JP2003242400A - Complex system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a complex system by which a maintenance system is organically connected to a purchase system, information obtained by the maintenance system is fed-back to the purchase system, and a satisfaction level is raised in user. <P>SOLUTION: A report from a user system constituted via a network is received, and trouble information of a user system is stored in a database based on the report. When the entry of purchasing merchandise by the user is received, the database is accessed. Then a merchandise price is decided with respect to the merchandise purchase entry based on trouble information of the user system which is stored in the database. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a complex system, and more particularly, to a complex system in which a printing system of a user, a maintenance system of a maker, and a purchasing system are organically combined.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, along with the development of network technology, systems using networks are rapidly becoming widespread. For example, it is conceivable that a large number of printing devices such as printers and digital copiers are connected via a network to form a printing system, and the system is also connected to a maintenance system of a service center that maintains the product via the network. There is. Through the network, printing errors such as jams and stapling failures, and the life of consumables are sent to the service center as information.
Used for product maintenance.

On the other hand, mail-order sales using the Internet have become popular with the spread of personal computers. The basis of the mail order is the purchasing system. Since mail-order sales can be an important means of sales for manufacturers and sales companies as well, if customers can be acquired here, great profits can be expected.

[0004]

However, the conventional product maintenance system and the purchase system utilizing the network are independent systems, and in most cases, they are not operated in cooperation with each other. Traditional maintenance systems can be used in the event of a problem with the product purchased by the user.
The reality is that it provides almost no service other than maintenance of the product. Also, as mentioned above,
Since the maintenance system and the purchasing system are not operated in cooperation with each other, it is difficult to feed back the information acquired by the maintenance system to the purchasing system and automatically provide the service according to the information in the purchasing system. there were.

On the other hand, if a problem occurs in the product purchased by the user, the user's impression on the manufacturer who developed the product may be deteriorated and the user may be adversely affected when purchasing the next model. It is also desirable for the manufacturer side to effectively utilize the information obtained by the maintenance system in the case of occurrence of the above.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional example, in which the maintenance system and the purchasing system are organically combined, and the information obtained by the maintenance system is fed back to the purchasing system to improve user satisfaction. The purpose is to provide a complex system for

[0007]

To achieve the above object, the composite system of the present invention has the following configuration.

That is, it is a complex system comprising a first system for collecting at least trouble information of a user system via a network and a second system for processing purchase of merchandise by a user via the network. A database for storing trouble information of the user system based on the notification from the user system,
A processing means for processing an entry for product purchase by the user, and a database for accessing the database at the time of entry of the product purchase, and a product price for the entry for the product purchase based on trouble information of the user system stored in the database. And a determining means for determining.

The database may manage trouble information for each user, and may be updated by the first system based on the trouble notification from the user system. Here, it is preferable that the first system calculates a discount rate of the product for the user who has notified the trouble based on the notification from the user system, and updates the database with the calculated discount rate. Then, the second system may determine the product price based on the calculated discount rate when the user who has notified the trouble enters the product purchase.

Alternatively, the database may manage the trouble information for each device constituting the user system, and may be updated by the first system based on the notification from the user system. Here, the first system calculates, based on the notification from the user system, the discount rate of the product for the device causing the trouble of the user who gave the notification, and updates the database with the calculated discount rate. It is desirable to do. Then, the second system may determine the product price based on the calculated discount rate when the user who has notified the trouble purchases the product for the device in which the trouble has occurred.

If the user system is a printing system including a laser beam printer, the trouble information includes the number of print jams of the laser beam printer, the number of stapling failures, the drum trouble, and the toner consumption level. At that time, the laser beam printer detects the number of printing jams, the number of stapling failures, the drum malfunction, and the toner consumption degree, respectively, and the detected troubles to the first system via the network. It is desirable to have a notification means for notifying.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a server forming a part of a server client system together with a user system via a network, the database storing trouble information of the user system based on a notification from the user system. And processing means for processing an entry of the product purchase by the user, and accessing the database at the time of the entry of the product purchase, based on the trouble information of the user system stored in the database, for the entry of the product purchase. And a deciding means for deciding a commodity price.

Here, the database is shared by the first system that collects trouble information of the user system and the second system that processes purchase of merchandise by the user via the network.

According to still another aspect of the invention, there is provided an information processing method in a server-client type system configured via a network, wherein a server receives a notification from a user system which is a client, and the server receives the notification from the user system. A storing step of storing trouble information of the user system in a database of the server, a processing step of accepting and processing an entry of a product purchase by the user of the client in the server, and accessing the database at the time of entry of the product purchase, And a determination step of determining a product price for the product purchase entry based on trouble information of the user system stored in the database.

According to still another aspect of the invention, there is provided a program for executing each step of the information processing method having the above configuration.

According to still another aspect of the invention, the above program is described in a computer-executable code, and a storage medium storing the code is provided.

With the above configuration, the present invention receives a notification from a user system configured via a network, stores trouble information of the user system in a database based on the notification, and makes an entry for purchasing a product by the user. When it is accepted, the database is accessed and the product price for the product purchase entry is determined based on the trouble information of the user system stored in the database.

[0018]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a complex system connected by a network, which is a typical embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, this composite system is constructed by connecting a user's printing system 6010 and a maintenance system (hereinafter referred to as a service center) 6020 of a printer manufacturer or a manufacturer contractor to a printer by a network 6030. Has been done.

The printing system of the user is the printing device 601.
1 and a personal computer 6012 for using the purchasing system provided in the service center. On the other hand, in the service center, a server 6021 for processing the access from the printing system 6010 and the purchasing system itself described later, and a database 6022 for storing the discount rate for each user and the basic price of the product are provided. Also, FIG.
As is clear from the configuration shown in FIG.
The maintenance system and the purchasing system play a role of a server for the user's printing system, and from the viewpoint of the maintenance of the printing system and the user's purchase of goods, the client server system is configured together with the user's printing system. There is.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a table of article discount rates stored for each user in the database 6022.

The table of FIG. 2 stores the number of troubles with respect to jams, staples, drums, and toners for each user, and the discount rate of articles.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the functional arrangement of the printing device 6011.

In FIG. 3, a host computer (hereinafter, referred to as a host) 1001 and a printing apparatus (here, a color laser beam printer) 60 for generating and supplying print data are shown.
Although a configuration in which 11 and 11 are connected by a communication line 1002 is shown, the host 1001 may be common to the personal computer 6012 mentioned in FIG. The color laser beam printer 6011 is provided with a printer controller 1031 that controls the operation of the entire printer.

The printer controller 1031 has an input / output buffer 1033 for transmitting / receiving control codes and print data through a host I / F unit 1032 that controls input / output with the host 1001, a CPU 1037 for controlling the operation of the entire printer controller, A program R containing a program that describes the operation of the CPU 1037
OM (hereinafter referred to as PROM) 1050, control code,
RAM1 used as a work memory for interpreting print data, calculations required for printing, and processing print data
It has 060.

The PROM 1050 stores an image information generation module 1051 which generates various image objects according to the setting of data received from the host 1001. When the program is executed by the CPU 1037, the image objects are converted into bitmap images. The bitmap image expanded and expanded by the bitmap image transfer unit 1038 is transferred to the printer engine 1082 via the engine I / F unit 1039.

The actual printing on a recording medium such as paper is executed by the engine control unit 1083 by controlling the printer engine 1082. The printer engine 1082 has a sheet discharge device 1 for sorting and stapling recording media.
084 is installed. Further, the printing device 6011 is provided with an operation panel 1080 for operating the device and an external memory 1081 used for storing print data and information of various printing devices. And the operation panel 10
80 is the printer controller 1031 by the panel I / F unit 1035, and the external memory 1081 is the memory I / F.
The printer controller 1031 is connected by the unit 1036. Further, the respective components of the printer controller 1031 are connected to each other by the system bus 1034.

The PROM 1050 contains the host 100.
In addition to the image information generation module 1051 that generates various image objects from the data received from 1, the print parameter scheduling module 1052 that schedules print parameters and the trouble count module 1053 that operates trouble information are stored. Further, the trouble count table 10 for storing information on each trouble is stored in the RAM 1060.
61, a guarantee value table 1062 for storing the guarantee value of the printer maker is set. These tables are RA
Among M1060, SRAM with backup power supply,
It is stored in a non-volatile memory such as FRAM or EEPROM.

Next, the operation of the printer controller will be described below.

When print execution is designated by the host based on an instruction from the user, the printer controller 1031
Receives the control code and print data transmitted via the communication line 1002 via the host I / F unit 1032 and sends the received control code and print data to the RA via the input / output buffer 1033.
Store in M1060. CPU 1037 is PROM 105
The image information generation module 1051 stored in 0 is executed, data processing is performed, and image information about each image object such as a figure, a character, and image data is generated.

After the image information of all the image objects for one page of recording paper is generated, the information is expanded into a bitmap image, and the bitmap image transfer unit 1038 outputs the expanded bitmap image to the printer engine 1.
082. After that, the image formed by the image forming process described later based on the transferred bitmap image is printed on the transfer material such as the recording paper fed from the designated paper feed port, and then the designated paper ejection is performed. The paper is ejected from the mouth.

FIG. 4 shows the trouble count table 1061.
It is a figure which shows the table stored in. In this table, as shown in FIG. 4, the total number of printed sheets after each toner cartridge is mounted for the first time, the total number of drum rotations after the photosensitive drum is mounted for the first time, and the printer 6
The total number of jams 011 and the total number of staple misses are recorded.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a table stored in the guarantee value table 1062. As shown in FIG. 5, in this table, the number of guaranteed prints of each toner cartridge, the number of guaranteed photosensitive drum rotations, the number of guaranteed jams, and the number of guaranteed staple misses set by the manufacturer are recorded in a table format.

FIG. 6 is a side sectional view showing the construction of the printer engine 1082 of the color color laser beam printer.

The color laser beam printer 6011 is
As shown in FIG. 6, it is stored in the housing 2001. Case 2
Reference numeral 001 accommodates each mechanism that constitutes the printer engine 1082, an engine control unit 1083 that controls each print process processing (for example, paper feeding processing) by each mechanism, and a printer controller 1031 (shown in FIG. 3). The control board storage unit 2003 is installed.

As each mechanism for constructing the printer engine 1082, the electrostatic latent image is formed on the photosensitive drum by scanning the laser beam, the electrostatic latent image is visualized, and the visualized image is formed on the intermediate transfer body 2010. To the transfer material 2027 such as a recording sheet, a fixing processing mechanism for fixing the toner image transferred to the transfer material 2027, and a transfer material. There are a paper feed processing mechanism, a transfer material transport processing mechanism, and the like.

An image forming process using each mechanism will be described below.

In the optical processing mechanism, the laser scanner unit 20
A laser driver 20 for driving a laser beam emitted from a semiconductor laser (not shown) on / off 20 according to an image signal supplied from the printer controller 1031.
The laser beam emitted from the semiconductor laser is shaken in the scanning direction by the rotary polygon mirror 2007. The laser light swung in that direction (main scanning direction) is reflected by the reflection mirror 200.
8 to the photosensitive drum 2005, and the photosensitive drum 2
005 is exposed in the main scanning direction. On the other hand, the developing device 200
4 by the primary charger 2023 provided on the photosensitive drum 2
005 is charged to a uniform potential, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photosensitive drum 2005 by scanning exposure with laser light, and the latent image is visualized as a toner image by the supplied toner.

The toner image is applied from the photosensitive drum 2005 onto the intermediate transfer member 2010 by applying a voltage having a characteristic opposite to that of the toner image.
Transfer (primary transfer) to the top. At the time of forming a color image, the developing rotary 2011 rotates for each rotation of the intermediate transfer body 2010, and the yellow developing device 2012Y and the magenta developing device 20 are rotated.
12M, cyan developing device 2012C, then black developing device 20
The developing process is performed in the order of 12K, and the intermediate transfer body 2010
Rotates four times to sequentially form yellow, magenta, cyan, and black visible images, respectively, and as a result, a full-color visible image is formed. When forming a monochrome image, the black developing device 201
The developing process is executed only at 2K, the intermediate transfer body 2010 rotates once to form a black visible image, and a monochrome visible image is formed on the intermediate transfer body 2010 (primary transfer).

As described above, the toner image formed on the intermediate transfer body 2010 conveys the transfer material 2027 that has been waiting in front by the registration roller 2039, and transfers the transfer material 2027 to the intermediate position by the transfer roller 2013. Transfer body 2010
By applying a bias having a characteristic opposite to that of the toner to the transfer roller 2013 at the same time when the sheet is pressed against the transfer roller 2013, the sheet is transferred to the transfer material 2027 which is fed in synchronization with the feeding direction (sub-scanning direction) by the feeding processing mechanism (2 Next transcription).

Photosensitive drum 2005 and yellow developing device 2
012Y, magenta developing device 2012M, cyan developing device 2
The 012C and the black developing device 2012K are detachable, and the developing devices other than black are built in the developing rotary 2011.

The reflection mirror 2008 is a semi-transmissive mirror, and the beam detector 2009 is arranged on the back side thereof. The beam detector 2009 detects laser light, and the detection signal (BD signal) is supplied to the printer controller 1031. Printer controller 1031
Generates a horizontal synchronizing signal that determines the exposure timing in the main scanning direction based on the BD signal, and the horizontal synchronizing signal is output to the laser scanner unit 2020. Cleaner 2022
Then, the residual toner on the photosensitive drum 2005 is removed. The pre-exposure lamp 2021 optically neutralizes the photosensitive drum 2005.

A guaranteed value of the number of printed sheets is recorded in each of the developing devices described above, and when the developing device is mounted for the first time, the guaranteed value is transferred to the guaranteed value table 1062 of the printer controller 1031. On the other hand, the trouble count table 1061 is provided with a total print number column 5001 of each developing device as shown in FIG. 4, and each time printing is performed, the value is added by the print number.

A guaranteed value of the number of rotations of the photosensitive drum is recorded on the photosensitive drum 2005. When the photosensitive drum is first mounted, the guaranteed value is recorded in the printer controller 1.
031 is transferred to the guaranteed value table 1062. On the other hand, the trouble count table 1061 is provided with a total photosensitive drum rotation number column 5002.
Each time 5 rotates, the drum speed is added to the value in that column.

The transfer roller 2013 is movable in the vertical direction as shown in FIG. 6 and has a driving means (not shown). While the four-color toner image is formed on the intermediate transfer body 2010, that is, while the intermediate transfer body 2010 is rotating a plurality of times, the image is not disturbed, as shown by the solid line in FIG. The transfer roller 2013 is located below and is separated from the intermediate transfer body 2010. Then, after the formation of the four color toner images on the intermediate transfer body 2010, the transfer roller 2013 is moved upward by the cam member (not shown) in accordance with the timing of transferring the color image onto the transfer material 2027. It moves to the position and is pressed against the intermediate transfer body 2010 via the transfer material 2027 with a predetermined pressure. At this time, at the same time, a bias potential is applied to the transfer roller 2013, and the toner image on the intermediate transfer body 2010 is transferred to the transfer material 2027.

Further, the transfer roller cleaner 2026 cleans the transfer roller 2013 when the toner of the intermediate transfer material formed outside the size of the transfer material adheres to the transfer roller 2013. Further, around the intermediate transfer member, an image formation start position detection sensor 2044T for determining a recording start position when performing image formation, a sheet feed timing sensor 2044R for measuring a sheet feed timing of the transfer material, and a density A density sensor 2044C is arranged to measure the density of the patch during control. When the density control is performed, the density of each patch is measured by this density sensor.

The fixing processing mechanism has a fixing device 2 for fixing the toner image transferred on the transfer material 2027 by heat and pressure.
014 is provided. The fixing device 2014 is a transfer material 202.
Fixing roller 2015 and transfer material 20 for applying heat to
And a pressure roller 2016 for bringing 27 into pressure contact with the fixing roller 2015. Each of these rollers is a hollow roller and has heaters 2017 and 2018 inside. Then, each roller is configured to convey the transfer material 2027 at the same time as being rotationally driven. Further, a transfer material discriminating sensor 2045 for automatically detecting the type of the transfer material and improving the fixing property is provided on the conveyance path of the transfer material 2027. The transfer material transfer time is switched by adjusting the.

The transfer material feeding mechanism has a cassette 2024 for accommodating the transfer material 2027 and a manual feed tray 2025. The transfer material of the cassette 2024 or the manual feed tray 2
It is configured to selectively feed the 025 transfer material. The cassette 2024 is mounted in the housing 2001, and the cassette 2024 is provided with a size detection mechanism that electrically detects the size of the transfer material according to the moving position of the partition plate (not shown). From the cassette 2024, a cassette sheet feeding clutch 2026 from the uppermost transfer material in units of one sheet
Is driven to rotate and is conveyed to the paper feed roller 2038. The cassette paper feed clutch 2026 is composed of a cam which is driven to rotate intermittently by a driving means (not shown) for each paper feed, and one transfer material is fed every time the cam makes one rotation.

The paper feed roller 2038 conveys the transfer material to a position where the leading end of the transfer material corresponds to the registration shutter 2028, and the registration shutter 2028 presses the supplied transfer material and releases the transfer material to feed the transfer material. The stop and the release thereof are performed, and the operation of the registration shutter 2028 is controlled so as to be synchronized with the sub-scanning of the laser light. On the other hand, the manual feed tray 2025 is provided outside the housing 2001, and the transfer material mounted on the manual feed tray 2025 by the user is fed by the paper feed roller 2029 toward the resist shutter 2028.

The transfer material transport processing mechanism transports the transfer material released from the resist shutter 2028 toward the intermediate transfer body 2010, and the transfer material discharged from the fixing device 2014 to the housing 2001. Each flapper 2 for guiding to the discharge tray FD formed on the upper part
036, 2037 and the transport rollers 2040, 2041,
2042 and each of these transport rollers 2040, 2041,
And driving means (not shown) for driving 2042. By switching the flapper 2037, the paper ejection tray FD formed on the top of the housing 2001 and the housing 200
It is possible to switch the discharge destination of the discharge tray FU formed on one side surface.

Also, double-sided printing can be performed by switching the flapper 2036. The reverse sheet feeding unit 2030 includes engine conveying rollers 2031 and 2
032, 2033, and flapper 2034. When printing on both sides and ejecting paper face down (that is,
Print on the discharge tray FD so that the front surface of the recording paper is the lower side in the figure and the back surface is the upper side in the figure.
In 027, first, the back side is printed.

In the printing, when the transfer material 2027 is fed from the cassette 2024, the back surface thereof is printed first, and the transfer material is the flapper 2036 and the conveying roller 20.
35, the reverse feeding unit 2 by the transport roller 2040
You are led to 030. The sensor (not shown) is the transfer material 202.
When the trailing edge of the sheet No. 7 is detected, the transfer material 2027 is stored in the reverse sheet feeding unit 2030 in parallel with the sheet feeding cassette 2024 by the conveying roller 2032 by rotating the conveying roller 2031 in the reverse direction and switching the flapper 2034. At this time, the surface (rear surface) transferred to the transfer material faces upward.

Next, when the printer controller 1031 designates the reverse paper feed unit 2030 as the paper feed destination, the transfer material passes through the transport roller 2033, the paper feed roller 2038, and again passes through the transfer roller 2013 and the fixing device 2014, and the surface thereof. Is printed. And flapper 203
By switching between 6 and 2037, the discharge tray F
The transfer material that has been double-sided printed on D will be ejected.

When performing double-sided printing and ejecting paper face up (that is, when ejecting to the paper ejection tray FU, printing is performed so that the front surface of the recording paper is the lower side in the drawing and the back surface is the upper side in the drawing). In this case, the front side is printed first, the sheet is discharged to the reverse sheet feeding unit 2030, and then the reverse side is printed, and the sheet is discharged from the reverse sheet feeding unit 2030 to the sheet discharge tray FU.

An operation panel 2002 for constituting the panel section 1080 referred to in FIG. 3 is attached to the housing 2001. The operation panel 2002 is provided with a switch group for instruction input operation, an LED display for displaying information, and an LCD display. In addition, the housing 200
An external memory unit 2043 for configuring an external memory 1081 used for storing print data and the like by the printer controller 1031 is attached to the printer 1.

As described with reference to FIG. 3, the printing device 6011 has a paper ejection device 1084 for managing the paper ejection operation after printing, and the paper ejection device 1084 is connected to the main body of the printing device 6011. It is possible to use it. FIG. 7 is a side sectional view showing the structure of the paper discharge device 1084.

The paper discharge device 1084 is a housing 200 shown in FIG.
1 is a device that can be attached to and detached from the portion indicated by FU. The paper discharge device 1084 has six paper discharge bins 3001 to 3006 that hold and place printed paper. Then, conveyance rollers 3021 to 3012 for ejecting the sheets conveyed from the printer engine 1082 to the respective ejection bins.
3030 and flappers 3050 to 3055 for switching the conveying direction of the printed sheet are provided.

For example, when the flappers 3050 and 3054 are switched as shown by the dotted lines, the conveyed printing paper is guided face-up to the paper discharge bin 3004. The output bin 3001 is made of thick paper or OHP.
It is used as a bin when ejecting special paper such as.

Further, by feeding the print paper to this bin, the other five paper discharge bins 30 are also face-down.
It is also possible to discharge the sheets to 02 to 3006. In this case, first, when the flappers 3050 and 3051 are set as shown by the solid line, the paper is once sent to the paper discharge bin 3001,
At that time, after passing through the flapper 3051, the conveying roller 3022 is rotated in the reverse direction to return the sheet, and thereafter, the flapper 3051 is set as shown by a dotted line to turn the sheet upside down, and the flapper 3
By switching 054 as shown by the dotted line, it is possible to discharge the paper facedown. In this way, by operating each flapper, each discharge bin 300
From 2 to 3006, it is possible to discharge the paper face up and face down.

The discharge bins 3002 to 3006 are provided with stapling devices 3010 to 3014 that can staple the documents discharged to the respective discharge bins. Each of the stapling devices has a structure that does not affect the discharging to other discharge bins, because stapling is directly performed in each discharge bin. These stapling devices are provided with a staple miss detecting unit that detects a staple failure.

Next, a processing method when a trouble occurs in the printer 6011 will be described with reference to the flow charts shown in FIGS.

First, the processing in the printing system 6010 by the user will be described for each of some troubles.

(1) Processing when a jam occurs FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the processing when a jam occurs.

When a paper jam occurs during the printing operation in the printing device 6011 (step S101), jam detection sensors (not shown) provided at various places in the conveyance path of the recording medium as the transfer material detect the paper jam. (Step S10
2) The jam occurrence is notified to the trouble count module 1053 (step S103). Then, the trouble count module 1053 sets the value of the jam count column 5003 of the trouble count table 1061 shown in FIG.
Increase (step S104).

The value of the jam count column 5003 is initialized to "0" at the time of shipment from the manufacturer. Therefore, the value (CJ) in the jam count column 5003 is set to the guarantee value (G) of the jam count recorded in the guarantee value table 1062 shown in FIG.
J) is compared (step S105). Where CJ ≧
If it is GJ, the service center 6020 is notified of the information of the user name and model name of the printing apparatus and the fact that the jam count guarantee value is exceeded (step S106).

On the other hand, if CJ <GJ, the process ends.

(2) Processing when stapling failure occurs FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing processing when stapling failure occurs.

In the printing device 6011, a recording medium (for example, printing paper) that requires stapling is ejected after the printing process, and a plurality of such sheets are ejected to the ejection device 1084, but if the stapling process fails (step S20).
1), the staple detector detects the staple miss (step S202), and the trouble count module 1
053 is notified of a staple error (step S20).
3). Then, the trouble count module 1053 increments the value of the staple miss column 5004 of the trouble count table 1061 shown in FIG. 4 by "1" (step S204).

Next, the value (C
(S) is compared with the guaranteed value (GS) of the stapling error recorded in the guaranteed value table 1062 shown in FIG. 5 (step S205). Here, if CS ≧ GS, the service center 6020 is notified of the information of the user name and model name of the printing apparatus and the fact that the staple miss guarantee value is exceeded (step S206).

On the other hand, if CS <GS, the processing ends.

(3) Process when toner runs out FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the process when toner runs out.

In the printing apparatus 6011, when the developing device runs out of toner (step S301), for example,
The toner depletion detector provided in the toner cassette detects the toner depletion (step S302), and notifies the trouble count module 1053 of the toner depletion (step S303).

Now, the trouble count table 1061
As shown in FIG. 4, the number of printed sheets 5001 from the start of use of this toner cartridge is recorded in this field, and this value (CP) and the guaranteed value of the toner recorded in the guaranteed value table 1062 shown in FIG. 5 ( GP) is compared (step S304). If CP ≦ GP, the service center 6020 is notified of the information about the user name and model name of the printing device and that the toner amount is below the guaranteed toner amount (step S305).

On the other hand, if CP> GP, the process ends.

(4) Process when Drum Replacement Occurs FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the process when a drum replacement occurs.

In the printing device 6011, the photosensitive drum 2
When 005 is consumed and the drum needs to be replaced (step S401), the drum replacement detector (not shown) detects the consumption of the drum (step S402), and notifies the trouble count module 1053 of the consumption of the drum (step S402). S403). Trouble count table 106 of FIG.
The column 1 5002 records the drum rotation number (CRD) after starting to use this drum.
It is compared with the guaranteed value (GRD) of the drum rotation speed recorded in the guaranteed value table 1062 shown in step S4.
04).

If CRD.ltoreq.GRD, the service center 6020 is notified of the user name and model name of the printing apparatus and the fact that the drum rotation speed guaranteed value has not been exceeded (step S405).

On the other hand, if CRD> GRD, the process ends.

Next, the processing on the side of the service center 6020 which has received the above-mentioned notification of trouble will be described.

FIG. 12 is a flow chart showing the processing of the service center 6020. This corresponds to steps S106, S206, S305, and S4 shown in FIGS.
This is the processing on the service center side corresponding to 05.

First, the user name and trouble information are transferred from the printing device 60116 to the service center 6020 (step S501). Next, it is checked whether or not the user name is registered in the database 6022 (step S502). Here, if there is no registration, new user registration is performed (step S503). After that, or if there is registration, the user name and trouble information are saved in the database 6022 of the service center 6020 (step S504).

Then, based on the information stored in the database 6022, the discount rate is calculated for the customer having the trouble (step S505), and the discount rate is entered in the discount rate column of the database 6022 shown in FIG. The rate is saved (step S506).

Further, the above-mentioned printing system of the user and the purchasing system to which the information obtained from the service center of the manufacturer is fed back will be described. Although this purchasing system is constructed in the service center 6020 separately from the above maintenance system, the information obtained by the maintenance system can be shared, and various products provided by the manufacturer by the user can be provided via the network. It is a system that can be purchased. Therefore, the personal computer 6 of the printing system 6010
From 012, the user accesses the purchasing system via the network 6030 to purchase the product.

FIG. 13 is a flow chart showing the processing of the purchasing system.

First, when the user's personal computer 6012 connects to the service center 6020 (step S601),
The server 6021 authenticates the user (step S60).
2). Next, it is checked whether the user name of the user who entered the system is registered in the database 6022 (step S603).

Here, the user name is the database 6022.
If the product is registered in, the purchasable product is displayed to the user (step S604). FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of the display screen. Discountable products are displayed on the display screen using, for example, thick characters, different colors or special symbols so that the user can easily identify them. When the user selects a desired product for purchase by using the mouse or keyboard of the personal computer (step S605), it is checked whether or not the selected product is a discount target product (step S606). Here, if it is a discount target product, the purchasing system searches the discount rate stored in the database 6022 shown in FIG. 2 from the user name (step S607), and based on the discount rate and the basic price of the selected product. The purchase price is calculated (step S608). Then, the product price is displayed on the display screen (step S609). On the other hand, if the selected product is not a discount target product, the basic price of the selected product is displayed as it is (step S609).

On the other hand, if the user name is not registered in the database 6022, the purchaseable product is displayed to the user without presenting the discountable product to the user as shown in FIG. 14 (step S613). Then, step S6
When the user selects the product desired to be purchased as in the case of 05 (step S614), the basic price of the product is displayed (step S609).

Next, it is checked whether or not the user cancels the purchase of the product based on the suggested price (step S610). If, without canceling, if the user agrees to purchase at the suggested purchase price by inputting an instruction from a mouse or keyboard, the instruction is accepted and the procedure for purchasing the product is performed (step S611), and finally the charging process is performed. (Step S612), the processing of the purchasing system is ended. On the other hand, if the purchase of the product is canceled, the processing of the purchasing system ends as it is.

Therefore, according to the embodiment described above, the purchasing system that handles the purchase of goods via the network refers to the user information collected by the maintenance system of the printing apparatus, and based on the information, a specific user, For example,
An attractive price can be presented to a user who causes a lot of trouble by increasing the discount rate to improve user satisfaction. In this way, the user information collected by the maintenance system corresponding to the trouble that has occurred in the user's printing system is fed back to the purchasing system, and the user information can be used effectively.

[0091]

[Other Embodiments] In the above-described embodiment, the discount rate is adapted to each user who is notified of the trouble, but in this embodiment, an example in which the discount rate is adapted to each product will be described.

In this embodiment also, the system configuration and the configuration of each component are the same as those in the above-described embodiments.

FIG. 15 is a table of discount rates for each model stored in the database according to this embodiment. According to FIG. 15, the number of troubles and the discount rate for jams, staples, drums, and toners for each model are recorded.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 15, the number of troubles for each model is recorded in the database. In other words, this embodiment is premised on the provision of services to users who have already introduced the printing system, so that the process of new user registration is not necessary. Therefore, the calculation of the discount rate according to the number of troubles for each model of the printing apparatus and the storage thereof in the database are realized by executing the processing excluding steps S502 and S503 of FIG. 12 in the above-described embodiment.

Next, the purchasing system according to this embodiment will be described.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing the processing of the purchasing system. In the process shown in FIG. 16, the same process steps as those described in the above embodiment are designated by the same step reference numbers, and the description thereof will be omitted. Here, only the process unique to this embodiment will be described. .

Steps S601, S602, S604,
When the product desired to be purchased by the user is selected in the process of S605, the database shown in FIG. 15 is searched with the selected product as a key to check whether there is a model corresponding to the selected product (step S606a). ). If there is a model corresponding to the selected product, the discount rate stored in the database is searched from the model name (step S607a). Thereafter, the processes of steps S608 to S612 are executed as in the above-described embodiment.

On the other hand, if the model corresponding to the selected product is not in the database, the process executes steps S609 to S612 as in the above-described embodiment.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the discount rate can be set for each product. Therefore, for example, when purchasing a product with many troubles, the discount rate can be increased to improve user satisfaction. .

In the above-described embodiment, the drum rotation speed and the guaranteed drum rotation speed are stored in the table provided in the RAM of the printer controller, and the rotation speed is counted by the printer controller. The function may be provided in the drum itself. Similarly, the number of printed sheets of each toner and the guaranteed number of printed sheets are set by the printer controller R
Although the configuration is such that the number of printed sheets is stored in the table provided in the AM and the printer controller counts the number of printed sheets, each toner cartridge itself may have the counting function.

Further, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the discount rate is applied to the product, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in the case of the rental system of the user's printing system, the rental fee or the like is paid. Charging may be the target.

Furthermore, although the electrophotographic laser printer has been described as an example of the printing apparatus in the above embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this. For example,
As the printing device, a printer having a different recording method, for example, an inkjet printer, a thermal transfer printer, a sublimation printer, or the like may be used.

Another object of the present invention is to supply a storage medium (or recording medium) recording a program code of software for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or apparatus, and to supply a computer of the system or apparatus ( Alternatively, by the CPU or MPU) reading and executing the program code stored in the storage medium,
It goes without saying that it will be achieved. 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.
Further, by executing the program code read by the computer, not only the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized, but also based on the instruction of the program code,
An operating system (OS) running on the computer does some 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.

Further, after the program code read from the storage medium is written in the memory provided in the function expansion card inserted into the computer or the function expansion unit connected to the computer, based on the instruction of the program code. , The CPU provided in the function expansion card or the function expansion unit performs some 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.

Further, in the above example, the program processing is described, but the place to be programmed may be processed by hardware.

[0106]

As described above, according to the present invention, the trouble information notified by the user is stored as a database, and the discount rate when the user purchases a product is determined based on the information. By reflecting the price when the user purchases the product, it is possible to return the compensation for the trouble that occurred before to the user as the product price.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a complex system connected by a network, which is a representative embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a table of article discount rates for each user, which is stored in a database 6022.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a printing device 6011.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a table stored in a trouble count table 1061.

5 is a diagram showing a table stored in a guarantee value table 1062. FIG.

FIG. 6 is a side sectional view showing a configuration of a printer engine 1082 of the color color laser beam printer.

FIG. 7 is a side sectional view showing a configuration of a paper discharge device 1084.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a process when a jam occurs.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a process when a staple failure occurs.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a process when toner runs out.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a process when drum replacement occurs.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing processing of the service center 6020.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing processing of the purchasing system.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of purchasable products in the purchasing system.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a table of discount rates for each model stored in a database according to another embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing a process of a purchasing system according to another embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of purchasable products in a purchasing system according to another embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

1001 host computer 1002 communication line 1031 printer controller 1032 host I / F unit 1033 input / output buffer 1034 system bus 1035 panel I / F unit 1036 memory I / F unit 1037 CPU 1038 bitmap image transfer unit 1039 engine I / F unit 1050 program ROM 1051 Image information generation module 1052 Print parameter scheduling module 1053 Trouble count module 1060 RAM 1061 Trouble count table 1062 Guaranteed value table 1080 Operation panel 1081 External memory 1082 Printer engine 1083 Engine control unit 1084 Paper discharge device 2001 Housing 2002 Operation panel 2005 Photosensitive Drum 2006 Laser driver 2007 Rotating polygon mirror 2008 Reflection mirror 2009 Beam detector 2010 Intermediate transfer body 2011 Developing rotary 2012Y Yellow developing device 2012M Magenta developing device 2012C Cyan developing device 2012K Black developing device 2013 Transfer roller 2014 Fixing device 2015 Fixing roller 2016 Pressing roller 2017, 2018 Heater 2020 Laser scanner unit 2021 Pre-exposure lamp 2022 Cleaner 2023 Primary charger 2024 Cassette 2025 Paper feed tray 2026 Paper feed clutch 2027 Transfer material 2028 Registration shutters 2029, 2038 Paper feed roller 2030 Reverse paper feed units 2031 to 2033, 2035, 2039 to 2042
Conveyor rollers 2034, 2036, 2037 Flapper 2043 External memory unit 2044C Density sensor 2044T Image formation start position detection sensor 2044R Paper feed timing sensor 2045 Transfer material automatic discrimination sensor 2046 Transfer roller cleaner

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) B41J 29/38 B41J 29/38 Z G06F 3/12 G06F 3/12 K

Claims (15)

[Claims] 1. A complex system comprising a first system for collecting trouble information of at least a user system via a network and a second system for processing purchases of products by a user via the network. A database that stores trouble information of the user system based on a notification from the user system; a processing unit that processes an entry for product purchase by the user; and the database that is accessed when the product purchase entry is made. And a deciding means for deciding a product price for the entry of the product purchase based on the stored trouble information of the user system. 2. The complex system according to claim 1, wherein the database manages trouble information for each user, and is updated by the first system based on a trouble notification from the user system. . 3. The first system has a calculation means for calculating a discount rate of a product for a user who has notified the trouble based on a notification from the user system, and the calculation means calculates the discount rate. The complex system according to claim 2, wherein the database is updated with a different discount rate. 4. The second system, when the user who has notified the trouble makes an entry for purchasing the product, determines the product price based on the calculated discount rate. The combined system according to claim 3. 5. The database manages the trouble information for each device constituting the user system, and is updated by the first system based on a notification from the user system. The complex system described in. 6. The first system has a calculation means for calculating a discount rate of a product for a device causing a trouble of a user who has issued the notification, based on a notification from the user system, The complex system according to claim 5, wherein the database is updated with the discount rate calculated by the calculating means. 7. The second system, wherein when the user who has notified the trouble purchases the product for a device that has caused the trouble, the second system calculates the price of the product based on the calculated discount rate. 7. The complex system according to claim 6, wherein 8. The user system is a printing system including a laser beam printer, and the trouble information includes a print jam count of the laser beam printer, a stapling failure count, a drum malfunction, and a toner consumption level. The combined system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, which is characterized. 9. The laser beam printer is configured to detect the number of times the printing jam has occurred, the number of times the stapling has failed, the drum malfunction, and the toner consumption level, respectively, and troubles detected by the detection unit. 9. The composite system according to claim 1, further comprising a notification unit that notifies the first system via the. 10. A server that forms a part of a server client system together with a user system via a network, a database that stores trouble information of the user system based on a notification from the user system, and a product by the user. Processing means for processing a purchase entry; and a decision for accessing the database at the time of entry of the product purchase and determining a product price for the entry of the product purchase based on trouble information of the user system stored in the database. A server having means. 11. The database is shared by a first system that collects trouble information of the user system and a second system that processes purchase of merchandise by a user via the network. The server according to claim 10. 12. The user system is a printing system including a laser beam printer, and the trouble information includes a print jam count of the laser beam printer, a stapling failure count, a drum malfunction, and a toner consumption level. The server according to claim 10, wherein the server is a server. 13. An information processing method in a server-client type system configured via a network, wherein a server receives a notification from a user system that is a client, and based on the notification, the trouble information of the user system is received. A storing step of storing in a database of a server; a processing step of accepting and processing an entry of a product purchase by the user of the client in the server; And a determination step of determining a product price for the product purchase entry based on trouble information of the user system. 14. A program for executing each step of the information processing method according to claim 13. 15. A storage medium in which the program according to claim 14 is written in computer-executable code, and the code is stored.