JP2008164891A - Printing control device and printing control method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To suppress or prevent consumable articles for special use from being generally used. <P>SOLUTION: A CPU 21 captures consumable item information from an attached consumable item. Based on a contract ID, the CPU 21 determines whether a consumable item 30 for special use is attached. If determining that the consumable item 30 for special use is attached, the CPU 21 requests a server computer for information on the remaining amount of consumables. Upon receiving the information on the remaining amount of consumables from the server computer SV, the CPU 21 determines whether the remaining amount is larger than a determined amount. If the determination is made that the remaining amount is larger than the determined amount, the CPU 21 performs a printing process. After the printing process, the CPU 21 calculates consumption of the consumables, and transmits the calculated consumption of the consumables to a server computer. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a print control apparatus and a print control method for controlling print processing using consumables.

  Conventionally, various consumables provided in a printing apparatus are appropriately replaced by a user or a service person when the replacement time comes. Here, as consumables used in the printing apparatus, for example, a toner cartridge, an ink cartridge, a photosensitive cartridge, a fixing unit, a transfer unit, and an intermediate transfer unit are known. In the conventional mode, in order to immediately replace the consumable when the consumable is consumed, it is necessary to purchase the consumable, and when the user purchases the consumable or requests a serviceman when the consumable is consumed. May not be able to use the continuous printing device.

  In recent years, a maintenance contract including a consumable cost has been provided as a form of a maintenance contract for a printing apparatus. In order to realize such a maintenance contract, a technique is known in which consumable information in a printing apparatus is managed by a server computer (for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2005-173500 A

  However, according to the conventional technology, it is possible to determine whether or not an appropriate consumable is attached to a printing apparatus to be contracted, that is, a printing apparatus for a specific application. That is, it has been impossible to suppress or prevent the use of consumables for specific applications in a general-purpose printing apparatus.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to suppress or prevent the use of a consumable for a specific application in a general application.

  In order to solve at least a part of the above problems, a first aspect of the present invention provides a print control apparatus that controls a printing process using a consumable. The printing control apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention includes an identification unit that identifies whether or not a mounted consumable is a consumable for a specific application, and the mounted consumable is a consumable for a specific application. If it is a consumable, a consumable amount information acquisition unit that acquires information regarding the consumable amount consumed from an external device that stores information regarding the consumable amount, and print processing using the acquired consumable amount information A printing process control unit for controlling the printing process.

  According to the printing control apparatus of the first aspect of the present invention, when the mounted consumable item is a consumable item for a specific application, the consumable item is stored from the external device that stores information on the consumption amount of the consumable item. Information about the consumption amount is acquired, and printing processing is controlled using the acquired consumption amount information. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress or prevent the aspect in which the consumable for the specific application is used in a general application.

  In the printing control apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, the print processing control unit executes a printing process when the consumable is in an unusable state based on information on the consumption amount of the consumable. You don't have to. In this case, it is possible to suppress or avoid problems associated with using consumables that cannot be used.

  In the printing control apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, the consumable item includes information on the consumable item, at least identification information indicating whether the consumable item is a consumable item for a specific application, and the consumable item. A recording device is provided for storing information about the amount of consumption, and the identification unit uses the identification information stored in the recording device to determine whether the attached consumable is a consumable for a specific application. May be identified. In this case, it is possible to identify whether or not the consumable item is the consumable item for the specific application only by the print control apparatus that can mount the consumable item for the specific application.

  In the printing control apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, the consumable amount information acquiring unit may store the consumable item stored in the recording device when the attached consumable item is not a consumable item for a specific application. The print processing control unit does not need to execute print processing when the consumable item is in an unusable state based on the information about the consumption amount of the consumable item. . In this case, any printing control apparatus capable of mounting a consumable for a specific application can be used regardless of the consumable for specific use or the consumable for general use.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a print control apparatus for controlling a printing process using a consumable comprising a recording device for storing information on the consumable. The printing control apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention uses an information stored in the recording apparatus to identify whether or not a mounted consumable is a consumable for a specific use. When the mounted consumable is a consumable for a specific application, a consumption amount information acquisition unit that acquires information about the consumption of the consumable for the specific application stored in the recording device; and the acquisition And a print processing control unit that controls print processing using the consumed amount information.

  According to the printing control apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention, when the mounted consumable is a special-use consumable, the consumption amount of the special-use consumable stored in the recording apparatus is related. Information is acquired, and printing processing is controlled using the acquired consumption amount information. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress or prevent the aspect in which the consumable for the specific application is used in a general application.

  In the printing control apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention, the consumable is applicable to both the specific application and the general application, and the recording apparatus is referred to when used for the specific application. Specific consumable information regarding the amount of consumable to be used and general consumable information regarding the amount of consumable to be referred to when used for general purposes may be recorded. In this case, the consumable can be used as a consumable for a specific use or a consumable for general use.

  In the printing control apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention, the consumption amount information acquisition unit acquires the specific consumable information when the attached consumable is a consumable for a specific application. Also good. In this case, the special-use consumable can be used only in the printing control apparatus to which the special-use consumable can be mounted.

  In the printing control apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention, when the consumable is applied for the specific application, the general consumable information stored in the recording apparatus may be rendered meaningless. good. In this case, the special-use consumable can be used only in the printing control apparatus to which the special-use consumable can be mounted.

  In the print control apparatus according to the first or second aspect of the present invention, the print processing control unit performs printing when the consumable is in an unusable state based on information on the amount of consumption of the consumable. It is not necessary to execute processing. In this case, it is possible to suppress or avoid problems associated with using consumables that cannot be used.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printing process control method in a printing apparatus using consumables. The control method according to the third aspect of the present invention identifies whether or not the consumables attached to the printing apparatus are special-use consumables, and the attached consumables are specific-use consumables. If the item is a consumable, information regarding the amount of consumption of the consumable is acquired from an external device that stores information regarding the amount of consumption of the consumable, and print processing is controlled using the acquired amount of consumption information.

  According to the control method according to the third aspect of the present invention, advantages similar to those of the print control apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention can be obtained. The control method according to the third aspect of the present invention can be realized in various aspects in the same manner as the print control apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for controlling a printing process in a printing apparatus using a consumable comprising a recording device that stores information relating to the consumable. The control method according to the fourth aspect of the present invention uses the information stored in the recording device to identify whether or not the mounted consumable is a consumable for a specific application, and the mounted If the consumable item is a consumable item for a specific application, information about the consumption amount of the consumable item for specific application stored in the recording device is acquired, and printing processing is performed using the acquired consumption amount information. To control.

  According to the control method according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the same advantages as those of the print control apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention can be obtained. The control method according to the fourth aspect of the present invention can be realized in various aspects in the same manner as the print control apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention.

  Furthermore, the control method according to the third and fourth aspects of the present invention can also be realized as a computer program recorded on a computer-readable medium such as a computer program, CD, DVD, or HDD.

  Hereinafter, a printing control apparatus and a printing control method according to the present invention will be described based on examples with reference to the drawings.

First embodiment:
Schematic Configuration of System Including Print Control Device Hereinafter, in this embodiment, a printer having a print function will be described as an example of the print control device. The print control apparatus may be a composite printing apparatus having a copy function and a facsimile communication function. A schematic configuration of a system including a printer according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing a schematic configuration of a system including a printer according to the first embodiment.

  The printer 10 according to the present embodiment is a printer subject to a maintenance contract including supply and replacement of consumables, that is, a printer 10 for a specific application. A special-use consumable is supplied to the special-purpose printer 10 every time the consumable is consumed based on the maintenance contract. Details of the consumables for specific applications will be described later.

  The application-specific printer 10 is connected to a personal computer PC via a local network INT. The application-specific printer 10 is also connected to the external network NE via the gateway server computer GW. A server computer SV is connected to the external network NE. That is, the application-specific printer 10 can communicate with the server computer SV via the gateway server computer GW and the external network NE.

  For comparison, FIG. 1 shows a general-use printer 100 that is not subject to the maintenance contract. In this embodiment, the printer 100 is connected to a personal computer PC as a local printer via a connection cable such as a universal serial bus (USB) or a serial cable.

  The personal computer PC is a general-purpose computer and includes a storage device (not shown) that stores a printer driver for executing print processing. For example, a display monitor DS for displaying image data used for printing is connected to the personal computer PC.

The local network INT is realized as, for example, a local area network (LAN), and the external network NE is realized as, for example, a wide area network (WAN).

  The gateway server computer GW is a computer for connecting the local network INT and the external network NE, and executes communication protocol conversion processing that differs between networks.

  In this embodiment, the server computer SV is a computer for managing the consumption amount of the consumable item for a specific application. The server computer SV includes a storage device that stores a management table to be described later in order to individually manage the amount of consumption of each consumable.

Application specific printer configuration:
With reference to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, an internal functional configuration of the application-specific printer 10 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the internal configuration of the application-specific printer 10 according to the first embodiment in function blocks. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram conceptually showing a print processing program provided in the application-specific printer 10 according to the first embodiment.

  The application-specific printer 10 includes a printing unit 11, a display unit 12, an input operation unit 13, a network communication unit 14, a network terminal connection unit 15, a consumable information reading unit 16, and a control circuit 20. A special purpose consumable 30 is mounted on the special purpose printer 10.

  The printing unit 11 is a printing function unit that executes print processing using print data received from the personal computer PC via the network terminal connection unit 15 and the network communication unit 14. As the printing method, for example, a charging method using toner and an ink jet method using ink are used.

  The display unit 12 may be, for example, a display unit using a liquid crystal display that displays a text message regarding the state of the printer 10 for specific use, paper jam, consumption of each consumable, or the state of the printer 10 for specific use, for example, It is the lighting display part for alerting | reporting an online state and an error state.

  The input operation unit 13 is a key / switch operation unit for executing input for instructing online / offline operation, paper tray selection, and power on / off.

  The network communication unit 14 generates packet data for transmission using data prepared by the control circuit 20 in accordance with a protocol method required for network communication, or extracts data desired by the control circuit 20 from the received packet data. Software communication interface. The network terminal connection unit 15 is a hardware communication interface for connecting the network cable CV.

  The consumable information reading unit 16 reads information on consumables from the storage element 31 provided in the consumable 30 for specific use. In the example of FIG. 2, the storage element 31 includes a contact terminal 32, and the consumable information reading unit 16 reads information on the consumable from the storage element 31 by a contact method, but information on the consumable by a non-contact method. Is read out, the storage element 31 is not provided with the contact terminal 32. In this embodiment, a toner cartridge that stores toner is used as the consumable 30 for specific applications. In addition to this, an ink cartridge that stores ink, a photosensitive member cartridge that is used to form a toner image, and a toner image are printed. The application unit 30 includes a fixing unit for fixing on a medium, a transfer unit for transferring a toner image on a photoreceptor onto a printing medium, and an intermediate transfer unit for superimposing color toner images. Both are common in that they are members that are sequentially consumed as the application-specific printer 10 is used.

  The control circuit 20 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 21 that executes various programs and software modules, and a read only memory (ROM) / hard disk drive (non-volatile storage device that stores various programs and software modules executed by the CPU 21). HDD) 22 and a random access memory (RAM) 23 as a volatile memory for temporarily storing the program when executing the program and storing the execution result of the program. Note that the control circuit 20 may include only a ROM, or may include an HDD in addition to the ROM.

  The print processing program P1 stored in the read only memory (ROM) / hard disk drive (HDD) 22 will be described with reference to FIG. The print processing program P1 is a program executed by the application-specific printer 10 in order to execute print processing using the application-specific consumables. The print processing program P1 includes a consumable item identification module M1, a consumable amount acquisition module M2, a print processing control module M3, a printer information communication module M4, and a display control module M5. Note that the print processing program P1 and each module are executed by the CPU 21 to realize their functions.

  The consumable item identification module M <b> 1 is a module for identifying whether or not the consumable item mounted on the special purpose printer 10 is a special purpose consumable item. The consumable amount acquisition module M2 is a module for acquiring the remaining amount or consumption amount of the consumable when a consumable for a specific application is mounted. The print processing control module M3 is a module for executing print processing according to the acquired amount of consumables. For example, the print processing control module M3 is requested when the remaining amount of consumables is not sufficient for executing the print processing. Do not execute the printing process. The printer information communication module M4 includes information on the printer 10 for a specific application, such as firmware version, IP address, model, individual identification information, information on the consumable 30, such as contract ID, consumable consumption, consumable solid ID, This is a module for transmitting the model number and the expiration date of use to the server computer SV as printer information. The display control module M5 is a module for generating a text message relating to the status of the printer 10 for specific use, an error, and consumption of each consumable item, and displaying the text message on the display unit 12.

General purpose printer configuration:
The internal functional configuration of the general-purpose printer 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the internal configuration of the general-purpose printer 100 in functional blocks. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram conceptually showing a print processing program provided in the general-purpose printer 100. In addition, about the component equivalent to the component with which the printer 10 for specific uses is provided, detailed description is abbreviate | omitted by attaching | subjecting the code | symbol of 3 digits which made the 1st digit the same value.

  The general-purpose printer 100 includes a printing unit 101, a display unit 102, an input operation unit 103, a data input / output unit 107, a cable connection unit 108, a consumable information reading unit 106, and a control circuit 200. A general-use consumable 35 is mounted on the general-use printer 100. The consumables included in the general-use consumables 35 are the same as the consumables 30 for specific applications. The general-use consumables 35 are provided with a storage element 36 for storing the amount of consumables. In the example of FIG. 4, the storage element 36 is provided with the contact terminal 37, but as described above, the storage element 36 is provided with the contact terminal 37 when information on the consumable is read by the non-contact method. I can't.

  The data input / output unit 107 is, for example, a software communication interface for receiving print data from a personal computer PC and transmitting a print status to the personal computer PC. The cable connection unit 108 is a hardware communication interface to which a cable CV1 that connects the personal computer PC and the general-purpose printer 100 is physically connected.

  The control circuit 200 includes a CPU 201, a read only memory (ROM) / hard disk drive (HDD) 202 as a nonvolatile storage device, and a random access memory (RAM) 203 as a volatile memory. Note that the control circuit 20 may include only a ROM, or may include an HDD in addition to the ROM.

  The print processing program P2 stored in the read only memory (ROM) / hard disk drive (HDD) 202 will be described with reference to FIG. The print processing program P2 is a program executed by the general-purpose printer 100 in order to execute print processing using the general-use consumables. The print processing program P2 includes a consumable amount acquisition module M11 and a print processing module M12. Note that the print processing program P2 and each module are executed by the CPU 201 to realize their functions.

  The consumable amount acquisition module M11 is a module for acquiring the remaining amount or consumption amount of the consumable item from the storage element 36 of the general purpose consumable item 35 when the general purpose consumable item 35 is attached. The print processing module M12 is a module for executing print processing according to the acquired amount of consumables. For example, the print processing module M12 is requested when the remaining amount of consumables is not sufficient for executing the print processing. Do not execute the printing process. In addition to this, a module for generating a text message related to the status of the printer 100 for general use, errors, and consumption of each consumable item and displaying it on the display unit 102 may be provided.

・ Consumable information:
The consumable information stored in the storage elements 31 and 36 of the consumables 30 and 35 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of consumable information stored in the storage element for consumables for specific applications. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of consumable information stored in the general-use consumable storage element.

  The storage element 31 of the consumable for special use 30 stores the contract ID, the remaining amount of consumables, the consumable solid ID, the model number, and the expiration date of use of the consumables. In the present embodiment, when X1 is recorded in the contract ID, it indicates that a maintenance contract including supply and replacement of consumables is concluded. The item of contract ID is an item that is read only by the consumable information reading unit 16 of the printer 10 for specific applications. The remaining amount of consumables may be a weight instead of a percentage, or may be a consumable consumption amount.

  Similarly, the storage element 36 of the general-use consumable 35 stores the contract ID, the remaining amount of consumables, the consumable solid ID, the model number, and the expiration date of use of the consumables. However, X2 indicating that a maintenance contract including supply and replacement of consumables is not concluded is recorded in the contract ID. Furthermore, the item of contract ID is an item that cannot be read by the consumable information reading unit 106 of the general-purpose printer 10. The remaining amount of consumables may be a weight instead of a percentage, or may be a consumable consumption amount.

Application-specific printer behavior:
The operation of the application specific printer 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a processing routine executed by the application-specific printer 10 according to the first embodiment when executing the printing process control. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a management table stored in the storage device of the server computer. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a processing routine executed in the server computer when the printing process control is executed by the application-specific printer. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a processing routine executed when the server computer updates the management table.

  The print processing control program shown in FIG. 8 is started to be executed by the application-specific printer 10 (CPU 21) upon receiving a print request from the personal computer PC.

  The CPU 21 acquires consumable information from the mounted consumables (step S100). Specifically, the CPU 21 requests the consumable information reading unit 16 to read the consumable information. The consumable information reading unit 16 accesses the consumable storage element to acquire the consumable information, and transmits the acquired consumable information to the CPU 21. As described above, the reading of the consumable information by the consumable information reading unit 16 may be a contact method via a contact or a wireless non-contact method.

  The CPU 21 determines whether the mounted consumable is the special-use consumable 30 using the contract ID in the acquired consumable information (step S102). Specifically, it is determined whether or not the contract ID is X1. When the CPU 21 determines that the mounted consumable is the special-purpose consumable 30, that is, when it is determined that the contract ID = X1 (step S102: Yes), the CPU 21 consumes the server computer. The remaining product information is requested (step S104). When requesting the remaining amount information of the consumables, the remaining amount information of all the consumables for the specific application mounted on the special purpose printer 10 may be requested or mounted on the specific purpose printer 10. Information on the remaining amount of a consumable for a specific application may be requested.

  A management table shown in FIG. 9 is stored in the storage device of the server computer SV. The addition of the new application-specific consumables to the management table may be executed, for example, when the application-specific consumables 30 are shipped, or the consumable first transmitted from the application-specific printer 10. It may be executed based on printer information including product information. In this case, the registration process at the time of shipment of the consumable 30 for specific applications can be omitted.

  In the management table, for example, a unique solid ID and a remaining amount of consumables mounted for each device used are recorded in association with each other. In the example of FIG. 9, one type of consumable (toner cartridge) is associated with one specific application device, but a plurality of consumables, for example, a photosensitive cartridge, a fixing unit, and a transfer unit are each 1 Needless to say, it may be associated with a device for a specific application. In such a case, each consumable can be identified by a unique consumable solid ID. Further, the consumable may be determined by combining the model number and the consumable solid ID. Note that the consumption amount of the photosensitive member cartridge, the fixing unit, and the transfer unit is obtained by, for example, associating the rotation number of the rotating body, the number of printed sheets and the consumption amount in advance, It can be managed by counting.

  In this embodiment, the remaining amount of consumables stored in the storage element 31 of the special-use consumable 30 is set to 0%, and the remaining amount of the special-use consumable 30 is managed by the server computer SV. It has been broken. That is, the remaining amount of consumables is not acquired from the storage element 31 of the consumable 30 for specific use.

  When the CPU 21 receives the consumables remaining amount information from the server computer SV (step S106), the CPU 21 determines whether or not the remaining amount value R is larger than the determination value Rref (step S108). Here, the determination value Rref is the remaining amount of toner necessary for the printing process. That is, the CPU 21 determines whether or not the remaining amount of the consumable item for the specific application that is currently mounted is an amount that can execute the printing process.

  If the CPU 21 determines that the remaining amount value R> the determination value Rref (step S108: Yes), the CPU 21 executes a printing process (step S110). Specifically, the CPU 21 transmits print data to the printing unit 11 together with a print processing request.

  After executing the printing process, the CPU 21 calculates the amount of consumables used (step S112), transmits the calculated amount of consumables used to the server computer SV (step S114), and ends this processing routine. The amount of consumables used can be calculated, for example, by previously obtaining the amount of toner used per printed sheet and multiplying the counted number of printed sheets. Alternatively, the print job data amount and the toner usage amount may be associated with each other, and further, the photosensitive unit usage amount (photosensitive drum rotation speed) and the toner usage amount may be associated with each other.

  Note that the consumable item mounted in step S102 is not subject to contract (contract ID = X2), that is, it is determined that the consumable item is a general-use consumable item (step S102: No), or the remaining consumable item in step S108. When it is determined that the quantity value R ≦ the determination value Rref (step S108: No), the CPU 21 requests the display unit 12 to display an error message (step S116), and ends this processing routine. .

  With reference to FIG. 10, a process executed in the server computer SV in response to a consumables remaining amount information request from the application-specific printer 10 will be described. When the server computer SV (CPU) receives the consumables remaining amount information request from the special purpose printer 10 (step S200), the server computer SV (CPU) determines the consumables remaining amount associated with the requesting special purpose printer 10 from the management table. Obtain (step S202). When a plurality of types of consumables are managed by the management table, the server computer SV may acquire the remaining amount relating to all the consumables associated with the request-specific printer 10. Alternatively, if the consumable remaining amount information for a specific consumable is requested from the requesting specific application printer 10, the consumable remaining amount information may be acquired for the specific consumable.

  The server computer SV transmits the acquired consumables remaining amount information to the requesting specific application printer 10 (step S204), and ends this processing routine. The server computer SV and the application printer 10 can be uniquely identified from each other using, for example, a MAC address and an IP address, and the server computer SV and the application printer 10 each transmit desired information to a desired object. can do.

  With reference to FIG. 11, the management table update process executed in the server computer SV will be described. When the server computer SV receives information on the amount of consumables used from the application-specific printer 10 (step S210), the server computer SV updates the remaining amount of consumables by subtracting the received amount of use from the remaining amount (step S212). The server computer SV rewrites the remaining amount of the corresponding consumable item in the management table using the obtained updated consumable item remaining amount (step S214), and ends this processing routine.

  The information on the amount of consumables used transmitted from the special purpose printer 10 may be the remaining amount managed by the server computer SV in the special purpose printer 10, for example, information converted into a percentage. Alternatively, information before conversion processing such as the number of printed sheets and the number of rotations may be used. In the latter case, the conversion processing to percentage is executed in the server computer SV.

General purpose printer operation:
A print control process executed in the general-purpose printer 100 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a processing routine of printing processing executed in the general purpose printer.

  The print processing control program shown in FIG. 12 is started to be executed by the general purpose printer 100 (CPU 201) upon receiving a print request from the personal computer PC.

  The CPU 201 acquires consumable information from the mounted consumables (step S300). Specifically, the CPU 201 requests the consumable information reading unit 106 to read the consumable information. The consumable information reading unit 106 accesses the storage elements 31 and 36 of the consumables 30 and 35 to acquire the consumable information, and transmits the acquired consumable information to the CPU 201. Here, as described above, the consumable information reading unit 106 does not read the contract ID item, and the consumable information transmitted to the CPU 201 includes, for example, the contract ID information in the information shown in FIG. Information excluding is included.

  The CPU 201 uses the model number information in the acquired consumable information to determine whether the mounted consumable is a corresponding consumable (step S302). If the CPU 201 determines that the attached consumable is the corresponding consumable (step S302: Yes), the remaining amount value R included in the acquired consumable information is larger than the determination value Rref. It is determined whether or not there is (step S304). Here, the determination value Rref is the remaining amount of toner necessary for the printing process. That is, the CPU 201 determines whether or not the remaining amount of consumables that are currently mounted is an amount that can execute the printing process.

  If the CPU 201 determines that the remaining amount value R> the determination value Rref (step S304: Yes), the CPU 201 executes a printing process (step S306). Specifically, the CPU 201 transmits print data together with a print processing request to the printing unit 101.

  After executing the printing process, the CPU 201 calculates the amount of consumables used (step S308), and updates the remaining amount of consumables stored in the storage element 36 using the calculated amount of consumables used (step S310). This processing routine ends. Calculation of the amount of consumables used is performed as described above.

  If it is determined in step S302 that the consumable item mounted is an unsupported consumable item (step S302: No), or in step S304, it is determined that the remaining amount value R ≦ the determination value Rref. In the case (step S304: No), the CPU 201 requests the display unit 102 to display an error message (step S312), and ends this processing routine.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, the remaining amount of the consumable item 30 for the specific application is set to 0%, and the specific application printer 10 acquires the remaining amount of the consumable item from the server computer SV. In other words, a value corresponding to 0% is recorded in the memory address in which the consumable remaining amount value of the storage element 31 attached to the consumable for specific use is stored. Therefore, when the consumable 30 for a specific application is used in the general-purpose printer 100, it is always determined in step S304 that the remaining amount value R ≦ the determination value Rref, so the printing process is not executed and the display is performed. An error message is displayed in part 102.

  As described above, according to the special purpose printer 10 according to the first embodiment, when the special purpose consumable 30 is mounted, the consumable remaining amount information is acquired from the server computer SV. Therefore, even if the remaining amount information of the consumable item is not recorded in the storage element 31 of the special purpose consumable item 30, the special purpose printer 10 can execute the requested printing process. In response to this, the storage element 31 of the consumable for special use 30 can record consumable remaining amount information indicating 0% remaining from the time of shipment.

  On the other hand, the general-purpose printer 100 does not have a function for determining whether or not a consumable is for a specific use, and is not connected to a network. Consumables remaining information must be obtained from As a result, when the special-purpose consumable 30 is attached to the general-use printer 100, the general-purpose printer 100 acquires consumables remaining amount information indicating the remaining amount of 0%. The print process cannot be executed. Therefore, it is possible to suppress or prevent the use of the special-purpose consumable 30 in a mode that violates the maintenance contract.

  Further, the advantages of the present embodiment can be enjoyed only by using the specific-use printer 10 and the specific-use consumable 30 according to the present embodiment without adding or improving functions to the general-use printer 100. can do.

Second embodiment:
With reference to FIG. 13, another system configuration including the application-specific printer 10 according to the first embodiment will be described as a second embodiment. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing a schematic configuration of a system as the second embodiment. The system in the second embodiment is different from the system used in the first embodiment in that the general-purpose printer 100 is connected to the local network INT together with the special-purpose printer 10. Therefore, in the following description, differences from the system in the first embodiment will be mainly described, and the same points as those in the system in the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted.

  In this embodiment, the general purpose printer 101 is also connected to the local network INT. A print job is transmitted from the personal computer PC to the general-purpose printer 101 via the local network INT. Accordingly, the general-purpose printer 101 is different from the general-purpose printer 100 in the first embodiment in that it includes a communication interface for performing network communication.

  On the other hand, the general-purpose printer 101 does not include a communication interface for communicating with the external network NE beyond the gateway server computer GW, and cannot acquire consumable information from the server computer SV. Therefore, the general-purpose printer 101 must acquire the consumable usage information from the storage elements 31 and 36 provided in the consumables 30 and 35.

  As described above, even in the system according to the second embodiment, it is possible to suppress or prevent the use of the special purpose consumable 30 in the general purpose printer 101. That is, also in the second embodiment, the general-purpose printer 101 has to acquire the consumable usage information from the storage elements 31 and 36 provided in the consumables 30 and 35. Only 30 consumables remaining amount information indicating the remaining amount of 0% can be obtained from the 30 storage elements 31. Therefore, the general-purpose printer 101 cannot execute the printing process due to a shortage of the remaining amount, and suppresses or prevents the use of the consumable 30 for the specific application in the general-purpose printer 101 that violates the maintenance contract. Can do.

Other examples:
(1) In each of the above embodiments, the application-specific printer 10 acquires the consumable information from the server computer SV. However, the consumable information may be acquired from the storage element 31 of the special-use consumable 30. A storage area of the storage element 31 will be described with reference to FIG. In this case, for example, as shown in FIG. 14, the storage element 31 can be read only by the printer 10 for a specific application in addition to the normal normal remaining amount information storage region A1 as a remaining amount information storage region. A specific remaining amount information storage area A2 is provided.

  In this case, the value of the normal remaining amount information storage area A1 of the consumable 30 for specific use is 0% as described above, and the value of the specific remaining amount information storage area A2 is the toner that actually remains. The value corresponds to the remaining amount. In the case of adopting this configuration, the application-specific printer 10 can execute the printing process without communicating with the server computer SV. When this configuration is adopted, the remaining amount of consumables stored in the specific remaining amount information storage area A2 is updated by the CPU 21 after the printing process is completed and the consumption amount is calculated.

(2) In the above-described embodiment, the printers 10 and 100 acquire the consumable information when the print job is received. Alternatively, the printers 10 and 100 may acquire the information when the printers 10 and 100 are activated. Further, the consumable item remaining amount information in the consumable item information may be acquired at regular intervals between print jobs.

(3) In the first embodiment, the application-specific printer 10 displays an error on the display unit 12 when the mounted consumable is not the application-specific consumable 30, but normal printing is performed. Processing may be executed. For example, if the contract ID is not X1, the consumable information reading unit 16 may acquire the remaining amount information of consumables from the storage element 36 of the general-purpose consumable 35 and execute the print control process.

(4) In each of the above embodiments, the application-specific printer 10 acquires the consumables remaining amount information from the server computer SV before and after the printing process, and transmits the consumption information to the server computer SV. While the power supply of the application-specific printer 10 is continuously turned on and the consumables are not exchanged, only the usage amount information may be transmitted to the server computer SV. In this case, the application-specific printer 10 may perform the printing process by managing the remaining amount in the RAM 23, for example. When such a configuration is provided, the overall communication amount can be reduced.

(5) In each of the above embodiments, the application-specific printer 10 transmits the usage amount information to the server computer SV. However, instead of the usage amount itself, information related to the usage state may be transmitted individually. . In this case, the server computer SV calculates the remaining amount of consumables based on the information related to the received usage information. The information related to the state of use is, for example, information such as initialization operation when the power is turned on, paper size, single-sided / double-sided printing. In this case, it is possible to reduce internal arithmetic processing in the printer 10 for specific applications, and it is possible to save CPU resources and storage resources. Further, when changing the consumables remaining amount determination value Rref, the server computer SV can make a batch change without performing the change process on each individual application printer 10.

(6) In each of the above embodiments, a toner cartridge is used as a consumable item. When the remaining amount of toner is less than the determination value, it is assumed that the consumable item is in an unusable state and printing processing is not performed. did. On the other hand, when a photoconductor cartridge, a transfer unit, etc. are used as consumables, it is said that the consumables cannot be used when the number of uses of the photoconductor cartridge, the transfer unit exceeds a predetermined number. The

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated based on the Example and the modification, Embodiment mentioned above is for making an understanding of this invention easy, and does not limit this invention. The present invention can be changed and improved without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims, and equivalents thereof are included in the present invention.

It is explanatory drawing which shows typically schematic structure of the system containing the printer which concerns on a 1st Example. It is explanatory drawing which shows the internal structure of the printer for specific uses which concerns on a 1st Example with a functional block. It is explanatory drawing which shows notionally the printing processing program with which the printer for specific uses which concerns on a 1st Example is provided. It is explanatory drawing which shows the internal structure of the printer for general uses with a functional block. It is explanatory drawing which shows notionally the printing processing program with which the printer for general uses is provided. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of consumables information stored in the memory | storage element of consumables for specific uses. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of consumables information stored in the memory element of the consumable for general uses. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a processing routine executed by the special purpose printer according to the first embodiment when executing printing processing control. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the management table stored in the memory | storage device of a server computer. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a processing routine executed in a server computer when print processing control is executed by a printer for specific applications. It is a flowchart which shows the processing routine performed when a server computer updates a management table. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a processing routine of a printing process executed in a general purpose printer. It is explanatory drawing which shows typically schematic structure of the system as a 2nd Example. It is explanatory drawing which shows notionally the memory area of a memory element.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Application-specific printer 11 ... Printing part 12 ... Display part 13 ... Input operation part 14 ... Network communication part 15 ... Network terminal connection part 16 ... Consumables information reading part 20 ... Control circuit 21 ... CPU
22 ... ROM / HDD
23 ... RAM
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 30 ... Consumable for specific applications 31 ... Memory element 32 ... Contact terminal 100 ... Printer for general use 101 ... Printing part 102 ... Display part 103 ... Input operation part 104 ... Network communication part 105 ... Network terminal connection part 106 ... Consumables information Reading unit 200 ... control circuit 201 ... CPU
202 ... ROM / HDD
203 ... RAM
35 ... Consumables for general use 36 ... Storage elements 37 ... Contact terminals P1 ... Print processing program M1 ... Consumables identification module M2 ... Consumables amount acquisition module M3 ... Print processing control module M4 ... Printer information communication module M5 ... Display control module M5
P2 ... Print processing program M11 ... Consumable quantity acquisition module M12 ... Print processing module INT ... Local network PC ... Personal computer GW ... Gateway server computer NE ... External network

Claims (11)

A print control device that controls printing processing using consumables,
An identification unit for identifying whether the mounted consumable is a consumable for a specific application;
When the mounted consumable is a consumable for a specific application, a consumption amount information acquisition unit that acquires information about the amount of consumption of the consumable from an external device that stores information about the amount of consumption of the consumable,
A printing control apparatus comprising: a printing processing control unit that controls printing processing using the acquired consumption amount information. The print control apparatus according to claim 1,
The print processing control unit is a print control apparatus that does not execute a print process when the consumable is in a state where it cannot be used based on information about a consumption amount of the consumable. The print control apparatus according to claim 1,
The consumable item is provided with a recording device that stores information related to the consumable item, at least identification information indicating whether or not the consumable item is a consumable item for a specific application, and information about a consumption amount of the consumable item. ,
The identification control unit is a print control apparatus that identifies whether the mounted consumable is a consumable for a specific application using the identification information stored in the recording apparatus. The print control apparatus according to claim 3,
The consumption amount information acquisition unit acquires information on the consumption amount of the consumables stored in the recording device when the mounted consumable is not a consumable for a specific application,
The print processing control unit is a print control apparatus that does not execute a print process when the consumable is in a state where it cannot be used based on information about a consumption amount of the consumable. A printing control apparatus that controls a printing process using a consumable including a recording device that stores information about the consumable,
Using the information stored in the recording device, an identification unit for identifying whether the mounted consumable is a consumable for a specific application;
When the mounted consumable is a consumable for a specific application, a consumption amount information acquisition unit that acquires information about the consumption of the consumable for the specific application stored in the recording device;
A consumable management apparatus comprising: a print processing control unit that controls print processing using the acquired consumption amount information. The printing control apparatus according to claim 5,
The consumable is applicable to both the specific use and general use,
The recording device includes specific consumable information related to the amount of consumables to be referred to when used for a specific purpose, and general consumable information related to the amount of consumables referred to when used for a general purpose. The printing control device in which is recorded. The print control apparatus according to claim 6.
The consumable amount information acquisition unit is a print control device that acquires the specific consumable information when the attached consumable is a consumable for a specific application. The print control apparatus according to claim 6.
When the consumables are applied for the specific application, the general consumable information stored in the recording device is rendered meaningless. The print control apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 8,
The print processing control unit is a print control apparatus that does not execute a print process when the consumable is in a state where it cannot be used based on information about a consumption amount of the consumable. A control method of printing processing in a printing apparatus using consumables,
Identifying whether the consumables attached to the printing device are consumables for a specific application;
If the mounted consumable is a consumable for a specific application, obtain information about the amount of consumption of the consumable from an external device that stores information about the amount of consumption of the consumable,
A control method for controlling a printing process using the acquired consumption amount information. A method for controlling a printing process in a printing apparatus using a consumable comprising a recording device for storing information about the consumable,
Using the information stored in the recording device, identify whether the mounted consumable is a consumable for a specific use,
If the mounted consumable is a consumable for a specific application, obtain information on the consumption amount of the consumable for the specific application stored in the recording device,
A control method for controlling a printing process using the acquired consumption amount information.

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