JP2002361979A - Record management system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a record management system in which the maximum number of users or modes can be increased without extending the memory, the counting direction and the limit number of sheets to be used can be set for each user, and the degree of freedom can be enhanced for the user to facilitate management. SOLUTION: The record management system 10 has a storage section 30 being controlled at a main control section and the storage section 30 has a first storage area 32 and a second storage area 34. At the time of initial setting, count information for each user and each mode recorded by an imaging apparatus 14 is stored in the first storage area 32, and the operation records and use achievements of the imaging apparatus 14 are stored in the second storage area 34. Means for altering the operation records and use achievements in the second storage area 34 such that count information for each user and each mode can be stored is provided thus increasing the number of users or modes.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a record management apparatus for managing records of an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine and a printer (including a multifunction machine having a copying function and a printing function or a copying function and a facsimile function). is there.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art This type of record management apparatus is generally provided with a card reader, and a person who intends to use an image forming apparatus mounts a card on the card reader. It is supposed to. User information is magnetically or optically recorded on the card. The operation of the image forming apparatus is controlled based on the user information read from the card, and the mode (color / monochrome mode, paper size, duplex / The number of printed sheets is counted for each side (for one side) or for each department.

As a conventional recording management apparatus, there is an invention disclosed in, for example, JP-A-4-3171. This conventional recording management device has a memory, and this memory is assigned a storage area for storing the number of recordings for each user or mode, so that the number of recordings can be managed for each user and each mode. ing. However, in this conventional example, the capacity of the count storage unit that records the number of records for each user and each mode is limited, and the count information can be stored only up to the upper limit of the count storage unit. To increase the maximum number of users and modes, it was necessary to increase the memory.

[0004] Another conventional example is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-202.
In Japanese Patent No. 397, an upper limit value that can be recorded by a user is set, and the number of recordings is subtracted from the upper limit every time the user records, and when the count value becomes 0, the image forming apparatus A record management device that prohibits the use of a record is disclosed. However, in this conventional example, when the subtraction count value becomes 0, the use of the image forming apparatus is uniformly prohibited. The prohibition process is also performed for a user who does not need to be prohibited from using the device, which is inconvenient for the user.

[0005] The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems, can increase the maximum number of users and the number of modes without adding a memory, and sets the counting direction and the number of sheets to be used for each user. It is an object to improve the degree of freedom so that users can easily manage.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording management apparatus for managing recording of an image forming apparatus, wherein the recording is performed by the image forming apparatus. Storage means having a first storage area for storing recording information relating to the above, and a second storage area for storing setting content information relating to preset contents relating to recording of the image forming apparatus; Changing means for changing so as to store the record information in at least a part of the second area of the means. The setting content information stored in the second storage area may not always be necessary for the user. According to the present invention, a secondary storage area is allocated to a user in order to store recording information required by the user.

The second storage area has a plurality of divided areas for storing preset contents in a divided manner, and is provided with a divided area determining means for determining whether or not to store the recording information for each of the divided areas. be able to. The divided area is, for example, an operation history area for storing operation history information of the image forming apparatus,
The image forming apparatus has the use result information of the image forming apparatus and a use result area. For this reason, when the user does not need the operation history information or the use result information, it can be changed to write the record information in the operation history area or the use result area. Also,
The record information includes user information of the image forming apparatus and count information of the number of records for each user and each mode, and the storage capacity of such information can be expanded freely.

According to a second feature of the present invention, in a record management device that manages recording of an image forming apparatus for each user or mode, the number of records for each user or mode of the image forming apparatus is determined. A record management device having a counting means for counting, a display means for displaying a count result of the counting means, and a count display selecting means for selecting whether the display by the display means is to be an addition count display or a subtraction count display. It is in. When displaying the count result of the number of recordings of the image forming apparatus on the display means, the count display selection means can select the addition count display or the subtraction count display for each user or each mode. Addition and subtraction selection means for selecting whether to count or subtract the count of the counting means can be provided,
Further, a limit value setting unit for setting a limit value for limiting the count of the counting unit may be provided to limit the recording of the image forming apparatus. If the user is responsible for budget management and resource management, for example, the addition is selected by the addition / subtraction selection means, and if the use is not restricted, the number of recordings used by the responsible person is added, but there is no restriction. Can be used freely. Further, when the limit value is set by the limit value setting means, the selection by the count display selection means may be automatically set so as to be a subtraction count display. When imposing a limit on the number of recorded images for a user, the count display is normally performed in a decremented count display mode, so that the setting display selection means is automatically selected, thereby saving the trouble of setting.

According to a third feature of the present invention, in a record management device for managing records of an image forming apparatus for each user, a counting means for counting the number of records for each user of the image forming apparatus; Display means for displaying the count result of the counting means; limit value setting means for setting a limit value for limiting the count value of the counting means; Count display selecting means for selecting whether to display, and calculating the count result of the display means from the count value of the count means and the limit value of the limit value setting means according to the selection result by the count display selecting means. And a record management device having a calculation means. Therefore, the user initially selects the addition without any limitation, but even if, for example, the limitation is set for the convenience of the budget and the mode is switched to the subtraction later, the count value of the counting means is used as it is to reduce the limit value. The remaining number can be displayed on the display means by subtracting the count value, and the management method can be changed even during the counting period.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In FIG. 1, a record management device 10
It has a communication control unit 12 that controls communication with other devices.
An image forming apparatus 14 is connected to the communication control unit 12, and performs bidirectional communication with the image forming apparatus 14. The image forming apparatus 14 is, for example, a color
/ Black and white, double-sided / single-sided, and paper size can be selected. The communication control unit 12 can be connected to a setting PC 16 and a keyboard 18.

The card reader 20 reads a user, for example, a department number recorded on, for example, a magnetic card or an optical card. The department number read by the card reader 20 is input via a department number input section 22. It is input to the main control unit 24. The department number can be input not only from the card reader 20 but also from the setting PC 16 and the keyboard 18. Further, the main control unit 24
, An operation unit 26, a display unit 28, and a storage unit 30 are connected. The storage unit 30 is composed of a non-volatile memory,
Storage area 32 and a second storage area 34. First
The storage area 32 is for storing the recording information relating to the recording by the image forming apparatus 14, and the second storage area 34 is for storing the setting content information relating to the preset contents relating to the recording of the image forming apparatus 14. It is for memorizing.

FIGS. 2 and 3 show the storage structure of the first storage area 32 and the second storage area 34 at the time of initialization, and the first storage area 32 has a first storage unit 36. However, a second storage unit 38 is assigned to the second storage area 34. The first storage unit 36 includes a section code information storage unit 40, a count information storage unit 42, and a setting information storage unit 44. Department code information storage unit 40
Indicates that the number of recorded images of the image forming apparatus is 0 in accordance with the department code.
Addition / subtraction mode setting information of whether to add from the limit value or subtraction from the limit value, limit number information for storing the limit number of sheets of the image forming apparatus, and limit number information for each color / monochrome, single-sided / double-sided and paper size mode And use permission / prohibition setting information indicating whether use of the image forming apparatus is permitted or prohibited. When the limit number is set, the user normally wants the subtraction display, so it is preferable to automatically set the subtraction mode. When the limit number is set by the operation unit 26 or the setting PC 16, the main control unit 24 performs the subtraction. Automatically set to mode.

The count information storage section 42 stores a count value obtained by counting the number of recordings recorded by the image forming apparatus for each mode and for each department. FIG. 4 shows an example of the contents stored in the count information storage unit 42. Here, one box represents one counter, and in FIG. 4, six modes are set for one section. The contents of the 6 modes are A3 paper: monochrome, A3 paper: color, A4 paper: monochrome, A4 paper: color, B5 paper: monochrome, and B5 paper: color. Assuming that the count information storage unit 42 has a capacity of 85 counters, the count value can be stored in up to 14 departments in the case of the 6-mode setting. Also, as shown in FIG.
In addition to the single-sided / double-sided mode, the mode can be changed so that 12 modes can be stored. In such a case, the count value can be stored in up to seven sections with the same storage capacity.

The count information storage unit 42 counts the number of recordings of the image forming apparatus 14 from 0 in the addition direction regardless of the addition / subtraction mode setting in the section code information storage unit 40. The main control unit 24 has a calculation unit that calculates a value to be displayed on the display unit 28 according to the value of the addition / subtraction mode setting. That is, when the addition mode is set, the counter value is displayed on the display unit 28 as it is, and when the subtraction mode is set, a value obtained by subtracting the counter value from the limited number of sheets for each mode in the section code information storage unit 40 is displayed on the display unit 28. I do.
Therefore, during the counting period, that is, when the counter values are all 0
Even if it is not the case, by changing the addition / subtraction mode set value in the section code information storage unit 40, it is possible to change from the addition display to the subtraction display or vice versa.

The second storage area 34 has, for example, two partitioned areas 46 and 48. The first partitioned area 46 has an operation history storage section 50, and the second partitioned area 48 has a usage history storage section. 52 are respectively assigned. The operation history storage unit 50 stores an operation history, an error history, a communication history, a setting change history, and a power-on history of the image forming apparatus. The use record storage unit 52 stores the use record of each mode of the image forming apparatus.

The setting information storage section 44 stores management setting information. As shown in FIG. 6, setting information indicating whether or not an operation history of the image forming apparatus is to be recorded, and usage results of the image forming apparatus are stored. The setting information on whether or not to record and the setting information on the recording mode to be counted for each section are stored. The administrator of the record management apparatus writes and sets the operation history record presence / absence and the use result record presence / absence from the operation unit and the setting PC. When the operation history record is set to “none”, the size of the operation storage unit 50 is set to 0, and when the use record is set to “none”, the size of the use record unit 52 is set to 0. Are allocated to the first storage unit 36. That is, in this case, since the first storage unit 36 is allocated to the second storage area 34, the storage of the department code information and the count information can be increased. The department code and the number of counters are determined by the setting of the recording mode.

Next, the operation of the record management apparatus 10 will be described. FIG. 7 shows an operation flow when a department card is inserted into the card reader 20, or when a department code is input from the setting PC 16 or the keyboard 18, and the card reader 20 card is inserted or the setting is performed. When the department code is input from the personal computer 16 or the keyboard 18, the main control unit 24 recognizes it as an interrupt signal and starts operation. First, in step S10, the department code information corresponding to the input department number is searched from the department code information storage unit 40, and it is determined whether or not the corresponding department code exists.

If it is determined in step S10 that the department code does not exist, the flow advances to step S12 to determine whether or not the input is from the card reader 20. If it is not from the card reader 20, ie, a setting PC
Alternatively, if it is from the keyboard 18, the section card cannot be used, so the process proceeds to step S24, and the use prohibition is output to the image forming apparatus. on the other hand,
If the input is from the card reader 20 in step S24, the process proceeds to step S14, department code information is newly created, and the process proceeds to step S16.

In step S16, it is determined whether or not the use permission has been set by referring to the use permission / prohibition setting information in the section code information storage unit 40. If it is determined in step S16 that use permission has been set, if it is determined in step S16 that use prohibition has been set, the process proceeds to step S24 to output use prohibition to the image forming apparatus.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S16 that use permission has been set, the flow advances to step S18. In this step S18, it is determined whether or not the actual number of sheets used in the department exceeds the limited number by referring to the count information in the "limit number" or the "limit number per mode" count information storage section 42 in the section code information storage section 40. Judge.
If it is determined that the number has exceeded the limit, step S2
Proceeding to step 4, the use prohibition is output to the image forming apparatus.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S18 that the number of copies has not exceeded the limit, the process proceeds to step S20. If the subtraction mode is selected in the department code information storage unit 40, the department code is displayed on the display unit 28. The remaining number is displayed, and use permission is output to the image forming apparatus in step S22.

FIG. 8 shows an operation flow when the record management apparatus manages the record of the image forming apparatus.
First, in step S26, it is determined whether “operation history recording presence” is “present” with reference to the operation history recording presence / absence setting information in the setting information storage unit 44. This step S26
If it is determined to be "Yes", the process proceeds to step S28,
The start of use of the image forming apparatus is recorded in the operation history of the operation history storage unit 50. If “no” is determined in step S26, the process proceeds to step S30, and it is determined whether the use of the image forming apparatus has been completed.

If it is determined in step S30 that the use of the image forming apparatus has been completed, the process proceeds to step S32, where the operation history record presence / absence setting information in the setting information storage unit 44 is referred to again to determine whether the operation history record is present. It is determined whether or not “Yes”. If it is determined in step S32 that the image forming apparatus is present, the process proceeds to step S34, and the end of use of the image forming apparatus is recorded in the operation history of the operation history storage unit 50. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S32 that there is no data, the process ends.

If it is determined in step S30 that the use of the image forming apparatus has not been completed, the process proceeds to step S3.
Then, the process proceeds to step S6, where it is determined whether or not the "use record presence / absence" is "present" by referring to the use record presence / absence setting information in the setting information storage unit 44. In the case of "none", the process proceeds to step S38,
The second storage unit 38 is used as a part of the first storage unit 36. That is, the first storage unit 36 is extended to the second storage area 34, and the storage capacities of the section code information storage unit 40 and the count information storage unit 42 can be increased. The setting for increasing the storage capacity will be described later.

In step S36, when it is determined that "present", the process proceeds to step S40, and it is determined whether or not the recording mode is a management target recording mode. In this step S36,
If it is determined that the recording mode is the recording mode to be managed, the process proceeds to step S42. In step S42, the count information of the currently authenticated section number is added to the counter of the corresponding print mode every time the image forming apparatus records. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S44 that the recording mode is not the recording mode to be managed, the process proceeds to step S46, and the count information of the currently authenticated section number is added to the counter of the most similar recording mode. Step S4
When the processing of step 2 and step S44 is completed, step S is executed again.
Returning to 30, the counting is continued until the use of the image forming apparatus is completed.

In FIG. 9, when the administrator has changed the initial setting of “operation history recording presence / absence” and “use record recording presence / absence” of the setting information storage unit 44 using the operation unit 26, the setting PC 16 or the keyboard 18. 4 shows an operation flow. First, in step S46, it is determined whether "operation history recording presence / absence" of the setting information storage unit 44 is "present". If it is determined that there is no data, the process proceeds to step S48, where the area size of the first storage unit 36 is increased by the area size of the operation history recording unit 50, and the area size of the operation history recording unit 50 is set to 0 in step S50. Further, in step S52, the start position of the operation history storage unit 50 is set to be the same as the start position of the usage record unit 52. By the process A including the steps S48, S50 and S52, the storage capacity of the first storage unit 36 is increased by the size of the operation history storage unit 50 as shown in FIG.

In step S46, when it is determined that "Yes" or when the process of step S52 is completed, the process proceeds to step S54, where it is determined whether "use record presence / absence" in the setting information storage unit 44 is "Yes". to decide. If it is determined that there is no data, the process proceeds to step S56, where the area size of the first storage unit 36 is increased by the area size of the usage record storage unit 52, and the start position of the operation history storage unit 50 is used in step S58. Setting information storage unit 4 for the size of the result recording unit 52
Then, the area size of the usage record unit 52 is set to 0 in step S60, and the start position of the usage record unit 52 is made the same as the start position of the setting information storage unit 44 in step S62. This step S56, step S58,
By the process B including steps S60 and S62, as shown in FIG. 9, the storage capacity of the first storage unit 36 is increased by the size of the usage record unit 52. In step S54, when it is determined to be “present” or when the process of step S62 is completed, the initial setting operation ends.

As shown in FIG. 9, comparing the time of initial setting and the time of setting change, the area size of the department code information storage unit 40 and the count information storage unit 42 is increased at the time of setting change. Therefore, by changing the setting, the number of departments and the number of counters for each mode and department can be increased. At the time of initial setting, the number of departments and the number of modes are limited as shown in FIG. 4 or FIG. By changing the setting of the storage unit, such a limitation can be relaxed, and the setting can be changed by software.

In the above-described embodiment, the entire operation history storage unit 50 or the usage record storage unit 52 in the second storage area is replaced with the first storage unit. For example, only the error history in the operation history storage unit 50 can be replaced.

[0030]

As described above, according to the present invention, the maximum values of the number of users and the number of modes can be increased without rewriting the memory by rewriting the storage contents of the storage area. In addition, since the count direction and the number of usable sheets can be set for each user, the degree of freedom can be improved so that the user can easily manage each user.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a record management device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing an example of storage contents of a first storage area used in the record management device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram showing a storage content example of a second storage area used in the record management device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram showing a first storage content example of a count information storage unit used in the record management device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram showing a second storage content example of a count information storage unit used in the record management device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram showing an example of storage contents of a setting information storage unit used in the record management device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an operation example of the record management apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention when a department code is input.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the record management device according to the embodiment of the present invention, and performing record management.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the record management device according to the embodiment of the present invention, when changing the setting of the presence / absence of operation history storage and the use / non-use record.

FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram showing an example of changing the storage content of a storage unit of the record management device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 record management device 14 image forming device 20 card reader 30 storage unit 32 first storage area 34 second storage area 36 first storage unit 38 second storage unit 40 department code information storage unit 42 count information storage unit 44 Setting information storage unit 46 First division area 48 Second division area 50 Operation history storage unit 52 Usage record storage unit

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) G03G 21/02 G06F 3/12 B G06F 3/12 K G03G 21/00 392 (72) Inventor Takuya Honda Kanagawa 2274 Hongo, Ebina-shi, Japan Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. Ebina Office F-term (reference) DD00 NN00

Claims (15)

[Claims] A first storage area for storing recording information relating to recording by the image forming apparatus, wherein the recording management apparatus manages recording of the image forming apparatus;
A storage unit having a second storage area for storing setting content information related to a content set in advance with respect to recording of the image forming apparatus, and recording information stored in at least a part of the second area of the storage unit And a change means for changing the record management device. 2. The second storage area has a plurality of divided areas for storing preset contents in a divided manner, and a divided area determining means for determining whether or not to store recording information for each of the divided areas. The record management device according to claim 1, further comprising: 3. The recording management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording information includes user information of the image forming apparatus. 4. The recording management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording information includes count information of the number of recordings recorded by the image forming apparatus. 5. The recording management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording information includes count information of the number of recordings for each user recorded by the image forming apparatus. 6. The recording management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording information includes count information of the number of recordings for each mode recorded by the image forming apparatus. 7. The recording management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the setting content information includes operation history information of the image forming apparatus. 8. The recording management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the setting content information includes usage record information of the image forming apparatus. 9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the divided area includes an operation history area for storing operation history information of the image forming apparatus, and a usage history area for use result information of the image forming apparatus. Records management device. 10. A recording management apparatus for managing recording of an image forming apparatus for each user, a counting means for counting the number of recordings for each user of the image forming apparatus, and a display for displaying a count result of the counting means. And a count display selecting means for selecting whether the display by the display means is an increment count display or a decrement count display. 11. A recording management apparatus for managing recording of an image forming apparatus for each mode, a counting means for counting the number of recordings for each mode of the image forming apparatus, and a display means for displaying a count result of the counting means. And a count display selecting means for selecting whether the display by the display means is an addition count display or a subtraction count display. 12. The recording management apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising an addition / subtraction selection means for selecting whether to count the addition or subtraction of the counting means. 13. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising limit value setting means for setting a limit value for limiting the count of said counting means.
13. A record management device according to any one of claims 12 to 12. 14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein when the limit value is set by the limit value setting means, the selection by the count display selection means is automatically set to be a subtraction count display. Records management device. 15. A recording management apparatus for managing records of an image forming apparatus for each user, a counting means for counting the number of recordings for each user of the image forming apparatus, and a display for displaying a count result of the counting means. Means, limit value setting means for setting a limit value for limiting the count value of the counting means, and count display selection for selecting whether to display the count value of the counting means as an addition count display or a subtraction count display. Means, and calculating means for calculating the count result of the display means from the count value of the count means and the limit value of the limit value setting means according to the result of selection by the count display selection means. Records management device.