WO2002004218A1 - Amount-of-colorant recorder, colorant property value processing device, colorant cartridge, and its recovery - Google Patents

Abstract

After a printer performs its maintenance under control of a maintenance control section (52), an ink information collecting section (73) calculates the consumption of the ink. A storage device managing section (74) stores the calculated ink consumption in a storage device equipped in an ink cartridge. In such a way, thereafter, the amount of ink not consumed for actual printing, such as the amount of ink consumed for maintenance, can be known when the content of the storage device is read.

Description

 Description Coloring material quantity recording device, coloring material value processing device, coloring material cartridge and its collection

 The present invention relates to a technique for returning to a user the amount of printing colorant that has not been subjected to practical printing. Background art

 Ink jet printers that can perform color printing may use an ink cartridge that integrates multiple bottles to store inks of multiple colors, respectively. With this type of ink cartridge, if even one of the multiple colors is lost, color printing will not be possible even if other colors of ink remain.

 Printers also need to be maintained from time to time. For example, in an ink jet printer, print head cleaning is performed when nozzle clogging occurs. This cleaning consumes the ink cartridge ink.

 A user who purchases an ink cartridge wants to use ink for printing with as little waste as possible. Therefore, users are persistently dissatisfied with ink that has remained unusable as described above or that has been consumed for maintenance.

In such a situation, if the user who purchased the ink cartridge can be returned π according to the amount of ink that could not be used for printing, user dissatisfaction can be resolved, and customer satisfaction can be improved. Leads to improvement. Then, an object of the present invention is to provide a technique for giving back to a user in accordance with the amount of a printing colorant that cannot be used for printing. Disclosure of the invention

 The first colorant amount recording apparatus of the present invention,

 Information acquisition means for acquiring information on the amount of printing colorant not used for practical printing,

 Information writing means for writing information on the quantity acquired by the information acquisition means on a recording medium;

 It is provided with.

 In this coloring material amount recording apparatus, information on the amount of printing colorant not used for practical printing is written on a recording medium. In this way, by reading the content of the recording medium later, it is possible to determine the amount of the coloring material for printing that has not been used for practical printing. In addition, this apparatus may be applied to any kind of equipment. For example, it is applicable to a printer, a cash register, a web server, a coloring material collecting device, a coloring material amount recording machine, and the like. Further, this device may be configured to be housed in one housing, or may be configured as a system including a plurality of devices.

 In the coloring material amount recording apparatus of the present invention, the recording medium may be attached to a cartridge containing the printing colorant. By doing so, when the content of the recording medium is read out later, it is possible to clarify which force the content corresponds to.

 In the coloring material amount recording apparatus of the present invention, the printing coloring material is not particularly limited as long as it is a printing coloring material, and examples thereof include an ink and a toner, of which an ink is preferable.

In the coloring material amount recording apparatus of the present invention, The amount preferably includes the remaining amount of the printing colorant. It is one cause of user dissatisfaction that the coloring material for printing cannot be completely used despite remaining, but since the remaining amount can be grasped, it is possible to take measures to eliminate user dissatisfaction. The remaining amount may be obtained directly or indirectly. In the case of indirectly obtaining the remaining amount, for example, the amount used for practical printing may be measured and calculated from the difference from the initial capacity. .

 In the coloring material amount recording apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable that the amount not used for practical printing includes the usage amount of the printing colorant required for maintenance of a printing mechanism. The reduction in the amount of colorant for printing despite the fact that practical printing is not performed during maintenance is one of the causes of user dissatisfaction. Can take.

 In the coloring material amount recording apparatus according to the present invention, the information obtaining means obtains information relating to the amount of the printing colorant that has not been used for practical printing for each color, and the information writing means has the information obtaining means. The information for each color acquired by the means may be written in the recording medium. In this way, when the colorant for color printing is about to be replaced, each color may be non-uniformly reduced due to its usage history, but these situations can be grasped.

 The coloring material amount recording device of the present invention may be provided in a printing device that performs printing with the printing coloring material. In this way, every time printing is performed, the amount not used for practical printing can be obtained through the printing mechanism and written on a recording medium.

 The second colorant property value processing apparatus of the present invention comprises:

Information reading for reading the information on the quantity from the recording medium in which the information on the quantity not used for practical printing was written on the printing colorant. Means,

 Goods price generating means for generating a goods price of the quantity based on the information on the quantity read by the information reading means;

 It is provided with.

In this coloring material property processing apparatus, information on the quantity of the printing colorant that has not been used for practical printing is read out from the recording medium, and the price of the quantity, that is, the property value, is generated based on the information on the quantity. Here, "practical printing" means printing on a print medium such as paper, and "information on the amount not used for practical printing" means the amount not used for practical printing and the amount of that amount. (For example, the remaining capacity is the initial capacity and the capacity used for practical printing). The fact that the amount of colorant for printing is reduced even though practical printing is not performed, or that all of the colorant for printing is not used up even though the remaining colorant for printing is a cause of user dissatisfaction. According to the material price processing apparatus, since the price of the quantity is generated based on the information on the quantity not provided for practical printing, the manufacturer or the dealer can return the price to the user, You can eliminate dissatisfaction. This device may be configured to be housed in a single housing, or may be configured as a system including a plurality of devices. In the coloring material price processing device of the present invention, the price generation means may write information indicating that the price has been processed to the recording medium when the price is returned to the user. In this way, there is no danger of reading the same information from one recording medium repeatedly, and there is no danger of double payment of goods. The coloring material property value processing device of the present invention may further include property value recording means for recording the property value generated by the property value generating means in a predetermined recording target. In this case, the information on the quantity is read from the recording medium, and based on the information, the price of the quantity is recorded in a predetermined recording object, and then the original recording medium is read. Can be recycled. Further, by reading out the goods price recorded in the recording object in a timely manner, the goods price can be returned to the user. In the embodiment provided with the goods price recording means as described above, May record the goods price in the recording object in association with a user. In this way, it is easy to later check which user has what price.

 Further, in the aspect including the goods price recording means, the goods price recording means may cumulatively record the goods prices in the recording object. In this way, users can save goods prices.

 In the embodiment provided with the property value recording means, the property value recording means may write information indicating that the property value has been processed to the recording medium when the property value is recorded in the recording target. In this way, there is no danger that the same information will be read from one record object repeatedly, and the risk of double payment of goods will be reduced.

 Furthermore, in the form provided with the goods price recording means, the recording object may be a portable card type memory. In this way, the user can carry the portable memory and have the card-type memory record the value as needed.

 Still further, in the embodiment provided with the goods price recording means, the recording object may be such that a user can access the recorded contents via a network. In this way, when the user wants to know the value of his or her own goods, the user can easily know the value of the goods by accessing.

In the coloring material value processing apparatus of the present invention, the recording medium may be attached to a coloring material cartridge having the printing coloring material. This way, when reading the contents of this recording medium later, It is possible to clarify whether the cartridge is compatible with the cartridge. The colorant for printing is not particularly limited as long as it is a colorant for printing, and examples thereof include ink and toner. Among them, ink is preferable. The amount not subjected to printing preferably includes the remaining amount of the colorant for printing. It is one cause of user dissatisfaction that the coloring material for printing cannot be used up despite remaining, but according to this apparatus, the property value based on the remaining amount of the coloring material for printing is determined. By generating, the manufacturer or dealer can return the value of the goods to the user, and the user's dissatisfaction can be resolved.

 Further, it is preferable that the amount not used for practical printing includes the amount of the printing colorant used when the printing mechanism is maintained. Although the reduction in the amount of colorant for printing during maintenance is not performed even though practical printing is not performed, this is one cause of user dissatisfaction. Since the goods price is generated, the maker or dealer can return the goods price to the user, and the user's dissatisfaction can be resolved.

In the coloring material property processing apparatus of the present invention, the property value may be a privilege to be returned to the user, and the privilege may be, for example, a point similar to money (including a stamp and a seal in addition to a point). It may be a security certificate (including a coupon ticket), a discount price when a user purchases an article, or a discount price when a user receives a service. Or cashback or goods. In the coloring material value processing apparatus according to the present invention, the information reading means may include, for each of the colors, a recording medium in which information on an amount not provided for practical printing is written for each color. Information on the quantity The information may be read, and the price generating means may be configured to generate a price based on the information on the quantity for each color read by the information reading means. In this way, when the colorant for color printing is replaced, each color may be unevenly reduced due to its usage history.However, it is possible to grasp these factors and to take into account the amount of colorant for each color. It is possible to obtain the value of the goods appropriately.

 The third colorant cartridge of the present invention comprises:

 In the colorant cartridge containing the printing colorant,

 The printing colorant is provided with a recording medium on which is recorded information relating to an amount of the printing colorant that has not been used for practical printing.

 According to this, since the information on the amount is read from the recording medium provided in the coloring material cartridge, it is possible to clarify which cartridge the information corresponds to.

 The fourth colorant cartridge collection device of the present invention comprises:

 A second coloring material value processing device of the present invention,

 Cartridge storage means for collecting the colorant cartridge having the colorant for printing

 It is provided with.

 According to this, when the used colorant cartridge is collected, information on the quantity of the printing colorant in the colorant cartridge that has not been used for practical printing is read out, and the quantity of the quantity is read. In order to generate, we can return the goods price to the user. As a result, users become more aggressive in collecting colorant cartridges, improving recovery and promoting recycling. Note that this device may be configured to be housed in a single housing, or may be configured as a system including a plurality of devices.

The fifth cartridge recovery method of the present invention includes: A method for collecting a colorant cartridge having a colorant for printing, comprising:

 (a) obtaining information on the amount of printing colorant in the colorant cartridge that has not been used for practical printing;

 (b) generating a price of the quantity based on the information on the quantity; and

 .

 According to this, the same effect as the fourth aspect of the present invention can be obtained.

 A sixth recovery moving body of the present invention is equipped with a coloring material cartridge recovery device. With such a collection vehicle, for example, a vehicle such as a truck, the user can go to the user to collect the colorant cartridge in response to the user's contact, and generate the goods price on the spot. The collection vehicle is equipped with a colorant cartridge collection device, so the user does not have to send the colorant cartridge to the remanufacturer who brought it to the store. The ridge can be collected, and convenience can be improved. Manufacturers that do the collection can entrust the collection to a delivery company such as a courier service, in addition to the method of collecting the collection by themselves.

 The seventh user interface of the present invention is:

 A user interface used when collecting a colorant cartridge having a colorant for printing,

 An identification information display unit for displaying identification information for specifying a user, a goods price display unit for displaying the goods price of the quantity based on the information on the quantity that was not provided for practical printing with the printing colorant,

 A total goods price displaying a cumulative value of goods prices associated with the identification information ^ 1 display; and

It is provided with. According to this, it is possible to easily input or output identification information for identifying a user who returns the used colorant cartridge, and to print or print information in the colorant cartridge. The user can easily know the amount of the goods price and the user's accumulated value of the goods that were not used for the practical printing of the coloring material. This may be a dedicated interface or a personal computer display. As the “identification information”, a so-called registered user ID, name, date of birth, address, telephone number, and the like can be used. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

 FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a printing system according to the first embodiment, FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an appearance of an ink cartridge used in a printer according to the first embodiment, and FIG. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a functional configuration of a printing system according to the first embodiment, FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing a head cleaning mechanism in the first embodiment, and (b) is a first embodiment. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a utility selection screen in the first embodiment, and FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a utility selection screen in the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing ink amount information in the printing system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a data structure.

 FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a hardware configuration of the sales management system according to the second embodiment, FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a functional configuration of the sales management system according to the second embodiment, and FIG. FIGS. 9A and 9B are explanatory diagrams illustrating an example of a discount display screen according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 10 is an external view of a residual ink property redemption device according to the third embodiment. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an ink cartridge mounted on a cartridge mounting unit according to the third embodiment. FIGS. 12 and 13 are explanatory views showing the internal configuration of the remaining ink property redemption device according to the third embodiment. FIG. 13 is a view showing the remaining structure according to the third embodiment. FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the operation of the existing ink goods redemption apparatus. FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing a point card used in the remaining ink goods redemption apparatus according to the third embodiment and recorded information thereof.

 FIG. 15 is an external view of the remaining ink property redemption device according to the fourth embodiment, FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram showing the internal configuration of the remaining ink property redemption device according to the fourth embodiment, and FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the operation of the remaining ink property price redemption device according to the fourth embodiment.

 FIG. 18 is an external view of a residual ink property redemption system according to the fifth embodiment, and FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram showing an internal configuration of a residual ink property redemption apparatus and a cash register according to the fifth embodiment. FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing the operation of the remaining ink goods redemption device according to the fifth embodiment, and FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing the operation of the cash register according to the fifth embodiment. .

FIG. 22 is an explanatory view showing a state before a cartridge is set in the cartridge collection device with a goods repayment function according to the sixth embodiment, and FIG. 23 is a goods repayment according to the sixth embodiment. FIG. 24 is an explanatory view showing a state in which a cartridge is set in the cartridge collection device with a function. FIG. 24 is a diagram showing the shirt collection of the first collection box in the cartridge collection device with a goods repayment function according to the sixth embodiment. FIG. 25 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the cartridge collection process has been completed on the display unit in the cartridge collection device with a goods price redemption function according to the sixth embodiment. 6 is an explanatory view showing the internal configuration of a cartridge recovery apparatus with a goods price redemption function according to the sixth embodiment. FIG. 27 is a partial flow chart of the cartridge collection processing according to the sixth embodiment. 28 relates to the sixth embodiment. FIG. 29 is an explanatory diagram showing a modification in which a bar code is used instead of the IC memory in the sixth embodiment. FIG. 30 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an ink cartridge recovery system according to the seventh embodiment, FIG. 31 is an explanatory diagram showing a point storage table according to the seventh embodiment, and FIG. FIG. 33 is an explanatory diagram of a color ink cartridge according to the seventh embodiment. FIG. 33 is an explanatory diagram showing a data array of storage elements provided in a color ink cartridge according to the seventh embodiment. 4 is a process diagram of detecting the amount of ink remaining in the color ink cartridge and exchanging points according to the seventh embodiment, and FIG. 35 is an example of a flow of point information browsing and point exchange according to the seventh embodiment. FIG. 36 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an ink cartridge recovery system according to the eighth embodiment. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

 [First Embodiment]

 As shown in FIG. 1, a printing system according to the present embodiment includes a host computer (hereinafter, referred to as a “host”) 1 and a printing apparatus that prints print data output from the host 1. And a printer 6.

 The host includes a host body 11, a display device 12, and a keyboard 13. The host main body 11 includes a CPU 20 for executing various programs, a ROM 21 for storing various data and various programs, and a RAM 22 for temporarily storing various data and various programs. , A display controller 23 for controlling the display device 12, a keyboard controller 24 for controlling the keyboard 13, a floppy disk drive 25, a hard disk drive 26, a CD-ROM drive 27, and a printer An interface 28 and a network interface 29 are provided.

Printer 6 is, for example, an ink jet printer capable of color printing. Yes, when print data is received from the host 1, a predetermined print process is executed to form an image on print paper as a print medium. The printer 6 includes a printing machine 68 that actually performs printing, and a printing control unit 61 that controls these printing machines. The print control unit 61 includes a CPU 62 for executing various programs, various data and various programs, an EEPROM 63, a RAM 64 for temporarily storing various data and various programs, a host 1 or It has interfaces 65, 66 for exchanging data with the printing mechanism 68, and a printing mechanism 68. The printing mechanism 68 includes a storage element 90 (the recording medium of the present invention). The storage element 90 is preferably attached to a case that contains a printing colorant such as ink or toner detachable from the printing mechanism 68. More preferably, storage element 90 is constituted by a semiconductor storage device such as an IC (integrated circuit).

 Next, an example of a case accommodating a printing colorant to which the storage element 90 is attached will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 shows the appearance of the ink cartridge 80 to which the storage element 90 is attached. The ink cartridge 80 includes a cartridge body 81 that forms an ink storage section that stores ink therein, and a storage element 90 that is built in a side frame portion 82 of the cartridge body 81. ing. In the storage element 90, identification information of the ink cartridge, information on the ink amount, and the like are stored.

This storage element 90 is connected to the interface 65 of the print control unit 61 when the ink cartridge 80 is mounted on a cartridge mounting unit (not shown) of the printing mechanism 68 of the printer 6, and is used for printing. Exchange various data with the control unit 61. Note that the term “connection j may be either contact or non-contact. Therefore, although a description will be given below using a contact-type storage element, a non-contact-type storage element may be used. 0 is the ink cart Since the lower side of the ridge 80 is attached to the concave portion 83 whose lower side is open, only the plurality of connection terminals 84 are exposed. Although the ink cartridge has been described here, a toner cartridge having a toner storage unit for storing toner therein may be used.

 Next, the internal functions of the host 1 and the printer 6 will be described. FIG. 3 is a functional configuration diagram of the host 1 and the printer 6. The host body 11 includes an application 40, a communication control unit 45, and a printer driver 50. Each of these functions is realized by the CPU 20 executing a predetermined program.

 The communication control unit 45 controls communication with the printer 6. For example, a print request including print data and a maintenance instruction are output to the printer 6.

 The printer driver 50 has a print management unit 51, a maintenance control unit 52, and a display control unit 53 as its functions.

 The print management unit 51 receives a print instruction from the application 40 or the keyboard 13 and generates print data based on the print instruction. The generated print data is passed to the communication control unit 45.

 The maintenance control unit 52 controls the printer 6 when the printer 6 performs various maintenance. For example, control printhead cleaning. FIG. 4A schematically shows a cleaning mechanism of the print head of the printer 6.

Ink is supplied from the ink cartridge 80 attached to the printing mechanism 68 to the print head 32 via the pipe 31. FIG. 4B shows the nozzle surface 32 a of the print head 32. This nozzle surface 32a has nozzles 39a, 39b, and 39c for discharging C (cyan), M (magenta), 丫 (yellow), and K (black) inks, respectively. The 3 9d are lined up . When performing normal printing, ink is ejected from the nozzles 39a, 39b, 39c, and 39d. When performing head cleaning, the opening of the box-shaped cap 33 is attached to the nozzle surface 32a. The position 33a at which the opening of the cap 33 contacts the nozzle surface 32a when the print head 32 is mounted is as shown in FIG. 4 (b). At this time, the nozzles 39 a, 39 b, 39 c, and 39 d of all colors C, M, Y, and Κ are covered with the cap 33. The space in the cap 33 and the pump 34 communicate with each other via a pipe 35. Further, the pump 34 and the waste liquid absorbing material 37 are connected via a pipe 36.

 When performing head cleaning, the pump 34 forcibly sucks ink from the nozzle 39. At this time, all colors of C, M, 丫, and K are sucked. The sucked ink falls into the cap 33 and is absorbed by the waste liquid absorbing material 37 through the pipes 35 and 36. As a result, clogging of the head and the like are eliminated, and so-called print omission is eliminated.

 This head cleaning is performed when the user selects the utility selection screen 100 described below (hereinafter referred to as “maintenance 1”), and printing is not performed for a certain period (for example, two weeks). (Maintenance 2), and when the ink cartridge is replaced (Maintenance 3). ). The display controller 53 displays a user interface screen or the like on the display device 12. For example, the utility selection screen 100 shown in FIG. 5 is displayed. By using this screen # 100, it is possible to execute head cleaning at any time desired by the user.

The utility selection screen 100 is a screen for receiving selection of a utility function from a user. The utility selection screen It has buttons 110, 120, 130, 140 that accept selections for utility functions such as linter status monitoring, head cleaning, clogging pattern printing, and gap adjustment. Here, when the head cleaning button 120 is pressed, the above-described cleaning of the print head of the printer is performed.

 The print control unit 61 has a communication control unit 71, a printing mechanism control unit 72, an ink information acquisition unit 73, and a storage element management unit 74 as internal functions. Each of these functions is realized by the CPU 62 executing a predetermined program.

 The communication control unit 71 controls communication with the host 1. For example, print data and a maintenance instruction are received from the host 1.

 The printing mechanism control unit 72 receives a print request from the host 1, passes the print data to the print control unit 61, and executes printing.

 The ink information acquisition unit 73 acquires information indicating the amount of ink used for normal printing or the amount of ink consumed during maintenance. For example, measure the amount of ink consumed during printing. Specifically, the ink amount is estimated by counting the number of dots of the ejected ink. In addition, the number of times of dummy ink ejection, which is called flushing, is counted, and the amount of consumed ink is estimated. Flushing refers to periodically discharging ink to an absorbent placed outside the printing range to prevent the ink near the nozzle outlet from drying when the cap is opened. Call it 4.)

In addition, the amount of ink consumed each time Maintenance I, Maintenance 2, and Maintenance 3 are performed is almost determined by the printer 6 model. Each printer 6 stores these values in a storage unit (not shown). Then, the ink information acquisition section 73 performs maintenance and maintenance. Estimate the amount of ink consumed each time Nonce 2 and Maintenance 3 are performed.

 In addition to the above method of indirectly estimating the amount of ink consumption, a sensor may be attached to directly measure the amount of ink used or the amount of remaining ink to obtain information indicating the amount of ink. .

 The storage element management unit 74 reads or writes information stored in the storage area of the storage element 90 when the ink cartridge 80 is mounted on the printing mechanism 68 of the printer 6. Perform processing. For example, predetermined information is written to the storage element 90 based on the information indicating the ink amount acquired by the ink information acquisition unit 73. The predetermined information is information for setting a state indicating the total consumption of ink in the ink cartridge 80. Specifically, for example, the storage amount of the ink amount information 900 may be updated by calculating the total consumption amount based on the information indicating the ink amount (update type). Alternatively, information indicating the ink amount may be added to the ink amount information 900 so that the total consumption amount can be known when the information is read (write-once type).

 When a read request for the ink amount information 900 is received, the ink amount information 900 stored in the storage element 90 is read.

Here, the data items of the ink amount information 900 are shown in FIG. The ink amount information 900 is the amount of ink consumed when performing maintenance 1, the amount of ink consumed when performing maintenance 2, and the amount of ink consumed when performing maintenance 3. The data items include 930, the number of dots ejected when performing maintenance 4, and the number of dots ejected when performing normal printing, as data items. Each of the consumption amounts 910, 920, 930 and the number of dots 940, 950 has an area for storing for each color of CMYK. Each item may be either an update type or a write-once type. In the present embodiment, the ink consumption is stored for the maintenance 1, the maintenance 2, and the maintenance 3, but the number of times of the maintenance may be stored. In this case, when the number of executions is read from the ink amount information 900, a process of converting the number of consumptions into a consumption amount is performed as necessary. In the case of maintenance 4 and normal printing, the number of ejected dots is stored, but this may be converted to the amount of consumed ink and the amount of ink may be stored.

 According to the present embodiment, the amount of ink consumed for printing and the amount of ink consumed for maintenance can be stored in the storage element 90 provided in the ink cartridge 80.

 Here, the correspondence between the components of the present embodiment and the present invention will be clarified. The printing device 6 of the present embodiment corresponds to the first coloring material amount recording device of the present invention, the ink information acquisition unit 73 corresponds to the information acquisition unit, and the storage element management unit 74 corresponds to the information writing unit. . In addition, of the information written in the storage element 90, the amount of ink consumed by the maintenance directly corresponds to “information on the amount not used for practical printing”. On the other hand, the amount of ink consumed for printing is calculated by subtracting the amount of ink consumed for maintenance from the known initial ink amount to obtain the remaining ink amount (the amount of ink not used for practical printing). Because it can be obtained, it indirectly corresponds to “information on the quantity not used for practical printing”.

According to the present embodiment described in detail above, by reading out the contents of the storage element 90 later, the amount of ink not used for practical printing can be grasped. Also, since the storage element 90 is mounted on the ink cartridge 80, it is necessary to clarify which ink cartridge 80 corresponds to the content read from the storage element 90. Can be. In addition, the amount of remaining ink, which is the cause of user dissatisfaction, can be determined from the amount of ink used during maintenance Therefore, it is possible to take measures to resolve user dissatisfaction. Furthermore, the amount of ink remaining and the amount of ink used during maintenance can be ascertained for each color.

 [Second embodiment]

 Next, a second embodiment to which the present invention is applied will be described.

 In the case of a color ink cartridge, if one of the colors is no longer one, printing may not be possible even if ink of another color remains. This is unsatisfactory for users. In addition, ink is consumed during print head maintenance. It is also unsatisfactory for users to have to bear the cost of the ink consumed by this maintenance.

 In the present embodiment, a sales management device 200 for eliminating such user dissatisfaction is provided. In the present embodiment, the ink cartridge 80 including the storage element 90 in which the ink amount information 900 is written in the first embodiment is used.

This embodiment includes a sales management device 200 as shown in FIG. The sales management device 200 includes an information processing device main body 210, a display device 12, and a keyboard 13. The information processing device main unit 2〗 0 includes a CPU 20, a ROM 21, a RAM 22, a display controller 23, a keyboard controller 24, a floppy disk drive 25, a hard disk drive 26, It has a CD-ROM drive 27 and an interface 211 for connecting to the storage element 90. Further, the sales management device 200 has a mounting mechanism for an ink cartridge 80 (not shown). I have. When the ink cartridge 80 is attached to the attachment mechanism, the storage element 90 is connected to the interface 211. FIG. 8 shows a functional configuration diagram of the sales management device 200. The sales management device 200 has, as its internal functions, a storage element input / output section 2 21, a commodity price reception section 2 2 2, a discount processing section 2 2 3, a discount price determination section 2 2 4, And a display control unit 225. Each of these functions is realized by the CPU 20 executing a predetermined program.

 The storage element input / output unit 221 reads out the ink amount information 900 stored in the storage element 90. Further, when the discount processing is performed by the discount processing section 222, information indicating that the discount processing has been completed is written to the storage element 90.

 The merchandise and other price receiving section 222 receives the price of the product to be sold or the service to be provided. For example, the price of a product or the like entered from the keyboard 13 is accepted.

 The discount processing section 2 2 3 performs a discount process on the product or service. For example, discount processing is performed based on the ink amount information 900 read out by the storage element input / output unit 22. More specifically, in the color ink cartridge, when one color of ink is exhausted, the discount processing unit 2 23 based on the ink amount information 900, the remaining amount of ink of the remaining color, or Estimate the amount of unused ink that could not be used for printing. The estimation of the unused ink amount may be performed, for example, from the number of ink ejections in normal printing. The estimation of the ink remaining amount may be calculated back from the total amount of ink used for normal printing and the amount of ink used for maintenance. Further, the discount amount may be determined by combining the remaining amount of ink and the amount consumed in maintenance. The discounted amount may be cashed back or carried over to the purchase of the next product or the like as a point.

The discount price deciding section 224 uses the discounted price determined by the discount processing section 223 based on the price of the product to be sold or the service provided by the commodity price receiving section 224 and the discount amount determined by the discount processing section 223. Determine the discount price. For example, products Calculate by subtracting the discount from the price.

 The display control unit 225 displays the processing result of the discount processing unit 223 or the discount price determination unit 224 on the display device 122. For example, the display control unit 225 displays discount display screens 300 and 310 shown in FIG. The discount display screen 300 shown in FIG. 9A includes a display area 301 of the remaining ink amount and a display area 302 of the discount width accordingly. The discount display screen 310 shown in country 9 (b) has a display area 311 for the amount of use in maintenance and a display area 312 for the discount width accordingly.

 Here, the correspondence between the components of the present embodiment and the present invention will be clarified. The sales management device 200 of the present embodiment corresponds to the second coloring material property processing device of the present invention, the storage element input / output unit 221 corresponds to the information reading means, and the discount processing unit 22. 3 corresponds to the goods price generation means.

 According to the present embodiment described above, a discount amount (goods price) of the ink amount is generated based on the information on the ink amount that has not been used for practical printing, and the price of the product or the like purchased by the user is calculated from the price. Ask the user to pay the discounted price minus the discounted amount. That is, the discount amount is returned to the user. This eliminates user dissatisfaction with the amount of remaining ink and the amount of ink used during maintenance. In addition, since information indicating that the discount processing has been performed is written in the storage element 90 after the discount processing by the discount processing section 222, information on the amount of ink not used for practical printing is read from the storage element 90 in a redundant manner. There is no danger and there is no danger of double payment of goods.

The sales management device 200 described in the second embodiment can also be realized by a combination of the host 1 and the printer 6 described in the first embodiment. Further, in the present embodiment, the commodity etc. price receiving section 222 and the discount price determining section 222 can be omitted. If omitted, The sales management device 200 has only a function of determining a discount amount. In addition, the configurations described in the first and second embodiments can be changed, added, or omitted as much as possible.

 Even if the unit price of each color differs for each color, the remaining amount of ink and the amount of ink used during maintenance are recorded for each color as shown in Fig. 6, so the price of each color is calculated and summed up. Can be returned to the user.

 [Third embodiment]

 A residual ink property redemption device according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 to 14. The present embodiment is an example of a second coloring material property processing apparatus of the present invention, which is provided with property value recording means. Figure〗 0 is an external view of the remaining ink goods redemption device. The remaining ink goods redemption device〗 0 1 A has a cartridge mounting part 1 0 1 that has a grooved shape with open front and top. 1 is formed. Further, a terminal portion 11012 is formed on the bottom surface on the back side of the residual ink property redemption device〗 001A. Further, a display 101 is provided above the residual ink property redemption device 100 A, and a card information reading / writing device 1 for mounting a point card 109 is provided at the front. 0 1 4 is provided.

In the present embodiment, the ink cartridge 100 mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 101 is a four-color cartridge as shown in FIG. 8 2 ·! 1 1824 and IC memory 1081. When the ink cartridge 100 is attached, the terminal section 部 0 1 2 formed on the bottom contacts the terminal of the IC memory 1 0 8 1 when the ink cartridge 1 0 8 is attached. It is configured as follows. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the internal configuration of the residual ink property redemption device 1001A. In Fig. 12, the remaining ink goods redemption device〗 0 0 1 A It consists of issuing means 1001, goods price generating means 102, goods price recording means 102, and displaying means 102. In FIG. 12, in order to facilitate understanding of the present embodiment, each of the means 102 1 to 100 24 has a parenthesis indicating the correspondence with the components shown in FIG. 10.

 Hereinafter, the operation of the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In FIG. 10, when the ink cartridge 100 is set in the cartridge mounting portion 101, the point information of the point card 109 is set to the card information reading / writing device 104. Is displayed on the display 101 (this display 101 13 substantially constitutes the display means 102 4 of FIG. 12).

 When the point card 1 0 9 is set in the card information reading / writing device 1 0 1 4, the cartridge information reading program reads the cartridge information stored in the IC memory 1 0 8 1 by the program. (Step S110 of FIG. 13). Note that the terminal section 102 and the cartridge information acquisition program substantially constitute the information reading means 1021 of FIG.

The cartridge information includes, in addition to the ink remaining amount data, redemption history information indicating whether or not “writing of price information” has been performed, that is, whether “writing has been performed” or “unwritten”. I have. As will be described later, the redemption history information is “unwritten” if no writing has been performed from the IC memory 108 to the point card 1009 in the past, and the IC memory 10 If the data has been written to the point card 1 009 from 8 1, it is “written”. Whether the redemption history information is “unwritten” or “already written” is determined by the redemption history information writing program installed in the residual ink price redemption device 100 A (step S in FIG. 13). 1 2 0). Note that the terminal section 101 and the above redemption history information writing program are substantially The redemption history information writing unit 1022a of the goods price generation means 1022 of FIG.

 In the case of “unwritten”, the ink remaining amount data is read from the IC memory 1 081 of the ink cartridge 1 08 1, and the back point of the ink cartridge 1 0 8 Price information, hereinafter referred to as “this time backpoint”, is calculated (step S130 in FIG. 13). This calculation process effectively constitutes the goods price generation unit 102 b of the goods price generation means 102 of FIG. In addition, the force information reading / writing device 101 reads out the current goods price (“total back-point value” recorded on the point card 100 9) and displays it. Displays the total backpoint value and the backpoint this time (step S140 in FIG. 13). In the storage area of the point card 1009, as shown in FIG. 14, Γ | D information ”,“ name information ”,“ collection date / time, acquired point table ”, and“ backpoint total information ”are stored. Has been described.

 After that, the card information reading / writing device 11014 accumulates the backpoints this time to the total backpoint value and writes it to the point card 1009 (step S1500 in Fig. 13). Then, “Already-written J” is written as redemption history information in the IC memory 1081 (step S160 in FIG. 13).

 If the redemption history information is “already-written” (see step S120 in FIG. 13), the card information reading and writing device 1004 (in FIG. 12, the goods price recording means 1 0 2 3 ), The value information is not written to the point card 1009, and the display〗 013 indicates that “value information has already been written to the point card”. (Step S170 in FIG. 13).

According to the embodiment described in detail above, the ink not provided for practical printing A back point (good value) of the remaining ink amount is generated based on the remaining amount data, and this is accumulated with the current back point, and written as a total back point value in the point card 1009 to be recorded. . That is, the back points are returned to the user. This back point can be exchanged for money or goods according to the number of points. For this reason, the user's dissatisfaction with the remaining amount of ink that cannot be used until the end can be eliminated. In addition, since “written” is written to the IC memory 1081 after writing the point data, there is no danger that the ink remaining amount data will be read from this IC memory 1081 redundantly, and double payment of the goods price There is no fear. Further, it is possible to check the number of points returned to the user by reading out the point data recorded on the point card 109 in a timely manner and exchanging it for money or the like. Furthermore, the user can carry the bottle card 109 and also can save the back point and exchange it for his / her desired article.

 In this embodiment, the ink remaining amount is treated as the ink amount not used for practical printing. However, as in the first and second embodiments, the ink consumption amount during maintenance is also added to the ink remaining amount. The amount of ink not used for practical printing may be converted to points and returned to the user.

 [Fourth embodiment]

The remaining ink property price redemption device according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. This embodiment is an example of the second coloring material value processing apparatus of the present invention. Fig. 15 is an external view of the residual ink price redemption device. The residual ink price redemption device 100B has the same structure as the residual ink price redemption device 100A in the third embodiment. A cartridge mounting part 101 having a groove shape with an open front and upper part is formed, and a terminal part 110 12 is formed on the bottom surface on the back side. A display 101 is provided above 1B. Remaining Ink Price Redemption Apparatus 1 0 0 1B differs from the remaining ink goods redemption device 1001A, in that it does not have a force information reading / writing device, but has a printer 150 that issues new securities. Have been.

 Fig. 6 is a diagram showing the internal configuration of the remaining ink goods redemption device 1001B. In FIG. 16, the remaining ink goods redemption device 100 1 B is similar to the remaining ink goods redemption device 100 3 A of the third embodiment, and has information reading means 100 2 1 and goods price generating means 1. 0 2 2 and display means 1 0 2 4. In Fig. 16, the residual ink price redemption device 1001B is different from the residual ink price redemption device 1001A, whereas the commodity price recording means 10023 is not provided. The securities issuing unit 1022c is provided in the goods price generating means 1022. In FIG. 16, in order to facilitate understanding of the present embodiment, each of the means 102 1 to 102 3 and 102 5 has a parenthesis corresponding to the constituent element shown in FIG. Indicated by.

 Hereinafter, the operation of the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

 In this embodiment, similarly to the third embodiment, the cartridge data is read out in step S210 of FIG. 17 and, similarly, in step S220, the redemption history information indicates whether or not "unwritten". The decision is made. In step S230 of FIG. 17, if the redemption history information included in the cartridge information of the IC memory 108 of the ink cartridge 108 is "unwritten", the IC The remaining ink data is read from the memory 1081, and the current backpoint for the ink cartridge 108 is calculated.

In the present embodiment, only the back point is displayed this time on the display # 013 (step S240 in FIG. # 7). After that, a valuable certificate (point ticket in Figure 15) is issued by the pudding. At the same time (step S250 in FIG. 17), “already-written” is written in the IC memory 1081 as redemption history information (step S260 in FIG. 17).

 If the redemption history information is "written" (see step S220 in Fig. 17), the point by the printer 1015 (in Fig. 12 the securities issue unit 1022c) is used. The ticket 11010 is not issued, and the display 11013 indicates "Just that the point ticket has already been issued (step S270 in FIG. 17)."

 According to the present embodiment described above, the back point (good value) of the ink remaining amount is generated based on the ink remaining amount data that has not been used for practical printing, and the point ticket 10 corresponding to the back point is generated. 10 is issued, and this point voucher 1 10 10 is returned to the user. The point voucher 110 can be exchanged for money or goods according to the number of points. For this reason, the user's dissatisfaction with the remaining ink amount that cannot be used until the end can be resolved. In addition, since “write already written to IC memory 1081” is performed after writing the point data overnight, there is no danger that the remaining ink amount data will be read from this IC memory 1081 redundantly. There is no risk of double payment.

 In this embodiment, the ink remaining amount is treated as the ink amount not used for practical printing. However, as in the first and second embodiments, the ink consumption amount during maintenance is also used in addition to the ink remaining amount. The amount of ink not provided for printing may be converted to points and returned to the user.

 [Fifth Embodiment]

The remaining ink property redemption system according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. This embodiment is an example of the second coloring material value processing apparatus of the present invention. Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the remaining ink goods redemption system. The stem is composed of a residual ink price redemption device 1001C and a cash register 1003. The remaining ink goods redemption device 1001C has a grooved cartridge similar to that of the remaining ink goods redemption devices 1001A and 1001B shown in FIGS. 10 and 15. A ridge mounting portion 101 is formed. Further, in the remaining ink property redemption device 100 C in the present embodiment, as in the remaining ink property redemption devices 100 A and 100 B in FIG. 10 and FIG. A terminal portion 101 is formed on the bottom surface of the device, and a display device 113 is provided above the remaining ink property redemption device 100C. Although not shown in FIG. 18, the remaining ink property redemption device 1001C has a built-in communication circuit for communicating with the cash register 1003. The remaining ink property redemption device 1001C does not have the card information reading / writing device shown in Fig. 10 or the printing device 10015 shown in Fig. 15.

 In FIG. 18, the cash register 1003 has the same appearance as a normal cash register, and the main body 103 has a keyboard 103, a display 103 and a receipt. A printer 104 is provided. Although not shown in FIG. 18, the cash register 1003 has a built-in communication circuit for communicating with the remaining ink property redemption device 1001C.

FIG. 19 is a system diagram showing the internal configuration of the remaining ink goods redemption device 1001C and the internal configuration of the cash register 1003 by function blocks. In FIG. 19, the remaining ink goods redemption device 1001 C is provided with an information reading means 1002 1, a redemption history information writing unit 1 0 2 2 a similar to those shown in FIGS. 10 and 15. It has a means for generating goods prices including 102, a means for displaying 102, and a means for communicating 102. Also, in FIG. 19, the cache register 1003 is 041, display means〗 042, operation means 0043, receipt issuing means 4104, communication means〗 045. The communication means 10026 of the remaining ink goods redemption device 1001C and the communication means 10045 of the cash register 1003 are line-connected.

 Hereinafter, the operation of the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 20 and 21.

 Also in the present embodiment, the cartridge data is read in step S310 as in the flowcharts of FIGS. 3 and 17, and similarly in step S320, the redemption history information A determination is made as to whether or not the data has not been written. In step S330 of FIG. 19, as in step S230 of the flowchart of FIG. 17, it is included in the cartridge information of IC memory 108 of ink cartridge 108. If the redemption history information is “unwritten”, the ink remaining amount data is read from the IC memory 1081, the current backpoint for the ink cartridge 108 is calculated, and the display 10 In 13, the backpoint is displayed this time (step S340 in FIG. 20).

 After that, a communication circuit (communication means 10026 in FIG. 19), which is not shown in FIG. 18 and is built in the remaining ink goods redemption device 1001C, The backpoint is transferred this time via a built-in communication circuit (communication means 1045 in FIG. 19) not shown in FIG. 18 (step S350 in FIG. 20).

 If the redemption history information is “written”, a message indicating that “point processing has already been performed” is displayed on the display # 013 (step S370 in FIG. 20).

When the cash register 1003 receives the back point this time, as shown in Fig. 21, the arithmetic processor installed in the cash register 1003 The gram (the register operation means 1041 shown in FIG. 19) performs an operation of subtracting the amount corresponding to the back point this time from the payment request amount (step S410 in FIG. 21). Therefore, the register operation means 104 1 also forms part of the goods price generation means of the present invention. After that, the payment request amount and the details are displayed on the display〗 0 33 (Step S 4 20 in FIG. 21), and the amount corresponding to the back point this time is displayed on the remaining ink goods reimbursement device 100 1 C. The result of the settlement is subtracted and transmitted (step S430 in FIG. 21).

 In response, the remaining ink goods redemption device 1001 C rewrites the redemption history information of the cartridge information in the IC memory 1081 to “already written” (step S366 in FIG. 20). ).

 According to the present embodiment described above, a back point (good value) of the ink remaining amount is generated based on the ink remaining amount which has not been used for practical printing, and the discount amount corresponding to the back point is generated. And subtract this discount from the payment request. In other words, the discount amount is returned to the user. For this reason, the user's dissatisfaction with the remaining ink amount that cannot be used until the end can be eliminated. In addition, after writing the point data, the “written j” is written to the IC memory 1081, so there is no danger that the ink remaining amount data will be read from this IC memory 1081 redundantly. There is no fear.

 In this embodiment, the remaining ink amount is treated as the amount of ink not used for practical printing. However, as in the first and second embodiments, the amount of ink used for maintenance is also used in addition to the remaining ink amount. The amount of ink not provided for printing may be converted to points and returned to the user.

 [Sixth embodiment]

FIG. 22 to FIG. 25, FIG. 26, and FIG. 27 to FIG. 29 are explanatory views of the cartridge collection device with a goods repayment function according to the present embodiment. This embodiment is based on It is an example of the fourth colorant cartridge collection device of the Ming. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 22 to 25, the cartridge collection device 1005 with the property repayment function includes a cartridge set means (set portion 1051), a contact terminal portion 1 0 52, display section 105, point card reading / writing means (“price recording means” in the present invention) 10054, first collection box B, second collection box C (here, shirts 15) 51 1 and 152) are provided), and a first lamp button switch 1561 and a second lamp button switch 1562 are provided. In this embodiment, two separate collection boxes are provided.

 The ink cartridge 1008 used in the present embodiment is provided with an IC memory 1081 capable of recording the remaining ink amount, similarly to the ink cartridge 1008 shown in FIG. And a plurality of ink tanks (the four-color ink tanks 18 2 "! To 18 24 shown in FIG. 13 (B)).

 On the inner side surface of the set portion 1051, a contact terminal portion 1052 is formed. When an ink cartridge 1008 conforming to the set section 1051 is set in the set section 1051, the IC memory 1081 contacts the contact terminal section 1052 Then, the remaining ink amount data recorded in the IC memory 1081 can be read.

 The display unit 053 displays various displays such as a back point display and an operation instruction to the user. Further, the point card read / write means 1 504 can read user information, point information, and the like from the point card 1 109 and newly write point information and the like.

Only when the first lamp button switch 156 1 is lit, can the shirt 155 1 1 of the first collection box B be opened and closed. The second lamp button switch 1 562 can be used to open the shirt 1 552 of the second collection box C when it is off and lit. You. Also, only when the second lamp pot switch 156 is lit, can the shirt 155 of the second collection box C be closed. FIG. 26 is a diagram showing the internal configuration of a cartridge collection device 1005 with a property value redemption function. In FIG. 26, the cartridge recovery device 1005 with a property value redemption function includes information reading means 1021, goods value recording means 102, display means 1024, and operation means〗 027. In FIG. 26, in order to facilitate understanding of the present embodiment, each means〗 0 2 1, 1 0 2 3, 1 0 2 4, and 1 025 have the same components as those shown in FIGS. The correspondence is shown in parentheses.

 Hereinafter, the operation of the power cartridge recovery apparatus 1005 with the property redemption function will be described with reference to the explanatory diagrams of FIGS. 22 to 25 and the flowcharts of FIGS. 27 and 28.

 When the ink cartridge 008008 is not set in the set unit Ί051, the display unit 1053 displays “A set cartridge and ink cartridge in the display unit 105, as shown in FIG. Set it with the supply port facing down If it cannot be set, press the button of C. The display of J is displayed The user follows the above display and follows the ink cartridge as shown in Fig. 23 When the cartridge 1008 is set in the set section # 051 (user action A0 #), the IC memory 1081 is accessed (S501).

 When this access is made, a cartridge data reading circuit (not shown) reads the data from the memory cartridge C—DATA from the IC memory 1081, and the backpoint information BP—INF and the manufacturer information MAKER—INF are not shown. Output to CPU.

That is, first, it is determined whether or not the IC memory 1081 can be accessed (S502). When the access can be made, the display unit 1053 prompts the user to insert the point card 10009. "Insert a loyalty card Please Is displayed (S503). When the user inserts the point force 10009 into the point card reading / writing means 1054 (user action AO 2), the back point (goods information) is calculated (S504), and the back point is displayed this time. Then, together with (S505), the first lamp button switch 1561 is turned on, and the user is instructed to turn on this switch # 561 (S506).

 Next, when the user turns on the first lamp button switch 1561 (user function A03), as shown in Fig. 24, the shirt 15501 of the first collection box is opened (S507). . Then, the display section 1053 displays an instruction to discard the ink cartridge 10008 and prompts the first lamp button switch 1561 to 0N. The cartridge is taken out from the set slot of ΓΑ. Then, put it in the B collection box and press the B button. Is displayed (S508).

 Next, when the user discards the cartridge 1008 and sets the first lamp button switch 1561 to 0 N (user action A04), the shirt 1551 of the first collection box B is closed ( S509), and write the point data to the point card 1009 (S510).

 After this, as shown in Fig. 25, the display section 1053 shows "Please take out the point card. This time, the back point XX x, the knock point total yyy. Thank you. Done.

—When the user cannot set the cartridge 10008 in the setting section 1051, the second lamp button switch 155 follows the display on the display section 1053 shown in FIG. When 6 2 is turned on (user action A 00), shut-down 1 55 2 of the second collection box C is opened (S 5 11 1). Also, in the above-mentioned step S502, when the IC memory 1081 cannot be accessed, the shirt 155 of the second collection box C is opened (S502). 5 1 1). Although not shown, the display unit 1053 displays an instruction to discard the cartridge 108 and to turn on the second lamp button switch 1562 to the user. (S5〗 2). When the user discards the cartridge 1 08 and presses the second lamp button switch 1 56 2 to 0 N (user action A 0 5), the shirt 1 55 2 of the second collection box C closes ( S 513), the processing ends.

 In the present embodiment, the maker information MAKER_INF and the like are obtained from the IC memory 1081, but the maker information and the like can be obtained using other methods. For example, as shown in FIG. 29, a bar code 1 108 1 ′ is attached to a cartridge 1 108 ′ (consisting of ink tanks 1 182 ′ to 1 824 ′) Manufacturer information MAKER_INF or the like can also be described in the barcode 1081 '. In this case, a barcode reader 1052 'is provided in the cartridge setting means (set section 1051').

According to the present embodiment described in detail above, a back point (good value) of the ink remaining amount is generated based on the ink remaining amount data not used for practical printing, and the ink cartridge is stored in the first collection box B. After 10008 is inserted, the current back point is written to the point card 1009. In other words, the backpoint is returned to the user. For this reason, the user's dissatisfaction with the remaining ink amount that cannot be used until the end can be resolved. In addition, after writing the point data, “the already written J is written to the IC memory 1081, so there is no danger that the ink remaining amount data will be read from this IC memory 1081 redundantly. There is no risk of overpayment In addition, since the back point is returned to the user, the user becomes more active in collecting the ink cartridge 108, improving recovery and promoting recycling. In this embodiment, the ink remaining amount is treated as the ink amount not used for practical printing. However, as in the first and second embodiments, the ink consumption amount during maintenance is also used in addition to the ink remaining amount. The amount of ink not used for printing may be converted to points and returned to the user.

 [Seventh embodiment]

 FIG. 30 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the ink cartridge collection system according to the present embodiment. The ink cartridge collected in the present embodiment is used for an ink jet printer. The ink cartridge recovery system is composed of a general-purpose personal computer PC, an ink remaining amount detection device 220, and a server SV connected to the personal computer PC via the Internet.

 PC The PC has an input section 204 for inputting signals from the keyboard KB and the mouse MS, and a remaining input section 2104 for inputting the remaining ink data detected by the remaining ink detector 200. And a point processing unit that converts the remaining amount of ink into points for exchanging benefits and updates the total points, and a communication unit that communicates with the server SV via the Internet The user interface 200 controls the signals and data from the input section 204, the remaining input section 204, the point processing section 204, and the communication section 204. And a display control unit 204 for displaying 0. The bass computer PC is connected to the server SV via the Internet. Further, it is connected to an ink remaining amount detecting device 202 which detects the ink remaining amount of the ink cartridge by a parallel or serial general-purpose cable.

The server SV includes a point storage table 205 and a point information providing unit 205. FIG. 31 is an explanatory diagram of the point storage table 205. The point storage table 205 contains a user I for identifying the user and an ink force collected from the user. The total points corresponding to the total ink remaining amount of the ink are stored in association with each other. The point information providing unit 2054 allows each user to enter a user ID and connect to the server SV via the Internet, thereby enabling the user to browse the point information on a homepage using a browser. (Hyper Text Marku Language) and other points. In addition, the point information providing unit 2054 also has a product catalog that can be exchanged for points. Exchange of points and products will be described later.

 The ink remaining amount detecting device 200 (FIG. 30) reads the ink remaining amount data from the storage element 2080 provided in the cartridge body 211, which will be described later, and transfers the data to the personal computer PC.

 The user interface 20010 has an identification information display section 201 for inputting a user ID and a remaining amount display section 2014 for displaying the remaining amount of ink detected by the ink remaining amount detecting device 2020. And a point display section 210 for displaying a point given according to the ink remaining amount, a past total point read from the server SV and an ink detected by the ink remaining amount detecting device 2200. It is provided with a cumulative point display section 20 18 for displaying a total of points according to the remaining amount.

 In the present embodiment, the user ID is input from the keyboard KB, but a card storing the user ID in advance may be prepared and input by reading from the card using a card reader.

Various methods can be used for the conversion from the remaining amount of ink into points in the point processing unit 2044. For example, the conversion rate from the ink remaining amount to the point may be determined to a predetermined value so as to have a linear relationship, or the conversion may be performed stepwise for each predetermined remaining amount. The conversion rate may be changed according to the type of ink. The ink cartridge to be collected in the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 32 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the color ink cartridge 2 100. FIG. 32 (A) is a perspective view showing a schematic structure of the color ink cartridge 2100. FIG. 32 (B) is a schematic block diagram when the color ink cartridge 2100 is mounted on the inkjet printer PRT.

 Although not shown, the color ink cartridge 2100 integrally stores inks of five colors of cyan, light cyan, magenta, light magenta, and yellow. The color ink cartridge 2100 includes a cartridge main body 2110 that stores ink, and a storage element 2080 for storing ink remaining amount data and the like. When the storage element 2008 is mounted on the carriage 220 of the ink-jet printer PRT, a plurality of connection terminals 2 082 on the color ink cartridge 2100 side and a plurality of connection terminals The connection terminals are in contact, and various data is exchanged with the inkjet printer PRT. On the other hand, when the storage element 20080 is used in this recovery system, the connection terminal 2082 comes into contact with a connection terminal of the ink remaining amount detection device 20020 (not shown), and is used for detection of ink remaining amount data. . The ink jet printer PRT includes a control unit 2090 including a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, a parallel input / output interface PIO, an EPROM 209, and the like. Various data read from the storage element 2008 are stored in the EEPROM 202. The control unit 209 calculates the ink remaining amount from the ink remaining amount data stored in the EEPR OM 2092 and the ink amount used for printing, and calculates the ink remaining amount in the EEPR OM 209 2 and the storage element 2 080. Rewrite the quantity data.

FIG. 33 shows a storage element provided in the color ink cartridge 2100. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a data array of 280. The memory cell of the storage element 280 includes a first area 224 for storing read-only data and a second area 232 for storing rewritable data.

 In the first area 222, the opening time data (year) of the color ink cartridge 2100, the opening time data of the color ink cartridge 2100 (month), Color ink cartridge 2100 version data, ink type data indicating dye ink or pigment ink, etc., color ink cartridge 2100 production year data, and color ink cartridge Cartridge 2100 production month data, color ink cartridge 2100 production date, color ink cartridge 2100 production line data, and color ink cartridge 2 1 Stores a serial number of 0 and a recycle status indicating whether the cartridge body 2110 is new or recycled. These are data read by the inkjet printer PRT when the color ink cartridge 210 is mounted on the inkjet printer PRT.

 The second area 2 230 contains remaining cyan ink data, magenta ink remaining data, yellow ink remaining data, light cyan ink remaining data, and light magenta ink. The remaining amount of data is stored. The two areas for storing the remaining amount data of each ink are assigned to alternately rewrite these areas.

Next, the collection process of the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 34 is a flowchart of the process of detecting the remaining ink level of the ink cartridge 210 and exchanging the points. First, the user takes the used ink cartridge to a store where the remaining ink amount detecting device 220 is installed. Stores where ink level detectors 200 and 200 are installed require the consumption of ink jet printers and PRTs. It may be a computer shop that handles goods or a so-called convenience store. Then, the user inputs a user ID to the personal computer PC of the ink cartridge collection system (step S600). Then, the communication section 204 of the personal computer PC reads out the accumulated points corresponding to the input user ID from the point storage table 205 of the server SV via the Internet ( Step S610). Next, an inquiry is made to the user as to whether or not to detect the remaining amount of ink (step S620). To detect the remaining amount of ink, set the empty ink cartridge 2100 in the remaining ink amount detection device 202 and set the storage element 200 provided in the empty ink cartridge 2100. The remaining ink amount data stored in the second area 230 of 80 is read (step S630). The remaining amount data read out by the remaining ink amount detecting device 202 is converted into points by the point processing section 204 (step S640). Then, the total points are updated by adding up the total points read from the server SV (step S650). Next, an inquiry is made as to whether or not the point is to be exchanged for a product (step S660). Users can redeem their points for new ink cartridges, specialty paper and other products, discount coupons, money, and so on. In the case of exchanging points (step S670), the points corresponding to the product etc. are subtracted from the total points, and the total points are updated (step S680). Then, an inquiry is made as to whether or not points are to be exchanged (step S660). If not, these steps are terminated. If further points are to be exchanged, steps S670 and S680 are repeated. If the detection of the remaining amount of ink is not performed in step S620, the process proceeds to step S660, and it is inquired whether or not the points are to be exchanged, and the above steps are followed. In this way, the remaining amount of ink is detected, and the color ink cartridge 2100 converted into points is collected. The color ink cartridge 2100 once the ink remaining amount has been detected is provided with an ink remaining amount detecting device 2020 so that the conversion of the ink may not be mistakenly performed again. May be rewritten to zero.

 The user accesses the server SV from the personal computer PC of the ink cartridge collection system or another personal computer, mobile phone, or information terminal via the Internet, and inputs his / her user ID by entering the user ID. It is also possible to view point information and exchange points. FIG. 35 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the flow of point information browsing and point exchange. This figure shows the display screen of the monitor of the user's personal computer. The user enters his / her user ID and passcode on the web page on the Internet provided by the point information providing unit 205 of the server SV to access the point storage table 2052 (FIG. 3). 5 (A)). Then, you can browse the current total points (Fig. 35 (B)). In Fig. 35 (B), the user can select to end browsing or exchange the point. When the user clicks the "point exchange J" button and selects to exchange points, a list of items that can be exchanged for the current total points is displayed, and the desired item is selected from this list. Select (Fig. 35 (C)) Clicking the "Exit" button displays the browsing end screen and ends browsing (Fig. 35 (E)). Check the desired product in Fig. 35 (C) and click the "OK" button to display the point exchange confirmation screen (Fig. 35 (D)). In Fig. 35 (D) Clicking on the “0 K” button displays the point exchange end screen, which ends (Figure 35 (5)).

The desired product for which points have been exchanged will be sent to the registered address at a later date. It is. Alternatively, the user may specify a destination and send it there.

 Here, the correspondence between the main components of the present embodiment and the present invention will be clarified. The ink jet printer PRT in the present embodiment corresponds to a first colorant amount recording apparatus of the present invention. Further, the ink cartridge recovery system in this embodiment corresponds to the second coloring material value processing device of the present invention, the ink remaining amount detecting device 220 corresponds to information reading means, and the personal computer PC The point processing section 2044 corresponds to the goods price generation means, the communication section 204 of the personal computer PC and the server SV correspond to the goods price recording means, and the point storage table 2052 is a predetermined recording object Is equivalent to

 According to the ink cartridge recovery system of the present embodiment described above, the user can redeem points for the remaining amount of ink in the used ink cartridge and exchange it for a product or the like. This will motivate the collection. On the other hand, manufacturers actively cooperate with users in collecting ink cartridges, improving the collection rate of ink cartridges, enabling recycling and waste disposal, and contributing to environmental conservation. It is a thing.

 In the above embodiment, the ink remaining amount is handled as the ink amount not used for practical printing. However, as in the first and second embodiments, the ink consumption amount during maintenance is also used in addition to the ink remaining amount. The amount of ink not used for printing may be converted to a point and returned to the user. Further, in the above embodiment, the personal computer PC includes the point processing unit 204, but the server SV may include the point processing unit 204.

 [Eighth Embodiment]

FIG. 36 shows the configuration of the ink cartridge collection system of the present embodiment. FIG. In the seventh embodiment, the accumulated point corresponding to the collected ink amount is stored in the point storage table 205 of the server SV in association with the user, but in the present embodiment, each point is individually stored. The user ID and the total point are recorded in the prepared password 203 by using a card reader / writer 230. As the card 235, a magnetic card, an IC card, or the like can be used. PC The PC is the communication unit of the seventh embodiment.

In place of 204, a card information input / output unit 20447 is provided. Other configurations are the same as those of the seventh embodiment. In this embodiment, the card 20

Since point information is recorded in 35, point browsing and point exchange services using the Internet cannot be used. According to the present embodiment, similarly to the seventh embodiment, the recovery rate of used consumables can be improved.

 [Other embodiments]

 In the seventh and eighth embodiments, the user brings the ink cartridge into the store and performs collection. However, the collection company or the like uses the ink cartridge of the present invention including the remaining ink amount detection device 220. It is also possible to use a mobile device such as a truck equipped with all or a part of the recovery system to recover to the user and detect the remaining amount of ink on the spot. Industrial applicability

 The present invention provides a method for encouraging a user to recycle a printing colorant and a container or the like accommodating the printing colorant by returning the printing colorant to a user in accordance with an amount of the printing colorant not provided for practical printing. It can be used in technical fields related to colorants for printing, such as printers, facsimile machines, and copiers.

Claims

The scope of the claims

1. An information acquisition means for acquiring information on the amount of printing colorant that has not been subjected to practical printing, and

 Information writing means for writing information on the quantity acquired by the information acquisition means on a recording medium;

 Colorant amount recording device provided with a colorant.

 2. The recording medium is attached to a cartridge containing the printing colorant.

 The coloring material amount recording device according to claim 1.

 3. The colorant for printing is ink

 The colorant amount recording device according to claim 1 or 2.

 4. The amount not subjected to the practical printing includes the remaining amount of the printing colorant.

 The coloring material amount recording device according to claim 1.

 5. The amount not used for the practical printing includes the amount of the colorant for printing required for maintenance of a printing mechanism.

 The coloring material amount recording device according to claim 1.

 6. The information obtaining means obtains information on the quantity not provided for practical printing for each color of the printing colorant,

 The information writing unit writes the information for each color acquired by the information acquisition unit on the recording medium.

 The colorant amount recording device according to claim 1.

7. Equipped with a printing device that performs printing with the printing colorant

 The coloring material amount recording device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. Information on the amount of printing colorant not used for practical printing is provided. Information reading means for reading information on the amount from the written recording medium;

 Goods price generating means for generating a goods price of the quantity based on the information on the quantity read by the information reading means;

 Coloring material value processing device provided with.

 9. The price generating means writes information indicating that the price has been processed to the recording medium when the price is returned to the user.

 9. The coloring material value processing apparatus according to claim 8.

 10. The coloring material value processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

 Goods price recording means for recording the goods price generated by the goods price generation means in a predetermined recording object

 Coloring material value processing device provided with.

 11. The coloring material price processing device according to claim 10, wherein the price recording unit associates the price with a user.

 1 2. The goods price recording means cumulatively records the goods prices in the recording object.

 The coloring material value processing apparatus according to claim 10 or 11.

 13. The goods price recording means writes information indicating that the goods prices have been processed to the recording medium when the goods prices are recorded in the recording object.

 A coloring material value processing apparatus according to any one of claims 10 to 12.

 1 4. The recording target is a portable card type memory

 The coloring material value processing apparatus according to any one of claims 10 to 13.

 15. The recording target allows the user to access the recorded content via a network

The coloring material value processing apparatus according to any one of claims 10 to 13.

16. The recording medium is attached to a colorant cartridge having the printing colorant.

 A coloring material value processing apparatus according to any one of claims 8 to 15.

 17. The printing colorant is ink

 The coloring material value processing apparatus according to any one of claims 8 to 16.

 18. The amount not subjected to the practical printing includes the remaining amount of the printing colorant.

 The coloring material value processing apparatus according to any one of claims 8 to 17.

 1 9. The amount not used for the practical printing includes the amount of the coloring material used for printing required for maintenance of a printing mechanism.

 A coloring material value processing apparatus according to any one of claims 8 to 18.

20. The goods price is a privilege to give back to the user

 A coloring material value processing apparatus according to any one of claims 8 to 19.

2 1. The goods price is the number of points similar to money

 A coloring material value processing apparatus according to any one of claims 8 to 19.

2 2. The goods are securities.

 A coloring material value processing apparatus according to any one of claims 8 to 19.

23. The goods price is the discount amount when the user purchases the goods or the discount amount when the user receives the service.

 A coloring material value processing apparatus according to any one of claims 8 to 19.

 24. The information reading means reads the information on the quantity for each color from a recording medium in which information on the quantity not used for actual printing is written for each color in the printing colorant,

 The goods price generation means generates a goods price based on the information on the quantity for each color read by the information reading means.

The coloring material value processing apparatus according to any one of claims 8 to 23.

25. In the colorant cartridge containing the colorant for printing, a recording medium in which information on the amount of the colorant for printing that was not used for practical printing was recorded.

 Colorant cartridge with.

26. The coloring material value processing apparatus according to any one of claims 8 to 24, and a cartridge accommodating means for collecting the coloring material cartridge having the printing colorant.

 A colorant cartridge recovery device provided with a colorant cartridge.

27. A collection moving body equipped with the colorant cartridge collection device according to claim 26.

 28. A collection method for collecting a colorant cartridge having a colorant for printing,

 (a) obtaining information on the amount of printing colorant in the colorant cartridge that has not been provided for practical printing;

 (b) generating a price of the quantity based on the information on the quantity.

2 9. A user face used when collecting a colorant cartridge having a colorant for printing,

 An identification information display unit for displaying identification information for specifying a user, a goods price display unit for displaying the goods price of the quantity based on the information on the quantity that was not provided for practical printing with the printing colorant,

 A cumulative goods value display unit for displaying the cumulative value of the goods price associated with the identification information;

 A user interface with a screen.