical relationship is replaceable includes information relating the lower-level service to the service attribute information of the upper-level service,

wherein the service recommending unit is configured to, when the service attribute information of the utilization-recommended service includes the relating information,

acquire the service attribute information of the lower-level service from the service attribute storage unit based on the relating information,

search the service attribute information storage unit for the service attribute information whose type corresponds to the type of the acquired service attribute information, and

determine a utilization-recommended lower-level service based on the evaluation information in the service attribute information retrieved from the service attribute information storage unit.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the service attribute information includes information identifying a provider of each service,

wherein the service recommending unit is configured to, when the service attribute information of the utilization-recommended service includes the relating information,

acquire the service attribute information of the lower-level service from the service attribute storage unit based on the relating information,

search the service attribute information storage unit for the service attribute information whose type and provider correspond to the type and provider of the acquired service attribute information, and

determine the utilization-recommended lower-level service based on the evaluation information in the service attribute information retrieved from the service attribute information storage unit.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a service attribute information acquiring unit configured to

acquire, from an image forming apparatus with which the information processing apparatus can communicate, the service attribute information of a service that the image forming apparatus can provide and the service attribute information of the lower-level service, and

record the acquired service attribute information in the service attribute information storage unit.

7. An information processing method performed by an information processing apparatus, the method comprising:

receiving a utilization request for one of plural services provided by a computer;

storing service attribute information of each of the services in a service attribute information storage unit of the information processing apparatus, the service attribute information including information indicating a type of the service and information indicating an evaluation of a content of the service;

searching the service attribute information storage unit for the service attribute information corresponding to the type of the requested service; and

determining a utilization-recommended service based on the evaluation information in the service attribute information retrieved from the service attribute information storage unit,

wherein a predetermined function is realized by utilizing a plurality of the services.

8. The information processing method according to claim 7, further comprising:

acquiring, from an image forming apparatus with which the information processing apparatus can communicate, the service attribute information of a service that the image forming apparatus can provide;

recording the acquired service attribute information in the service attribute information storage unit; and

storing the service attribute information of a service that is provided outside the image forming apparatus in the service attribute information storage unit.

9. The information processing method according to claim 7, wherein the services have a hierarchical relationship, wherein the service attribute information of an upper-level service of which a lower-level service in the hierarchical relationship is replaceable includes information relating the lower-level service to the service attribute information of the upper-level service,

wherein the service recommending step includes:

determining whether the service attribute information of the utilization-recommended service includes the relating information;

acquiring the service attribute information of the lower-level service from the service attribute storage unit based on the relating information;

searching the service attribute information storage unit for the service attribute information corresponding to the type of the acquired service attribute information; and

determining a utilization-recommended lower-level service based on the evaluation information in the service attribute information retrieved from the service attribute information storage unit.

10. The information processing method according to claim 9, further comprising:

acquiring, from an image forming apparatus with which the information processing apparatus can communicate, the service attribute information of a service that the image forming apparatus can provide and the service attribute information of the lower-level service; and

recording the acquired service attribute information in the service attribute information storage unit.

11. An image forming apparatus comprising:

a service attribute information storage unit configured to store service attribute information of each of plural services that can be provided by the image forming apparatus, the service attribute information including identifying information;

a service attribute information providing unit configured to transmit, in response to a request from an information processing apparatus with which the image forming apparatus can communicate, the identifying information stored in the service attribute information storage unit to the information processing apparatus;

a service request receiving unit configured to receive a service execution request including the identifying information from the information processing apparatus;

a service control unit configured to control an execution of the service identified by the identifying information included in the service execution request; and

a billing unit configured to record billing information corresponding to a number of the services executed in a billing information storage unit,

wherein a predetermined function is realized by utilizing a plurality of the services.

12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the billing information storage unit includes a billing counter for each service,

wherein the billing unit updates the billing counter upon execution of the corresponding service.

13. The image forming apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the service attribute information includes information indicating a type of each service,

wherein the execution request includes information indicating the type of the requested service,

the image forming apparatus further comprising:

a first advertising information storage unit configured to store, for each service whose utilization is to be advertised, information indicating the type of the service and first advertising information advertising utilization of the service; and

a first advertising information transmitting unit configured to acquire from the first advertising information storage unit the first advertising information of which the type corresponds to the type of the requested service, and configured to transmit the acquired first advertising information to the information processing apparatus.

14. The image forming apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the service attribute information includes information indicating a type of each service, and the execution request includes information indicating the type of the requested service,

the image forming apparatus further comprising:

a second advertising information storage unit configured to store, for each service that is desired to be enabled for utilization in the image forming apparatus, the information indicating the type and second advertising information for enabling utilization of the service in the image forming apparatus; and

a second advertising information transmitting unit configured to acquire from the second advertising information storage unit the second advertising information whose type corresponds to the type of the requested service, and configured to transmit the acquired second advertising information to the information processing apparatus.