Management system, management program, management device, and management method

Abstract

To provide a management system, a management program, a management device, and a management method capable of providing information used to determine whether or not it is advisable to subscribe to a service related to a printing device.SOLUTION: A management control unit of a management device in a management system acquires first usage information regarding a usage status of a service that uses a printing device for each of a plurality of printing devices and stores it in a management storage unit (S42). The management control unit acquires second usage information regarding a usage status of the service of a target device associated with a terminal device (S25, S28). The management control unit generates performance information regarding the usage performance of the service based on the first usage information for each of the plurality of printing devices and the second usage information of the target device, and transmits the performance information to the terminal device (S26, S29 to S31). A terminal control unit of the terminal device receives the performance information from the management device and displays service information regarding the service and including the performance information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, for an image forming apparatus, if the number of prints is up to a preset number within a predetermined period, printing is permitted at a fixed usage fee, and a fixed shipping service is known in which a cartridge is automatically shipped according to the usage status of the cartridge. The printing apparatus described in Patent Document 1 determines whether a contract for a consumable shipping service has been made when the remaining amount of the consumable used for printing reaches a predetermined threshold value or less. When the printing apparatus determines that a contract for a consumable shipping service has been made, it requests the shipment of the consumable, and when it determines that a contract for a consumable shipping service has not been made, it displays a screen prompting the contract for the consumable shipping service.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the above conventional printing apparatus, it is difficult for the user of the printing apparatus to determine whether it is better to subscribe to the service related to the printing apparatus based on the displayed screen.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a management system, a management program, a management device, and a management method capable of providing information used for determining whether it is better to subscribe to a service related to a printing apparatus.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The management system according to the first aspect of the present invention is a management system configured such that a terminal device and a management device can communicate with each other. The management device includes a management control unit and a management storage unit. The management control unit acquires first usage information regarding the usage status of services using a printing device for each of a plurality of printing devices and performs a storage control process of storing the information in the management storage unit, an information acquisition process of acquiring second usage information regarding the usage status of the services of a target device which is a printing device associated with the terminal device, generates performance information regarding the usage performance of the services based on the first usage information for each of the plurality of printing devices and the second usage information of the target device, and performs a performance transmission process of transmitting the generated performance information to the terminal device. The terminal device includes a terminal control unit and a display device. The terminal control unit receives the performance information from the management device and performs a service information display process of displaying service information regarding the services, including the performance information, on the display device. The service information display process executed by the terminal control unit of the management system contributes to making it easier than before to determine whether it is better to subscribe to the services by displaying the performance information on the display device as information used for determining whether it is better to subscribe to the services using a printing device.

[0007] The management program according to the second aspect of the present invention is a management program executed by a management control unit included in the management device of a management system configured such that a terminal device and the management device can communicate with each other. The management control unit is caused to execute a storage control process of acquiring first usage information regarding the usage status of a service using a printing device for each of a plurality of printing devices and storing the first usage information in a management storage unit included in the management device, an information acquisition process of acquiring second usage information regarding the usage status of the service of a target device which is a printing device associated with the terminal device, and a performance transmission process of generating performance information regarding the usage performance of the service based on the first usage information for each of the plurality of printing devices and the second usage information of the target device, and transmitting the performance information to the terminal device. The management program contributes to causing the management device to execute a process of generating performance information as information used for determining whether it is better to subscribe to the service using the printing device, and transmitting the generated performance information to the terminal device. By executing the management program, the management device enables the terminal device to notify the performance information, and contributes to making it easier than before to determine whether it is better to subscribe to the service.

[0008] The management device according to the third aspect of the present invention is the management device of a management system configured such that a terminal device and the management device can communicate with each other, and includes a management storage unit and a management control unit. The management control unit performs a storage control process of acquiring first usage information regarding the usage status of a service using a printing device for each of a plurality of printing devices and storing the information in the management storage unit, an information acquisition process of acquiring second usage information regarding the usage status of the service of a target device which is a printing device associated with the terminal device, a performance generation process of generating performance information regarding the usage performance of the service based on the first usage information for each of the plurality of printing devices and the second usage information of the target device, and a performance transmission process of transmitting the performance information to the terminal device. The management device generates performance information as information used for determining whether it is better to subscribe to a service using a printing device, and by transmitting the generated performance information to the terminal device, it enables the terminal device to notify the performance information, contributing to making it easier to determine whether it is better to subscribe to the service than before.

[0009] The management method according to the fourth aspect of the present invention is a management method executed in a management system configured such that a terminal device and a management device can communicate with each other, and includes a storage control process of acquiring first usage information regarding the usage status of a service using a printing device for each of a plurality of printing devices and storing the information in a management storage unit included in the management device, an information acquisition process of acquiring second usage information regarding the usage status of the service of a target device which is a printing device associated with the terminal device, a performance generation process of generating performance information regarding the usage performance of the service based on the first usage information for each of the plurality of printing devices and the second usage information of the target device, a performance transmission process of transmitting the performance information to the terminal device, and a performance display process of receiving the performance information from the management device and displaying service information regarding the service including the performance information on a display device of the terminal device. The service information display process of the management method contributes to making it easier to determine whether it is better to subscribe to a service using a printing device by displaying performance information on a display device as information used for determining whether it is better to subscribe to the service.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

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Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

[0011] The management system 1 and the management device 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 plurality of printing devices 3, a management device 4, and a shipping device 5 that are configured to be communicable with each other via a WAN 6. WAN is an abbreviation for Wide Area Network. The WAN 6 in the present embodiment is the Internet. The management system 1 provides and manages a printing service, which is a service for using the printing device 3, to the printing device 3 corresponding to the terminal device 2 based on a request transmitted from the terminal device 2. A plurality of printing devices 3 are registered as printing devices to be serviced in the management device 4 of the management system 1 in the present embodiment. For the sake of simplicity of explanation, it is assumed that the plurality of printing devices 3 have the same configuration as each other.

[0012] The printing service of this embodiment includes a shipping service that automatically delivers cartridges that can be attached to the printing device 3, and a guarantee service that guarantees the operating quality of the printing device 3 for a predetermined period. The shipping service of this embodiment is a service that provides the shipping service at a fixed rate up to the number of printed sheets (hereinafter referred to as the specified number of sheets) defined for each service plan within a service unit period (for example, one month), and charges an additional fee for printing exceeding the specified number of sheets. If the number of printed sheets within the service unit period is less than the specified number of sheets, the surplus is carried over to the next service unit period. The shipping service may be a service that charges according to the amount of the cartridge each time the cartridge is shipped. In the management system 1 of this embodiment, when the printing device 3 is registered with the management device 4, it is automatically subscribed to the guarantee service among the printing services, and usage information regarding the usage status of the printing device 3 is periodically acquired from the printing device 3 that is the target of the subscription. Even when registering for the printing service, subscription to the shipping service is optional, and when the user of the terminal device 2 transmits a subscription request to the management device 4, the user subscribes to the shipping service.

[0013] The terminal device 2 of this embodiment is a personal computer. The terminal device 2 includes a terminal control unit 11, a communication unit 12, a display device 13, an input unit 14, and a terminal storage unit 15. The terminal 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 a ROM, a RAM, and a flash memory. The communication unit 12 is a communication module for performing data communication with the management device 4 via the WAN 6. The display device 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 corresponding to an input operation performed via the keyboard and the mouse to the terminal control unit 11. The terminal storage unit 15 includes a non-volatile storage device such as an HDD and an SSD, and stores various data. HDD is an abbreviation for Hard Disk Drive. SSD is an abbreviation for Solid State Drive.

[0014] The printing device 3 is an inkjet printer that performs printing using a cartridge 71. The printing device 3 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 a ROM, a RAM, and a flash memory, and stores programs and data. The communication unit 32 is a communication module that performs data communication with the management device 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 a switch installed around the screen of the display unit 33. The input unit 34 outputs a detection signal corresponding to an input operation performed by the user via the touch panel and the switch to the terminal control unit 11. The printing unit 35 includes a print head and can print an image on a printing medium using a coloring material stored in the cartridge 71. The detection unit 36 outputs a detection signal corresponding to the type of the cartridge 71 detachably attached to the printing device 3 to the control unit 31. The coloring material in the present embodiment is ink, and the printing medium is paper.

[0015] The management device 4 includes a management control unit 51, a management storage unit 52, and a communication unit 53. The management control unit 51 includes a CPU 61 and a memory 62. The CPU 61 controls the management device 4 by executing a program stored in the memory 62. The memory 62 includes semiconductor memories such as a ROM, a RAM, and a flash memory, and stores a program 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 a printing service. The management 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 with the terminal device 2, the printing device 3, and the shipping device 5 via the WAN 6.

[0016] The sending device 5 includes a control unit, a communication unit, and a storage unit. When the control unit of the sending device 5 receives a cartridge sending instruction from the management device 4, it executes a process of notifying the sending operator to perform cartridge sending according to the content of the cartridge sending instruction. The sending operator performs the sending of the cartridge corresponding to the cartridge sending instruction.

[0017] Referring to FIGS. 2 to 9, the processes at the start of service use and at the time of joining the sending service executed in the management system 1 will be described in order. When the terminal control unit 11 of the terminal device 2 detects an instruction to access a website input by the user via the input unit 14 at the start of service use, it starts the program stored in the memory 22 and executes the terminal device process shown in FIG. 2. Even when the terminal device 2 is started after the start of service use, the terminal control unit 11 starts the program stored in the memory 22 and executes the terminal device process shown in FIG. 2. When the power of the management device 4 is turned on, the management control unit 51 of the management device 4 starts the management program 63 stored in the memory 62 and executes the management device process shown in FIG. 3. When the power of the management device 4 is turned off, the management control unit 51 ends the management device process. When the control unit 31 of the printing device 3 detects a connection from the management device 4, it starts the program stored in the memory 42 and executes the management device process shown in FIG. 4. When the control unit of the sending device 5 detects a sending instruction from the management device 4, it starts the program stored in the memory and executes the sending device process shown in FIG. 4.

[0018] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, at the start of service use, in response to a user's input operation on the terminal device 2, the terminal control unit 11 creates an account for using the printing service and logs in to the service website (S1). As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, in the management device processing, the management control unit 51 determines whether an access from the terminal device 2 has been detected (S21). If no access from the terminal device 2 is detected (S21: NO), the management control unit 51 performs the process of S41 described later. If an access from the terminal device 2 is detected (S21: YES), the management control unit 51 performs a login process (S22). Specifically, the management control unit 51 registers account information including the user's name, email address, and password according to the information received from the terminal device 2, creates an account, and logs in the terminal device 2.

[0019] The terminal control unit 11 determines whether to register the printing device 3 targeted by the printing service (S2). When the user registers the printing device 3 targeted by the printing service, the user operates the input unit 14 to input a registration instruction. If a registration instruction is detected (S2: YES), the terminal control unit 11 transmits a registration request including the device ID, which is the identification information of the printing device 3 corresponding to the terminal device 2, and the model information representing the model of the printing device 3 to the management device 4, and performs a process of registering the printing device 3 with the management device 4 (S3).

[0020] The management control unit 51 determines whether it has acquired a registration request transmitted from the terminal device 2 (S23). When the registration request is acquired (S23: YES), the management control unit 51 detects the connection of the printing device 3 corresponding to the terminal device 2 based on the identification information of the printing device 3 included in the registration request, and registers the detected printing device 3 in the management storage unit 52 as the printing device 3 corresponding to the terminal device 2 (S24). The management control unit 51 performs a usage information notification setting for periodically transmitting usage information to the printing device 3 (S24). The frequency of transmitting the usage information may be set as appropriate. For example, it is every 12 hours. The usage information in this embodiment includes firmware identification information, page count information, consumable remaining amount information, and replacement count 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 printed pages by the printing device 3. The consumable remaining amount information indicates the remaining amount of the coloring material in the cartridge 71. The replacement count information indicates the number of replacements of the cartridge 71. When executing printing processing on the printing device 3, the printing device 3 performs processing for updating each of the page count information, consumable remaining amount information, and replacement count information at any time.

[0021] When the usage information notification setting is completed, the control unit 31 of the printing device 3 periodically transmits a usage information notification including the usage information to the management device 4 (S18). When the management control unit 51 acquires the usage information transmitted periodically (S41: YES), as shown in the table 7 of FIG. 5, it performs a storage control process of storing the usage information and the date and time when the usage information was acquired in the management storage unit 52 in association with the user ID of the user of the terminal device 2, and the device ID, model information, and subscription information of the printing device 3 corresponding to the terminal device 2. The subscription information is information regarding whether or not the shipping service is subscribed. In this embodiment, the subscription information when subscribed to the shipping service includes information on the subscribed plan.

[0022] The management control unit 51 acquires a usage information notification from the printing device 3 transmitted in response to the completion of the usage information notification setting, and stores the acquired usage information and the date and time when the usage information was acquired in association with the user ID in the table 7 of the management storage unit 52 (S25). In the process of S25, the management control unit 51 acquires, as the second usage information, the model information representing the model of the printing device 3 among the information included in the registration request received in S23. The second usage information is information regarding the usage status of the target device. For example, the management control unit 51 may use the usage information acquired from the printing device 3 in S25 as the second usage information. The management control unit 51 transmits a registration success notification indicating that the registration has been successful to the terminal device 2 (S26). The registration success notification of this embodiment includes performance information. The management control unit 51 generates performance information regarding the usage performance of the service based on the first usage information for each of the plurality of printing devices 3 and the second usage information of the target device, which is the printing device 3 corresponding to the terminal device 2. The first usage information is information regarding the usage status of the service using the printing device 3. The first usage information includes membership information regarding whether or not the user is subscribed to the shipping service and a value corresponding to the usage amount of the consumable within a predetermined period. The consumable is, for example, either a printing medium or a cartridge. The performance information of this embodiment includes at least one of the ratio of the subscribed devices subscribed to the shipping service among the similar devices and the number of the subscribed devices. The similar devices in S25 are printing devices among the plurality of printing devices 3 that have the same or similar models. The determination as to whether the models are the same or similar may be made, for example, based on whether the model numbers for distinguishing the models are the same or whether a predetermined part of the model numbers is common.

[0023] When the terminal control unit 11 acquires a registration success notification from the management device 4, it includes the performance information contained in the registration success notification and displays service information regarding the service on the display device 13 (S4). The service information in this embodiment includes performance information, an explanation of the service, and the benefits of subscribing to the service. When the performance information is "70%", which is the ratio of the subscribing devices among similar devices that have subscribed to the shipping service, the terminal control unit 11 displays, for example, a screen G1 including service information M1 on the display device 13. As shown in FIG. 6, the screen G1 includes service information M1 and keys K1 to K3. The service information M1 is text including performance information, and is "70% of users of the same model have subscribed to the shipping service that automatically ships cartridges. Subscribing can save the trouble of arranging consumables. Do you want to subscribe to the shipping service?" The key K1 is selected when an instruction to subscribe to the shipping service is input. The key K2 is selected when an instruction to continue the process without subscribing to the shipping service is input. The key K3 is selected when an instruction to perform the process of subscribing to the shipping service later is input. The user of the terminal device 2 selects one of the keys K1 to K3.

[0024] The terminal control unit 11 determines whether it has acquired performance information from the management device 4 (S5). When the performance information is acquired (S4: YES), the terminal control unit 11 stores the performance information in the terminal storage unit 15 (S6). When the performance information is not acquired (S5: NO), or after the process of S5, the terminal control unit 11 determines whether a print instruction for executing printing is detected (S7). When the print instruction is not detected (S7: NO), the terminal control unit 11 determines whether an instruction to subscribe to the shipping service is detected (S14). When the instruction to subscribe to the shipping service is not detected (S14: NO), the terminal control unit 11 determines whether an instruction to log out is detected (S16). When the instruction to log out is not detected (S16: NO), the terminal control unit 11 returns the process to S2. When the instruction to log out is detected (S16: YES), the terminal control unit 11 performs a logout process (S17), and thus ends the terminal device process.

[0025] Next to S26, the management control unit 51 determines whether it is time to send the performance information to the terminal device 2 (S27). The management device 4 of the present embodiment sends the performance information to the terminal device 2 at a predetermined time. The predetermined time may be set as appropriate. For example, it may be set on a monthly basis or for every 30 login counts. If it is not time to send the performance information (S27: NO), the management control unit 51 determines whether it has acquired a request to join the shipping service from the terminal device 2 (S33). If it has not acquired a request to join the shipping service from the terminal device 2 (S33: NO), the management control unit 51 determines whether a logout request has been detected (S36). If a logout request is not detected (S36: NO), the management control unit 51 returns the process to S23. If a logout request is detected (S36: YES), the management control unit 51 performs logout processing (S37) and returns the process to S21.

[0026] After the start of service use, that is, after registering the printing device 3 corresponding to the terminal device 2 with the management device 4, the terminal control unit 11 that has not subscribed to the shipping service logs in to the service website using the account of the printing service in response to a user's input operation on the terminal device 2 (S1). When access from the terminal device 2 is detected (S21: YES), the management control unit 51 performs a login process (S22). Specifically, the management control unit 51 causes the terminal device 2 to log in according to the account information received from the terminal device 2. If a registration request for registering the printing device 3 is not obtained (S23: NO) and it is the transmission time (S27: YES), the management control unit 51 acquires second usage information regarding the usage status of the service of the target device, which is the printing device 3 associated with the logged-in terminal device 2 (S28). The second usage information in S28 is information regarding the usage status of the target device and includes an amount corresponding to the usage amount of the consumables of the target device stored in the table 7 of the management storage unit 52. The management control unit 51 generates performance information regarding the service usage record based on the first usage information and the second usage information for each of the plurality of printing devices 3 (S29). The first usage information is information regarding the usage status of the service using the printing device. The management control unit 51 generates performance information based on the first usage information of the similar device, which is the printing device 3 having the first usage information whose degree of similarity with the second usage information satisfies a predetermined condition, among the plurality of printing devices 3. The predetermined condition for specifying the similar device may be set in advance. For example, it may be a condition that the usage amount of the first usage information is within a predetermined ratio range of the usage amount of the second usage information. The predetermined condition may be a device that falls into the same layer when the number of printed sheets is divided into multiple layers. In this case, the management control unit 51 may calculate and store the performance information for each layer at a predetermined timing such as the end of the month, or may calculate the performance information for each process.

[0027] It is determined whether the performance information generated in S32 satisfies a predetermined condition (S30). The performance information of the present embodiment includes at least one of the ratio of the subscribing devices that subscribe to the shipping service among similar devices and the number of subscribing devices. The predetermined condition in S30 is that the performance information is greater than a threshold value. The threshold value may be determined in advance according to the performance information. If the performance information does not satisfy the predetermined condition (S30: NO), the management control unit 51 performs the process of S33 described later. If the performance information satisfies the predetermined condition (S30: YES), the management control unit 51 transmits the performance information to the terminal device 2 that logged in in S22 (S31). The management control unit 51 updates the transmission history of the performance information (S32).

[0028] When the terminal control unit 11 does not register the printing device 3 in the process of S2 (S2: NO) and acquires the performance information transmitted from the management device 4 (S5: YES), the terminal control unit 11 stores the performance information in the terminal storage unit 15 (S6). When the management control unit 51 detects a printing instruction (S7: YES), the management control unit 51 transmits the printing instruction to the printing device 3 (S8). When the control unit 31 of the printing device 3 receives the printing instruction, the control unit 31 transmits information indicating the remaining amount of the consumables to the terminal device 2 and performs printing according to the printing instruction.

[0029] The terminal control unit 11 determines whether it is time to display information regarding the service (S9). The terminal device 2 of the present embodiment displays information regarding the service on the display device 13 at a predetermined time. The predetermined time may be appropriately set, such as every predetermined number of printings, every predetermined period, when the remaining amount of the consumable becomes equal to or less than the threshold value, and so on. When it is not time to display information regarding the service (S9: NO), the terminal control unit 11 performs the process of S14 described later. When it is time to display information regarding the service (S9: YES), the terminal control unit 11 determines whether performance information is stored in the terminal storage unit 15 (S10). When the performance information is not stored in the terminal storage unit 15 (S9: NO), the terminal control unit 11 causes the display device 13 to display offer information that does not include the performance information and encourages the use of the service (S12). The offer information of the present embodiment does not include performance information and includes an explanation of the service and the merits of subscribing to the service. The terminal control unit 11 causes the display device 13 to display a screen G2 including the offer information M3. As shown in FIG. 7, the screen G2 includes information M2 regarding the remaining amount of the consumable, the offer information M3, and keys K1 to K3 similar to those of the screen G1. The offer information M3 is "Subscribing to the delivery service that automatically delivers cartridges can save the trouble of arranging consumables. Do you want to subscribe to the delivery service?" The user of the terminal device 2 selects one of the keys K1 to K3.

[0030] When performance information is stored in the terminal memory unit 15 (S10: YES), the terminal control unit 11 displays service information related to the service, including the performance information, on the display device 13 (S11). The service information displayed in S11 and the service information displayed in S4 may be the same as each other or different from each other. When the performance information is "70%", which is the ratio of the joining devices that have joined the shipping service among similar devices, the terminal control unit 11 displays, for example, a screen G3 including service information M4 and M5 on the display device 13. As shown in FIG. 8, the screen G3 includes information M2 regarding the remaining amount of consumables similar to the screen G2, service information M4 and M5, and keys K1 to K3 similar to the screen G1. The service information M4 is text including the performance information, "70% of users with similar usage situations have joined the shipping service that automatically ships cartridges. Joining can save the trouble of arranging consumables. Do you want to join the shipping service?" The service information M5 is a diagram representing the performance information, and more specifically, a pie chart representing the ratio of the joining devices that have joined the shipping service. The terminal control unit 11 may display the screen G3 omitting the service information M5. The user of the terminal device 2 selects any one of the keys K1 to K3.

[0031] When the performance information is "7000", which represents the number of joining devices that have joined the shipping service among similar devices as the number of users, the terminal control unit 11 displays, for example, a screen G4 including service information M6 and M7 on the display device 13. As shown in FIG. 9, the screen G4 includes information M2 regarding the remaining amount of consumables similar to the screen G2, service information M6 and M7, and keys K1 to K3 similar to the screen G1. The service information M6 is text including the performance information, "7000 users with similar usage situations have joined the shipping service that automatically ships cartridges. Joining can save the trouble of arranging consumables. Do you want to join the shipping service?" The service information M7 is a diagram representing the performance information, and more specifically, a diagram representing the number of users of the joining devices that have joined the shipping service in an infographic. The user of the terminal device 2 selects any one of the keys K1 to K3.

[0032] The terminal control unit 11 deletes the performance information stored in the terminal storage unit 15 (S12). Next to S12 or S13, when the selection of the key K1 is detected (S14: YES), the terminal control unit 11 performs a process of subscribing to the shipping service (S15). Specifically, the terminal control unit 11 transmits a subscription request for subscribing to the shipping service to the management device 4 for the printing device 3 corresponding to the terminal control unit 11. The subscription request includes plan information indicating the type of the subscribed printing service plan, delivery destination information indicating the delivery destination of the cartridge, and settlement information for deducting the usage fee of the printing service. The settlement information is, for example, a credit card number.

[0033] Next to S32, when the management control unit 51 acquires a subscription request for the shipping service from the terminal device 2 (S33: YES), the management control unit 51 acquires the usage information of the printing device 3 to be subscribed (S34) and performs a subscription process for the shipping service (S35). The management control unit 51 returns the process to S23. When a logout request is detected (S36: YES), the management control unit 51 performs a logout process (S37) and returns the process to S21.

[0034] When access from the terminal device 2 is not detected (S21: NO), the management control unit 51 determines whether it has acquired a usage information notification that is periodically transmitted from any of the plurality of printing devices 3 (S41). When the usage information notification has been acquired (S41: YES), the management control unit 51 associates the acquired usage information with the ID of the user of the terminal device 2 and the subscription information of the printing device 3 corresponding to the terminal device 2, and stores it in the table 7 of the management storage unit 52 (S42). The management control unit 51 determines whether it is the time to ship consumables based on the acquired usage information (S43). When it is the time to ship (S43: YES), the management control unit 51 transmits an instruction to ship consumables to the shipping device 5 (S44). In response to receiving the shipping instruction, the shipping device 5 executes a process of notifying the shipping worker to perform a cartridge shipping according to the content of the cartridge shipping instruction. The shipping worker performs a cartridge shipping corresponding to the cartridge shipping instruction. The shipping device 5 transmits a cartridge shipping acceptance completion notification to the management device 4 (S51). When it is not the time to ship (S43: NO), or after S44, the management control unit 51 returns the process to S21.

[0035] In the above embodiment, the management system 1, the terminal device 2, the terminal control unit 11, the display device 13, the printing device 3, the management device 4, the management control unit 51, the management storage unit 52, and the management program 63 are each an example of the management system, the terminal device, the terminal control unit, the display device, the printing device, the management device, the management control unit, the management storage unit, and the management program of the present invention. The process of S42 is an example of the storage control process of the present invention. The processes of S25 and S28 are examples of the information acquisition process of the present invention. The processes from S26 to S31 are examples of the performance transmission process of the present invention. The processes of S4 and S11 are examples of the service information display process of the present invention. The process of S13 is an example of the offer information display process of the present invention.

[0036] The management system 1 of the above-described embodiment is configured such that the terminal device 2 and the management device 4 can communicate with each other. The management device 4 includes a management control unit 51 and a management storage unit 52. The management control unit 51 acquires first usage information regarding the usage status of the service using the printing device 3 for each of the plurality of printing devices 3, and performs a storage control process of storing it in the management storage unit 52 (S42). The management control unit 51 performs an information acquisition process of acquiring second usage information regarding the usage status of the service of the target device, which is the printing device 3 associated with the terminal device 2 (S25, S28). The management control unit 51 generates performance information regarding the service usage record based on the first usage information and the second usage information for each of the plurality of printing devices 3, and executes a performance transmission process of transmitting the performance information to the terminal device 2 (from S26, S29 to S31). The terminal device 2 includes a terminal control unit 11 and a display device 13. The terminal control unit 11 receives the performance information from the management device 4, and executes a service information display process of displaying service information M1, M4 to M7 regarding the service, including the performance information, on the display device 13 (S4, S11). The service information display process executed by the terminal control unit 11 of the management system 1 contributes to making it easier to determine whether it is better to subscribe to the service used by the printing device 3 than before by displaying the performance information on the display device 13 as information used for determining whether it is better to subscribe to the service.

[0037] In the performance transmission process from S29 to S31, the management control unit 51 generates performance information based on the first usage information of the similar device, which is the printing device 3 having the first usage information whose degree of similarity with the second usage information satisfies a predetermined condition among the plurality of printing devices 3, and when the generated performance information is greater than the threshold value, transmits the performance information to the terminal device 2. Since the performance information of the management system 1 represents the usage record based on the first usage information of the similar device, it is more likely to be a reference for determining whether it is better to subscribe to the service used by the printing device 3 than the usage record based on the subscription information of the printing device whose degree of similarity with the second usage information of the target device does not satisfy the predetermined condition, and contributes to making it easier to determine whether it is better to subscribe to the service than before.

[0038] The services using the printing device 3 include a shipping service that ships consumables used in the printing device 3. The first usage information includes subscription information on whether or not the user is subscribed to the shipping service and a value corresponding to the usage amount of the consumables within a predetermined period. The second usage information includes an amount corresponding to the usage amount. In the performance transmission process, the management control unit 51 of the management system 1 designates, as a similar device, a printing device 3 among the plurality of printing devices 3 that has first usage information with a degree of similarity to a value corresponding to the usage amount of the second usage information that satisfies a predetermined condition, generates performance information based on the subscription information of the similar device, and transmits the generated performance information to the terminal device 2 when the generated performance information is greater than a threshold value (from S29 to S31). The service information display process executed by the terminal control unit 11 of the management system 1 contributes to making it easier to determine whether or not it is better to subscribe to the shipping service for consumables of the printing device 3 by providing information M2 used for the determination.

[0039] The performance information includes at least either the ratio of the subscribing devices that are subscribed to the shipping service among the similar devices or the number of subscribing devices. The performance transmission process executed by the management control unit 51 of the management system 1 contributes to making it easier to determine whether or not it is better to subscribe to the shipping service by using at least either the ratio of the subscribing devices that are subscribed to the shipping service or the number of subscribing devices as the performance information.

[0040] The second usage information includes information related to at least one of the attributes of the printing device 3 and the type of service under consideration. In the performance transmission process of S26, the management control unit 51 generates performance information including at least one of the ratio of subscribing devices subscribed to the service and the number of subscribing devices among the similar devices, which are the printing devices 3 having the first usage information whose degree of similarity with the second usage information satisfies a predetermined condition, based on the first usage information of the similar devices among the plurality of printing devices 3, and transmits the generated performance information to the terminal device 2. When the second usage information is information related to the attributes of the printing device 3, the performance transmission process executed by the management control unit 51 of the management system 1 contributes to facilitating the determination of whether it is better to subscribe to the service by using, as the performance information, at least one of the ratio of subscribing devices subscribed to the service and the number of subscribing devices in the printing devices 3 with similar attributes.

[0041] The service information M5 and M7 includes diagrams related to the performance information. The service information display process executed by the terminal control unit 11 of the management system 1 contributes to improving the ease of visually grasping the performance information.

[0042] When the management control unit 51 does not receive the performance information from the management device 4, it executes an offer information display process of displaying offer information M3 that does not include the performance information and promotes the use of the service on the display device 13 (S31). The offer information display process and the service information display process executed by the terminal control unit 11 of the management system 1 contribute to changing the content displayed on the display device 13 in each of the cases where the performance information is received and not received.

[0043] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and can be implemented with various modifications. The present invention can be realized in various forms such as a non-temporary computer-readable medium such as a semiconductor memory recording the management program 63.

[0044] The configuration of the management system 1 may be changed as appropriate. The management system 1 may include a terminal device 2 and a management device 4. For example, the management system 1 may include a plurality of physical servers as the management device 4. The management device 4 may be composed of at least one of a plurality of virtual servers constructed by dividing a single physical server by virtualization software.

[0045] The printing device 3 of the management system 1 may be a multifunction device, a copier, or a facsimile machine having a scanner function for reading an image from a document. The printing device 3 may also be a printing device such as a laser printer or an LED printer. The LED printer refers to a printer in which the means for exposing the photoreceptor is an LED head. In this case, the coloring material is toner. The coloring material, number, type, and number of types of the cartridge attached to the printing device 3 may be changed as appropriate. The plurality of printing devices 3 may each be printing devices of the same model or different models.

[0046] The management program 63 including an instruction for executing the management device process may be stored in the memory 62 until the management control unit 51 of the management device 4 executes the management program 63. Therefore, each of the acquisition method, acquisition path, and device for storing the program of the management program 63 may be changed as appropriate. The management program 63 executed by the management device 4 may be received from another device via a cable or wireless communication and stored in the memory 62. The other device includes, 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 device process, and the program for executing the shipping device process.

[0047] Each step of the management device processing is not limited to the example executed by the management control unit 51, and part or all of it may be executed by other electronic devices (for example, ASIC). The same applies to the terminal device processing, the printing device processing, and the shipping device processing. Each step of the management device processing, the terminal device processing, the printing device processing, and the shipping device processing may be distributively processed by a plurality of electronic devices (for example, a plurality of CPUs). Each step of the management device processing, the terminal device processing, the printing device processing, and the shipping device processing can be changed in order, omitted, and added as necessary. The following changes may be appropriately made to the processing executed in the management system 1 including the management device processing, the terminal device processing, the printing device processing, and the shipping device processing.

[0048] The service using the printing device 3 may be appropriately set, and may include multiple types of services or may include only one service. The first usage information and the second usage information regarding the usage status of the service may be appropriately set according to the type of the service. For example, various information related to the use of the printing device, such as the presence or absence of service subscription, the service plan during subscription, the subscription period, the usage frequency of the printing device 3, the usage amount of the printing device 3, and the number of terminal devices 2 connected to one printing device 3, may be included. The first usage information and the second usage information may be composed of the same type of information as each other, or only a part of them may be the same. The usage information may be transmitted from the printing device 3 to the management device 4, or may be transmitted from the terminal device 2 corresponding to the printing device 3 to the management device 4. The method for specifying similar devices may be appropriately changed, and the management device 4 may use a printing device 3 of the same or similar model as the target device as a similar device based on the second usage information. The management device 4 may use a printing device 3 with the same or similar service plan as a similar device based on the second usage information. The management device 4 may use a printing device 3 installed in the same region as the target device as a similar device based on the second usage information.

[0049] The method for generating performance information may be changed as appropriate. When it is determined based on the second usage information that the target device is not subscribed to the service, the management device 4 may generate performance information for each of the plurality of printing devices based on the first usage information. When it is determined based on the second usage information that a service different from the service to which the target device is subscribed is more suitable for the target device, the management device 4 may generate performance information for each of the plurality of printing devices based on the first usage information and transmit the performance information to the terminal device 2. The performance information may be an estimated value of the usage performance or an evaluation value. The management control unit 51 of the management device 4 may omit the process of S30 and transmit all the performance information generated in S29 to the terminal device 2.

[0050] When the user selects a service with a cursor or the like while the management device 4 is displaying a screen including descriptions of a plurality of types of services on the terminal device 2, the management device 4 may generate performance information regarding the selected service and transmit it to the terminal device 2. In that case, the second usage information is information regarding the type of service under consideration for use, and the performance transmission process executed by the management control unit 51 of the management system 1 may generate at least one of the ratio of the subscribing devices subscribed to the service in the printing devices 3 with similar attributes and the number of subscribing devices as performance information and transmit the generated performance information to the terminal device 2. The terminal device 2 may display the performance information of the selected service on the display device 13 based on the performance information transmitted from the management device 4. In this case, the management system 1 contributes to facilitating the selection of the service to subscribe to by displaying information serving as an indicator of which service to subscribe to among the plurality of types of services.

[0051] The display method of service information including performance information may be changed as appropriate. For example, the terminal control unit 11 may directly display the performance information transmitted from the management device 4 on the display device 13, or may process the performance information transmitted from the management device 4 and display the processed performance information on the display device 13. More specifically, when displaying service information including a diagram representing performance information on the terminal device 2, the terminal control unit 11 may display the service information including the diagram transmitted from the management device 4 on the display device 13, or may generate a diagram representing the performance information based on the performance information represented in text and display the service information including the generated diagram on the display device 13. The management device 4 may transmit service information including performance information to the terminal device 2. In that case, the terminal device 2 may directly display the service information received from the management device 4 on the display device 13, or may further process the received service information and display it on the display device 13. The service information included in the screens G1, G3, and G4 only needs to include performance information, and the layout, text, etc. may be changed as appropriate.

[0052] The timing for displaying service information or offer information on the display device 13 may be changed as appropriate. For example, in the case of performing a procedure to cancel a service, etc., it may be displayed as information for determining whether it is better to continue the service. In another example, when an instruction to display a detailed explanation about the service is input after the terminal storage unit 15 displays the offer information, the terminal storage unit 15 may display the service information. The user may be able to set at which timing to display the service information. The terminal control unit 11 may display the service information only by either S4 or S11. The service information or offer information may be displayed each time a print instruction is obtained.

[0053] The model information representing the model of the printing device 3 may be included in the device ID, which is the identification information of the printing device 3 corresponding to the terminal device 2. When the model of the printing device 3 can be specified from the device ID, the model information may be omitted.

[0054] The above-described modification examples may be appropriately combined within a non-contradictory range. The applicant of the present application intends to obtain patent rights not only for the combinations exemplified in the claims, but also for the modes combined with each other within the scope not departing from the gist of the present invention and without causing contradictions.

Explanation of Signs

[0055] 1: Management system, 2: Terminal device, 3: Printing device, 4: Management device, 11: Terminal control unit, 51: Management control unit, 52: Management storage unit, 63: Management program

Claims

1. A management system configured such that a terminal device and a management device can communicate with each other, wherein the management device includes a management control unit and a management storage unit, and the management control unit executes a storage control process of acquiring first usage information regarding the usage status of a service using a printing device for each of a plurality of printing devices and storing the information in the management storage unit, an information acquisition process of acquiring second usage information regarding the usage status of the service of a target device which is a printing device associated with the terminal device, and a performance transmission process of generating performance information regarding the usage performance of the service based on the first usage information for each of the plurality of printing devices and the second usage information of the target device, and transmitting the generated performance information to the terminal device, and the terminal device includes a terminal control unit and a display device, and the terminal control unit receives the performance information from the management device and executes a service information display process of displaying service information regarding the service, including the performance information, on the display device. The management system is characterized by this.

2. In the performance transmission process, the management control unit generates the performance information based on the first usage information of a similar device which is a printing device having the first usage information whose degree of similarity with the second usage information satisfies a predetermined condition among the plurality of printing devices, and transmits the performance information to the terminal device when the generated performance information is greater than a threshold value. The management system according to Claim 1 is characterized by this.

3. The service includes a shipping service for shipping consumables used in the printing device, the first usage information includes subscription information regarding whether or not the shipping service is subscribed and a value corresponding to the usage amount of the consumables within a predetermined period, the second usage information includes an amount corresponding to the usage amount, and in the performance transmission process, the management control unit designates as the similar device a printing device having the first usage information whose degree of similarity with the value corresponding to the usage amount of the second usage information satisfies the predetermined condition among the plurality of printing devices, generates the performance information based on the subscription information of the similar device, and transmits the performance information to the terminal device when the generated performance information is greater than the threshold value. The management system according to Claim 2 is characterized by this.

4. The management system according to claim 3, wherein the performance information includes at least one of the ratio of the subscribing devices among the similar devices that subscribe to the delivery service and the number of the subscribing devices.

5. The second usage information includes information regarding at least one of the attributes of the printing device and the type of the service under consideration for usage. In the performance transmission process, the management control unit generates the performance information including at least one of the ratio of the subscribing devices among the similar devices and the number of the subscribing devices among the similar devices that have the first usage information satisfying a predetermined condition in terms of the degree of similarity with the second usage information among the plurality of printing devices, based on the first usage information of the similar devices, and transmits the generated performance information to the terminal device. The management system according to claim 1.

6. The management system according to claim 1, wherein the service information includes a diagram regarding the performance information.

7. The management control unit When not receiving the performance information from the management device, the management system according to claim 3 further executes an offer information display process of displaying, on the display device, offer information that does not include the performance information and encourages the usage of the service.

8. A management program executed by a management control unit included in a management device of a management system in which a terminal device and a management device are configured to be communicable, in the management control unit, a storage control process of acquiring first usage information regarding the usage status of a service using a printing device for each of a plurality of printing devices and storing the first usage information in a management storage unit included in the management device; an information acquisition process of acquiring second usage information regarding the usage status of the service of a target device that is a printing device associated with the terminal device; a performance transmission process of generating performance information regarding the usage performance of the service based on the first usage information for each of the plurality of printing devices and the second usage information of the target device, and transmitting the performance information to the terminal device A management program characterized by including an instruction to execute.

9. A management device of a management system in which a terminal device and a management device are configured to be communicable, a management storage unit, a management control unit, a storage control process of acquiring first usage information regarding the usage status of a service using a printing device for each of a plurality of printing devices and storing the first usage information in the management storage unit An information acquisition process for acquiring second usage information regarding the usage status of the service of the target device, which is a printing device associated with the terminal device; A performance transmission process for generating performance information regarding the usage record of the service based on the first usage information for each of the plurality of printing devices and the second usage information of the target device, and transmitting the performance information to the terminal device; A management device comprising the management control unit that executes the above.

10. A management method executed in a management system in which a terminal device and a management device are communicably configured, the method comprising: A storage control process for acquiring first usage information regarding the usage status of a service using a printing device for each of a plurality of printing devices and storing the information in a management storage unit of the management device; An information acquisition process for acquiring second usage information regarding the usage status of the service of the target device, which is a printing device associated with the terminal device; A performance transmission process for generating performance information regarding the usage record of the service based on the first usage information for each of the plurality of printing devices and the second usage information of the target device, and transmitting the performance information to the terminal device; A performance display process for receiving the performance information from the management device and displaying service information regarding the service, including the performance information, on a display device of the terminal device; A management method characterized by comprising the above.

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