REPORT GENERATION APPARATUS, REPORT GENERATION SYSTEM, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT

• US 20130132337A1
• Filed: 11/19/2012
• Published: 05/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Masuda, Yusaku
• Granted Patent: US 9,195,659 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/609
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/23 Updating
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination

Abstract

A report generation apparatus includes a user information storage unit that stores therein user identification information for identifying a user and regional information on a region where the user is located, so as to associated with each other; a regional information obtaining part that receives user identification information and obtains regional information associated with the received user identification information from the user information storage part; and a generator that obtains device management information relating to usage of a device and generates a report using the obtained device management information and the obtained regional information.

Claims

1. A report generation apparatus comprising:

a user information storage part that stores therein user identification information for identifying a user and regional information on a region where the user is located, so as to associated with each other;

a regional information obtaining part that receives user identification information and obtains regional information associated with the received user identification information from the user information storage part; and

a generator that obtains device management information relating to usage of a device and generates a report using the obtained device management information and the obtained regional information.

2. The report generation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a generation request receiving part that receives a generation request for the report, wherein

the generator obtains information to be displayed in the report from the generation request and generates a report localized for the region represented by the obtained regional information as the report on contents of the obtained device management information and the obtained information to be displayed.

3. The report generation apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the device management information is represented at least as numerical data;

the information to be displayed are represented in text data;

the regional information includes a numerical value representing the region and includes a language used in the region; and

the generator generates, as the report, a report in which the device management information is converted into the numerical value according to the region, and the information to be displayed is described in the language used in the region.

4. The report generation apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the numerical value according to the region includes a currency used in the region;

and

the generator converts the device management information into the currency used in the region to generate, as the report, a report in which a cost relating to the device is calculated in the currency used in the region.

5. The report generation apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

a period receiving part that receives a period to calculate the cost, wherein

the numerical value according to the region further comprises a time zone of the region;

the device management information represents usage of the device for every day and hour; and

the generator corrects the period received by the period receiving part to a corrected period using the time zone of the region represented in the regional information and a time zone of the region where the device is installed to obtain the device management information in the corrected period, and generates, as the report, a report in which the cost of the device is calculated for the corrected period.

6. A report generation system comprising:

a user information storage part that stores therein user identification information for identifying a user and regional information on a region where the user is located, so as to be associated with each other;

a regional information obtaining part that receives user identification information and obtains regional information associated with the received user identification information from the user information storage part; and

a generator that obtains device management information relating to usage of a device and generates a report using the obtained device management information and the obtained regional information.

7. The report generation system according to claim 6, further comprising:

a generation request receiving part that receives a generation request for the report, wherein

the generator obtains information to be displayed in the report from the generation request and generates a report localized for the region represented by the obtained regional information as the report on contents of the obtained device management information and the obtained information to be displayed.

8. The report generation system according to claim 7, wherein

the device management information is represented at least as numerical data;

the information to be displayed are represented in text data;

the regional information includes a numerical value representing the region and includes a language used in the region; and

the generator generates, as the report, a report in which the device management information is converted into the numerical value according to the region, and the information to be displayed is described in the language used in the region.

9. The report generation system according to claim 8, wherein

the numerical value according to the region includes a currency used in the region;

and

the generator converts the device management information into the currency used in the region to generate, as the report, a report in which a cost relating to the device is calculated in the currency used in the region.

10. The report generation system according to claim 9, further comprising:

a period receiving part that receives a period to calculate the cost, wherein

the numerical value according to the region further comprises a time zone of the region;

the device management information represents usage of the device for every day and hour; and

the generator corrects the period received by the period receiving part to a corrected period using the time zone of the region represented in the regional information and a time zone of the region where the device is installed to obtain the device management information in the corrected period, and generates, as the report, a report in which the cost of the device is calculated for the corrected period.

11. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium including programmed instructions, wherein the instructions cause a computer to execute:

receiving user identification information for identifying a user;

obtaining regional information associated with the received user identification information from a user information storage part that stores therein the user identification information to be associated with regional information on a region where the user is located;

obtaining device management information relating to usage of a device; and

generating a report using the obtained device management information and the obtained regional information.