Color printing device and color printing system

Abstract

To provide a technique that is able to prevent double ordering of a consumable article.SOLUTION: A CPU 110 performs: an ordering process in which an order screen for consumable articles for three colors is displayed on a display 160 and, in response to receiving via an input IF170 an operation of ordering a kind of consumable article selected from the order screen, the selected kind of consumable article is ordered to a server 200 connected via a communication IF180; and a history information display process in which history information indicating order history of consumable articles ordered through the ordering process, which include information created based on the latest order date for the ordered consumable article, is displayed on the display 160 in a mode in which the kind of consumable article ordered through the ordering process is specified.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] This application relates to techniques for ordering consumables from a color printing device. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes an image forming apparatus that orders consumables. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-34515 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the image forming device described in Patent Document 1 does not take into consideration notifying the user of the order status of the ordered consumables, so there is a risk that the user will place duplicate orders for consumables without knowing the order status.

[0005] The present application aims to provide a technique that makes it possible to prevent duplicate orders of consumables. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the color printing device of the present application is a color printing device that has a communications interface, a user interface, a display, and a controller, and performs color printing using consumables of at least one of three colors, cyan, magenta, and yellow, and consumes at least one color of consumables in accordance with the color printing. The controller executes a consumable remaining amount display process that displays on the display information indicating the remaining amounts of each of the three colors of consumables; a warning screen display process that displays a warning screen on the display when the remaining amount of any of the three colors of consumables falls below a predetermined threshold; an ordering process that displays on the display an ordering screen for the three colors of consumables, and, in response to receiving an ordering operation for a type of consumable selected from the ordering screen via the user interface, orders the selected type of consumable from an information processing device connected via the communications interface; and a history information display process that displays on the display history information indicating the order history of consumables ordered by the ordering process, the history information including information about the ordered consumables created based on the most recent order date, in a manner in which the type of consumable ordered by the ordering process is specified. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present application, it is possible to prevent duplicate orders of consumables. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an image processing system according to an embodiment of the present application. [Diagram 2] A diagram showing a HOME screen ((a)), a service screen ((b)), and a consumables selection screen ((c)). [Diagram 3] 1A is a diagram showing a consumables history information display screen ((a)), an order confirmation screen ((b)), and an order quantity input screen ((c)). [Figure 4] FIG. 13 shows a history display item customization screen ((a)) and a total order history display screen ((b)). [Diagram 5] 13 is a flowchart showing a procedure for a consumables ordering process. [Figure 6] 13 is a flowchart showing a procedure for history display item customization processing. [Figure 7] 13 is a flowchart showing a procedure for a consumables history display process. [Figure 8] 13 is a flowchart showing a procedure for a first status acquisition process. [Figure 9] 13 is a flowchart showing a procedure for a second status acquisition process. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart showing a procedure of a printing process. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a warning screen. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present application will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 shows the control configuration of an image processing system 1 (an example of a "color printing system") including an MFP 100 (an example of a "color printing device") according to an embodiment of the present application. The image processing system 1 includes the MFP 100 and a server 200 (an example of an "information processing device"). Note that MFP is an abbreviation for multifunction peripheral.

[0010] The MFP 100 and the server 200 are capable of communicating with each other via a communication network 300. A specific example of the communication network 300 is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, the Internet, a wired LAN, a wireless LAN, or a combination of these.

[0011] The MFP 100 mainly comprises a printer 130, a scanner 140, a FAX unit 150, a display 160, an input IF 170, a communication IF 180, a CPU 110 (an example of a "controller"), a memory 120, and a communication bus 190. Note that IF is an abbreviation for interface. The components that make up the MFP 100 are connected to each other via the communication bus 190.

[0012] The printer 130 executes a print operation to record an image indicated by image data on a sheet. The printer 130 may employ a known method such as an inkjet method or an electrophotographic method. The scanner 140 executes a scan operation to read an image recorded on an original and generate image data. The FAX unit 150 executes a FAX transmission operation to transmit the image data to an external device by FAX, and a FAX reception operation to receive the image data from the external device by FAX. The MFP 100 may include at least one of the printer 130, the scanner 140, and the FAX unit 150.

[0013] The input IF 170 is a user interface that accepts input operations by a user. Specifically, the input IF 170 has a button, and outputs various operation signals associated with a pressed button to the CPU 110. Furthermore, the input IF 170 may have a membrane-like touch sensor superimposed on the display surface of the display 160. An operation of designating an object displayed on the display surface of the display 160, and an operation of inputting a character string or a numeric string are examples of user operations. An "object" is, for example, a character string, an icon, a button, a link, a pull-down menu, etc. displayed on the display 160.

[0014] The input IF 170 realized as a touch sensor outputs position information indicating the position on the display surface touched by the user. In this specification, "touch" includes the general operation of bringing an input medium into contact with the display surface. In addition, the concept of "touch" may include "hover" or "floating touch" in which the input medium is brought close to a position where the distance between the display surface is very small, even if the input medium is not touching the display surface. Furthermore, the input medium may be the user's finger or a touch pen. A user operation of tapping the position of an icon displayed on the display 160 is an example of a designation operation for designating the icon.

[0015] The communication IF 180 is for communicating with an external device through the communication network 300. That is, the MFP 100 transmits various types of information to the server 200 through the communication IF 180, and receives various types of data or information from the server 200 through the communication IF 180.

[0016] The CPU 110 controls the overall operation of the MFP 100. The CPU 110 retrieves from the memory 120 various programs, which will be described later with reference to Figs. 5 to 10, and executes them based on various signals output from the input IF 170 and various information retrieved from external devices via the communication IF 180.

[0017] The memory 120 stores an OS 121 and a control program 122. The control program 122 may be a single program or a collection of multiple programs. The memory 120 also stores data or information required for executing the control program 122. The memory 120 is configured by, for example, a RAM, a ROM, an NVM, an EEPROM, an HDD, a portable storage medium such as a USB memory that is detachably attached to the MFP 100, a buffer provided in the CPU 110, or a combination of these. Note that NVM is an abbreviation for non-volatile memory.

[0018] The memory 120 may be a computer-readable storage medium. A computer-readable storage medium is a non-transitory medium. In addition to the above examples, non-transitory media also include recording media such as CD-ROMs and DVD-ROMs. Non-transitory media are also tangible media. On the other hand, an electrical signal carrying a program downloaded from a server 200 on the Internet is a computer-readable signal medium, which is a type of computer-readable medium, but is not included in non-transitory computer-readable storage media.

[0019] In this specification, the term basically refers to the processing of the CPU 110 according to the instructions written in the program. In other words, the processing of "judgment," "extraction," "selection," "calculation," "decision," "identification," "acquisition," "acceptance," "control," "setting," and the like in the following description represents the processing of the CPU 110. The processing by the CPU 110 also includes hardware control via the OS. Note that "acquisition" is used as a concept that does not require a request. In other words, the processing of the CPU 110 receiving data without a request is also included in the concept of "the CPU 110 acquiring data." In addition, "data" in this specification is represented by a bit string that can be read by a computer. Data with the same substantial meaning but different formats are treated as the same data. The same applies to "information" in this specification. In addition, the processing of "command," "response," "request," and the like is performed by communicating information indicating the "command," "response," "request," and the like. In addition, the words "command," "response," "request," and the like may be written to mean the information itself indicating the "command," "response," "request," and the like.

[0020] The main process starts in response to pressing the power switch of the MFP 100. In the main process, first, the CPU 110 displays a HOME screen 161 on the display 160. An example of the HOME screen 161 is shown in FIG.

[0021] When the "Service" icon 161a in this HOME screen 161 is operated, the CPU 110 displays a service screen 162 on the display 160. Fig. 2(b) shows an example of the service screen 162. The service screen 162 displays a number of selection items including an "Order Supplies" item 162a, a "View Order history (all)" item 162b, and a "Customize history" item 162c.

[0022] When the "Order Supplies" item 162a is selected from the service screen 162, the CPU 110 executes a consumables ordering process (see FIG. 5, described later). When the "Customize history" item 162c is selected, the CPU 110 executes a history display item customization process (see FIG. 6, described later). When the "View Order history (all)" item 162b is selected, the CPU 110 executes a consumables history display process (see FIG. 7, described later). When any other item is selected, the CPU 110 executes the other process. After executing each process, the CPU 110 returns the display to the HOME screen 161.

[0023] In this embodiment, a color printer capable of recording a color image on a sheet by an electrophotographic method is used as the printer 130. FIG. 10 shows the procedure of the printing process executed by the CPU 110 using the printer 130. The printing process is one process included in the main process. The printing process is started in response to, for example, when a user instructs the MFP 100 to read a color image on a document using the scanner 140 and print the color image on a sheet, and the scanner 140 transmits color image data generated by reading the color image on the document to the printer 130. The color image data used in the printing process may be received from outside the MFP 100 via the communication IF 180. In the following description of the procedure of each process, a step is represented as "S".

[0024] 10, first, CPU 110 displays a printing screen (not shown) on display 160 (S1). Next, CPU 110 acquires image data (S2), and generates raster data for each color of C (cyan), M (magenta), and Y (yellow) based on the acquired image data (S3). Note that raster data for BK (black) may also be generated.

[0025] Then, the CPU 110 prints on paper by electrophotography using toner of each color according to the generated raster data of each color (S4). In electrophotography printing, specifically, an electrostatic latent image according to the generated raster data of each color is formed on the outer peripheral surface of each photosensitive drum (an example of a "photosensitive body") corresponding to each color, and a developer image of each color is carried on the outer peripheral surface of the corresponding photosensitive drum by supplying toner of each color to the outer peripheral surface of the corresponding photosensitive drum. Then, when a transfer current of negative polarity is output to the transfer roller, the developer image carried on the outer peripheral surface of each photosensitive drum is transferred to a sheet nipped by each photosensitive drum and a conveyor belt (an example of a "transfer body"), that is, printed. Most of the toner, paper powder, and other adhesions attached to the outer peripheral surface of each photosensitive drum are transferred to the conveyor belt, so removing the adhesions attached to the conveyor belt removes the adhesions on the outer peripheral surface of each photosensitive drum. For this reason, the adhesions attached to the conveyor belt are removed. The removed adhesions are collected in a waste toner box. Incidentally, the specific configurations exemplified in the electrophotographic printing are well known, and therefore illustration of each configuration is omitted.

[0026] Next, the CPU 110 counts up the total number of times of printing, the number of times of use of the drum unit, and the number of times of use of the belt unit stored in the memory 120 (S5). The total number of times of printing is the total number of times of printing since the MFP 100 was shipped from the factory. The number of times of use of each of the drum unit and the belt unit is the total number of times of use since each unit was attached to the MFP 100, and may be the total number of times of printing since each unit was attached to the MFP 100. The drum unit is a unit including the photosensitive drum, and is provided for each color, for example. The belt unit is a unit including the conveyor belt. The reason for counting the number of times of use of each of the drum unit and the belt unit in this manner is to specify information regarding the replacement timing of each of the drum unit and the belt unit, and display it on the display 160. As a display mode, for example, a mode in which the time when each of the drum unit and the belt unit is attached is set to 100%, and a decreasing value is displayed as the number of times of use increases, such as 90%, 80%, ..., may be displayed. Also, a mode in which a replacement guideline is set in how many years and months from now may be displayed. In addition, the information regarding the replacement timing of each of the drum unit and belt unit can be displayed, for example, by providing a “display of consumable replacement timing information” item in the above-mentioned service screen 162 (FIG. 2(b)), and when this item is selected, information regarding the replacement timing of each of the consumables including the drum unit and belt unit can be displayed on display 160 in the above-mentioned display format.

[0027] Next, the CPU 110 judges whether the remaining amount of toner of any color is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold (S6). The toner of each color is contained in a toner cartridge included in the corresponding drum unit. The remaining amount of toner of each color contained in each toner cartridge is detected by a sensor or calculated from the number of prints and the amount of toner used after each toner cartridge is installed. In S6, the CPU 110 judges whether the remaining amount of toner of each color obtained in this manner is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold. The remaining amount of toner of each color obtained in this manner is also used for the toner remaining amount display 161b in the HOME screen 161 (FIG. 2(a)). Note that, if an inkjet printer is adopted as the printer 130, the CPU 110 judges whether the remaining amount of ink of any color is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold in S6.

[0028] In the judgment of S6 above, if the remaining toner amount of any color is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold (S6: YES), CPU 110 displays a warning screen 160a (an example of a "warning screen") on display 160 (S7), and then proceeds to process S8. FIG. 11 shows an example of the warning screen 160a. In the warning screen 160a, together with a warning message 160a1 saying "TONER RUNNING OUT SOON", bars 160a2-160a5 indicating the remaining toner amount of each color are displayed, and a warning mark 160a6 is also displayed adjacent to a bar 160a3 of a color that will run out of toner (cyan (C) in the illustrated example). On the other hand, in the judgment of S6 above, if the remaining toner amount of any color exceeds the predetermined threshold (S6: NO), CPU 110 skips S7 and proceeds to process S8.

[0029] In S8, the CPU 110 displays the HOME screen 161 on the display 160. After that, the CPU 110 ends the print process. When the process proceeds from S7 to S8, the CPU 110 may request some kind of confirmation operation by the user while the warning screen 160a is displayed, or may display the warning screen 160a for a predetermined time without requesting a confirmation operation and then transition to the HOME screen 161. In addition, when the remaining toner amount of any color becomes equal to or less than a threshold lower than the above-mentioned predetermined threshold, the CPU 110 may display an error screen before transitioning to the HOME screen 161. As the error screen, for example, a screen that displays a warning message "Toner is out and color printing is not possible" instead of the warning message 160a1 in the warning screen 160a and leaves the other displays 160a2 to 160a as they are can be considered.

[0030] Also, for the drum unit and belt unit, when the information regarding the replacement time falls below a predetermined threshold, CPU 110 may be configured to display a warning screen urging replacement on display 160. Furthermore, when the information regarding the replacement time falls below a threshold that is even lower than the predetermined threshold, CPU 110 may be configured to display an error screen on display 160 indicating that printing is not possible until the drum unit or belt unit is replaced.

[0031] The waste toner box also needs to be replaced when it becomes full of collected deposits. The remaining amount of deposits that can be collected in the waste toner box is detected by a sensor or calculated from the number of prints and the amount of toner used after the waste toner box is installed. For this reason, like the drum unit and the belt unit, the waste toner box can also display information regarding the time to replace it in a manner in which the amount of deposits at the time of installation is set to 100% and a value that decreases as the number of times of use increases, such as 90%, 80%, ..., or in a manner indicating how many years and months from now the waste toner box will need to be replaced. Information regarding the time to replace the waste toner box may also be displayed on the display 160 in the above display manner in response to selecting the "display information regarding time to replace consumables" item provided in the service screen 162 (FIG. 2(b)). Furthermore, like the drum unit and the belt unit, the waste toner box may also display a warning screen on the display 160 to encourage replacement or an error screen indicating that printing cannot be performed until the waste toner box is replaced.

[0032] In this embodiment, the consumables ordering process is executed in response to the selection of the "Order Supplies" item 162a from the service screen 162 (FIG. 2(b)), as described above. However, the present invention is not limited to this. When a warning screen or an error screen is displayed on the display 160, the CPU 110 may execute a consumables ordering process for ordering the consumables that caused the warning screen or error screen to be displayed. For example, when the warning screen 160a (FIG. 11) is displayed on the display 160, the CPU 110 executes the consumables ordering process and transitions from the warning screen 160a to a consumables selection screen 163 (FIG. 2(c)) described next. The same process may be performed for other consumables, specifically, a drum unit, a belt unit, and a waste toner box.

[0033] Fig. 5 shows a detailed procedure of the above-mentioned consumables ordering process. In Fig. 5, first, CPU 110 displays consumables selection screen 163 (an example of an "ordering screen") on display 160 (S10). Fig. 2(c) shows an example of consumables selection screen 163. On consumables selection screen 163, the names of various consumables that can be ordered are displayed in list form. Note that the number "0" displayed next to the name of each consumable indicates the quantity of the consumable that is about to be ordered. On consumables selection screen 163, "0" is displayed for each consumable, so there are no consumables to be ordered.

[0034] Next, when the type of consumable is selected (S12), the CPU 110 judges whether the selected consumable has not been ordered before and is being ordered for the first time (S14). If it is the first time that the consumable is being ordered (S14: YES), the CPU 110 proceeds to process S28. On the other hand, if it is the case that the consumable has already been ordered in the past (S14: NO), the CPU 110 judges whether the operation of selecting the consumable is the first selection operation (S16). If it is the case that the operation of selecting the consumable is not the first selection operation (S16: NO), the CPU 110 proceeds to process S28. On the other hand, if it is the case that the operation of selecting the consumable is the first selection operation (S16: YES), the CPU 110 displays the consumable history information display screen 164 on the display 160 (S18).

[0035] FIG. 3(a) shows an example of a consumable history information display screen 164. This consumable history information display screen 164 shows a screen displayed on the display 160 when the user selects the consumable name display "Cyan (C)" 163a as the type of consumable from the consumable selection screen 163, and the user has previously ordered a toner with a color of "Cyan (C)" (S14: NO), and has selected the name display "Cyan (C)" 163a for the first time in the current ordering process (S16: YES). The consumable history information display screen 164 mainly displays a history information display 164a, a "Yes" button 164b, and a "No" button 164c. In addition, a consumable name display 164d is displayed alongside the history information display 164a so that the user can see at a glance which consumable the history information display 164a is for.

[0036] History information display 164a includes, for example, the order date of the consumable ("Date"), the remaining quantity of the consumable ("No. of Units"), the status of the consumable ("Status"), the delivery date of the consumable (Delivery date), and the replacement date of the consumable ("Replaced date"). Since the history information for displaying history information display 164a is stored for each consumable in memory 120, when a type of consumable is selected, CPU 110 reads out the history information corresponding to the selected consumable from memory 120 and uses it for history information display 164a.

[0037] Returning to FIG. 5, when the "Yes" button 164b is operated (S20: YES), the CPU 110 judges whether or not an order confirmation is necessary (S22). In S22, the CPU 110 judges whether or not an order confirmation is necessary based on the history information for displaying the history information display 164a. Specifically, for example, when the remaining quantity of the consumable is "1" or more even though it has not been long since the replacement date of the consumable, or when the status of the consumable is a state in which the consumable is ordered but not delivered, the CPU 110 judges that an order confirmation is necessary. The remaining quantity of the consumable is acquired in S128 or S134 of the first status acquisition process described later with reference to FIG. 8. The status of the consumable is acquired in the same manner in S128 or S134 of the first status acquisition process, and in the second status acquisition process described later with reference to FIG. 9.

[0038] If it is determined in the above S22 that order confirmation is necessary (S22: YES), the CPU 110 displays an order confirmation screen 165 (S24). Fig. 3(b) shows an example of the order confirmation screen 165. The order confirmation screen 165 also displays a confirmation reason display 165a, as well as a "Yes" button 165b and a "No" button 165c.

[0039] Next, if the "Yes" button 165b is operated (S26: YES), the CPU 110 advances the process to S28. On the other hand, if the "No" button 165c is operated (S26: NO), the CPU 110 returns the process to S10.

[0040] In S28, the CPU 110 displays an order quantity input screen 166 on the display 160 and accepts input of the order quantity via the input IF 170. Fig. 3(c) shows an example of the order quantity input screen 166. The order quantity input screen 166 is provided with an order quantity input field 166a, a numeric keypad 166b, and an OK button 166c. The user can input the order quantity in the order quantity input field 166a by operating the numeric keypad 166b.

[0041] Next, when the OK button 166c is operated (S30: YES), the CPU 110 displays the consumables selection screen 163 again on the display 160 (S32).

[0042] Next, when the "Start" button 163b is operated (S34: YES), the CPU 110 places an order for the input order quantity of consumables to the server 200 by email (S36), and then ends the consumable ordering process. In this way, the CPU 110 does not instruct the ordering of consumables unless a valid order quantity ("1" or more) has been entered for any consumable on the consumable selection screen 163, in other words, unless, for example, "1" is displayed for any consumable on the consumable selection screen 163.

[0043] On the other hand, if a type of consumable item is selected on consumable item selection screen 163 (S34: NO), CPU 110 returns the process to S12.

[0044] In this way, in the consumables ordering process, when a type of consumables is selected from the consumables selection screen 163, the screen does not immediately transition from the consumables selection screen 163 to the order quantity input screen 166, but transitions to the order quantity input screen 166 after passing through the consumables history information display screen 164 and, if necessary, the order confirmation screen 165. This makes it possible to prevent duplicate orders.

[0045] On the other hand, if the selected consumable is being ordered for the first time (S14: YES), the screen transitions from the consumable selection screen 163 to the order quantity input screen 166 without passing through the consumable history information display screen 164. This is because the history information for displaying the history information display 164a in the consumable history information display screen 164 is not stored in the memory 120.

[0046] Furthermore, when the consumable selection operation is not the first selection operation (S16: NO), the screen transitions from the consumable selection screen 163 to the order quantity input screen 166 without passing through the consumable history information display screen 164. Here, the case where the consumable selection operation is not the first selection operation is, for example, when the screen transitions from the consumable selection screen 163 to the order confirmation screen 165 via the consumable history information display screen 164, the "No" button 165c is operated on this order confirmation screen 165, the screen transitions again to the consumable selection screen 163, and the name display "Cyan (C)" 163a is selected again on this consumable selection screen 163. In this case, if the consumable history information display screen 164 is displayed again, the user will view it again even though he or she has already viewed the consumable history information display screen 164, and there is a risk of the screen transition being different from the user's intention.

[0047] In the consumables ordering process of this embodiment, the transition from the consumables selection screen 163 to the order quantity input screen 166 without going through the consumables history information display screen 164 occurs when the selected consumables is being ordered for the first time (S14: YES) or when the consumables selection operation is not the first selection operation (S16: NO), as described above. However, this is not limiting, and the user may set whether or not to go through the consumables history information display screen 164. For example, when "without going through the consumables history information display screen 164" is set, the transition occurs directly from the consumables selection screen 163 to the order quantity input screen 166 in either case.

[0048] FIG. 6 shows a detailed procedure of the history display item customization process. In FIG. 6, first, the CPU 110 displays a history display item customization screen 168 on the display 160 (S80). FIG. 4(a) shows an example of the history display item customization screen 168. The history display item customization screen 168 is a screen for customizing whether or not to display each item included in the entire order history of consumables displayed on an entire order history display screen 169 described later using FIG. 4(b). The history display item customization screen 168 is provided with buttons 168a to 168e for switching between display / non-display for each item and a "SAVE" button 168f. Each item is the same as each item included in the history information display 164a (see FIG. 3(a)), so a description thereof will be omitted. However, even an item switched to non-display on the history display item customization screen 168 is displayed on the history information display 164a. In other words, all items are displayed on the history information display 164a. This is because, on the total order history display screen 169, when a large number of consumables have been ordered in the past, the total order history to be displayed becomes large, and many users desire to shorten the total order history to be displayed, whereas on the history information display 164a, since only the order history of one particular consumable is displayed, it is thought that such a request from users is unlikely. Also, the "SAVE" button 168f is a button for saving the display settings after customization. Note that, like the total order history display screen 169, the history information display 164a may also be configured to hide items that have been switched to hidden on the history display item customization screen 168.

[0049] Returning to Fig. 6, when an item to be customized is selected (S82), the CPU 110 judges whether the selected item is an item displayed as "default" (S84). In this embodiment, the display / non-display switch setting for each item can take three modes: "default", "show", and "hide". The "default" setting fixedly indicates "display" and cannot be switched to "non-display".

[0050] If it is determined in S84 that the selected item is an item displayed as "default" (S84: YES), CPU 110 ends the history display item customization process. On the other hand, if it is determined in S84 that the selected item is not an item displayed as "default" (S84: NO) and is an item displayed as "show" (S86: YES), CPU 110 changes the "show" setting to the "hide" setting (S88), and changes the display on display 160 from "show" to "hide" (S90), and then proceeds to S96.

[0051] On the other hand, if it is determined in S86 that the selected item is an item that is displayed as "hide" (S86: NO), CPU 110 changes the "hide" setting to the "show" setting (S92), and changes the display on display 160 from "hide" to "show" (S94), and then proceeds to S96.

[0052] In S96, if the "SAVE" button 168f is operated (S96: YES), the CPU 110 updates the display settings with the changed display settings (S98), and then ends the history display item customization process. On the other hand, if the "SAVE" button 168f is not operated and an operation to transition from the history display item customization screen 168 to another screen is performed (S96: NO), the CPU 110 ends the history display item customization process. In this case, the display settings changed in S88 or S92 above are returned to the state before the settings were changed.

[0053] In this embodiment, the "default" setting is fixed to "display", but it is not limited to this and may be fixed to "non-display". Also, the "default" setting is an unchangeable setting, but it is not limited to this and may be changeable to the "hide" setting or the "show" setting. Also, the "default" setting may be eliminated, and two modes, the "show" setting and the "hide" setting, may be adopted as the display / non-display switching setting.

[0054] FIG. 7 shows a detailed procedure of the consumable history display process. In FIG. 7, first, CPU 110 judges whether there is a consumable to be displayed in history (S100). Since the history information of consumables ordered in the past is stored in memory 120 to display the history information display 164a as described above, in S100, CPU 110 judges whether there is a consumable to be displayed in history by judging whether history information is stored in memory 120. If there is no consumable to be displayed in history in the judgment of S100 (S100: NO), CPU 110 ends the consumable history display process. On the other hand, if there is a consumable to be displayed in history in the judgment of S100 (S100: YES), CPU 110 first fixes one consumable to be displayed in history, fixes one of a plurality of items included in the history information of the consumable, and acquires the display setting for the item from memory 120 (S102).

[0055] Next, if the acquired display setting is not the "hide" setting (S104: NO), that is, if it is the "default" setting or the "show" setting, CPU 110 acquires the display content of the item (S106) and then proceeds to S108. On the other hand, if the acquired display setting is the "hide" setting (S104: YES), CPU 110 skips S106 and proceeds to S108.

[0056] FIG. 4(b) shows an example of the total order history display screen 169 displayed on the display 160 by the consumable history display process. The total order history display screen 169 is provided with a total order history display area 169a, a scroll bar 169b, and a "close" button 169c. In the total order history display area 169a, history information 169a1, 169a2, ... of all consumables ordered in the past is displayed for each consumable. The scroll bar 169b is used to scroll the history information of consumables that are not displayed in the total order history display area 169a so that it is displayed in the total order history display area 169a. The "close" button 169c is a button for closing the total order history display screen 169 and transitioning to another screen.

[0057] The items displayed as the history information 169a1, 169a2, ... are items that are set to "default" and "show" as described above. In other words, items that are set to "hide" are not displayed. In S104, the CPU 110 makes a determination not to acquire display contents for items that are set to "hide".

[0058] Returning to FIG. 7, in S108, CPU 110 judges whether the processes of S104 and S106 have been completed for all items. In this judgment, if there are still items remaining for which the processes of S104 and S106 are to be performed (S108: NO), CPU 110 selects the next item (S110) and returns the process to S102. On the other hand, in this judgment, if there are no items remaining for which the processes of S104 and S106 are to be performed (S108: YES), CPU 110 judges whether the processes of S102 to S110 have been completed for all consumables whose history is to be displayed (S112). In this judgment, if there are still consumables whose history is to be displayed (S112: NO), CPU 110 selects the next consumables whose history is to be displayed (S114) and returns the process to S102.

[0059] On the other hand, if it is determined in S112 that there are no consumables remaining for which the processes in S102 to S110 above are to be performed (S112: YES), the CPU 110 displays the display contents acquired for all consumables whose history is to be displayed (S116). As a result, as shown in the total order history display screen 169 in FIG. 4(b), history information 169a1, 169a2, ... are displayed in the total order history display area 169a. Then, when the "close" button 169c is operated, the CPU 110 ends the consumable history display process.

[0060] 8 shows the procedure of the first status acquisition process. The first status acquisition process is periodically executed after the consumables ordered in S36 of the above-mentioned consumables ordering process (FIG. 5) are ordered.

[0061] In FIG. 8, first, the CPU 110 judges whether the current status is (Exchanged or null) & (previous status is delivered) (S120). Here, in this embodiment, the status can be one of six states, namely, "null", "Exchanged", "Sent", "Received", "Dispatched" and "Delivered". "Null" indicates a state in which the consumable has not been exchanged. "Exchanged" indicates a state in which the consumable has been exchanged. "Sent" indicates a state in which an order email for the consumable has been sent to the server 200. "Received" indicates a state in which the server 200 has received the order email. "Dispatched" indicates a state in which the consumable has been shipped. "Delivered" indicates a state in which the delivery of the consumable has been completed. Then, whether the current status is one of the four states, "Sent", "Received", "Dispatched" and "Delivered", is acquired in a second status acquisition process described later with reference to FIG. 9.

[0062] In the above S120, (current status = Exchanged or null) indicates that the status of the consumable to be processed is equal to either the exchanged state or the unexchanged state. (previous status = Delivered) indicates that the previous status of the consumable to be processed is the state in which the delivery of the consumable has been completed. Then, in S120, it is determined whether or not both (current status = Exchanged or null) and (previous status = Delivered) are "true". In other words, if the determination in S120 is "true" (S120: YES), the consumable to be processed is in a state in which the delivery has been completed and the exchange has been performed or the exchange has not yet been performed. In this case, the CPU 110 advances the process to S122. On the other hand, if the determination in S120 is "false" (S120: NO), the CPU 110 notifies an error (S138) and then ends the first status acquisition process.

[0063] In S122, the CPU 110 acquires the most recent delivery date and order quantity. The most recent delivery date may be acquired, for example, by analyzing the most recently received email containing "Delivered" for the consumable product to be processed. The order quantity is usually also stated in this email, so that may be acquired.

[0064] Next, CPU 110 acquires the number of times the target consumable has been replaced from the acquired most recent delivery date to the present (S124). When the consumable is replaced, the replacement date is stored in memory 120, so CPU 110 can acquire the number of times the target consumable has been replaced by counting the replacement dates included between the most recent delivery date and the present date.

[0065] Next, the CPU 110 judges whether the number of replacements of the consumable to be processed is equal to the ordered quantity (S126). If the number of replacements of the consumable to be processed is equal to the ordered quantity (S126: YES), the CPU 110 sets the current status to "Exchanged" and the remaining consumable quantity to "0" (S128), and further acquires the most recent replacement date of the consumable to be processed (S130), and then ends the first status acquisition process.

[0066] On the other hand, if it is determined in S126 that the replacement count of the consumable to be processed is not equal to the ordered quantity (S126: NO), the CPU 110 calculates the remaining quantity of the consumable and assigns it to the variable x (S132).

[0067] Next, CPU 110 sets the current status to Exchanged and the remaining quantity of consumables to x (S134), and further obtains the most recent replacement date of the consumables being processed (S136), and then ends the first status obtaining process.

[0068] In this way, the current status, remaining quantity of consumables, and most recent replacement date acquired by the first status acquisition process are overwritten by CPU 110 to the current status, remaining quantity of consumables, and most recent replacement date in the history information of the consumable being processed, thereby updating it.

[0069] Fig. 9 shows the procedure of the second status acquisition process. The second status acquisition process is periodically executed for the consumables ordered by email in S36 of the above consumables ordering process (Fig. 5) until an email indicating "Delivered" is received after the order is placed.

[0070] In FIG. 9, first, the CPU 110 acquires the latest email corresponding to the consumable product to be processed (S140), and analyzes the contents of the acquired email (S142).

[0071] Next, CPU 110 judges whether the analyzed description contains the character string "Sent" (S144). If the analyzed description contains the character string "Sent" (S144: YES), CPU 110 sets the current status to Sent (S146) and then ends the second status acquisition process.

[0072] On the other hand, if the analyzed description does not include the character string "Sent" in the determination at S144 (S144: NO), CPU 110 determines whether the analyzed description includes the character string "Received" (S148). If the analyzed description includes the character string "Received" in this determination (S148: YES), CPU 110 sets the current status = Received (S150) and then ends the second status acquisition process.

[0073] On the other hand, if the analyzed description does not include the character string "Received" in the determination of S148 (S148: NO), CPU 110 determines whether the analyzed description includes the character string "Dispatched" (S152). If the analyzed description includes the character string "Dispatched" in this determination (S152: YES), CPU 110 sets the current status = Dispatched (S154) and then ends the second status acquisition process.

[0074] On the other hand, if the analyzed description does not include the character string "Dispatched" in the determination at S152 (S152: NO), CPU 110 determines whether the analyzed description includes the character string "Delivered" (S156). If the analyzed description includes the character string "Delivered" in the determination at S156 (S156: YES), CPU 110 sets the current status = Delivered (S158) and then ends the second status acquisition process.

[0075] On the other hand, if it is determined in S156 that the analyzed description does not include the character string "Delivered" (S156: NO), the CPU 110 notifies an error (S160) and then ends the second status acquisition process.

[0076] The current status thus acquired by the second status acquisition process is overwritten by the CPU 110 onto the current status in the history information of the consumable product to be processed, thereby updating it.

[0077] As described above, in the MFP 100 of this embodiment, history information including information about ordered consumables created based on the most recent order date is displayed on the display 160 in a manner that identifies the type of consumables ordered, thereby making it possible to prevent duplicate orders of consumables.

[0078] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. (1) In the above embodiment, the MFP 100 has been taken as an example of an image processing device. However, the image processing device is not limited to the MFP 100 and may be a standalone printer, scanner, or copier. (2) In the above embodiment, one CPU 110 is used as an example of a controller, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a controller consisting of multiple CPUs may be used, or a controller including a CPU consisting of multiple cores may be used. Also, the controller may have a CPU and a dedicated circuit. Examples of the dedicated circuit include an ASIC and an FPGA. [Explanation of symbols]

[0079] 1...image processing system, 100...MFP, 110...CPU, 120...memory, 121...OS, 122...control program, 130...printer, 140...scanner, 150...FAX unit, 160...display, 170...input IF, 180...communication IF, 190...communication bus, 200...server, 300...communication network.

Claims

1. A communication interface; A user interface; A display and A controller; a color printing device that performs color printing using a consumable of at least one color among three colors of cyan, magenta, and yellow, and consumes the consumable of the at least one color in response to the color printing, The controller: a consumable remaining amount display process for displaying information indicating the remaining amounts of each of the three colors of consumables on the display; a warning screen display process for displaying a warning screen on the display when the remaining amount of any of the three colors of consumables becomes equal to or less than a predetermined threshold; an ordering process for displaying an ordering screen for the three colors of consumables on the display, and in response to receiving an ordering operation for a type of consumable selected from the ordering screen via the user interface, ordering the selected type of consumable to an information processing device connected via the communication interface; a history information display process for displaying on the display history information indicating an order history of the consumables ordered by the order process, the history information including information about the ordered consumables that was created based on the most recent order date, in a manner that identifies the type of the consumables ordered by the order process; Run In the history information display process, in response to receiving an operation to display the order history of the consumables from the user interface, the three colors of consumables are displayed in a first display mode that displays the history information of the ordered consumables, and in response to receiving an operation to select a consumable to be ordered from among the three colors of consumables from the user interface, the history information is displayed in a second display mode that displays the history information of one of the consumables selected as the consumable to be ordered. Color printing device.

2. the three-color consumables are the three-color toners, The color printing device further comprises: Replaceable photoconductor Equipped with a color printing apparatus of an electrophotographic type, which performs color printing by supplying the three color toners to the photoconductor on which an electrostatic latent image is formed, forming a developer image on the photoconductor, and transferring the developer image onto a sheet; The controller: A first replacement time information display process for displaying information regarding the replacement time of the photoconductor on the display. Run In the ordering process, an ordering screen for the photoconductor is displayed on the display, and an order for the selected photoconductor is placed with an information processing device connected via the communication interface in response to an order operation for the photoconductor selected from the ordering screen being accepted via the user interface.

2. The color printing apparatus of claim 1.

3. The color printing device further comprises: Interchangeable transfer material Equipped with a color printing apparatus of an electrophotographic type, which transfers the developer image onto a sheet using the transfer body, The controller: A second replacement time information display process for displaying information regarding the replacement time of the transfer body on the display. Run In the ordering process, an ordering screen for the transfer is displayed on the display, and in response to an ordering operation for the transfer selected from the ordering screen being accepted via the user interface, the selected transfer is ordered from an information processing device connected via the communication interface.

3. The color printing apparatus of claim 2.

4. The color printing device further comprises: Replaceable waste toner box Equipped with a waste toner box that stores the waste toner adhering to the transfer body during the color printing; The controller: A third replacement time information display process for displaying information regarding a replacement time of the waste toner box on the display. Run In the ordering process, an ordering screen for the waste toner box is displayed on the display, and an ordering operation for the waste toner box selected from the ordering screen is accepted via the user interface, and the selected waste toner box is ordered from an information processing device connected via the communication interface.

4. The color printing apparatus of claim 3.

5. the history information includes information about the ordered consumables that is created based on the most recent order date and order quantity; The color printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The manner in which the type of the consumables ordered by the ordering process is specified is a manner in which the name of the ordered consumables is included, The controller: In the history information display process, the name of the ordered consumable and information about the ordered consumable created based on the most recent order date are displayed side by side as the history information. The color printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. The manner in which the type of the consumable ordered by the ordering process is specified means that the type of the consumable ordered is displayed on the condition that a selection operation of the type of the consumable to be ordered is accepted from the user interface, The controller: In the history information display process, in response to receiving a selection operation of the consumable to be ordered from the user interface, the history information about the consumable selected as the order target among the three colors of consumables is displayed. The color printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

8. The controller: In the history information display process, the history information about the consumables selected as the order target is displayed, and then an order screen for the consumables selected as the order target is displayed.

8. The color printing apparatus of claim 7.

9. The controller: In the history information display process, if the consumable selected as the order target has not been ordered in the past, the history information about the consumable selected as the order target is not displayed, and the order screen for the consumable selected as the order target is displayed.

9. The color printing apparatus of claim 8.

10. The controller: In the history information display process, after displaying the history information about the consumable selected as the order target, an order screen for the consumable selected as the order target is displayed, and thereafter, when a selection operation for selecting, as an order target, a consumable of the same type as the consumable selected as the order target is received again from the user interface, the history information about the consumable selected as the order target is not displayed, and the order screen for the consumable selected as the order target is displayed.

8. The color printing apparatus of claim 7.

11. The controller further comprises: a first setting process for setting whether to display or hide the history information in response to receiving an operation for displaying or hiding the history information from the user interface; Run in the history information display process, when the display is set by the first setting process, the history information is displayed, and when the non-display is set by the first setting process, the history information is not displayed. The color printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. The controller further comprises: A process for determining the order status of the ordered consumables from the time of ordering to the time of delivery. Run In the history information display process, the order status determined by the determination process for the ordered consumables is also displayed as the history information. The color printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

13. The controller: the determination process determines the order status based on information contained in emails sent or received regarding the ordered consumables; 13. The color printing apparatus of claim 12.

14. The controller: In the history information display process, when the second display mode is displayed, a larger number of items included in the history information for one of the consumables selected as the order target are displayed than in the first display mode. The color printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

15. The controller: executing the order processing in response to receiving the order operation from the user interface while the display is in the second display mode; The color printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

16. The controller further comprises: a second setting process for setting display / non-display of all display items that can be displayed in the first display mode in response to receiving a display / non-display operation of the display item from the user interface; Run In the history information display process, when the history information is displayed in the first display mode, the history information is displayed for the display items set to be displayed by the second setting process, and the history information is not displayed for the display items set to be hidden by the second setting process. The color printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 15.

17. A color printing system including a color printing device and an information processing device connected to the color printing device, The color printing device includes: a first communication interface, a user interface, a display, and a first controller; a color printing device that performs color printing using a consumable of at least one color among three colors of cyan, magenta, and yellow, and consumes the consumable of the at least one color in response to the color printing, The first controller is a consumable remaining amount display process for displaying information indicating the remaining amounts of each of the three colors of consumables on the display; a warning screen display process for displaying a warning screen on the display when the remaining amount of any of the three colors of consumables becomes equal to or less than a predetermined threshold; an ordering process for displaying an ordering screen for the three colors of consumables on the display, and in response to receiving an ordering operation for a type of consumable selected from the ordering screen via the user interface, ordering the consumable related to the ordering operation to an information processing device connected via the first communication interface; a history information display process for displaying on the display history information indicating an order history of the consumables ordered by the order process, the history information including information about the ordered consumables that was created based on the most recent order date, in a manner that identifies the type of the consumables ordered by the order process; Run In the history information display process, in response to receiving an operation to display an order history of a consumable from the user interface, the three colors of consumables are displayed in a first display mode that displays the history information of the ordered consumables, and in response to receiving an operation to select a consumable to be ordered from among the three colors of consumables from the user interface, the history information is displayed in a second display mode that displays the history information of one of the consumables selected as the consumable to be ordered. The information processing device includes: A second communication interface; a second controller; Equipped with The second controller is A receiving process for receiving information on the ordered consumables from the color printing device connected via the second communication interface. Execute Color printing system.

Images