Image formation monitoring method, image formation monitoring apparatus, image formation monitoring system, and program

Abstract

This invention provides an image forming monitoring method, an image forming monitoring apparatus, an image forming monitoring system, and a program that enable more appropriate replenishment of consumables in an image forming apparatus. [Solution] The image forming monitoring method using an image forming monitoring device 20 that manages replenishment information for consumables stored in the storage unit 12 of the image forming apparatus 10 includes a replenishment information acquisition step of acquiring replenishment information regarding the amount of consumables replenished in the storage unit 12, and a display control step of displaying the replenishment information on the display unit 31 in chronological order.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming monitoring method, an image forming monitoring apparatus, an image forming monitoring system, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, an image forming apparatus that conveys a recording medium stored in a paper feeding unit to an image forming unit to form an image is known. In such an image forming apparatus, various problems occur depending on the state of the recording medium. For example, when the humidity in the paper feeding unit is high and the humidity of the recording medium increases, conveyance errors and image quality errors are likely to occur. Also, when the humidity in the paper feeding unit is low and the humidity of the recording medium decreases, it is likely to be affected by static electricity and conveyance errors are likely to occur. When these errors occur, the downtime increases and the productivity of image formation decreases, which is not preferable.

[0003] Various errors related to consumables of an image forming apparatus have environmental dependence. Therefore, for example, for the errors described above, by frequently replenishing the recording medium, the occurrence can be suppressed. On the other hand, in an attempt to suppress the occurrence of errors, the user may replenish more frequently than necessary, and as a result, the downtime may increase and the productivity of image formation may decrease.

[0004] Therefore, for example, in Patent Document 1, there is described an image forming apparatus that includes a detection unit that detects the height of paper stored in a storage unit and displays the number of replenishable paper packs based on a reference storage height and the thickness of a paper pack. According to this configuration, for example, by causing replenishment to be performed at the timing when the number of replenishable paper packs reaches a predetermined amount, both the occurrence of errors having environmental dependence and the increase in downtime accompanying an increase in the number of replenishments can be suppressed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

[0006] However, as mentioned above, Patent Document 1 is an invention of a device that only indicates the amount that can be replenished. Therefore, if there is a problem with the replenishment, such as the amount being replenished too little and the frequency of replenishment being too high, it is not possible to detect the problem and prompt the user to make improvements. Furthermore, the above problem is not limited to paper replenishment, but is a common issue for all consumables in image forming equipment, such as toner and ink.

[0007] This invention has been made in view of the above circumstances. Its purpose is to provide an image forming monitoring method, an image forming monitoring apparatus, an image forming monitoring system, and a program that enable more appropriate replenishment of consumables in an image forming apparatus. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To solve the above problems, the invention described in claim 1 is: An image forming monitoring method using an image forming monitoring device that manages information on the replenishment of consumables stored in the storage compartment of an image forming apparatus, A step to acquire replenishment information, which involves acquiring replenishment information regarding the amount of consumables replenished in the storage compartment, The method includes a display control step of displaying the supplementary information on the display unit in chronological order.

[0009] The invention described in claim 2 is the image formation monitoring method described in claim 1, The aforementioned step of obtaining supplemental information is: A remaining quantity acquisition step to acquire the remaining quantity of consumables in the storage unit, The first calculation step includes calculating the replenishment information based on the remaining amount of the acquired consumables, The remaining quantity acquisition step involves acquiring the remaining quantity of consumables in the storage unit based on the detection result of the detection unit provided in the storage unit.

[0010] The invention described in claim 3 is an image formation monitoring method described in claim 1, The display control step causes the display unit to display the ratio of the amount of consumables to be replenished relative to the storage capacity of the storage unit as replenishment information.

[0011] The invention described in claim 4 is an image formation monitoring method described in claim 1, The display control step causes the display unit to display a graph showing the amount to be replenished to the storage unit in chronological order as the replenishment information.

[0012] The invention described in claim 5 is an image formation monitoring method described in claim 1, The display control step causes a predetermined warning to be displayed on the display unit based on the supplementary information.

[0013] The invention described in claim 6 is an image formation monitoring method described in claim 5, The display control step involves, in the replenishment information, causing the predetermined warning to be displayed on the display unit if the replenishment amount of consumables is below a predetermined value.

[0014] The invention described in claim 7 is the image formation monitoring method described in claim 6, A job information acquisition step to acquire information about print jobs performed by an image forming apparatus, The system includes a determination step of determining whether it is necessary to replenish the consumables in the storage unit between the time the consumables are replenished in the storage unit and the time the image forming apparatus completes the print job, based on the replenishment information and the print job information. If the display control step determines in the determination step that it is unnecessary to replenish the consumables in the storage unit, the predetermined warning will not be displayed on the display unit even if the amount to be replenished in the storage unit is less than or equal to the predetermined value.

[0015] The invention according to claim 8 is the image formation monitoring method according to claim 6, comprising: a job information acquisition step of acquiring information on a print job performed by an image forming apparatus; a second calculation step of calculating a preferable replenishment content based on the information on the print job and the information on the storage unit. In the second calculation step, an assumed replenishment number is calculated by dividing the amount of consumables required for the image forming apparatus to complete the print job by the capacity of the consumables in the storage unit, and the predetermined value is calculated based on the assumed replenishment number.

[0016] The invention according to claim 9 is the image formation monitoring method according to claim 4, comprising: a job information acquisition step of acquiring information on a print job performed by an image forming apparatus. In the display control step, based on the replenishment information and the information on the print job, a proposed improvement to the replenishment content is displayed on the display unit.

[0017] The invention according to claim 10 is the image formation monitoring method according to claim 9, comprising: a second calculation step of calculating a preferable replenishment content based on the information on the print job and the information on the storage unit. In the second calculation step, an assumed replenishment number is calculated by dividing the amount of consumables required for the image forming apparatus to complete the print job by the capacity of the consumables in the storage unit. In the display control step, based on the assumed replenishment number, the proposed improvement is displayed on the display unit.

[0018] The invention according to claim 11 is an image formation monitoring apparatus, comprising: a control unit that executes the image formation monitoring method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

[0019] The invention according to claim 12 is an image formation monitoring system, comprising: An image formation monitoring apparatus comprising a control unit that performs the image formation monitoring method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, An image forming apparatus comprising a storage section for storing consumables and an image forming section, It is equipped with.

[0020] The invention described in claim 13 is a program, The computer of the image formation monitoring device, which monitors image formation by the image forming apparatus, It functions as a control unit that performs the image formation monitoring method described in any one of claims 1 to 10. [Effects of the Invention]

[0021] According to the present invention, the replenishment of consumables in an image forming apparatus can be carried out more appropriately. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0022] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram of an image formation monitoring system. [Figure 2] This is an example of a graph showing the remaining amount of consumables displayed on the display unit. [Figure 3] This is an example of a graph showing the amount of consumables to be replenished, as displayed on the display unit. [Figure 4] This is an example of a flowchart for image formation monitoring processing. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0023] Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 4. In this specification and the drawings, components having substantially the same function or configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0024] [Overall configuration of the image formation monitoring system] Figure 1 shows a block diagram of an image forming monitoring system (hereinafter referred to as "system") 100 equipped with an image forming monitoring device (hereinafter referred to as "monitoring device") 20 according to the present invention. As shown in Figure 1, the system 100 according to the present invention is composed of an image forming device 10, a monitoring device 20, and a display device 30. The image forming device 10, the monitoring device 20, and the display device 30 are able to communicate with each other via a network 40. Although Figure 1 illustrates one image forming device 10 and a display device 30, the system 100 may be equipped with multiple image forming devices 10 and / or display devices 30.

[0025] (Image forming apparatus) The image forming apparatus 10 is a device capable of performing image forming processing to produce image-formed materials such as catalogs and flyers, in which images are formed on various recording media. The image forming apparatus 10 comprises a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, an image forming unit 13, a detection unit 14, and a communication unit 15.

[0026] {control unit} The control unit 11 is a processor (computer) that has a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), etc., and comprehensively controls the operation of each part of the image forming apparatus 10. The CPU reads programs such as applications stored in the memory unit, loads them into RAM, and executes various processes by running those programs.

[0027] {Storage compartment} The storage section 12 stores various consumables consumed by the image forming apparatus 10 during the image forming process.

[0028] {Image forming unit} The image forming unit 13 forms an image on the recording medium under the control of the control unit 11.

[0029] A recording medium is a sheet-like material, such as ordinary paper, cardboard, thin paper, Japanese paper, or specialty paper. Recording media can be made from a variety of materials, with different basis weights, thicknesses, and sizes.

[0030] In the following explanation, we will use the example where the storage unit 12 is a paper feed unit for storing recording media, and the consumables are recording media. In such a case, the image forming apparatus 10 may have multiple storage units 12, and each of these storage units 12 may store a different type of recording medium.

[0031] Furthermore, in the following explanation, we will proceed assuming that the image forming apparatus 10 is a laser printer that forms images using an electrophotographic method. If the image forming apparatus 10 is a laser printer, the consumables may be toner and the storage unit 12 may be a toner cartridge. The image forming apparatus 10 may also be an inkjet recording device that forms images using an inkjet recording method, in which case the consumables may be ink and the storage unit 12 may be an ink tank.

[0032] (Detection unit) The detection unit 14 detects at least the remaining amount of consumables stored in the storage unit 12. The detection unit 14 is composed of, for example, multiple sensors. In this example, for example, the detection units 14 provided in each storage unit 12 detect the remaining amount based on the height of the recording medium stored in the storage unit 12 at predetermined intervals. The detection unit 14 transmits the detected remaining amount of consumables to the communication unit 15.

[0033] Furthermore, the information detected by the detection unit 14 in the storage unit 12 is not limited to the remaining amount of consumables. For example, a separate sensor may be provided to acquire the temperature and humidity of the storage unit 12, and the detected information may be transmitted to the communication unit 15. Also, the method of detecting the remaining amount of consumables by the detection unit 14 is not limited to height detection; for example, weight detection may also be used.

[0034] {Communications Department} The communication unit 15 is composed of a communication interface and the like. The communication unit 15 sends and receives data with other devices via the network 40 using a predetermined communication protocol. The communication unit 15 associates the information acquired from the detection unit 14 with the receiving detection unit 14 and transmits it to the remaining amount acquisition unit 211 of the monitoring device 20, which will be described later.

[0035] Furthermore, when the communication unit 15 receives a print job from, for example, an external device (not shown), it transmits it to the control unit 11 to execute the image forming process. At this time, the communication unit 15 transfers the acquired print job to the job information acquisition unit 214 of the monitoring device 20, which will be described later. Also, if an error occurs in the image forming apparatus 10, the communication unit 15 transmits the error information (logs, etc.) acquired from the control unit 11 to the job information acquisition unit 214.

[0036] (Image formation monitoring device) The monitoring device 20 monitors and manages image formation by the image forming apparatus 10, which is connected via the network 40. The monitoring device 20 is, for example, a cloud server implemented by cloud computing, but is not limited to that. The monitoring device 20 may be a physical device, or it may be operated on-premise. Furthermore, if the monitoring device 20 is a physical device, it may be composed of multiple devices. The monitoring device 20 comprises a control unit 21, a storage unit 22, and a communication unit 23.

[0037] {control unit} The control unit 21 is a processor (computer) that has a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc., and comprehensively controls the operation of each part of the monitoring device 20. The CPU reads programs such as application programs stored in the memory unit 22, loads them into RAM, and executes various processes by running the programs. In particular, the control unit 21 mainly functions as the remaining amount acquisition unit 211, the first calculation unit 212, the display control unit 213, the job information acquisition unit 214, the determination unit 215, and the second calculation unit 216 when the CPU executes the programs.

[0038] <Remaining charge acquisition unit> The remaining quantity acquisition unit 211 acquires the remaining quantity of consumables in a predetermined storage unit 12, which is transmitted from the detection unit 14 via the communication units 15 and 23 (remaining quantity acquisition step). The remaining quantity acquisition unit 211 stores the acquired remaining quantity of consumables in a table of the predetermined storage unit 12 in the remaining quantity DB 221, which will be described later.

[0039] 〈First calculation section〉 The first calculation unit 212 calculates replenishment information based on the change in the remaining amount of consumables in a predetermined storage unit 12, which is acquired by the remaining amount acquisition unit 211 (first calculation step).

[0040] For example, when the remaining amount acquisition unit 211 acquires the remaining amount of consumables in a designated storage unit 12, the first calculation unit 212 acquires the data for the remaining amount of consumables in the storage unit 12 immediately before and compares it with the remaining amount DB 221. If the remaining amount of consumables in the storage unit 12 has increased, the first calculation unit 212 determines that the consumables have been replenished in the storage unit 12. The first calculation unit 212 then stores the replenishment information, including the amount of increase and the timing of the increase (i.e., the amount and timing of replenishment), in the replenishment information DB 224, which will be described later.

[0041] In this way, the remaining quantity acquisition unit 211 and the first calculation unit 212 work together, and the control unit 21 functions as a replenishment information acquisition unit that acquires replenishment information for a predetermined storage unit 12 (replenishment information acquisition step). However, the method by which the control unit 21 acquires replenishment information is not limited to the cooperation of the remaining quantity acquisition unit 211 and the first calculation unit 212. For example, the control unit 21 may be configured to acquire replenishment information entered by the user from a predetermined input device each time consumables are replenished.

[0042] <Display Control Section> The display control unit 213 transmits a predetermined display control signal to the display device 30 based on various programs and data stored in the storage unit 22, causing the display unit 31 (described later) to display the desired information (display control step).

[0043] For example, when the display control unit 213 receives a display instruction from the display device 30 to display the remaining amount and replenishment information of consumables in a predetermined storage unit 12, it obtains the corresponding information from the remaining amount DB 221 and the replenishment information DB 224. Then, based on the obtained information, the display control unit 213 displays a graph on the display unit 31, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, with the first axis (X axis) representing the date and time and the second axis (Y) representing the remaining amount or replenishment amount. In particular, displaying a graph with replenishment timing and replenishment amount as axes, as shown in Figure 3, is preferable because it visualizes the frequency and amount of replenishment, allowing the user to intuitively understand whether appropriate replenishment is being carried out.

[0044] Furthermore, if the detection unit 14 is configured to acquire information other than the remaining amount, such as the temperature and humidity of the storage unit 12, then, as shown in Figure 2, the information stored in the storage unit information DB 222, which will be described later, may also be displayed.

[0045] Furthermore, while Figure 3 illustrates a configuration in which the display control unit 213 displays the replenishment amount of consumables as replenishment information, if, for example, the storage capacity differs depending on the storage unit 12, even if the storage units 12 contain the same type of consumables, it becomes difficult to understand how much is needed if the replenishment amount is displayed numerically. Therefore, if the storage capacity of each storage unit 12 is stored in advance in the memory unit 22, the display control unit 213 may also display the replenishment ratio calculated by dividing the replenishment amount by the storage capacity.

[0046] Furthermore, in general, in an image forming apparatus 10, it is preferable to reduce downtime and improve productivity by reducing the frequency of replenishing consumables in the storage unit 12. On the other hand, users may try to replenish consumables in the storage unit 12 excessively frequently due to concerns about errors caused by the storage of consumables in the storage unit 12. Therefore, the display control unit 213 displays a warning on the display unit 31 if the amount of consumables to be replenished in the storage unit 12 is less than or equal to a predetermined value calculated by the second calculation unit 216, based on the replenishment information. The predetermined value will be described later.

[0047] <Job Information Acquisition Department> The job information acquisition unit 214 acquires print job and error information transmitted from the communication unit 15 of the image forming apparatus 10 and stores it in the print job DB 223, which will be described later (job information acquisition step).

[0048] <Judgment part> The determination unit 215 determines whether the user's replenishment is appropriate based on the print job information and replenishment information (determination step).

[0049] In the above, it was stated that if the amount of consumables replenished in the storage unit 12 falls below a predetermined value, the display control unit 213 will display a warning. However, even if the amount of consumables replenished in the storage unit 12 falls below a predetermined value, if the print job is completed without further replenishment after the job is restarted, the downtime will not increase further. In such cases, errors caused by consumables remaining stored in the storage unit 12 after the print job is completed are also suppressed.

[0050] Therefore, if the amount of consumables to be replenished in the replenishment information acquired by the control unit 21 is below a predetermined value, the determination unit 215 acquires information about the print job at that replenishment timing from the print job DB 223. Then, it determines whether further replenishment of consumables to the storage unit 12 is necessary between the time of the replenishment and the time the image forming apparatus 10 completes the print job. If the determination unit 215 determines that replenishment of consumables is not necessary, the display control unit 213 does not display a warning on the display unit 31.

[0051] <Second calculation section> The second calculation unit 216 calculates a preferred replenishment amount based on the print job information and the capacity of the storage unit 12. For example, the second calculation unit 216 calculates the expected number of replenishments based on the print job information and the capacity of the storage unit 12. The second calculation unit 216 also calculates a predetermined value for the replenishment amount based on the expected number of replenishments (second calculation step).

[0052] In detail, we assume a print job that requires 5,000 recording media to be stored in a predetermined storage unit 12. We also assume that the number of recording media that can be stored in the predetermined storage unit 12 is 1,500. As mentioned above, it is preferable to have fewer replenishment sessions, so in this case, the determination unit 215 calculates the expected number of replenishment sessions as 4, from 5,000 ÷ 1,500 = 3.3.... Furthermore, in order to complete the print job with 4 replenishment sessions, the predetermined value of the replenishment amount is calculated as 1,250, from 5,000 / 4 = 1,250.

[0053] For example, if the second calculation unit 216 calculates that the expected number of replenishments is 4, the display control unit 213 will display a warning on the display unit 31 if the actual number of replenishments is 5 or more, based on the replenishment information. Also, if the second calculation unit 216 calculates that the predetermined replenishment amount is 1250 sheets, the display control unit 213 will display a warning on the display unit 31 if the actual replenishment amount is less than 1250 sheets, based on the replenishment information.

[0054] {Storage section} The storage unit 22 includes an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or non-volatile semiconductor memory, etc. The storage unit 22 stores various programs and data executed by the control unit 21. At least a portion of the various programs may be stored in the ROM of the control unit 21, etc.

[0055] The memory unit 22 stores a web server program, application programs, and the like. The web server program communicates with a web browser or program installed on the display device 30 using the HTTP protocol, etc., to provide a website for using the system 100, thereby realizing the function of a web server. The application programs run on the web server and perform various processes.

[0056] Furthermore, various databases are constructed in the storage unit 22. Examples of databases in the storage unit 22 include the remaining capacity DB 221, the storage unit information DB 222, the print job DB 223, and the replenishment information DB 224.

[0057] <Remaining capacity database, storage unit information database> The remaining quantity DB221 stores the remaining quantity of consumables in each storage unit 12 at a predetermined timing, as acquired by the remaining quantity acquisition unit 211. The storage unit information DB222 stores the capacity of the consumables in each storage unit 12 and information other than the remaining quantity of consumables in the storage unit 12 detected by the detection unit 14. Note that the remaining quantity DB221 and the storage unit information DB222 may be integrated into one unit.

[0058] <Print job database, supplementary information database> The print job DB223 stores information about print jobs performed by the image forming apparatus 10 and any errors that occurred. The replenishment information DB224 stores replenishment information for each storage unit 12.

[0059] {Communications Department} The communication unit 23 is composed of communication modules and the like. The communication unit 23 transmits and receives various signals and data to and from the image forming apparatus 10, the display device 30, and other devices connected via the network 40.

[0060] (display device) The display device 30 is, for example, a personal computer equipped with a display unit 31, which is a display, and an operation input unit 32, which is an operation input unit such as a keyboard or mouse. When the display device 30 receives an operation from the user on the operation input unit 32, it displays various image formation monitoring results obtained from the display control unit 213 of the monitoring device 20 on the display unit 31.

[0061] Furthermore, if the monitoring device 20 is a physical device and includes configurations corresponding to the display unit 31 and the operation input unit 32, the display device 30 may not be provided.

[0062] [Image Formation Monitoring Process] The flow of the image formation monitoring process in such a system 100 will be explained based on the flowchart in Figure 4.

[0063] First, the control unit 21 determines whether the job information acquisition unit 214 has acquired a print job from the image forming apparatus 10 (step S101). If no print job has been acquired (step S101; No), the control unit proceeds to step S101 and waits. If a print job has been acquired (step S101; Yes: Job information acquisition step), the control unit 21 starts the image forming monitoring process.

[0064] In the image formation monitoring process, the remaining amount acquisition unit 211 periodically determines whether or not it has acquired remaining amount information from the detection unit 14 via the communication units 15 and 23 (step S102). If the remaining amount information has not been acquired (step S102; No), the control unit 21 determines whether or not the print job has been completed (step S103). If the print job has not been completed (step S103; No), the process proceeds to step S102 and waits. If the print job has been completed (step S103; Yes), this process is terminated.

[0065] When the remaining quantity acquisition unit 211 acquires remaining quantity information (step S102; Yes: remaining quantity acquisition step), the first calculation unit 212 acquires the previous remaining quantity information for the corresponding storage unit 12 from the remaining quantity DB 221 (step S104). Then, the first calculation unit 212 compares the remaining quantity information acquired in step S102 with the previous remaining quantity information acquired in step S104 to determine whether or not the remaining quantity of consumables in the corresponding storage unit 12 has increased (step S105: first calculation step).

[0066] If the remaining amount of consumables has not increased (Step S105; No), then no replenishment has been performed. Therefore, the remaining amount information acquisition 211 stores the remaining amount information acquired in Step S102 in the remaining amount DB 221 (Step S106). The display control unit 213 also updates the display content of the time-series remaining amount information and replenishment information displayed on the display unit 31 (Step S107: Display control step). Then, the control unit 21 transitions to Step S102.

[0067] On the other hand, if the remaining amount of consumables is increasing (step S105; Yes), replenishment is performed. Therefore, the control unit 21 obtains the replenishment amount from the calculation result of step S105. The control unit 21 also obtains the replenishment timing from the time the remaining amount information was acquired (step S108: replenishment information acquisition step).

[0068] The second calculation unit 216 calculates the expected number of replenishments and a predetermined value based on the capacity of the storage unit 12 stored in the storage unit information DB 222 as described above, and the print job information acquired in step S101 (step S109: second calculation step). Note that the execution timing of the second calculation step is after step S101 and can be anytime before step S110.

[0069] The determination unit 215 determines whether the replenishment amount obtained in step S108 is less than or equal to a predetermined value calculated in step S109 (step S110). If it is less than or equal to the predetermined value (step S110; Yes), the determination unit 215 determines whether the print job can be completed with the replenishment (step S111: determination step). If the print job cannot be completed (step S111; No), the display control unit 213 causes the display unit 31 to warn that the replenishment amount is insufficient (step 112). The remaining amount acquisition unit 211 and the first calculation unit 212 store the remaining amount information and replenishment information in the remaining amount DB 221 and replenishment information DB 224, respectively (step S113). Then, proceeding to step S107, the display control unit 213 updates the display content on the display unit 31.

[0070] If the replenishment amount is greater than the predetermined value (step S110; No), or if the replenishment amount is less than or equal to the predetermined value but the print job can be completed with that replenishment (step S111; Yes), a warning is not necessary. Therefore, the process proceeds to step S113.

[0071] [Effects of the Embodiment] As described above, the image formation monitoring method by the monitoring device 20 according to this embodiment includes a replenishment information acquisition step that acquires information regarding the amount of consumables replenished in the storage unit 12. The image formation monitoring method also includes a display control step that displays the replenishment information on the display unit 31 in chronological order. With this configuration, if there is a problem with the replenishment of consumables in the image forming apparatus 10, the problem can be visualized and improved, thereby enabling more appropriate replenishment of consumables.

[0072] Furthermore, the replenishment information acquisition step in the image formation monitoring method according to this embodiment includes a remaining amount acquisition step for acquiring the remaining amount of consumables in the storage unit 12, and a first calculation step for calculating replenishment information based on the acquired remaining amount of consumables. The remaining amount acquisition step acquires the remaining amount of consumables in the storage unit 12 based on the detection result of the detection unit 14 provided in the storage unit 12. With this configuration, replenishment information can be automatically acquired based on the difference in the remaining amount of consumables in the storage unit 12 detected by the detection unit 14, thus saving the user the trouble of inputting replenishment information.

[0073] Furthermore, in the image formation monitoring method according to this embodiment, the display control step displays the ratio of the amount of consumables to the storage capacity of the storage unit 12 as replenishment information on the display unit 31. With this configuration, even if there is variation in the capacity of the storage unit 12, the user can more intuitively recognize whether the amount of replenishment is large or small.

[0074] Furthermore, in the image formation monitoring method according to this embodiment, the display control step displays a graph on the display unit 31 showing the amount to be replenished to the storage unit 12 in chronological order as replenishment information. With this configuration, the user can more intuitively recognize whether the replenishment timing is infrequent and the amount to be replenished is large.

[0075] Furthermore, the display control step in the image formation monitoring method according to this embodiment displays a predetermined warning on the display unit 31 based on supplementary information. With this configuration, it becomes possible to prompt improvement if the user's supplementary information is undesirable.

[0076] Furthermore, in the image formation monitoring method according to this embodiment, the display control step displays a predetermined warning on the display unit 31 when the replenishment amount of consumables is below a predetermined value. With this configuration, it is possible to suppress the increase in the number of replenishments and downtime caused by the replenishment amount being below a predetermined value.

[0077] Furthermore, the image formation monitoring method according to this embodiment includes a job information acquisition step for acquiring information on print jobs performed by the image forming apparatus 10. The image formation monitoring method also includes a determination step for determining whether or not it is necessary to replenish consumables in the storage unit 12 between the time the consumables are replenished in the storage unit 12 and the time the image forming apparatus 10 completes the print job, based on the replenishment information and the print job information. The display control step, if the determination step determines that it is not necessary to replenish consumables in the storage unit 12, does not display a predetermined warning on the display unit 31 even if the amount of replenishment in the storage unit 12 is less than or equal to a predetermined value. With this configuration, even if the amount of replenishment is small, the notification of a warning is suppressed when further replenishment would not increase the downtime.

[0078] Furthermore, the image formation monitoring method according to this embodiment includes a job information acquisition step of acquiring information on print jobs performed by the image forming apparatus 10, and a second calculation step of calculating the amount to be replenished in the storage unit 12. The second calculation step calculates the expected number of replenishments by dividing the amount of consumables required for the image forming apparatus 10 to complete a print job by the capacity of the consumables in the storage unit 12, and calculates a predetermined value based on the expected number of replenishments. With this configuration, the user can be instructed to replenish consumables in a manner that minimizes downtime by having the user replenish the number of replenishments and the amount to be replenished.

[0079] [Other configurations] Although the present invention has been described in detail based on embodiments of the present invention, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. It goes without saying that the present invention can be modified in various ways, including to a extent equivalent to the scope of the invention described in the claims.

[0080] For example, the above example illustrates a configuration in which the display control unit 213 updates the display content on the display unit 31 each time during the image formation process, but the system is not limited to this. For example, during the image formation process, the monitoring device 20 may only perform monitoring and storage in the storage unit 22, and when the user instructs the display of replenishment information in a predetermined storage unit 12 by operating the operation input unit 32, the graphs and warnings shown in Figures 2 and 3 may be displayed. In this configuration, the display control unit 213 displays a warning on the display unit 31 if the number of replenishments performed is greater than the estimated number of replenishments calculated by the second calculation unit 216, or if the amount of replenishment in each replenishment except the last replenishment is less than a predetermined value.

[0081] Furthermore, although the above example illustrates a configuration in which the display control unit 213 displays a warning on the display unit 31, the system is not limited to this. For example, the system may store improvement suggestions corresponding to the warning content in the storage unit 22, and the display control unit 213 may display them on the display unit 31 along with the warning. Specifically, improvement suggestions may include increasing the amount replenished per time or reducing the number of replenishments. The display control unit 213 displays these improvement suggestions on the display unit 31 by comparing the estimated number of replenishments and predetermined values ​​calculated by the second calculation unit 216 with the actual replenishment information.

[0082] Furthermore, although the above explanation assumes that the second calculation unit 216 calculates a predetermined value for the replenishment amount, it is not limited to this, and a predetermined value may also be used.

[0083] Furthermore, while the above discloses an example in which an HDD is used as a computer-readable medium for the program according to the present invention, the invention is not limited to this example. Portable recording media such as CD-ROMs can be used as other computer-readable media. In addition, carrier waves can be used as a medium for providing the data of the program according to the present invention via a communication line. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0084] 100 Image Formation Monitoring System 10 Image forming apparatus 12 Storage compartments 13 Image forming unit 14 Detection unit 20 Image Forming Monitoring Apparatus 21 Control Unit 211 Remaining charge acquisition unit 212 First Calculation Department 213 Display Control Unit 214 Job Information Acquisition Unit 215 Judgment section 216 Second calculation part 31 Display section

Claims

1. An image forming monitoring method using an image forming monitoring device that manages information on the replenishment of consumables stored in the storage compartment of an image forming apparatus, A step to acquire replenishment information, which involves acquiring replenishment information regarding the amount of consumables replenished in the storage compartment, An image formation monitoring method comprising a display control step of displaying the supplementary information on a display unit in chronological order.

2. The aforementioned step of obtaining supplemental information is: A remaining quantity acquisition step to acquire the remaining quantity of consumables in the storage unit, The first calculation step includes calculating the replenishment information based on the remaining amount of the acquired consumables, The image forming monitoring method according to claim 1, wherein the remaining amount acquisition step involves acquiring the remaining amount of consumables in the storage unit based on the detection result of a detection unit provided in the storage unit.

3. The image forming monitoring method according to claim 1, wherein the display control step causes the display unit to display the ratio of the amount of consumables to the storage capacity of the storage unit as the replenishment information.

4. The image formation monitoring method according to claim 1, wherein the display control step causes the display unit to display a graph showing the amount to be replenished to the storage unit in chronological order as the replenishment information.

5. The image formation monitoring method according to claim 1, wherein the display control step causes a predetermined warning to be displayed on the display unit based on the supplementary information.

6. The image forming monitoring method according to claim 5, wherein the display control step causes the display unit to display a predetermined warning if the amount of consumables to be replenished in the replenishment information is less than or equal to a predetermined value.

7. A job information acquisition step to acquire information about print jobs performed by an image forming apparatus, The system includes a determination step of determining whether it is necessary to replenish the consumables in the storage unit between the time the consumables are replenished in the storage unit and the time the image forming apparatus completes the print job, based on the replenishment information and the print job information. The image forming monitoring method according to claim 6, wherein the display control step determines in the determination step that it is unnecessary to replenish consumables in the storage unit, and even if the amount to be replenished in the storage unit is less than or equal to the predetermined value, the predetermined warning is not displayed on the display unit.

8. A job information acquisition step to acquire information about print jobs performed by an image forming apparatus, The system includes a second calculation step of calculating preferred replenishment content based on the print job information and the storage unit information, The image forming monitoring method according to claim 6, wherein the second calculation step calculates the expected number of replenishments by dividing the amount of consumables required for the image forming apparatus to complete a print job by the capacity of the consumables in the storage unit, and calculates the predetermined value based on the expected number of replenishments.

9. The system includes a job information acquisition step for acquiring information about print jobs performed by an image forming apparatus. The image formation monitoring method according to claim 4, wherein the display control step causes the display unit to display suggestions for improving the supplement content based on the supplement information and the print job information.

10. The system includes a second calculation step that calculates preferred replenishment content based on the print job information and the storage unit information, The second calculation step calculates the estimated number of replenishments by dividing the amount of consumables required for the image forming apparatus to complete the print job by the capacity of the consumables in the storage unit. The image formation monitoring method according to claim 9, wherein the display control step causes the improvement plan to be displayed on the display unit based on the assumed number of replenishments.

11. An image formation monitoring apparatus comprising a control unit that performs the image formation monitoring method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. An image formation monitoring apparatus comprising a control unit that performs the image formation monitoring method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, An image forming apparatus comprising a storage section for storing consumables and an image forming section, An image formation monitoring system equipped with the following features.

13. The computer of the image formation monitoring device, which monitors image formation by the image forming apparatus, A program that functions as a control unit for performing the image formation monitoring method described in any one of claims 1 to 10.

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