ACCOUNTING SYSTEM, ACCOUNTING DEVICE, AND IMAGE FORMATION DEVICE

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To allow accounting management by avoiding occurrence of a failure such as interruption even in a case of special processes such as both-sided printing, without requiring transaction of balance information that uses a dedicated communication protocol.SOLUTION: An accounting device 110, if a balance of a charge amount is equal to an accounting unit price or larger, transmits a permission signal P1 to an image formation device 1 through a signal line SL1, and if the balance is an accounting price or larger required for executing a special process, transmits a permission signal P2 through a signal line SL2. The image formation device 1, when receives the permission signal P1, permits execution of the single-side printing, but if it does not receive the permission signal P2, it does not permit execution of the special process.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1 【課題】専用の通信プロトコルを用いた残金情報のやり取りを要することなく、両面印刷などの特殊処理の場合にも、途中停止という不具合が生じることを回避して課金管理を可能にする。【解決手段】課金装置１１０が、投入金額の残金が課金単価以上である場合、信号線ＳＬ１を介して、画像形成装置１へ許可信号Ｐ１を送信し、残金が特殊処理の実行に必要な課金料金以上である場合、信号線ＳＬ２を介して、許可信号Ｐ２を送信し、画像形成装置１が、許可信号Ｐ１を受信すると、片面印刷の実行は許可するが、許可信号Ｐ２を受信しないと、特殊処理の実行を許可しない。【選択図】図１