Patent ID: 8751406

Claim:
An information processing apparatus functioning as a point bank system including at least a user information database and a counter information database for managing a point value calculated based on a usage number of a group of image formation machines provided at a user side, comprising: a user information managing part configured to manage a point balance and machine identifications of the group of machines by storing to a user information database said point balance and said machine identifications of the group of machines corresponding to the user side; a usage number maintaining part configured to maintain the usage number for each of the group of machines by storing to the counter information database said usage number collected from the user side through a network, a point exchanging part configured to exchange the usage number for each of the group of machines maintained in the counter information database for the point value; a calculating part configured to calculate a total of the point value for the group of machines identified by the machine identifications corresponding to the user side by referring to the user information database; a point accumulating part configured to accumulate the point value of the user side by adding the total of the point value calculated by the calculating part to the point balance corresponding to the group of machines corresponding to the user side in the user information database; a candidate service determining part configured to determine at least one candidate service to display at one or more of the group of machines at which one or more users operate at the user side, based on the point value calculated based on usage of the group of machines and accumulated in said user information database for the group of machines at the user side, a service utilizing screen creating part configured to create a service utilizing screen for utilizing the at least one candidate service determined by the candidate service determining part, a service utilizing screen sending part configured to send the service utilizing screen created by the service utilizing screen creating part to each of the image formation machines in the group of machines at the user side, whereby a common service utilizing screen is available at any one of machines in the group of machines at the user side, and a service providing part configured to provide the service, which the user selects from the service utilizing screen at the machine at the user side, based on a service selection sent from the machine, whereby the service is provided to the user based on the point value accumulated in the point bank system.