JP2009140012A - Print system, consumable article management method for printer and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a print system, a consumable article management method of a printer and a program capable of visually grasping the consumption trend of consumable articles such as ink or sheets, and achieving the useful and efficient use of consumable articles, and grasping the use result or the timing of refilling or replacement. <P>SOLUTION: The history of residual consumable articles such as ink is stored, and graph display showing the transition of the residual consumable articles is performed based on the stored history information. As the horizontal axis of graph display, the number of sheets of print, the number of print orders, and time (number of days) or the like can be switched. Also, it is preferable that such information as the printable number of sheets, the printable number of orders, and the printable number of days predicted from the mean value of the usage of ink immediately before, and the current residue may be displayed with the graph display. Furthermore, the usage of the consumable articles is estimated about each print-instructed order, and an order with a possibility that the consumable articles run out is skipped, and another order which can be outputted is processed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing system, a printing apparatus consumables management method, and a program, and more particularly, to manage the usage status of consumables used in a printing apparatus such as ink and paper in an ink jet printer and to efficiently replenish and replace them. Related to consumables management technology.

  Conventionally, ink remaining amount management in an ink jet printer has been performed by displaying a current ink remaining amount value (instantaneous value) at the time of printing instruction or during printing (Patent Documents 1, 2, etc.). For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses that the current ink remaining amount is displayed as a bar graph for each color, and Patent Literature 2 predicts the ink amount necessary for printing the image based on preview data, It is proposed to compare and display the current ink remaining amount and the predicted required ink amount on a graph for each color.

Patent Documents 3 and 4 propose a technique for predicting whether or not ink is sufficient for the data to be printed, and giving a warning of insufficient remaining amount.
JP 2000-71568 A JP 2000-71582 A JP 2006-231555 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-5300

  However, in the technology that has been proposed in the past, the information displayed is only the current remaining amount status, it is impossible to grasp the change in usage from the past, and how much printing can continue, replenishment / exchange It was difficult to understand when.

  Further, conventionally, only warning of ink shortage has been given, and the viewpoint of using the ink without waste in relation to the print order (print job) and optimizing the timing of ink replenishment / replacement has been considered. There wasn't. For example, even if an A2 size print order is predicted to be out of ink and cannot be printed, if it is A6 size print, there may be a remaining amount of ink that can be printed, but the conventional technology makes it impossible to print. .

  In particular, in the case of a business printer installed in a print service store or the like, more efficient operation is required to output a large amount of prints, and management of the usage of consumables (ink, paper, etc.) Although it is desirable to optimize the timing of replenishment / replacement, the conventional technology cannot sufficiently cope with it.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, makes it possible to visually grasp the consumption trend of consumables such as ink, realizes the efficient use of consumables without waste, and the use results thereof. Another object of the present invention is to provide a printing system, a printing apparatus consumable management method, and a program capable of grasping the timing of replenishment and replacement.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention stores a remaining amount history storage unit that stores a history of the remaining amount of consumables that is consumed when printing is performed in a printing apparatus, and the remaining amount history storage unit that stores the remaining amount history. There is provided a printing system comprising: a remaining amount history display unit configured to display a graph indicating a transition of the remaining amount of the consumable based on the information.

  The “printing apparatus” includes various apparatuses having a printing function, such as an ink jet printer, a sublimation type thermal transfer printer, a laser printer, a copying apparatus (copying machine), and a facsimile apparatus, regardless of a method and a device name.

  Examples of “consumables” include ink, processing liquid, toner, ink ribbon, and paper. The remaining amount of consumables may be grasped by detection means such as a sensor, or may be grasped by subtracting the usage amount from a known initial value.

  According to an aspect of the present invention, the remaining amount information is stored together with order identification information, date and time, and print amount information.

  By associating these pieces of information and accumulating them as history information, it is possible to analyze the consumption trend of consumables in terms of order, time (including the number of days), and print amount (print size, area, number of sheets, etc.)

  Note that the specific content of the print amount information includes, for example, at least one of a designated size (A4 and the like) of a print job and a print area (for example, a square cm and the like).

  According to another aspect of the present invention, the horizontal axis of the graph display is one of the number of prints, the number of print orders, and time. “Time” includes the concept of date and number of days. Since the accumulated number of prints and the number of print orders are related to the passage of “time” in a broad sense, both can be regarded as a graph display with the time axis as the horizontal axis.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided display switching means for selecting one of the number of prints, the number of print orders, and time and switching the graph display as the horizontal axis of the graph display.

  It is preferable that a user interface for instructing switching of the horizontal axis is provided and the display form can be changed according to the selection.

  In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an average value calculating means for calculating an average value of the most recent consumable usage based on information stored in the remaining amount history storage means, and a consumable determined by the average value calculating means. A prediction calculation unit that predicts at least one of the printable number of sheets, the number of printable orders, and the printable time from the average value of the used amount and the current remaining amount of consumables, and the prediction result obtained by the prediction calculation unit Is displayed together with the graph display.

  By performing a predictive display that is expected to be usable together with a graph display showing the consumption trend of consumables, it becomes a guideline for consumables arrangement, replenishment / replacement time, and efficient consumables management becomes possible.

  Further, according to another aspect of the present invention, a predicted usage amount estimation unit that estimates a usage amount of a consumable item for each order from information on each order that is instructed to print, and use of the consumable item estimated by the usage amount estimation unit. Based on the predicted amount and the current remaining amount of consumables, it is determined whether the order has the possibility of causing a consumable item to run out. Output control means for controlling the order of processing of orders so as to skip processing of orders and execute processing of other orders that may not cause consumables to run out.

  By preferentially outputting printable orders when the remaining amount of consumables is low, it is possible to use consumables without waste and to realize efficient print processing. Such an aspect is particularly preferable in a commercial printing system that processes a large number of print orders.

  In the printing system according to the aspect, there is provided a printing system in which the skipped order becomes a print resumption instruction wait order or a normal print wait order when the consumable is replenished. .

  When the consumables are replenished, the output control means sets the skipped order to a print resumption instruction wait order or a normal print wait order to ensure the execution of processing (output).

  As one aspect of a system configuration of a printing system according to the present invention, the printing apparatus that performs printing on a recording medium based on printing data, and the printing apparatus that provides the printing data to the printing apparatus and the printing apparatus And a control device for controlling the operation of the printing system.

  It is possible to configure the printing device and the control device as a single device, or configure the printing device and the control device as separate devices and connect them via a wired or wireless communication interface. Is possible.

In the latter case, the control device has “remaining amount history storage means”, “remaining amount history display means”, “average value calculation means”, “prediction calculation means”, “predicted usage amount estimation means”, “discrimination means”, “ Output control means "
Can play a role.

  In addition, the control device may be composed of a plurality of devices in order to realize each of the above means. For example, the control device may be configured by a printer server computer having a printer driver and a client computer connected to the printer server computer.

In this case, for example, it plays the role of “remaining amount history storage means” in the printer server computer, and “remaining history display means”, “average value calculating means”, “prediction calculating means”, “predicted usage amount estimation” in the client computer. Means "," discriminating means "," output control means "
The program can be configured to play the role of

  Further, the present invention stores in the storage means a history of the remaining amount of consumables consumed as a result of printing in the printing apparatus, and based on the information stored in the storage means, Provided is a consumables remaining amount management method for a printing apparatus, characterized in that a graph representing a transition is displayed on a display.

  Further, according to the present invention, one or a plurality of computers are stored in the remaining amount history storage unit that stores a history of the remaining amount of consumables that are consumed when printing is performed in the printing apparatus, and the remaining amount history storage unit. There is provided a program for functioning as a remaining amount history display means for displaying a graph indicating a transition of the remaining amount of the consumables based on the information.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to visually grasp the consumption trend of consumables in the printing apparatus, and it is possible to realize efficient use of consumables without waste. In addition, it is possible to easily grasp the use record of consumables and the timing of replenishment / replacement.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[Configuration example of print system]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a print system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The print system 10 includes a client computer 12, a printer server computer 14, and a printer device (corresponding to a “printing device”) 16. Although only one client computer 12 is shown in FIG. 1, a configuration in which a plurality of client computers are connected via a network and the printer device 16 is shared is also possible. Further, a configuration in which the client computer 12 and the printer server computer 14 are integrated (a configuration realized by a single computer) is also possible.

  The hardware configurations of the client computer 12 and the printer server computer 14 are the same as those of a general personal computer, and since the configurations are well known, details are not shown, but a display, a main body, and an input device (keyboard, mouse, etc.) Is provided. The main unit includes a CPU, a RAM, a hard disk device (HDD), an input / output circuit, a communication interface, and a bus connecting these, and a display and an input device are connected via the input / output circuit.

  In the client computer 12 of this example, an application program for print output (hereinafter referred to as “print instruction application”) 20 is incorporated. The client computer 12 also displays a GUI (Graphical User Interface) tool 22 for displaying the ink remaining amount (current value) and the ink remaining amount log (history information) and a server management GUI tool (hereinafter referred to as “server management GUI”). ) 24 is incorporated. The server management GUI 24 includes, for example, those related to job queue management, head cleaning instructions, ink replacement, and test printing. Note that the print instruction application 20, the GUI tool 22, and the server management GUI 24 may be independent programs, or may be configured as one application in which these are integrated.

  On the other hand, a printer driver 30 is incorporated in the printer server computer 14, and a program for managing consumables of the printer device 16 is incorporated in addition to a program that functions as a normal printer server (a program that handles the server process). Yes. In FIG. 1, the function of the program is illustrated as a server process 32. Further, the printer server computer 14 includes a storage unit 34 that stores a job queue and a storage unit 36 that stores a remaining ink log.

  The printer server computer 14 stores a job queue relating to a print instruction from the client computer 12 and sequentially processes the job queue. That is, image data for output is sent to the printer driver 30 to cause the printer device 16 to execute print output.

  The printer device 16 is an ink-jet color printer, and in this example, it is assumed that color printing is performed using four colors of ink of cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K). To do. However, the combination of the ink color and the number of colors is not limited to the configuration of the present embodiment (KCMY standard color), and light ink (light ink) such as light cyan or light magenta is used, or dark ink or special color ink is used. It is also possible to add the above.

  There are two types of ink tanks: a method of replenishing ink from a replenishing port when the remaining amount of ink is low, and a cartridge method of replacing the entire tank. A cartridge system is suitable for changing the ink type according to the intended use. In this case, it is preferable that the ink type information is identified by a barcode or the like, and ejection control is performed according to the ink type.

  Information on the remaining amount of ink in the ink tank (current ink amount) includes the amount of ink used from the ink ejection amount (including ejection during printing and preliminary ejection during cleaning) from the nozzles of the recording head and the suction amount due to nozzle suction. Can be sequentially subtracted from the initial ink amount (initial filling amount of the ink tank) to determine the remaining ink amount. Alternatively, the remaining amount of ink may be detected by a sensor (detection unit) that optically or electrically detects the amount of ink in the ink tank.

  Next, the operation (behavior) of the system configured as described above will be described.

<Behavior during printing (order execution order change function)>
First, when a print instruction is given from the print instruction application 20, the server process 32 receives it and places it in the job queue. Thereafter, the server process 32 inquires of the printer driver 30 about the remaining amount of ink and obtains information on the remaining amount of ink from the printer driver 30. Further, the server process 32 calculates whether or not the job (order) can be printed for the remaining ink from the print size and the number of sheets in the print command.

  It is assumed that the ink use amount in the target job is assumed to be the worst value (maximum value of the expected ink use amount) from the design values of the printer driver and the printer apparatus. If it is determined that printing is possible, the printing of the order is executed. However, for the order determined to be unprintable with respect to the remaining ink, printing is suspended, and instead of the jobs waiting to be processed, Another order that can be printed with the remaining ink is extracted, and printing is performed. If the print size is small or the number of prints is small, printing can be performed even if the remaining amount of ink is small.

  As described above, the order processing order (output order) in the system of this example is basically the first-in first-out (FIFO) system. Exceptionally rearrange the processing order and output the printable order (can be output even with a small amount of ink) first. For this reason, the ink in the ink tank can be used without waste.

After outputting the printable order in this way, the server process 32 acquires the remaining ink amount information (latest current value) from the printer driver 30 and writes the information in the remaining ink log (orders 0001 to 0002 in FIG. 2). reference)
FIG. 2 shows an example of the remaining ink log. The illustrated ink remaining amount log includes order number, date and time, operation content (print size, print area, cleaning, ink replacement, test print, etc.) and information on the ink remaining value of each color. The remaining amount information is recorded in time series.

  In this example, not only the print instruction time, the amount of ink used, and the paper size at the time of printing are stored in the log, but also nozzle cleaning and ink replacement are stored in the log. There are multiple outputs in one order. Cleaning, ink replacement, test printing, etc. are treated as “special order” in the log. In order to distinguish between normal print orders and special orders such as cleaning, order numbers in the 9000 range are assigned to special orders, making the order numbers distinctive by making them different from the order numbers of normal print orders. It is

<Behavior during head cleaning>
When a head cleaning instruction is input from the server management GUI 24 of the client computer 12, a head cleaning instruction is sent from the server process 32 in response to the instruction to the printer driver 30, and a head cleaning operation (nozzle suction, nozzle surface) in the printer device 16 is performed. Wiping, preliminary ejection, or an appropriate combination thereof).

  After the head cleaning is performed, the server process 32 acquires the remaining ink information from the printer driver 30 and writes the information in the remaining ink log (see order 9001 in FIG. 2).

<Behavior during ink replacement>
When at least one ink tank is exchanged for the printer device 16, the administrator inputs information on the exchanged ink through a GUI operation of the client computer 12, and inputs head cleaning and test print instructions.

  In response to a command from the client computer 12, a head cleaning and test print instruction is sent from the server process 32 to the printer device 16, and a head cleaning operation and a test print (printing a predetermined test pattern) in the printer device 16 are performed. Is done.

  The server process 32 acquires the remaining ink information from the printer driver 30 and writes the information in the remaining ink log (see orders 9002 to 9004 in FIG. 2).

  When the ink is replaced, the printer device 16 notifies the printer driver 30 that the ink has been replaced, and upon receiving this notification, a program for automatically issuing a head cleaning or test print instruction. It is also possible to do.

<Behavior during log display>
When the administrator operates the client computer 12, the client computer 12 acquires log information from the printer server computer 14, converts the format of the log information, and displays it on the display.

<Example 1 of display form>
As shown in FIG. 2, various forms are possible for the method of visually displaying the ink usage status by analyzing the log information.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a first example of a display form on the client computer 12. FIG. 3 is a line graph type display example in which the vertical axis represents the remaining amount of ink and the horizontal axis represents the number of prints. About the scale of a horizontal axis, unit area amount can be changed as needed, such as L size conversion, postcard size conversion, and A4 size conversion. Along with a graph display of the ink remaining amount of each color, a user interface (check box) for designating a unit area (converted paper size) is displayed. When the paper size is changed, the display content is updated accordingly. It should be noted that the plot start horizontal axis point of the graph can be reset as appropriate using the GUI.

  It also predicts how many more prints can be made based on the average ink usage over a certain period in the past, and displays information on how many more prints can be made in the specified paper size conversion. . It should be noted that the plot start horizontal axis point of the graph can be reset as appropriate using the GUI.

<Example 2 of display form>
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a second example of a display form on the client computer 12. FIG. 4 is a display example in which the vertical axis represents the remaining amount of ink and the horizontal axis represents the number of orders. Also in this case, the plot start horizontal axis point can be reset as appropriate using the GUI. Further, based on the average value of ink usage over a certain period in the past, how many more prints can be printed (average order contents) is also displayed.

<Example 3 of display form>
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a third example of a display form on the client computer 12. FIG. 5 is a display example assuming a business printing system that provides a print service. In particular, the vertical axis represents the remaining ink level and the horizontal axis represents business days (days).

  In this case, the plot start horizontal axis point (start date) can be appropriately designated by using the GUI. In this example, it can be specified by directly inputting into the input box or by selecting from the pull-down menu. As for the display scale of the horizontal axis, “monthly display” and “weekly display” can be selected by a check box. When the display condition is changed, the display content is updated accordingly.

  Further, based on the average value of the amount of ink used for a certain period in the past, how much printing can be performed is predicted, and information on the estimated ink replacement time is displayed for each color ink. This display can be a guide for determining the order (arrangement) time of ink.

<Example 4 of display form>
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a fourth example of a display form on the client computer 12. FIG. 6 shows an example of ink management log display. As shown in the drawing, for each date (business day), the status (number of times) of ink replacement, the number of cleaning operations, and the total number of prints (for example, the number of L-size converted prints) can be displayed in a list.

<About the estimated number of printable sheets / orders / days>
FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a process for predicting the number of printable sheets. The N output results are read from the remaining amount log (step S110), and the average ink usage per unit area of CMYK colors (referred to as “unit area ink average usage”) is calculated from the N output results (step S110). S112). Note that the value of “N” is a number that is a sample of the average value calculation. For example, the most recent 100 or 200 is set to a reasonable value for the average value calculation, and is an empirical value determined from the use frequency and feedback of the prediction result And As a specific example, when about 1000 prints are output per business day, it is conceivable that about half of that is set as N. The same applies to N used in FIGS. 8 to 9 described later, and the value of N in each flow is set to an appropriate value from the experience value.

Further, while calculating the above-described unit area ink average use amount, the ink remaining amount of each color of CMYK is acquired from the remaining amount log (step S114). And the number of printable sheets for each color is
[Formula 1]
The number of printable sheets of each color = remaining ink / unit area average ink use / converted print area is calculated (step S116), and the printable number of colors with the smallest number among the calculation results of each color is returned (step S118). .

  Note that the “converted print area” information used for the calculation in step S116 is acquired in accordance with the GUI input (check box) described in FIG. A predetermined value (for example, L size conversion) is set by default, and the configuration may be such that the value is changed in accordance with designation by the GUI, or all of the changeable conversion candidate values may be calculated.

Further, the order of the steps for acquiring each value used for the calculation in step S116 is not limited to the procedure in FIG. 7, and the order of the steps can be changed.
Information on how many sheets can be printed in the specified paper size conversion is also displayed. It should be noted that the plot start horizontal axis point of the graph can be reset as appropriate using the GUI.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of processing for predicting the number of printable orders. The output result of the N order is read from the remaining amount log (step S210), and the average ink usage per order of each color of CMYK (referred to as “one order ink average usage”) is calculated from the output result of the N times order. (Step S212). On the other hand, the ink remaining amount of each color of CMYK is acquired from the remaining amount log (step S214). And the number of printable orders for each color is
[Formula 2]
The number of printable orders for each color = the remaining amount of ink / the average usage amount of one order ink is calculated (step S216), and the number of printable orders with the smallest number of times among the calculation results for each color is returned (step S218).

  Note that the order of the steps for acquiring each value used for the calculation in step S216 is not limited to the procedure in FIG. 8, and the order of the steps can be changed.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a process for predicting the printable days. An output result of N business days is read from the remaining amount log (step S310), and an average ink usage amount per business day for each color of CMYK (referred to as "daily ink average usage amount") is calculated from the N business day output result. (Step S312). On the other hand, the ink remaining amount of each color of CMYK is acquired from the remaining amount log (step S314). And the number of days that each color can be printed is
[Formula 3]
The number of printable days for each color = the remaining amount of ink / the average daily ink usage is calculated (step S316). Then, the obtained number of printable days is applied to the calendar, and the date when the ink runs out is estimated (step S318). That is, the client computer 12 holds calendar data, and adds the number of days that each ink can be printed calculated in step S316 to the current date and presents it as the estimated ink replacement time (see FIG. 5).

  Note that the order of the steps for acquiring each value used for the calculation in step S316 is not limited to the procedure in FIG. 9, and the order of the steps can be changed.

<Specific examples of job (order) processing>
Here, a specific example of job (order) processing will be described. In principle, job processing in the system of this example is first-in first-out (FIFO) regardless of the print size. Manual operation shall not be performed unless an error occurs. That is, the input job is automatically output according to the program.

  Examples of errors include out of paper, jam, insufficient ink remaining, and poor communication with the printer. If an error occurs, the status of the order becomes an error state and the processing is stopped. When the error is resolved by a countermeasure corresponding to the error content (for example, replenishment of consumables or repair work), the status of “error state” is canceled. It should be noted that the trigger for “cancel” at this time is basically manual (operation by an operator or detection of completion of a predetermined work).

  FIG. 10 is a block diagram related to job processing. As shown in FIG. 10, first, when a print instruction is given from the print instruction application 20, the job (order) is stored ([1]). The server process 32 performs main output processing (job processing main loop processing described in detail in FIG. 11), and controls the printer driver 30 to execute printing ([2]).

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a job (order) processing main loop in the printer server process. In FIG. 11, for the convenience of explanation, the content focusing only on the remaining amount of ink is shown.

  As shown in the flowchart of FIG. 11, the job processing main loop is executed in the system operating loop S410. First, one job having a “waiting for printing” status is extracted from the job queue (step S412), and ink for the job is printed. The usage amount is estimated (step S414). On the other hand, the remaining amount of ink is acquired from the remaining amount log (step S416), and it is determined whether the amount of ink is sufficient for executing the job (step S418). If the ink is sufficient (when YES is determined in step S418), the print process of the job (order) is executed, and the status of “printed” is recorded after the process (step S420).

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S418 that the ink is not sufficient (NO determination), the print process of the job is not performed and the status of “waiting for ink replenishment” is recorded (step S422). In this way, when the ink is insufficient, the job processing is skipped to enter the “ink replenishment wait” state.

  When the processing of step S420 or step S422 is performed on one taken-out job, the processing returns to step S412 and the above processing (steps S412 to S422) is repeated until there is no job in the “waiting for printing” status from the job queue. It is.

  FIG. 12 shows an example of the job queue management GUI. This figure is an example of a job queue operation screen in a normal operation state (a situation where ink shortage has not occurred).

  Each job (order) is given an ID number as identification information, and the print size, the number of sheets, the status, and the input time are listed for each job. ID numbers are automatically assigned in order of entry, and print processing is executed from the smallest number. In the figure, the order of ID “1002” indicates that printing is currently being executed. The operator can check the progress of the job on the GUI screen, and can cancel or delete the job on the GUI screen by operating an input device such as a mouse or a keyboard.

  In FIG. 12, the job having the ID number “1006” is selected, and the row of the job related to the selection is highlighted. With the job selected in this way, the operator can select either “pause” or “delete”. Note that since the “Resume” command cannot be selected for the job, the “Resume” command button is disabled by gray-out display.

  FIG. 13 shows an example of a screen in a state where waiting for ink replenishment has occurred. This figure shows a state in which the job with the ID number “1006” is waiting for ink replenishment. The job (ID: 1006) is a process with 1000 printed sheets, and it is determined that the ink remaining amount is insufficient, and the process is skipped. For this skipped job, the status of “waiting for ink replenishment” is recorded, and the next job with the ID number “1006” (processing with 20 prints) is executed.

  In FIG. 13, the job of ID number “1005” that is “waiting for ink replenishment” is selected, and the row of the job related to the selection is highlighted. With the job selected in this way, the operator can select “Delete”. Since the “Resume” and “Pause” commands cannot be selected for the job, these command buttons are disabled by grayout display.

  FIG. 14 shows an example of a screen in a state where sufficient ink has been replenished to execute the job with the ID number “1005”. When ink is replenished, the status is automatically switched from the “ink replenishment wait” status to the “pause” status. As shown in the figure, in a state where the job with the ID number “1005” is selected (highlighted display state), the operator can select either “resume” or “delete”. The “pause” command button is disabled by graying out.

  When the operator selects “Resume”, the status of “Pause” is changed to “Waiting for printing”. As a result, the job with the ID number “1005” becomes the youngest ID number among the jobs in the “waiting for printing” status, and is therefore taken out and executed first when the next job is taken out.

  The operation after ink replenishment described with reference to FIG. 14 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 10. When ink is replenished, the printer driver 30 notifies the server process 32 of information to that effect. Then, the ink error job recovery processing loop (see FIG. 15) is executed ([3] in FIG. 10).

  The ink error job recovery process is a process for recovering a job whose process has been skipped due to lack of ink (a job having a status of “waiting for ink replenishment”) and setting it to a “pause” state. When a “resume” instruction is input from the server management GUI 24 (job queue management screen) to the job in the “pause” state (see FIG. 14), the job is set to “waiting for printing”. The state can be set ([4] in FIG. 10).

  FIG. 15 is a flowchart of an ink error job recovery processing loop. Note that FIG. 15 shows contents focusing only on the remaining amount of ink, as in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 15, the ink error job recovery processing loop is executed when ink is replenished in the system operating loop S510. First, one job with a status of “waiting for ink replenishment” is taken out from the job queue (step S512). If there are a plurality of “waiting for ink replenishment” status jobs in the job queue, they are taken out in ascending order of ID numbers.

  Next, it is determined whether or not the current ink amount is sufficient for the job (step S514). If the ink is sufficient (YES in step S514), the status of the job (order) is set to “pause” (step S516). Then, it waits for a fixed time (step S518). As described with reference to FIG. 14, the job having the “pause” status can be changed to “waiting for printing” by the server management GUI.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S514 in FIG. 15 that ink is not sufficient (NO determination), the process proceeds to step S518 without performing the process in step S516 (without changing the job status).

  If a plurality of “ink replenishment waiting” status jobs are included in the job queue, the same processing (steps S512 to S518) is performed for all “ink replenishment waiting” status jobs in the job queue. The printable job is shifted to the “pause” status (cancel “ink replenishment” status).

  In this example, it has been described that the operation from the server management GUI is performed as an opportunity to change the status from “Pause” to “Waiting for printing”. However, when the present invention is implemented, automatic operation is not performed without such manual operation. It is also possible to configure the program so as to shift to the “waiting for print” status.

  According to the present embodiment described above, the following operational effects can be obtained.

  (1) The tendency of ink consumption can be easily grasped visually.

  (2) A reliable prediction (estimation) is possible by predicting how much more can be used from the consumption trend grasped from the past use record (history) and the current ink remaining amount.

  (3) By having a control function such as preferentially outputting printable orders based on the predicted usable amount, ink can be used without waste and more efficient print output can be realized. .

[Modification 1]
In the above-described embodiment, a business printing system has been exemplified. However, the scope of application of the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can also be applied to a home use personal computer and printer system. In this case, the concept of “business day” described in FIG. 9 is replaced with a simple “day” or “working day”.

[Modification 2]
In the above-described embodiment, the display related to “remaining ink” in the ink jet printer has been described as an example. However, the remaining amount of paper (recording medium) can be managed in the same manner.

  The scope of application of the present invention is not limited to an ink jet printer, and can be applied to other types of printer devices such as laser printers using toner and sublimation thermal transfer printers using ink ribbons. Other devices having a printing function such as a device are also included in the concept of “printer device (printing device)”.

  That is, the consumables in the printing apparatus are not limited to ink, but “processing liquid” in the case where a processing liquid (functional liquid for aggregating color materials, fixing accelerating liquid, etc.) is used together with ink, cleaning liquid, toner, ink ribbon, There are various types of printers such as paper (recording medium) and configuration, and the remaining amount management of consumables can be performed in the same way as the remaining ink management described above.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a print system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Diagram showing an example of the remaining ink log The figure which shows the 1st example of the display form of ink remaining amount. The figure which shows the 2nd example of the display form of ink remaining amount. The figure which shows the 3rd example of the display form of ink remaining amount. Figure showing a display example of the ink management log Flow chart of processing for predicting the number of printable sheets Flow chart of processing for predicting the number of printable orders Flow chart of processing for predicting the printable days Job processing related diagram in the system of this example Flowchart of job (order) processing main loop The figure which shows an example of a job queue management GUI A diagram showing an example of a screen in a state where waiting for ink replenishment has occurred The figure which shows the example of a screen in the state where ink was replenished Ink error job recovery processing loop flowchart

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Print system, 12 ... Client computer, 14 ... Printer server computer, 16 ... Printer apparatus, 20 ... Print instruction | indication application, 30 ... Printer driver

Claims (12)

A remaining amount history storage means for storing a history of the remaining amount of consumables consumed in accordance with execution of printing in the printing apparatus;
A remaining amount history display means for displaying a graph showing a transition of the remaining amount of the consumables based on the information stored in the remaining amount history storage means;
A printing system comprising:   2. The printing system according to claim 1, wherein the remaining amount information is stored together with order identification information, date and time, and print amount information.   The printing system according to claim 2, wherein the print amount information includes at least one of a designated size of a print job and a print area.   The printing system according to claim 1, wherein the horizontal axis of the graph display is any one of the number of prints, the number of print orders, and time.   5. The display switching unit according to claim 1, further comprising: a display switching unit that switches the graph display by selecting one of the number of prints, the number of print orders, and the time as the horizontal axis of the graph display. The printing system described. An average value calculating means for calculating an average value of the most recently used consumables based on the information stored in the remaining amount history storing means;
Prediction calculation means for predicting at least one of the printable number of sheets, the number of printable orders, and the printable time based on the average value of the consumable use amount obtained by the average value calculation means and the current remaining amount of consumables;
The print system according to claim 1, further comprising: a prediction result obtained by the prediction calculation unit is displayed together with the graph display. A predicted usage amount estimating means for estimating a predicted usage amount of a consumable for each order from information of each order instructed to be printed;
A determining unit that determines whether or not the estimated consumption amount of the consumables estimated by the usage amount estimating unit and the current remaining amount of consumables are orders that may cause a consumable item to run out,
The processing order of the order is controlled so as to skip the processing of the order that is determined to be a consumable out of order by the discriminating means, and to execute the processing of another order that does not cause the consumable exhaustion. Output control means for
The printing system according to claim 1, further comprising:   8. The printing system according to claim 7, wherein the skipped order becomes a print resumption instruction wait order or a normal print wait order when the consumable is replenished.   The printing apparatus that performs printing on a recording medium based on printing data, and a control apparatus that provides the printing data to the printing apparatus and controls the operation of the printing apparatus. The print system according to claim 1, wherein the print system is a print system.   The printing system according to claim 9, wherein the control device includes a printer server computer having a printer driver and a client computer connected to the printer server computer.   A history of the remaining amount of consumables consumed in accordance with execution of printing in the printing apparatus is stored in a storage unit, and a graph display showing a transition of the remaining amount of consumables based on the information stored in the storage unit A consumables remaining amount management method for a printing apparatus, which is performed on a display.   Based on information stored in the remaining amount history storage unit and a remaining amount history storage unit that stores a history of the remaining amount of consumables consumed as a result of printing in the printing apparatus. A program for functioning as remaining amount history display means for displaying a graph indicating the transition of the remaining amount of the consumables.

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