Patent ID: 8166542

Claim:
An information processing apparatus connected to an external server via a network, the external server to store therein user information including user identification information unique to a user in association with use permission information indicative of permission for using functions of the information processing apparatus, the information processing apparatus comprising: a first storing unit to store therein information including the user information and user usage information, the user usage information including at least a part of the user identification information in association with usage information indicative of usage of the information processing apparatus by the user, the usage information including first charge information for each of the functions of the information processing apparatus executed by the user; a second storing unit; a transmitting unit to transmit user authentication information of the user to the external server upon receiving the user authentication information from the user; a receiving unit to receive the user information of the user from the external server, and to receive a charge result of a charge process received from a charge device connected to the network, the charge result based on the first charge information; and a control unit to control an operation of storing to store the user usage information and at least a first part of the user information in the first storing unit based on the use permission information, included in the user information received by the receiving unit such that when a second part of the user information is usable by one of the functions for which the use permission information indicates prohibition and the second part of the user information is not usable by any of the functions for which the use permission information of the received user information indicates permission, the second part of the user information is not stored in the first storing unit, to update the first charge information stored in the first storing unit when the charge result indicates existence of accrued debit, and delete the first charge information from the first storing unit when the charge result indicates that there is no accrued debit, and to check, when a job is completed by the information processing apparatus, whether the second storing unit includes second charge information, and to update the first charge information in the first storing unit if the second storing unit includes the second charge information, and not update the first charge information in the first storing unit if the second storing unit does not include the second charge information.