KR20160001051A - Ink-jet image forming apparatus capable of alarm massage - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an ink-jet image forming apparatus capable of creating an alarm message and, more specifically, relates to an ink-jet image forming apparatus capable of creating an alarm message, which can notify an ink shortage to a terminal of a manager with a message by detecting failure in the ink-jet image forming apparatus and/or a residual quantity of ink. The ink-jet image forming apparatus capable of creating an alarm message comprises: an ink-jet image forming apparatus transmitting an alarm signal with respect to residual quantity of ink; a manager terminal receiving an alarm message with respect to residual quantity of ink of the ink-jet image forming apparatus; a manager PC transmitting a message to the manager terminal; and at least one user PC.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to an ink-jet image forming apparatus,

The present invention relates to an ink-jet image forming apparatus capable of warning a character, and more particularly, to a character-alarmable ink-jet image forming apparatus capable of detecting a malfunction of an ink-jet image forming apparatus and / Forming apparatus.

2. Description of the Related Art In general, an ink-jet image forming apparatus is a device for forming characters or images by ejecting ink through an ink ejection head, and includes a printer as a computer peripheral, as well as a copying machine, a facsimile machine,

The inkjet image forming apparatus is supplied with ink from an ink container called an ink cartridge or an ink container or the like. The ink filled in the ink container is supplied to the ink jet head directly or through a predetermined ink supply path, and is ejected toward the paper in accordance with the print signal. Through this process, as the ink is consumed, the ink level in the ink container is lowered and reaches the lowest level. At this time, the ink should be refilled or replaced with a new ink container filled with ink.

To this end, the ink-jet image forming apparatus is provided with an ink level detecting device for detecting the ink level in the ink container, and an ink container mounting portion for detachably mounting the ink container to the main body and a cover for opening and closing the ink container mounting portion are provided. In addition, a cover opening / closing sensor is provided to notify the control unit of the main body that the cover is opened or closed to perform control and display in accordance with the open / closed state.

BACKGROUND ART As a conventional cover opening / closing sensor, a reflection type or transmission type photo sensor, a magnetic sensor, a contact type switch sensor and the like have been used. However, such a cover opening / closing sensor is provided in the ink container or the ink container mounting portion separately from the ink level detecting device and requires a separate internal connection structure, thereby causing a problem of inefficiency and cost increase in space utilization.

In order to solve the above problems, an inkjet image forming apparatus provided with various types of ink detection devices has been proposed. However, the inkjet image forming apparatus basically detects the ink remaining amount of the inkjet and displays a display attached to the main body of the inkjet image forming apparatus, Which is a device for emitting light.

However, in recent years, a user who is leasing rather than purchasing an expensive ink-jet image forming apparatus has become a mainstay. Therefore, after the user confirms the ink remaining amount, the time from when the user requests the ink replenishment to the leasing company, It takes a long time to use it, which is inconvenient to use.

Published Japanese Patent Application No. 10-2005-0064922 (published on June 29, 2005) Registered Patent Publication No. 10-0694149 (Registered on March 6, 2007)

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in order to solve the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an ink jet printer which can set the remaining ink level of one or more ink jet printers as a level and transmit character messages such as attention and ink replenishment Which is capable of alarming a character as a character on a portable terminal of a manager.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an inkjet image forming apparatus capable of detecting the remaining amount of ink in an inkjet image forming apparatus, And an inkjet image forming apparatus that can perform the same.

The present invention includes the following embodiments in order to achieve the above object.

A preferred embodiment of the character-alarmable ink-jet image forming apparatus according to the present invention is an ink-jet image forming apparatus for detecting the remaining amount of ink and transmitting an ink remaining amount alarm signal including a character for warning of the remaining amount of ink, An administrator terminal for receiving an ink remaining amount alarm character of the inkjet image forming apparatus; And a manager PC for receiving the ink remaining amount alarm signal as one selected from at least one PC connected to the inkjet image forming apparatus through an in-house network and transmitting a character to the management terminal; And at least one user PC connected to the inkjet image forming apparatus via an in-house network, wherein the management PC receives the ink remaining amount alarm signal from the ink jet image forming apparatus, And a character is selectively transmitted.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the inkjet image forming apparatus further comprises: an ink storage unit in which ink is stored; A printing unit for spraying the ink stored in the ink storage unit to advance the printing operation; And an alarm unit for sensing an ink remaining amount level of the ink storage unit and comparing an ink remaining amount level of the ink storage unit with the set ink level to transmit an ink remaining amount alarm signal to the management PC, wherein the alarm unit includes ink sensing means for sensing an ink remaining amount of the ink storage unit; Communication means for transmitting an ink remaining amount alarm signal to the management PC; A memory for storing a character and a command code set for each of the remaining ink levels; And an ink residual amount alarm character including a character set to the corresponding level and a command code, to the management PC when the level of the ink remaining amount detected by the ink detecting means is compared with the level reference stored in the memory And an ink control means for controlling the ink supply means.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the management PC may include a messenger driver that enables a text conversation with a user PC via the Internet and an intra-company network, and drives a messenger that transmits text to the administrator terminal using the Internet; And a management control unit for controlling the messenger driving unit to transmit a character to at least one of the administrator terminal and the user's PC when the remaining ink level alarm signal is received from the inkjet image forming apparatus, An alarm receiving module for receiving an ink remaining amount alarm signal from the forming device; And a character transmission module for transmitting an ink remaining amount alarm character to at least one of the user PC and the administrator terminal under the control of the management control unit according to a command code included in the remaining ink amount alarm signal received by the alarm receiving module desirable.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the ink-jet image forming apparatus further includes error detecting means for detecting whether or not the printing unit is faulty, wherein the memory stores a character and a command code for each fault item detected by the error detecting means And the ink detecting means compares the fault item detected by the error detecting means with the fault item set in the memory, and transmits a fault occurrence signal including a character and a command code to the management PC.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the command code is set for each failure item so as to transmit a character to at least one of the administrator terminal, the management terminal, and the user terminal.

A preferred embodiment of a control method of a character-alarmable ink-jet image forming apparatus according to the present invention comprises: an ink level sensing step of sensing a remaining ink level; An attention level determination step of determining whether the remaining ink level detected in the ink level sensing step corresponds to a set attention level; If it is determined that the ink level to be supplemented is equal to the attention level set at the level at which the ink to be supplemented is to be prepared before the remaining ink level is completely exhausted in the attention level determination step, Level information transmission step of transmitting level information for transmitting an ink remaining amount alarm signal including a command code set to transmit a character to the user's PC or the administrator terminal; A stop level determining step of determining whether a remaining ink level sensed after the attention level information transmission step corresponds to a stop level set to a level at which the print job should be stopped; A character transmitting step of transmitting, to the user PC and the administrator terminal, a character indicating that the remaining ink level is the stop level after the stop level determination step; And an off step of turning off after the character transmission step.

Another embodiment of the present invention is a method of detecting a failure of the inkjet image forming apparatus and detecting a malfunction of all the user PCs connected to the in-house network through the management PC, And a failure detection and alarm step of transmitting the requesting character.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the fault detection and warning step may include reading a command code and a character set for each item by checking a corresponding item in which a fault has occurred, and transmitting the read command code and character to the management PC, And a character transmission instruction word is selectively included in the administrator terminal.

It is not necessary for the user who uses the inkjet image forming apparatus leased from the leasing company to check whether or not the remaining amount of ink is separately and to receive appropriate service from the leasing company before the ink is completely discharged, There is no time for not using the inkjet image forming apparatus, and convenience of the user and management of the leasing company are easy.

Further, according to the present invention, when a malfunction occurs in an ink-jet image forming apparatus, a character is automatically transmitted to a portable terminal of a manager to notify that a malfunction has occurred, so that the malfunction can be repaired within a short time, So that the operation interruption time can be shortened.

1 is a block diagram showing the concept of a character-alarmable ink-jet image forming apparatus according to the present invention,
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a character-alarmable ink-jet image forming apparatus according to the present invention,
3 is a block diagram showing a management PC 20 in a character-alarmable inkjet image forming apparatus according to the present invention,
4 is a flowchart showing a control method of a character-alarmable ink-jet image forming apparatus according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a character-alarmable ink-jet image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a block diagram showing the concept of a character-alarmable ink-jet image forming apparatus according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, an ink-jet image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes an ink-jet image forming apparatus 10 connected via an in-house network, And a manager terminal 30 that receives a warning character regarding the remaining amount of ink from the manager PC 20, the user PC 40, and the management PC 20.

The inkjet image forming apparatus 10 is any one of an ink jet printing type printer 10, a copying machine, a facsimile, and a multifunction apparatus. The printer 10 will be described in detail. Hereinafter, the inkjet image forming apparatus will be collectively described as the printer 10.

The printer 10 senses the ink remaining amount by setting the ink remaining amount as one or more levels and transmits a character to the administrator terminal 30 through the management PC 20 when the detected ink level is at the set level And sends a level sensing signal to the management PC 20. Also, the printer 10 transmits a print failure message to the management PC 20 to the management PC 20 when a failure is detected.

That is, according to the present invention, when the ink-jet image forming apparatus 10 is short of ink, or when a failure occurs during the printing process, the ink-jet image forming apparatus 10 automatically transmits the ink to the management PC 20 and the manager terminal 30, It can be notified that it is in a failure state.

More preferably, the printer 10 sets an item that can not be solved by the user himself / herself and a self-resolvable item such as a paper jam, a head defect, or a cover damage, and sets different commands and characters for each set item The manager terminal 30, the management PC 20, and all the user PCs 40 connected to the in-house network.

The management PC 20 can receive the level detection signal of the printer 10 via a notebook computer, a desktop computer, or an in-house network. When the administrator terminal 30 is connected to the Internet and / or the public communication network, Any terminal capable of transmitting embedded characters is applicable. In addition, when the failure signal of the printer 10 is received, the management PC 20 selectively transmits a character to the user PC 40 in accordance with the command code set by the printer, Notify.

The administrator terminal 30 corresponds to a terminal of a manager who manages the printer 10 in the rental company and / or in the company. For example, the manager terminal 30 is a terminal capable of receiving characters transmitted from the management PC, and is capable of receiving any one of a desktop, a notebook, a smart phone, a mobile phone, a PDA, a PDP, a tablet PC, .

More preferably, the manager terminal 30 is set as a smart phone or a mobile phone for the mobility of the management staff of the rental company responsible for the user who uses the printer 10 by renting the printer 10.

Here, the management PC 20 is provided with a messenger capable of text conversation between users via an in-house network or the Internet, and transmits an ink remaining amount alarm character and a trouble occurrence character received from the printer 10 to the manager terminal 30 To the user PC 40 connected to the network.

For example, the management PC 20 registers the telephone number of the administrator terminal 30 in the messenger, and when the remaining ink level alarm signal including the remaining amount of ink of the printer 10 and the failure occurrence signal are received, So that the character is automatically transmitted through the network. The management PC 20 receives an ink remaining amount alarm signal and a failure occurrence signal of the printer 10 and informs the user PC 40 connected via an in-house network of an ink shortage and failure of the printer 10 Send the message automatically.

When the administrator terminal 30 receives the detection signal of the management PC 20 and outputs the detection signal to the display 24 as a character, the manager of the rental company confirms the character, visits the user, replenishes the ink, To repair it.

In the present invention, the user 10 rents an inkjet image forming apparatus such as a printer from a leasing company, and does not manage the printer 10 separately, 10) can be checked, so that both the user and the leasing company can easily manage the ink-jet image forming apparatus.

The configuration of the present invention as described above will be described with reference to FIG. 2 and FIG.

2 is a block diagram showing a character-alarmable ink-jet image forming apparatus according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the printer 10 includes an ink storage unit 120 for storing ink, an ink sensing unit for sensing the amount of ink remaining in the ink storage unit 120, And a warning unit 110 for sensing and alerting the states of the ink sensing unit and the printing unit 130. The printing unit 130 includes a printing unit 130 for printing the stored ink,

The alarm unit 110 includes communication means 112 for communicating with the management PC 20 and at least one other PC through the in-house network, error detection means 114 for detecting a failure of the printing unit 130, A memory 113 in which messages and fault items set for each ink level are stored and an ink control means 114 for controlling the ink detecting means 111 to the memory 113. [

The communication means 112 is connected to the management PC 20 and one or more other PCs via the in-house network to receive data to be printed or to control the ink remaining amount alarm signal and the failure To the management PC (20).

The error detecting means 114 senses the failure of the printing unit 130 and applies a failure detection signal to the ink control means 114.

The ink sensing means 111 senses the remaining level of the ink stored in the ink storage unit 120 in real time and applies the ink remaining amount sensing signal to the ink control means 114.

The error detecting means 114 senses the failure of the printing unit 130 and applies a fault occurrence detection signal to the ink control means 114. Here, the error detection means 114 provides a code that can be identified for each failure item, and transmits a failure detection signal to the ink control means 114.

The memory 113 stores a character and a command code, a setting character for each fault item, and a command code according to a setting standard for each ink level, a setting standard for each level, and the like. The failure item is set to transmit a character to the administrator terminal 30 via the management PC 20 when an item is not an AS expert article and the item can not be resolved. A different instruction code is set so that it is not transmitted to the administrator terminal 30 but is transmitted to the management PC 20 and the user PC 40 or only to the management PC 20 in the event of a malfunction that can be solved by the operation.

Alternatively, as another embodiment of the present invention, a criterion for the transmission of characters by the fault item is set in the management PC 20, and the printer 10 transmits a fault occurrence signal indicating a fault and a fault item It is possible to set. These variations can be selected by users and leasing companies as needed.

The ink control means 114 checks the level of ink remaining amount of the ink detecting means 111 from the ink detecting means 111 and reads the set level character stored in the memory 113, To the management PC (20).

The ink control means 114 also receives a fault occurrence signal including a fault item from the error detection means 114 and outputs the fault occurrence signal to the management PC 20 in accordance with the setting characters and setting criteria stored in the memory 113 And controls the communication means (112) to transmit a fault occurrence signal.

The ink control unit 114 may include a command code that is set to transmit characters to the administrator terminal 30 and a command code that is set to transmit characters only to the user terminal 40 in transmitting the ink remaining amount detection signal and the failure occurrence signal, To control the communication means (112).

3 is a block diagram showing a management PC 20 in a character-alarmable inkjet image forming apparatus according to the present invention.

3, the management PC 20 includes a management communication unit 21 connected to the Internet and an in-house network, a messenger driver 30 for driving a messenger capable of transmitting and receiving characters to and from the user PC 40 and the administrator terminal 30 A display 24 for outputting a trouble occurrence character and an ink remaining amount alarm character of the printer 10, a management input unit 25 for outputting a command for the user to select and input by operating a number of keys, And a management control unit (23) for controlling the management communication unit (21) to the management input unit (25).

The management communication unit 21 is connected to the Internet and an in-house network under the control of the management control unit 23 and communicates with the printer 10 and the user PC 40.

For example, the management communication unit 21 receives a failure occurrence signal and an ink remaining amount detection signal of the printer 10 and applies the same to the management control unit 23, And transmits an alarm character and a trouble occurrence character to the administrator terminal 30 and the user PC 40. [ Here, the administrator terminal 30 is transmitted through a wireless Internet network according to a portable smart phone, and characters are transmitted through a messenger installed through the in-house network.

The messenger driver 22 includes an alarm receiving module 221 for receiving and outputting a failure occurrence signal and an ink remaining amount detection signal from the printer 10 via an in-house network, And a character transmission module 222 for sending or receiving characters or sending ink level alarm characters and fault occurrence characters to the administrator terminal 30. [

The alarm receiving module 221 receives a failure occurrence signal and an ink remaining amount detection signal from the printer 10 via an intra-company network and applies the signal to the management control unit 23.

The character transmission module 222 transmits ink level alarm characters and fault occurrence characters to the administrator terminal 30 and the PC under the control of the management control unit 23. [ The user PC 40 is provided with a messenger of the same type as the management PC 20 and receives the failure occurrence and ink remaining amount alarm characters received from the management PC 20 through the messenger.

The character sending module 222 also sets the ID of the user PC 40 and the ID and / or telephone number of the administrator terminal 30 set through the management input unit 25.

When the ink level detection signal and the failure occurrence signal of the printer 10 received through the alarm receiving module 221 are received, the management control unit 23 determines whether the ink remaining amount detection signal and the failure occurrence signal of the printer 10 10), and selectively transmits the text to the administrator terminal (30) or outputs the text to the messenger of the user PC (40).

For example, when it is determined that there is no remaining ink in the ink storage unit 120 of the printer 10 through the ink remaining amount detection signal, the management control unit 23 determines whether there is ink remaining in the ink storage unit 120 of the printer 10, And controls the character transmission module 222 to transmit unusable characters because there is no remaining amount.

Or the management control unit 23 may control the character transmission module 222 to selectively transmit a character to at least one of the administrator terminal 30 and the user's PC 40 according to a command code included in the received failure occurrence detection signal, .

Under the control of the management control unit 23, the display 24 displays the ink remaining amount character and the failure occurrence character received by the alarm receiving module so that they can be visually confirmed.

That is, according to the present invention, the remaining amount of ink and the occurrence of a failure in the printer 10 are transmitted to the selected management PC 20 among a plurality of user PCs 40 connected to the in-house network, And automatically transmit to the other user's PC 40 and the administrator terminal 30 through the in-house network.

Hereinafter, a method of controlling an ink-jet image forming apparatus capable of warning a character according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

4 is a flowchart showing a control method of a character-alarmable ink-jet image forming apparatus according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, the present invention includes an ink level sensing step (S110) of sensing the remaining ink level of the printer (10), a determination step of determining whether the remaining ink level detected at the ink level sensing step And a level information transmission step S130 for transmitting level information to the management PC 20 when the remaining ink amount corresponds to the remaining amount set as the caution level in the caution level determination step S120 A stop level determining step S140 of determining whether the printing is impossible due to the insufficient remaining amount of the ink and the stop level determining step S140 of determining whether the user terminal 40 and the administrator terminal 30 A character transmitting step S150 for transmitting a character indicating that the remaining ink level is a stop level, and a printing off step S160 for turning off the printing job of the printer 10. [

The ink level sensing step S110 is a step in which the alarm unit 110 senses the remaining ink level of the ink storage unit 120. [ The ink sensing means 111 senses the level of the remaining amount of ink stored in the ink storage unit 120 and applies the sensed level to the ink control means 114. The device for sensing the level of ink remaining amount is generally known sensor, and its detailed description will be omitted.

The attention level determination step S120 is a step of determining whether the ink level detected in the ink level sensing step S110 corresponds to the attention level. It is preferable that the attention level is set as a level in which ink remains in the ink reservoir 120 but is currently available but soon becomes completely empty.

The ink control means 114 checks the ink remaining amount detection signal of the ink detection means 111 and judges whether the level corresponds to the attention level based on the level setting reference stored in the memory 113.

The attention level information transmission step S 130 is a step in which when the ink level of the printer 10 reaches the set attention level in the attention level determination step S 120, And transmitting the code to the management PC 20. The ink control means 114 controls the communication means 112 to transmit a character and a command code set to the attention level.

Here, the command code of the attention level is a command set to output characters only to the management PC 20. [ For example, the caution level is to allow the user to store replaceable ink, or to allow the user to prepare for ink replacement or replenishment.

Accordingly, when the management PC 20 receives the ink level sensing signal including the character including the attention level and the command code set through the alarm receiving module, the management PC 20 confirms the command code and transmits the command code to the management display 24 Characters are output.

Alternatively, it may be transmitted to the administrator terminal as well as the management PC when the attention level is detected, which can be selected by the rental company or the user.

The stop level determination step S140 may include stopping the ink in the ink storage unit 120 after the ink level sensing step S110 or the attention level determination step S120, Level is judged. The ink control unit 114 receives the ink remaining amount detection signal of the ink detection unit 111 and checks the remaining amount of ink in the ink storage unit 120 and compares the remaining amount of ink with the setting reference of the stop level.

If it is determined that the stop level is set in the stop level determination step (S140), the character control step (S150) determines whether the character including the stop level and the corresponding command And transmitting the code. At this time, since the command code to be transmitted at this time is a state in which the printer 10 can not be used, all the user PCs 40 connected to the intra-company network and the characters .

That is, the ink control means 114 transmits a command code to the management PC 20 to transmit characters to all the user PCs 40 and the administrator terminal 30 when transmitting characters to the management PC 20 .

Therefore, the management PC 20 controls the character transmission module 222 of the messenger driver 22 according to a command code included in the ink remaining amount detection signal received by the printer 10. Therefore, the character transmission module 222 transmits a character indicating that the use of the printer 10 is impossible to all the user PCs 40 connected to the printer 10 through the intra-company network, A character is sent to the printer 30 to request ink replenishment.

In the printing off step S160, the ink control unit 114 controls the printing unit 130 to turn off printing. That is, the present invention confirms the remaining amount of the ink and notifies all the connected user PCs 40 of the remaining amount of ink, thereby preventing waste of unnecessary paper.

In addition, the present invention detects the failure of the printing unit 130 in the printer 10, detects all the user PCs 40 connected to the intra-company network through the management PC 20, And an alarming step (not shown).

When a failure detection signal of the error detection means 114 is received by the ink control means 114, the failure detection and warning step (not shown) of the printer 10 checks the corresponding item and outputs a command code And the character and transmits it to the management PC 20.

The command code is set for each item in the memory 113 as described above and is set to transmit a character to at least one selected from the administrator terminal 30, the user PC 40, and the management PC 20. [

The management PC 20 automatically transmits a character to the administrator terminal 30 and / or the user PC 40 according to the command code to inform the printer 10 that printing is impossible.

Such an ink remaining amount and a failure state are disclosed in order to prevent waste of paper and waste of time which occurs when a printing command is applied in a state in which the state of the printer 10 is unknown in the user's PC 40. [

In addition, in order to transmit the remaining amount of ink to the administrator terminal 30 and whether or not the malfunction occurs, the user is not required to manage the printer 10 by renting the printer 10, 10) can be made in a timely manner.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

10: inkjet image forming apparatus, printer 20: management PC
21: management communication unit 22: messenger driver
23: management control unit 24: display
25: management input unit 30: administrator terminal
40: user PC 110: alarm unit
111: ink detection means 112: communication means
113: memory 114: error detection means
120: ink storing section 130: printing section

Claims (8)

An ink-jet image forming apparatus that transmits an ink remaining amount alarm signal including a character that warns the remaining ink amount when the remaining amount of ink is detected and corresponds to the set level;
An administrator terminal for receiving an ink remaining amount alarm character of the inkjet image forming apparatus; And
A manager PC for receiving the ink remaining amount alarm signal as one selected from one or more PCs connected to the inkjet image forming apparatus through an in-house network and transmitting characters to the management terminal; And
And one or more user PCs connected to the inkjet image forming apparatus via an in-house network,
Wherein the management PC selectively transmits a character to the user PC and the administrator terminal according to a command code included in an ink remaining amount alarm signal received from the inkjet image forming apparatus.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inkjet image forming apparatus
An ink storage portion in which ink is stored;
A printing unit for spraying the ink stored in the ink storage unit to advance the printing operation; And
And an alarm unit for sensing an ink remaining amount level of the ink storage unit and comparing the ink remaining amount level with the set ink level to transmit an ink remaining amount alarm signal to the management PC,
The alarm unit
Ink detecting means for detecting a remaining amount of ink in the ink storing portion;
Communication means for transmitting an ink remaining amount alarm signal to the management PC;
A memory for storing a character and a command code set for each of the remaining ink levels; And
When the ink level detected by the ink detecting means is compared with the level reference stored in the memory, the ink level alarm character including the character set as the level and the command code is transmitted to the management PC The ink-jet recording apparatus comprising:
The method according to claim 1,
A messenger driver for enabling a messenger to communicate with a user PC via the Internet and an in-house network and to transmit the character to the administrator terminal using the Internet; And
And a management controller for controlling the messenger driver to transmit a character to at least one of the administrator terminal and the user's PC when an ink remaining amount alarm signal is received from the inkjet image forming apparatus,
Wherein the messenger driver comprises: an alarm receiving module for receiving an ink remaining amount alarm signal from the inkjet image forming apparatus; And a character transmission module for transmitting an ink level alarm character to at least one of the user PC and the administrator terminal under the control of the management control unit according to a command code included in the remaining ink level alarm signal received by the alarm receiving module An alarm-capable inkjet image forming apparatus.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inkjet image forming apparatus
Further comprising error detecting means for detecting whether or not the printing unit is faulty,
The memory is configured such that a character and a command code are set for each fault item detected by the error detecting means,
Wherein the ink detection means compares a fault item sensed by the error sensing means with a fault item set in the memory and transmits a fault occurrence signal including a character and a command code to the management PC.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein the instruction code
Wherein the controller is configured to transmit a character to at least one of the administrator terminal, the management PC, and the user's PC.
An ink level sensing step of sensing an ink level level;
An attention level determination step of determining whether the remaining ink level detected in the ink level sensing step corresponds to a set attention level;
If it is determined that the ink level to be supplemented is equal to the attention level set at the level at which the ink to be supplemented is to be prepared before the remaining ink level is completely exhausted in the attention level determination step, Level information transmission step of transmitting level information for transmitting an ink remaining amount alarm signal including a command code set to transmit a character to the user's PC or the administrator terminal;
A stop level determining step of determining whether a remaining ink level sensed after the attention level information transmission step corresponds to a stop level set to a level at which the print job should be stopped;
A character transmitting step of transmitting, to the user PC and the administrator terminal, a character indicating that the remaining ink level is the stop level after the stop level determination step; And
And an off step of turning off the ink after the character sending step.
[7] The method of claim 6, further comprising: detecting whether the ink-jet image forming apparatus is malfunctioning, displaying a message informing all of the user PCs connected to the intra-company network via the management PC of the malfunction, And a failure detection and warning step of transmitting a character to be used for the character recognition.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein the fault detection and alarm step
Reads the command code and the character set for each item, transmits the command code and the character to the management PC,
Wherein the command code includes a character transmission command selectively to the administrator terminal for each failure item.

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