USE AMOUNT MANAGEMENT DEVICE, USE AMOUNT MANAGEMENT METHOD, USE AMOUNT MANAGEMENT PROGRAM, AND USE AMOUNT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To suppress a use amount of a MFP function within an upper limit.SOLUTION: A use amount management server device notifies MFP1 of an upper limit of a use amount, when the use amount of a MFP function reaches notification limit time (TL1, TL2) that notifies an upper limit of the use amount of the function, which is calculated by subtracting "stop processing time of the function (TS1, TS2)" and "time (TD1, TD2) required for communication between the MFP and the use amount management server device" from the time (TL) predicted to reach the predetermined upper limit. This permits stop processing of the function to start from notification limit time being a more previous time than the time TL in which the use amount is expected to actually reach to the upper limit, and permits the use amount of the MFP function to be within the upper limit of the predetermined use amount.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7