Print control device, control method for print control device, program, and storage medium

Abstract

To flexibly provide fault information to users according to the communication status of the device. [Solution] The printing control device has a receiving means for receiving contract information indicating the status of a contract for the use of a specific service from a server system that provides a specific service related to the delivery of consumables used in printing, and a display control means for controlling the display device so that, when an error occurs during communication with the server system, the display device does not display specified information about the error if the specific service has not been subscribed to, and displays specified information about the error if the specific service has been subscribed to, based on the contract status indicated in the contract information received by the receiving means.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a print control device, a control method for a print control device, a program, and a storage medium. [Background technology]

[0002] In printing devices equipped with network functionality, services such as delivery services for consumables or contract-based flat-rate services are becoming popular, with management servers managing the operation information of the printing device and consumables such as ink. Patent Document 1 discloses a technology that provides users with information about subscribed services by communicating between the printing device and the management server. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-170008 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] There is a need for a technology that can flexibly provide users with information about a problem that has occurred depending on the contract status and the communication status of the printing device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The printing control device disclosed herein is characterized by having a receiving means for receiving contract information indicating the status of a contract for use of a specific service from a server system that provides a specific service related to the delivery of consumables used in printing, and a display control means for controlling, when an error occurs during communication with the server system, based on the status of the contract indicated by the contract information received by the receiving means, so that if the specific service has not been subscribed to, specified information about the error is not displayed on the display device, and if the specific service has been subscribed to, the specified information about the error is displayed on the display device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] This makes it possible to flexibly provide users with information about any trouble that has occurred depending on the contract status and the communication status of the printing device. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] Overview of the entire system. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic hardware configuration of a printer. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a server. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart of a process performed when an error occurs. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an error screen. [Figure 6] A diagram showing examples of classified errors. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the error history (error list) screen. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart of a process for saving an error that has occurred and displaying a list of errors. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an error history (error list) screen displayed on the control device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the present disclosure, and not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solutions of the present disclosure. Note that identical components will be described with the same reference numerals. Furthermore, each process (step) in a flowchart will be indicated with a reference numeral beginning with "S."

[0009] [First embodiment] If a user has already subscribed to a consumables delivery service, the information necessary for consumables delivery may not arrive at the management server depending on the user's network environment, the status of the printing device, and the status of the management server. It is necessary to provide information to users who have subscribed to the consumables delivery service to resolve the problem. On the other hand, since unnecessary problem information does not need to be presented to users who have not subscribed to the consumables delivery service, flexible information provision is required.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the overall configuration of a processing system according to this embodiment. The processing system 100 includes a printer 110 serving as a printing device, a device management server 120, and a control device 130. The printer 110 and the device management server 120 are connected via a communication network 140, such as the Internet. The printer 110 and the control device 130 (a terminal device such as a smartphone, tablet, or personal computer (PC)) are connected via a USB cable or an access point via a wireless LAN or the like. This disclosure also relates to a print control device including the printer 110 and the control device 130. In other words, the print control device functions and executes the processes of this disclosure through cooperation between the printer 110 and the control device 130. Although this embodiment describes the printer 110 and the control device 130 as separate entities, this is not a limitation. The printer 110 and the control device 130 may also be integrated. Although this embodiment assumes that the printer 110 is an MFP (Multi Function Peripheral), this is not a limitation. The printer 110 may also be an SFP (Single Function Peripheral).

[0011] The printer 110 stores contract information in the printer 110's NVM (Non-Volatile Memory) 104 (described later) and controls the printer 110 according to the stored contract information. Here, contract information refers to information indicating the status of a contract for the use of a specific service, such as a consumables delivery service. The printer 110 receives the contract information by communicating with the device management server 120 via a communication network 140. Communication between the printer 110 and the device management server 120 uses a communication protocol such as HyperText Transfer Protocol (hereinafter referred to as "HTTP"), and the control method is assumed to be a well-known method. A dedicated application and an internet browser are installed on the control device 130, and the dedicated application and internet browser are used to connect to and control the printer 110. Although the printer 110 and the control device 130 are directly connected, this embodiment is not limited to this. For example, the printer 110 and the control device 130 may be configured to send and receive contract information via the communication network 140. Details of the contract information and the control of the printer 110 according to the contract information will be described later.

[0012] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic hardware configuration of the printer 110. The printer 110 includes a CPU 201, a ROM 202, a RAM 203, an NVM 204, a network connection unit 205, a display unit 206, and an operation unit 207. The CPU 201 is a central processing unit for controlling each unit within the printer 110. The ROM 202 stores various program codes. The RAM 203 temporarily stores and buffers data such as image data when each service is executed. The RAM 203 also stores image data received by the network connection unit 205 (described below). The NVM 204 is a nonvolatile memory and stores nonvolatile information. For example, the NVM 204 stores the individual identification information of the printer 110, shipping destination information, and the language setting to be displayed on the display unit 206. In the printer 110 of this embodiment, contract information for each service (described below) is also stored in the NVM 204.

[0013] The network connection unit 205 connects to an external device via a USB (Universal Serial Bus) or a network and communicates with the external device. In other words, the network connection unit 205 also functions as a data transmission unit and a data reception unit of the printer 110. In this embodiment, the printer 110 uses the network connection unit 205 to communicate with the device management server 120 via the communication network 140 and to communicate directly with the control device 130.

[0014] The display unit 206 is configured, for example, with a liquid crystal display device or the like, and is capable of displaying characters, figures, indicators, and the like. Information displayed by the display unit 206 includes, for example, display of information about a fault that has occurred in the printer 110. The display on the display unit 206 is controlled by a display control unit, which is one of the functions of the CPU 201. The operation unit 207 has switches and hard keys that allow the user to perform various input operations. It is also possible to configure the display unit 206 to function as an operation unit for performing input operations, such as a touch panel.

[0015] The printer 110 also includes a scanner unit 208, a print unit 209, an ink tank unit 210, a waste ink tank unit 211, and a paper cassette unit 212. The scanner unit 208 optically reads an original placed on the platen and converts it into electronic data. The image data is then converted into a specified file format and transmitted to an external device via the communication network 140, where it is stored in a storage device such as a hard disk (not shown). The storage device is not limited to a hard disk, and may be an SSD (Solid State Drive), flash memory, or cloud storage. The printer 110 also has a copy function. The printer 110 reads an original placed on the platen with the scanner unit 208, generates image data, and transfers the generated image data to the print unit 209. The print unit 209 records an image on a recording medium based on the image data. In the printer 110, the scanner function is realized by the scanner unit 208, and the print function is realized by the print unit 209.

[0016] Print unit 209 receives ink from ink tank unit 210 and performs printing on a recording medium such as printing paper. Print unit 209 also prints an image on a recording medium by inkjet printing based on image data received from an external device or image data read by scanner unit 208. Note that the printing method of print unit 209 is not limited to inkjet printing, and other printing methods such as electrophotography and thermal transfer printing may also be used.

[0017] The ink tank unit 210 has an ink inlet, and stores ink by injecting ink from an ink bottle. Note that the ink tank unit 210 may alternatively be configured so that an ink cartridge filled with ink is attached, and the ink from this ink cartridge is supplied to the print unit 209 to perform printing. For example, the printer 110 may have a carriage that scans the print unit 209 over the recording medium, and the carriage with the ink cartridge attached may constitute the ink tank unit 210 in this embodiment.

[0018] The waste ink tank unit 211 stores waste ink generated when the print unit 209 performs printing using ink supplied from the ink tank unit 210. Waste ink refers to ink used for purposes other than ejection onto a recording medium, such as ink suction performed before ink is ejected onto a recording medium to stabilize ink ejection. Status information indicating the remaining capacity of the waste ink tank unit 211 refers to the remaining capacity that can be stored, calculated based on the amount of waste ink discharged by the print unit 209 outside the range of the recording medium and the capacity of the waste ink tank unit 211. In this case, the calculation result of the remaining capacity is corrected by installing a sensor in the waste ink tank unit 211 that detects the amount of waste ink. Alternatively, the remaining capacity that can be stored in the waste ink tank unit 211 may be calculated using only the sensor.

[0019] The paper cassette unit 212 stores recording media such as paper to be supplied to the print unit 209. The print unit 209 prints on the supplied recording media, forming an image on the recording media. Paper information such as the number of remaining sheets in the paper cassette unit 212 refers to the number of remaining sheets calculated based on the number of sheets supplied to the print unit 209 and the number of sheets stored in the paper cassette unit 212. Note that a sensor that detects the number of sheets stored in the paper cassette unit 212 may be installed to correct the calculation result of the number of remaining sheets. Alternatively, the number of remaining sheets may be determined based solely on the detection result of the sensor. The various units of the printer 110 are interconnected by a bus 213, enabling various data to be transmitted and received between them.

[0020] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic hardware configuration of the device management server 120. The device management server 120 includes a CPU 301, a ROM 302, a RAM 303, a hard disk 304, and a network connection unit 305. The CPU 301 performs processes such as calculation, judgment, and control of data or instructions in accordance with software stored in the ROM 302, RAM 303, or hard disk 304. The RAM 303 is used as a temporary storage area when the CPU 301 performs various processes. The hard disk 304 stores an operating system (OS), application software, programs, etc. The hard disk 304 also stores device information for each printer, which will be described later, and a record table of the contract status of each service. The hard disk 304 may also be another storage device, such as an SSD or flash memory.

[0021] The system bus 306 exchanges data between the CPU 301 and storage devices such as the ROM 302, RAM 303, and hard disk 304. The network connection unit 305 exchanges data with external devices over the same network and the Internet using a wireless or wired LAN compatible with standards such as IEEE802.11ax or IEEE802.11be, using protocols such as TCP / IP. The configuration of this embodiment is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 3 . A cloud server may be used to realize the services that the device management server 120 can provide. Furthermore, the device management server 120 does not need to be configured as a single server. In other words, the functions may be realized by a server system consisting of multiple servers or by a single server that aggregates all of the servers. For example, the hard disk 304 may be cloud storage.

[0022] Next, an error display according to the contract status of the consumables delivery service for the printer 110 in this embodiment will be described using the flowchart in Figure 4(a). The processing of the flowchart in Figure 4(a) is executed by the CPU 201 reading a program into the RAM 203. The processing of the flowchart in Figure 4(a) is initiated by the CPU 201 sending the status of the printer 110 to the device management server 120 after performing some operation, such as when the printer 110 is turned on or when printing is performed.

[0023] In S401, after performing some operation, such as when the printer 110 is turned on or when printing is performed, the CPU 201 sends the status of the printer 110 to the device management server 120. Here, the status includes one or more pieces of information such as the remaining amount of consumables, the number of pages printed, and whether a printing error has occurred. In S402, the CPU 201 determines whether the transmission process was successful. This determination is made based on a response from the device management server 120 or a response from the network connection unit 205. If the printer 110 receives a response such as ACK from the device management server 120, it determines that the transmission process was successful. If the printer 110 receives a response such as NAK from the device management server 120, it determines that the transmission process was unsuccessful. In this case, the NAK response may include information about the reason why the transmission process was unsuccessful (the reason for the error that occurred). Alternatively, following the NAK response, information about the reason why the transmission process was unsuccessful (the reason for the error that occurred) may be sent from the device management server 120 to the printer 110. If the transmission process is successful, the process of this flowchart ends. If the transmission process is not successful, the process proceeds to S403.

[0024] In S403, the CPU 201 receives the cause of the error from the network connection unit 205, or performs processing to determine the cause of the failure of the transmission processing (communication) based on the cause of the error included in the NAK response or the cause of the error sent following the NAK response. The CPU 201 classifies the error that occurred and assigns a support number (error code) to each classified error. When the above-described error processing is completed, processing proceeds to S404. That is, the error information described below varies depending on the error that occurred. In S404, the CPU 201 determines whether the printer 110 has a contract for a consumables delivery service. If the printer 110 has a contract for a consumables delivery service, processing proceeds to S405. If the printer 110 has not subscribed to the consumables delivery service, the processing of the flowchart shown in FIG. 4A ends without displaying information about the error that occurred. This improves usability because unnecessary error information is not presented to users who do not subscribe to the consumables delivery service.

[0025] In S405, the CPU 201 displays information about the error classified in S403 on the display unit 206 of the printer 110. An example of an error screen displayed on the display unit 206 of the printer 110 is shown in FIG. 5(a). When the "Close" button 504a is pressed on the error screen of FIG. 5(a), the process proceeds to S406. When the "Detailed Explanation" button 503a is pressed on the error screen of FIG. 5(a), the process proceeds to S407. When the control device 130 sends a device information acquisition request to the printer 110 while the error screen of FIG. 5(a) is being displayed, the CPU 201 of the printer 110 sends the device information to the control device 130. Then, the process proceeds to "Error display process on the control device 130" in S409, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 4(b). The device information includes error information. The error information is information indicating the error type, and also includes a support number assigned to each error type. In FIG. 4A, the period during which the control device 130 can acquire device information including error information is the branch in S405, but is not limited to this. The period during which the control device 130 can acquire device information may be the period from S405 until the processing in S406 is completed. Note that the condition for displaying an error on the display unit 206 in S405 can also be set to be that the printer 110 is not executing any other processing or that the user is not operating the operation unit 207. In other words, if the printer 110 is executing another specific processing or if the user is operating the operation unit 207, the error may not be displayed.

[0026] In S406, CPU 201 closes the error screen of FIG. 5(a) and ends the processing of the flowchart shown in FIG. 4(a). In S407, CPU 201 generates a two-dimensional code shown in FIG. 5(c), such as a QR Code (registered trademark), that includes a uniform resource locator (URL) for a manual page for the error that has occurred, and processing proceeds to S408. In S408, CPU 201 displays the generated two-dimensional code on display unit 206 of printer 110. When the two-dimensional code is read using a smartphone or the like, a web manual page describing how to deal with each error is displayed on the smartphone or the like. This allows the user to refer to the displayed web manual page. When "OK" button 506 in FIG. 5(c) is pressed, processing proceeds to S406.

[0027] The 2D code is generated from a URL that combines a specific URL (fixed value), printer information, and the error information generated from the error. More specifically, a 2D code is generated that includes URL information in which at least printer information (information that identifies the printer model) and error information (information that indicates the error type) are added as URL parameters to the specific URL (the URL for accessing the manual). The user scans this 2D code with a smartphone camera or similar device. This allows the section of the manual for the printer model in which the error occurred that shows how to deal with the type of error that has occurred to be displayed on the device that read the 2D code, such as a smartphone. The user can follow the displayed manual to take appropriate action based on the printer model and error type.

[0028] FIG. 4B is a flowchart showing specific processing of the "error display processing in the control device 130." In S451, the CPU 301 of the control device 130, such as a smartphone or personal computer (PC), receives device information including error information about an error that occurred in the printer 110, and processing proceeds to S452. In S452, the error screen shown in FIG. 5B is displayed in a pop-up window on an application launched by the control device 130. The error screen of FIG. 5B displays error information, such as a support code assigned to each error type. If the "Yes" button 503b is pressed here, processing proceeds to S453. If the "No" button 504b is pressed, the error pop-up window closes. In S453, the CPU 301 of the control device 130 launches a web browser and displays a web manual containing error resolution procedures on the display device. Note that in this embodiment, the processing from S405 to S408 and the processing from S451 to S453 may be executed in parallel.

[0029] FIG. 6 shows examples of communication errors that occur during communication between the printer 110 and the device management server 120. Information indicating the error type includes, for example, the following types of error information: The first error type indicates that the wireless LAN is disabled. The second error type indicates that the device is not connected to a router. The third error type indicates that the IPv4 setting is AutoIP (Automatic Private IP Addressing). The fourth error type indicates that an error occurred in communication with a DNS server. The fifth error type indicates that an error occurred in communication with a proxy server. The sixth error type indicates that an error occurred in encrypted communication. The seventh error type indicates that the response from the server system was an error. The printer 110 assigns a support number to each of the above error types. In other words, there is a one-to-one correspondence between the error type and the support number. The error types for the printer 110 shown in FIG. 6 are merely examples, and other communication errors may also be included depending on the device's hardware and software configuration.

[0030] As described above, this embodiment makes it possible to flexibly provide users with error information that occurs depending on the contract status and the communication status of the printing device. In other words, usability is improved because unnecessary error information is not presented to users who do not have a contract for the consumables delivery service. Furthermore, information on errors that occur can be provided to users who have a contract for the consumables delivery service.

[0031] [Second embodiment] In the first embodiment, an example of displaying detailed information about an error that has occurred has been described. In some cases, a user may want to check whether errors that have occurred in the past have also occurred in addition to the currently occurring error. In such cases, the user may wish to view detailed information about errors that have occurred in the past. In this embodiment, an example of obtaining detailed error information from an error history will be described.

[0032] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of an error history screen displayed on the display unit 206 of the printer 110 in this embodiment. That is, FIG. 7 is a screen showing a list of errors that have occurred in the past. The error type (support code) determined in step S403 of FIG. 8 (described later) is stored in the NVM 204 of the printer 110. That is, the list of errors that have occurred in the past is also included in the error information described above. If the printer 110 has a contract with a consumables delivery service, the list of errors that have occurred in the past, as shown in FIG. 7, can be displayed by user operation from the menu screen of the display unit 206 of the printer 110. Furthermore, by selecting an individual error from the error list in FIG. 7, a web manual page related to that error can be displayed. Furthermore, the information on the error list stored in the NVM 204 can be transferred to the control device 130 via an application installed on the control device 130. The error list can be referenced on the control device 130, and detailed error information can be confirmed from FIG. 9 (described later).

[0033] Fig. 8(a) is a flowchart in which the processing of storing errors and displaying a list of stored errors is added to the flowchart shown in Fig. 4(a). The processing of the flowchart in Fig. 8(a) is executed by the CPU 201 reading a program into the RAM 203. The processing of the flowchart in Fig. 8(a) is initiated by the CPU 201 sending the status of the printer 110 to the device management server 120 after performing some operation, such as when the printer 110 is turned on or when printing is performed. Descriptions of the processing of steps that overlap with Figs. 4(a) and 4(b) will be omitted.

[0034] When the error details determination process is executed in S403, the process proceeds to S803. In S803, the CPU 201 stores the error that occurred in the NVM 204 of the printer 110, and the process proceeds to S404. If the user has subscribed to the consumables delivery service in S404, the process proceeds to S805. If the user has not subscribed to the consumables delivery service in S404, the process of the flowchart shown in FIG. 8A ends without displaying the error list.

[0035] In S805, when display of the error list stored in NVM 204 is selected from the menu on display unit 206, CPU 201 displays the error list screen of FIG. 7 on display unit 206. When the “Close” button 704 is pressed on the error list screen of FIG. 7, processing proceeds to S806. When the “Detailed Explanation” button 703 is pressed after selecting the error type (support number) to be displayed on the error list screen of FIG. 7, processing proceeds to S807. When control device 130 transmits a device information acquisition request to printer 110 while the error list screen of FIG. 7 is being displayed, CPU 201 of printer 110 transmits device information to control device 130. Processing then proceeds to “Error Display Processing 2 by Control Device 130” in S809, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 8(b). The device information includes the above-mentioned error information, and the error information also includes the error list. In the flowchart of FIG. 8(a), the period during which control device 130 can acquire the error list is indicated by a branch in S805, but this is not limited thereto. If the user has signed up for a consumables delivery service, there is no restriction on the timing of obtaining the error list as long as the printer 110 and the control device 130 are connectable.

[0036] In S806, the CPU 201 closes the error list screen of Fig. 7, and the processing of the flowchart shown in Fig. 8(a) ends. If the processing proceeds from S805 to S807, the CPU 201 generates a two-dimensional code including the URL of the manual page for the selected error type (support number) in S807, and executes the processing of S408 and S806.

[0037] Fig. 8(b) is a flowchart showing specific processing of "Error display processing 2 in control device 130". In S851, CPU 301 of control device 130 acquires device information including an error list from printer 110, and displays the acquired error list on the display device of control device 130 (see Fig. 9(a)). When the error list screen shown in Fig. 9(a) is displayed on the display device of control device 130, processing proceeds to S852.

[0038] In S852, the CPU 301 of the control device 130 determines the process that has been executed. When the "Close" button 905 in Fig. 9(a) is pressed in S852, the CPU 301 of the control device 130 closes the error list screen shown in Fig. 9(a), and the process of the flowchart shown in Fig. 8(b) ends. If an error type (support number) is selected by a user operation in S852, the process proceeds to S853. Fig. 9(b) shows an example in which "DNS connection error" shown in area 901 is selected.

[0039] In S853, as shown in FIG. 9(b), the CPU 301 of the control device 130 displays a pop-up window 902 on the screen of the acquired error list. When the "Yes" button 903 in the pop-up window 902 in FIG. 9(b) is pressed, the process proceeds to S854. When the "No" button 904 in the pop-up window 902 in FIG. 9(b) is pressed, the CPU 301 of the control device 130 closes the pop-up window 902 in FIG. 9(b), and the process returns to S852. In S854, the CPU 301 of the control device 130 starts a web browser and displays a web manual describing error resolution procedures on the display device. Note that in this embodiment, the processes from S805 to S808 and the processes from S851 to S854 may be executed in parallel.

[0040] This makes it possible to flexibly provide users with error information that occurs according to the contract status and the communication status of the printing device.In addition, it makes it possible to obtain detailed information about the error that has occurred and other errors, such as errors that have occurred in the past, thereby improving usability.

[0041] 4(a) and 8(a) are performed by the CPU 201 of the printer 110, and the flowcharts of FIGS. 4(b) and 8(b) are performed by the CPU 301 of the control device 130, but this is not limiting. The various controls described above may be performed by a single piece of hardware, or the entire system may be controlled by multiple pieces of hardware (for example, multiple processors and circuits) sharing the processing.

[0042] Furthermore, although the present disclosure has been described in detail based on preferred embodiments thereof, the present disclosure is not limited to these specific embodiments, and various forms within the scope of the present disclosure are also included in the present disclosure. Furthermore, each of the above-described embodiments merely represents one embodiment of the present disclosure, and each embodiment can be combined as appropriate.

[0043] In the above-described embodiment, the present disclosure is applied to a print control device, but is not limited to this example. The present disclosure can be applied to a scanner control device that reads images, a fax control device that performs fax communication, a multifunction device that includes multiple functions such as a copying function and a printing function, a display control device that can display multiple images, and a display control device that allows touch input.

[0044] [Other embodiments] The present disclosure can also be realized by executing the following process. That is, software (programs) that realize the functions of the above-described embodiments are supplied to a system or device via a network or various storage media, and a computer (or CPU, MPU, etc.) of the system or device reads and executes the program code. In this case, the program and the storage media storing the program constitute the present disclosure.

[0045] The disclosure of the above-described embodiment includes the following configurations.

[0046] (Configuration 1) A print control device characterized by having: a receiving means for receiving contract information indicating the status of a contract for use of a specific service from a server system that provides a specific service related to the delivery of consumables used in printing; and a display control means for, when an error occurs during communication with the server system, controlling the display device to not display specified information about the error if the specific service has not been subscribed to, and to display the specified information about the error if the specific service has been subscribed to, based on the status of the contract indicated in the contract information received by the receiving means.

[0047] (Configuration 2) The print control device according to configuration 1, wherein the predetermined information differs depending on the type of the error.

[0048] (Configuration 3) The print control device according to configuration 1, wherein the predetermined information includes information indicating the type of the error.

[0049] (Configuration 4) The print control device according to configuration 3, wherein the display control means further controls to display a method for dealing with the error depending on the type of the error.

[0050] (Configuration 5) A print control device according to configuration 4, wherein the control for displaying a method for dealing with the error according to the type of error is control for displaying a portion of a manual that explains a method for dealing with the error corresponding to the type of error.

[0051] (Configuration 6) A print control device according to configuration 4, wherein the control for displaying how to deal with the error depending on the type of error is to display information including URL information in which the type of error is added as a URL parameter to a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) for accessing the manual.

[0052] (Configuration 7) The print control device according to configuration 6, wherein the URL information further includes information for specifying the model of the print device.

[0053] (Configuration 8) The print control device according to configuration 7, wherein the display control means displays a two-dimensional code including the URL information on the display device.

[0054] (Configuration 9) The print control device according to configuration 3, characterized in that the information indicating the type of error is information indicating whether the error is one of a plurality of types including a first type corresponding to wireless LAN being disabled, a second type corresponding to not being connected to a router, a third type corresponding to IPv4 settings being AutoIP (Automatic Private IP Addressing), a fourth type corresponding to an error occurring in communication with a DNS server, a fifth type indicating an error occurring in communication with a proxy server, a sixth type corresponding to an error occurring in encrypted communication, and a seventh type corresponding to an error in the response from the server system.

[0055] (Configuration 10) A printing control device as described in Configuration 1, further comprising a transmitting means for transmitting status information indicating at least one of the remaining amount of the consumables, the number of printed sheets, and the occurrence of a printing error to the server system, wherein the error is an error that occurs during communication for transmitting the status information in the transmitting means.

[0056] (Configuration 11) The printing control device according to configuration 10, wherein the sending means sends the status information to the server system at least one of when the power is turned on and when printing is performed.

[0057] (Configuration 12) The print control device described in configuration 1, characterized in that the specified information about the error further includes a list of the errors that have occurred in the past, and the display control means, if a contract has been made for the specific service, displays the list of the errors that have occurred in the past on the display device.

[0058] (Configuration 13) A control method for a print control device, comprising: a step of receiving contract information indicating the status of a contract for use of a specific service from a server system that provides the specific service related to the delivery of consumables used in printing; and a step of controlling, when an error occurs during communication with the server system, based on the status of the contract indicated by the contract information received in the receiving step, so that if the specific service has not been subscribed to, specified information about the error is not displayed on the display device, and if the specific service has been subscribed to, the specified information about the error is displayed on the display device.

[0059] (Configuration 14) A program for causing a computer to function as each of the means of the print control device described in any one of configurations 1 to 12.

[0060] (Configuration 15) A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to function as each of the means of the print control device described in any one of claims 1 to 12.

Claims

1. a receiving means for receiving, from a server system that provides a specific service related to the delivery of consumables used in printing, contract information indicating the status of a contract for use of the specific service; a display control means for controlling, when an error occurs during communication with the server system, based on the status of the contract indicated by the contract information received by the receiving means, so that if the user has not subscribed to the specific service, predetermined information about the error is not displayed on the display device, and if the user has subscribed to the specific service, the predetermined information about the error is displayed on the display device; A print control device comprising:

2. 2. The print control device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined information differs depending on the type of the error.

3. 2. The print control device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined information includes information indicating a type of the error.

4. 4. The print control device according to claim 3, wherein the display control means further controls to display a method for dealing with the error depending on the type of the error.

5. 5. The print control device according to claim 4, wherein the control for displaying a method for dealing with the error according to the type of the error is control for displaying a portion of a manual that explains a method for dealing with the error corresponding to the type of the error.

6. 5. The print control device according to claim 4, wherein the control for displaying a method for dealing with the error according to the type of the error is to display information including URL information in which the type of error is added as a URL parameter to a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) for accessing the manual.

7. 7. The print control device according to claim 6, wherein the URL information further includes information for specifying the model of the printing device.

8. 8. The print control device according to claim 7, wherein the display control means displays a two-dimensional code including the URL information on the display device.

9. 4. The print control device according to claim 3, wherein the information indicating the type of error is information indicating which of a plurality of error types, including a first type corresponding to the wireless LAN being disabled, a second type corresponding to not being connected to a router, a third type corresponding to the IPv4 setting being AutoIP (Automatic Private IP Addressing), a fourth type corresponding to an error occurring in communication with a DNS server, a fifth type indicating that an error has occurred in communication with a proxy server, a sixth type corresponding to an error occurring in encrypted communication, and a seventh type corresponding to an error in the response from the server system.

10. a transmitting unit for transmitting status information indicating at least one of the remaining amount of the consumables, the number of printed sheets, and the occurrence status of a printing error to the server system; 2. The print control device according to claim 1, wherein the error is an error that occurs during communication for transmitting status information in the transmitting means.

11. 11. The print control device according to claim 10, wherein the transmission means transmits the status information to the server system at least when the power is turned on or when printing is executed.

12. The predetermined information about the error further includes a list of errors that have occurred in the past, 2. The print control device according to claim 1, wherein the display control means displays a list of the errors that have occurred in the past on the display device when a contract has been made for the specific service.

13. receiving contract information indicating the status of a contract for use of a specific service related to delivery of consumables used in printing from a server system that provides the specific service; a control step of, when an error occurs during communication with the server system, not displaying predetermined information about the error on a display device if the user has not subscribed to the specific service, based on the status of the contract indicated by the contract information received in the receiving step, and displaying the predetermined information about the error on the display device if the user has subscribed to the specific service; A control method for a print control device, comprising:

14. A program for causing a computer to function as each of the means of the print control device according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

15. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to function as each of the means of the print control device according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

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