Accounting apparatus, accounting method and computer-readable recording medium for recording accounting program codes

• US 8,301,524 B2
• Filed: 05/14/2010
• Issued: 10/30/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions, Inc. (Kyocera Corporation)
• Original Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions, Inc. (Kyocera Corporation)
• Inventors: Fukata, Takuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Zare, Scott
• Assistant Examiner(s): Danzig, Reva R
• Application Number:
  US12/780,219
• Publication Number:
  US 20100306093A1
• Time in Patent Office: 900 Days
• Field of Search: 373/48, 194/350, 705/400, 705/41, 705/34, 705/14.1
• US Class Current: 705/34
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 21/02 Counting the number of copies; Billing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing

Abstract

An accounting apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention includes an accounting unit, an occupancy time counting unit and a charge discounting unit. The accounting unit is configured to impose a charge for use of a device that is an object of accounting on the basis of the number of operations and/or an operation time of the device. The occupancy time counting unit is configured to count an occupancy time that the device has been exclusively used by a user. The charge discounting unit is configured to discount the charge for use of the device on the basis of the occupancy time.

Claims

1. An accounting apparatus comprising:

a computer that includes a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM, the computer configured to include;

an accounting unit configured to impose a charge for use of a device that is an object of accounting on the basis of a number of operations and/or an operation time of the device;

an occupancy time counting unit configured to count an occupancy time that the device has been exclusively used by a user; and

a charge discounting unit configured to discount the charge for use of the device on the basis of the counted occupancy time, wherein

the occupancy time counting unit is configured to start counting of the occupancy time in response to payment and to terminate counting of the occupancy time in response to execution of a balance returning operation,

the charge discounting unit is configured to compare a standard occupancy time that has been set for the number of operations and/or the operation time of the device with the occupancy time counted using the occupancy time counting unit and to discount the charge for use of the device when the occupancy time is shorter than the standard occupancy time and,

the charge discounting unit is configured to increase or decrease a discount amount in proportion to a difference between the standard occupancy time and the counted occupancy time.

2. The accounting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a display panel configured to display the discount amount.

3. The accounting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the occupancy time counting unit is configured to subtract a time that an error has occurred in the device from the occupancy time.

4. The accounting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the occupancy time counting unit is configured to subtract a time taken for execution of a setting operation on the device from the occupancy time.

5. The accounting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the accounting unit is configured to subtract the charge for use of the device on the basis of the operation of the device from an amount of money that the user has paid, and further configured to return money corresponding to a balance in response to a balance returning operation performed by the user and to permit the operation of the device within a range of the balance without the balance returning operation, and

the charge discounting unit is configured to calculate a discount amount in response to the balance returning operation and to return the money corresponding to the discount amount and the balance.

6. The accounting apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the payment is performed in money and/or electronic money.

7. An accounting method executed by a computer installed in an accounting apparatus, the computer including an accounting unit, an occupancy unit, and a charge discounting unit, the method comprising:

the accounting unit imposing a charge for use of a device that is an object of accounting on the basis of a number of operations and/or an operation time of the device;

the occupancy time counting unit counting an occupancy time that the device has been exclusively used by a user, the occupancy time counting unit starts counting of the occupancy time in response to payment and terminates counting of the occupancy time in response to execution of a balance returning operation;

the charge discounting unit comparing a standard occupancy time that has been set for the number of operations and/or the operation time of the device with the occupancy time counted using the occupancy time counting unit; and

the charge discounting unit discounting the charge for use of the device when the occupancy time is shorter than the standard occupancy time

wherein discounting the charge for use of the device when the occupancy time is shorter than the standard occupancy time comprises increasing or decreasing a discount amount in proportion to a difference between the standard occupancy time and the counted occupancy time.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein counting an occupancy time that the device has been exclusively used by a user comprises subtracting a time that an error has occurred in the device from the occupancy time.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein counting an occupancy time that the device has been exclusively used by a user comprises subtracting a time taken for execution of a setting operation on the device from the occupancy time.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein imposing a charge comprises receiving a payment, wherein the payment is money and/or electronic money.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium that stores accounting program codes to be executed by a computer installed in an accounting apparatus, the accounting program codes comprising:

a first program code for causing the computer to impose a charge for use of a device that is an object of accounting on the basis of a number of operations and/or an operation time of the device;

a second program code for causing the computer to count an occupancy time that the device has been exclusively used by a user; and

a third program code for causing the computer to discount the charge for use of the device on the basis of the counted occupancy time, wherein

the second program code further causes the computer to start counting of the occupancy time in response to payment and to terminate counting of the occupancy time in response to execution of a balance returning operation,

the third program code further causes the computer to compare a standard occupancy time that has been set for the number of operations and/or the operation time of the device with the occupancy time counted using the occupancy time counting unit and to discount the charge for use of the device when the occupancy time is shorter than the standard occupancy time, and

the third program code further causes the computer to increase or decrease a discount amount in proportion to a difference between the standard occupancy time and the counted occupancy time.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 11, wherein the second program code further causes the computer to subtract a time that an error has occurred in the device from the occupancy time.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 11, wherein the second program code further causes the computer to subtract a time taken for execution of a setting operation on the device from the occupancy time.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 11, wherein the first program code further causes the computer to receive a payment, wherein the payment is money and/or electronic money.