JP2006088545A - Consumables management system and control method of consumables management system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a consumables management system which carries out ordering processing of consumables at the time of detecting consumables 500 which approach a replacement time, and carries out inventory management of consumables in units of specific areas to which an image forming apparatus belongs, and to provide a control method of a consumables management system. <P>SOLUTION: The image forming apparatus 10 reads out tag information 511 and acquires an ordering state of the consumables when detecting the consumables 500 which approach the replacement time. If the consumables 500 are not ordered yet, an image forming apparatus control part 21 displays at an operation panel 18 a replacement time warning screen 181 whereat ordering processing can be selected. The image forming apparatus control part 21 forms and transmits ordering data to a management center 40 when ordering is indicated. When ordering is completed, predetermined data including ordering processing information is written by a tag reading writing device 14 to the 511, and an ordering completion screen is displayed at the operation panel 18. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a consumable management system and a control method for the consumable management system, and detects consumables that are approaching the time for replacement, places an order for consumables, prevents duplicate orders, and reduces the inventory quantity of consumables. The present invention relates to a technique for managing in units of specific areas to which an image forming apparatus belongs.

  As a technique for placing an order for consumables, an “image forming apparatus” disclosed in Patent Document 1 is disclosed.

  The invention of Patent Document 1 has a configuration in which an order for consumables is ordered from an operation panel, and a configuration in which an order for consumables can be instructed by inputting a specific password during the ordering operation. Further, the present invention is characterized by having means for judging the similarity of order contents and warning a duplicate order.

  Further, as a technique for detecting consumables that are approaching the replacement time, Patent Document 2 discloses an “automatic ordering method for consumables of an image processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus processing apparatus”.

  The invention of Patent Document 2 has a configuration in which an ordering system is activated so that an order for consumables can be instructed from the operation panel when the remaining amount of consumables is less than a predetermined amount. As a configuration for preventing double ordering, the activation of the ordering system is controlled based on specific data (integrated value of pixel count, overcurrent cut fuse, cartridge identification label, etc.).

Also, as a technique for centrally managing the number of consumables in stock, Patent Document 3 discloses "Information processing apparatus, management control method, computer program, and storage medium".

  In the invention of Patent Document 3, the peripheral device management device centrally manages the out of consumables and the number of consumables in stock of peripheral devices connected via a LAN.

Also, as a technique for managing the state of consumables, “Consumables management system, home server” of Patent Document 4 is disclosed. In the invention of Patent Document 4, the state of consumables in a specific area is managed by a state detection device that transmits to a home server, and the home server collects consumables information outside the specific area based on the state of consumables.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-301451. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-063104. JP 2002-278743 A. JP 2002-117298 A.

  However, the invention of Patent Document 1 restricts the ordering operation to an administrator or a specific operator who is given a personal identification number, so that consumables of a plurality of image forming apparatuses can be removed from the operation panel of the image forming apparatus. There is a problem that the convenience of the configuration to be operated is not effectively used and the order status cannot be confirmed flexibly.

Further, the invention of Patent Document 2 has a problem in that when an ordering system is incorporated, a cost for adding a startup control configuration to each device is generated.
The inventions of Patent Document 3 and Patent Document 4 are effective for a large-scale system, but are not suitable for a small-scale system.

  Therefore, the present invention provides a consumables management system that performs consumables ordering processing at a terminal that detects consumables approaching the replacement time, and can manage inventory management of consumables for each specific area to which the image forming apparatus belongs. Another object is to provide a control method for the consumable management system.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention of claim 1 monitors the state of consumables of the image forming apparatus, notifies consumables when it is near the replacement time, and performs consumables order processing for consumables ordering. In the system, a storage device that is mounted in correspondence with the consumables of the image forming apparatus and that can wirelessly read and write data, a reader / writer that wirelessly reads and writes data to the storage device, and an ordering process at the time of ordering processing The data stored in the storage device attached to the consumables related to the product is read by the reader / writer, and if the consumables have already been ordered from the read data, a notification is made to notify that the consumables have already been ordered. Means.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the ordering process is performed by a processing terminal of an administrator provided corresponding to one or a plurality of image forming apparatuses, and the consumable by the notification means is already present. The notification that the order has been made is performed by displaying on the display screen of the processing terminal that the consumable has already been ordered.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the reader / writer reads data from a storage device built in the image forming apparatus and mounted on each consumable mounted on the image forming apparatus. It is characterized by.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the reader / writer is provided in a consumable storage area, and reads data from storage devices respectively attached to the consumables stored in the storage area. It is characterized by that.

  The invention according to claim 5 is the display controller according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising display control means for displaying consumables inventory information on the display screen of the processing terminal of the manager based on the data read by the reader / writer. It has.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control method for a consumable item management system for monitoring a state of a consumable item of an image forming apparatus and notifying a consumable item replacement time and performing a consumable item ordering process. A storage device that can read and write data wirelessly is installed corresponding to the consumables of the image forming device, and the data stored in the storage device attached to the consumables involved in the ordering process is read by the reader / writer during the ordering process. When the consumable item has already been ordered from the read data, the notifying means notifies that the consumable item has already been ordered.

  1) Recording and managing data related to ordering processing in a tag attached to the consumable, and confirming the ordering status of the consumable in the device equipped with the consumable and the reader / writer that reads and writes the tag; Since the order processing is performed when no order is placed, the order management of consumables can be performed without providing a special order management system for preventing duplicate orders.

  As a result, the construction cost of the consumables management system can be reduced.

  2) The consumables inventory status of the image forming device is managed in units of areas, and it is possible to simultaneously place orders for consumables that have fallen below the reference value when the stock quantity is detected to be below the reference value when checking inventory. With this configuration, the inventory amount of consumables can be maintained at an appropriate level for each area.

  Thereby, there is an effect that the running cost for storing the number of consumables in stock is suppressed.

  3) A configuration in which the collected inventory status is transmitted to another device connected via the network, and a configuration in which information relating to the inventory status is acquired via the network with respect to an image forming apparatus capable of acquiring the inventory status. As a result, the inventory status can be collected in real time even from a network-connected terminal that does not have a means for reading inventory tag information.

  As a result, the system construction cost and operation management cost for consumables inventory management are reduced.

  Hereinafter, a consumable item management system and a consumable item management system control method according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(System configuration for consumables ordering management)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a first configuration example of a consumable management system according to the present invention.

  In FIG. 1, the consumable management system includes an image forming apparatus 10, a PC 80, a communication control apparatus 90, and a management center 40 connected via a network 60, and the communication control apparatus 90 is connected to a management center via a public line 50. 40.

  The image forming apparatus 10 includes an image forming unit 16 that performs control related to a printer and a copy function.

  In addition, the image forming apparatus 10 detects that the replacement time of the consumables 500 such as toner attached to the image forming unit 16 is approaching, and orders the consumables 500 that are approaching the replacement time to the management center 40. It has the function to do.

  The consumable 500 is arranged in a predetermined portion of the image forming unit 16 with an RF tag (hereinafter referred to as “tag”) 510 that enables wireless read / write of data by the tag read / write device 14. It is installed.

  The image forming apparatus control unit 11 controls the tag read / write device 14 to rewrite the tag information 511 for the consumable 500 that has been ordered.

  This not only displays on the operation panel 18 that the expendable supplies are nearing the time for replacement but warns the user, but also determines whether or not the expendable 500 has been ordered, and if necessary, the operation panel. At 18 the ordering process can be performed simultaneously.

  Further, the warning display that the replacement time of the consumables 500 in the image forming unit 16 and the ordering process are displayed on the PC 80, the management terminal 43 of the management center 40, etc. connected via the network 60, for example. However, it is also possible to use the mobile terminal 70 required by the administrator of the PC 80 and the management center 40.

  Further, the route through which the image forming apparatus 10 transmits order information to the management center 40 includes a route via the network 60 and a public line 50 via the communication control device 90.

  Furthermore, when the detection information of the consumable item 500 that is approaching the replacement time is notified from the image forming apparatus 10, the management center 40 approaches the mobile terminal 70 held by the administrator of the management center 40, for example. A screen for warning the consumable item 500 is displayed, order processing is performed from the mobile terminal 70, and when the management center 40 performs the order processing, the tag information 511 of the consumable item 500 attached to the image forming apparatus 10 is rewritten. A command to be instructed is notified to the image forming apparatus 10 via the network 60 or the public line 50.

(Description of functional block)
Next, a functional configuration in the image forming apparatus control unit 11 relating to the detection of the consumable 500 that has approached the replacement time of the image forming apparatus and the ordering process of the consumable will be described.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration related to consumables management.

  In FIG. 2, a consumable item replacement time detector 113 detects a consumable item replacement time detector (not shown) that detects a state in which a consumable item 500 such as toner attached to the image forming unit 16 is approaching the replacement time. Based on the detection signal, it is determined whether or not the consumable item 500 has reached the replacement time. When the replacement time is detected, the detection information is output to the consumable item management unit 112.

  The RF tag read / write control unit 111 generates control data for instructing rewriting of the tag information 511 and control data for instructing tag reading in response to an instruction from the consumable management unit 112, and outputs the control data to the tag read / write device 14. The data read by the read / write device 14 is output to the consumables management unit 112.

  When the consumable item management unit 112 detects each consumable item 500 of the image forming unit 16 that is approaching the replacement time from the detection signal from the consumable item replacement time detection unit 113, the consumable item management unit 112 refers to the compatible consumable item management DB 121 and uses the consumable item management unit 121. The type of the product 500 is specified, and the operation panel data input / output control unit 115 is instructed to display a warning screen prompting the replacement of the consumable product 500.

  In addition, the consumables management unit 112 instructs to read the tag information 511 of the consumables 500 that has approached the replacement time notified from the consumables replacement time detection unit 113, and the tag reading notified from the RF tag read / write control unit 111. Based on the data, it is determined whether or not the consumable item 500 that is approaching the replacement time has been ordered.

  When the consumable item 500 nearing the replacement time has not been ordered, the consumable item management unit 112 outputs to the operation panel 18 an ordering process selection screen for selecting the ordering process to the operation panel data input / output control unit 115. The operation panel data input / output control unit 115 is instructed to do so.

  The operation panel data input / output control unit 115 creates display data for a screen to be displayed on the operation panel 18 based on an instruction from the consumables management unit 112 and outputs it to the operation panel I / F 19.

  The operation panel data input / output control unit 115 detects a user input operation on the screen displayed on the operation panel 18 via the operation panel I / F 19 and notifies the consumables management unit 112 of the detected operation.

  When the consumables management unit 112 analyzes the input contents on the output screen returned from the operation panel data input / output control unit 115 and determines that the ordering process is necessary, the consumables management unit 112 notifies the order management unit 114 of the consumables 500. Direct the order.

  When an order for the consumable item 500 is instructed from the consumable item management unit 112, the order management unit 114 refers to the compatible consumable item management DB 121 to obtain the consumable item code, rod number, etc. of the consumable item 500 necessary for the ordering process. The network data input / output control unit 116 is instructed to generate order request data including the data and send it to the management center 40.

  The network data input / output control unit 116 controls the image forming apparatus communication control unit 13 to transmit the order data received from the order management unit 114.

(Tag information 511)
Next, an example of tag information 511 stored in the tag 510 attached to the consumable 500 will be described.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of tag information recorded on a tag attached to a consumable item.

  In FIG. 3, tag information 511 records “consumables code”, “rod number”, “machine number”, “use start date”, “use history”, “ordering information”, and the like.

  “Consumable code” and “rod number” are information for uniquely identifying the type of the consumable 500 and each consumable 500, and are recorded at the time of shipment from the factory.

  “Machine number” and “Start date of use” are setting information indicating when and at which image forming apparatus 10 the consumable 500 is mounted. When the consumable 500 is mounted on the image forming apparatus 10, the tag read / write device 14 is recorded information.

  “Usage history” is information stored when the consumable 500 is replaced.

  “Ordering information” is information recorded when ordering processing is performed, and records information such as the orderer name, contact information, and order date.

(Consumables DB)
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of items managed in the consumable DB.

  In FIG. 4, the consumable DB 421 is managed by registering the type of consumable 500 managed by the consumable management system, the corresponding model, etc., and the registered information includes “consumable code” and “rod number”. , “Compatible model”, “Registration date”, “Abolition date”, etc.

  The “consumable code” is a code assigned to identify the type of the consumable 500 in the consumable management system.

  The “rod number” includes symbols and the like that are individually assigned to each of the consumables 500 when the consumables 500 are manufactured, and displays a plurality of pieces of information such as the factory where the consumables were manufactured, the manufacturing time, and the batch number. To be recorded.

  In the “compatible model”, information regarding the model of the image forming apparatus to which the consumable 500 can be mounted is recorded.

  “Registration date” and “abolition date” are information for determining the manufacturing period of the consumable item 500 registered in the consumable item DB 421 or the validity period of the information related to the consumable item code on the system.

(Applicable consumables management DB 121)
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of items managed by the compatible consumable management DB.

  In FIG. 5, the compatible consumable management DB 121 is configured such that the management center 40 determines the model of each image forming apparatus 10 from the consumable DB 421 managed by the management center 40 for consumables to be managed by the consumable management system. Data that is a compatible record and is extracted by the image forming apparatus 10 and necessary for the image forming apparatus 10 from the consumable DB 421 is managed for each image forming apparatus 10 individually.

  The compatible consumable management DB 121 distributes update data of the compatible consumable management DB 121 from the management center 40 when new registration of a compatible consumable, stop of manufacturing of consumables, new registration of consumable replacements, etc. occurs. And updated to the latest information.

  The compatible consumable management DB 121 registers and manages information related to consumables suitable for the model of the image forming apparatus storing the compatible consumable management DB 121.

  In the compatible consumable management DB 121, “consumable code”, “rod number”, “compatible model”, “registration date”, and the like are registered.

(Order management DB)
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of items managed in the order management DB.

  In FIG. 6, the order management DB 422 stores and manages consumable codes, rod numbers, machine numbers, order processing management data, and the like.

  The “consumable code”, “rod number”, and “machine number” are information regarding the ordered consumable 500, and items registered in the compatible consumable management DB 121 and the consumable DB 421 are set.

  In the “machine number”, identification information of the image forming apparatus 10 on which the consumable 500 is mounted is set.

  In the “order processing management data”, the order terminal code, the orderer name, the desired delivery date, and the like are further registered.

  The “ordering terminal code” records ordering image forming apparatus data when it is executed from the operation panel of the image forming apparatus 10, and the PC 80, management center other than the image forming apparatus 10 when the ordering screen is not recorded. When an order is placed from 40 management terminals or the mobile terminal 70, information that can identify the ordering terminal by the system is set.

  For the name of the orderer and the desired delivery date, the contents extracted from the ordering data for the information specified by the ordering terminal are set.

(Downloading update information of compatible consumables management DB 121)
FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a procedure for download processing of consumable material master data.

  When the DB contents such as new registration or change of the consumable 500 are changed to the consumable DB 421 managed by the management center 40 (S101 YES), the contents of the changed 421 and the image forming apparatus management are changed. Based on the registered contents of the DB 423, an image forming apparatus to be distributed for download is identified (S102), and the management center 40 creates download data including update data of the consumable DB 421 (S103), and the updated consumption The download data corresponding to the product code is transmitted to each image forming apparatus 10 identified in step S102, and the image forming apparatus forming apparatus stores it in the image forming apparatus storage unit 12 of the own apparatus based on the received download data. The compatible consumable management DB 121 is updated (S104).

(Display screen on the operation panel 18 regarding the wear detection process)
Next, an example of an output screen relating to order management processing displayed on the operation panel 18 of the image forming apparatus 10 will be described and described.

  FIG. 8 is a screen image showing examples of a consumable replacement time warning screen, a consumable ordering screen, a consumable ordering completion screen, and a consumable ordering confirmation screen.

  In FIG. 8, a consumable item replacement time warning screen 181 is a screen displayed when it is detected that the consumable item 500 has reached the replacement time, as in the conventional image forming apparatus.

  Here, when the order confirmation button 1822 is pressed, the image forming apparatus control unit 11 instructs the tag read / write device 14 to read the tag information 511 and displays the order status on the consumables order confirmation screen 184. .

  The consumable item ordering screen 182 is a screen on which the consumable item 500 that is approaching the replacement time is detected, and when the consumable item 500 has not been ordered, an order can be input.

  The order information input unit 1824 is configured so that each item necessary for creating order data can be selected and input.

  The consumables ordering completion screen 183 is a screen that is displayed when the ordering process is normally completed when the ordering process is performed on the consumables ordering screen 182, and the ordering information display unit 1834 places an order. Display information.

  The consumables order confirmation screen 184 reads the tag information 511 of the consumables 500 attached to the image forming apparatus 10 by operating the consumable replacement time warning screen 181 or the corresponding button operation on the operation panel 18. This is a screen for displaying the order contents.

  As a result, it is possible to check the ordering status of the consumable 500 even at a timing other than when the consumable 500 approaching the replacement time is detected.

(Consumable replacement time warning, order processing)
Next, in the image forming apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1, processing when the expendable item 500 that is approaching the replacement time is detected will be described using the reference numerals in FIG. 1.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a procedure of expendable item replacement time detection processing.

  When the image forming apparatus 10 detects the replacement time of the consumable 500 nearing the replacement time by a detector (not shown) that detects the replacement time of the consumable 500 installed in the image forming unit 16 (YES in S201). The image forming apparatus control unit 11 instructs the tag read / write device 14 to read the tag 510 (S202).

  The image forming apparatus control unit 11 accesses the compatible consumable management DB 121 and analyzes the tag information 511 notified from the tag read / write device 14 (S203), and determines whether the consumable 500 that is nearing the replacement time has been ordered. (S204).

  If the consumable item 500 nearing the replacement time has already been ordered (YES in S204), an order confirmation button is clicked based on the order processing information in the tag information 511 read in step S202 and the product name acquired in the compatible consumable item management DB 121. The consumable replacement time warning screen 181 including 1811 is output to the operation panel 18 (S205).

  When the order confirmation button 1811 is selected on the consumable item replacement time warning screen 181 (YES in S206), the image forming apparatus control unit 11 displays the consumable item order confirmation screen 184 on the operation panel 18 (S207).

  Returning to step S204, if the consumable 500 has not been ordered (S204 NO), the image forming apparatus control unit 11 determines whether or not the ordering process stored in the image forming apparatus storage unit 12 is automatically set (S208).

  If there is an automatic order setting (YES in S208), the image forming apparatus control unit 11 creates order data for the consumable 500 that is approaching the replacement time, and transmits it to the management center 40 (S211).

  If there is no automatic order setting (NO in S208), the image forming apparatus control unit 11 notifies the consumable item 500 that is approaching the replacement time, and displays a consumable item ordering screen 182 on which the order can be input on the operation panel 18 ( S209).

  When an ordering instruction is given by selecting the order button 1822 on the consumables ordering screen 182 (YES in S210), the image forming apparatus control unit 11 inputs the desired delivery date, the orderer name, and the contact information entered on the operation panel 18. The order data including such information is created and transmitted to the management center 40 (S211).

  When a response indicating that the ordering process is completed from the management center 40 is received via the image forming apparatus communication control unit 13 (S212 YES), the image forming apparatus control unit 11 sends tag information 511 to the tag read / write device 14. (S213), when the writing is completed, a consumables ordering completion screen 183 is displayed on the operation panel 18 (S214).

  When the response of the ordering process cannot be received from the management center 40 even after a certain period of abnormality, or when response data indicating that the ordering process has failed is received (NO in S212), the image forming apparatus control unit 11 displays on the operation panel 18. The ordering error is displayed on the consumables ordering screen 182 thus obtained (S215).

  Next, a consumables inventory management system that performs inventory management of the consumables 500 by the tag read / write device 14 provided in the image forming apparatus will be described.

(Consumables inventory management system)
FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram showing an outline of the consumables management system.

  In FIG. 10, the image forming apparatus (with tag reading means) 20 is connected to the tag reading / writing device 24 for the stock status of each consumable 500 stored in the consumable storage shelf 300 laid near the image forming apparatus. The antenna 28 has a function of reading and collecting the tags 510 of the consumables 500.

  Further, the image forming apparatus 10 includes an image forming apparatus communication control unit 23 that can communicate with other apparatuses via a network. For example, the image forming apparatus (tag) that is not equipped with the other tag read / write device 24 is used. It has a function of notifying the collected inventory status to (no reading means) 30.

  Thereby, for example, the consumables storage shelf 300 can be provided for each predetermined area of each floor, and the inventory status can be managed for each area.

  On the other hand, the management center 40 collects the inventory status of all areas from each image forming apparatus (with tag reading means) 20 connected via the network, and manages it in the inventory management DB 424.

(Control configuration of image forming apparatus (with tag reading means) 20)
FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration related to area-specific inventory management and order management in the image forming apparatus control unit 21 of the image forming apparatus in the inventory management system.

  11, the image forming apparatus control unit 21 includes an RF tag read / write control unit 211, an operation panel input / output control unit 213, an inventory / order management unit 214, and a network data input / output control unit 216 as functional blocks.

  The RF tag read / write control unit 211 performs tag read command generation processing and output processing for the tag read / write device 24, and outputs the read tag information 511 to the inventory / order management unit 214.

  The operation panel input / output control 213 detects inventory information for the consumables 500 in the consumables storage shelf 300, output control of screens necessary for ordering processing, and detects input information on the operation panel 27 to the stock / order management unit 214. Control to output.

  The network data input / output control unit 216 transmits data for transmitting the collected inventory information and order data in the order processing to a designated external device (image forming apparatus without tag reading, PC 80, management center 40, etc.). Control, receive response data from the external device, and output it to the inventory / order management unit 214.

  The stock / order management unit 214 sets the inventory information of the consumables 500 in the consumable storage shelf 300 collected by the stock / order management unit 214 in the compatible consumables management DB 221 of the image forming apparatus storage unit 22 and manages the stock information. The collected inventory status update data is created and transmitted to the center 40.

  In addition, when the number of stocks of the consumable storage shelves 300 falls below a predetermined amount based on the ordering conditions set in the ordering processing execution condition 223 stored in the image forming apparatus storage unit 22, the ordering of the consumables 500 is performed. The network data input / output control unit 216 is instructed to create data based on the consumable code of the area-specific inventory management DB 222 and transmit the data to the management center 40.

(Configuration of image forming apparatus management DB)
FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of items managed by the image forming apparatus management DB.

  In FIG. 12, the image forming apparatus management DB 423 stores terminal information related to the image forming apparatus (with tag reading means) 20 or the image forming apparatus (without tag reading means) 30 in the system that is subject to inventory management by area. Register and manage.

  As items managed in the image forming apparatus management DB 423, area information, terminal ID, network information, model code, name, and the like are registered and managed.

  In “Area”, information of an area to which the image forming apparatus (with tag reading unit) 20 belongs is set.

  “Terminal ID” is identification information assigned to uniquely identify a device in the system.

  The network information is network setting information necessary for the management center 40 to communicate with each image forming apparatus via the network.

  The model code represents the model of the image forming apparatus, and is referenced when specifying the distribution destination of the registered information of the registered consumable item 500 when the consumable item DB 421 is updated.

(Inventory management DB)
Next, the inventory management DB will be described.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of items managed in the inventory management DB.

  In FIG. 13, the inventory management DB 421 registers and manages inventory data of consumables 500 that can be handled by the inventory management system.

  Items managed in the inventory management DB 424 include “consumable code”, “rod number”, “area information”, and the like.

  The “consumable code” is a code registered in the consumable DB 421 and indicates the type of the consumable 500.

  In the “rod number”, an item written at the time of shipment as the tag information 511 of the consumable 500 is set.

  The “area information” is information on an area where the consumable item 500 is currently stored.

(Screen related to inventory information collection processing)
Next, an example of a screen displayed on the operation panel 27 related to the inventory management process will be described.

  FIG. 14 is a screen image showing examples of a consumable replacement time warning screen, an inventory information display screen, an inventory quantity warning display screen, and an ordering screen displayed on the operation panel.

(Consumables warning)
The consumable item replacement time warning screen 271 is a screen that warns the operation panel 27 that the expendable item 500 has approached the replacement time when the image forming apparatus detects the consumable item 500 that has approached the replacement time.

  The consumables replacement time warning screen 271 displays an inventory status display button 2712 in addition to warning that the replacement time for the consumables 500 is approaching.

  By pressing the inventory status display button 2712, the image forming apparatus control unit 21 starts collecting inventory information of the consumable storage shelves 300 installed in the area.

(Inventory information display screen)
The stock information display screen 272 is a screen for displaying the processing result by the stock quantity collection processing when the stock status confirmation button 2712 is pressed on the consumable item replacement time warning screen 271.

(Inventory amount warning display screen)
The stock quantity warning display screen 273 is a list of the inventory of consumables 500 stored in the consumables storage shelf 300 collected in the process of collecting the number of stocks by pressing the stock status display button 2712 displayed on the consumables replacement time warning screen 271. This is a screen that is displayed when the number falls below the reference value.

  The consumable item order button 2732 is a selection area for ordering the consumable item 500 that has become a predetermined number or less on the stock quantity warning display screen 273.

(Order processing screen)
The ordering screen 274 is a screen on which the consumable ordering button 2732 is selected on the stock quantity warning display screen 273, displays information on the consumable 500 to be ordered, and performs ordering processing simultaneously as necessary.

(Order completion screen)
The ordering screen 275 is a screen for displaying an ordering result when an ordering process is instructed on the ordering screen 274.

(Inventory information collection process)
Next, an inventory management processing procedure in the consumable storage shelf 300 installed in each area by the image forming apparatus (with tag reading means) 20 will be described.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing a procedure of inventory information collection processing. Note that the flowchart shown in FIG. 15 relates to both the image forming apparatus (with tag reading means) 20 and the image forming apparatus (without tag reading means) 30. Although there are some processes, for convenience of explanation, the reference numerals of the control unit will be explained using the reference numerals of the image forming apparatus (with tag reading means) 20.

  In the image forming apparatus, the image forming apparatus control unit 21 selects the stock status display button 2712 or the like on the consumable item replacement time warning screen 271 displayed on the operation panel 27, and thereby stores the stock in the consumable item storage shelf 300. When the occurrence of the number confirmation request is detected (YES in S301), the tag read / write device 24 is instructed to read the tag 510 of each consumable 500 stored in the consumable storage shelf 300 (S302).

  The image forming apparatus control unit 21 stores, for example, an image forming apparatus storage as to whether the image forming apparatus (with tag reading means) 20 or the image forming apparatus (without tag reading means) 30 is the own apparatus. A determination is made based on the setting parameters stored in the unit 22 (S303).

  When the tag reading / writing device 24 is present in the own device (YES in S302), the image forming device control unit 21 instructs the tag reading / writing device 24 to read the tag 510 of each consumable item 500 stored in the consumable item storage shelf 300. (S303).

  The image forming apparatus controller 21 refers to the tag information 511 of each consumable 500 notified from the tag read / write device 24, the compatible consumable management DB 121, etc., and totals the number of inventory for each consumable code, It is registered in the compatible consumables management DB 221 of the forming apparatus storage unit 22 (S304). When the total number of stocks satisfies the ordering process execution criteria set in the ordering process execution condition 223 (S304 NO), the image forming apparatus control unit 21 displays the stock status display screen 272 on the operation panel 27 ( S305).

  When the total stock quantity does not satisfy the order processing execution standard set in the order processing execution condition 223 (eg, the inventory quantity of consumables 500 to be originally stored) (YES in S304), the image forming apparatus control unit 21 In the order processing execution condition 223 of the forming apparatus storage unit 22, it is determined whether there is an automatic order setting (S307).

  If there is an automatic order setting (YES in S307), the image forming apparatus control unit 21 individually calculates the quantity satisfying at least the order processing execution standard for the consumables 500 having the stock quantity below the standard, and obtains the order data. The created order data is transmitted to the management center 40 (S310).

  On the other hand, when there is no automatic order setting (NO in S307), the image forming apparatus control unit 21 displays the inventory information display screen 272 on the operation panel 27 (S308).

  In the inventory information display screen 272 displayed on the operation panel 27, for example, when the consumable item order button 2732 is selected and an ordering instruction for the consumable item 500 is generated (S309 YES), the image forming apparatus control unit 21 creates order data. Then, it is transmitted to the management center 40 (S310).

  When receiving the order completion response from the management center 40 (S311 YES), the image forming apparatus control unit 21 displays the order completion screen 275 on the operation panel 27 (S312).

  If the order has failed (NO in S311), the image forming apparatus control unit 21 displays, for example, a part of the stock quantity warning display screen 273 that the order has failed.

  When the ordering process is interrupted on the ordering error screen, the image forming apparatus control unit 21 clears the ordering error screen, displays a normal operation screen on the operation panel 27, and ends the inventory collection process.

  Returning to the process of S302 again, if the inventory status display button 2712 is pressed on the consumable replacement time warning screen 271 and the tag read / write device 24 is not mounted in the own device (NO in S302), image formation is performed. The apparatus control unit 21 confirms the stock quantity of the consumables storage shelf 300 against the address of the image forming apparatus having the tag read / write device 24 set in the same area, which is set in the image forming apparatus storage unit 22. A request command is created and transmitted (S306).

  Next, the inventory status inquiry process shown in step S306 will be further described with reference to a flowchart.

(Inventory status inquiry process)
FIG. 16 shows the details of the inventory status inquiry process in the image forming apparatus (without tag reading means) 30 and the processing procedure of each of the image forming apparatus (with tag reading means) 20 having the tag read / write device 24 that has received the inquiry. It is a flowchart.

In the image forming apparatus 30 (no tag reading means) 30 that is an apparatus on which the inventory status confirmation operation has been performed and does not have the tag read / write device 24, the replacement time of the consumable 500 is detected, and the consumable replacement time warning screen 271 is displayed. Is displayed on the operation panel 27 (S401), and the stock status display button 2712 is pressed (YES in S401), the image forming apparatus control unit 21 is connected via the image forming apparatus communication control unit 23. Create a command for requesting collection of inventory quantity and notification of collection result to the image forming apparatus (with tag reading means) 20, and send it to the image forming apparatus (with tag reading means) 20 via the network 60. (S402)
When the response data for notifying the stock status of the consumable storage shelf 300 is received from the image forming apparatus (with tag reading means) 20 (YES in S403), the image forming apparatus control unit 21 is based on the received stock status notification data. The area-specific inventory management DB 222 in the image forming apparatus storage unit 22 is updated (S404).

  When the update of the area-specific inventory management DB 222 is completed, the image forming apparatus control unit 21 displays the inventory information display screen 272 on the operation panel 27 (405).

  On the other hand, when the image forming apparatus (with tag reading means) 20 receives a stock status inquiry request from the image forming apparatus (without tag reading means) 30 (YES in S501), the image forming apparatus control unit 21 sends a request to the tag reading / writing apparatus 24. On the other hand, the reading of the tag 510 of each consumable 500 stored in the consumable storage shelf 300 is instructed (S502).

  The image forming apparatus control unit 21 aggregates the read data notified from the tag read / write device 24 and updates the area-specific inventory management DB 222 (S503), and a database for notifying the updated area-specific inventory management DB 222. The update data is created, and the created database update data is transmitted via the network 60 to the destination of the image forming apparatus (no tag reading unit) 30 that is the inquiry source (S504).

  In step S503, an ordering process for consumables is performed when the number of collected consumables 500 in stock has reached a reference value. Here, the description is omitted due to duplication with FIG.

  When the consumables 500 are managed for each area by performing the inquiry processing of the inventory status shown in FIG. The inventory status of the shelf 300 can be collected in real time.

  The consumable management system and control method of the consumable management system according to the present invention include a consumable that can be mounted with a wirelessly readable / writable storage medium such as an RF tag, and a device to which the consumable is mounted. Even in a state of being present, the present invention can be used for a device capable of reading and writing to a storage medium.

1 is a configuration diagram illustrating an overview of a consumable management system according to a first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of an image forming apparatus for consumable management. The data layout figure which shows the example of the tag information recorded on RF tag attached to a consumable. The figure which shows the example of the item managed by consumable goods DB. The figure which shows the example of the item managed by compatible consumables management DB. The figure which shows the example of the item managed by order management DB. The flowchart which shows the procedure of a download process of consumables master data. Screen image showing examples of consumable replacement time warning screen, consumable ordering screen, consumable ordering completion screen, and consumable order confirmation screen. The flowchart which shows the procedure of a consumables replacement time warning and an ordering process. The block diagram which shows the outline | summary of the inventory management system of Example 2. FIG. The block diagram which showed the function structure regarding the stock management according to area and order management in the image forming apparatus in a stock management system. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of items managed by an image forming apparatus management DB. The figure which shows the example of the item managed by stock management DB. Screen image showing examples of consumables replacement time warning screen, inventory information display screen, inventory quantity warning display screen, and ordering screen displayed on the operation panel. The flowchart which shows the procedure of an inventory information collection process. 10 is a flowchart illustrating details of an inventory status inquiry process according to the second embodiment and a processing procedure of each image forming apparatus that has received the inquiry.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Image forming apparatus 11 Image forming apparatus control part 111 RF tag read / write control part 112 Consumables management part 113 Consumables replacement time detection part 114 Order management part 115 Operation panel data input / output control part 116 Network data input / output control part 12 Image formation Device storage unit 121 Conforming consumables management DB
13 Image forming apparatus communication control unit 14 Tag read / write device 15 Antenna 16 Image forming unit 19 Operation panel I / F
18 Operation Panel 181 Consumables Replacement Time Warning Screen 1811 Close Button 1812 Order Confirmation Button 182 Consumables Order Screen 1821 Close Button 1822 Order Button 1823 Consumables Information Display Unit 1824 Order Information Input Unit 183 Consumables Order Complete Screen 1831 Close Button 1833 Consumable Item information display unit 1834 Order information display unit 184 Consumables order confirmation screen 1841 Close button 1842 Consumables information display unit 1843 Order information display unit 20 Image forming apparatus (with tag reading means)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 21 Image forming apparatus control part 211 RF tag read / write control part 212 Consumables management part 214 Inventory / order management part 215 Operation panel data input / output control part 216 Network data input / output control part 22 Image forming apparatus storage part 221 Conformable consumables management DB
222 Inventory management DB by area
223 Order processing execution condition 23 Image forming apparatus communication control unit 24 Tag read / write device 25 Image forming unit 26 Operation panel I / F
27 Operation Panel 271 Consumables Replacement Time Warning Screen 2711 Close Button 2712 Stock Status Display Button 272 Inventory Information Display Screen 2721 Close Button 273 Stock Quantity Warning Display Screen 2731 Close Button 2732 Consumables Order Button 274 Order Screen 2741 Close Button 2742 Order Button 275 Order completion screen 2751 Close button 28 Antenna 30 Image forming apparatus (no tag reading means)
40 Management Center 42 Management Center Storage Unit 421 Consumables DB
422 Order Management DB
423 Image forming apparatus management DB
424 Inventory Management DB
50 public line 60 network 70 mobile terminal 80 PC
90 Communication control device 300 Consumables storage shelf 500 Consumables 510 Tag 511 Tag information

Claims (6)

In a consumables management system that monitors the state of consumables in an image forming apparatus, notifies the time when the consumables are about to be replaced, and performs ordering processing of the consumables.
A storage device that is mounted in correspondence with each of the consumables of the image forming apparatus and can read and write data wirelessly;
A reader / writer for wirelessly reading and writing data to the storage device;
In the ordering process, data stored in a storage device attached to a consumable part related to the ordering process is read by the reader / writer, and when the consumable part has already been ordered from the read data, the consumable part is A consumable management system comprising: a notification unit that notifies that an order has already been placed. The order processing is
Performed by a processing terminal of an administrator provided corresponding to one or a plurality of image forming apparatuses,
Notification that the consumable has already been ordered by the notification means,
The consumable item management system according to claim 1, wherein the consumable item management system is displayed by displaying on the display screen of the processing terminal that the consumable item has already been ordered. The reader / writer is
The consumable item management system according to claim 1, wherein the data is read from a storage device built in the image forming apparatus and attached to each consumable item attached to the image forming apparatus. The reader / writer is
The consumable item management system according to claim 1, wherein the data is read from a storage device provided in the consumable item storage area and attached to each of the consumable items stored in the storage area. The consumable according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising display control means for displaying consumables inventory information on a display screen of the processing terminal of the manager based on data read by the reader / writer. Product management system. In a control method for a consumable management system that monitors the status of consumables in an image forming apparatus and notifies the consumables replacement time and orders the consumables.
A storage device capable of reading and writing data wirelessly is installed corresponding to the consumables of the image forming apparatus,
Reading the data stored in the storage device attached to the consumables involved in the ordering process by the reader / writer during the ordering process,
A control method for a consumable item management system, characterized in that, when the consumable item has already been ordered from the read data, a notification means notifies that the consumable item has already been ordered.

Images