JP5909892B2 - Billing fee calculation method, billing fee calculation device, and printer billing system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a charging fee calculation method, a charging fee calculation device, and a printer charging system for an inkjet printer.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a charging method for charging according to the amount of ink used in an inkjet printer is known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses the following method. The ink remaining amount in the ink tank is measured by an ink jet printer using an optical sensor, and the ink usage is calculated based on the ink remaining amount. The host computer connected to the ink jet printer acquires data relating to the ink usage amount from the ink jet printer, and transmits data relating to the ink usage amount to the service center server via the network. Further, the service center server refers to the ink amount / billing table, calculates a charging fee from the ink usage amount, and charges the user.

JP 2002-36582 A

  By the way, in general, an inkjet printer performs maintenance such as head cleaning and flushing (disposal discharge) in order to discharge bubbles mixed in the head or the ink flow path and prevent ink from solidifying. For this reason, when calculating the ink usage based on the remaining amount of ink in the ink tank as in Patent Document 1, not only the ink usage used for printing (hereinafter referred to as “actual printing usage”), The charging fee is calculated including the amount of maintenance used for maintenance. In other words, for the customer who is charged, the user pays for the amount of ink used in addition to the actual printing, resulting in dissatisfaction.

  Therefore, a method for calculating the charging fee based only on the actual print usage amount is conceivable. In this case, a method is assumed in which the actual printing usage is measured and the charging fee is calculated based on the integrated value of the actual printing usage and the ink unit price. This method not only eliminates the disadvantage for the customer, but also has the merit that it is easy to set up a budget because the charging fee becomes clear according to the amount of printing. However, since the inkjet printer requires maintenance as described above, ink is consumed even when printing is not performed. For this reason, for customers who charge a fee, for customers with a small amount of printing, the proportion of maintenance usage is higher than the actual printing usage, so the amount of billing is less than the amount of ink consumed, and as a business model There is a problem that it does not hold. Therefore, the application of the business model that calculates the charging fee based only on the actual print usage is limited only to major customers with a large amount of printing. I had to be.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above problems, the present invention provides an inkjet printer charging charge calculation method, a charging charge calculation apparatus, and printer charging for realizing a business model that is free from both the charging charge chargeer and the charged chargeer. The problem is to provide a system.

The charging fee calculation method of the present invention is a charging fee calculation method for an inkjet printer that performs maintenance with ink consumption. The ink usage used for maintenance is the maintenance usage MV, and the ink used for actual printing other than maintenance. and the amount of use the actual print usage PV, or a storage step of storing in the information storage unit in the ink jet printer, the actual print usage P V within a predetermined time period L1 obtained from the information storage unit is equal to or less than a predetermined amount V1 An actual printing usage amount determining step for determining whether or not, and when the actual printing usage amount PV is equal to or less than the predetermined amount V1, a first charging fee is set. When the actual printing usage amount PV exceeds the predetermined amount V1, a predetermined period A charging fee calculating step of calculating a charging fee as a second charging fee corresponding to the actual print usage PV in L1, Out step, the first billing rates for maintenance amount MV within a predetermined time period L1 obtained from the information storage unit, or the actual printing amount within a predetermined time period L1 obtained from the information storage unit PV and within a predetermined time period L1 It is calculated according to the total value of the maintenance usage amount MV.
In the above charging fee calculation method, the second charging fee is calculated based on the integrated value of the actual printing usage PV and the coefficient C1 (where C1> 0), and the coefficient C1 is the past actual printing usage PV. It is characterized by being variable according to the above.
In the charging fee calculation method, the past actual print usage PV is the actual print usage PV in the previous predetermined period L1.
In the charging fee calculation method described above, an actual print usage amount monitoring step for monitoring the actual print usage amount PV at a predetermined timing before the end of the predetermined period L1, and a case where the actual print usage amount PV is equal to or less than the predetermined amount V0 (however, 0 <V0 ≦ V1), and a warning step for giving a warning.
The charging fee calculation device of the present invention is a charging fee calculation device for an ink jet printer that performs maintenance with ink consumption. The ink usage used for maintenance is the maintenance usage MV, and the ink used for actual printing other than maintenance. and the amount of use the actual print usage PV, has been stored in the information storage unit in the ink jet printer, or the actual printing usage P V within a predetermined time period L1 obtained from the information storage unit is equal to or less than a predetermined amount V1 not The actual print usage amount determining unit for determining whether the actual print usage amount PV is equal to or less than the predetermined amount V1 is set as a first charging fee. When the actual print usage amount PV exceeds the predetermined amount V1, the predetermined period L1 A charging fee calculation unit that calculates a charging fee as a second charging fee corresponding to the actual print usage PV, and the charging fee calculation unit includes the first charging fee , The maintenance usage MV within the predetermined period L1 acquired from the information storage unit , or the total value of the actual printing usage PV within the predetermined period L1 acquired from the information storage unit and the maintenance usage MV within the predetermined period L1, It is characterized by calculating according to.
In the above charging fee calculation device, the charging fee calculation unit calculates the second charging fee based on the integrated value of the actual printing usage PV and the coefficient C1 (where C1> 0), and the coefficient C1 It is variable according to the actual printing usage PV.
A printer billing system of the present invention is a printer billing system configured to be able to communicate with the above billing fee calculation device and a printing system including at least an ink jet printer, and the printing system performs printing by ink ejection. , A discharge detection unit that detects the presence or absence of ink ejection by the printing unit, a maintenance unit that performs maintenance according to the detection result of the discharge detection unit, and an actual print usage PV used for printing by the printing unit An actual print usage amount measuring unit, and the information storage unit stores the actual print usage amount PV measured by the actual print usage amount measurement unit .
In the above printer billing system, the discharge detection unit detects the presence or absence of ink discharge every time printing of a predetermined amount by the printing unit is completed, and the maintenance unit detects ink discharge “no” by the discharge detection unit. It is characterized in that maintenance is performed in the event of a failure.
In the printer billing system, the maintenance unit performs maintenance according to environmental conditions including one or more of temperature, atmospheric pressure, and humidity.
In the printer charging system, the printing system includes an actual print usage monitoring unit that monitors the actual print usage PV at a predetermined timing before the end of the predetermined period L1, based on the measurement result of the actual print usage measurement unit, And a warning unit that issues a warning when the actual printing usage PV at the timing is equal to or less than a predetermined amount V0 (where 0 <V0 ≦ V1).
The following configuration may be used.
The charging fee calculation method of the present invention is a charging fee calculation method for an inkjet printer that performs maintenance with ink consumption, and is an actual print usage that is the amount of ink used for actual printing other than maintenance within a predetermined period L1. The actual printing usage amount acquisition step for acquiring the amount PV, the actual printing usage amount determination step for determining whether or not the actual printing usage amount PV is equal to or less than the predetermined amount V1, and the charging fee according to the actual printing usage amount PV A charging fee calculation step for calculating, and when the actual printing usage PV is equal to or less than the predetermined amount V1, the charging fee calculation step includes the predetermined amount V1 and the ink usage used for maintenance within the predetermined period L1. If the actual printing usage PV exceeds the predetermined amount V1, the first charging fee is based on the total value with a certain maintenance usage MV. As a second charging rates of increase, and calculates the charging fee.

  The charging fee calculation device of the present invention is a charging fee calculation device for an inkjet printer that performs maintenance with ink consumption, and is an actual printing usage that is the amount of ink used for actual printing other than maintenance within a predetermined period L1. An actual printing usage amount acquisition unit for acquiring the amount PV, an actual printing usage amount determination unit for determining whether the actual printing usage amount PV is equal to or less than the predetermined amount V1, and a charging fee according to the actual printing usage amount PV. A charging fee calculation unit for calculating, when the actual printing usage PV is equal to or less than the predetermined amount V1, the charging fee calculation unit uses the predetermined amount V1 and the ink usage used for maintenance within the predetermined period L1. A first charging fee based on a total value with a certain maintenance usage amount MV is used. When the actual printing usage amount PV exceeds a predetermined amount V1, a second charging fee that increases according to the actual printing usage amount PV. And, characterized in that to calculate the accounting fee.

According to these configurations, when the actual printing usage PV is equal to or less than the predetermined amount V1, that is, for a customer with a small printing amount, the charging fee is charged to the first charging fee considering the maintenance usage MV. Can eliminate the disadvantages. In other words, it is possible to solve the problem that the business model cannot be established due to the fact that the billing amount is reduced with respect to the overall ink consumption. On the other hand, when the actual printing usage PV exceeds the predetermined amount V1, that is, for customers with a large printing volume (the side that pays the ink usage fee of the ink jet printer), the second charge that increases according to the actual printing usage PV Because it is a fee, there is no disadvantage to the customer. In other words, there is an advantage that the customer can pay only for the amount of ink used only for substantial printing and can easily make a budget. In this way, it is possible to expand customers by realizing a business model that has no disadvantage for both the billing side and the billing side regardless of the amount of printing, and further expansion of the business model is expected. it can.
The “second billing fee” may be calculated based on an algorithm using the actual printing usage PV as a parameter, and the algorithm may be of any kind such as a linear function or the number of secondary intervals.
Further, “maintenance with ink consumption” refers to flushing (disposal discharge processing), ink suction processing in cleaning processing, and the like. Also, it is preferable that the amount of ink used for the initial ink filling process is not included in the amount of actual printing used.

  In the above charging fee calculation method, the maintenance usage amount MV is a fixed value, and the first charging fee is a fixed fee that does not change according to the actual printing usage PV in the predetermined period L1.

  According to this configuration, by setting the first billing fee as a fixed fee, an easily understandable fee system can be achieved.

  In the above accounting fee calculation method, the first accounting fee is characterized in that a fixed fee is varied according to the past actual print usage PV.

According to this configuration, by changing the first billing charge (fixed charge) according to the past actual print usage PV, the customer merit is enhanced, for example, a discount is given to a customer with a large amount of print. Can do.
The “past actual print usage PV” is, for example, when the predetermined period is one month, the actual print usage for the previous month, the actual print usage for two months ago, and the cumulative actual print usage for the past year. It means the average actual printing usage from the month when billing starts to the previous month.
In addition, a maintenance usage amount that is an ink usage amount used for maintenance is acquired, and the first charging fee may be varied according to the past maintenance usage amount, or the past total ink usage amount ( The actual printing usage amount + maintenance usage amount) may be varied. Further, the first billing fee may be varied according to the ratio between the actual printing usage and the maintenance usage over the same period in the past. Furthermore, the first charging fee is determined according to the actual printing usage, maintenance usage, total ink usage, and the ratio between actual printing usage and maintenance usage for the month (predetermined period for calculating the charging fee). It may be variable.

In the above charging fee calculation method and charging fee calculation device , the first charging fee is a basic fixed fee, which is an integrated value of the total value of the predetermined amount V1 and the maintenance usage amount MV and the ink unit price, The fixed charge is variable by adding or subtracting the adjustment charge to or from the basic fixed charge according to the past actual printing usage PV.

  According to this configuration, by setting the total value of the predetermined amount V1 and the maintenance usage amount MV and the integrated value of the ink unit price as a basic fixed charge, the minimum charge that is not disadvantageous for the chargeer is charged. It can be secured. In addition, when the past actual print usage PV is large, it is possible to reduce the disadvantage of the customer whose actual print usage PV fluctuates greatly depending on the time by taking a measure such as subtracting a fixed fee.

In the above charging fee calculation method and charging fee calculation device , the second charging fee is calculated based on the integrated value of the actual printing usage PV and the coefficient C1 (where C1> 0), and the coefficient C1 is It varies according to the past actual printing usage PV.

According to this configuration, by changing the coefficient C1 according to the past actual printing usage PV, for example, a discount is given to a customer with a large printing amount (the value of the coefficient C1 is reduced). Can be increased.
The maintenance usage amount, which is the ink usage amount used for maintenance, is obtained, and the coefficient C1 may be varied according to the past maintenance usage amount, or the past total ink usage amount (actual printing usage). (Amount + maintenance usage amount). Further, the coefficient C1 may be varied according to the ratio of the actual printing usage amount and the maintenance usage amount in the same past period. Further, the coefficient C1 is varied in accordance with the actual printing usage, maintenance usage, total ink usage, and the ratio between the actual printing usage and the maintenance usage for the month (predetermined period for which the charging fee is to be calculated). May be.

  In the charging fee calculation method, the past actual print usage PV is the actual print usage PV in the previous predetermined period L1.

According to this configuration, the first charging fee and the value of the coefficient C1 can be varied according to the actual printing usage PV in the previous predetermined period L1.
The “previous predetermined period L1” indicates, for example, the actual printing usage for the previous month when the predetermined period is one month, and the actual printing usage for the last year when the predetermined period is one year.

  In the charging fee calculation method described above, an actual print usage amount monitoring step for monitoring the actual print usage amount PV at a predetermined timing before the end of the predetermined period L1, and a case where the actual print usage amount PV is equal to or less than a predetermined amount V0 (however, <V0 ≦ V1) and a warning step for giving a warning.

According to this configuration, there is a possibility that the customer is charged at the first charging fee by giving a warning when the actual print usage PV at the predetermined timing before the end of the predetermined period L1 is equal to or less than the predetermined amount V0. You can be notified. That is, since the second charging fee has a greater customer merit than the first charging fee, it is possible to notify the customer that the actual printing usage PV in the predetermined period L1 does not satisfy the predetermined amount V1. The customer can take measures such as increasing the actual printing usage PV and applying the second charging fee.
As a warning method, a command indicating a printer warning may be transmitted to the inkjet printer, or an email may be transmitted to the customer's email address.

  A printer billing system of the present invention is a printer billing system configured to be able to communicate with the above billing fee calculation device and a printing system including at least an ink jet printer, and the printing system performs printing by ink ejection. , A discharge detection unit that detects the presence or absence of ink ejection by the printing unit, a maintenance unit that performs maintenance according to the detection result of the discharge detection unit, and an actual print usage PV used for printing by the printing unit An actual print usage measurement unit, and the actual print usage acquisition unit acquires a measurement result of the actual print usage measurement unit.

According to this configuration, the present invention can be applied to a system configuration in which a printing system including an ink jet printer and a charging fee calculation apparatus are installed at remote locations.
The “maintenance unit” preferably performs maintenance without ink discharge, such as wiping (head wiping process), in addition to “maintenance with ink consumption” such as flushing (disposal discharge processing) and ink suction processing. .

  In the above printer billing system, the discharge detection unit detects the presence or absence of ink discharge every time printing of a predetermined amount by the printing unit is completed, and the maintenance unit detects ink discharge “no” by the discharge detection unit. It is characterized in that maintenance is performed in the event of a failure.

According to this configuration, defective ink ejection can be prevented efficiently and reliably.
The ejection detection unit may switch the nozzles (nozzle rows) to be detected every time a predetermined amount of printing is completed, instead of performing detection for all the ink ejection nozzles each time. In addition, when ink discharge “nothing” is detected, it is preferable to perform maintenance only on the detection target nozzle. According to this configuration, wasteful ink consumption can be reduced.

  In the accounting fee calculation method, the maintenance unit performs maintenance according to environmental conditions including one or more of temperature, atmospheric pressure, and humidity.

  According to this configuration, appropriate maintenance can be performed according to environmental conditions such as temperature, atmospheric pressure, and humidity. That is, wasteful ink consumption can be reduced by performing the minimum necessary maintenance according to environmental conditions such as temperature, atmospheric pressure, and humidity.

  In the printer billing system, the printing system includes an actual print usage monitoring unit that monitors the actual print usage PV at a predetermined timing before the end of the predetermined period L1, based on the measurement result of the actual print usage measurement unit. And a warning unit that issues a warning when the actual print usage PV at a predetermined timing is less than or equal to the predetermined amount V0 (where 0 <V0 ≦ V1).

According to this configuration, at a predetermined timing before the end of the predetermined period L1, by giving a warning when the actual printing usage PV is equal to or less than the predetermined amount V0, the customer may be charged with the first charging fee. You can be notified that there is.
In addition, as a warning method, the display by LED or a display screen, generation | occurrence | production of an electronic sound, etc. can be considered.

1 is a system configuration diagram of a printer billing system. FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of the printer with two front covers closed. FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of the printer with two front covers opened. 2 is an external perspective view of an ink cartridge. FIG. It is a control block diagram of a server in a store and a printer. It is a functional block diagram of an in-store server and a printer. It is a schematic diagram of an information storage part. It is a functional block diagram of a manufacturer server and a main server. 5 is a flowchart showing processing when power is turned on or when a cartridge is mounted. It is a flowchart which shows the process at the time of an ink end. It is a flowchart which shows the collection process of charging status. It is an image figure which shows the relationship between actual printing usage-amount and a charge charge. It is explanatory drawing which shows the calculation method of a 1st charge charge and a 2nd charge charge. It is a figure which shows the modification of a charging fee calculation method.

  Hereinafter, a charging fee calculation method, a charging fee calculation apparatus, and a printer charging system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(Printer billing system overview)
FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of the printer billing system SY. The printer billing system SY according to the present embodiment provides an ink cartridge to an X company (cartridge user, customer) 200 in which a printer manufacturer (ink cartridge supplier) 100 has purchased a plurality of color ink jet printers 240. Company X 200 is a business model that pays a charging fee to the printer manufacturer 100 according to the amount of ink used for printing in each printer 240. The system configuration includes a plurality of printers 240 installed in each store, in-store servers 220 and 230 connected to each printer 240 in the store, and a main server connected to in-store servers 220 and 230 in each store. 210 and a maker server 110 connected to the main server 210. Among these, the manufacturer server 110 functions as a billing fee calculation device, and the other main servers 210, in-store servers 220 and 230, and the printer 240 function as a printing system.

  In this printer billing system SY, Company X 200 is a company that issues coupons related to merchandise, for example, and obtains advertising revenue according to the amount of coupons issued. Company X 200 installs in-store servers 220 and 230 and a plurality of printers 240 purchased from printer manufacturer 100 in a plurality of stores 410 to 440 managed by company Y 400, which is another company (in FIG. 1, (In-store servers 220 and 230 and printer 240 are shown only in stores 410 and 420 for the sake of simplicity). Each printer 240 is communicably connected to the in-store servers 220 and 230 via a LAN.

  Y company 400 is, for example, a retail store such as a supermarket. The printer 240 is a coupon issuing printer separate from the receipt printer, and is installed in the vicinity of each cash register counter in the stores 410 to 440. In response to an instruction from the in-store servers 220 and 230 (hereinafter referred to as “in-store server 220”) disposed in the same store, the printer 240 receives coupons related to product information input from the POS terminal. It is configured to issue a ticket, and the issued coupon is handed to a customer by a person in charge of POS terminal of Y company 400.

  The main server 210 is installed inside the company X 200, and is connected to each in-store server 220 in each store 410 to 440 so as to be communicable via a public line such as the Internet or a telephone line, or a dedicated line. Yes. The main server 210 transmits image data of coupons to be printed by the printer 240 to the in-store server 220 together with product information of related products. Also, information such as the type and number of coupons issued by the printer 240 is collected from the in-store server 220.

  In the printer billing system SY, the printer manufacturer 100 provides ink cartridges to Company X in advance. The company X 200 installs the ink cartridge in the printer 240 and installs it at the register counter of the company Y 400. The person in charge of the POS terminal reads a barcode including a product code affixed to the product with a scanner, and outputs product information corresponding to the product code to the in-store server 220. The in-store server 220 acquires product information, and when there is corresponding coupon information, transmits image data of the coupon to the printer 240 to issue a ticket. Then, each in-store server 220 installed in each store 410 to 440 periodically collects information on the amount of ink used from each connected printer 240 and transmits it to the main server 210.

  Thereafter, the company X 200 transmits information regarding the ink usage amount of each printer 240 collected in the main server 210 to the manufacturer server 110 via the Internet or the like. Of course, information on the amount of ink used may be stored in a recording medium such as a CD (Compact Disc) or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) and mailed to the printer manufacturer 100. Then, the manufacturer server 110 aggregates the information on the ink usage amount submitted from the X company 200, calculates a charging fee for the ink usage amount, and bills the X company 200. In the printer billing system SY, the printer manufacturer 100 collects the empty ink cartridge 20 that has been removed after the ink has been removed. The printer manufacturer 100 refills the collected ink cartridge 20 with ink and provides it to the X company 200.

  The printer billing system SY is configured to charge only for the amount of ink used for issuing coupons. Various maintenance operations and ink filling operations (ink suction operations for initial filling) Is not charged for the amount of ink used. Examples of the maintenance operation include a flushing operation of the print head 247, an ink suction operation by cleaning, and a clogging recovery operation by cleaning. Therefore, for Company X 200, when issuing a coupon, it is possible to issue a high-quality coupon ticket with high expressive power using the inkjet printer 240 without being aware of the cost of ink that is not directly used. There is a merit.

  The charging fee is determined according to the amount of ink used for issuing a coupon within a predetermined period (for example, one month) (hereinafter referred to as “actual printing usage PV”). However, when charging is performed according to the actual printing usage PV, the amount of ink used for maintenance is larger than the amount of ink used for issuing coupons for the printer 240 with a small printing amount. For the printer manufacturer 100, it will not be a business model. Therefore, by charging a fixed fee for the printer 240 with a small printing amount until a certain actual printing usage PV is reached, the business model of the printer manufacturer 100 is established. Details will be described later with reference to FIG.

(Printer configuration)
2 is an external perspective view of the printer 240 with the two front covers closed, and FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of the printer 240 with the two front covers open. As shown in both figures, the printer 240 of the present embodiment has a power switch 3, a roll paper cover 5, and a mounting portion opening / closing cover in order from the left side on the front surface of the printer case 2 constituted by the front upper panel 2a and the case cover 2b. 7 is arranged. A plurality of LED lamps 6 for notifying the user of the status of the printer 240 are provided above the power switch 3. Each of the roll paper cover 5 and the mounting portion opening / closing cover 7 is provided so as to be openable and closable forward via a hinge (not shown) provided at the lower portion.

  When the roll paper cover 5 is opened, as shown in FIG. 3, the paper storage unit 13 that stores the roll paper 11 is opened, and the roll paper 11 can be replaced in this state. On the other hand, when the mounting portion opening / closing cover 7 is opened, the cartridge mounting portion 15 is opened, and the ink cartridge 20 can be attached to and detached from the cartridge mounting portion 15.

  The ink cartridge 20 is a cartridge case 41 in which three color ink packs of yellow, cyan, and magenta are packaged together. In the case of the printer 240 of this embodiment, in conjunction with the opening / closing operation of the mounting portion opening / closing cover 7, the ink cartridge 20 in the cartridge mounting portion 15 slides from a cartridge replacement position to be described later to a cartridge use position.

  FIG. 4 is an external perspective view of the ink cartridge 20 attached to the printer 240. Two positioning holes 26 are formed in the lower portion of the back surface 21 a of the ink cartridge 20. When the ink cartridge 20 is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 15 of the printer 240, a positioning pin (not shown) slides in the positioning holes 26 and 26 while guiding it, and the position of the ink cartridge 20 is fixed. In addition, three ink supply ports 21b are opened at the center of the back surface 21a, and the three colors of ink in the ink cartridge 20 are supplied to the printer 240 through the ink supply ports 21b.

  In addition, a waste ink collection port 28 is provided between the positioning holes 26 and 26 for collecting the waste ink used for maintenance without being used for printing by the printer 240. Waste ink is collected in the ink cartridge 20 through the waste ink collection port 28. That is, the ink cartridge 20 of this embodiment serves not only as an ink tank that supplies ink but also as a waste ink tank that stores waste ink.

  In addition, a storage element 27 is embedded and disposed in one side surface 21c of the ink cartridge 20 with the surface of the connection terminal 27a exposed. The storage element 27 is a memory in which an ink cartridge ID for identifying an ink cartridge is stored. The storage element 27 includes a rewritable nonvolatile memory for writing information such as the number of ink ejections. Data read / write from / to the storage element 27 from the printer 240 is electrically connected to a connection terminal (not shown) provided on the cartridge mounting portion 15 side of the printer 240 via a connection terminal 27a formed on the exposed surface. To be executed.

(Relationship between in-store server and printer)
FIG. 5 is a control block diagram of the in-store server 220 and the printer 240. As shown in the figure, the in-store server 220 includes a CPU 221, a ROM 222, a RAM 223, an HDD 224, an input device 225, and a communication interface 226. The in-store server 220 controls the printer 240 by outputting various commands and print data to the printer 240 via the communication interface 226 while the CPU 221 executes the operating system and application programs stored in the HDD 224.

  The printer 240 includes a CPU 241, a flash ROM 242, a RAM 243, a communication interface 244, a print control unit 245, a paper transport mechanism 246, a print head 247, a cover opening / closing sensor 248, an RTC (Real Time Clock) 249, and the like. And a cartridge mounting portion 15. The cover opening / closing sensor 248 detects opening / closing of the roll paper cover 5 and the loading / unloading cover 7. The RTC 249 is used to time the measurement period of the actual printing usage PV (in this embodiment, one month). An ink cartridge 20 is mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 15. The printer 240 receives print data by communicating with the in-store server 220 via the communication interface 244 while the CPU 241 executes the firmware stored in the flash ROM 242. Then, based on various commands and print data, the print control unit 245 drives the print head 247 while conveying the roll paper 11 via the paper conveyance mechanism 246 to execute printing on the roll paper 11 and issues a coupon. .

(Printer function)
FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram showing internal processing of the printer 240. As shown in the figure, in the printer 240, a receiving unit 301 that receives various commands and print data transmitted from the in-store server 220, and various commands and print data received by the receiving unit 301 are temporarily stored. A reception buffer 302 is provided. The data received by the reception buffer 302 is analyzed by the command analysis unit 303 and transferred to the control command buffer 304 in the case of a control command, and transferred to the print buffer in the case of print data by DMA transfer or the like.

  The print data temporarily stored in the print buffer 305 is subjected to data expansion processing by the print data generation unit 306 and is converted into data. Finally, dot pattern data corresponding to the nozzle array of the print head 247 is generated and printed. Stored in the buffer 305. This dot pattern data is, for example, 2-bit gradation data, and the ink ejected from each nozzle of the print head 247 is (1) not ejected, (2) small dots, (3) medium dots, (4) large Indicates which of the dots corresponds.

  The printing unit 307 drives the print head 247 based on the dot pattern data stored in the print buffer 305, and creates a coupon ticket by forming an image on the roll paper 11. On the other hand, the control command data temporarily stored in the control command buffer 304 is read by the main control unit 308, and processing corresponding to the control command such as paper cutting is executed.

  Based on the print data stored in the print buffer 305 or the dot pattern data generated based on the print data, the actual print usage measurement unit 309 determines the amount of ink discharged from the print head 247 for each color in units of dots. Count as shots. Ink discharged from the print head 247 has different ink use amounts for small dots, medium dots, and large dots, so prepare an ink use amount table for each dot size (small dot, medium dot, large dot). The number of shots is counted for each dot size, and the amount of ink used for printing (total value for all colors) is determined from the total number of shots for each dot size and the ink amount for each dot size. . In addition, the actual print usage measurement unit 309 measures the total ink usage for one month from the beginning of the month to the end of the month based on the time measurement result of the RTC 249. That is, at the first printing at the beginning of the month, the ink usage amount based on the count result of the number of shots is stored in the information storage unit 312. From the second printing, the ink usage amount based on the count result of the shot number is stored up to that time. The actual printing usage PV is updated by adding to the cumulative ink usage.

  Note that the actual print usage measurement unit 309 counts the amount of ink corresponding to the ink ejection from the print head 247 accompanying printing on the roll paper 11 as the number of shots for each color in units of dots. Ink is ejected from the print head 247, such as ink ejected from the print head 247 by the operation, ink sucked from the print head 247 by an ink suction means (not shown), or ink used from the clogging recovery operation or ink filling operation. The ink usage is not counted for the amount of ink used to make it possible. Even when the ink cartridge 20 reaches the ink end, the ink may remain in the ink cartridge 20, but the process for counting the remaining ink is not performed. It is configured to measure only when ink is actually ejected onto the roll paper 11 and used for printing.

  The ink remaining amount analysis unit 310 calculates and obtains the ink remaining amount in the ink cartridge 20 for each color. The storage element 27 of the ink cartridge 20 stores the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge 20 for each color. Subtracting the amount of ink used for printing (based on the measurement result of the actual printing usage measurement unit 309) and the amount of ink used for maintenance, based on a predetermined initial value when newly installed, Find the remaining ink level. In the case of a printing operation, a flushing operation, or the like, the remaining ink amount is converted from the number of used inks based on the number of shots, and in the case of a suction operation, a predetermined predetermined ink amount is used as the used ink amount. The remaining ink amount may be a ratio value with respect to the initial value. The obtained ink remaining amount is stored in the information storage unit 312 at a predetermined timing (for example, every time printing is performed), and is also stored in the storage element 27 of the ink cartridge 20 via the cartridge control unit 311.

  As described above, the measurement of the ink use amount by the actual print use amount measuring unit 309 is an important function not only for calculating the charging fee but also from the viewpoint of managing the remaining amount of ink. That is, only by providing the printer 240 with the RTC 249, the actual printing usage PV, the total ink usage (actual printing usage PV + maintenance usage), and the ink remaining amount in the predetermined period L1 can be calculated and managed.

  The cartridge control unit 311 is a control unit that controls reading of information from the storage element 27 of the ink cartridge 20 mounted on the printer 240 and writing of information to the storage element 27. Various processes of the cartridge controller 311 will be described later in connection with ID reading of the ink cartridge 20. The information storage unit 312 is an area for storing various information of the printer 240, and is formed in a predetermined area in the flash ROM 242, for example.

  FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of an ink cartridge ID storage area in the information storage unit 312. The information storage unit 312 includes a printer serial number storage area 312a that stores a printer serial number for identifying the printer 240 from other printers, and an ink remaining amount that stores a remaining ink value of the currently installed ink cartridge 20. Value storage area 312b, actual print use amount storage area 312c for storing the actual print use amount PV measured by the actual print use amount measuring unit 309, the ID of the newly installed ink cartridge, and the previous ink exchanged as an ink end An ink cartridge ID storage area 312d for storing the cartridge ID is provided.

  In the ink cartridge ID storage area 312d, a newly installed ink cartridge ID and an ink cartridge ID that has become an ink end are stored separately, and a predetermined number of ink cartridge IDs can be stored. If an attempt is made to write the ink cartridge ID beyond the predetermined number, it is considered that there was some problem, so an error is assumed. These ink cartridge IDs indicate whether or not the ink cartridge 20 has been securely attached to the printer 240, and whether or not the ink cartridge 20 has been used until the ink end has been continued. The data is finally transmitted to the manufacturer server 110 via the in-store server 230 and the main server 210. Further, each ink cartridge ID is added with information indicating the date and time when the ink cartridge was newly installed or the date and time when the ink end was reached, based on the timing result of the RTC 249. As a result, the printer manufacturer 100 can grasp the status of the ink cartridge shipped to the company X.

  The transmission information generation / transmission unit 313 collects information related to charging (hereinafter referred to as charging status) stored in the information storage unit 312 of the printer 240 in response to the charging status transmission request command from the in-store server 220 to collect the charging status. Information is generated and returned to the in-store server 220. Here, the charging status information includes the printer serial number of the printer, the actual printing usage PV, the ink remaining amount value, the newly installed ink cartridge ID, and the ink cartridge ID of the ink end. In response to the charging status transmission request, the transmission information generation / transmission unit 313 combines these pieces of information into one, and adds a checksum to improve the reliability of the information to obtain charging status information. The generated charging status information is transmitted to the in-store server 220 via the transmission unit 314.

  The ejection detection unit 316 detects the presence or absence of ink ejection for each nozzle every time printing of a predetermined amount by the printing unit 307 is completed. The “predetermined amount” is determined according to the number of printed coupons, the printing time, the number of ejections (the number of ejections for all nozzles or nozzle rows), and the like. As a discharge inspection method, a head cap (not shown) is made to face the nozzle surface of the print head 247, and in this state, charged ink is selectively discharged from a plurality of discharge nozzles. Then, the presence or absence of ejection is determined by changing the current generated when the ejected charged ink lands on the absorber of the head cap.

  The maintenance unit 317 performs various maintenance such as a cleaning operation in accordance with the detection result of the discharge detection unit 316. For example, if it is determined from the detection result of the discharge detection unit 316 that there is no discharge with respect to a predetermined number of discharge nozzles, cleaning is performed. The maintenance unit 317 performs maintenance according to environmental conditions such as temperature, atmospheric pressure, and humidity. For example, when the temperature (environmental temperature) is high, cleaning is frequently performed in consideration of the high possibility that bubbles that cause ejection failure are generated and grow in the print head 247 (the above-described ejection detection unit). If the environmental temperature is low, the number of cleanings is reduced in consideration of the low possibility that bubbles will be generated and grow in the ejection head (the above-mentioned ejection time is shortened). It is conceivable that the detection period of the detection unit 316 is increased). Note that a thermometer for measuring temperature is desirably provided in the vicinity of the print head 247 in the printer 240. In addition, a barometer and a hygrometer may be provided, and the detection cycle by the discharge detection unit 316 may be varied according to the measurement results. Further, instead of changing the detection cycle, it is conceivable to change the cleaning method, change the ink suction amount, or increase the number of wiping operations according to the environmental conditions.

  The actual printing usage monitoring unit 318 monitors the actual printing usage PV at a predetermined timing (for example, the 15th of every month) during the month based on the measurement result of the actual printing usage measurement unit 309. Further, the warning unit 319 determines that the actual print usage PV at a predetermined timing monitored by the actual print usage monitoring unit 318 is a predetermined amount V0 (however, the predetermined amount V0 is a threshold value for calculating the charging fee). In the following cases, a warning is given by turning on or blinking the LED lamp 6. As a result, Company Y can grasp the printer 240 with a small print amount, and can take measures for leveling the print amount of the printer 240 (such as replacing the printer 240). Instead of turning on or blinking the LED lamp 6, a warning may be issued by generating an electronic sound or displaying a display.

(In-store server function)
As shown in FIG. 6, in the store server 220, as functions related to coupon printing and charging status acquisition, a transmission / reception unit 321, a coupon image storage unit 322, a coupon selection unit 323, a charging status acquisition unit 325, A billing status storage unit 326.

  The transmission / reception unit 321 communicates with the main server 210 and the printer 240. The coupon image storage unit 322 stores image data for printing a plurality of types of coupons. The coupon selection unit 323 acquires product information using a transaction process at the POS terminal as a trigger, and selects image data corresponding to the product information from the coupon image storage unit 322. The selected image data is transmitted to the printer 240 via the transmission / reception unit 321 and printed by the printer 240. By handing this coupon to the customer, Y Company 400 can expect the customer to return to the store (the effect of attracting customers).

  The accounting status acquisition unit 325 is an API that requests the printer 240 to transmit the accounting status, and transmits the accounting status to the printer 240 via the transmission / reception unit 321 in response to an instruction from a host application program (not shown). Send a request command. In this embodiment, it transmits once a month (for example, at the beginning of the month). When the accounting status information is received from the printer 240 after the transmission of the accounting status transmission request command, the receipt confirmation of the accounting status information is transmitted to the printer 240 and the received accounting status information is stored in the accounting status storage unit 326.

  Here, the accounting status acquisition unit 325 gives a reliability guarantee value such as a checksum to the accounting status information for each data. This reliability guarantee value is data for guaranteeing the data inside the package data, and is obtained, for example, by an operation such as obtaining the sum of binary representations of all data. By using this reliability guarantee value, it is possible to verify whether the value has been changed in the subsequent processing, and whether the transmission / reception has been performed correctly in the subsequent transmission / reception. Instruct processing. In other words, the charging status acquisition unit 325 adds a reliability guarantee value to the charging status information, thereby preventing falsification and detecting the presence or absence of an error, thereby improving the reliability of data. Although it has been described that the reliability guarantee value is added to the billing status information by the billing status acquisition unit 325 in the in-store server 220, the present invention is not limited to this. The unit 313 may add a reliability guarantee value to the charging status information and transmit the charging status information with the reliability guarantee value to the in-store server 220.

(Main server function)
FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram showing internal processes of the maker server 110 and the main server 210. The main server 210 includes a transmission / reception unit 331, a coupon image database 332, a coupon issue information storage unit 333, a charging status collection unit 334, and a charging fee storage unit 335 as functions related to coupon printing and charging status exchange. It is equipped with.

  The transmission / reception unit 331 communicates with the in-store server 220 and the manufacturer server 110. The coupon image database 332 stores image data and product information of related products in association with each other for a plurality of types of coupons. Data in the coupon image database 332 is transmitted to each store server 220. The coupon issue information storage unit 333 collects information such as the type and number of coupons issued by the printer 240 from each in-store server 220 and stores them. The billing status collection unit 334 collects billing status information from each in-store server 220. The collected charging status information is transmitted to the manufacturer server 110 every month. The charging fee storage unit 335 stores the charging fee notified from the manufacturer server 110 (the charging fee for one month for each printer 240).

(Manufacturer server function)
The manufacturer server 110 includes a transmission / reception unit 341, a charging status acquisition unit 342 (actual print usage amount acquisition unit), an actual print usage amount determination unit 343, a charging fee calculation unit 344, as functions related to calculation of the charging fee. A charging fee notification unit 345.

  The transmission / reception unit 331 communicates with the main server 210. A charging status acquisition unit 342 (actual print usage amount acquisition unit) acquires charging status information of each printer 240. Here, the actual printing usage PV used for actual printing other than maintenance is acquired for each printer 240 (for each printer serial number) once a month (for example, at the beginning of the month) for one month of the previous month. The actual print use amount determining unit 343 determines whether the actual print use amount PV of each printer 240 is equal to or less than a predetermined amount V1.

  The charging fee calculation unit 344 sets the first charging fee, which is a fixed fee, when the actual printing usage PV is equal to or less than the predetermined amount V1, and the actual printing usage when the actual printing usage PV exceeds the predetermined amount V1. A charging fee is calculated as a second charging fee that increases in accordance with the PV. Here, the “first billing fee” is a fee based on the total value of the predetermined amount V1 and the maintenance usage amount MV that is the ink usage amount used for maintenance within the predetermined period L1. Details of the billing fee calculation method will be described later. The charging fee notification unit 345 notifies the main server 210 of the charging fee for all the printers 240 under its management. It should be noted that the billing charges for all the printers 240 may be summed up and notified to the main server 210 as a billed amount.

(Ink cartridge ID reading by printer 1: cartridge loaded)
FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing processing when the power is turned on or when the ink cartridge 20 is mounted. When a new ink cartridge 20 is installed in the printer 240, the cartridge control unit 311 reads the ID of the ink cartridge from the storage element 27 of the ink cartridge 20. Specifically, when the printer 240 is first turned on, or when the cover opening / closing cover 7 is detected to be closed by the cover opening / closing sensor 248 (S1: Yes), the ink cartridge ID and the ink remaining amount are detected. The quantity value is read (S2), and it is checked whether it matches the ID stored in the information storage unit 312 (S3). If the two IDs match (S3: Yes), then it is checked whether the remaining amount value stored in the information storage unit 312 matches the read ink remaining amount value ( S4). Here, if the two remaining ink values match, it is determined that the currently installed ink cartridge 20 is the same as before the power is turned on or before the ink cartridge is installed.

  On the other hand, when the IDs do not match (S3: No) and when the ink remaining amount values do not match (S4: No), the currently installed ink cartridge 20 has different ink before power-on or before ink cartridge mounting. The cartridge 20 is inserted, and the cartridge control unit 311 stores the read ink cartridge ID (S5). Thereafter, the cartridge control unit 311 reads the ink remaining amount value from the storage element 27 of the mounted ink cartridge 20, and based on the read ink remaining amount value, the ink remaining amount value storage region 312b of the information storage unit 312 is stored. Update (S6). At this time, the cartridge control unit 311 simultaneously increments the attachment number counter set in the storage element 27 of the ink cartridge 20. By this operation, information in the ink cartridge 20 is updated as to how many times the ink cartridge 20 has been installed in the printer.

(ID reading of ink cartridge by printer 2: ink end)
FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing processing at the time of ink end. In the present embodiment, the ink remaining amount analyzing unit 310 determines ink end. The ink remaining amount analyzing unit 310 calculates the ink remaining amount in the ink cartridge 20 for each color to obtain the ink remaining value, and when the ink remaining value becomes a predetermined value or less for at least one color, The ink end is determined. First, the ink remaining amount analysis unit 310 monitors whether or not the ink remaining amount value is equal to or less than a predetermined value for at least one color (S11). This predetermined value is not a physical ink end (the amount of ink in the ink cartridge 20 is 0) in consideration of an error between the ink remaining amount value of the ink remaining amount analysis unit 310 and the actual ink remaining amount value. For example, a value is set so that the ink end is determined when the actual remaining ink value in the ink cartridge 20 reaches several percent. With such a setting, the ink ends before the ink actually runs out, so that the ink is prevented from being ejected by the print head 247 and the inflow of air into the print head 247 can be avoided.

  When the ink remaining amount value becomes equal to or smaller than the predetermined value for at least one color (S11: Yes), the printer 240 notifies the in-store server 220 of the ink end via the transmission information generation / transmission unit 313 and at the same time, the printer 240. The LED lamp 6 on the outer surface is blinked to prompt the user to replace the ink cartridge 20 (S12). Further, the cartridge control unit 311 reads out the ink cartridge ID in the storage element 27 of the ink cartridge 20 and sets the read ink cartridge ID as an ink cartridge ID that has become an ink end in the ink cartridge ID storage area 312d of the information storage unit 312. Store (S13).

  When the ink end is reached, the in-store server 220 prohibits printing using the printer 240 until the ink cartridge is replaced. After that, when the user replaces the ink cartridge, the sequence shown in FIG. 9 operates, and a new ink cartridge 20 is recognized by the printer 240. If the ink cartridge 20 is not an ink end, printing is resumed. As described above, in the present embodiment, the ink cartridge ID of the newly installed ink cartridge 20 and the ink cartridge ID serving as the ink end are stored in the printer 240 as information. These ink cartridge IDs are collected in the in-store server 220 by the process described below, and finally notified to the manufacturer server 110. The ink cartridge ID collection process will be described below.

(Collecting billing status from printer)
FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing collection of the billing status. First, each printer 240 measures the actual print usage PV by the actual print usage measurement unit 309, or becomes the mounted ink cartridge 20 and the ink end by the ink remaining amount analysis unit 310 and the cartridge control unit 311. The charging status is collected by collecting the ink cartridge ID of the ink cartridge 20 (S21). On the other hand, the in-store server 220 transmits a charging status transmission request to all the printers 240 in the store (S31). Upon receiving the charging status transmission request (S22), each printer 240 adds a checksum to the charging status stored in the information storage unit 312 to generate charging status information (S23). Then, the transmission information generation / transmission unit 313 transmits the generated charging status information to the in-store server 220 (S24).

  Thereafter, when the in-store server 220 receives the charging status information from the printer 240 (S32), it adds a reliability guarantee value for maintaining the reliability of data to the received charging status information and stores it (S33). The receipt confirmation of the billing status information is transmitted to the printer 240 (S34). Upon receiving the receipt confirmation of the billing status information (S25), the printer 240 resets the information storage unit 312 (S26). Thereafter, the operation of the printer 240 returns to S21 again, collects the charging status, and repeats S22 to S26.

  The main server 210 transmits a charging status information transmission request for requesting transmission of charging status information to all the in-store servers 220 at a predetermined timing after acquisition of charging status information from the printer 240 by the in-store server 220. (S41). When the in-store server 220 receives the charging status information transmission request (S35), the in-store server 220 transmits the charging status information to the main server 210 (S36). When the main server 210 receives the charging status information from the in-store server 220 (S42), the main server 210 stores the charging status information. As a result, as long as the printer 240 is operating correctly except for special circumstances such as failure of the printer 240 and power-off of the printer 240, the charging status information of all the printers 240 is collected in the main server 210. Then, the main server 210 transmits the collected charging status information of all the printers 240 to the manufacturer server 110 (S43). At this time, it may be transmitted in response to a request from the manufacturer server 110, or may be transmitted spontaneously by the main server 210.

  In the charging status information collection model described above, since the reliability guarantee value is automatically added to the charging status information in the in-store server 220, a part of the data is broken when transmitted to the main server 210 and the manufacturer server 110. Even so, the correctness can be guaranteed. In addition, even if the data is altered by malicious intent, the reliability guarantee value and the contents of the billing status information do not match, so that it is possible to detect the presence of alteration and take appropriate measures.

(Calculation of billing fee at manufacturer server)
FIG. 12 is an image diagram showing the relationship between the actual print usage PV and the charge Y. The vertical axis Y represents the charging fee Y for one month, and the horizontal axis X represents the actual printing usage PV for one month, which represents the ink usage used for printing. As described above, the maker server 110 (billing fee calculation unit 344) has different charging fees depending on whether or not the actual print usage PV measured for each printer 240 is equal to or less than a predetermined amount V1. Use a calculation algorithm. In FIG. 12, the relationship between the actual print usage PV and the charge Y is indicated by a bold line. As shown in the figure, when the actual printing usage PV is equal to or less than the predetermined amount V1, the first charging fee is a fixed fee. Further, when the actual printing usage PV exceeds the predetermined amount V1, the second charging fee increases according to the actual printing usage PV. In the figure, a straight line (Y = C2 × PV) indicated by a dotted line indicates the relationship between the actual printing usage PV and the charge (price) Y when the ink cartridge 20 is purchased. However, in the calculation formula “Y = C2 × PV” (where C2> 0), the “coefficient C2” indicates the unit price of ink when the ink cartridge 20 is purchased. Since ink is consumed for maintenance, the actual printing usage PV and the charge (price) Y cannot be expressed by a simple proportional relationship. However, as a guideline for comparing with the image diagram showing the relationship between the actual printing usage PV and the charging fee Y represented by the solid line, the relationship between the actual printing usage PV and the charge (expense) is indicated by the dotted line. It is used as an auxiliary.

  Hereinafter, the calculation method of the first charging fee and the second charging fee will be described in detail with reference to the explanatory diagram of FIG. It should be noted that the numerical values shown in the figure are all assigned numerical values that are easy to understand and are not accurate values. As shown in FIG. 13A, the maintenance usage amount MV (ink usage amount used for maintenance with ink consumption) per month (predetermined period L1) is mounted on the specifications of the printer 240 and the printer 240. It can be inferred from the maintenance algorithm, and is defined as 5 cc as an example here. This is the ink usage required regardless of the actual printing usage PV. The maintenance algorithm for preventing clogging of ink varies depending on how the printer user (customer) uses it. Further, the algorithm can be changed by setting. That is, the manufacturer server 110 acquires a maintenance algorithm pattern that varies depending on how the printer 240 is used by the user, or an algorithm pattern set in the printer 240 or the in-store server 230. One month (predetermined period L1) according to the acquired algorithm pattern. The estimated amount of maintenance usage MV may be varied. The ratio of the maintenance use amount MV to the total ink use amount (actual print use amount PV + maintenance use amount MV) takes into account the average use frequency of the printer, and here, as an example, occupies the total ink use amount. The ratio of maintenance usage MV is set to 25%. If this ratio is high, the charging business using an ink jet printer will not be feasible.

  FIG. 13B is a calculation formula showing the total amount of ink used per month. As described above, when the maintenance usage MV is 5 cc and the ratio of the maintenance usage MV to the total ink usage is 25%, the total ink usage per month is 5 cc (maintenance usage MV) ÷ 25% ( The ratio of the maintenance use amount MV to the total ink use amount) is calculated as 20 cc. FIG. 13C is a calculation formula showing the predetermined amount V1. The predetermined amount V1 is calculated as 15 cc by subtracting 5 cc from the total ink usage 20 cc per month.

  FIG. 13D shows a calculation formula for calculating the first billing fee. If the standard price per 1 cc of ink is 100 yen, the total ink usage per month is 20 cc, so the first charge is the sum of the standard price per 1 cc of ink and the total ink usage per month. The value can be calculated as 2,000 yen. That is, until the actual printing usage PV reaches a predetermined amount V1 (in this case, 15 cc), the charging fee Y is not calculated based on the actual printing usage PV, but is calculated as a fixed fee. Thus, even when the actual print usage PV of the printer 240 is small, the business model for the printer manufacturer 100 can be established.

  FIG. 13D shows a calculation formula for calculating the second charging fee. The second billing fee is calculated by the calculation formula “Y = C1 × (V2−V1) + B” (where 0 <C1 <C2). Here, “coefficient C1” indicates a price (discount price) per ink of 1 cc when this business model is applied, for example, 60 yen, and “constant B” indicates the first billing charge (2,000 yen). Indicates. For example, when the actual printing usage PV is V2 (30 cc), the charging fee Y can be calculated as 2,900 yen according to this calculation formula. As described above, the second charging fee is calculated by adding the fixed fee to the integrated value of the actual printing usage amount (V2-V1) of the ink exceeding the predetermined amount V1 and the coefficient C1.

  Note that the values of the coefficients and constants shown above can be changed as appropriate. For example, the value of C1 may be increased (provided that C1 <C2 is satisfied), and the second charging fee may be calculated by the calculation formula “Y = C1 × PV”. For example, if C1 = 90 yen, the charging fee Y when the actual printing usage PV is V2 (30 cc) can be calculated as 90 yen × 30 cc = 2,700 yen. According to this configuration, since the second billing fee can be simplified, a fee structure that is easy for the customer (Company X 200) to understand.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the actual printing usage PV is equal to or less than the predetermined amount V1, that is, for the printer 240 with a small printing amount, the first usage considering the maintenance usage MV. Since the charging fee is used, the printer manufacturer 100 that charges the charging fee can solve the problem that the business model cannot be established because the charging amount is reduced with respect to the total ink consumption. On the other hand, when the actual printing usage PV exceeds the predetermined amount V1, that is, for the printer 240 having a large printing volume, the second charging fee increases only in accordance with the actual printing usage PV (maintenance usage MV). Is not reflected in the billing fee), and the fee is set so that the company X 200 charged with the billing fee can also be satisfied. In this way, the customer model can be expanded by realizing a business model that is not disadvantageous for both the charging party and the charging party regardless of the amount of printing, and the printer charging system SY can be expanded. Can be expected.

(Modification of billing fee calculation method)
Hereinafter, various modifications of the charging fee calculation method will be described. For example, the first charging fee may be varied according to the actual printing usage PV in the previous month (previous predetermined period L1). In this case, a memory for storing the past actual print usage PV in the maker server 110 is required. In FIG. 14A, when the threshold is 20 cc and the actual print usage PV in the previous month is 20 cc or more, the adjustment amount is reduced (-200 yen), and the first billing charge is 2,000 yen ( In this example, 200 yen is deducted from the basic fixed fee. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 14B, the value of “coefficient C1” may be varied according to the actual printing usage PV in the previous month (previous predetermined period L1). This figure shows an example in which the threshold value is 40 cc, and when the actual printing usage PV in the previous month is 40 cc or more, the “coefficient C1” is reduced (10 yen subtracted from the basic ink unit price C1).

  As shown in FIGS. 14A and 14B, by changing the value of the first charging fee (fixed fee) or “coefficient C1” according to the actual printing usage PV for the previous month, the printing amount Services such as discounts for customers with many customers. In the above example, the actual print usage PV for the previous month is compared with the threshold value. However, the actual print usage for two months ago, the accumulated actual print usage for the past year, etc. The actual print usage amount and the threshold value may be compared with each other, and the first charging fee or the “coefficient C1” may be varied according to the comparison result. Further, the first charging fee and the “coefficient C1” may be varied according to the past average actual print usage.

  In the above embodiment, the actual printing usage PV is included in the billing status information. However, the maintenance usage MV may be included. In this case, in each printer 240, the amount of ink used for maintenance is counted within the predetermined period L1, and this is recorded in the information storage unit 312 as the maintenance usage MV. Further, the maintenance usage amount MV is collected by the manufacturer server 110 as a part of the billing status information. The manufacturer server 110 stores the past maintenance usage amount MV in a predetermined memory. In addition, the first charging fee and the “coefficient C1” may be varied according to the maintenance usage amount MV in the past predetermined period. Further, the first billing fee and the “coefficient C1” may be varied according to the past total ink usage (actual printing usage PV + maintenance usage MV). Further, the first charging fee and the “coefficient C1” may be varied according to the ratio between the actual printing usage PV and the maintenance usage MV in the same period in the past. Further, the first charging fee and the “coefficient C1” are set to the actual printing usage PV, maintenance usage MV, total ink usage, and actual printing usage PV for the month (predetermined period L1 for which the charging fee is to be calculated). And the ratio of the maintenance use amount MV may be varied.

  In the above-described embodiment, the actual print usage PV is determined for each printer 240, but may be performed for each store 410. That is, the maker server 110 may calculate the total actual print usage PV by the plurality of printers 240 in the store 410 and calculate the charging fee according to the total actual print usage PV. Further, the total actual printing usage PV by all the printers 240 in the store under the jurisdiction of the company Y 400 or all the printers 240 managed by the main server 210 is calculated, and according to the total actual printing usage PV. A configuration may be employed in which a charging fee is calculated.

  In the above embodiment, the first charging fee is a fixed fee. However, based on the total value of the actual printing usage PV within the predetermined period L1 and the maintenance usage MV within the predetermined period L1, One charging fee may be calculated. In other words, when the actual printing usage PV is equal to or less than the predetermined amount V1, the first charging fee is calculated by a calculation formula using the actual printing usage PV and the maintenance usage MV as parameters, and the actual printing usage PV is calculated. When the fixed amount V1 is exceeded, the second charging fee may be calculated by a calculation formula using only the actual printing usage PV as a parameter. In this case, the first charging fee is different when the actual printing usage PV is 0 (zero) and the predetermined amount V1, but since it is a fee based on the actually consumed ink usage, the printer There is no disadvantage on the manufacturer 100 side. Further, as a further modification, a fixed fee based on the predetermined amount V1 (integrated value of the predetermined amount V1 and the ink unit price = 1,500 yen) is added to the calculation formula using only the maintenance usage amount MV as a parameter. One charging fee may be calculated.

  In the above embodiment, the application of the first charging fee and the second charging fee is distinguished according to the threshold value V1 (predetermined amount V1). However, the ratio of the actual printing usage PV to the maintenance usage MV Depending on whether or not is greater than or equal to a predetermined ratio, the application of the first charging fee and the second charging fee may be distinguished. Alternatively, depending on whether the ratio of the actual printing usage PV to the total ink usage (actual printing usage PV + maintenance usage MV) is equal to or higher than a predetermined ratio, the first charging fee and the second charging fee Application may be distinguished.

  In the above embodiment, the actual print usage amount determination unit 343 determines whether or not the actual print usage amount PV is equal to or less than the predetermined amount V1, but whether or not the number of coupons printed is equal to or less than the predetermined number. May be determined. According to this configuration, the company X 200 (customer) can grasp the threshold value to which the second charging fee is applied from the number of sheets.

(Other variations)
Hereinafter, modified examples other than the accounting fee calculation method will be described. In the above embodiment, the actual print usage measurement unit 309 counts the amount of ink ejected from the print head 247 in units of dots based on the print data or dot pattern data stored in the print buffer 305. However, the number of ink ejections actually ejected from the print head 247 may be counted based on the detection result of the ejection detection unit 316. According to this configuration, when ink is not ejected due to nozzle clogging or the like, the amount can be subtracted from the actual printing usage PV. That is, a more accurate actual printing usage PV can be measured.

  Further, although the charging status information includes the actual printing usage PV that is the sum of all colors, the actual printing usage PV may be measured for each color. In this case, the charging fee calculation unit 344 may calculate the second charging fee based on the ink unit price for each color and the actual print usage PV for each color.

  In the above embodiment, the actual print usage PV is not included in the billing status information, but the cumulative number of shots for one month (may be for each color or for all colors) may be included. In this case, any one of the in-store server 220, the main server 210, and the manufacturer server 110 performs a calculation process for converting the number of shots into the ink usage.

  In the above embodiment, the main server 210 collects the billing status information every month and sends it to the maker server 110 each time. However, the cycle for collecting and sending the billing status information is one week. Or less than a predetermined period L1, such as 1 day. In addition, the main server 210 collects charging status information every week and collects one month for transmission to the maker server 110. For example, the collection period and the transmission period do not necessarily match. .

  In the above-described embodiment, an example in which multi-color inks are configured by one common ink cartridge has been described. However, different ink cartridges may be used for each color. In addition, as an example of an ink jet printer and an ink cartridge, other laser printers and toner cartridges use a value that can be converted into a toner usage amount, such as a predetermined energization time unit, instead of the number of shots of this embodiment. Therefore, the present invention can be implemented in the same manner as this embodiment.

  In the above embodiment, when the actual print usage PV at a predetermined timing monitored by the actual print usage monitoring unit 318 is equal to or less than the predetermined amount V0, the warning unit 319 of the printer 240 issues a warning. These may be performed by the main server 210 of Company X 200. According to this configuration, the printing amount (actual printing usage PV) of the printer 240 can be adjusted by changing the product information associated with the image data of the coupon. However, in the case of the present modification, the charging status information collection period needs to be equal to or less than the predetermined period L1, for example, the charging status information is collected every week or every half month in the main server 210. Further, the maker server 110 may include an actual print usage monitoring unit 318 and a warning unit 319. In this case, it is necessary that the period for the manufacturer server 110 to acquire the billing status information be equal to or less than the predetermined period L1. As a warning method, a command indicating a warning may be transmitted to the printer 240 or the main server 210, or an e-mail may be transmitted to an e-mail address addressed to the X company 200.

  Further, in the above embodiment, an example of business model deployment by the printer manufacturer 100, the X company 200, and the Y company 400 is shown. However, the business model is developed as a business model by two companies such as the printer manufacturer 100 and the Y company 400. May be. In this case, the printer manufacturer 100 supplies an ink cartridge to the Y company 400 and charges a fee.

  Further, the maker server 110 may be omitted, and the charge fee calculation process may be performed in the printer 240. In this case, each unit (billing status acquisition unit 342 (actual print usage amount acquisition unit), actual print usage amount determination unit 343, charging fee calculation unit 344, and charging fee notification unit 345) in the manufacturer server 110 is included in the printer 240. And the calculated charging fee is notified to the main server 210 via the in-store server 220. According to this configuration, the system configuration of the printer billing system SY can be simplified.

  Further, the in-store server 220 may be provided with the actual print usage measurement unit 309 of the printer 240. In this case, the in-store server 220 calculates the number of shots based on the coupon image data transmitted to the printer 240 to obtain the ink usage amount.

  In addition, each component in the printer billing system SY described above can be provided as a program. Further, the program can be provided by being stored in various recording media (CD-ROM, flash memory, etc.). That is, a program for causing a computer to function as each component in the printer billing system SY and a recording medium on which the program is recorded are also included in the scope of rights of the present invention. Other modifications can be made as appropriate without departing from the scope of the present invention.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 20 ... Ink cartridge 100 ... Printer manufacturer 110 ... Manufacturer server 200 ... Company X 210 ... Main server 220, 230 ... Store server 240 ... Printer 249 ... RTC 307 ... Printing unit 309 ... Actual printing usage measuring unit 312 ... Information storage unit 312a ... Printer serial number storage area 312b ... Ink remaining amount storage area 312c ... Actual print use amount storage area 312d ... Ink cartridge ID storage area 316 ... Discharge detection unit 317 ... Maintenance unit 318 ... Actual print use amount monitoring unit 319 ... Warning Unit 342 ... charging status acquisition unit 343 ... actual printing usage amount determination unit 344 ... charging fee calculation unit 345 ... charging fee notification unit 400 ... Y company 410 ... store SY ... printer charging system

Claims (10)

A charging fee calculation method for an inkjet printer that performs maintenance with ink consumption,
A storage step of the maintenance amount of ink usage to be used in the maintenance MV, the ink use amount used in the actual printing other than the maintenance and the actual print usage PV, and stores them into the information storage unit in the inkjet printer,
And the actual print usage determination step of the actual print usage P V within a predetermined time period L1 acquired from the information storage unit is equal to or smaller than a predetermined amount V1,
When the actual print usage PV is equal to or less than the predetermined amount V1, a first charging fee is set. When the actual print usage PV exceeds the predetermined amount V1, the actual print usage PV within the predetermined period L1 A charging fee calculating step of calculating a charging fee as a second charging fee in response,
The accounting fee calculating step, said first billing rates for, the maintenance amount MV of the information within the predetermined time period L1 obtained from the storage unit, or the in the predetermined period L1 acquired from the information storage unit A charging fee calculation method characterized by calculating according to an actual printing usage PV and a total value of the maintenance usage MV within the predetermined period L1. The second charging fee is calculated based on an integrated value of the actual printing usage PV and a coefficient C1 (where C1> 0),
2. The charging fee calculation method according to claim 1, wherein the coefficient C1 varies according to the past actual printing usage PV.   3. The accounting fee calculation method according to claim 2, wherein the actual print usage PV in the past is the actual print usage PV in the previous predetermined period L1. An actual printing usage monitoring step of monitoring the actual printing usage PV at a predetermined timing before the end of the predetermined period L1;
The warning step of performing a warning when the actual printing usage PV is equal to or less than a predetermined amount V0 (where 0 <V0 ≦ V1), further comprising a warning step. The billing charge calculation method described. A charging fee calculation device for an inkjet printer that performs maintenance with ink consumption,
Ink usage maintenance amount MV used for the maintenance, the ink use amount used in the actual printing other than the maintenance and the actual print usage PV, stores in the information storage unit in the inkjet printer,
And the actual print usage discrimination part which the actual print usage P V within a predetermined time period L1 acquired from the information storage unit is equal to or smaller than a predetermined amount V1,
When the actual print usage PV is equal to or less than the predetermined amount V1, a first charging fee is set. When the actual print usage PV exceeds the predetermined amount V1, the actual print usage PV within the predetermined period L1 A charging fee calculation unit for calculating a charging fee as a second charging fee in response,
The charging fee calculation unit calculates the first charging fee from the maintenance usage amount MV within the predetermined period L1 acquired from the information storage unit or the predetermined period L1 acquired from the information storage unit. An accounting fee calculation apparatus that calculates the actual printing usage PV according to a total value of the maintenance usage MV within the predetermined period L1.   The charging fee calculation unit calculates the second charging fee based on an integrated value of the actual printing usage PV and the coefficient C1 (where C1> 0), and the coefficient C1 is the past actual printing usage. 6. The charging fee calculation apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the charging fee calculation apparatus is variable according to the amount PV. A printer charge system configured to allow communication between the charge charge calculation device according to claim 5 and a printing system including at least the inkjet printer,
The printing system includes:
A printing section that performs printing by discharging ink;
An ejection detection unit for detecting the presence or absence of ink ejection by the printing unit;
A maintenance unit for performing the maintenance according to a detection result of the discharge detection unit;
An actual print usage measuring unit that measures the actual print usage PV used for printing by the printing unit,
The printer storage system, wherein the information storage unit stores the actual print usage PV measured by the actual print usage measurement unit . The discharge detection unit detects the presence or absence of the ink discharge every time printing of a predetermined amount by the printing unit is completed,
The printer charging system according to claim 7, wherein the maintenance unit performs the maintenance when ink discharge “no” is detected by the discharge detection unit.   The printer charging system according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the maintenance unit performs the maintenance according to an environmental condition including one or more of temperature, atmospheric pressure, and humidity. The printing system includes:
An actual print usage monitoring unit that monitors the actual print usage PV at a predetermined timing before the end of the predetermined period L1, based on the measurement result of the actual print usage measurement unit;
10. A warning section that issues a warning when the actual printing usage PV at the predetermined timing is equal to or less than a predetermined amount V0 (where 0 <V0 ≦ V1). The printer billing system according to claim 1.

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