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Abstract

To provide a technique for preventing shortage of consumables in an image forming apparatus even in a case where the actual usage amount of the consumables does not follow an assumed mathematical model. [Solution] An image is formed on a sheet using a chemical agent replenished from a storage container that contains the chemical agent, a delivery request is output to request delivery of the storage container, and a stock request is output to request that a storage container be kept on hand, separate from the storage container delivered by the delivery request.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technology for managing consumables. [Background technology]

[0002] Known image forming devices that form and output images on recording media such as paper include electrophotographic copiers, printers, facsimiles, inkjet printers, and multifunction devices that combine these with image scanning functions. These image forming devices consume consumables such as toner, ink, and paper to form and output images. Furthermore, consumable parts used in the image formation process, such as photoconductors (hereinafter, these consumables and consumable parts are collectively referred to as "consumables"), become contaminated with toner or ink and wear out of the rubbing parts as they are used, preventing them from performing as expected. Therefore, these consumables have a set lifespan. When these consumables are used up or reach the end of their lifespan, the image forming device will no longer be able to output normal images.

[0003] Therefore, in order to operate an image forming apparatus stably, the following is required: That is, before a consumable is used up or reaches the end of its specified lifespan, spare consumables for replacement are delivered to the user and temporarily stocked on the user's side, so that replenishment or replacement (hereinafter collectively referred to as replacement) can be carried out promptly when necessary.

[0004] As a delivery management technology for spare consumables as described above, a technology for determining the delivery timing of spare consumables based on a user's usage history of the consumables has been known. For example, in the automatic purchasing system for consumables described in Patent Document 1, the supply of consumables is matched to the actual demand of the user by predicting future demand for the consumables based on the usage history of the consumables obtained during the initial period of use by the user. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] U.S. Patent No. 6,249,774 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] When predicting future demand for consumables based on a user's past usage history, it is common to predict future demand by applying a mathematical model derived from the past history. However, if the actual usage of an image forming device by a user deviates from the mathematical model, for example, if exceptionally high demand for consumables occurs suddenly compared to the predicted demand, and if this sudden high demand occurs repeatedly, the error between the predicted demand and the actual demand becomes large. As a result, a problem may arise in which the image forming device becomes unusable because the consumables are not delivered in time for replacement. This invention provides a technology for preventing shortages of consumables even in cases where the actual usage of consumables in an image forming device does not follow the assumed mathematical model. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] One aspect of the present invention is characterized by having an attachment means for attaching a storage container for storing a drug, an image forming means for forming an image on a sheet using the drug replenished from the storage container attached to the attachment means, a first output means for outputting a delivery request for requesting delivery of the storage container, and a second output means for outputting a stock request for requesting the storage container to be kept on standby, separate from the storage container delivered in accordance with the delivery request. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the configuration of the present invention, even in cases where the actual usage amount of a consumable in an image forming apparatus does not follow the assumed mathematical model, shortages of the consumable can be prevented. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1]FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus 101. [Figure 2] 5A and 5B are diagrams illustrating a toner supply operation from a toner bottle as a consumable item. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an image forming apparatus 101 related to delivery management of consumables. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of a usage amount detection unit 302. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of a determination unit 308. [Figure 6] 6A and 6B are diagrams showing examples of displays on a display screen 600 of an operation panel 171. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a simulation. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an image forming apparatus 101 related to delivery management of consumables. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an image forming apparatus 101 related to delivery management of consumables. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of a determination unit 306. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the embodiment described below shows an example of a specific implementation of the present invention, and is one of the specific embodiments of the configuration described in the claims.

[0011] [First embodiment] First, the main components related to the image forming process of the image forming apparatus according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Methods applicable to the image forming apparatus according to this embodiment include electrophotography, offset printing, inkjet, and other methods, but as an example, this embodiment will describe an image forming apparatus capable of color printing using electrophotography. Accordingly, Fig. 1 shows (a part of) the main components related to the image forming process of an image forming apparatus 101 capable of color printing using electrophotography.

[0012] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a so-called intermediate transfer tandem image forming apparatus 101 in which four color image forming units are arranged side by side on an intermediate transfer belt, and which has become mainstream in recent years due to its excellent compatibility with thick paper and productivity. Toner images formed in image forming units 110Y, 110M, 110C, and 110K are transferred onto a recording material S transported by a paper transport unit 150 via an intermediate transfer belt unit 102, thereby forming an image on the recording material S. Image formation on the recording material S will be described below.

[0013] <Transportation process of recording material S> The recording material S is stored in a stacked state on a lift-up device 152 in a recording material storage unit 151, and is fed by a paper feed roller 153 in accordance with the image formation timing. Of course, other paper feed methods may be used. The recording material S sent out by the paper feed roller 153 passes through a paper feed conveyance path 154 and is conveyed to a registration roller 155. After skew correction and timing correction are performed by the registration roller 155, the recording material S is sent to a secondary transfer unit. The secondary transfer unit is a transfer nip formed by a first secondary transfer member, an inner secondary transfer drive roller 2, and a second secondary transfer member, an outer secondary transfer roller 156, which face each other. Then, a predetermined pressure force and an electrostatic load bias are applied, and the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt is transferred onto the recording material S.

[0014] <Image creation process> The image formation process up to the secondary transfer station, which is executed at the same timing as the process of conveying the recording material S up to the secondary transfer station described above, will now be described. Image forming apparatus 101 according to this embodiment has image forming station 110Y, which forms images with yellow (Y) toner, image forming station 110M, which forms images with magenta (M) toner, image forming station 110C, which forms images with cyan (C) toner, and image forming station 110K, which forms images with black (BK) toner. Image forming station 110Y, image forming station 110M, image forming station 110C, and image forming station 110K all have the same configuration and operate in the same way, except for the toner colors used. Therefore, the configuration and operation of image forming station 110Y will be described below as an example. Furthermore, when providing a common explanation for image forming unit 110Y, image forming unit 110M, image forming unit 110C, and image forming unit 110K, image forming unit 110Y, image forming unit 110M, image forming unit 110C, and image forming unit 110K will be referred to as image forming unit 110.

[0015] The image forming unit 110Y, which functions as a toner image forming unit, includes a photoconductor 111, which is an image carrier, a charger 112 that charges the photoconductor 111, an exposure unit 113, a developing device 114, a primary transfer roller 115, and a photoconductor cleaner 116. The photoconductor 111 rotates in the direction of arrow m in the figure, and the surface thereof is uniformly charged by the charger 112. A scanner unit 117, which includes a laser and a polygon mirror correction lens, outputs a laser beam modulated according to image pixel information (including information related to each pixel, such as the pixel position of each pixel constituting the image to be formed) transmitted from an image controller 301 (described below). This laser beam is reflected by a folding mirror and exposed to the charged photoconductor 111 by the exposure unit 113, thereby forming an electrostatic latent image. The electrostatic latent image formed on the photoconductor 111 is developed by the developing device 114 with electrostatically charged toner, forming a toner image on the photoconductor 111. Thereafter, a predetermined pressure and electrostatic load bias are applied by primary transfer roller 115, and the yellow toner image is transferred onto intermediate transfer belt 1, which is a belt member. After that, the residual toner remaining on photoreceptor 111 is collected by photoreceptor cleaner 116, and prepared for the next image formation.

[0016] In the example shown in FIG. 1, there are four sets of image forming units 110 described above: yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (Bk). Therefore, a magenta toner image formed by image forming unit 110M is transferred onto intermediate transfer belt 1 for the yellow toner image formed on intermediate transfer belt 1. Furthermore, a cyan toner image formed by image forming unit 110C is transferred onto intermediate transfer belt 1 for the magenta toner image formed on intermediate transfer belt 1. Furthermore, a black toner image formed by image forming unit 110K is transferred onto intermediate transfer belt 1 for the cyan toner image formed on intermediate transfer belt 1. In this way, toner images of different colors are superimposed on intermediate transfer belt 1, forming a full-color image on intermediate transfer belt 1. Note that, although the present embodiment uses four colors, the number of colors is not limited to four, and the order of the colors is not limited to four.

[0017] Next, we will explain the intermediate transfer belt unit 102 equipped with the intermediate transfer belt 1. The intermediate transfer belt 1 is tensioned by an internal secondary transfer drive roller 2, which serves as both a drive member and an internal secondary transfer member, a tension roller 3, which applies a predetermined tension to the intermediate transfer belt 1, and a pre-secondary transfer roller 4, which serves as a tensioning member. The intermediate transfer belt 1 is a belt member that is driven and transported in the direction of arrow V in the figure. With respect to the transport direction V of the intermediate transfer belt 1, the pre-secondary transfer roller 4 is located upstream of the internal secondary transfer drive roller 2, and the tension roller 3 is located downstream of the internal secondary transfer drive roller 2. A primary transfer roller 115 is disposed between the tension roller 3 and the pre-secondary transfer roller 4. The tension roller 3 and the pre-secondary transfer roller 4 are not driven, but rotate in response to the transport of the intermediate transfer belt 1.

[0018] The tension roller 3 is held movably in the direction of arrow T in the figure (parallel to the plane formed by the intermediate transfer belt 1 stretched between the tension roller 3 and the pre-secondary transfer roller 4) and is biased by a biasing unit (not shown). This applies tension to the intermediate transfer belt 1. The outer periphery of the secondary transfer drive roller 2 is made of conductive EPDM so that the secondary transfer drive roller 2 can transport the intermediate transfer belt 1 by frictional force while the tension roller 3 applies tension to the intermediate transfer belt 1. The initial friction resistance μ of the outer periphery of the secondary transfer drive roller 2 is set to approximately 1.0 to 1.5. In addition, an intermediate transfer cleaner 50 is fixedly attached to the opposite side of the tension roller 3 across the intermediate transfer belt 1, removing toner remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 1.

[0019] The intermediate transfer belt 1 is an endless belt made of polyimide, having a circumference of 792 mm, a width of 346 mm, and a thickness of 60 μm. The material of the intermediate transfer body is not limited to the above, but other suitable materials include polycarbonate, PVDF, ETFE, and PTFE.

[0020] The image formation process for each color, which is processed in parallel by the image forming units 110Y, 110M, 110C, and 110K, is performed at a timing such that the image is superimposed on the toner image of the upstream color that has been primarily transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 1. As a result, a full-color toner image is finally formed on the intermediate transfer belt 1 and is transported to the secondary transfer unit. Note that the number of rollers stretching the intermediate transfer belt 1 is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 1. Furthermore, the material of the drive roller 2 inside the secondary transfer unit and the initial friction resistance of its outer surface are not limited to the above configuration.

[0021] <Process after secondary transfer> Through the recording material S conveyance process and image formation process described above, the full-color toner image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 1 in the secondary transfer unit is secondarily transferred onto the recording material S. The recording material S is then conveyed to a fixing device 158 by a pre-fixing conveyance unit 157. There are various configurations and methods for fixing devices 158, but in FIG. 1, a fixing device 158 applies a predetermined amount of pressure and heat within a fixing nip formed by opposing fixing rollers 159 and pressure rollers 160, thereby melting and fixing the toner image on the recording material S. Here, the fixing roller 159 has an internal heater that serves as a heat source, and the pressure roller 160 is biased toward the fixing roller 159. After passing through the fixing device 158 and conveyed to a paper discharge reversal roller 161, the recording material S is either discharged directly onto a paper discharge tray 162, or, if double-sided image formation is required, is guided by a branching device 163 and conveyed to a double-sided conveyance device 164, where a route is selected. When double-sided image formation is required, the recording material S is switched back by a switchback operation using discharge reversal rollers 161 to swap the leading and trailing ends, and is then conveyed to a double-sided conveying device 164. Thereafter, in time with the recording material of the subsequent job conveyed by paper feed rollers 153, the recording material merges with the paper feed conveying path 154 from a paper re-feed path 165, and is similarly sent to the secondary transfer unit. The image formation process for the back side (second side) is the same as that for the front side (first side) described above, so a description thereof will be omitted.

[0022] <Toner supply from a toner bottle> Using FIG. 2, we will explain the operation of replenishing toner from a consumable toner bottle. In the image creation process described above, a toner image is formed by consuming toner stored in the developing device 114. Therefore, the amount of toner in the developing device 114 decreases each time an image creation process is performed. A developing toner amount detection sensor 131 provided in the developing device 114 detects whether a certain amount of toner is stored in the developing device 114. When the amount of toner in the developing device 114 falls below this certain amount, toner stored in a hopper 132 connected to the developing device 114 is replenished into the developing device 114. A replenishment screw 133 is provided inside the hopper 132, and by controlling the rotation amount of the replenishment screw 133, a certain amount of toner can be replenished into the developing device 114. When the amount of toner stored in the hopper 132 falls below a predetermined amount, the developing device 114 cannot be accurately replenished with toner, regardless of the rotation amount of the replenishment screw 133. However, a hopper toner amount detection sensor 134 provided in the hopper 132 detects whether a certain amount of toner is contained in the hopper 132. When the amount of toner in the hopper 132 falls below the certain amount, toner contained in a toner bottle 140 is replenished into the hopper 132. Note that, as the developing toner amount detection sensor 131 and the hopper toner amount detection sensor 134, an inductance sensor that measures magnetic permeability or a powder level sensor using a piezoelectric vibrator is suitable, but is not limited to these.

[0023] Toner bottle 140 is configured to be detachable from image forming apparatus 101, and when it is attached to a bottle mount (not shown) provided within image forming apparatus 101, a supply port shutter provided at the supply port of toner bottle 140 is opened. A spiral toner transport section is formed inside toner bottle 140, and when a command to replenish toner to hopper 132 is issued, toner bottle 140 rotates to transport toner in toner bottle 140 toward the supply port. Furthermore, toner bottle 140 contracts in accordance with the rotation of toner bottle 140. As a result, toner in toner bottle 140 that has been transported to the vicinity of the supply port is pumped by the contraction of toner bottle 140 and discharged through the supply port, and replenished to hopper 132.

[0024] As described above, the toner consumed by developing device 114 is ultimately supplied from toner bottle 140, so as the image forming process continues, the toner in toner bottle 140 will run out. However, because toner bottle 140 is configured to be detachable from image forming apparatus 101, it is possible to continue the image forming process by image forming apparatus 101 by replacing the toner bottle with a new one containing toner.

[0025] <Consumables delivery management> Next, an example of the configuration of the image forming apparatus 101 related to delivery management of consumables used by the image forming apparatus 101 for image formation will be described using the block diagram in Fig. 3. In this embodiment, a case will be described in which the "consumables used by the image forming apparatus 101 for image formation" is toner, but the "consumables used by the image forming apparatus 101 for image formation" is not limited to toner.

[0026] The controller 300 can be implemented using one or more processors and memory. The one or more processors execute processes using computer programs and data stored in the memory, thereby executing or controlling each process described below as being performed by the controller 300.

[0027] The image controller 301 sends the image pixel information to the scanner controller 309 and the usage amount detection unit 302. The scanner controller 309 generates a laser emission command in accordance with the image pixel information sent from the image controller 301, and controls the emission timing of the scanner unit 117.

[0028] The supply controller 303 determines the operation timing of the supply screw 133 and the toner bottle 140 (details of the operation timing are as described above) based on the detection results of the development toner amount detection sensor 131 and the hot toner amount detection sensor 134. Then, the supply controller 303 realizes the above-mentioned toner supply by the supply screw 133 and the toner bottle 140 by rotating the motors for driving the supply screw 133 and the toner bottle 140 in accordance with the determined operation timing. The supply controller 303 counts the number of times the toner bottle 140 has been rotated as the "number of toner replenishments," and notifies the usage amount detection unit 302 of the counted "number of toner replenishments."

[0029] Memory 304 is a memory provided in toner bottle 140, and stores the remaining amount of toner in toner bottle 140. If toner bottle 140 is unused, the weight of toner filled at the time of production is stored in memory 304 as the remaining amount of toner. The remaining amount of toner stored in memory 304 is managed by usage amount detection unit 302.

[0030] The operation of the usage detection unit 302 will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 4. The process according to the flowchart in Fig. 4 may be executed periodically (for example, every second) or irregularly (for example, every time an image is formed for a print unit such as one image or one page).

[0031] In step S100, the usage amount detection unit 302 detects the remaining toner amount W stored in the memory 304. T-1 Read the remaining toner amount W T-1" is the remaining toner amount calculated and stored in memory 304 in the "processing according to the flowchart in FIG. 4" the previous time (time (T-1) where T is the current time).

[0032] In step S101, usage detection unit 302 acquires image pixel information P from image controller 301 and acquires toner replenishment count N from replenishment controller 303. Image pixel information P is the cumulative value of the number of pixels for which image formation and output have been performed up to now, and toner replenishment count N is the cumulative value of the number of times toner bottle 140 has been rotated up to now.

[0033] In step S102, usage detection unit 302 calculates ΔP, which is the result of subtracting the number of pixels indicated by image pixel information P obtained in the previous step S101 from the number of pixels indicated by image pixel information P obtained in step S101. Usage detection unit 302 also calculates ΔN, which is the result of subtracting the number of toner replenishments N obtained in the previous step S101 from the number of toner replenishments N obtained in step S101.

[0034] In step S103, the usage amount detection unit 302 calculates the following equation using ΔP, ΔN, the representative value of the toner usage amount per pixel of the image, and the representative value of the toner usage amount per toner replenishment count.

[0035] Q [mg] = (0.015 × ΔP + 180 × ΔN) / 2 Using this calculation, the usage amount detection unit 302 determines (estimates) the amount of toner usage (estimated usage amount) Q that is estimated to be used at the current time T. In this formula, the representative value of the toner usage amount per pixel of an image is set to 0.015 [mg], and the representative value of the toner usage amount per toner replenishment is set to 180 [mg]. This formula is used to calculate the amount of toner usage that is estimated to be used at the current time, using the average of the toner usage amount estimate based on the output image and the toner usage amount estimate based on the amount of toner supplied from the toner bottle.

[0036] In step S104, the usage amount detection unit 302 detects the cumulative toner usage amount U T-1 The cumulative toner usage amount U at the current time T is calculated by adding the estimated usage amount Q calculated in step S104 to the cumulative toner usage amount U at the current time T. T That is, the usage amount detection unit 302 calculates U T =U T-1 +Q is calculated. Note that when T=1, 2, ..., U0=0.

[0037] In step S105, the usage amount detection unit 302 detects the remaining toner amount W read from the memory 304 in step S100. T-1 The result of subtracting the estimated usage Q from (W T-1 -Q) is the remaining toner amount W at the current time T T is required.

[0038] In step S106, the usage amount detection unit 302 detects the remaining toner amount W stored in the memory 304. T-1 is the remaining toner amount W calculated in step S105. T Update to.

[0039] In step S107, the usage amount detection unit 302 obtains the current date using a timer or the like included in the controller 300, and determines whether the current date is the day after the date on which the processing according to the flowchart in Fig. 4 was last executed or later. If the result of this determination is that the current date is the day after the date on which the processing according to the flowchart in Fig. 4 was last executed or later, the processing proceeds to step S108. On the other hand, if the current date is the same as the date on which the processing according to the flowchart in Fig. 4 was last executed, the processing according to the flowchart in Fig. 4 ends.

[0040] In step S108, the usage amount detection unit 302 detects the cumulative toner usage amount U T is sent to the prediction unit 305 and the determination unit 308 as the "toner usage amount used on the day including the current time T" (toner usage amount per day). TIn step S109, the usage amount detection unit 302 sends U T Initialize to 0.

[0041] Returning to FIG. 3, the prediction unit 305 calculates the average value U of the cumulative toner usage acquired from the usage amount detection unit 302 by calculating the following formula every time the cumulative toner usage amount is acquired from the usage amount detection unit 302. AVE Calculate the cumulative average amount of toner used per day.

[0042]

number

[0043] Here, i is the number of times that the "toner usage amount per day" is notified from the usage amount detection unit 302, and U n represents the toner usage amount per day at the time of the nth notification. The prediction unit 305 calculates the average cumulative toner usage amount U AVE and the remaining toner amount W received from the usage amount detection unit 302. T By using the above and calculating the following equation, the remaining number of days D as the remaining usable period of the toner currently remaining in the image forming apparatus 101 is obtained.

[0044] D [day] = W / U AVE Then, prediction unit 305 sends the obtained remaining number of days D to determination unit 306. The operation of determination unit 306 will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 10. In step S1001, determination unit 306 acquires the remaining number of days D sent from prediction unit 305. In step S1002, determination unit 306 determines whether the remaining number of days D acquired in step S1001 is equal to or less than a specified delivery threshold (for example, 10 days). If the result of this determination is that the remaining number of days D is equal to or less than the delivery threshold, the process proceeds to step S1003, and if the remaining number of days D is greater than the delivery threshold, the process according to the flowchart in FIG. 10 ends. In step S1003, determination unit 306 determines that toner bottle 140 will soon be used up, and generates a delivery request signal to prompt a "delivery request," which is an example of a request to prepare a replacement toner bottle. The determining unit 306 then sends the generated distribution request signal to the display controller 310, and also transmits the generated distribution request signal to an external maintenance server 307 via the network.

[0045] Next, the operation of the determination unit 308 will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 5. The determination unit 308 performs processing according to the flowchart in Fig. 5 every time the usage amount detection unit 302 outputs the cumulative toner usage amount.

[0046] In step S200, determination unit 308 acquires the cumulative toner usage amount sent from usage amount detection unit 302. Then, in step S201, determination unit 308 determines whether the cumulative toner usage amount acquired in step S200 is equal to or greater than a specified amount (count threshold) (e.g., 70,000 mg). If the result of this determination is that the cumulative toner usage amount acquired in step S200 is equal to or greater than the specified amount, the process proceeds to step S202, and if the cumulative toner usage amount acquired in step S200 is less than the specified amount, the process proceeds to step S203.

[0047] In step S202, the determination unit 308 increments the threshold exceedance count by 1. Note that the threshold exceedance count is set to 0 when the image forming apparatus 101 is first used.

[0048] In step S203, the determination unit 308 determines whether the number of times the threshold has been exceeded is equal to or greater than a specified standby determination threshold (for example, 2 times). If the result of this determination is that the number of times the threshold has been exceeded is equal to or greater than the specified standby determination threshold, the process proceeds to step S204, and if the number of times the threshold has been exceeded is less than the specified standby determination threshold, the process according to the flowchart in FIG. 5 ends.

[0049] In step S204, determination unit 308 generates a standby request signal to prompt a "standby request," which is an example of a request to prepare a replacement toner bottle. Then, determination unit 308 sends the generated standby request signal to display controller 310, and also transmits the generated standby request signal to maintenance server 307 via the network.

[0050] In other words, when the determination unit 308 detects that the user has consumed a large amount of toner per day that is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount, and if this trend is repeated, it determines that there is a high possibility that a sudden large amount of consumable consumption will occur that greatly exceeds the cumulative average amount of toner used per day. In such a case, the determination unit 308 determines that there is a high possibility that the delivery of toner to the installation location of the image forming device 101 after the toner delivery request will be delayed compared to the timing at which the toner will be used up, and issues a notification that toner should be kept on hand at the installation location of the image forming device 101.

[0051] In this embodiment, the reproducibility of the user's mass consumption is evaluated using a stock determination threshold (2 times), but of course the stock determination threshold may be set to 1 time to more reliably prevent delays in toner delivery. Alternatively, the history of toner usage per day acquired each time the date advances may be statistically processed, and a stock request signal may be output if the frequency of occurrence of outliers (toner usage amounts) from a significant distribution (a distribution created in advance as a normal toner usage distribution) is higher than a threshold.

[0052] In this embodiment, the quantity of toner that should always be on hand is set to 1 (a fixed value), but the quantity that should always be on hand may be changed based on the determination made by determination unit 308. For example, if the number of times that the cumulative toner usage amount obtained in step S200 has exceeded a first threshold is equal to or greater than a stock determination threshold, the quantity that should always be on hand may be set to 1, and if the number of times that the cumulative toner usage amount obtained in step S200 has exceeded a second threshold (≠ the first threshold) is equal to or greater than a stock determination threshold, the quantity that should always be on hand may be set to 2.

[0053] Returning to FIG. 3, display controller 310 controls the display on the display screen of operation panel 171 of image forming apparatus 101, and performs display in response to a delivery request signal from determination unit 306 and a stock request signal from determination unit 308. An example of display on display screen 600 of operation panel 171 is shown in FIG. 6. Display screen 600 lists, for each toner (Toner Y, Toner M, Toner C, Toner BK) held by image forming apparatus 101, the number of remaining days D determined for that toner, whether or not delivery of that toner is required, and whether or not the toner is required to be kept on hand (quantity that should be kept on hand). "Whether toner delivery is required" is displayed as "required" if display controller 310 has received a delivery request signal for that toner, and "not required" if not. "Whether toner is required to be kept on hand (quantity that should be kept on hand)" is displayed as "required (1)" if display controller 310 has received a stock request signal for that toner, and "not required (0)" if not. In Figure 6, the "quantity to be kept on hand" is set to "1", but if the "quantity to be kept on hand" is changed depending on the situation as described above, the changed quantity Num will be displayed, for example, as "Required (Num)".

[0054] Maintenance server 307 is a server device connected to image forming apparatus 101 via a wireless and / or wired network, and displays information in response to a delivery request signal from determination unit 306 and a stock request signal from determination unit 308. The display contents include, for example, "whether delivery of the toner is necessary" and "whether the toner is necessary (quantity to be kept on hand)" for each toner, as shown in FIG. 6. By displaying such information, maintenance server 307 allows an operator of maintenance server 307 to confirm the display contents and recognize whether delivery arrangements for toner replacement or stocking are necessary (including the quantity to be delivered). This enables replacement toner to be delivered to the installation location of image forming apparatus 101 at the appropriate time.

[0055] FIG. 7 shows an example of a simulation that clearly demonstrates the effects of this embodiment. The horizontal axis in each of FIGS. 7(a) to 7(c) represents the number of operating days of the image forming apparatus 101. The vertical axis in FIG. 7(a) represents the "toner usage amount [mg] per day." The solid line graph in FIG. 7(a) represents the change in the toner usage amount per day of the user in this simulation, and the dashed-dotted line represents the count threshold [mg] used in step S201. For the user in this simulation, the cumulative average toner usage amount per day is approximately 3,500 [mg]. Furthermore, there is a day when 30,000 to 40,000 [mg] of toner is consumed approximately once every 100 days, and a day when 100,000 [mg] or more of toner is consumed approximately once every 400 days.

[0056] The vertical axis of Figure 7(b) represents the remaining days D [days]. The solid line graph in Figure 7(b) represents the transition of the remaining days D calculated by the prediction unit 305, and the dashed line represents the delivery threshold. The remaining days D decreases to about 0 days and then increases to about 200 days because the remaining days D increases as the toner bottle is replaced with a new one after the toner is used up.

[0057] The vertical axis in Figure 7(c) represents the signal value of the delivery request signal / standing request signal. In this embodiment, if a delivery request signal / standing request signal is output, it is assumed that a delivery request signal / standing request signal with a value of "1" has been output, and if a delivery request signal / standing request signal is not output, it is assumed that a delivery request signal / standing request signal with a value of "0" has been output. The solid line represents the waveform of the standing request signal from determination unit 308, and the dashed dotted line represents the waveform of the delivery request signal from determination unit 306.

[0058] In this embodiment, the determination unit 306 stops outputting the delivery request signal (is reset and withdrawn) when it detects that the toner bottle in the image forming apparatus 101 has been replaced with a new one. That is, the delivery request signal is reset and withdrawn in synchronization with the increase in the remaining days due to the replacement of the toner bottle with a new one in FIG. 7(b). As shown in FIG. 7(c), the delivery request signal is notified when the remaining days D in FIG. 7(b) becomes 10 days or less. However, around the 1050th day, the remaining days increase to approximately 200 days without falling below 10 days. This is because the sudden large amount of toner consumption shown in FIG. 7(a) occurred at this time. Because the amount of toner used per day exceeds the amount of toner remaining at that time, the remaining days did not fall below 10 days as the date progressed, leading to the replacement of the toner bottle. Therefore, the delivery request signal cannot be notified sufficiently in advance for such sudden consumption. However, in this example, a second sudden large amount of toner consumption occurs around the 700th day, and the standby request signal is notified at this timing. Therefore, if a toner bottle is always available at the installation location of the image forming apparatus at this point, the image forming apparatus will not stop due to a shortage of consumables even if the delivery request signal is not received in time due to a sudden large amount of toner use around day 1050. In this way, according to this embodiment, it is possible to reduce the chances of the image forming apparatus stopping operation due to a delay in the delivery of consumables when a sudden large amount of toner use is repeated.

[0059] As described above, the standby request signal is a signal that is notified depending on how the image forming apparatus is used, so it is desirable to reset it if the user population that uses it changes. For example, the determination unit 308 stops outputting the delivery request signal (is reset and withdrawn) in response to an input operation from the consumables management screen displayed on the operation panel 171 or an input operation by the operator on the maintenance server 307. The content and timing of this operation are not limited to a specific example.

[0060] [Second embodiment] In the following embodiments, including this embodiment, differences from the first embodiment will be described, and unless otherwise specified below, they will be considered to be the same as the first embodiment. An example of the configuration of the image forming apparatus 101 related to delivery management of consumables used by the image forming apparatus 101 for image formation according to this embodiment will be described using the block diagram of Fig. 8. In this embodiment, the case where the consumables is toner will also be described.

[0061] A controller 350 according to this embodiment is obtained by removing the prediction unit 305 from the controller 300 described above, and the operations of the usage amount detection unit 302 and the determination unit 306 are different from those of the first embodiment.

[0062] The usage amount detection unit 302 detects the remaining toner amount W T The determination unit 306 sends the remaining toner amount W T is equal to or less than a specified delivery threshold (for example, 150,000 [mg]), it determines that the toner bottle 140 will soon be used up, and generates a delivery request signal. The determination unit 306 then sends the generated delivery request signal to the display controller 310, and also transmits the generated delivery request signal to the maintenance server 307 via the network. Note that the delivery threshold for the remaining toner amount is not limited to the absolute weight of toner, and may be, for example, a relative amount [%] to the initial remaining amount in the toner bottle to be installed.

[0063] [Third embodiment] An example of the configuration of the image forming apparatus 101 relating to delivery management of consumables used by the image forming apparatus 101 for image formation according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the block diagram of Fig. 9. In this embodiment, the case where the consumables are toner will also be described.

[0064] In the controller 360 according to this embodiment, the prediction unit 305 in the controller 300 is replaced with a prediction unit 311, and the operation of the determination unit 306 differs from that of the first embodiment. The prediction unit 311 calculates the average toner usage amount M per sheet of paper (per sheet of recording material S) by calculating the following formula from the cumulative toner usage amount from the usage amount detection unit 302 and the cumulative value of the number of print output sheets acquired from a print job controller (not shown).

[0065]

number

[0066] Here, R is the cumulative number of prints output since the image forming apparatus was installed, and is the number of sheets converted into A4 size paper. For example, the prediction unit 311 counts up R by 1 for each output of one side in A4 / LTR printing, and counts up R by 2 for each output of one side in A3 / LGL printing. The prediction unit 311 then calculates the remaining toner amount W T and the average toner usage amount M, the number of sheets Z that can be printed out with the toner currently remaining in the image forming apparatus 101 is calculated using the following formula:

[0067] Z [pieces] = W T / M Prediction unit 311 then sends the calculated number of sheets Z to determination unit 306. If number of sheets Z is equal to or less than a specified delivery threshold (for example, 2000 sheets), determination unit 306 determines that toner bottle 140 will soon be used up, and generates a delivery request signal to prompt a "delivery request," which is an example of a request to prepare a replacement toner bottle. Determination unit 306 then sends the generated delivery request signal to display controller 310, and also transmits the generated delivery request signal to maintenance server 307 via the network.

[0068] [Fourth embodiment] All of the functional units of the controllers 300, 350, and 360 may be implemented in hardware, or some of them may be implemented in software. In the latter case, for example, the software may be stored in a memory in the controller 300 (350, 360), and the processor in the controller 300 (350, 360) may execute the software to realize the functions of the corresponding functional units.

[0069] It is possible to use a part or all of the above-described embodiments in appropriate combination, or to selectively use a part or all of the above-described embodiments. In addition, the various numerical values ​​used in the above description are merely examples and are not limited to the above numerical values.

[0070] (Other embodiments) The present invention can also be realized by supplying a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and having one or more processors in the computer of the system or device read and execute the program. It can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that realizes one or more functions. [Explanation of symbols]

[0071] 301: Image controller 302: Usage amount detection unit 303: Replenishment controller 304: Memory 305: Prediction unit 306: Determination unit 307: Maintenance server 308: Determination unit 309: Scanner controller 310: Display controller 317: Scanner unit 171: Operation panel

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