Information processing device and program

Abstract

To allow use of a storage device different from a storage device supplied under a subscription contract.SOLUTION: An information processing apparatus comprises: management means that manages the remaining number of sheets for which image formation is allowed in an image forming apparatus; acquisition means that acquires first determination information for determining whether a storage device storing a consumable material is a first storage device or a second storage device; and determination means that, when the consumable material is supplied to the image forming apparatus from the storage device, determines whether or not the storage device used for the supply is the first storage device based on the first determination information on the storage device used for the supply, and determines the amount of consumable material supplied to the image forming apparatus. When the storage device used for the supply is the first storage device, the management means does not change the remaining number of sheets, and when the storage device used for the supply is the second storage device, increases the remaining number of sheets by the number corresponding to the amount of supply.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 14

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing device and a program for a print management system. [Background technology]

[0002] Image forming devices such as copiers, printers, and facsimile receivers consume consumables such as toner or ink to form images on sheets. When a consumable runs out, a user replaces the used cartridge containing the consumable with a new one, or replenishes the consumable from a storage device containing the consumable into the image forming device's tank. Compared to the widely used removable cartridge system, a replenishment system in which a storage device such as a refill pack is connected to the image forming device only when replenishment is required and the device replenishes (e.g., injects) the consumable into the device has the advantages of being low cost and having a low environmental impact. For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a system in which a cylindrical storage device containing toner is connected to a printer and the toner is replenished from the storage device to the printer.

[0003] Subscription services have become popular in recent years in the field of image forming devices. As described in Patent Document 2, for example, a subscription service is a service in which a user pays a predetermined amount to a service provider (hereinafter referred to as a business operator) to print up to a specified number of pages using a contracted image forming device. The contracted image forming device is installed in a user's environment, such as the user's office. In a subscription service, the business operator, for example, monitors the remaining amount of consumables in the contracted image forming device under the subscription contract and replenishes cartridges or refill packs in the user's environment to prevent the consumables from running out. In a subscription service, the business operator also manages the remaining number of pages that can be printed using the contracted image forming device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2020 / 046338 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-156224 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] When the image forming device covered by the contract is a replenishment system, the user generally replenishes consumables in the image forming device using replenishment packs provided by the provider under the subscription contract (hereinafter referred to as "in-contract replenishment packs"). However, there may be cases where the user wishes to replenish consumables in the image forming device using replenishment packs purchased or acquired independently of the subscription contract (hereinafter referred to as "out-of-contract replenishment packs"). One example of such a case is when the user urgently needs to print more pages than the number of pages permitted under the contract. Another example of such a case is when the delivery of replenishment packs is significantly delayed due to a natural disaster such as a typhoon, resulting in a shortage of in-contract replenishment packs.

[0006] If a user uses a non-contract supply pack to replenish consumables in a contracted image forming device and then prints, the remaining number of pages in the subscription contract cannot be properly managed. To prevent this, prohibiting the use of non-contract supply packs to replenish consumables in a contracted image forming device would impair user convenience.

[0007] The present invention provides techniques that allow for the use of a different containing device than that supplied under the subscription agreement. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] According to one aspect of the present invention, an information processing device comprises: a management means for managing the remaining number of sheets on which image formation is permitted in an image forming device that forms images on sheets using consumables; an acquisition means for acquiring first determination information for determining whether the storage device that stores the consumables is a first storage device or a second storage device; and a determination means for, when the consumables are replenished from the storage device to the image forming device, determining whether the storage device used for the replenishment is the first storage device based on the first determination information of the storage device used for the replenishment, and determining the amount of the consumables replenished to the image forming device.The management means is characterized in that, when the determination means determines that the storage device used for the replenishment is the first storage device, it does not change the remaining number, and when the determination means determines that the storage device used for the replenishment is the second storage device, it increases the remaining number by a number corresponding to the replenishment amount. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] The present invention may allow for the use of a different containing device than that supplied under the subscription agreement. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of the appearance of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of the internal physical configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view illustrating an example of a configuration of a consumable supply path according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating an example of a configuration of a storage unit and its surroundings according to an embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view for explaining an example of a schematic configuration of a supply pack according to an embodiment. [Figure 6]5A and 5B are explanatory diagrams for explaining opening and closing of a discharge tray according to an embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a supply pack is connected to a toner receiving portion. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a locking mechanism for locking the operation of the opening and closing mechanism. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a print management system according to an embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a management server according to an embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a user terminal according to an embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram of a toner supply process according to an embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a device registration table. [Figure 15] FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram of a printing process according to an embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a device registration table. [Figure 17] 1 is a flowchart of a printing process according to an embodiment. [Figure 18] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a management server according to an embodiment. [Figure 19] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a shipping pack table. [Figure 20] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a used pack management table. [Figure 21] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a used pack management table. [Figure 22] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a device registration table. [Figure 23] 1 is a flowchart of a printing process according to an embodiment. [Figure 24] FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram of a printing process according to an embodiment. [Figure 25] FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram of a printing process according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention claimed. Although multiple features are described in the embodiments, not all of these multiple features are necessarily essential to the invention, and multiple features may be combined arbitrarily. Furthermore, in the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals are used to designate the same or similar components, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0012] The basic configuration of a replenishment-type image forming apparatus common to each embodiment will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 8. In the following description, the configuration of image forming apparatus 1, which is a monochrome laser printer, will be illustrated, but the technology according to the present disclosure can also be applied to other types of printers, such as color laser printers and inkjet printers. Generally speaking, the technology according to the present disclosure can be widely applied to image forming apparatuses in general, such as copiers, printers, facsimile receivers, and multifunction peripherals.

[0013] Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of the external appearance of an image forming apparatus 1 according to an embodiment. Fig. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of the internal physical configuration of the image forming apparatus 1. The image forming apparatus 1 is a monochrome laser printer that forms an image on a sheet based on input image data. The sheet here can include various recording media made of different materials, such as paper, plastic film, envelopes, and cloth.

[0014] In the following description, the height direction of the image forming apparatus 1 when the image forming apparatus 1 is installed on a horizontal surface is referred to as the Z direction. The direction perpendicular to the Z direction and parallel to the rotation axis direction (main scanning direction) of the photosensitive drum 44 (described later) is referred to as the X direction. The direction perpendicular to the X direction and the Z direction is referred to as the Y direction.

[0015] Referring to FIG. 1, the housing of the image forming apparatus 1 includes a front cover 20 (see FIG. 2), an exterior cover 21, a rear cover 22, and an output tray 82. A handle 23 is provided on the rear cover 22. The front cover 20 is provided on one side of the image forming apparatus 1 so as to be able to open and close, and protects a processing circuit 90 (described later). The rear cover 22 is provided on the other side of the image forming apparatus 1 so as to be able to open and close. A user can grasp the handle 23 of the rear cover 22 to open the rear cover 22, thereby exposing a portion of the conveying path through which sheets are conveyed and the process unit 41, and perform maintenance work such as clearing a jam or replacing the process unit 41. FIG. 1(A) shows the rear cover 22 in a closed state, and FIG. 1(B) shows the rear cover 22 in an open state.

[0016] 2, the image forming apparatus 1 includes a feeding section 30, an image forming section 40, a fixing section 70, a pair of discharge rollers 80, and a processing circuit 90. The feeding section 30 feeds a sheet P toward the image forming section 40. The image forming section 40 consumes toner, which is a consumable material, to form an image (toner image) on the sheet. The fixing section 70 fixes the image formed by the image forming section 40 onto the sheet P. The pair of discharge rollers 80 discharges the sheet P processed by the fixing section 70 onto a discharge tray 82.

[0017] The image forming section 40 has a process unit 41, a scanner unit 42, and a transfer roller 43. The process unit 41 has a photosensitive drum 44, a developing roller 45, a cleaning unit 46, a charging roller 47, and a storage section 48. The process unit 41 may be fixed to the main body of the image forming apparatus 1 or may be detachable from the main body.

[0018] The photosensitive drum 44 is an image carrier and has a photosensitive layer formed of an organic photosensitive material on a drum-shaped substrate. The photosensitive drum 44 is driven to rotate in the direction R in the figure by a motor. A charging voltage is applied to the charging roller 47 by a high-voltage power supply, and the charging roller 47 is pressed against the photosensitive drum 44, uniformly charging the surface of the photosensitive drum 44. The scanner unit 42 irradiates the photosensitive drum 44 with laser light in accordance with input image data, exposing the surface of the photosensitive drum 44. This exposure forms an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the input image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 44. Note that the scanner unit 42 may irradiate the photosensitive drum 44 with light from an LED array instead of laser light.

[0019] The developing roller 45 is rotatably supported by a storage unit 48. The storage unit 48 stores toner. Although not shown in FIG. 2, the storage unit 48 may further include a supply roller that applies the toner stored in the storage unit 48 to the surface of the developing roller 45. A developing voltage is applied to the developing roller 45 by a high-voltage power supply. When the toner carried by the developing roller 45 comes into contact with the photosensitive drum 44, the toner is transferred from the developing roller 45 to the drum surface in accordance with the potential distribution on the surface of the photosensitive drum 44. This develops a toner image from the electrostatic latent image.

[0020] The feeding section 30 has a cassette 31, a pickup roller 32, a separation roller pair 33, and a conveying roller pair 34. A stack of sheets P is loaded in the cassette 31. The cassette 31 can be pulled out from the housing of the image forming apparatus 1. The pickup roller 32 picks up the sheets P in the cassette 31 and sends the sheets P toward the separation roller pair 33. The separation roller pair 33 separates one sheet P and conveys it toward the conveying roller pair 34. The conveying roller pair 34 conveys the sheet P toward the transfer nip between the transfer roller 43 and the photosensitive drum 44. A transfer voltage is applied to the transfer roller 43 from a high-voltage power supply, and the transfer roller 43 transfers the toner image developed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 44 onto the sheet P conveyed to the transfer nip.

[0021] The sheet P onto which the toner image has been transferred is transported along a transport path and reaches a fixing unit 70. The fixing unit 70 has a heating roller 71, a pressure roller 72, and a fixing heater 73. The heating roller 71 and the pressure roller 72 heat and pressurize the sheet P as the sheet P passes through the nip between these rollers. This melts the toner particles and then fixes them, fixing the toner image to the sheet P. After passing through the fixing unit 70, the sheet P is discharged by a pair of discharge rollers 80 from a discharge opening 81 to a discharge tray 82. A cleaning unit 46 is disposed near the photosensitive drum 44. The cleaning unit 46 cleans the photosensitive drum 44 by scraping off toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 44.

[0022] The processing circuit 90 has electronic component groups 91, 92, and 93 arranged on a substrate. For example, the electronic component 91 may be a processor, the electronic component 92 may be a non-volatile memory, and the electronic component 93 may be an input / output device. The input / output device may include a communication interface. When a job instructing image formation is input to the image forming apparatus 1, an image formation process based on input image data received from, for example, an external computer is started. In the image formation process, as described above, the scanner unit 42 forms an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 44 in accordance with the input image data, the developing roller 45 develops a toner image from this electrostatic latent image, and the toner image is transferred to the sheet P by the transfer roller 43. The processing circuit 90 operates as a controller for controlling this image formation process.

[0023] Next, a more specific example of the configuration related to the storage unit 48 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view illustrating an example of the configuration of a consumable supply path of the image forming apparatus 1. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating an example of the configuration of the storage unit 48 and its surroundings. Referring to FIG. 3, the storage unit 48 constitutes a part of the toner supply unit 100. The toner supply unit 100 has the storage unit 48 and a toner receiving unit 110. The toner receiving unit 110 includes a cylindrical member 112, a main body shutter 116, and a connecting member 120. The toner receiving unit 110 further includes a ring member 111, which will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8, but the ring member 111 is omitted in FIG. 3 in order to illustrate the other components. The internal space of the cylindrical member 112 communicates with the storage unit 48 via a side opening 115 and the hollow connecting member 120. The main body shutter 116 serves as an opening / closing mechanism capable of opening and closing the supply path of the consumable (here, toner) from a supply pack 200 (described later) to the storage unit 48. A protrusion 117 is formed on the inner surface of the main body shutter 116 .

[0024] 4 shows the state in which the supply pack 200 is connected to the toner receiving unit 110, along with a cross-section of the storage unit 48 and its surrounding configuration. The supply pack 200 is an example of a storage device that stores consumable materials consumed for image formation. When the main body shutter 116 is opened, a supply path extending from the supply pack 200 to the storage unit 48 through the connecting member 120 is opened. With the supply path open, toner released from the supply pack 200 is replenished to the storage unit 48 through the supply path.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 4, an agitating member 60 having a shaft 60a disposed along the X direction and a blade 60b rotating around the shaft 60a is provided inside the storage unit 48. The blade 60b is driven to rotate by a motor 65. The rotation of the blade 60b agitates the toner in the storage unit 48 and causes it to reach the developing roller 45. The agitating member 60 may have a spiral member instead of the blade 60b. The agitating member 60 may have the role of scraping the toner from the developing roller 45 and circulating the toner within the storage unit 48, thereby homogenizing the toner in the storage unit 48.

[0026] The storage unit 48 is further provided with a remaining amount detection unit 61. The remaining amount detection unit 61 is a sensor for detecting the amount of toner remaining in the storage unit 48. The remaining amount detection unit 61 includes a light emitter 61a and a light receiver 61b. The light emitter 61a emits light that travels through the storage unit 48 along an optical axis Q1. The light receiver 61b is disposed opposite the light emitter 61a and receives the light emitted from the light emitter 61a. Note that if the light is guided by, for example, a light guide tube, the light receiver 61b does not necessarily have to be disposed opposite the light emitter 61a. The light emitter 61a may be, for example, a light-emitting element such as an LED, or may be a halogen lamp or fluorescent lamp. The light receiver 61b may be, for example, a phototransistor, a photodiode, or an avalanche photodiode.

[0027] The light receiver 61b outputs a light detection signal having a signal level that depends on the amount of light received. The light detection signal is input to the processing circuit 90 after, for example, analog-to-digital conversion. The processing circuit 90 may estimate the remaining amount of toner based on, for example, the proportion of time during which the light from the light emitter 61a is blocked (by the toner) over a certain time window while the toner is being agitated. The remaining amount of toner is not limited to the above-described exemplary configuration of the remaining amount detection unit 61, and may be detected or estimated by any method. For example, the remaining amount of toner may be estimated by detecting the capacitance of the storage unit 48. Alternatively, the remaining amount of toner may be estimated from the history of toner usage. The processing circuit 90 may derive the amount of toner usage based on statistics related to image formation operations, such as the number of sheets consumed by printing or pixel counts.

[0028] FIG. 5 shows an example of the schematic configuration of the refill pack 200. In this configuration example, the refill pack 200 includes a storage section 211, a nozzle 212, and a pack shutter 214. The storage section 211 may be configured as, for example, a hollow tube or pouch to store toner, which is a consumable material. The storage section 211 is pre-filled with toner. The storage section 211 may be, for example, a bag made of easily deformable plastic. However, without being limited to this example, the storage section 211 may be made of any material, such as resin, paper, or vinyl, and may have any shape, such as a bottle, a cylinder, or a box.

[0029] The nozzle 212 is an interface with the toner receiving unit 110 of the image forming apparatus 1. The inside of the nozzle 212 is in communication with the inside of the storage unit 211. An opening 213 for discharging the toner to the outside is formed on the side of the nozzle 212. The opening 213 is normally closed by a pack shutter 214.

[0030] The pack shutter 214 is a cylindrical member concentric with the nozzle 212 and disposed radially outward of the nozzle 212. The pack shutter 214 has an opening 214c. A portion of the edge forming the opening 214c constitutes a drive transmission surface 214b. During toner replenishment, the pack shutter 214 rotates relative to the nozzle 212 so that the opening 213 of the nozzle 212 overlaps with the opening 214c of the pack shutter 214, thereby opening the toner discharge path that was previously blocked by the pack shutter 214. As will be described later, the drive transmission surface 214b is a surface that receives a force that rotates the pack shutter 214. FIG. 5(A) shows a state in which the toner discharge path is blocked, and FIG. 5(B) shows a state in which the toner discharge path is open. A seal member 231 that normally covers the opening 213 of the nozzle 212 may further be disposed on the inner peripheral surface of the pack shutter 214. The seal member 231 prevents toner from leaking from the refill pack 200 when toner is not being replenished.

[0031] Next, the connection of the supply pack 200 to the toner receiving unit 110 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. As shown in FIG. 6, the discharge tray 82 is configured to be openable and closable around an opening / closing shaft disposed on the housing along the X direction. In the example shown in FIG. 6A, the discharge tray 82 is in a closed state, and the sheet P discharged from the discharge port 81 is discharged onto the discharge tray 82 in this state. In the example shown in FIG. 6B, the discharge tray 82 is in an open state, and in this state, the supply port 114 of the toner receiving unit 110 is exposed. That is, in this configuration example, the discharge tray 82 also serves as a shielding member that shields the supply port 114. A user can connect the supply pack 200 to the toner receiving unit 110 by lifting and opening the discharge tray 82 as shown in FIG. 6B and inserting the nozzle 212 of the supply pack 200 into the exposed supply port 114 as shown on the left in FIG. 7.

[0032] The right side of FIG. 7 shows an enlarged view of the supply pack 200 connected to the toner receiving portion 110. A ring member 111 surrounding the supply port 114 is rotatably supported on the top surface of the cylindrical member 112. The ring member 111 has a lever 111b that is gripped by the user and a protrusion 111d, indicated by a dotted line in the figure. The protrusion 111d engages with a drive transmission surface 214b of the pack shutter 214 of the supply pack 200 inserted into the toner receiving portion 110. The drive transmission surface 214b also engages with a protrusion 117 of the main body shutter 116 (see FIG. 3). When a user operates the lever 111b to rotate the ring member 111 around the central axis, a force generated in the rotational direction is transmitted from the protrusion 111d to the drive transmission surface 214b of the pack shutter 214, and further from the drive transmission surface 214b to the protrusion 117 of the main body shutter 116. As a result, the main body shutter 116 and the pack shutter 214 of the supply pack 200 rotate in conjunction with the ring member 111, and the toner supply path can be opened after a rotation of, for example, 90 degrees. When the supply path is opened, the toner stored in the storage section 211 of the supply pack 200 is poured into the toner receiving section 110 from the opening 213 of the nozzle 212, passes through the connecting member 120, and is supplied to the storage section 48. Note that the rotation of the ring member 111 can be restricted by a restricting member (not shown) so that it does not rotate beyond a predetermined upper limit angle.

[0033] Although the above describes an example in which the toner supply path is opened by a rotational force generated by a user operating lever 111b, the closing and opening of the supply path may be performed without relying on user operation. As an example, image forming apparatus 1 may include a pack sensor that detects that supply pack 200 is connected to toner receiving portion 110, and a drive motor that generates a drive force for rotating ring member 111. In this example, processing circuit 90 may operate the drive motor, and rotate ring member 111 with the rotational force of the drive motor to open the supply path, on the condition that the pack sensor detects that supply pack 200 is connected to toner receiving portion 110.

[0034] The opening / closing mechanism for opening and closing the supply path is not limited to the mechanism using the rotating shutter described above. Instead of a rotating shutter, a shutter that can move linearly may be used, or a mechanism other than a shutter, such as a valve, may be used. The opening / closing mechanism may be provided in at least one of the storage device such as the supply pack 200 and the image forming apparatus. That is, the supply path from the storage device to the image forming apparatus may always be open on one side of the storage device or the image forming apparatus, and may be opened or closed only on the other side. Alternatively, the supply path may be opened or closed on both the storage device and the image forming apparatus, as in the above example. A sensor may also be provided to detect the user's operation of the opening / closing mechanism or the state (open or closed) of the opening / closing mechanism.

[0035] The opening / closing mechanism described above may be capable of being prevented from operating (by user operation or automatically) by a locking mechanism described in the next section. Like the opening / closing mechanism, the locking mechanism may also be provided in at least one of the storage device and the image forming apparatus. A leakage prevention member such as a lid or cap to prevent toner leakage may be attached to the supply port 114 of the image forming apparatus 1 or the opening 213 of the supply pack 200. Such a leakage prevention member may be freely removable by the user at any time.

[0036] The ring member 111 of the image forming apparatus 1 may be locked under normal circumstances so as not to rotate even when a user applies force. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a locking mechanism for locking the rotation of the ring member 111. FIG. 8 shows the toner receiving unit 110 as viewed from inside the apparatus (in the Z direction) to provide a more detailed understanding of an example of the internal configuration of the toner receiving unit 110. The toner receiving unit 110 includes, for example, a lock unit 150. The lock unit 150 has a rod-shaped lock member 152 that is supported at one end by a shaft 151 and is rotatable about the shaft 151. The ring member 111 also has a protrusion 111k. Under normal circumstances, the elastic force of a spring (not shown) within the lock unit 150 biases a tip 153 of the lock member 152, which is on the opposite side from the shaft 151, in a direction away from the lock unit 150, thereby positioning the tip 153 on the rotational path of the protrusion 111k of the ring member 111. Therefore, even if the user attempts to rotate the ring member 111 clockwise in the figure (Rc direction in the figure), the tip 153 of the locking member 152 interferes with the protrusion 111k, preventing the ring member 111 from rotating; that is, the opening and closing mechanism of the supply path is locked in the closed state (see Figure 8(A)).

[0037] The lock unit 150 further includes, for example, a solenoid (not shown) for rotating the lock member 152 in a direction opposite to the elastic force of the spring. The solenoid is temporarily energized during a period when toner replenishment from the replenishment pack 200 to the image forming apparatus 1 is permitted, and the suction force rotates the lock member 152. When the solenoid is energized and the lock member 152 rotates, the tip 153 of the lock member 152 retracts from the rotational path of the protrusion 111k of the ring member 111 (see FIG. 8B). As a result, the user can rotate the ring member 111 clockwise in the figure, i.e., the opening / closing mechanism of the replenishment path is unlocked. The locking and unlocking of the opening / closing mechanism can be controlled by the processing circuit 90. Various examples of conditions for unlocking the opening / closing mechanism will be described in the following sections.

[0038] The configuration of the locking mechanism that locks and unlocks the opening / closing mechanism is not limited to the above example, and may be any mechanical, electromagnetic, electrical, or software mechanism. For example, the locking member 152 may be driven by a motor or other type of actuator instead of a solenoid. When an opening / closing mechanism that operates under computer control without relying on user operation is employed, the locking and unlocking of the opening / closing mechanism may be achieved simply by program code.

[0039] As shown on the right side of FIG. 7, an indicator 125 is provided near the ring member 111. The indicator 125 indicates to the user whether the opening / closing mechanism is in a locked state or an unlocked state. The indicator 125 may be configured, for example, with an LED (Light-Emitting Diode) provided inside the housing and a window that transmits light from the LED. When the indicator 125 shows that the opening / closing mechanism is in an unlocked state, the user can rotate the ring member 111 to open the supply path.

[0040] First Embodiment 9 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a print management system 300 according to this embodiment. Referring to FIG. 9, the print management system 300 includes an image forming apparatus 1, a management server 301, and a user terminal 401.

[0041] The image forming device 1 is installed in a user environment E1 of a user who has a subscription contract (hereinafter simply referred to as "contract"). The image forming device 1 and the user terminal 401 are connected to a local network N1, which may be, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network). The management server 301 is installed in a remote environment E2 and operated by a provider that provides the subscription service. The remote environment E2 is connected to the local network N1 via an external network N2. The external network N2 may be, for example, the Internet or a VPN (Virtual Private Network). Each of the local network N1 and the external network N2 may include any number of network devices of any type, such as routers, switches, gateways, wireless access points, and base stations.

[0042] In user environment E1, a user uses image forming apparatus 1. As described above, image forming apparatus 1 consumes consumables to form images on sheets. In the following description, the consumables are toner. When the toner stored in image forming apparatus 1 runs out, the user connects refill pack 200, which is a storage device that stores toner, to image forming apparatus 1 and refills toner from refill pack 200 to image forming apparatus 1.

[0043] The management server 301 is a server device for managing the replenishment of toner from the replenishment pack 200 to the image forming apparatus 1 and printing using the image forming apparatus 1. The management server 301 may also be called an information processing device or an information management device. The management server 301 centrally manages the usage status of each image forming apparatus 1 by multiple users. The management server 301 may be implemented, for example, as an application server, database server, or cloud server using a high-performance general-purpose computer. The user terminal 401 is a user device or communication device that provides a user with a user interface for supporting the replenishment management function of the management server 301. The user terminal 401 may be, for example, a general-purpose device such as a smartphone, a mobile phone, a PC (Personal Computer), or a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant). The image forming apparatus 1 may also provide a user interface to the user.

[0044] The functions of the management server 301, which will be described in detail later, may be provided by a single device, or may be provided by multiple physically separate devices working together. Also, some of the databases described as being held by the management server 301 may be held by a device separate from the management server 301 (for example, another database server).

[0045] In the subscription service, the remaining toner amount estimated by, for example, the remaining amount detection unit 61 of the image forming device 1 is successively transmitted to the management server 301. Based on the change in the remaining toner amount, the management server 301 dispatches the in-contract replenishment pack 200 so that the in-contract replenishment pack 200 reaches the user before the toner runs out from the storage unit 48 of the image forming device 1.

[0046] 10 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the management server 301 according to this embodiment. Referring to Fig. 10, the management server 301 includes a communication interface (I / F) 311, a memory 312, a management database (DB) 313, and a processing circuit 314.

[0047] The communication I / F 311 is an interface through which the management server 301 communicates with other devices. For example, the communication I / F 311 communicates with the image forming device 1 and the user terminal 401 present in the user environment E1. The communication I / F 311 may be a wired communication interface or a wireless communication interface.

[0048] The memory 312 may include any type of storage medium, such as semiconductor memory, such as Read Only Memory (ROM) or Random Access Memory (RAM), an optical disk, or a magnetic disk. The memory 312 may also include a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The memory 312 stores one or more computer programs executed by the processing circuitry 314 and various data.

[0049] The management DB 313 is made up of a group of tables for managing printing to one or more image forming devices under the management of the print management system 300. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 10 , the management DB 313 includes an account table 320, a device registration table 330, and a print data table 340.

[0050] The account table 320 is a table that holds information about the accounts of users who have made contracts. The account table 320 may include, for example, the following information items: "User ID" ·"password" ·"name" ·"address" ·"email address"

[0051] "User ID" is identification information for uniquely identifying each user account. "Password" is information used for user authentication when a user logs in to the system. "Name" represents the name of the contractor. "Address" can be used as the address for delivery of the supply pack 200. "Email address" can be used when the system sends various notifications to each user via email.

[0052] The device registration table 330 is a table that stores information about the image forming devices covered by the contract. The device registration table 330 may include, for example, the following information items: ·“Owner” ·“Device ID” "Toner remaining" Contract Type "Number of remaining copies"

[0053] "Owner" indicates the account of the user who owns or manages each image forming device by the "User ID" registered in the account table 320. "Device ID" is identification information for uniquely identifying each image forming device. The pair of "Owner" and "Device ID" indicates the association between each user account and at least one image forming device registered as the device of the user who owns the account. Two or more image forming devices may be associated with one user account. "Toner Remaining" indicates the latest remaining toner value reported by each image forming device. For example, "Toner Remaining" may be expressed as a percentage.

[0054] The "contract type" indicates the type of contract the user has signed up for, if there are various types of contracts. For example, contract types can be distinguished by the number of printable pages in a specified period or whether the remaining number of printable pages can be carried over to the next specified period if the number of printable pages during that specified period is less than the remaining number of printable pages. In the following explanation, for simplicity, the specified period is assumed to be one month, from the 1st to the last day of each month. The "remaining number of pages" indicates the number of printable pages remaining in the current month. In this embodiment, the number of printable pages is linked to each individual image forming device 1, and therefore the "contract type" and "remaining number of pages" are included in the device registration table 330. However, if there are multiple image forming devices 1 under contract and the total number of printable pages is set for all of the multiple image forming devices 1 under contract, the "contract type" and "remaining number of pages" can be included in the account table 320.

[0055] The print data table 340 is a table that holds a list of files that each user wishes to print. The print data table 340 may include, for example, one or more of the following information items: ·“Owner” "File name"

[0056] The "owner" indicates the account of the user who owns the file by the "user ID" registered in the account table 320. The "file name" indicates the file to be printed that is temporarily saved in the memory 312. Multiple "file names" can be associated with one "owner."

[0057] The processing circuitry 314 may be, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and provides various functions of the management server 301 by executing computer programs stored in the memory 312. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 10 , the processing circuitry 314 can function as a data management unit 350, a provision management unit 360, and an authentication unit 370.

[0058] The data management unit 350 cooperates with other functions of the processing circuit 314, such as the authentication unit 370, to manage the registration and updating of data in the management DB 313. The data management unit 350 may display a screen on the user terminal 401 for accepting input of account information to be registered in the account table 320, receive the entered account information via the communication I / F 311, and register the account information in the account table 320. Similarly, the data management unit 350 may display a screen on the user terminal 401 for accepting input of device information about an image forming device to be used under a contract, receive the entered device information via the communication I / F 311, and register the device information in the device registration table 330. These input screens may be provided in any format, such as a web page, an input form, or an application screen. Typically, the input of device information may be accepted while the user is logged in to the system after successful user authentication using the user ID and password stored in the account table 320.

[0059] Furthermore, data management unit 350 may update the value of "remaining number of sheets" at predetermined intervals based on the contract details indicated by "contract type" in device registration table 330. For example, if the "contract type" allows printing up to 50 sheets per month and any unused sheets are carried over to the next month, data management unit 350 increases the value of "remaining number of sheets" by 50 from the current value on the first day of each month. Data management unit 350 also receives remaining amount information regarding the amount of toner remaining in storage unit 48 of a registered image forming device 1 via communication I / F 311. Data management unit 350 may then update the value of "remaining amount of toner" in device registration table 330 based on the received remaining amount information.

[0060] Furthermore, data management unit 350 manages files to be printed. When data management unit 350 receives data to be printed from each user, it saves the file in memory 312 and registers the "file name" of the saved data in print data table 340. When printing is complete, data management unit 350 deletes the data to be printed from memory 312 and also deletes the "file name" from print data table 340.

[0061] The provision management unit 360 manages the provision of in-contract replenishment packs 200 to users. For example, when the value of "toner remaining" in the device registration table 330 falls below a predetermined value, the provision management unit 360 performs procedures to ship the in-contract replenishment pack 200 to the user's address registered in the account table 320. The timing of provision is not limited to this, and the provision management unit 360 may have a function to determine the timing based on, for example, the trend of the "toner remaining" in the device registration table 330.

[0062] The authentication unit 370 performs user authentication (e.g., password authentication) when a user logs in to the system. The authentication unit 370 also performs authentication to permit replenishment of a replenishment pack 200 that is about to be used for toner replenishment (hereinafter referred to as pre-replenishment authentication) and authentication to permit printing before printing (hereinafter referred to as pre-print authentication).

[0063] 11 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a user terminal 401 according to this embodiment. Referring to FIG. 11, the user terminal 401 includes a communication I / F 411, a memory 412, a camera 413, an input device 414, a display device 415, and a processing circuit 416.

[0064] The communication I / F 411 is an interface through which the user terminal 401 communicates with other devices. For example, the communication I / F 411 communicates with the image forming apparatus 1 in the user environment E1 and the management server 301 in the remote environment E2. The communication I / F 411 may be a wired communication interface or a wireless communication interface. If the communication I / F 411 is a wireless communication interface, the communication I / F 411 may be, for example, a WLAN interface for communicating with a WLAN access point or a cellular communication interface for communicating with a cellular base station. Note that while FIG. 11 shows only a single communication I / F 411, the user terminal 401 may include multiple different communication modules for communicating with the image forming apparatus 1 and the management server 301, respectively. Communication between the user terminal 401 and the image forming apparatus 1 may be performed using a communication protocol for connecting peripheral devices, such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or USB (Universal Serial Bus).

[0065] The memory 412 may include any type of storage medium, such as semiconductor memory such as ROM or RAM, an optical disk, or a magnetic disk. The memory 412 may also include a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The memory 412 stores one or more computer programs executed by the processing circuit 416 and various data.

[0066] The camera 413 is a module capable of capturing an image or video of a subject. In this embodiment, the camera 413 can be used to optically read the code 201 unique to each replenishment pack 200. That is, the code 201 is printed on the surface of the storage section 211 of each replenishment pack 200 or on the packaging of each replenishment pack 200 in a format that can be manually read by a user or optically read by the user terminal 401. Optically readable formats may include, for example, a one-dimensional barcode or a two-dimensional QR code (registered trademark). In this embodiment, the code 201 may include first determination information for determining whether the replenishment pack 200 is an in-contract replenishment pack 200. The code 201 may also include capacity information indicating the amount of toner contained in the replenishment pack 200. The code 201 may directly or indirectly indicate the first determination information or the capacity information. When indirectly indicated, the first determination information or the capacity information may indicate, for example, the serial number of the replenishment pack 200. Based on the serial number, the management server 301 can determine the amount of toner contained in the replenishment pack 200 and whether the replenishment pack 200 is an in-contract replenishment pack by referencing information held by the management server 301 or information stored in an external device. Note that when the information is indirectly indicated, the first determination information and the capacity information may be the same information. Furthermore, the code 201 may be encrypted data that can be decrypted by the management server 301.

[0067] The input device 414 is used as a user interface for accepting operations and information input by a user. The input device 414 may include, for example, one or more of a touch sensor, a keypad, a keyboard, a pointing device, and a microphone. The code 201 unique to the supply pack 200 may be input by the user via the input device 414.

[0068] The display device 415 is used to display images and information and may be configured with, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or an OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode).

[0069] The processing circuitry 416 may be, for example, a CPU, and provides various functions of the user terminal 401 by executing computer programs stored in the memory 412. More specifically, as shown in Fig. 11, the processing circuitry 416 may function as a device control unit 420, a code acquisition unit 430, and an application unit 440. Note that although this specification mainly describes only functions related to the supply of toner to the image forming apparatus 1 and printing, the processing circuitry 416 may also provide the user with many other functions that a user terminal typically has.

[0070] The device control unit 420 controls image formation and other operations performed in the image forming apparatus 1. The device control unit 420 may include driver software for the image forming apparatus 1. For example, the device control unit 420 detects one or more devices available to the user terminal 401 present in the user environment E1, and presents a list of the detected devices to the user on the screen of the display device 415. The device control unit 420 may obtain the status of each device (for example, whether the power is on / off, the amount of remaining toner, etc.) and present the obtained status to the user.

[0071] The code acquisition unit 430 acquires the code 201 of the refill pack 200 that the user intends to use to replenish toner. As an example, as described above, the camera 413 or the input device 414 can be used.

[0072] The application unit 440 may be an application for supply and printing management that operates in cooperation with the management server 301. The application unit 440 may be a web browser. For example, the application unit 440 displays an account information input screen on the display device 415 when a new user account is registered or when a change occurs. When account information is entered on the account information input screen, the application unit 440 transmits the received account information to the management server 301 via the communication I / F 411. Furthermore, when the image forming apparatus 1 is installed in the user environment E1, the application unit 440 displays a device information input screen on the display device 415. When device information is entered on the device information input screen, the application unit 440 transmits the received device information to the management server 301 via the communication I / F 411. When a user instructs printing, the application unit 440 transmits a print job including data of the image to be printed to the management server 301 and causes the image forming apparatus 1 to print the image via the management server 301.

[0073] Furthermore, application unit 440 may provide a user interface for requesting management server 301 to execute pre-replenishment authentication for a user who wishes to replenish toner in image forming apparatus 1. For example, when a button for requesting authentication is operated by the user, application unit 440 activates code acquisition unit 430 to acquire code 201 of replenishment pack 200, and transmits the acquired code 201 to management server 301 via communication I / F 411. Application unit 440 may transmit code 201 to management server 301 as part of a request for permission to replenish toner. Application unit 440 may also transmit code 201 to management server 301 as part of a request for opening a replenishment path (or unlocking an opening / closing mechanism).

[0074] In one embodiment, the application unit 440 may send a transmission request to the image forming apparatus 1 to send the apparatus ID required for pre-replenishment authentication by the management server 301 to the management server 301. In another embodiment, the application unit 440 may cause the display device 415 to display a message prompting the user to perform an operation to transmit the apparatus ID in the image forming apparatus 1.

[0075] When pre-replenishment authentication is performed by management server 301 based on code 201 of replenishment pack 200, application unit 440 receives the result of the pre-replenishment authentication from management server 301. If the authentication result indicates that pre-replenishment authentication is successful, application unit 440 may cause device control unit 420 to send to image forming device 1 an unlock command for unlocking the opening / closing mechanism or an open command for opening the replenishment path. Note that if these commands are sent directly from management server 301 to image forming device 1, user terminal 401 does not need to send these commands to image forming device 1.

[0076] The application unit 440 displays the result of the pre-supply authentication received from the management server 301 on the display device 415. For example, if the result of the pre-supply authentication indicates a successful authentication, the user can connect the supply pack 200 to the image forming apparatus 1 and open the supply path by operating the opening / closing mechanism that was blocking the toner supply path, allowing the user to supply toner from the supply pack 200 to the image forming apparatus 1. At this time, the image forming apparatus 1 unlocks the opening / closing mechanism, so the user's operation to open the supply path is not hindered. Note that the connection of the supply pack 200 to the image forming apparatus 1 may be performed before the pre-supply authentication request or after successful authentication. As described above, instead of the user operating the opening / closing mechanism, the image forming apparatus 1 may automatically operate the opening / closing mechanism. If the result of the pre-supply authentication indicates a failure, the user may retry the pre-supply authentication after taking appropriate measures, depending on the cause of the failure that may be displayed on the screen, or may give up on the toner supply for the time being. At this time, the image forming apparatus 1 keeps the opening / closing mechanism locked, or the supply path remains blocked without the automatic operation of the opening / closing mechanism.

[0077] 12 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 according to this embodiment. Referring to Fig. 12, the image forming apparatus 1 includes a communication I / F 11, a memory 12, a user I / F 13, an image forming unit 40, an opening / closing mechanism 51, a locking mechanism 52, and a processing circuit 90.

[0078] The communication I / F 11 is an interface through which the image forming apparatus 1 communicates with other devices. For example, the communication I / F 11 communicates with a user terminal 401 present in the user environment E1 and a management server 301 present in the remote environment E2. The communication I / F 11 may be a wired communication interface or a wireless communication interface. If the communication I / F 11 is a wireless communication interface, the communication I / F 11 may be, for example, a WLAN interface or a cellular communication interface. Note that although only a single communication I / F 11 is shown in FIG. 12, the image forming apparatus 1 may be provided with multiple different communication modules for communicating with the user terminal 401 and the management server 301, respectively.

[0079] The memory 12 may include any type of storage medium, such as a semiconductor memory such as a ROM or RAM, an optical disk, or a magnetic disk. The memory 12 may also include a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The memory 12 stores one or more computer programs executed by the processing circuit 90 and various data. The memory 12 pre-stores, for example, a device ID (also referred to as device identification information) that uniquely identifies the image forming device 1.

[0080] The user I / F 13 may include an input device for accepting user operations and information input, and a display device for displaying images and information. For example, the user I / F 13 may include one or more of a touch panel, a keypad, a button, a switch, a microphone, and a speaker. The user I / F 13 may be treated as an operation terminal integrated into the image forming apparatus 1. In one embodiment, the user I / F 13 may be used to accept input of the code 201 of the supply pack 200.

[0081] As described with reference to FIG. 2, the image forming unit 40 consumes toner stored in the storage unit 48 to form an image on a sheet. The opening / closing mechanism 51 is a mechanism that can open and close the supply path 50 from the supply pack 200 connected to the toner receiving unit 110 to the storage unit 48. The ring member 111 including the lever 111b and the protrusion 111d described above, the pack shutter 214 of the supply pack 200, and the main body shutter 116 are examples of the opening / closing mechanism 51. The locking mechanism 52 is a mechanism that inhibits (i.e., locks) and releases (unlocks) the operation of the opening / closing mechanism 51 by the user or the automatic operation of the opening / closing mechanism 51. The locking unit 150 described above is an example of the locking mechanism 52.

[0082] From a functional standpoint, the above-described electronic component groups 91, 92, and 93 of the processing circuit 90 can function mainly as a print control unit 95 and a lock control unit 96. The print control unit 95 controls operations for image formation by the image forming unit 40. For example, when the print control unit 95 receives a print job from the management server 301 via the communication I / F 11, it controls the image forming unit 40 to form an image on a sheet based on input image data included in the print job.

[0083] The lock control unit 96 controls the locking and unlocking of the opening / closing mechanism 51 by the lock mechanism 52. For example, when a predetermined input signal is detected, the lock control unit 96 transmits the device ID stored in the memory 12 to the management server 301. The device ID transmitted to the management server 301 may be used to verify whether the image forming device 1 identified by the device ID specified by the user for device registration is actually installed in the user environment E1 of that user. The device ID transmitted to the management server 301 may also be used by the management server 301 to perform pre-replenishment authentication or pre-print authentication. The lock control unit 96 may transmit remaining amount information indicating the latest remaining amount of toner to the management server 301 together with the device ID.

[0084] In one embodiment, the input signal that triggers the transmission of the device ID is a received signal (e.g., a transmission request requesting the transmission of the device ID) received from the user terminal 401 via the communication I / F 11. In this case, the lock control unit 96 reads the device ID from the memory 12 in response to receiving the transmission request, and transmits the read device ID to the management server 301. In another embodiment, the input signal that triggers the transmission of the device ID is a user input signal (e.g., an operation signal indicating that a predetermined button has been operated) detected via the user I / F 13. In this case, the lock control unit 96 reads the device ID from the memory 12 in response to detecting the user input signal, and transmits the read device ID to the management server 301.

[0085] After transmitting the device ID to the management server 301 for pre-replenishment authentication, the lock control unit 96 waits for a predetermined standby period to receive an unlock command, which is a control signal based on the results of the pre-replenishment authentication. If the unlock command is received before the standby period expires, the lock control unit 96 causes the lock mechanism 52 to unlock the opening / closing mechanism 51 in accordance with the unlock command. For example, the lock control unit 96 may energize the solenoid of the lock unit 150 to rotate the lock member 152 as shown in FIG. 8B . This allows the user to rotate the ring member 111, the main body shutter 116, and the pack shutter 214 of the supply pack 200 to open the supply path 50. Note that if the image forming apparatus 1 is configured to automatically operate the opening / closing mechanism 51, the lock control unit 96 may wait for an open command instead of an unlock command and open the supply path 50 by operating the opening / closing mechanism 51 in accordance with the received open command.

[0086] If the standby period expires without receiving an unlock command or an open command (i.e., if a timeout occurs), the lock control unit 96 ends the standby for the command. For example, the standby for the unlock command or the open command may be performed by temporarily opening a specific receiving port of the communication I / F 11. In this way, by only waiting for a control signal from the outside for a limited period triggered by the detection of a predetermined input signal, the risk of a third party operating the image forming apparatus 1 can be minimized. In addition, the image forming apparatus 1 can be put into a sleep state during periods other than the standby period to reduce the power consumption of the image forming apparatus 1.

[0087] If an unlock command or a release command is received before the standby period expires, the lock control unit 96 may maintain the opening / closing mechanism 51 in an unlocked state for a predetermined unlock period from the receipt of the command, and may relock the opening / closing mechanism 51 after the unlock period expires. In the example of FIG. 8 , even if the solenoid is de-energized while the opening / closing mechanism 51 is in the open state, the ring member 111 can still rotate counterclockwise. For example, after the opening / closing mechanism 51 is unlocked, the user may rotate the ring member 111 clockwise in the figure to open the supply path, thereby starting toner supply. After toner supply is completed, the user may rotate the ring member 111 counterclockwise to close the supply path. When the solenoid is de-energized and the ring member 111 is returned to its original position, the tip 153 of the lock member 152 returns to the position shown in FIG. 8(A) due to the elastic force of the spring. As a result, even if the user tries to rotate the ring member 111 clockwise again to open the supply path, the rotation of the ring member 111 is prevented by the locking member 152. In this way, the opening / closing mechanism 51 can be re-locked. It should be noted again that the configuration shown in FIG. 8 is merely one example of the opening / closing mechanism 51 and the locking mechanism 52, and any other configuration may be adopted.

[0088] The print control unit 95 controls the remaining amount detection unit 61 to detect the remaining amount of toner in the storage unit 48, for example, when an image formation operation is performed or when toner is replenished. For example, while the toner stored in the storage unit 48 is being stirred by the stirring member 60, the remaining amount detection unit 61 emits light from the light emitter 61a and acquires a light detection signal from the light receiver 61b. The remaining amount detection unit 61 then estimates the remaining amount of toner based on the acquired light detection signal and reports the estimated remaining amount to the print control unit 95. The print control unit 95 reports remaining amount information indicating the remaining amount of toner detected in this manner to the management server 301 via the communication I / F 11. The report of the remaining amount of toner may be sent to the management server 301 via the user terminal 401 instead of being sent directly to the management server 301.

[0089] When toner is replenished, the remaining amount of toner increases. As described above, by detecting the increase in the remaining amount of toner based on the remaining amount information, the management server 301 can know that the replenishment pack 200 for which pre-replenishment authentication was successful has been used by the user. Note that instead of the management server 301, the image forming apparatus 1 or the user terminal 401 may detect the increase in the remaining amount of toner and send a notification signal to the management server 301 indicating that the replenishment pack 200 has been used.

[0090] 13 is a sequence diagram showing an outline of the toner replenishment process according to this embodiment. In S60, the user enters a user ID and password on the login screen displayed on the display device 415 of the user terminal 401. In S61, the application unit 440 of the user terminal 401 sends the entered user ID and password to the management server 301. In S62, the authentication unit 370 of the management server 301 performs user authentication to verify whether the user ID and password received from the user terminal 401 match the records in the account table 320. Here, it is assumed that the user authentication is successful and login to the system is established. The subsequent processing in FIG. 13 is performed while the login session continues.

[0091] In S65, the application unit 440 of the user terminal 401 activates the code acquisition unit 430 in response to an operation by the user. The code acquisition unit 430 acquires the code 201 of the supply pack 200, for example, by optically reading it using the camera 413 or by accepting a user input. Next, in S66, the application unit 440 transmits an unlock request including the code 201 acquired by the code acquisition unit 430 to the management server 301.

[0092] In response to receiving the unlock request, the authentication unit 370 of the management server 301 starts pre-replenishment authentication. S67 is the first stage of pre-replenishment authentication, in which the authentication unit 370 checks the validity of the code 201 included in the unlock request. Checking the validity of the code 201 includes, for example, determining whether the code 201 can be decrypted if it is encrypted. Checking the validity of the code 201 also includes determining whether it is possible to determine whether the replenishment pack 200 is an in-contract replenishment pack 200 or an out-of-contract replenishment pack 200. If the first stage of authentication is successful, in S68 the data management unit 350 instructs the application unit 440 to display a message prompting the user to perform a predetermined operation on the image forming apparatus 1 that is the replenishment destination. As a result, the message is displayed on the display device 415.

[0093] In S72, the user performs a predetermined operation on the user I / F 13 of the image forming apparatus 1 to be supplied with toner. In response, in S73, the lock control unit 96 reads the apparatus ID from the memory 12 and transmits apparatus information including the read apparatus ID to the management server 301. In S74, the second stage of pre-supply authentication is performed. Based on the apparatus ID included in the received apparatus information, the authentication unit 370 determines whether the image forming apparatus 1 to be supplied with toner has a valid correspondence relationship with the user account of the logged-in user by referring to the apparatus registration table 330. In this case, since the image forming apparatus 1 has a valid correspondence relationship with the user account, the second stage of authentication is also successful. In response to the success of the pre-supply authentication, in S75, the data management unit 350 notifies the user terminal 401 of the result of authentication success. In addition, in S76, the data management unit 350 transmits an unlock command to the image forming apparatus 1 to cause the lock mechanism 52 of the image forming apparatus 1 to unlock the opening / closing mechanism 51.

[0094] At S77, the lock control unit 96 of the image forming apparatus 1 causes the lock mechanism 52 to unlock the opening / closing mechanism 51 in response to receiving an unlock command from the management server 301. At S78, the unlocked opening / closing mechanism 51 is operated by the user (or automatically activated), the supply path 50 is opened, and toner is replenished from the supply pack 200 to the image forming apparatus 1. At S79, the print control unit 95 detects the remaining amount of toner in the storage unit 48 and reports remaining amount information indicating the remaining amount to the management server 301. At S80, in response to receiving the remaining amount information, the data management unit 350 of the management server 301 updates the value of "remaining toner amount" in the record in the device registration table 330 that corresponds to the image forming apparatus 1 that is the replenishment destination.

[0095] Next, the data management unit 350 determines whether the supply pack 200 used to replenish the consumables is a non-contract supply pack 200 based on the code 201 included in the unlock request received in S62. If it determines that the supply pack 200 used to replenish the consumables is a non-contract supply pack 200, the data management unit 350 performs an increment process on the "remaining number" of the record. The increment can be calculated by dividing the amount of toner supplied by the non-contract supply pack 200 by the average amount of toner consumed per sheet. The amount of toner supplied by the non-contract supply pack 200 can be the nominal amount of toner contained in the pack, or a value based on the increase in the remaining amount of toner reported by the image forming apparatus 1. As described above, the code 201 can include capacity information that directly or indirectly indicates the amount of toner contained in the supply pack 200. If the capacity information directly indicates the amount of toner, the nominal value is the amount of toner indicated by the capacity information. On the other hand, if the capacity information is, for example, information that can identify the serial number of the replenishment pack 200 or the type of the replenishment pack 200, the nominal value is the amount of toner that the data management unit 350 acquires from the external device by referencing the external device based on the capacity information. The management server 301 can also be configured to acquire the relationship between the capacity information and the nominal value of the amount of toner contained in the replenishment pack 200 from the external device in advance and store the relationship in the management DB 313. In this case, the data management unit 350 can determine the nominal value without having to refer to the external device each time it acquires capacity information. If only one type of replenishment pack 200 can be used with the image forming apparatus 1, the data management unit 350 stores the nominal value of the amount of toner contained in the replenishment pack 200 in advance. In this case, the data management unit 350 can determine the nominal value without acquiring capacity information. The average amount of toner consumed per printing on one sheet may be a predetermined value, or it may be the average amount of toner consumed per printing on one sheet by a user, determined based on the user's past usage history.

[0096] For example, suppose a user with a "user ID" of U01 replenishes toner in an image forming device 1 with a "device ID" of E01 using a non-contract replenishment pack 200. FIG. 14A shows a record in the device registration table 330 where the "owner" is U01 and the "device ID" is E01 before replenishment. As shown in FIG. 14A, the "toner remaining amount" of the image forming device 1 before replenishment is 10%, and the "number of remaining pages" is 10. FIG. 14B shows the record after replenishment. In S79, the image forming device 1 reports to the management server 301 that the toner remaining amount has changed to 60%, and the data management unit 350 updates the "toner remaining amount" to 60%. Based on the toner remaining amount before and after replenishment, the data management unit 350 determines that the toner increase is 50%. If 100 pages can be printed with 1% toner, 5000 pages can be printed with 50% toner. Therefore, the data management unit 350 increases the "remaining number of sheets" by 5000 to 5010. If toner is replenished with the in-contract replenishment pack 200, the "remaining number of sheets" remains unchanged at 10.

[0097] FIG. 15 is a sequence diagram showing an outline of the printing process according to this embodiment. In S100, the user enters a user ID and password on the login screen. In S101, the application unit 440 of the user terminal 401 sends the entered user ID and password to the management server 301. In S102, the authentication unit 370 of the management server 301 performs user authentication based on the user ID and password received from the user terminal 401. Here, it is assumed that the user authentication is successful and login to the system is established. The subsequent processing in FIG. 15 is performed while the login session continues.

[0098] Next, in S103, the user selects a file to be printed on a print screen provided by the application unit 440. In S104, the application unit 440 of the user terminal 401 transmits print data to the management server 301, including print settings such as the data to be printed and the number of copies to be printed. The data to be printed may be the original file, or may be data converted by the application unit 440 into PostScript format or another image format. If a print data file is pre-stored in the memory 312 of the management server 301, the user terminal 401 does not need to transmit the print data to the management server 301 each time. The user simply selects the file name of the file to be printed from the user terminal 401. The management server 301 generates a list of file names based on the information registered in the print data table 340 and transmits information for displaying the generated list to the user terminal 401. This transmission causes the list of candidates to be printed to be displayed on the user terminal 401.

[0099] In S105, the data management unit 350 acquires the total number of prints, which is print data information for the received print data. The data management unit 350 acquires print data information generated by, for example, the processing circuitry 314 by analyzing the received print data. Alternatively, if the user terminal 401 generates print data information and transmits it to the management server 301 as part of the print data, the data management unit 350 extracts the print data information from the received print data. Alternatively, if the print data transmitted from the user terminal 401 is data from an original file, such as a document file, the processing circuitry 314 converts the data from the original file into data in a predetermined format that can be interpreted by the image forming apparatus 1. The processing circuitry 314 also generates print data information during the data conversion process, and the data management unit 350 acquires this generated print data information. In addition to the total number of prints, the print data information includes print data attribute information such as the file name (job name), user name, print data creation date, size, data type, and number of logical pages. The print data information also includes setting information such as the number of copies to be printed, single-sided / double-sided setting, and 2-in-1 layout setting.

[0100] Next, in S106, the data management unit 350 instructs the user terminal 401 to select an image forming device to use for printing. At this time, the data management unit 350 can generate a list of image forming devices to be selected by the user from the device registration table 330 based on the user ID of the user. Alternatively, the device control unit 420 of the user terminal 401 can detect nearby image forming devices and create a list of image forming devices to be selected by the user. In S107, when the user selects image forming device 1 that exists in the user environment E1, the application unit 440 transmits the device ID of image forming device 1 to the management server 301 in S108.

[0101] S109 is pre-print authentication, and the authentication unit 370 determines, based on the received device ID, whether the “remaining number” of the image forming device 1 is equal to or greater than the total number of sheets to be printed calculated in S105. If the “remaining number” is equal to or greater than the total number of sheets to be printed, the data management unit 350 permits printing. On the other hand, if the “remaining number” is less than the total number of sheets to be printed, the data management unit 350 does not permit printing. If printing is permitted, the data management unit 350 notifies the user terminal 401 of an authentication result indicating successful authentication in S110. If printing is not permitted, the data management unit 350 may notify the user terminal 401 of unsuccessful authentication and interrupt the sequence of FIG. 15 , or may notify the user terminal 401 of a proposal regarding contract changes. Note that, when the user terminal 401 is notified of unsuccessful authentication, it may display, for example, on the display device 415, that printing is not permitted. Furthermore, when the user terminal 401 is notified of a proposal regarding contract changes, it may display the proposal content on, for example, the display device 415.

[0102] In S111, the image forming apparatus 1 sends a connection request to the management server 301 and establishes a communication session with the management server 301 for communication between the image forming apparatus 1 and the management server 301. This communication session is maintained between the image forming apparatus 1 and the management server 301 for a predetermined period of time. The image forming apparatus 1 may be configured to periodically send connection requests to the management server 301. Alternatively, the management server 301 may send connection requests to the image forming apparatus 1. If authentication is successful in S109, the data management unit 350 sends print data to the image forming apparatus 1 and issues a print command in S112. In S113, the image forming apparatus 1 executes printing based on the received print data. After printing is completed, in S114, the image forming apparatus 1 sends the print results, including the actual number of printed sheets, to at least the management server 301. In S115, the data management unit 350 of the management server 301 subtracts the number of printed sheets from the "remaining number" value based on the received print results. If the actual number of printed sheets is greater than the "remaining number of sheets," the data management unit 350 sets the "remaining number of sheets" to 0 and records the difference between the "remaining number of sheets" and the actual number of printed sheets. This difference may be settled separately based on the contract. Note that the "remaining number of sheets" may also be configured to be reduced by the total number of printed sheets calculated in S105.

[0103] In this embodiment, an example has been described in which the code 201 can be acquired from both the in-contract supply pack 200 and the out-of-contract supply pack 200. However, either the in-contract supply pack 200 or the out-of-contract supply pack 200 may not have the code 201, and it may be determined whether the supply pack 200 is an in-contract supply pack 200 based on whether the unique code 201 is included in the unlock request.

[0104] Furthermore, the code 201 in this embodiment is optically readable by the user terminal 401 or readable by the user. However, the information indicated by the code 201 (identification information and capacity information) can be converted into data, and a memory device for storing the data can be provided in the supply pack 200. In this case, the image forming apparatus 1 or the user terminal 401 reads the information indicated by the code 201 by communicating with the memory device via a wired or wireless connection.

[0105] The configurations of the management server 301, user terminal 401, and image forming apparatus in this embodiment are merely examples, and do not limit which of the management server 301, user terminal 401, and image forming apparatus has each of the above-mentioned functions. For example, the function of checking the validity of the code 201 may be performed by the image forming apparatus. Also, the image forming apparatus 1 may send the code 201 to the management server 301. Also, some or all of the data in the management DB 313 may be stored in the memory 12 of the image forming apparatus.

[0106] 15, the management server 301 determines whether or not to permit printing (S109 in FIG. 15). However, the determination of whether or not to permit printing may be made by the image forming apparatus 1 or the user terminal 401.

[0107] FIG. 24 is a sequence diagram outlining the printing process when the image forming apparatus 1 determines whether to permit printing. Note that the same step numbers are assigned to the same processing steps in the sequence of FIG. 24 as those in FIG. 15. The process of establishing a communication session between the image forming apparatus 1 and the management server 301 (S111 in FIG. 15) is omitted. In S103, the user selects the file to be printed and the image forming apparatus 1 to be used for printing on the print screen provided by the application unit 440. In S104, the device control unit 420 of the user terminal 401 transmits the print data to the image forming apparatus 1 to be used for printing. In S120, the print control unit 95 of the image forming apparatus 1 acquires the total number of prints as print data information. To acquire the print data information, the image forming apparatus 1 may execute the same processes as those of the data management unit 350 and the processing circuit 314 described in FIG. 15. In S121, the print control unit 95 of the image forming device 1 notifies the management server 301 of the device ID stored in the memory 12 and requests information on the "remaining number of sheets" of the image forming device 1. In S122, in response to the request, the management server 301 refers to the management DB 313 to obtain the "remaining number of sheets" of the image forming device 1 that made the request, and transmits the information on the "remaining number of sheets" to the image forming device 1.

[0108] In S123, the print control unit 95 of the image forming apparatus 1 compares the “remaining number of sheets” notified by the management server 301 in S122 with the total number of sheets to be printed calculated in S120 to determine whether to permit printing. Specifically, if the “remaining number of sheets” is equal to or greater than the total number of sheets to be printed, printing is permitted; if the “remaining number of sheets” is less than the total number of sheets to be printed, printing is not permitted. If printing is not permitted, the print control unit 95 notifies the user terminal 401 that printing is not permitted in S124. Upon receiving the notification that printing is not permitted, the application unit 440 of the user terminal 401 displays on the display device 415 in S125 that printing is not permitted. At this time, the image forming apparatus 1 can also display on the display device via the user I / F 13 that printing is not permitted. On the other hand, if printing is permitted, the print control unit 95 executes printing based on the received print data in S113. After printing is completed, in S114 the print control unit 95 sends the print results including the actual number of printed sheets to at least the management server 301. In S115, the data management unit 350 of the management server 301 updates the value of "remaining number of sheets" for the image forming device 1 in the management DB 313 as described in FIG.

[0109] 24, image forming apparatus 1 analyzes the received print data to calculate the total number of prints, or extracts and acquires the total number of prints from the received print data (S120). However, it is also possible to configure the application unit 440 of user terminal 401 to analyze the print data to calculate or acquire print data information (total number of prints), and then transmit the print data together with the total number of prints to image forming apparatus 1 in S104. Alternatively, it is also possible to configure the user terminal 401 to transmit only the total number of prints in S104. In this case, if the print control unit 95 of image forming apparatus 1 determines in S123 that printing is permitted, it transmits that information to user terminal 401, and if printing is permitted, user terminal 401 transmits the print data to image forming apparatus 1.

[0110] Note that, in addition to the management server 301, each image forming apparatus 1 may also be configured to manage its own "remaining number of sheets" information. In this case, after calculating the total number of sheets to be printed in S120, the image forming apparatus 1 determines whether to permit printing in S123 without requesting information on the "remaining number of sheets" from the management server 301. In other words, the processes of S121 and S122 are omitted. Then, when printing is executed, the image forming apparatus 1 updates the value of the "remaining number of sheets" managed by itself based on the actual number of sheets printed. The method for updating the value of the "remaining number of sheets" is the same as S115. Note that even in this case, the processes of S114 and S115 may be executed to update the information on the "remaining number of sheets" managed by the management server 301. The information on the "remaining number of sheets" managed by the management server 301 may be used by a user to log in to the management server 301 using the user terminal 401 and check the "remaining number of sheets." Note that the image forming apparatus 1 may be configured to acquire the updated value of the "remaining number" from the management server 301 as a response to S114, rather than updating the value of the "remaining number". Also, instead of executing the processes of S114 and S115, the image forming apparatus 1 may be configured to notify the management server 301 of the updated value of the "remaining number".

[0111] FIG. 25 is a sequence diagram outlining the printing process when the user terminal 401 determines whether to permit printing. Note that the same step numbers are assigned to the same processing steps in the sequence of FIG. 25 as those in FIG. 24. The process related to establishing a communication session between the image forming device 1 and the management server 301 (S111 in FIG. 15) is also omitted. In S103, the user selects a file to be printed and the image forming device 1 to be used for printing on a print screen provided by the application unit 440. In S120, the application unit 440 of the user terminal 401 analyzes the selected file and calculates and acquires the total number of prints as print data information. Alternatively, the application unit 440 of the user terminal 401 can generate and acquire the total number of prints as print data information from the selected file. In S121, the application unit 440 notifies the management server 301 of the device ID of the image forming device 1 to be used for printing and requests information on the "remaining number of prints" of the image forming device 1. In response to the request, in S122, the management server 301 refers to the management DB 313 to acquire the “remaining number” of the image forming device 1, and transmits the information on the “remaining number” to the user terminal 401.

[0112] In S123, the application unit 440 compares the "remaining number of sheets" notified by the management server 301 in S122 with the total number of sheets to be printed calculated in S120 to determine whether to permit printing. Specifically, printing is permitted if the "remaining number of sheets" is equal to or greater than the total number of sheets to be printed, and printing is not permitted if the "remaining number of sheets" is less than the total number of sheets to be printed. If printing is not permitted, the application unit 440 displays on the display device 415 in S125 that printing is not permitted. On the other hand, if printing is permitted, the application unit 440 transmits print data to the image forming apparatus 1 to be used for printing in S104. The print control unit 95 of the image forming apparatus 1 executes printing based on the received print data. After printing is completed, in S114, the image forming apparatus 1 transmits the print results, including the actual number of sheets printed, to at least the management server 301. In S115, the data management unit 350 of the management server 301 updates the value of the "remaining number of sheets" for the image forming apparatus 1 in the management DB 313 as described with reference to FIG.

[0113] 25, the only time the image forming apparatus 1 and the management server 301 communicate is in S114. Here, there may be cases where the image forming apparatus 1 and the management server 301 are unable to communicate with each other during the processing of S114. In such a case, the image forming apparatus 1 may be configured to notify the user terminal 401 that the print results could not be sent to the management server 301. The user terminal 401 may display, for example, on the display device 415, that the print results could not be sent to the management server 301 and therefore the value of the "remaining number of sheets" managed by the management server 301 is incorrect. This processing may also be applied to the sequences of FIGS. 15 and 24 in the same way.

[0114] Note that the user terminal 401 may also be configured to manage information on the "remaining number of sheets" of the image forming apparatus 1 in addition to the management server 301. In this case, after the user terminal 401 calculates the total number of sheets to be printed in S120, it determines whether to permit printing in S123 without requesting information on the "remaining number of sheets" from the management server 301. In other words, the processes of S121 and S122 are omitted. In this case, when the image forming apparatus 1 executes printing, it may be configured to send the print results to the user terminal 401 in addition to the management server 301 in S114. The user terminal 401 updates the value of the "remaining number of sheets" of the image forming apparatus 1 used for printing based on the print results. The method for updating the value of the "remaining number of sheets" is the same as in S115. Note that when printing is executed, the image forming apparatus 1 may also be configured to send the print results only to the management server 301. In this case, the user terminal 401 notifies the management server 301 of the device ID of the image forming device 1 that printed at a predetermined timing after printing is executed, and obtains the updated value of "remaining number of sheets" from the management server 301. Furthermore, when printing is executed, the image forming device 1 can be configured to send the print results only to the user terminal 401. In this case, the user terminal 401 notifies the management server 301 of the updated value of "remaining number of sheets" together with the device ID of the image forming device 1, and causes the management server 301 to update the management DB 313.

[0115] Furthermore, in the sequence diagram of FIG. 15, in S104, user terminal 401 sends print data to management server 301, and if the "remaining number" is equal to or greater than the total number of sheets to be printed, management server 301 sends the print data to image forming device 1 and issues a print command. However, a configuration is also possible in which user terminal 401 sends print data to image forming device 1, and image forming device 1 sends the total number of sheets to management server 301. In this case, if the "remaining number" is equal to or greater than the total number of sheets to be printed, management server 301 sends only a print command to image forming device 1, and if the "remaining number" is less than the total number of sheets to be printed, it sends a pause / cancel of the sequence of FIG. 15 to image forming device 1. Furthermore, image forming device 1 can also send print data to management server 301. Furthermore, a configuration is also possible in which user terminal 401 sends the total number of sheets to management server 301, and if authentication is successful, it sends print data to image forming device 1 to print. This corresponds to sending the print command in S112 of FIG. 15 to the user terminal 401 instead of the image forming apparatus 1.

[0116] In the sequence of FIG. 15, a print instruction is issued after the user terminal 401 logs in to the app, but this is not limited to this. A print instruction may be issued from a normal driver screen without going through the app, i.e., without performing the login process. This eliminates the need to perform the login process each time a print instruction is issued, improving usability. Furthermore, the user terminal 401 used for the authentication process for the supply pack 200 in FIG. 13 and the user terminal 401 used to issue a print instruction in FIG. 15 may be different devices. The most typical configuration is one in which a smartphone is used for the authentication process for the supply pack 200 and a print instruction is issued from a PC installed in the office. However, the combination of user terminals 401 is not limited to this.

[0117] As described above, in this embodiment, the data management unit 350 manages the "remaining number" of sheets for which image formation is permitted in one or more image forming apparatuses used by a user who has subscribed to a subscription service. Furthermore, when a user replenishes consumables in a first image forming apparatus among the one or more image forming apparatuses, the data management unit 350 acquires first determination information for determining whether the replenishment pack 200 used for replenishment is an in-contract replenishment pack 200 or an out-of-contract replenishment pack 200. The first determination information corresponds to the code 201.

[0118] The data management unit 350 may acquire the first determination information from the first image forming apparatus or a user device used by the user. The user device may correspond to the user terminal 401. The data management unit 350 may determine the amount of consumables replenished in the first image forming apparatus. For example, the data management unit 350 may determine the amount of replenishment based on the nominal value of the amount of consumables contained in the storage device used for replenishment. The nominal value is a value directly indicated by the capacity information of the code 201, or a value that the data management unit 350 can acquire and determine based on the capacity information. The data management unit 350 may acquire capacity information from the first image forming apparatus or a user device used by the user, similar to the first determination information. The data management unit 350 may determine the amount of replenishment based on the change in the remaining amount of consumables before and after replenishment, as notified by the first image forming apparatus. The data management unit 350 does not change the "remaining number" when replenishment is performed using the in-contract replenishment pack 200. On the other hand, when the discs are replenished with the non-contract replenishment pack 200, the data management unit 350 increases the "remaining number" by the number corresponding to the replenishment amount.

[0119] Before the first image formation by the image forming apparatus 1, the data management unit 350 acquires second determination information for determining the number of first sheets, which is the number of sheets on which images are formed in the first image formation. The data management unit 350 can acquire the second determination information from the image forming apparatus 1 or the user terminal 401. The second determination information can be information directly indicating the number of first sheets, or information from which the number of first sheets can be determined, such as image data used in the first image formation. If the number of first sheets is greater than the "remaining number," the data management unit 350 does not permit the first image formation. If the number of first sheets is not greater than the "remaining number," the data management unit 350 permits the first image formation. If the data management unit 350 permits the first image formation, it instructs or notifies the image forming apparatus 1 to perform the first image formation. After the first image formation is performed, the data management unit 350 updates the "remaining number" so that it is reduced by the number of second sheets. The second number of sheets is equal to the first number of sheets, or is equal to the number of sheets on which images are actually formed in the first image formation, which is acquired from the second image forming apparatus.

[0120] Furthermore, as described above, when multiple image forming apparatuses 1 are set as the subject of a contract, a printable number of pages to be used by all of the multiple image forming apparatuses 1 can be set. In such a case, when any of the image forming apparatuses 1 that are subject to the contract receives a replenishment using a non-contract replenishment pack 200, the "remaining number of pages" set for the multiple image forming apparatuses 1 is updated. Specifically, a first image forming apparatus and a second image forming apparatus are set as the subject of the contract, and the "remaining number of pages" that can be printed by these two apparatuses is set by the management server 301. Then, when the first image forming apparatus or the second image forming apparatus receives a replenishment using a non-contract replenishment pack 200, the management server 301 updates the information on the "remaining number of pages" that can be printed by the two apparatuses based on the amount of replenishment.

[0121] As described above, when a user uses an in-contract replenishment pack 200, the "remaining number of pages" is not changed, and therefore the number of pages that can be printed under the subscription contract is not affected. On the other hand, when a user uses an out-of-contract replenishment pack 200, the "remaining number of pages" is increased based on the amount of pages replenished by the out-of-contract replenishment pack 200. This allows the user to print a number of pages that corresponds to the amount of pages replenished by the out-of-contract replenishment pack 200, exceeding the number of pages that can be printed under the subscription service. The above configuration makes it possible to use an out-of-contract replenishment pack 200 under a subscription contract, i.e., a replenishment pack 200 that the user has acquired outside the subscription service.

[0122] Second Embodiment In the first embodiment, when a non-contract refill pack 200 is used for refilling, the value of the "remaining number" in the device registration table 330 is increased. Here, for example, assume that the contract type does not allow the "remaining number" at the end of the month to be carried over to the next month. In this case, the number of pages in the "remaining number" that are due to toner from the contract refill pack 200 cannot be carried over to the next month, but the number of pages in the "remaining number" that are due to toner from the non-contract refill pack 200 must be carried over to the next month. However, with the configuration of the first embodiment, it is not possible to determine the number of pages in the "remaining number" that are due to toner from the non-contract refill pack 200. For this reason, in this embodiment, the remaining number is managed separately as "in-contract" and "out-of-contract." The following description of this embodiment will focus on the differences from the first embodiment.

[0123] FIG. 16 shows one record of the device registration table 330 according to this embodiment. As described above, the "remaining number" in the first embodiment is divided into a "contract remaining number" and a "non-contract remaining number." The sequence of the toner replenishment process in this embodiment is basically the same as the sequence in the first embodiment shown in FIG. 13. However, in this embodiment, the content of the status update process in S80 differs from that in the first embodiment. In this embodiment, if the data management unit 350 determines that toner has been replenished with a non-contract replenishment pack 200, it increases the value of the "non-contract remaining number" in the device registration table 330 in S80. However, it does not change the "contract remaining number." On the other hand, if the data management unit 350 determines that toner has been replenished with a contract replenishment pack 200, it does not change the values ​​of the "contract remaining number" and the "non-contract remaining number" in the device registration table 330 in S80.

[0124] For example, as shown in FIG. 16A, assume that the "toner remaining amount" of image forming device 1, whose "owner" is U01 and whose "device ID" is E01, is 10%, the "number of pages remaining within contract" is 10, and the "number of pages remaining outside contract" is 0. Assume that, from this state, replenishment is performed using non-contract replenishment pack 200, and in S79, the management server 301 is notified that the toner remaining amount has changed to 60%. In this case, the data management unit 350 determines that the toner increase is 50% based on the remaining toner amounts before and after replenishment. If 100 pages can be printed with 1% of the toner amount, then 5000 pages can be printed with 50% of the toner amount. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 16B, the data management unit 350 increases the "number of pages remaining outside contract" by 5000 to 5000.

[0125] The sequence of the printing process according to this embodiment is basically the same as the sequence of the first embodiment shown in Fig. 15. However, in the first embodiment, if the "remaining number of sheets" of the image forming apparatus 1 is equal to or greater than the total number of sheets to be printed calculated in S105 in S109, an authentication result indicating successful authentication is notified to the user terminal 401 in S110, and a print command is sent to the image forming apparatus 1 in S112. On the other hand, in this embodiment, if the sum of the "remaining number of sheets within the contract" and the "remaining number of sheets outside the contract" is equal to or greater than the total number of sheets to be printed in S109, an authentication result indicating successful authentication is notified to the user terminal 401 in S110, and a print command is sent to the image forming apparatus 1 in S112. Note that if the sum of the "remaining number of sheets within the contract" and the "remaining number outside the contract" is less than the total number of sheets to be printed, the authentication unit 370 may notify the user terminal 401 and interrupt the sequence of Fig. 15, or may notify the user terminal 401 of a proposal regarding a contract change.

[0126] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the "remaining number of sheets" was subtracted by the actual number of printed sheets in S115. In this embodiment, the processing in S115 also differs from that in the first embodiment. FIG. 17 is a flowchart of the processing executed by the data management unit 350 in S115 of FIG. 15 in this embodiment. In S200, the data management unit 350 determines whether the "remaining number of sheets within contract" is equal to or greater than the actual number of printed sheets. If the "remaining number of sheets within contract" is equal to or greater than the actual number of printed sheets, then in S201 the data management unit 350 subtracts the actual number of printed sheets from the "remaining number of sheets within contract" and sets the result as the updated "remaining number of sheets within contract." On the other hand, if the "remaining number of sheets within contract" is less than the actual number of printed sheets, the authentication unit 370 updates the "remaining number of sheets within contract" to 0 in S202. Then, in S203, the authentication unit 370 subtracts the "remaining number of sheets within contract" from the "remaining number of sheets outside contract" to update the "remaining number of sheets outside contract".

[0127] For example, when the device registration table 330 is in the state shown in Figure 16(B) and 100 sheets are printed, the "remaining number of sheets within contract" becomes 0 and the "remaining number of sheets outside contract" becomes 4910, as shown in Figure 16(C).

[0128] As described above, in this embodiment, the data management unit 350 manages the "remaining number" in the first embodiment by dividing it into a "first remaining number" and a "second remaining number." The "first remaining number" corresponds to the "in-contract remaining number," and the "second remaining number" corresponds to the "out-of-contract remaining number." When refilling is performed with an in-contract refill pack 200, the data management unit 350 does not change either the "first remaining number" or the "second remaining number." On the other hand, when refilling is performed with an out-of-contract refill pack 200, the data management unit 350 increases the "second remaining number" by the number corresponding to the refill amount. However, the "first remaining number" is not changed.

[0129] Before the first image formation is performed by a second image forming apparatus among the one or more image forming apparatuses, the data management unit 350 determines the first number of sheets, which is the number of sheets on which images will be formed in the first image formation. The data management unit 350 permits the first image formation if the first number of sheets is not greater than the sum of the "first remaining number" and the "second remaining number." After the first image formation is performed, the data management unit 350 determines the second number of sheets. The second number of sheets is equal to the first number of sheets or equal to the number of sheets on which images were actually formed in the first image formation, which is obtained from the second image forming apparatus. If the second number of sheets is not greater than the "first remaining number," the data management unit 350 subtracts the "first remaining number" by the second number of sheets. On the other hand, if the second number of sheets is greater than the "first remaining number," the data management unit 350 subtracts the "second remaining number" by the difference between the second number of sheets and the "first remaining number," and sets the "first remaining number" to 0.

[0130] As described above, by managing the "remaining number" separately as "remaining number within contract" (first remaining number) and "remaining number outside contract" (second remaining number), users can use the non-contract supply pack 200 regardless of the contract type.

[0131] Third Embodiment Next, the third embodiment will be described, focusing on the differences from the second embodiment. For example, when replenishing toner, a case may occur in which pre-replenishment authentication is performed based on the code 201 of the in-contract replenishing pack 200, and then replenishing is performed using the out-of-contract replenishing pack 200, or vice versa. In the former case, the "out-of-contract remaining number" does not increase even though the user purchased the replenishing pack 200 himself. In the latter case, the "out-of-contract remaining number" increases even though the replenishing is performed using the in-contract replenishing pack 200. This embodiment provides a configuration for appropriately correcting the "out-of-contract remaining number" and the "in-contract remaining number", etc., even if such a user operation error occurs.

[0132] 18 is a schematic configuration diagram of the management server 301 according to this embodiment. In this embodiment, the management DB 313 includes a shipping pack table 380 and a used pack management table 390 in addition to the configuration described in FIG.

[0133] The dispatched pack table 380 is a table that holds information about the in-contract supply packs 200 dispatched to each user. The dispatched pack table 380 includes the following information items. ·“Device ID” Pack ID ·"status"

[0134] The "device ID" indicates the image forming device 1 to which each supply pack 200 is provided, by the "device ID" registered in the device registration table 330. In this embodiment, the supply pack 200 is intended to be used only with a specific image forming device 1. However, if the supply pack 200 is configured to be usable with any of multiple image forming devices 1 owned by the same user, other information such as the "user ID" registered in the account table 320 may be substituted.

[0135] The "pack ID" is identification information included in the code 201 for uniquely identifying each supply pack 200.

[0136] "Status" indicates the status of whether each supply pack has been used to supply toner to the image forming device 1. At the time of shipping, "Status" indicates "Unused," and when the supply pack 200 indicated by "Pack ID" is used to supply toner, it changes to "Used."

[0137] The used pack management table 390 is a table that holds the usage status of the supply packs 200 that have been used in each image forming apparatus 1. The used pack management table 390 can include, for example, one or more of the following information items. ·“Device ID” Pack ID "Pack type" "Toner Increase" "Number of remaining copies" - "Number of printed sheets" "Unused pack ID when resupplying"

[0138] The “device ID” indicates the image forming device 1 in which the supply pack 200 is used, by the “device ID” registered in the device registration table 330 .

[0139] The "pack ID" is identification information contained in the unique code 201 for uniquely identifying the supply pack 200.

[0140] The "pack type" indicates whether the supply pack 200 is an in-contract supply pack 200. In this embodiment, the "pack type" is managed in the used pack management table 390, but it is also possible to determine whether the supply pack 200 is an in-contract supply pack 200 based on whether a "pack ID" with the same value exists in the shipped pack table 380.

[0141] The "toner increase amount" indicates the increase in the remaining amount of toner when toner is replenished with the replenishment pack 200.

[0142] "Remaining number of sheets" is set when "Pack type" indicates a non-contract replenishment pack 200, and indicates the remaining number of sheets that can be printed using the non-contract replenishment pack 200. When "Pack type" indicates an in-contract replenishment pack 200, "Remaining number of sheets" is set to a value indicating invalidity.

[0143] "Number of printed sheets" is set when "Pack type" indicates a non-contract replenishment pack 200, and indicates the number of sheets printed with the non-contract replenishment pack 200. When "Pack type" indicates an in-contract replenishment pack 200, "Number of printed sheets" is set to a value indicating invalid.

[0144] The "unused pack ID at time of replenishment" is set when the "pack type" indicates a non-contract replenishment pack 200, and indicates the pack ID of an unused in-contract replenishment pack 200 that the user has already received at the time of replenishment with the non-contract replenishment pack 200.

[0145] The processing circuit 314 includes a correction unit 400 in addition to the data management unit 350, the provision management unit 360, and the authentication unit 370 shown in FIG. 10 . The correction unit 400 has a function of correcting the management DB 313 via the data management unit 350 when it is determined that the supply was made from a supply pack 200 different from the supply pack 200 from which the code 201 was obtained. The correction of the management DB 313 by the correction unit 400 can be made, for example, by the business operator directly operating the management server 301 in response to a contact from the user to the business operator. Alternatively, the correction can be made by the user making a request to the management server 301 using the user terminal 401, or by receiving a user request from a web page linked to the management server 301.

[0146] First, we will explain the process of correcting the used replenishment pack 200 to the in-contract replenishment pack 200 when the code 201 of the non-contract replenishment pack 200 is read and then replenished with the in-contract replenishment pack 200. At the start of this explanation, it is assumed that the user is holding the non-contract replenishment pack 200 with a "pack ID" of P03. Figure 19(A) shows the dispatched pack table 380 at the start of this explanation, and Figure 20(A) shows the used pack management table 390 at the start of this explanation. As shown in Figure 19(A), at the start of this explanation, the in-contract replenishment pack 200 with a "pack ID" of P01 has been used for the image forming device 1 with a device ID of E01. When the remaining toner in the image forming device 1 decreases, the supply management unit 360 dispatches the in-contract replenishment pack 200. Figure 19(B) shows a state in which the in-contract replenishment pack 200 with a "pack ID" of P02 has been dispatched and a record with a "pack ID" of P02 has been added.

[0147] Here, suppose that the user reads the code 201 of the non-contract replenishment pack 200 with a "pack ID" of P03, and then mistakenly replenishes toner with the in-contract replenishment pack 200 with a "pack ID" of P02. In this case, as shown in FIG. 20B, a record for the non-contract replenishment pack 200 with a "pack ID" of P03 is added to the used pack management table 390. Because the "pack type" is non-contract, values ​​are also set for the "remaining number of pages," "printed number of pages," and "unused pack ID at time of replenishment." Note that the corresponding value is set for the "toner increase amount" regardless of the "pack type." As shown in FIG. 20B, the "unused pack ID at time of replenishment" is set to P02, which is the "pack ID" of the unused in-contract replenishment pack 200.

[0148] As explained in the second embodiment, when the "remaining number of sheets within contract" in the device registration table 330 becomes 0, the data management unit 350 decreases the "remaining number of sheets outside contract" for subsequent printing. When the data management unit 350 decreases the "remaining number of sheets outside contract" in the device registration table 330, it also decreases the "remaining number" in the used pack management table 390 by the same value and increases the "number of sheets printed." Note that, for example, if the used pack management table 390 contains multiple records with a "device ID" of "E01" and a "remaining number" other than 0, it is arbitrary which record's "remaining number" is decreased and its "number of sheets printed" is increased. For example, the "remaining number" and "number of sheets printed" can be updated starting with the record with the smallest "remaining number." Figure 20(C) shows the state in which the "remaining number of sheets outside the contract" in the device registration table 330 has been reduced by 10 from the state in Figure 20(B), thereby reducing the "remaining number of sheets" in the used pack management table 390 by 10 and increasing the "number of sheets printed" by 10.

[0149] 19(B) and 20(C), if the user notices an erroneous operation, the business operator uses the correction unit 400 to correct the information in the management DB 313. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 19(C), the status of "Pack ID" P02 in the dispatched pack table 380 is changed to "Used." Also, as shown in FIG. 20(D), the "Pack ID" in the used pack management table 390 is corrected from P03 to P02, and the "Pack type" is changed to within the contract. Because the "Pack type" is now within the contract, the "Remaining number of sheets," "Number of printed sheets," and "Unused pack ID at time of replenishment" are changed to invalid data.

[0150] 20(C), since the "number of printed sheets" at the time of correction is 10, the business operator can correct the information error by subtracting the value of "number of remaining sheets within contract" in the device registration table 330 by the value indicated by "number of printed sheets." If the value of "number of remaining sheets within contract" in the device registration table 330 is less than the value of "number of printed sheets," a separate settlement may be made.

[0151] Next, we will explain the process of correcting the used replenishment pack 200 to the non-contract replenishment pack 200 when replenishing with a non-contract replenishment pack 200 after reading the code 201 of the in-contract replenishment pack 200. At the start of this explanation, it is assumed that the user has a non-contract replenishment pack 200 with a pack ID of P03 and an unused in-contract replenishment pack 200 with a pack ID of P02. In other words, it is assumed that the shipped pack table 380 is as shown in Figure 19(B) and the used pack management table 390 is as shown in Figure 21(A).

[0152] Suppose a user reads the code 201 of an in-contract replenishment pack 200 with a "pack ID" of P02, and then mistakenly replenishes toner with an out-of-contract replenishment pack 200 with a "pack ID" of P03. In this case, the "status" of the "pack ID" of P02 in the shipped pack table 380 is changed to "used," as shown in FIG. 19(C). Also, a record for the in-contract replenishment pack 200 with a "pack ID" of P02 is added to the used pack management table 390, as shown in FIG. 21(B). Because the "pack type" is in-contract, the corresponding value is set for "toner increase amount."

[0153] If the user notices the erroneous operation in the states shown in FIGS. 19(C) and 21(B), the business operator uses the correction unit 400 to correct the information in the management DB 313. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 19(B), the business operator changes the "status" of the "pack ID" P02 in the dispatched pack table 380 to "unused." The business operator also changes the "pack ID" in the used pack management table 390 from P02 to P03, and changes the "pack type" to "outside of contract." If the user has already discarded the out-of-contract replenishment pack 200 with the "pack ID" P03 and is unable to obtain its code 201 value, the business operator may set the "pack ID" to a value indicating "unknown," as shown in FIG. 21(C). The "remaining number of sheets" is set to a value corresponding to the "toner increase amount," and the "unused pack ID at replenishment" is set to P02, which is the "pack ID" of the in-contract replenishment pack 200 that has been changed to "unused." The business operator also sets the "number of printed sheets" to 0, assuming that printing up until the user noticed the erroneous operation was performed using toner within the contract.

[0154] It is also possible to implement only one of the functions for correcting the usage history of the replenishment packs 200 from non-contract to in-contract or the function for correcting from in-contract to non-contract. Furthermore, to avoid the risk of correcting the usage history of the replenishment packs 200 from in-contract to in-contract again after correcting it from in-contract to out-of-contract, a restriction can be imposed, such as prohibiting correction by the correction unit 400, if there are any unused in-contract replenishment packs 200. In this embodiment, the overall "out-of-contract remaining number" of the out-of-contract replenishment packs 200 is managed in the device registration table 330, and the "remaining number" of each out-of-contract replenishment pack 200 is managed in the used pack management table 390. However, the overall "out-of-contract remaining number" of the out-of-contract replenishment packs 200 can be calculated from the "remaining number" of each out-of-contract replenishment pack 200. Therefore, a configuration can be adopted in which management of the "out-of-contract remaining number" in the device registration table 330 is omitted. In addition, since the number of sheets corresponding to the increased amount of toner in the used pack management table 390 is equal to the sum of the "number of remaining sheets" and the "number of printed sheets," it is also possible to configure the table to manage only one of the "number of remaining sheets" and the "number of printed sheets."

[0155] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as described in the second embodiment, when printing is performed, the "remaining number of pages within the contract" is first decremented, and when the "remaining number of pages within the contract" reaches 0, the "remaining number of pages outside the contract" is decremented. However, a configuration is possible in which the user specifies the "remaining number of pages within the contract" and the "remaining number of pages outside the contract" when forming images. In this case, the data management unit 350 decrements each of the "remaining number of pages within the contract" and the "remaining number of pages outside the contract" by the number specified by the user. This configuration can also be applied to the second embodiment.

[0156] As described above, the data management unit 350 manages whether or not each in-contract replenishment pack 200 has been used to replenish consumables. Furthermore, when consumables are replenished from a replenishment pack 200 to the image forming device 1, the data management unit 350 records whether the replenishment pack 200 is an out-of-contract replenishment pack 200 and the amount of consumables replenished, in association with the identifier of the replenishment pack 200 used for replenishment. Furthermore, when an out-of-contract replenishment pack 200 is used for replenishment, the data management unit 350 records the identifier of the in-contract replenishment pack 200 that is unused at that time and the number of pages corresponding to the replenishment amount, in association with the identifier of the containing device used for replenishment. When the "out-of-contract remaining number of pages" is decreased, the value by which the decrease is made is recorded as the "number of printed pages" in association with the identifier of the containing device.

[0157] With the above configuration, even if the user makes an operation error, the database can be appropriately corrected.

[0158] <Fourth embodiment> In the first to third embodiments, when replenishment is performed with a non-contract replenishment pack 200, the "remaining number" or "non-contract remaining number" is increased. In this embodiment, in order to simplify the data managed by the management DB 313, when replenishment is performed with a non-contract replenishment pack 200, the contract is temporarily suspended. Below, this embodiment will be described, focusing on the differences from the first embodiment.

[0159] 22 shows the device registration table 330 according to this embodiment. The device registration table 330 according to this embodiment includes "contract renewal date and time" and "contract resumption conditions" in addition to the information items described in the first embodiment.

[0160] The "contract renewal date and time" indicates the next update date for the "remaining number of sheets" for the image forming device 1 corresponding to the record. When the "contract renewal date and time" arrives, the data management unit 350 updates the value of the "remaining number of sheets" based on the contract details indicated by the "contract type" in the device registration table 330, and sets the next update timing for the "contract renewal date and time."

[0161] The "Contract Resumption Conditions" section sets the conditions for resuming a contract if the contract with the business operator has been temporarily suspended.

[0162] The sequence of the toner replenishment process in this embodiment is basically the same as the sequence in the first embodiment shown in FIG. 13 . However, in this embodiment, the process in S80 differs when replenishment is performed using a non-contract replenishment pack 200. Specifically, when replenishment is performed using a non-contract replenishment pack 200, the data management unit 350 does not update the “remaining number of pages” in the device registration table 330. Instead, the data management unit 350 sets the contract restart condition in the “contract restart condition.” For example, the data management unit 350 calculates a period according to a predetermined standard based on the amount of toner added by the replenishment. Then, the data management unit 350 sets the “contract restart condition” to a date and time that is the calculated period from the current time. The “contract renewal date and time” is also updated to extend the period by that amount. This corresponds to the assumption that printing is being performed using non-contract toner during the period corresponding to the amount of toner added by the replenishment. During this period, the user is not charged based on the subscription service.

[0163] The above process will be specifically explained using one record in the device registration table 330 shown in FIG. 22A. In FIG. 22A, the "contract type" indicates that 50 sheets can be printed per month, the "toner remaining amount" is 10%, and the "contract renewal date and time" is October 1, 2021. Assume that the toner was replenished with a non-contract replenishment pack 200 on September 15, 2021, and the "toner remaining amount" increased by 50%. If the period corresponding to 50% toner is six months, the data management unit 350 sets the "contract resumption condition" to February 15, 2022, six months later, as shown in FIG. 22B. The data management unit 350 also extends the "contract renewal date and time" by six months, setting it to March 1, 2022. Subsequently, on February 15, 2022, the contract resumption date, the data management unit 350 deletes the value set for the "contract resumption condition" and sets it to unset.

[0164] The data management unit 350 can also set the remaining toner amount before replenishment in the "contract resumption condition." In this case, the "contract resumption condition" means that the contract will be resumed when the "remaining toner amount" reaches the value set in the "contract resumption condition." In this case, the current date and time are also set in the "contract resumption condition." When the contract is resumed, the "contract renewal date and time" is extended by the difference between the date and time set in the "contract resumption condition" and the date and time of contract resumption.

[0165] The sequence of printing processing according to this embodiment is basically the same as the sequence of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 15, but the processing content at S109 and S115 in FIG. 15 differs from that of the first embodiment. FIG. 23 is a flowchart of the processing executed by the management server 301 at S109 in FIG. 15 in this embodiment. The data management unit 350 determines whether a "contract resumption condition" has been set in S300. If a "contract resumption condition" has been set, printing will be outside the contract, and the data management unit 350 notifies the image forming device 1 of a print command in S301. On the other hand, if a "contract resumption condition" has not been set in S300, the data management unit 350 determines whether the "remaining number of sheets" is equal to or greater than the total number of sheets to be printed in S302. If the "remaining number of sheets" is equal to or greater than the total number of sheets to be printed, the data management unit 350 notifies the image forming device 1 of a print command in S301. On the other hand, if the "remaining number" is less than the total number of prints, the authentication unit 370 notifies the user terminal 401 in S303 that printing is not possible (authentication unsuccessful). At this time, the authentication unit 370 can also notify the user terminal 401 of a proposal regarding contract changes.

[0166] In this embodiment, if the "contract resumption condition" is set, the data management unit 350 does not update the "remaining number of sheets" after printing in S115 of Fig. 15. On the other hand, if the "contract resumption condition" is not set, the data management unit 350 updates the "remaining number of sheets" in S115 of Fig. 15 in the same way as in the first embodiment.

[0167] As described above, in this embodiment, when a first image forming apparatus among one or more image forming apparatuses is replenished with consumables from a non-contract replenishment pack 200, the data management unit 350 sets a first condition and does not update the "remaining number of pages" even if printing is performed until the first condition is met. The first condition corresponds to a "contract resumption condition." For example, the first condition can be a condition that is met at a predetermined timing, as shown in FIG. 22(B). In FIG. 22(B), the predetermined timing is February 15, 2022. In this case, the data management unit 350 can set the predetermined timing based on the amount of toner replenished by the non-contract replenishment pack 200. The first condition can also be a condition that is met when the remaining amount of toner in the first image forming apparatus reaches a predetermined amount. The predetermined amount can be the amount of toner remaining before replenishment using the non-contract replenishment pack 200.

[0168] As described above, in this embodiment, when replenishment is performed using the non-contract replenishment pack 200, the contract is temporarily suspended and printing is performed outside the contract until the contract is resumed. This configuration simplifies the data to be managed while enabling the user to use the non-contract replenishment pack 200.

[0169] In this embodiment, an example in which the contract is temporarily suspended has been described, but this is not limiting. When replenishment is performed using the non-contract replenishment pack 200, the contract may continue, but updates to the "remaining number" may simply be suspended for a certain period of time. In this case, the first condition for starting updates to the "remaining number" may include, in addition to the above-mentioned conditions, replenishment using the in-contract replenishment pack 200. That is, when replenishment is performed using the non-contract replenishment pack 200, updates to the "remaining number" may be temporarily suspended, and when replenishment is performed using the in-contract replenishment pack 200, updates to the "remaining number" may resume. Since the contract is still ongoing, when the toner level drops, an in-contract replenishment pack 200 is automatically shipped to the user.

[0170] During the period when updates to the "remaining number of pages" are suspended, billing to the user based on the subscription service may be suspended. Alternatively, a fee structure may be adopted in which the user is charged a lower price than usual. For example, if the contract type allows the business operator to provide printer maintenance services even during the period when updates to the "remaining number of pages" are suspended, the user will benefit from continuing the contract at a lower price.

[0171] [Other embodiments] The present invention can also be realized by supplying a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and having one or more processors in the computer of the system or device read and execute the program. It can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

[0172] The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the following claims are appended to apprise the public of the scope of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0173] 350: Data management unit, 370: Authentication unit

Claims

1. a management unit for managing the number of remaining sheets on which image formation is permitted in an image forming apparatus that uses consumable materials to form images on the sheets; an acquisition means for acquiring first determination information for determining whether the storage device storing the consumable product is a first storage device or a second storage device; a determination means for determining, when the consumable goods are replenished from the storage device to the image forming apparatus, whether the storage device used for the replenishment is the first storage device based on the first determination information of the storage device used for the replenishment, and determining the amount of the consumable goods replenished to the image forming apparatus; Equipped with The information processing device is characterized in that the management means does not change the remaining number when the determination means determines that the storage device used for the replenishment is the first storage device, and increases the remaining number by a number corresponding to the replenishment amount when the determination means determines that the storage device used for the replenishment is the second storage device.

2. the acquiring unit acquires, before the first image formation by the image forming apparatus, second determination information for determining a first sheet number, which is the number of sheets on which an image is formed in the first image formation, and 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the management unit does not permit the first image formation when the number of first sheets is greater than the remaining number of sheets.

3. 3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the management unit notifies the image forming apparatus of execution of the first image formation when the number of first sheets is not greater than the remaining number of sheets.

4. 4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the management unit updates the remaining number of sheets so that the remaining number is reduced by the number of second sheets when notifying the image forming apparatus of the execution of the first image formation.

5. 5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the second number of sheets is equal to the first number of sheets, or equal to the number of sheets on which images are actually formed in the first image formation acquired from the image forming apparatus.

6. the management means manages the remaining number as a first remaining number and a second remaining number, The information processing device described in claim 1, characterized in that when the determination means determines that the storage device used for the replenishment is the first storage device, the management means does not change either the first remaining number or the second remaining number, and when the determination means determines that the storage device used for the replenishment is the second storage device, the management means increases the second remaining number by a number corresponding to the replenishment amount and does not change the first remaining number.

7. the acquiring unit acquires, before the first image formation by the image forming apparatus, second determination information for determining a first sheet number, which is the number of sheets on which an image is formed in the first image formation, and 7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the management unit does not permit the first image formation when the first number of sheets is greater than the sum of the first remaining number of sheets and the second remaining number of sheets.

8. 8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the management unit notifies the image forming apparatus of execution of the first image formation when the first number of sheets is not greater than the sum of the first remaining number of sheets and the second remaining number of sheets.

9. The information processing device described in claim 8, characterized in that when the management means notifies the image forming device of the execution of the first image formation, it determines the number of second sheets, and if the number of second sheets is not greater than the first remaining number, it updates the first remaining number so that the first remaining number is reduced by the number of second sheets, and does not update the second remaining number, and if the number of second sheets is greater than the first remaining number, it updates the second remaining number so that the second remaining number is reduced by the difference between the number of second sheets and the first remaining number, and updates the first remaining number to 0.

10. 10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the second number of sheets is equal to the first number of sheets, or equal to the number of sheets on which images are actually formed in the first image formation acquired from the image forming apparatus.

11. The information processing device described in claim 9 or 10, characterized in that when the consumable item is replenished from the storage device to the image forming device, the management means records whether the storage device used for the replenishment is the first storage device and the amount of the consumable item replenished to the image forming device in association with the identifier of the storage device used for the replenishment.

12. the first containing device is the containing device provided in a service to which a user of the image forming apparatus subscribes; the management unit manages, for each identifier of the first containing device provided in the service, whether the first containing device has been used to replenish the consumables to the image forming apparatus; The information processing device described in claim 11, characterized in that when the consumable item is replenished from the storage device to the image forming device and the storage device used for the replenishment is the second storage device, the management means records the identifier of the first storage device that is not being used to replenish the consumable item of the image forming device at that time in association with the identifier of the storage device used for the replenishment.

13. The information processing device described in claim 11, characterized in that when the consumable item is replenished from the storage device to the image forming device and the storage device used for the replenishment is the second storage device, the management means also records the number of sheets corresponding to the replenishment amount of the consumable item replenished to the image forming device in association with the identifier of the storage device used for the replenishment.

14. 14. The information processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein, when the second remaining number is updated, information indicating a difference between the second number of sheets and the first remaining number is recorded.

15. 8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the acquisition unit receives the second determination information from the image forming apparatus or a user device having image data used in the first image formation.

16. the second determination information is image data used in the first image formation, 8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the determining means determines the number of the first sheets based on the image data.

17. 17. The information processing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the management unit transmits the image data to the image forming apparatus when notifying the image forming apparatus of the execution of the first image formation.

18. 18. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determining means determines the replenishment amount based on a nominal value of the amount of the consumable product contained in the containing device used for the replenishment.

19. 19. The information processing apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the determining unit acquires the nominal value from the image forming apparatus or a user device used by a user of the image forming apparatus.

20. The information processing device according to claim 18, characterized in that the determination means acquires information identifying the accommodated device or the type of the accommodated device from the image forming device or a user device used by a user of the image forming device, and determines the nominal value based on the acquired information.

21. the acquiring unit acquires, from the image forming device, information indicating a remaining amount of the consumable item held in the image forming device; 21. An information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the determination means determines the amount of replenishment based on the amount of change in the remaining amount of the consumable item held in the image forming device when the consumable item is replenished from the storage device to the image forming device.

22. 22. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the acquisition unit acquires the first determination information from the image forming apparatus or a user device used by a user of the image forming apparatus.

23. the first containing device is the containing device provided in a service to which a user of the image forming apparatus subscribes; The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second accommodation device is the accommodation device acquired by the user outside the service.

24. 24. A program, when executed by one or more processors of an apparatus having one or more processors, causing the apparatus to function as an information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 23.

Images