JP2005193567A - Cartridge for printer, recycling recovery system of cartridge, recycling judgment system and discount system of cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve a problem that although media can be removed upon occurrence of paper jam within the body, the media is not guaranteed upon occurrence of paper jam at present. <P>SOLUTION: Information of the number of times of indicating print (number of sheets of media), the number of sheets printed out actually, the number of times of occurrence of error such as paper jam (number of sheets of media), and the number of remaining sheets of media is counted up/down every time a cartridge is used and stored in a storage means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  According to the present invention, when a printing process is executed using a recording medium for printing used in a printing apparatus and / or a cartridge that supplies ink to a printer, a paper jam that occurs due to a mechanical factor, double feeding of media, and the like are normal. Discount system, discount device, cartridge, print control device, print control that can be purchased with discounted amount corresponding to the number of media for the number of media that could not be printed at the time of replacement of the cartridge The present invention relates to a printer cartridge, a cartridge recycling / recovery device, a cartridge recycling determination system, and a discount system.

  Conventional methods of supplying media in printing apparatuses use a tray method and a cartridge method.

  In the case of the tray method, it is quite easy to remove the media even if a paper jam occurs in the main body. Even if a double feed of media occurs, the media can be placed on the tray again. Reuse of multi-feed media can be easily performed.

  The same applies to the cartridge system, as described above, in which the double-fed media can be easily reused, as described above, and instead, once it is ejected from the cartridge, it cannot be returned to the cartridge. Also exist.

  Further, regarding a discount method using a conventional printing apparatus, for example, a manufacturer's logo (advertisement information) is stored in the printing apparatus, and when the user performs output from the printing apparatus, the printing apparatus There is one that discounts the price of the printing apparatus main body at the time of new purchase by adding information such as a logo (advertisement) built in from the beginning (shipment) to the printing paper.

  In such a system configuration method, when the user prints out a file created by himself / herself as needed, and / or the information obtained as a result of searching using the Internet or the information on the browsed homepage as media Instead of accepting the output of maker advertisement information such as logos stored in the printer device in advance when printing on the media, In addition, the printer can be discounted only once at the time of purchase.

In recent years, it has been considered that a memory is mounted on a cartridge containing a recording agent such as ink used for printing of a printing apparatus. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses the above technique.
JP 2002-099825 A

  However, in the above-described printing apparatus (especially in the case of the cartridge system), when a printing instruction is given and the media causes a paper jam in the main body, the media removal process can be performed. There is no guarantee of media due to what happened at this time. Or, if a double feed of media occurs during printing, it is generally not possible to restore the double fed media.

  Furthermore, recent photo printers require high-resolution print output due to the increase in the number of CCD pixels in digital cameras. For this reason, high-quality paper that can withstand high-quality printing is used for the printed media. As a result, the unit price per piece of media has jumped from 10 to 30 times that of conventional media.

  For this reason, when printing is performed using this expensive medium, it is needless to say that the fact that one medium cannot be used due to paper jam or double feeding is a considerable pain for the user.

  Furthermore, considering the point of the printing device, considering the frequent purchase of media that are printing media and / or ink tanks, etc., using some method when purchasing consumables such as media and ink, For the loss of media that might have suffered due to mechanical factors of the printing device itself such as jam, media double feed, etc., by providing a discount mechanism for purchasing price discount at the time of replacement, etc. It is clear that it is psychologically effective.

  On the other hand, it is very important to collect used equipment from the viewpoint of the global environment. Especially, the life of printing devices or consumables used in the printing devices is limited to that of TVs, refrigerators, etc. It is relatively short compared to the lifetime of home appliances, and it is important to improve the recovery rate.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and the object of the present invention is when a paper-out error occurs when a print execution instruction is issued, and when the cartridge is brought to the storefront, The number of print instructions (number of media) stored in a predetermined storage area in the non-volatile memory arranged in the memory, the number of actually printed output, the number of occurrences of errors such as paper jams, and the number of media The remaining number information is read out, the number of media fed from the information on the memory is calculated, and the information stored in the memory is taken into account, and the normality is calculated from the number of sheets fed and the number of paper jam occurrences. Obtain information on the number of media that may not have been printed, and when purchasing a new cartridge based on this information, the purchase price of the cartridge can be purchased at a discount. And to provide a 引方 expression. This system configuration allows the user to discount the price equivalent to the discount (discount) for the number of media that could not be printed normally. A cartridge for a printer that can realize a discount system that can be purchased, and that can be promoted for other purposes as a device product provider, and can easily improve the collection rate of used devices. Another object of the present invention is to provide a cartridge recycling / recovery device, a cartridge recycling determination system, and a discount system.

  The present invention relates to a recording medium and a cartridge for supplying an ink tank to a printing apparatus. When the cartridge is used, a printing instruction (number of media) stored in the storage device (means) is given. The cartridge is configured by including storage means for storing the number of times, the number of actually printed output, the number of times an error such as a paper jam has occurred, and the remaining number of media information.

  The storage means is incorporated in the cartridge and can be freely attached to and detached from the printing apparatus main body.

  In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the print instruction (number of media) stored in the EEPROM (301) in the cartridge section (300) in the block diagram of the system configuration of the present invention shown in FIG. ) Area that was calculated and stored from the information when the paper out error was detected from the number of times, the number of actually printed output, the number of times that an error such as paper jam occurred, and the remaining number of media information By reading from (S75), the user can receive a discount on the price of a newly purchased cartridge according to the number information.

  The above-described configuration is shown again in the following (1) to (6).

  (1) A cartridge that is detachably attached to the printer body and supplies a printing recording medium and / or ink to the printer, and has a storage means for storing information indicating the usage status of the cartridge. Each time the cartridge is mounted on the printer body and a print instruction is issued, the number of print instructions (number of media), the actual number of prints actually printed out, or an error such as a paper jam has occurred (number of media) A cartridge for a printer, wherein the number of times and the remaining number of media are stored in the storage means by counting up and / or counting down the information every time the cartridge is used.

  (2) Information on the number of times of printing (number of sheets), the actual number of times of printing (number of sheets), the number of occurrences of paper jam error, and the remaining number of sheets of media are stored in a predetermined area of the storage means. The printer cartridge as described in (1) above, which is characterized by the following.

  (3) The above (1) or (2), wherein the storage means is detachably attached to the printer main body and disposed on a cartridge for supplying a printing recording medium and / or ink to the printer. The cartridge for the printer described.

  (4) The cartridge, which is detachably attached to the printer body and is stored in the storage means built in the cartridge for supplying the printing recording medium and / or ink to the printer, is attached to the printer body. The number of sheets printed using the cartridge is counted up and / or counted down each time the cartridge is used, and the number of print instructions (number of media) stored in the storage area is actually Based on the reading means for reading out information on the number of printed pages, the number of occurrences of errors such as paper jams, and the remaining number of sheets on the media, and various information read by the reading means, when the cartridge is recycled , Print instruction number information of information described in the storage area of the cartridge, normal printing Calculating means for calculating the number information of the multi-fed media from the number information and / or the error number information, and means for acquiring the number information of the printed information obtained by the calculating means that could not be normally printed; A cartridge recycling / recovery device comprising: a determination unit for determining media information corresponding to a media loss from the information acquired by the acquisition unit.

  (5) The recycling of the cartridge according to (4), wherein the determination means includes means for determining whether or not the information stored on the cartridge exceeds a specified value. Judgment system.

  (6) A cartridge that is detachably attached to the printer body and supplies a printing recording medium and / or ink to the printer, and each time the cartridge is attached to the printer body and a printing instruction is issued, Storage means for storing information indicating the usage status, such as the number of print instructions (number of media), the number of actually printed output, the number of times an error such as paper jam has occurred, and the remaining number of media; Reading means for reading necessary information from the storage means, means for counting up and / or counting down when the printing instruction is given, and detecting whether or not the medium in the cartridge has run out When it was detected that the detection means and the media were lost, the stored information could not be printed due to an error. Calculating means for calculating the number of media or the number of media that have been ejected by double feeding, and the amount of media that could not be printed normally determined by the calculation is calculated when the media is replaced. , And / or a discount system characterized by being able to receive discounts at the time of purchase.

  When printing is performed, the manufacturing company does not make mistakes by the user, but the amount of media lost due to mechanical jams on the printer body or cartridge (such as paper jams and double feed of media). This guarantees that the user can use the system with peace of mind.

  Further, the manufacturing company can improve the reliability of the manufacturer by providing such a mechanism.

  Also, from the viewpoint of cartridge recycling, there is a merit for the device providing side, and it is effective because the amount of payment is reduced from the consumer side.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below based on examples.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the present invention.

  Reference numeral 100 denotes a printer main body. The CPU (104), the ASIC (105) that controls the hardware of the printer, the ROM (106) that stores a program for executing software processing, and an image to be printed are selected. Key input device (key input means) (102), a memory DRAM (107) for developing a print-instructed image and / or converting it into printer head information for printing, and the display status of the head, etc. A display device (101) for showing to the user, a printer driver (103) for driving the printer unit (200), and an I / F (108) serving as an entrance for taking in image data (400) from the outside The printer unit (200) includes various printer motors (201) and a printing head. De (202), an encoder which controls the control, and a sensor (203).

Further, the cartridge (300) which is an important part of the present invention will be described.
When the cartridge (300) is mounted on the printer main body (100), for example, an EEPROM (301), a printing recording material (medium: 303), and replenishing ink for printing are stored to store the printer state. The ink tank (302) that has been stored, and a data signal, status signal, etc. (304) for performing various negotiations with the printer main body (100).

  Then, the advertisement information is read from the data area of the EEPROM (301) by the print media supply control in response to the media feed request from the printer body (100) and the command from the printer body (100). Control that data is sent to a predetermined memory is performed.

  The matrix circuit shown in FIG. 2 is a general control device, and is composed of matrix signals K1 to K5 and C1 to C2 for detecting the operation of each key, and the “PRINT” key is generated by the key signals C1 and K5. It is said that it is judged.

  Next, the number of print instructions (the number of media), the number of sheets actually printed out, stored in the cartridge in which paper jam, media double feed, etc. occurred due to mechanical factors of the printer body of the present invention, Based on the number of errors such as paper jams and the remaining number of media information, when a paper out condition is detected, when the cartridge is brought to the store, it is calculated from the information and stored. By reading out the area (S74) shown in FIG. 6, the user can discount the price of the cartridge to be newly purchased according to the number information. FIG. 3 to FIG. 12 and FIG. 14 will be described in detail.

  In FIG. 3, a description will be given using a flowchart showing an outline at the time of executing printing.

  In step S1, it is determined whether or not the key input from the key input means (102) described above is a print instruction key. If the input key is a print key, the process proceeds to step S3. If another key operation is not performed, a process corresponding to the other key is executed in step S2.

  In step S3, the print instruction number counter information (S76, hereinafter referred to as PC) stored in a predetermined storage area in the EEPROM arranged on the cartridge shown in FIG. The data is temporarily stored in a part of the work area in the upper DRAM memory (FIG. 1-107). Subsequently, in step S4, the normal printing number counter information (S77, hereinafter referred to as PK) stored and saved is read from a predetermined area on the EEPROM similarly arranged on the cartridge, and stored in the DRAM. Temporarily stored in the storage area of the copy. In step S5, the number of paper jams generated during printing in the EEPROM is read from the area storing the information (S78, hereinafter referred to as JC) and temporarily stored in the work area on the DRAM.

  Subsequently, in step S6, from the various information stored on the cartridge (PK, JC, and PM: the total number of media contained in the cartridge at the time of new purchase), the medium is stored in the currently used cartridge. Judgment is made as to whether it is stored as remaining. Here, “PM− (PK + JC)> 0” subtracts the number of normal prints and the number of paper jams from the total number of media in the cartridge, so this number basically represents the remaining number in the cartridge. Show.

  If it is determined in step S6 that the medium remains in the cartridge, the process proceeds to step S9. If not, it is determined in step S7 that there is no medium on the cartridge. The user is notified that there is no medium in the cartridge.

  In step S9, it is determined that the medium is present in the cartridge on the main body, but it is determined whether or not paper is detected when the medium is fed during printing. If there is no paper in this step, the print instruction counter PC is counted up, and the process proceeds to printing in step S10 and other error processing. The processing in step S10 will be described later.

  If a paper out error occurs in step S9, there is a medium on the cartridge. However, when actually feeding, a paper out error has occurred when printing is performed first. It can be determined that the media has run out due to the occurrence of double feeding of media.

  Therefore, in step S12, the number of media (JS) that may possibly be double fed is calculated from the following expression "PM- (PK + JC) = JS", and this JS is stored in the area S78 of FIG. At the same time, this JS and the number of paper jams (JC) are added to calculate the number of media that could not be printed (PB) in response to the print instruction in the cartridge in use. Then, it is stored in the storage area S74 on the cartridge in FIG.

  Further, in step S13, since it is known that there is a medium that could not be printed in step S12, the user can receive a discount for the amount corresponding to the number of media when purchasing a new cartridge. To announce.

  This series of operations is an example when printing processing is performed on one sheet of media in response to a user's print instruction.

  Next, in FIG. 4, the printing in step S10 shown in FIG. 3 and other error processing will be described.

  In step S31, based on various information stored on the cartridge in response to the user's print instruction, the medium exists on the cartridge, and the actual print processing is actually executed in the state where the medium exists. This is one of the processes at the time, and it is determined whether or not a paper jam has occurred. If a paper jam has occurred, the process goes to step S32. If not, the process goes to step S34.

  In step S32, because a paper jam has occurred, the value of the work area read from the storage area (S78) on the main body and temporarily stored in the DRAM is counted up. Then, in the storage area S78 on the main body, the value on the DRAM calculated and temporarily stored is stored in a predetermined storage area on the cartridge.

  In step S33, the user is notified that the medium generated during printing is jammed on the main body, and at the same time, the user is prompted to remove the medium.

  In step S34, it is determined whether or not ink has run out. Here, if it is not an out-of-ink error, the process proceeds to step S36, and if it is an out-of-ink error, the user is prompted to replenish ink in step S35, and an instruction is given for replacement.

  In step S36, it is determined whether or not there is an error other than the above-mentioned paper jam and no ink. If the error is not another error, the process goes to step S38. If the error is another error, the process corresponding to the other error is executed in step S37.

  In step S38, it is determined that no error has occurred with respect to the print instruction, and it is determined that normal printing has ended, and the data is first read from the EEPROM area and temporarily stored in the work area on the DRAM. Count up the normal print counter. Then, the counted up value is written in a predetermined area on the cartridge.

  Next, when there is media that could not be printed due to paper jam, media double feed, etc., the flow when the cartridge is brought to the dealer is shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. I will explain.

  As described above, the cartridge having no media has already stored the number information (PB) that could not be printed due to paper jam, double feeding of media, etc., on the EEPROM of the cartridge. When this cartridge is brought to the store, desired information is read from the cartridge brought by the user using an EEPROM storage data reading device (600) as shown in FIG. The reading device (600) includes a one-chip microcomputer (603), a ROM (604) for storing a control program for executing reading, a RAM (605) for storing data read from the cartridge, A display device (601) for displaying the read data and a key input means (602) for activating the reading device to start reading.

  Then, when the cartridge is taken to the store, the price of the newly purchased cartridge is discounted according to the read paper jam and Medi double feed occurrence frequency information (S74).

  By using this method, the user of this equipment guarantees the loss of media that is not inadvertently lost by the main product supply side. This makes it possible to discount the price), so that the main body can be used with peace of mind and without fear of failure.

  Next, the flow of reading cartridge information using the cartridge information reading device shown in FIG. 14 will be described with reference to FIG.

  In step S51, print instruction number counter information PC (S76, hereinafter referred to as PC) stored in a predetermined storage area in the EEPROM arranged on the cartridge shown in FIG. The data is temporarily stored in a part of the work area in the DRAM memory on the main body (FIG. 14-605).

  In step S52, the normal printing number counter information PK (S77, hereinafter referred to as PK) stored and saved is read from a predetermined area on the EEPROM similarly arranged on the cartridge, and a part of the DRAM is read. The data is temporarily stored in a storage area (FIG. 14-605). Furthermore, in step S53, the number of paper jam information JC (S78) generated at the time of printing in the EEPROM is read from the area storing it, and temporarily stored in the work area on the DRAM. Similarly, in step S54, double feed counter information (S75, hereinafter referred to as JS) stored and saved is read from a predetermined area on the EEPROM similarly disposed on the cartridge, and a part of the DRAM is read. Temporarily save in the storage area. Subsequently, in step S55, the paper jam & double feed error occurrence number information (S74, hereinafter referred to as PB) stored and stored is read from a predetermined area on the EEPROM similarly arranged on the cartridge, The data is temporarily stored in a part of the storage area in the DRAM.

After reading various information on the cartridge, in step S56, it is determined whether or not the following condition “PM− (PK + JC + JS)> 0” is satisfied.

  If the above conditions are satisfied, it is possible to notify the user that the medium is still in the cartridge in step S57. There is no doubt that this is effective in view of eliminating waste for the user.

  Next, if the condition is not satisfied in step S56, it is determined in step S58 whether or not the value PB obtained by adding the number of paper jams JC and the number of double feeds JS is “0”. ing. If this condition is met, it is determined that there is no error caused by paper jam and double feeding when the cartridge is used at the store, and no discount is given for the cartridge at the time of new purchase. (Step S59).

  If PB.noteq.0 in step S58, it indicates that a paper jam or double feed, and both paper jam and double feed have occurred, and the process goes to the subsequent step S60.

  In step S60, since the value obtained by adding the previously read JC and JS is other than “0”, the value PB represents the number of media on which the discount can be received according to the present invention. Therefore, this is notified to the user.

  As described above, the number of pieces of media information (PB: number of paper jams, number of double feeds of media) generated in response to the print instruction and not actually printed can be detected by the processes shown in FIGS. When purchasing a new cartridge using this information, you can receive a discount for the amount corresponding to the PB. As for the loss, the media can be discounted, so that not only can the user be given a sense of security, but also a user-friendly operation feeling can be provided.

  Next, the relationship between the number of print instructions and the paper jam will be described slightly with reference to FIG.

  This shows the relationship between the number of print instructions, the actual number of prints, and an error due to paper jam. However, when a paper jam occurs once, the media is pulled out, and the actual print tenth sheet cannot be executed. It represents that. Further, FIG. 8 shows that three paper jams occur in the case of three paper jams, and each piece of information is shown in the flow charts of FIGS. 3 and 4 described above. It will be written in the predetermined area above.

  FIGS. 9 and 10 are obtained by adding the case where continuous printing is instructed to the situations shown in FIGS. The basic idea is the same as the case without continuous printing described above, and the same idea is possible even if a jam occurs during execution of continuous printing.

  Next, FIG. 11 shows a part of the relationship between the error occurrence number, the shortage number of media, and the assumed number of double feeds. The number of errors referred to here represents a paper jam (for the sake of simplicity, the total number of media is 10).

  For example, in the case where the number of error occurrences is “0”, 9 sheets can be considered as the media shortage number when considered extremely. This is a case where all the media have been output by double feeding in the first print instruction. In this case, if normal printing is performed in response to the instruction, the print instruction number JC = 1 and the normal printing number PK = 1, and there is a possibility that nine media remain on the main body. Judging that there is. When the next printing instruction is given in this state, a paper out error occurs (step S9 in FIG. 3).

  In general, there is a possibility of double feeding even if an error has not occurred, and it can be determined that medium shortage 1 occurs for one double feeding.

  Next, FIG. 12 shows the relationship among the number of print instructions, the number of normal prints, the number of paper jams, and the number of double feeds.

  This figure is a summary of the above-described contents. For example, when the number of print instructions (number of times) is 10, the number of sheets that can be printed normally and the number of paper jams are combined. Is a table used to determine By referring to this table, it should be possible to easily determine the status of the media in the cartridge being used (the number of double feeds) at the time when the paper out error is detected.

  Finally, FIG. 13 explains the discount distribution according to the distribution route of the cartridge and the number of generated media that could not be printed.

  First of all, I will explain the product and money flow when purchasing a cartridge for the first time.

  The cartridge manufacturing company (502) wholesales the cartridge having the mechanism of the present invention to the dealer and the distributor (501) (520), and the dealer pays the purchase amount (521) to the manufacturer. Further, the store sells the product to the user (500) (510), and the user who purchases the cartridge pays the purchase amount (511) to the store.

  The mechanism of the present invention is that when a cartridge (510) purchased by the user is used with the printing apparatus of this system and an error (paper jam, double feeding of media) due to a mechanical factor of the printing apparatus occurs, The media amount is discounted at the time of the next purchase and it is said that it will be purchased. For this reason, when the user brings in a cartridge with no media (although this determination also uses the mechanism of the main body) from the viewpoint of recycling, when the new cartridge is brought in (530), the store stores the cartridge in the cartridge. In order to read the stored information, it is read using a reading device (FIG. 14). Based on the read information, the price of the cartridge for new purchase is discounted to the user based on the number of media PS that could not be printed (531) and sold.

  The store that has received the cartridge from the user stores the cartridge in which the error has occurred and the cartridge that has been printed normally separately, and returns these cartridges to the manufacturing company when purchasing a new product ( 540), and the amount of money accompanying the error (the amount of money sold by the dealer with a discount for the cartridge brought in by the user). In response to the request, the manufacturing company delivers a discount (541) for the amount of money to the newly delivered media to the dealer.

  In the above-described embodiment, it has been described that both paper jam and double feeding of media are guaranteed under the same conditions for handling. However, the possibility of media reuse by paper jam is the In the case of media that can not be used as it is, in the case of double feeding of media, considering that there are media that can be reused just by refilling work at the manufacturing company depending on the status of the media, There is no need for the same conditions, and a difference may be made by double feeding of paper jam and media.

  The processing flow does not need to be considered in particular. As shown in the flowchart of FIG. 3, the number of errors due to paper jam and the multi-feed number obtained in S12 of the same figure are distinguished from each other on the cartridge. Since the data is stored and stored in a predetermined area in the EEPROM, the flow when the data on the EEPROM is read by the reading device when the cartridge is brought into the store can be changed.

  A schematic flow chart is shown in FIG. 15, and a simple explanation will be given for the mechanism of discount control using the flowchart.

  The flow up to step S90 in FIG. 15 is the same up to step S56 described in FIG.

  Subsequently, it is determined whether or not the paper jam count is “0”. If a paper jam has not occurred, the process proceeds to step S91. If a paper jam has occurred, the number of paper jams that have occurred is read from the cartridge in step S93.

  In step S91, it is determined whether or not the double feed count is “0”. If double feed has occurred, the process proceeds to step S95. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step S92. In step S92, since neither JC nor JS has occurred, it is determined that the use has been completed completely and normally.

  In step S94, it is determined whether or not double feeding (JS) has occurred as in step S91. If it is determined that double feeding has occurred, if it is determined that double feeding has not occurred, the cartridge or necessary information is read in step S95.

  In step S96, a discount can be received according to the number of media in each state based on the information acquired in steps S93 and S95.

The block diagram which showed the Example of this invention The block diagram which showed the key input means of the Example in this invention The flowchart figure which showed the processing system at the time of the printing execution in the Example of this invention The flowchart figure which showed the processing system at the time of the error in the Example of this invention. The flowchart figure which showed the control method of the reader which reads the various information memorize | stored in the cartridge which is this invention, and judges whether a discount is received according to the content of this information The figure which showed a part of content of the memory | storage part (EEPROM) mounted in the cartridge of this invention The figure which showed the relationship between the print instruction | indication frequency | count when using the cartridge of this invention, and the remaining number of sheets by paper jam (The case of 1 paper jam is described) The figure which showed the relationship between the number of printing instructions at the time of using the cartridge of this invention, and the remaining number of sheets by paper jam (The case of 3 paper jams is described) Figure showing the relationship between the number of print instructions when the cartridge of the present invention is used and the remaining number of paper jams, taking into account the case of continuous printing (describes the case of one paper jam) Figure showing the relationship between the number of print instructions when the cartridge of the present invention is used and the remaining number of paper jams in consideration of the case where continuous printing is performed (the case of three paper jams is described) Diagram showing the relationship between the shortage of media and the expected number of double feeds when viewed from the number of errors Diagram showing the relationship between the number of prints according to the number of print instructions, the number of paper jams, and the number of double feeds The figure shown regarding the sales form and money flow of the cartridge of this invention The figure which showed the reader for reading the information memorize | stored in the cartridge from the used cartridge of this invention A control method in another embodiment of a reading apparatus that reads various information stored in a cartridge according to the present invention separately for each of JC and JS and determines whether or not a discount can be received according to the contents of the information. Flow chart showing

Explanation of symbols

1 Power supply 100 Printer body 101 Display means (display device)
102 Key input means (key input device)
103 Printer driver 104 CPU
105 ASIC (Gate Array)
106 ROM
107 DRAM
108 I / F for data input
109 Other I / O (LED, BUZZER)
200 Printer unit 201 Various motors (control motors)
202 Print Head 203 Encoder, Sensor 300 Print Cartridge 301 EEPROM
302 Ink tank 303 Printing recording material (media)
304 Control signal, status signal 400 Data acquisition port 500 for printing User (user)
501 Dealer (agent)
502 Cartridge manufacturing company 510 Cartridge sales 511 Payment of purchase price 520 Sales of products from manufacturing company to sales company 521 Payment of purchase price from sales company to manufacturing company 530 User finishes using cartridge and sells for recycling Flow 531 when you bring a cartridge to the store Flow of money to get necessary information from the brought cartridge and discount the price of newly purchased cartridge 540 Return the used cartridge from the sales company to the manufacturing company & Provides media information that could not be printed stored on the cartridge 541 Refund for the amount that the user paid in advance from the manufacturer to the sales company 600 Data reader in the cartridge (EEPROM saved data) (Reading device, reading device)
601 Display means (display device)
602 Key input means 603 1 chip μcom (1-chip microcomputer)
604 ROM
605 DRAM
606 Other I / O

Claims (6)

  A cartridge that is detachably attached to the printer body and that supplies a printing recording medium and / or ink to the printer, and has storage means for storing information indicating the usage status of the cartridge, Each time a cartridge is attached to the printer body and a printing instruction is made, the number of times the printing is instructed (number of media), the number of actual printing that is actually printed out, the number of times that an error such as paper jam has occurred (number of media), And the remaining number of media is stored in the storage means by counting up and / or counting down the information every time the cartridge is used.   A predetermined area of the storage means stores information on the number of print instructions (number of sheets), the actual number of prints (number of sheets), the number of paper jam errors, and the remaining number of media. The cartridge for a printer according to claim 1.   3. The cartridge for a printer according to claim 1, wherein the storage means is detachably mounted on the printer main body and is disposed on a cartridge for supplying a printing recording medium and / or ink to the printer. .   The cartridge, which is detachably attached to the printer main body and is stored in the storage means built in the cartridge for supplying the printing recording medium and / or ink to the printer, is attached to the printer main body, The number of sheets printed using the cartridge is counted up and / or counted down each time the cartridge is used, and the number of printed instructions (number of media) stored in the storage area is actually printed out. A reading means for reading out information on the number of printed papers, the number of occurrences of an error such as a paper jam, and the remaining number of sheets of media, and when the cartridge is recycled based on various information read out by the reading means Information on the number of print instructions and information on the number of normal prints And / or calculating means for calculating the number information of the multi-fed media from the error number information, means for acquiring the information on the number of sheets that could not be printed normally obtained by the calculating means, and the acquisition A cartridge recycling / recovery device comprising: a determination unit for determining media information corresponding to a media loss from information acquired by the unit.   5. The cartridge recycling determination system according to claim 4, wherein the determination means includes means for determining whether or not the information stored on the cartridge exceeds a specified value.   A cartridge that is detachably attached to the printer body and supplies a printing recording medium and / or ink to the printer, and each time the cartridge is attached to the printer body and a printing instruction is issued, the printing instruction is issued. Storage means for storing information indicating the use status such as the number of (number of media), the number of actually printed output, the number of occurrences of errors such as paper jam, and the remaining number of media, and the storage means Reading means for reading necessary information, means for counting up and / or counting down when the printing instruction is given, and detecting means for detecting whether or not the medium in the cartridge has run out When it is detected that there is no media, the media that could not be printed due to an error from the stored information Or calculating means for calculating the number of media that have been ejected due to multi-feed, and the amount of the number of media that could not be printed normally determined by the calculation, when replacing the media, And / or a discount system characterized by receiving discounts at the time of purchase.

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