Image forming device

Abstract

To provide a technique that can notify an image forming device of the fact that the number of printable sheets is expected to increase.SOLUTION: A printer 20 is provided with a printing part 25, a user I / F 27, an external communication part 22, and a printer CPU 26A. The printer CPU 26A executes: a first receiving process for receiving first data indicating that the number of printable sheets in a printing process executed by the printing part 25 is expected to increase, through the external communication part 22; a first notifying process for making the user I / F 27 execute notification of information indicating that the number of printable sheets is expected to increase, in response to reception of the first data; and a control process for controlling the printing part 25 so that the printing part executes the printing process until the number of sheets printed reaches the number of printable sheets.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a system including an image forming device, a mobile terminal device, and a server, in which the server manages the processing capacity of the image forming device. In this system, when a user operates the mobile terminal device to purchase a processing capacity, the server adds the purchased processing capacity to the processing capacity of the image forming device it manages. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-110476 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] It would be desirable for the image forming device to be notified that the processing capacity is scheduled to increase by purchasing the processing capacity on the mobile terminal device, but in the system described in Patent Document 1, such notification is not made to the image forming device.

[0005] The present application aims to provide a technique that makes it possible to notify an image forming apparatus that the processable amount is scheduled to increase. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the image forming apparatus of the present application is an image forming apparatus equipped with an image forming unit, an alarm unit, a communication interface, and a controller, and the controller executes a first receiving process to receive, via the communication interface, first data indicating that the processable amount of image forming processing performed by the image forming unit is scheduled to increase, a first alarm process to cause the alarm unit to execute an alarm of information indicating that the processable amount is scheduled to increase in response to receiving the first data, and a control process to control the image forming unit to execute the image forming processing until the processable amount is reached.

[0007] In the image forming device of the present application, the notification unit of the image forming device notifies the user of the image forming device that the processable amount is scheduled to increase, so that the user of the image forming device can know that the processable amount is scheduled to increase.

[0008] Furthermore, the controller further receives a planned increase in the processable amount in a first reception process, and causes the notification unit to notify the received planned increase in the processable amount in a first notification process, thereby allowing the user of the image forming device to know the planned increase in the processable amount.

[0009] The image forming device can communicate with a server that manages the processable amount via a communication interface, and the server transmits first data to the image forming device in response to receiving an instruction to increase the processable amount from an external terminal, and the controller further receives the first data transmitted from the server via the communication interface in a first reception process. This allows the image forming device to obtain the first data that plans to increase the number of printable sheets even if it is not directly connected to the external terminal.

[0010] In addition, in response to receiving an instruction to select an image forming apparatus whose process capacity is to be increased from the external terminal, the server transmits second data to the image forming apparatus indicating that the image forming apparatus has been selected as the image forming apparatus whose process capacity is to be increased, and the controller further executes a second reception process to receive the second data transmitted from the server via the communication interface, and a second notification process to cause the notification unit to notify information indicating that the image forming apparatus has been selected as the image forming apparatus whose process capacity is to be increased in response to the selection by the external terminal of the image forming apparatus whose process capacity is to be increased. This allows the user of the image forming apparatus to quickly know that the image forming apparatus has been selected as the printer whose process capacity is to be increased.

[0011] Furthermore, the controller further executes a third notification process in which the notification unit notifies the user of the image forming apparatus of the increased processable amount in response to receiving information from the server via the communication interface that the processable amount has increased.

[0012] The image forming apparatus of the present application further includes an input interface, and the controller, after executing the first notification process, executes a transmission process of transmitting permission information permitting the increase in the processable amount to the server via the communication interface in response to receiving an instruction permitting the increase in the processable amount via the input interface. This allows the image forming apparatus to permit the increase in the printable number of sheets to be directly transmitted to the server without going through an external terminal.

[0013] Furthermore, after executing the first notification process, if the controller receives a cancellation of the planned increase in the processable amount from the server via the communication interface in response to receiving an instruction to cancel the increase in the processable amount from the external terminal via the communication interface, the controller further executes a fourth notification process in which the notification unit executes a notification that the planned increase in the processable amount has been canceled, thereby allowing a user of the image forming device to know that the planned increase in the processable amount has been canceled.

[0014] In addition, the image forming apparatus of the present application is an image forming apparatus equipped with an image forming unit, an alarm unit, a communication interface, and a controller, and the controller performs a receiving process to receive data via the communication interface indicating that the processable amount of image forming processing performed by the image forming unit has increased, an alarm process to cause the alarm unit to execute an alarm of information indicating that the processable amount has increased in response to receiving the data, and a control process to control the image forming unit to execute the image forming processing until the processable amount is reached.

[0015] In the image forming device of the present application, the notification unit of the image forming device notifies the user of the image forming device that the number of printable sheets has increased, so that the user of the image forming device can know that the number of printable sheets has increased. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a control configuration of a printing system according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 2] 1. FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing the procedure of a charge schedule notification process executed by the printing system of FIG. [Figure 3] 3A to 3C are diagrams showing various screens displayed on the mobile terminal device and the printer in the charge schedule notification process of FIG. 2. [Figure 4] 4A to 4C are diagrams showing various screens different from those shown in FIG. 3, which are displayed on the mobile terminal device and the printer. [Figure 5] 4(d) is a sequence diagram showing the procedure of the process executed by the printing system of FIG. 1 when the charge pre-confirmation screen of FIG. 4(d) is displayed on the mobile terminal device. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an operation panel of a printer equipped with only LEDs as indicators. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present application will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0018] (Configuration of Printing System 1) FIG. 1 shows the control 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 "capacity amount" in the present application), which is the number of sheets of paper that can be printed by the printer 20. In other words, the printer 20 can print on up to the number of printable sheets. The printer 20 subtracts the number of printed sheets from the number of printable sheets each time a print is made, and stops printing when the number of printable sheets reaches 0. When a user signs up 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 to refer to a unit of 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 paying an additional fee may be referred to as "charging." The number of printable sheets may also be referred to as the charged number.

[0019] 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.

[0020] 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.

[0021] 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.

[0022] (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.

[0023] 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 web application program provided by the vendor of the printer 20. When a user performs an operation, the application 12B sends a request to the server 30, receives a web page generated by the server 30 in response to the request, and displays the web page on the display 14. Furthermore, the application 12B is a program that uses the functions of the terminal program 12A to execute various processes, which will be described later, such as setting processes and print commands for the printer 20, and charge commands for the server 30. The terminal CPU 11 executes the terminal program 12A and application 12B to control the mobile terminal device 10 and execute commands for 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 can be printed by the printer 20.

[0024] 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.

[0025] 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.

[0026] 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.

[0027] 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.

[0028] (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.

[0029] 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.

[0030] 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.

[0031] 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.

[0032] 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.

[0033] The device ID is, for example, a serial number set by the vendor of the printer 20, and is unique information that enables 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 in printing by the printer 20. The printable number may be stored in association with the user ID of the user using the MFP 20.

[0034] 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.

[0035] (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.

[0036] 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.

[0037] 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 in 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 MFP 20. 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.

[0038] 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.

[0039] The control process executed by the printing system 1 configured as above will be described below with reference to FIGS.

[0040] Fig. 2 is a sequence diagram showing the procedure for the charge schedule notification process. The sequence diagram in Fig. 2 shows the exchange of messages between the mobile terminal device 10, the server 30, and the printer 20 when the printing system 1 executes the charge schedule notification process. In Fig. 2, in the explanation of each procedure, steps are represented by "S."

[0041] 2, the mobile terminal device 10 first launches and executes application 12B in response to a user instruction. When the user accesses the login page for the user's account registered on the server 30, a login page (not shown) is displayed on the display 14. At this point, it is assumed that the user's account is registered on the server 30. When the user enters registered authentication information, such as an email address and password, on the login page and performs a login operation, the mobile terminal device 10 sends a login request to the server 30 (S1). In response, the server 30 reads out a printer ID associated with the user's user ID from the server storage unit 32B (S2), creates device selection screen data including a list of printers corresponding to the read printer IDs, and transmits the data to the mobile terminal device 10 (S3). Upon receiving the device selection screen data from the server 30, the mobile terminal device 10 displays, for example, the device selection screen 100 shown in FIG. 3(a) on the display 14 (S4). Three printers associated with the user ID are read out on the device selection screen 100, and each printer is displayed as an icon 101A to 101C. Since the user can operate each icon 101A to 101C to select the corresponding printer, each icon 101A to 101C is regarded as the same as the corresponding printer, and each printer is given the same symbol as the corresponding icon. Note that the printers 101A to 101C in the illustrated example have the same model name (PRN-Cxxx), but are distinguished by their serial numbers (S / N: 123,456,789).

[0042] Test charge buttons 102A-102C are displayed on the device selection screen 100 in association with the respective printers 101A-101C. The test charge buttons 102A-102C are buttons for instructing a test charge without actually charging the corresponding printer 101A-101C. The test charge buttons 102A-102C are used to inform the user operating the mobile terminal device 10 which printer 101A-101C the user is about to charge.

[0043] When the user operates, for example, the test charge button 102A on the device selection screen 100, the mobile terminal device 10 transmits to the server 30 via the external communication unit 17 information that the test charge button 102A has been operated and that the printer 101A associated with the test charge button 102A has been selected, i.e., the serial number (S / N: 123) of the printer 101A (S11 in FIG. 2). In response, the server 30 transmits screen data of a pre-charge confirmation screen indicating the first charge schedule to the selected printer 101A via the external communication unit 31 (S12). The first charge schedule is information indicating that the printer 101A has been selected. The printer 101A displays the screen data received via the external communication unit 22 on the touch panel (an example of "notification" in this application) (S13).

[0044] FIG. 3(b) shows the charge pre-confirmation screen 200 displayed on the touch panel in S13. The charge pre-confirmation screen 200 displays "Charge pre-confirmation," "You are about to charge this printer," and a close button 200A. By displaying the charge pre-confirmation screen 200 in this manner, the user operating the mobile terminal device 10 can know which printer is the target of the charge before actually performing the charge. When the user operates the close button 200A, the display on the touch panel of the printer 101A transitions from the charge pre-confirmation screen 200 to, for example, the HOME screen 220 shown in FIG. 4(a).

[0045] The HOME screen 220 is an initial screen that is first displayed on the touch panel when the printer 20 is turned on, etc. The HOME screen 220 displays a remaining charge number display area 221, a Copy icon 222, and a Scan icon 223.

[0046] The remaining charge number display area 221 reads and displays the number of printable sheets stored in the printer management table PT. The current number of printable sheets is 50. As mentioned above, if the number of printable sheets 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 a document using the scanning unit 28 and printing unit 25. The Scan icon 103 is an icon operated when a user wishes to scan a document using the scanning unit 28.

[0047] On the other hand, when the user operates, for example, icon 101A on the device selection screen 100, the mobile terminal device 10 transmits to the server 30 information that the icon 101A has been operated and that the printer 101A associated with the icon 101A has been selected, i.e., the serial number (S / N: 123) of the printer 101A (S11). In response to this, the server 30 reads out the plan list of the selected printer 101A from the server storage unit 32B (S14). Then, the server 30 creates plan selection screen data including the read plan list and transmits the plan selection screen data to the mobile terminal device 10 (S15). The mobile terminal device 10 receives this screen data and displays it on the display 14 (S16).

[0048] 3(c) shows a plan selection screen 110 for printer 101A displayed on display 14. Plan selection screen 200 displays the model name "PRN-Cxxx" and serial number "S / N:123" of printer 101A, as well as plan selection icons 110A to 110D associated with selectable plans. The user can select one of plan selection icons 110A to 110D.

[0049] For example, when the user operates the plan selection icon 110A on the plan selection screen 110, a plan that allows 50 sheets to be charged for a fee of 500 yen is selected. The display screen on the display 14 then transitions from the plan selection screen 110 to the charge execution screen 120 shown in FIG. 3(d) (S17). The charge execution screen 120 displays a charge execution button 120A and a test charge button 120B, along with notes explaining the functions of each button 120A and 120B. When the user operates the test charge button 120B on the charge execution screen 120, the mobile terminal device 10 transmits an instruction to the server 30 to perform a test charge with a charge quantity of 50 sheets (S21 in FIG. 2). In response, the server 30 transmits screen data of a pre-charge confirmation screen indicating the second charge schedule to the printer 20 (S22). The second charge schedule is information indicating that a test charge with a charge quantity of 50 sheets is scheduled (S22). The printer 20 displays a pre-charge confirmation screen on the touch panel to notify the user that the instructed charge number of 50 sheets is to be added to the current printable number of sheets (S23).

[0050] FIG. 3(e) shows the charge pre-confirmation screen 210 displayed on the touch panel in S23. The charge pre-confirmation screen 210 displays a message indicating "charge pre-confirmation," a message indicating "You are about to charge 50 sheets to this printer," a message indicating "Once you officially execute the charge from the app, the remaining number of sheets will increase from 50 to 100," and a close button 210A. By displaying the charge pre-confirmation screen 210 in this manner, the user operating the mobile terminal device 10 can know, before actually charging, which printer is the target of the charge, the number of sheets to be charged (50 sheets), and the number of printable sheets after the charge. When the user operates the close button 210A, the display on the touch panel of the printer 101A transitions from the charge pre-confirmation screen 200 to, for example, the HOME screen 220 shown in FIG. 4(a). At this point, the remaining number of sheets displayed in the remaining charge number display area 221 on the HOME screen 220 remains at 50 sheets.

[0051] When the user operates the charge execution button 120A on the charge execution screen 120, the mobile terminal device 10 transmits to the server 30 an instruction to settle the charge amount of 500 yen and an instruction to charge 50 sheets (S31). In response, the server 30 executes a payment process (S32a) and a charge process (S32b). In the payment process, the server 30 settles the charge amount specified in the payment instruction received from the mobile terminal device 10. In the charge process, the server 30 adds the charge number specified in the charge instruction received from the mobile terminal device 10 to the printable number of sheets associated with the device ID of the printer 101A stored in the server management table ST. Next, the server 30 transmits an instruction to charge 50 sheets to the printer 101A (S33). The printer 101A executes a charge process to add the specified charge number of 50 sheets to the current printable number stored in the printer management table PT (S34a), and displays a charge completion screen on the touch panel (S34b). Then, the printer 101A notifies the server 30 that the charge has been completed (S35). In response, the server 30 creates charge completion screen data and transmits it to the mobile terminal device 10 (S36). Upon receiving the charge completion screen data from the server 30, the mobile terminal device 10 displays a charge completion screen on the display 14 (S37).

[0052] FIG. 4B shows the charge completion screen 230 displayed on the display 14 in S37. The charge completion screen 230 displays the message "Charge Complete," the message "50 sheets charged, remaining number increased from 50 to 100," and a close button 230A. By displaying the charge completion screen 230 in this manner, the user operating the mobile terminal device 10 can see that the charge of 50 sheets for the plan selected by the user has actually been executed, and that the current number of printable sheets (50 sheets) has been added to the current number of printable sheets (50 sheets), updating the current number of printable sheets to 100 sheets. When the user operates the close button 230A, the display on the touch panel of the printer 101A transitions from the charge completion screen 230 to, for example, the HOME screen 220′ shown in FIG. 4C. The remaining number in the remaining charge number display area 221 on the HOME screen 220′ increases to 100 sheets.

[0053] Note that when the user operates the test charge button 120B, the following process may be executed instead of the process described above. In this process, in S23, the charge pre-confirmation screen 240 of FIG. 4(d) is displayed instead of the charge pre-confirmation screen 210 of FIG. 3(e). FIG. 4(d) shows the charge pre-confirmation screen 240 in a different display format from the charge pre-confirmation screen 210 of FIG. 3(e). This description is intended to indicate that when the test charge button 120B is operated on the charge execution screen 120, the charge pre-confirmation screen 240 of FIG. 4(d) may be displayed instead of the charge pre-confirmation screen 210 of FIG. 3(e). FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram showing the procedure for this process. Note that the sequence diagram of FIG. 5 is created using part of the process included in the sequence diagram of FIG. 2 as is, and therefore, processes similar to those in FIG. 2 are assigned the same reference numerals, and descriptions of those processes will be omitted as appropriate.

[0054] The charge pre-confirmation screen 240 in FIG. 4(d) differs from the charge pre-confirmation screen 210 in FIG. 3(e) in that it displays an Allow button 240A and a Deny button 240B instead of the Close button 230A. The charge pre-confirmation screen 240 is displayed on the printer 101A when the Test Charge button 120B is operated on the charge execution screen 120 displayed on the display 14 of the mobile terminal device 10. In other words, in FIG. 5, the charge pre-confirmation screen 240 is displayed on the printer 101A by following the same procedures as those described above in S21 to S23 of FIG. 2. On the charge pre-confirmation screen 210 in FIG. 3(e), the user operates the Close button 210A and then operates the Charge Execution button 120A on the charge execution screen 120 of the mobile terminal device 10, thereby completing the charge to the printer 101A. In contrast, when the user operates the permission button 240A on the charge pre-confirmation screen 240 of Fig. 4(d), the touch panel screen transitions from the charge pre-confirmation screen 240 to the charge completion screen 230 of Fig. 4(b), and the charge is completed. In other words, while a test charge is in progress, the charge can be performed directly from the printer 101A. This eliminates the need for the user to return from the printer 101A to the mobile terminal device 10 again to perform an operation after the test charge, thereby reducing the user's operational effort.

[0055] When the permission button 240A is operated, the printer 101A transmits an instruction to permit charging from the external communication unit 22 to the server 30 (S40 in FIG. 5). In response, the server 30 executes a payment process (S32a) and a charge process (S32b). In the payment process, the server 30 settles the charge amount specified in the test charge instruction received from the mobile terminal device 10 in S21 in FIG. 2 above. In the charge process, the charge number of 50 sheets, which is included in the instruction to perform a test charge with the charge number of 50 sheets specified in the test charge instruction, is added to the printable number of sheets of the printer 101A (the printable number of sheets stored in the server management table ST above), updating the printable number of sheets of the printer 101A and charging the printer 101A (S33).

[0056] On the other hand, when the user operates the reject button 240B on the charge pre-confirmation screen 240, the touch panel screen transitions from the charge pre-confirmation screen 240 to the charge cancellation screen 250 shown in FIG. 4(e). Then, the printer 101A notifies the server 30 that the charge has been rejected (S50). In response, the server 30 creates charge rejection screen data and transmits it to the mobile terminal device 10 (S51). Upon receiving the charge rejection screen data from the server 30, the mobile terminal device 10 displays a charge rejection screen (not shown) on the display 14 (S37). For example, the charge rejection screen displays a message such as, "The reject button was operated on the printer 101A, and the charge has been rejected." On the other hand, the charge cancellation screen 250 displays the message "Charge Canceled," the message "The scheduled charge has been canceled," and a close button 250A. By operating the reject button 240B, a user standing in front of the printer 101A can know that the charge has actually been canceled. When the user operates the close button 250A, the display on the touch panel of the printer 101A transitions from the charge cancellation screen 250 to, for example, the HOME screen 220 shown in Fig. 4(a). The remaining number of coins in the remaining charge number display area 221 on the HOME screen 220 remains at 50 coins.

[0057] Additionally, a cancel button having a function similar to that of the reject button 240B may be provided, for example, on the charge execution screen 120 of FIG. 3(d). When this cancel button is operated, the mobile terminal device 10 sends an instruction to the server 30 to cancel the test charge. In response, the server 30 sends a message to the printer 101A indicating that the test charge has been canceled. When the printer 101A receives this notification from the external communication unit 22, it transitions the display on the touch panel from, for example, the pre-charge confirmation screen 210 of FIG. 3(e) to the charge cancellation screen 250 of FIG. 4(e).

[0058] The above explanation of the notification process for test charging and actual charging was based on the assumption that the printer 20 is equipped with a touch panel, i.e., a liquid crystal display. However, the notification process of the present application can also be applied to printers that do not have a liquid crystal display and only have LEDs.

[0059] Fig. 6 shows an example of a user I / F 27A of a printer 20A that is equipped only with an LED. In Fig. 6, an LED 27A1 indicates whether the power of the printer 20A is on or off, and lights up when the power is on and goes out when the power is off.

[0060] In this printer 20A, when a printer is selected in S12 of FIG. 2 or when a test charge instruction is given in S22 of FIG. 2, the printer 20A blinks the LED 27A1, for example, at two-second intervals for 10 seconds, in S13 or S23. On the other hand, when charging is complete, the printer 20A blinks the LED 27A1, for example, at one-second intervals for 10 seconds. Note that the blinking interval and blinking duration are not limited to these, and any interval and duration may be used. However, it is necessary to blink the LED in different ways during test charging and when charging is complete.

[0061] In addition, other LEDs may be used to indicate when test charging is being performed and when the test is complete, rather than just LED27A1, and the LED that indicates when test charging is being performed and the LED that indicates when the test is complete may be separate.

[0062] Furthermore, in addition to the notification using the LED, the printer may also be configured to notify by sound, or may be configured to notify by sound alone, in which case the printer is equipped with a device for emitting sound (for example, a speaker).

[0063] 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 the sheet, etc. If the amount of ink is used as the "processable amount," the plan selection screen 110 in Figure 3(c) above may present and allow the user to select a plan according to the amount of ink to be purchased.

[0064] As described above, printer 20 of this embodiment is printer 20 equipped with printing unit 25, user I / F 27, external communication unit 22, and printer CPU 26A, and printer CPU 26A executes the following operations: a first reception process for receiving, via external communication unit 22, first data indicating that the printable number of sheets in the printing process executed by printing unit 25 is scheduled to increase (S12, S22); a first notification process for causing user I / F 27 to notify information indicating that the printable number of sheets is scheduled to increase in response to receiving the first data (S13, S23); and a control process for controlling printing unit 25 to execute the printing process until the printable number is reached. Note that external communication unit 22 here may be short-range communication unit 21.

[0065] In this way, in the printer 20 of this embodiment, the user of the printer 20 can be notified through the user I / F 27 of the printer 20 that the number of printable sheets is scheduled to be increased, so that the user of the printer 20 can know that the number of printable sheets is scheduled to be increased.

[0066] Furthermore, in a first reception process, printer CPU 26A receives the planned increase in the number of printable sheets (S22), and in a first notification process, causes user I / F 27 to notify the received planned increase (S23), thereby allowing the user of printer 20 to know the planned increase in the number of printable sheets.

[0067] The printer 20 can communicate with a server 30 that manages the number of printable sheets via the external communication unit 22. The server 30 transmits first data to the printer 20 in response to receiving an instruction from the mobile terminal device 10 to increase the number of printable sheets to the printer 20 (S22), and the printer CPU 26A further receives the first data transmitted from the server 30 via the external communication unit 22 in a first reception process. This allows the printer 20 to obtain the first data that plans to increase the number of printable sheets even if it is not directly connected to the mobile terminal device 10.

[0068] Furthermore, in response to receiving an instruction from the mobile terminal device 10 to select the printer 20 for which the printable number of sheets will be increased, the server 30 transmits second data to the printer 20 indicating that the printer 20 has been selected as the printer 20 for which the printable number of sheets will be increased (S12), and the printer CPU 26A further executes a second reception process to receive the second data transmitted from the server 30 via the external communication unit 22 (S13), and a second notification process to cause the user I / F 27 to notify the user of the printer 20 of information indicating that the printer 20 has been selected as the printer 20 for which the printable number of sheets will be increased (S13). As a result, in response to the selection of the printer 20 for which the printable number of sheets is to be increased by the mobile terminal device 10, the user of the printer 20 can quickly know that the printer 20 has been selected as the printer for which the printable number of sheets will be increased.

[0069] Furthermore, printer CPU 26A further executes a third notification process (S23) in which user I / F 27 notifies the user of the increased number of printable sheets in response to receiving information from server 30 via external communication unit 22 that the number of printable sheets has increased. This allows the user of printer 20 to know the increased number of printable sheets.

[0070] The printer 20 further includes a user I / F 27, and after executing the first notification process, the printer CPU 26A, in response to receiving an instruction to permit an increase in the number of printable sheets via the user I / F 27 (operation of the permission button 240A), executes a transmission process (S35) to transmit permission information permitting an increase in the number of printable sheets to the server 30 via the external communication unit 22. This allows the printer 20 to directly request the server 30 to permit an increase in the number of printable sheets without going through the mobile terminal device 10.

[0071] Furthermore, after executing the first notification process, if printer CPU 26A receives a cancellation of the planned increase in the printable number from server 30 via external communication unit 22 in response to receiving an instruction to cancel the increase in the printable number from mobile terminal device 10 via external communication unit 22, printer CPU 26A further executes a fourth notification process in which user I / F 27 executes a notification that the planned increase in the printable number has been canceled (displaying charge cancellation screen 250). This allows the user of printer 20 to know that the planned increase in the printable number has been canceled.

[0072] 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.

[0073] The printer 20 of the present application is a printer 20 equipped with a printing unit 25, a user I / F 27, an external communication unit 22, and a printer CPU 26A, and the printer CPU 26A performs a reception process to receive data indicating that the number of printable sheets in the printing process executed by the printing unit 25 has increased via the external communication unit 22, a notification process to cause the user I / F 27 to notify the user that the number of printable sheets has increased (displaying a charge completion screen 230) in response to receiving the data, and a control process to control the printing unit 25 to execute the printing process until the number of printable sheets is reached.

[0074] In the printer 20 of the present application, the user I / F 27 of the printer 20 notifies the user of the printer 20 that the number of printable sheets has increased, so that the user of the printer 20 can know that the number of printable sheets has increased.

[0075] 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.

[0076] (1) 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.

[0077] (2) 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.

[0078] (3) In the above embodiment, an example of a printing process has been described as an example of an image formation process. However, the image formation process is not limited to this. Scanning and fax transmission / reception processes may also be used as image formation processes. When scanning is used as the image formation process, the number of pages on one side of a document to be scanned can be applied as the processable amount. When fax transmission / reception is used as the image formation process, 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 on the paper can be applied as the processable amount.

[0079] (4) In the above embodiment, 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.

[0080] (5) In this embodiment, the application 12B operates as a web application, but it may be a native application as long as it has equivalent functionality. The application 12B may also be a browser. [Explanation of symbols]

[0081] 1...printing system, 10...portable terminal device (external terminal), 11...terminal CPU, 15...input I / F, 17...external communication unit, 20...printer (image forming device), 21...short-range communication unit (communication interface), 22...external communication unit (communication interface), 25...printing unit (image forming unit), 26A...printer CPU (controller), 27...user I / F (alarm unit), 27A1...LED (alarm unit), 30...server, 31...external communication unit, 32A...server CPU, 32B...server memory unit.

Claims

1. an image forming unit; The notification department, a communication interface; an image forming apparatus including: The controller a first receiving process of receiving, via the communication interface, first data indicating that a processable amount of image formation processing executed by the image forming unit is scheduled to increase; a first notification process for causing the notification unit to execute a notification of information indicating that the processable amount is scheduled to be increased in response to receiving the first data; a control process for controlling the image forming unit to perform the image forming process until the processable amount is reached; To execute Image forming device.

2. The controller further comprises: In the first receiving process, a planned increase in the processable amount is received, In the first notification process, the notification unit is caused to notify the received planned increase amount. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 .

3. the image forming apparatus is capable of communicating with a server that manages the processable amount via the communication interface; the server transmits the first data to the image forming apparatus in response to receiving an instruction to increase the processable amount from an external terminal to the image forming apparatus; The controller further comprises: In the first receiving process, the first data transmitted from the server is received via the communication interface. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 .

4. the server, in response to receiving from the external terminal a selection instruction for an image forming apparatus for which the processable amount is to be increased, transmits to the image forming apparatus second data indicating that the image forming apparatus has been selected as the image forming apparatus for which the processable amount is to be increased; The controller further comprises: a second receiving process of receiving the second data transmitted from the server via the communication interface; a second notification process for causing the notification unit to notify information indicating that the image forming apparatus has been selected as an image forming apparatus that increases the processable amount in response to receiving the second data; To execute The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 .

5. The controller further comprises: a third notification process for causing the notification unit to notify the increased processable amount in response to receiving information from the server via the communication interface that the processable amount has increased; To execute The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 .

6. an input interface; The controller further comprises: a transmission process of transmitting permission information permitting an increase in the processable amount to the server via the communication interface in response to receiving an instruction permitting an increase in the processable amount via the input interface after the first notification process is executed; To execute The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 .

7. The controller further comprises: a fourth notification process in which, after the execution of the first notification process, in response to receiving an instruction to cancel the increase in the processable amount from the external terminal via the communication interface, when a cancellation of the planned increase in the processable amount is received from the server via the communication interface, the notification unit executes a notification that the planned increase in the processable amount has been canceled; To execute The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 .

8. 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 7.

9. an image forming unit; The notification department, a communication interface; an image forming apparatus including: The controller a receiving process of receiving, via the communication interface, data indicating an increase in the processable amount of image formation processing executed by the image forming unit; a notification process of causing the notification unit to notify information indicating that the processable amount has increased in response to receiving the data; a control process for controlling the image forming unit to perform the image forming process until the processable amount is reached; To execute Image forming device.

Images