Printing control apparatus, printing control method, printing control program and printing system

Abstract

To provide a printing control apparatus, a printing control method, a printing control program and a printing system which can suitably determine whether a consumable is a genuine product or a non-genuine product and execute printing processing in accordance with the consumable.SOLUTION: A printing control apparatus comprises: a consumable information acquisition unit 15 for acquiring use state information of an ink cartridge 14 stored in a tag IC 14a provided at the ink cartridge 14; and a printing control unit 17 for controlling printing processing in accordance with a result of determining whether the ink cartridge 14 is a genuine product or a non-genuine product in a block chain network 20 based on the use state information acquired by the consumable information acquisition unit 15 and use state information of the ink cartridge 14 pre-stored in the block chain network 20.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a print control device, method, program, and printing system that determines whether a consumable is genuine or non-genuine and performs printing processing in accordance with the determination result. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, when non-genuine consumables such as image recording materials (ink cartridges, etc.) are used in printing devices, it is not possible to perform printing control according to the characteristics of the image recording material, such as its density and viscosity, and appropriate printouts may not be obtained.

[0003] In response to this, a method has been proposed in which information indicating that the product is genuine is stored in, for example, an IC (Integrated Circuit) tag and attached to the consumable product, and this information is used to prevent non-genuine products from being used as genuine products. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2010-033148 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] For example, the traceability system described in Patent Document 1 proposes a method for investigating where something has moved from by having an IC tag record information about surrounding IC tags.

[0006] Increasing the amount of information stored in an IC tag in this way requires the IC tag to have a large storage area and to have a built-in power source, etc., which leads to increased costs.

[0007] In consideration of the above circumstances, the present invention aims to provide a printing control device, method, program, and printing system that can appropriately determine whether a consumable is genuine or non-genuine and perform printing processing according to the consumable. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The printing control device of the present invention includes a consumable information acquisition unit that acquires usage information of the consumable stored in a memory unit provided in the consumable, and a printing control unit that controls printing processing using the consumable depending on the result of a determination in the external device as to whether the consumable is genuine or non-genuine based on the usage information acquired by the consumable information acquisition unit and usage information of the consumable pre-stored in the external device. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the printing control device of the present invention, usage information of the consumable stored in a memory unit provided in the consumable is acquired, and the result of a determination made by the external device as to whether the consumable is genuine or non-genuine based on the acquired usage information and usage information of the consumable pre-stored in the external device is accepted, and printing processing is controlled in accordance with the determination result.Therefore, simply copying the information stored in the memory unit of the consumable will not determine that it is genuine, and it is possible to appropriately determine whether the consumable is genuine or non-genuine and perform printing processing appropriate to the consumable. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a printing system using an embodiment of a print control device of the present invention; [Diagram 2] A sequence diagram for explaining a method for determining when a genuine ink cartridge is loaded into a printing device. [Diagram 3] A sequence diagram for explaining a method for determining when a genuine ink cartridge is loaded into a printing device. [Figure 4]A sequence diagram to explain a method for determining if a non-genuine ink cartridge has been loaded into a printing device. [Diagram 5] A sequence diagram to explain a method for determining if a non-genuine ink cartridge has been loaded into a printing device. [Figure 6] A sequence diagram to explain a method for determining if a non-genuine ink cartridge has been loaded into a printing device. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram illustrating a method for determining an ink cartridge when a printing device is in an offline state. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram illustrating a method for determining an ink cartridge when a printing device is in an offline state. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram illustrating a method for determining an ink cartridge when a printing device is in an offline state. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] A printing system 1 using an embodiment of a printing control device of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. The printing system 1 of this embodiment is characterized in that it uses a blockchain to determine whether a consumable (e.g., a recording material) loaded in the printing device is genuine or non-genuine, and performs printing processing according to the determination result. Figure 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the printing system 1 of this embodiment.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 1, a printing system 1 of this embodiment includes a printing device 10 and a block chain network 20.

[0013] The blockchain network 20 is a distributed network composed of multiple node terminal devices. The multiple node terminal devices store the blockchain in an auxiliary storage device, and the multiple node terminal devices each cooperate to maintain the blockchain network. As the node terminal devices, for example, a server device, a desktop personal computer, a notebook personal computer, etc. can be used.

[0014] The printing device 10 and the blockchain network 20 are connected via a communication line such as an Internet line or a LAN (Local Area Network) line, and are configured to be able to exchange various information with each other.

[0015] The printing device 10 performs printing processing on printing paper, and the printing device 10 of this embodiment performs printing processing by inkjet printing. Note that the printing processing method is not limited to inkjet printing, and other printing methods such as laser printing and stencil printing may also be used.

[0016] The printing device 10 includes a print processing unit 11, a loading unit 12, and a control unit 13.

[0017] The print processing unit 11 is equipped with mechanisms necessary for the print process, such as an inkjet head that ejects ink onto the print paper and a transport mechanism that transports the print paper, and performs the print process by ejecting ink from the inkjet head onto the print paper transported by the transport mechanism.

[0018] The loading section 12 is loaded with an ink cartridge 14 filled with ink. The ink cartridge 14 loaded in the printing device 10 of this embodiment is provided with an IC (Integrated Circuit) tag 14a that stores predetermined information. In this embodiment, the IC tag 14a corresponds to the storage section of the present invention.

[0019] The IC tag 14a of the ink cartridge 14 stores a unique identification number of the ink cartridge 14 (hereinafter simply referred to as the unique identification number) and usage status information of the ink cartridge 14. The usage status information is information that indicates the usage status of the ink cartridge 14, and for example, when the ink cartridge 14 is shipped from the factory, unused information indicating that it has not been used and 100% information indicating the remaining amount of ink are stored as usage status information. After the ink cartridge 14 is loaded into the loading section 12 of the printing device 10, information on the start date and time of use, used information indicating that it has been used, and information on the remaining amount of ink after the ink has been used are stored in the IC tag 14a as usage status information.

[0020] Furthermore, the IC tag 14a stores the above-mentioned usage information and a unique identification number associated with the ink cartridge 14 on which the IC tag 14a is provided.

[0021] The loading unit 12 is equipped with a reading unit 12a that reads the unique identification number and usage status information from the IC tag 14a of the ink cartridge 14 loaded in the loading unit 12. The information read by the reading unit 12a is output to the control unit 13. Also, although only one ink cartridge 14 is shown in Fig. 1, in reality, the same number of ink cartridges 14 as the number of ink colors used in the printing process are loaded, and the unique identification number and usage status information of each ink cartridge 14 are stored in each IC tag 14a of each ink cartridge 14.

[0022] The control unit 13 includes a consumables information acquisition unit 15, a usage status information output unit 16, and a print control unit 17.

[0023] The consumable product information acquiring unit 15 acquires the unique identification number and the usage status information read from the IC tag 14 a by the reading unit 12 a of the loading unit 12 .

[0024] The usage information output unit 16 certifies whether the ink cartridge 14 is genuine or not based on the unique identification number acquired by the consumables information acquisition unit 15 and the unique identification number of a genuine product stored in advance inside the printing device 10. Note that this authentication is a primary authentication performed before the blockchain network 20, which will be described later, determines whether the ink cartridge 14 is genuine or not, and is different from the determination by the blockchain network 20 of whether the ink cartridge 14 is genuine or not.

[0025] If the usage status information output unit 16 authenticates that the ink cartridge 14 is genuine, it outputs the usage status information to the IC tag 14a according to the usage status of the ink cartridge 14, and updates the previously stored usage status information.

[0026] In addition, the usage status information output unit 16 outputs the usage status information to the blockchain network 20 depending on the usage status of the ink cartridge 14, and links it to previously stored usage status information and stores it as a blockchain.

[0027] The usage status information changes depending on the usage status from when the ink cartridge 14 is shipped from the factory to the present time. The blockchain network 20 uses the usage status information at each point in time as a block of the blockchain, and the blockchain is constructed by adding a hash value calculated from the usage status information of a specific block to the block next to the specific block. The specific content of the usage status information will be described in detail later.

[0028] The blockchain network 20 compares the current usage information of the ink cartridge 14 output from the usage information output unit 16 of the printing device 10 with previously stored usage information of the ink cartridge 14 (having the same unique identification number) to determine whether the ink cartridge 14 is genuine or non-genuine, and outputs the determination result to the printing device 10. The method of determining whether an ink cartridge 14 is genuine or non-genuine in the blockchain network 20 will be described in detail later.

[0029] The print control unit 17 receives the determination result of whether the product is genuine or non-genuine from the block chain network 20, and controls the print processing unit 11 based on the determination result. That is, when the determination result is genuine, the print control unit 17 performs print processing appropriate for a genuine product, and when the determination result is non-genuine, the print control unit 17 performs print processing appropriate for a non-genuine product.

[0030] Specifically, if the ink cartridge 14 is genuine, the printing control unit 17 performs printing processing based on preset ink ejection conditions that correspond to the characteristics (viscosity and concentration) of the ink filled in the genuine ink cartridge 14.

[0031] On the other hand, when the ink cartridge 14 is a non-genuine product, the ink characteristics of the non-genuine ink cartridge 14 are unknown, so the print control unit 17 displays, for example, a setting input screen on the operation panel (not shown) of the printing device 10 for receiving setting input of the ink characteristics of the non-genuine ink cartridge 14. The print control unit 17 then specifies the ink ejection conditions based on the ink characteristics set and input by the user, and performs printing processing based on the ejection conditions. It is assumed that the print control unit 17 has ink ejection conditions corresponding to various ink characteristics set in advance as a table.

[0032] In addition, if the ink cartridge 14 is genuine, the print control unit 17 sets the transport speed of the transport mechanism to a preset transport speed, but if the ink cartridge 14 is non-genuine, the transport speed is set to the slowest speed because the ink characteristics are unknown as described above.

[0033] The control unit 13 includes a central processing unit (CPU), semiconductor memories such as a read only memory (ROM) and a random access memory (RAM), storage such as a hard disk, and a communication interface (I / F).

[0034] An embodiment of the print control program of the present invention is installed in the storage of the control unit 13. When this print control program is started by the CPU, the functions of the above-mentioned parts of the control unit 13 are executed.

[0035] In addition, in this embodiment, the functions of each part are executed by executing the print control program by the CPU, but some or all of the functions executed by the print control program may be configured from hardware such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or other electrical circuits.

[0036] Next, a method for determining whether the ink cartridge 14 is genuine or non-genuine in the printing system 1 of this embodiment using the blockchain network 20 will be specifically described. First, a method for determining whether the ink cartridge 14 is genuine when it is loaded into the printing device 10 will be described with reference to the sequence diagrams shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

[0037] First, when the ink cartridge 14 is shipped from the factory, the usage status information of the ink cartridge 14 at the time of shipment from the factory is stored in the IC tag 14a of the genuine ink cartridge 14 and in the blockchain network 20, linked to the unique identification number of the ink cartridge 14 (S10, S12). The usage status information at the time of shipment from the factory includes unused information and remaining ink amount information of 100%.

[0038] Next, a genuine ink cartridge 14 is loaded into the loading section 12 of the printing device 10 (S14), and the unique identification number and the usage status information at the time of shipment from the factory are read by the reading section 12a from the IC tag 14a (S16).

[0039] The usage status information output unit 16 of the printing device 10 certifies whether the ink cartridge 14 is genuine or not based on the unique identification number read from the IC tag 14a (S18). At this time, if the unique identification number is not a unique identification number of a genuine product, the printing device 10 notifies, for example, on an operation panel (not shown), that the loaded ink cartridge 14 is not genuine.

[0040] If the usage information output unit 16 verifies that the unique identification number of the ink cartridge 14 is a unique identification number of a genuine product and that the ink cartridge is genuine, it outputs the start date of use and used information to the IC tag 14a of the ink cartridge 14 and updates the usage information (S20).

[0041] Furthermore, when the usage information read from the IC tag 14a includes unused information, the usage information output unit 16 outputs the unique identification number and, as new usage information, information indicating that the product is genuine, used information, and remaining ink information of 100% to the blockchain network 20. Based on the unique identification number output from the usage information output unit 16, the blockchain network 20 identifies the blockchain linked to the unique identification number, and stores the new usage information by linking it to the usage information of the block already stored (usage information at the time of shipment from the factory) (S22).

[0042] Then, the blockchain network 20 compares the usage status information of the block stored immediately before (usage status information at the time of shipment from the factory) with the usage status information of the block linked and stored this time to determine whether the ink cartridge 14 is genuine or non-genuine (S24). Here, the usage status information of the block stored immediately before includes unused information, and the usage status information of the newly linked block includes used information, so the blockchain network 20 determines that the ink cartridge 14 is genuine and outputs the determination result to the printing device 10.

[0043] Next, the usage information output unit 16 of the printing device 10 generates determination information by linking the new usage information to the unique identification number (S26), and stores the determination information in the printing device 10 (S28). Note that a storage device such as a hard disk can be used as a storage medium for the determination information. At this time, the usage information output unit 16 determines that the ink cartridge 14 is genuine because the usage information of the unique identification number included in the determination information is stored for the first time, that is, there is no usage information to compare with (S30).

[0044] However, in this embodiment, since the determination has already been made using the blockchain network 20 as described above, the determination result in the printing device 10 in S30 is reserved, and the determination result of the blockchain network 20 is adopted. As will be described in detail later, the determination result in the printing device 10 in S30 is adopted when the printing device 10 is offline and cannot connect to the blockchain network 20.

[0045] Then, the printing device 10 controls the print processing unit 11 to perform printing processing based on the ink ejection conditions and transport speed corresponding to the genuine product from the determination result of the blockchain network 20 (S32).

[0046] Next, when the ink cartridge 14 is used in a printing process (S34), the usage information output unit 16 updates the usage information of the IC tag 14a of the ink cartridge 14 and the blockchain stored in the blockchain network 20 in accordance with changes in usage due to that use.

[0047] Specifically, for example, if 10% of the ink in the ink cartridge 14 has been used and 90% remains, the usage information output unit 16 outputs the remaining ink amount information of 90% to the IC tag 14a and updates the usage information (S36). In addition, the usage information output unit 16 outputs the unique identification number of the ink cartridge 14, information indicating that it is a genuine product, the used information, and the remaining ink amount information of 90% to the blockchain network 20.

[0048] Based on the unique identification number output from the usage information output unit 16, the blockchain network 20 identifies the blockchain linked to the unique identification number, and stores the new usage information by linking it to the usage information of the block already stored (S38).

[0049] Then, the blockchain network 20 determines whether the ink cartridge 14 is genuine or non-genuine by again comparing the usage information of the most recently stored block with the usage information read from the IC tag 14a (S40).

[0050] The blockchain network 20 determines that the ink cartridge 14 is genuine because the usage information most recently stored includes used information and ink remaining information of 100%, and the usage information output from the printing device 10 includes used information and ink remaining information of 90%, and the change in the ink remaining information is not in a reverse relationship (it has not increased).

[0051] Next, the usage status information output unit 16 of the printing device 10 generates determination information from the unique identification number and usage status information read from the IC tag 14a (S42) in the same manner as in the processes of S26 to S30, and stores the information in the printing device 10 (S44). At this time, the usage status information output unit 16 compares the usage status information of the unique identification number included in the determination information with the usage status information most recently stored in the printing device 10 in association with the unique identification number, and determines whether the ink cartridge 14 is genuine or not (S46). In this case, the remaining ink amount information in the most recent usage status information is 100%, and the remaining ink amount information in the currently stored usage status information is 90%, which is not a reverse relationship, so the usage status information output unit 16 determines that the ink cartridge 14 is genuine.

[0052] However, similarly to the processes of S26 to S30, in this embodiment, since the determination has already been made using the blockchain network 20 as described above, the determination result within the printing device 10 in S46 is reserved, and the determination result of the blockchain network 20 is adopted. As will be described in detail later, the determination result within the printing device 10 in S46 is also adopted when the printing device 10 is offline and cannot connect to the blockchain network 20.

[0053] Then, the printing device 10 controls the print processing unit 11 to perform printing processing based on the ink ejection conditions and transport speed corresponding to the genuine product from the determination result of the blockchain network 20 (S48).

[0054] Next, a method for determining when a non-genuine ink cartridge 14 has been loaded into the printing device 10 will be described with reference to the sequence diagrams shown in Figures 4 to 6. Here, the genuine ink cartridge 14 will be referred to as ink cartridge 14A, the non-genuine ink cartridge 14 will be referred to as ink cartridge 14B, and a case will be described in which the genuine ink cartridge 14A is loaded, and then the non-genuine ink cartridge 14B is loaded.

[0055] First, the process of determining whether ink cartridge 14A is genuine from S50 to S86 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 is the same as the process of determining from S10 to S46 in the sequence diagrams shown in FIGS.

[0056] Then, after the determination process of S86, which is similar to S46, when a new non-genuine ink cartridge 14B is loaded (S90), the unique identification information and usage information stored in the IC tag 14a of that ink cartridge 14B are read out (S92). Note that, in this case, it is assumed that the unique identification number and the usage information at the time of shipment from the factory stored in the IC tag 14a of the genuine ink cartridge 14A are copied and stored in the IC tag 14a of the non-genuine ink cartridge 14B (S88).

[0057] Therefore, the usage information output unit 16 performs initial authentication to determine whether or not the product is genuine, using the unique identification number read from the IC tag 14a as described above. However, in this case, since the unique identification number of the genuine ink cartridge 14A has been copied, it cannot be authenticated as a non-genuine product, and so authenticates it as a genuine product (S94).

[0058] If the usage information output unit 16 certifies that the ink cartridge 14B is genuine, it outputs the start date of use and used information to the IC tag 14a of the ink cartridge 14 as described above, and updates the usage information (S96).

[0059] In addition, when the usage status information read from the IC tag 14a includes unused information, the usage status information output unit 16 outputs the unique identification number and information indicating that the ink cartridge 14 is genuine, used information, and ink remaining amount information of 100%, as new usage status information, to the blockchain network 20, in the same manner as when the ink cartridge 14 is genuine. The blockchain network 20 identifies the blockchain linked to the unique identification number based on the unique identification number output from the usage status information output unit 16, and stores the new usage status information by linking it to the usage status information of the already stored block (usage status information at the time of shipment from the factory) (S98). Here, the IC tag 14a of the ink cartridge 14B stores the same information as that stored in the IC tag 14a of the genuine ink cartridge 14A, so the blockchain of the unique identification number of the genuine ink cartridge 14A is identified, and the new usage status information is linked to it and stored.

[0060] Then, the blockchain network 20 determines whether the ink cartridge 14 is genuine or non-genuine by comparing the usage information of the block stored immediately before (used information and remaining ink information 90%) with the usage information of the currently linked and stored block (used information and remaining ink information 100%) (S100). Here, since the remaining ink information of 90% in the usage information of the block stored immediately before and the remaining ink information of 100% in the usage information of the newly linked block are in a reverse relationship, the blockchain network 20 determines that the ink cartridge 14 is non-genuine and outputs the determination result to the printing device 10.

[0061] Next, the usage status information output unit 16 of the printing device 10 generates determination information from the unique identification number and usage status information read from the IC tag 14a (S102) in the same manner as in the processes of S66 to S70 and S82 to S86, and stores the information in the printing device 10 (S104). At this time, the usage status information output unit 16 compares the usage status information of the unique identification number included in the determination information with the usage status information most recently stored in the printing device 10 in association with the unique identification number, and determines whether the ink cartridge 14 is genuine or not (S106). Here, the remaining ink amount information in the most recent usage status information is 90%, and the remaining ink amount information in the currently stored usage status information is 100%, which is a reverse relationship, so the usage status information output unit 16 determines that the ink cartridge 14 is a non-genuine product.

[0062] However, as with the processes of S66 to S70 and S82 to S86, in this embodiment, since the determination using the blockchain network 20 has already been performed as described above, the determination result within the printing device 10 in S104 is reserved, and the determination result of the blockchain network 20 is adopted. As will be described in detail later, the determination result within the printing device 10 in S104 is also adopted when the printing device 10 is offline and cannot connect to the blockchain network 20.

[0063] The printer 10 then controls the print processing unit 11 to perform printing processing based on the ink ejection conditions and transport speed corresponding to the non-genuine product (S108). Note that in the above S90, as an example, ink cartridge 14B is loaded when ink cartridge 14A has 90% ink remaining, but it is of course also possible to load ink cartridge 14B when ink cartridge 14A has 0% ink remaining.

[0064] Here, in the above embodiment, the printing device 10 is described as being connected online to the blockchain network 20, but it is also possible that the printing device 10 is in an offline state.

[0065] Next, a method for determining the ink cartridge 14 when the printing device 10 is offline and cannot connect to the blockchain network 20 will be described with reference to the sequence diagrams shown in Figures 7 to 9. Note that here, the unique identification number and factory usage information stored in the IC tag 14a of the genuine ink cartridge 14A are copied to the IC tags 14a of the non-genuine ink cartridge 14C and the non-genuine ink cartridge 14D (S110, S112), and the determination method will be described for the case where the ink cartridge 14D is loaded after the ink cartridge 14C is loaded.

[0066] First, the non-genuine ink cartridge 14C is loaded into the loading section 12 of the printing device 10 (S114), and the unique identification number and usage information are read from the IC tag 14a by the reading section 12a (S116).

[0067] The usage information output unit 16 of the printing device 10 certifies whether the ink cartridge 14C is genuine or not based on the unique identification number read from the IC tag 14a (S118). At this time, if the unique identification number is not a unique identification number of a genuine product, the printing device 10 notifies an operation panel (not shown) or the like that the loaded ink cartridge 14C is a non-genuine product. Here, as described above, the information stored in the IC tag 14a of the genuine ink cartridge 14A is copied to the IC tag 14a of the ink cartridge 14C, so the unique identification number stored in the IC tag 14a of the ink cartridge 14C is a unique identification number of a genuine product.

[0068] If the usage information output unit 16 verifies that the unique identification number of the ink cartridge 14 is a unique identification number of an authentic product and is therefore an authentic product, it outputs the start date of use and used information to the IC tag 14a of the ink cartridge 14 and updates the usage information (S120).

[0069] In addition, if the usage information read from the IC tag 14a includes unused information, the usage information output unit 16 attempts to output to the blockchain network 20 the unique identification number and new usage information, such as information indicating that the product is genuine, used information, and 100% remaining ink information. However, since the printing device 10 is offline, no output is possible, and there is no response from the blockchain network 20 regarding the determination result.

[0070] If there is no response from the blockchain network 20 for a preset period of time (S122, YES), the usage information output unit 16 links new usage information to the unique identification number to generate determination information (S124) and stores the determination information in the printing device 10 (S126). At this time, the usage information output unit 16 determines that the ink cartridge 14C is genuine because the usage information of the unique identification number included in the determination information is stored for the first time, that is, there is no usage information to compare with (S128).

[0071] Here, since the judgment using the blockchain network 20 cannot be used as described above, the judgment result in the printing device 10 in S128 is adopted. In other words, in the offline state, if there are multiple non-genuine ink cartridges with the same copied unique identification number (for example, ink cartridge 14C and ink cartridge 14D), the information stored in the blockchain network 20 cannot be used for the initially loaded non-genuine ink cartridge 14C, and therefore it will be judged to be genuine.

[0072] Then, the printing device 10 performs printing processing by controlling the print processing unit 11 based on the ink ejection conditions and transport speed corresponding to the genuine product from the determination result within the printing device 10 (S130).

[0073] Next, when ink cartridge 14C is used in a printing process (S132), usage status information output unit 16 updates the usage status information in IC tag 14a of ink cartridge 14C in accordance with the change in usage status due to that use (S134). Specifically, when, for example, 10% of the ink in ink cartridge 14 has been used and 90% is remaining, usage status information output unit 16 outputs the remaining ink amount information of 90% to IC tag 14a to update the usage status information.

[0074] In addition, the usage information output unit 16 attempts to output the ink cartridge 14C's unique identification number, information indicating that it is a genuine product, used information, and remaining ink information (90%) to the blockchain network 20, but since the printing device 10 is offline, the output is not possible, and there is no response from the blockchain network 20 regarding the determination result.

[0075] If there is no response from the blockchain network 20 for a preset period of time (S136, YES), the usage information output unit 16 links new usage information to the unique identification number to generate determination information (S138) and stores the information in the printing device 10 (S140).

[0076] The usage status information output unit 16 then compares the most recent past judgment information of the ink cartridge 14C stored in the printing device 10 with the judgment information of the ink cartridge 14C stored this time to determine whether the ink cartridge 14C is genuine or non-genuine (S142). Specifically, the usage status information output unit 16 identifies the most recent past judgment information linked to the unique identification number of the ink cartridge 14C based on the unique identification number included in the judgment information of the ink cartridge 14C stored this time, and compares the judgment information stored this time with the identified most recent past judgment information. The remaining ink amount information included in the judgment information stored this time is 90%, while the remaining ink amount information included in the most recent judgment information stored in the past is 100%, which is not a reverse relationship, so the usage status information output unit 16 determines that the ink cartridge 14C is genuine.

[0077] Then, the printing device 10 controls the print processing unit 11 to perform printing processing based on the ink ejection conditions and the transport speed corresponding to the genuine product (S144).

[0078] Although not shown, when the printing device 10 goes online, the usage information output unit 16 outputs the temporarily stored usage information together with the unique identification number to the blockchain network 20. Then, based on the unique identification number output from the usage information output unit 16, the blockchain network 20 identifies the blockchain linked to the unique identification number, and stores the new usage information by linking it to the usage information of the already stored block (usage information at the time of shipment from the factory).

[0079] Next, when another non-genuine ink cartridge 14D is loaded while the device is still offline (S146), the unique identification information and usage information stored in the IC tag 14a of the ink cartridge 14D are read out (S148).

[0080] Then, the usage information output unit 16 performs initial authentication to determine whether or not the product is genuine, using the unique identification number read from the IC tag 14a as described above. However, in this case, since the unique identification number of the genuine ink cartridge 14A has been copied, it cannot be authenticated as a non-genuine product, and so authenticates ink cartridge 14D as a genuine product (S150).

[0081] If the usage information output unit 16 certifies that the ink cartridge 14D is genuine, it outputs the usage start date and used information to the IC tag 14a of the ink cartridge 14D as described above, and updates the usage information (S152).

[0082] In addition, if the usage information read from the IC tag 14a of the ink cartridge 14D includes unused information, the usage information output unit 16 attempts to output to the blockchain network 20 the unique identification number of the ink cartridge 14D and new usage information, such as information indicating that it is a genuine product, used information, and 100% remaining ink information. However, since the printing device 10 is offline, no output is possible, and there is no response from the blockchain network 20 regarding the determination result.

[0083] If there is no response from the blockchain network 20 for a preset period of time (S154, YES), the usage information output unit 16 links new usage information of the ink cartridge 14D to the unique identification number to generate determination information (S156) and stores the information in the printing device 10 (S158).

[0084] The usage information output unit 16 then compares the most recent past judgment information for ink cartridge 14D stored in the printing device 10 with the currently stored judgment information for ink cartridge 14D to determine whether ink cartridge 14D is genuine or non-genuine (S160). Specifically, the usage information output unit 16 identifies the most recent past judgment information linked to the unique identification number of ink cartridge 14D based on the unique identification number included in the currently stored judgment information for ink cartridge 14D. Here, since the unique identification numbers of ink cartridge 14C and ink cartridge 14D are the same, the judgment information for ink cartridge 14C stored in S140 is identified as the most recent past judgment information.

[0085] The remaining ink amount information 1 contained in the currently stored judgment information for ink cartridge 14D is 9100%, whereas the remaining ink amount information contained in the most recent judgment information for ink cartridge 14C stored in the past is 90%, which is a reverse relationship, so usage information output unit 16 determines that ink cartridge 14D is a non-genuine product.

[0086] Then, the printing device 10 controls the print processing unit 11 to perform printing processing based on the ink ejection conditions and the transport speed corresponding to the non-genuine product (S162).

[0087] Even if a non-genuine ink cartridge with the same unique identification number as ink cartridge 14A is loaded after genuine ink cartridge 14D has been used, the remaining ink information (e.g., 90%) included in the latest determination information for ink cartridge 14D previously stored in printing device 10 and the remaining ink information of 100% in the usage status information read from IC tag 14a of the non-genuine ink cartridge 14 are in a reverse relationship, so it can be determined that it is a non-genuine ink cartridge 14. Note that, in S146 above, ink cartridge 14D is loaded when ink cartridge 14C has 90% remaining ink as an example, but it is of course possible to load ink cartridge 14D when ink cartridge 14C has been used up to 0% remaining ink.

[0088] According to the printing system 1 of the above embodiment, except for the offline state of Figures 7 to 9, usage information stored in the IC tag 14a provided on the ink cartridge 14 is acquired, and based on the acquired usage information and usage information of consumables pre-stored in the blockchain network 20, it is determined whether the ink cartridge 14 is genuine or non-genuine in the blockchain network 20, and the printing process is controlled according to the determination result. Therefore, simply copying the information stored in the IC tag 14a of the ink cartridge 14 will not determine that it is genuine, and it is possible to appropriately determine whether the ink cartridge 14 is genuine or non-genuine, and to perform printing process according to the determination result.

[0089] Furthermore, in the printing system 1 of the above embodiment, if unused information is included in the usage information, used information is output to the IC tag 14a of the unused ink cartridge 14 to update the usage information, and the used information is output to the blockchain network 20 to update the usage information of the ink cartridge 14. Therefore, as described above, if a non-genuine ink cartridge 14 with copied information on the IC tag 14a is loaded, the non-genuine ink cartridge 14 can be appropriately determined to be a non-genuine ink cartridge 14 by comparing the used information on the blockchain network 20 with the unused information on the IC tag 14a of the non-genuine ink cartridge 14.

[0090] Then, depending on the result of the determination, printing can be performed under ink ejection conditions and transport speed appropriate for the non-genuine ink cartridge 14.

[0091] In addition, when the ink cartridge 14 is used and its usage changes, the changed usage information is output to the IC tag 14a for updating, and the changed usage information is output to the blockchain network 20 for updating. When a new ink cartridge 14 is loaded and the relationship between the usage information of the new ink cartridge 14 and the usage information of the same unique identification number as the ink cartridge 14 stored in the blockchain network 20 is a reverse relationship, the ink cartridge 14 is determined to be a non-genuine product in the blockchain network 20, and printing processing appropriate for a non-genuine product is performed. Therefore, even after the ink cartridge 14 has been used, it can be appropriately determined whether the newly loaded ink cartridge 14 is genuine or non-genuine.

[0092] Furthermore, in the printing system 1 of the above embodiment, when the printing device 10 is offline, the usage information is temporarily stored in the printing device 10, and when it becomes possible to connect to the blockchain network 20 (when the printing device 10 becomes online), the temporarily stored usage information is output to the blockchain network 20, so that the usage information stored in the blockchain network 20 can be appropriately updated.

[0093] Furthermore, in the printing system 1 of the above embodiment, when the printing device 10 is offline, a new ink cartridge 14 is loaded, and the usage information of the new ink cartridge 14 is compared with the usage information already temporarily stored in the printing device 10 for an ink cartridge 14 having the same unique identification number as the new ink cartridge 14 to determine whether the new consumable is genuine or non-genuine. Therefore, even when the printing device 10 is offline, it can be appropriately determined whether the ink cartridge 14 is genuine or non-genuine.

[0094] Furthermore, in the printing system 1 of the above embodiment, the usage information is stored in the block chain network 20, so that it is possible to prevent the usage information from being tampered with or copied.

[0095] In the above embodiment, a process is performed to determine whether the ink cartridge 14 is genuine or non-genuine. However, the consumables of the present invention are not limited to the ink cartridge 14. For example, a toner cartridge used in a laser printing method or a stencil paper used in a stencil printing method can be provided with a memory unit and the same process as above can be performed.

[0096] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the components can be modified and embodied in the implementation stage without departing from the gist of the invention. In addition, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining the multiple components disclosed in the above-described embodiment. For example, all the components shown in the embodiment can be appropriately combined. Of course, various modifications and applications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0097] The present invention further discloses the following supplementary notes.

[0098] (Appendix 1) The printing control device of the present invention includes a consumable information acquisition unit that acquires usage information of the consumable stored in a memory unit provided in the consumable, and a printing control unit that controls printing processing using the consumable based on the determination result of whether the consumable is genuine or non-genuine based on the usage information acquired by the consumable information acquisition unit and the usage information of the consumable pre-stored in an external device.

[0099] (Appendix 2) In the print control device described in Appendix 1, if the usage information acquired by the consumable information acquisition unit includes unused information indicating that the consumable is unused, the memory unit for the unused consumable can be provided with a usage information output unit that outputs used information indicating that the consumable has been used to update the usage information, and that outputs the used information to an external device to update the usage information of the consumable.

[0100] (Appendix 3) In the print control device described in Appendix 1 or Appendix 2, when used information is stored in an external device and a new consumable having the same identification information as the consumable for which the used information is stored is loaded, and unused information is included in the usage information of the new consumable acquired by the consumable information acquisition unit, the print control unit receives a determination result that the consumable is a non-genuine product from the external device, and can perform printing processing appropriate to the non-genuine product using the non-genuine consumable.

[0101] (Appendix 4) In the printing control device described in any of Supplementary Notes 1 to 3, when a consumable is used and its usage changes, the usage information output unit outputs the changed usage information to the memory unit of the used consumable for updating, and also outputs the changed usage information to the external device for updating, and when a new consumable is loaded and the relationship between the new consumable usage information acquired by the consumable information acquisition unit and the usage information stored in the external device for a consumable having the same identification information as the new consumable is a regressive relationship, the printing control unit receives from the external device a determination result that the consumable is non-genuine, and uses the non-genuine consumable to perform printing processing appropriate for the non-genuine product.

[0102] (Appendix 5) In the printing control device described in Appendix 2, when the usage information output unit outputs used information to an external device, if it is not possible to connect to the external device, it can temporarily store the used information, and when it becomes possible to connect to the external device, it can output the temporarily stored used information to the external device.

[0103] (Appendix 6) In the printing control device described in Appendix 5, the usage information output unit can determine whether a new consumable is genuine or non-genuine by loading a new consumable and comparing the usage information of the new consumable acquired by the consumable information acquisition unit with usage information already temporarily stored for a consumable having the same identification information as the new consumable.

[0104] (Appendix 7) In the print control device according to any one of Supplementary Note 1 to Supplementary Note 6, the external device may be a blockchain network.

[0105] (Appendix 8) The printing control method of the present invention acquires usage information of the consumable stored in a memory unit provided in the consumable, determines whether the consumable is genuine or non-genuine in the external device based on the acquired usage information and usage information of the consumable pre-stored in the external device, and controls the printing process using the consumable depending on the determination result.

[0106] (Appendix 9) The printing control program of the present invention causes a computer to execute the steps of acquiring usage information of the consumable stored in a memory unit provided in the consumable, and controlling a printing process using the consumable depending on the result of determining in the external device whether the consumable is genuine or non-genuine based on the acquired usage information and usage information of the consumable pre-stored in the external device.

[0107] (Appendix 10) The printing system of the present invention includes a printing control device described in any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 7, and an external device that determines whether a consumable is genuine or non-genuine based on usage information acquired by a consumable information acquisition unit and pre-stored usage information of the consumable. [Explanation of symbols]

[0108] 1 Printing System 10 Printing device 11 Print processing unit 12 Loading section 12a Reading section 13 Control section 14 Ink Cartridges 14a IC tag 15 Consumables information acquisition department 16 Usage information output section 17 Printing control unit 20 Blockchain Network

Claims

1. a consumable information acquiring unit that acquires usage status information of the consumable stored in a storage unit provided in the consumable; A print control device comprising: a print control unit that controls printing processing using the consumables based on the result of determining in the external device whether the consumables are genuine or non-genuine, based on usage information acquired by the consumable information acquisition unit and usage information of the consumables pre-stored in the external device.

2. A printing control device as described in claim 1, further comprising a usage information output unit that, when the usage information acquired by the consumable information acquisition unit includes unused information indicating that the consumable is unused, outputs used information indicating that the consumable has been used to the memory unit of the unused consumable, thereby updating the usage information, and outputs the used information to the external device, thereby updating the usage information of the consumable.

3. A print control device as described in claim 2, wherein, after the used information is stored in the external device, when a new consumable having the same identification information as the consumable for which the used information is stored is loaded, and unused information is included in the usage information of the new consumable acquired by the consumable information acquisition unit, the print control unit receives a determination result that the consumable is a non-genuine product from the external device, and performs printing processing appropriate for the non-genuine product using the non-genuine consumable.

4. when the consumable is used and the usage status changes, the usage status information output unit outputs the changed usage status information to a storage unit of the used consumable and updates the storage unit, and outputs the changed usage status information to an external device and updates the external device; A print control device as described in claim 1, wherein when a new consumable is loaded and the relationship between the usage information of the new consumable acquired by the consumable information acquisition unit and the usage information stored in the external device for a consumable having the same identification information as the new consumable is a reverse relationship, the print control unit receives a determination result from the external device that the consumable is a non-genuine product, and uses the non-genuine consumable to perform printing processing appropriate for the non-genuine product.

5. A printing control device as described in claim 2, wherein when the usage information output unit outputs the usage information to an external device, if it is unable to connect to the external device, it temporarily stores the usage information, and when it becomes possible to connect to the external device, it outputs the temporarily stored usage information to the external device.

6. A printing control device as described in claim 5, wherein the usage information output unit determines whether a new consumable is genuine or non-genuine by loading a new consumable and comparing the usage information of the new consumable acquired by the consumable information acquisition unit with usage information already temporarily stored for a consumable having the same identification information as the new consumable.

7. The print control device according to claim 1 , wherein the external device is a block chain network.

8. Acquire usage status information of the consumable item stored in a memory unit provided in the consumable item; determining whether the consumable is genuine or non-genuine in the external device based on the acquired usage status information and usage status information of the consumable stored in advance in the external device; A print control method for controlling a print process using the consumable item according to the result of the determination.

9. acquiring usage status information of the consumable item stored in a storage unit provided in the consumable item; A printing control program that causes a computer to execute a step of controlling a printing process using the consumable depending on the result of determining in the external device whether the consumable is genuine or non-genuine based on the acquired usage information and usage information of the consumable that has been pre-stored in the external device.

10. The print control device according to claim 1 ; A printing system comprising an external device that determines whether the consumable is genuine or non-genuine based on usage information acquired by the consumable information acquisition unit and pre-stored usage information of the consumable.

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