Image forming apparatus and system

Abstract

To provide a technique that enables an immediate addition of a processable amount when it is determined that the processable amount for image forming processing is insufficient.SOLUTION: A printer CPU 26A determines whether or not the number of printable sheets for printing executed by a printing unit 25 is insufficient, displays, on a touch panel, a first code image 111 for causing a plan selection screen 200 in order to accept an operation for adding the number of printable sheets to be displayed on a mobile terminal device 10 when it is determined that the number of printable sheets is insufficient, receives the number of processable sheets added according to a plan selection operation accepted through the plan selection screen 200 via an external communication unit 22, and causes the printing unit 25 to perform printing until the added number of printable sheets is reached when an instruction to execute printing is received.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present application relates to an image forming apparatus and system that can execute image forming processing for a processable amount. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes an image forming device that displays a code indicating a payment ID on a display unit, and when a completion notice indicating that the collection of the printing fee for the print data has been completed using the code is received from a payment server via a communication unit, the image forming device prints the print data on paper using a printer. Specifically, a processor in the image forming device retrieves from memory the payment ID of the business providing the image forming device's services, and generates and displays a QR code (registered trademark). A mobile terminal photographs the displayed QR code and inputs the payment amount on the displayed screen. A request including the payment ID obtained by decoding the QR code and the payment amount is sent to the payment server, and payment is made. When the image forming device receives the payment completion notice from the payment server, it starts printing. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-119889 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the image forming device described in Patent Document 1 did not take into consideration a method by which a user of the image forming device could immediately purchase a printable amount when the paid printing fee or the printable amount corresponding to the printing fee was insufficient.

[0005] An object of the present application is to provide a technique that makes it possible to immediately increase the processable amount when it is determined that the processable amount of image formation processing is insufficient. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the image forming apparatus of the present application is an image forming apparatus comprising an image forming unit, an alarm unit, a communication interface for connecting to a network, and a controller, wherein the controller performs a shortage judgment process for determining whether the processable amount of image forming processing executed by the image forming unit is insufficient; a notification process for causing the alarm unit to notify first information for displaying an addition operation screen on an external terminal for accepting an addition operation on the processable amount if the shortage judgment process determines that the processable amount is insufficient; a reception process for receiving, via the communication interface, the processable amount added in accordance with the addition operation accepted on the addition operation screen; and a control process for controlling the image forming unit to execute the image forming processing until the added processable amount is reached when an instruction to execute the image forming processing is received.

[0007] In the image forming device of the present application, when it is determined that the processable amount is insufficient, the notification unit notifies the user of the first information for displaying an addition operation screen on an external terminal to accept an operation to add to the processable amount, so that the user can immediately add to the processable amount on the external terminal that reads the first information.

[0008] The notification unit includes a display, and the controller displays a code image including an access destination of the addition operation screen on the display in the notification process, thereby enabling the user to immediately add the processable amount using an external terminal that reads the code image.

[0009] Furthermore, in the shortage determination process, the controller determines that the processable amount will be insufficient if the planned processing amount of image formation processing scheduled to be performed by the image forming unit is greater than the processable amount, thereby making it possible to predict in advance that the processable amount will be insufficient and prompt the user to add the processable amount.

[0010] The image forming apparatus of the present application further includes a memory, and when the controller determines in the shortage determination process that there is a shortage of the processable amount based on the plurality of image formation jobs stored in the memory, the controller causes the notification unit to notify information for displaying the first information in association with the image formation job of the plurality of image formation jobs that has a shortage of the processable amount, thereby prompting the user to add the processable amount before executing the image formation job that has a shortage of the processable amount.

[0011] Furthermore, in the shortage determination process, the controller determines that the processable amount is insufficient if the processable amount is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value, thereby predicting in advance that the processable amount will be insufficient and prompting the user to add the processable amount.

[0012] The controller further executes a registration determination process to determine whether the image forming apparatus is registered with a server that manages the processable amount, and if the registration determination process determines that the image forming apparatus is registered and the shortage determination process determines that the processable amount is insufficient, the controller causes the notification unit to notify first information, and if the registration determination process determines that the image forming apparatus is not registered and the shortage determination process determines that the processable amount is insufficient, the controller causes the notification unit to notify second information for displaying a registration operation screen for accepting an operation to register the image forming apparatus with the server. This makes it possible to display a screen for accepting necessary operations depending on the registration status of the image forming apparatus with the server.

[0013] The image forming apparatus of the present application further includes a memory, and the controller further executes a storage process for storing setting information for setting permission / prohibition of image formation processing executed by the image forming unit in the memory when the processable amount is insufficient, thereby making it possible to prohibit printing processing when the processable amount is insufficient.

[0014] The controller further executes a transmission process of transmitting the identification information of the image forming device and a request for generating a code image to the server via the communication interface, and a reception process of receiving, via the communication interface, a code image generated by the server in response to the request for generating the code image and including the identification information of the image forming device, and displays the received code image on the display in a notification process. Thus, even when the code image cannot be generated within the image forming device, the code image generated by the server can be received from the server and displayed.

[0015] The controller further executes a generation process for generating a code image including identification information of the image forming device and an access destination of the addition operation screen, and a notification process for displaying the generated code image on a display, thereby enabling a user to immediately add the processable amount on an external terminal that has read the code image with a camera.

[0016] In order to achieve the above object, the system of the present application is a system including an image forming apparatus and a terminal, the image forming apparatus including an image forming unit, a notification unit, a first communication interface for connecting to a network, and a first controller, the first controller performing a shortage determination process for determining whether or not a processable amount of image formation processing executed by the image forming unit is insufficient, a notification process for causing the notification unit to notify first information for displaying an addition operation screen on an external terminal for accepting an addition operation of the processable amount when it is determined in the shortage determination process that the processable amount is insufficient, and a notification process for displaying first information for displaying an addition operation screen on an external terminal for accepting an addition operation of the processable amount. The terminal performs a receiving process to receive information via a first communication interface, and a control process to control the image forming unit to execute the image forming process until the added-up processable amount is reached when an instruction to execute the image forming process is received, and the terminal has a display, an operation unit, a second communication interface for connecting to a network, and a second controller, and the second controller performs a display process to display an addition operation screen on the display based on the first information notified by the notification unit of the image forming device, and an addition process to have a server that manages the processable amount add up the processable amount in response to receiving an addition operation on the addition operation screen via the operation unit.

[0017] In the system of the present application, when it is determined that the processable amount is insufficient, the notification unit notifies the user of the first information for displaying an addition operation screen on the external terminal to accept an operation to add to the processable amount, so that the user can immediately add to the processable amount on the external terminal that reads the first information. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a printing system according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 2] 10 is a flowchart showing the procedure of a charge icon operation process executed by the printer of FIG. 1, particularly by the printer CPU, and shows a case where a code image is generated within the printer. [Figure 3]2A to 2C are diagrams showing various display screens of the printer and the portable terminal device of FIG. 1. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart showing the procedure of charge icon operation processing executed by the printer CPU, illustrating a case where a code image is generated by requesting a code image generation server. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart showing the procedure of a charge reminder icon operation process executed by a printer CPU. [Figure 6] 2A to 2C are diagrams showing various display screens of the printer in FIG. 1. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing the procedure of a copy process executed by a printer CPU. [Figure 8] 8A to 8C are diagrams showing various screens displayed on the touch panel of the printer during the copy process of FIG. 7. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart showing the procedure of a printing process executed by a printer CPU. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart showing the procedure of a memory storage printing process executed by a printer CPU. [Figure 11] 10A to 10C are diagrams showing various screens displayed on the touch panel of the printer during memory storage printing. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present application will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0020] (Configuration of Printing System 1) FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a printing system 1 according to an embodiment of the present application. The printing system 1 is used for a printing service provided to users. The printing service allows users to print by paying a fee based on the number of printable sheets (an example of the "processable amount" herein), which is the number of sheets of paper that can be printed by a printer 20. When a user applies for this printing service, they pay an initial fee and are granted a predetermined number of printable sheets (e.g., 500 sheets). Here, the term "number of sheets" is used as a unit for counting the number of sheets on one side of a sheet of paper. Therefore, the number of printable sheets refers to the number of sheets on one side of a sheet that can be printed. Printing on one side of a sheet of paper reduces the number of printable sheets by one, and printing on both sides reduces the number of printable sheets by two. In the following description, setting the number of printable sheets or increasing the number of printable sheets by charging an additional fee may sometimes be referred to as "charging." The number of printable sheets may also be referred to as the charged number.

[0021] In this embodiment, the printer 20 is, for example, an inkjet printer. The printer 20 sent from the vendor to the user is filled with the amount of ink necessary to print at least the predetermined number of printable sheets (e.g., 500 sheets + α sheets) granted to the user. Therefore, with this printing service, after the user obtains the printer 20, the user does not need to go through the trouble of filling the printer 20 with ink or replacing ink cartridges until the number of printable sheets granted to the user is printed after paying the initial fee. Therefore, this printing service eliminates the need to refill the printer 20 with ink, making it a highly convenient service for the user.

[0022] Furthermore, if the user wishes to print more than the specified number of printable pages granted by paying the initial fee, he or she must pay an additional fee. By purchasing additional printable pages, the user can continue to use the printer 20. If the user repeatedly purchases additional printable pages and the ink level of the printer 20 obtained by paying the initial fee becomes low, the user can request a printer 20 replacement, and the printer 20 will be replaced, thereby continuing the printing service. Note that the number α is a number appropriately set by the vendor providing the printing service.

[0023] The printing system 1 includes a mobile terminal device 10, a printer 20, and a server 30. The mobile terminal device 10 and the printer 20 are connected to each other via a router 2, either wired or wirelessly (for example, via a LAN), so as to be able to communicate with each other. The mobile terminal device 10 and the server 30 are also connected to each other via the router 2 and the Internet 3, so as to be able to communicate with each other. The printer 20 and the server 30 are also connected to each other via the router 2 and the Internet 3, so as to be able to communicate with each other. The above-described network configuration is an example. For example, the server 30 may be located within the LAN. A plurality of mobile terminal devices 10 and printers 20 may be connected to the server 30, and a plurality of mobile terminal devices 10 may be connected to one printer 20, or the printer 20 to perform printing may be selected from a plurality of printers 20.

[0024] (Configuration of mobile terminal device 10) The mobile terminal device 10 causes a printer 20 to print an image on paper (an example of a "sheet" in this application). The mobile terminal device 10 is, for example, a smartphone. The mobile terminal device 10 includes a terminal CPU 11, a terminal storage unit 12, a short-range communication unit 13, a display 14, an input I / F (abbreviation of interface) 15, an image acquisition unit 16, and an external communication unit 17. These components are capable of communicating with each other via a bus 18.

[0025] The terminal storage unit 12 is configured by combining, for example, RAM, ROM, flash memory, HDD, and buffers provided in the terminal CPU 11. The terminal storage unit 12 stores a terminal program 12A, an application program (hereinafter sometimes referred to as an application) 12B, and print data 12C. The terminal program 12A is a program that comprehensively controls the mobile terminal device 10 and provides basic functions and services to the application 12B. The terminal program 12A is, for example, the Android (registered trademark) OS or iOS (registered trademark). If the mobile terminal device 10 is, for example, a PC, the terminal program 12A is, for example, the Windows (registered trademark) OS. The application 12B is, for example, a program provided by the vendor of the printer 20, and is a program that uses the functions of the terminal program 12A to execute various processes (described below), such as setting processing for the printer 20, issuing print commands, and issuing charge commands to the server 30. The terminal CPU 11 executes the terminal program 12A and the application 12B to control the mobile terminal device 10 and issue commands to the server 30. The print data 12C is an image to be printed that has been converted into a data format that can be interpreted by the printer 20. The terminal storage unit 12 is also used to store the number of pages that the printer 20 can print.

[0026] In the following description, the mobile terminal device 10 that executes the terminal program 12A and the application 12B on the terminal CPU 11 may be referred to simply by the device name. For example, the description "the mobile terminal device 10" may mean "the mobile terminal device 10 that executes the terminal program 12A and the application 12B on the terminal CPU 11." The same applies to the printer 20 that executes the printer program 26B1 on the printer CPU 26A and the server 30 that executes the server program 32B1 on the server CPU 32A, which will be described later.

[0027] The short-range communication unit 13 wirelessly communicates with the printer 20 over a short distance. The short-range communication unit 13 includes a communication circuit that wirelessly communicates with a short-range communication unit 21 of the printer 20, which will be described later, using, for example, Bluetooth (registered trademark) or NFC (short for Near Field Communication). The display 14 displays various information and may employ an LCD, an organic EL display, or the like, but is not limited to these. The input I / F 15 may employ a touch panel that is integrally configured with the display 14 and accepts user operations on icons and the like displayed on the display 14. The input I / F 15 may also be a keyboard, a mouse, or the like.

[0028] The image acquisition unit 16 includes, for example, a camera (not shown) provided in the mobile terminal device 10, and acquires images captured by the camera. The image acquisition unit 16 may also be connected to an external device such as an HDD to acquire images. The images acquired by the image acquisition unit 16 may be converted into print data 12C and stored in the terminal storage unit 12.

[0029] The external communication unit 17 includes a communication circuit for transmitting and receiving data to and from the router 2 by wireless communication conforming to the Wi-Fi (registered trademark) communication standard, for example. The external communication unit 17 is connected to the printer 20 via the router 2. The external communication unit 17 is also connected to the server 30 via the router 2 and the Internet 3. The external communication unit 17 may also be configured to be connected to the router 2 by wired communication such as a LAN cable.

[0030] (Configuration of printer 20) The printer 20 is, for example, an inkjet color printer. The printer 20 includes a short-range communication unit 21, an external communication unit 22, tanks 23, an ink level detection unit 24, a printing unit 25, a scanning unit 28, a user I / F 27, and a printer control unit 26. The external communication unit 22 includes a communication circuit for transmitting and receiving signals to and from external devices (the mobile terminal device 10 and the server 30 in this embodiment) connected via a network. The tanks 23 are containers for storing ink. In this embodiment, there are four types of ink (magenta M, cyan C, yellow Y, and black BK), and multiple tanks 23 are provided for each type of ink. That is, the printer 20 uses multiple tanks 23 to independently store each of the four types of ink. In this embodiment, when the printer 20 is supplied to a user by a vendor, each of the multiple tanks 23 is filled with an amount of ink sufficient to print a predetermined number of sheets of paper, assuming a single-color coverage of 5%, for example. The predetermined number is a number that is greater than the number of printable sheets that is granted to a user who applies for a printing service, and can be set appropriately by a vendor that provides the printing service.

[0031] Furthermore, the tank 23 is provided so that the user cannot refill it with ink. Specifically, the tank 23 is located in a position where the user cannot touch it. The tank 23 is fixed to the printer 20 so that it cannot be removed. The remaining ink level detection unit 24 detects the amount of ink remaining in the tank 23. The remaining ink level detection unit 24 is an optical sensor that is located in the tank 23 and detects the level of ink by detecting the height of the ink liquid surface. The remaining ink level detection unit 24 is located in each of the multiple tanks 23 and detects the amount of ink remaining in each of the multiple tanks 23. Note that the printer 20 may be configured so that the user can remove and attach the tank 23. The tank 23 may also be provided with an inlet through which the user can fill the tank 23 with ink.

[0032] The printing unit 25 includes a print head, a carriage on which the print head is mounted, and a transport mechanism for transporting paper, and performs printing by ejecting ink stored in a tank 23 from the print head onto paper. The printing unit 25 executes processing to print images, such as print data 12C received from the mobile terminal device 10, onto paper using a known inkjet method. The scanning unit 28 has a reading sensor and uses the reading sensor to read images from an original. The user I / F 27 is, for example, a touch panel integrated with a display, a push button switch, or the like, and receives operation inputs from the user and displays various information. The printer control unit 26 performs overall control of the printer 20. The printer control unit 26 includes a printer CPU 26A and a printer memory unit 26B. Note that the configuration of the printer 20 described above is an example.

[0033] Printer CPU 26A controls the operation of printer 20 by executing printer program 26B1 in printer storage unit 26B. Printer program 26B1 is a program that comprehensively manages printer 20 and causes printer 20 to execute various processes. Printer storage unit 26B is configured by combining, for example, RAM, ROM, flash memory, HDD, and buffers provided in printer CPU 26A.

[0034] The printer storage unit 26B also stores a printer management table PT. The printer management table PT is a table that stores information about the printer 20 regarding the use of the printing service. The information stored in the printer management table PT is used as appropriate when various processes, which will be described later, are executed. The printer management table PT stores the device ID, the number of printable pages, the remaining ink amount, the device settings, and the synchronization date and time, all associated with each other.

[0035] The device ID is, for example, a serial number set by the vendor of the printer 20, and is unique information that allows the printer 20 to be distinguished from other printers. The device ID is not limited to a serial number, and may be, for example, a wired MAC address or a wireless MAC address of the short-range communication unit 21 or the external communication unit 22. The printable number indicates the number of sheets of paper that can be printed by the printer 20. A user using the printer 20 can print up to the printable number stored in the printer management table PT. The printable number is increased (charged) by the number of sheets corresponding to the amount charged by the user. On the other hand, the printable number is decreased by the number of sheets of paper used by the printer 20 for printing. Addition and subtraction of the printable number will be described in detail later. The printable number may be stored in association with the user ID of the user using the printer 20.

[0036] The remaining ink amount indicates the amount of ink remaining detected by the remaining ink amount detection unit 24. After the printer 20 performs an operation that uses ink, such as refilling ink, checking the nozzles, or printing, the printer 20 stores the remaining ink amount detected by the remaining ink amount detection unit 24 in the printer management table PT. The device settings are setting information such as the functions of the printer 20 (printing, etc.), settings for each function (paper size, color, magnification, etc.), and the language to be displayed on the user I / F 27. The synchronization date and time is the date and time when the previous (most recent) synchronization process was performed with the server 30. The synchronization process here refers to, for example, a process of matching the number of printable pages between the server 30 and the printer 20.

[0037] (Configuration of Server 30) As shown in FIG. 1, the server 30 includes an external communication unit 31 and a server control unit 32. The external communication unit 31 includes a communication circuit that communicates with the mobile terminal device 10 and the printer 20 connected via a network. The server control unit 32 controls the overall operation of the server 30. The server control unit 32 includes a server CPU 32A and a server storage unit 32B. The server CPU 32A controls the operation of the server 30 by executing a server program 32B1 in the server storage unit 32B. The server program 32B1 is a program that performs overall management of the server 30 and causes the server 30 to execute various processes.

[0038] The server storage unit 32B is configured by combining, for example, RAM, ROM, flash memory, HDD, and buffers provided in the server CPU 32A. The server storage unit 32B also stores a server management table ST. The server management table ST is a table that stores information necessary for using the print service. The server management table ST stores information about each printer 20 that uses the print service in association with the device ID of the printer 20, and is managed by the vendor. The information stored in the server management table ST is used as appropriate when various processes, described below, are executed.

[0039] The server management table ST stores the device ID and the printable number of pages in association with each other. The device ID and the printable number of pages are the same data as those in the printer management table PT described above, and data from the printer management table PT corresponding to the same device ID is stored. The printable number of pages may be stored in association with the user ID of the user who uses the printer 20 instead of the device ID. The server management table ST may also store the login ID and password used by the user of the mobile terminal device 10 when logging in to the server 30 in association with the device ID.

[0040] In this embodiment, the server 30 manages the printable number of each printer 20 using the printing service using a server management table ST that associates the device ID with the printable number of each printer 20. The server 30 manages the latest printable number in the server management table ST by executing a synchronization process that synchronizes the printable number of each printer 20, which increases or decreases in response to the user's charging operation or print instruction, with the printer 20.

[0041] The control process executed by the printing system 1 configured as above will be described below with reference to FIGS.

[0042] 2 shows the procedure for the charge icon operation process executed by the printer 20, particularly the printer CPU 26A, included in the printing system 1. This charge icon operation process begins when the charge icon 104 displayed on the HOME screen 100 shown in FIG. 3(a) is operated. Hereinafter, in the explanation of each process, steps will be abbreviated as "S."

[0043] The HOME screen 100 is an initial screen that is first displayed on the touch panel when, for example, the printer 20 is turned on. The HOME screen 100 displays a remaining charge count display area 101, a copy icon 102, a scan icon 103, and a charge icon 104. If there are more icons than can be displayed on the HOME screen 100, for example, a scroll bar can be displayed and the hidden icons can be displayed on the screen by operating the scroll bar to scroll the screen.

[0044] The remaining charge number display area 101 displays the printable number stored in the printer management table PT, read by the printer CPU 26A. The current printable number is 50. As mentioned above, if the printable number granted when the initial fee was paid was 500, then 450 sheets have been printed to date. The Copy icon 102 is an icon operated when a user wishes to copy an original using the scanning unit 28 and printing unit 25. The Scan icon 103 is an icon operated when a user wishes to scan an original using the scanning unit 28. The Charge icon 104 is an icon operated when a user wishes to increase the printable number of sheets of the printer 20.

[0045] 2, the printer CPU 26A first determines whether the printer 20 is connected to the server 30 via the external communication unit 22 (S10). Specifically, the printer CPU 26A performs a PIN test on the IP address of the server 30 and makes the above determination based on the results of the PIN test. In this embodiment, after the device ID and other information of the printer 20 are registered in the server management table ST, the printer 20 and the server 30 are in a permanently connected state. Therefore, the process of S10 can be interpreted as a process of determining whether information about the printer 20 is registered in the server 30. Therefore, in S10, instead of determining whether the printer 20 is connected to the server 30, the printer CPU 26A can inquire of the server 30 whether the device ID of the printer 20 is registered in the server management table ST, and make the determination of S10 based on the result of the inquiry. If the determination in S10 is that the printer 20 is connected to the server 30 (S10: YES), the printer CPU 26A specifies the URL of the web page of the plan selection screen as the URL (short for Uniform Resource Locator) (S12) and generates a code image (S14). Here, the code image may be, for example, a QR Code (registered trademark), but is not limited to this. The plan selection screen may be, for example, the plan selection screen 200 (an example of a screen for adding money) shown in FIG. 3(c) described later. The URL of the web page of the plan selection screen identifies the storage location on the server 30 of the web page of the plan selection screen 200. The code image generated in S14 includes at least the URL of the web page of the plan selection screen and information identifying the printer 20, such as the serial number. Like the serial number, the URL of the web page of the plan selection screen may be stored in the printer management table PT. However, this is not limiting and the URL may be obtained from the server 30 by querying the server 30.

[0046] Next, the printer CPU 26A displays a screen including the generated code image on the touch panel (S16), and then ends the charge icon operation process. Figure 3(b) shows a screen 110 including a first code image 111 displayed on the touch panel when the process moves from S12 to S14 to S16. The first code image 111 includes the URL of the web page for the plan selection screen and the serial number of the printer 20, as described above.

[0047] When a user photographs the first code image 111 on the screen 110 with the camera of the mobile terminal device 10, the terminal CPU 11 of the mobile terminal device 10 decodes the first code image 111 acquired by the image acquisition unit 16 and accesses the URL of the web page of the plan selection screen included in the first code image 111 from the external communication unit 17 by attaching the serial number of the printer 20. In response to this, the server 30 transmits data for displaying the web page of the plan selection screen from the external communication unit 31 to the mobile terminal device 10. Note that when accessed by the terminal CPU 11, the server 30 may perform authentication for the terminal CPU 11 to log in to the server 30, and if the authentication is successful, transmit data for displaying the web page of the plan selection screen to the mobile terminal device 10. As a method of this authentication, the server 30 may display a password input screen required for logging in to the server 30 on the display 14 of the mobile terminal device 10 and authenticate the password entered by the user. Alternatively, an access token issued by the server 30 may be stored in advance in the terminal storage unit 12, and when the mobile terminal device 10 accesses the web page of the plan selection screen, the access token may be transmitted to the server 30, and the server 30 may authenticate the access token. Fig. 3(c) shows a plan selection screen 200 in which the web page of the plan selection screen acquired from the server 30 is displayed on the display 14 of the mobile terminal device 10.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 3(c), the plan selection screen 200 displays the printer 20 model name "PRNxxx" and serial number "S / N:123456789," as well as plan selection icons 201-204 associated with the selectable plans. When the user selects one of the plan selection icons 201-204, the terminal CPU 11 performs processing to pay the amount associated with the selected plan selection icon with a payment server (not shown) and notifies the server 30 that the payment has been completed. Upon receiving notification that the payment has been completed, the server 30 instructs the printer management table PT and the server management table ST to update the printable number of sheets stored therein by the number associated with the selected charge icon. Details of the update process after this instruction are described in the patent application (Patent Application No. 2021-5925) disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-110476 filed by the applicant prior to the filing of the present application, and therefore further description thereof will be omitted in this embodiment.

[0049] When the printable number stored in the printer management table PT is updated, the printer CPU 26A transitions the screen 110 to the HOME screen 100. For example, if the user selects the plan selection icon 201 and charges, the remaining charge number display area 101 on the HOME screen 100 after the transition will display 100 as the printable number.

[0050] Returning to FIG. 2, if the determination in S10 indicates that the printer 20 is not connected to the server 30 (S10: NO), the printer CPU 26A specifies the URL of the EWS as the URL (S18), and then proceeds to S14. EWS is an abbreviation for embedded web server, and is a program that enables various settings and management of the printer 20 to be performed from the mobile terminal device 10 via HTTP communication. The EWS URL specified in S18 is a URL that indicates the storage location of the EWS in the printer 20, in particular, the storage location of an account creation page for registering the printer 20 on the server 30. In S14, which is reached after processing S18, the printer CPU 26A generates a code image including the URL of the EWS, and in the following S16, a screen including the code image is displayed on the touch panel.

[0051] FIG. 3(d) shows a screen 120 including a second code image 121 displayed on the touch panel when the process proceeds from S18 to S16 via S14. As described above, the second code image 121 includes the URL of the EWS, i.e., the URL indicating the location of an account creation page for registering the printer 20 on the server 30. When the user photographs the second code image 121 on the screen 120 with the camera of the mobile terminal device 10, the terminal CPU 11 of the mobile terminal device 10 decodes the second code image 121 acquired by the image acquisition unit 16 and accesses the URL of the EWS included in the second code image 121 via the external communication unit 17. In response, the printer CPU 26A of the printer 20 transmits data for displaying the account creation page for registering the printer 20 on the server 30 from the external communication unit 31 to the mobile terminal device 10. FIG. 3(e) shows an account creation screen 210 in which the account creation page acquired from the printer 20 is displayed on the display 14 of the mobile terminal device 10.

[0052] As shown in FIG. 3(e), account creation screen 210 displays email address input field 211, password input field 212, and login button 213. When the user enters the registered email address and password in email address input field 211 and password input field 212, respectively, and then operates (presses) login button 213, an account for printer 20 is registered in server 30, a web page for a plan selection screen for printer 20 is created on server 30, and server 30 transmits data for displaying the web page for the plan selection screen from external communication unit 31 to mobile terminal device 10. As a result, plan selection screen 200 shown in FIG. 3(c) is displayed on display 14 of mobile terminal device 10.

[0053] In addition to the method of registering the printer 20 account on the server 30 via the printer 20's EWS, another method involves downloading an account creation application from the server 30, installing it on the mobile terminal device 10, and using the application. When registering the printer 20 account on the server 30 using this method, the printer CPU 26A changes "URL = EWS URL" in S18 to "URL = URL of a web page for setup procedures using the application" and proceeds to S14. As a result, the code image generated in S14 includes the URL of the web page for setup procedures using the application. When the user photographs this code image with the camera of the mobile terminal device 10, the terminal CPU 11 of the mobile terminal device 10 decodes the code image acquired by the image acquisition unit 16 and accesses the URL of the web page for setup procedures using the application, included in the code image, via the external communication unit 17. In response, the server 30 transmits data of the web page for setup procedures using the application from the external communication unit 31 to the mobile terminal device 10. 3(f) shows a setup procedure display screen 220 on the display 14 of the mobile terminal device 10, which is a web page for setup procedures using an application obtained from the server 30. By following the setup procedure displayed on the setup procedure display screen 220, an account for the printer 20 can be registered on the server 30.

[0054] The charge icon operation process in Fig. 2 is a process in which a code image is generated and displayed within the printer 20 in response to the operation of the charge icon 104, but there are cases in which the code image cannot be generated within the printer 20 due to factors such as the processing capacity of the printer CPU 26A of the printer 20. The charge icon operation process in Fig. 4 is intended to address this situation, in which the printer CPU 26A requests the generation of a code image from a code image generation server (not shown), receives the code image generated by the code image generation server from the code image generation server, and displays it on the touch panel.

[0055] 4, first, the printer CPU 26A determines whether the printer 20 is connected to the server 30 via the external communication unit 22 (S20), similarly to S10 in FIG. 2. If the printer 20 is connected to the server 30 in this determination (S20: YES), the printer CPU 26A specifies the generation of the URL of the Web page of the plan selection screen (Charge Web App) as the type of code image generation request to the code image generation server, and also specifies the serial number of the printer 20 (<serial number> ) (S22), and requests the coded image generation server to generate a code image of the specified request type and request information (S24). The coded image generation server queries the server 30 for the URL of the web page of the plan selection screen, along with the serial number of the printer 20. In response, the server 30 creates the URL of the web page of the plan selection screen for the printer 20 and sends it to the coded image generation server. The coded image generation server encodes the URL of the web page of the plan selection screen for the printer 20 received from the server 30, generates a code image, and sends the generated code image to the printer 20. The printer CPU 26A receives the code image from the coded image generation server via the external communication unit 31, and displays a screen including the received code image on the touch panel (S26). As a result, a screen 110 including the first code image 111 shown in FIG. 3(b) is displayed on the touch panel.

[0056] On the other hand, if it is determined in S20 that the printer 20 is not connected to the server 30 (S20: NO), the printer CPU 26A specifies the generation of an EWS URL (EWS URL) as the type of code image generation request to the code image generation server, and also specifies the URL of the printer registration page of the EWS (https: / / <prn ip address> The printer 20 then specifies the URL of the printer registration page of the EWS ( / charge) (S28) and requests the coded image generation server to generate a code image for the specified request type and request information (S24). The coded image generation server generates a code image by directly encoding the URL of the printer registration page of the EWS received as the request information, and sends the generated code image to the printer 20. The printer CPU 26A receives the code image from the coded image generation server via the external communication unit 31 and displays a screen including the received code image on the touch panel (S26). As a result, a screen 120 including a second code image 121 shown in FIG. 3(d) is displayed on the touch panel. Note that the URL of the printer registration page of the EWS specified as the request information in S28 is the same as the URL of the EWS specified in S18.

[0057] In this way, even when a code image cannot be generated within the printer 20, a screen including the code image can be displayed on the touch panel by requesting the code image generation server to generate the code image and receiving the code image generated by the code image generation server from the code image generation server.

[0058] As described above with reference to FIG. 3(a), the HOME screen 100 has a remaining charge number display area 101, which displays the current number of printable sheets of the printer 20. When the number of printable sheets falls to, for example, 10 sheets or less, the printer CPU 26A displays a HOME screen 100A in which a charge prompt icon 105A is added to the HOME screen 100, as shown in FIG. 6(a). Then, when the number of printable sheets falls to 0 sheets, the printer CPU 26A displays a HOME screen 100B in which the display mode of the charge prompt icon 105A is changed to the display mode of the charge prompt icon 105B, as shown in FIG. 6(c).

[0059] 5 shows the procedure for the charge reminder icon operation process. The charge reminder icon operation process starts when either charge reminder icon 105A or 105B is operated while either HOME screen 100A or 100B is displayed on the touch panel.

[0060] 5, the printer CPU 26A first determines whether the printer 20 is connected to the server 30 via the external communication unit 22 (S30), similar to S10 in FIG. 2. If the printer 20 is connected to the server 30 (S30: YES), the printer CPU 26A then determines whether the remaining number of sheets, i.e., the current number of printable sheets, is 0 (S32). If the remaining number of sheets is not 0 (S32: NO) (when the charge reminder icon 105A is displayed, the remaining number of sheets is 10 or less, so the remaining number of sheets is not 0, which means that 1≦remaining number≦10), the printer CPU 26A displays the Charge Near Empty screen 130A shown in FIG. 6(b) on the touch panel (S34), and then ends the charge reminder icon operation process. The first code image 111 is displayed on the Charge Near Empty screen 130A. As described above, the first code image 111 includes the URL of the web page of the plan selection screen and the serial number of the printer 20. Therefore, when the user photographs the first code image 111 with the camera of the mobile terminal device 10, the plan selection screen 200 shown in Fig. 3(c) is displayed on the display 14 of the mobile terminal device 10. The user can immediately increase the number of printable sheets by selecting a plan from the plan selection screen 200 and charging the printer 20.

[0061] On the other hand, if the determination in S32 is that the remaining number of sheets is 0 (S32: YES), the printer CPU 26A displays the Charge Empty screen 130B shown in FIG. 6(d) on the touch panel (S36), and then ends the charge reminder icon operation process. The Charge Empty screen 130B also displays the first code image 111. The difference from the Charge Near Empty screen 130A is the wording of the warning.

[0062] On the other hand, if the determination in S30 indicates that the printer 20 is not connected to the server 30 (S30: NO), the printer CPU 26A displays a setup prompt screen 140 shown in FIG. 6(e) on the touch panel (S38), and then terminates the charge prompt icon operation process. The setup prompt screen 140 displays a second code image 121. As described above, the second code image 121 includes the URL of the printer registration page of the EWS. When the user photographs the second code image 121 on the screen 120 with the camera of the mobile terminal device 10, an account creation screen 210 shown in FIG. 3(e) is displayed on the display 14 of the mobile terminal device 10. When the user registers an account for the printer 20 with the server 30 using the account creation screen 210 as described above, a plan selection screen 200 shown in FIG. 3(c) is displayed on the display 14 of the mobile terminal device 10. The user can immediately increase the number of printable sheets by selecting a plan from the plan selection screen 200 and charging the printer 20.

[0063] It should be noted that the first code image 111 and the second code image 121 displayed in S34 to S38 of the charge prompt icon operation process are displayed after generating the code images by performing the code image generation described above in the charge icon operation process of Fig. 2 or 4. Hereinafter, when the first code image 111 and the second code image 121 are displayed, although the description will be omitted, they are displayed after generating the code images.

[0064] Next, the copy process executed by the printer CPU 26A when the user operates the Copy icon 102 on the HOME screen 100 shown in Fig. 6(a) will be described with reference to Fig. 7. The copy process shown in Fig. 7 shows the process after the scanning of an original document is performed by the scanning unit 28 and a print start screen is displayed to print the scanned image.

[0065] In FIG. 7, printer CPU 26A first displays a print start screen on the touch panel (S40). FIG. 8(a) shows an example of print start screen 150. Print start screen 150 displays a remaining number of sheets display area 150A, a number of copies to be printed input area 150B, and a start button 150C. Remaining number of sheets display area 150A displays "1 sheet remaining," and "2 copies" is entered in number of copies to be printed input area 150B. With print start screen 150 displayed on the touch panel, printer CPU 26A waits until start button 150C is operated (S42: NO). When start button 150C is operated (S42: YES), printer CPU 26A calculates the number of sheets to be printed (S44). The calculated number of sheets to be printed is an example of the "planned processing amount" of this application.

[0066] If the printer 20 has scanned, for example, three pages of one side of the document when the print start screen 150 is displayed on the touch panel, the printer CPU 26A calculates the number of pages to be printed as 3 pages x 2 copies = 6 pages. Next, the printer CPU 26A compares the calculated number of pages to be printed with the remaining number of pages, i.e., the current number of pages that can be printed, and determines whether the charge will run out during printing, i.e., whether the remaining number of pages is less than the calculated number of pages to be printed (S46). If this determination is negative (S46: NO), i.e., if the remaining number of pages is greater than or equal to the calculated number of pages to be printed, the printer CPU 26A proceeds to S60, prints the input number of copies, and then terminates the copy process. Note that when the printer CPU 26A executes printing, it subtracts the number of pages that have been printed from the current number of pages that can be printed, updates the number of pages that can be printed, and synchronizes the updated number of pages that can be printed with the server; however, this update process is omitted in the copy process of FIG. 7. Also, when printing is completed, the printer CPU 26A returns the screen displayed on the touch panel to the HOME screen 100, and it goes without saying that when the screen returns, the updated number of printable sheets will be displayed in the remaining charge sheet count display area 101 on the HOME screen 100.

[0067] On the other hand, if the determination in S46 is that the charge will run out midway through printing (S46: YES), that is, if the remaining number of sheets is less than the calculated number of sheets to print, the printer CPU 26A determines whether the print permission information is set to ON (S48). The print permission information is flag information that is set to ON, for example "1", to allow printing to start even if the charge will run out midway through printing, and is set to OFF, for example "0", to prohibit printing from starting in that case. The print permission information is stored in the printer management table PT, and the print permission information is set to ON / OFF by a user with administrator authority, not by a general user.

[0068] If the determination in S48 is that the print permission information is on (S48: YES), the printer CPU 26A displays a print start confirmation screen (S50). FIG. 8(b) shows an example of the print start confirmation screen 151. The print start confirmation screen 151 displays a print start button 151A, a cancel button 151B, and a first code image 111. In the following description, when a code image is displayed, the first code image 111 is displayed. However, if the printer 20 is not connected to the server 30 at the time the code image is displayed, the second code image 121 is displayed instead of the first code image 111. In other words, when a code image is displayed, it is determined whether the printer 20 is connected to the server 30, and whether to display the first code image 111 or the second code image 121 is determined based on the determination result.

[0069] Next, the printer CPU 26A determines whether or not a charge has been made (S54). As described above, a charge is made by the user photographing the first code image 111 with the camera of the mobile terminal device 10, from the plan selection screen 200 displayed on the display 14. In the determination of S54, the printer CPU 26A determines whether or not an instruction to update the printable number stored in the printer management table PT with the printable number that has been charged has been received from the server 30. If a charge has been made (S54: YES), the printer CPU 26A displays a post-charge print confirmation screen (S56). FIG. 8(c) shows an example of the post-charge print confirmation screen 152. A start button 152A and a cancel button 152B are displayed on the post-charge print confirmation screen 152. Then, when the start button 152A is operated (S58: YES), the printer CPU 26A proceeds to the process of S60, executes printing, and then ends the copy process. On the other hand, if the start button 152A is not operated (S58: NO) and the cancel button 152B is operated (S62: YES), the printer CPU 26A cancels the printing (S64) and then ends the copy process. Canceling the printing here means deleting the unprinted print data from the printer storage unit 26B and stopping the operation of the printing unit 25. When the copy process ends, the printer CPU 26A returns the screen displayed on the touch panel to the HOME screen 100.

[0070] On the other hand, if the determination in S54 is that the charge has not been made (S54: NO), the printer CPU 26A executes printing (S60) in response to the operation of the print start button 151A (S66: YES), or cancels printing (S64) in response to the operation of the cancel button 151B (S68: YES). On the other hand, if neither the print start button 151A nor the cancel button 151B is operated (S66 and S68: NO), the printer CPU 26A returns the process to S54. Note that printing in S60 stops when the remaining number of sheets runs out. Stopping printing means that the operation of the printing unit 25 is stopped while unprinted print data is stored in the printer storage unit 26B. Then, the printer CPU 26A displays the Charge Empty screen 130B shown in FIG. 6(d). The first code image 111 is displayed on the Charge Empty screen 130B, and as described above, the user can charge from the plan selection screen 200 displayed on the display 14 by taking a picture of the first code image 111 with the camera of the mobile terminal device 10. When the number of printable sheets increases as a result of charging, the printer CPU 26A resumes the stopped printing. Note that a cancel button may be provided on the Charge Empty screen 130B, and printing may be canceled when the user selects the cancel button.

[0071] On the other hand, if it is determined in S48 that the print permission information is off (S48: NO), the printer CPU 26A displays an out-of-charge warning screen (S70). Fig. 8(d) shows an example of the out-of-charge warning screen 153. The out-of-charge warning screen 153 displays the number of remaining sheets, a message saying "Printing will be interrupted due to out of charge during printing," a cancel button 153A, and a first code image 111. The first code image 111 is displayed so that the user can immediately charge the battery.

[0072] Next, printer CPU 26A determines whether charging has occurred (S72). S72 is the same process as S54. If charging has occurred in the determination of S72 (S72: YES), printer CPU 26A proceeds to the process of S56 above. The description of the process from S56 onwards has been given above and will not be repeated here. On the other hand, if charging has not occurred in the determination of S72 (S72: NO), printer CPU 26A cancels printing (S64) in response to operation of cancel button 153A (S74: YES), and returns the process to S72 if cancel button 153A is not operated (S74: NO).

[0073] In this way, the print start button is not displayed on the out-of-charge warning screen 153, so printing does not start when the out-of-charge warning screen 153 is displayed.

[0074] Next, the print processing executed by the printer CPU 26A when the user operates the mobile terminal device 10 to cause the printer 20 to print the print data 12C stored in the terminal storage unit 12 will be described with reference to Figure 9. The print processing shown in Figure 9 shows the processing that occurs after the printer CPU 26A receives an instruction to print the print data 12C via the external communication unit 22. Note that the print processing in Figure 9 is created by partially modifying the copy processing in Figure 7, and therefore, in Figure 9, processes that are the same as those in Figure 7 are assigned the same reference numerals, and descriptions of those processes will be omitted where appropriate.

[0075] In FIG. 9, the printer CPU 26A first determines whether the remaining number of sheets, i.e., the current number of printable sheets, is zero and whether the printer is out of charge (S80). If the determination is that the printer is still out of charge (S80: NO), the printer CPU 26A proceeds to S60 and prints the received print data 12C on one side of a sheet of paper. The printer CPU 26A then determines whether all of the print data 12C has been printed (S82). If it determines that all of the print data 12C has been printed (S82: YES), the printer CPU 26A terminates the print process. On the other hand, if it determines that not all of the print data 12C has been printed (S82: NO), the printer CPU 26A returns to the process of S80. Note that when the printer CPU 26A executes printing, it subtracts the number of sheets that have been printed from the current number of printable sheets, updates the number of printable sheets, and synchronizes the updated number of printable sheets with the server; however, this update process is omitted in the print process of FIG. 9. Also, when printing is completed, the printer CPU 26A returns the screen displayed on the touch panel to the HOME screen 100, and it goes without saying that when the screen returns, the updated number of printable sheets will be displayed in the remaining charge sheet count display area 101 on the HOME screen 100.

[0076] On the other hand, if the printer CPU 26A determines in S80 that the charge has run out (S80: YES), it displays the Charge Empty screen 130B shown in FIG. 6(d) (S70'). The Charge Empty screen 130B displays the first code image 111, so that the user can charge from the plan selection screen 200 displayed on the display 14 by taking a picture of the first code image 111 with the camera of the mobile terminal device 10, as described above. Note that a cancel button may be provided on the Charge Empty screen 130B, and printing may be canceled when the user selects the cancel button.

[0077] Next, printer CPU 26A determines whether charging has occurred (S72). If charging has occurred in the determination of S72 (S72: YES), printer CPU 26A proceeds to S56. The processing from S56 onwards is the same as the corresponding processing in the copy processing (FIG. 7) described above, and therefore will not be repeated here. On the other hand, if charging has not occurred in the determination of S72 (S72: NO), the processing returns to S72.

[0078] In this way, even in the printing process, the print start button is not displayed on the out-of-charge warning screen, so printing will not start when the out-of-charge warning screen is displayed.

[0079] Next, the control process to be performed when the printer runs out of charge during printing during memory storage printing will be described with reference to Figures 10 and 11. Memory storage printing is a method in which a received print job is stored in printer storage unit 26B without being printed immediately, and the print job stored in printer storage unit 26B is read and printed after a print start operation is received from the user. The memory storage printing process shown in Figure 10 shows the process that follows when the user selects a memory storage printing icon (not shown) on the HOME screen 100.

[0080] In FIG. 10, the printer CPU 26A first displays a job selection screen on the touch panel (S100). FIG. 11(a) shows an example of a job selection screen 160 for selecting a print job to be printed when performing memory accumulation printing. The job selection screen 160 is a screen displayed on the touch panel. The job selection screen 160 displays labels 171-173 indicating the number of printable sheets, the names and print counts of three print jobs 1-3, and check boxes 181-183 for selecting each of print jobs 1-3. In this embodiment, the print jobs stored in the printer storage unit 26B for memory accumulation printing are three, print jobs 1-3, but the number may be more or less than three. If there are more than three print jobs, labels of print jobs that cannot be displayed on the job selection screen 160 will be displayed. In this case, a scroll bar may be displayed on the job selection screen 160, and the labels of print jobs that cannot be displayed on the job selection screen 160 can be scrolled by operating the scroll bar.

[0081] Before displaying job selection screen 160, printer CPU 26A compares the number of prints for each of print jobs 1-3 stored in printer storage unit 26B with the current printable number of sheets of printer 20. If any print job has a number of prints greater than the current printable number, printer CPU 26A changes the display mode of the label for that print job from the normal display mode to a warning display mode. On job selection screen 160, print job 2 has a printable number of 10 sheets, while the current printable number is 5 sheets. Therefore, label 172 for print job 2 is displayed in a different mode from labels 171 and 173 for print jobs 1 and 3. This allows the user to visually know that print job 2 cannot be printed with the current printable number. In the illustrated example, label 172 for print job 2 is displayed with diagonal lines, but the display mode is not limited to this and may be any other display mode different from the normal display mode, such as grayed out or colored text.

[0082] Now, when the user selects print job 1 by checking check box 181 on job selection screen 160, for example, and instructs to start printing (S102: YES), printer CPU 26A calculates the number of sheets to be printed (planned processing amount) for the selected job (S104). Next, printer CPU 26A compares the calculated number of sheets to be printed with the remaining number of sheets, i.e., the current number of sheets that can be printed, and determines whether the charge will run out during printing, i.e., whether the remaining number of sheets is less than the calculated number of sheets to be printed (S106).

[0083] If the printer CPU 26A determines in S106 that the charge will not run out during printing (S106: NO), it transitions the job selection screen 160 to a print confirmation screen 161 shown in FIG. 11B (S108). The print confirmation screen 161 is a print confirmation screen displayed when the selected print job can be printed with the current printable number of sheets. The print confirmation screen 161 displays the message "Do you want to print?", a display indicating the number of sheets remaining to be printed when the print job is printed, a Yes button 161A, and a No button 161B. If the Yes button 161A is operated (S110: YES), the printer CPU 26A executes printing (S112), and if the No button 161B is operated (S114: YES), the printer CPU 26A cancels printing (S116). When printing is executed or canceled, the printer CPU 26A transitions the print confirmation screen 161 to the HOME screen 100. Instead of the HOME screen 100, the screen may transition to the job selection screen 160.

[0084] On the other hand, if the user checks check box 182 on job selection screen 160 to select print job 2 and instructs to start printing, printer CPU 26A determines in S106 that the charge will run out during printing (S106: YES) and transitions job selection screen 160 to insufficient charge print confirmation screen 162 shown in FIG. 11(c) (S120). Insufficient charge print confirmation screen 162 displays the message "Insufficient charge, cannot print all. Do you want to print?", a display indicating the number of sheets that will be missing when the print job is printed, and Yes button 162A, No button 162B, and Charge button 162C. If Yes button 162A is operated (S124: YES), printer CPU 26A executes printing (S126), and if No button 162B is operated (S142: YES), printer CPU 26A cancels printing (S116). However, if the Yes button 162A is operated and printing is performed, the current number of printable sheets is five, so the printer CPU 26A stops printing when five sheets have been printed, i.e., when the charge has run out (S128: YES), and displays the Charge Empty screen 130B of FIG. 6(d) (S130). Note that a Cancel button may be provided on the Charge Empty screen 130B so that printing can be canceled when the user selects the Cancel button. Furthermore, when the Charge button 162C is operated (S122: YES), the printer CPU 26A transitions the Print Confirmation Screen for Insufficient Charge 162 to the Charge Near Empty screen 130A of FIG. 6(b) (S140). As described above, the user can take a picture of the first code image 111 included in the Charge Near Empty screen 130A with the camera of the mobile terminal device 10 to display the plan selection screen 200 on the display 14, select a plan from the plan selection screen 200, and immediately charge the printer 20.

[0085] Note that the print confirmation screen 162 when charge is insufficient does not have enough display space to display the first code image 111 and employs the charge button 162C, which has a smaller display area than the first code image 111. Therefore, if there is enough display space to display the first code image 111, the first code image 111 may be displayed instead of the charge button 162C. Also, before transitioning to the print confirmation screen 162 when charge is insufficient, the setting state of the above-mentioned print permission information may be determined, and if the print permission information is set to off, the screen may transition to the out-of-charge warning screen 153 in FIG. 8(d) instead of transitioning to the print confirmation screen 162 when charge is insufficient.

[0086] Fig. 11(d) shows a job selection screen 160A in which a charge button 190 has been added to the job selection screen 160 of Fig. 11(a). The charge button 190 is added above the label display 172 of print job 2, which cannot be printed with the current printable number of sheets. By operating this charge button 190, the user can conveniently transition to the Charge Near Empty screen 130A of Fig. 6(b) directly without going through the print confirmation screen 162 for when the charge is insufficient.

[0087] FIG. 11(e) shows a job selection screen 160B in which a batch print button 192 has been added to the job selection screen 160 of FIG. 11(a). However, on the job selection screen 160B, the label display 173 and check box 183 for print job 3 are hidden and cannot be seen. The batch print button 192 is a button for instructing batch printing. Batch printing is a mode in which, when there are multiple print jobs for memory storage printing and multiple print jobs are to be printed, all of the print jobs are printed at once without selecting each print job one by one and instructing the start of printing. The print jobs to be batch printed are selected by checking the check boxes 181 to 183. The job selection screen 160B also displays the number of sheets consumed during batch printing. When the batch print button 192 is operated on the job selection screen 160B, the printer CPU 26A transitions the job selection screen 160B to the insufficient charge print confirmation screen 162 shown in FIG. 11(c). This is because the number of sheets consumed during batch printing is 16, while the current number of printable sheets is 5, so executing batch printing will result in an insufficient charge. However, when transitioning from job selection screen 160B to print confirmation screen 162 for insufficient charge, the number of sheets that is insufficient is displayed as "11 sheets short for a 16-sheet job."

[0088] Although the number of printable sheets has been described as an example of the "processable amount" in this application, the "processable amount" is not limited to this and may be the amount of ink, the length of a sheet, or the like. When the amount of ink is used as the "processable amount," the remaining ink amount detected by the ink remaining amount detection unit 24 is compared with the calculated value of the amount of ink to be consumed in the print job to be printed next, and a determination is made as to whether the remaining ink is insufficient. The result of this determination can then be used, for example, in the determination at S46 in the copy process of FIG. 7 above.

[0089] As described above, the printer 20 of this embodiment is a printer 20 equipped with the printing unit 25, the user I / F 27, the external communication unit 22 for connecting to a network, and the printer CPU 26A, and the printer CPU 26A performs a shortage determination process for determining whether or not the number of printable sheets for the printing process executed by the printing unit 25 is insufficient (S46, S106), and if it is determined in the shortage determination process that the number of printable sheets is insufficient (S46: YES or S106: YES), a third process for displaying on the mobile terminal device 10 the plan selection screen 200 for receiving an operation to increase the number of printable sheets. The system executes a notification process for notifying one code image 111 via the user I / F 27 (S50, S70, S120), a reception process for receiving the number of printable sheets added in accordance with the addition operation accepted on the plan selection screen 200 via the external communication unit 22 (S54, S72, S132), and a control process for controlling the printing unit 25 to execute the printing process until the added number of printable sheets is reached (S60, 112, 126) if an instruction to execute the printing process is received (S42: YES, S58: YES, S66: YES, S102: YES, S110: YES or S124: YES).

[0090] In this way, in the printer 20 of this embodiment, when it is determined that the number of printable sheets is insufficient, the first code image 111 is displayed on the user I / F 27 to cause the mobile terminal device 10 to display the plan selection screen 200 for accepting an operation to add to the number of printable sheets, so that the user can immediately add to the number of printable sheets on the mobile terminal device 10 that reads the first code image 111.

[0091] Furthermore, the user I / F 27 includes a touch panel, and in the notification process, the printer CPU 26A causes the touch panel to display the first code image 111 including the access destination of the plan selection screen 200. This allows the user to immediately add the printable number of sheets on the mobile terminal device 10 that has read the first code image 111 with a camera.

[0092] Furthermore, in the shortage determination process, printer CPU 26A determines that the number of printable sheets will be insufficient if the planned printing volume of the printing process scheduled to be executed by printing unit 25 is greater than the number of printable sheets (S46, S106). This makes it possible to predict in advance that the number of printable sheets will be insufficient and prompt the user to add the number of printable sheets.

[0093] The printer 20 further includes a printer storage unit 26B, and when the printer CPU 26A determines in the shortage determination process that there is a shortage of the printable number of sheets based on the multiple print jobs stored in the printer storage unit 26B, it notifies the user I / F 27 in the notification process of the charge button 162C, 190 for displaying the first code image 111 in association with the print job of the multiple print jobs that has a shortage of the processable number (FIGS. 11(c) and 11(d)). This makes it possible to prompt the user to add to the printable number of sheets before executing the print job that has a shortage of the printable number of sheets.

[0094] Furthermore, in the shortage determination process, the printer CPU 26A determines that the number of printable sheets is insufficient if the number of printable sheets is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold (S80, S128). This makes it possible to predict in advance that the number of printable sheets will be insufficient and prompt the user to add more printable sheets. Note that in the above embodiment, it was determined that the number of printable sheets would be insufficient when the current number of printable sheets was zero, i.e., the threshold value was zero, but this is not limiting and the threshold value may be any integer, such as 10.

[0095] Furthermore, the printer CPU 26A further executes a registration determination process (S30) to determine whether the printer 20 is registered with the server 30 that manages the number of printable sheets, and if it determines in the registration determination process that the printer 20 is registered and in the shortage determination process that the number of printable sheets is insufficient, it displays a first code image 111 on the touch panel (S34, S36), and if it determines in the registration determination process that the printer 20 is not registered and in the shortage determination process that the number of printable sheets is insufficient, it displays a second code image 121 on the touch panel for displaying a registration operation screen for accepting an operation to register the printer 20 with the server 30 (S38). This makes it possible to display screens 210, 220 (web pages) for accepting necessary operations depending on the registration status of the printer 20 with the server 30.

[0096] Printer 20 also includes printer storage unit 26B, and printer CPU 26A further executes a storage process for storing, in printer storage unit 26B, print permission information that sets whether to permit or prohibit printing processing executed by printing unit 25 when the number of printable sheets is insufficient. This makes it possible to prohibit printing processing when the number of printable sheets is insufficient.

[0097] The printer CPU 26A further executes a transmission process (S24) of transmitting the serial number of the printer 20 and a request to generate the first code image 111 to the server 30 via the external communication unit 22, and a reception process (S26) of receiving the first code image 111, which includes the serial number of the printer 20 and which is generated by the server 30 in response to the request to generate the first code image 111, via the external communication unit 22, and displays the received first code image 111 on the touch panel in a notification process. Thus, even when the first code image 111 cannot be generated within the printer 20, the first code image 111 can be displayed by receiving the first code image 111 generated by the server 30 from the server 30.

[0098] The printer CPU 26A further executes a generation process (S14) for generating a first code image 111 including the serial number of the printer 20 and the access destination of the plan selection screen 200, and displays the generated code image 111 on the touch panel in a notification process. This allows the user to immediately add the printable number of sheets on the mobile terminal device 10 that has read the first code image 111 with the camera.

[0099] Furthermore, the printing process includes the process of forming an image on paper using coloring agents, and the number of printable sheets includes the amount of paper or the amount of coloring agents.

[0100] The printing system 1 includes a printer 20 and a mobile terminal device 10, and the printer 20 includes a printing unit 25, a user I / F 27, an external communication unit 22 for connecting to a network, and a printer CPU 26A. The printer CPU 26A performs a shortage determination process for determining whether the number of printable sheets for a printing process executed by the printing unit 25 is insufficient, a notification process for notifying, via the user I / F 27, a first code image 111 for displaying on the mobile terminal device 10 a plan selection screen 200 for accepting an operation to increase the number of printable sheets when it is determined in the shortage determination process that the number of printable sheets is insufficient, and a notification process for displaying, on the mobile terminal device 10, the number of printable sheets increased in accordance with the operation to increase that has been accepted on the plan selection screen 200. The mobile terminal device 10 executes a reception process to receive the printable number via the external communication unit 22, and a control process to control the printing unit 25 to execute the print process until the added number of printable sheets is reached, when an instruction to execute the print process is received.The mobile terminal device 10 is equipped with a display 14, an input I / F 15, an external communication unit 17 for connecting to a network, and a terminal CPU 11, and the terminal CPU 11 executes a display process to display a plan selection screen 200 on the display 14 based on the first code image 111 notified by the user I / F 27 of the printer 20, and an addition process to cause the server 30 that manages the number of printable sheets to add the number of printable sheets in response to receiving an addition operation on the plan selection screen 200 via the input I / F 15.

[0101] In this way, in the printing system 1 of this embodiment, when it is determined that the number of printable sheets is insufficient, the first code image 111 is displayed on the user I / F 27 to cause the mobile terminal device 10 to display the plan selection screen 200 for accepting an operation to add to the number of printable sheets, so that the user can immediately add to the number of printable sheets on the mobile terminal device 10 that reads the first code image 111.

[0102] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0103] (1) In the above embodiment, the display of print start confirmation screen 151 in Fig. 8(b) and charge-depleted warning screen 153 in Fig. 8(d) and the determination of whether to display them are performed during the copy process, but this is not limiting, and the determination may be performed during the print process when the mobile terminal device 10 sends a print job to the printer 20 to instruct printing. Specifically, before printing, the number of prints specified in the print job is compared with the current number of printable sheets, and if the number of prints specified in the print job is greater than the current number of printable sheets, the printer CPU 26A may display print start confirmation screen 151 or charge-depleted warning screen 153 on the touch panel.

[0104] (2) In the above embodiment, a touch panel is used as the display of the printer 20. However, a liquid crystal display without a touch panel function may be used, and user operations on the printer 20 may be performed using physical switches.

[0105] (3) In the above embodiment, an inkjet printer 20 is used, but a laser printer or a thermal printer may also be used. Also, a multifunction machine equipped with a fax function or the like may also be used.

[0106] (4) The processing executed by the server 30 is not limited to being executed by a single server device, but may be executed by a plurality of server devices in cooperation with each other.

[0107] (5) In the above embodiment, examples of image formation processing have been described using copy processing, print processing, and memory storage print processing. However, the image formation processing is not limited to these examples. Scan processing and fax transmission / reception processing may also be used. When scan processing is used as the image formation processing, the number of pages on one side of a document to be scanned can be applied as the processable amount. Furthermore, when fax transmission / reception processing is used as the image formation processing, the number of pages on one side of a document to be sent as a fax, and the number of pages on one side of a paper on which a received fax is printed, the length of the paper, or the amount of ink can be applied as the processable amount. [Explanation of symbols]

[0108] 1...printing system (system), 10...portable terminal device (external terminal), 11...terminal CPU (second controller), 15...input I / F (operation unit), 17...external communication unit (second communication interface), 20...printer (image forming device), 22...external communication unit (communication interface, first communication interface), 25...printing unit (image forming unit), 26A...printer CPU (controller, first controller), 27...user I / F (alert unit), 30...server, 111...first code image (first information), 121...second code image (second information).

Claims

1. an image forming unit; The notification department, a communication interface for connecting to a network; an image forming apparatus including: The controller a shortage determination process for determining whether or not a processable amount of image formation processing executed by the image forming unit is insufficient; a notification process in which, when it is determined in the shortage determination process that the processable amount is insufficient, the notification unit notifies first information for displaying on an external terminal an addition operation screen for receiving an addition operation of the processable amount; a receiving process of receiving, via the communication interface, the processable amount added in response to the addition operation accepted on the addition operation screen; a control process for controlling the image forming unit to execute the image forming process until the added processable amount is reached when an instruction to execute the image forming process is received; To execute Image forming device.

2. the notification unit includes a display, The controller In the notification process, a code image including an access destination of the addition operation screen is displayed on the display. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 .

3. The controller In the shortage determination process, when the planned processing amount of the image forming process scheduled to be performed by the image forming unit is greater than the processable amount, it is determined that the processable amount is insufficient. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 .

4. a memory; The controller When it is determined in the shortage determination process that the processable amount is insufficient based on the plurality of image formation jobs stored in the memory, the notification process causes the notification unit to notify information for displaying the first information in association with the image formation job of the plurality of image formation jobs that has a processable amount insufficient. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 .

5. The controller In the shortage determination process, when the processable amount is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold, it is determined that the processable amount is insufficient. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 .

6. The controller further comprises: a registration determination process for determining whether the image forming apparatus is registered in a server that manages the processable amount; Run when it is determined in the registration determination process that the image forming apparatus has been registered and when it is determined in the shortage determination process that the processable amount is insufficient, the notification unit notifies the first information; When it is determined in the registration determination process that the image forming device is not registered and when it is determined in the shortage determination process that the available processing amount is insufficient, the notification unit notifies the server of second information for displaying a registration operation screen for accepting an operation to register the image forming device. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 .

7. a memory; The controller further comprises: a storage process for storing, in the memory, setting information for setting permission / prohibition of the image forming process executed by the image forming unit when the processable amount is insufficient; To execute The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 .

8. The controller further comprises: a transmission process of transmitting the identification information of the image forming apparatus and a request for generating the code image to a server via the communication interface; a receiving process of receiving, via the communication interface, the code image generated by the server in response to the request for generating the code image, the code image including the identification information of the image forming apparatus; Run In the notification process, the received code image is displayed on the display. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 .

9. The controller further comprises: a generation process for generating a code image including identification information of the image forming device and an access destination of the addition operation screen; Run In the notification process, the generated code image is displayed on the display. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 .

10. the image forming process includes a process of forming an image on a sheet using a colorant; The processable amount includes the amount of the sheet or the amount of the colorant. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. A system including an image forming apparatus and a terminal, the image forming apparatus, an image forming unit; The notification department, a first communication interface for connecting to a network; a first controller; The first controller a shortage determination process for determining whether or not a processable amount of image formation processing executed by the image forming unit is insufficient; a notification process in which, when it is determined in the shortage determination process that the processable amount is insufficient, the notification unit notifies first information for displaying an addition operation screen on an external terminal for receiving an addition operation of the processable amount; a receiving process of receiving, via the first communication interface, the processable amount added in response to the addition operation accepted on the addition operation screen; a control process for controlling the image forming unit to execute the image forming process until the added processable amount is reached when an instruction to execute the image forming process is received; Run The terminal The display and An operation unit; a second communication interface for connecting to the network; a second controller, The second controller a display process for displaying the addition operation screen on the display based on the first information notified by the notifying unit of the image forming apparatus; an addition process in which, in response to an addition operation on the addition operation screen being accepted via the operation unit, a server managing the processable amount is caused to add the processable amount; To execute system.

Images