Document submission management system and method for the same

• US 8,456,672 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2009
• Issued: 06/04/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Oba, Yoshitaka
• Primary Examiner(s): DICKER, DENNIS T
• Application Number:
  US12/542,853
• Publication Number:
  US 20100053673A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,386 Days
• Field of Search: 358 115- 118, 399/24, 399/79, 705/26.8, 705/28, 705/29, 705/30, 705/400
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 21/02 Counting the number of copies; Billing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2206/1504 Cost estimation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1218 Reducing or saving of used resources, e.g. avoiding waste of consumables or improving usage of hardware resources
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1232 Transmitting printer device capabilities, e.g. upon request or periodically
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

A document submission management system calculates predicted values of the amount of consumption of consumables used for printing processing according to an order from a user, estimates the cost of the printing processing based on the predicted values, and transmits the estimated cost to a client terminal of the user. A user interface allowing placement of an order briefly displays the cost for a print option. For the cost estimate, the cost of printing form data used in printing processing is registered in advance in a memory in the document submission management system, so that time required for the calculation of the estimate is reduced.

Claims

1. A document submission management system provided with a memory, for managing processing related to printing processing according to an order from a user through a client terminal, the system comprising:

a calculating unit configured to calculate, from image data, a predicted value of the amount of consumption of a consumable used for printing the image data;

a registering unit configured to calculate, using the calculating unit, a predicted value of the amount of consumption of a consumable used for printing form data available for the order from the user and registers the calculated predicted value and an ID for identifying the form data in the memory as log data;

a user interface providing unit configured to provide information for providing the client terminal with a user interface screen for performing setting regarding the order from the user;

an estimating unit configured to, when an order for printing processing using first form data is placed by the user through the user interface screen provided by the user interface providing unit, estimate a cost for the printing processing according to the order from the user based on the predicted value as an estimated value, by utilizing the log data registered by the registering unit, without calculating by the calculating unit, the predicted value of the amount of consumption of the consumable used for printing the first form data selected by the user;

a form acquiring unit configured to acquire second form data from an image forming device connected via a network in a case where an ID of the second form data selected by the user through the user interface screen provided by the user interface providing unit is not registered as the log data and the second form data has been registered in the image forming device; and

a transmitting unit configured to transmit the estimated value obtained by the estimating unit to the client terminal, wherein the estimating unit estimates the cost for the printing processing according to the order from the user based on a predicted value of the amount of consumption of the consumable used for printing the second form data by utilizing calculating by the calculating unit, when the ID of the second form data is not registered as the log data.

2. The document submission management system of claim 1,

wherein when form data is newly registered in the image forming device or a database, the form acquiring unit acquires the newly registered form data, and

the registering unit calculates, using the calculating unit, a predicted value of the amount of consumption of a consumable used for printing the newly registered form data acquired by the form acquiring unit and registers the predicted value and an ID for identifying the newly registered form data in the memory as log data.

3. A document submission management method for a document submission management system for managing processing related to printing processing according to an order from a user through a client terminal, the method comprising the steps of:

calculating from image data a predicted value of the amount of consumption of a consumable used for printing the image data;

registering a predicted value of the amount of consumption of a consumable used for printing form data available for the order from the user, the predicted value being calculated in the calculating step, and an ID for identifying the form data, in a memory as log data;

providing information for providing the client terminal with a user interface screen for performing setting regarding the order from the user;

estimating when an order for printing processing using first form data is placed by the user through the provided user interface screen, a cost for the printing processing according to the order from the user as an estimated value based on the predicted value, by utilizing the registered log data, without calculating in the calculating step, the predicted value of the amount of consumption of the consumable used for printing the first form data selected by the user;

acquiring second form data from an image forming device connected via a network in a case where an ID of the second form data selected by the user through the user interface screen provided by the providing step is not registered as the log data and the second form data has been registered in the image forming device; and

transmitting the estimated value to the client terminal, wherein the estimating step estimates the cost for the printing processing according to the order from the user based on a predicted value of the amount of consumption of the consumable used for printing the second form data by utilizing calculating by the calculating step, when the ID of the second form data is not registered as the log data.

4. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a computer program for causing a computer to execute a method for managing processing related to printing processing according to an order from a user through a client terminal, the method comprising the steps of:

calculating from image data a predicted value of the amount of consumption of a consumable used for printing the image data;

registering a predicted value of the amount of consumption of a consumable used for printing form data available for the order from the user, the predicted value being calculated in the calculating step, and an ID for identifying the form data, in a memory as log data;

providing information for providing the client terminal with a user interface screen for performing setting regarding the order from the user;

estimating, when an order for printing processing using first form data is placed by the user through the provided UI screen, a cost for the printing processing according to the order from the user as an estimated value based on the predicted value, by utilizing the registered log data, without calculating in the calculating step, the predicted value of the amount of consumption of the consumable used for printing the first form data selected by the user;

acquiring second form data from an image forming device connected via a network in a case where an ID of the second form data selected by the user through the user interface screen provided by the providing step is not registered as the log data and the second form data has been registered in the image forming device; and

transmitting the estimated value to the client terminal, wherein the estimating step estimates the cost for the printing processing according to the order from the user based on a predicted value of the amount of consumption of the consumable used for printing the second form data by utilizing calculating by the calculating step, when the ID of the second form data is not registered as the log data.