Patent ID: 7379914

Claim:
A data output control apparatus which is communicatively connected via a network to a portable terminal which is a portable communications device, carried by a user, for issuing a data print request, and to a plurality of output terminals, disposed at various locations, for printing data, and which outputs, in response to the data print request from said portable terminal, data associated with the data print request to said output terminals, said apparatus comprising selecting means for selecting one of said plurality of output terminals; output means for outputting said data associated with the data print request to the output terminal selected by said selecting means; and billing means for executing billing in accordance with the result of use by said portable terminal of a print service provided by said apparatus; characterized in that said billing means calculates a service charge in accordance with the result of use by said portable terminal according to a charge calculation definition table which defines the service charge as the price of the print service with regard to the result of use by the portable terminal, and adds the calculated service charge to the communications charge of said portable terminal.