JP2003150229A - Consumable goods management device and system and method and its program and computer readable recording medium with its program recorded - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make it unnecessary to preliminarily purchase and stock consumable goods for supplying new consumable goods when consumable goods are consumed in a manufacturing device. SOLUTION: This device is provided with a setting part 414 for placing a housing body for inputting consumable goods to a manufacturing device, a reading part 411 for reading information specific to the consumable goods formed in the housing body placed on the setting part 414, a sensor part 415 for detecting the input of the consumable goods of the housing body placed on the setting part 414 to the manufacturing device, a transmitting/receiving part 413 for communicating with a service managing device connected to a network, and a controller part 412 for instructing the reading part 411 to read the information specific to the consumable goods, and for transmitting the read information and information specific to the manufacturing device of information for specifying a service receiver who uses the manufacturing device as a pair through a network to an external service managing device.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a consumable material management device,
The present invention relates to a consumable material management system, a consumable material management method, a consumable material management program, and a computer-readable recording medium recording the consumable material management program.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a manufacturing apparatus inputs a work piece as an input body and manufactures a work piece obtained by processing the work piece as an output body. In addition, the processing may require a consumable material that is consumed for the processing.

For example, in an adhesive coating device for manufacturing an optical disc having a multi-layered structure by laminating a plurality of optical discs, the optical disc is a workpiece, and the adhesive for adhering the adherend is a consumable material. Is.
Similarly, a melted resin in insert molding, a sealant for semiconductor elements, and the like are consumables. Further, in the solder supply device and the solder supply method disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-49451, solder is a consumable material. The common point of these consumable materials is an uncountable amount, and it is in a liquid or gel state during the distribution process or during use in the manufacturing apparatus. Therefore, in the distribution process, a fixed amount (mass or volume) is enclosed and sealed in a container such as a can or a bottle. In addition, a storage temperature may be specified to maintain quality.

Further, in the apparatus for manufacturing an optical fiber core wire disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-127386,
A plurality of optical fiber strands is a work piece, and an ultraviolet curable resin for coating the plurality of optical fiber strands while maintaining the parallel state is a consumable material. Similarly, in the method for manufacturing a steel wire disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-18007, the steel wire is the work piece, and the diameter is set to a desired value by the slip type multi-stage wire drawing machine. Is to be processed. The common point as a consumable material is linear and can be said to be an uncountable amount.

Further, in the magnetic recording medium manufacturing apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-128748, PE is used.
A base film made of T (polyethylene terephthalate) or the like and a magnetic layer (magnetic powder, abrasive, antistatic agent, binder, lubricant, curing agent) applied to the base film are used.

Further, in the toner manufacturing apparatus, the polyester resin as the base material is a consumable material. At this time,
In the case of a polyester resin having a desired volume average particle size, it is in powder form.

Further, in the resin sheet manufacturing apparatus, the resin sheet before the addition of the additional function such as resin or smoothness is a consumable material.

As a matter of course, these workpieces and consumables (hereinafter collectively referred to as consumables) are indispensable for the operation of the manufacturing apparatus, and are required when the consumables are procured from the outside. It is important to secure the amount of consumables according to the amount and number of output bodies that are used.

[0009] In other words, in order to prevent depletion of consumables,
The user of the apparatus generally purchases and prepares a consumable material as a spare in advance.

At this time, as a matter of course, a charge is incurred. That is, the current charging service method is a system in which the right to own the consumable material is generated after the purchasing process of the consumable material, and therefore the ownership cannot be obtained without the purchasing process, and therefore, the reserve consumable material is not available. This is because it is necessary to purchase consumables in order to prepare.

On the other hand, as a pure business,
Some products are delivered free of charge, and are charged only when used.

[0012]

However, in the case of the former, since the consumable material secured is charged regardless of whether or not it is actually used, the expense is wasted when it is not used. Become.

Further, the inventory of the consumables must be properly managed so that the depletion of the consumables does not occur and the inventory does not increase too much, which is troublesome for the device manager. Furthermore, by managing information such as the operating status of the device, such as the last time the consumable material was charged / replenished and the operating time of the device since the consumable material was charged / replenished, the consumption amount of the consumable material can be predicted By accurately predicting the replenishment of consumables by electronic means by the technology used, it is possible to automate the daily management of consumables even if the number of pre-purchased consumables is as small as possible. There is nothing you cannot do. However, even if the accuracy of the prediction can be improved, there is no change in that the spare consumable material is required and that the consumption material is expensive. Furthermore, the prediction accuracy changes significantly depending on the performance of the algorithm that performs the prediction. As long as the prediction is used, essentially 100% accuracy cannot be obtained.

On the other hand, in the latter case, the management is artificial and depends largely on the trust relationship between the supplier and the recipient. Therefore, the proof of delivery may not be clear, and the fact of delivery, detection of use, etc.
Trouble may occur.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to supply a blank material to a user of an apparatus in order to avoid an inoperative state of a manufacturing apparatus due to exhaustion of a consumable material. Among these, the consumption material management device and consumption material management that can suppress unnecessary expenses without having to adopt an uncertain method such as prediction by charging only the consumption material actually used A system, a consumable material management method, a consumable material management program, and a computer-readable recording medium recording the consumable material management program.

[0016]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the consumable material management apparatus of the present invention uses the consumable material supplied from the consumable material supply side and to which the individual identification number is assigned for each individual. Used in a device for consuming consumable materials, when the consumable product is loaded into the device, the consumer product identification number detecting means for detecting the individual identification number of the consumed consumable product from the consumable product, The individual identification number of the above consumables
Consumable material identification number notification means for notifying the consumable material supply side from the use device side is provided.

With the above configuration, when the consumable material is loaded into the use device, the individual identification number of the loaded consumable material is detected. Then, the individual identification number of the introduced consumable material is notified from the use device side to the consumable material supply side.

On the side of the consumable material supply side, it is possible to grasp which consumable material has been actually used. Further, if the notified individual identification number is counted, the consumption amount can be grasped on the consumer material supply side. Here, being actually used does not simply mean being delivered to the use device side, but means, for example, an operation such as unpacking the consumable material and taking out the contents (opening).

Therefore, even if the consumable material has already been supplied, it is not notified to the consumable material supply side unless it is actually put into the device for use. Therefore, it is possible to prevent unnecessary excess supply on the consumer material supply side. That is, overproduction can be prevented. On the side of the used device, it is possible to prevent receiving an unnecessary excessive supply. That is, excess inventory can be prevented.

Further, as long as the device is actually put in the device and used, the individual identification number of the used consumable material is notified to the consumable material supply side. Therefore, the consumption material supply side can well understand how much consumption material is actually used, make a sufficient production plan, and reliably supply the necessary amount according to the consumption amount. On the side of the device used, the stock depletion can be effectively prevented.

Further, since it is possible to know which individual identification number has been actually used for the consumable material, it is possible to manage each consumable material even for the same brand. Will also be easier. Therefore, it becomes possible to favorably use it for improving the quality of a product which is a consumable material.

Even if the consumable material is once removed from the device and reloaded, it is still judged that "it is the same individual as the one placed before". It is possible to surely grasp the input individual, the input amount, and the like on the consumable material supply side without transmitting the information to the consumable material supply side more than once.

Further, the consumable material management device of the present invention has, in addition to the above configuration, an installation section for mounting the consumable material from before use to after the start of use, and is installed by the installation section. It is characterized by comprising a sensor section for detecting a weight change of the consumable material and a controller section for judging that the consumable material is used when the weight change of the consumable material is detected by the sensor section.

With the above structure, in order to determine whether or not the material has been charged, the consumable material is placed on the setting section from before the charging to after the start of charging, and at the setting section,
The judgment is made by detecting the weight change of the consumable material placed.

Therefore, in addition to the effects of the above configuration, it is possible to favorably determine the use with a simple configuration.

In addition to the above-mentioned configuration, the consumable material management apparatus of the present invention has the above-mentioned individual identification number as the usage determination information of the structure that can be read only after the preparatory operation for charging the consumable material is performed. It is characterized in that the controller section judges that the consumable material has been used by checking whether or not the sensor section has read the usage determination information for the material.

With the above-described structure, by checking whether or not the usage determination information has been read for the consumption material having the usage determination information that can be read only after the preparatory operation for charging the consumption material is performed, the consumption material is checked. Determine that was used.

Therefore, in addition to the effects of the above configuration, it is possible to favorably use the product with a simple configuration.

Further, in the consumable material management apparatus of the present invention, in addition to the above configuration, the usage judgment information is formed on the surface in contact with the consumable material but not consumed, and in contact with the consumable material. For the consumable material with which the non-consumable portion is in contact, and the use determination information is exposed when the non-consumable portion is removed from the consumable material as a preparatory operation for use, the use determination information is sent to the sensor. It is characterized in that the controller unit determines that the consumable material has been used by checking whether or not the unit has been read.

With the above-mentioned configuration, the non-consumable portion, which is in contact with the consumer material but is not consumed and has the use judgment information formed on the surface in contact with the consumer material, is in contact with the consumer material. As the loading preparation operation, the non-consumable part is removed from the consumable material to expose the usage determination information, and it is determined whether or not the usage determination information has been read, thereby determining the loading.

Therefore, in addition to the effects of the above-described configuration, it is possible to favorably make a usage decision with an even simpler configuration.

Further, the consumable material management system of the present invention is the consumable material management apparatus according to any one of the above, and the consumable material supply apparatus which receives a notification of the individual identification number of the consumed consumable material from the consumable material management apparatus. It is characterized by having a management device.

With the above configuration, when the consumable material is loaded into the use device, the individual identification number of the loaded consumable material is detected. Then, the individual identification number of the introduced consumable material is notified from the use device side to the consumable material supply side.

Therefore, even if the consumable material has already been supplied, it is not notified to the consumable material supply side unless it is actually put into the device for use. Therefore, it is possible to prevent unnecessary excess supply on the consumer material supply side. That is, overproduction can be prevented. On the side of the used device, it is possible to prevent receiving an unnecessary excessive supply. That is, excess inventory can be prevented.

Further, as long as the device is actually thrown in and used, the individual identification number of the used consumable material is notified to the consumable material supply side. Therefore, the consumption material supply side can well understand how much consumption material is actually used, make a sufficient production plan, and reliably supply the necessary amount according to the consumption amount. On the side of the device used, the stock depletion can be effectively prevented.

Further, in the consumable material management system of the present invention, in addition to the above configuration, the consumable material supply device side charges the consumable material use device side according to which individual consumable material is used. Is characterized by.

With the above-described structure, the consumable material supply device side charges the consumable material use device side according to which individual consumable material is used.

Therefore, unused consumable materials that have only been delivered to the service recipient are not subject to billing processing, and the billing amount obtained only for the consumable material that the service recipient can certify as having purchased is the service. The beneficiary will be charged. Therefore, in addition to the effects of the above configuration, it is possible to provide a rational service that charges the service recipient a chargeable amount without waste.

Further, the consumable material management method of the present invention is used for an apparatus for using consumable material, which consumes the consumable material supplied from the consumable material supply side and having a different individual identification number for each individual. Then, when the consumable material is thrown into the usage device, the individual identification number of the consumed consumable material is detected, and the individual identification number of the consumed consumable material is fed from the use device side to the consumption device. The feature is to notify the material supply side.

With the above configuration, when the consumable material is loaded into the use device, the individual identification number of the loaded consumable material is detected. Then, the individual identification number of the introduced consumable material is notified from the use device side to the consumable material supply side.

Therefore, even if the consumable material has already been supplied, it is not notified to the consumable material supply side unless it is actually put into the device for use. Therefore, it is possible to prevent unnecessary excess supply on the consumer material supply side. That is, overproduction can be prevented. On the side of the used device, it is possible to prevent receiving an unnecessary excessive supply. That is, excess inventory can be prevented.

Further, as long as the device is actually thrown in and used, the individual identification number of the used consumable material is notified to the consumable material supply side. Therefore, the consumption material supply side can well understand how much consumption material is actually used, make a sufficient production plan, and reliably supply the necessary amount according to the consumption amount. On the side of the device used, the stock depletion can be effectively prevented.

Further, the consumable material management device of the present invention is used for an apparatus for using the consumable material which consumes the consumable material supplied from the consumable material supply side, and the consumable material is put into the above-mentioned consumable device. Then, a consumption amount detecting unit that detects the amount of the consumed material that has been input, and a consumption amount notification unit that notifies the amount of the consumed material that has been input from the use device side to the consumption material supply side. It is characterized by having.

With the above configuration, when the consumable material is loaded into the use device, the amount of the consumed consumable material is detected. Then, the amount of the consumable material that has been input is notified from the use device side to the consumable material supply side.

On the consumer material supply side, it is possible to know how much consumer material has been actually used. here,
The fact that the product is actually used does not mean that the product is simply delivered to the use device side, but refers to an operation such as unpacking the consumable material and taking out the contents (opening).

Therefore, even if the consumable material has already been supplied, it is not notified to the consumable material supply side unless it is actually put into the device for use. Therefore, on the consumer material supply side, it is possible to prevent unnecessary excess supply (prevention of excessive production). On the side of the equipment used, it is possible to prevent receiving unnecessary excess supply (preventing excess inventory).

Further, as long as the device is actually put into the used device and used, the amount of use is notified to the consumable material supply side.
Therefore, the consumption material supply side can well understand how much consumption material is actually used, make a sufficient production plan, and reliably supply the necessary amount according to the consumption amount. On the side of the device used, the stock depletion can be effectively prevented.

Further, in addition to the above configuration, the consumable material management device of the present invention is provided with an installation section for mounting the consumable material before and after the start of use, and is installed by the installation section. It is characterized by comprising a sensor section for detecting a weight change of the consumable material and a controller section for judging that the consumable material is used when the weight change of the consumable material is detected by the sensor section.

With the above structure, in order to determine whether or not the material has been charged, the consumable material is placed on the setting section from before the charging to after the start of charging, and at the setting section,
The judgment is made by detecting the weight change of the consumable material placed.

Therefore, in addition to the effects of the above configuration, it is possible to favorably determine the use with a simple configuration.

In addition to the above-mentioned configuration, the consumable material management apparatus of the present invention uses the above-mentioned usage for the consumable material having the usage judgment information of the structure that can be read only after the preparatory operation for charging the consumable material is performed. It is characterized in that the controller unit determines that the consumable material has been used by checking whether or not the sensor unit has read the determination information.

As the above-mentioned use judgment information, a brand identification number or an individual identification number described at a position where it can be read only after a preparatory operation for introducing a consumable material can be adopted.

With the above-mentioned configuration, by checking whether or not the usage determination information has been read for the consumption material having the usage determination information that can be read only after the preparatory operation for charging the consumption material is performed, the consumption material can be read. Determine that was used.

Therefore, in addition to the effects of the above configuration, it is possible to favorably determine the use with a simple configuration.

Further, in the consumable material management apparatus of the present invention, in addition to the above configuration, the usage determination information is formed on the surface in contact with the consumable material but not consumed, and in contact with the consumable material. For the consumable material with which the non-consumable portion is in contact, and the use determination information is exposed when the non-consumable portion is removed from the consumable material as a preparatory operation for use, the use determination information is sent to the sensor. It is characterized in that the controller unit determines that the consumable material has been used by checking whether or not the unit has been read.

With the above configuration, the non-consumable portion which is in contact with the consumable material but is not consumed and in which the use judgment information is formed on the surface in contact with the consumable material is in contact with the consumable material. As the loading preparation operation, the non-consumable part is removed from the consumable material to expose the usage determination information, and it is determined whether or not the usage determination information has been read, thereby determining the loading.

Therefore, in addition to the effects of the above configuration, it is possible to favorably determine the use with a simpler configuration.

Further, in addition to the above configuration, the consumable material management apparatus of the present invention is such that, even for the same consumable material, a different individual identification number is given to each consumable material, and the individual identification number used is It is characterized by having a reading unit that reads from consumer goods.

With the above structure, in order to check the amount of the consumable material used, even if the same consumable material is used, a different individual identification number is assigned to each individual, and the input individual identification number is read from each consumable material. To

Therefore, even if the consumable material is once removed from the use device and reloaded, it is judged that "it is the same individual as the one placed before".

Therefore, in addition to the effects of the above configuration, it is possible to reliably detect the input amount without the count being mistakenly increased.

In addition to the above-mentioned configuration, the consumable material management apparatus of the present invention identifies a consumable material to which the same consumable material is given the same brand identification number, every time the consumable material is used. It is characterized by having a counting unit for counting the number of each number.

With the above structure, in order to check the amount of the consumed consumable material, the same consumable material is given the same brand identification number, and the number is counted for each brand identification number each time it is introduced. Try to upload.

Therefore, in addition to the effects of the above-described configuration, such a configuration should be adopted in the case where once the consumable material is loaded into the device for use, it is not removed until the loaded consumable material is consumed. This makes it easy to use existing barcodes and the like for product management.

Further, the consumable material management system of the present invention is the consumable material management apparatus according to any one of the above, and the consumable material supply management apparatus that receives a notification of the amount of the consumed consumable material input from the consumable material management apparatus. It is characterized by having and.

With the above configuration, when the consumable material is loaded into the use device, the amount of the consumed consumable material is detected. Then, the amount of the consumable material that has been input is notified from the use device side to the consumable material supply side.

Therefore, even if the consumable material has already been supplied, it is not notified to the consumable material supply side unless it is actually put into the device for use. Therefore, it is possible to prevent unnecessary excess supply on the consumer material supply side. That is, overproduction can be prevented. On the side of the used device, it is possible to prevent receiving an unnecessary excessive supply. That is, excess inventory can be prevented.

Further, as long as the device is actually thrown in and used, the usage amount is notified to the consumable material supply side.
Therefore, the consumption material supply side can well understand how much consumption material is actually used, make a sufficient production plan, and reliably supply the necessary amount according to the consumption amount. On the side of the device used, the stock depletion can be effectively prevented.

Further, the consumable material management system of the present invention is characterized in that, in addition to the above configuration, the consumable material supply device side charges the consumable material use device side according to the amount of the consumable material used. .

With the above-described structure, the consumable material supply device side charges the consumable material use device side according to the consumption amount of the consumable material.

Therefore, the number of unused consumables that have only been delivered to the service recipient is not subject to billing processing, and only the number of consumables that the service recipient can certify have purchased. The requested charge is billed to the service recipient. Therefore, in addition to the effects of the above configuration, it is possible to provide a rational service that charges the service recipient a chargeable amount without waste.

Further, the consumable material management method of the present invention is used in an apparatus for using the consumable material that consumes the consumable material supplied from the consumable material supply side, and the consumable material is put into the above-mentioned consumable apparatus. Then, the amount of the consumed consumable material that has been input is detected, and the amount of the consumed consumable material that has been input is notified from the use device side to the consumable material supply side.

With the above configuration, when the consumable material is loaded into the use device, the amount of the consumed consumable material is detected. Then, the amount of the consumable material that has been input is notified from the use device side to the consumable material supply side.

Therefore, even if the consumable material has already been supplied, it is not notified to the consumable material supply side unless it is actually put into the device for use. Therefore, it is possible to prevent unnecessary excess supply on the consumer material supply side. That is, overproduction can be prevented. On the side of the used device, it is possible to prevent receiving an unnecessary excessive supply. That is, excess inventory can be prevented.

Further, as long as the device is actually thrown in and used, the usage amount is notified to the consumable material supply side.
Therefore, the consumption material supply side can well understand how much consumption material is actually used, make a sufficient production plan, and reliably supply the necessary amount according to the consumption amount. On the side of the device used, the stock depletion can be effectively prevented.

The consumables management program of the present invention is
It is characterized in that the computer is made to execute each procedure in the above-mentioned consumable material management method.

A computer-readable recording medium in which the consumable material management program of the present invention is recorded is characterized by recording the above-mentioned consumable material management program.

With the above structure, the consumer product management method of the present invention can be provided to the service receiver by loading the program recorded on the recording medium into the service management device. Further, by loading the program recorded on the recording medium into a computer, it is possible to provide the service recipient with the consumable material management method of the present invention using a general computer.

The manufacturing apparatus of the present invention is a manufacturing apparatus using the consumable material contained in the container, and an installation section for mounting the container for introducing the consumable material into the manufacturing apparatus. A reading unit that reads information unique to the consumable material formed on the container placed on the installation unit, and a sensor unit that detects the insertion of the consumable material placed on the installation unit into the manufacturing apparatus. A transmission / reception unit for communicating with a service management device connected to the network; and, when detecting the input of the consumable material into the manufacturing apparatus, the reading unit is instructed to read the information unique to the consumable material, A controller that performs a process of transmitting the read information to an external service management device via a network by pairing the read information with information unique to the manufacturing device or information for identifying a service recipient who uses the manufacturing device. It can be configured to have a La unit.

According to this, the information specific to the consumable material formed in the container of the consumable material whose use is detected and the information specific to the manufacturing apparatus or the information for specifying the service recipient who uses the manufacturing apparatus are stored. Since the data is transmitted to the external service management device via the network as a pair, the service receiver can notify the service provider of the fact of charging and apply / present the charging target.

More specifically, since the sensor unit for detecting the input of the consumable material stored in the container mounted on the installation unit of the manufacturing apparatus into the manufacturing apparatus is provided, the sensor section is provided. When the input of the consumable material is detected by, it means that the use of the consumable material is detected, so that the charge can be charged for the consumable material. At this time, since the information unique to the consumable material is formed in the container that stores the consumable material, it is possible to distinguish each of them even when a plurality of container bodies are delivered. It is possible to charge each container.

Since the information unique to the manufacturing apparatus or the information for specifying the service recipient who uses the manufacturing apparatus is transmitted together, the service provider can specify the charge target person.

As described above, unused consumable materials that have only been delivered to service recipients are not subject to billing processing, and only consumer goods that can be certified as purchased by service recipients are sought. It can provide the business that the amount is charged to the service recipient. As a result, it is possible to provide a reasonable service that charges the service recipient a lean charge amount, and for the service provider, by providing the above service,
Since it is possible to reliably secure customers, it is possible to stably sell consumables.

The sensor unit for detecting the input of the consumable material placed on the installation unit into the manufacturing apparatus is a transmission type or reflection type optical sensor or mechanical type sensor provided at the input port. It is possible to use a sensor, a sensor that is provided in the manufacturing apparatus, and that detects a level / volume change (mainly increase) of the consumable material in the tank that stores the consumable material, a TV camera, or the like. With these, it is possible to directly detect the input of the consumable material.

Further, the destination of the information peculiar to the consumable material, the information peculiar to the manufacturing device, or the information for specifying the service recipient who uses the manufacturing device is transmitted from the manufacturing device,
It does not necessarily have to be direct to the service management device that performs billing management for the consumables, etc., but via a server within the service recipient in which the manufacturing device is installed, a PC (personal computer) that controls the manufacturing device, It may be a form in which it is indirectly transmitted.

Further, the installation part for mounting the container does not necessarily have to be arranged in the vicinity of the manufacturing apparatus.
The installation unit does not need to be clearly configured as a part of the manufacturing apparatus, and may be configured to transport the consumable material from the installation unit that is distant from the manufacturing apparatus to introduce the consumable material.

As a method of forming the information peculiar to the consumable material formed in the container, a one-dimensional or two-dimensional bar code, characters such as numbers and letters, hologram, contact type or non-contact type IC memory, etc. However, a bar code is preferable in terms of reliability / ease of forming / reading, degree of diffusion, cost, and the like. In addition, if the forming place is the outer surface of the container, it can be easily read by a reading device such as a bar code reader.

In the manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, the above-mentioned sensor section can be constructed so as to be a weight sensor for detecting a weight change of the placed container.

According to this, the same effect as described above can be obtained. In particular, when the consumable material is a liquid or powder having a low viscosity, when the consumable material is put into a storage tank provided in the manufacturing apparatus, the consumable material can be stored in a shorter time than a liquid having a high viscosity. Since it moves from the storage unit to the storage unit, for example, by using a weight sensor provided in connection with the installation member, by detecting a change in weight of the container, consumption material flows out from the container, that is, consumption. The use of wood can be detected easily and accurately.

The manufacturing apparatus of the present invention is a manufacturing apparatus which uses the consumable material housed in the container, and includes an installation section for mounting the container for introducing the consumable material into the manufacturing apparatus. A reading unit that is formed in the container and that reads information unique to consumables that can be acquired by inserting the consumables into a manufacturing apparatus, a transmission / reception unit that communicates with a service management device connected to a network, and a consumption unit. When the information peculiar to a material is read, the read information is paired with the information peculiar to the manufacturing apparatus or the information for specifying the service recipient who uses the manufacturing apparatus, and the external service management is performed via the network. It may be configured to have a controller unit that performs processing for transmitting to the device.

According to this, the information specific to the consumable material formed in the container of the consumable material whose use is detected and the information specific to the manufacturing apparatus or the information for specifying the service recipient who uses the manufacturing apparatus are stored. Since the data is transmitted to the external service management device via the network as a pair, the service receiver can notify the service provider of the fact of charging and apply / present the charging target.

More specifically, the information peculiar to the consumable material formed in the container can be acquired by throwing the consumable material into the manufacturing apparatus. No specific information can be obtained. On the other hand, if the information specific to the consumable material can be acquired, it can be determined by putting the consumable material into the manufacturing apparatus, that is, by using the consumable material. it can. Therefore, when the information specific to the consumable material is acquired from the container placed on the installation unit, the acquired information specific to the consumable material and the manufacturing information can be obtained without separately confirming the use of the consumable material. The information unique to the apparatus or the information for identifying the service recipient who uses the manufacturing apparatus can be paired and transmitted to the external service management apparatus via the network.

The manufacturing apparatus of the present invention can be configured such that the information specific to the consumable material is formed in the recess of the container for containing the consumable material.

According to this, the same effect as described above can be obtained. In particular, since the information specific to the consumable material is formed in the recess of the container that accommodates the consumable material, the information specific to the consumable material cannot be obtained without removing the consumable material.

For example, in a container having a structure in which the consumable material is an electronic component and the electronic component is held in the recess provided in the container, the barcode is visually recognized in a specific recess. Unique information is formed by possible methods.

Therefore, the detection of the use of the consumable material and the reading of the information specific to the consumable material are performed at the same time,
Compared with the method described above, the step of detecting the use of the consumable material or the sensor unit as a concrete means can be omitted.

The consumable material management method of the present invention is an information processing method performed by the manufacturing apparatus in a network system in which the manufacturing apparatus and the service management apparatus are connected by a network. And a step of detecting the input of the consumable material into the manufacturing apparatus, and when the use of the consumable material is detected, information specific to the consumable material formed in the container placed on the installation unit is displayed. A step of reading the read information and a pair of the read information and the information unique to the manufacturing apparatus or the information for identifying the service recipient who uses the manufacturing apparatus, and transmitting the pair to an external service management apparatus via a network. Can be configured to have

According to this, when the use of the consumable material is detected based on the signal that detects the placement of the consumable material stored in the container and the signal that detects the input of the consumable material into the manufacturing apparatus, An instruction is issued to read information specific to the consumable material formed on the container placed on the installation unit, and the read information is used to specify information unique to the manufacturing apparatus or a service recipient who uses the manufacturing apparatus. It is possible to cause an arithmetic processing unit such as a CPU to execute a series of processes for pairing information with each other and transmitting it to an external service management unit via a network.

As a result, as described above, the service receiver can notify the service provider of the occurrence of the charging fact and can apply / present the charging target.
Since the information unique to the manufacturing apparatus or the information for specifying the service recipient who uses the manufacturing apparatus is also transmitted, the service provider can specify the charge target person.

Therefore, unused consumable materials that have only been delivered to the service recipient are not subject to the charging process, and the charging amount obtained only for the consumable material that the service recipient can certify as having purchased is: It can provide the business of being billed to service recipients. As a result,
It is possible to provide a rational service that charges the service recipient a lean charge, and the service provider can ensure the customer by providing the above service. Can be sold stably.

The service management network system of the present invention includes an installation section for mounting a container containing the consumable material for introducing the consumable material into the manufacturing apparatus, and a container installed on the installation section. Sensor part that detects the use of
A reading unit for detecting the unique information of the consumable material from the consumable material contained in the container having the unique information, a transmitting / receiving unit for transmitting the read information to the outside through the network, and the use of the consumable material. When it is detected, the reading unit is instructed to read the information unique to the consumable material, and the read information is combined with the information unique to the manufacturing apparatus or the information for specifying the service recipient who uses the manufacturing apparatus. A first group composed of manufacturing devices each having a controller unit for performing a process for pairing and transmitting to an external service management device via a network;
The communication unit for communicating with the group, the first storage unit for registering the information of the consumable material in the first group, the usage status of the consumable material is confirmed, and among the delivered number of the consumable material,
It may be configured to include a second group including a service management device including a calculation processing unit that calculates a charge amount based on the number used.

According to this, the arithmetic processing unit obtains the information read from the manufacturing apparatus having the above-mentioned function, which is unique to the manufacturing apparatus or the information for specifying the service recipient who uses the manufacturing apparatus. It is possible to calculate the billing amount to be charged to the first group based on the number of used consumable materials delivered in advance to the service receiver.

Further, even if a pirated copy is used, the device operates so as to read the unique information of the distribution item formed in the distribution item, and therefore the distribution item that does not have the unique information of the distribution item. Can be excluded based on this check.

The computer-readable recording medium of the present invention can be configured so that a program for executing the consumable material management method of the present invention is recorded.

With the above arrangement, the service material management method of the present invention can be provided to the service receiver by loading the program recorded in the recording medium into the service management device. Further, by loading the program recorded on the recording medium into a computer, it is possible to provide the service recipient with the consumable material management method of the present invention using a general computer.

The distribution form of the program for executing the consumable material management method of the present invention is not limited to the one recorded on the recording medium, and may be an intangible form downloaded from the network.

[0107]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION [First Embodiment] (Consumable Material) In the present embodiment, a consumable material refers to a material that is used in the original operation of a usage apparatus such as a manufacturing apparatus. Therefore, as described above, in addition to the materials used directly in manufacturing the processed product, the primary processed product obtained by further processing the primary processed product processed using the material is included. Further, a maintenance member such as a lubricant, which is indirectly required for maintaining the performance of the manufacturing apparatus, may be included. In particular, when used in a distribution process or in a manufacturing apparatus, liquid, gel, powder, gas,
The targets are those that are uncountable, such as linear ones, and those that are countable but that it is preferable to handle a plurality of single substances as a group due to the usage amount and distribution amount.

FIG. 2 shows a general example in which the consumable material 600 is an adhesive. The adhesive 601 in the distributed state is sealed by a container 602 which is a can made of metal or the like, and information specific to the consumable material is formed as barcode information 603 on the surface of the container 602. In the figure, the can open state is shown. The container 602 is used from the viewpoint of handling in distribution and for suppressing hardening, deterioration, and the like. As a result, the fixed amount of the adhesive 601 contained in the container 602 can be used as the minimum unit for distribution.

The information unique to the consumable material may be formed on the back cover. As a result, the information specific to the consumable material is acquired for the first time by the act of opening the can, so the person who acquired the information specific to the consumable material (particularly the service provider described later)
Can identify the acquisition of the information as the use of the consumable material.

FIG. 3 shows an example in which the container 612 of the consumable material 610 is laminated with a flexible resin.
The content is preferably used in the case of a liquid or gel form, and the figure shows an example in which a powdery consumable material 611 is contained. In the container 612, information unique to the consumable material is formed as bar code information 613.

FIG. 4 shows a general example in which the consumable material 620 is a wire material. For example, an optical fiber 621, a copper wire
Wires such as iron wires, thread solder, threads, etc. are targeted. Information unique to the consumable material is formed on the reel 622 as bar code information 623.

FIG. 5 shows a general example when the consumable material 630 is the sheet material 631. For example, a base member such as a magnetic tape, a base member for a flexible printed circuit (FPC), and paper are targeted. Information unique to consumables is formed on the reel 632 as bar code information 633.

6A and 6B, the consumable material 6 is shown.
A general example when 40 is an IC is shown. Although the IC itself is inherently enumerable, it is an example of one in which it is preferable to handle a plurality of ICs in a lump in view of the usage amount, the distribution amount, and the like. The IC 641 in the distribution state is housed in a plastic packaging case 642, and information specific to the consumable material is formed as barcode information 643 on the surface of the packaging case 642.

FIG. 7 shows another example in which the consumable material 650 is an IC. The IC 651 in the distribution state is, for example, a hologram laser, and is two-dimensionally housed in the recess of the plastic packaging case 652 that has been subjected to antistatic treatment. Further, in the concave portion of the packing case 652, information unique to the consumable material is formed as bar code information 653.

Next, the recorded contents of the information formed in the container of the consumable material will be described. Hereinafter, the adhesive 600 will be described as an example. In the container 602, as information peculiar to the adhesive 600 that is individually specified,
10-digit numbers that have been evolved into 10 are stored in advance. The number of digits is not limited to this. The numbers are created and managed by the service provider 10 (see FIG. 9, FIG. 10, etc.) described later.

Next, the meaning of the above numbers will be described with reference to FIG.

The highest two-digit number is a plurality of consumable materials 6
This is information for specifying the type of 00.

More specifically, the consumable material 600 is an adhesive, and the major category represents the general physical characteristics of heat-curable or UV-curable adhesives, and the minor category is, for example, It is subdivided according to properties such as heating temperature range and viscosity, or application.

The classification method, the number of classification layers, etc. may be arbitrarily changed. Further, the type of consumable material handled by the service provider 10 is not limited to a single adhesive, and may be a plurality of types. In this case, a digit representing the type of consumable material may be further provided.

If the service provider 10 deals with a plurality of manufacturers of consumables, the digits necessary for identifying the manufacturers may be added.

These correspondence tables are prepared as a distribution table in the service management device 12 on the service provider 10 side, which will be described later with reference to FIG. 11 and FIG.

In the above example, the remaining 8 digits are as follows:
It is an individual number of the adhesive having a classification number of 01.

(Network Configuration and Device Configuration) FIG.
FIG. 1 shows an overall view of a network system to which the present invention is applied. The plurality of contractors 1 and the service provider 10
It is connected through a network 30 as a public network such as a telephone line.

The service provider 10 provides the contractor 1 (user of the manufacturing apparatus, service receiver) with a service regarding the consumable material 600 as described in detail below.

The service provider 10 is, for example, a direct sales maker of a manufacturing apparatus, a leasing company, a consumer goods sales maker, or the like. In the case of a leasing company, it may be a service that concludes a lease contract with the manufacturing apparatus main body.

FIG. 10 shows a general configuration on the network of the service provider 10 and the specific contractor 1. As the network system, a plurality of contractors 1 may be allowed, and it is easy to apply the service for a specific contractor 1 described below to another contractor 1.

Therefore, for convenience of explanation, hereinafter, FIG. 1 showing the relationship between the specific contractor 1 and the service provider 10.
A network system to which the present invention is applied will be described using 0.

The basic form of the network system is to prepare a server 5 as a management server for the manufacturing apparatus 4 (used apparatus) for each contractor 1 surrounded by a broken line in the figure, and the server 5 manages the service of the service provider 10. The device 12 (consumable material supply management device) is connected by a network 30. The server 5 is further connected to at least one or more manufacturing apparatuses 4 belonging to the contractor 1 by a local network 31. The manufacturing apparatus 4 is also configured to manufacture via the local network 31 in response to a command from the personal computer 3 which is also connected to the network.

(Server Configuration) FIGS. 11 and 12 show
It is the figure which showed the function of the manufacturing apparatus 4, the server 5, and the service management apparatus 12 as a block.

The server 5 is a personal computer or a workstation. The communication unit 51 is, for example, a modem, and has a function of connecting to the local network 31. When receiving information from the manufacturing apparatus 4, it functions as a receiving unit.
When transmitting information to, it functions as a transmission unit. The connection form is not limited to a telephone line, but a CATV
It may be a dedicated line such as. Further, a part of the transmission path may use wireless.

Further, it may have a function for connecting to another server. This is because another server connected to the local network 31 may be separately provided, and the other server may be configured to have a function for connecting to the service management apparatus 12.

The arithmetic processing section 52 is a section for performing arithmetic on the information input from the communication section 51 or the input section 53, and is, for example, a CPU or a memory. The memory is a memory such as a RAM for temporarily storing the processing result. When the arithmetic processing is performed by software, a non-volatile memory for storing a program describing the processing procedure is prepared. Alternatively, the program may be stored in a storage unit 54, which will be described later, read from the storage unit 54 when the program operates, and work in the RAM.

The input unit 53 is, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a pointing device, an image scanner, a bar code scanner, etc., and is used for inputting information such as a budget and its period into a budget management table as described later.

The storage section 54 is a section for storing the information input from the communication section 51 or the input section 53 and the calculation result performed by the calculation processing section 52.
A hard disk and an optical disk. The stored contents include a management table, which serves as a basis for the processing judgment made by the server, which will be described later, a distribution product price table, an application program which describes a processing flow according to the present invention, and the like.

The storage unit 54 may be provided in another server and the information and the calculation result may be obtained by accessing the server. However, the storage unit 54 provided in the server 5 is different from the server 5. Since it is not affected by the network that connects to another server, stable and high-speed processing (speed of reading from the storage unit 54 and writing to the storage unit 54) can always be performed, and it is also excellent in security. There is.

The output unit 55 is for soft copy and hard copy of information, and corresponds to a display such as a CRT or a liquid crystal for the former and a printer for the latter. When referring to a display body when displaying an image of an electronic file stored in the storage unit 54,
In particular, it may be referred to as a display unit.

The server 5 communicates with at least one or more manufacturing apparatuses 4 to obtain the information of the manufacturing apparatuses 4 and to reply to the information. Based on the answer, the replenishment operation of the consumable material 600 of the manufacturing apparatus 4 is controlled. The information is, for example, a resin material replenishment request message or a resin material exchange request message due to consumption of the resin material for reinforcement, sealing, adhesion, and the like.

As will be described below, in electronically executing the service system on which the present invention is based, the software recorded on the recording medium such as the optical disk is installed in the server 5. A plurality of the software may be created according to the type of OS of the server 5 and the like. Therefore, even if the type of the server 5 used by the contractor 1 is different, a recording medium suitable for the server 5 can be provided. As a result, the contractor 1 can be given room to select the server 5, or the already owned server 5 can be effectively used.

The software distribution method may be in the form of being downloaded via the network 30.

Finally, the information which can be transmitted to the service management apparatus 12 via the network 30 is centrally and collectively managed and processed in advance by the client side server 5 of the contractor 1. One of the purposes is to reduce the processing load on the service management device 12 and the communication load on the network 30.

As described above, when connecting to the external network 30, it is general to arrange the server 5 as a firewall. However, the manufacturing apparatus 4 and the service management apparatus 12 are directly connected via a network. It may be connected.

(Structure of Manufacturing Apparatus) Next, the structure of the manufacturing apparatus 4 on the contractor 1 side will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 11, and 12. These figures are examples in the case of an adhesive application device, for example.

The manufacturing apparatus 4 has a manufacturing apparatus main body 41, a manufacturing / processing means (not shown), and a consumable material 60.
Adhesive 601 as 0 and container 60 for consumable material 600
2, a reading unit 411 for reading the bar code information 603 formed on the second unit, a controller unit 412 for controlling the reading unit 411 and each unit described later, and a transmission / reception unit 413 for outputting the read information to the outside. Consumables 6
Installation part 4 for installing the container 602 containing 00
14, a sensor section 415 which is a weight sensor section as a weighing section for measuring the weight of the consumable material 600 when the consumable material 600 is installed in the installation section 414, and the consumable material 60.
It has a supply port 416 for supplying 0 and a tank chamber 417 for containing the consumable material. Here, the installation unit 414 is a placement unit on which the consumable material 600 is placed. Alternatively, in addition to the above, the consumables 6
Any structure having a weight of 00 may be used. Reading unit 41
1, the controller unit 412, the transmission / reception unit 413, and the sensor unit 415 constitute a consumable material management device.

The reading unit 411 is selected according to the method of forming the information unique to the consumable material formed on the consumable material 6, and is, for example, a bar code reader in the case of bar code information.

The controller unit 412 has the reading unit 41.
1, information is acquired from the transmission / reception unit 413, the sensor unit 415, and the like, and the operation is controlled by giving a certain instruction to these, which can be realized by a CPU, an MPU, or the like.

The transmitting / receiving unit 413 is, for example, a modem. The connection form is not limited to the telephone line,
It may be CATV or the like. Further, as the transmission mode between the manufacturing apparatus 4 and the server 5, it is not necessary that all are wired, and some may be wirelessly transmitted.

The installation portion 414 is for mounting and holding the container 602 in order to put the adhesive 601 contained in the container 602 into the tank chamber 417 through the supply port 416. is there. In addition, when the adhesive 600 is put in from the initial mounting state, it may have a function of changing the holding position, the angle, etc. of the container, and further, a can opening / unsealing function.

The sensor section 415 is, for example, a detection means having a weighing function such as an electronic scale. After the container of the adhesive 601 is placed on the installation unit 414, the measured value is reset and the change in weight is monitored. The output value is sampled in the controller unit 412 in real time or at regular time intervals.

The supply port 416 and the tank chamber 417 can be appropriately changed depending on the type of manufacturing apparatus. For example, supply port 4
The shape of 16 is not limited to the shape shown in the figure, and may simply have an opening, or may be formed integrally with the tank chamber 417.

As the adhesive 601, it is preferable that the peculiar information is recorded on the surface of the container 602 or the inside of the back cover as described above. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, it is formed by a simple method such as a barcode. This is because, in the present invention, the ID number formed in the container 602 does not require special confidentiality.

For the purpose of distribution management, inventory management, etc., a bar code for specifying the type of consumable material may be printed conventionally. At this time, in order to reduce the printing burden, printing time, management burden, etc., the same bar code is used for the same consumable material. Therefore, in this state, if the types are different, the barcode can be used for determination, but if the types are the same, individual determination cannot be performed.

On the other hand, in the present invention, the consumable material 600 is
The bar code information 603 given to the item 1 is information unique to the consumable material 600, and is different from the conventional bar code in that the consumable material 600 can be individually discriminated.

When formed on the surface of the container 602, a bar code is used instead of a contact type or a non-contact IC chip capable of communicating by electric (magnetic) waves, and an EEPROM, The product type number and the ID number may be stored in advance in a non-volatile memory such as a ferroelectric memory.

In the present invention, the information to be stored in the IC chip is basically only the product type number and the ID number in the particular quotient, and it is not usually necessary to rewrite the information, so the memory capacity, Fewer functions are required, and the software and hardware scales such as the memory controller can be greatly reduced.

(Configuration of Service Management Device) Next, the configuration of the service management device 12 which is the terminal of the service provider 10 will be described.

The service management device 12 is, for example, a personal computer (PC) or a workstation (WS), and has a communication section 121 and an arithmetic processing section 122.
And an input unit 123, a storage unit 124, and an output unit 125.

The communication unit 121 is for connecting to the network 30, and when the network 30 is a telephone line, it is, for example, a modem. In addition, it may have a function for connecting to a local network.

The arithmetic processing section 122 is a section that performs arithmetic operations on the information input from the communication section 121 / or the input section 123, and is, for example, a CPU and a memory.
The memory is an RA for temporarily storing processing results.
A memory such as M. When the arithmetic processing is performed by software, a non-volatile memory for storing a program describing the processing procedure is prepared. Alternatively, the program may be stored in a storage unit 124, which will be described later, read from the storage unit 124 when the program operates, and expanded on the RAM.

The input section 123 is, for example, a keyboard,
Mouse, pointing device, image scanner,
It is a barcode scanner or the like, and is used for inputting information or the like of the contractor 1.

The storage unit 124 stores the information and arithmetic processing unit 122 input from the communication unit 121 or the input unit 123.
Is a part for storing the calculation result performed by
For example, a hard disk and an optical disk. The stored contents are the distribution item information table shown in FIG.
There are a contractor information table described later, a service management table for each contractor (a management table that records the usage status of consumables at any time), an application program that describes the processing flow of the service management method according to the present invention, and the like. The storage unit 124 corresponds to the recording medium of the present invention.

The output section 125 is for soft copy and hard copy of information, and corresponds to a display such as a CRT or a liquid crystal for the former and a printer for the latter.

(Registration Process) Next, the service flow will be described.

The service provider 10 collects unique information about all the adhesives 601 to be serviced, and stores the information in the service management device 12 of the service provider 10.

As the information collecting method, the stored contents of the bar code information 603 formed in the container 602 of the adhesive 601 can be specified, that is, the adhesive 601 can be specified.
Information such as 011444526 is obtained by the time of shipment.

Next, the service provider 10 uses the manufacturing apparatus 4
Get information about. Generally, in the case of a manufacturing apparatus, even if the same model made by the same manufacturer is used, if the type of the output body output by the manufacturing apparatus 4 is different, the consumable material used for the same may be different. For the manufactured manufacturing device 4, the model number, code number, etc. of the consumable material 600 are determined and confirmed based on the main body information of the manufacturing device 4 registered at the time of delivery of the consumable material 600 or before the delivery.

Next, the plurality of manufacturing apparatuses 4 of the contractor 1 are connected and set so that they can communicate with the outside, and information such as the model number of the manufacturing apparatus 4 and / or the product-specific ID number is collected in the server 5. To be done.

The server 5 self-manages the information and sends it to the service management device 12 on the service provider 10 side via the network 30. The service management device 12
By this step, the manufacturing apparatus 4 is automatically detected and specified by collating all the models of the manufacturing apparatus 4 to be serviced by the contractor 1 with the registered manufacturing apparatus body information. Even if the adhesive 601 for the manufacturing apparatus 4 is changed to improve the performance and the type number of the adhesive 601 is changed, the latest information based on the model information of the manufacturing apparatus 4 can be used. The adhesive 601 can be replaced.

Further, although the ID number for each product of the manufacturing apparatus 4 is not always necessary, the provision of this ID number may cause some changes or the like during the manufacturing process even if the model is the same. Related to consumer goods 600 such as 601
Or, even if changes are made to them, it is possible to respond properly. Further, when a defect in the manufacturing apparatus 4 is discovered before or after the partial change, the contractor 1
It can also be used to provide additional services such as notification of defects to the.

Although the in-use consumable material table and the spare consumable material table are created in the service management device 12 on the side of the service provider 10 as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, only the spare consumable material table is used. It may be. At this stage, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the contractor 1 is stored in the service management device 12 on the service provider 10 side.
Information on the consumables currently in use by the manufacturing apparatus 4 of FIG. 13 (FIG. 13) and information on the spare consumables delivered by the contractor 1 (FIG. 1)
4) is not included.

Next, when the consumable material 600 such as the adhesive 601 used in the manufacturing apparatus 4 is delivered, the consumable material 6 is delivered.
Unique information is acquired for all 00.

As the information acquisition method at this time, the stored contents of the bar code information 603 formed in the container 602 of the adhesive agent 601, that is, the information such as 02 011444526 that can identify the adhesive agent 601, is acquired, The unique information and the contractor information are associated with each other and registered in the service management device 12.

Further, the number of delivered consumable materials 600 is not particularly limited, and may be any number corresponding to the amount required to operate the manufacturing apparatus 4.

By the above operation, the number and type of the unused adhesives 601 delivered and stored to the contractor 1 side and the individual number information thereof are accumulated in the service management device 12 of the service provider 10 side. It

In the service management device 12 on the service provider 10 side, as shown in FIG. 16, information on the adhesive 601 delivered to the contractor 1 side is input to the spare consumables information column. In addition, here, as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, from the viewpoint of the user interface, the manufacturing apparatus 4
The display regarding the main body information of not only the code information,
The actual model name is used as a supplement. At this point, all the usage status fields are displayed as "not (preliminary)". Further, even at this stage, as shown in FIG. 15, the in-use consumable material table does not yet contain the consumable material information which is in use or has been used in the manufacturing apparatus 4.

Next, the consumable material 600 having the adhesive 601 necessary for operating the manufacturing apparatus 4 is set in the installation section 414 of the manufacturing apparatus 4. The number to be placed may be one or more. When the controller unit 412 detects the mounting of the container 602, it instructs the reading unit 411 to read the information of the adhesive 601 formed on the container 602.

Hereinafter, the internal operation of the manufacturing apparatus 4 for detecting the use of the adhesive 600, that is, the use of the consumable material 600 will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown by a in the figure, when the consumable material 600 is installed in the installation section 414 at time T1, the sensor section 415 operates as shown by b in the figure, and the sensor section 4 is activated.
15 outputs the initial weight Mi to the control unit 412. Although the figure also shows an uncertain region such as overshoot when the consumable material 600 is installed, the value output to the control unit 412 is a value after stabilization.

Next, when the worker or the like opens the consumable material 600 at time T3 in order to replenish the tank chamber 417 with the adhesive, as shown by c in the figure, the installation portion 414 tilts. Since the adhesive is stored in the container, the adhesive stored in the container flows out to the replenishment port 416, and the output of the sensor unit 415, which is a weight sensor, decreases at time T3 as shown in FIG. I will do it.

The controller unit 412 has a sensor unit 415.
Based on the operation start timing T1 of No. 3, the reading unit 411 is instructed to read the bar code information formed on the consumable material 600 as indicated by d in FIG.

[0180] In the figure, e indicates the operation of the reading unit 411, and the consumption material 6 is operated from time T1 to ΔT1.
The bar code information formed at 00 is read.

Next, after the output of the sensor unit 415 becomes half of the initial weight, the controller unit 412 displays the time T5.
At, it is determined whether the output value of the sensor unit 415 has become 1/2 of the initial value. At time T5, the consumption material 600
With respect to the initial weight of, the time can be selected so that the weight change reduced by use can be recognized. For example, the time T4 at which the initial weight becomes 1/2 at the laboratory level is obtained in advance under the same conditions as the input state that is actually performed, and is set to that value. As a result, the resolution of the sensor unit 415 may be low. Further, it may be changed depending on the capacity and viscosity of the consumable material 600, the temperature / humidity at the time of injection, the charging state (for example, the outflow rate depending on the inclination angle of the container / the hole opening). In the present embodiment, in consideration of the above variations, T
The time is set to 4 <T5.

The output value of the sensor unit 415 may be constantly monitored, and the timing at which the initial weight is approximately ½ may be used. In this case, there is no need to change or correct the set time depending on the volume and viscosity of the consumable material, the temperature / humidity at the time of injection, etc., as compared with the above-described constant time control method, so that the setting is not complicated.

The timing of monitoring the output value of the sensor unit 415 does not have to be continuous, and may be discrete, for example, at intervals of 1 second or 1 minute.

Further, the above-mentioned reference value 1/2 is an example and may be another value.

Further, as the content of the detection, it suffices to be able to determine a binary state that is the same as the initial weight or has decreased.

Next, a method for determining whether or not the output value of the sensor unit 415 has become 1/2 of the initial value will be described. In the figure, based on the output value of the sensor unit 415 shown by b,
A signal indicated by g in the figure is generated using a comparator. In the figure, as a result of comparing the output value of the sensor unit 415 with the value of 1/2 of the initial value, the logic level becomes the HIGH level when it is smaller. A signal indicated by h in the figure is obtained by a D-type flip-flop circuit using this signal as a data signal and a pulse signal at time T5 indicated by f in the figure as a clock signal. Therefore, the controller unit 412 monitors the signal indicated by f in the figure and detects the timing when the signal becomes the HIGH level, or the state where the signal becomes the HIGH level. , It is possible to determine whether the output value of the sensor unit 415 has become 1/2 of the initial value.

Next, the controller unit 412 transmits the information specific to the consumable material obtained from the reading unit 411 and the information specific to the manufacturing apparatus to the server 5.

As described above, in the present embodiment,
It is characterized by indirectly and reliably detecting whether or not the consumable material 600 has been opened by comparing the initial weight when the consumable material 600 is installed and the weight after a certain period of time.

That is, since the output from the sensor unit 415 does not change even if the consumable material 600 is installed in the installation unit 414 without being opened, it is determined that the consumable material 600 has not been opened yet. On the other hand, if there is a particular change in the weight after a certain period of time, it can be considered that the consumable material in the container has flowed out of the container, and thus it can be determined that the consumable material has been “plugged”. Here, "special change"
Is a change that can only be considered that the consumable material inside the container has flowed out of the container.

As described above, the use of the consumable material can be detected by electronic means.

Thus, the manufacturing apparatus 4 transmits the ID information for specifying the manufacturing apparatus 4 and the unique information of the set adhesive 601 to the server 5. If there are a plurality of manufacturing apparatuses 4, the server 5 may manage the information of the applied adhesive 601 for each of the plurality of manufacturing apparatuses 4.

[0192] Next, the server 5 communicates with the service management device 12 on the service provider 10 side, and the information of the adhesive 601 that has been put in, that is, the information of the purchased adhesive 601 is the contractor information. Send with. As a result, the service provider 10 can obtain the product information used by the contractor 1 for each contractor 1. The service management device 12 on the service provider 10 side
The information and the date are saved in the storage unit 54 such as a hard disk.

The service management device 12 on the service provider 10 side receives the above information, and based on the transmitted information, as shown in FIG. 20, the consumption material information used by the manufacturing device 4 of the contractor 1. Update the column. The state before the update is shown in FIG. Further, for the adhesive 601 that has been input as the spare consumable material information and has been set as the current use by the above operation, the usage status column is changed from "not (preliminary)" to "unused". Updated to "Used". The state before the update is shown in FIG. 1 to No. FIG. 21 shows a state in which up to 8 is updated to “used”.

This completes the initial setting / registration. In the above description, the information such as the model number of the manufacturing apparatus 4 and the ID number of each product is automatically sent to the service management apparatus 12 on the service provider 10 side. You may make it register into the service management apparatus 12 by an input part.

(Usage Judgment Process) Next, the operation when a new use of the adhesive 601 is required will be described.

For example, when the consumable material runs out in the manufacturing apparatus 4, a "consumable material error" message is displayed on the display unit of the manufacturing apparatus 4 or the personal computer 3, and the manufacturing apparatus 4 or the personal computer 3 is displayed.
Communicates with the server 5 and inquires whether or not consumables can be used. The server 5 accesses the storage unit 54, performs a predetermined calculation based on the permission / prohibition conditions such as a budget stored in advance for each manufacturing apparatus 4 stored therein, and when permitting the use, the manufacturing apparatus 4 4 or a permission signal is transmitted to the personal computer 3. The personal computer 3 may be configured to receive the permission signal from the server 5 and transmit the permission signal to the manufacturing apparatus 4. In response to the signal, the manufacturing apparatus 4 displays a "consumable material use permission" message. The display may be in the form of being directly displayed on a liquid crystal display or the like, or may be the use of lighting or blinking of an LED or the like. The content of the message may be notified to the device manager by transmitting it to the personal computer 3 via the local network 31, for example, by means of electronic mail or the like.

On the other hand, when the server 5 determines that the use of the consumable material 6 is not permitted, the server 5 sends a disapproval signal to the manufacturing apparatus 4 or the personal computer 3. The personal computer 3 may be configured to receive the disapproval signal from the server 5 and transmit the disapproval signal to the manufacturing apparatus 4. The controller unit 412 of the manufacturing apparatus 4 receives the signal via the transmission / reception unit 413 to display the “consumable material unusable” message or the like, or to set the manufacturing apparatus 4 in a state of not accepting any operation related to the consumption material usage. Prohibits new use by generating control signals to maintain.

The device manager of the contractor 1 who has a contract with the service provider 10 uses the “consumable material use permission” message issued from the manufacturing apparatus 4 or himself / herself who normally uses it. Based on the notification notified to the personal computer of the customer by e-mail or the like, the consumable material 600 having the new adhesive 600 provided as a spare is installed in the installation section 4
Set to 14.

As described above, the device administrator does not need to inquire the settlement person, the settlement department, etc. about the necessity of use, so that the management labor and time can be reduced.

[0200] Hereinafter, the processing of the server 5 relating to the use propriety determination of the consumable material 600 (the adhesive 601) will be described in more detail.

The server 5 on the client side is the manufacturing apparatus 4
When you receive a message requesting the use of consumables from
According to the flow of FIG. 22, the following processing is performed, and depending on the result, operations such as (i) communicating with the service management apparatus 12 and (ii) issuing an instruction to the requesting manufacturing apparatus 4 are performed.

Instead of the processing of (i) above, the contents of the received message are temporarily stored and recorded in the storage section 54 of the server 5, and the information is transmitted to the service management apparatus 12 later. It may be.

First, the processing of the entire system will be described. When the manufacturing apparatus 4 detects a shortage of the consumable material 600 based on information from the built-in consumable material remaining amount sensor or the like, the display unit of the manufacturing apparatus 4 will detect the shortage. In addition to performing the normal operation of issuing a warning to the server, a "consumable material supplement request message" is transmitted to the server 5. The message is shown in FIG.
In the case of the "consumable material replenishment request message", the message code is "000".
1 ". In addition to the message code, the server 5 also sends the type information of the manufacturing apparatus 4 so that the server 5 can determine which model of the manufacturing apparatus 4 out of the plurality of manufacturing apparatuses 4 the message is from. It should be set to.
For example, in the case of the manufacturing apparatus 4 whose model number is "LQ2000", the information "0001 | LQ2000 ... (1)" is transmitted. The above "|" indicates the division of information.

Further, considering the network configuration in which a plurality of manufacturing apparatuses 4 having the same model number exist, the ID information of the manufacturing apparatuses 4 is further added to obtain 0001 | LQ2000 | 00150560 (2). Such an ID number of the manufacturing apparatus 4 is given by the manufacturer when the manufacturing apparatus 4 is manufactured. Alternatively, it may be IP address information assigned to a manufacturing apparatus having a network connection function.

In order to distinguish each manufacturing device 4 managed by the server 5 from another manufacturing device 4 when a network system is constructed by a plurality of manufacturing devices 4 instead of the ID information of the manufacturing device 4. Number (for example, 1, 2,
...) can be set, and the set number can be used. In the field of computers, for example, SCSI (Small) is assigned to such numbers.
Computer System Interface) When connecting, you can use the method of assigning a unique number to each connected peripheral device. In this way, the required amount of information can be significantly reduced and the network configurator (for example, the service provider 10) can arbitrarily set it as compared with the method of using the ID number given in advance by the manufacturer. It is versatile.

In addition to the above, it may be displayed on a display unit (not shown) of the manufacturing apparatus 4, or via the local network 31, to the personal computer 3 of the administrator in charge of the contractor 1 by means of notifying means such as electronic mail. You may notify.

The processing of the server 5 on the client side will be described below with reference to FIG. First, the server 5
It is determined whether or not the message contents received from the manufacturing apparatus 4 as described above are contents relating to expenses such as use and replacement of the consumable material 600 (step 1, hereinafter abbreviated as S1). As shown in FIG. 25, the content includes a consumable material replenishment request message or the like due to the consumption material being exhausted.

Other messages include error messages relating to temperature management, transportation, etc., messages for notifying whether they are operating or idle, user identification information for managing each user, etc. It is programmed to exclude a message that is not related to the charging operation related to the replenishment of the material 600 from the processing target and distinguish it.

Note that FIG. 25 shows an example of a management file that stores information for determining whether or not a processing target. This figure is a message management table in which message codes, their contents, and information as to whether they are to be processed or not are shown, and the state displayed on the output unit 55 is shown.

The contents of the message and the like may be those normally used or may be newly added, but it is important to determine whether or not such a message is to be processed. Yes, message content is 600
It is determined in advance depending on whether or not there is a cost associated with the replacement of

The decision is generally made by the service provider 10 before the service is started. Therefore,
The operation of registering in the message management table shown in FIG. 25 is not basically required during the operation of the service except for the correction of the availability information of the processing target and the addition of new information.

The server 5 refers to the message management table to determine whether the received message code is the processing target.

If it is determined in S1 that the received message code is the processing target, the process proceeds to S2, and if it is determined that the message code is not the processing target, the process proceeds to S10. Step S10 has nothing to do with the process according to the present invention. For example, in the case of a temperature management abnormality message, the apparatus manager is notified by mail. Therefore, if it is not necessary to perform the process of S10, the process ends.

Subsequently, in S2, when the message content is a processing target, the server 5 determines from the permission / prohibition condition management table (in this embodiment, the budget management table) stored in the storage unit 54 for each contractor 1. Information on expense data A and budget data B indicating the progress of budget consumption at the present time is read.

FIG. 27 shows an example of the budget management table.
At least the current expense data A and budget data B are displayed. The contractor 1 can arbitrarily set the budget data B and the budget period T. Further, with respect to the current date and time P, the timer function generally incorporated in the arithmetic processing unit 52 can be utilized.

The permission / non-permission condition management table can be prepared not only for each contractor 1 but also for each manufacturing apparatus 4 possessed by the contractor 1 in more detail. In this case, it is possible to compare the budget consumption statuses of the manufacturing apparatuses 4 with each other, and it is possible to provide a service of informing the contractor 1 of the manufacturing apparatuses 4 that are relatively infrequently used or have a large budget balance.

Subsequently, in S3, the server 5 extracts the consumable material information requested to be exchanged from the content of the message.

Specifically, the manufacturing device 4 is specified by extracting the device information from the message information (1) or (2), and the type of the consumable material 600 is specified by the message code.

In the case of (1) above, "LQ-200
It can be seen that the adhesive 601 of the manufacturing apparatus 4 having the model number “0” is targeted. In the case of the above (2), the manufacturing apparatus 4 having the model number “LQ-2000” and further having the ID number: 00150560 given as the only value for the model number. It can be seen that the adhesive 601 is targeted. The processing procedure of S2 and S3 may be reversed.

Next, in S4, the consumable material price data C is read by referring to the consumable material price table separately stored in the storage section 54. Specifically, the consumable material price of the manufacturing apparatus 4 having the model number “LQ-2000” is specified using the consumable material price table shown in FIG. Specifically, it is performed by selecting a record of “LQ-2000” and “adhesive” from the distribution information in the same figure and reading the consumable material price data C in the price column of the record. In this case, C1 is the corresponding consumption material price data C.

Next, in S5, the server 5 adds the consumption material price data C obtained in S4 to the expense data A at the present time.
Is added to generate addition data D.

Further, in S6, the server 5 performs a comparative operation of the addition data D and the budget data B.

As a result, the server 5 adds data D obtained by adding the consumption material price data C to the current expense data A.
However, if it is within the budget data B, the process proceeds to S7,
The consumable material use request is permitted, and a consumable material use permission signal is transmitted to the manufacturing apparatus 4 that has issued the message.

On the other hand, the manufacturing apparatus 4 receives the above-mentioned consumable material use permission signal and displays a permission to use the consumable material. Therefore, the person in charge of management of the manufacturing apparatus 4 receives the above-mentioned permission display for replenishing the consumable material and sets the consumable material 600 in the installation section 414.

Therefore, the server 5 receives the above information as the process of S8, communicates with the service management device 12, and
A contractor ID number for specifying the contractor 1 (see the contractor tables [1] and [2] in FIG. 31 and FIG. 32) is added to the new ID information, which means that the adhesive has been replaced. It is added and transmitted to the service management device 12 via the network 30.

As a result, in the process of S9, the server 5 updates the expense data A at the present time to the addition data D (that is, A + C), saves it in the storage unit 54, and the use judgment process ends.

On the other hand, in S6, the addition data D is the budget data B.
If it is equal to or greater than, the process proceeds to S11, the consumable material use disapproval signal is transmitted to the manufacturing apparatus 4 that has issued the message, and the process of the exchange determination is completed. At this time, the expense data is not updated.

Note that the service management device 12 uses the above S8.
The management table related to the contractor 1 is updated in response to the information generated in. Specifically, the contractor information and the purchase item information are extracted from the received information, the contractor information is referred to the contractor table, and the purchase item information is referred to the product table, and the contractor table is charged in the charging list. Add a purchased commercial crystal. If necessary, calculate the total amount.

Here, the contractor 1 and its system configuration, that is, the service receiver and its system configuration are referred to as a first group, and the service provider 10 and its system configuration are referred to as a second group. Specifically, the first group is a user of the manufacturing apparatus 4, the second group is an administrator who performs service management by the service management apparatus 12, and a direct sales maker of the manufacturing apparatus 4, a leasing company, The consumer goods sales maker can also serve. There may be a plurality of both the first group and the second group, which is generally a many-to-many correspondence. However, when attention is paid to a specific group or a specific service, there is a one-to-many or many-to-one relationship, but here, the one-to-one case is described.

[0230] The server 5 indicates that the manufacturing apparatus 4 which has transmitted the information requesting the replacement or use of the consumable material 600 has performed an operation (for example, an opening operation) related to the replacement or use of the consumable material 600 on the local network. 31 is detected via the communication unit 51 and the communication unit 51, communication is performed with the service management device 12 via the network 30, and necessary information (for example, information for identifying the first group or the contractor 1 is exchanged or used). (Information that can specify the consumable material 6) is transmitted.

[0231] According to this, the server 5 uses the consumable material 600.
Since the fact that the operation relating to the replacement or replenishment of the product is executed in the manufacturing apparatus 4 is detected, it is possible to identify the detection timing as the start of use of the new consumable material 600, and thus the charging generation timing. Alternatively, it can be used as a timing for replenishing the distribution items. For example, by notifying the service management device 12 of the fact that the replacement or use of the consumable material 600 has been detected, the service management device 12 can be requested and requested for a procedure such as a distribution replenishment process or a billing process.

[0232] Further, as seen from the second group, since the first group has the server 5 as the core, it is possible to use the result of the aggregation within the group by the server 5. That is, to explain an example in which the second group manages the inventory information or the billing information of the first group, even in the network configuration in which the first group has a plurality of manufacturing apparatuses 4, the server 5 is Charge amount or consumption material 60 in each manufacturing apparatus 4
Since the information can be collectively transmitted to the service management devices 12 of the second group after totaling the inventory quantity of 0, the service management device 12 can efficiently perform the charging process.

Therefore, the manufacturing apparatus 4 of the first group
Even if the number of services is large, the service management device 12 of the service provider 10 communicates with the server 5, so that the processing load of the service management device 12 and the server 5 and the service management device 12 are connected. A comfortable service via the network 30 can be provided without increasing the load on the existing network 30.

Since the service management device 12 communicates with the server 5 instead of the individual manufacturing devices 4,
The first group can keep information such as the device configuration and the usage frequency of the consumable material 600 undisclosed to the second group. As a result, it is possible to provide a minimum service such as inventory management and charge management of the consumables 600 to the contractor 1 who is a closed or secretive contractor who tries to suppress the leakage of information of the company as much as possible. Further, the service management device 12 can grasp the situation in which the consumable material 600 has been exchanged or used by the contractor 1. It is possible to easily perform discounted billing processing such as lowering.

[0235] Only by detecting that the consumable material 600 is placed on the manufacturing apparatus 4, the information unique to the consumable material 600 is not read or transmitted to the service management device 12, and the operation related to the use of the consumable material 600 is performed. If it is detected that the execution has been performed, the number of communications between the server 5 and the service management device 12 can be reduced, and the service management device 12 can receive the information. Thus, the billing process can be performed immediately based on the information.

(Operation of Server 5) Next, the service provider 10 provides the contractor 1 with an information recording medium in which software related to the above-described processing from S1 to S11 is recorded. By installing the software in the server 5, the processing shown in FIG. 22 is executed.

Next, the process of setting the budget data B in the budget management table stored in the storage unit 54 of the server 5 will be described according to the flow shown in FIG.

Step 21 (S21) First, the budget management table as shown in FIG.
It is read from No. 4 and it is detected whether the budget data B is input in the budget field. If it is already set, the process is terminated, and if it is not set, the process proceeds to step 22.

The step 21 can be operated with the server 5 as a trigger when the server 5 receives a consumables supplement request message or the like from the manufacturing apparatus 4. It is also possible to set the trigger to be the time point when it is confirmed that the new consumption material 600 is to be used after receiving the consumption material replenishment request message. This is because it is not necessary to perform processing in the case of a device that transmits a consumable material supplement request message even when the same consumable material 600 is installed in the installation unit 414. Further, the budget control program may be freely activated. As a result, it is possible to correct / change the data as necessary.

Step 22 (S22) Subsequently, a budget setting screen (not shown) is displayed to request input of budget data B. The budget setting screen can be created, for example, based on the budget management table shown in FIG. 27, and can be realized by making the “B” column enterable.

Step 23 (S23) Next, it is determined whether the input data is a valid value. The criterion for validity is not only to exclude the case where a value other than numbers is entered, but also to set the upper limit value and / or lower limit value of the input data separately,
It also includes the case of rejecting when the value is set to a value other than the upper limit value / lower limit value. If it is a valid value, the process proceeds to S27, saves the input value, and ends. If it is not valid, the processing of step 24 and subsequent steps is performed.

Step 24 (S24) If it is determined in S23 that the input data is not a valid value, an error message such as "Please input a correct value" is displayed or re-input is requested. The display screen is
In advance, for example, HTML (Hyper Text Mark-up Languag
e) It is stored in the storage unit 54 as a document and is read out.

Step 25 (S25) It is judged whether the data input again is a valid value.
If it is valid, the process proceeds to step 27, and if it is not valid, the process proceeds to step 26.

Step 26 (S26) If it is determined in S25 that the input data is not a valid value, a message such as "Are you sure you want to continue the input process?" Is displayed and "NO" is selected. End the process, and
If "YES" is selected, the process returns to step 24.

The above-mentioned processing must be performed without fail, but it is not always necessary to perform it after setting. It may be performed when the server 5 is started, or may be omitted if it is known that the setting is made.

Next, the processing for setting the period information (budget period T) will be described with reference to FIG. That is, it is a process of setting a period for budget management, for example, 4
It is carried out by setting the management start date and time and management end date and time for one year from the month to the end of March of the following year, or for half a year from April to the end of September.

Step 31 (S31) First, it is determined whether the budget period T is set. The activation of the process can be triggered by the case where the server 5 receives a consumable material replenishment request message or the like from the manufacturing apparatus 4, similarly to the activation of the budget data setting program. Furthermore, when the budget data setting program is completed, the program may be started subsequently.

Step 32 (S32) If the budget period T is not set, the input of the budget period T is requested. For example, the budget period input screen created in HTML format can be displayed on a browser or the like.

Step 33 (S33) Subsequently, it is determined whether the input value is a valid value. If it is a valid value, the process proceeds to step 37, and if it is not valid, the processes in and after step 34 are performed.

Note that this step not only eliminates an input error in the input value, but also has a function of prompting re-inputting even when the current date (date and time data P) is outside the set period. The date / time data P can be acquired by using the timer function built in the computer and using the value.

Step 34 (S34) If it is determined in S33 that the input value is not a valid value, an error message such as "Please input a correct value" or the re-input is requested. The display screen is stored in advance in the storage unit 54 as an HTML document, for example, and can be read out.

Step 35 (S35) Next, it is determined whether or not the input data is a valid value. If it is valid, the process proceeds to step 37. If it is not valid, the process proceeds to step 36.

Step 36 (S36) If it is determined again in S35 that the input value is not a valid value, a message such as "Do you want to continue input processing?" Is displayed and "NO" is selected. If so, the process ends, and again
If "YES" is selected, the process returns to step 34.

Step 37 (S37) If the value input in S33 or S35 is valid, the input value is input to the budget management table and saved, and the process ends.

The above software is provided by the service provider 10
It is created by itself or under the copyright management of the service provider 10. As a result, the service provider 1
It is possible to cause the server 5 under the control of the contractor 1 to perform the processing required for the service instead of the server 12 of 0.

(Purchasing process) The container 602 (preliminary consumable material No. 1) of the used adhesive 600 is taken out from the installation section 414 of the manufacturing apparatus 4, and is replaced by an unused consumable material 600 (preliminary consumption material). Wear Consumable Material No. 2). Through the above operation, the manufacturing apparatus 4 transmits information about the unused consumable material 600 to the server 5.

The server 5 saves the communication record and stores the contractor information for specifying the contractor 1 and the spare consumable material number.
2 unique information (10-digit ID number) is transmitted to the service management device 12 of the service provider 10 via the network 30. The ID number of the manufacturing apparatus 4 may be added if necessary.

[0258] Service management device 1 of service provider 10
In No. 2, spare consumables No. The usage status column of No. 1 is updated from “currently used” to “used”, and the spare consumable material No. The usage status column 2 is updated from "not (spare)" to "currently in use".

As the consumption progresses in this way, March 2, 2000
All eight consumables 600 delivered in a batch on two days are used.

At this stage, since there is no spare consumable material 600, the service provider 10 has at least the consumable material 600.
00 is sent to the contractor 1. FIG. 21 shows this state. Nine new spare consumables information has been added with new delivery dates.

As described above, the service provider 10
Constantly monitors spare adhesive information and reserves spare consumables 60
By shipping new spare consumable material 600 to the contractor 1 at the same time as or before 0 runs out,
It is designed to prevent the lack of consumer goods on the part of the contractor 1.

[0262] The timing and the judgment for sending the spare consumable material 600 to the contractor 1 are set in advance as a reference number N (≠ 0) and stored as a spare on the contractor 1 side. It may be performed when N> N 'by comparison with the number N'. Compared to the case of N = 0, the risk is reduced, but the number of deliveries (delivery frequency) is increased. Since the degree of risk and the number of deliveries have a trade-off relationship, it may be set to an appropriate N according to experience.

(Billing Process) Next, a billing processing method will be described. 28 to 30 show the service provider 10.
Is a consumption material list (billing lists [1] to [3]) to be billed created by. The billing period is, for example,
It is a month unit. The consumables list is, for example, as shown in FIG.
9. Based on the preliminary consumption material table shown in FIG. 21 and FIG. 21, the consumption material information used from the closing date of the billing calculation (15th day in the present embodiment) to one month ago is extracted. The extraction method at this time is to extract those that have been used or are currently in use in the usage status column of the above-mentioned spare consumables table, and that the usage date falls within one month from the closing date of billing calculation. It is done by doing.

28 to 30, a list for the past 3 months is displayed.

As described above, the present invention is characterized in that only the consumable material 600 actually used by the contractor 1 is charged, and the unused consumable material 600 is not charged. As a result, the contractor 1 side uses the manufacturing apparatus 4 without holding useless inventory, without causing lack of consumable goods (consumable materials), and without complicated management. It becomes possible to do.

Further, since the number of spare consumables is confirmed by detecting that a new consumable 600 has been attached, the conventional manufacturing apparatus 4 itself can be checked by a single management method. Both management and inventory management of spare consumables 600 can be implemented.

[Second Embodiment] A method of detecting the use of the consumable material 600 when the consumable material 600 is linear will be described below. Descriptions of the same members are omitted.

FIG. 33 shows an example of an optical fiber core manufacturing apparatus for the manufacturing apparatus 4 to make multiple optical fibers by arranging a plurality of single optical fibers in parallel. The consumable material 600 is shown in FIG. As described above, the optical fiber 621 is wound and accommodated on the reel 622 as the accommodation body.

The optical fiber 621 is connected to the pull-out roller 4
It is pulled out from the reel 622 by 28, and is input to the introducing section 427 as an optical fiber introducing section provided in the manufacturing apparatus main body 42 of the manufacturing apparatus 4 shown in FIG.

The sensor section 425 in this embodiment is, as shown in FIGS.
The optical sensor 429 is used to detect an angle change or a height change of the emission position of the optical fiber 621 extracted from the optical fiber 22 with respect to the incident position on the extraction roller 428. Specifically, it can be realized by a reflection type optical sensor or the like. That is, it is a sensor that measures the distance to the object by measuring the position of the reflected light on the light receiving element based on the principle of triangulation by projecting infrared rays.
Also in this case, it is possible to detect whether or not the optical fiber 621 is used by detecting a change from the initial state.

The optical sensor 429 is a PSD (Position Sen
A light receiving element such as a sing device or position sensitive detector can be adopted as the distance measuring element.
To measure the distance using PSD, the light receiving element P
SD requires a light emitting element LED (light emitting diode), a signal processing circuit, and the like. A distance measuring sensor unit in which all of these are integrated can be used as the optical sensor 429. The principle of distance measurement is so-called triangulation, which measures the distance to an obstacle based on the position information of reflected light. This method has the advantage that it is less affected by the color and reflectance of the reflector and the brightness of the operating environment.

This measurement principle will be described with reference to FIG.
In the case of the near object A1, the LED of the optical sensor 429
The light emitted from hits the position P1 on the surface of the object A1 and is reflected, and reaches the position P2 on the PSD of the optical sensor 429. In the case of the object A2 on the far side, L of the optical sensor 429
The light emitted from the ED hits the position P3 on the surface of the object A2, is reflected, and reaches the position P4 on the PSD of the optical sensor 429. The distance to each of the objects A1 and A2 can be obtained by checking the distance from the reference point to P2 or P4 on the PSD.

The optical fiber 621 may be pulled out by detecting the placement of the reel 622 on the installation portion 414 and the rotation of the pull-out roller 428, but the pull-out roller 428 does not pull out the optical fiber 621. Since the situation of idle rotation can be considered, the method described above that can more reliably detect the pulling out of the optical fiber 621 is excellent.

Further, it is preferable that the container portion in which the bar code information 623 is formed is formed as a fixed member separately from the movable portion which rotates with the pulling out of the optical fiber 621. This allows the optical fiber 62
Even when 1 is being drawn out, the container portion in which the bar code information 623 is formed does not rotate, so that it is possible to read the information specific to the consumable material.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 37 (a), the bar code information 63c may be formed concentrically. In the broken line portion indicated by A in the figure, information equivalent to the normal bar code information 63b as shown in FIG. 37 (b) can be obtained by scanning with the radius method.
Thereby, even when the barcode information is formed on the rotating portion, it can be read.

Next, a method for detecting the use of the consumable material 600 when the consumable material 600 is in the form of a sheet will be described below. Descriptions of the same members are omitted.

The manufacturing apparatus 4 basically has the same structure as that shown in FIG. However, when the consumable material 600 is in the form of a sheet, the consumable material 620, the optical fiber 621, the reel 6
22 is replaced with the consumable material 630, the optical fiber 631, and the reel 632, respectively.

The sheet material 631 is pulled out from the reel 632 by the pull-out roller 428 as a drive source,
It is input to the introduction unit 427 as the resin sheet introduction unit of the manufacturing apparatus 4.

Therefore, the reel 632 is driven to rotate in accordance with the rotation of the pull-out roller 428.

As shown in FIGS. 36 (a) and 36 (b), the sensor section 425 in this embodiment is a reel 6
An angular velocity sensor 430 that detects a change in the angular velocity of 32 is used.

The output from the angular velocity sensor 430 is
It is input to the controller unit 422 (see FIG. 33), and changes in angular velocity are detected.

That is, when the linear velocity v of the sheet material 631 at the pull-out roller 428 is the same, as shown in FIG.
Since the angular velocity of the reel 632 in the intermediate state shown in FIG. 36B is faster than the angular velocity of the reel 632 in the initial state shown in FIG. 36, it is performed by detecting the state in which the angular velocity is faster than the initial value. .

The purpose of angular velocity detection is to reel 632.
It is to detect that the resinous sheet material 631 accommodated in the sheet is used by being pulled out by the pull-out roller 428. Therefore, the change in the detected angular velocity may be a value that can be sufficiently discriminated from the angular velocity in the initial state to the extent that disturbance such as noise can be eliminated.

That is, the reel 632 or the reel 6
By measuring the change in the number of rotations of the rotary shaft supporting 32, the change in the angular velocity of the reel 632 can be detected. Since the reel 632 is driven to rotate so as to have a constant linear velocity, the number of rotations increases when the resinous sheet material 631 is pulled out from the outer circumference of the reel 632. The change in this rotation speed is detected. For example, a change in the number of revolutions can be detected by providing a rotary encoder on the rotary shaft and counting the pulses from this rotary encoder, as is done by controlling the number of revolutions of the motor.

Furthermore, when the linear consumable material 600 is used, a detection method as shown in FIG. 36 may be used, and
When the sheet-shaped consumable material 600 is used, a detection method as shown in FIG. 35 may be used.

Next, another example of the processing performed by the controller unit 412 of the manufacturing apparatus 4 will be described with reference to FIG. The parts that overlap with FIG. 17 are omitted.

The controller unit 412 makes the reading unit 411.
The timing for issuing a reading instruction to the sensor unit 415
Is the time T4 at which a detection signal (d in FIG. 38) generated by detecting the use of the consumable material 600 is detected.
However, in FIG. 38, a timing T5 having a delay time due to waveform shaping or the like with respect to T4 is used as a trigger.

According to the method described above, the time from when the consumable material 600 is installed on the placing portion to when it is detected that the consumable material 600 has been used is not constant and depends on the working state. That is, even if the consumable material 600 is installed in the installation unit 414, it may be left for a long time. Therefore, until the consumption material 600 is detected to be used, the read information specific to the consumption material is stored in the memory,
Alternatively, it may be necessary to read again.

On the other hand, according to this example, in FIG. 38, d
By detecting the use of the consumable material indicated by, the information unique to the consumable material is read, so that a series of processes can be concentrated.

In the above description, regarding the consumables 600 having the same brand but different individual identification numbers for each individual, the individual identification numbers of the actually used consumables 600 are notified. Thereby, the service management device 12 side can grasp the amount of the consumable material 600 used. On the other hand, unlike this, the same brand may not be distinguished for each individual, and the number of the consumables of the same brand used, that is, the amount of the consumed consumables 600 used may be transmitted. .

In this case, the reading section 411 is
Instead of reading the individual identification number, the brand identification number indicating the same brand is read. As the brand identification number, for example, a bar code or the like which is generally given to each product and used for distribution management of the product can be adopted. Then, instead of transmitting the individual identification number of the used consumable material 600 to the transmission / reception unit 413, the controller unit 412 serves as a counting unit, and the number of the brand identification number is read every time the brand identification number is read as being used. The number of times of reading is counted for each brand identification number, and the obtained number for each brand identification number is transmitted to the transmitting / receiving unit 413.

Information about the number is sent from the transmission / reception unit 413.
It is transmitted to the service management device 12 of the service provider 10 via the server 5. In the service management device 12,
Based on the information indicating the usage amount, it becomes possible to manage the schedule and quantity of the next delivery and to calculate the charge to be charged in the same manner as described above.

The use apparatus to which the present invention is applied may be, for example, the above-described manufacturing apparatus or, for example, an apparatus for heating an object by using fuel as a consumable material.

Further, the present invention is not limited to the form in which the consumable material is contained in the container. That is, it is also applicable to a structure in which a sticker printed with a bar code in which information unique to the consumable material is printed is attached to the exposed consumable material and the sticker is peeled off at the time of insertion (before or after the recognition of the bar code).

Further, an object of the present invention is to supply a storage medium having a program code of software for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiment to a system or apparatus, and to supply a computer (or CPU) of the system or apparatus.
Needless to say, this can also be achieved by reading and executing the program code stored in the storage medium by the (or MPU).

In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention.

As a storage medium for supplying the program code, for example, a floppy disk, a hard disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a magnetic tape, a non-volatile memory card, etc. can be used.

The program code may be downloaded from another computer system to the storage unit 54 of the first server 5 via a transmission medium such as a communication network.

Further, not only the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by executing the program code read by the computer, but also the OS (operating system) running on the computer based on the instructions of the program code. It goes without saying that this also includes the case where the above) performs a part or all of the actual processing, and the processing realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments.

Further, after the program code read from the storage medium is written in the memory provided in the function expansion board inserted in the computer or the function expansion unit connected to the computer, based on the instruction of the program code. , The CPU included in the function expansion board or function expansion unit performs a part or all of the actual processing,
It goes without saying that the processing includes the case where the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized.

When the present invention is applied to the above storage medium, the storage medium stores the program code corresponding to the above-described flowchart.

The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, but various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims.

[0303]

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY As described above, the consumable material management apparatus according to the present invention is an apparatus for using the consumable material that consumes the consumable material supplied from the consumable material supply side and is given a different individual identification number for each individual. When the above-mentioned consumable material is thrown into the above-mentioned use device, the consumable material identification number detecting means for detecting the individual identification number of the consumed consumable material from the consumable material, and the individual identification of the consumed consumable material Consumable material identification number notifying means for notifying a number from the use device side to the consumable material supply side.

As a result, even if the consumable material has already been supplied, it is not notified to the consumable material supply side unless it is actually put into the using device and used. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the consumer material supply side from performing unnecessary excess supply, and to prevent the use device side from receiving unnecessary excess supply.

Further, as long as the device is actually put into the device for use and used, the consumer material supply side is notified of which consumer product individual has been used. Therefore, on the consumer material supply side, it is possible to satisfactorily understand how much consumer material has actually been used,
The production plan can be sufficiently established, the required amount can be surely supplied according to the consumption amount, and the use device side can effectively prevent the stock depletion.

Furthermore, even for the same brand, management can be performed for each consumable material, and a follow-up survey or the like becomes easy.
Therefore, there is an effect that it can be suitably used for improving the quality of a product which is a consumable material.

[0307] Further, there is an effect that it is possible to surely grasp the input individual, the input amount, etc. on the consumable material supply side.

Further, the consumable material management device of the present invention has, in addition to the above configuration, an installation section for mounting the consumable material before and after the start of use, and is installed by the installation section. The configuration includes a sensor unit that detects a weight change of the consumable material and a controller unit that determines that the consumable material has been used when the sensor unit detects the weight change of the consumable material.

Thus, in order to determine whether or not the consumable material has been loaded, the consumable material is placed on the installation section from before the loading to after the loading is started, and the weight of the consumable material placed on the installation section is set. Judge by detecting the change.

Therefore, in addition to the effects of the above-described structure, there is an effect that the usage decision can be favorably made with a simple structure.

Further, the consumable material management apparatus of the present invention has, in addition to the above-mentioned configuration, the consumption number having the above-mentioned individual identification number as the usage determination information of the structure which can be read only after the preparatory operation for charging the consumable material is performed. The controller unit determines that the consumable material has been used by checking whether or not the sensor unit has read the usage determination information for the material.

As a result, by checking whether or not the above-mentioned usage judgment information has been read for the consumption material having the usage judgment information of a structure that can be read only after the preparation operation for charging the consumption material is performed, the consumption material is used. Judge that it was done.

Therefore, in addition to the effects of the above-described structure, there is an effect that the use judgment can be favorably made with a simple structure.

In addition to the above-mentioned configuration, the consumable material management device of the present invention has the above-mentioned use judgment information formed on the surface in contact with the consumable material but not consumed, in contact with the consumable material. For the consumable material with which the non-consumable portion is in contact, and the use determination information is exposed when the non-consumable portion is removed from the consumable material as a preparatory operation for use, the use determination information is sent to the sensor. The controller unit determines that the consumable material has been used by checking whether or not the unit has been read.

As a result, preparation is made for charging the consumable material which is in contact with the consumable material but is not consumed, and the non-consumable portion in which the above-mentioned use judgment information is formed on the surface in contact with the consumable material is in contact. As an operation, the non-consumable part is detached from the consumable material to expose the use determination information, and it is determined whether or not the use determination information is read to determine whether the use determination information has been input.

Therefore, in addition to the effects of the above-described structure, there is an effect that the usage decision can be favorably made with an even simpler structure.

Further, the consumable material management system of the present invention is the consumable material management apparatus according to any one of the above, and the consumable material supply receiving the individual identification number of the consumed consumable material input from the consumable material management apparatus. This is a configuration including a management device.

With the above structure, the above-mentioned consumable material management device and the consumable material supply management device that receives the notification of the individual identification number of the consumed consumable material from the consumable material management device are provided.

As a result, even if the consumable material has already been supplied, it is not notified to the consumable material supply side unless it is actually put into the device for use. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the consumer material supply side from performing unnecessary excess supply, and to prevent the use device side from receiving unnecessary excess supply.

Further, as long as the device is actually put in the device and used, the consumer material supply side is notified of which consumer product individual has been used. Therefore, on the consumer material supply side, it is possible to satisfactorily understand how much consumer material has actually been used,
The production plan can be sufficiently established, the required amount can be surely supplied according to the consumption amount, and the use device side can effectively prevent the stock depletion.

Further, in the consumable material management system of the present invention, in addition to the above configuration, the consumable material supplying device side charges the consumable material using device side according to which individual consumable material is used. Is.

[0322] As a result, unused consumable materials that have only been delivered to the service recipient are not subject to billing processing, and the billing amount obtained only for those consumable goods that the service recipient can certify have purchased. The service recipient will be charged. Therefore, in addition to the effects of the above configuration, it is possible to provide a rational service that charges the service recipient a chargeable amount without waste.

Further, the consumable material management method of the present invention is used for a consumable material use device that consumes the consumable material supplied from the consumable material supply side and given a different individual identification number for each individual. Then, when the consumable material is thrown into the usage device, the individual identification number of the consumed consumable material is detected, and the individual identification number of the consumed consumable material is fed from the use device side to the consumption device. This is a configuration for notifying the material supply side.

As a result, even if the consumable material has already been supplied, it is not notified to the consumable material supply side unless it is actually put into the using device and used. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the consumer material supply side from performing unnecessary excess supply, and to prevent the use device side from receiving unnecessary excess supply.

Further, as long as the device is actually put into the device for use and used, the consumer material supply side is notified of which consumer product individual has been used. Therefore, on the consumer material supply side, it is possible to satisfactorily understand how much consumer material has actually been used,
The production plan can be sufficiently established, the required amount can be surely supplied according to the consumption amount, and the use device side can effectively prevent the stock depletion.

Further, the consumable material management device of the present invention is used for a device for using the consumable material which consumes the consumable material supplied from the consumable material supply side, and the consumable material is put into the above-mentioned consumable device. Then, a consumption amount detecting unit that detects the amount of the consumed material that has been input, and a consumption amount notification unit that notifies the amount of the consumed material that has been input from the use device side to the consumption material supply side. It is a configuration provided.

As a result, even if the consumable material has already been supplied, it is not notified to the consumable material supply side unless it is actually put into the device for use. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the consumer material supply side from performing unnecessary excess supply, and to prevent the use device side from receiving unnecessary excess supply.

[0327] Further, if the device is actually thrown in and used, the usage amount is notified to the consumable material supply side.
Therefore, the consumption material supply side can well understand how much consumption material is actually used, can make a sufficient production plan, and can reliably supply the required amount according to the consumption amount. On the side, it is possible to effectively prevent the depletion of inventory.

Further, the consumable material management device of the present invention has, in addition to the above configuration, an installation section for mounting the consumable material from before use to after the start of use, and is installed by the installation section. The configuration includes a sensor unit that detects a weight change of the consumable material and a controller unit that determines that the consumable material has been used when the sensor unit detects the weight change of the consumable material.

Thus, in order to determine whether or not the consumable material is loaded, the consumable material is placed on the installation section from before the loading to after the loading is started, and the weight of the consumable material placed on the installation section is set. Judge by detecting the change.

Therefore, in addition to the effects of the above-described structure, there is an effect that the use judgment can be favorably made with a simple structure.

Further, in addition to the above-mentioned configuration, the consumable material management apparatus of the present invention uses the above-mentioned usage for the consumable material having the usage judgment information of the structure that can be read only after the preparatory operation for charging the consumable material is performed. The controller unit determines that the consumable material has been used by checking whether or not the sensor unit has read the determination information.

As a result, by checking whether or not the above-mentioned usage judgment information has been read for the consumable material having the usage judgment information of the structure that can be read only after the preparation operation for charging the consumable material is performed, the consumption material is used. Judge that it was done.

Therefore, in addition to the effects of the above-mentioned structure, there is an effect that the use judgment can be favorably made with a simple structure.

Further, in the consumable material management apparatus of the present invention, in addition to the above configuration, the usage determination information is formed on the surface which is in contact with the consumable material but is not consumed, and which is in contact with the consumable material. For the consumable material with which the non-consumable portion is in contact, and the use determination information is exposed when the non-consumable portion is removed from the consumable material as a preparatory operation for use, the use determination information is sent to the sensor. The controller unit determines that the consumable material has been used by checking whether or not the unit has been read.

[0336] As a result, preparation is made for charging the consumable material that is in contact with the consumable material but is not consumed, and the non-consumable portion in which the above-mentioned usage judgment information is formed on the surface in contact with the consumable material is in contact. As an operation, the non-consumable part is detached from the consumable material to expose the use determination information, and it is determined whether or not the use determination information is read to determine whether the use determination information has been input.

Therefore, in addition to the effects of the above-described structure, there is an effect that the use judgment can be favorably performed with a simpler structure.

In addition to the above-mentioned structure, the consumable material management device of the present invention is configured such that even if the same consumable material is given a different individual identification number for each individual, the individual identification number used is This is a configuration including a reading unit that reads from a consumable material.

As a result, even if the consumable material is once removed from the use apparatus and reloaded, it is judged that "it is the same individual as the one placed before".

Therefore, in addition to the effect of the above configuration, there is an effect that the input amount can be surely detected without increasing the count by mistake.

In addition to the above-mentioned configuration, the consumable material management device of the present invention identifies the consumable material with the same brand identification number assigned to the same consumable material, every time the consumable material is used. This is a configuration including a counting unit that counts the number for each number.

Accordingly, in order to check the amount of the consumed consumable material, the same consumable material is given the same brand identification number, and the number is incremented for each brand identification number each time it is introduced. To do so.

Therefore, in addition to the effects of the above configuration, if once the consumable material is loaded into the device for use and it is not removed until the loaded consumable material is consumed, use such a configuration. By doing so, it is possible to divert existing barcodes and the like used for product management and the like, which is advantageous in that it is simple.

Further, the consumable material management system of the present invention is the consumable material management apparatus according to any one of the above, and the consumable material supply management apparatus that receives from the consumable material management apparatus the notification of the amount of the consumed consumable material. It has a configuration including and.

As a result, even if the consumable material has already been supplied, it is not notified to the consumable material supply side unless it is actually put into the using device and used. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the consumer material supply side from performing unnecessary excess supply, and to prevent the use device side from receiving unnecessary excess supply.

[0346] Further, as long as the device is actually thrown in and used, the usage amount is notified to the consumable material supply side.
Therefore, the consumption material supply side can well understand how much consumption material is actually used, can make a sufficient production plan, and can reliably supply the required amount according to the consumption amount. On the side, it is possible to effectively prevent the depletion of inventory.

Further, in the consumable material management system of the present invention, in addition to the above configuration, the consumable material supply device side charges the consumable material use device side according to the amount of the consumable material used.

As a result, the number of unused consumables that have only been delivered to the service recipient will not be subject to billing processing, and only the number of consumables that the service recipient can certify have purchased. The billing amount calculated for is charged to the service receiver. Therefore, in addition to the effects of the above configuration, it is possible to provide a rational service that charges the service recipient a chargeable amount without waste.

Further, the consumable material management method of the present invention is used in an apparatus for using the consumable material which consumes the consumable material supplied from the consumable material supply side, and the consumable material is put into the above-mentioned consumable apparatus. Then, the amount of the consumed consumable material that has been input is detected, and the amount of the consumed consumable material that has been input is notified from the use device side to the consumable material supply side.

As a result, even if the consumable material has already been supplied, it is not notified to the consumable material supply side unless it is actually put into the device for use. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the consumer material supply side from performing unnecessary excess supply, and to prevent the use device side from receiving unnecessary excess supply.

Further, as long as the device is actually put into the used device and used, the amount of use is notified to the consumable material supply side.
Therefore, on the consumer material supply side, it is possible to satisfactorily understand how much consumable material has actually been used, make a sufficient production plan, and reliably supply the required amount according to the consumed amount. On the side, it is possible to effectively prevent the depletion of inventory.

Further, the consumable material management program of the present invention is
The configuration is such that the computer executes each procedure in the above-mentioned consumable material management method.

A computer-readable recording medium in which the consumable material management program of the present invention is recorded has the above-mentioned consumable material management program recorded therein.

As a result, by loading the program recorded on the recording medium into the service management apparatus, the consumer product management method of the present invention can be provided to the service receiver. Further, by loading the program recorded on the recording medium into a computer, it is possible to provide the service recipient with the consumable material management method of the present invention using a general computer.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration example of a manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a schematic form example of a consumable material.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a schematic form example of a consumable material.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a schematic form example of a consumable material.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a schematic form example of a consumable material.

FIG. 6 shows an example of a schematic form of a consumable material.
6A is a perspective view showing one IC, and FIG. 6B is a perspective view showing a packaging case in which the IC of FIG. 6A is stored.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a schematic form example of a consumable material.

FIG. 8 is a drawing showing classification of consumables.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing an overall image of a network configuration.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a form of a one-to-one relationship of a network system including a first group of contractors and a second group of service providers according to the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing configurations of a manufacturing apparatus and a server.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a service management device.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an initial state of a management table displayed on an information management screen.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an initial state of a management table displayed on an information management screen.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a pre-registration time of a management table displayed on an information management screen.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of a pre-registration time of a management table displayed on an information management screen.

FIG. 17 is a timing chart for detecting a consumable material replenishing operation according to the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of a consumption material use detection time point of the management table displayed on the information management screen.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of a consumption material use detection time point of the management table displayed on the information management screen.

FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of a point of time when a consumable item is replenished in the management table displayed on the information management screen.

FIG. 21 is a diagram showing an example of a point of time when a consumable item is replenished in the management table displayed on the information management screen.

FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure performed by an arithmetic processing unit of the apparatus management server regarding permission determination of use or replenishment of consumable material of the manufacturing apparatus.

FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure for budget setting.

FIG. 24 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure for setting a period.

FIG. 25 is a diagram showing an example of a message management table which is the basis of the processing determination made by the device management server.

FIG. 26 is a diagram showing an example of a distributed product price table referenced by the device management server.

FIG. 27 is a diagram showing an example of a budget management table managed by the device management server.

FIG. 28 is a diagram showing a charging method.

FIG. 29 is a diagram showing a charging method.

FIG. 30 is a diagram showing a charging method.

FIG. 31 is a diagram showing an example of a contractor table displayed on the information management screen.

FIG. 32 is a diagram showing an example of a contractor table displayed on an information management screen.

FIG. 33 is a block diagram showing another schematic configuration example of the manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 34 is a view showing the principle of use detection of a consumable material according to the present invention.

FIG. 35 (a) and FIG. 35 (b) are plan views showing an operation relating to detection of use of a consumable material according to the present invention.

FIG. 36 (a) and FIG. 36 (b) are plan views showing another operation related to the usage detection of the consumable material according to the present invention.

37 (a) and 37 (b) are plan views showing an example of formation of information specific to a consumable material according to the present invention.

FIG. 38 is a timing chart showing another example for detecting a consumable material replenishing operation according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 contractor 3 personal computer 4 Manufacturing equipment (used equipment) 5 servers 10 service providers 12 Service management device 30 network 31 Local network 41 Manufacturing equipment body 42 Manufacturing equipment body 51 Communications Department 52 arithmetic processing unit 53 Input section 54 storage 55 Output section 63b Bar code information 63c Bar code information 121 Communication unit 122 Arithmetic processing unit 123 Input section 124 storage 125 output section 411 Reader 412 Controller section 413 Transmitter / receiver 414 Installation Department 415 Sensor part 416 Supply port 417 tank room 422 controller 425 Sensor unit 427 Introduction 428 Drawer roller 429 optical sensor 430 Angular velocity sensor 600 Consumables 601 adhesive 602 container 603 Barcode information 610 Consumables 611 Consumables 612 container 613 barcode information 620 Consumables 621 optical fiber 622 reel 623 barcode information 630 Consumables 631 sheet material 632 reel 633 Barcode information 640 Consumables 641 IC 642 packing case 643 Barcode information 650 Consumables 651 IC 652 packing case 653 Barcode information

Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) G06F 17/60 ZEC G06F 17/60 ZEC

Claims (18)

[Claims] 1. A device for using a consumable product that consumes a consumable product, which is supplied from the consumable product supply side and has a different individual identification number for each individual, and the consumable product is thrown into the device for use. Then, the consumption material identification number detection means for detecting the individual identification number of the input consumption material from the consumption material, and the individual identification number of the input consumption material from the usage device side to the consumption material supply side And a consumables identification number notifying means for notifying the consumer of the consumables. 2. A sensor unit for mounting the consumable material placed before and after the start of use, the sensor unit detecting a weight change of the consumable material placed on the installation unit; The consumable material management device according to claim 1, further comprising: a controller unit that determines that the consumable material has been used when a change in weight is detected by the sensor unit. 3. Whether or not the sensor section can read the usage determination information for the consumption material having the individual identification number as the usage determination information of the structure that can be read only after the preparation operation for charging the consumption material is performed. The consumable material management device according to claim 1, wherein the controller unit determines that the consumable material has been used by checking. 4. A consumable material which is in contact with a consumable material but is not consumed, and a non-consumable portion in which the use judgment information is formed on a surface in contact with the consumable material is in contact, and is prepared for use. As the operation, when the non-consumable part is separated from the consumable material, the usage determination information is exposed. For the consumable material, by checking whether or not the usage determination information is read by the sensor part, The consumable material management device according to claim 3, wherein it is determined that the material has been used. 5. A consumable material management device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, and a consumable material supply management device that receives a notification of an individual identification number of the consumed consumable material from the consumable material management device. A consumables management system characterized by being equipped. 6. The consumable material management system according to claim 5, wherein the consumable material supply device side charges the consumer device using the consumable material according to which individual consumable material has been used. 7. A device for using a consumable material, which is supplied from a consumable material supply side and consumes a consumable material having a different individual identification number for each individual, which is used as described above. When it is put into the device, it detects the individual identification number of the consumed consumable material, and notifies the consumable material supply side from the used device side of the individual identification number of the consumed consumable material. Consumables management method. 8. A device for using a consumable material that consumes a consumable material supplied from a consumable material supply side, wherein when the consumable material is introduced into the device for use, the consumable material is introduced. Consumption amount detecting means for detecting the amount of the consumption material, and consumption amount notifying means for notifying the consumption material amount input into the consumption material supply side from the using device side. Management device. 9. A sensor section for mounting the consumable material placed before and after the start of use, the sensor section detecting a weight change of the consumable material placed on the installation section; 9. The consumable material management device according to claim 8, further comprising: a controller section that determines that the consumable material has been used when a change in weight is detected by the sensor section. 10. For a consumable material having use determination information having a structure that can be read only after a preparatory operation for charging the consumable material is performed, by checking whether or not the sensor portion has read the use determination information, The controller unit determines that the consumable material has been used.
Consumable material management device described in. 11. A consumable material that is in contact with a consumable material but is not consumed, and is in contact with a non-consumable portion in which the use judgment information is formed on the surface in contact with the consumable material, which is ready for use. As the operation, when the non-consumable part is separated from the consumable material, the usage determination information is exposed. For the consumable material, by checking whether or not the usage determination information is read by the sensor part, The consumable material management device according to claim 10, wherein it is determined that the material has been used. 12. A reading section for reading the used individual identification number from each consumable material, even for the same consumable material to which different individual identification numbers are attached for each individual. 8. The consumable material management device according to item 8. 13. A consumable material to which the same brand identification number is attached to the same consumable material, further comprising a counting unit for counting the number of each consumable material each time the consumable material is used. The consumable material management device according to claim 8. 14. A consumable material management device according to any one of claims 8 to 13, and a consumable material supply management device that receives a notification of the amount of the consumed consumable material from the consumable material management device. A consumables management system characterized by that. 15. The consumable material management system according to claim 14, wherein the consumable material supply device side charges the consumable material use device side according to the amount of the consumable material used. 16. An apparatus for using a consumable material that consumes a consumable material supplied from a consumable material supply side, wherein when the consumable material is thrown into the use apparatus, the consumed consumable material is thrown in. Is detected, and the amount of the consumed consumable material that has been input is notified from the use device side to the consumable material supply side. 17. A consumable material management program for causing a computer to execute each procedure in the consumable material management method according to claim 7. 18. A computer-readable recording medium on which the consumable material management program according to claim 17 is recorded.