Management system for printing consumables and printing apparatus

Abstract

To surely deliver the next stored body to a user before a print consumable material runs out even when a sensor for measuring a residual amount of the print consumable material is not provided in a tank.SOLUTION: A print processing system 1 comprises: a tank 32 which stores ink from a bottle; an ink jet head 3; a cumulative consumption amount acquisition unit 600 which acquires a cumulative consumption amount of ink; a bottle capacity acquisition unit 610 which acquires a prescribed capacity of a bottle; an order placement frequency acquisition unit 630 which acquires the past order placement frequency of the bottle; an optimization information acquisition unit 620 which acquires optimization information for optimizing a consumption error coefficient that reduces a risk generated due to a variation related to the consumption characteristic of ink in the ink jet head 3 for the individual of the ink jet head 3; and a determination unit 650 which determines the propriety of the new order placement of the bottle on the basis of the acquired cumulative consumption amount of ink, prescribed capacity, order placement frequency and the consumption error coefficient optimized with the optimization information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[[TECHNICAL FIELD]]

[0001] The present invention relates to a printing consumable management system having a tank configured to be incapable of detecting the internal remaining amount of printing consumables. [[BACKGROUND ART]]

[0002] Conventionally, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example, a configuration is known in which when an ink cartridge mounted in a printer is replaced, the sum of the remaining amount of ink in a sub tank and the capacity of the cartridge is set as a new remaining ink amount, and counting is performed to newly order a next cartridge. [[PRIOR ART DOCUMENT]] [[PATENT DOCUMENT]]

[0003] [[Patent Document 1]] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2019-117614 [[SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION]] [[Problem to be Solved by the Invention]]

[0004] In the above-described conventional technology, a new cartridge is ordered based on that the remaining amount of ink, which is a printing consumable in the tank, has decreased to a predetermined value, whereby the next cartridge can be reliably delivered to a user before the ink available for printing is completely exhausted. In addition, a sensor for actually measuring the remaining amount of ink is provided in the sub tank, and even if an error occurs in the above counting, the count can be automatically reset based on the detection result from the sensor.

[0005] On the other hand, in relatively low-cost printers, there are cases where printing consumables are supplied to a tank in units of the predetermined capacity from a storage body storing a predetermined fixed capacity of printing consumables, such as a bottle, and used. In such a case, there may be cases where a sensor for actually measuring the remaining amount of printing consumables as in the above-described conventional technology is not provided in the tank.

[0006] Furthermore, in reality, the rate at which the consumption of printing consumables increases with increasing print volume varies even among printers of the same model, depending on the individual print head, printing environment, and printing style. As a result, there is always a certain degree of error in the estimation of the remaining amount of printing consumables, and the accuracy of the tank estimation decreases. Consequently, it was sometimes difficult to accurately determine the timing of ordering the next storage container, and it was challenging to ensure that the next storage container was delivered to the user before the current one ran out.

[0007] The object of the present invention is to provide a printing consumables management system and a printing apparatus that can reliably deliver the next storage container to the user before the current container runs out, even when a sensor for measuring the remaining amount of printing consumables is not installed in the tank. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To achieve the above objective, the present invention provides a tank for storing printing consumables from a storage body that stores printing consumables in predetermined capacity units, the tank being configured such that the remaining amount of printing consumables inside cannot be measured; a printing unit for forming an image on a printing medium using the printing consumables in the tank; a printing volume acquisition unit for acquiring cumulative printing volume information of the printing consumables due to image formation by the printing unit; a capacity acquisition unit for acquiring the predetermined capacity of the storage body; a count acquisition unit for acquiring the number of past orders for the storage body; an optimization information acquisition unit for acquiring optimization information for optimizing a consumption error correction value for each individual printing unit to reduce the risk caused by variations in the consumption characteristics of the printing consumables in the printing unit; and a determination unit for determining whether or not to place a new order for the storage body based on the cumulative printing volume information acquired by the printing volume acquisition unit, the predetermined capacity acquired by the capacity acquisition unit, the number of orders acquired by the count acquisition unit, and the consumption error correction value optimized by the optimization information.

[0009] In the present invention, printing consumables used in image formation in the printing section are stored in a tank, and the consumables are supplied to the tank from the storage container. The storage container has a predetermined capacity and can supply printing consumables to the tank. When supplying printing consumables, the predetermined capacity of printing consumables is supplied to the tank from the storage container filled with printing consumables, either in one go or in multiple batches. The storage container is ordered each time and delivered to the user of the printing section.

[0010] Printing consumables are consumed during image formation, and the amount of printing consumables remaining in the tank gradually decreases. However, in the present invention, the amount of printing consumables remaining inside the tank cannot be measured. In the printing consumable management system of the present invention, a print volume acquisition unit, a volume acquisition unit, and a number of cycles acquisition unit are provided to estimate the amount of printing consumables remaining in the tank, which cannot be measured.

[0011] The print volume acquisition unit acquires cumulative print volume information obtained through image formation in the printing unit. The capacity acquisition unit acquires the predetermined capacity of the storage container. The order count acquisition unit acquires the number of times the storage container has been ordered in the past. In the present invention, optimization information is used to optimize a consumption error correction value that reduces the risk caused by variations in the consumption characteristics of printing consumables in the printing section. The optimization information is information for optimizing the consumption error correction value for the specific printing section and is acquired by an optimization information acquisition unit. In the printing consumables management system of the present invention, a determination unit determines whether or not a new order for a storage container can be placed. The determination unit determines whether or not a new order for a storage container can be placed based on the cumulative print volume information obtained by the print volume acquisition unit, the predetermined volume obtained by the volume acquisition unit, the number of orders obtained by the number of orders acquisition unit, and a consumption error correction value optimized by the optimization information obtained by the optimization information acquisition unit.

[0012] In the present invention, in response to the fact that the rate of increase in the consumption of printing consumables due to an increase in the amount of printing produced differs depending on the consumption characteristics of each individual printing unit, the remaining amount in the tank can be estimated in a way that prevents running out of printing consumables by using a consumption error correction value that reduces the risk caused by such individual variations. The consumption error correction value used in this case is optimized for that particular printing unit using optimization information. According to the printing consumables management system of the present invention, the timing for ordering a new storage container can be determined based on the estimated remaining amount in the tank, so as not to cause a shortage of printing consumables. This ensures that the next storage container is delivered to the user before the current one runs out. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the present invention, even if a sensor for measuring the remaining amount of printing consumables is not installed in the tank, the next storage container can be reliably delivered to the user before the current container runs out of printing consumables. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0014] [Figure 1] This is a functional block diagram showing the overall schematic configuration of a printing processing system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a schematic diagram of the printer configuration included in a printing processing system. [Figure 3] This diagram illustrates the time-dependent behavior of the ink tank, showing how the remaining ink level decreases and prompting the ordering of the next bottle, as well as the basic concept of the method for estimating the remaining ink level in the tank. [Figure 4] This diagram illustrates the variation in actual ink consumption between individual printers, and also illustrates how this variation is represented by estimated remaining ink levels. [Figure 5] This is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of calculating the estimated remaining amount without using a consumption error coefficient. [Figure 6] This is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of calculating the estimated remaining amount without using a consumption error coefficient. [Figure 7]FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of calculating an estimated remaining amount by using a uniformly set consumption error coefficient. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of calculating an estimated remaining amount by using a uniformly set consumption error coefficient. [Figure 9] FIG. 12 is a software block configuration diagram related to various processes according to the embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a display example of a mobile terminal. [Figure 11] FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing a control procedure executed by a processor of an information management server. [Figure 12] FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a method of an embodiment for calculating an estimated remaining amount by using a consumption error coefficient optimized for each individual inkjet head. [Figure 13] FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a method of an embodiment for calculating an estimated remaining amount by using a consumption error coefficient optimized for each individual inkjet head. [Figure 14] FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram illustrating behavior when the value of the consumption error coefficient changes due to replacement of an inkjet head. [Figure 15] FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram illustrating behavior when the value of the consumption error coefficient changes due to replacement of an inkjet head. [Figure 16] FIG. 17 is a software block configuration diagram related to various processes according to a modification that uses rank information as optimization information. [Figure 17] FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram showing the correspondence between a plurality of categories of consumption error coefficients and rank information. [Figure 18] FIG. 19 is a software block configuration diagram related to various processes according to a modification that uses individual identification information of an inkjet head as optimization information. [Figure 19] FIG. 20 is an explanatory diagram showing the correspondence between individual identification information of each inkjet head and actually measured values of consumption error coefficients. [Figure 20] FIG. 21 is an external view showing a state in which, in a modification that uses an external appearance image of a tank as optimization information, an opening / closing cover provided on a housing of a printer is opened to expose the external appearances of four tanks to the outside. [Figure 21] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the shooting screen displayed on the screen when taking a picture with the camera of a mobile device. [Figure 22] This is an explanatory diagram illustrating a method for determining the remaining amount of liquid in a tank from the liquid level position captured in an external image. [Figure 23] This is a software block diagram showing the various processes involved. [Figure 24] This is an explanatory diagram illustrating the behavior when the value of the consumption error coefficient changes based on the acquisition of an external image. [Figure 25] This is an explanatory diagram illustrating the behavior when the value of the consumption error coefficient changes based on the acquisition of an external image. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0015] Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0016] Figure 1 shows a printing processing system according to one embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is a printing processing system 1 that can provide a delivery service in which replacement printing consumables (details described later) used in the printer 200 are delivered by manual operation when they have been consumed to a certain extent. The printing processing system 1 may also provide a printing service based on a printing contract that charges an amount according to the number of prints made by the printer 200. The printing processing system 1 is an example of a management system for printing consumables.

[0017] <Overview of the Printing System> In Figure 1, the printing system 1 includes an information management server 100, at least one printer 200, a mobile terminal 300, and a delivery management server 400. These information management server 100, printer 200, mobile terminal 300, and delivery management server 400 are connected to network NT and can communicate with each other. The printer 200 is an example of a printing device.

[0018] <Printer Configuration> The printer 200, which is provided in the above-described printing processing system 1, will be explained with reference to Figure 2. As shown in Figure 2, the printer 200 consists of a carriage 2, an inkjet head 3, a platen 4, and transport rollers 5 and 6. The side with transport roller 6 is the front of the printer 200, and the side with transport roller 5 is the rear of the printer 200. The direction from the rear to the front is the transport direction, and the left-right direction is the main scanning direction. The inkjet head 3 is an example of the printing unit.

[0019] The carriage 2 is connected to the carriage motor 56 (see Figure 1) via a belt or the like (not shown), and moves along the guide rails 11 and 12 in the main scanning direction when the carriage motor 56 is driven.

[0020] The inkjet head 3 is connected to four tubes 31. Each of the four tubes 31 is connected to one of four tanks 32 that are aligned in the main scanning direction at the right front end of the printer 200. Black, yellow, cyan, and magenta inks stored in the four tanks 32 are supplied to the inkjet head 3 via the tubes 31.

[0021] The printer 200 of this embodiment is, for example, a relatively low-cost model, and ink is used by pouring it into each tank 32 from a corresponding bottle (not shown). That is, each tank 32 is provided with a cap 32a, and by manually pouring in the ink from the bottle with the cap 32a removed, the tank 32 is filled with ink. The capacity of the bottle is fixed to a certain value, i.e., 100% capacity, and as long as the ink is not accidentally spilled during pouring, or as long as the replenishment is not done before all the ink has been added, in principle, the ink will be supplied into the tank 32 in units of 100% capacity with a single pouring operation. Ink is an example of a printing consumable, and the bottle is an example of a storage container. Furthermore, in this embodiment, corresponding to the low-cost model, the printer 200 is not provided with a sensor or the like to measure the remaining amount of ink in the tank 32.

[0022] The inkjet head 3 is mounted on the carriage 2, and image formation, i.e., printing, is performed when the inkjet head 3 ejects ink while the carriage 2 moves the inkjet head 3 in the main scanning direction. The inkjet head 3 has a flow path unit 13 and an actuator 14.

[0023] The flow path unit 13 has four rows of nozzles 9, each containing multiple nozzles 10, arranged in the main scanning direction. From the multiple nozzles 10, for example, black, yellow, cyan, and magenta inks are ejected sequentially from right to left. Each nozzle 10 in a single nozzle row is supplied with one color of ink corresponding to that color via a common tube 31 and a common ink flow path. That is, ink from a single tank 32 is supplied via the path of tube 31 → ink flow path of the flow path unit 13 → each nozzle 10.

[0024] The platen 4 is located below the inkjet head 3 and faces the nozzle surface 13a during printing. The platen 4 extends across the entire width of the recording paper P in the main scanning direction and supports the recording paper P from below. The recording paper P is an example of the printing medium. The transport rollers 5 and 6 are located upstream and downstream of the platen 4 in the transport direction, respectively. The transport rollers 5 and 6 are connected to a transport motor 57 (see Figure 1) via gears (not shown), and rotate by the drive of the transport motor 57 to transport the recording paper P in the transport direction.

[0025] With the above configuration, the printer 200 prints on the recording paper P by transporting the recording paper P by the transport rollers 5 and 6, moving the carriage 2 in the main scanning direction each time, and ejecting ink from multiple nozzles 10 of the inkjet head 3.

[0026] <Electrical configuration of the printing processing system> Returning to Figure 1, the electrical configuration of the printing processing system 1 will be explained.

[0027] <Information Management Server> The information management server 100 is a server installed and managed by, for example, the manufacturer of the printer 200, and has a processor 110, a storage device 115, and an interface 190. These processor 110, storage device 115, and interface 190 are connected to each other via a bus 105.

[0028] The storage device 115 includes a volatile storage device 120 and a non-volatile storage device 130. The volatile storage device 120 is, for example, a DRAM and has a user ID storage area 121, a device number storage area 122, and a service information storage area 123 for storing service information, which will be described later. The non-volatile storage device 130 is, for example, a hard disk drive or a solid-state drive and has a program storage area 131, a charge table storage area 132, and an optimization information storage area 133. The charge table storage area 132 stores, for example, predetermined correlations for calculating charges to be charged to the user in response to printing or bottle delivery. The optimization information stored in the optimization information storage area 133 will be described later.

[0029] The processor 110 is a device that performs data processing, such as a CPU. The processor 110 executes various processes, such as those shown in Figures 11 and 14 below, including data communication to the mobile terminal 300, printer 200, and delivery management server 400 connected to the network NT, by executing a program stored in the program storage area 131.

[0030] Interface 190 is a wired LAN interface or wireless interface for communicating with other devices and is connected to the NT network.

[0031] <Delivery Management Server> The delivery management server 400 is installed, for example, in a delivery service company that provides delivery services for various goods, and has a processor, a storage device, and an interface for connecting to the network NT (not shown).

[0032] <Mobile devices> The mobile terminal 300 is a mobile device such as a smartphone owned by the user, and is connected to the network NT via wireless communication. The mobile terminal 300 has a processor, a storage device, an interface for connecting to the network NT, and an appropriate display unit 301 (see Figure 10 below). Various programs are stored in the program storage area of ​​the storage device, and these various programs include various processing programs. Note that other information terminals such as tablet computers and desktop PCs may be used instead of the mobile terminal 300.

[0033] <Printer> The printer 200 is equipped with a control device 50 for controlling the operation of the printer 200. The control device 50 includes a CPU 51, ROM 52, RAM 53, EEPROM 54, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) 55, an interface 90, and the like. By having these components, the control device 50 controls the carriage motor 56, the transport motor 57, and the like.

[0034] Interface 90 is a wired LAN interface or wireless interface for communicating with other devices and is connected to the network NT mentioned above.

[0035] Although Figure 1 shows only one CPU 51, the control device 50 may have multiple CPUs 51, and these multiple CPUs 51 may share the processing. Similarly, although Figure 1 shows only one ASIC 55, the control device 50 may have multiple ASICs 55, and these multiple ASICs 55 may share the processing.

[0036] <Background of this embodiment> In the printer 200 described above, for example, if the aforementioned bottle is ordered when the ink level in tank 32 drops to a predetermined value, the next bottle can be reliably delivered to the user before the ink available for printing is completely depleted. The newly delivered bottle contains a predetermined fixed capacity of ink, and ink is supplied from that bottle to the tank in units of that fixed capacity. The fixed capacity is an example of 100% capacity. The fixed capacity value is uniquely determined for one type of bottle, but the printer 200 may use multiple types of bottles, in which case there will be multiple fixed capacity values. In addition, the bottle may be switched to a different type of bottle during the operation of the printer 200. For example, the behavior over time when ordering the next new bottle, triggered by the ink level in tank 32 reaching 20% ​​of the fixed capacity, will be explained using Figures 3(a) and 3(b).

[0037] Figure 3(a) shows the passage of time on the horizontal axis and the amount of ink remaining in tank 32 (hereinafter referred to as "tank amount") on the vertical axis. In the illustrated example, the fixed amount of ink is initially poured from the bottle into the empty tank 32, and the user begins using the printer when the tank amount is 100%, which is the same as the fixed capacity (time t0). As the number of printed pages increases with user use, the amount of ink remaining in the tank gradually decreases, and the first bottle order is made when it falls below 20% of the fixed capacity (hereinafter referred to as "20% capacity," etc.) (time tr1). After the order is placed, there is a time lag before the new bottle is actually delivered and arrives, so by the time the bottle arrives at the user's location, the amount of ink remaining in the tank has decreased to approximately 10% capacity (time t1).

[0038] When the newly arrived bottle is filled with the same fixed amount of ink, the remaining ink level in the tank increases to approximately 110% (time t1). As before, the remaining ink level in the tank decreases again due to the increase in the number of printed pages, and a second bottle order is placed when it falls below 20%. In this example, the second order is placed a little later, when the tank level is approximately 12% (time tr2), and as a result, by the time the bottle arrives at the user's location, the remaining ink level in the tank has decreased to approximately 3% (time t2).

[0039] The ink is then refilled from the newly arrived bottle, and the remaining ink level in the tank increases to approximately 103% of its capacity (time t2). Subsequently, as before, the remaining ink level in the tank decreases again due to the increase in the number of printed pages.

[0040] <Calculation of estimated remaining amount> As described above, when attempting to place an order based on the remaining ink level in the tank reaching a predetermined value, such as 20%, it is not possible to accurately measure the predetermined value in the printer 200's tank 32, as previously mentioned, because the tank 32 does not have a sensor to measure the actual ink level. Therefore, a method is used to estimate the remaining ink level in tank 32 by calculating the cumulative consumption of consumables based on the dot count value of the printer 200, accumulating the cumulative consumption of ink for each print, and subtracting this cumulative consumption from the value obtained by multiplying the fixed capacity by the number of past bottle orders. Figure 3(b) shows the trend of the estimated remaining ink level in the tank using this method (hereinafter referred to simply as "estimated remaining amount" as appropriate). In Figure 3(b), the cumulative consumption is represented using a cumulative consumption index, which corresponds to the actual ink consumption value expressed in picoliters, for example. The cumulative consumption index is mapped one-to-one with the cumulative value of the number of on-dots included in the image data during printing, i.e., the dot count value. In this example, the value equivalent to 100% capacity is set to 5, and the value equivalent to 20% capacity is set to 1. The estimated remaining amount is also represented as a value with the aforementioned fixed capacity set to 100%. The estimated remaining amount is an example of the estimated remaining amount value.

[0041] As shown in Figure 3(b), at the aforementioned time t0 before user use begins, the cumulative consumption index is 0, and the number of bottle orders at this point is 0, so the estimated remaining capacity calculated as described above is 100%. As the number of printed pages increases with user use, the remaining capacity in the tank gradually decreases. For example, when 20% of the ink capacity in tank 32 is consumed, the cumulative consumption index becomes 1 and the estimated remaining capacity becomes 80%. When 40% of the ink capacity in tank 32 is consumed, the cumulative consumption index becomes 2 and the estimated remaining capacity becomes 60%. Subsequently, when 80% of the ink capacity in tank 32 is consumed, the cumulative consumption index becomes 4 and the estimated remaining capacity becomes 20%, at which point the next new bottle is ordered. When the ordered bottle arrives and 100% capacity is added to tank 32, the cumulative consumption index remains 4 and the number of orders becomes 1, and the estimated remaining capacity becomes 120% (see bold frame).

[0042] Subsequently, as described above, when ink equivalent to 20% of the capacity is consumed, the cumulative consumption index becomes 5, and the estimated remaining capacity decreases by 20% from 120% to 100%. When ink equivalent to 40% of the capacity is consumed, the cumulative consumption index becomes 6, and the estimated remaining capacity becomes 80%. The same applies thereafter.

[0043] <Consumption error> However, in reality, the rate at which ink consumption in the tank 32 increases with the number of printed pages by the inkjet head 3 differs for each individual inkjet head 3, even within the same model. As a result, the estimation of the remaining ink in the tank always contains some degree of error, making high-precision estimation difficult.

[0044] For example, Figure 4(a) shows the behavior when there is a variation of ±5% in the actual ink consumption of each inkjet head 3 in relation to the increase in the number of printed pages (= consumption error). As shown in the diagram, when the cumulative consumption index progresses from 1, 2, 3, etc. due to the increase in the number of printed pages associated with user usage, for example, if the consumption error is -5%, meaning the actual ink consumption is 5% less, the actual cumulative consumption index will behave as follows: the above value minus 0.05, i.e., 0.95, 1.9, 2.85, etc. If the consumption error is +5%, meaning the actual ink consumption is 5% more, the actual cumulative consumption index will behave as follows: the above value plus 0.05, i.e., 1.05, 2.1, 3.15, etc. In either case, the deviation from the standard value of the cumulative consumption index without consumption error, which progresses from 1, 2, 3, etc., increases in proportion to the increase in the cumulative consumption index, progressing as follows: ±0.05, ±0.1, ±0.15, etc.

[0045] Figure 4(b) illustrates the above behavior using the estimated remaining amount described above. In the figure, as described above, when the cumulative consumption index progresses from 0, 1, 2, 3, etc., the standard value of the estimated remaining amount when there is no consumption error progresses as described above, such as 100% capacity, 80% capacity, 60% capacity, etc. In contrast, if we assume a unit with a consumption error of -5%, the actual ink consumption will be 5% less, and the estimated remaining amount will progress from 100% capacity, 81% capacity, 62% capacity, etc., resulting in a higher estimated remaining amount in the tank than in the standard case. Assuming an individual unit with a consumption error of +5%, the actual ink consumption will be 5% higher, causing the estimated remaining ink level to fluctuate between 100%, 79%, 58%, etc., resulting in a lower estimated remaining ink level in the tank compared to the standard case.

[0046] Therefore, using the above method, it is difficult to accurately determine the timing for ordering the next new bottle, and it becomes difficult to ensure that the next bottle is delivered to the user before the ink in tank 32 runs out.

[0047] <Comparative Example 1> Figure 5 shows an example of the behavior described above, that is, the progression when the estimated remaining amount is calculated without using the consumption error coefficient described later, as the first comparative example of this embodiment. In Figure 5, as with Figures 3(b) and 4(b) above, the cumulative consumption index is an indexed value with the value equivalent to 100% capacity set to 5 and the value equivalent to 20% capacity set to 1, and the estimated remaining amount is expressed as a value with the aforementioned fixed capacity set to 100%.

[0048] As shown in Figure 5, when the cumulative consumption index progresses from 0, 1, 2, 3, etc., as described above, the estimated remaining amount calculated without using the consumption error coefficient described later progresses as follows: 100% capacity, 80% capacity, 60% capacity, 40% capacity, etc. When the cumulative consumption index reaches 4 and the estimated remaining capacity is 20%, an order for a new bottle is placed. Upon arrival of the bottle, 100% of the tank's capacity is added, the cumulative consumption index remains at 4, the order count becomes 1, and the estimated remaining capacity becomes 120% (see the bolded box). Subsequently, as described above, the cumulative consumption index progresses from 4, 5, 6, ..., and the estimated remaining volume progresses from 120% capacity, 100% capacity, 80% capacity, ... until the cumulative consumption index reaches 9 and the estimated remaining volume reaches 20%, at which point a bottle order is placed. 100% capacity is added to tank 32, the cumulative consumption index remains at 9, the number of orders becomes 2, and the estimated remaining volume becomes 120% (see the bolded box). Similarly, subsequent orders for bottles ordered at cumulative consumption indices 14, 19, 24, etc., where the estimated remaining volume reached 20% capacity, resulted in additional orders being placed at 3, 4, and 5, respectively, bringing the estimated remaining volume to 120% (see bolded box).

[0049] In this first comparative example method, the estimated remaining amount is calculated by assuming a consumption error of 0. Whenever the remaining amount in the tank is estimated to have fallen to 20% of its capacity or less, a bottle is ordered, and ink is injected from the delivered bottle each time. In this case, if the actual consumption error of the inkjet head 3 is ±0, then, as shown by the solid line in Figure 6, the estimated remaining capacity will never reach 0%, no matter how high the cumulative consumption index increases after the user starts using the device. Furthermore, if the actual consumption error of inkjet head 3 is -5%, the broken line behavior shown by the dashed line in Figure 6 will gradually move upward from the solid line behavior in the case of ±0 consumption error as the cumulative consumption index increases. As a result, the estimated remaining capacity will never reach 0%.

[0050] However, if the actual consumption error of the inkjet head 3 is +5%, the broken line behavior shown by the dashed line in Figure 6 will gradually deviate downward from the solid line behavior in the case of ±0 consumption error as the cumulative consumption index increases. As a result, as shown in Figures 6 and 5, for example, when the cumulative consumption index is 24, 29, and 30, the estimated remaining amount falls below 0% and becomes a negative value. In other words, in this case, the ink in tank 32 may run out before the next new bottle reaches the user.

[0051] <Comparative Example 2> Therefore, in order to guarantee that the ink will never run out until the bottle arrives, in other words, to reduce the risk of running out of ink due to the aforementioned individual variations, it is conceivable to first assume that there is always a consumption error of +5% when calculating the estimated remaining amount. In that case, the estimated remaining amount calculated as described above is multiplied by a consumption error coefficient of 1.05 to obtain the estimated remaining amount that takes the consumption error into account. The consumption error coefficient is an example of a consumption error correction value.

[0052] Figure 7 shows an example of the progression when calculating the estimated remaining amount using a consumption error coefficient of 1.05, as a second comparative example of this embodiment. In Figure 7, unlike the previous example, the cumulative consumption index is calculated by setting the value equivalent to 100% capacity to 10 and the value equivalent to 5% capacity to 1. The estimated remaining amount is expressed as a value with the same fixed capacity as described above set to 100%.

[0053] As shown in Figure 7, when the cumulative consumption index progresses from 0, 1, 2, 3, etc., the estimated remaining amount calculated using a consumption error coefficient of 1.05 will progress as follows: 100% capacity, 90% capacity, 79% capacity, 69% capacity, etc., as described above. When the cumulative consumption index reaches 8 and the estimated remaining volume falls below 20% of the capacity (16% capacity), an order for a new bottle is placed. Upon arrival of the bottle, 100% of the capacity is added to tank 32, the cumulative consumption index remains at 8, the number of orders placed becomes 1, and the estimated remaining volume becomes 116% (see the bolded box). Subsequently, as described above, the cumulative consumption index progresses from 8, 9, 10, ..., while the estimated remaining volume progresses from 116% capacity, 106% capacity, 95% capacity, ..., until the cumulative consumption index reaches 18, at which point the estimated remaining volume becomes 11%, and a bottle order is placed. 100% capacity is added to tank 32, the cumulative consumption index remains at 18, and the number of orders becomes 2. The estimated remaining volume increases to 111% (see bolded box). Similarly, with cumulative consumption indices of 27, 37, 46, etc., where the estimated remaining volume fell below 20% capacity, the number of orders increased to 3, 4, and 5, respectively, due to additional orders from bottles ordered. The estimated remaining volume then increased to 117%, 112%, 117%, etc., with 100% capacity added to each bottle (see bolded box).

[0054] In this second comparative example, the estimated remaining amount is calculated by assuming a consumption error of plus 5%, and a bottle is ordered each time the remaining amount in the tank is estimated to have fallen to 20% of its capacity or less, and ink is injected from the delivered bottle each time. In this case, even if the actual consumption error of the inkjet head 3 is +5%, as shown by the solid line in Figure 8, the estimated remaining capacity will never reach 0%, no matter how high the cumulative consumption index increases after the user starts using the device. Furthermore, if the actual consumption error of inkjet head 3 is ±0%, the broken line behavior shown by the dashed line in Figure 8 will gradually move upward from the solid line behavior in the case of a consumption error of -5% as the cumulative consumption index increases. As a result, the estimated remaining capacity will never reach 0%. Furthermore, if the actual consumption error of inkjet head 3 is -5%, the broken line behavior shown by the dashed line in Figure 8 will move even further upward than the solid line behavior in the case of ±0 consumption error as the cumulative consumption index increases. As a result, the estimated remaining capacity will never reach 0%. On the other hand, when refilling ink with bottles received through ordering, it is possible that the ink may not all fit into the tank, but the ink remaining in the bottles can be refilled later.

[0055] As a result of the above, in the second comparative example, regardless of the value of the cumulative consumption index, and regardless of the actual consumption error of the inkjet head of printer 200, which is within the range of -5% to +5%, the estimated remaining amount will never fall below 0% or become a negative value.

[0056] <Optimization of consumption error coefficient> In the second comparative example described above, the estimated remaining amount is calculated using a consumption error coefficient of 1.05, assuming that a consumption error of plus 5% occurs uniformly for each individual inkjet head 3. In other words, as long as the consumption error is within the range of plus 5%, the ink in tank 32 will not run out before the next new bottle reaches the user. As a result, the next new bottle can be delivered to the user at least before the ink in tank 32 runs out.

[0057] However, if the actual ink consumption error of inkjet head 3 is ±0%, the ink consumption will be estimated to be slightly higher than the actual ink consumption characteristics of inkjet head 3, as described above based on the behavior of the dashed line in Figure 8. Furthermore, if the actual ink consumption error of inkjet head 3 is -5%, the ink consumption will be estimated to be even higher than the actual ink consumption characteristics of inkjet head 3, as described above based on the behavior of the dashed line in Figure 8.

[0058] On the other hand, if the actual consumption error of the inkjet head 3 is +20%, the ink consumption will be estimated to be underestimated compared to the actual ink consumption characteristics of the inkjet head 3. Therefore, similar to the case of a consumption error of +5% shown by the dashed line in Figure 6 of the first comparative example, the behavior in the case of a consumption error of +20% gradually deviates downward from the solid line behavior of the consumption error of +5% as the cumulative consumption index increases, as shown by the dotted line in Figure 8. As a result, as shown in Figure 8, for example, when the cumulative consumption index is 17 or 18, the estimated remaining amount may become close to 0% or even a negative value below 0%, and it is possible that the ink in tank 32 will run out before the next new bottle reaches the user.

[0059] Therefore, in this embodiment, in order to ensure that the ink never runs out until the bottle arrives and to properly understand the amount of ink remaining in the tank 32, the value of the consumption error coefficient is optimized to match the individual characteristics of each inkjet head 3. The method is described in detail below.

[0060] <Software Block Configuration> In this embodiment, the software block configuration related to the process to be executed as described above is shown in Figure 9.

[0061] <Service processing unit of the management server> In Figure 9, the information management server 100 includes a service processing unit 530. For example, the service processing unit 530 is composed of the aforementioned processor 110 and the corresponding portion of the program stored in the program storage area 131.

[0062] <Printer's print control unit> The printer 200 is equipped with a print control unit 540. For example, the print control unit 540 is composed of the processor 210 and the corresponding part of the program from the control device 50 described above.

[0063] The service processing unit 530 of the information management server 100 receives requests for the above-mentioned delivery and printing services from users via the mobile terminal 300, and performs appropriate processing necessary for providing each service while referring to the latest service information. The service information is the information stored in the service information storage area 123 of the volatile storage device 120 of the information management server 100 shown in Figure 1 above. In this example, the service information includes the cumulative consumption of consumables, the bottle capacity, i.e., the value of 100% capacity, the number of times the bottle has been ordered in the past, and the consumption error coefficient used to correct for the individual variations mentioned above. Furthermore, the above service information, along with the optimization information described later, is periodically backed up to a rewritable non-volatile storage device (not shown) to prevent loss when the printer 200 is powered off.

[0064] The print control unit 540 of the printer 200 controls the printing operation of the inkjet head 3. The management service information is information stored in a predetermined area of ​​RAM 53 or EEPROM 54, and includes the cumulative consumption of consumables. The print control unit 540 also has a function to transmit the service status, including the contents of the management service information at that time, to the mobile terminal 300 and present it to the user.

[0065] The cumulative consumption of consumables is an accumulated value of dot count values, which indicate the amount of ink actually consumed by printing in the printer 200, and the data is generated and corrected by the print control unit 540. The cumulative consumption of consumables is an example of cumulative print volume information. When printing is actually performed by the inkjet head 3, the print control unit 540 updates the cumulative consumption of consumables in the management service information to count up by the number of pages printed. The printer 200 periodically sends the counted cumulative consumption of consumables and identification information such as the device number of the printer 200 to the information management server 100, for example, at an appropriate predetermined interval. Based on the reception results, the information management server 100 updates the content of the cumulative consumption of consumables included in the service information. The information management server 100 stores the device number of the printer 200 that sent the cumulative consumption of consumables in the device number storage area 122, linked to the cumulative consumption of the consumables.

[0066] In this example, the optimization information is the consumption error coefficient, which has been calculated as a value unique to each individual inkjet head 3 installed in the printer 200. The value of this consumption error coefficient is, for example, detected by a known method in a detection test at the manufacturing plant during the manufacturing of the printer 200, in other words, during the manufacturing of the inkjet head 3, and is stored in an appropriate location within the printer 200, for example, in the EEPROM 54. Hereinafter, the consumption error coefficient unique to the inkjet head 3 will also be referred to as the "unique consumption error coefficient." The printer 200 transmits the value of the unique consumption error coefficient, associated with the device number of the printer 200, to the information management server 100 at a predetermined timing.

[0067] <Other functional components of the management server> The information management server 100 further includes a cumulative consumption acquisition unit 600, a bottle capacity acquisition unit 610, an optimization information acquisition unit 620, an order count acquisition unit 630, an estimated remaining amount calculation unit 640, and a determination unit 650. As an example, the cumulative consumption acquisition unit 600, the bottle capacity acquisition unit 610, the optimization information acquisition unit 620, the order count acquisition unit 630, the estimated remaining amount calculation unit 640, and the determination unit 650 are composed of the aforementioned processor 110 and corresponding parts of a program stored in the program storage area 131.

[0068] The cumulative consumption acquisition unit 600 acquires the cumulative consumption of consumables corresponding to image formation, i.e., printing, by the inkjet head 3 from the service information storage area 123. The acquisition of the cumulative consumption of consumables by the cumulative consumption acquisition unit 600 corresponds to the acquisition of the latest cumulative consumption of consumables from the printer 200 at predetermined intervals as described above, and is performed at those predetermined intervals, for example, every few minutes. The cumulative consumption acquisition unit 600 is an example of a print volume acquisition unit.

[0069] The bottle capacity acquisition unit 610 acquires the 100% capacity value related to the bottle, which has been previously stored in the service information storage area 123. The bottle capacity acquisition unit 610 is an example of a capacity acquisition unit.

[0070] The optimization information acquisition unit 620 receives and acquires the value of the unique consumption error coefficient related to the individual inkjet head 3 of the printer 200, which has been transmitted from the printer 200 as described above. The acquired unique consumption error coefficient is stored in the optimization information storage area 133 of the volatile memory device 120, linked to the device number of the printer 200. In other words, in this example, for example, the initial value of the consumption error coefficient that was previously stored as a default in the optimization information storage area 133 is optimized by the unique consumption error coefficient and overwritten and updated. If the value of the consumption error coefficient is not previously stored in the optimization information storage area 133, in other words, if the value of the consumption error coefficient is zero, the value of the unique consumption error coefficient acquired by the optimization information acquisition unit 620 from the printer 200 is newly stored in the optimization information storage area 133. In this case, the zero value that was previously stored in the optimization information storage area 133 has been optimized by the unique consumption error coefficient.

[0071] The order count acquisition unit 630 acquires the past order counts for bottles that were previously stored in the service information storage area 123. The order count acquisition unit 630 is an example of an order count acquisition unit. The order count acquisition unit 630 acquires the order count when, for example, the delivery of the most recently ordered bottle to the delivery destination, i.e., the user, is completed, or when the delivery of the bottle to the delivery destination is confirmed. Information regarding delivery completion or delivery confirmation is acquired from the delivery person or based on delivery management information in the delivery management server 400 to the information management server 100, and the order count acquisition unit 630 acquires the order count based on this acquisition. Alternatively, after the delivery of the most recent bottle, a notification that ink supply to tank 32 using that bottle has been completed may be sent from the mobile terminal 300 to the information management server 100 by the user's appropriate operation, and the order count acquisition unit 630 may acquire the order count upon receiving the notification.

[0072] In the estimated remaining amount calculation unit 640, the cumulative consumption index, which corresponds to the cumulative consumption of consumables obtained by the cumulative consumption acquisition unit 600, is multiplied by the intrinsic consumption error coefficient of the inkjet head 3, obtained by the optimization information acquisition unit 620, to calculate the first integrated value. The cumulative consumption index corresponding to the cumulative consumption of consumables is an example of the cumulative consumption of printing consumables. In the estimated remaining amount calculation unit 640, the second cumulative value is calculated by multiplying the cumulative consumption index corresponding to the 100% capacity obtained by the bottle capacity acquisition unit 610 by the number of orders obtained by the order number acquisition unit 630. The cumulative consumption index corresponding to 100% capacity is an example of capacity information corresponding to 100% capacity. The estimated remaining amount calculation unit 640 calculates the estimated remaining amount in the tank based on the subtraction value obtained by subtracting the first integrated value from the second integrated value. Specifically, the calculation is performed for each color of ink in the tank 32 using the following formula (1). In this example, the "consumption error coefficient" in formula (1) below is the intrinsic consumption error coefficient mentioned above. Estimated remaining amount = (Second cumulative value - First cumulative value) / Cumulative consumption index for 100% capacity First cumulative value = Cumulative consumption index of cumulative consumption of consumables * Consumption error coefficient Second cumulative value = Cumulative consumption index for 100% capacity * Number of orders ... Equation (1)

[0073] The determination unit 650 determines whether or not to place a new order for bottles based on the estimated remaining amount calculated by the estimated remaining amount calculation unit 640 according to the intrinsic consumption error coefficient. In this example, more specifically, the determination unit 650 determines whether or not to place a new order for bottles based on whether or not the estimated remaining amount calculated by the estimated remaining amount calculation unit 640 has reached a predetermined threshold. In this embodiment, the threshold is explained using the example of a 20% capacity, as in the previous example, but it is not limited to this, and other values ​​may be used.

[0074] If the determination unit 650 determines that a new bottle order is possible, a corresponding instruction signal is transmitted to the mobile terminal 300. The display unit 301 of the mobile terminal 300 displays a corresponding warning based on the receipt of this instruction signal. Figure 10 shows an example of the warning display executed on the display unit 301 of the mobile terminal 300. As shown in the figure, the warning screen 301A displayed on the display unit 301 includes an ink display unit 301a that displays the ink color whose estimated remaining amount has reached the threshold, a message display unit 301b that displays the message "Ink level is low. Please order a bottle," and an "Order" button 301c. When the "Order" button 301c is operated, a corresponding order instruction signal is sent to the delivery management server 400, and a bottle order is placed.

[0075] <Control Procedure> The control procedure executed by the processor 110 of the information management server 100 to realize the above method is explained by the flowchart in Figure 11.

[0076] In Figure 11, first in S5, it is determined whether the aforementioned intrinsic consumption error coefficient, as optimization information, has been received from the printer 200 and stored in the optimization information storage area 133. If the intrinsic consumption error coefficient has been received, the determination is "Yes," and the process proceeds to S10. In S10, it is determined whether the latest cumulative consumption amount of the above consumables has been received from the printer 200 and stored in the service information storage area 123. If the latest cumulative consumption amount of the consumables has been received, the determination is "Yes," and the process proceeds to S20. In S20, the individual printer 200 linked to the cumulative consumption of consumables stored in the service information storage area 123 is identified based on the contents stored in the device number storage area 122.

[0077] In S22, the bottle capacity acquisition unit 610 acquires the capacity of one bottle for one of the four ink colors mentioned above, i.e., the 100% capacity. In S24, the order count acquisition unit 630 acquires the past order counts for the above-mentioned color of bottles. In S26, the optimization information acquisition unit 620 acquires the optimization information related to the above-mentioned color that was stored in the optimization information storage area 133 in S5, which in this example is the intrinsic consumption error coefficient. In S30, the estimated remaining amount calculation unit 640 calculates the estimated remaining amount for the above-mentioned color using the above-mentioned formula (1), based on the cumulative consumption amount of consumables obtained in S10, the intrinsic consumption error coefficient obtained in S26, the 100% capacity obtained in S22, and the number of orders obtained in S24.

[0078] In S40, the determination unit 650 determines whether the estimated remaining capacity calculated in S30 is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold, which in the above example is 20% of the capacity. If the estimated remaining capacity > threshold, the determination is No, and the process proceeds to S60 described below. If the estimated remaining capacity ≤ threshold, the determination is Yes, and the process proceeds to S50 described below. In S50, the determination unit 650 sends an instruction signal to the mobile terminal 300 of the user of the printer 200 identified in S20 to display the aforementioned warning. In S60, it is determined whether the processes in S22 to S50 above have been completed for all four ink colors. If three or fewer colors have been completed, the result is No, and the process returns to S22, where the same process is performed for the remaining unprocessed color. If the processes in S22 to S50 above have been completed for all four ink colors, the result is Yes, and this flow ends.

[0079] In the above, the execution of the above flow, or in other words, the determination by the determination unit 650 in S40, was triggered by the acquisition of the cumulative consumption amount of consumables by the cumulative consumption amount acquisition unit 600, which is performed at predetermined intervals, but is not limited to this. That is, it may be executed when the delivery of the most recently ordered bottles to the delivery destination is confirmed and notification to that effect is received from the delivery management server 400. When the above flow is executed upon confirmation of bottle delivery, the notification from the delivery management server 400 includes the printer number and color type information of the delivered bottle. In S20 of Figure 11, the target printer 200 is identified by the printer number included in the notification, and the processing in S22 to S50 is performed for the ink color corresponding to the color type information included in the notification. In particular, in S24, the order count for that ink color, which has been incremented by one upon confirmation of delivery, is obtained.

[0080] <Effects of this embodiment> In this embodiment, as described above, the estimated remaining amount is calculated based on the cumulative consumption of consumables acquired by the cumulative consumption acquisition unit 600, the 100% capacity acquired by the bottle capacity acquisition unit 610, the number of orders acquired by the order number acquisition unit 630, and the optimization information acquired by the optimization information acquisition unit 620. This makes it possible to estimate the remaining amount in the tank in a way that can reliably guarantee that the ink will not run out, taking into account the individual variations of the inkjet head 3 of the printer 200. The effects of this embodiment will be explained in detail with reference to Figures 12 and 13.

[0081] As an example, Figure 12 shows an example of the estimated remaining capacity when the intrinsic consumption error coefficient of the inkjet head 3 acquired by the optimization information acquisition unit 620 from the printer 200 as described above is 1.1, in other words, when the consumption error is +10%. In Figure 12, as with Figure 7 above, the cumulative consumption index is an indexed value with the value equivalent to 100% capacity set to 10 and the value equivalent to 10% capacity set to 1, and the estimated remaining capacity is expressed as a value with the aforementioned fixed capacity set to 100%.

[0082] As shown in Figure 12, when the cumulative consumption index progresses from 0, 1, 2, 3, etc., the estimated remaining amount calculated using a consumption error coefficient of 1.1 will progress as follows: 100% capacity, 89% capacity, 78% capacity, 67% capacity, etc. When the cumulative consumption index reaches 8 and the estimated remaining volume falls below 20% of the capacity (12% of the capacity), an order for a new bottle is placed. Upon arrival of the bottle, 100% of the capacity is added to tank 32, the cumulative consumption index remains at 8, the number of orders decreases to 1, and the estimated remaining volume becomes 112% (see the bolded box). Subsequently, as described above, the cumulative consumption index progresses from 9, 10, ..., and the estimated remaining volume progresses from 101% capacity, 90% capacity, 79% capacity, ..., until the cumulative consumption index reaches 17 and the estimated remaining volume becomes 13%, at which point a bottle order is placed. 100% capacity is added to tank 32, the cumulative consumption index remains at 17, the number of orders increases to 2, and the estimated remaining volume becomes 113% (see the bolded box). Subsequently, similarly, with the cumulative consumption index 26, ... when the estimated remaining volume fell below 20% capacity, the number of orders increased to 3, ... with each additional bottle ordered, and the estimated remaining volume increased to 114% capacity, ... (see bolded box).

[0083] In this method according to this embodiment, instead of not considering consumption errors as in the first comparative example or setting a uniform consumption error coefficient of 1.05 as in the second comparative example, the estimated remaining amount is calculated using an intrinsic consumption error coefficient of 1.1 optimized for the consumption characteristics of the inkjet head 3. When it is estimated that the remaining amount in the tank has fallen to 20% of its capacity or less, a bottle is ordered each time, and ink is injected from the delivered bottle each time. Therefore, as shown in Figure 13, the estimated remaining capacity will never reach 0%, regardless of how high the cumulative consumption index increases after the user starts using the device. Furthermore, because the optimal consumption error coefficient for the consumption characteristics of the inkjet head 3 is used, the ink consumption of the inkjet head 3 is neither excessively overestimated nor excessively underestimated. As a result, the behavior does not gradually increase to the right as the cumulative consumption index increases, as shown by the dashed and dotted lines in Figure 6.

[0084] As a result of the above, in this embodiment, regardless of the value of the cumulative consumption index, and regardless of the actual consumption error of the inkjet head 3, the estimated remaining amount will never fall below 0% or become a negative value. In other words, the ink in tank 32 will not run out before the next new bottle arrives at the user's location, nor will there be an excessive amount of ink remaining in tank 32 when the next new bottle arrives at the user's location. The next bottle can be delivered to the user when the amount of ink in tank 32 is appropriate.

[0085] <Effects of the Embodiment> As described above, in this embodiment, the ink used for printing by the inkjet head 3 of the printer 200 is stored in the tank 32, and the ink is supplied to the tank 32 from a bottle. The bottle has a predetermined capacity equivalent to 100% of the aforementioned capacity and can supply ink to the tank 32. When supplying ink, the ink is handled so that the above 100% capacity of ink is supplied to the tank 32 in one or multiple installments from the ink-filled bottle. The bottles are ordered as needed and delivered to the users of the printer 200 equipped with the inkjet head 3.

[0086] Ink is consumed by printing, and the amount of ink remaining in the tank 32 gradually decreases. However, in this embodiment, the amount of ink remaining inside the tank 32 cannot be measured directly. Therefore, in order to estimate the amount of ink remaining in the tank, which cannot be measured directly, a cumulative consumption acquisition unit 600, a bottle capacity acquisition unit 610, and an order count acquisition unit 630 are provided.

[0087] The cumulative consumption acquisition unit 600 acquires the cumulative consumption of consumables due to printing with the inkjet head 3. The bottle capacity acquisition unit 610 acquires the 100% capacity of the bottle. The order count acquisition unit 630 acquires the number of times the bottle has been ordered in the past. In this embodiment, optimization information is used to optimize the consumption error coefficient, which reduces the risk caused by variations in the ink consumption characteristics of the inkjet head 3. The optimization information is information for optimizing the consumption error coefficient for the specific inkjet head 3, and is acquired by the optimization information acquisition unit 620. In the above example, the optimization information is the intrinsic consumption error coefficient. In this embodiment, the determination unit 650 determines whether or not a new bottle order can be placed. The determination unit 650 determines whether or not a new bottle order can be placed based on the cumulative consumption amount of consumables obtained by the cumulative consumption amount acquisition unit 600, the 100% capacity obtained by the bottle capacity acquisition unit 610, the number of orders obtained by the order number acquisition unit 630, and the consumption error coefficient optimized by the optimization information obtained by the optimization information acquisition unit 620. In this embodiment, to address the fact that the rate of increase in ink consumption due to increased print volume differs from one individual to another due to the consumption characteristics of the inkjet head 3, the remaining amount in the tank can be estimated in a way that prevents running out of ink by using an intrinsic consumption error coefficient to reduce the risk caused by such individual variations. The consumption error coefficient used in this case is an intrinsic consumption error coefficient optimized for that particular inkjet head 3.

[0088] According to the printing processing system 1 of this embodiment, the timing for ordering a new bottle can be determined based on the estimated amount of ink remaining in the tank, so as not to run out of ink and not to leave too much ink in the tank. This allows the next bottle to be delivered to the user when the amount of ink remaining in the tank is appropriate.

[0089] In this embodiment, in particular, the estimated remaining amount of ink for the determination unit 650 to determine whether or not a new bottle can be ordered is calculated by the estimated remaining amount calculation unit 640. The estimated remaining amount calculation unit 640 calculates the cumulative consumption index corresponding to the cumulative ink consumption acquired by the cumulative consumption acquisition unit 600 and the optimized intrinsic consumption error coefficient. The estimated remaining amount calculation unit 640 calculates the cumulative value of the 100% capacity acquired by the bottle capacity acquisition unit 610 and the number of orders acquired by the order number acquisition unit 630. The estimated remaining amount calculation unit 640 subtracts the cumulative consumption and intrinsic consumption error coefficient from the cumulative value of the 100% capacity and the number of orders to obtain a subtraction value, and can calculate the estimated remaining amount based on that subtraction value. The determination unit 650 determines whether to allow or disallow a new bottle order depending on whether the calculated estimated remaining amount has reached a predetermined threshold. According to this embodiment, the determination unit 650 can accurately determine the timing for ordering a new bottle based on the estimated remaining amount of ink calculated by the estimated remaining amount calculation unit 640.

[0090] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the consumption error coefficient itself, i.e., the intrinsic consumption error coefficient, is used as optimization information. The intrinsic consumption error coefficient is pre-optimized for each individual inkjet head 3. According to this embodiment, the determination unit 650 can accurately determine the timing for ordering new bottles using the intrinsic consumption error coefficient obtained by the optimization information acquisition unit 620.

[0091] In the printer 200 with the above configuration, the old inkjet head 3 may be replaced with a new inkjet head 3, for example, due to maintenance by an operator. The old inkjet head 3 before replacement is an example of the first unit, and the new inkjet head 3 after replacement is an example of the second unit. In this embodiment, it is also possible to handle such replacements, and the optimization information acquisition unit 620, the estimated remaining amount calculation unit 640, and the determination unit 650 perform the appropriate processing when a replacement occurs.

[0092] The optimization information acquisition unit 620 acquires first optimization information and second optimization information. The first optimization information is information for optimizing the consumption error coefficient of the old inkjet head 3 used before replacement by the operator, and in this example, it is the intrinsic consumption error coefficient of the old inkjet head 3. The second optimization information is information for optimizing the consumption error coefficient of the new inkjet head 3 used after replacement by the operator, and in this example, it is the intrinsic consumption error coefficient of the new inkjet head 3. This intrinsic consumption error coefficient is an example of the first consumption error coefficient. After the operator replaces the inkjet head 3 as described above, they input the intrinsic consumption error coefficient of the new inkjet head 3 by, for example, a predetermined manual operation on the printer 200. As a result, the intrinsic consumption error coefficient of the new inkjet head 3 is transmitted from the printer 200 to the information management server 100 and acquired by the optimization information acquisition unit 620. This intrinsic consumption error coefficient is an example of the second consumption error coefficient. That is, in the optimization information acquisition unit 620, the first consumption error coefficient is acquired in the first period before the inkjet head 3 is replaced, and the second consumption error coefficient is acquired in the second period after the inkjet head 3 is replaced.

[0093] The estimated remaining amount calculation unit 640 calculates the estimated remaining amount using the first consumption error coefficient during the first period before the replacement of the inkjet head 3. This estimated remaining amount is an example of the first estimated remaining amount. During the second period after the replacement of inkjet head 3, the estimated remaining ink capacity is calculated using the second consumption error coefficient. This estimated remaining capacity is an example of the second estimated remaining capacity.

[0094] Figure 14 shows an example of the calculation behavior of the estimated remaining ink before and after the replacement of the inkjet head 3 as described above. In Figure 14, in this example, the first intrinsic consumption error coefficient of the inkjet head 3 before replacement is 1.1, as described above. As the cumulative consumption index progresses from 0, 1, 2, 3, etc., the first estimated remaining capacity calculated using the intrinsic consumption error coefficient of 1.1 will progress as described above, such as 100% capacity, 89% capacity, 78% capacity, 67% capacity, etc. When the cumulative consumption index becomes 8 and the estimated remaining capacity falls below 20% capacity to 12%, a new bottle is ordered, the order count becomes 1, and the first estimated remaining capacity becomes 112% (see within the bold frame).

[0095] Subsequently, as described above, the cumulative consumption index progresses from 9, 10, 11, ..., and the estimated remaining capacity progresses from 101% capacity, 90% capacity, 79% capacity, .... In this example, when the cumulative consumption index reaches 11 and the estimated remaining capacity reaches 79%, the aforementioned inkjet head 3 is replaced, and the second intrinsic consumption error coefficient of the replaced inkjet head 3 is 0.9. As a result, from this point onward, the second estimated remaining capacity calculated using the intrinsic consumption error coefficient of 0.9 progresses from 70% capacity, 61% capacity, 52% capacity, ... as the cumulative consumption index progresses from 12, 13, 14, .... When the cumulative consumption index reaches 18 and the estimated remaining capacity reaches 16%, a new bottle is ordered, the number of orders becomes 2, and the second estimated remaining capacity becomes 116% (see bolded box). Similarly, as the cumulative consumption index progresses from 19, 20, 21, etc., and the estimated remaining volume progresses from 107% capacity, 98% capacity, 89% capacity, etc., bottle orders are placed when the estimated remaining volume falls below 20% capacity.

[0096] The graph in Figure 15 illustrates the above behavior. Between 0 and 11 in the cumulative consumption index before replacing inkjet head 3, the graph exhibits a piecewise linear behavior with a downward slope corresponding to the first intrinsic consumption error coefficient. After replacing inkjet head 3, from 11 onwards in the cumulative consumption index, the graph exhibits a piecewise linear behavior with a downward slope corresponding to the second intrinsic consumption error coefficient, which is gentler than the slope of the piecewise line for the first intrinsic consumption error coefficient.

[0097] In response to the above behavior, the determination unit 650 determines whether or not to order new bottles using different methods for the first period, which is the cumulative consumption index from 0 to 11, and for the second period, which is the cumulative consumption index from 11 onwards, in the example above. In the first period, the determination is made based on whether or not the first estimated remaining amount calculated by the estimated remaining amount calculation unit 640 has reached a predetermined threshold. In the second period, the determination is made based on whether or not the second estimated remaining amount calculated by the estimated remaining amount calculation unit 640 has reached a predetermined threshold.

[0098] As described above, according to this embodiment, even when the inkjet head 3 is replaced from an old first unit to a new second unit, the timing for ordering a new bottle can be determined with high accuracy.

[0099] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the inkjet head 3 is replaced from an older first unit to a newer second unit, the operator inputs the second optimization information, which is the second consumption error coefficient. According to this embodiment, the optimization information acquisition unit 620 can reliably acquire the second optimization information corresponding to the second unit of the inkjet head 3 after replacement, in accordance with the manual input result by the operator.

[0100] Alternatively, instead of manual input by an operator as described above, the second optimization information may be automatically collected by the optimization information acquisition unit 620 when the inkjet head 3 is replaced. That is, the inkjet head 3 is provided with a suitable storage unit, such as an IC chip. The storage unit of the first inkjet head 3 before replacement stores the first optimization information, and the storage unit of the second inkjet head 3 after replacement stores the second optimization information. When the first inkjet head 3 is replaced by the second inkjet head 3 by an operator, the optimization information acquisition unit 620 of the information management server 100 automatically acquires the second optimization information from the storage unit of the second inkjet head 3 after replacement. In this case, the optimization information acquisition unit 620 can automatically acquire second optimization information corresponding to the second unit after replacement, without the need for human intervention from an operator.

[0101] <Variation> Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and the following modifications are also included in the technical scope.

[0102] (1) When using rank information In other words, instead of using the consumption error coefficient of each individual inkjet head 3 as in the above embodiment, rank information related to the consumption error of each individual inkjet head 3 is used as optimization information.

[0103] The software block configuration in this modified example is shown in Figure 16, which corresponds to Figure 9 above. In Figure 16, the optimization information stored in the printer 200 is the rank information, which is a value unique to each individual inkjet head 3 installed in the printer 200. For example, during the manufacturing of the printer 200, or in other words, during the manufacturing of the inkjet head 3, the value of the consumption error coefficient is measured using a known method in a detection test within the manufacturing plant. At this time, based on the detected value of the consumption error coefficient, the consumption error characteristics of each inkjet head 3 are classified and labeled into several categories, for example, as shown in Figure 17. In other words, the rank information is information that indicates which of several categories, each representing a range of variation, the degree of variation of an individual inkjet head 3 falls into.

[0104] The table shown in Figure 17 is stored, for example, in the computer of the device or facility that performs the above-mentioned detection test in the manufacturing plant. As shown in the figure, in this example, there are five categories. For example, if the measured value of the consumption error coefficient during manufacturing is 1.03 or higher, the rank of the inkjet head 3 is set to "C+". If the measured value of the consumption error coefficient is 1.01 or higher and less than 1.03, the rank of the inkjet head 3 is set to "B+". If the measured value of the consumption error coefficient is 0.99 or higher and less than 1.01, the rank of the inkjet head 3 is set to "A". If the measured value of the consumption error coefficient is 0.97 or higher and less than 0.99, the rank of the inkjet head 3 is set to "B-", and if the measured value of the consumption error coefficient is less than 0.97, the rank of the inkjet head 3 is set to "C-".

[0105] Rank information such as "A," "B+," "C+," "B-," and "C-" corresponding to each inkjet head 3 is stored at an appropriate location within the printer 200 in which the inkjet head 3 is installed, for example, in the EEPROM 54 mentioned above, during manufacturing.

[0106] As shown in Figure 16, the information management server 100 in this modified example includes an optimization information acquisition unit 620 and a first correction value acquisition unit 670, similar to those in Figure 9.

[0107] The printer 200 transmits the rank information of the inkjet head 3 installed in the printer 200 to the information management server 100 at an appropriate time. The optimization information acquisition unit 620 receives and acquires the rank information relating to the individual inkjet head 3 of the printer 200, which has been transmitted from the printer 200 as described above. The acquired rank information is stored in the optimization information storage area 133 of the volatile storage device 120, linked to the device number of the printer 200.

[0108] A table equivalent to the table shown in Figure 17 is stored in an appropriate location on the information management server 100, for example, in the non-volatile memory device 130. The first correction value acquisition unit 670 uses this table to acquire a deemed consumption error coefficient corresponding to the rank information acquired by the optimization information acquisition unit 620. If the acquired rank information is "A", the deemed consumption error coefficient of the inkjet head 3 is set to 1.0. If the acquired rank information is "B+", the deemed consumption error coefficient of the inkjet head 3 is set to 1.02, and if the acquired rank information is "C+", the deemed consumption error coefficient of the inkjet head 3 is set to 1.04. If the acquired rank information is "B-", the deemed consumption error coefficient of the inkjet head 3 is set to 0.98, and if the acquired rank information is "C-", the deemed consumption error coefficient of the inkjet head 3 is set to 0.96. The deemed consumption error coefficient is an example of a consumption error coefficient optimized for each category. In the above embodiment, the deemed consumption error coefficient uses the median value within the range of consumption errors for the corresponding rank, but the maximum value within that range may also be used.

[0109] In this example, for instance, the initial value of the consumption error coefficient, which was previously stored as a default in the optimization information storage area 133, is optimized by the deemed consumption error coefficient and overwritten. If the value of the consumption error coefficient is not previously stored in the optimization information storage area 133, in other words, if the value of the consumption error coefficient is zero, the value of the deemed consumption error coefficient acquired by the first correction value acquisition unit 670 is newly stored in the optimization information storage area 133. In this case, the zero value previously stored in the optimization information storage area 133 is optimized by the deemed consumption error coefficient.

[0110] The estimated remaining amount calculation unit 640 calculates the estimated remaining amount in the tank using the aforementioned formula (1), similar to the embodiment described above. In this modified example, the "consumption error coefficient" in formula (1) is the aforementioned deemed consumption error coefficient.

[0111] The determination unit 650 determines whether or not to place a new order for bottles based on the estimated remaining amount calculated by the estimated remaining amount calculation unit 640 using the deemed consumption error coefficient.

[0112] As described above, in this modified example, when rank information is acquired by the optimization information acquisition unit 620, the first correction value acquisition unit 670 acquires an optimized deemed consumption error coefficient corresponding to the acquired rank information. According to this modified example, the determination unit 650 can accurately determine the timing for ordering a new bottle using the optimized deemed consumption error coefficient obtained by the first correction value acquisition unit 670.

[0113] (2) When using individual identification information of the inkjet head In this modified example, individual identification information such as the serial number of each inkjet head 3 is used as optimization information.

[0114] The software block configuration in this modified example is shown in Figure 18, corresponding to Figures 9 and 16 above. In Figure 18, the optimization information stored in the printer 200 is the individual identification information, which is a value unique to each inkjet head 3 installed in the printer 200. For example, during the manufacturing of the printer 200, or in other words, during the manufacturing of the inkjet head 3, the value of the consumption error coefficient is measured using a known method in a detection test within the manufacturing plant. At this time, the detected consumption error coefficient, i.e., the aforementioned unique consumption error coefficient, is recorded together with the individual identification information of each inkjet head 3 as a table, for example, as shown in Figure 19. That is, the detected unique consumption error coefficient is pre-set in this table as an optimized consumption error coefficient for the inkjet head 3 corresponding to each individual identification information.

[0115] The table shown in Figure 19 is stored, for example, in the computer of the device or facility performing the above-mentioned detection test within the manufacturing plant. As shown in the figure, in this example, the intrinsic consumption error coefficient of inkjet head 3 for individual identification information "abcd" is 1.1, and the intrinsic consumption error coefficient of inkjet head 3 for individual identification information "adej" is 0.95. The intrinsic consumption error coefficient of inkjet head 3 for individual identification information "bocc" is 1.05, and the intrinsic consumption error coefficient of inkjet head 3 for individual identification information "cdss" is 1.0.

[0116] Individual identification information corresponding to each inkjet head 3 is stored, for example, in an appropriate location within the printer 200 in which the inkjet head 3 is installed, such as the EEPROM 54 mentioned above.

[0117] As shown in Figure 18, the information management server 100 in this modified example includes an optimization information acquisition unit 620 and a second correction value acquisition unit 680, similar to those in Figures 9 and 16.

[0118] The printer 200 transmits the above-mentioned individual identification information of the inkjet head 3 installed in the printer 200 to the information management server 100 at an appropriate time. The optimization information acquisition unit 620 receives and acquires the individual identification information of the inkjet head 3 of the printer 200 transmitted from the printer 200 as described above. The acquired individual identification information is linked to the device number of the printer 200 and stored in the optimization information storage area 133 of the volatile storage device 120.

[0119] A table equivalent to the one shown in Figure 19 is stored in an appropriate location on the information management server 100, for example, in the non-volatile storage device 130. The second correction value acquisition unit 680 uses this table to acquire the above-mentioned unique consumption error coefficient corresponding to the individual identification information acquired by the optimization information acquisition unit 620.

[0120] In this example, for instance, the initial value of the consumption error coefficient, which was previously stored as a default in the optimization information storage area 133, is optimized and overwritten by the unique consumption error coefficient corresponding to the individual identification information. If the value of the consumption error coefficient is not previously stored in the optimization information storage area 133, in other words, if the value of the consumption error coefficient is zero, the value of the unique consumption error coefficient acquired by the first correction value acquisition unit 670 is newly stored in the optimization information storage area 133. In this case, the zero value previously stored in the optimization information storage area 133 is optimized by the unique consumption error coefficient.

[0121] The estimated remaining amount calculation unit 640 calculates the estimated remaining amount in the tank using the aforementioned formula (1), similar to the embodiment described above. In this modified example, the "consumption error coefficient" in formula (1) becomes the intrinsic consumption error coefficient.

[0122] The determination unit 650 determines whether or not to place a new order for bottles based on the consumption error coefficient, i.e., the intrinsic consumption error coefficient, which has been optimized in accordance with the individual identification information and obtained by the second correction value acquisition unit 680.

[0123] As described above, in this modified example, the individual identification information of the inkjet head 3 is used as optimization information. Each individual identification information is associated with an optimized intrinsic consumption error coefficient. When the individual identification information of the inkjet head 3 is acquired by the optimization information acquisition unit 620, the intrinsic consumption error coefficient corresponding to the acquired individual identification information is acquired by the second correction value acquisition unit 680. According to this modified example, the determination unit 650 can accurately determine the timing for ordering a new bottle using the optimized intrinsic consumption error coefficient obtained by the second correction value acquisition unit 680.

[0124] (3) When optimizing the consumption error coefficient based on external photographs including the tank liquid level. In this modified example, in order to accurately determine the remaining amount in the tank corresponding to the consumption error characteristics of the inkjet head 3, the remaining amount is detected based on a photograph taken by the user using a camera (not shown) on a mobile terminal 300, specifically, the result of photographing the liquid surface of tank 32. The details of this method will be explained below with reference to Figures 20 to 22.

[0125] <Taking exterior photos> Figure 20 shows the printer 200 with the opening / closing cover 200B on the casing 200A opened, exposing the exterior of the four tanks 32 located inside the casing 200A. In this example, the tanks are arranged from left to right in the following order: magenta tank 32M, cyan tank 32C, yellow tank 32Y, and black tank 32K.

[0126] Figure 21 illustrates the general behavior of the mobile terminal 300 during user photography. Figure 21 shows an example of the shooting screen 301A displayed on the display unit 301 of the mobile terminal 300 when taking a picture with the camera. As shown in the figure, the shooting screen 301A displays the actual image within the camera's field of view, in this example, the actual image of the area around the four tanks 32 and the opening / closing cover 200B shown in Figure 20, under the control of the processor of the mobile terminal 300.

[0127] As shown in the diagram, in this example, the appearance of the four tanks mentioned above—magenta tank 32M, cyan tank 32C, yellow tank 32Y, and black tank 32K—is contained within the camera's field of view. More specifically, the ink levels PM, PC, PY, and PK of each tank 32M, 32C, 32Y, and 32K, as well as the full tank indicator mark Ug and empty tank indicator mark Lg, which are pre-marked on the surface of each tank 32M, 32C, 32Y, and 32K, are contained within the field of view. The full tank indicator mark Ug represents the ink level when the tank 32 is almost completely filled, and the empty tank indicator mark Lg represents the ink level when the tank 32 is almost completely consumed. The positions of these full tank indicator marks Ug and empty tank indicator marks Lg are predetermined and known information for each printer model 200, and are stored, for example, in the non-volatile storage device 130 of the information management server 100.

[0128] <Identifying remaining quantity> The external images, or photographs, of the four tanks 32, including the liquid levels PM, PC, PY, and PK, taken as described above, are sent from the mobile terminal 300 to the information management server 100. Based on the external images, the information management server 100 identifies the liquid level in each of the magenta tank 32M, cyan tank 32C, yellow tank 32Y, and black tank 32K, and based on the identification results, determines the remaining amount of ink inside each tank 32M, 32C, 32Y, and 32K.

[0129] As shown in Figure 22, in this example, the liquid level PM of the magenta tank 32M is located at a position that divides the vertical dimension from the full indicator mark Ug to the empty indicator mark Lg into a 65:35 ratio. The information management server 100 detects this position as an edge using a known edge detection method based on image analysis. As a result, the remaining amount inside the magenta tank 32M is determined to be 35% remaining, relative to the aforementioned full amount which is considered 100% remaining. Similarly, the liquid level PC of cyanide tank 32C is the position that divides the vertical dimension from the full indicator mark Ug to the empty indicator mark Lg into a 35:65 ratio. As a result of edge detection at this position, the remaining amount inside cyanide tank 32C is determined to be 65%. Similarly, the liquid level PY of yellow tank 32Y is the position that divides the vertical dimension from the full indicator mark Ug to the empty indicator mark Lg into a 25:75 ratio. As a result of edge detection at this position, the remaining internal volume of yellow tank 32Y is determined to be 75%. Similarly, the liquid level PK of black tank 32K is the position that divides the vertical dimension from the full indicator mark Ug to the empty indicator mark Lg into a 50:50 ratio. As a result of edge detection at this position, the remaining volume inside black tank 32K is determined to be 50%.

[0130] <Correction of consumption error coefficient> In this modified example, the consumption error coefficient is corrected based on the remaining amount in the tank, which is determined based on the tank liquid level as described above. The software block configuration in this modified example is shown in Figure 23, which corresponds to Figures 9 to 18 above. In Figure 23, the information management server 100 in this modified example includes the same optimization information acquisition unit 620 as described above, a liquid level identification unit 690, a remaining amount determination unit 692, a coefficient calculation unit 693, and a third correction value acquisition unit 695.

[0131] The mobile terminal 300 stores, as optimization information, images of the appearance of tanks 32M, 32C, 32Y, and 32K, including the ink levels PM, PC, PY, and PK, as captured as described above. The mobile terminal 300 transmits the above-mentioned images of the appearance to the information management server 100 at appropriate intervals. The optimization information acquisition unit 620 of the information management server 100 receives and acquires the images of the appearance transmitted from the mobile terminal 300 as described above. The acquired images of the appearance are stored in the optimization information storage area 133 of the volatile storage device 120, for example, linked to the device number of the printer 200.

[0132] The liquid level identification unit 690 identifies the positions of liquid levels PM, PC, PY, and PK in the external images of tanks 32M, 32C, 32Y, and 32K acquired by the optimization information acquisition unit 620 using the method described above with reference to Figure 22. The remaining amount determination unit 692 determines the actual remaining amount of ink in tanks 32M, 32C, 32Y, and 32K based on the liquid level positions PM, PC, PY, and PK identified by the liquid level identification unit 690, using the method described above with reference to Figure 22.

[0133] The coefficient calculation unit 693 calculates the consumption error coefficient based on the captured image by substituting the actual remaining amount of ink determined by the remaining amount determination unit 692 into the following equation (1'), which corresponds to the equation (1) described above, and working backward. Determined actual remaining ink amount * Cumulative consumption index for 100% capacity = Second cumulative value - First cumulative value First cumulative value = Cumulative consumption index for cumulative ink consumption * Consumption error coefficient Second cumulative value = Cumulative consumption index for 100% capacity * Number of orders ... Formula (1')

[0134] In other words, the coefficient calculation unit 693 calculates the consumption error coefficient based on the captured image by subtracting the product of the actual remaining amount determined by the remaining amount determination unit 692 and the cumulative consumption index for 100% of the capacity from the second cumulative value obtained by multiplying the 100% capacity obtained by the bottle capacity acquisition unit 610 by the number of orders obtained by the order number acquisition unit 630, and then dividing the subtracted value by the cumulative consumption index corresponding to the cumulative ink consumption obtained by the cumulative consumption acquisition unit 600.

[0135] The third correction value acquisition unit 695 acquires a consumption error coefficient optimized for the individual inkjet head 3, corresponding to the captured image acquired by the optimization information acquisition unit 620. Specifically, the third correction value acquisition unit 695 acquires the consumption error coefficient calculated by the coefficient calculation unit 693. In this example, for instance, the initial value of the consumption error coefficient, which was previously stored as a default in the optimization information storage area 133, is optimized and overwritten by the consumption error coefficient acquired by the third correction value acquisition unit 695. If the value of the consumption error coefficient is not previously stored in the optimization information storage area 133, in other words, if the value of the consumption error coefficient is zero, the value of the consumption error coefficient acquired by the third correction value acquisition unit 695 is newly stored in the optimization information storage area 133. In this case, the zero value previously stored in the optimization information storage area 133 is optimized by the consumption error coefficient acquired by the third correction value acquisition unit 695.

[0136] The estimated remaining amount calculation unit 640 calculates the estimated remaining amount in the tank using the aforementioned formula (1), similar to the embodiment described above. In this modified example, the "consumption error coefficient" in formula (1) is the consumption error coefficient obtained by the third correction value acquisition unit 695 and optimized for each individual inkjet head 3 based on the aforementioned captured image.

[0137] The determination unit 650 determines whether or not to place a new order for bottles based on the estimated remaining amount calculated by the estimated remaining amount calculation unit 640, which is calculated based on the consumption error coefficient acquired by the third correction value acquisition unit 695.

[0138] <Effects of this modified example> In this modified example, images of the external appearance of tanks 32M, 32C, 32Y, and 32K are used as optimization information. The external appearance includes the ink levels PM, PC, PY, and PK in tanks 32M, 32C, 32Y, and 32K. The positions of the ink levels PM, PC, PY, and PK correspond to the ink consumption behavior of the respective inkjet heads 3. When images of the external appearance of tanks 32M, 32C, 32Y, and 32K are acquired by the optimization information acquisition unit 620, the optimized consumption error coefficient corresponding to the acquired images is acquired by the third correction value acquisition unit 695. According to this modified example, the determination unit 650 can accurately determine the timing for ordering a new bottle based on the optimized consumption error coefficient obtained by the third correction value acquisition unit 695.

[0139] Furthermore, in this modified version, the consumption error coefficient can be optimized by comparing the actual remaining amount of ink in tanks 32M, 32C, 32Y, and 32K, which can be determined based on the captured images, with the estimated remaining amount of ink in the tanks, which is estimated based on the cumulative printing volume. The liquid level positions PM, PC, PY, and PK of the ink in the captured image are identified by the liquid level identification unit 690. Based on the identified liquid level positions PM, PC, PY, and PK, the remaining amount determination unit 692 determines the actual remaining amount of ink in tanks 32M, 32C, 32Y, and 32K.

[0140] As mentioned above, the estimated remaining ink is calculated using formula (1) as follows: By multiplying the cumulative consumption index corresponding to the cumulative ink consumption acquired by the cumulative consumption acquisition unit 600 by the consumption error coefficient, a first cumulative value is calculated that represents the estimated consumption amount estimated to have been consumed by the individual inkjet head 3. By multiplying the cumulative consumption index for 100% capacity acquired by the bottle capacity acquisition unit 610 by the number of orders acquired by the order number acquisition unit 630, a second cumulative value is calculated that represents the amount of ink that has been put into the tank 32 by the total number of orders placed in the past. Subtracting the first cumulative value from the second cumulative value and dividing by the cumulative consumption index for 100% capacity gives the estimated remaining amount of ink currently in the tank 32. Working backward from the above, as shown in equation (1') above, the first integrated value can be calculated by subtracting the product of the actual remaining ink amount determined by the remaining amount determination unit 692 and the cumulative consumption index for 100% capacity from the second integrated value, and the consumption error coefficient can be calculated by dividing the first integrated value by the cumulative consumption index for the cumulative ink consumption. In this modified example, the coefficient calculation unit 693 calculates an optimized consumption error coefficient using this method principle. The calculated consumption error coefficient is obtained by the third correction value acquisition unit 695. According to this embodiment, the determination unit 650 can accurately determine the timing for ordering a new bottle based on the estimated remaining amount calculated by the estimated remaining amount calculation unit 640 according to the optimized consumption error coefficient obtained by the third correction value acquisition unit 695.

[0141] Furthermore, there are two possible timings for when the mobile terminal 300 sends the exterior image to the information management server 100, or in other words, when the user takes the exterior image using the mobile terminal 300.

[0142] (a) predetermined timing in response to the decrease in ink In other words, the captured image is transmitted from the mobile terminal 300 at a predetermined timing corresponding to the decrease in ink in the tank 32, and acquired by the optimization information acquisition unit 620. For example, at a predetermined timing such as when the ink in the tank 32 has decreased to about half of the tank 32's capacity, the user can be prompted to take a picture of the tank 32's exterior, and the captured image can be acquired by the optimization information acquisition unit 620. In this case, once the ink in tanks 32M, 32C, 32Y, and 32K has decreased to a certain extent, and the actual remaining amount can be determined by the liquid level positions PM, PC, PY, and PK, the optimized consumption error coefficient can be obtained.

[0143] (b) When ordering new bottles In other words, when a new bottle order is placed based on a request from the user, a captured image is transmitted from the mobile terminal 300 and acquired by the optimization information acquisition unit 620. For example, when a user places a new bottle order, the user can be prompted to take a picture of the exterior of the tanks 32M, 32C, 32Y, and 32K, and the optimized information acquisition unit 620 can acquire the captured image. In this case, the optimized consumption error coefficient can be obtained at the latest when the ink in tanks 32M, 32C, 32Y, and 32K decreases and new bottles need to be ordered.

[0144] <Example of calculation behavior for estimated remaining amount> As described above, in this modified example, when correction is performed by optimizing the consumption error coefficient by transmitting an external image captured from the mobile terminal 300, an example of the calculation behavior of the estimated remaining amount before and after correction is shown in Figure 24. In Figure 24, in this example, the consumption error coefficient, i.e., the initial value, of the inkjet head 3 before correction using the external image is 1.1, as described above. As the cumulative consumption index progresses from 0, 1, 2, 3, etc., the estimated remaining capacity calculated by the estimated remaining capacity calculation unit 640 using the consumption error coefficient of 1.1 will progress as described above, such as 100% capacity, 89% capacity, 78% capacity, 67% capacity, etc. In this example, when the cumulative consumption index becomes 5 and the estimated remaining capacity becomes 45% capacity, the external appearance of the tank 32 is photographed by the user as shown in (a) above and acquired by the optimization information acquisition unit 620. Based on the acquired external image, the third correction value acquisition unit 695 obtains a corrected consumption error coefficient of 1.0 optimized for the individual inkjet head 3 using the method described above.

[0145] Using this corrected consumption error coefficient value of 1.0, the estimated remaining volume at this point, when the cumulative consumption index is 5, is 50% capacity (see the bolded box). From here on, as the cumulative consumption index progresses to 6, 7, 8, ..., the estimated remaining volume calculated by the estimated remaining volume calculation unit 640 using the above-mentioned optimized and corrected consumption error coefficient of 1.0 will progress to 40% capacity, 30% capacity, 20% capacity, ... and so on. In this example, when the cumulative consumption index becomes 8 and the estimated remaining volume reaches 20% capacity, a new bottle is ordered, the order count becomes 1, and the estimated remaining volume becomes 120% capacity. Similarly, as the cumulative consumption index progresses from 9, 10, 11, etc., and the estimated remaining volume progresses from 110% capacity, 100% capacity, 90% capacity, etc., bottle orders are placed when the estimated remaining volume falls below 20% capacity.

[0146] The graph in Figure 25 illustrates the behavior described above. The dashed line represents the initial value, i.e., the uncorrected consumption error coefficient of 1.1 based on the appearance image, while the dashed line represents the corrected consumption error coefficient of 1.0 based on the appearance image.

[0147] In the illustrated example, before correction, the ink consumption characteristics of the inkjet head 3 were overestimated, resulting in an ink consumption error coefficient of 1.1. However, by correcting this to an ink consumption error coefficient of 1.0 based on the photographic image, the ink consumption characteristics are now accurately estimated.

[0148] In this modified example, the consumption error coefficient is corrected by using one external photograph including the liquid level of tank 32. However, external photographs including the liquid level of tank 32 may be used twice, before and after a predetermined amount of ink has been consumed. In this case, the consumption error coefficient can be calculated from the following formula. (Actual ink remaining amount at the second shot - Actual ink remaining amount at the first shot) * Cumulative consumption index for 100% capacity = (Cumulative consumption index for cumulative ink consumption during the second shot - Cumulative consumption index for cumulative ink consumption during the first shot) * Consumption error coefficient ..... Equation (2) In this case, a more accurate consumption error coefficient can be obtained without being affected by errors such as the initial amount of ink introduced or the amount of ink spilled when refilling from the bottle.

[0149] (4) When the estimated remaining amount is calculated by the printer without using an information management server. In this modified example, the cumulative consumption acquisition unit, bottle capacity acquisition unit, optimization information acquisition unit, order count acquisition unit, estimated remaining amount calculation unit, and determination unit, which correspond to the cumulative consumption acquisition unit 600, bottle capacity acquisition unit 610, optimization information acquisition unit 620, order count acquisition unit 630, estimated remaining amount calculation unit 640, and determination unit 650 shown in Figures 9, 16, and 18 respectively, are provided within the printer 200. Correspondingly, the above-mentioned functional units 600, 610, 620, 630, 640, and 650 in the information management server 100 are omitted. The cumulative consumption acquisition unit provided in the printer 200 is an example of a print volume acquisition unit, the bottle capacity acquisition unit provided in the printer 200 is an example of a capacity acquisition unit, and the order count acquisition unit provided in the printer 200 is an example of an order count acquisition unit.

[0150] In other words, the printer 200 of this modified model includes a tank 32, an inkjet head 3, a cumulative consumption acquisition unit, a bottle capacity acquisition unit, an order count acquisition unit, an optimization information acquisition unit, and a determination unit. In the printer 200, the print consumption acquisition unit acquires the cumulative consumption of consumables by printing with the inkjet head 3, the bottle capacity acquisition unit acquires the 100% capacity of the bottle, the order count acquisition unit acquires the number of past bottle orders, and the optimization information acquisition unit acquires the optimization information. The determination unit of the printer 200 determines whether or not to place a new order for a bottle based on the cumulative consumption, 100% capacity, and order count acquired by the method described above, as well as the consumption error coefficient optimized by the optimization information.

[0151] According to the modified printer 200, the remaining amount of printing consumables in the tank is estimated using a consumption error coefficient value optimized for that specific inkjet head 3, without relying on a server or the like, to prevent running out of ink. The timing for ordering a new bottle is then determined to prevent running out of ink, ensuring that the next bottle is delivered to the user before the ink runs out.

[0152] (5) Others In the above explanation, ink was used as an example of a printing consumable, but it is not limited to ink. For example, if a laser printer 200 is used instead of an inkjet printer, toner would be an example of a printing consumable.

[0153] Furthermore, the arrows shown in Figures 9, 16, 18, 23, and others above represent only one example of signal flow and do not limit the direction of signal flow.

[0154] Furthermore, the flowchart shown in Figure 11 does not limit the present invention to the procedures shown in the flowchart above, and additional or deleted procedures or changes in order are permitted without departing from the spirit and technical idea of ​​the invention.

[0155] With regard to the components illustrated in the above embodiments and drawings, their shapes, numerical values, or the interrelationships of the structure or time series of multiple components can be arbitrarily modified and improved within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention.

[0156] In addition to what has already been described above, the methods described in the above embodiments and their respective modifications may be used in appropriate combinations.

[0157] The problems that this invention aims to solve and the effects of this invention are not limited to those described above. In other words, this invention may solve problems not mentioned above, produce effects not mentioned above, solve only some of the problems described, or produce only some of the effects described.

[0158] Furthermore, although not to be exemplified individually, the present invention may be implemented with various modifications without departing from its spirit. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0159] 1. Printing Processing System (An example of a management system for printing consumables) 3. Inkjet head (an example of the printing section) 32 tanks 100 Information Management Server 133 Optimized Information Storage Area 200 Printers (an example of a printing device) 300 mobile devices 301 Display section 600 Cumulative Consumption Acquisition Unit (Example of Print Volume Acquisition Unit) 610 Bottle volume acquisition unit (an example of a volume acquisition unit) 620 Optimization Information Acquisition Unit 630 Order Count Acquisition Unit (Example of an Order Count Acquisition Unit) 640 Estimated remaining amount calculation unit 650 Judgment section 670 First Correction Value Acquisition Unit 680 Second Correction Value Acquisition Unit 690 Liquid level identification part 692 Remaining amount determination unit 693 Coefficient Calculation Unit 695 Third Correction Value Acquisition Unit P Recording sheet (an example of a printing medium) PC cyanide tank liquid level PK Black Tank Liquid Level Liquid level in PM magenta tank PY Yellow Tank Liquid Level

Claims

1. A tank for storing printing consumables from a storage body that stores printing consumables in predetermined capacity units, wherein the tank is configured such that the remaining amount of printing consumables inside cannot be measured, A printing unit that forms an image on a printing medium using the printing consumables in the tank, A print volume acquisition unit that acquires cumulative print volume information of the printing consumables by image formation in the printing unit, A capacity acquisition unit that acquires the predetermined capacity of the storage container, A unit for obtaining the number of past orders for the aforementioned storage container, An optimization information acquisition unit acquires optimization information for optimizing a consumption error correction value for each individual printing unit to reduce the risk caused by variations in the consumption characteristics of the printing consumables in the printing unit, A determination unit determines whether or not to place a new order for the storage container based on the cumulative print quantity information obtained by the print quantity acquisition unit, the predetermined capacity obtained by the capacity acquisition unit, the order count obtained by the order count acquisition unit, and the consumption error correction value optimized by the optimization information. A management system for printing consumables, having, The aforementioned optimization information is The degree of variation of the printed portion is rank information that indicates which of several categories representing the range of variation it falls into. The aforementioned management system for printing consumables is: The system further includes a first correction value acquisition unit that acquires the consumption error correction value optimized for each category, corresponding to the rank information acquired by the optimization information acquisition unit. The determination unit, A management system for printing consumables, configured to determine whether or not to place a new order for the storage container based on the cumulative print volume information, the predetermined capacity, the number of orders, and the consumption error correction value optimized for each category obtained by the first correction value acquisition unit.

2. A tank for storing printing consumables from a storage body that stores printing consumables in predetermined capacity units, wherein the tank is configured such that the remaining amount of printing consumables inside cannot be measured, A printing unit that forms an image on a printing medium using the printing consumables in the tank, A print volume acquisition unit that acquires cumulative print volume information of the printing consumables by image formation in the printing unit, A capacity acquisition unit that acquires the predetermined capacity of the storage container, A unit for obtaining the number of past orders for the aforementioned storage container, An optimization information acquisition unit acquires optimization information for optimizing a consumption error correction value for each individual printing unit to reduce the risk caused by variations in the consumption characteristics of the printing consumables in the printing unit, A determination unit determines whether or not to place a new order for the storage container based on the cumulative print quantity information obtained by the print quantity acquisition unit, the predetermined capacity obtained by the capacity acquisition unit, the order count obtained by the order count acquisition unit, and the consumption error correction value optimized by the optimization information. A management system for printing consumables, having, The aforementioned optimization information is This is the individual identification information of the printed section. The aforementioned management system for printing consumables is: The system further includes a second correction value acquisition unit that acquires the consumption error correction value corresponding to the individual identification information acquired by the optimization information acquisition unit, The determination unit, A management system for printing consumables, configured to determine whether or not to place a new order for the storage container based on the cumulative print volume information, the predetermined capacity, the number of orders, and the consumption error correction value obtained by the second correction value acquisition unit.

3. A tank for storing printing consumables from a storage body that stores printing consumables in predetermined capacity units, wherein the tank is configured such that the remaining amount of printing consumables inside cannot be measured, A printing unit that forms an image on a printing medium using the printing consumables in the tank, A print volume acquisition unit that acquires cumulative print volume information of the printing consumables by image formation in the printing unit, A capacity acquisition unit that acquires the predetermined capacity of the storage container, A unit for obtaining the number of past orders for the aforementioned storage container, An optimization information acquisition unit acquires optimization information for optimizing a consumption error correction value for each individual printing unit to reduce the risk caused by variations in the consumption characteristics of the printing consumables in the printing unit, A determination unit determines whether or not to place a new order for the storage container based on the cumulative print quantity information obtained by the print quantity acquisition unit, the predetermined capacity obtained by the capacity acquisition unit, the order count obtained by the order count acquisition unit, and the consumption error correction value optimized by the optimization information. A management system for printing consumables, having, The aforementioned optimization information is The consumption error correction value is optimized for each individual printing unit according to the degree of variation. The determination unit, A management system for printing consumables, configured to determine whether or not to place a new order for the storage container based on the cumulative print volume information, the predetermined capacity, the number of orders, and the consumption error correction value optimized for the individual container obtained by the optimization information acquisition unit.

4. A tank for storing printing consumables from a storage body that stores printing consumables in predetermined capacity units, wherein the tank is configured such that the remaining amount of printing consumables inside cannot be measured, A printing unit that forms an image on a printing medium using the printing consumables in the tank, A print volume acquisition unit that acquires cumulative print volume information of the printing consumables by image formation in the printing unit, A capacity acquisition unit that acquires the predetermined capacity of the storage container, A unit for obtaining the number of past orders for the aforementioned storage container, An optimization information acquisition unit acquires optimization information for optimizing a consumption error correction value for each individual printing unit to reduce the risk caused by variations in the consumption characteristics of the printing consumables in the printing unit, A determination unit determines whether or not to place a new order for the storage container based on the cumulative print quantity information obtained by the print quantity acquisition unit, the predetermined capacity obtained by the capacity acquisition unit, the order count obtained by the order count acquisition unit, and the consumption error correction value optimized by the optimization information. A management system for printing consumables, having, The optimization information is an image of the appearance of the printing consumable in the tank, including the liquid level. The aforementioned management system for printing consumables is: The system further includes a third correction value acquisition unit that acquires the consumption error correction value optimized for the individual printing unit, corresponding to the captured image acquired by the optimization information acquisition unit, The determination unit, A management system for printing consumables, configured to determine whether or not to place a new order for the storage container based on the cumulative print volume information, the predetermined capacity, the number of orders, and the consumption error correction value optimized for the individual container obtained by the third correction value acquisition unit.

5. A liquid level identification unit that identifies the liquid level position in the captured image, A remaining amount determination unit determines the actual remaining amount of the printing consumables in the tank based on the liquid level position determined by the liquid level determination unit, A coefficient calculation unit calculates a consumption error coefficient as a consumption error correction value, using a subtraction value obtained by subtracting a value corresponding to the actual remaining amount determined by the remaining amount determination unit from an integrated value obtained by multiplying the capacity information corresponding to the predetermined capacity obtained by the capacity acquisition unit by the number of orders obtained by the number of orders acquisition unit, and the cumulative consumption amount of the printing consumables corresponding to the cumulative printing amount information obtained by the printing amount acquisition unit. It further possesses, The third correction value acquisition unit is: The consumption error coefficient calculated by the coefficient calculation unit is obtained, The determination unit, A management system for printing consumables according to claim 4, configured to determine whether or not to place a new order for the storage container based on the cumulative print volume information, the predetermined capacity, the number of orders, and the consumption error coefficient obtained by the third correction value acquisition unit.

6. The optimization information acquisition unit, The printing consumables management system according to claim 4, configured to acquire the captured image at a predetermined timing corresponding to the decrease in the printing consumables in the tank.

7. The optimization information acquisition unit, The printing consumables management system according to claim 4, configured to acquire the captured image when a new order for the storage container is placed based on a request from a user of the printing unit.

8. A tank for storing printing consumables from a storage body that stores printing consumables in predetermined capacity units, wherein the tank is configured such that the remaining amount of printing consumables inside cannot be measured, A printing unit that forms an image on a printing medium using the printing consumables in the tank, A print volume acquisition unit that acquires cumulative print volume information of the printing consumables by image formation in the printing unit, A capacity acquisition unit that acquires the predetermined capacity of the storage container, A unit for obtaining the number of past orders for the aforementioned storage container, An optimization information acquisition unit acquires optimization information for optimizing a consumption error correction value for each individual printing unit to reduce the risk caused by variations in the consumption characteristics of the printing consumables in the printing unit, A determination unit determines whether or not to place a new order for the storage container based on the cumulative print quantity information obtained by the print quantity acquisition unit, the predetermined capacity obtained by the capacity acquisition unit, the order count obtained by the order count acquisition unit, and the consumption error correction value optimized by the optimization information. A management system for printing consumables, having, The system further includes an estimated remaining amount calculation unit that calculates an estimated remaining amount of the printing consumables in the tank based on a subtraction value obtained by subtracting from an integrated value obtained by multiplying the cumulative consumption amount of the printing consumables corresponding to the cumulative printing amount information obtained by the printing amount acquisition unit by the consumption error coefficient as a consumption error correction value, from the integrated value obtained by multiplying the capacity information corresponding to the predetermined capacity obtained by the capacity acquisition unit by the number of orders obtained by the number of orders acquisition unit. The determination unit, A management system for printing consumables, configured to determine whether or not to place a new order for the storage container based on whether or not the estimated remaining amount calculated by the estimated remaining amount calculation unit has reached a predetermined threshold.

9. The system further includes an estimated remaining amount calculation unit that calculates an estimated remaining amount of the printing consumables in the tank based on a subtraction value obtained by subtracting from an integrated value obtained by multiplying the cumulative consumption amount of the printing consumables corresponding to the cumulative printing amount information obtained by the printing amount acquisition unit by the consumption error coefficient as a consumption error correction value, from the integrated value obtained by multiplying the capacity information corresponding to the predetermined capacity obtained by the capacity acquisition unit by the number of orders obtained by the number of orders acquisition unit. The determination unit, The system is configured to determine whether or not to place a new order for the storage container based on whether the estimated remaining amount calculated by the estimated remaining amount calculation unit has reached a predetermined threshold. A management system for printing consumables according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

10. The optimization information acquisition unit, First optimization information for optimizing the consumption error correction value of the first unit of the printing section used before replacement by the operator, and second optimization information for optimizing the consumption error correction value of the second unit of the printing section used after replacement by the operator are obtained. The estimated remaining amount calculation unit, For the first period before the printing unit is replaced from the first unit to the second unit, a first remaining amount estimate is calculated using a first consumption error coefficient corresponding to the first optimization information, and for the second period after the printing unit is replaced from the first unit to the second unit, a second remaining amount estimate is calculated using a second consumption error coefficient corresponding to the second optimization information. The determination unit, In the first period, the system is configured to determine whether or not to place a new order for the storage container based on whether or not the first estimated remaining amount calculated by the estimated remaining amount calculation unit has reached a predetermined threshold, and in the second period, the system is configured to determine whether or not to place a new order for the storage container based on whether or not the second estimated remaining amount calculated by the estimated remaining amount calculation unit has reached a predetermined threshold. A management system for printing consumables according to claim 8.

11. The optimization information acquisition unit, The second optimization information is acquired according to the manual input result by the worker when exchanging the first unit for the second unit. A management system for printing consumables according to claim 10, configured as described above.

12. The printing unit has a storage unit for storing information, The memory unit of the first individual stores the first optimization information, The memory unit of the second individual stores the second optimization information, The optimization information acquisition unit, In response to the exchange from the first individual to the second individual, the second optimization information is obtained from the storage unit of the second individual after the exchange. A management system for printing consumables according to claim 10, configured as described above.

13. A printing apparatus provided in a printing consumable management system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, 8, comprising the tank, the printing unit, the printing quantity acquisition unit, the volume acquisition unit, the number of times acquisition unit, the optimization information acquisition unit, and the determination unit.

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