JP5449956B2 - Printer - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink cartridge that supplies ink to an inkjet printer and a printer.

  Inkjet printers employ an ink supply source that is independent of the inkjet head and supplies ink via a tube from the ink supply source in order to meet the demands of mass printing, widening, and high speed. As an example, an ink bag may be used.

  As an example of the ink jet printer configured as described above, an ink bag is housed in a hard case to form an ink cartridge, and an ink supply port provided at one end of the ink bag is connected to a tube, and the ink is supplied via the tube. Is introduced to the ink jet head, and the ink is supplied to the ink jet head. Furthermore, a sub tank may be provided between the ink cartridge and the ink jet head so that the supply of ink to the ink jet head does not stop immediately even when the ink in the ink bag is exhausted.

  When such an ink supply mode is configured, the degree of freedom in the layout of the ink cartridge in the ink jet printer is increased, and the capacity of the ink cartridge can be easily increased in response to the demand for mass printing, widening, and high speed on the ink jet printer. . As a result, the size and length of the ink bag are increased.

  On the other hand, lower running costs are more important than ever for inkjet printers, and it is necessary to review the ink supply mode. As a means for realizing a low running cost, there is a method of reusing a part of the structure of the ink cartridge as disclosed in JP-A-2002-347257.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2002-347257

  When the ink bag of the ink cartridge is used as a storage container, the shape of the ink bag is changed according to the remaining amount of ink, and the flexibility to keep the internal pressure within a certain range is required. On the other hand, as the size and length of the ink bag increase, the ink mass held by the ink bag increases, and the ink bag material is required to have sufficient strength not to cause ink leakage at the junction, drop, or impact around the ink bag. Are required to have conflicting characteristics. In the conventional ink bag with an ink capacity of several hundred to 1,000 cc, coexistence of the above two characteristics has not been a difficult problem, but commercialization with an ink bag has become difficult when aiming for a further increase in capacity. It was.

  In addition, when the ink container is a non-flexible container such as a bottle, a capacity exceeding several thousand cc is possible. However, ink scattering and dripping occur more frequently than when an ink bag is used. It is assumed that the ink information read / write unit of the printer often fails or breaks when the information holding component is integrated.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to reduce the cost of an ink cartridge while simultaneously achieving a large capacity of an ink container and appropriately reading and writing an ink information holding component.

In order to achieve the above object, a printer according to the present invention includes an ink container that stores ink to be supplied to the printer, and holds information on at least the ink type and the ink capacity of the ink and is connected to the printer. An ink container mounting portion for detachably attaching the ink container, and the ink information, wherein the ink container has a structure separate from the ink container and the ink information holding component. An ink information holding component reading unit for detachably attaching the holding component, an ink remaining amount detecting unit for detecting a remaining capacity of the ink stored in the ink container attached to the ink container mounting unit, and the ink information holding component Corresponding to the ink type and the ink type held in the ink information holding component read by the reading unit Using a nonvolatile memory which stores a serial ink capacity and the ink amount of available of the printer based on the ink amount corresponding to the ink kind that is used is calculated by the printer in response to each of the ink types A possible ink amount storage memory, an ink usage amount calculation unit for calculating the ink usage amount for each of the ink types used by the printer, and when the printer is used, the ink usage amount calculation unit calculates the amount of the ink for each of the ink type which is, subtracted from the amount of ink available in the printer said that are usable ink amount storage memory in the memory corresponding to the ink type, the calculation result a control to again stored as the ink amount available of the corresponding ink type of the usable ink amount storage memory Wherein when the ink information holding part is attached to the ink information holding part reader acquires the ink capacity and the ink type from said ink information holding part that is attached to the ink information holding part reader, the obtained The ink amount stored in the usable ink amount storage memory corresponding to the ink type is acquired, the acquired ink capacity is added to the acquired ink amount , and the calculation result is used. A control for newly storing the usable ink amount corresponding to the ink type in the ink amount storage memory, the ink information holding component is attached to the ink information holding component reading unit, and the ink information holding component is attached to the printer. The information of the ink information holding component when the stored ink type and the ink capacity are acquired Control for storing a flag indicating used in a portion where the ink is held or destroying a portion where the information of the ink information holding component is held, and the ink detected by the ink remaining amount detection unit When either the remaining capacity or the ink amount stored in the usable ink amount storage memory is an ink end, the printing operation is stopped, and the remaining capacity or the usage detected by the ink remaining amount detection unit Control means for enabling a printing operation when both of the ink amounts stored in the possible ink amount storage memory are not ink ends, and the ink information holding component includes As information, a plurality of ink types and the ink capacities corresponding to the ink types are stored.

  By providing the ink cartridge having the structure of the present invention, it is possible to provide a low-cost ink cartridge that achieves both an increase in capacity of the ink cartridge and a reduction in failure and breakage of the ink information read / write unit of the printer.

1 is a schematic diagram of a printer using the present embodiment. 1 is a functional block diagram of a printer using this embodiment. This embodiment of the ink information acquisition procedure via the network environment is shown. An embodiment of an ink cartridge configuration in which different color inks are combined is shown. An embodiment of an ink cartridge configuration in which a plurality of inks of the same color are combined is shown.

[Outline of the embodiment]
Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described. The ink cartridge is composed of an ink container of a bottle containing ink, and an ink information holding component that stores the type, color, and capacity of the ink. The ink container and the ink information holding component are separate and independent components, and the type, color, and capacity of the ink are displayed on each appearance. The ink container can be attached to the ink container attachment portion of the printer, and the ink suction portion of the printer is inserted into the ink container with the lid open, and the physical ink can be supplied. On the other hand, a pair of ink information holding parts is inserted into an ink information reading unit different from the ink container mounting part of the printer, and the information held by the ink information holding parts is stored in a storage area such as a nonvolatile memory of the printer. . Here, the nonvolatile memory is not limited to an IC such as an EEPROM or a flash memory, but also includes a magnetic disk device, an optical disk device, and the like. The information held by the ink information holding component is stored in a storage area such as a non-volatile memory of the printer. At the same time, the ink information holding component is written with a used flag by the printer, is written with meaningless random data, or ink The information holding component itself or the electronic component on the ink information holding component is made non-reusable by a method such as electrical or mechanical destruction. The printer checks the ink type, color, and ink volume obtained from the ink information holding component. If the value is appropriate, the ink volume is added to the original value in the storage area, and the amount of ink that can be used by the printer Update the upper limit of.

  The procedure for attaching the new ink container to the printer and the procedure for causing the printer to read and write the paired ink information holding component may be performed in the reverse order. Furthermore, even if the ink container being used is attached to the printer, the ink container of the new ink cartridge is not attached to the printer. Ink information holding parts can be used independently of the replacement timing. The printer reduces the ink capacity stored in a storage area such as a non-volatile memory in accordance with the ink discharge amount and the ink discharge amount, and notifies the near end or the ink end when a predetermined ink capacity is reached. Further, when the ink end is reached, even if an ink container in which ink is physically left is attached to the printer, the output operation is stopped and the printer is disabled. When the above state is reached, the ink capacity on the storage area of the printer is added by the new ink information holding component, so that the ink end state is canceled and the ink capacity becomes usable again.

  As another embodiment, it is possible to combine a plurality of ink containers using a maximum capacity ink bag that can function and balance the cost of one ink cartridge and one ink information holding component. In the prior art, the number of ink information holding parts is required by the number of ink containers, but in the present invention, the number of ink containers to be combined is not limited as long as it is within the maximum ink capacity that can be stored in the ink information holding parts. Therefore, even if the ink capacity of the ink cartridge is increased, the necessary ink information holding component is configured as one, so that the cost of the ink cartridge can be reduced.

  As another embodiment, when one ink cartridge is composed of a plurality of ink containers and one ink information holding component, the ink in the plurality of ink containers can be set to different ink types or colors. It is. For example, a configuration is possible in which the ink cartridge is positioned as an ink cartridge for initial filling when the printer is installed, and a combination of all ink combinations necessary for the printer is set. In this embodiment, if the ink information holding component can store a plurality of ink types, colors, and capacities, one ink information holding component is sufficient for the ink required for the printer.

  On the other hand, the ink information holding component is often composed of a substrate on which electronic components are mounted in the prior art. Therefore, it is necessary to make mechanical contact for reading and writing the held information. You may comprise by a system etc. In addition, the reading / writing unit for the ink information holding component is provided in the printer, but can also be realized via a PC or the like connected to the printer. It is also possible to connect the printer to a network environment and add the ink capacity to the printer over the network without having a physical ink information holding component.

[Details of the embodiment]
FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a printer that can use an ink cartridge to which the present invention is applied. The printer 1 includes an ink container mounting unit 2 and an ink information holding component reading unit 3. The ink container 4 can be mounted on the ink container mounting unit 2, and the ink information holding component 5 can be mounted on the ink information holding component reading unit 3. . The ink cartridge as a consumable is composed of the ink container 4 and the ink information holding component 5. In order to use the ink in the ink container 4, it is necessary to read the information of the ink information holding component 5 into the printer 1 in advance. is there. However, the order in which the ink container 4 is attached to the ink container attachment part 2 and the order in which the ink information holding part 5 is read and written by the ink information holding part reading part 3 may be either. Further, the ink container 4 includes an ink bag, an ink bag storage case, and an ink remaining amount detection component (not shown) so that the ink container 4 is not attached to the wrong ink container mounting portion 2 in the ink bag storage case. An erroneous insertion prevention structure may be added.

  Further, as another form, a mounting unit having a mounting part for inserting and fixing the ink information holding component 5 in the ink container 4 is provided. Further, the ink information holding component reading unit 3 is installed at a position where the ink information holding component 5 can be read by the ink information holding component reading unit 3 when the ink container 4 is inserted into the ink container mounting unit 2. Also good.

  FIG. 2 is an example of a block diagram of a printer and ink information holding component using the present invention. The printer 1 includes a printer control unit 6 that controls each control component including a print head, a sensor, an actuator, and a controller (not shown). The printer control unit 6 has a memory inside, and controls the entire printer 1 according to a program stored in the memo. The operation panel 7 can receive instructions from the operator, display the status of the printer 1 and a warning, and can also display the near end and the ink end according to the remaining amount of ink. The drawing memory 8 holds ink ejection data of a print head (not shown), and is used for calculating the ink usage amount in the present invention.

  The operation panel 7 may be built in the printer 1 or a separate device. Further, only the display unit of the operation panel 7 may be provided separately.

  The physical ink remaining amount detection unit 9 has a function of detecting the remaining amount of ink stored in the printer 1, and transmits a near end or an ink end to the printer control unit 6 when the ink remaining amount reaches a predetermined amount. To do. At this time, the printer control unit 6 stops the notification to the operator and the printing operation by the operation panel 7. The ink use amount calculation unit 10 controls the printer to control the near end or ink end when the ink use amount of each slot stored in the usable ink amount storage memory 11 increases or decreases and the remaining ink amount reaches a predetermined amount. It has a function to transmit to the unit 6. The ink use amount calculation unit 10 monitors and counts the number of dots ejected from a print head (not shown), the amount of ink discharged by a cleaning operation, and the like, and according to the use amount calculated based on the count value The usable ink amount storage memory 11 is reduced according to the ink capacity data held by the ink information holding component 15 read by means described later, while the usable ink amount on the usable ink amount storage memory 11 is reduced. Increase the amount of usable ink above.

  The usable ink amount storage memory 11 holds the ink remaining amount that can be used by the printer 1 for each slot, such as ink color and type, and the held value is increased or decreased by the ink usage amount calculation unit 10. .

  For example, since different types of inks with different solvents can be attached to the printer 1 or the color arrangement can be changed, one type of ink from the ink container to the print head is ejected. The minimum unit is called a slot. Further, the number of slots of the usable ink amount storage memory 11 may be set larger than the number of physical slots of the printer 1. For example, the number of slots of the usable ink amount storage memory 11 may be set to the physical slot in order to properly use a plurality of ink types. This can be realized by setting an integer multiple of 2 or more of the number.

  The I / F unit 12 verifies data related to ink received from the outside of the printer 1 and relays it to the printer control unit 6. Data relating to ink received by the I / F unit 12 from the ink information holding component reading unit 13 and the network IF 14 is basically encrypted, and is combined before the data is relayed to the printer control unit 6. Conversely, the data related to ink received by the I / F unit 12 from the printer control unit 6 is encrypted before being relayed to the ink information holding component reading unit 13 or the network IF 14. The ink information holding component reading unit 13 has a function of receiving data related to ink of the ink information holding component 15 from the outside of the printer 1. The structure of the ink information holding component reading unit 13 is technically easy in terms of the structure with physical contact using electrodes, but it is non-radioactive for preventing the convenience of the operator and failure of the contact unit. The contact method is preferred.

  The network IF 14 has a function of communicating ink information from the network via the printer 1 and the PC 17. In the figure, the network IF 14 is limited to a function for handling ink information, but it is desirable to include a function for receiving drawing data from the PC 17.

  The ink information holding component 15 is a part of an ink cartridge (not shown), and has data corresponding to ink stored in an ink container that is a remaining component of the ink cartridge. The memory 16 is on the ink information holding component 15 and has data relating to ink. In the figure, the memory 16 is described as holding only one type of ink data, but it is also possible to hold data corresponding to a plurality of types of ink. The memory 16 stores the ink type, color, ink capacity, serial number. It holds various data such as expiration date.

  The PC 17 has a function of relaying the network environment with the printer 1, but preferably has a function of sending drawing data to the printer 1. The authentication / encryption server 18 has a function of transferring ink information to the printer 1 via a network environment. Since the network environment uses a third-party network such as the Internet, data is transmitted after being encrypted in order to maintain security. The ink information issuing server 19 has a function of issuing data equivalent to the ink data held by the ink information holding component 15 to the printer 1.

  The operation of the printer 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The printer 1 is in a state in which a printing operation is possible unless the ink end is detected in the physical ink remaining amount detection unit 9 and the usable ink amount storage memory 11. When the physical ink remaining amount detection unit 9 and the usable ink amount storage memory 11 are in a near-end state, the operator is notified via the operation panel 7 or the like, but the operation of the printer 1 is possible.

  When reflecting the ink information on the ink information holding component 15 to the printer 1, the operator operates the operation panel 7 to prepare the printer 1 to read the ink information holding component. After the printer 1 is ready for reading, the operator attaches the ink information holding component 15 to the ink information holding component reading unit 13. The printer control unit 6 reads the encrypted ink data on the ink information holding component 15 from the ink information holding component reading unit 13, confirms the validity of the data at the I / F unit 12, and temporarily controls the printer. The decrypted data is taken into the unit 6.

  Next, the printer control unit 6 confirms the ink capacity that can be added to the usable ink amount storage memory 11 via the ink usage amount calculation unit 10 and confirms whether the temporarily captured ink capacity can be added. The confirmation of the ink capacity that can be added means that the usable ink amount that can be stored in the usable ink amount storage memory 11 has an upper limit value, so that the usable ink amount after addition does not exceed the preset upper limit value. Is to confirm. If the “temporarily loaded ink capacity” is equal to or less than the “addable ink capacity”, the processing necessary for adding the ink capacity is continued. If not, the operator is notified via the operation panel 7. Notify as an error.

  Next, the printer control unit 6 puts the ink information holding component 15 into a non-reusable state via the I / F unit 12 and the ink information holding component reading unit 13. As a means for making the ink information holding component 15 non-reusable, there is a method of writing meaningless random data in the memory 16. An electronic component that can be written only once is mounted on the ink information holding component 15. Alternatively, a method of writing a used status on the electronic component may be used. The printer control unit 6 accesses the ink information holding component 15 again and confirms that the ink information holding component 15 is in a non-reusable state. Then, the printer control unit 6 uses the decoded ink data temporarily fetched to the ink usage amount calculation unit. Send to 10. The ink use amount calculation unit 10 adds the usable ink amount to the appropriate slot of the usable ink amount storage memory 11 based on the sent ink data by the ink capacity value in the ink data. After the ink data of the ink information holding component 15 is reflected on the printer 1, it is not necessary to attach the ink information holding component 15 to the ink information holding component reading unit 13. Then, the ink information holding component 15 is removed.

  Furthermore, the operator can cause the printer 1 to read the ink information holding component 15 at an arbitrary timing even when the printer 1 is not in the near-end or ink-end state. The usable ink amount that can actually be stored on the usable ink amount storage memory 11 has a capacity several times larger than the ink capacity held by the ink information holding component 15. As long as the usable ink amount can be added, there is no restriction on the timing at which the ink information holding component 15 is read. Therefore, even if the operator is using the ink of the old ink cartridge, the operator can read the ink information holding component 15 of the new ink cartridge that has not been used in advance.

  As a specific example, the ink capacity set in the ink information holding component 15 is 1000 cc, and the upper limit of the usable ink amount per slot of the usable ink amount storage memory 11 is 5000 cc. When the usable ink amount in a slot of the usable ink amount storage memory 11 is 100 cc, when the first ink information holding component 15 is read, the usable ink amount on the slot is 1100 cc. If the second ink information holding component 15 is continuously read, the usable ink amount on the slot becomes 2100 cc. However, since the upper limit of the usable ink amount per slot has not reached 5000 cc, the ink is used thereafter. The information holding component 15 can be read.

  On the other hand, when the printer 1 is used, ink is ejected along with creation of an output product, or ink is discharged and consumed along with a cleaning operation. Whenever these ink consumption operations occur, the printer control unit 6 notifies the ink usage amount calculation unit 10 and performs an operation of reducing the usable ink amount in the usable ink amount storage memory 11. When the usable ink amount on the usable ink amount storage memory 11 reaches a predetermined value, the printer control unit 6 is notified of the near end or the ink end via the ink use amount calculation unit 10. In this way, by providing a mechanism for managing the usable ink amount while the usable ink amount on the usable ink amount storage memory 11 is repeatedly increased and decreased, a configuration in which the ink container of the ink cartridge and the ink information holding component are separated is established. To do.

  Further, the ink information holding component 15 can hold information of a plurality of inks with respect to one ink information holding component 15. That is, in the above example, a case has been described in which various types of information are held in addition to the ink capacity for one type of ink. However, even an ink cartridge in which a plurality of colors of ink are set has one ink information holding component 15. It is also possible to manage with. FIG. 4 shows an ink cartridge having the above configuration. For example, since it is necessary to fill each slot with ink simultaneously when the printer is installed, a configuration in which ink containers for all colors and one ink information holding component 15 are paired as dedicated ink cartridges at the time of installation. Therefore, the number of ink information holding parts 15 can be reduced and the cost of the ink cartridge can be reduced as compared with the configuration having the ink information holding parts 15 for each color.

  In addition, an ink cartridge in which one ink information holding component 15 and a plurality of ink containers of the same color are combined can be configured. Accordingly, since the number of ink information holding parts per the same ink capacity can be reduced, the cost of the ink cartridge can be reduced. Although the ink cartridge having the above-described configuration is shown in FIG. 5, the ink capacities of the plurality of ink containers are not necessarily the same. Although all the ink capacities can be the same, for example, it is possible to flexibly cope with an operation in which a small capacity ink container is attached to a specified number of ink cartridges for the purpose of sales promotion.

  In addition to the contact type structure, the ink information holding component 15 and the printer 1 can have a non-contact type structure such as wireless. Non-contact type improves contact reliability and handling of workers compared to contact type. Further, it is possible to realize a method in which the ink information holding component 15 itself is eliminated and the printer 1 acquires the ink information via the network environment. The network IF 14 on the printer 1 is connected to the network environment via the PC 17, and the printer 1 acquires the ink data held by the ink information holding component 15 by the authentication / encryption server 18 and the ink information issuing server 19. The ink information acquisition procedure via the network environment is shown in FIG. In FIG. 3, the authentication / encryption server 18 and the ink information issuing server 19 are simply expressed as servers without distinction.

  When acquiring ink information via a network environment, the worker performs work using dedicated software installed in advance on the PC. Of course, it is possible to directly exchange data between the printer and the server without relaying the dedicated software on the PC shown in FIG. However, the operability of the operation panel of the printer is often inferior to that of the PC, and it is preferable to use dedicated software on the PC in consideration of the convenience of the operator.

  The operator notifies the server of the ink information issuance request from the dedicated software on the PC, and the server notifies the dedicated software on the PC when the preparation for issuing the ink information is completed, and the dedicated software on the PC automatically notifies the printer. Serial No. Check the ink type that can be used. The dedicated software on the PC is connected to the serial number from the printer. After the user is notified of the usable ink type, the user ID is requested from the operator. The user ID is a unique ID assigned to each printer owner, and is used when maintaining printers or purchasing consumables such as ink cartridges.

  When the operator inputs the user ID from the dedicated software on the PC, the dedicated software on the PC sends the serial number of the printer to the server. The ink type that can be used and the user ID are notified. After confirming the validity of the notified data, the server checks the ink cartridge No. in the dedicated software on the PC. Prompt for Ink cartridge No. Is a unique number assigned to each ink cartridge, and is provided to identify the target ink cartridge in order to issue ink information.

  The operator selects the ink cartridge No. Enter the ink cartridge No. to the server. To be notified. The server notifies the notified ink cartridge No. Based on the above, in addition to checking the consistency with the usable ink types of the printer and the shipment results, the above ink cartridge No. Confirm that the ink information has not been issued. The ink cartridge No. notified by the server. After determining that there is no problem in issuing the ink information corresponding to the server, the server issues the ink information to the dedicated software on the PC, and the dedicated software on the PC notifies the printer of the ink information as it is. The printer temporarily holds the notified ink information, and notifies the server that the ink information has been received via dedicated software on the PC.

  Next, the server selects the corresponding ink cartridge No. Is changed to a ready-to-use status, and the ink information issued status is notified to the printer via dedicated software on the PC. After receiving the ink information issued status, the printer reflects the temporarily held ink information in the usable ink amount storage memory. The printer notifies the server of the ink information reflected status via dedicated software on the PC, and the server notifies the corresponding ink cartridge No. From ready to use status to used status.

  In the above procedure, all data between the printer and the dedicated software on the PC, and between the dedicated software on the PC and the server is encrypted, and there is a security problem even through a third party network environment. It does not occur.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printer 2 Printer ink container attachment part 3 Printer ink information holding component reading part 4 Ink container 5 Ink information holding part 6 Printer control part 7 Operation panel 8 Drawing memory 9 Physical ink residual quantity detection part 10 Ink usage calculation part 11 usable ink amount storage memory 12 I / F unit 13 ink information holding component reading unit 14 network IF
15 Ink information holding component 16 Memory 17 PC
18 Authentication / Encryption Server 19 Ink Information Issue Server

Claims (2)

An ink container containing ink to be supplied to a printer; and an ink information holding component that holds at least information on the ink type and ink capacity of the ink and is connected to the printer. A printer for connecting an ink cartridge that is a separate structure from the component,
An ink container attaching portion for detachably attaching the ink container;
An ink information holding component reading unit for detachably attaching the ink information holding component;
An ink remaining amount detecting unit for detecting a remaining capacity of the ink stored in the ink container attached to the ink container attaching unit;
Based on the ink type held by the ink information holding component read by the ink information holding component reading unit, the ink capacity corresponding to the ink type, and the ink amount corresponding to the ink type used by the printer. Usable ink amount storage memory, which is a non-volatile memory for storing the calculated usable ink amount of the printer for each ink type;
An ink usage calculation unit that calculates the usage of the ink for each of the ink types used by the printer ;
When the printer is used, the used amount of the ink for each of the ink type which is calculated by the ink usage calculating unit, that have been stored in the usable ink amount storage memory corresponding to the ink kind A control for subtracting the usable ink amount of the printer and storing the calculation result as the usable ink amount of the corresponding ink type in the usable ink amount storage memory; and the ink information holding component When attached to the ink information holding component reading unit, the ink type and the ink capacity are acquired from the ink information holding component attached to the ink information holding component reading unit, and the ink type corresponds to the acquired ink type wherein acquires the ink amount stored in the usable ink amount storage memory, before the amount of ink the acquired for It adds the acquired ink capacity, the calculation results and control to newly stored as the ink amount that can be used corresponding to the ink type of the usable ink amount storage memory, wherein the ink information holding part holding said ink information Used in the part where the information of the ink information holding part was held when the ink type and the ink capacity stored in the ink information holding part were acquired by the printer . Control for storing information of a flag indicating or destroying a portion of the ink information holding component where the information is held, and the remaining capacity or the usable ink amount storage memory detected by the ink remaining amount detection unit When any of the ink amounts stored in the ink is ink end, the printing operation is stopped and the ink remaining amount is stopped. If the ink amount stored in the remaining capacity or the available ink volume storage memory is detected by the detection unit is not both ink end, and control means for controlling the and to enable the printing operation,
Have
One of the ink information holding parts stores a plurality of the ink types and the ink capacity corresponding to the ink types as the information. The ink amount stored in the usable ink amount storage memory has a predetermined upper limit value, and the control unit obtains the ink obtained from the ink amount stored in the usable ink amount storage memory. adding capacity, if the result of the addition exceeds the upper limit, the usable amount of ink in the ink type storage memory be again stored as the ink amount that can be used the corresponding, further wherein Control that does not store information on a flag indicating used in a portion where the information of the ink information holding component is held nor destroy the portion of the ink information holding component where the information is held The printer according to claim 1.

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