Information providing system and method

Abstract

To make it possible to facilitate operations of using both automatic distribution of expendable items responding to remaining amounts of the expendable items, remaining days when the expendable items can be used and so on and distribution of the expendable items by CE and to efficiently distribute the expendable items.SOLUTION: An information providing system has reception means, specifying means, acquiring means, providing means, and transmitting means. The reception means receives error information relating to an error caused in an image forming apparatus. The specifying means specifies a repair component required for fixing the error. The acquiring means acquires, from an expendable item management system, information of expendable items including recording agent used in the image forming apparatus. The providing means provides information including information of the repair components specified by the specifying means and expendable item delivery information relating to delivery of the expendable items to the image forming apparatus based on the information of the expendable items acquired by the acquiring means. The transmitting means transmits the information of the expendable items as an object of the delivery based on the expendable item delivery information to the expendable item management system.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information providing system and method. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there are systems in which a management server monitors a customer's image forming device via a network. In such a system, the system monitors error information sent from the image forming device and notifies a customer engineer (CE) (hereinafter referred to as "CE") via a portal screen or the like along with information on the repair parts required for repair. This allows the CE to start working to resolve the error without waiting for a report from the customer.

[0003] In recent years, a service has also been provided that monitors the status of consumables such as toner bottles used in image forming devices owned by customers via a network and automatically delivers replacement consumables. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology in which a consumable ordering device receives consumable status information from an image forming device, orders the consumables at an appropriate time, and delivers them to the customer. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2008-271231 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The CE decides what work to do based on error information and repair part information provided via the management server, and dispatches after arranging for the parts necessary to resolve the error. In this way, when the CE visits the customer, delivery costs can be reduced by delivering consumables that the customer can replace themselves as needed. For example, depending on the amount of toner remaining in the toner bottle currently installed in the image forming device, the CE may be able to replace the toner bottle with a new one when he or she visits the customer. This has benefits not only for the CE but also for the customer.

[0006] However, when a CE visits a customer, in order to deliver replacement consumables, the CE must check the remaining amount of consumables used in the image forming device and the number of consumables in stock with the customer in advance, and must make decisions about the type and number of consumables to be delivered. In addition, when the CE delivers consumables to a customer, there is a possibility that there will be a discrepancy between the number of stocks managed by the management system and the number of stocks actually in stock with the customer. Furthermore, there is a possibility that the delivery will overlap with a delivery instruction to the delivery system that is triggered by the remaining amount of consumables installed and used in the image forming device.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide an information provision system and method that facilitates the combination of automatic delivery of consumables triggered by the remaining amount of consumables, the remaining number of days that the consumables can be used, etc., with delivery of consumables by CE, thereby enabling efficient delivery of consumables. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the information providing system of the present invention is an information providing system that provides a service of identifying repair parts necessary to resolve an error that occurs in an image forming device, and is characterized in having a receiving means for receiving error information regarding an error that has occurred in the image forming device, an identifying means for identifying repair parts necessary to resolve the error, an acquiring means for acquiring information on consumables including a recording agent used in the image forming device from a consumables management system, a providing means for providing information including information on the repair parts identified by the identifying means and consumables delivery information regarding the delivery of consumables to the image forming device based on the information on the consumables acquired by the acquiring means, and a transmitting means for transmitting information on consumables that are the subject of delivery based on the consumables delivery information to the consumables management system. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an information provision system and method that facilitates the combination of automatic delivery of consumables triggered by the remaining amount of consumables, the remaining number of days that the consumables can be used, etc., with delivery of consumables by CE, thereby enabling efficient delivery of consumables. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a management system according to the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus 102. [Diagram 3] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of a consumables management server 112 and a repair location notification server 113. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a software module configuration of an image forming apparatus 102. [Diagram 5] 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a software module configuration of a consumables management server 112. FIG. [Figure 6] 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen display by a stock information display unit 509. FIG. [Figure 7]FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a software module configuration of a repair location notification server 113. [Figure 8] 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen display by a repair procedure display unit 518. FIG. [Figure 9] 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen display by a repair procedure display unit 518. FIG. [Figure 10] 13 is a flowchart for explaining a consumable supply replenishment recommendation display process by repair location notification server 113. [Figure 11] 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen display by a repair procedure display unit 518. FIG. [Figure 12] 13 is a flowchart for explaining a process of determining whether or not a consumable supply recommendation is required, performed by the repair location notifying server 113. [Figure 13] 13 is an example of a screen display by a repair procedure display unit 518. [Figure 14] 13 is a flowchart for explaining a replacement bottle delivery process by the consumables management server 112. [Figure 15] 13 is a flowchart for explaining a replacement bottle delivery process performed by repair location notification server 113. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] An information provision system according to an embodiment is an information provision system that provides a service for identifying repair parts required to resolve an error that occurs in an image forming device, and includes a receiving means, an identifying means, an acquiring means, a providing means, and a transmitting means. The receiving means receives error information relating to an error that occurs in the image forming device. The identifying means identifies repair parts required to resolve the error. The acquiring means acquires information on consumables including a recording agent used in the image forming device from a consumables management system. The providing means provides information including information on the repair parts identified by the identifying means and consumables delivery information relating to the delivery of consumables to the image forming device based on the consumables information acquired by the acquiring means. The transmitting means transmits information on the consumables that are the subject of delivery based on the consumables delivery information to the consumables management system.

[0012] The acquisition unit may further acquire, from the image forming apparatus, period information indicating the number of remaining days for a consumable item used in the image forming apparatus.

[0013] The information providing system according to the embodiment may further include a determining unit that determines whether or not delivery of the consumables to the image forming device is recommended based on the consumables information and the period information acquired by the acquiring unit. When it is determined that delivery of the consumables is recommended, the display unit provides information including both the information on the repair part identified by the identifying unit and the consumables delivery information.

[0014] In addition, when consumables for the image forming apparatus are not subject to inventory management, the display means may provide information including information on the repair part identified by the identification means and consumables delivery information based on the period information.

[0015] The receiving means may receive event information indicating that the remaining amount of the consumable used in the image forming apparatus or the remaining number of days of the consumable used in the image forming apparatus has fallen below a predetermined threshold. In this case, the information providing system according to the embodiment further includes a delivery instruction means for instructing to deliver the consumable if the consumable is not subject to inventory management even if the consumable is a target for which consumable delivery information is to be displayed.

[0016] The receiving means may receive event information indicating that the remaining amount of the consumable used in the image forming apparatus or the remaining number of days of the consumable used in the image forming apparatus is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold. In this case, the information providing system according to the embodiment further includes a delivery instruction means. Even if the consumable is a target for which consumable delivery information is to be displayed, if the consumable is subject to inventory management and the inventory amount of the consumable is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold, the delivery instruction means instructs to deliver the consumable according to the number of days until the scheduled delivery date set in advance.

[0017] A method according to an embodiment is a method for controlling an information providing system that provides a service for identifying repair parts required to resolve an error occurring in an image forming device. The method according to an embodiment includes a receiving step, an identifying step, an acquiring step, a providing step, and a transmitting step. In the receiving step, error information regarding an error occurring in the image forming device is received. In the identifying step, a repair part required to resolve the error is identified. In the acquiring step, information on consumables including a recording agent used in the image forming device is acquired from a consumables management system. In the providing step, information is provided that includes information on the repair parts identified by the identifying means and consumables delivery information related to the delivery of consumables to the image forming device based on the consumables information acquired by the acquiring means. In the transmitting step, information on the consumables that are the subject of delivery based on the consumables delivery information is transmitted to the consumables management system.

[0018] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0019] 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a management system of the present invention. In this system, a PC 101, an image forming apparatus 102, a delivery system 103, and a device management system 110 are connected via a network 100. The network 100 is, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network) such as the Internet, a WAN (Wide Area Network), a communication network realized by a telephone line, etc., and it is sufficient that data can be transmitted and received. Note that in this embodiment, the description will be given assuming that a multifunction printer (MFP) that integrates multiple functions such as a printing function, a reading function, and a FAX function is used as the image forming apparatus 102.

[0020] The PC 101 is a personal computer used by a general user for business purposes, etc. The device management system 110 is constructed using a cloud service, and includes a data receiving unit 111, a consumables management server 112, and a repair location notification server 113. Note that the data receiving unit 111, the consumables management server 112, and the repair location notification server 113 may be realized by a single device such as a single PC.

[0021] The data receiving unit 111 is a virtual machine having a function of receiving messages to be processed from the image forming apparatus 102 via the network 100 and transmitting the messages to the consumables management server 112 and the repair location notification server 113. Here, a virtual machine is a logical computer that uses virtualization technology to divide a server into logical units regardless of its physical configuration, and each divided unit operates with an independent operating system.

[0022] Repair part notification server 113 is a virtual machine equipped with a function for centrally managing the operating status of image forming apparatus 102, which is also a feature of the present invention. Repair part notification server 113 receives error information indicating an error that has occurred in image forming apparatus 102 from image forming apparatus 102 via data receiving unit 111, estimates information on one or more repair parts for solving the error, and provides the repair part information to the user.

[0023] Consumables management server 112 is a virtual machine that has a function of managing the inventory status of consumables at the customer's site for the image forming device that is the management target. Consumables management server 112 receives information transmitted from image forming device 102, such as the degree of consumption of the consumables and information indicating that the consumables have been replaced, via data receiving unit 111, and automatically arranges for delivery of new consumables to the customer as necessary.

[0024] The delivery system 103 is a delivery system constructed by a sales company, and issues instructions to deliver consumables based on various information notified by e-mail or the like from the consumables management server 112. The consumables are, for example, toner bottles, ink bottles, recording agents such as cartridges, and parts that wear out with each use. In this embodiment, a toner bottle is taken as an example of a consumable to be delivered.

[0025] 2 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 102. The image forming apparatus 102 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 201, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 202, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 203, a storage device 204, and a network I / F 205. The image forming apparatus 102 also includes an internal bus 206, a device control 207, a printing unit 208, an input / output I / F 209, and an input / output device 210.

[0026] The CPU 201 executes programs stored in the ROM 202 and controls each device overall via an internal bus 206. The programs also include programs for implementing each process described below. The RAM 203 functions as a memory and work area for the CPU 201. The network I / F 205 exchanges data unidirectionally or bidirectionally with an external network device or a personal computer via the LAN 101. The device control 207 controls a printing unit 208 in accordance with a print request or the like.

[0027] The CPU 201 executes a program together with the ROM 202 and RAM 203, and records image data in a recording medium such as the storage device 204. The storage device 204 functions as an external storage device and stores image data and the like. The storage device 204 can also store counter information, various logs, and the like in place of the RAM 203. The input / output device 210 receives input such as scanning and button input from the user, and notifies each of the above-mentioned processing units via the input / output I / F 209.

[0028] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the consumables management server 112 and the repair location notification server 113. As shown in FIG.

[0029] The consumables management server 112 and the repair location notification server 113 each include a CPU 301 that executes a program stored in a ROM 303, and generally controls each device via an internal bus 306. The programs also include programs that realize the processes shown in Figures 11, 14, 15, etc., which will be described later. The internal bus 306 is connected to a RAM 302, a ROM 303, a storage device 304, a network I / F 305, and an input / output I / F 307. The input / output device 308 is an operation unit that includes a keyboard, a CRT display, an LCD display, etc., and can be connected to the consumables management server 112 or the repair location notification server 113 via the input / output I / F 307.

[0030] The consumables management server 112 and the repair location notification server 113 are connected to the Internet 108 via the network I / F 305, and can communicate with the image forming apparatus 102 and the PC 101. This communication makes it possible to collect operation information of the image forming apparatus 102. The CPU 301 executes programs together with the RAM 302 and the ROM 303. It also performs a process of recording image data in a recording medium such as the storage device 304. The storage device 304 functions as an external storage device, and in addition to storing operation information of the image forming apparatus 102, it is also possible to save system information and processing information in place of the RAM 302.

[0031] 4 is a diagram showing an example of a software module configuration of the image forming apparatus 102. The image forming apparatus 102 includes a transmission unit 401, a storage unit 402, an image forming unit 403, a status management unit 404, an operation unit 405, a display unit 406, an event management unit 407, and a toner bottle management unit 408.

[0032] The transmission unit 401 acquires information about the image forming apparatus 102, event information that has occurred in the image forming apparatus 102, various counter information, wear level information of consumable parts, and the like from the storage device 304. Note that hereinafter, information about the image forming apparatus 102 is referred to as device information. The transmission unit 401 then edits the information into a format for transmission to the device management system 110 and transmits it to the device management system 110. The device information includes identification information (serial number), network information (IP address), operation information, and the like of the image forming apparatus 102, and any of this information is used for notifications, etc. as necessary. Note that SMTP, HTTP / HTTPS, and the like are used for transmission and reception.

[0033] The storage unit 402 performs storage control such as saving and reading information to and from the ROM 202, the RAM 203, and the storage device 204. The storage unit 402 also stores management information necessary for managing the image forming apparatus 102. The management information is, for example, firmware information, device configuration information such as the identification number of the image forming apparatus 102, various counter information, information on the degree of wear of consumable parts, the operation history of the image forming apparatus 102, and history information (log data) indicating various abnormal states. The storage unit 402 also stores device information and information related to the device management system 110. This information includes information used for communication such as address information of the device management system 110 that manages the image forming apparatus 102.

[0034] The image forming unit 403 has a function of generating and outputting print data to be passed to the printing unit 208. The status management unit 404 performs printing control of the image forming device 102, management of abnormal states, and also manages counter information and notification information. Counter information such as a value counted by a sensor or the like on the number of sheets printed by the image forming device 102, the degree of wear of parts, and wear level information indicating the remaining amount of consumables such as toner bottles are stored and managed in the storage unit 402.

[0035] The operation unit 405 is an interface that enables a user to issue operational instructions to the image forming apparatus 102, including print instructions.

[0036] A display unit 406 displays to the user a user interface (UI) screen showing status information of the image forming apparatus 102, information on the consumption rates of various consumables, setting information, etc. The information on the consumption rates of various consumables also includes information on the remaining amount of toner.

[0037] The event management unit 407 receives an event that occurs in the image forming apparatus 102 and manages event information. The event information managed by the event management unit 407 includes events of print jobs issued by users of the image forming apparatus 102, errors, general status information of the image forming apparatus 102, and the like. Note that errors are sometimes called failures. For example, errors of the image forming apparatus 102 include highly urgent errors such as hard disk errors, and warning-level errors such as paper jams or toner low. Event information indicating replacement of a toner bottle, firmware updates, and the like are also notified to the event management unit 407 via the device interface 416.

[0038] The toner bottle management unit 408 includes a bottle detection unit 409 , a remaining amount detection unit 410 , a bottle ID detection unit 411 , and a prediction unit 412 .

[0039] The bottle detection unit 409 detects the replacement of a toner bottle, for example, the start or completion of toner bottle replacement, via a sensor, and notifies the event management unit 407 via a device interface 416 .

[0040] The remaining amount detection unit 410 has a function of acquiring information on the remaining amount of toner in the toner bottle from the memory tag when the toner bottle is attached, and providing the information to the prediction unit 412 as an initial value of the remaining amount of toner.

[0041] When a toner bottle is replaced and a new bottle is attached, the bottle ID detection unit 411 acquires the identification information (serial number) of the toner bottle and manages the acquired serial numbers of the toner bottles of each color in the storage unit 402. In addition, the bottle ID detection unit 411 provides the toner bottle identification information to the event management unit 407 via the device interface 416.

[0042] The prediction unit 412 has a function of predicting the degree of wear of a toner bottle, and calculates a predicted value of the remaining amount of toner or the number of days remaining until the toner runs out each time image formation is performed after the toner bottle is replaced. The prediction unit 412 also manages the remaining amount of toner of each color or the number of days remaining for each color of toner as a current value in the storage unit 402, and also writes it to the memory tag of the toner bottle. Furthermore, when the prediction unit 412 detects that the current value of the remaining amount of toner or the number of days remaining in a toner bottle has reached a delivery threshold value at which delivery arrangements for a new toner bottle are required, it executes the following process. That is, when the prediction unit 412 detects this, it executes a process of notifying the device management system 110 as event information via the event management unit 407.

[0043] Fig. 5 is a diagram for explaining the software module configuration of the consumables management server 112. As shown in Fig. 5, the consumables management server 112 includes a communication unit 501, a storage unit 502, a notification management unit 503, a device information management unit 504, a customer management unit 505, a consumables event receiving unit 507, an inventory management unit 508, an inventory information display unit 509, and a delivery management unit 510.

[0044] The communication unit 501 has a function of communicating with the image forming apparatus 102. For example, the communication unit 501 receives device information transmitted from the image forming apparatus 102 and event information generated in the image forming apparatus 102 via the data receiving unit 111. The event information is, for example, information related to an error or a toner bottle replacement event. Alternatively, the communication unit 501 transmits, to the image forming apparatus 102, instructions on a communication schedule, various settings, information required for maintenance, and the like.

[0045] The storage unit 502 controls the storage of information in the RAM 302, the ROM 303, and the storage device 304. In this embodiment, the objects of the storage control include device information, customer information, and the like.

[0046] A notification management unit 503 generates notification information by specifying notification contents, notification destinations, etc. The notifications include, for example, a maintenance request notification to a system (not shown) that arranges for a serviceman to maintain the image forming apparatus 102, and a request notification for replenishing consumables.

[0047] The device information management unit 504 manages device information of the maintenance target image forming apparatus 102. The information to be managed by the device information management unit 504 includes identification information of the image forming apparatus 102, status information such as abnormalities, maintenance history, administrator information of the image forming apparatus 102, consumables management information of the image forming apparatus 102, and the like.

[0048] A customer management unit 505 manages information about customers who have installed the image forming apparatus 102. The information includes identification information of the image forming apparatus 102 used by the customer and information about a maintenance contract between the customer and a sales company.

[0049] The consumables management unit 506 includes a consumables event receiving unit 507, an inventory management unit 508, an inventory information display unit 509, and a delivery management unit 510 as functions for managing the status and inventory quantity of consumables such as toner bottles and collection toner boxes that can be replaced on the customer's image forming device 102.

[0050] The consumables event receiving unit 507 receives event information related to consumables that occurs in the image forming apparatus 102 via the communication unit 501, and stores the event information in the device information management unit 504. For example, in one embodiment, there is a pre-delivery alarm that aims to complete delivery of a new toner bottle before the toner in the toner bottle currently being used in the image forming apparatus 102 runs out. The pre-delivery alarm is event information that is generated in the image forming apparatus 102 when it is detected that the number of days remaining until the toner in the toner bottle runs out has reached a preset delivery threshold. Upon receiving the pre-delivery alarm, the consumables event receiving unit 507 creates a message requesting delivery of a replacement toner bottle, and transmits the message to the delivery system 103 of the sales company via the communication unit 501. As a result, the consumables event receiving unit 507 instructs the delivery system 103 to deliver a replacement toner bottle to the customer.

[0051] Inventory management unit 508 manages, as inventory information, the number of consumables, such as toner bottles and waste toner boxes replaceable in image forming apparatus 102, available for a customer in association with customer information. Specifically, when inventory management unit 508 receives a notification from image forming apparatus 102 in consumables management server 112 indicating that the customer has replaced and used the consumables, inventory management unit 508 updates the inventory information for the customer. In this case, inventory management unit 508 subtracts the number of consumables in stock for the customer. Then, when the number of stocks available for the customer becomes low, inventory management unit 508 creates a message requesting automatic delivery and instructs a sales company or the like to deliver the consumables via communication unit 501.

[0052] Here, a description will be given of the inventory management table managed by the inventory management unit 508 of the consumables management server 112. Table 1 is an example of the inventory management table managed by the inventory management unit 508.

[0053] [Table 1]

[0054] The information managed in the inventory management table includes fields for storing the inventory storage location, device ID, model number, initial inventory quantity, maximum inventory quantity, inventory quantity for notification, estimated inventory quantity, and remaining days. Note that the example shown in Table 1 is an example in which the consumable item subject to inventory management is a toner bottle.

[0055] The inventory storage location refers to the inventory storage location at the customer's site for consumable parts of the image forming device 102 to be managed. The device ID is an identifier that uniquely identifies the image forming device 102. The model number refers to the model number of consumables such as toner bottles of the image forming device 102 to be managed. The initial inventory quantity refers to the initial inventory quantity stored in the inventory storage location at the customer's site when inventory management of consumables begins. The maximum inventory quantity refers to the maximum inventory quantity at the inventory storage location at the customer's site. The inventory quantity for notification refers to the inventory quantity for which a notification is sent to the sales company to encourage replenishment when the inventory quantity falls below the safety inventory quantity.

[0056] The estimated stock quantity is the estimated stock quantity currently existing in the customer's stock storage location, and is set as a value obtained by subtracting the estimated stock quantity from the initial stock quantity each time consumables management server 112 receives a notification from image forming device 102 indicating that the customer has replaced a consumable. The remaining number of days is the remaining number of days that the toner bottle being used in image forming device 102 can be used, which is acquired by consumables management server 112 from the advance delivery alarm last received from image forming device 102. The stock storage location, model number, initial stock quantity, and stock quantity to be notified can be set via input / output device 308 of consumables management server 112 when starting inventory management of consumables at the customer's location.

[0057] The inventory information display unit 509 displays the inventory information managed by the inventory management unit 508. A WWW server program runs in the consumables management server 112, which enables a serviceman of a sales company or the like to view the above information using a web browser on a PC. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed by the inventory information display unit 509. The meanings of the inventory storage location, model number, initial inventory quantity, maximum inventory quantity, inventory quantity to be notified, and estimated inventory quantity are the same as those in the inventory management table of Table 1, so explanations will be omitted.

[0058] Replenishment / Adjustment 601 is an area for correcting the customer's inventory by, for example, requesting delivery of a replacement toner bottle when the consumables event receiving unit 507 receives a pre-delivery alarm from the image forming apparatus 102. When replenishing is selected by inputting a numerical value, the input numerical value is added to the estimated inventory. It is also possible to subtract the input numerical value from the estimated inventory by inputting a negative value and selecting adjustment.

[0059] The delivery management unit 510 manages the delivery instruction status of the toner bottles used in the image forming device 102 in a delivery management table. Table 2 is an example of the delivery management table managed by the delivery management unit 510. In Table 2, whether or not a replacement bottle has been delivered is managed for each color of toner bottle used in the image forming device 102. When the delivery management unit 510 receives a pre-delivery alarm from the image forming device 102 and instructs the delivery system 103 to deliver a toner bottle to a customer, the delivery completion flag for the relevant bottle (color) is changed to delivered (1). In addition, when the consumables event receiving unit 507 detects the reception of event information from the image forming device 102 indicating that the toner bottle has been replaced with a new one, the delivery completion flag is changed to not delivered (0).

[0060] [Table 2]

[0061] 7 is a diagram showing an example of a software module configuration of the repair location notification server 113. The repair location notification server 113 includes a communication unit 501, a storage unit 502, a notification management unit 503, a device information management unit 504, and a customer management unit 505. The repair location notification server 113 also includes an operation information receiving unit 512, an error determination unit 513, an error history management unit 514, a priority determination unit 515, a market performance management unit 516, an estimation result management unit 517, a repair procedure display unit 518, and a recommendation management unit 519. The communication unit 501, the storage unit 502, the notification management unit 503, the device information management unit 504, and the customer management unit 505 are the same as those described with reference to FIG. 5, and therefore will not be described here.

[0062] The operation information receiving unit 512 receives operation information of the image forming apparatus 102, i.e., event information occurring in the image forming apparatus 102, via the data receiving unit 111. The event information received by the operation information receiving unit 512 includes error information indicating an error, status information of the image forming apparatus 102, and the like.

[0063] The error determination unit 513 receives error information from the operation information receiving unit 512, identifies one or more repair parts for eliminating the error, and transmits the repair parts together with the error information as a determination result to the priority determination unit 515 described later. At this time, if the error determination unit 513 is unable to identify a repair part for some reason, for example, because it is unable to identify an error for a certain error code, it transmits the determination result as "repair part cannot be identified" to the priority determination unit 515 described later together with the error information. In addition, the error determination unit 513 stores the error information received from the image forming apparatus 102 in the error history management unit 514 as an error history.

[0064] The error history management unit 514 saves and manages the error information received from the image forming apparatus 102 as an error history. Table 3 shows an example of a portion of the error history managed by the error history management unit 514.

[0065] [Table 3]

[0066] The error history includes an error ID that uniquely identifies the error, a device ID that uniquely identifies the image forming device 102 in which the error occurred, a model number that indicates the model, an error code that is the type of error that occurred, a counter value that is the number of prints at the time the error occurred, and the date and time the error occurred.

[0067] When the priority determination unit 515 receives the determination result from the error determination unit 513, it obtains market performance data in which the model number of the error information included in the determination result matches the error code from a market performance management unit 516 described below. The priority determination unit 515 ranks the repair parts included in the determination result as "repair parts with a high possibility of eliminating the error" in order of the number of part replacements in the market performance that matches the part number, and stores the ranked repair procedures in the estimation result management unit 517 as estimation results.

[0068] The market performance management unit 516 holds and manages a total of the number of parts replaced by model number, error code, and part number for all part replacement work performed by a serviceman to resolve errors that have occurred in the past. Table 4 shows an example of some of the market performance managed by the market performance management unit 516.

[0069] [Table 4]

[0070] The market performance includes a model number indicating the model of the image forming apparatus 102, an error code indicating the type of error that occurred, a part number indicating the part replaced to correct the error, and a replacement number indicating the number of parts replaced in the past.

[0071] The estimation result management unit 517 saves and manages the estimation results, which are the repair procedures created and ranked by the priority determination unit 515. Table 5 shows some examples of the estimation results managed by the estimation result management unit 517.

[0072] [Table 5]

[0073] The estimation result includes a device ID, an error ID, a part number of a part to be repaired for the error, and a priority indicating the order of the parts to be repaired. In this embodiment, the repair priority is determined to be higher in descending order of the priority number.

[0074] The repair procedure display unit 518 displays the information managed by the error history management unit 514, and also displays information indicating the repair procedure for eliminating the error, which will be described later.

[0075] The recommendation management unit 519 determines whether or not delivery of consumables such as toner bottles by a CE is recommended for the image forming device 102 with the device ID present in the error history managed by the error history management unit 514, and manages the determination result. Table 6 shows an example of an inventory replenishment recommendation management table managed by the recommendation management unit 519.

[0076] The inventory replenishment recommendation management table is a table for managing whether or not the repair procedure display unit 518 should display a message in the consumables replenishment recommendation unit 707 in Fig. 8. This display is, for example, a display of a message encouraging delivery of a consumables when it is determined that delivery of a toner bottle by a CE is recommended.

[0077] The inventory replenishment recommendation management table includes the device ID, update date and time, model number, recommendation flag, delivery quantity, and scheduled dispatch date. When the recommendation flag is ON, it means that it is a display target in the consumables replenishment recommendation unit 707. The delivery quantity means the number of consumables that the CE should dispatch when it is a display target in the consumables replenishment recommendation unit 707. The scheduled dispatch date is the scheduled date when the CE is dispatched to deal with an error in the image forming device 102 that is a display target in the consumables replenishment recommendation unit 707, and the scheduled date set by the CE is saved on the screen of FIG. 10 described later.

[0078] [Table 6]

[0079] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed by the repair procedure display unit 518. The repair procedure display unit 518 of the repair location notification server 113 receives an error history acquisition request including a device ID from the web browser of the PC 101, and returns error history information associated with the device ID to the web browser, whereby this screen is displayed on the web browser. The device ID 701 displays the device ID specified in the error history acquisition request. The error code 702 displays the error code of the error history that matches the device ID specified in the error history acquisition request among the error histories managed by the error history management unit 514. The occurrence date and time 703 displays the occurrence date and time of the error history that matches the device ID specified in the error history acquisition request among the error histories managed by the error history management unit 514. The button 706 is a button for displaying a repair procedure display screen in FIG. 9, which will be described later. Here, the repair procedure display screen that is displayed by pressing the button 706 on the error history display screen will be described.

[0080] 9 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed by the repair procedure display unit 518. The repair procedure display screen displays the error history and estimation results managed by the repair location notifying server 113. The repair procedure display unit 518 of the repair location notifying server 113 receives a repair procedure acquisition request including a device ID and an error ID from the web browser of the PC 101, and returns the estimation result linked to the device ID to the web browser. As a result, the screen is displayed on the web browser.

[0081] Device ID 701 displays the device ID of an error history whose error ID matches the error ID specified in the repair procedure acquisition request among the error histories managed by error history management unit 514. Error code 702 displays the error code of an error history whose error ID matches the error ID specified in the repair procedure acquisition request among the error histories managed by error history management unit 514. Occurrence date and time 703 displays the occurrence date and time of an error history whose error ID matches the error ID specified in the repair procedure acquisition request among the error histories managed by error history management unit 514. Repair part 704 displays the estimation result linked to the error ID of the repair procedure acquisition request among the estimation results managed by estimation result management unit 517.

[0082] The repair procedure display unit 518 can present to the CE which part to repair first by displaying the estimation results in the repair parts 704 in the order of the estimation result priority. The part number 705 displays the part number of the estimation result managed by the estimation result management unit 517. This makes it possible to display the repair parts for solving an error that has occurred in the image forming apparatus in order of the likelihood of solving the error. The proceed to response completion screen button 709 is a button for displaying a response completion screen 1000 on which a CE who has been dispatched to the customer's premises to deal with an error can record the details of the response when the CE has completed the error response. The response completion screen 1000 will be described later.

[0083] Returning to the explanation of Fig. 8, the consumables replenishment recommendation section 707 displays a message to the effect that it is recommended that the CE deliver a toner bottle when the CE is dispatched to the customer's site to deal with an error that has occurred in the image forming device 102. A button 708 is a button for displaying the consumables replenishment recommendation screen shown in Fig. 10.

[0084] Fig. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the consumable supply recommendation display process by the repair location notification server 113. The process shown in Fig. 10 is periodically executed by the recommendation management unit 519 of the repair location notification server 113. For example, the process shown in Fig. 10 is executed once a day by the recommendation management unit 519 of the repair location notification server 113.

[0085] In step S801, the recommendation management unit 519 acquires information about the first device ID present in the error history managed by the error history management unit 514.

[0086] In step S802, the recommendation management unit 519 executes a judgment as to whether or not a consumables replenishment recommendation is required for the device whose device ID was acquired in step S801. For example, the recommendation management unit 519 judges whether or not it is recommended that a toner bottle be delivered when a CE goes to the customer's site where the device is installed to deal with an error. Details of the consumables replenishment recommendation necessity judgment process executed in step S802 will be described later.

[0087] In step S803, if the recommendation management unit 519 determines as a result of step S802 that a consumable supply replenishment recommendation is necessary for the device whose device ID was acquired in step S801, the process proceeds to step S804. Also, in step S803, if the recommendation management unit 519 determines as a result of step S802 that a consumable supply replenishment recommendation is not necessary for the device whose device ID was acquired in step S801, the process proceeds to step S805.

[0088] In step S804, the recommendation management unit 519 changes the delivered flag of the toner bottle to be recommended to pending (2) in the delivery management table (Table 2) managed by the delivery management unit 510. By setting the delivered flag to pending (2), the bottle will not be subject to a delivery instruction for a replacement toner bottle to the sales company's delivery system 103 even if the consumables event receiving unit 507 receives a pre-delivery alarm for the corresponding bottle (color) of the target device from the image forming device 102.

[0089] In step S805, the recommendation management unit 519 determines whether or not the check has been completed for all devices present in the error history managed by the error history management unit 514. If the recommendation management unit 519 determines that the check has been completed for all devices present in the error history managed by the error history management unit 514, it ends the process. On the other hand, if the recommendation management unit 519 determines that the check has not been completed for all devices present in the error history managed by the error history management unit 514, it returns the process to step S801.

[0090] Next, the details of the process of determining whether or not a consumable supply recommendation is required by the repair location notifying server 113 in step S802 will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 12. Fig. 12 is a flowchart for explaining the process of determining whether or not a consumable supply recommendation is required by the repair location notifying server 113.

[0091] In step S901, the recommendation management unit 519 determines whether the image forming device 102 with the device ID included in the error history acquisition request is subject to inventory management. The recommendation management unit 519 determines whether the image forming device 102 with the device ID included in the error history acquisition request is subject to inventory management by checking whether information on the device ID exists or not, with reference to an inventory management table (Table 1) managed by the inventory management unit 508 of the consumables management server 112. If the recommendation management unit 519 determines that the image forming device 102 with the device ID included in the error history acquisition request is subject to inventory management, the process proceeds to step S902. On the other hand, if the recommendation management unit 519 determines that the image forming device 102 with the device ID included in the error history acquisition request is not subject to inventory management, the process proceeds to step S906.

[0092] In step S902, the recommendation management unit 519 determines whether the number of bottles in stock held by the customer for the bottle being used in the image forming device 102 is one bottle away from the threshold for issuing a delivery instruction to the sales company. If the recommendation management unit 519 determines that the number of bottles in stock held by the customer for the bottle being used in the image forming device 102 is one bottle away from the threshold for issuing a delivery instruction to the sales company, the process proceeds to step S903. On the other hand, if the recommendation management unit 519 determines that the number of bottles in stock held by the customer for the bottle being used in the image forming device 102 is not one bottle away from the threshold for issuing a delivery instruction to the sales company, the process proceeds to step S907.

[0093] In step S902, the recommendation management unit 519, for example, refers to the inventory management table (Table 1) managed by the inventory management unit 508 and determines whether the estimated inventory quantity for the bottle of the device ID is the inventory quantity to be notified minus 1. In this case, if the recommendation management unit 519 determines that the inventory quantity held by the customer is one unit away from the threshold for issuing a delivery instruction to the sales company, the process proceeds to step S903. Note that, when bottles of multiple colors are used, the recommendation management unit 519 executes the above-mentioned determination for the first color bottle.

[0094] In step S903, the recommendation management unit 519 refers to the inventory management table (Table 1) managed by the inventory management unit 508 and determines whether the remaining number of days for which the corresponding bottle used in the image forming apparatus 102 can be used is equal to or less than a certain number of days. If the recommendation management unit 519 determines that the remaining number of days for which the corresponding bottle used in the image forming apparatus 102 can be used is equal to or less than the certain number of days, the process proceeds to step S904. On the other hand, if the recommendation management unit 519 determines that the remaining number of days for which the corresponding bottle used in the image forming apparatus 102 can be used exceeds the certain number of days, the process proceeds to step S907.

[0095] In step S904, the recommendation management unit 519 sets the recommendation flag to ON, thereby realizing display in the consumable supply recommendation unit 707.

[0096] In step S905, the recommendation management unit 519 updates the delivery quantity to (maximum stock quantity-estimated stock quantity+1) obtained from the stock management table (Table 1).

[0097] In step S906, the recommendation management unit 519 judges whether or not the advance delivery alarm of the image forming device 102 of the device ID related to step S901 has not been received. For example, if the consumable is a toner bottle, the advance delivery alarm has not been received, meaning that a replacement toner bottle has not been delivered. Also, for example, if the consumable is a toner bottle, the advance delivery alarm has been received, meaning that a replacement toner bottle has been delivered. For example, if the delivery management table (Table 2) shows that the delivery completion flag of the image forming device 102 is 1 (delivered), the recommendation management unit 519 judges that the advance delivery alarm has been received. If the recommendation management unit 519 judges that the advance delivery alarm has not been received, the process proceeds to step S903. On the other hand, if the recommendation management unit 519 judges that the advance delivery alarm has been received, the process proceeds to step S907.

[0098] In step S907, the recommendation management unit 519 judges whether the check of all toner bottles (colors) in use in the image forming apparatus 102 has been completed. When the recommendation management unit 519 judges that the check of all toner bottles (colors) in use in the image forming apparatus 102 has not been completed, the process returns to step S901. When the recommendation management unit 519 judges that the check of all toner bottles (colors) in use in the image forming apparatus 102 has been completed, the process ends. Through these processes, when the repair location notification server 113 judges that it is recommended to deliver a toner bottle when the CE dispatches to the customer's site where the image forming apparatus 102 is installed to deal with an error, it is possible to display a message urging the delivery of consumables. Furthermore, the recommendation management unit 519 can control so that the delivery system 103 does not automatically deliver consumables while this message is being displayed.

[0099] Fig. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed by the repair procedure display unit 518. The screen shown in Fig. 11 is an example of a consumables replenishment recommendation screen that is displayed by pressing button 708 of consumables replenishment recommendation unit 707 when it is determined in the flowchart shown in Fig. 10 that a consumables replenishment recommendation is necessary.

[0100] Device ID 701 displays the device ID specified in the error history acquisition request. Consumables 710 is an area that displays consumables that are determined to require a recommendation in step S802. Fig. 11 shows an example in which the recommendation flag is ON in the recommendation management table, that is, there is one toner bottle that is determined to require a recommendation. If there are multiple toner bottles with the recommendation flag ON, multiple consumables 710 are displayed.

[0101] Model number 711 displays the model number of the consumable determined in step S802 to require a recommendation. The consumable in this case is a toner bottle. Remaining days 712 is the remaining number of days that the toner bottle 711 currently being used in the image forming device 102 can be used, and displays a value obtained from the inventory management table (Table 1). Delivery quantity 713 is the delivery quantity obtained from the inventory replenishment recommendation management table (Table 6), and displays the number of consumables that the CE should deliver.

[0102] The Check Stock Information button 714 is a button for displaying stock information managed by the stock management unit 508. When the Check Stock Information button 714 is pressed, the stock information display screen shown in FIG. 6 is displayed. The Planned Dispatch Date 715 is an area for inputting the planned date of dispatch to deal with an error in a device that is to be displayed in the consumables replenishment recommendation unit 707. The Proceed to Response Completion Screen button 709 is a button for displaying the response completion screen 1000 in FIG. 10.

[0103] Fig. 13 is an example of a screen displayed by the repair procedure display unit 518. Specifically, Fig. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a response completion screen for recording the details of the on-site response when a CE dispatched to a customer site has completed the response to an error. Time required for response 1001 is an area for inputting the total time required for the on-site response. Selection of performed action 1002 is an area for inputting the action taken for each part to resolve the error in the corresponding image forming apparatus 102.

[0104] Here, the same parts as repair parts 704 displayed on the repair procedure display screen shown in Fig. 9 are displayed in a list, and the contents of the treatment carried out for each part can be selected. The contents of the treatment here are, for example, replacement or adjustment. Consumables replenishment selection 1003 is an area for inputting the consumables delivered to the customer and their quantity according to the contents displayed in consumables 710. By pressing a completion button 1005, the time required for treatment 1001, which is among the contents input on the treatment completion screen 1000, and the information input in selection of treatment carried out 1002 are saved in error history management section 514 of repair location notification server 113.

[0105] On the other hand, the content input in the consumables replenishment selection 1003 is reflected in the inventory management table (Table 1) managed by the inventory management unit 508 of the consumables management server 112. For example, as shown in the example of FIG. 13, when it is input that three bottles of Toner-1-Y have been replenished, the repair procedure display unit 518 notifies the inventory management unit 508 and adds three to the estimated inventory quantity of Toner-1-Y in the inventory management table (Table 1). Furthermore, it changes the delivered flag of the corresponding bottle (color) in the delivery management table (Table 2) to delivered (1), and changes the recommendation flag of the corresponding bottle in the inventory replenishment recommendation management table (Table 6) to OFF. As a result, the repair procedure display unit 518 no longer displays the consumables replenishment recommendation unit 707. In addition, even if the consumables event receiving unit 507 receives a pre-delivery alarm for the bottle in question for the target device from the image forming device 102, an instruction to deliver a replacement bottle will not be issued, thereby preventing duplicate delivery between replenishment by the CE and delivery from the delivery system 103.

[0106] On the other hand, if a recommendation is made but the dispatch is canceled or takes a certain period of time, there is a possibility that the replacement bottle will run out of stock on the user's device before the dispatch. Next, the replacement bottle delivery process by the consumables event receiving unit 507 of the consumables management server 112 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 14. FIG. 14 is a flowchart for explaining the replacement bottle delivery process by the consumables management server 112.

[0107] In step S1101, the consumables event receiving unit 507 receives a pre-delivery alarm from the image forming apparatus 102.

[0108] In step S1102, the consumable supply event receiving unit 507 stores the event information in the event information history of the device information management unit 504.

[0109] In step S1103, consumables event receiving unit 507 identifies the target toner bottle (color) from the alarm code of the received advance delivery alarm, and determines whether or not the toner bottle is subject to inventory management. Consumables event receiving unit 507 determines whether or not the toner bottle is subject to inventory management by referring to an inventory management table (Table 1) managed by inventory management unit 508 of consumables management server 112, and by determining whether or not the target bottle exists in image forming device 102. If consumables event receiving unit 507 determines that the toner bottle is subject to inventory management, it advances the process to step S1109. On the other hand, if consumables event receiving unit 507 determines that the toner bottle is not subject to inventory management, it advances the process to step S1104.

[0110] In step S1104, consumables event receiving unit 507 determines whether the delivered flag for the toner bottle in the delivery management table (Table 2) is on hold. If consumables event receiving unit 507 determines that the delivered flag for the toner bottle in the delivery management table (Table 2) is on hold, it proceeds to step S1108. On the other hand, if consumables event receiving unit 507 determines that the delivered flag for the toner bottle in the delivery management table (Table 2) is not on hold, it proceeds to step S1105.

[0111] In step S1105, the consumables event receiving unit 507 determines whether the delivery completion flag of the toner bottle is not delivered (0). If the consumables event receiving unit 507 determines that the delivery completion flag of the toner bottle is not delivered (0), the process proceeds to step S1106. On the other hand, if the consumables event receiving unit 507 determines that the delivery completion flag of the toner bottle is not not delivered (0), the process ends.

[0112] In step S1106, the consumables event receiving unit 507 issues an instruction to deliver a replacement toner bottle to the customer.

[0113] In step S1107, the consumables event receiving unit 507 updates the delivery completion flag of the toner bottle in the delivery management table (Table 2) to delivered (1).

[0114] In step S1108, the consumable supply event receiving unit 507 updates the stock replenishment recommendation flag for the toner bottle in the stock replenishment recommendation management table (Table 6) to OFF.

[0115] In step S1109, the consumables event receiving unit 507 performs an inventory subtraction process. Specifically, the consumables event receiving unit 507 identifies a toner bottle to be subtracted from the inventory management table (Table 1) based on the device identification information and toner color information included in the received alarm, and subtracts 1 from the estimated inventory quantity in the inventory management table.

[0116] In step S1110, the consumables event receiving unit 507 determines whether the stock quantity of the toner bottle is equal to or less than the delivery threshold. If the consumables event receiving unit 507 determines that the stock quantity of the toner bottle is not equal to or less than the delivery threshold, the process ends. On the other hand, if the consumables event receiving unit 507 determines that the stock quantity of the toner bottle is equal to or less than the delivery threshold, the process proceeds to step S1111.

[0117] In step S1111, the consumable event receiving unit 507 judges whether or not there are a certain number of days or more until the scheduled delivery date input in the scheduled deployment date 715 shown in Fig. 10. If the consumable event receiving unit 507 judges that there are a certain number of days or more until the scheduled delivery date, it advances the process to step S1104. On the other hand, if the consumable event receiving unit 507 judges that there are not a certain number of days or more until the scheduled delivery date, it ends the process.

[0118] In this way, when the consumables management server 112 receives from the image forming apparatus 102 a pre-delivery alarm for a toner bottle to be displayed in the consumables replenishment recommendation unit 707, if the customer's inventory of that toner bottle is equal to or less than the delivery threshold, the consumables management server 112 immediately issues an instruction to deliver a replacement toner bottle to the customer. Also, even if the image forming apparatus 102 is not subject to inventory management, the consumables management server 112 immediately issues an instruction to deliver a replacement toner bottle to the customer. Then, the consumables management server 112 cancels the display in the consumables replenishment recommendation unit 707. This allows the consumables management server 112 to prevent problems such as the customer's replacement bottles running out of stock before the CE is dispatched, or the replacement bottles not being delivered in time for a customer who does not have inventory.

[0119] Next, replacement bottle delivery processing by the recommendation management unit 519 of the repair location notification server 113 will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 15. Fig. 15 is a flowchart for explaining replacement bottle delivery processing by the repair location notification server 113. The processing shown in Fig. 15 is periodically performed by the recommendation management unit 519. For example, the processing shown in Fig. 15 is performed once a day.

[0120] In step S1201, the recommendation management unit 519 acquires information about the first device managed in the inventory replenishment recommendation management table (Table 6).

[0121] In step S1202, the recommendation management unit 519 checks the recommendation flag of the image forming apparatus 102 and determines whether or not a toner bottle with the recommendation flag ON exists. If the recommendation management unit 519 determines that a toner bottle with the recommendation flag ON exists, the process proceeds to step S1203. On the other hand, if the recommendation management unit 519 determines that a toner bottle with the recommendation flag ON does not exist, the process ends.

[0122] In step S1203, the recommendation management unit 519 checks the scheduled dispatch date for the toner bottle with the recommendation flag ON and determines whether the scheduled dispatch date has passed by more than one day. For example, the recommendation management unit 519 checks the scheduled dispatch date for the toner bottle with the recommendation flag ON and determines whether the scheduled dispatch date has passed by more than one day. If the recommendation management unit 519 determines that the scheduled dispatch date has passed by more than one day, the process proceeds to step S1204. On the other hand, if the recommendation management unit 519 determines that the scheduled dispatch date has not passed by more than one day, the process proceeds to step S1205.

[0123] In step S1204, the recommendation management unit 519 updates the recommendation flag of the target bottle of the image forming device 102 in the inventory replenishment recommendation management table (Table 6) to OFF.

[0124] In step S1205, the recommendation management unit 519 changes the delivered flag of the target bottle (color) of the image forming device 102 in the delivery management table (Table 2) to not delivered (0).

[0125] In step S1206, the recommendation management unit 519 determines whether or not checking has been completed for all devices managed in the inventory replenishment recommendation management table (Table 6). That is, the recommendation management unit 519 determines whether or not the device for which a step prior to step S1206 was most recently executed, i.e., the image forming device 102, is the last device. If the recommendation management unit 519 determines that the image forming device 102 is the last device, it ends the process. On the other hand, if the recommendation management unit 519 determines that the image forming device 102 is not the last device, it returns the process to step S1201.

[0126] In this way, repair location notification server 113 periodically checks the scheduled dispatch date for toner bottles that are the subject of consumables replenishment recommendations, and if there is a toner bottle whose scheduled dispatch date has passed, cancels the display of that toner bottle on consumables replenishment recommendation unit 707. In this way, repair location notification server 113 can prevent problems such as a customer running out of replacement bottles or a customer who does not have stock not receiving a replacement toner bottle in time for delivery due to a CE dispatch being postponed or canceled.

[0127] The present invention includes the following inventions that appropriately combine the above-mentioned features.

[0128] (Configuration 1) An information providing system that provides a service for identifying repair parts needed to resolve an error that occurs in an image forming device, the information providing system comprising: a receiving means for receiving error information regarding an error that occurs in the image forming device; an identifying means for identifying repair parts needed to resolve the error; an acquiring means for acquiring information on consumables including a recording agent used in the image forming device from a consumables management system; a providing means for providing information including information on the repair parts identified by the identifying means and consumables delivery information related to the delivery of consumables to the image forming device based on the information on the consumables acquired by the acquiring means; and a transmitting means for transmitting information on consumables that are the subject of delivery based on the consumables delivery information to the consumables management system.

[0129] (Configuration 2) 2. The information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the acquiring means further acquires, from the image forming device, period information indicating the number of remaining days for the consumable item used in the image forming device.

[0130] (Configuration 3) The information providing system described in configuration 2 further comprises a judgment means for judging whether or not delivery of the consumable to the image forming device is recommended based on the information on the consumable and the period information acquired by the acquisition means, and when it is judged that delivery of the consumable is recommended, the display means provides information including both information on the repair part identified by the identification means and the consumable delivery information.

[0131] (Configuration 4) The information providing system according to configuration 2 or 3, characterized in that, when consumables of the image forming device are not subject to inventory management, the display means provides information including information on the repair part identified by the identification means and the consumable delivery information based on the period information.

[0132] (Configuration 5) The information providing system according to any one of configurations 1 to 4, further comprising a delivery instruction means for receiving event information indicating that the remaining amount of the consumable used in the image forming device or the remaining number of days of the consumable used in the image forming device has fallen below a predetermined threshold, and for instructing the delivery of the consumable if the consumable is not subject to inventory management even if the consumable is a target for which the consumable delivery information is to be displayed.

[0133] (Configuration 6) The information providing system according to any one of configurations 1 to 4, characterized in that the receiving means receives event information indicating that the remaining amount of the consumable used in the image forming device or the remaining number of days of the consumable used in the image forming device has fallen below a predetermined threshold, and further comprises a delivery instruction means for instructing the delivery of the consumable according to the number of days until a predetermined scheduled delivery date, even if the consumable is a target for which the consumable delivery information is to be displayed, if the consumable is subject to inventory management and the inventory amount of the consumable is below a predetermined threshold.

[0134] (Method 1) A method for controlling an information providing system that provides a service for identifying repair parts needed to resolve an error that occurs in an image forming device, the method comprising the steps of: receiving error information regarding an error that occurs in the image forming device; identifying repair parts needed to resolve the error; acquiring information on consumables including a recording agent used in the image forming device from a consumables management system; providing information including information on the repair parts identified by the identification means and consumables delivery information related to the delivery of consumables to the image forming device based on the information on the consumables acquired by the acquisition means; and transmitting information on consumables that are subject to delivery based on the consumables delivery information to the consumables management system.

[0135] <Other embodiments> The present invention can also be realized by a process in which a program for implementing one or more of the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or device via a network or a recording medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or device read and execute the program. The present invention can also be realized by a circuit for implementing one or more of the functions, such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit).

[0136] The above describes preferred embodiments of the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. In other words, the present invention includes embodiments in which various modifications have been made based on the gist of the present invention, and these embodiments are not excluded from the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0137] 102: Image forming device 103: Delivery System 110: Device Management System 111: Data receiving unit 112: Consumables management server 113: Repair location notification server

Claims

1. An information providing system for providing a service for identifying a repair part required to resolve an error occurring in an image forming apparatus, comprising: a receiving unit for receiving error information relating to an error that has occurred in the image forming apparatus; A means for identifying a repair part required to correct the error; an acquisition unit that acquires information on consumables including a recording agent used in the image forming apparatus from a consumables management system; a providing means for providing information including consumable delivery information related to delivery of consumables to the image forming apparatus based on information on the repair part identified by the identifying means and information on the consumables acquired by the acquiring means; a transmission means for transmitting information on the consumables to be delivered based on the consumable delivery information to the consumables management system; An information providing system comprising:

2. The acquiring unit further acquires, from the image forming device, period information indicating the number of remaining days required for the consumable item used in the image forming device.

2. The information providing system according to claim 1 .

3. a determination unit that determines whether or not delivery of the consumable to the image forming apparatus is recommended based on the information on the consumable and the period information acquired by the acquisition unit, the display means, when it is determined that delivery of the consumables is recommended, provides information including both information on the repair part identified by the identification means and the consumables delivery information.

3. The information providing system according to claim 2.

4. the display means, when the consumables of the image forming apparatus are not subject to inventory management, provides information including information on the repair part identified by the identification means and the consumables delivery information based on the period information.

3. The information providing system according to claim 2.

5. the receiving means receives event information indicating that a remaining amount of the consumable used in the image forming apparatus or a remaining number of days of the consumable used in the image forming apparatus has become equal to or less than a predetermined threshold; a delivery instruction means for instructing to deliver the consumable item when the consumable item is not subject to inventory management even if the consumable item is a target for which the consumable item delivery information is to be displayed; 3. The information providing system according to claim 1 or 2.

6. the receiving means receives event information indicating that a remaining amount of the consumable used in the image forming apparatus or a remaining number of days of the consumable used in the image forming apparatus has become equal to or less than a predetermined threshold; and a delivery instruction means for instructing to deliver the consumable according to the number of days until a predetermined scheduled delivery date, when the consumable is subject to inventory management and the inventory amount of the consumable is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold, even if the consumable is a target for which the consumable delivery information is to be displayed.

3. The information providing system according to claim 1 or 2.

7. 1. A method for controlling an information providing system that provides a service for identifying a repair part required to solve an error occurring in an image forming apparatus, comprising: receiving error information regarding an error that has occurred in the image forming apparatus; Identifying a repair part required to correct said error; acquiring information on consumables including a recording agent used in the image forming apparatus from a consumables management system; providing information including consumables delivery information related to delivery of consumables to the image forming apparatus based on information on the repair part identified by the identification means and information on the consumables acquired by the acquisition means; transmitting information about the consumables that are to be delivered based on the consumable delivery information to the consumable management system; A method comprising:

Images