Management program, management server, management system, and management method

Abstract

To provide a management program, a management server, a management system, and a management method configured to shorten the time before arrival of a new cartridge in which printing is disabled due to running out of cartridge, after receiving a request to start a shipping service for shipping the cartridge to a printer.SOLUTION: A control unit of a management server issues, on receipt of a start request (S26: YES), when a model of a printer is a specific model (S28: YES), an instruction (S31) to ship a service cartridge. The control unit of the management server transmits, on receipt of the start request (S26: YES), a shipping instruction (S36) when a mounted cartridge is not a service cartridge (S33:NO). The control unit of the management server transmits the shipping instruction (S35) when the mounted cartridge is a service cartridge (S33: YES) and when a shipping condition is satisfied (S34: YES).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a management program, a management server, a management system, and a management method. [Background technology]

[0002] There is known a management program that provides a shipping service for shipping cartridges to a printing device (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The management program causes a control unit of a management server to execute a process for concluding a contract for the shipping service with a user of the printing device and shipping a dedicated cartridge used in the shipping service to the user of the printing device. The control unit receives a start request, and receives cartridge type information and consumable remaining amount information. If it is determined that the cartridge is a service-compatible cartridge, the control unit instructs the shipping of a contract cartridge. If it is determined that a shortage condition has been met, the control unit instructs the shipping of a contract cartridge. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2022-156523 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the conventional management program described above, if the control unit determines that the shortage condition has been met, it will not instruct the delivery of a contract cartridge. Therefore, after a printing device enters into a contract for a delivery service and starts using the printing device, the ink in the cartridge may run out before the first contract cartridge arrives, and there may be a period of time when printing is not possible until the cartridge arrives.

[0005] To provide a management program, a management server, a management system, and a management method that shortens the period during which printing is not possible until a new cartridge arrives, even if the cartridge is depleted after a request to start a shipping service for shipping a cartridge to a printing device is received, more than ever before. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A management program according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a control unit provided in a management server of a management system configured to enable communication between a printing device in which a cartridge containing a coloring material is mounted and a management server, the control unit including: a first receiving process for receiving a start request for requesting the start of a shipping service for shipping the cartridge to the printing device; a second receiving process for receiving printing device information that is a model of the printing device; a third receiving process for receiving from the printing device cartridge type information that indicates a type of the mounted cartridge that is the cartridge mounted in the printing device and cartridge remaining amount information that indicates a remaining amount of the coloring material in the cartridge; a printing device determination process for determining whether the model of the printing device is a specific model that has been set in advance based on the printing device information in response to receiving the start request; and a second receiving process for receiving from the printing device cartridge information that the model of the printing device is the specific model, the third receiving process for receiving from the printing device cartridge type information that indicates a type of the mounted cartridge that is the cartridge mounted in the printing device and cartridge remaining amount information that indicates a remaining amount of the coloring material in the cartridge. The management program includes instructions to execute a first shipping process for instructing the shipping of a service cartridge that is a cartridge that is a service cartridge, a cartridge determination process for determining whether the mounted cartridge is the service cartridge based on the cartridge type information in response to receiving the start request, a second shipping process for instructing the shipping of the service cartridge when the cartridge determination process determines that the mounted cartridge is not the service cartridge, a shipping determination process for determining whether a preset shipping condition indicating that the mounted cartridge needs to be replaced is established based on the cartridge remaining amount information when the cartridge determination process determines that the mounted cartridge is the service cartridge, and a third shipping process for instructing the shipping of the service cartridge when the shipping determination process determines that the shipping condition is established. The first shipping process of the management program of the first aspect contributes to reducing the period during which printing is not possible until a new cartridge arrives, even when a cartridge is depleted, compared to the conventional method. The second and third shipping processes of the management program contribute to preventing the user of the printing device from having an extra cartridge.

[0007] A management server according to a second aspect of the present invention includes a control unit, and is configured so that the management server and a printing device into which a cartridge containing a coloring material is mounted can communicate with each other. The control unit includes a first reception process for receiving a start request for requesting the printing device to start a shipping service for shipping the cartridge, a second reception process for receiving printing device information which is a model of the printing device, a third reception process for receiving from the printing device cartridge type information which indicates the type of the mounted cartridge which is the cartridge mounted in the printing device and cartridge remaining amount information which indicates the remaining amount of the coloring material in the cartridge, a printing device determination process for determining whether the model of the printing device is a specific model set in advance based on the printing device information in response to receiving the start request, and a process for receiving a service corresponding to the shipping service when the model of the printing device is the specific model. The management server of the second aspect is configured to execute a first shipping process for instructing the shipping of the service compatible cartridge, a cartridge determination process for determining whether the mounted cartridge is the service compatible cartridge based on the cartridge type information in response to receiving the start request, a second shipping process for instructing the shipping of the service compatible cartridge when it is determined in the cartridge determination process that the mounted cartridge is not the service compatible cartridge, a shipping determination process for determining whether a preset shipping condition indicating that the mounted cartridge needs to be replaced is established based on the cartridge remaining amount information when it is determined in the cartridge determination process that the mounted cartridge is the service compatible cartridge, and a third shipping process for instructing the shipping of the service compatible cartridge when it is determined in the shipping determination process that the shipping condition is established. The management server of the second aspect achieves the same effects as the management program of the first aspect.

[0008] A management system according to a third aspect of the present invention includes a printing device having a device control unit and in which a cartridge containing a coloring material is mounted, and a management server having a server control unit, and the printing device and the management server are configured to be able to communicate with each other, the device control unit of the printing device is configured to execute an information transmission process for transmitting to the management server cartridge type information indicating the type of the mounted cartridge, which is the cartridge mounted in the printing device, and cartridge remaining amount information indicating the remaining amount of the coloring material in the cartridge, and the server control unit of the management server is configured to execute a first reception process for receiving a start request for requesting the printing device to start a shipping service for shipping the cartridge, a second reception process for receiving printing device information which is a model of the printing device, a third reception process for receiving the cartridge type information and the cartridge remaining amount information from the printing device, and a third reception process for determining whether the model of the printing device is a predetermined specific model based on the printing device information in response to receiving the start request. a printing device determination process for determining whether the mounted cartridge is the service-compatible cartridge based on the cartridge type information in response to receiving the start request, a first shipping process for instructing the shipping of a service-compatible cartridge that is the cartridge that corresponds to the shipping service when the model of the printing device is the specific model, a cartridge determination process for determining whether the mounted cartridge is the service-compatible cartridge based on the cartridge type information in response to receiving the start request, a second shipping process for instructing the shipping of the service-compatible cartridge when it is determined in the cartridge determination process that the mounted cartridge is not the service-compatible cartridge, a shipping determination process for determining whether a preset shipping condition indicating that the mounted cartridge needs to be replaced is established based on the cartridge remaining amount information when it is determined in the cartridge determination process that the mounted cartridge is the service-compatible cartridge, and a third shipping process for instructing the shipping of the service-compatible cartridge when it is determined in the shipping determination process that the shipping condition is established. The management system of the third aspect has the same effects as the management program of the first aspect.

[0009] A management method according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is a management method executed by a control unit provided in a management server of a management system configured to enable communication between a printing device in which a cartridge containing a coloring material is mounted and the management server, the management method including a first reception process for receiving a start request for requesting the printing device to start a shipping service for shipping the cartridge, a second reception process for receiving printing device information which is a model of the printing device, a third reception process for receiving from the printing device cartridge type information which indicates a type of the mounted cartridge which is the cartridge mounted in the printing device and cartridge remaining amount information which indicates a remaining amount of the coloring material in the cartridge, a printing device determination process for determining whether the model of the printing device is a specific model set in advance based on the printing device information in response to receiving the start request, and a second reception process for receiving from the shipping service when the model of the printing device is the specific model. a first shipping process for instructing the shipping of a service compatible cartridge which is the cartridge corresponding to the service compatible cartridge, a cartridge determination process for determining whether or not the mounted cartridge is the service compatible cartridge based on the cartridge type information in response to receiving the start request, a second shipping process for instructing the shipping of the service compatible cartridge when it is determined in the cartridge determination process that the mounted cartridge is not the service compatible cartridge, a shipping determination process for determining whether or not a preset shipping condition indicating that the mounted cartridge needs to be replaced is established based on the cartridge remaining amount information when it is determined in the cartridge determination process that the mounted cartridge is the service compatible cartridge, and a third shipping process for instructing the shipping of the service compatible cartridge when it is determined in the shipping determination process that the shipping condition is established. The management method of the fourth aspect has the same effects as the management program of the first aspect. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a conceptual diagram of a management system 1 including a terminal device 2, a printing device 3, a management server 4, and a delivery server 5. FIG. [Diagram 2]13 is a flowchart of a management server process executed by the management server 4. [Diagram 3] 11 is a timing chart of the process executed by the management system 1 at the start of the print service in each of the first to third concrete examples.

[0011] A management system 1 and a management server 4 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in Fig. 1, the management system 1 includes a terminal device 2, a printing device 3, a management server 4, and a delivery server 5, which are configured to be able to communicate with each other via a WAN 6. WAN stands for Wide Area Network. The WAN 6 in this embodiment is the Internet. The management system 1 provides and manages a print service to the printing device 3 in response to a start request sent from the terminal device 2.

[0012] The printing service includes a shipping service that automatically delivers cartridges that can be installed in the printing device 3, and a billing service that charges according to the number of prints, which is the number of print media printed by the printing device 3. The cartridges in this embodiment are of three types: commercially available cartridges, hybrid cartridges, and contract cartridges. The commercially available cartridges are cartridges that can be purchased at regular stores. The hybrid cartridges are cartridges that are included with the printing device 3 when the printing device 3 is sold. The contract cartridges are cartridges exclusive to the printing service that cannot be purchased at regular stores. The billing service is a service in which a fixed amount is charged for the number of prints (hereinafter, the specified number) specified for each service plan within a service unit period (for example, one month), and an additional charge is charged for printing beyond the specified number. If the number of prints within the service unit period is less than the specified number, the surplus is carried over to the next service unit period. In the printing service of this embodiment, the start time of the billing service is set according to the type of cartridge installed in the printing device 3 when the printing service starts.

[0013] The terminal device 2 of this embodiment is a personal computer. The terminal device 2 includes a control unit 11, a communication unit 12, a display unit 13, an input unit 14, and a storage unit 15. The control unit 11 includes a CPU 21 and a memory 22. The CPU 21 controls the terminal device 2 by executing a program stored in the memory 22. The memory 22 includes semiconductor memories such as ROM, RAM, and flash memory. The communication unit 12 is a communication module for performing data communication with the management server 4 via the WAN 6. The display unit 13 is a liquid crystal display and can display various information. The input unit 14 includes a keyboard and a mouse, and outputs a detection signal to the control unit 11 in response to an input operation performed via the keyboard and the mouse. The storage unit 15 includes a non-volatile storage device such as an HDD and an SSD, and stores various data. HDD stands for Hard Disk Drive. SSD stands for Solid State Drive.

[0014] The printing device 3 is an inkjet printer that uses four cartridges 71 to 74 to print, and includes a control unit 31, a communication unit 32, a display unit 33, an input unit 34, a printing unit 35, and a detection unit 36. The control unit 31 includes a CPU 41 and a memory 42. The CPU 41 controls the printing device 3 by executing a program stored in the memory 42. The memory 42 includes semiconductor memories such as ROM, RAM, and flash memory, and stores programs and data. The communication unit 32 is a communication module that performs data communication with the management server 4 via the WAN 6. The display unit 33 is a liquid crystal display, and can display various information. The input unit 34 includes a touch panel installed on the screen of the display unit 33, and switches installed around the screen of the display unit 33. The input unit 34 outputs a detection signal to the control unit 11 in response to an input operation performed by a user via the touch panel and the switches. The printing unit 35 includes a print head, and can print an image on a printing medium using color materials contained in the cartridges 71 to 74. The detection unit 36 ​​outputs a detection signal to the control unit 31 according to the type of the first cartridge 71, second cartridge 72, third cartridge 73, and fourth cartridge 74 that are detachably mounted in the printing device 3. The coloring material in this embodiment is ink. The first cartridge 71 contains a cyan coloring material. The second cartridge 72 contains a magenta coloring material. The third cartridge 73 contains a yellow coloring material. The fourth cartridge 74 contains a black coloring material.

[0015] The management server 4 includes a control unit 51, a storage unit 52, and a communication unit 53. The control unit 51 includes a CPU 61 and a memory 62. The CPU 61 controls the management server 4 by executing a program stored in the memory 62. The memory 62 includes semiconductor memory such as a ROM, a RAM, and a flash memory, and stores programs including a management program 63 and data. The management program 63 is a computer program for causing the CPU 61 to realize a function of managing the print service. The storage unit 52 includes a non-volatile storage device such as an HDD and an SSD, and stores various data. The communication unit 53 is a communication module that performs data communication between the terminal device 2, the printer 3, and the delivery server 5 via the WAN 6.

[0016] The shipping server 5 includes a control unit, a communication unit, and a storage unit, and the control unit of the shipping server 5 executes a process of notifying a shipping worker to ship a cartridge according to the contents of the cartridge shipping instruction in response to receiving the cartridge shipping instruction from the management server 4. The shipping worker ships the cartridge in accordance with the cartridge shipping instruction.

[0017] 2 and 3, the process at the start of the print service executed in the management system 1 will be described, focusing on the management server process executed in the management server 4. When the power is turned on, the control unit 51 of the management server 4 starts the management program 63 stored in the memory 62 and executes the management server process shown in FIG. 2. When the control unit 11 of the terminal device 2 detects an instruction to access a website input by a user via the input unit 14, it starts the program stored in the memory 22 and executes the terminal process shown in FIG. 3. When the control unit 31 of the printing device 3 detects a connection from the management server 4, it starts the program stored in the memory 42 and executes the printing device process shown in FIG. 3. When the control unit of the shipping server 5 detects a shipping instruction from the shipping server 5, it starts the program stored in the memory and executes the shipping server process shown in FIG. 3.

[0018] As concrete examples, concrete examples 1 to 3 shown in FIG. 3 are used. Although each process of concrete examples 1 to 3 is executed individually in the management system 1, they will be described in parallel below for ease of explanation. Concrete example 1 is a case where the model of the printing device 3 is a model stored in the management server 4 as a specific model. The specific model is expressed, for example, by the model name, model name, product model number, etc. of the printing device. The management server 4 stores a model designated by a user or an administrator of the management system 1 as a specific model in the storage unit 52 by a process executed separately from the management server process. Concrete example 2 is a case where the model of the printing device 3 is a model not stored in the management server 4 as a specific model, and the types of the cartridges 71 to 74 detected by the detection unit 36 ​​are all commercially available cartridges. Concrete example 3 is a case where the printing device 3 is a model not stored in the management server 4 as a specific model, and the types of the cartridges 71 to 74 detected by the detection unit 36 ​​are all hybrid cartridges. In FIG. 3, the arrows shown with solid lines indicate the processing executed in each of specific examples 1 to 3, and the arrows shown with dotted lines indicate the processing executed in each of specific examples 2 and 3, but which is executed at different times in specific example 1.

[0019] 2, in the management server process, the control unit 51 determines whether access from the terminal device 2 is detected (S21). If access from the terminal device 2 is not detected (S21: NO), the control unit 51 returns the process to S21.

[0020] As shown in Fig. 3, the control unit 11 of each of the terminal devices 2 in the concrete examples 1 to 3 accesses a website (hereinafter, service website) for providing a printing service, which is established in the management server 4, in response to an input operation by the user on the terminal device 2 via the input unit 14 (S1). When an access from the terminal device 2 is detected (S21: YES), the control unit 51 performs an account creation / login process (S22). Specifically, the control unit 11 of the terminal device 2 creates an account for using the printing service in response to an input operation by the user on the terminal device 2, and logs in to the service website (S2). The control unit 51 of the management server 4 registers account information including the user's name, email address, and password in response to information received from the terminal device 2, creates an account, and logs in the terminal device 2 (S22).

[0021] The control unit 51 of the management server 4 waits until it receives printing device identification information for registering the printing device 3 in the management server 4 from the terminal device 2 (S23: NO). The control unit 11 of the terminal device 2 transmits the printing device identification information for identifying the printing device 3 to the management server 4 (S3). The printing device identification information in this embodiment includes printing device information indicating the model of the printing device, information such as a serial number, etc. When the control unit 51 of the management server 4 receives the printing device identification information (S23: YES), it communicates with the printing device 3 via the WAN 6 based on the printing device identification information and detects the printing device 3 corresponding to the printing device identification information (S24). When the management server 4 detects the printing device 3, it registers the printing device 3 as a registered printing device for the user's account and transmits a registration success notification indicating that the registration was successful to the terminal device 2 (S25).

[0022] In response to receiving the successful registration notification, the terminal device 2 displays on the display unit 13 a screen requesting the user to specify or input information required for applying for the printing service of the registered printing device. The user operates the input unit 14 to specify or input information required for applying for the printing service of the registered printing device, and inputs an instruction to send a start request from the terminal device 2 to the management server 4. In response to the detection signal detected by the input unit 14, the control unit 11 of the terminal device 2 sends a start request to apply for the printing service to the registered printing device to the management server 4 (S4). The start request includes plan information indicating the type of plan for the applied printing service, delivery destination information indicating the delivery destination of the cartridge, and payment information for debiting the usage fee for the printing service. The payment information is, for example, a credit card number.

[0023] The control unit 51 of the management server 4 waits until it receives a start request (S26: NO), and when it receives the start request (S26: YES), it performs periodic information notification setting for the printing device 3 to periodically send notification information to the service target account, which is the account from which the start request received in S26 was sent (S27). The frequency of sending notification information may be set appropriately, for example, every 12 hours. The notification information in this embodiment includes firmware identification information, page count information, consumable remaining amount information, replacement count information, and cartridge type information. The firmware identification information indicates the type and version of the firmware of the printing device 3. The page count information indicates the number of pages printed by the printing device 3. The consumable remaining amount information indicates the remaining amount of color material in each of the cartridges 71 to 74. The replacement count information indicates the number of times the cartridges 71 to 74 have been replaced. The cartridge type information indicates the type of each of the cartridges 71 to 74. When the printing device 3 executes a printing process, the printing device 3 performs a process of updating each of the page count information, the consumable remaining amount information, the replacement count information, and the cartridge type information as required.

[0024] The control unit 51 of the management server 4 compares the printing device identification information received in S23 with the specific model stored in the storage unit 52 to determine whether the model of the printing device 3 is a specific model that has been set in advance (S28). In the specific example 1, it is determined to be a specific model (S28: YES), and the control unit 51 transmits a shipping instruction for all of the cartridges 71 to 74 to the shipping server 5 (S31). In response to receiving the shipping instruction transmitted from the management server 4, the shipping server 5 executes a process of notifying the shipping worker to ship the cartridges according to the contents of the cartridge shipping instruction. The shipping worker ships the cartridges according to the cartridge shipping instruction. The shipping server 5 transmits a cartridge shipping acceptance completion notification to the management server 4 (S61). After the process of S31, the control unit 51 executes the process of S42 described later.

[0025] In specific examples 2 and 3, it is determined that the printing device 3 is not a specific model (S28: NO), and the control unit 51 determines whether a periodic information notification has been received from a registered printing device of the service target account (S29), and waits until the periodic information notification is received (S29: NO).When periodic information notification settings are made for the printing device 3 from the management server 4, the printing device 3 transmits a first periodic information notification to the management server 4 (S5).

[0026] When the management server 4 receives the periodic information notification (S29: YES), it sets the variable N for reading the cartridges in order to 1, and initializes the flag F(N) (S30). The flag F(N) indicates whether the Nth cartridge is a commercially available cartridge, and when F(N) is set to 1, it indicates that the Nth cartridge is a commercially available cartridge, and when F(N) is set to 0, it indicates that the Nth cartridge is a service-compatible cartridge. The initial value of F(N) is 0.

[0027] The control unit 51 judges whether the Nth cartridge is a service compatible cartridge based on the cartridge type information included in the periodic information notification received in S29 (S33). Service compatible cartridges are hybrid cartridges and contract cartridges. In the specific example 2, when the variable N is 1 to 4, it is judged that the Nth cartridge is not a service compatible cartridge (S33: NO), and the control unit 51 sets F(N) to 1 and transmits a shipping instruction for the Nth cartridge to the shipping server 5 (S36). In response to receiving the shipping instruction, the shipping server 5 executes a process of notifying the shipping worker to ship the cartridge according to the contents of the cartridge shipping instruction. The shipping worker ships the cartridge according to the cartridge shipping instruction. The shipping server 5 transmits a cartridge shipping acceptance completion notification to the management server 4 (S61). The control unit 51 judges whether the variable N is the last number (S37). If the variable N is less than 4 (S37: NO), the control unit 51 increments the variable N by 1 (S38) and returns the process to S33.

[0028] In the specific example 3, when the variable N is 1 to 4, the Nth cartridge is determined to be a service compatible cartridge (S33: YES), and the control unit 51 determines whether or not a preset Nth shortage condition is met based on the consumable remaining amount information included in the periodic information notification received in S29 (34). The Nth shortage condition in this embodiment is that the remaining amount of color material in the Nth cartridge is equal to or less than the preset Nth shortage amount. If the Nth shortage condition is met (S34: YES), a shipping instruction for the Nth cartridge is sent to the shipping server 5 (S35). In response to receiving the shipping instruction, the shipping server 5 executes a process of notifying the shipping operator to ship the cartridge according to the contents of the cartridge shipping instruction. The shipping operator ships the cartridge according to the cartridge shipping instruction. The shipping server 5 sends a cartridge shipping acceptance completion notification to the management server 4 (S61). If the Nth shortage condition is not met (S34: NO), or if the variable N is less than 4 after S35 (S37: NO), the control unit 51 increments the variable N by 1 (S38) and returns the process to S33.

[0029] If the variable N is 4 (S37: YES), or after S31, the control unit 51 judges whether a start condition for starting a billing service of the printing service is met (S40). The start condition may be set appropriately. In this embodiment, the condition is that at least one of the N-th cartridges is a service target cartridge, that is, at least one of F(N) is 0. In specific examples 1 and 3, it is judged that the start condition is met (S40: YES), and the control unit 51 starts a billing service for billing the service target account (S41). The control unit 51 performs the process of S42 described later. In specific example 2, it is judged that the start condition is not met (S40: NO), and the control unit 51 performs a service activation setting for the printing device 3 (S42). The printing device 3 is set from the normal mode to the service mode by the process of S42.

[0030] When the control unit 31 of the printing device 3 is set to the service mode by the management server 4, it transmits an activation completion notification to the management server 4 (S6). The control unit 51 of the management server 4 waits until it receives the activation completion notification (S43: NO), and when it receives the activation completion notification (S43: YES), it transmits a registration completion notification to the terminal device 2 (S44). The terminal device 2 displays the registration completion notification on the display unit 13. The user can recognize that the print service application has been completed by referring to the display unit 13. In the above management server process, if the printing device 3 is a specific model (S28: NO), the periodic information notification transmitted from the printing device 3 is received in a process executed separately from the management server process after the process of S31. If the start condition is not satisfied (S40: NO), the billing service is started at the timing when any of the currently mounted cartridges is replaced with a service target cartridge in a process executed separately from the management server process.

[0031] In the above embodiment, the management system 1, the printing device 3, the management server 4, the storage unit 52, and the management program 63 are examples of the management system, the printing device, the management server, the storage unit, and the management program of the present invention, respectively. The control unit 51 is an example of the control unit and the server control unit of the present invention. The control unit 31 is an example of the device control unit of the present invention. The process of S26 is an example of the first reception process of the present invention. The process of S23 is an example of the second reception process of the present invention. The process of S29 is an example of the third reception process of the present invention. The process of S28 is an example of the printing device judgment process of the present invention. The process of S31 is an example of the first shipping process of the present invention. The process of S33 is an example of the cartridge judgment process of the present invention. The process of S36 is an example of the second shipping process of the present invention. The process of S34 is an example of the shipping judgment process of the present invention. The process of S5 is an example of the information transmission process of the present invention.

[0032] The management system 1 of the above embodiment includes a printing device 3 and a management server 4. Cartridges 71 to 74 containing color materials are mounted on the printing device 3. The printing device 3 and the management server 4 are configured to be able to communicate with each other. The control unit 31 of the printing device 3 transmits to the management server 4 cartridge type information indicating the type of the mounted cartridges 71 to 74 that are cartridges mounted on the printing device 3, and cartridge remaining amount information indicating the remaining amount of color materials in the cartridges (S5). The control unit 51 included in the management server 4 receives a start request requesting the printing device 3 to start a shipping service for shipping cartridges (S26). The control unit 51 receives printing device information indicating the model of the printing device 3 (S23). The control unit 51 receives from the printing device 3 cartridge type information indicating the type of the mounted cartridges 71 to 74 that are cartridges mounted on the printing device 3, and cartridge remaining amount information indicating the remaining amount of color materials in the cartridges 71 to 74 (S29). In response to receiving the start request (S26: YES), the control unit 51 determines whether the model of the printing device 3 is a specific model that has been set in advance based on the printing device information (S28). If the model of the printing device 3 is a specific model (S28: YES), the control unit 51 instructs the shipping of a service-compatible cartridge that is a cartridge that supports the shipping service (S31). In response to receiving the start request (S26: YES), the control unit 51 determines whether each of the mounted cartridges 71 to 74 is a service-compatible cartridge based on the cartridge type information (S33). If the control unit 51 determines in the process of S33 that each of the mounted cartridges 71 to 74 is not a service-compatible cartridge (S33: NO), it instructs the shipping of a service-compatible cartridge (S36). When the control unit 51 determines in the process of S33 that each of the mounted cartridges 71 to 74 is a service compatible cartridge (S33: YES), it determines based on the cartridge remaining amount information whether or not a preset shipping condition indicating that each of the mounted cartridges 71 to 74 needs to be replaced has been met (S34).When the control unit 51 determines in the process of S34 that the shipping condition has been met (S34: YES), it instructs the shipping of the service compatible cartridge (S35).The first shipping process of the management program 63 contributes to shortening the period during which printing is not possible until new cartridges 71 to 74 arrive, even if the cartridges 71 to 74 are depleted, compared to the conventional case. The second shipping process and the third shipping process of the management program 63 contribute to preventing the user of the printing device 3 from having extra cartridges 71 to 74.

[0033] If it is determined in the process of S28 that the model of the printing device 3 is not the specific model (S28: NO), the control unit 51 performs the process of S33. If it is determined in the process of S28 that the model is the specific model, the management program 63 performs the process of S33, thereby enabling the management program 63 to appropriately perform the process of sending a shipping instruction to ship a service compatible cartridge in each of S31, S35, and S36.

[0034] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and can be implemented in various modified forms. The present invention can be realized in various forms, such as a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as a semiconductor memory, on which the management program 63 is recorded.

[0035] The configuration of the management system 1 may be changed as appropriate. For example, the management server 4 may be configured with multiple physical servers. The management server 4 may be configured with at least one of multiple virtual servers constructed by dividing one physical server using virtualization software.

[0036] The printing device 3 of the management system 1 may be a multifunction device, a copier, or a facsimile machine with a scanner function that reads images from an original. The printing device 3 may be a printing device such as a laser printer or an LED printer. An LED printer refers to a printer in which the means for exposing a photosensitive body is an LED head. In this case, the color material is toner. The color materials, number, type, and number of types of cartridges installed in the printing device 3 may be changed as appropriate.

[0037] The management program 63, which includes instructions for executing the management server process, may be stored in the memory 62 before the control unit 51 of the management server 4 executes the management program 63. Therefore, the method of acquiring the management program 63, the acquisition path, and the device that stores the program may each be changed as appropriate. The management program 63 executed by the management server 4 may be received from another device via a cable or wireless communication and stored in the memory 62. The other device may include, for example, a PC and a server connected via a network. The same applies to the program for executing the printing device process, the program for executing the terminal process, and the program for executing the shipping server process.

[0038] Each step of the management server processing is not limited to being executed by the control unit 51, and may be executed in part or in whole by other electronic devices (e.g., ASIC). The same applies to the terminal processing, printing device processing, and shipping server processing. Each step of the management server processing, terminal processing, printing device processing, and shipping server processing may be distributed and processed by multiple electronic devices (e.g., multiple CPUs). The order of each step of the management server processing, terminal processing, printing device processing, and shipping server processing may be changed, steps may be omitted, or steps may be added, as necessary. The following modifications may be made as appropriate to the processing executed in the management system 1, including the management server processing, terminal processing, printing device processing, and shipping server processing.

[0039] A part or all of the terminal processing may be executed by the control unit 31 of the printing device 3. For example, the printing device 3 may send a start request to the management server 4. At least a part of the information included in the periodic information notification sent to the management server 4 in the processing of S5 may be sent to the management server 4 via the terminal device 2 connected to the printing device 3. The processing of S28 may be executed between the processing of S29 and S30, or may be executed when the N-th shortage condition is not satisfied (S34: NO). If the printing device 3 is a specific model in the processing of S28 (S28: YES), the control unit 51 may send a shipping instruction only for a specific cartridge among the multiple cartridges.

[0040] The Nth shortage condition in the process of S34 may be changed as appropriate, and the control unit 51 may calculate the time until the remaining amount of the coloring material becomes 0 based on the decreasing tendency of the remaining amount of the coloring material in the Nth cartridge, and may determine that the Nth shortage condition is established when the calculated time is shorter than a threshold value. The start condition in the process of S40 may be changed as appropriate. For example, the control unit 51 may determine that the start condition is satisfied when the value of the flag F(N) of a predetermined number or a predetermined ratio is 0. For example, the control unit 51 may determine whether the start condition is satisfied based on the model of the printing device 3. The printing service may not include a billing service, and in that case, the processes of S40 and S41 may be omitted. The control unit 51 may individually send a shipping instruction for each of the multiple cartridges at least in one of S35 and S36, or may send a shipping instruction for some or all of the multiple shipping instructions collectively.

[0041] The above-mentioned modified examples may be combined as appropriate within a range that does not cause any contradictions. In addition to the combinations exemplified in the claims, the applicant intends to obtain patent rights for aspects that are combined with each other within a range that does not deviate from the gist of the present invention and does not cause any contradictions. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 1: management system, 3: printing device, 4: management server, 11, 31, 51: control unit, 12, 32, 53: communication unit, 15, 52: storage unit, 63: management program, 71: first cartridge, 72: second cartridge, 73: third cartridge, 74: fourth cartridge

Claims

1. A control unit of a management server of a management system configured to be able to communicate with a printing device in which a cartridge containing a color material is mounted, a first receiving process for receiving a start request for requesting the printing device to start a shipping service for shipping the cartridge; A second receiving process for receiving printing device information that is a model of the printing device; a third receiving process for receiving, from the printing device, cartridge type information indicating a type of the mounted cartridge, which is the cartridge mounted in the printing device, and cartridge remaining amount information indicating a remaining amount of the color material in the cartridge; a printing device determination process for determining whether the model of the printing device is a preset specific model based on the printing device information in response to receiving the start request; a first shipping process for instructing the shipping of a service-compatible cartridge, which is the cartridge that corresponds to the shipping service, when the model of the printing device is the specific model; a cartridge determination process for determining whether or not the mounted cartridge is the service compatible cartridge based on the cartridge type information in response to receiving the start request; a second shipping process for instructing the shipping of the service compatible cartridge when the cartridge determination process determines that the mounted cartridge is not the service compatible cartridge; a shipping determination process for determining whether or not a preset shipping condition indicating that the mounted cartridge needs to be replaced is established based on the cartridge remaining amount information when the cartridge determination process determines that the mounted cartridge is the service compatible cartridge; a third shipping process for instructing the shipping of the service compatible cartridge when it is determined in the shipping determination process that the shipping condition is met; A management program comprising instructions for executing the steps of:

2. The control unit is 2. The management program according to claim 1, wherein the cartridge determination process is performed when the printing device determination process determines that the model of the printing device is not the specific model.

3. A management system including a control unit, the management server being configured to be able to communicate with a printing device in which a cartridge containing a color material is mounted, the management server comprising: The control unit is a first receiving process for receiving a start request for requesting the printing device to start a shipping service for shipping the cartridge; A second receiving process for receiving printing device information that is a model of the printing device; a third receiving process for receiving, from the printing device, cartridge type information indicating a type of the mounted cartridge, which is the cartridge mounted in the printing device, and cartridge remaining amount information indicating a remaining amount of the color material in the cartridge; a printing device determination process for determining whether the model of the printing device is a preset specific model based on the printing device information in response to receiving the start request; a first shipping process for instructing the shipping of a service-compatible cartridge, which is the cartridge that corresponds to the shipping service, when the model of the printing device is the specific model; a cartridge determination process for determining whether or not the mounted cartridge is the service compatible cartridge based on the cartridge type information in response to receiving the start request; a second shipping process for instructing the shipping of the service compatible cartridge when the cartridge determination process determines that the mounted cartridge is not the service compatible cartridge; a shipping determination process for determining whether or not a preset shipping condition indicating that the mounted cartridge needs to be replaced is established based on the cartridge remaining amount information when the cartridge determination process determines that the mounted cartridge is the service compatible cartridge; a third shipping process for instructing the shipping of the service compatible cartridge when it is determined in the shipping determination process that the shipping condition is met; 23. A management server configured to execute:

4. A management system including a printing device having a device control unit and into which a cartridge containing a color material is attached, and a management server having a server control unit, the printing device and the management server being configured to be able to communicate with each other, The device control unit of the printing device is configured to execute an information transmission process for transmitting to the management server cartridge type information indicating a type of the mounted cartridge, which is the cartridge mounted in the printing device, and cartridge remaining amount information indicating a remaining amount of the color material in the cartridge, The server control unit of the management server a first receiving process for receiving a start request for requesting the printing device to start a shipping service for shipping the cartridge; A second receiving process for receiving printing device information that is a model of the printing device; a third reception process for receiving the cartridge type information and the cartridge remaining amount information from the printing device; a printing device determination process for determining whether the model of the printing device is a preset specific model based on the printing device information in response to receiving the start request; a first shipping process for instructing the shipping of a service-compatible cartridge, which is the cartridge that corresponds to the shipping service, when the model of the printing device is the specific model; a cartridge determination process for determining whether or not the mounted cartridge is the service compatible cartridge based on the cartridge type information in response to receiving the start request; a second shipping process for instructing the shipping of the service compatible cartridge when the cartridge determination process determines that the mounted cartridge is not the service compatible cartridge; a shipping determination process for determining whether or not a preset shipping condition indicating that the mounted cartridge needs to be replaced is established based on the cartridge remaining amount information when the cartridge determination process determines that the mounted cartridge is the service compatible cartridge; a third shipping process for instructing the shipping of the service compatible cartridge when it is determined in the shipping determination process that the shipping condition is met; 23. A management system configured to:

5. A management method executed by a control unit of a management server of a management system configured to enable communication between a printing device in which a cartridge containing a color material is installed and the management server, the method comprising: a first receiving process for receiving a start request for requesting the printing device to start a shipping service for shipping the cartridge; A second receiving process for receiving printing device information that is a model of the printing device; a third receiving process for receiving, from the printing device, cartridge type information indicating a type of the mounted cartridge, which is the cartridge mounted in the printing device, and cartridge remaining amount information indicating a remaining amount of the color material in the cartridge; a printing device determination process for determining whether the model of the printing device is a preset specific model based on the printing device information in response to receiving the start request; a first shipping process for instructing the shipping of a service-compatible cartridge, which is the cartridge that corresponds to the shipping service, when the model of the printing device is the specific model; a cartridge determination process for determining whether or not the mounted cartridge is the service compatible cartridge based on the cartridge type information in response to receiving the start request; a second shipping process for instructing the shipping of the service compatible cartridge when the cartridge determination process determines that the mounted cartridge is not the service compatible cartridge; a shipping determination process for determining whether or not a preset shipping condition indicating that the mounted cartridge needs to be replaced is established based on the cartridge remaining amount information when the cartridge determination process determines that the mounted cartridge is the service compatible cartridge; a third shipping process for instructing the shipping of the service compatible cartridge when it is determined in the shipping determination process that the shipping condition is met; A management method comprising:

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