CONTROL DEVICE AND PRINTING APPARATUS

• US 20170277918A1
• Filed: 08/22/2016
• Published: 09/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Business Innovation Corp. (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: WATANABE, Satoshi, KURIHARA, Yusaku, KITAI, Tsubasa, TANAKA, Noriaki
• Granted Patent: US 10,372,949 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/608 Secure printing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/84 output devices, e.g. displays or monitors
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/40 Details not directly involved in printing, e.g. machine management, management of the arrangement as a whole or of its constitutive parts computer driven print job management G06F3/1237
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/4065 Managing print media, e.g. determining available sheet sizes feeding means G06K15/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/407 Managing marking material, e.g. checking available colours

Abstract

A control device includes a prohibition unit that prohibits use of an electronic apparatus in a case where a sum of a cumulative amount of use of the electronic apparatus for a predetermined period of time and a new amount of use which is newly instructed by an user exceeds a permitted amount in the period of time which is permitted for the user, and a permission unit that permits use of the electronic apparatus by an amount based on an unused amount which is a difference between the permitted amount and the cumulative amount of use in an unreaching period when the unreaching period is present before the period of time in an accounting period including the period of time, in a case where the use of the electronic apparatus is prohibited by the prohibition unit.

Claims

1. A control device comprising:

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

a permission unit that permits use of the electronic apparatus by an amount based on an unused amount which is a difference between the permitted amount and the cumulative amount of use in an unreaching period for which the cumulative amount of use does not reach the permitted amount when the unreaching period is present before the period of time in an accounting period including the period of time, in a case where the user'"'"'s use of the electronic apparatus is prohibited by the prohibition unit.

2. The control device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a notification unit that gives notice that the cumulative amount of use of the electronic apparatus for the period of time exceeds the permitted amount in the period of time in a case where the use of the electronic apparatus is permitted by the permission unit.

3. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the permission unit permits the use of the electronic apparatus by an amount based on the unused amounts in all of the unreaching periods before the period of time in the accounting period including the period of time, in a case where the user'"'"'s use of the electronic apparatus is prohibited by the prohibition unit.

4. The control device according to claim 2, wherein the permission unit permits the use of the electronic apparatus by an amount based on the unused amounts in all of the unreaching periods before the period of time in the accounting period including the period of time, in a case where the user'"'"'s use of the electronic apparatus is prohibited by the prohibition unit.

5. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the permission unit permits the use of the electronic apparatus by an amount based on an unused amount in the unreaching period immediately before the period of time in the accounting period including the period of time, in a case where the user'"'"'s use of the electronic apparatus is prohibited by the prohibition unit.

6. The control device according to claim 2, wherein the permission unit permits the use of the electronic apparatus by an amount based on an unused amount in the unreaching period immediately before the period of time in the accounting period including the period of time, in a case where the user'"'"'s use of the electronic apparatus is prohibited by the prohibition unit.

7. The control device according to claim 3, wherein the permission unit permits the use of electronic apparatus by an amount obtained by multiplying a coefficient less than 1 by the unused amount.

8. The control device according to claim 4, wherein the permission unit permits the use of electronic apparatus by an amount obtained by multiplying a coefficient less than 1 by the unused amount.

9. The control device according to claim 5, wherein the permission unit permits the use of electronic apparatus by an amount obtained by multiplying a coefficient less than 1 by the unused amount.

10. The control device according to claim 6, wherein the permission unit permits the use of electronic apparatus by an amount obtained by multiplying a coefficient less than 1 by the unused amount.

11. A control device comprising:

a permission unit that permits use of electronic apparatus by an amount based on an unused amount which is a difference between a permitted amount and a cumulative amount of use in an unreaching period for which the cumulative amount of use does not reach the permitted amount when the unreaching period is present before the period of time in an accounting period including the period of time, in a case where a sum of the cumulative amount of use of the electronic apparatus performed by the user for a predetermined period of time and a new amount of use which is newly instructed by the user exceeds a permitted amount in the period of time which is permitted for the user.

12. A printing apparatus comprising:

a prohibition unit that prohibits printing performed by a user in a case where a sum of a cumulative number of printed sheets of the user for a predetermined period of time and a new number of printed sheets which is newly instructed by the user exceeds a permitted number of sheets in the period of time which is permitted for the user; and

a permission unit that permits printing of the number of sheets based on the number of unused sheets which is a difference between the permitted number of sheets and the cumulative number of printed sheets in an unreaching period for which the cumulative number of printed sheets does not reach the permitted number of sheets when the unreaching period is present before the period of time in an accounting period including the period of time, in a case where the printing performed by the user is prohibited by the prohibition unit.

13. A printing apparatus comprising:

a permission unit that permits printing of the number of sheets based on the number of unused sheets which is a difference between a permitted number of sheets and a cumulative number of printed sheets in an unreaching period for which the cumulative number of printed sheets does not reach the permitted number of sheets when the unreaching period is present before the period of time in an accounting period including the period of time, in a case where a sum of the cumulative number of printed sheets of the user for a predetermined period of time and a new number of printed sheets which is newly instructed by the user exceeds the permitted number of sheets in the period of time which is permitted for the user.