Patent ID: 7080040

Claim:
A printing machine comprising: a data processing unit for obtaining data for printing and converting said data to print data; a print processing unit for executing printing operation as functions on the basis of the print data produced by said data processing unit; a program storing unit for storing programs for realizing specific functions; a service permit information storing unit for storing service permit information representative of each of service permit and prohibition of prohibited ones of specific functions; and a display unit for providing to a user a display of various information, wherein said data processing unit allows said display unit to provide only display of service permitted specific functions in said service permit information so as to avoid display of said prohibited ones of specific functions in said service permit information, and allows retrieval of a program interrelated with a service permitted specific function from said service permit information storing unit to execute an operation for realizing the service permitted specific function when the specific function displayed over said display unit is selected, and does not allow access to said service prohibited specific functions, wherein the data processing unit deletes display functions, displayed to the user, for prohibited functions.