Management system, consumption device, server and management method

Abstract

To provide a management system allowing a user to quickly store expendables when the delivered expendables are at hand of the user in an unused state.SOLUTION: A management system 1 is configured such that a printing device 3 storing a cartridge 7 can communicate with a management server 4 that performs distribution management of the cartridge on the basis of a contract. The printing device executes: storage information storage processing of storing a storage frequency of the cartridge in the printing device; distribution request processing of requesting a distribution of the cartridge; distribution information storage processing of storing a distribution frequency of the cartridge on the basis of the distribution request processing; acquisition processing of acquiring the stored storage frequency and distribution frequency; determination processing of determining whether or not the distributed and unused cartridge exists on the basis of the distribution frequency and the storage frequency acquired by the acquisition processing; and notification processing of urging a user to use the distributed and unused cartridge when it is determined by the determination processing that the distributed and unused cartridge exists.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a technology relating to a service in which a manufacturer automatically delivers unused consumables to a user according to the usage status of the consumables stored in an image forming device, as described in Patent Document 1. In the image forming device described in Patent Document 1, even if the user cancels the service contract, the dedicated consumables at the time of the service contract can be continued to be used. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-160229 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the image forming device described in Patent Document 1 above does not disclose anything about what to do if the delivered consumables are in the user's possession in an unused state, which creates the problem that the user cannot quickly put away the unused consumables.

[0005] Therefore, in consideration of the above problems, the object of the present invention is to provide a management system, consumption device, server, and management method that allows delivered consumables to be quickly stored when the user has unused consumables in their possession. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] (1) To achieve the above-mentioned object, one aspect of the present invention provides a management system in which a first consumption device that stores a consumable item and a server that manages delivery of the consumable item based on a contract are configured to be able to communicate with each other, wherein the first consumption device executes a consumption process for consuming the consumable item that is the subject of the delivery management, and at least one of the first consumption device and the server executes the following processes: a storage information storage process for storing storage information indicating a storage status of the new consumable item delivered based on the contract in the first consumption device, a delivery request process for requesting delivery of the consumable item, a delivery information storage process for storing delivery information indicating a delivery status of the consumable item based on the delivery request process, an acquisition process for acquiring the stored storage information and the delivery information, a determination process for determining whether or not there is any unused consumable item that has been delivered based on the delivery information acquired in the acquisition process and the storage information acquired in the acquisition process, and a notification process for prompting the user to use the unused consumable item that has been delivered if it is determined in the determination process that there is any unused consumable item that has been delivered.

[0007] According to this type of management system, the determination process determines whether the user has any unused consumables that have been delivered, and if the determination process determines that the user has any unused consumables that have been delivered, the notification process issues a notification encouraging the user to use the unused consumables that have been delivered. In this way, by issuing a notification encouraging the user to use the unused consumables that have been delivered, the unused consumables can be used effectively.

[0008] (2) In the management system of the above form, at least one of the first consumption device and the server may, in the storage information storage process, store as the storage information the number of times that new consumables delivered based on the contract have been stored in the first consumption device, and in the delivery information storage process, store as the delivery information the number of deliveries, which is the number of consumables delivered based on the delivery request process, and in the judgment process, determine whether the number of deliveries is greater than the number of storages, and if the judgment process determines that the number of deliveries is greater than the number of storages, execute the notification process.

[0009] According to this type of management system, by using the "number of times of storage" as storage information indicating the storage status of the consumable in the consumption device and the "number of deliveries" as delivery information, it is possible to easily determine whether the user has a delivered but unused consumable in hand. Furthermore, since the management system only needs to manage the number of deliveries and the number of times of storage of the consumable, there is no need for complicated management such as management of the identification information of the consumable, and the amount of memory required for management can be saved.

[0010] (3) In the management system of the above aspect, at least one of the first consumption device and the server may execute the notification process when the contract is renewed after the contract is terminated. According to this management system, when the contract is renewed, consumables delivered during the previous contract can be effectively utilized.

[0011] (4) In the management system of the above form, the system may further include a second consumption device different from the first consumption device, and when the first consumption device is under contract and exchange information indicating that the first consumption device has been replaced with the second consumption device is stored in the server, at least one of the second consumption device and the server may acquire the storage information and delivery information of the first consumption device in the acquisition process, and perform processing using the storage information and delivery information of the first consumption device in the judgment process and the notification process.

[0012] According to this management system, when a first consumption device is under contract and is replaced with a second consumption device, the storage information and delivery information of the consumables in the first consumption device can be transferred to the second consumption device. Therefore, when the first consumption device is replaced with the second consumption device, the consumables delivered to the first consumption device before replacement can be effectively utilized.

[0013] (5) In the management system of the above form, at least one of the first consumption device and the server may further use a value related to the expiration date of the delivered, unused consumable to determine whether the delivered, unused consumable is within its expiration date in the judgment process, and may execute the notification process if the judgment process determines that there is a delivered, unused consumable and that the delivered, unused consumable is within its expiration date.

[0014] According to this type of management system, if the determination process determines that there are unused consumables that have been delivered and that the unused consumables that have been delivered are within their expiration dates, the notification process is executed. This makes it possible to encourage the use of unused consumables that are within their expiration dates, while not encouraging the use of consumables that have passed their expiration dates.

[0015] (6) In the management system of the above form, the first consumption device can store multiple types of consumables, and at least one of the first consumption device and the server executes the storage information storage process, the delivery request process, the delivery information storage process, the acquisition process, the judgment process, and the notification process for each type of consumable, and in the notification process, the device may encourage the use of the consumable that has been delivered but is determined to be unused in the judgment process.

[0016] According to this management system, the storage information storage process, delivery request process, delivery information storage process, acquisition process, determination process, and notification process are executed for each type of consumable product. Therefore, in a consumption device that can store multiple types of consumable products, it is possible to individually notify the type of consumable product that has been delivered and is unused and can be effectively utilized.

[0017] (7) In the management system of the above aspect, at least one of the first consumption device and the server may execute the delivery request process when it is determined in the determination process that there are no delivered, unused consumables. According to this aspect of the management system, when the user does not have any delivered, unused consumables, the consumables can be delivered to the user promptly.

[0018] (8) In the management system of the above aspect, at least one of the first consumption device and the server may, in the notification process, provide guidance on what to do if the user does not have the delivered, unused consumable item. According to this management system, if the user does not have any unused consumable items at hand, the user can quickly follow the guidance to purchase the consumable item, thereby improving convenience.

[0019] (9) In the management system of the above aspect, the first consumption device may execute the acquisition process, the determination process, and the notification process. According to this management system, the first consumption device can execute the acquisition process, the determination process, and the notification process all at once.

[0020] (10) According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a consumption device configured to be able to communicate with a server in a management system that manages delivery of consumables based on a contract, the consumption device storing the consumables that are the subject of the delivery management, and including a device control unit, the device control unit executing: a consumption process for consuming the consumables that are the subject of the delivery management, a storage information storage process for storing storage information indicating the storage status of new consumables delivered based on the contract in the consumption device, a delivery request process for requesting delivery of the consumables, a delivery information storage process for storing delivery information indicating the delivery status of the consumables based on the delivery request process, an acquisition process for acquiring the stored storage information and the delivery information, a determination process for determining whether or not there are any unused consumables that have been delivered based on the delivery information acquired in the acquisition process and the storage information acquired in the acquisition process, and a notification process for encouraging the use of the unused consumables that have been delivered if it is determined in the determination process that there are any unused consumables that have been delivered.

[0021] According to this type of consumption device, by issuing a notification encouraging the use of delivered but unused consumables, unused consumables can be effectively utilized.

[0022] (11) According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a server configured to be able to communicate with a consumption device that stores consumables that are the subject of delivery management in a management system and executes a consumption process for consuming the consumables, the server performing the delivery management of the consumables based on a contract, and including a server control unit, the server control unit executing a storage information storage process for storing storage information indicating a storage status of new consumables delivered based on the contract in the consumption device, a delivery request process for requesting delivery of the consumables, a delivery information storage process for storing delivery information indicating a delivery status of the consumables based on the delivery request process, an acquisition process for acquiring the stored storage information and the delivery information, a determination process for determining whether or not there are any delivered, unused consumables based on the delivery information acquired in the acquisition process and the storage information acquired in the acquisition process, and a notification process for encouraging the use of the delivered, unused consumables when it is determined in the determination process that there are any delivered, unused consumables.

[0023] According to the server of this type, by sending a notification encouraging the use of unused consumables that have already been delivered, it is possible to make effective use of unused consumables.

[0024] The present invention disclosed above can be realized in various forms other than a management system, such as a management method, a management program, or a non-transitory recording medium storing such a program. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a management system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a storage table stored in the printing device. [Figure 3] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a main process executed by the printing device. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart showing the procedure of a process for checking whether cartridge delivery is necessary. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart showing the procedure of a cartridge delivery process. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart showing the procedure of a cartridge replacement process. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing the procedure of a withdrawal process. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart showing the procedure of a replacement information storage process in a management system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a storage table of management information stored in a management server; [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for pre-replacement information acquisition processing. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0026] Hereinafter, several embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First Embodiment A management system 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. [Overall configuration of management system 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a management system 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the management system 1 includes a terminal device 2, a printer 3, a management server 4, and a delivery server 5, all of which are configured to communicate with each other via a WAN 6. WAN stands for Wide Area Network. In this embodiment, the WAN 6 is the Internet. The management system 1 concludes a contract with the printer 3 in response to a start request transmitted from the terminal device 2, and provides and manages delivery services based on the contract. Specifically, when the management server 4 receives the start request transmitted from the terminal device 2, the management server 4 requests the terminal device 2 for information about the user who will conclude the contract and information about the printer 3. When the management server 4 receives the user information and the printer 3 information from the terminal device 2, the management server 4 stores the user information and the printer 3 information in the storage unit 52. The management server 4 then instructs the printer 3 to switch to the contract mode. When the printer 3 receives the contract mode transition instruction from the management server 4, it switches from the normal mode to the contract mode. The modes of the printer 3 will be described in detail below. After the contract is concluded, the state in which the contract is valid or the period during which the contract is valid is referred to as "during the contract."

[0027] The delivery service is a service that charges according to the amount of printing within a contract period. The delivery service includes a delivery service that automatically delivers ink cartridges 7 (hereinafter simply referred to as "cartridges 7") that can be used in the printing device 3, and a billing service that charges according to the number of printed sheets, which is the number of sheets of print media printed by the printing device 3. In this embodiment, when the remaining ink level in a contract cartridge 7 housed in the printing device 3 falls below a first threshold, that contract cartridge is delivered one by one.

[0028] There are two types of cartridges 7: commercially available cartridges and contract cartridges. Commercially available cartridges are cartridges that can be purchased at retail stores and can be used in a printing device 3 in normal mode without a contract, or in a printing device 3 in normal mode after canceling the service. Contract cartridges are cartridges exclusive to delivery services that cannot be purchased at retail stores and can be used in printing devices 3 only when a contract has been concluded. Cartridges handled by the delivery service are contract cartridges, and will also be referred to as "contract cartridges 7" hereinafter. In this embodiment, printing is performed using contract cartridges in a printing device 3 in contract mode. Since contract cartridges cannot be used in a printing device 3 in normal mode, commercially available cartridges are used.

[0029] The billing service may include, for example, multiple service plans, and charges a fixed fee for printing up to the number of printable pages specified for each service plan within a service unit period (e.g., one month), with an additional fee for printing in excess of the number of printable pages. If the number of pages printed within a service unit period is less than the number of printable pages, the surplus is carried over to the next service unit period. In the delivery service of this embodiment, the billing service begins when the contract cartridge 7 is inserted into the printing device 3 at the start of the delivery service contract.

[0030] The terminal device 2 of this embodiment is a personal computer. The terminal device 2 includes a control unit 11, a communication unit 12, a display unit 13, an input unit 14, and a storage unit 15. The control unit 11 includes a CPU 21 and a memory 22. The CPU 21 controls the terminal device 2 by executing a program stored in the memory 22. The memory 22 includes semiconductor memory such as ROM, RAM, and flash memory. The communication unit 12 is a communication module for performing data communication with the management server 4 via the WAN 6. The display unit 13 is a liquid crystal display and can display various information. The input unit 14 includes a keyboard and a mouse and outputs detection signals to the control unit 11 in response to input operations made via the keyboard and mouse. The storage unit 15 includes a non-volatile storage device such as an HDD or SSD and stores various data. HDD stands for Hard Disk Drive. SSD stands for Solid State Drive.

[0031] The printing device 3 accommodates four ink cartridges 71-74 (first cartridge 71, second cartridge 72, third cartridge 73, and fourth cartridge 74). Here, "accommodating" includes attaching the cartridges to a cartridge holder. The printing device 3 is an inkjet printer that prints using each of the cartridges 71-74. When the four cartridges 71-74 are not particularly distinguished from one another, they are simply referred to as "cartridges 7." The printing device 3 includes a control unit 31, a communication unit 32, a display unit 33, an input unit 34, a printing unit 35, and a connector 36. The control unit 31 includes a CPU 41 and a memory 42. The printing device 3 is an example of a "first consumption device." The control unit 31 is an example of a "device control unit." The cartridges 7 are an example of a "consumable."

[0032] The CPU 41 controls the printing device 3 by executing programs stored in the memory 42. The memory 42 includes semiconductor memory such as ROM, RAM, and flash memory, and stores the printing device program 23, the management program 24, and various data. The printing device program 23 is a computer program that causes the CPU 41 to realize the printing function. The management program 24 is a computer program that causes the CPU 41 to realize the function of managing delivery services.

[0033] The communication unit 32 is a communication module that communicates data with the management server 4 via the WAN 6. The display unit 33 is a liquid crystal display that can display various information. The input unit 34 has a touch panel installed on the screen of the display unit 33 and switches installed around the screen of the display unit 33. The input unit 34 outputs a detection signal to the control unit 11 in response to an input operation performed by the user via the touch panel and the switches. The printing unit 35 has a print head and can print an image on a printing medium using color materials contained in cartridges 71 to 74.

[0034] The connector 36 outputs information read from the memory provided in each of the first cartridge 71, second cartridge 72, third cartridge 73, and fourth cartridge 74, which are detachably housed in the printing device 3, to the control unit 31. The connector 36 also inputs information instructed by the control unit 31 to be written to the memory provided in each of the cartridges 71 to 74. A detection signal is output to the control unit 31. The colorant in this embodiment is ink. The first cartridge 71 has a first memory 75 and contains a cyan colorant. The second cartridge 72 has a second memory 76 and contains a magenta colorant. The third cartridge 73 has a third memory 77 and contains a yellow colorant. The fourth cartridge 74 has a fourth memory 78 and contains a black colorant.

[0035] The management server 4 is a server that manages the delivery of each cartridge 71-74 based on a contract. The management server 4 comprises a control unit 51, a storage unit 52, and a communication unit 53. The control unit 51 comprises a CPU 61 and a memory 62. The CPU 61 controls the management server 4 by executing a program stored in the memory 62. The management server 4 corresponds to an example of a "server." The control unit 51 corresponds to an example of a "server control unit." The memory 62 comprises semiconductor memory such as ROM, RAM, and flash memory, and stores programs including a management program 63, and data. The management program 63 is a computer program that causes the CPU 61 to realize the function of managing the delivery service.

[0036] In the present embodiment, the following description will be given assuming that the printer 3 performs all functions for managing the delivery service, but the functions for managing the delivery service may be performed by the management server 4, or may be performed in cooperation between the printer 3 and the management server 4. The storage unit 52 includes a non-volatile storage device such as an HDD or SSD, and stores various data. The communication unit 53 is a communication module that communicates data between the terminal device 2, the printer 3, and the delivery server 5 via the WAN 6.

[0037] The delivery server 5 includes a control unit, a communication unit, and a storage unit (not shown), and the control unit of the delivery server 5 executes processing to notify a delivery worker to deliver the contract cartridge 7 in accordance with the contents of the cartridge delivery instruction in response to receiving the cartridge delivery instruction from the management server 4, which has received the cartridge delivery request from the printing device 3. The delivery worker delivers the contract cartridge 7 in accordance with the cartridge delivery instruction.

[0038] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating storage table T1 stored in the printing device 3. Storage table T1 is stored in memory 42 of the printing device 3. Memory 42 stores the following information: the mode of the printing device 3, device identification information, cartridge information K1 of the contract cartridges 7 housed in the printing device 3, the cancellation date, and the subscription flag. FIG. 2 shows an example of a contracted printing device 3 in which all of the housed cartridges 71-74 are contract cartridges, and which have been used for some time since being housed and have low ink levels.

[0039] 2, the printing device 3 stores the mode of the printing device 3, device identification information, cartridge information K1 for the contract cartridge 7 housed in the printing device 3, the cancellation date, and a subscription flag. The printing device 3 in this embodiment has two modes: a normal mode in which a contract for the delivery service described above has not been concluded, and a contract mode in which a contract for the delivery service has been concluded and the contract period for the delivery service has not yet been concluded. The device identification information is a unique serial number used to identify the printing device 3.

[0040] The storage table T1 shown in FIG. 2 includes cartridge identification information, type information, remaining amount, new product flag, number of deliveries, number of times stored, and delivered flag as cartridge information K1 read from memories 75, 76, 77, and 78. The cartridge identification information, type information, remaining amount, new product flag, number of deliveries, number of times stored, and delivered flag are all values ​​set for each contract cartridge 71-74 and are pre-stored in memories 75, 76, 77, and 78, respectively. The cartridge identification information is a unique serial number for identifying each contract cartridge 71-74. The cartridge identification information may also include information indicating the ink color, model number, manufacturer, and production lot of the contract cartridge 7. While the cartridge identification information of this embodiment includes information specifying the expiration date, for simplicity's sake, the cartridge identification information of this embodiment is a string of letters and four-digit numbers. For example, the cartridge identification information of the first cartridge 71 is "C0001." The type information indicates the type of cartridge.

[0041] The remaining amount is information indicating the remaining amount of colorant in the contract cartridge 7. As an example, the remaining amount is a value assuming that the remaining amount of colorant when unused is 100. The remaining amount may be an absolute amount of colorant. The remaining amount may be detected by a remaining amount sensor provided in the cartridge, or may be the amount obtained by subtracting the consumed amount of colorant from the initial amount when unused. The new product flag is information indicating whether the contract cartridge 7 has not yet been used or has already been used, i.e., whether it is unused or not. If the contract cartridge 7 is unused, the value is "on," and if it is not unused but has already been used, the value is "off." The new product flag is initially "on" and is set to "off" when the cartridge is installed in the printing device 3. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the new product flag is off for all cartridges 71 to 74 because they are installed in the printing device 3 and in use.

[0042] The number of deliveries is information indicating the total number of contract cartridges 7 delivered during the contract. When the printing device 3 sends a delivery request for a contract cartridge 7 to the management server 4, it is assumed that the contract cartridge 7 has arrived at the user's hands unless there is a special circumstance such as a cancellation process, and in this embodiment, the number of deliveries is counted at the time the printing device 3 sends a delivery request for a contract cartridge 7 to the management server 4. Note that counting the number of deliveries will be explained in detail in the processing explanation below. The number of times the cartridges 71-74 have been accommodated is information indicating the total number of times during the contract. The cancellation date is information indicating the date the contract was terminated.

[0043] The delivered flag is information indicating whether the contract cartridge 7 has been delivered, and its value is "on" if the target cartridge 71-74 has been delivered, and "off" if it has not been delivered. The delivered flag's initial value is "off," and it turns "on" once delivered, and turns "off" once the target cartridge 71-74 is housed in the printing device 3. In this embodiment, "delivery" refers to the process from the contract cartridge 7 delivery request to its dispatch and arrival, and the delivered flag turns "on" when the contract cartridge 7 delivery request is made, regardless of whether it has actually been dispatched. The "number of deliveries" may be any number that is counted at any point in the delivery process.

[0044] The cancellation date is used, for example, when a new contract is concluded, to calculate the difference between the cancellation date and the date of the new contract. When a user renews a contract, the number of deliveries and the number of pickups from the previous contract are carried over and used.

[0045] The subscription flag is information indicating whether the printing device 3 is currently under contract for the above service; if the contract is under contract, the value is "on," and if the contract is not under contract, the value is "off." The initial value of the subscription flag is "off," and after the contract is concluded, it is set to "on" through the cartridge delivery necessity check process (FIG. 4), which will be described later, and is set to "off" when the contract is canceled. After the initial contract is canceled, the subscription flag is set in the same manner as above when the contract is renewed for the second or subsequent times, and when the renewed contract is canceled. In other words, the subscription flag is set to "on" each time a contract is concluded, and set to "off" each time the contract is canceled.

[0046] [Main processing] Next, the processing executed by the printing device 3 will be described with reference to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the main processing, including the ink consumption processing, executed by the control unit 31 of the printing device 3. The series of processing shown in FIG. 3 is triggered when the printing device 3 is turned on, and is executed repeatedly while the power is on. Hereinafter, in the explanation of each processing, steps will be represented as "S." As shown in FIG. 3, first, the control unit 31 determines whether the printing device 3 is in the contract mode based on the mode information stored in the storage table T1 (S11).

[0047] If the printing device 3 is in contract mode (S11: YES), the control unit 31 determines whether the subscription flag is off (S13), and if the subscription flag is off (S13: YES), it checks whether cartridge delivery is necessary (S15). The details of the cartridge delivery necessity check will be described later. If the printing device 3 is not in contract mode, i.e., if it is in normal mode (S11: No), the control unit 31 executes normal processing (S12) and then terminates the main processing. Normal processing is printing processing using commercially available cartridges and other processing in normal mode. After processing the cartridge delivery necessity check (S15), the control unit 31 changes the subscription flag from off to on (S17).

[0048] After the subscription flag is turned on, or if the subscription flag is not turned off in S13 (S13: No), the control unit 31 determines whether the process instructed by the user is an ink consumption process (S19). The control unit 31 waits for a user instruction to be input, and upon receiving the user instruction, determines the process indicated by the instruction. In the contract mode of this embodiment, the processes instructed by the user to the printing device 3 can be broadly divided into four main types: ink consumption process (S25), cartridge replacement process (S35), cancellation process (S38), and other process (S39).

[0049] Ink consumption processes are processes that consume ink, such as printing processes such as printing and copying, and purging processes described below. If the instructed process is an ink consumption process (S19: YES), the control unit 31 obtains the number of printable sheets from the management server 4 (S21) and determines whether the number of printable sheets is 1 or more, or whether the instructed process is a purging process (S23). If the number of printable sheets is 1 or more, or if the instructed process is a purging process (S23: YES), the control unit 31 executes the ink consumption process (S25).

[0050] The purge process is a process that consumes ink for maintenance, such as a nozzle cleaning process, and can consume ink regardless of the number of printable pages provided by the billing service. Therefore, even if the number of printable pages is 0, if the instructed ink consumption process is a purge process (S23: Yes), the ink consumption process is possible, and the control unit 31 executes the ink consumption process. Even if the number of printable pages is 1 or more (S23: Yes), the ink consumption process is possible, and the control unit 31 executes the ink consumption process (S25). After S25, the control unit 31 updates the remaining ink amount (S26). The control unit 31 may calculate the remaining ink amount after the ink consumption process by subtracting the amount of ink consumed in the ink consumption process from the remaining amount before the ink consumption process was executed. The control unit 31 may also detect the remaining ink amount after the ink consumption process using a remaining ink amount sensor. The control unit 31 updates the remaining amount by overwriting the remaining amount stored in the storage table T1 with the remaining amount after the ink consumption process.

[0051] Next, the control unit 31 determines whether or not the series of jobs in the ink consumption process (S25) has ended (S27). For example, if the job is a multi-page print process, if there are still unprinted pages, the job is determined to be incomplete, and if all pages have been printed, the job is determined to be completed. If the job has not ended (S27: No), the control unit 31 executes cartridge delivery process (S28) and returns the process to S23. The cartridge delivery process is a process that executes delivery of the contract cartridge 7 on the condition that the remaining amount of ink has fallen below the first threshold. Details of the cartridge delivery process will be described later.

[0052] Note that the process of S28 may be omitted depending on the printing specifications. If the job is completed (S27: Yes), the control unit 31 executes the cartridge delivery process (S29) and ends the main process. The cartridge delivery process after the job is completed is executed in preparation for the ink consumption process for the next printing, etc., because, for example, the ink may run out after the last page is printed.

[0053] On the other hand, if the number of printable sheets is not 1 or more and the instructed process is not a purge process (S23: No), the control unit 31 displays an error message indicating that the number of printable sheets is insufficient on the display unit 33 of the printing device 3 (S31). At this time, a notification prompting payment for the billing service may also be displayed at the same time. The control unit 31 then determines whether the ink consumption process has been canceled (S33), and if canceled (S33: Yes), executes the cartridge delivery process (S29) and ends the main process. If the process has not been canceled (S33: No), the control unit 31 returns to S21.

[0054] If the instructed process is not an ink consumption process in S19 (S19: No), the control unit 31 determines whether the instructed process is a cartridge replacement process (S34). The cartridge replacement process is executed when the accommodated cartridge 7 is removed from the printing device 3 when ink runs out, for example, and a new cartridge 7 is installed. The cartridge replacement process will be described in detail later.

[0055] If the instructed process is a cartridge replacement process (S34: YES), the control unit 31 executes the cartridge replacement process (S35) and then terminates the main process. If the instructed process is not a cartridge replacement process in S34 (S34: NO), the control unit 31 determines whether the instructed process is a withdrawal process (S37). The withdrawal process is a process performed when the user wishes to cancel the contract. Details of the withdrawal process will be described later. If the instructed process is a withdrawal process (S37: YES), the control unit 31 executes the withdrawal process (S38) and then terminates the main process. If the instructed process is not a withdrawal process in S37 (S37: NO), the control unit 31 executes other processes (S39) and then terminates the main process. Other processes are processes that do not consume ink, such as scanner reading or fax sending.

[0056] In the first embodiment, the cartridges 71 to 74 correspond to an example of a “consumable product.” The ink consumption process in S25 above corresponds to an example of a “consumption process” that consumes a consumable product that is the subject of delivery management.

[0057] [Cartridge delivery necessity check process] Next, the cartridge delivery necessity check process (S15 in FIG. 3) will be described with reference to FIG. 4. The cartridge delivery necessity check process is a process for checking whether or not it is necessary to send a contract cartridge 7. The cartridge delivery necessity check process determines whether or not the contracted cartridge 7 that has been delivered but not yet used (not installed) remains with the contracted party, and if so, prompts the contracted cartridge 7 to be used, and if not, delivers a new contracted cartridge 7. The fact that the contract mode is active and the subscription flag is off (S11: Yes, S13: Yes in FIG. 3) means that this is the first time the main process has been executed since entering contract mode.

[0058] When a contract is concluded for the first time or when a contract is concluded again, the mode of the printing device 3 transitions from normal mode to contract mode. When executing S11 for the first time after transitioning to contract mode, the control unit 31 determines whether any contract cartridges 7 that have been delivered but not yet used remain, and executes processing according to the result. This is explained in detail below.

[0059] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the steps of the cartridge delivery necessity check process. The cartridge delivery necessity check is performed for each of the ink cartridges 71-74, i.e., for each color of consumable ink. As shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 31 first acquires the number of deliveries and the number of times the cartridge has been stored in the memory 42 (S41). The process in S41 corresponds to an example of an "acquisition process." Next, the control unit 31 determines whether the number of deliveries is equal to or less than the number of times the cartridge has been stored (S42). If the number of deliveries is not equal to or less than the number of times the cartridge has been stored, i.e., if the number of deliveries is greater than the number of times the cartridge has been stored (S42: No), the control unit 31 determines whether it has been less than two years since the membership cancellation date when the contract was terminated (S43). The processes in S42 and S43 correspond to an example of a "determination process."

[0060] If the number of deliveries is greater than the number of storage times (S42: No), this means that the contract cartridges 7 delivered during the previous contract remain. For example, if the user cancels their membership in state J1 shown in FIG. 2, the number of deliveries of the second cartridge 72 is "2" and the number of storage times is "1." This means that the number of deliveries is greater than the number of storage times, and it is determined that the contract cartridges 7 delivered remain. If it is within two years since the cancellation date (S43: Yes), it can be assumed that not much time has passed since the contract cartridges 7 were shipped during the previous contract, and for convenience, the contract cartridges 7 delivered during the previous contract are deemed to be within their expiration dates. In other words, this means that the user still has contract cartridges 7 delivered during the previous contract that have not yet expired, so the control unit 31 displays a screen on the display unit 33 of the printing device 3, such as a liquid crystal display, encouraging the user to use the contract cartridges 7 sent previously (S44).

[0061] Note that "prompting use" may mean, for example, prompting the user to insert the contract cartridge 7 by displaying a screen on the liquid crystal display showing a message such as "Please insert the delivered cartridge." Furthermore, instead of displaying the screen on the display unit 33 of the printing device 3, the screen may be displayed on the display unit 13 of the terminal device 2. The processing in S44 corresponds to an example of "notification processing."

[0062] In this embodiment, when processing S44, the display unit 33 of the printing device 3 displays the above information along with instructions on what to do if the user does not have any contract cartridges 7 left. According to the cartridge information K1 stored in storage table T1, the user should have an unused contract cartridge 7, but there are cases where the user does not have the contract cartridge 7 due to some kind of error or the user losing the contract cartridge 7. In such cases, the contract cartridge 7 must be delivered again, and as a solution, a message urging the user to purchase the contract cartridge 7 and a notification of the phone number and email address for purchasing the cartridge are displayed.

[0063] Note that the determination of whether or not it is within two years from the cancellation date when the contract was terminated is made only in the case of a renewal of the contract. Thereafter, the control unit 31 corrects the number of deliveries to 1 and the number of times the cartridges are stored in the memory 42 (S45), and ends the cartridge delivery necessity check process. Note that in this embodiment, since one contract cartridge 7 of each color is delivered, the number of deliveries is corrected to 1 and the number of times the cartridges are stored in the memory 42 in S45, but if, for example, two or more contract cartridges 7 are delivered at one time, the values ​​are changed appropriately. If the cancellation date is not stored in the storage table T1, the determination process of S43 regarding the cancellation date is not performed, and the process proceeds to S46.

[0064] If, in S42, the number of deliveries is equal to or less than the number of storage times (S42: Yes), or if two years have passed since the withdrawal date (S43: No), the control unit 31 corrects the number of deliveries and the number of storage times to 0, stores these in memory 42 (S46), and requests delivery of contract cartridges 7 from the management server 4 (S47). The processing in S47 corresponds to an example of "delivery request processing." The processing in S42, S46, and S47 is processing that executes delivery request processing when it is determined that there are no unused contract cartridges 7 that have already been delivered.

[0065] Here, the reason for requesting delivery of contract cartridges 7 in S47 is that if the number of deliveries is less than the storage count (S42: Yes), this means that there are no contract cartridges 7 delivered during the previous contract remaining, and new contract cartridges 7 must be delivered. Also, if two years have passed since the cancellation date (S43: No), even if there are contract cartridges 7 delivered during the previous contract remaining, it is highly likely that the ink expiration date has passed, and so new contract cartridges 7 must be delivered in this case as well. Note that in this embodiment, the "cancellation date" is used as the value related to the expiration date, and for convenience, the expiration date is set to two years from the cancellation date, but this value can be changed as appropriate.

[0066] After the control unit 31 issues a delivery request to the management server 4 (S47), the control unit 31 changes the delivery completion flag from OFF to ON (S48). The control unit 31 counts the number of deliveries to increment by one (S49), and ends the cartridge delivery necessity check process. The number of deliveries counted in S49 is stored in the memory 42. After the process of S47, the delivery server 5 executes a process to notify the delivery worker to deliver the contract cartridges 7 in accordance with the cartridge delivery instructions.

[0067] [Cartridge shipping process] Next, the cartridge delivery process (FIG. 3: S28, S29) will be described with reference to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the steps of the cartridge delivery process. The cartridge delivery process is executed for each of the ink cartridges 71 to 74. As shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 31 determines whether the remaining amount of the contract cartridge 7 is equal to or less than the first threshold value and whether the delivery completion flag is off (S51).

[0068] In making this determination, the control unit 31 reads and acquires the remaining amount of ink in the contract cartridge 7 and the value of the delivery completion flag from the memory 42. The first threshold is set to a predetermined value when the ink is low and before it runs out completely. As an example, if the remaining amount of color material when unused is 100, the first threshold is set to 5 to 10. Note that the amount used may be used instead of the remaining amount. Alternatively, the printing device 3 may send information about the remaining amount or the amount used to the management server 4, and the control unit 51 of the management server 4 may make the determination in S51.

[0069] If the remaining amount of the contract cartridge 7 is equal to or less than the first threshold value and the delivered flag is off (S51: Yes), a request is made to the management server 4 for delivery of the contract cartridge 7 (S52). The processing in S52 corresponds to an example of a "delivery request process." Then, the control unit 31 changes the delivered flag from off to on (S53). Thereafter, the control unit 31 counts the number of deliveries, incrementing it by one (S54), and ends the cartridge delivery process. The number of deliveries counted in S54 is stored in the memory 42. That is, the numerical value of the number of deliveries in the cartridge information K1 shown in FIG. 2 is rewritten. The processing in S54 corresponds to an example of a "delivery information storage process."

[0070] If the remaining amount of ink in the contract cartridge 7 is greater than the first threshold value, or if the delivered flag is on (S51: No), the control unit 31 ends the cartridge delivery process. This is because if the remaining amount of ink in the contract cartridge 7 is greater than the first threshold value, there is still a sufficient amount of ink remaining, so there is no need to deliver a new contract cartridge 7. Also, if the delivered flag is on, the delivery procedure for the contract cartridge 7 has already begun, so there is no need to deliver a new contract cartridge 7.

[0071] [Cartridge replacement process] Next, the cartridge replacement process (S35 in FIG. 3) will be described with reference to FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the cartridge replacement process. When there are multiple replaced contract cartridges 7, the control unit 31 executes the cartridge replacement process shown in FIG. 6 for each of the contract cartridges 7. The "replaced contract cartridge 7" does not refer to the replaced (removed) contract cartridge, but to the newly installed contract cartridge.

[0072] The control unit 31 determines whether the identification information of the replaced contract cartridge 7 is registered in the printing device 3 (S62). In this determination, the control unit 31 obtains the four cartridge identification information stored in the storage table T1 shown in FIG. 2 and compares it with the newly installed cartridge identification information. If no matching number is found, the control unit 31 determines that the cartridge is not registered. The comparison of the cartridge identification information of the contract cartridge 7 may be performed only with the cartridge identification information stored in the storage table T1 for cartridges of the same ink color as the replaced contract cartridge 7. If the identification information of the replaced contract cartridge 7 is not registered, the cartridge 7 can be determined to be new or a used product that was previously used by someone else. On the other hand, if the identification information of the replaced contract cartridge 7 is registered, the cartridge 7 can be determined to be a used product that the user obtained and used once.

[0073] If the identification information of the replaced contract cartridge 7 is not registered in the printing device 3 (S62: Yes), the control unit 31 determines whether the new product flag is on (S63). If the new product flag is on (S63: Yes), the replaced contract cartridge 7 is not a second-hand cartridge that has been used by someone else, but is new. Therefore, the control unit 31 next changes the delivered flag from on to off (S64). Because the delivered flag was set on in S48 of the cartridge delivery necessity check process in FIG. 4 or in S53 of the cartridge delivery process in FIG. 5, the delivered flag is set off in the process of S64 when the contract cartridge 7 is accommodated. This makes it possible to deliver the contract cartridge 7 again.

[0074] Next, the control unit 31 counts the number of times the cartridge has been accommodated, incrementing it by one (S65), and stores the identification information of the replaced contract cartridge 7 in the memory 42 (S66), after which it turns off the new product flag (S67). The cartridge replacement process then ends. The number of times the cartridge has been accommodated counted in S65 is stored in the memory 42. That is, the number of times the cartridge has been accommodated in the cartridge information K1 shown in FIG. 2 is rewritten. Note that if the identification information of the replaced contract cartridge 7 is registered in the printing device 3 (S62: No), or if the new product flag is off (S63: No), the control unit 31 ends the cartridge replacement process. The process of counting the number of times the cartridge has been accommodated in S65 above corresponds to an example of the "accommodation information storage process."

[0075] In the above steps S62 and S63, it is determined that the replaced contract cartridge 7 is new and not second-hand, but it is also possible to execute only the step S63. If a new product flag is set as a flag specific to contract cartridges, it is possible to determine that the replaced contract cartridge 7 is a new contract cartridge simply by checking the new product flag in the step S63.

[0076] [Cancellation process] Next, the withdrawal process (S38 in FIG. 3) will be described with reference to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the procedure for the withdrawal process. The withdrawal process is performed when a user who has signed a contract for a delivery service requests cancellation of the contract. As shown in FIG. 7, the control unit 31 changes the subscription flag from on to off (S71) and stores withdrawal information in the memory 42 (S72). The withdrawal information is information for carrying over information from the previous contract when renewing the contract, and includes information on the number of contract cartridges 7 delivered, the number of times the contract cartridges 7 have been accommodated, and the withdrawal date. By storing the information at the time of withdrawal here, the withdrawal information can be obtained and used when renewing the contract. Then, the control unit 31 changes the mode from contract mode to normal mode (S73), and then terminates the withdrawal process. Specifically, in the process of S73, the control unit 31 rewrites the mode in the storage table T1 to normal mode and notifies the management server 4 of the cancellation. Upon receiving the notice of cancellation, the management server 4 stores information indicating that the contract has been cancelled in association with the information about the printing device 3 stored in the storage unit 52.

[0077] In the management system 1, for example, consider a case where a user of the delivery service cancels and withdraws from the contract while the printing device 3 is in the status J1 shown in FIG. 2, and then renews the contract within two years from the cancellation date. In this case, the cancellation date is stored in the storage space indicating the cancellation date. As shown in the information stored in FIG. 2, the second cartridge 72 had a delivery count of "2" and a storage count of "1" at the time of the previous cancellation. Therefore, when the user uses the printing device 3 after renewing the contract, the control unit 31 of the printing device 3 determines that the user has one unused second cartridge 72 remaining and notifies the user of this (S44). In other words, when the user uses the printing device 3 after renewing the contract, a screen display prompting the user to use the second cartridge 72 is displayed, thereby prompting the user to store and use an unused contract cartridge 7.

[0078] The management system 1 of the first embodiment has the above-described structure, and thereby provides the following actions and effects.

[0079] (1) In the management system 1 of the first embodiment, the control unit 31 of the printing device 3 executes a storage information storage process (S65), a delivery request process (S47, S52), a delivery information storage process (S54), an acquisition process (S41), a determination process (S42, S43), and a notification process (S44). In the notification process, a notification is sent encouraging the use of a contract cartridge 7 that has been delivered and is unused, thereby enabling the unused contract cartridge 7 to be used effectively. Furthermore, when executing this notification, the management system 1 only needs to manage the number of contract cartridges 7 delivered and the number of times they have been stored, and does not need to perform complex management such as managing the identification information of the contract cartridge 7, thereby reducing the amount of memory required for management.

[0080] (2) In the management system 1 of the first embodiment, the control unit 31 of the printing device 3 determines in the determination process (S42) whether the number of deliveries is greater than the number of storage times, and executes the notification process (S44) if it is determined that the number of deliveries of the contract cartridges 7 is greater than the number of storage times of the contract cartridges 7. In this way, by using the "number of storage times" as storage information indicating the storage status of the consumables in the printing device 3 and the "number of deliveries" as delivery information, it is possible to easily determine whether the user has a contract cartridge 7 that has been delivered but is unused.

[0081] (3) In the management system 1 of the first embodiment, the control unit 31 of the printing device 3 executes a notification process (S44) when a contract is renewed after being terminated (S13, S15). Therefore, when a contract is renewed, the contract cartridges 7 delivered during the previous contract can be effectively utilized.

[0082] (4) In the management system 1 of the first embodiment, the control unit 31 of the printing device 3 determines in the determination process (S43) whether the delivered, unused contract cartridge 7 is within its expiration date using the cancellation date of the delivered, unused contract cartridge 7, and if the determination process determines that there is a delivered, unused contract cartridge 7 and that the delivered, unused contract cartridge 7 is within its expiration date, it executes the notification process (S44). This makes it possible to encourage the use of contract cartridges 7 that are within their expiration dates, while not encouraging the use of those that have passed their expiration dates.

[0083] (5) In the management system 1 of the first embodiment, the control unit 31 of the printing device 3 executes a storage information storage process (S65), a delivery request process (S47, S52), a delivery information storage process (S54), an acquisition process (S41), a determination process (S42, S43), and a notification process (S44) for each of the four types of cartridges 71 to 74. Then, in the notification process (S44), the control unit 31 prompts the use of a contract cartridge 7 of the type determined in the determination process (S42, S43) to contain an unused contract cartridge 7 that has already been delivered. Therefore, in a printing device 3 that can store multiple types of consumables, it is possible to individually notify the type of consumable that can be effectively used.

[0084] (6) In the management system 1 of the first embodiment, if the control unit 31 of the printing device 3 determines in the determination processes (S42, S43) that there are no delivered, unused contract cartridges 7, it executes a delivery request process (S47). Therefore, if the user does not have a delivered, unused contract cartridge 7, it is possible to quickly deliver a contract cartridge 7 to the user.

[0085] (7) In the management system 1 of the first embodiment, the control unit 31 of the printing device 3 guides the user on what to do if the user does not have a delivered, unused contract cartridge 7 during the notification process (S44). Specifically, as described above, a message urging the user to purchase a contract cartridge 7 and a notification of the phone number and email address for purchasing are displayed on the screen. Therefore, if the user does not have an unused contract cartridge 7 on hand, the user can quickly follow the instructions to complete the purchase process, improving convenience.

[0086] Second Embodiment Next, a management system according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 10. Components substantially similar to those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and their description will be omitted. The management system according to the second embodiment includes a first printing device and a second printing device different from the first printing device. The configurations of the first printing device and the second printing device are similar to those of the printing device 3 described in detail in the first embodiment, but each has different device identification information. For convenience, the first printing device will be referred to as the "first printing device 301" and the second printing device will be referred to as the "second printing device 302." The first printing device 301 is an example of a "first consumption device," and the second printing device 302 is an example of a "second consumption device."

[0087] In the management system of the second embodiment, when a first printing device 301 is under contract and is replaced with a second printing device 302, a process is executed to transfer various information, including the number of times the contract cartridge 7 has been accommodated in the first printing device 301, the number of deliveries, and the cancellation date, to the second printing device 302. That is, the management system of the second embodiment executes a replacement information storage process (FIG. 8) and a pre-replacement information acquisition process (FIG. 10). These processes are described in detail below.

[0088] Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing the procedure for replacement information storage processing for the printing device 3, which is processing executed by the management server 4. The replacement information storage processing shown in Fig. 8 is started when the administrator performs a registration start operation when registering information about the new, replaced printing device 3 (second printing device 302) in the management server 4. In Figs. 8 to 10 and the following description, the device identification information is also referred to as the "machine serial number" or simply as the "serial number."

[0089] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the server management information storage table T2 stored in the storage unit 52 of the management server 4. The serial number of the first printing device 301 is "111," and the serial number of the second printing device 302 is "123." As shown in FIG. 9, in the management system of the second embodiment, the machine serial number, number of deliveries, number of receipts, cancellation date, and number of machine serial registrations are managed by the management server 4, not the first printing device 301. That is, information including the machine serial number, number of deliveries, number of receipts, cancellation date, and number of machine serial registrations is stored in the storage unit 52 of the server 4 as server management information corresponding to each user who has signed a delivery service contract for the corresponding printing device 3 (e.g., the first printing device 301). The number of machine serial registrations included in the server management information corresponding to a given user indicates the number of times the contracted printing device 3 has been replaced with another printing device 3, for example, due to a malfunction of the contracted printing device 3, during the contract period under which the user has signed the contract.

[0090] 9 shows a transition from state J2, in which the number of machine serial registrations for the first printing device 301 (machine serial number "111") is "1," to state J3, in which the first printing device 301 is replaced with the second printing device 302 (machine serial number "123") and the number of machine serial registrations becomes "2." In this example, the storage unit 52 changes from storage table T2 in state J2 to storage table T2 in state J3. Storage table T2 has three machine serial number storage locations (machine serial number 1, machine serial number 2, machine serial number 3), and storage locations for storing the number of deliveries, number of pickups, cancellation date, and number of machine serial registrations for records corresponding to each user who has concluded a contract.

[0091] 8, the control unit 51 of the management server 4 determines whether or not the corresponding serial number is found in the server management information managed by the management server 4 (S81). Specifically, when the administrator of the management server 4 inputs the serial number of the first printing device 301 from which the data is to be taken over ("111" in the example of FIG. 9), the control unit 51 searches the memory table T2 stored in the memory unit 52 to determine whether or not the corresponding serial number is found.

[0092] If a matching serial number is found (S81: Yes), the control unit 51 stores the machine serial number of the target printing device 302 in association with the serial number of the source first printing device 301 that was determined to match in S81 (S82).Then, the replacement information storage process ends.

[0093] Specifically, in the above series of processes, first, the administrator of the management server 4 inputs the serial number of the second printing device 302 ("123" in the example of FIG. 9) as the successor to the first printing device 301. The control unit 51 references storage table T2 and stores the input serial number of the second printing device 302 in association with the serial number of the first printing device 301 determined to be the appropriate serial number in S81. In the example shown in FIG. 9, as shown in storage table T2, the serial number of the second printing device 302 ("123") is stored in the storage location for machine serial number 2 corresponding to the serial number of the first printing device 301 ("111"). The machine serial registration count is then updated to "2." In other words, through these processes, the number of deliveries, number of pickups, and cancellation date of the original first printing device 301 are commonly linked to the replaced second printing device 302.

[0094] In the second embodiment, up to three machine serial numbers can be registered in storage table T2, so if the printing device 3 is replaced for the third time or later, the serial numbers are overwritten in order starting from No. 1. For example, if the number of machine serial registrations is 1, it is stored as machine serial No. 2, and if the number of machine serial registrations is 3, it is stored as machine serial No. 1. In S81, if there is no corresponding serial No. (S81: No), the replacement information storage process ends.

[0095] Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the process executed by the management server 4 to obtain information before replacement of the printing device 3. The process shown in Fig. 10 is executed after the start of the cartridge delivery necessity check (S15) shown in Fig. 3, and before the process of obtaining the number of deliveries and the number of times the cartridge has been stored (S41) shown in Fig. 4.

[0096] 10, the control unit 51 of the management server 4 determines whether or not the corresponding serial number is found in the server management information managed by the management server 4 (S91). When the first printing device 301 is replaced with the second printing device 302, the second printing device 302 transmits a machine serial number ("123") to the management server 4. The information transmitted here corresponds to "replacement information indicating that the first printing device 301 has been replaced with the second printing device 302." Then, in the processing of S91, the control unit 51 searches the memory table T2 stored in the memory unit 52 to determine whether or not the corresponding serial number ("123") is found.

[0097] If a corresponding serial number is found (S91: Yes), the control unit 51 sends withdrawal information to the second printing device 302 (S92). As described above, the withdrawal information includes the number of contract cartridges 7 delivered, the number of times the contract cartridges 7 have been accommodated, and the withdrawal date. That is, in the process of S41 shown in FIG. 4, the second printing device 302 acquires and takes over the number of contract cartridges 7 delivered and the number of times the contract cartridges 7 have been accommodated from the first printing device 301 as information for the second printing device 302. Then, using the number of deliveries and the number of times the first printing device 301 has accommodated, the control unit 51 executes a determination process (S42) and a notification process (S44). On the other hand, if the machine serial number of the takeover printing device, i.e., the second printing device, is not found (S91: No), the control unit 51 terminates the pre-replacement information acquisition process without sending withdrawal information.

[0098] In the management system of the second embodiment, when a first printing device 301 is under contract and is replaced with a second printing device 302, the management server 4 executes a replacement information storage process (FIG. 8) and a pre-replacement information acquisition process (FIG. 10). This allows various information, including the number of times the contract cartridge 7 has been accommodated in the first printing device 301, the number of deliveries, and the cancellation date, to be handed over to the second printing device 302. This allows the contract cartridge 7 delivered to the first printing device 301 before replacement to be effectively utilized when the second printing device 302 is replaced.

[0099] <Other embodiments> In the management system 1 of each of the above embodiments, the consumables are ink cartridges 7. However, the consumables may be replaceable parts of a consuming device, such as an inkjet head, a toner cartridge, a process cartridge (when the printing device 3 is a laser printer), a waste tank, or a transport roller. If the consumable is a toner cartridge or a process cartridge, the timing of delivery can be determined by determining its lifespan based on factors such as the amount of toner remaining. If the consumable is an inkjet head or a waste tank, the timing of delivery can be determined by determining its lifespan based on factors such as the amount of ink ejected from the inkjet head and the number of ejections. If the consumable is a transport roller, the timing of delivery can be determined by determining its lifespan based on factors such as the number of rotations of the roller. Furthermore, in the case of a printer that does not have a cartridge holder for accommodating cartridges 7 but has an ink tank for storing ink, the consumable may be "ink." The ink delivered is in a bottle, and the consumable is the ink itself.

[0100] Furthermore, in addition to the ink cartridges 71 to 74, the management system 1 may be configured to combine the inkjet heads, transport rollers, and other components as multiple types of consumables, and to perform delivery management for each of the consumables.

[0101] In the management system 1 of each of the above embodiments, the "number of times of storage" is used as storage information and the "number of deliveries" is used as delivery information, and by comparing these, it is determined whether there are any consumables that have been delivered but not yet stored. Alternatively, the "stored consumable ID" may be used as storage information and the "delivered consumable ID" may be used as delivery information. By managing the delivered consumable IDs and the stored consumable IDs, it can be determined that there are any consumables that have been delivered but not yet used.

[0102] Furthermore, "information on whether or not a consumable has been delivered" may be used as delivery information, and "number of times a consumable has been replaced (number of times it has been re-received)" may be used as storage information. Information on whether or not a consumable has been delivered and the number of times a consumable has been replaced may be managed, and if the number of times a consumable has been replaced does not increase after a consumable has been delivered, i.e., after receiving information that the consumable has been delivered, it may be determined that there is a consumable that has been delivered but is unused.

[0103] Furthermore, "information on whether a consumable has been delivered" may be used as delivery information, and "remaining amount of consumable stored in the consuming device" may be used as storage information. Information on whether a consumable has been delivered and the remaining amount of consumable stored in the consuming device may be managed, and if the remaining amount of consumable has not increased after the consumable has been delivered, i.e., after receiving information that the consumable has been delivered, it can be determined that there is a consumable that has been delivered but is not yet used. This can be applied, for example, to the case where the consumable is ink itself, as described above.

[0104] In the management system 1 of each of the above embodiments, the number of deliveries is counted in S49 and S54. In S49 and S54, when an instruction to deliver a contract cartridge 7 is given (S47, S52), that is, when a delivery request process is made, the contract cartridge 7 is always delivered unless some special circumstances arise, so the number of deliveries is counted regardless of whether it has actually been sent or not. In order to manage the number of contract cartridges 7 delivered more accurately, for example, the number of deliveries may be counted when the delivery server 5 receives an instruction to deliver a cartridge and then notifies the delivery worker to deliver the contract cartridge 7.

[0105] Alternatively, counting may be performed when the management server 4 receives information from the delivery server 5 that the item has actually been shipped. In addition, if an error occurs in delivery, processing may be performed to cancel the counted number of deliveries. In any case, it is sufficient if the number of deliveries can be counted as delivery information that indicates the delivery status.

[0106] In the management system of the second embodiment, an example has been described in which the first printing device 301 is replaced with the second printing device 302 while the contract is still in effect. However, the present invention can also be applied to a case in which the contract for the first printing device 301 is cancelled while the first printing device 301 is in use, and then the same user (contractor) renews the contract and replaces the first printing device 301 with a new second printing device 302 at the time of the contract renewal.

[0107] In the management system 1 of each of the above embodiments, the cancellation date is used as the "value related to the expiration date" and the expiration date is determined to be two years from the cancellation date, but the expiration date itself may be used as the "value related to the expiration date" to determine whether the product is within the expiration date. Alternatively, the contract conclusion date, delivery date, manufacturing date, etc. may be used as the "value related to the expiration date" and the period elapsed from that date may be used to determine the period.

[0108] In the management system 1 of each of the above embodiments, the acquisition process (S41), the determination process (S42), and the notification process (S44) are executed when the contract is renewed, but the acquisition process, the determination process, and the notification process may be executed at any time during the contract, not just when the contract is renewed. Also, the determination process (S42) may be executed when the member cancels the contract, and the notification process (S44) may be executed when the contract is renewed.

[0109] The configuration of the management system 1 in each of the above embodiments may be modified as appropriate. For example, the management server 4 may be configured with multiple physical servers. The management server 4 may be configured with at least one of multiple virtual servers constructed by dividing a single physical server using virtualization software. Alternatively, the management system 1 may not have a delivery server 5, and the management server 4 may be responsible for the process of notifying the delivery company. Furthermore, as shown in the second embodiment, the management system 1 may be equipped with multiple printing devices 3, or may be three or more.

[0110] The printing device 3 of the management system 1 in each of the above embodiments may be a multifunction device, copier, or facsimile machine with a scanner function that reads images from a document. The printing device 3 may also be a laser printer, LED printer, or other printing device. An LED printer is one that uses an LED head to expose a photosensitive body. In this case, the color material is toner. The color materials, number, type, and number of types of cartridges 7 housed in the printing device 3 may be changed as appropriate.

[0111] In the management system 1 of each of the above embodiments, the processing functions for managing delivery services shown in Figures 4, 5, and 7 are executed by the control unit 31 of the printing device 3, but they may also be executed by the control unit 51 of the management server 4. In this configuration, information similar to that of storage table T1 shown in Figure 2 can be stored in the storage unit 52 of the management server 4. Furthermore, the processing of a delivery request to the management server 4 executed in S47 and S52 can be implemented by replacing it with processing of a delivery request to the delivery server 5.

[0112] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be realized in various configurations without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the technical features in each embodiment corresponding to the technical features in the form described in the Summary of the Invention section can be appropriately replaced or combined to solve some or all of the above-described problems or achieve some or all of the above-described effects. Furthermore, if a technical feature is not described as essential in this specification, it can be appropriately deleted.

[0113] The present invention can be realized in various forms, such as a non-transitory computer-readable medium such as a semiconductor memory on which a management program 63 is recorded, a management method, and a non-transitory computer-readable medium such as a semiconductor memory on which a printing device program 23 is recorded. The management method can be realized as a method including a consumption process executed by the printing device 3 as a consuming device, and a receipt information storage process, a delivery request process, a delivery information storage process, an acquisition process, a determination process, and a notification process executed by at least one of the printing device 3 and the management server 4. [Explanation of symbols]

[0114] 1...management system, 2...terminal device, 3...printing device (consumer device), 4...management server (server), 5...delivery server, 7...ink cartridge (consumable), 11...control unit (device control unit), 51...control unit (server control unit), 71...first cartridge, 72...second cartridge, 73...third cartridge, 74...fourth cartridge.

Claims

1. A management system configured to be able to communicate between a first consumption device that stores a consumable and a server that manages delivery of the consumable based on a contract, The first consumer device is execute a consumption process for consuming the consumables that are the subject of the delivery management; At least one of the first consumer device and the server a storage information storage process for storing storage information indicating a storage status of the new consumable delivered based on the contract in the first consumption device; a delivery request process for requesting delivery of the consumables; a delivery information storage process for storing delivery information indicating a delivery status of the consumables based on the delivery request process; an acquisition process for acquiring the stored storage information and delivery information; a determination process for determining whether or not there is any unused consumable that has been delivered based on the delivery information acquired in the acquisition process and the storage information acquired in the acquisition process; a notification process for prompting the user to use the unused consumables that have been delivered, when the determination process determines that the unused consumables that have been delivered are present; A management system characterized by executing the above.

2. At least one of the first consumer device and the server In the storage information storage process, the number of times that the new consumable delivered based on the contract has been stored in the first consumption device is stored as the storage information; In the delivery information storage process, a delivery number, which is the number of the consumables delivered based on the delivery request process, is stored as the delivery information; In the determination process, it is determined whether the number of deliveries is greater than the number of times of storage; 2. The management system according to claim 1, wherein the notification process is executed when it is determined in the determination process that the number of deliveries is greater than the number of times the delivery is accommodated.

3. At least one of the first consumer device and the server 2. The management system according to claim 1, wherein the notification process is executed when the contract is renewed after the contract is terminated.

4. a second consumer device different from the first consumer device; when the first consumption device is under contract and exchange information indicating that the first consumption device has been exchanged for the second consumption device is stored in the server, At least one of the second consumer device and the server In the acquisition process, the storage information and the delivery information of the first consumption device are acquired; The management system according to claim 1 , wherein the determination process and the notification process are performed using the storage information and the delivery information in the first consumption device.

5. At least one of the first consumer device and the server In the determination process, a value relating to the expiration date of the delivered, unused consumable product is used to determine whether the delivered, unused consumable product is within its expiration date; 2. The management system according to claim 1, wherein the notification process is executed when the judgment process determines that there is an unused consumable item that has been delivered and that the unused consumable item that has been delivered is within its expiration date.

6. the first consumption device is capable of storing a plurality of types of the consumable product; At least one of the first consumer device and the server executes the storage information storage process, the delivery request process, the delivery information storage process, the acquisition process, the determination process, and the notification process for each type of consumable product; The management system according to claim 1 , wherein the notification process prompts the user to use the consumables that have been delivered but are unused and that are determined to exist in the determination process.

7. At least one of the first consumer device and the server The management system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the delivery request process is executed when it is determined in the determination process that there are no unused consumables that have already been delivered.

8. At least one of the first consumer device and the server 2. The management system according to claim 1, wherein the notification process includes providing guidance on how to deal with a case where the delivered but unused consumable item is not in stock.

9. The management system according to claim 1 , wherein the first consumption device executes the acquisition process, the determination process, and the notification process.

10. A consumption device configured to be able to communicate with a server that performs delivery management of consumables based on a contract in a management system, the consumption device storing the consumables that are the subject of the delivery management, A device control unit is provided, The device control unit a consumption process for consuming the consumables that are the subject of the delivery management; a storage information storage process for storing storage information indicating a storage status of the new consumable delivered based on the contract in the consumption device; a delivery request process for requesting delivery of the consumables; a delivery information storage process for storing delivery information indicating a delivery status of the consumables based on the delivery request process; an acquisition process for acquiring the stored storage information and delivery information; a determination process for determining whether or not there is any unused consumable that has been delivered based on the delivery information acquired in the acquisition process and the storage information acquired in the acquisition process; a notification process for prompting the user to use the unused consumables that have been delivered, when the determination process determines that the unused consumables that have been delivered are present; A consumer device characterized by performing the following:

11. a server configured to be able to communicate with a consumption device that stores consumables that are targets of delivery management in a management system and executes a consumption process that consumes the consumables, and that performs the delivery management of the consumables based on a contract, A server control unit is provided, The server control unit a storage information storage process for storing storage information indicating a storage status of the new consumable delivered based on the contract in the consumption device; a delivery request process for requesting delivery of the consumables; a delivery information storage process for storing delivery information indicating a delivery status of the consumables based on the delivery request process; an acquisition process for acquiring the stored storage information and delivery information; a determination process for determining whether or not there is any unused consumable that has been delivered based on the delivery information acquired in the acquisition process and the storage information acquired in the acquisition process; a notification process for prompting the user to use the unused consumables that have been delivered, when the determination process determines that the unused consumables that have been delivered are present; A server that executes the above.

12. A management method executed by a management system configured to enable communication between a consumption device that stores a consumable and a server that manages delivery of the consumable based on a contract, the management system comprising: The consumer device a consumption process for consuming the consumables that are the subject of the delivery management; by at least one of the consumer device and the server; a storage information storage process for storing storage information indicating a storage status of the new consumable delivered based on the contract in the consumption device; a delivery request process for requesting delivery of the consumables; a delivery information storage process for storing delivery information indicating a delivery status of the consumables based on the delivery request process; an acquisition process for acquiring the stored storage information and delivery information; a determination process for determining whether or not there is any unused consumable that has been delivered based on the delivery information acquired in the acquisition process and the storage information acquired in the acquisition process; a notification process for prompting the user to use the unused consumables that have been delivered, when the determination process determines that the unused consumables that have been delivered are present; A management method comprising:

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