JP2006215401A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus automatically placing an order only when a consumption articles is required. <P>SOLUTION: There are provided: a memory means 3 for storing a consumption article registration table for registering a contact address to a service base, and for registering the ordered content information for placing the order for the consumption article; a consumption article remaining quantity detection means 7 for detecting the existence of the consumption article including toner or ink; and a control means 1 for governing the control for performing the transmission of the ordered content information to the contact address of the service base registered in advance, when lack of the remaining quantity of the toner or the ink is detected, during the operation of the apparatus or when it is finished. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile machine, and a multifunction machine having various functions, and more particularly to a stock management technique for consumables such as toner and ink.

In conventional image forming apparatuses, the inventory management system for consumables such as toner and ink only displays the remaining amount of consumables on the display unit. When it expired, the user placed an order by himself. Therefore, it takes time and effort for inventory management, and the user is burdened.
Along with the above, in recent years, as a technology that enables users to manage inventory without burdening, for example, a technology that detects the remaining amount of consumables and automatically places an order to the service department has been proposed. ing.

As mentioned above, as a stock management method, a technology that detects the remaining amount of consumables and automatically places an order to the service department has been proposed, but automatic ordering is performed regardless of the user's will. Therefore, there is a problem that an order is placed even when a consumable item is unnecessary.
In addition, although an ordering method by a user operation is also known, since it is necessary for the user to manage the presence or absence of consumables after all, it takes time to manage inventory.
An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus that can automatically place an order only when consumables are required.

In order to achieve the above object, a first aspect of the present invention provides a memory means for storing a consumable item registration table for registering contact information to a service base and registering order content information for consumable item ordering, and a toner. , Consumables remaining amount detection means for detecting the presence or absence of consumables including ink, and a service base registered in advance when the remaining amount of toner or ink is detected during operation or termination of the device An image forming apparatus including a control unit that controls the transmission of order content information to a contact address to the most important feature is an image forming apparatus.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect, the memory means stores a transmission permission / inhibition registration table for registering transmission permission / inhibition switching information, and the transmission of the order content information is permitted by user setting. And an operation unit having a function of displaying memory information stored in the transmission permission registration table, and when the user sets the order content information to be non-transmittable, the control unit Regardless of the registered service number, if the user does not send the order details to the registered phone number and the user sets the order details information to be sendable, the registered service location is detected when the remaining amount of consumables is detected to be zero. It is characterized by controlling to transmit the order contents information to the contact address.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the second aspect, the memory unit stores a consumables remaining amount registration table for registering the number of consumables in stock, and the operating unit registers the consumables remaining amount. The memory information stored in the table is displayed. When the toner or ink is replaced, the control means has a down-counter function that decrements the consumables inventory number based on the memory information by 1 and the consumables inventory quantity becomes 1. In some cases, control is performed so that the remaining amount of toner or ink is detected and order content information is transmitted.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus of the third aspect, the memory means has a function of storing information once transmitted, and the operation means has a one-touch key that can retransmit the transmission information with one touch. The control means has a time measuring function for measuring the date and time.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the consumables from being out of stock without the user managing the inventory of consumables such as toner and ink, thereby promptly replenishing and replacing the consumables. Can do.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a facsimile apparatus as an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The function of each module will be described below.
The control unit 1 controls the entire apparatus according to a system program stored in the memory (1) 2. The memory (1) 2 stores a system program for controlling the entire apparatus.
The memory (2) 3 is a random access memory used for a stack area, a system work area, and the like. Further, in the first aspect of the present invention, a consumables registration table for registering contact information for service bases and order contents information is stored. Further, in the invention of claim 2, a transmission permission / inhibition registration table in which transmission permission / inhibition of order contents information set by the user is registered is stored. In the invention of claim 3, a consumables remaining amount registration table for registering the number of consumables in stock is stored. In the invention of claim 4, a transmission information registration table for registering transmission information is stored.
The compression / decompression unit 4 compresses and decompresses image information. The operation unit 5 has various keys, switches, and display units necessary for transmission and reception. In other words, the invention has the contact information to the service base and various keys, switches, and display units necessary for registration in the consumables registration table. Further, in the invention of claim 2, it has various keys, switches, and a display unit necessary for registration in the transmission permission / inhibition registration table. Further, in the invention of claim 3, there are various keys, switches, and display units necessary for registration in the consumables remaining amount registration table. Further, in the invention of claim 4, it has various keys, switches, and a display unit necessary for performing one-touch key operation.
The scanner 6 optically scans the document and passes the image information to the control unit 1. The plotter 7 physically images the image information. Further, it has a consumables remaining amount detecting means for detecting the remaining amount of consumables, and passes detection data to the control unit 1 through the system bus 9. The communication control unit 8 includes means for communicating with the outside and executes the procedure. The system bus 9 exchanges data of each unit.

Hereinafter, the operation will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. This control operation is executed by the control unit 1 in accordance with the system program stored in the memory (1) 2.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a first control example. The following processing is executed when copying, printing, or when receiving image data.
The contact information of the service base of the consumable supply order is registered in the dial registration table (S1). Next, it is detected by the consumable item remaining amount detecting means whether the consumable item remaining amount is maintained at or below a predetermined amount (S2). When it is detected that there is a remaining amount of consumables, the operation is repeated until it is detected that there is no remaining consumables. When it is detected that there is no remaining consumable item, order content information is created (S3). Then, the order contents information is notified to the contact information of the service base (S4).
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a second control example. The contact information of the service base of the consumable supply order is registered in the dial registration table (S1). When there is no consumable item, the user sets whether or not to transmit the order content information to the ordering party (S2). When it is detected that there is no remaining consumable item (S3), it is confirmed whether or not order content information can be transmitted (S4). At this time, if it is set that transmission is impossible, the order content information is not transmitted regardless of the remaining amount of consumables. If the transmission is possible, the order detail information is created (S5). Then, the order contents information is notified to the contact information of the service base (S6).
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a third control example. The contact information of the service base of the consumable supply order is registered in the dial registration table (S1). Next, the number of consumables in stock is registered in the memory (2) 3 (S2). If no remaining consumables are detected (S3), the presence / absence of the number of consumables registered in S2 is checked (S4). At this time, if there is a stock quantity, the order content information is not transmitted regardless of the remaining amount of toner. If there is no stock, order contents information is created (S5). Then, the order contents information is notified to the contact information of the service base (S6).
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a fourth control example. The contact information of the service base of the consumable supply order is registered in the dial registration table (S1). Next, the number of consumables in stock is registered in the memory (2) 3 (S2). When no remaining consumables are detected (S3), the presence / absence of the number of consumables registered in S2 is checked (S4). At this time, if there is a stock quantity, the order content information is not transmitted regardless of the remaining amount of toner. If there is no stock, order contents information is created (S5). Then, the order contents information is notified to the contact information of the service base (S6). When the communication is normally completed (Y in S7), the ordering process is terminated (S7). In S7, when transmission fails, retransmission is performed with a one-touch key (S8).

1 is a functional block diagram of a facsimile machine as an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The flowchart which shows the 1st example of control. The flowchart which shows the 2nd control example. The flowchart which shows the 3rd example of control. The flowchart which shows the 4th example of control.

Explanation of symbols

1 Control unit (control means)
3 memory (2) (memory means)
5 Operation part (operation means)
7 Plotter (Consumables remaining amount detection means)

Claims (4)

  Memory means for storing consumables registration table for registering contact information to service base and registering order contents information for ordering consumables, and consumables remaining amount detection for detecting presence / absence of consumables including toner and ink And a control for transmitting order contents information to a contact point registered in advance when the remaining amount of toner or ink is detected at the time of operation or termination of the apparatus. An image forming apparatus comprising: a control unit that controls the image forming apparatus.   2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the memory means stores a transmission availability registration table for registering transmission availability switching information, a function for switching transmission of the order content information to transmission availability according to user settings, and transmission availability. An operation unit having a function of displaying the memory information stored in the registration table, and the control unit is configured to register a registered telephone regardless of the remaining amount of consumables when the user sets the order content information to be non-transmittable. If order contents information is not sent to the number and the user sets order contents information to be sendable, the order contents information is sent to the registered service base when the remaining amount of consumables is detected. The image forming apparatus is controlled to perform transmission.   3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the memory means stores a consumables remaining amount registration table for registering the number of consumables in stock, and the operating means displays memory information stored in the consumables remaining amount registration table. The control means has a down counter function of decrementing 1 from the consumable stock quantity based on the memory information when the toner or ink is replaced, and when the consumable stock quantity becomes 1, the toner or ink remaining amount And an image forming apparatus that controls to transmit order content information. 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the memory unit has a function of storing information once transmitted, the operation unit includes a one-touch key capable of retransmitting transmission information with one touch, and the control unit includes a date and time. An image forming apparatus having a clocking function for clocking time.

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