JPH10123887A - Automatic certificate issuing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To automatically judge the exchange period of a toner cartridge and to urge a manager to exchange the toner cartridge by displaying that the exchange period of the toner cartridge has come with an exchange period display means, when the number of elapsed days stored in a management register storage means exceeds the service period of the toner cartridge. SOLUTION: An exchange history record and a management register are read out from a hard disk drive(HDD) 5 for storing various kinds of programs required for the operation of an automatic certificate issuing machine 1. The service life of toner and the greatest number of printable sheets are obtained from the exchange history record and the number of the elapsed days and a cumulative number of prints are obtained from the management register. Then, the obtained number of the elapsed days is compared with the service life of the toner. Consequently, when it is judged that the number of the elapsed days exceeds the service life of the toner, a toner cartridge exchange request message by the elapsing of the service life of the toner is displayed on a remote control panel 24. Thus, the fact that the exchange period of the toner cartridge has come is automatically displayed, so that a mistake by man can be prevented.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a local government, which applies for various certificates, such as a resident's card and a seal seal certificate, and displays a certificate required by a user on a screen without going through a window. By making a selection, a certificate is automatically created,
The present invention relates to an automatic certificate issuing machine, and more particularly, to a certificate automatic issuing machine capable of automatically determining a toner cartridge replacement time and displaying a message urging a manager to replace the toner cartridge.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, local governments such as city halls, ward offices, towns, and village offices have been equipped with automatic certificate issuing machines for automatically creating and issuing various certificates. The issuing machine can obtain various certificates by selecting necessary documents while looking at the display section and filling in money without filling in the necessary information etc. on the application form. Very useful when crowded.

[0003] Such an automatic certificate issuing machine generally incorporates a laser printer as a printing device. In these printing apparatuses, when printing is not possible due to running out of toner in the toner cartridge, the administrator is generally notified by a display or the like. However, when the use frequency of the printing apparatus is low, the expiration date may be exceeded even if the toner still remains in the toner cartridge. If the old toner is used, the print quality is degraded, so the toner cartridge needs to be replaced. In general, the toner guarantee period of a toner cartridge is about one year after opening. In the automatic certificate issuing machine, the use frequency of the apparatus itself is low, the printing portion is usually small, and there are cases where the toner remains beyond the warranty period of the toner.

[0004] Generally, the timing of replacing the toner cartridge of a printing apparatus is determined by observing the printing condition of a printed product. However, an automatic certificate issuing machine that automatically issues a certificate such as a resident's card is directly used by a user who needs each certificate, and each user brings back the created certificate. For this reason, in the conventional automatic certificate issuing machine, in order to determine when to replace the toner cartridge, the administrator should perform a print test as appropriate and check the printing status or record the date when the toner cartridge was replaced. It was done manually by using a management ledger.

[0005]

However, among the above-mentioned conventional management methods, in the method using the management ledger, there is a possibility that forgetting to enter the exchange record or forgetting the check may occur.
Alternatively, since the period after the replacement with a new toner cartridge is long, a human error is likely to occur due to a plurality of administrators using the management ledger, such as a change of the manager on the way. Further, the method of performing the print test is extremely complicated because not only wasteful use of paper and toner, but also manual labor is required. In addition, there were problems such as forgetting to check and individual differences in judgment of replacement time.

Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has been made without manual operation.
Remembers the date when the previous toner cartridge was replaced, automatically determines when to replace the toner cartridge,
It is an object of the present invention to provide an automatic certificate issuing machine capable of displaying a message for prompting an administrator to exchange the certificate.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an automatic certificate issuing machine for issuing a certificate via a printing device having a replaceable toner cartridge in response to a request from a user. In the automatic certificate issuing machine that provides printing, a replacement history storage unit that stores a replacement date when a toner cartridge is replaced, and a management ledger storage unit that stores the number of days elapsed from the replacement date stored in the replacement history storage unit. Replacement time display means for displaying that the toner cartridge should be replaced, the replacement time display means, when the number of days stored in the management ledger storage means exceeds the expiration date of the toner cartridge, The display indicates that it is time to replace the toner cartridge.

In the automatic certificate issuing machine according to the present invention, when the number of days elapsed after the replacement of the toner cartridge exceeds the toner life, a message indicating that the toner cartridge is about to be replaced is automatically displayed on the replacement time display means. , The human error by the administrator can be prevented, and the management of the printing device can be facilitated.

At this time, if the message is displayed on the host computer which is a higher-level device of the automatic certificate issuing machine, the host computer can know when to replace the toner cartridge.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an automatic certificate issuing machine for providing a certificate via a printing device equipped with a replaceable toner cartridge according to a user's request. A replacement history storing means for storing a replacement date when a toner cartridge is replaced, a use status storing means for storing a cumulative number of printed sheets from the replacement date stored in the replacement history storing means, and a fact that the toner cartridge should be replaced. Having a replacement time display means for displaying, wherein the replacement time display means is a time for replacing the toner cartridge when the number of prints stored in the use state storage means reaches a preset printable number. Is displayed.

In the automatic certificate issuing machine according to the present invention, when the cumulative number of prints after replacing the toner cartridge exceeds the number of printable sheets, a message indicating that the toner cartridge is about to be replaced is displayed on the replacement time display means. Since the information is automatically displayed, human error by the administrator can be prevented, and the management of the printing device can be facilitated.

[0012]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, an automatic certificate issuing machine according to the present invention will be described in detail based on an embodiment embodying the present invention with reference to the drawings. First, a schematic configuration of the automatic certificate issuing machine according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the automatic certificate issuing machine.

In FIG. 1, the front panel P of the main body 16 of the automatic certificate issuing machine 1 is provided with a magnetic tape on which various information such as a user ID identification code including a personal identification number of each user is recorded. A card insertion slot 18 for inserting an ID card is provided, and a card reader (not shown) as well-known data input means is provided behind the card insertion slot 18. The card slot 18
A user inputs desired information by directly touching a CRT display device 3 as a display unit on which operation methods, guidance, and the like are displayed, and a displayed portion on the CRT display device 3. A touch panel 4 is provided as a known selecting means that can perform the selection.

In the vicinity of the card slot 18, there is provided a call button 21 for calling a clerk in the event of trouble or the like. Below the call button 21, a person using a wheelchair automatically issues a certificate. An assist bar 26 is provided so as to be easily operated when using the machine 1.

Further, the main body 16 is positioned below the assist bar 26.
A part of the digging 27 is formed in a part of the digging so as to be easily accessible to a user of a wheelchair.
A shock absorbing sheet 28 for absorbing a shock when a part of the wheelchair collides is provided on the inner side surface of 7. The height and position of each operation unit of the automatic certificate issuing machine 1 are laid out so that even a wheelchair user can easily operate it.

On the front panel P, the touch panel 4
A coin insertion slot 19 and a bill insertion slot 20 for paying a fee are formed on the right side of the coin, and communicate with a coin mech and a bill barrier (not shown) as well-known money handling means, respectively. Below the coin insertion slot 19 and the bill insertion slot 20, a take-out port 14 for taking out change and receipt, and a certificate such as a resident card printed by a laser printer 9 (see FIG. 3) as a document issuing means. And a certificate discharge port 15 for discharging the document. Above the touch panel 4, there is provided an operation display 17 for displaying whether the automatic certificate issuing machine 1 is in a usable state or in an unusable state.

Next, a control system of the automatic certificate issuing machine 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control system of the automatic certificate issuing machine 1.

In FIG. 2, the automatic certificate issuing machine 1 is basically configured with a CPU 2 as a core.
The entire automatic certificate issuing machine 1 is controlled via the PU 2. The CPU 2 has a function setting menu for setting various functions of the automatic certificate issuing machine 1 and a C for displaying various information.
RT display device 3, touch panel 4 for making various selections, toner cartridge replacement time display program, toner cartridge replacement history record 51 (see FIG. 4), usage status record 52 (see FIG. 5), management ledger 53 (FIG. 6)
Hard disk drive (HD) for storing various programs necessary for the operation of the automatic certificate issuing machine 1.
D) 5, an utterance device 6 for explaining operation methods and the like by voice, a stamping machine 7 for stamping a document, a stapler 8 for binding an end of the document when there are a plurality of documents, and a document Printer 9, a card reader 10 for reading magnetic data of an ID card inserted from a card insertion slot 18, a journal printer 11 for printing a receipt, an internal clock 12 for measuring the current time, a certificate automatic issuance. A power timer 13 for controlling the power-on and power-off of the machine 1 and managing its operation time, and a call button 21 are connected respectively. Further, a remote operation panel 24 is connected to notify the person in charge of the local government that the operating status of the automatic certificate issuing machine 1 and the call button 21 have been pressed or that it is time to replace the toner cartridge. .

Further, a host computer 22 is connected to the CPU 2.
Is connected to a database 23 and a personal computer 25 as a terminal device. Here, the host computer 22 transmits the information from the database 23 in which data such as the family register and address of each resident corresponding to the various certificates input by the information provider via the personal computer 25 is stored in the communication device. Via the CPU 2.

Next, the operation of the automatic certificate issuing machine 1 configured as described above to determine the timing of replacing the toner cartridge will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 shows the number of days and the number of printed sheets since the replacement of the toner cartridge.
Display exchange message when next exchange time arrives,
9 is a flowchart of a toner cartridge replacement time display program. Here, the contents of the toner cartridge replacement history record 51, the usage status record 52, and the management ledger 53 stored in the HDD 5 will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the storage contents of the exchange history record 51. The replacement history record 51 stores the replacement date, which is the date when the toner cartridge was replaced most recently, the standard life of the toner in the currently used toner cartridge, and the maximum number of printable sheets of the currently used toner cartridge. . Next, FIG.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing storage contents of No. 2. Usage record 5
2 stores the current date and the number of prints for today. Next, FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the storage contents of the management ledger 53. The management ledger 53 stores the replacement date, which is the date when the toner cartridge was replaced most recently, the number of days elapsed since the replacement of the currently used toner cartridge, and the cumulative number of printed sheets of the currently used toner cartridge. Of the contents of the management ledger 53, the exchange date and the number of days elapsed are created from the contents of the exchange history record 51 and the current date, and the cumulative number of prints is obtained by accumulating the number of prints, which is the content, from the daily use record 52. It is created by going.
The storage and update processing of the exchange history record 51, the usage status record 52, and the management ledger 53 will be described later.

In FIG. 3, when the toner cartridge replacement time display program is started, first, in step (hereinafter abbreviated as S) 100, the replacement history record 51 and the management ledger 53 are read from the HDD 5, and the replacement history record is read. From 51, the toner life and maximum printable number
The elapsed days and the cumulative number of printed sheets are obtained from the management ledger 53.

Next, the elapsed days obtained in S100 and the toner life are compared (S101). As a result, when it is determined that the elapsed days have exceeded the toner life (S102: YE
(S), a message for requesting replacement of the toner cartridge due to the elapse of the toner life is displayed on the remote operation panel 24 (S).
103). At this time, the toner cartridge replacement request message may be displayed on the CRT display device 3 of the automatic certificate issuing machine 1 or on the host computer 22 side. Further, the configuration may be such that the toner cartridge replacement request message is output by voice on the automatic certificate issuing machine 1 side or the host computer 22 side. On the other hand, when it is determined that the elapsed days have not exceeded the toner life (S102: NO), the process proceeds to the next step.

Subsequently, the accumulated print number obtained in S100 is compared with the maximum printable number (S104). As a result, when it is determined that the accumulated number of prints exceeds the maximum printable number (S105: YES), a message for requesting replacement of the toner cartridge due to the excess of the number of prints is displayed on the remote operation panel 24 (S106). On the other hand, if it is determined that the accumulated number of printed sheets does not exceed the maximum number of printable sheets (S105: NO), the program ends.

Thus, by automatically judging the toner cartridge replacement time and displaying the toner cartridge replacement request message on the remote operation panel 24, it is possible to prevent human error due to manual management of the management ledger. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a decrease in print quality due to forgetting to replace the toner cartridge.

Next, the operation of updating the usage record each time the automatic certificate issuing machine 1 is used will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a usage record updating program for updating the date and the number of print sheets included in the usage record 52 each time the automatic certificate issuing machine 1 is used.

In FIG. 7, when a user requests the issuance of a certificate using the automatic certificate issuing machine 1, the program shown in FIG. 7 is started. First, according to the user's instructions,
The requested certificate is printed (S201). Each time printing is performed, the number of printed sheets is counted (S202). It is determined whether or not all printing at the request of the user has been completed (S20).
3). If it is determined that the printing has not been completed, such as when the next request has been input (S203: NO), the next printing is performed according to the user's request (S201). When it is determined that all printing has been completed, such as when all necessary certificates have been printed and issued, and the user inputs an end of the work (S203: YES), the process proceeds to the next operation.

Next, the usage record 52 is read out,
The stored date is compared with the current date (S20)
4). When it is determined that the date stored in the usage status record 52 and the current date are not the same (S205: Y
ES), since the contents of the usage status record 52 are for the previous day, all are cleared, the current date is written in the date column, and the number of printed sheets for today is set to 0 (S206).

Next, the number of prints counted in S202 is added to the number of prints stored in the number of prints column in the usage status record 52 (S207). Further, the calculated number of printed sheets is stored in the number of printed sheets column of the usage status record 52 (S208), and the process ends. This makes it possible to automatically and accurately grasp the number of printed sheets every day.

Next, the operation of updating the management ledger 53 each time a day's work is completed will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a management ledger update program that calculates and stores the number of days elapsed since toner cartridge replacement and the cumulative number of prints each time a day's work is completed.

In FIG. 8, first, when it is determined that one day's work has been completed by input from the administrator or the like (S
301: YES), this management ledger update program is started. If the job has not been completed (S301: N
O), end as it is. When activated, first, the elapsed days after replacement are calculated from the current date and the replacement date of the toner cartridge stored in the management ledger 53 (S30).
2). Further, the calculated number of elapsed days after the exchange is stored in the management ledger 5.
3 is stored in the elapsed days column (S303).

Subsequently, a new accumulated number of printed sheets is calculated by adding the number of printed sheets of the present day stored in the usage status record 52 to the accumulated number of printed sheets until yesterday stored in the management ledger 53 (S304). ). The calculated cumulative print number is stored in the cumulative print number column of the management ledger 53 (S
305), end. This makes it possible to automatically and accurately grasp the number of days elapsed since the toner cartridge replacement and the present and the cumulative number of printed sheets.

Next, the operation of updating the replacement history record 51 when the toner cartridge is replaced will be described with reference to FIG.
It will be described based on. FIG. 9 is a flowchart of an exchange history record update program that stores the life of the toner and the maximum number of printable sheets in the exchange history record 51 when the toner cartridge is replaced.

First, it is determined whether the toner cartridge has been replaced (S401). If the toner cartridge has not been replaced (S401: NO), the program ends. When it is determined that the toner cartridge has been replaced (S401: YES), first, the current date is obtained by the internal clock (S402). The date obtained in S402 is stored as the replacement date of the toner cartridge in the replacement history record 51 and the replacement date column of the management ledger 53 (S
403).

Next, it is determined whether or not the administrator inputs the life of the newly mounted toner cartridge (S404). At this time, the administrator selects whether or not to input the toner life according to the message displayed on the remote operation panel 24. When the toner life is not input (S404: NO), the toner life is stored in the toner life column of the replacement history record 51 with a default value stored in advance (S405). On the other hand, when the administrator inputs the toner life (S404: YES), the toner life is input using a key or the like (S406). The input toner life is stored in the toner life column of the replacement history record 51 (S407).

Further, it is determined whether or not the maximum number of printable sheets of the newly mounted toner cartridge is input by the administrator (S408). If the maximum printable number is not input (S408: NO), the default printout value is stored in the maximum printable number column of the exchange history record 51 (S409). On the other hand, when the administrator inputs the maximum printable number (S408: YES), the maximum printable number is input using a key or the like (S4).
10). The input maximum printable number is stored in the maximum printable number column of the exchange history record 51 (S411), and the process ends.

Thus, when the toner cartridge is replaced, the toner life and the maximum number of printable sheets of the newly installed toner cartridge can be accurately stored. In addition, by storing the toner life and the maximum number of printable sheets of the normally used toner cartridge as default values, the number of inputs by the administrator is small for normal replacement and management is easy.

As described in detail above, in the automatic certificate issuing machine 1 of the present embodiment, the replacement history record 51 stores the replacement date, the toner life, and the maximum number of printable sheets.
By storing the elapsed days and the accumulated number of printed sheets in the management ledger 53 according to the daily usage status, the toner cartridge replacement time is automatically determined and displayed, so that the management can be easily performed without manual operation. Further, it is possible to prevent the print quality from being lowered due to forgetting to replace the toner cartridge.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it is needless to say that various improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0040]

As described above, in the automatic certificate issuing machine according to the first aspect, when the number of days elapsed since the replacement of the toner cartridge exceeds the life of the toner, a message indicating that the toner cartridge is about to be replaced is exchanged. Since the time is automatically displayed on the time display means, human error by the administrator can be prevented, and management of the printing apparatus can be facilitated.

In the automatic certificate issuing machine according to the second aspect,
When the cumulative number of prints after replacing the toner cartridge exceeds the printable number, a message indicating that the toner cartridge is about to be replaced is automatically displayed on the replacement time display means. This makes it possible to easily manage the printing apparatus.

As described above, according to the present invention, the number of days and the number of printed sheets after the replacement of the toner cartridge are automatically calculated and stored. It is possible to provide an automatic certificate issuing machine capable of performing the above.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of an automatic certificate issuing machine.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control system of the automatic certificate issuing machine.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a toner cartridge replacement time display program.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing storage contents of an exchange history record.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing storage contents of a usage status record.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing storage contents of a management ledger.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a usage record update program.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a management ledger update program.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of an exchange history record update program.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Certificate Issuing Machine 51 Exchange History Record 52 Usage Record 53 Management Ledger

Claims (2)

[Claims] Claims 1. An automatic certificate issuing machine for providing a certificate via a printing device equipped with a replaceable toner cartridge at the request of a user, wherein the exchange date storing the replacement date of the toner cartridge is stored. History exchange means, management ledger storage means for storing the number of days elapsed since the exchange date stored in the exchange history storage means, and exchange time display means for displaying that the toner cartridge should be exchanged, An automatic certificate issuing machine, wherein the time display means displays, when the elapsed days stored in the management ledger storage means exceeds the expiration date of the toner cartridge, that it is time to replace the toner cartridge. 2. An automatic certificate issuing machine which prints and provides a certificate via a printing device equipped with a replaceable toner cartridge at the request of a user, wherein the exchange date storing the replacement date when the toner cartridge is replaced is stored. History storage means, usage status storage means for storing the cumulative number of printed sheets from the replacement date stored in the replacement history storage means, and replacement time display means for displaying that the toner cartridge should be replaced, A replacement time display means for displaying that it is time to replace the toner cartridge when the number of prints stored in the use status storage means reaches a preset printable number. Machine.