DISTRIBUTED PERIPHERAL DEVICE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

A method for controlling the use of a plurality of peripheral devices by a user is disclosed. The method includes assigning access rights to a user for access to individual ones of the peripheral devices, and quotas to each user for the use of the peripheral devices over a predetermined period. The system collects the use of each one of the peripheral devices by each user and totals the use by each user of the peripheral devices over the predetermined period. The method prevents a user from using the peripheral devices when the user exceeds the user's quota. The method also prevents a user from using peripheral devices to which the user has not been granted access rights.