JP2869428B2 - Office equipment management system - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an office equipment management system, and more particularly, to an office equipment management system for centrally managing the stock amount of consumables in a copying machine or the like at one place. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, office equipment such as copiers, facsimile machines, and printers have been widely spread, and within a single company or organization, dedicated office equipment has been provided for each floor or each department in charge. It has been introduced and installed. These office equipment are functionally inevitable to consume paper, roll paper, toner, etc. of various sizes, and to ensure that they can be used at all times, the stock amount of consumables in each office equipment is conventionally Is managed by each department in charge, and this is managed and supplemented in a single section such as the general affairs department.

[0003]

However, in such a management and replenishment system, it is necessary to secure a large amount of consumables in a warehouse or the like at a time, so that a large dedicated space must be provided and more than necessary. In addition to the fact that the stock is often held, there is a disadvantage that the burden on the management department for consumables and the like also increases due to the expansion of the company size. In particular, consumables with deterioration in quality over time, for example, consumables such as toner, tend to deteriorate due to a longer stock period, i.e., a standby period, until use is started. In some cases, the original printing performance cannot be exhibited.

Recently, there has been proposed a system in which a plurality of copiers are connected to a single external management section through a communication line or the like, and the management section monitors the copier for failure or abnormality. . According to this, by incorporating a self-diagnosis function for a failure or the like in the copying machine, there is an advantage that information in the event of a failure can be immediately known to the management department and required maintenance can be performed.

However, in this system,
The management target is limited to failures, and it is not possible to smoothly manage the stock amount of consumables such as paper and toner accompanying the use of office equipment. In addition, comprehensive diagnosis or management including usage status of each office equipment at one place in the company, for example, cost management for each office equipment, and difference in consumption generated between each office equipment, etc. Not suitable for doing.

The present invention has been devised in view of the inconveniences of the prior art, and has as its object to concentrate the use of a plurality of office equipment in a single department in a concentrated and individual manner. it is possible to grasp, to monitor the consumable item consumption amount, and the like of and establish a system that can be refilled with minimal inventory, and conduct a comprehensive diagnosis, including cost management, and the like of each office equipment It is an object of the present invention to provide an office equipment management system capable of performing such operations.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention connects a single computer to a plurality of office equipment, and uses the computer to use each office equipment. In the office equipment management system provided so as to be able to manage the office equipment, the office equipment has at least a counter capable of counting the amount of consumption of consumables for each type, and output information and the like of the counter .
And a storage device capable of storing and updating the scheduled arrival date and time of the last order , wherein the computer device includes various files including a standard stock amount of consumables predetermined for each office equipment. And store the previous order
An arithmetic unit having a function of calculating the consumption amount of the office equipment by comparing the information given from the office equipment and the standard stock amount when the fixed date and time is equal to or greater than the date and time built in the computer. Display means capable of displaying the use status of each office equipment based on the output of the arithmetic unit.

[0008] The arithmetic unit may be configured so that the consumption of the consumables is standard.
Under the condition that the stock amount has been reached, the display means
The configuration of displaying a warning is preferably adopted.
You. In addition, a value larger than the standard inventory
Set in the calculation unit, and
The consumption reaches the area below the threshold
In addition, a configuration that displays an order notice is also adopted
Is done.

The present invention is also applicable to a plurality of office equipment.
To connect a single computer device, and use this computer device to
Office equipment management system that can manage the usage status of office equipment
In the stem, the office equipment is at least a consumable
A counter capable of counting consumption by type and this counter
Storage device capable of storing and updating the output information of the
An input device that reads an identification symbol that identifies the user of the instrument
The computer device is provided for each office equipment.
In response to this, various files including the standard inventory of consumables
File, and given from the office equipment
By comparing the information with the standard stock quantity,
It has a function to calculate the consumption of the container, and the accumulated consumption
An operation unit for calculating the cost of each office equipment based on the quantity,
The usage status of each office equipment is determined based on the output of this arithmetic unit.
Display means that can be displayed to the administrator of the management department,
It adopts the configuration described above.

Furthermore, before Ki演 calculation unit, the maintenance of each office equipment on the basis of the consumption end of parts or the like which is predicted in advance, the function of management, system management for generating abolition of the in the file master Configuration with functions
Is preferably employed.

[0011]

Each time the office equipment is used, the consumption of the consumable is counted sequentially by the counter, and the counter output is input to the storage device and accumulated in the storage device. In addition, the scheduled arrival date and time of the last order
Is forced. The count number stored in this storage device and the last
The scheduled arrival date and time for the order is given to the calculation unit of the computer device. In the calculation unit, the scheduled arrival date and time for the previous order
When the date and time of the computer
Compare the information provided and the standard inventory
Calculate the consumption of business equipment. That is, the last order
The consumption amount after the scheduled arrival date.
calculate. In the calculation unit, a predetermined standard stock amount, for example, an initial introduction number of consumables held by the office equipment and a necessary number of consumables to be stored for the office equipment are set. , The count number is subtracted from the sum of these. The calculation result in the calculation section is displayed on the display means connected thereto.

[0012] Further , the office equipment is provided with an input device.
In this case, a person who uses each office equipment can read the information with an input device by inserting a predetermined ID card or the like, and the read information is output to a counter. Also,
The paper size selected at the time of copying can also be identified by the input device. Therefore, the number of sheets used for each paper is captured by the counter, stored in the storage device based on the output of the counter, and the content is computed. Is displayed on the device side.

In a structure in which a warning is displayed when the amount of consumables falls below the standard stock amount, it is only necessary to place an order for consumables at the time when the warning display is made. In the configuration set as, when the stock amount is below the threshold value and equal to or larger than the standard stock amount, an order notice is displayed. Therefore, this is used as a reference for ordering consumables at a preliminary stage, and thus always ensuring a necessary stock quantity is further stabilized.

In the office equipment provided with a cost analysis function or the like in the arithmetic unit, the cost of each office equipment can be grasped by performing a predetermined operation based on the accumulated consumption, and the accumulated amount can be obtained. The consumption of various consumables such as toner can be predicted based on the counted number. For example, for a consumable such as toner, the end point of consumption can be predicted based on the correlation between the paper size used and the number of sheets, so a specific count number before reaching the end point of consumption is predetermined as a maintenance count number. In advance, the next toner can be ordered on condition that the maintenance count is exceeded, so that a copy-capable system can be continuously maintained. Furthermore, when a management function of the whole system including the master generation / revision is provided, the initial setting conditions in the arithmetic unit can be individually rewritten based on various information given to each office equipment. Highly accurate equipment management according to the characteristics of office equipment becomes possible.

[0015]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment in which the office equipment management system according to the present invention is applied to a plurality of copying machines. In this figure, each copying machine A is connected to a single computer device B via a cable. The copying machine A includes an input device 10 and a drive device 11
A counter 12 having these outputs as inputs, a storage device 14 having the outputs of the input device 10, the output device 11 and the counter 12 as inputs, and connected to the next stage of the storage device 14, And a communication device 15 for mutually accessing predetermined information with respect to the computer device B.

The input device 10 is provided in a slit for ID card provided in the copying machine A so as to be able to read an identification symbol when each user's ID card is inserted, and to select a sheet selected at the time of copying. The size, the number of copies, and the like can be set. This input device 10
Includes a copy start switch (not shown). When the copy start switch is turned on, the read identification symbol, the sheet size, and the number of copies are loaded into the counter, thereby canceling the setting after the setting. The number of copies and the like in the case where the copying is performed is not counted. Also, machine number ID symbol input device 10 to the storage device 1 4, in addition to such installation position, date, while capable of setting the initial value of the time such as various contents stored in the storage device 1 4 Can be confirmed on a liquid crystal display unit or the like (not shown) of the input device 10.

The drive unit 11 drives each drive system on condition that the copy start switch of the copying machine A is turned on. The number of times or time of the drive unit 11 is taken into the counter 12. While the information is stored in the storage device 14, trouble information such as a failure in the drive device 11 can be directly output to the storage device 14, and the location of the failure or the like is displayed on the input device 10 via the storage device 14. It is possible.

The counter 12 counts the read identification symbol, the number of copies for each selected paper size, the number of times the drive device 11 is driven, and the like. The output of the counter 12 is stored in the storage device 14. . On this occasion,
It is preferable that the data management area capacity of the storage device 14 be a capacity that can withstand a period of at least about one month in a standard case. When the data area management in the storage device 14 exceeds a certain amount, besides a method of forcibly overwriting data in chronological order and updating the data, a predetermined clear button of the input device 10 is used. Or a method of clearing by a command from the computer device B.

In each copying machine A, various information stored and held in the storage device 14 is provided to the computer device B via the communication device 15. In the present embodiment, the communication device 15 is configured by an interface, and thereby a network of the entire system is configured.
When the computer device B is installed at a separate location that is geographically distant, connection with each copying machine A can be made using a telephone line. In this case, it is sufficient to use a modem as the communication device 15.

The computer device B includes a communication device 20 including an interface and an input / output unit 21 connected to the communication device 20. The input / output unit 21 is connected to a calculation unit 22 for executing various calculations based on information given from each copying machine A. As shown in FIGS. Display 2 as display means for displaying current information and the like of each office equipment A
3 are connected.

The input / output unit 21 has a function of inputting information for executing various processes in the arithmetic unit 22, and also reads contents stored in the storage device 14 of the copying machine A and reads it. And a function of outputting a signal to be stored in the memory. The input / output unit 21 includes a printer for printing the current information of each copying machine A on a document.

In the present embodiment, the arithmetic section 22 stores various files for managing each copying machine A. The arithmetic unit 22 stores the standard stock amount corresponding to each copying machine A, the order point for each sheet, the replenishment amount, the date and time of arrival of the last order, the date and time of arrival of the current order, and the like. It is provided with various files for storing a maintenance count number and the like necessary for the maintenance corresponding to each component in the apparatus. Also, in the file of the arithmetic unit 22, initial setting values such as the standard stock amount are provisionally set, but individual characteristics based on information provided from the copying machine A, for example, a relatively frequently used paper A new master file can be generated, revised, or abolished by rewriting the initial setting value according to the size, time zone, and the like. The current use state of each copying machine A is displayed as a matrix on the display 23 or printed by the printer of the input / output unit 21 as shown in FIGS. Further, the paper consumption management in the present embodiment is to collectively carry out the stock in the paper feeder of each copying machine A and the storage stock of the paper prepared in the vicinity thereof, and the entire organization. It is inferior to inventory management of paper prepared for the purpose.

Next, the operation of the system in this embodiment will be described.

It is assumed that information such as date and time is set in each copying machine A in advance. Here, at the beginning of the system startup, the standard stock amount, order point, replenishment amount, and the like are temporarily set in the calculation unit 22 of the computer device B for each paper size of each copying machine A.

Here, by activating the system and printing by the display 23 or the input / output unit 21, the current situation of each copying machine A can be confirmed in a matrix as shown in FIGS. At this time, the identification of each copying machine A is specified in the device ID column.

Now, the state of the specific copying machine A read from the storage device 14 by the read signal from the input / output unit 21 in the computer device B indicates the standard stock amount "400" and the consumption amount " 200 ", order point" 100 ",
It is assumed that the replenishment amount is displayed on the display 23 as "500" (see FIG. 2). Thereafter, when 100 sheets of A4 size paper are consumed in the copying machine A, the consumption amount calculated by the calculation unit 22 is “300”.
Becomes At this time, the number of sheets obtained by subtracting the consumption amount "300" from the standard stock amount "400" becomes "100", which is exactly the order point "100". At this time, a predetermined display for ordering is displayed in the warning column, and the administrator orders A4 size paper corresponding to the number of sheets indicated in the replenishment amount. Then, when it arrives, the corresponding number of sheets are set around the copying machine A. At the time of ordering, the administrator manually inputs the scheduled arrival date and the approximate time in the “arrival date and time for the current order” field. Then, it is considered that the replenishment amount is received by inputting OK in the “order confirmation” column, and the data of “arrival date and time for the current order” is copied or overwritten in the “date and time of arrival for the last order”, The “arrival date for order” column is cleared. Then, each time the system is operated, the “last order arrival date and time” is compared with the date and time in the computer device, and when “last order arrival date and time” = <“computer internal date and time” , Last time
At the date and time past the scheduled arrival date and time for the order, "replenishment amount"-"consumption"
"Consumption" is calculated, and "consumption" is updated with the calculated value. In addition,
As a condition for displaying the warning, a threshold value serving as a preliminary order point is set in advance before the order point, and when the value falls below the threshold value, an order advance notice display including a different mark is adopted. Is also good.

The above operation is performed for each copying machine A and each sheet size.

The replacement or maintenance of other consumables in the copying machine A, such as toner, drums, etc., is described in FIG.
Is displayed on the display 23 or printed by the input / output unit 21 in the mode shown in FIG. As is generally known,
For example, in A4 size paper, the standard copy amount is “3000” sheets, and the B5 size standard copy amount is “5”.
For example, the end point of consumption per toner such as “000” sheets can be determined to some extent. Therefore, when simply copying “3000” sheets of A4 size paper, the count number before the total copy number of A4 size becomes “3000” is set to “standard maintenance count number”. As a result, a warning is displayed on condition that the set value is exceeded. In consideration of the actual copying mode, it is almost impossible to use only the same paper size. Therefore, a standard is set with the count number per A4 size sheet being “1”. For, the problem of accuracy can be avoided by using the value multiplied by an appropriate constant for A4 conversion as the count number. In the maintenance and management of consumable parts, setting a value lower than the "standard maintenance count" as the threshold value allows the display in the "notice" column to be made on condition that the threshold value is exceeded. Done. In addition, the last maintenance date shows the date when the last maintenance was actually performed, and the count number shows the cumulative value of the actual maintenance, while the next maintenance scheduled date shows the next maintenance date. The scheduled maintenance execution cost is set and input, and the manufacturer is instructed. When the maintenance is confirmed, the data is replaced with the previous maintenance date column. As the next scheduled maintenance count, the scheduled maintenance count may be input in advance, and after confirming the maintenance, correct data may be confirmed and replaced with the previous maintenance count column.

Therefore, according to such an embodiment, the amount of paper consumed for each copying machine A is stored in the apparatus A, and the stored contents can be captured by the computer apparatus B. Since the configuration is adopted, there is an effect that a single management section can always manage the stock amount of paper, and the stock cost of only the necessary amount can be ensured to greatly reduce the stock cost. In addition, in this management, the characteristics of each copying machine A, for example, the number of times of use by each user, that only a specific paper size is greatly consumed, or that the time used is concentrated in the evening. And the like can be grasped, and can be used as a reference for setting the arrival date and time, and inconveniences such as delay in arrival of paper can be avoided.

Further, the actual use results of all the devices can be grasped numerically as costs, and can be set as a management target in a subject such as “copy cost”.

Further, since all the devices can be centrally managed on the network, the administrator role of the company or the entire organization can be established with a very small number of people. According to this, it is possible to control the use balance between departments and devices in a company, and to consider sharing with other substitute devices, thereby obtaining the effect of contributing to keeping the life of the device long as a whole.

Further, when toner, particularly cartridge type toner or the like is used as a maintenance target part, the inventory period of parts that are relatively expensive in terms of cost and that are likely to deteriorate with time can be set short. Not only the inventory cost can be reduced, but also the copying or printing accuracy can be ensured well.

It should be noted that the system of the present invention
In addition, the present invention can be similarly applied to a printer, a facsimile, another printing machine, and the like. For example, if the management target is a roll paper type facsimile, the feed roll is equipped with an encoder or the like capable of counting the roll feeding amount, and the computer device B is set with a count number corresponding to the total roll length. By doing so, the remaining length of the roll paper can be specified by these subtraction processes. Further, in the case of a single-sheet plain paper type facsimile which has recently become popular, a configuration similar to that of the above embodiment can be applied.

Further, even when the copying machine A is a color copying machine, the number of subjects to be managed by the copying machine A and the computer B can be easily dealt with only by slightly changing the number of subjects to be managed. Inventory management is also possible.

In the embodiment, the copier A has been described as a unit to be managed. However, in the present invention, it is needless to say that the copier A and other office equipment are managed in a mixed state. It is possible.

Further, the configurations of the copying machine A and the computer device B in the present invention are not limited to the block configuration example of FIG. 1, but various configurations are possible as long as equivalent input / output functions and arithmetic functions can be achieved. Design changes are possible. For example, at the warning or order notice stage, a configuration or the like that notifies the outside with audio or the like instead of the display can be adopted, whereby it is possible to reliably avoid the neglected troubles such as omission of order by the manager.

[0038]

Since the present invention is constructed and operates as described above, according to the present invention, the use situation of a plurality of office equipment can be intensively and individually grasped by a single department. It is possible to monitor the consumption of consumables, etc., one by one, establish a system that can be replenished with minimum inventory, and perform comprehensive diagnosis including cost management of each office equipment, etc. It is possible to provide an office equipment management system exhibiting an unprecedented superior effect.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a copier management system.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of display contents on a computer device.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating another example of display contents on a computer device.

[Description of Signs] A Copy machine as office equipment B Computer unit 21 Input / output unit constituting display means 23 Display constituting display means

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Fields surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁶ , DB name) B41J 29/38 B41J 29/20 B41J 29/42 G03G 21/00 388 G06F 19/00

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] In an office equipment management system, a single computer device is connected to a plurality of office equipment, and the computer device is provided so as to manage the use status of each office equipment. The computer device comprises at least a counter capable of counting the amount of consumption of consumables for each type, and a storage device capable of storing and updating output information of the counter and the scheduled arrival date and time of the last order. stores various files containing standard inventory of consumables predetermined corresponding to each office equipment, and the last ordering partial stock pre
An arithmetic unit having a function of calculating the consumption amount of the office equipment by comparing the information given from the office equipment and the standard stock amount when the fixed date and time is equal to or greater than the date and time built in the computer. And a display means for displaying the usage status of each office equipment based on the output of the arithmetic unit. 2. The computing unit according to claim 1 , wherein the consumption of the consumable supplies is a standard.
The above-mentioned display means, provided that the amount has reached the semi-stock amount or less.
2. The office equipment management system according to claim 1 , wherein a warning is displayed on the device. 3. A threshold value larger than the standard stock amount is set as a threshold value.
And the standard stock quantity
If the consumption amount reaches the area that is not less than the threshold
When an order is placed, an advance notice is displayed.
An office equipment management system according to claim 1. 4. A single computer for a plurality of office equipment
Connect the equipment and use this computer to
Office equipment management system that can manage the situation
The office equipment at least classifies consumption of consumables.
A counter that can count each time, and output information of this counter
A storage device that can be updated and a user of the office equipment
And an input device for reading an identification symbol to be specified.
The computer device is preset in correspondence with each office equipment.
Stores various files including standard stock of consumables
Information provided by the office equipment and the mark
By comparing with the semi-stock amount, the consumption of the office equipment can be reduced.
It has a function to calculate, based on this accumulated consumption
A calculation unit for calculating the cost of each office equipment;
Based on the output, the usage status of each office equipment is managed by the management department.
Displayable to the administrator And display means.
Characteristic office equipment management system. Wherein said operation unit, the maintenance of each office equipment on the basis of the consumption end of such parts to be predicted pre Me like, a function of managing, system management functions for generating abolition of the master in the file The office equipment management system according to claim 4, comprising: