JP2023079938A - Device for controlling print execution part and computer program - Google Patents

Abstract

To appropriately restrict printing by a print execution part.SOLUTION: A control device of a print execution part includes: an acquisition part for acquiring printing information which is information on printing of the print execution part; a determination part for determining whether or not the printing by the print execution part should be restricted on the basis of the printing information; a notification part for executing a notification regarding the restriction of the printing by the print execution part to a user of the print execution part when it is determined that the printing by the print execution part should be restricted; and a restriction part which restricts the printing by the print execution part when the updated printing information is not acquired by the acquisition part after the notification by the notification part and does not restrict the printing by the print execution part when the updated printing information is acquired by the acquisition part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

The present specification relates to technology for controlling a print execution unit, and more particularly to technology for limiting printing by the print execution unit.

A printing system disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a printer used by a user and a server capable of communicating with the printer. This printing system provides a user with a service that allows a printer to print the number of printable pages that is provided according to a charge.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-18621

Here, it may be desirable to restrict printing by the printer. For example, when the printing system is not used for a long period of time, it may be necessary to temporarily prohibit printing by the printer from the viewpoint of quality assurance.

This specification discloses a technology capable of appropriately restricting printing by a print executing unit.

The technology disclosed in this specification can be implemented as the following application examples.

[Application Example 1] A control device for a print execution unit, comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires print information that is information relating to printing by the print execution unit; a judgment unit for judging whether or not printing by the print execution unit should be restricted, and when it is judged that printing by the print execution unit should be restricted, a notification regarding the restriction of printing by the print execution unit is issued to the user of the print execution unit. a notification unit that restricts printing by the print execution unit when the updated print information is not acquired by the acquisition unit after the notification by the notification unit, and the print information is updated after the notification by the notification unit; and a restriction unit that does not restrict printing by the print execution unit when the print information is acquired by the acquisition unit.

According to the above configuration, when it is determined that printing should be restricted based on the print information, first, the notification regarding the printing restriction is executed. Thereafter, when updated print information is not acquired, printing by the print execution unit is restricted, and when updated print information is acquired, printing by the print execution unit is not restricted. As a result, if it can be determined that there is no change in the status of printing after the user is notified, printing by the print executing unit is restricted, so that printing by the print executing unit can be appropriately restricted. For example, when printing by the print execution unit should be restricted, printing can be restricted while preventing excessive disadvantages for the user.

It should be noted that the technology disclosed in this specification can be implemented in various forms. can be realized in the form of a recording medium or the like.

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of system 1000. FIG. Flowchart of charge processing. 4 is a flowchart of status management processing; 4 is a flowchart of print management processing according to the first embodiment; The figure which shows an example of a notification. 4 is a flowchart of print restriction processing according to the first embodiment; 10 is a flowchart of print management processing according to the second embodiment; 10 is a flowchart of print restriction processing according to the second embodiment;

A. First embodiment A-1. Configuration of System 1000 FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the system 1000. As shown in FIG. A system 1000 includes a printer 100 as a print execution unit of this embodiment, a terminal device 200 owned by a user of the printer 100, a management server 300 as a control device of this embodiment, and a settlement server 400.

The printer 100 includes, as a controller of the printer 100, a CPU 110, a volatile memory device 120 such as a DRAM, and a nonvolatile memory device 130 such as a hard disk or flash memory. The printer 100 also includes a display unit 140 such as a liquid crystal display for displaying images, an operation unit 150 such as buttons and a touch panel for acquiring user operations, a printing mechanism 170, a communication interface (IF) 180, It has

The communication IF 180 is an interface for connecting to the Internet IT, such as a wired interface conforming to Ethernet (registered trademark) or a wireless interface conforming to the Wi-Fi standard.

The CPU 110 is an arithmetic device (processor) that performs data processing. Volatile storage device 120 provides a buffer area for temporarily storing various intermediate data generated when CPU 110 performs processing. The nonvolatile storage device 130 stores a computer program PG1 for controlling the printer 100 and an information database IB in which various types of information described later are recorded.

In this embodiment, the computer program PG1 is pre-stored in the non-volatile storage device 130 when the printer 100 is manufactured. Alternatively, the computer program PG1 can be provided, for example, in a form downloaded from a server connected via the Internet IT, or in a form recorded on a CD-ROM or the like.

CPU 110 cooperates with management server 300 to provide printing services to users by executing computer program PG1. For example, the CPU 110 controls the printing mechanism 170 to execute print processing for causing the printing mechanism 170 to print an image. Although details will be described later, the CPU 110 cooperates with the management server 300 to execute various processes related to the print service.

The printing mechanism 170 executes printing under the control of the CPU 110 . The printing mechanism 170 of the present embodiment uses a plurality of types of ink (for example, four types of ink, cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) stored in the ink tank 190 as colorants to print an image on a recording medium. This is an ink jet printing mechanism. Alternatively, the printing mechanism 170 may be an electrophotographic printing mechanism that prints an image on a recording medium using toner stored in a toner cartridge as a coloring material.

The terminal device 200 is a computer including a CPU, a memory, and a display (for example, a liquid crystal display) (not shown), and is, for example, a smartphone. Alternatively, the terminal device 200 may be a personal computer or a tablet computer. The terminal device 200 has a predetermined communication interface (not shown), for example, a wireless communication interface conforming to the Wi-Fi standard or the mobile communication standard (for example, the LTE standard). An application program PGa is installed in the terminal device 200 . The application program PGa is related to printing services such as an account registration function to be described later, a process of transmitting a charge request to the management server 300, and a process of displaying a notification transmitted from the management server 300 on the display unit of the terminal device 200. The CPU of the terminal device 200 implements the processing to For example, the application program PGa is a program that provides social network services such as so-called chat. The processing related to the print service described above is implemented by functions (called mini-programs, mini-apps, etc.) available on the social network service. Alternatively, the application program PGa may be a program that implements a dedicated application for printing services. Hereinafter, a function realized by CPU 310 by executing application program PGa will also be referred to as a “terminal application”.

The management server 300 is, for example, a computer, such as a cloud server, operated by a company that provides printing services (eg, a company that manufactures and sells the printer 100). The management server 300 includes a CPU 310 as a controller of the management server 300, a volatile storage device 320 such as a DRAM, a nonvolatile storage device 330 such as a hard disk or flash memory, and a communication interface (IF) 380. . The communication IF 380 is, for example, a wired interface conforming to Ethernet (registered trademark).

The CPU 310 is an arithmetic device (processor) that performs data processing. Volatile storage device 320 provides a buffer area for temporarily storing various intermediate data generated when CPU 310 performs processing. The nonvolatile storage device 330 stores a computer program PG2 and a management database PD in which various types of information described later are recorded.

The computer program PG2 is provided, for example, in the form of being uploaded by a business operating a printing service. By executing the computer program PG2, the CPU 310 of the management server 300 executes processing related to print services, which will be described later, such as charge processing, status management processing, print management processing, and print restriction processing.

The payment server 400 is a computer that provides online payment services, such as a cloud server. This online payment service can be used, for example, via a social network service provided by the above-described application program PGa of the terminal device 200. FIG.

Although only one printer 100 and one terminal device 200 are shown in FIG. 1, the management server 300 provides print services to many users using many printers. In the following, various types of processing regarding print services for one printer 100 and terminal device 200 will be described, but these processing are executed independently for each printer to be managed.

A-2. Overview of Print Service The print service of this embodiment is pay-as-you-go. First, a user who wishes to be provided with printing services purchases the printer 100 . The printer 100 is supplied with ink to be supplied to the ink tank 190 . A purchaser of the printer 100 is given printing authority for a predetermined initial number of sheets (for example, 100 sheets). The user sets up the printer 100 so that the printer 100 can be connected to the Internet IT using the communication IF 180 . As a result, the printer 100 becomes communicable with the management server 300 via the Internet IT (also called an online state). The communication between the printer 100 and the management server 300 may be a form in which data is directly transmitted/received between the printer 100 and the management server 300, or data is transmitted/received via a relay server operated by the operator of the management server 300. It may be in the form of

When the printer 100 becomes online, the printer 100 (CPU 110 ) transmits a printer identification ID, which is a unique identifier pre-assigned to itself, to the management server 300 . When the management server 300 (CPU 310) receives the printer identification ID, it registers the printer identification ID in the management database PD.

Next, the user activates the above-described terminal application of terminal device 200 . The terminal application transmits the user's account information AI and the printer identification ID of the printer 100 to the management server 300 based on the user's instruction. For the user's account information AI, for example, account information of a social network service provided by the terminal application is used. The printer identification ID is input to the terminal device 200 by the user. Upon receiving the account information AI and the printer identification ID, the management server 300 searches for the received printer identification ID from among a plurality of printer identification IDs registered in the management database PD, and uses the received account information AI as It is registered in the management database PD in association with the searched printer identification ID.

The management server 300 further registers the accumulated charged number CN, the accumulated printed number PN, and the last charged date CD in the management database PD. The cumulative number of charged sheets CN is the total number of sheets allowed to be printed by the printer 100 identified by the printer identification ID. The cumulative number of printed sheets PN is the number of sheets printed using the printer 100 after the printer 100 was purchased. The final charge date CD is the date and time when the cumulative charge number CN was last updated. The cumulative charge number CN registered at this time is an initial value, for example, the initial number of print authorization given to the purchaser of the printer 100 (described above). The registered accumulated number of printed sheets PN is an initial value, for example, 0. The final charge date CD is set to the current date and time (that is, the registration date and time of the account information AI). The management server 300 transmits information indicating the registered cumulative charge number CN to the printer 100 . When the printer 100 receives the information indicating the cumulative charge number CN, the printer 100 registers the cumulative charge number CN in the information database IB. The information database IB of the printer 100 prerecords the cumulative number of printed sheets PN (initial value is 0).

In this way, when the account information AI is registered in the management server 300 and then the accumulated charge number CN is recorded in the printer 100, the printer 100 becomes ready for printing. The printable state is a state in which printing is possible based on the user's print instruction. For example, the user specifies image data indicating an image to be printed and inputs a print instruction. The printer 100 prints an image on a printing medium such as paper using designated image data. The print instruction may be input to a terminal device such as the terminal device 200, for example. In this case, a print job including designated image data and a print instruction is transmitted from the terminal device 200 to the printer 100 . Alternatively, a print instruction may be input via the operation unit 150 of the printer 100 while the USB memory storing the image data to be specified is attached to the printer 100 . The printer 100 updates the cumulative number of printed sheets PN in the information database IB each time printing is executed. Specifically, the cumulative number of printed sheets PN is updated to a value to which the number of printed sheets is added.

A value obtained by subtracting the cumulative number of printed sheets PN from the cumulative number of sheets charged CN (CN-PN) is the number of sheets that the user can cause the printer 100 to print at that time (hereinafter also referred to as the number of printable sheets). When the number of printable sheets (CN-PN) becomes 0, the printer 100 transitions from the printable state to the print prohibited state. In the print-prohibited state, the printer 100 does not execute printing even when a print instruction is received from the user. is displayed on the display unit 140 .

After the printer 100 becomes print-enabled, printing is still possible even if the printer 100 is unable to communicate with the management server 300 (also called offline state) until the printer 100 becomes print-inhibited. be. The printer 100 may go offline when, for example, the wireless access point to which it is connected is turned off, the wired communication cable is disconnected, or some kind of communication failure occurs.

Either after the printing is prohibited or before the printing is prohibited, the user increases the cumulative number of printed sheets PN by transmitting a charge request from the terminal device 200 to the management server 300. can be made The user activates the terminal application and inputs a predetermined operation to the terminal device 200 via the UI screen displayed by the terminal application, thereby obtaining print authorization for a predetermined number of prints. When the operation is input, the terminal application transmits a charge request to management server 300 .

When the management server 300 receives the charge request, the management server 300 executes charge processing. FIG. 2 is a flowchart of charge processing. In S100, the management server 300 acquires charge information included in the received charge request. The charge information includes, for example, user account information and printer identification ID, information indicating the number of printed sheets to be increased based on the print authority newly acquired by the user (also called charge number), and the type of the print authority. including information; The types of printing authority specifically include free printing authority and charged printing authority. The free printing authority is, for example, a printing authority obtained by using an electronic coupon issued free of charge to the user in a campaign or the like. Paid printing authority is, for example, a printing authority acquired by a user selecting one plan from among a plurality of paid plans and performing purchase procedures. A paid plan is a plan in which the number of charged cards and a charge are associated with each other, such as a plan of 100 yen for 100 cards, a plan of 250 yen for 300 cards, and the like.

In S110, the management server 300 refers to the charge information and determines whether the print authority, which is the basis of the charge request, is paid print authority or free print authority. If the printing authority that serves as the basis for the charge request is a paid printing authority (S110: YES), at S120, management server 300 has already received the settlement completion notice corresponding to the charge request from settlement server 400. or not.

When acquiring the print authorization for a fee, a payment request associated with the charge request described above is transmitted from the terminal device 200 to the payment server 400 . The settlement server 400 executes known so-called online settlement processing in response to the settlement request, and transmits a settlement completion notification to the terminal device 200 and the management server 300 when the settlement processing is normally completed.

If the settlement completion notification corresponding to the charge request has already been received (S120: YES), the management server 300 can determine that the user has officially acquired the printing authority, which is the basis for the charge request. proceed to If the settlement completion notice corresponding to the charge request has not been received (S120: NO), the management server 300 waits until the settlement completion notice is received.

If the printing authority on which the recharge request is based is the printing authority for no charge (S110: NO), the management server 300 immediately advances the process to S130 because there is no need for payment.

In S130, the management server 300 updates the cumulative charge number CN recorded in the management database PD based on the charge information. Specifically, the number of charged sheets indicated by the information included in the charge request is added to the accumulated number of charged sheets CN associated with the account information and the printer identification ID included in the charge information.

At S140, the management server 300 updates the last charge date CD recorded in the management database PD. Specifically, the last charge date CD associated with the account information and the printer identification ID included in the charge information is updated to the current date and time.

In S150, the management server 300 notifies the printer 100 of the updated cumulative charge number CN. Specifically, the management server 300 transmits information indicating the accumulated charge number CN to the printer 100 indicated by the printer identification ID included in the charge information. Upon receiving the information, the printer 100 updates the cumulative charge number CN recorded in the information database IB. As a result, the cumulative number of charged sheets CN recorded in the printer 100 increases by the number of charged sheets, so the number of printable sheets (CN-PN) increases by the number of charged sheets.

When the printer 100 is in the online state, the printer 100 periodically transmits periodic notifications containing various information about the printer 100 to the management server 300 . In this embodiment, periodic notifications are sent, for example, every minute. When the management server 300 receives the periodic notification, it executes status management processing. FIG. 3 is a flowchart of status management processing.

In S200, the management server 300 acquires periodic information included in the received periodic notification. The periodic information includes, for example, the cumulative number of printed sheets PN, the final printing date FD, and various information indicating the status of the printer 100 . Various types of information indicating the status of the printer 100 include, for example, information indicating the amount of ink remaining in the printer 100 and information regarding failures in the printer 100 .

In S210, the management server 300 determines whether or not the cumulative number of printed sheets PN included in the periodic information has increased compared to the cumulative number of printed sheets PN recorded in the management database PD. If the cumulative number of printed sheets PN included in the periodical information has increased (S210: YES), it means that printing by the printer 100 has been performed after the cumulative number of printed sheets PN that has already been recorded in the management database PD. means. In this case, in S230, the management server 300 updates the cumulative number of printed sheets PN recorded in the management database PD to the cumulative number of printed sheets PN included in the periodic information. In S240, the management server 300 updates the final printing date FD recorded in the management database PD to the current date and time.

If the cumulative number of printed sheets PN included in the periodic information has not increased (S210: NO), the cumulative number of printed sheets PN included in the periodic information is the same as the cumulative number of printed sheets PN recorded in the management database PD. In this case, since it means that printing by the printer 100 is not performed after the recorded cumulative number of printed sheets PN is recorded in the management database PD, the management server 300 skips S230 and S240, End the status management process.

Note that, in practice, the management server 300 executes various other types of processing using other various types of information included in the periodic information. For example, the printing service of this embodiment is based on a pay-as-you-go system in which a fee is charged according to the number of printed sheets, so ink is provided free of charge to the user by the operator of the printing service. For this reason, the management server 300 manages the remaining amount of ink in the printer 100 based on the information indicating the remaining amount of ink included in the periodic information. performs processing for mailing the ink to the user. Further, when the printer 100 breaks down, repair or replacement of the printer 100 is also provided free of charge to the user by the operator of the printing service. For this reason, the management server 300 manages the presence or absence and degree of failure of the printer 100 based on the failure information included in the periodic information. Execute the process for These processes are not relevant to the present invention, so they are omitted in the flowchart of FIG.

A-3. Print Management Processing In the print service described above, it is preferable to have the user perform printing continuously. If the user does not print or request charging for a long period of time, it becomes difficult to grasp the status of the user and the printer 100, and there is a possibility that the printing service cannot be effectively provided. For this reason, it may be preferable to restrict printing by the printer 100 when the user does not print or charge for a long period of time. In this embodiment, if the user for whom such printing restriction is to be performed does not request printing or charging for a long period of time, print management processing for restricting printing by the printer 100 is executed.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of print management processing of the first embodiment. The management process of FIG. 4 is executed by the management server 300 periodically, for example, once a day, for each managed printer.

In S300, the management server 300 acquires the last printing date FD and the last charging date CD of the printer 100 from the management database PD.

In S305, the management server 300 determines whether or not the initial notification condition is satisfied based on the final printing date FD and the final charging date CD. The first notification condition is satisfied when the following conditions 1 to 3 are satisfied.
1. 2. The post-charge elapsed period CTM is equal to or greater than the threshold THn1. 3. The post-printing elapsed period PTM is equal to or greater than the threshold value THn1. The initial notification has not been made during the period from the later one of the final printing date FD and the final charging date CD to the present. The post-charge elapsed period CTM is the period from the final charging date CD to the present. The post-printing elapsed period PTM is a period from the last printing date FD to the present. The reason why the condition 3 is attached is to prevent multiple initial notifications from being duplicated. In this example, the threshold THn1 is 10 months.

If the first notification condition is not satisfied (S305: NO), the management server 300 advances the process to S325. If the initial notification condition is satisfied (S305: YES), management server 300 determines in S310 whether printer 100 is online. For example, if the management server 300 receives the periodic notification from the printer 100 within a predetermined period of time (for example, within one minute), the management server 300 determines that the printer 100 is online, and sends the periodic notification for the predetermined period of time. If the printer 100 has not been received within this period, it is determined that the printer 100 is in the off-line state.

If the printer 100 is online (S310: YES), the management server 300 transmits to the terminal device 200 an initial notification for online in S315. If the printer 100 is offline (S310: NO), the management server 300 transmits an offline initial notification to the terminal device 200 in S320. The notification is sent using a known push notification service such as APNs (Apple Push Notification Server) or FCM (Firebase Cloud Messaging). For example, in the management database PD, the notification is sent to the account indicated by the account information AI associated with the printer identification ID of the printer 100 using the push notification service. Accordingly, the notification is appropriately sent to the terminal device 200 of the user of the printer 100 .

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of notification. FIG. 5A shows an example of online notifications. Notification NT1 contains messages MS1, MS2. The message MS1 is a message notifying that neither a charge request nor printing has been executed for a period of time (for example, 10 months) corresponding to the threshold THn1. The message MS2 is a message notifying that printing by the printer 100 is prohibited if neither a charge request nor printing is executed for a period of time (for example, 12 months) corresponding to a threshold value THx, which will be described later.

FIG. 5B shows an example of offline notifications. Notification NT2 contains messages MS3-MS5. Message MS3 is a message informing that the printer 100 is currently offline and therefore the correct number of printed sheets cannot be confirmed. Message MS4 is a message prompting the user to bring printer 100 online periodically. Similar to the message MS2 in FIG. 5A, the message MS5 is sent by the printer 100 when neither a charge request nor printing is executed for a period (for example, 12 months) corresponding to a threshold value THx, which will be described later. This is a message notifying that printing is prohibited.

In S325, the management server 300 determines whether or not the re-notification condition is satisfied based on the final printing date FD and the final charging date CD. The re-notification condition is satisfied when the following conditions 4 to 6 are satisfied.
4. 5. The post-charge elapsed period CTM is equal to or greater than the threshold THn2. 6. The post-printing elapsed period PTM is equal to or greater than the threshold THn2. No re-notification has been made from the later date of the final printing date FD or the final charge date CD to the present. This is to prevent it from happening. In this embodiment, the threshold THn2 is longer than the threshold THn1 by a predetermined period (for example, one month), for example, 11 months.

If the re-notification condition is not satisfied (S325: NO), the management server 300 advances the process to S345. If the re-notification condition is satisfied (S325: YES), in S330 management server 300 determines whether printer 100 is online in the same manner as in S310 described above.

If the printer 100 is online (S330: YES), the management server 300 transmits a re-notification for online to the terminal device 200 in S335. If the printer 100 is offline (S330: NO), the management server 300 transmits a re-notification for offline use to the terminal device 200 in S340. The notification is sent using a known push notification service, similar to the initial notification.

The online re-notification is the same notification as the initial online notification (FIG. 5A). The off-line re-notification is the same notification as the off-line first notification (FIG. 5B). Note that the content of the re-notification may include content different from the initial notification, such as including a message indicating that it is a re-notification.

In S345, the management server 300 determines whether or not the print restriction condition is satisfied based on the final printing date FD and the final charging date CD. The print restriction condition is satisfied when the following conditions 7 to 9 are satisfied.
7. 7. The post-charge elapsed period CTM is equal to or greater than the threshold THx; 9. The post-printing elapsed period PTM is equal to or greater than the threshold value THx. The printer 100 is not in a print restricted state Condition 9 is added because if the printer is already in a print restricted state, it is not necessary to execute the print restriction process again. In this embodiment, the threshold THx is a period longer than the threshold THn2 by a predetermined period (for example, one month), for example, 12 months.

If the print restriction condition is not satisfied (S345: NO), the management server 300 terminates the print management process. If the print restriction condition is satisfied (S345: YES), in S350 management server 300 determines whether printer 100 is online in the same manner as in S310 described above.

If printer 100 is online (S350: YES), management server 300 executes print restriction processing in S355. If the printer 100 is offline (S350: NO), the management server 300 terminates the print management process without executing the print restriction process.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart of print restriction processing of the first embodiment. The print restriction process is a process for restricting printing by the printer 100, particularly printing executed using image data specified by the user. In this embodiment, test printing for printing a test pattern for testing the state of the printer 100 and printing of printer information such as the print history of the printer 100 are not restricted.

In S400, the management server 300 temporarily transitions the printer 100 to the locked state. A locked state is a state in which any printing by the printer 100 is prohibited. For example, the management server 300 transmits an instruction to transition to the locked state to the printer 100 . When the printer 100 receives the instruction to change to the locked state, the printer 100 transitions to the locked state. For example, the printer 100 stores a lock flag indicating either the locked state or the normal state in the non-volatile storage device 130, and switches the state indicated by the lock flag from the normal state to the locked state.

In S<b>410 , the management server 300 acquires the latest cumulative number of printed sheets PN from the printer 100 . For example, the management server 300 transmits to the printer 100 a transmission request for the cumulative number of printed sheets PN. Upon receiving the transmission request, the printer 100 transmits the cumulative number of printed sheets PN to the management server 300 . Thereby, the management server 300 acquires the latest cumulative number of printed sheets PN.

In S420, the management server 300 changes the cumulative number of printed sheets CN to the latest cumulative number of printed sheets PN (CN=PN).

In S430, the management server 300 notifies the printer 100 of the changed cumulative charge number CN. That is, the management server 300 transmits to the printer 100 information indicating the cumulative charge number CN. Upon receiving the information, the printer 100 updates the cumulative charge number CN recorded in the information database IB. As a result, the cumulative number of charged sheets CN and the cumulative number of printed sheets PN become the same number, so the number of printable sheets (CN-PN) becomes zero. Therefore, the printer 100 transitions from the printable state to the print prohibited state.

In S440, the management server 300 releases the temporary locked state of the printer 100 and terminates the print restriction process. For example, the management server 300 transmits an instruction to transition to the normal state to the printer 100 . When the printer 100 receives the instruction to transition to the locked state, the printer 100 switches the state indicated by the lock flag described above from the locked state to the normal state. It can be said that the printer 100 is in a transitional state during execution of the print restriction process, transitioning from the printable state to the print prohibited state. When the printer 100 is in such a state, for example, if a user's print instruction is received, an unintended problem may occur. For this reason, in the print restriction process, the printer 100 is temporarily locked during the transition from the printable state to the print prohibited state (S400, S440 in FIG. 6).

It should be noted that even after the printer 100 is once in the print prohibited state, if the user transmits a charge request to the management server 300 using the terminal device 200, the management server 300 executes the charge processing described above ( Figure 2). As a result, the cumulative number of charged sheets CN increases according to the charge request, so the number of printable sheets (CN-PN) becomes greater than zero. As a result, the printer 100 returns from the print prohibited state to the print enabled state.

As can be seen from the present embodiment described above, when the post-charging elapsed period CTM reaches or exceeds the thresholds THn1 and THn2 and the post-printing elapsed period PTM reaches or exceeds the thresholds THn1 and THn2, the initial notification and re-notification are issued. (S305-S340 in FIG. 4). That is, when the elapsed time from the later one of the final charge date CD and the final print date FD reaches or exceeds the period corresponding to the thresholds THn1 and THn2, the advance notification of printing restriction is executed twice. .

Then, after that, a predetermined period of time elapses without the final charge date CD and the final print date FD being updated, the post-charge elapsed period CTM becomes equal to or greater than the threshold THx, and the post-print elapsed period PTM becomes When the threshold value THx or more is reached, print restriction processing is executed (S345 to S355 in FIG. 4). That is, when the elapsed time from the later one of the final charge date CD and the final print date FD reaches or exceeds a period corresponding to the threshold value THx, the print restriction process is executed. After the notification, if either the final charge date CD or the final print date FD is updated before the predetermined period elapses, either the post-charge elapsed period CTM or the post-print elapsed period PTM is reset. Therefore, print restriction processing is not executed.

In other words, the management server 300 of this embodiment acquires the last charge date CD and the last print date FD, which are information related to printing by the printer 100 (S300 in FIG. 4), and based on these information, the printer 100 It is determined whether or not printing should be restricted (S305, S325 in FIG. 4), and if it is determined that printing by printer 100 should be restricted (YES in S305, S325), printing by printer 100 is restricted. (FIGS. 5A and 5B) to the user of the printer 100 (S315, S320, S335 and S340 in FIG. 4). Management server 300 restricts printing by printer 100 (YES in S345 in FIG. 4) if neither updated last charge date CD nor updated last print date FD is acquired after the notification (YES in FIG. 4). 4 S355), when the updated final charge date CD and final print date FD are acquired (NO in S345 of FIG. 4), printing by the printer 100 is not restricted.

As a result, when it is determined that printing should be restricted based on the final charge date CD or the final printing date FD, a notification regarding the printing restriction is first executed, so that the user is notified. After that, if it can be determined that there is no change in the situation regarding printing, printing by the printer 100 is restricted. Therefore, printing by the print executing unit can be appropriately restricted. For example, when printing by the printer 100 should be restricted, printing can be restricted while preventing excessive disadvantages for the user.

For example, if the print restriction process is performed without notification, the print restriction process cannot be predicted even if the user intends or plans to print. For this reason, when the user tries to print but is unable to do so, the user finds out that printing is restricted for the first time, which is a surprise. According to this embodiment, since the print restriction processing can be predicted by receiving the notification, for example, the user can advance the schedule and actually print before the print restriction processing, to prevent execution of the print restriction process. As a result, even if the print restriction process is performed, it is considered that the user will not be excessively disadvantaged.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, if the updated final printing date FD is not acquired after the notification, the same information as the final printing date FD acquired prior to the notification will be sent by regular notification after the notification. This includes the case where it is acquired (NO at 210 in FIG. 3). After the notification, if the same information as the last printing date FD obtained before the notification is obtained, it can be confirmed that printing by the printer 100 has not been executed after the notification. In this case, since printing by the printer 100 is restricted, it is possible to carefully restrict printing after confirming that printing is not being executed.

The case where the updated final charge date CD and final print date FD are not obtained after notification includes the case where the final charge date CD and final print date FD are not obtained after notification regardless of whether they are updated. According to this configuration, it is possible to determine the notification condition and the print restriction condition even when the print information used to determine the print restriction condition includes information (for example, final charge date CD) that is not acquired unless updated. Further, even when the printer 100 from which the last printing date FD is obtained is kept offline, it is possible to determine the notification conditions and printing restriction conditions.

Furthermore, according to the above configuration, the print information used for determining the print restriction condition includes information indicating the final print date FD, which is the last date and time when the printer 100 printed. The printing restriction condition for determining that printing should be restricted includes that the post-printing elapsed time PTM, which is the elapsed time from the final printing date FD, is equal to or greater than a reference (threshold THx in this embodiment) (see FIG. 4). S345). If the post-printing elapsed period PTM is equal to or greater than the standard, for example, it may indicate that quality problems such as print head clogging or ink deterioration are likely to occur, or whether the user has the will to continue using the printing service. It can be difficult to judge. For this reason, it may be preferable in this case to temporarily restrict print services. According to the above configuration, printing can be appropriately restricted when the post-printing elapsed period PTM is equal to or greater than the reference.

Furthermore, according to the above configuration, the management server 300, which can communicate with the printer 100, generates information indicating the final printing date FD based on information transmitted from the printer 100 (in this embodiment, information included in the periodic notification). (S240 in FIG. 3). As a result, for example, in a print service using a large number of printers 100, the management server 300 can be used to appropriately execute print management processing for the large number of printers.

Furthermore, according to the above configuration, the print information used for determining the print restriction condition includes the cumulative charge number CN. The management server 300 can calculate the number of printable sheets (CN-PN) by subtracting the cumulative number of printed sheets PN from the cumulative number of printed sheets CN. This is the information shown. The cumulative charge number CN is also information updated in response to a charge request from the user (S140 in FIG. 2). As described above, in the print service, the printer 100 is controlled so as to print the number of printable pages (CN-PN) and not to exceed the number of printable pages (CN-PN). The print restriction condition of this embodiment is that the post-charging elapsed period CTM, which is the elapsed time from the final charging date CD, which is the last date and time when the cumulative number of charged sheets CN was updated, is equal to or greater than a reference (threshold value THx in this embodiment). Including. If the post-charge elapsed time period CTM is equal to or greater than the reference, it may be difficult to determine whether the user has the will to continue using the print service, for example. For this reason, in this case, it may be difficult to provide an appropriate print service, so it may be preferable to temporarily limit the provision of the print service. According to the above configuration, printing can be appropriately restricted when the elapsed post-charge period CTM is equal to or greater than the reference.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the charge request from the user is input to the user's terminal device 200 that can communicate with the management server 300 . Then, the cumulative charge number CN, which is information indicating the printable number of sheets, is updated based on charge information transmitted from the terminal device 200 to the management server 300 in response to a charge request from the user (S100 in FIG. 2). , S130, S150). In this manner, the management server 300 manages print information (final charge date CD and final print date FD) based on information sent from the terminal device 200 in addition to information sent from the printer 100 . Then, the management server 300 can appropriately restrict printing based on this print information.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, in the print restriction process, printing that is executed using image data specified by the user is restricted. For example, printing executed using image data specified by the user is more likely to be restricted than printing of test patterns or printing of print history.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the management server 300 acquires the last printing date FD, which is part of the printing information, based on the periodic information transmitted from the printer 100 (FIG. 3), and sends it to the printer 100. Printing by the printer 100 is restricted by transmitting specific information (specifically, the updated cumulative number of charged sheets CN) (S430 in FIG. 6). As a result, the management server 300 can appropriately restrict printing to communicable printers. Therefore, for example, the management server 300 can centrally control printing restrictions for a large number of printers.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the management server 300 checks whether the communication with the printer 100 is online or offline (S310, S330 in FIG. 4) when making the notification, and Different types of notification are performed depending on the status (S315, S320, S335, S340 in FIG. 4, FIG. 5). That is, the management server 300 confirms whether or not communication with the printer 100 is possible. , the notification of the second type, which is different from the notification of the first type, is executed. As a result, appropriate notification can be made according to the communication status with the printer 100 .

More specifically, the off-line notification NT2 (FIG. 5B) of this embodiment is a message MS3 prompting the printer 100 to go online, that is, the printer 100 can communicate with the management server 300. Contains a message prompting you to connect to the network.

When the printer 100 is online, the management server 300 can accurately grasp the status of the printer 100 (for example, print history and last print date FD). On the other hand, when the printer 100 is offline, the status of the printer 100 cannot be accurately grasped. For this reason, when the printer 100 is offline, even if the printer 100 is actually printing offline, the last printing date FD managed by the management server 300 does not reflect this. There is In such a case, the management server 300 may not be able to correctly determine whether the print restriction conditions have been satisfied. Furthermore, in the operation of the print service, it may be difficult to provide a print service suitable for the user in an offline state in which the status of the printer 100 cannot be accurately grasped. For this reason, by changing the contents of the notification between online and offline, it is possible to give a preferable notification to the user. In particular, it is considered preferable to include a message MS3 prompting the printer 100 to go online in addition to a message regarding printing restrictions in the offline notification.

Furthermore, the management server 300 determines whether or not the print restriction conditions (FIG. 4) that are satisfied when the updated print information (final charge date CD or final print date FD) is not acquired after notification ( S345 in FIG. 4). After that, the management server 300 checks whether the printer 100 is online, and if it is online, restricts printing by the printer 100 (S350, S355 in FIG. 4). If it is confirmed that the printer 100 is in the online state immediately after determining whether or not the print restriction conditions are satisfied, it is considered that the printer 100 was in the online state to determine whether the print restriction conditions were satisfied. good For this reason, it can be said that the management server 300 restricts printing by the printer 100 when it is determined that the printer 100 is online and the printing restriction conditions are satisfied.

When the printer 100 is in an offline state (a state in which communication between the management server 300 and the printer 100 is not possible), the printer 100 is executing printing, and even if the cumulative number of printed sheets PN is updated, the management server 300 , the updated cumulative number of printed sheets PN is not transmitted. Therefore, when the printer 100 is offline, if it is determined whether or not the print restriction conditions are satisfied, the management server 300 may , it may be determined whether or not the printing restriction condition is satisfied before the final printing date FD is updated. In this case, the management server 300 may erroneously determine that the print restriction condition is satisfied. In this case, although the user is constantly printing using the printer 100, printing by the printer 100 is restricted, and the restriction may cause excessive disadvantages to the user. According to the above configuration, printing by the printer 100 is restricted when it is determined that the printing restriction conditions are satisfied in the online state, so that erroneous determination of the printing restriction conditions can be suppressed, and excessive disadvantages for the user can be prevented. You can prevent it from happening. As a result, it is possible to more appropriately restrict printing.

B. Second Embodiment In the first embodiment, the print management process is executed by the management server 300, but in the second embodiment, the print management process is executed by the printer 100 (CPU 110). FIG. 7 is a flowchart of print management processing of the second embodiment. The print management process of FIG. 7 is periodically executed by the printer 100, for example, once a day. In the print management process of FIG. 7, the same processes as the print management process of FIG. 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals as in FIG. is attached.

In S300B, the printer 100 acquires the last printing date FD and the last charging date CD of the printer 100 from the information database IB.

In S305, the printer 100 determines whether the first notification condition is satisfied based on the final printing date FD and the final charging date CD, as in S305 of FIG.

If the first notification condition is not satisfied (S305: NO), the printer 100 proceeds to S325. If the initial notification condition is satisfied (S305: YES), printer 100 displays the initial notification on display unit 140 of printer 100 in S315B. The content of the notification is, for example, the same as the online notification (FIG. 5A) of the first embodiment.

At S325, the printer 100 determines whether or not the re-notification condition is satisfied based on the final printing date FD and the final charging date CD, similarly to S325 of FIG.

If the re-notification condition is not satisfied (S325: NO), the printer 100 proceeds to S345. If the re-notification condition is satisfied (S325: YES), the printer 100 displays the re-notification on the display unit 140 of the printer 100 in S335B.

At S345, the printer 100 determines whether or not the print restriction condition is satisfied based on the final printing date FD and the final charging date CD.

If the print restriction conditions are not satisfied (S345: NO), the printer 100 terminates the print management process. If the print restriction condition is satisfied (S345: YES), the printer 100 executes print restriction processing in S355B. When the print restriction process ends, the print management process ends.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart of print restriction processing of the second embodiment. In the print restriction process of FIG. 8, the same processes as the print restriction process of FIG. 6 are given the same reference numerals as those of FIG. is attached.

The print restriction process is a process for restricting printing by the printer 100, particularly printing executed using image data specified by the user. In this embodiment, test printing for printing a test pattern for testing the state of the printer 100 and printing of printer information such as the print history of the printer 100 are not restricted.

In S400, the printer 100 temporarily transitions to the locked state. A locked state is a state in which any printing by the printer 100 is prohibited. For example, the printer 100 switches the state indicated by the lock flag from the normal state to the locked state.

In S40, the printer 100 changes the accumulated charge number CN to the latest accumulated printed number PN (CN=PN). As a result, the cumulative number of charged sheets CN and the cumulative number of printed sheets PN become the same number, so the number of printable sheets (CN-PN) becomes zero. Therefore, the printer 100 transitions from the printable state to the print prohibited state.

In S430, the printer 100 notifies the management server 300 of the changed cumulative charge number CN. That is, the printer 100 transmits information indicating the cumulative number of charged sheets CN to the management server 300 . When receiving the information, the management server 300 updates the cumulative charge number CN recorded in the management database PD. Accordingly, the accumulated charged number CN in the printer 100 and the accumulated charged number CN in the management server 300 are synchronized.

In S400, the printer 100 releases the temporary lock state of the printer 100 and terminates the print restriction process. For example, the printer 100 switches the state indicated by the lock flag described above from the locked state to the normal state.

According to the embodiment described above, since the printer 100 executes the print management process, the burden on the management server 300 can be reduced.

As can be seen from the above description, in the first embodiment, the printer 100 is an example of a print execution unit, and the management server 300 is an example of a control device for the print execution unit. In the second embodiment, the printing mechanism 170 of the printer 100 is an example of the print execution section, and the CPU 110 of the printer 100 is an example of the control device of the print execution section.

C. Modification (1) In the above embodiment, the print information used to determine the print restriction conditions is the final print date FD and the final charge date CD. The print information is not limited to this, and other information related to printing of the printer 100 can be used. For example, the print information may be the last day when the ink tank was replenished with ink (last ink replenishment date). For example, if the elapsed time from the last ink replenishment date is greater than or equal to the standard, there is a possibility that the image quality will deteriorate due to deterioration of the ink. For this reason, it may be preferable to restrict printing when the elapsed time from the last ink replenishment date is equal to or greater than a reference.

(2) In the above embodiments, the print restriction process (FIGS. 6 and 8) is a process that prohibits printing using image data designated by the user. The mode of printing restriction is not limited to this, and may be another mode. For example, the print restriction process may be a process of reducing the number of printable pages of printing executed using image data designated by the user. For example, the print restriction process may be a process of reducing the number of printable sheets by a predetermined number of sheets, or a process of setting the printable number of sheets to an extremely small predetermined number of sheets.

In the above embodiment, the state of the printer 100 is changed from the printable state to the print prohibited state by changing (decreasing) the cumulative charge number CN. Alternatively, the state of the printer 100 may be changed from the print enabled state to the print prohibited state by changing the lock flag of the printer 100 to change the printer 100 from the normal state to the locked state. In this case, when there is a charge request, the state of the printer 100 can be changed from the print prohibited state to the print enabled state by changing the lock flag of the printer 100 and changing the printer 100 from the locked state to the normal state. return to In the embodiment, since the cumulative number of charged sheets CN is decreased, even when the printer 100 returns to the printable state, the decreased number of charged sheets remains lost. On the other hand, in this modified example, since the accumulated number of charged sheets CN is not changed, when the printer 100 returns to the printable state, part of the accumulated number of charged sheets CN is not lost. Also, in the print restriction process, both of changing (decreasing) the accumulated number of charged sheets CN and changing the lock flag to enter a locked state may be executed.

(3) Each process of the first embodiment can be changed as appropriate. For example, in the print management process, if the initial notification condition and the re-notification condition are satisfied, the same notification may be sent to the terminal device 200 regardless of whether the printer 100 is online or offline. good.

In the print management process (FIG. 4), after it is determined in S345 that the print restriction condition is satisfied, it is determined in S350 whether the printer 100 is online. print restriction processing is being executed. Alternatively, it may be determined whether or not the printer 100 is online, and when the printer 100 is online, it may be determined whether or not the print restriction conditions are satisfied. In this case, the print restriction process is executed when it is determined that the print restriction conditions are satisfied. Also, since the print restriction process can be executed only when the printer 100 is online, for example, the management server 300 checks whether the printer 100 is online immediately after it is determined that the print restriction conditions are satisfied. The print restriction process may be executed without confirmation. In this case, if the printer 100 is offline, the print restriction process will fail. Therefore, for example, after a certain period of time, the management server 300 determines whether the print restriction conditions are satisfied and determines whether the print restriction conditions are satisfied. Execute the process and again. In this way, when the determination of whether the print restriction condition is satisfied and the print restriction process are performed at substantially the same timing, if the print restriction process succeeds, it is determined whether the print restriction condition is satisfied. It can be considered that the determination is made while the printer 100 is online. Generally speaking, the management server 300 objectively determines whether the printer 100 is online and whether the printing restriction conditions are satisfied, regardless of whether or not there is a process for confirming whether the printer 100 is online. As a result, if it is determined that the print restriction condition is satisfied, printing by the printer 100 may be restricted.

Also, in the print management process, two notifications, the first notification and the re-notification, are performed before the print restriction process is executed, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the number of times the notification is performed until the print restriction process is executed may be once, or may be three times or more.

Further, in the status management process, when a regular notice including the updated cumulative number of printed sheets PN is received, the reception date and time of the regular notice is recorded as a new final printing date FD. Alternatively, a regular notification including information indicating the last date and time when printing was actually performed may be received along with the updated cumulative number of printed sheets PN. In this case, the date and time indicated by the information included in the periodic notification may be recorded as the new final printing date FD.

Also, in the charging process, the charging request is transmitted from the terminal device 200 to the management server 300 . Alternatively, the charge request may be sent to the payment server 400 together with the payment request, and the payment completion notification and the charge request may be sent from the payment server 400 to the management server 300 . In this case, the management server 300 updates the final charge date CD and the cumulative number of charged cards CN based on the charge request and payment completion notification transmitted from the payment server 400 .

(4) Each process of the second embodiment can be changed as appropriate. For example, in charge processing, a charge request may be transmitted from the terminal device 200 to the printer 100 . For example, the terminal device 200 may transmit a charge request to the printer 100 after communicating with the payment server 400 and completing the payment. In this case, instead of the management server 300, the printer 100 executes the charging process and updates the accumulated charged number CN recorded therein. In this case, system 1000 does not need to include management server 300 . Therefore, in this case, the status management process is omitted.

(5) Devices managed by the management server 300 may include a multi-function device that includes a printing mechanism and a scanner instead of the printer 100 or in addition to the printer 100 .

Although the present invention has been described above based on examples and modifications, the above-described embodiments of the present invention are intended to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. The present invention may be modified and modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims, and the present invention includes equivalents thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100... Printer 110... CPU 120... Volatile memory device 130... Non-volatile memory device 140... Display part 150... Operation part 170... Print execution part 200... Terminal device 300... Management server 310... CPU, 320... Volatile storage device, 330... Non-volatile storage device, 380... Communication IF, 400... Settlement server, 1000... System, IB... Information database, PD... Management database, IT... Internet, PG1, PG2... Computer program

Claims (14)

A control device for a print execution unit,
an acquisition unit that acquires print information that is information related to printing by the print execution unit;
a determination unit that determines whether or not printing by the print execution unit should be restricted based on the print information;
a notification unit configured to notify a user of the print execution unit of a restriction on printing by the print execution unit when it is determined that printing by the print execution unit should be restricted;
If the acquisition unit does not acquire the updated print information after notification by the notification unit, printing by the print execution unit is restricted, and after the notification by the notification unit, the updated print information is acquired by the a restriction unit that does not restrict printing by the print execution unit when acquired by the acquisition unit;
A control device comprising: The control device according to claim 1,
If the print information updated by the acquisition unit is not acquired after the notification by the notification unit, the same information as the print information acquired before the notification is acquired after the notification by the notification unit. control equipment, including when The control device according to claim 2,
The control device, including a case where the print information updated by the acquisition unit is not acquired after notification by the notification unit, and a case where the print information is not acquired after notification by the notification unit. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The print information includes information indicating the last date and time when printing was executed by the print execution unit,
A control device, wherein a condition for the determination unit to determine that printing by the print execution unit should be restricted includes that an elapsed time from the last date and time is equal to or greater than a reference. A control device according to claim 4,
the control device is a server that can communicate with a printer that includes the print execution unit;
The control device, wherein the acquisition unit acquires information indicating the last date and time based on information transmitted from the printer to the control device. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The print information is information indicating the number of printable sheets, and includes information updated in response to a request from the user;
The print execution unit is controlled so as to execute printing for the printable number of sheets and not to execute printing exceeding the printable number of sheets,
The control device, wherein a condition for the determination unit to determine that printing by the print execution unit should be restricted includes that an elapsed time from the last date and time when the printable number is updated is equal to or greater than a reference. A control device according to claim 6,
a request from the user is input to a terminal device of the user capable of communicating with the control device;
The control device, wherein the information indicating the number of printable sheets is updated based on information transmitted from the terminal device to the control device in response to a request from the user. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The control device, wherein the restriction unit restricts printing executed using the image data designated by the user. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
the control device is a server that can communicate with a device that includes the print execution unit;
the acquisition unit acquires at least part of the print information based on information transmitted from the device;
The control device, wherein the restriction unit restricts printing by the print execution unit by transmitting specific information to the device. 10. The control device of claim 9, further comprising:
A confirmation unit for confirming whether communication with the device is possible,
The notification unit executes a first type notification when communication with the device is possible, and a second type notification different from the first type notification when communication with the device is not possible. A control device that executes A control device according to claim 10,
The control device, wherein the second type of notification includes a message prompting the device to connect to a network capable of communicating with the server. The control device according to any one of claims 9 to 11, further comprising:
a condition determination unit that determines whether a specific condition that is satisfied when the print information updated by the acquisition unit is not acquired after notification by the notification unit is satisfied;
The control device, wherein the restriction unit restricts printing by the print execution unit when it is determined that the specific condition is satisfied while the control device is communicable with the device. A printer comprising the control device according to any one of claims 1 to 8 and the print execution unit. A computer program for control of a print execution unit, comprising:
an acquisition function for acquiring print information, which is information relating to printing by the print execution unit;
a judgment function for judging whether or not printing by the print execution unit should be restricted based on the print information;
a notification function for notifying a user of the print execution unit of a restriction on printing by the print execution unit when it is determined that printing by the print execution unit should be restricted;
If the updated print information is not acquired by the acquisition function after notification by the notification function, printing by the print execution unit is restricted, and after notification by the notification function, the updated print information is transmitted to the a restriction function that does not restrict printing by the print execution unit when acquired by the acquisition function;
A computer program that makes a computer realize

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