| US 7,590,559 B2 | ||
| Information providing system for processing data in accordance with order | ||
| Katsuhisa Ogawa, Tokyo (Japan); and Yoshio Yamashita, Tokyo (Japan) | ||
| Assigned to Canon Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokyo (Japan) | ||
| Filed on Sep. 26, 2002, as Appl. No. 10/254,572. | ||
| Claims priority of application No. 2001-301954 (JP), filed on Sep. 28, 2001. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2004/0078279 A1, Apr. 22, 2004 | ||
| Int. Cl. G06Q 30/00 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 705—26 [705/21; 705/50; 705/64; 705/77] | 12 Claims |
| 1. An information providing system on a network including an order accepting apparatus which receives image data from a customer
terminal, stores the received image data and accepts a plurality of orders to print the stored image data from the customer
terminal, and a plurality of printing apparatuses which print the ordered image data, at least one of said printing apparatuses
being specified in each of the plurality of orders by the customer terminal, wherein
each of said printing apparatuses comprises:
accepting means for accepting, from the order accepting apparatus, a temporary order to print the image data;
calculation means for calculating a charge amount to be paid in exchange for printing the image data on print media in accordance
with the temporary order accepted by said accepting means; and
notification means for notifying said order accepting apparatus of the charge amount calculated by said calculation means,
and wherein
said order accepting apparatus comprises:
order accepting means for accepting, from the customer terminal, the plurality of orders in each of which at least one of
said printing apparatuses is specified by the customer terminal;
transfer means for transferring temporary orders corresponding to each of the plurality of orders accepted by the order accepting
means to the at least one of said printing apparatuses specified in the respective order;
reception means for receiving a plurality of calculated charge amounts from said notification means of each of the plurality
of printing apparatuses to which the temporary orders are transferred by the transfer means;
totaling means for totaling the plurality of calculated charge amounts received by said reception means to obtain a total
charge amount;
total charge transmission means for transmitting the total charge amount to the customer terminal;
order approval reception means for receiving, from the customer terminal, a notification indicating approval of the order
to print the image data;
formal print order issuing means for issuing formal print orders to each of the plurality of printing apparatuses specified
in the respective order to print the image data;
counting means for counting a number of print media which are printed according to the formal orders; and
settlement request means for requesting, to a settlement apparatus, settlement of the total charge resulting from totaling
by said totaling means, when the counted number of print media exceeds a predetermined number.
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