Recording device and recording system

Abstract

To provide a recording device and a recording system capable of updating recording propriety information at a timing corresponding to the state of a recording permission amount.SOLUTION: A printer 20 of a printing system 1 executes printing by a printing unit 25 within a range of the number of printable sheets in a printer management table PT stored in a printer storage unit 26B. The printer 20 executes synchronization processing between a server management table ST and a printer management table PT of the own device according to timing conditions. The printer 20 executes the synchronization processing under timing conditions 1-5 (S52) if the number of printable sheets is equal to or greater than a threshold number of sheets 26B3 (S51: YES), and executes the synchronization processing also under a timing condition 6 in addition to the timing conditions 1-5 if the number of printable sheets is less than the threshold number of sheets 26B3 (S51: NO).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present application relates to a recording device and a recording system. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes an information processing system that manages the printable numbers of multiple printing devices. The information processing system of Patent Document 1 creates a printable number for each printing device and each registered user as a print upper limit target list, which is stored by each printing device. The printing device executes a process to synchronize the print upper limit target list of its own device with the print upper limit target lists of other printing devices. The printing device executes synchronization with the other printing devices when printing is completed or at a predetermined time. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2014-69553 A (Fig. 3, paragraphs 0039 and 0040) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the information processing system of Patent Document 1, the printable sheet count is updated based on preset conditions, which may result in the printable sheet count changing depending on the execution of printing, etc., and the timing of the update being inappropriate.

[0005] The present application has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and provides a recording device and a recording system that can update recordability information at a timing according to the state of the permitted recording amount. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The recording device disclosed in this specification comprises a recording unit which performs a recording operation on a recording medium, a memory unit which stores recording device side recordability information relating to whether recording by the recording unit is possible, a communication unit which can communicate with a server, and a control unit, wherein the recording device side recordability information includes information relating to a recording permission amount allowing recording by the recording unit, the server stores server side recordability information corresponding to the recording device side recordability information, and the control unit performs a recording process which performs recording by the recording unit within the range of the recording permission amount indicated by the recording device side recordability information of the memory unit, and a timing condition change process which changes the timing conditions for updating the recording permission information of the server side recordability information and the recording device side recordability information of the own device based on one of the recording permission information and the other recordability information according to the recording permission amount.

[0007] Furthermore, the contents disclosed in this application are not limited to being implemented as a recording device, but may also be usefully implemented as, for example, a recording system including a recording device and a server. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the recording device and recording system configured as above, the record permission information can be updated at a timing according to the state of the permitted recording amount. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a printing system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the printer management table shown in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a server management table shown in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram when an initial device setting process is executed. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a list of timing conditions. [Figure 6] 11 is a flowchart of a timing condition change process executed by the printer. [Figure 7]13 is a flowchart of a timing condition change process executed by a printer according to a first modified example. [Figure 8] 13 is a flowchart of a timing condition change process executed by a printer according to a second modification. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart of a printing process executed by a mobile terminal device. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram when the print process shown in FIG. 9 is executed. [Figure 11] 11 is a flowchart of a non-printing synchronization process executed by the printer. [Figure 12] FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] (Printing system 1 configuration) An embodiment of the recording system of the present application will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a printing system 1 according to this embodiment. The printing system 1 includes, for example, a plurality of printers 20 and a mobile terminal device 10, and provides a printing service to a user. The printing service is a service that allows a user to print by charging the user for the number of printable sheets, which is the number of sheets of paper that can be printed by the printer 20. For example, when a user applies for this printing service, the user pays an initial fee, and is granted a predetermined number of printable sheets (for example, 2000 sheets). In the following description, the term "charging" may refer to setting the number of printable sheets or increasing the number of printable sheets by charging an additional fee.

[0011] Moreover, in this embodiment, the printer 20 is, for example, an inkjet printer. The printer 20 sent from the vendor to the user is filled with an amount of ink necessary to print more than the predetermined printable number of sheets granted to the user (for example, 2000 sheets + α sheets). Therefore, with this printing service, after obtaining the printer 20, the user does not need to take the trouble of filling the printer 20 with ink or replacing ink cartridges until printing the printable number of sheets granted by paying the initial fee. Therefore, this printing service is a service that is highly convenient for the user, as it does not require the work of refilling the printer 20 with ink.

[0012] Furthermore, if the user wishes to print more than the predetermined number of printable pages granted by paying the initial fee, the user pays an additional fee. By purchasing the additional number of printable pages, the user can continue to use the printer 20. If the amount of ink remaining in the printer 20 acquired by paying the initial fee becomes low as the user repeatedly purchases the additional number of printable pages, the user can request a replacement of the printer 20, and the printer 20 can be replaced, thereby continuing the printing service.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1, the printing system 1 includes a mobile terminal device 10, a printer 20, and a server 30. In order to avoid the drawing becoming complicated, only one mobile terminal device 10 and one printer 20 are illustrated in FIG. 1. The mobile terminal device 10 and the printer 20 are connected to each other via a router 2 so that they can communicate with each other. In addition, the mobile terminal device 10 and the printer 20 are connected to the server 30 via the router 2 and the Internet 3 so that they can communicate with each other. In addition, the above-mentioned network configuration is an example. For example, the server 30 may be placed in a LAN, and the mobile terminal device 10 and the printer 20 may be connected to the server 30 without going through the Internet 3. In addition, the number of the mobile terminal device 10 and the printer 20 connected to the server 30 may be one or more. In addition, one printer 20 may be shared by multiple mobile terminal devices 10, and one mobile terminal device 10 may use multiple printers 20 separately.

[0014] (Configuration of mobile terminal device 10) The mobile terminal device 10 causes a printer 20 to print an image on paper (an example of a recording medium of the present application). The mobile terminal device 10 is, for example, a smartphone. The mobile terminal device 10 includes a terminal control unit 11, a short-range communication unit 13, a touch panel 14, and an external communication unit 16. These components are capable of communicating with each other via a bus 19.

[0015] The terminal control unit 11 includes a terminal CPU 17 and a terminal storage unit 18. The terminal storage unit 18 is configured by combining, for example, a RAM, a ROM, a flash memory, and the like. The terminal storage unit 18 stores a terminal program 18A, an application program (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as an application) 18B, and a printable number 18C. The terminal program 18A, the application 18B, and the printable number 18C are stored, for example, in a ROM such as a readable and writable flash memory or SSD in the terminal storage unit 18. The terminal program 18A is a program that comprehensively controls the mobile terminal device 10, and provides basic functions and services to the application 18B. The terminal program 18A is, for example, Android (registered trademark) OS or iOS (registered trademark). In addition, when the mobile terminal device 10 is, for example, a PC, the terminal program 18A is, for example, Windows (registered trademark) OS.

[0016] The application 18B is, for example, a program provided by the vendor of the printer 20, and is a program that uses the functions of the terminal program 18A to execute various processes such as setting processes and print instructions for the printer 20, and charge instructions for the server 30. The terminal control unit 11 executes the terminal program 18A and the application 18B in the terminal CPU 17, and generally controls the mobile terminal device 10. The printable number 18C is information on the printable number of sheets of the printer 20 (see FIG. 2) stored on the mobile terminal device 10 side. The mobile terminal device 10 displays the current printable number 18C on, for example, a screen that accepts print instructions to the printer 20.

[0017] In the following description, the terminal control unit 11 that executes the terminal program 18A and the application 18B on the terminal CPU 17 may be described simply by the device name. For example, the description "the mobile terminal device 10" may mean "the terminal control unit 11 that executes the terminal program 18A and the application 18B on the terminal CPU 17." In addition, in this specification, the processing of the terminal CPU 17 according to the instructions written in the program is mainly indicated. That is, the processing of "determination," "transmission," and the like in the following description represents the processing of the terminal CPU 17. The processing by the terminal CPU 17 includes hardware control. The same also applies to the printer control unit 26 (printer 20) that executes the printer program 26B1 on the printer CPU 26A and the server control unit 32 (server 30) that executes the server program 32B1 on the server CPU 32A, which will be described later. In addition, "data" in this specification is represented by a bit string that can be read by a computer. Data that has the same substantial meaning but different formats is treated as the same data. The same also applies to "information" in this specification.

[0018] Furthermore, the terminal storage unit 18 that stores the programs (terminal program 18A, application 18B) 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 that carries a program downloaded from a server on the Internet is a signal medium, which is a type of computer-readable medium, but is not included in non-transitory storage media. The same applies to the printer storage unit 26B that stores the printer program 26B1 and the server storage unit 32B that stores the server program 32B1, which will be described later.

[0019] The short-distance communication unit 13 is a communication interface capable of short-distance wireless communication, such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or NFC (abbreviation of Near Field Communication). The touch panel 14 includes, for example, a liquid crystal panel or a touch-sensitive film attached to the surface of the liquid crystal panel, and changes the display content of the liquid crystal panel based on the control of the terminal control unit 11. The touch panel 14 also receives an operation input from a user and outputs a signal corresponding to the operation input to the terminal control unit 11. Note that the mobile terminal device 10 may include a power button and the like in addition to the touch panel 14. Also, the user interface included in the mobile terminal device 10 is not limited to the touch panel 14. For example, the mobile terminal device 10 may include a display device such as an LCD or an organic EL display, and an input device such as a push button switch or a slide switch, separately.

[0020] The external communication unit 16 is a communication interface capable of wireless communication conforming to, for example, the Wi-Fi (registered trademark) communication standard. The mobile terminal device 10 is connected to a router 2 via the external communication unit 16. The router 2 is connected to a server 30 via the Internet 3. Note that the external communication unit 16 is not limited to a wireless communication interface, and may be a wired communication interface to which a wired cable such as a LAN cable can be connected.

[0021] (Printer 20 Configuration) The printer 20 is, for example, an inkjet type color printer. The printer 20 includes a short-distance communication unit 21, an external communication unit 22, a tank unit 23, an ink remaining amount detection unit 24, a printing unit 25, a user IF (abbreviation of interface) 27, and a printer control unit 26. The short-distance communication unit 21 is, for example, a communication interface capable of short-distance wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or NFC. The printer 20 can communicate with the short-distance communication unit 13 via the short-distance communication unit 21, and acquires setting information and print instructions from the mobile terminal device 10. In this application, the term "acquire" is used as a concept that does not necessarily require a request. In other words, the process in which the printer 20 receives an instruction without making a request is also included in the concept of "the printer 20 acquires an instruction."

[0022] The external communication unit 22 includes, for example, a communication interface capable of wireless communication conforming to the Wi-Fi (registered trademark) communication standard, and a wired communication interface to which a LAN cable can be connected. The printer 20 is connected to the router 2 via the external communication unit 22. The external communication unit 22 may be configured to include only one of the wireless communication interface or the wired communication interface.

[0023] The tank section 23 stores ink. In this embodiment, there are four types of ink (magenta M, cyan C, yellow Y, and black BK), and a plurality of tank sections 23 are provided for each type of ink. That is, the printer 20 uses a plurality of tank sections 23 to store each of the four types of ink independently. The printer 20 may be a monochrome printer. In this embodiment, when the printer 20 is supplied from the vendor to the user, each of the plurality of tank sections 23 is filled with an amount of ink that allows printing a predetermined number of sheets of paper, for example, when the single-color coverage is 5%. The predetermined number is a number that is greater than the number of printable sheets that is given to a user who applies for a printing service, and can be set appropriately by the vendor providing the printing service.

[0024] Moreover, the tank section 23 is provided so that the user cannot refill it with ink. Specifically, the tank section 23 is disposed in a position where the user cannot touch it. Moreover, the tank section 23 is fixed to the printer 20 so that it cannot be detached. The ink remaining amount detection section 24 detects the remaining amount of ink stored in the tank section 23. The ink remaining amount detection section 24 is an optical sensor disposed in the tank section 23 and detects the level of the ink liquid, thereby detecting the remaining amount of ink. The ink remaining amount detection section 24 is disposed in each of the multiple tank sections 23 and detects the remaining amount of ink in each of the multiple tank sections 23. The printer 20 may be configured so that the tank section 23 is replaceable by the user.

[0025] The printing unit 25 executes printing using the ink stored in the tank unit 23. The printing unit 25 includes, for example, an inkjet head and prints image data included in a print instruction obtained from the mobile terminal device 10 on paper using a known inkjet method. The user IF 27 includes, for example, a touch panel, a power button, and the like, and receives operation input from the user and displays various information. Note that the printer 20 may not be configured to include a user IF 27 such as a touch panel.

[0026] The printer control unit 26 generally controls the printer 20. The printer control unit 26 includes a printer CPU 26A and a printer storage unit 26B. The printer CPU 26A controls the operation of the printer 20 by executing a printer program 26B1 in the printer storage unit 26B. The printer program 26B1 is a program that generally controls the printer 20 and causes the printer 20 to execute various processes. The printer storage unit 26B is configured by combining, for example, a RAM, a ROM, a flash memory, a HDD, and the like. The printer program 26B1 is stored, for example, in a rewritable ROM (such as a flash memory) of the printer storage unit 26B.

[0027] Further, the printer storage unit 26B stores a printer management table PT. The printer management table PT is stored, for example, in a rewritable ROM of the printer storage unit 26B. The printer management table PT is data that stores information about the printer 20 regarding the use of the print service. As shown in FIG. 2, the printer management table PT stores a device ID, the number of printable sheets, the remaining ink amount, activation information, device settings, and synchronization date and time in association with each other. The device ID is, for example, a serial number set by the vendor of the printer 20, and is unique information that can distinguish any printer 20 from other printers 20. The device ID is not limited to a serial number, and may be other device-specific information, such as the MAC address of the short-range communication unit 21 or the external communication unit 22.

[0028] The printable number indicates the number of sheets of paper that can be printed by the printer 20. A user who uses the printer 20 can print within the range of the printable number stored in the printer management table PT. The printable number is increased (charged) by the number of sheets according to the amount charged by the user. On the other hand, the number of sheets of paper used by the printer 20 for printing is subtracted from the printable number. For example, when the printable number of sheets becomes zero or less, the printer 20 is in a state where printing cannot be performed. For example, the printer 20 executes printing every time it receives a print instruction, subtracts the number of sheets to be printed from the printable number, and executes printing until the printable number becomes zero. When the printable number of sheets becomes zero, the printer 20 prohibits printing and notifies the mobile terminal device 10 of an error. Note that when the printer 20 receives a print instruction, if the number of sheets to be printed in the print instruction is equal to or greater than the printable number, it may notify the mobile terminal device 10 of an error without executing printing and leaving the printable number.

[0029] The remaining ink amount indicates the remaining ink amount detected by the ink remaining amount detection unit 24. After the printer 20 executes an operation that uses ink, such as refilling the inkjet head with ink, checking the nozzles, and printing, the printer 20 stores the remaining ink amount detected by the ink remaining amount detection unit 24 in the printer management table PT. The activation information indicates that when the activation information is set to the ON state, the printing execution by the printing unit 25 is permitted, and when the activation information is set to the OFF state, the printing execution by the printing unit 25 is restricted. Restricting the execution of printing means, for example, putting the printer 20 in a state in which the printing unit 25 cannot perform printing. In addition, "◯" in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 indicates that the printer is set to the ON state, and "×" indicates that the printer is set to the OFF state. The device settings are setting information such as the functions of the printer 20 (printing, etc.), the settings of each function (paper size, color, magnification, etc.), and the language to be displayed on the user IF 27.

[0030] The synchronization date and time is the date and time when the previous (most recent) synchronization process was performed with the server 30. The synchronization process here is, for example, a process of matching the number of printable sheets of the server 30 and the printer 20. The synchronization process in this embodiment is an example of "a process of updating the recordability information of the server side recordability information and the recorder side recordability information based on the recordability information of the other" in the present application. Update in the present application refers to communication between the server 30 and the printer 20 and updating the information of the other based on the recordability information of the other, such as the number of printable sheets, the number of printed sheets (see FIG. 12 described later), and the remaining ink amount, which are related to the possibility of recording by the printing unit 25 (an example of the recording unit in the present application). Therefore, update is not limited to a process of having (matching) the same recordability information (number of printable sheets and remaining ink amount) in both the server 30 and the printer 20, such as synchronization, but is a concept that includes a process of updating the information of the other based on the information of the other, and changing the recordability information to new information (such as the case of FIG. 12).

[0031] As shown in FIG. 1, the printer storage unit 26B stores timing condition information 26B2 and a threshold number of sheets 26B3. The timing condition information 26B2 is information on the condition of timing for executing a synchronous process with the server 30 (hereinafter, may be referred to as a timing condition). In the timing condition information 26B2, a plurality of conditions are set as the timing condition for executing the synchronous process (see FIG. 5). The threshold number of sheets 26B3 is a threshold for determining the number of printable sheets. The printer 20 changes the timing condition for executing the synchronous process, which is included in the timing condition information 26B2, according to the result of comparing the number of printable sheets with the threshold number of sheets 26B3. The process of changing the timing condition will be described later in detail.

[0032] (Server 30 Configuration) 1, the server 30 includes an external communication unit 31 and a server control unit 32. The external communication unit 31 communicates with the mobile terminal device 10 and the printer 20 connected via the Internet 3. The server control unit 32 includes a server CPU 32A and a server storage unit 32B. The server CPU 32A executes a server program 32B1 in the server storage unit 32B to comprehensively control the operation of the server 30. The server program 32B1 is a program that comprehensively controls the server 30 and causes the server 30 to execute various processes.

[0033] The server storage unit 32B is configured by combining, for example, RAM, ROM, flash memory, HDD, etc. Also, the server storage unit 32B stores a server management table ST. The server management table ST is data that stores information required to use the print service. The server management table ST stores information about each printer 20 that uses the print service in association with the device ID of the printer 20, and is managed by the vendor.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 3, the server management table ST stores the device ID, the printable number, the remaining ink amount, the activation information, and the number of sheets to be charged in association with each other. The device ID, the printable number, the remaining ink amount, and the activation information are the same data as those in the printer management table PT described above, and the data in the printer management table PT corresponding to the same device ID is stored. The server 30 of this embodiment manages the printable number of each printer 20 using the printing service by using the server management table ST that associates the device ID with the printable number. The server 30 executes a process of synchronizing the printable number, which increases or decreases according to the print instruction or charge instruction of the mobile terminal device 10, with the printer 20, and manages the latest printable number in the server management table ST. The server 30 also collects the latest information on the remaining ink amount from the printer 20 by the synchronization process. When the remaining ink amount falls below a predetermined threshold, the server 30 notifies the mobile terminal device 10 of the replacement of the printer 20. This allows the user to apply for a printer 20 exchange and receive a new printer 20 before the printer 20 in use runs out of ink and becomes unable to print.

[0035] The planned charge number is the printable number charged by the user and is not yet reflected in the printer 20. For example, the printing system 1 can send a charge instruction to the server 30 using the application 18B of the mobile terminal device 10. In detail, the user operates the application 18B to select the printer 20 to be charged, and then selects the number of sheets to be charged from the number of sheets to be charged displayed on the touch panel 14, or inputs the number of sheets to be charged, and sends a charge instruction to the server 30. When the server 30 receives a charge instruction from the mobile terminal device 10, the server 30 stores the charge number specified in the charge instruction as the planned charge number in the server management table ST in association with the specified printer 20 (device ID). The server 30 also collects a fee according to the charge number from the user. The server 30 notifies the printer 20 of the charge number and adds the charge number to the printable number in the printer management table PT. The printer 20 sends the printable number after the addition to the server 30. When the server 30 obtains the printable number after the increment from the printer 20, it updates the printable number in the server management table ST with the obtained printable number and sets the planned charge number to zero. This allows the charge of the printable number to be performed.

[0036] (Initial device configuration process) Next, the user's work in the initial device setting process of the printer 20 and the contents of the processing of each device will be described. When the user purchases the printer 20 for the first time and the printer 20 arrives from the vendor, the user performs the work shown in FIG. 4. Each device, the mobile terminal device 10, the printer 20, and the server 30, executes each process according to the user's work. In the sequence diagrams from FIG. 4 onwards, the work performed by the user (person) is indicated by a downward arrow. Also, the processes, contents and order of the work shown in FIG. 4 onwards are only examples. Also, a case will be described where the printer 20 with the device ID "dv1" (see FIG. 2) is set as the printer 20.

[0037] First, in step (hereinafter simply referred to as S) 11 in FIG. 4, the user turns on the power of the printer 20 (S11). When the printer 20 is turned on, the printer CPU 26A executes the printer program 26B1 and starts the system of the printer 20 (S13). When the system is started, the printer 20 executes initial setup and the like. The initial setup here is, for example, a preparation process for printing by the printing unit 25, such as a process of filling the printing unit 25 with ink and a process of checking for clogged nozzles. After the initial setup is completed, the printer 20 detects the remaining ink amount in the printing unit 25 by the printing unit 25. At this point, the remaining ink amount ink1 (see FIG. 2) is almost full. Also, the number of printable sheets pr1 (see FIG. 2) is in a blank state where nothing is set, or is zero sheets.

[0038] When the printer 20 executes system startup, etc., it transitions to a state in which it can accept communication settings (S15), supplies power to the short-range communication unit 21 and the external communication unit 22, and transitions to a state in which it can communicate with external devices. On the other hand, when the mobile terminal device 10 is powered on, for example, it executes the terminal program 18A to start up the system, and then executes the application 18B in response to an operational input on the touch panel 14, etc., to start up the application program (S17).

[0039] The user also appropriately performs communication settings for the printer 20 and the mobile terminal device 10. For example, the user inputs the SSID and encryption key of the router 2 into the mobile terminal device 10 and the printer 20, and connects the printer 20 and the mobile terminal device 10 to the router 2 by wireless communication conforming to the Wi-Fi (registered trademark) communication standard (S15, S17). The printer 20 and the mobile terminal device 10 may be made to exchange SSIDs and the like by short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) to be in a communicable state.

[0040] The mobile terminal device 10, for example, displays a list of printers 20 detected within the same network on the touch panel 14 and accepts the selection of a printer 20 (S19). The mobile terminal device 10, for example, requests information on the selected printer 20 (S19) and acquires the device ID "dv1", the remaining ink level "ink1", and the device setting "dc1" from the printer 20 (S21). When the printer 20 is shipped from the vendor, for example, no data is stored in the printer management table PT. The printer 20 is shipped with the device ID and device settings stored in a storage area of ​​the printer storage unit 26B other than the printer management table PT. In S21, the printer 20 transmits the device ID and device settings stored in the printer storage unit 26B. The printer 20 also transmits the remaining ink level detected by the remaining ink level detection unit 24.

[0041] The mobile terminal device 10 stores the acquired information such as the device ID in the terminal storage unit 18 and uses it for display processing to the user. The mobile terminal device 10 transmits a printer management table registration instruction to the printer 20 to store each item in the printer management table PT (S23). In response to acquiring the instruction of S23, the printer 20 registers (stores) the device ID "dv1", the remaining ink amount "ink1" detected in S13, and the device setting "dc1" in the printer management table PT in association with each other (S27). The printer 20 also maintains the printable number pr1 in the printer management table PT in the blank state after initial installation. The printer 20 also sets the activation information in the printer management table PT to the OFF state. The printer 20 sets the synchronization date and time "cd1" to the blank state. This completes the registration in the printer management table PT. The printer 20 may have the device ID and device settings set in the printer management table PT at the stage of being shipped from the vendor.

[0042] Furthermore, in S29, the mobile terminal device 10 accepts user information via the touch panel 14. The mobile terminal device 10 executes the acceptance of the user information in S29, for example, when the user registration for the application 18B has not been registered. This user information is, for example, information on a login user for logging in to the application 18B, or information on a user who uses the printer 20, such as a user ID, password, user name, and payment method.

[0043] When the mobile terminal device 10 accepts the user information in S29, it transmits the accepted user information to the server 30 (S31). When the server 30 acquires the user information from the mobile terminal device 10, it stores the acquired user information in the server storage unit 32B (S33). In this way, information on the user who uses the printer 20 is registered in the server 30. The server 30 may manage the user information separately from the server management table ST, or may manage the user information in association with the device ID in the server management table ST.

[0044] Furthermore, when the printer 20 executes S27 and completes the registration in the printer management table PT, it accesses the server 30 and executes the registration process (S35). The printer 20, for example, accesses the URL of the server 30 stored in advance in the printer storage unit 26B. When the printer 20 succeeds in accessing the server 30, it becomes capable of communicating with the server 30 (S35). The printer 20 transmits, for example, an instruction to the server 30 requesting registration of the device ID, the number of printable sheets, and activation information. The server 30 collates the acquired device ID with a preregistered vendor serial number, and when it detects a matching device ID, it associates the acquired device ID and other information and registers it in the server management table ST (S35). The printer registration process (S35) may be executed by the mobile terminal device 10.

[0045] Furthermore, when the user completes the registration of the user information in S29, the user applies for the service for the selected printer 20 (S37). The mobile terminal device 10 registers the registered user information, information about the printer 20 selected in S19, the method of paying for the selected printer 20, and the like, in the server 30 based on the operation of the touch panel 14 (S37). The method of payment may be selected from the payment methods registered in S31, or new information such as credit card information may be registered. As a result, the user information and the billing method are associated with information about the printer 20 (such as the device ID) that is the subject of billing, and are registered in the server 30.

[0046] The server 30 also charges a predetermined number of printable sheets (e.g., 2000 sheets) as an initial charge free of charge to the printer 20 that is registered for the first time in the server management table ST (S39). For example, the server 30 automatically charges a predetermined number of sheets for the initial printable sheet count associated with the device ID of the printer 20 that is registered for the first time in the server management table ST for a user who has completed the service application in S37. When the initial charge process is completed, the server 30 transmits a charge completion notification to the mobile terminal device 10 (S41). The initial printable sheet count may be set in the printer management table PT at the time the printer 20 is sent from the vendor to the user.

[0047] When the mobile terminal device 10 acquires the completion notification of S41, it transmits a synchronization start instruction to the printer 20 to synchronize the printable number of sheets charged for the first time with the server 30 (S43). The mobile terminal device 10 may display on the touch panel 14 that it has acquired the completion notification and cause the printer 20 to execute synchronization, or may accept an instruction from the user. When the printer 20 acquires the initial synchronization start instruction of S43, it executes an initial synchronization process to synchronize the printable number of sheets with the server 30 (S45). For example, the printer 20 inquires of the server 30 about the printable number charged by the initial charge of S39. The server 30 responds to the printer 20 with the printable number charged for the first time based on the device ID. The printer 20 executes the initial synchronization process to synchronize the printable number by overwriting the printable number in the printer management table PT with the printable number acquired from the server 30. When the printer 20 completes the initial synchronization process, it updates the synchronization date and time "cd1" in the printer management table PT to the current date and time (S45). Note that the condition for starting the initial synchronization process is not limited to the transmission of an instruction from the mobile terminal device 10 to the printer 20. For example, the printer 20 may start the initial synchronization process based on a predetermined operational input to the touch panel 14.

[0048] When the server 30 completes the initial synchronization process of S45, it sets the printer 20 to a state where printing is possible (S47). In the server management table ST, the server 30 sets the activation information associated with the device ID of the printer 20 that completed the initial charge in S45 to an ON state ("O" in FIG. 3). When the server 30 updates the activation information in the server management table ST, it sends an activation instruction to the printer 20 to set the activation information to an ON state (S49). When the printer 20 receives the activation instruction of S49 from the server 30, it sets the activation information in the printer management table PT of the printer itself to an ON state. This makes the printer 20 ready to print the print instruction, etc., received from the mobile terminal device 10. The server 30 does not need to control the activation information of the printer 20. In this case, the printer management table PT does not need to include activation information.

[0049] When the activation information is set to an ON state, the printer 20 transmits a completion notification to the mobile terminal device 10 (S50). When the mobile terminal device 10 receives the completion notification of S50, it displays, for example, on the menu screen 51 that the printer is ready to print. The contents of the initial device setting process shown in FIG. 4 are merely an example. For example, if there is no plan to charge the printer 20 with an additional printable number, the user does not need to register user information or a credit card. In this case, the printer 20 may be charged with only the printable number of the initial charge. Also, the printer 20 may be charged with the printable number of the initial charge or the like at the time of shipping from the vendor or the manufacturing factory.

[0050] (Timing conditions for synchronization processing) Next, the timing conditions under which the printer 20 of this embodiment executes the synchronization process using the timing condition information 26B2 will be described. The printer 20 changes the timing conditions for executing the synchronization process based on the timing condition information 26B2 and the threshold number of sheets 26B3 stored in the printer storage unit 26B. As will be described later, when the printer 20 executes the synchronization process, it transmits the printable number and remaining ink amount in the printer management table PT to the server 30, and updates the printable number and remaining ink amount in the server management table ST of the server 30. Also, if there is a planned charge number that is not reflected in the printer management table PT, the planned charge number is reflected in the printable number, and then the synchronization process is executed.

[0051] Fig. 5 shows a list of timing conditions. As shown in Fig. 5, the printer 20 is capable of setting multiple (six in this embodiment) timing conditions. The first column in the table in Fig. 5 shows the identification number of the timing condition. The second column shows whether the timing condition is a condition that is executed based on a user's operation ("Manual" in the figure), or a condition that the printer 20 determines whether the condition is met and automatically executes ("Automatic" in the figure). The third column shows the content of the timing condition.

[0052] Timing condition 1 is a condition for pressing the power button in a standby state. For example, when the printer 20 is turned on and in a standby state in which no processing such as printing is being performed, the printer 20 determines that timing condition 1 is met when the power button of the user IF 27 is pressed continuously for longer than a predetermined time, that is, pressed and held. The predetermined time is, for example, several seconds. The button operations described above are one example. For example, the printer 20 may process a condition in which multiple buttons are pressed simultaneously as timing condition 1.

[0053] Timing condition 2 is a condition for accepting an instruction from application 18B. For example, while application 18B is being executed on mobile terminal device 10, application 18B transmits a synchronization instruction to printer 20 in response to a predetermined operation input on touch panel 14. When printer 20 receives the synchronization instruction from application 18B, it determines that timing condition 2 is met.

[0054] Timing condition 3 is a condition under which execution of a print instruction is terminated. The printer 20 acquires a print instruction from, for example, the application 18B of the mobile terminal device 10. The print instruction includes, for example, image data to be printed and information on print settings. The information on print settings is information such as the number of copies to be printed, print color, and magnification. The printer 20 determines that timing condition 3 is satisfied when printing based on this print instruction is completed. For example, when a print instruction is acquired to print only two copies of a document with three pages per copy, the printer 20 determines that timing condition 3 is satisfied when printing on six sheets of paper is completed. Note that the above-mentioned timing condition 3 is an example. For example, when the printer 20 receives another print instruction before completing one print instruction, the printer 20 may determine that timing condition 3 is satisfied when all of the multiple print instructions are completed.

[0055] Timing condition 4 is a condition for turning on the power. When the power button of the user IF 27 is operated to turn on the power, the printer 20 determines that timing condition 4 is met when the printer CPU 26A executes the printer program 26B1 and starts up the system.

[0056] The timing condition 5 is a condition for returning from the power saving mode. The printer 20 has a mode (hereinafter, sometimes called a normal mode) in which the printer 20 operates at a predetermined power consumption according to the processing contents at the time of starting up, such as a state of waiting for a print instruction, a state of executing a print instruction, a state of accepting an operation input to the user IF 27, etc. Also, when the printer 20 does not accept a print instruction or an operation input to the user IF 27 for a certain period of time in the normal mode, the printer 20 reduces the power supplied to each device of the printer 20 and transitions to a power saving mode in which the power consumption is lower than that in the normal mode. The control method for reducing the power is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, a control to hide the touch panel of the user IF 27 or a control to stop the power supply to the printing unit 25. After transitioning to the power saving mode, the printer 20 returns to the normal mode based on the establishment of a predetermined condition. The predetermined condition is, for example, a condition for receiving a print instruction, a condition for accepting an operation input to the user IF 27, a condition for accepting a request for information from the application 18B, etc. That is, the printer 20 can switch between the normal mode and the power saving mode, which saves less power than the normal mode, based on a predetermined condition. The printer 20 determines that the timing condition 5 is met, for example, when the condition is met upon returning from the power saving mode.

[0057] Timing condition 6 is a condition for starting execution of a print instruction. For example, printer 20 determines that timing condition 6 is met when it receives a print instruction from mobile terminal device 10 or a print instruction based on an operation input to user IF 27 and starts processing to execute the received print instruction. Alternatively, printer 20 may determine that timing condition 6 is met at the time when it receives a new print instruction. Furthermore, printer 20 may set any timing (such as the timing of starting to feed paper) between after receiving a print instruction and before starting printing execution as a condition for timing condition 6 to be met.

[0058] Also, the fourth and fifth columns in FIG. 5 indicate whether each condition is applied or not applied. "ON" in the figure indicates that it is applied, and "OFF" indicates that it is not applied. In the timing condition information 26B2, for example, the above-mentioned "information indicating timing conditions 1 to 6" and "information indicating whether or not a synchronization process should be performed for each condition" (information corresponding to the above-mentioned "ON" and "OFF") are stored. More specifically, for example, as the "information indicating timing conditions", identification information indicating timing conditions 1 to 6 is stored in a predetermined storage area of ​​the printer storage unit 26B. Also, as the "information indicating whether or not a synchronization process should be performed for each condition", information "ON (1)" or "OFF (0)" is stored in association with the identification information of timing conditions 1 to 6. For example, the printer 20 monitors the state of its own device, and when any of timing conditions 1 to 6 is established, it refers to the timing condition information 26B2 to determine whether or not a synchronization process should be performed.

[0059] As shown in the fourth and fifth columns, the printer 20 changes the timing conditions for executing the synchronization process based on the number of printable sheets. Fig. 6 shows the details of the timing condition change process executed by the printer 20. The printer 20 starts the process shown in Fig. 6 when an increase or decrease in the number of printable sheets occurs. An increase or decrease in the number of printable sheets here refers to, for example, a decrease in the number of printable sheets when a print instruction is executed, or an increase in the number of printable sheets when a charge is made. The printer 20 may also execute the process in Fig. 6 when the power is turned on, in addition to the conditions that cause an increase or decrease in the number of printable sheets.

[0060] When the process shown in FIG. 6 starts, the printer 20 judges whether the printable number in the printer management table PT is equal to or greater than the threshold number 26B3 in the printer storage unit 26B (S51). If the printable number is equal to or greater than the threshold number 26B3 (S51: YES), the printer 20 sets information indicating that synchronous processing is executed when each of the timing conditions 1 to 5 is met in the timing condition information 26B2 in S52 (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as "setting timing conditions 1 to 5"). As a result, setting information is stored in the timing condition information 26B2 that synchronous processing is executed under timing conditions 1 to 5 and that synchronous processing is not executed under timing condition 6. After executing S52, the printer 20 ends the process shown in FIG. 6.

[0061] On the other hand, when the printable number is less than the threshold number 26B3 (S51: NO), the printer 20 sets the timing condition 6 in the timing condition information 26B2 in addition to the timing conditions 1 to 5 (S53). The timing condition information 26B2 stores setting information for executing the synchronous process under the timing conditions 1 to 6. Therefore, when the printable number becomes less than the threshold number 26B3, the printer 20 adds the timing condition 6 for executing the synchronous process before printing as a timing condition for executing the synchronous process. The addition of the timing condition 6 here corresponds to a process of writing "1" (setting "ON") to the storage area corresponding to the timing condition 6 in the storage area of ​​the printer storage unit 26B when a storage method is adopted in which the identification information of the timing conditions 1 to 6 and the information "ON (1)" or "OFF (0)" are stored in association with the identification information as the timing condition information 26B2 as described above. That is, the timing condition 6 is turned ON in this embodiment.

[0062] Here, if the storage capacity for storing the print instruction data in the printer storage unit 26B is small or if the print instruction data is large, the printer 20 may not be able to store all the print instruction data in the printer storage unit 26B before executing the print instruction, and may not be able to determine the total number of prints to be printed by that print instruction. In this case, if the printer 20 receives a print instruction that is greater than the number of printable sheets, the number of printable sheets will be insufficient during printing, and printing will not be possible. On the other hand, for example, if a charge instruction is sent from the mobile terminal device 10 to the server 30 but the printer 20 is not turned on or a communication error occurs on the Internet 3, there is a risk that the charge number will not be reflected in the number of printable sheets in the printer management table PT. In response to this, when the number of printable sheets becomes less than the threshold number 26B3, the printer 20 can add a timing condition 6 to synchronize the number of printable sheets before printing, connect from the printer 20 to the server 30, and reflect the charge number in the number of printable sheets. This can prevent the occurrence of a situation in which the number of printable sheets is insufficient during printing.

[0063] Therefore, the threshold number 26B3 used in S51 is the number of sheets at which the number of printable sheets is considered to be insufficient during printing. The printer 20, for example, accepts the value of the threshold number 26B3 from the user. Alternatively, the printer 20 may calculate the average number of printed sheets per one print instruction and set the average number of printed sheets as the threshold number 26B3. The printer 20 may also obtain the threshold number 26B3 from the server 30.

[0064] The decision to change the timing conditions may be made by the server 30. For example, the server 30 may compare the printable number of sheets with the threshold number of sheets 26B3 for each of the printers 20 registered in the server management table ST, and when the printable number of sheets falls below the threshold number of sheets 26B3, may notify the printer 20 of an instruction to change the timing conditions from timing conditions 1 to 5 to timing conditions 1 to 6.

[0065] The above-mentioned timing conditions for the synchronization process are merely examples. For example, the printer 20 may compare the printable number of sheets with the threshold number of sheets 26B3 during printing, and may execute the synchronization process when the printable number of sheets falls below the threshold number of sheets 26B3. In this case, the printer 20 may temporarily suspend printing until the synchronization process is completed. Furthermore, the printer 20 may execute the synchronization process via the mobile terminal device 10 until the network for connecting to the router 2 or the Internet 3 is set, that is, when the printer 20 cannot directly communicate with the server 30.

[0066] (Timing condition change process of modified example 1) The process contents of the timing condition change process shown in Fig. 6 are just an example. In the timing condition change process shown in Fig. 6, S52 or S53 is executed using one threshold number 26B3, but this is not limited to this. For example, as shown in Fig. 7, the timing condition may be switched using a plurality of threshold numbers 26B3. In the following description, the same contents as those in Fig. 6 above will be omitted as appropriate.

[0067] In another example of timing condition change processing shown in FIG. 7, two threshold numbers 26B3 (hereinafter referred to as the first threshold number and the second threshold number) are used. The first threshold number is a predetermined number that is greater than the second threshold number. If the printable number in the printer management table PT is equal to or greater than the first threshold number (S55: YES), the printer 20 sets timing conditions 1 to 4 as the timing conditions (S56). If the printable number is less than the first threshold number (S55: NO), the printer 20 determines whether the printable number is equal to or greater than the second threshold number (S57).

[0068] If the number of printable sheets is equal to or greater than the second threshold number (S57: YES), the printer 20 sets timing conditions 1 to 5 (S58), and if the number of printable sheets is less than the second threshold number (S57: NO), it sets timing conditions 1 to 4 and 6 (S59). In this way, the printer 20 may gradually add, remove, or change (replace) timing conditions according to an increase or decrease in the number of printable sheets. This allows the synchronization process to be performed at a more appropriate timing according to the number of printable sheets.

[0069] The above-described changes to the timing conditions using the multiple threshold numbers 26B3 are merely examples. For example, the printer 20 may increase the timing conditions in sequence, such as timing condition 1, timing conditions 1 and 2, timing conditions 1-3, ..., timing conditions 1-6, in response to a decrease in the number of printable sheets. Alternatively, for example, the printer 20 may set timing conditions 1-4 in S56, timing condition 5 in S58, and timing condition 6 in S59.

[0070] (Timing condition change process of modification 2) Furthermore, the printer 20 may use conditions other than the timing conditions shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 8 shows the contents of the timing condition change process of the second modification example. For example, as shown in Fig. 8, if the number of printable sheets is equal to or greater than the threshold number 26B3 (S61: YES), the printer 20 sets a timing condition for executing a synchronization process at predetermined time intervals (S62). When the printer 20 executes S62, for example, after the power is turned on, the printer 20 executes a synchronization process for synchronizing the number of printable sheets and the remaining ink amount with the server 30 at predetermined time intervals.

[0071] On the other hand, if the number of printable sheets falls below the threshold number 26B3 (S61: NO), the printer 20 sets timing condition 3 in addition to the synchronization process at every predetermined time (S63). The printer 20 executes the synchronization process at every predetermined time, and also executes the synchronization process after printing. This allows the synchronization process after printing to be executed only when the number of printable sheets has decreased, reducing the number of times the synchronization process after printing is executed. Note that the process contents in FIG. 8 are only an example, and for example, the printer 20 may add at least one of timing conditions 1 to 6 in addition to the timing condition at every predetermined time in S63.

[0072] (Printing process) Next, the printing process executed by the mobile terminal device 10 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in Fig. 9. For example, when the application 18B is started, the mobile terminal device 10 executes the printing process shown in Fig. 9. As shown in Fig. 5, when the printable number of sheets is equal to or greater than the threshold number 26B3, the printer 20 executes the synchronization process after executing a print instruction (timing condition 3), and when the printable number of sheets falls below the threshold number 26B3, the printer 20 executes the synchronization process before printing (timing condition 6) in addition to after printing.

[0073] As shown in FIG. 9, first, in S71, the mobile terminal device 10 judges whether or not a print execution operation has been performed. For example, when the mobile terminal device 10 accepts a predetermined operation input on the operation screen of the application 18B, it judges that a print execution operation has been accepted (S71: YES). The mobile terminal device 10 executes the judgment process of S71 until a print execution operation is performed (S71: NO), and when a print execution operation is performed (S71: YES), it displays a print execution screen (not shown) on the touch panel 14 and accepts image data to be printed and print settings. The print settings are settings such as the number of sheets of paper used for printing, the color to be printed, and the size of the paper to be printed. Hereinafter, the number of sheets of paper specified on the print execution screen will be referred to as the designated number of sheets to be printed. Furthermore, when a print execution operation is performed (S71: YES), the mobile terminal device 10 transmits an activation information request to the printer 20 to obtain activation information (S73).

[0074] When the mobile terminal device 10 executes S73, it determines whether the activation information acquired from the printer 20 in response to the request of S73 is in the ON state (S75). If the activation information is in the OFF state (S75: NO), the mobile terminal device 10 stops the print process (S77). In this case, since the activation information is in the OFF state, the mobile terminal device 10 may display on the touch panel 14 a message prompting the user to perform the initial device setting process.

[0075] On the other hand, when the activation information is in the ON state (S75: YES) and a print instruction is received on the print execution screen, the mobile terminal device 10 transmits the print instruction to the printer 20 and causes the printer 20 to execute printing (S79). The print instruction information includes information on the image data and print settings (such as the specified number of copies to be printed) received on the print execution screen, and is information instructing the printer 20 to print the image data according to the print settings.

[0076] After transmitting the print instruction in S79, the mobile terminal device 10 judges whether printing is completed or not (S81). The mobile terminal device 10 judges negative in S81 (S81: NO) until it acquires a print completion notice from the printer 20, and acquires the printable number from the printer 20 when it acquires the print completion notice (S81: YES). When the printer 20 executes printing, it subtracts the printable number according to the number of printed sheets. When the mobile terminal device 10 acquires the print completion notice, it acquires the printable number after subtraction from the printer 20, updates the printable number 18C in the terminal storage unit 12 (S83), and ends the process shown in FIG. 9. For example, the mobile terminal device 10 uses the acquired updated information as the information on the printable number to be displayed on the menu screen or the print execution screen. The mobile terminal device 10 may acquire other information, such as information on the remaining ink level, from the printer 20 in response to the print completion notice.

[0077] (Operation of the printing system 1 in the printing process) Next, the operation of the printing system 1 in the above-mentioned printing process will be described with reference to Fig. 10. In the following description, the case where the printable number of sheets is equal to or greater than the threshold number 26B3 and the activation information is in the ON state will be described. In addition, the case where the printable number of sheets is less than the threshold number 26B3 is indicated by a dashed arrow in the figure, and will be described after the case where the printable number of sheets is equal to or greater than the threshold number 26B3.

[0078] First, in S91, the mobile terminal device 10 accepts a print execution operation by the user, and makes an affirmative determination in S71 of FIG. 9 (S71: YES). In response to accepting the print execution operation, the mobile terminal device 10 transmits an activation information request to the printer 20 (S73). In response to the request in S73, the printer 20 transmits the activation information in the printer management table PT (S93). The mobile terminal device 10 judges the activation information acquired in S93 (S75). When the activation information is in an ON state (S75: YES) and the mobile terminal device 10 receives a print execution instruction on the print execution screen, it transmits the print instruction to the printer 20 (S79). The mobile terminal device 10 may acquire the printable number of sheets from the printer 20 in advance and determine whether the printable number is equal to or greater than the designated print number.

[0079] When the printer 20 acquires the print instruction of S79, it controls the printing unit 25 to print the image data based on the print settings of the print instruction (S95, an example of the print process of the present application). If the printer 20 runs out of printable sheets during printing, it stops the printing in progress and notifies the mobile terminal device 10 of the error. When the printer 20 completes the printing, it updates the printable sheets and the remaining ink amount in the printer management table PT (S97). The printer 20 subtracts the number of sheets used in the printing execution, for example, the number of sheets specified for printing in the print instruction when no printing error occurs, from the printable sheets in the printer management table PT. The printer 20 also updates the remaining ink amount in the printer management table PT with the remaining ink amount detected by the remaining ink amount detection unit 24, i.e., the value of the remaining ink amount after printing. When the printer 20 completes the printing, it sends a print completion notification indicating that to the mobile terminal device 10 (S99). Furthermore, after sending the print completion notification in S99, the printer 20 sends the number of printable sheets updated in S97 to the mobile terminal device 10 (S101). The printer 20 may also send information on the updated remaining amount of ink to the mobile terminal device 10.

[0080] Also, if the printable number is equal to or greater than the threshold number 26B3, the timing condition 3 in FIG. 5 is set. The printer 20 executes synchronization processing after executing a print instruction in S103 to S106. First, the printer 20 transmits a synchronization instruction to the server 30 to synchronize the printable number and the remaining ink amount (S103). The printer 20 transmits the information on the printable number and the remaining ink amount after updating in S97 to the server 30. When the server 30 acquires the synchronization instruction in S103 from the printer 20, it updates (overwrites) the printable number corresponding to the device ID of the printer 20 that sent the command in the server management table ST with the acquired printable number (S104). As a result, the printable number in the server management table ST matches the printable number of the printer 20 after printing has been executed. Similarly, the server 30 updates the remaining ink amount in the server management table ST with the acquired remaining ink amount (S104). When the server 30 completes the update process of S104, it sends a synchronization completion notification to the printer 20 (S105). When the printer 20 receives the completion notification of S105, it updates the synchronization date and time in the printer management table PT to the current date and time (S106).

[0081] In addition, when the server 30 acquires the synchronization instruction in S103, if the planned charge number of the target printer 20 is not zero, that is, if there is an unreflected charge number remaining, the server 30 executes a process to reflect the planned charge number. For example, after setting the planned charge number based on the charge instruction acquired from the mobile terminal device 10, if the server 30 acquires the synchronization instruction in S103 before reflecting it in the printable number of the printer 20, the server 30 updates the printable number in S104 and then transmits the charge number (planned charge number) to the printer 20 (S105). When the printer 20 acquires the charge number from the server 30, it adds the charge number to the printable number in the printer management table PT. This allows the charge number to be reflected in the printable number in accordance with the synchronization process. In addition, although not shown in the figure to avoid cluttering the drawing, the printer 20 notifies the server 30 of the printable number after the addition. Then, the server 30 updates the printable number in the server management table ST with the printable number acquired from the printer 20, and resets the planned charge number to zero.

[0082] The above-mentioned synchronization process in S103 to S106 is merely an example. For example, the printer 20 may execute the synchronization process via the mobile terminal device 10. For example, if the printer 20 cannot communicate with the server 30, it transmits information on the number of printable sheets and the remaining ink level, and an instruction to request synchronization to the mobile terminal device 10. The mobile terminal device 10 may execute synchronization process of the number of printable sheets, etc. with the server 30 based on receiving the instruction from the printer 20.

[0083] Furthermore, when the printer 20 updates the synchronization date and time in S106, it transmits a notification to the mobile terminal device 10 that synchronization has been completed (S109). Then, since the printable number of sheets has increased or decreased due to the printing process, the printer 20 executes the timing condition change process shown in FIG. 6 (S111). If the printable number of sheets has decreased to be less than the threshold number of sheets 26B3, the printer 20 adds timing condition 6 (S53 in FIG. 6). On the other hand, if the printable number of sheets has become equal to or greater than the threshold number of sheets 26B3 due to charging, the printer 20 sets timing conditions 1 to 5 (S52). This allows the timing conditions to be changed according to the printable number of sheets.

[0084] Also, if the printable number is less than the threshold number 26B3, the printer 20 adds timing condition 6 by the timing condition change process of FIG. 6, and executes the synchronization process of S113 to S116 indicated by the dashed arrow in FIG. 10 separately from S103 to S106 after printing. For example, when the printer 20 acquires a print instruction of S79, it executes S113 to S116 before starting printing of S95. The printer 20 transmits a synchronization instruction to the server 30 as in S103 to S106. The server 30 updates the printable number and the remaining ink amount in the server management table ST (S114), and transmits a synchronization completion notification to the printer 20 (S115). The printer 20 updates the synchronization date and time in the printer management table PT (S116). Furthermore, similar to S103 to S106, if the planned charge quantity is not zero, the server 30 executes a process to reflect the charge quantity in the number of printable sheets (S115, etc.). This allows the charge quantity to be reflected in the number of printable sheets before printing.

[0085] (Non-printing synchronous processing) Next, the non-printing synchronization process executed by the printer 20 during non-printing will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in Fig. 11. The non-printing synchronization process is a process in which the printer 20 synchronizes the printable number of sheets with the server 30 when printing is not being performed. The printer 20 executes the non-printing synchronization process shown in Fig. 11 when, for example, timing conditions 1, 2, 4, and 5 shown in Fig. 5 are met.

[0086] First, the printer 20 judges whether or not communication with the server 30 is possible (S121). The printer 20, for example, accesses a specific URL of the server 30, and judges that communication is possible if the access is successful (S121: YES). Alternatively, the printer 20 may transmit data to the server 30 to confirm whether communication is possible, and judge whether communication is possible based on a response from the server 30. If the printer 20 is able to communicate with the server 30 (S121: YES), the printer 20 executes a synchronization process of the printable number and the remaining ink amount with the server 30 (S123). The printer 20 notifies the server 30 of the printable number and the remaining ink amount in the printer management table PT, as in S103 to S106 of FIG. 10, and updates the printable number and the remaining ink amount in the server management table ST. Also, the server 30 reflects the planned charge number before reflection, if there is one, in the printable number, as in S103 to S106. The printer 20 ends the process shown in FIG. 11. Moreover, if the printer 20 cannot communicate with the server 30 (S121: NO), the printer 20 ends the process shown in FIG.

[0087] The above-mentioned content of the non-printing synchronization process is an example. For example, the timing conditions 1 and 2 shown in FIG. 5 are synchronization processes based on manual operations by the user, whereas the timing conditions 4 and 5 are synchronization processes that the printer 20 automatically executes. For this reason, the printer 20 may execute synchronization processes with the server 30 only when the timing conditions 4 and 5 are met and a certain period of time has passed since the synchronization date and time in the printer management table PT. This certain period is a period during which the synchronization process is repeatedly executed, and may be, for example, several tens of minutes or several hours. The printer 20 may not execute synchronization processes if a certain period of time has not passed since the synchronization date and time, that is, if a certain period of time has not passed since the previous synchronization process. This can reduce communication costs related to the synchronization process. Also, for example, the printer 20 may interrupt printing and execute synchronization processes when the conditions of the timing conditions 1 and 2 (manual operations) are met during printing.

[0088] Also, for example, in addition to the synchronization process performed mainly by the printer 20, the server 30 may perform the synchronization process mainly. The server 30 may maintain a specific communication port (such as a high port of TCP) constantly connected to the printer 20 and perform periodic communication with the printer 20 to perform the synchronization process of the printable number. For example, the server 30 may inquire of the printer 20 at predetermined intervals whether the synchronization process can be performed, and perform the synchronization process with the printer 20 based on the response that the synchronization process can be performed. The server 30 may obtain the printable number and the remaining ink amount from the printer 20 and update the printable number in the server management table ST after a certain period has elapsed since the previous synchronization process, similar to the synchronization date and time of the printer 20. In this case, if the printer 20 is performing printing or is scheduled to perform printing when it receives an inquiry from the server 30, it may not perform the synchronization process. For example, if the printer 20 receives an inquiry from the server 30 during printing, it may respond to the server 30 that it cannot perform the synchronization process.

[0089] Even when executing synchronization processing from the server 30 side, the connection between the server 30 and the printer 20 via a specific communication port may be cut off due to a communication interruption or the like. In such a case, the printer 20 and the server 30 can be reconnected by executing synchronization processing from the printer 20 based on a predetermined timing condition. The server 30 can execute periodic synchronization processing on the reconnected printer 20.

[0090] Incidentally, the printer 20 is an example of a recording device. The external communication unit 22 is an example of a communication unit. The printing unit 25 is an example of a recording unit. The number of printable sheets and the remaining ink amount in the printer management table PT are an example of recording device side recordability information. The number of printable sheets is an example of a recording permitted amount. The number of printable sheets and the remaining ink amount in the server management table ST are an example of server side recordability information. The printer control unit 26 is an example of a control unit. The printer memory unit 26B is an example of a memory unit. The threshold number of sheets 26B3 is an example of a threshold permitted amount. S95 is an example of a printing process.

[0091] (Effects) According to the above-described embodiment, the following effects are obtained. (1) In the above embodiment, the printer 20 executes printing by the printing unit 25 within the range of the printable number of sheets in the printer management table PT (S95). The printer 20 also changes the timing conditions for executing the synchronization process between the server management table ST and the printer management table PT of the printer itself according to the printable number of sheets (see FIG. 6). In this way, if the printable number of sheets increases or decreases due to the execution of printing, the timing conditions can be changed according to the increased or decreased number of printable sheets. As a result, the synchronization process can be executed at a timing according to the printable number of sheets.

[0092] (2) In the process of FIG. 6, if the number of printable sheets is equal to or greater than the threshold number of sheets 26B3 (S51: YES), the printer 20 sets timing condition 3 (an example of the first condition of the present application) for executing synchronization processing at the timing when printing by the printing unit 25 ends (S52). The number of printable sheets and the remaining ink amount decrease every time printing is performed. For this reason, by synchronizing the decreased number of printable sheets and the remaining ink amount with the end of printing, synchronization can be performed at an appropriate timing.

[0093] (3) In the process of FIG. 6, when the number of printable sheets is less than the threshold number 26B3 (S51: NO), the printer 20 sets, in addition to the timing condition 3, a timing condition 6 (an example of the second condition of the present application) for executing a synchronization process between after receiving a print instruction and before starting printing (S53). According to this, by executing the synchronization process when the number of printable sheets is less than the threshold number 26B3, if there is a planned charge number before reflection on the server 30 side, the planned charge number can be reflected on the printer 20 side. It is possible to prevent a shortage of the number of printable sheets during printing. Also, by adding the timing condition 6 only when the number of printable sheets becomes less than the threshold number 26B3, it is possible to reduce (save) the communication fee with the server 30 generated by the synchronization process compared to the case where the synchronization process is always executed before printing.

[0094] (4) The printer 20 can switch between a normal mode in which the printer 20 operates with a predetermined power consumption and a power saving mode in which the power consumption is reduced as compared to the normal mode. The printer 20 transitions from the normal mode to the power saving mode when a print instruction is not received for a predetermined period of time. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the timing condition 5 is set regardless of the number of printable sheets. However, as shown in FIG. 7, the printer 20 may set timing conditions 1 to 4 (S56) when the number of printable sheets is equal to or greater than the first threshold number, and set timing condition 5 (an example of the third condition of the present application) for executing a synchronization process at the timing of returning from the power saving mode when the number of printable sheets is less than the first threshold number (equal to or greater than the second threshold number) (S58). Depending on the user's usage method, there is a possibility that the frequency of switching between the normal mode and the power saving mode is high. In such a case, if the synchronization process is executed every time the printer 20 is switched, there is a risk that the synchronization process will increase the processing load of the server 30 and the communication fee with the server 30 related to the synchronization process will increase. Therefore, by executing the synchronization process only when the printable number of sheets is equal to or less than the first threshold number, it is possible to reduce the processing load on the server 30 and communication charges.

[0095] (5) As shown in FIG. 8, when the number of printable sheets is equal to or greater than the threshold number 26B3 (S61: YES), the printer 20 executes synchronization processing at predetermined time intervals (S62), and when the number of printable sheets is less than the threshold number 26B3 (S61: NO), in addition to executing synchronization processing at predetermined time intervals, it sets timing condition 3 (S63). This allows the printer 20 to execute synchronization processing after printing only when the number of printable sheets has decreased, thereby reducing the number of times synchronization processing after printing is executed. For example, it is possible to reduce the load of synchronization processing on the printer 20 that executes multiple consecutive print instructions. As a result, multiple print instructions can be executed more quickly.

[0096] (6) The printer management table PT includes the remaining ink amount in addition to the number of printable pages. When executing the synchronization process of the server management table ST and the printer management table PT according to the number of printable pages, the printer 20 synchronizes the information on the number of printable pages and the remaining ink amount. This makes it possible to synchronize the remaining ink amount, which decreases as printing is performed, along with the number of printable pages. By being able to grasp the latest information on the remaining ink amount of each printer 20, the server 30 can notify the user at an appropriate time when it is time to replace the printer 20. The user can receive a new printer 20 as a replacement before the printer 20 becomes unusable due to the remaining ink running out.

[0097] (7) The printer 20 may change the number of timing conditions for executing the synchronization process in response to an increase or decrease (change) in the number of printable sheets, as shown in Fig. 7. This allows the synchronization process to be executed at a more appropriate timing by increasing the number of timing conditions in response to a decrease in the number of printable sheets, thereby increasing the opportunities for synchronization, or by setting timing conditions in response to the state of the number of printable sheets. For example, it is possible to always execute manual timing conditions 1 and 2, and to switch or increase timing conditions 3 to 6 in response to the state of the number of printable sheets.

[0098] (8) The server 30 receives a charge instruction to increase the printable number from the application 18B of the mobile terminal device 10, and executes a charge process to increase the printable number in the printer management table PT based on the received instruction. In this configuration, depending on the communication state of the Internet 3, there is a possibility that the charge number will not be reflected in the printable number before printing begins on the printer 20. In contrast, if the printable number falls below the threshold number 26B3, a synchronization process is executed before printing, thereby preventing the printable number from running out during printing. Therefore, in the printing system 1 in which the server 30 receives a charge instruction, it is extremely effective to change the timing conditions according to the printable number.

[0099] (9) In the above embodiment, the printer 20 executes the timing condition change process. This allows the timing of the synchronization process to be set on the printer 20 side, which has information on the number of printable sheets that is reduced in accordance with the printing operation, i.e., the latest number of printable sheets.

[0100] (10) Alternatively, the server 30 may execute the timing condition change process of Fig. 5. The server 30 may compare the printable number of sheets in the server management table ST with the threshold number of sheets 26B3, and notify the printer 20 of an instruction to change the timing conditions 1 to 6. This reduces the load on the printer 20 in the process of comparing the printable number of sheets with the threshold number of sheets 26B3. Also, by changing the threshold number of sheets 26B3 of the server 30, the threshold number of sheets 26B3 can be changed collectively for multiple printers 20. That is, the change conditions for the timing conditions can be changed collectively.

[0101] (Other embodiments) In the above embodiment, the remaining printable number after subtraction by printing is synchronized (matched) between the printer 20 and the server 30, but the update of the recordability information (recording permission amount) of the present application is not limited to the process of matching the printable number. Fig. 12 shows a printing system 1A of another embodiment. In the following description, the same reference numerals are used for configurations similar to those of the above embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

[0102] As shown in FIG. 12, for example, the server 30 of the printing system 1A stores the number of printed sheets 151 and the number of charged sheets 152 in the server storage unit 32B. The printer 20 stores the number of printed sheets 153 and the number of charged sheets 154 in the printer storage unit 26B. The number of printed sheets 151, 153 is the total number of printed sheets printed by the printer 20. That is, the number of printed sheets 151, 153 is a number that increases with an increase in the number of prints, unlike the number of printable sheets in the above embodiment. The number of charged sheets 152, 154 is the total number of charged sheets charged by the mobile terminal device 10. That is, the number of charged sheets 152, 154 is a number that increases with each charge from the mobile terminal device 10. In this case, the number of printable sheets (the recording permission amount in this application) is a value obtained by subtracting the number of printed sheets 151, 153 from the number of charged sheets 152, 154. The printer 20 and the server 30 execute an update process for updating the information on one of the printed numbers 151, 153 and the charged numbers 152, 154 based on the information on the other. The printed number 151 and the charged number 152 are examples of server-side recordability information (recording permission amount). The printed number 153 and the charged number 154 are examples of recording device-side recordability information (recording permission amount).

[0103] More specifically, for example, 5000 sheets are charged to the printer 20 at the time of purchase as the initial value of the charged number 154. For example, during printing, the printer 20 adds the number of printed sheets (the number of sheets printed in the current printing operation) to the printed number 153, and when the added value becomes equal to or greater than the charged number 154, the printer 20 stops the subsequent printing operation. Then, when printing is completed, the printer 20 increases the printed number 153 by the number of printed sheets (S307). Therefore, in this embodiment, the printable number (an example of the recording permission amount in this application) itself can be managed by calculation without being stored in the device.

[0104] Also, for example, when the server 30 acquires a charge instruction from the mobile terminal device 10 (S301), it adds the charge number (e.g., 1000 sheets) instructed in the charge instruction to the charged number 152 (S303). The server 30 updates (overwrites) the charged number 154 of the printer 20 with the charged number 152 after the addition (S305). As a result, the charged number is added to the charged number 154 of the printer 20 (e.g., 5000+1000=6000 sheets). Note that the server 30 may notify the printer 20 of the charge number to be added and have the printer 20 execute the addition process, as in the above embodiment, without overwriting the charged number 154.

[0105] The printer 20 sets the updated charged number 154 (for example, 6000 sheets) as an upper limit, and when it receives a print instruction from the mobile terminal device 10 or the like (S310), it executes printing until the value obtained by adding the number of printed sheets (the number of sheets printed in the ongoing printing) to the printed number 153 is equal to or greater than the charged number 154. After printing, the printer 20 increases the printed number 153 by the number of printed sheets (S307). Then, the printer 20 executes an update process to update (overwrite) the printed number 151 of the server 30 with the increased printed number 153 (S309). The server 30 and the printer 20 also execute the update processes of S305 and S309 based on the above-mentioned timing conditions 1 to 6.

[0106] (Modification) Although the specific examples of the present application have been described in detail above, these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technology described in the claims includes various modifications and alterations of the specific examples exemplified above. For example, in the above embodiment, the number of printable sheets and the amount of remaining ink are used as the recording device side recordability information of the present application, but only the number of printable sheets may be used. That is, only the update process of the number of printable sheets may be executed based on the timing condition. Or, only the update process of the amount of remaining ink may be executed based on the timing condition. The printer 20 does not need to have a power saving mode. Furthermore, the terminal that issues print instructions to the printer 20 and charge instructions to the server 30 is not limited to a smartphone, but may be an information processing terminal such as a desktop PC, a notebook PC, or a tablet PC. Furthermore, a single printer 20 may receive print instructions and be charged from a plurality of mobile terminal devices 10 . The printing system 1 may also be configured to include only one mobile terminal device 10 and one printer 20. The printing system 1 may also be configured to include one mobile terminal device 10 and multiple printers 20, or multiple mobile terminal devices 10 and one printer 20. In addition, although the present embodiment shows an example in which one mobile terminal device 10 communicates with the server 30, multiple mobile terminal devices 10 may communicate with the server 30. For example, the server 30 may receive recharge instructions from multiple mobile terminal devices 10, add the recharge number to the printable number associated with each printer 20 based on the recharge instructions from each mobile terminal device 10, and store the recharge number in the server storage unit 32B. This allows each user to recharge their personal printer 20 or a shared printer 20 from any location. In this case, the server 30 may notify each mobile terminal device 10 of the updated printable number. The printer 20 may be configured so that the user can refill ink (so that each ink tank in the tank unit 23 can be replaced). Another example of a means for refilling consumables such as ink is a configuration in which ink can be poured into the tank unit 23 from a bottle containing ink. In addition, although an inkjet printer 20 is adopted as the recording device of the present application, a laser printer or a thermal printer may also be used. The recording device is not limited to a printer for personal users, but may be a commercial or industrial printing machine. The recording device may be a multifunction device having a scanning function, a copying function, a fax function, etc. in addition to a printing function. The permitted recording amount is not limited to the number of printable sheets, but may be the permitted number of times scanning or faxing can be performed. The recording device may be a laser marker that performs marking on metal members, etc. with a laser. Therefore, the recording medium of the present application is not limited to paper, but may be a metal member, etc. The permitted recording amount is not limited to the number of printable sheets, but may be the permitted number of times laser processing can be performed. Furthermore, the permitted recording amount of the recordable / non-recordable information in this application is not limited to the number of printed sheets. For example, the permitted recording amount may be the amount of ink or toner consumed. The permitted recording amount may be the amount of ink permitted to be ejected (dots (pixels)) or the amount of ink permitted to be used (e.g., ml). Alternatively, the permitted recording amount may be defined by the number of rotations of a member that rotates in conjunction with the printing operation, such as a photosensitive drum.

[0107] Furthermore, printer 20 is configured to store printer management table PT in printer storage unit 26B, but this is not limited to the above. For example, printer 20 may be equipped with a reading IF capable of reading IC cards, memory cards, etc. Printer 20 may then read and use information in printer management table PT, such as the device ID and printable number of sheets, from an IC card or the like attached to the reading IF. In other words, printer 20 may be configured to manage printer management table PT using an IC card or the like. Alternatively, printer 20 may store and manage information in printer management table PT, such as the number of printable pages, in a memory provided in an ink tank of tank section 23, or in the case of a laser printer, in a memory of a toner cartridge or a memory of a photosensitive drum, or in other memory other than the memory section in which printer program 26B1 is stored. In addition, the printing system 1 described above is a system that stores and manages the printable number in association with the device ID, but this is not limited to the system. The printing system 1 may manage the printable number in association with the user ID, the application ID of the application 18B, or the terminal ID of the mobile terminal device 10. [Explanation of symbols]

[0108] 20 printer (recording device), 22 external communication unit (communication unit), 25 printing unit (recording unit), 26 printer control unit (control unit), 26B printer memory unit (memory unit), 26B3 threshold number (threshold permitted amount), 30 server.

Claims

1. a recording unit that executes a recording operation on a recording medium; a storage unit for storing recording device side recordability information relating to whether recording by the recording unit is possible; A communication unit capable of communicating with a server; A control unit; Equipped with The recording device side recording permission information is information related to a recording permission amount that allows recording by the recording unit, The server, storing server-side recordability information corresponding to the recorder-side recordability information; The control unit is a recording process for performing recording by the recording unit within the range of the permitted recording amount indicated by the recording device side recordability information of the storage unit; a timing condition change process for changing a condition of a timing for updating one of the server-side recordability information and the recorder-side recordability information of the own device based on one of the recordability information of the server-side recordability information and the recorder-side recordability information of the own device according to the recording permission amount; A recording device that performs the above steps.

2. The control unit is The recording apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein, in the timing condition change process, if the permitted recording amount is equal to or greater than a threshold permitted amount, a first condition is set for executing the update at a timing when recording by the recording section ends.

3. The control unit is 3. The recording device according to claim 2, wherein, in the timing condition change process, when the recording permission amount is less than the threshold permission amount, in addition to the first condition, a second condition is set to execute the update between after a recording instruction to execute recording by the recording unit is received and before the execution of recording is started.

4. The control unit is a power saving mode in which the recording device is operated with a predetermined power consumption and a normal mode in which the recording device is operated with a power consumption lower than that in the normal mode can be switched, and the recording device is shifted from the normal mode to the power saving mode based on a predetermined period of time in which a recording instruction for recording by the recording unit is not accepted; 4. The recording device according to claim 2, wherein in the timing condition change process, if the recording permission amount is less than the threshold permission amount, in addition to the first condition, a third condition is set to execute the update at the timing of returning from the power saving mode.

5. The control unit is 2. The recording device according to claim 1, wherein, in the timing condition change process, when the recording permission amount is equal to or greater than a threshold allowable amount, the update is performed at predetermined time intervals, and when the recording permission amount is less than the threshold allowable amount, in addition to performing the update at predetermined time intervals, a condition is set to perform the update at a timing when recording by the recording unit is completed.

6. The recording unit is a printing unit that performs printing on a recording medium using a colorant; The recording device side recording permission information is In addition to the permitted recording amount, information relating to the remaining amount of the colorant is included, The control unit is A recording device as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein when performing the update between the server-side recording capability information and the recording device-side recording capability information of the recording device itself in accordance with the recording capability amount, information on the recording capability amount and the remaining amount of colorant is updated.

7. The control unit is 7. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in the timing condition changing process, a number of conditions for the timing at which the update is to be performed is changed in accordance with a change in the permitted recording amount.

8. The server, 8. The recording device according to claim 1, further comprising: a recording device that receives an instruction to increase the permitted recording amount, and executes a process of increasing the permitted recording amount included in the recording device side recording permission information based on the received instruction.

9. A recording device; A server; A recording system comprising: The recording device includes: a recording unit that executes a recording operation on a recording medium; a storage unit for storing recording device side recordability information relating to whether recording by the recording unit is possible; A communication unit capable of communicating with a server; Equipped with The recording device side recording permission information is information related to a recording permission amount that allows recording by the recording unit, The server, storing server-side recordability information corresponding to the recorder-side recordability information; The recording device includes: executing a recording process for performing recording by the recording unit within the range of the recording permission amount indicated by the recording device side recording permission information of the storage unit; The recording system comprises: a timing condition change process that changes a timing condition for updating one of the server-side recordable / unrecordable information and the recording device-side recordable / unrecordable information based on the other recordable / unrecordable information according to the permitted recording amount.

10. The recording device, The recording system according to claim 9 , further comprising: a timing condition change process.

11. The server, 10. The recording system according to claim 9, further comprising: a timing condition change process that changes the timing condition for executing the update, in accordance with the recording permission amount included in the server-side recordability information, and notifies the recording device of an instruction to change the timing condition for executing the update.

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