System, method and server

• US 8,947,713 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2013
• Issued: 02/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Komori, Takumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams, Kimberly A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wallace, John
• Application Number:
  US13/871,303
• Publication Number:
  US 20130314742A1
• Time in Patent Office: 648 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1221 with regard to power consumption
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1239 Restricting the usage of resources, e.g. usage or user levels, credit limit, consumables, special fonts
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/126 Job scheduling, e.g. queuing, determine appropriate device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1288 in client-server-printer device configuration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1296 Printer job scheduling or printer resource handling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00244 with a server, e.g. an internet server fax-servers or the like for store and forward H04N1/324
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00344 with a management, maintenance, service or repair apparatus monitoring H04N1/00002
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00832 Recording use, e.g. counting number of pages copied
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00888 Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32502 in systems having a plurality of input or output devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0094 Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A system has information processing devices and a server which controls information processing executed by the devices. One of the devices includes a querying part to transmit a query to the server whether the device is permitted to execute the information processing, a notifying part to notify the server of location information indicating a location of the device, and an executing part to execute the information processing in response to an instruction from the server. The server includes a receiving part to receive the query from the device, an identifying part to identify an area in which the device exists according to the information notified by the device which has transmitted the query, and an instructing part to instruct the device which has transmitted the query to execute the information processing based on how many other devices are executing the information processing in the area.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

information processing devices; and

a server which controls information processing executed by the information processing devices;

wherein one of the information processing devices includes,

a querying part configured to transmit a query to the server to determine whether the one of the information processing devices is permitted to execute the information processing,

a notifying part configured to notify the server of location information indicating a location of the one of the information processing devices, and

an executing part configured to execute the information processing in response to an instruction from the server, and

wherein the server includes,

a receiving part configured to receive the query from the one of the information processing devices,

an identifying part configured to identify an area in which the one of the information processing devices exists according to the location information notified by the one of the information processing devices which has transmitted the query, and

an instructing part configured to instruct the one of the information processing devices which has transmitted the query to execute the information processing based on a plurality of conditions for execution associated with the area, a first one of the plurality of conditions for execution being based on a number of other information processing devices that are executing the information processing in the area, and a second one of the plurality of conditions for execution being based on a number of copies per minute (CPM) being executed by each of the information processing devices that are executing the information processing in the area, and wherein,

the instructing part is configured to instruct the one of the information processing devices which has transmitted the query to execute the information processing at a desired CPM based on the second one of the plurality of conditions.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the instructing part instructs the information processing device which has transmitted the query to wait before the execution of the information processing when a number of the other information processing devices executing the information processing in the area is equal to or greater than the predetermined number.

3. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the predetermined number is determined based on a number of people detected in the area.

4. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the predetermined number is responsive to time.

5. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the instructing part controls quality or performance of the information processing executed by the one of the information processing devices which has transmitted the query according to the number of the other information processing devices executing the information processing in the area.

6. The system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the information processing includes print processing, and the instructing part controls a print count per units of time of the print processing executed by the one of the information processing devices which has transmitted the query according to a number of the other information processing devices executing the print processing in the area.

7. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the system further comprises a communication device relaying communication between the one of the information processing devices and the server, the communication device including:

a transmitting part to transmit location information indicating location in the area to the one of the information processing devices in the area; and

a relaying part to relay the query transmitted by the one of the information processing devices which has received the location information to the server.

8. The system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the transmitting part transmits the location in conformity with the IMES standard.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein a third one of the plurality of conditions is based on a power consumption of the information processing devices in the area.

10. A method to control information processing executed by one of a plurality of information processing devices, the method comprising:

receiving, by a server, a query from one of the plurality of information processing devices to execute information processing;

receiving location information indicating a location of the one of the plurality of information processing devices;

identifying, by the server, an area in which the one of the plurality of information processing devices exists; and

instructing the one of the plurality of information processing devices to execute the information processing based on a plurality of conditions for execution associated with the area, a first one of the plurality of conditions for execution being based on a number of other information processing devices that are executing the information processing in the area, and a second one of the plurality of conditions for execution being based on a number of copies per minute (CPM) being executed by each of the information processing devices that are executing the information processing in the area, and the instructing includes instructing the one of the information processing devices which has transmitted the query to execute the information processing at a desired CPM based on the second one of the plurality of conditions, and

the one of the plurality of information processing devices executing the information processing in response to the instructing.

11. A server controlling information processing executed by one of information processing devices, the server comprising:

a receiving part configured to receive a query about whether the one of the information processing devices is permitted to execute the information processing from the one of the information processing devices;

an identifying part configured to, according to location information notified by the one of the information processing devices which has transmitted the query, identify an area in which the one of the information processing devices exists; and

an instructing part configured to instruct the one of the information processing devices which has transmitted the query to execute the information processing based on a plurality of conditions for execution associated with the area, a first one of the plurality of conditions for execution being based on a number of other information processing devices that are executing the information processing in the area, and a second one of the plurality of conditions for execution being based on a number of copies per minute (CPM) being executed by each of the information processing devices that are executing the information processing in the area, and wherein,

the instructing part is configured to instruct the one of the information processing devices which has transmitted the query to execute the information processing at a desired CPM based on the second one of the plurality of conditions.