Information processing program and printing system

Abstract

The present invention transmits remainder information for a consumable printing material for a printing device to a service management server without the need for a complicated system configuration for connecting the printing device to a plurality of networks.　A mobile terminal 300 can communicate with a printer 200 that can operate on the basis of a contract for a delivery service and with a service management server 100. The mobile terminal 300 is configured to execute processing for a step S20 and a step S25 for acquiring server communication state information that indicates whether the service management server 100 is in a normal state in which information can be transmitted / received to / from the printer 200 or a disrupted state in which information cannot be transmitted / received to / from the printer 200, processing for a step S40 and a step S45 for acquiring consumable product remainder information for the printer 200 from the printer 200, and, when server communication state information that indicates the disrupted state has been acquired, processing for a step S50 for transmitting the acquired consumable product remainder information to the service management server 100.

Description

Information processing program and printing system

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing program and a printing system that perform processing in connection with a delivery service contract for printing consumables used in a printing device.

[0002] For example, as described in Patent Document 1, a technology has been disclosed in which an image forming device is configured to be able to connect to multiple networks, and in the event of a communication failure between the image forming device and a management server, the network is switched and information about the image forming device is sent to the management server.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2023-115049

[0004] The technique described in Patent Document 1 has a problem in that a complex system configuration that allows an image forming apparatus to be connected to multiple networks is required in advance.

[0005] The object of the present invention is to provide an information processing program and a printing system that can send remaining amount information of printing consumables of a printing device to a service management server without requiring a complex system configuration for connecting the printing device to multiple networks.

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention is an information processing program for a terminal device capable of communicating with a printing device and a service management server, wherein the printing device has a printing unit that prints an image on a print medium using printing consumables and a communication unit that can communicate with the service management server that manages a delivery service for the printing consumables, and the terminal device is capable of communicating with the printing device and the service management server, which are operable based on a contract for the delivery service, and the information processing program is configured to execute, on a calculation unit of the terminal device, a status information acquisition process that acquires communication status information indicating whether the service management server is in a normal state where information can be sent and received with the communication unit of the printing device, or in a disrupted state where information can be sent and received with the communication unit, a remaining amount acquisition process that acquires remaining amount information of the printing consumables in the printing device from the printing device, and a remaining amount transmission process that, when the communication status information indicating the disrupted state is acquired in the status information acquisition process, sends the remaining amount information of the printing consumables acquired in the remaining amount acquisition process to the service management server.

[0007] When the information processing program of the present invention is executed by the calculation unit, a status information acquisition process, a remaining amount acquisition process, and a remaining amount transmission process are performed on the terminal device. In the status information acquisition process, communication status information is acquired. The communication status information indicates whether the service management server is in a normal state where it can send and receive information with the printing device, or in a disrupted state where it cannot send and receive information. In the remaining amount acquisition process, remaining amount information of the printing consumables in the printing device is acquired from the printing device. In the remaining amount transmission process, if the communication status information indicates the disrupted state, the remaining amount information of the printing consumables acquired from the printing device in the remaining amount acquisition process is sent to the service management server.

[0008] In the present invention, if a communication failure occurs between the printing device and the service management server, the remaining amount information of the printing consumables is relayed by the terminal device originally connected to the printing device, and is transmitted along the route from the printing device to the terminal device to the service management server. According to the present invention, the remaining amount information of the printing consumables of the printing device can be transmitted to the service management server without requiring a complex system configuration such as connecting the printing device to multiple networks.

[0009] Furthermore, the present invention assumes that the service management server manages the ordering of printing consumables, not that the user manages the ordering of printing consumables. Accordingly, the information sent to the service management server is not a user's ordering instruction for printing consumables, but information on the remaining amount of printing consumables in the printing device. Therefore, by using the remaining amount of printing consumables acquired from the printing device before the communication failure and the newly acquired remaining amount of printing consumables via the above route during the communication failure, the service management server can accurately determine the timing of delivery of printing consumables.

[0010] In addition, in order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention is a printing system comprising a printing device capable of operating based on a contract for a delivery service of printing consumables, a service management server of the delivery service, and a terminal device, wherein the service management server has a status information acquisition unit that acquires communication status information indicating whether the service management server is in a normal state where information can be sent and received with the printing device or in a disrupted state where information sending and receiving is not possible, a remaining amount acquisition unit that acquires remaining amount information of the printing consumables in the printing device from the printing device, and a remaining amount transmission unit that transmits the remaining amount information of the printing consumables acquired by the remaining amount acquisition unit to the service management server when the communication status information indicating the disrupted state is acquired by the status information acquisition unit.

[0011] The printing system of the present invention includes a status information acquisition unit, a remaining amount acquisition unit, and a remaining amount transmission unit. The status information acquisition unit acquires communication status information. The communication status information indicates whether the service management server is in a normal state where it can send and receive information to and from the printing device, or in a disrupted state where it cannot send and receive information. The remaining amount acquisition unit acquires remaining amount information of printing consumables in the printing device from the printing device. If the communication status information indicates the disrupted state, the remaining amount transmission unit transmits the remaining amount information of the printing consumables acquired from the printing device by the remaining amount acquisition unit to the service management server.

[0012] In the present invention, if a communication failure occurs between the printing device and the service management server, the remaining amount information of the printing consumables is transmitted via the following route: printing device → remaining amount acquisition unit → remaining amount transmission unit → service management server. According to the present invention, the remaining amount information of the printing consumables of the printing device can be transmitted to the service management server without requiring a complex system configuration such as connecting the printing device to multiple networks.

[0013] According to the present invention, it is possible to transmit remaining amount information of printing consumables of a printing device to a service management server without requiring a complex system configuration for connecting the printing device to multiple networks.

[0014] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the system configuration of a print service providing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the system configuration of a mobile terminal. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the flow of information transmission and reception in the print service providing system during normal use. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a method for adjusting ordering timing in a consumables automatic ordering program executed by a service management server. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the flow of information transmission and reception in the print service providing system during a server communication failure. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing in detail the procedure executed by the CPU of the mobile terminal after launching an app. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the flow of information transmission and reception in the print service providing system during a server communication failure when a health check server is provided. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing the flow of information transmission and reception in the print service providing system during a server communication failure when server communication status information is acquired by the printer itself.

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

[0016] <Overview of Printing Service Providing System> FIG. 1 shows an example of the system configuration of a printing service providing system according to one embodiment of the present invention. The printing service providing system 1 provides an automatic consumable delivery service that automatically delivers consumables to a user's destination when the remaining amount of consumables becomes low due to printing on a printer 200. In FIG. 1, the printing service providing system 1 includes a service management server 100, a printer 200, a mobile terminal 300, and a transaction server 400. The service management server 100, the printer 200, the mobile terminal 300, and the transaction server 400 are connected to a network NT including multiple types of communication lines, such as optical cables and mobile phone wireless communication lines, and are capable of communicating with each other. The printing service providing system 1 is an example of a printing system, the printer 200 is an example of a printing device, and the mobile terminal 300 is an example of a terminal device.

[0017] <Service Management Server> The service management server 100 is a server installed and managed by, for example, the manufacturer of the printer 200. As shown in Fig. 1, the service management server 100 has a processor 110, a storage device 115, and a communication interface 190. The processor 110, the storage device 115, and the communication interface 190 are connected via a bus 105 so as to be able to send and receive data to and from each other.

[0018] 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 stores various programs and data to be processed. The non-volatile storage device 130 is, for example, a hard disk drive or a solid state drive, and includes a program storage area 131 and a data storage area 132.

[0019] Various programs are stored in the program storage area 131. These programs include the automatic consumables ordering program described below. The data storage area 132 stores various information about users who have subscribed to the prepaid printing service, as well as information about the printer 200 they are using, including information about the remaining amount of consumables described below.

[0020] The processor 110 is a device that performs data processing, such as a CPU, and executes various programs, including the automatic consumables ordering program, stored in the program storage area 131. The processor 110 performs various processes, including data communication with the mobile terminal 300, printer 200, and transaction server 400, which are connected to the network NT. The processor 110 executes automatic ordering of consumables by the printing service providing system 1 of this embodiment.

[0021] The communication interface 190 is a wired LAN interface or a wireless interface for communicating with other devices, and is connected to the network NT.

[0022] The storage device 115 is not limited to the configuration of the device elements described above, and may be configured, for example, by RAM, ROM, EEPROM, HDD, portable recording medium such as a USB memory that is detachably attached to the service management server 100, a buffer provided in the processor 110, or a combination thereof. The storage device 115 may be a computer-readable storage medium. A computer-readable storage medium is a non-transitory medium. In addition to the above examples, non-transitory media also include recording media such as CD-ROMs and DVD-ROMs. A non-transitory medium is also a tangible medium. The same applies to the storage device 215 of the printer 200, which will be described later.

[0023] <Printer> The printer 200 is owned, for example, by a user who receives the above-mentioned automatic consumable delivery service. As shown in Fig. 1, the printer 200 has a processor 210, a storage device 215, a display unit 240, an operation unit 250, various sensors 260, a communication interface 270, and a printing unit 290. The processor 210, storage device 215, display unit 240, operation unit 250, various sensors 260, communication interface 270, and printing unit 290 are connected to each other via a bus 205 so as to be able to send and receive data.

[0024] The storage device 215 includes a volatile storage device 220 and a non-volatile storage device 230. The volatile storage device 220 is, for example, a DRAM, and includes an image data storage area 221 that stores image data to be printed. The non-volatile storage device 230 is, for example, a flash memory, and includes a program storage area 232 and a data storage area 233. Various programs are stored in the program storage area 232 as, for example, firmware. The data storage area 233 stores various printing-related parameters, remaining amount information on consumables detected by various sensors 260 (described below), and the like.

[0025] The processor 210 is a device that performs data processing, such as a CPU, and executes various programs stored in the program storage area 232.

[0026] The display unit 240 is, for example, a liquid crystal display, and is capable of displaying various types of information. The operation unit 250 is a device that accepts operations by the user. The user can input various instructions to the printer 200 by operating the operation unit 250. The communication interface 270 is a wired or wireless network interface for communicating with other devices, and is connected to the network NT.

[0027] The various sensors 260 are sensors for detecting the remaining amount of various consumables inside the printer 200, and include a number of sensors, such as sensors for detecting the remaining amount of ink or toner in ink cartridges or toner cartridges (not shown), and the remaining amount of paper in a paper feed tray.

[0028] The printing unit 290 prints an image on the transported paper using a predetermined method while removing and transporting paper from a paper feed tray using a transport mechanism (not shown). The printing method is not particularly limited, but printing is performed using an inkjet method or a laser method, for example. The printing unit 290 forms an image on the paper using ink from an ink cartridge or toner from a toner cartridge (not shown) in accordance with a print job sent from the mobile terminal 300 or a print job generated by the printing unit 290 itself based on operations on the operation unit 250. Note that the above-mentioned paper is an example of a print medium, the communication interface 270 is an example of a communication unit, and consumables such as ink, toner, and paper are examples of printing consumables.

[0029] <Mobile Terminal> Figure 2 shows an example of the system configuration of a mobile terminal 300. The mobile terminal 300 is, for example, a portable terminal such as a smartphone owned by a user, and is connected to a network NT via wireless communication. As shown in Figure 2, the mobile terminal 300 has a CPU 310, a memory 320, a communication control unit 330 for connecting to the network NT via wireless communication, a touch panel 340, and a large-capacity storage device 350.

[0030] The mass storage device 350 is, for example, a flash memory and includes a program storage area 351 and a data storage area 352. Various programs, such as the program shown in the flowchart of FIG. 9 (described later), are stored in the program storage area 351 as, for example, applications. The CPU 310 executes the various programs stored in the program storage area 351. The CPU 310 executes various processes, including data communication with the service management server 100 connected to the network NT. The data storage area 352 stores identification information, such as a user ID and printer ID corresponding to the mobile terminal 300, issued based on the program or the printing service, and access information, such as a URL or IP address, for accessing the service management server 100. The mass storage device 350 is an example of a storage unit, and the CPU 310 and the program stored in the program storage area 351 are an example of a calculation unit.

[0031] The mobile terminal 300 also displays various information and accepts various operations by the user on a touch panel 340 that integrally combines a liquid crystal display and a touch pad. The user can input various instructions to the mobile terminal 300 by operating the touch panel 340.

[0032] Instead of a portable terminal, the mobile terminal 300 may be another information terminal such as a tablet computer or a desktop PC.

[0033] 1, the transaction server 400 is a server for performing online settlement via the network NW. The transaction server 400 has a processor, a storage device, and a communication interface for connecting to the network NT (not shown).

[0034] <Automatic Consumables Delivery Service> FIG. 3 shows a specific example of an automatic consumables delivery service provided by the printing service providing system 1 of this embodiment during normal use.

[0035] In this embodiment, the consumables automatic delivery service is a service that automatically delivers consumables to a user's destination when the remaining amount of a specific consumable becomes low due to printing performed by the printer 200, for a user who has previously entered into a consumables delivery contract with a service provider. For this purpose, the printer 200 consumes consumables such as ink and paper while printing a print job instructed by a user via, for example, the mobile terminal 300, while constantly monitoring the remaining amounts of specific consumables such as ink and paper via the various sensors 280. The service management server 100 then periodically transmits a command via the network NT to the printer 200 at predetermined intervals, requesting consumables remaining amount information that summarizes the detected remaining amounts of specific consumables. Upon receiving this command, the printer 200 replies with the consumables remaining amount information at that time.

[0036] The automatic consumables ordering program executed by the service management server 100 places an order with the distribution center 600 for consumables that are predicted to run out soon or that have already been detected to be low, based on the acquired remaining consumable amount information, and the consumables are delivered to the user's delivery address via a delivery company. The user can then replenish or replace the delivered consumables themselves, allowing the printer 200 to continue printing. In this way, the automatic consumables delivery service is highly convenient because when a consumable runs out, the consumables are automatically delivered to the user's location (delivery address), such as the user's home, eliminating the need for the user to go to a store or online to purchase the consumables themselves.

[0037] Furthermore, in the automatic consumables delivery service, the automatic consumables ordering program of the service management server 100 can appropriately adjust the timing of ordering from the delivery center 600 so that consumables for the printer 200 can be replenished and replaced more effectively. As a specific example, if the consumables are ink, a method has been proposed for optimizing the timing of ordering ink based on a prediction of when the ink will run low, as shown in Figure 4. Note that the ordering timing is an example of delivery timing.

[0038] More specifically, it is assumed that an ink cartridge containing consumable ink is installed in the printer 200, and that this ink is temporarily stored in an ink tank provided on the main body of the printer 200 before being circulated to the print head (the above is not shown in the figures). In this configuration, the total ratio of the remaining ink in the ink cartridge and the ink tank (the value on the vertical axis in the figure) starts to decrease from 100% when initially installed at the time of first use for printing T1, and when the ink runs out first in the cartridge, it becomes the CTG low remaining ink ratio (%), and when the ink runs out last in the ink tank, it becomes 0%.

[0039] In typical printer 200 usage patterns, it is assumed that the total remaining amount percentage decreases approximately linearly from P1% at the first printing use T1 to 0% when the ink tank is low. Therefore, the change in the total remaining amount percentage over time of the cartridge remaining amount and the ink tank remaining amount can be approximated as a function, such as a linear function, based on measurement points acquired at a predetermined interval from P1% at printing use T1 to P2% at the current date and time. Based on this linear function, the CTG low date and time corresponding to the CTG low remaining amount percentage (%) and the tank low date and time corresponding to 0% can be predicted. The ink cartridge is then ordered at a date and time that subtracts the time required for delivery so that it arrives at the user's delivery destination midway between the CTG low date and the tank low date and time.

[0040] This allows ink to be automatically ordered so that it arrives between the predicted CTG low date and time and the tank low date and time, without having to wait for an ink shortage to actually be detected in the ink cartridge or ink tank.As a result, by replacing the ink cartridge as soon as the ink arrives, the user can maximize the amount of ink remaining in the cartridge before replacement and minimize or avoid the period during which printing is impossible due to ink shortage.In order to achieve this automatic ordering process with high accuracy, it is important for the service management server 100 to regularly obtain as many measurement points of the ink remaining in the printer 200 as possible so that the function for predicting the tank low date and time can be derived with as high accuracy as possible.

[0041] <Information Transmission and Reception During Communication Failure> However, for example, due to an accident or maintenance on a wired communication line, or malfunction of a specific device, a communication failure may occur between the service management server 100 and the printer 200. If the service management server 100 is therefore unable to obtain consumable remaining amount information from the printer 200 even for a certain period of time, this will reduce the accuracy of the automatic ordering process performed by the automatic consumable ordering program described above.

[0042] In contrast, in the print service providing system 1 of this embodiment, as shown in Figure 5, the mobile terminal 300 periodically directly accesses the service management server 100 as a process separate from the transmission of print jobs, and requests server communication status information. This is because the mobile terminal 300 is connected to the network NT via a wireless telephone line, and the connection path is different from that of the printer 200, so the mobile terminal 300 may be able to connect to the service management server 100 regardless of the above-mentioned communication failure. The server communication status information in this embodiment is information that indicates whether the service management server 100 is in a normal state where it can send and receive information with the contracted printer 200, or whether it is in a disrupted state where it cannot send and receive information.

[0043] When a communication failure occurs between the service management server 100 and the printer 200, the mobile terminal 300 acquires communication disruption status information from the service management server 100. In this case, the mobile terminal 300 acquires the consumable remaining amount information of the printer 200 on behalf of the service management server 100 and transmits it to the service management server 100. That is, the mobile terminal 300 requests the consumable remaining amount information from the printer 200, and the printer 200 responds by returning the consumable remaining amount information to the mobile terminal 300 that made the request. By directly transmitting the received consumable remaining amount information to the service management server 100, the service management server 100 can acquire the consumable remaining amount information of the printer 200 almost without interruption, and the accuracy of the automatic ordering process by the automatic consumable ordering program can be maintained.

[0044] <Control Procedure> An example of the control procedure executed by the CPU 310 of the mobile terminal 300 to realize the above-described processing in this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 6. The flow in Fig. 6 starts when an application program for using the print service providing system 1 is started on the mobile terminal 300, and thereafter continues to be executed as back-end processing separate from the processing of print jobs that can be operated by the user.

[0045] First, in step S5, a timer linked to a timing function (not shown) of the mobile terminal 300 is reset.

[0046] The process proceeds to step S10, where it is determined whether the timer's time has reached a predetermined check period, in other words, whether it is time for the mobile terminal 300 to periodically check the communication status of the service management server 100. If the timer's time has not reached the check period, the determination is not satisfied (S10: NO), and the process proceeds to step S15.

[0047] In step S15, it is determined whether or not a predetermined operation to terminate the period check process has been input by the user via touch panel 340. If the termination operation has been input, the determination is made that the condition is satisfied (S15: YES), and this flow ends. On the other hand, if the termination operation has not been input, the determination is made that the condition is not satisfied (S15: NO), and the flow returns to step S10.

[0048] On the other hand, if the determination in step S10 above shows that the timer's time has reached the check period, the determination is satisfied (S10: YES), and the process proceeds to step S20. In step S20, a command requesting server communication status information is sent to the service management server 100, for example in the form of an inquiry signal. This inquiry signal includes information identifying the printer 200 or user information linked to the printer 200, and server communication status information indicating the communication status with the printer 200 identified by the service management server 100 is prepared. Then, in the next step S25, the server communication status information returned from the service management server 100 as a response status to the inquiry signal is received. At this time, the CPU 310 of the mobile terminal 300 may access the service management server 100 based on access information previously stored in the data storage area 352. In the next step S30, it is determined whether the content of the received server communication status information indicates a communication interruption state. If the communication status is normal and not a communication interruption state, the determination is not satisfied (S30: NO), and the timer is reset in the next step S35, after which the process proceeds to step S15.

[0049] On the other hand, if the received server communication status information indicates a communication interruption state, the determination is satisfied (S30: YES), and the process proceeds to step S40. In step S40, a command requesting consumables remaining amount information is sent to printer 200, and in the next step S45, the consumables remaining amount information returned as a response from printer 200 is received. Next, in step S50, the received consumables remaining amount information is sent as is to service management server 100, and the process proceeds to step S35.

[0050] Through the above processing, the mobile terminal 300 periodically monitors the communication status between the service management server 100 and the printer 200, and can acquire and transmit remaining consumable information for the printer 200 on behalf of the service management server 100 when communication between them is interrupted.

[0051] In the above, the entire control procedure shown in the flow of Figure 6 is an example of an information processing program, steps S20 and S25 are an example of a status information acquisition process and a status information acquisition unit, steps S40 and S45 are an example of a remaining amount acquisition process and a remaining amount acquisition unit, and step S50 is an example of a remaining amount transmission process and a remaining amount transmission unit.

[0052] <Effects of the Embodiment> As described above, in the mobile terminal 300 included in the print service providing system 1 of this embodiment, the control procedure of the flowchart shown in FIG. 6 is executed by the CPU 310, thereby executing the processes of steps S20 and S25, steps S40 and S45, and step S50. In the processes of steps S20 and S25, server communication status information is acquired. The server communication status information indicates whether the service management server 100 is in a normal state where information can be sent and received with the printer 200, or in a disrupted state where information sending and receiving is not possible. In the processes of steps S40 and S45, consumable remaining amount information for the printer 200 is acquired from the printer 200. In the process of step S50, if the server communication status information indicates the disrupted state, the consumable remaining amount information acquired from the printer 200 is sent to the service management server 100.

[0053] In this embodiment, if a communication failure occurs between the printer 200 and the service management server 100, the remaining consumable amount information is relayed by the mobile terminal 300 that was originally connected to the printer 200, and is transmitted along the route of the printer 200 → the mobile terminal 300 → the service management server 100. According to this embodiment, the remaining consumable amount information of the printer 200 can be transmitted to the service management server 10 without requiring a complex system configuration in which the printer 200 is connected to multiple networks.

[0054] Furthermore, this embodiment is based on the premise that the service management server 100 manages the ordering of consumables, rather than the user managing the ordering of consumables. Accordingly, the information sent to the service management server 100 is not a consumable ordering instruction from the user, but rather information on the remaining amount of consumables in the printer 200. Therefore, by using the remaining amount of consumables information that the service management server 100 had acquired from the printer 200 before the communication failure occurred and the remaining amount of consumables information newly acquired via the above route during the communication failure, the service management server 100 can accurately determine the timing of delivery of consumables.

[0055] In this embodiment, particularly in the processes of steps S20 and S25, server communication status information is acquired from the response status of the service management server 100 to the inquiry signal transmitted to the service management server 100. As a result, the mobile terminal 300 can acquire the server communication status information by itself by outputting an inquiry signal to the service management server 100.

[0056] In this embodiment, particularly in the processes of steps S20 and S25, the server communication status information is acquired at predetermined intervals, which allows the latest server communication status information to be automatically acquired at predetermined intervals, and the communication status of the service management server 100 to be checked at appropriate time intervals.

[0057] In particular, in this embodiment, the mobile terminal 300 stores access information for the service management server 100 in advance in the data storage area 352 of the mass storage device 350, and in the processing of step S50, the access information stored in the data storage area 352 is used to transmit remaining consumable amount information to the service management server 100.

[0058] In this embodiment, the mobile terminal 300 is provided with a mass storage device 350, which stores in advance access information for the service management server 100. By using the access information stored in the mass storage device 350 in the process of step S50, the remaining consumable amount information can be smoothly transmitted to the service management server 100.

[0059] In particular, in this embodiment, the service management server 100 executes an automatic consumables ordering program that determines the timing of ordering consumables based on the remaining consumables amount information sent from the mobile terminal 300 and information on the delivery period, which is the period required to deliver the consumables.

[0060] This embodiment is based on the premise that the service management server 100 manages the ordering of consumables, and does not manage the ordering of consumables on the user side. Accordingly, the information sent to the service management server 100 is not a consumable ordering instruction from the user, but information on the remaining amount of consumables in the printer 200. The service management server 100 can then determine the timing of ordering the consumables based on the remaining amount information of consumables sent from the mobile terminal 300 (or the printer 200) and the delivery period of the consumables.

[0061] In particular, the service management server 100 can accurately determine the timing of ordering consumables by using the consumable remaining quantity information that was obtained from the printer 200 before the communication failure occurred and the consumable remaining quantity information that was newly obtained via the above-mentioned route during the communication failure.

[0062] The service management server 100 may determine whether to apply the consumables remaining amount information transmitted from the mobile terminal 300 based on predetermined determination criteria information. As a result, when the service management server 100 acquires the consumables remaining amount information transmitted from the mobile terminal 300, it can determine whether to adopt the consumables remaining amount information in managing the consumables of the printer 200 based on the determination criteria information related to the consumables remaining amount information. According to this embodiment, if the consumables remaining amount information transmitted from the mobile terminal 300 is inappropriate for managing consumables, the consumables remaining amount information can be not adopted.

[0063] The above-mentioned determination information includes at least one of the printer ID, which is identification information of the printer 200 related to the consumables remaining amount information, and acquisition date and time information of the consumables remaining amount information by the mobile terminal 300 (T1, T2 in FIG. 4). This allows the service management server 100 to determine whether or not to use the consumables remaining amount information in managing the consumables of the printer 200, based on the printer ID of the printer 200 and the acquisition date and time information of the consumables remaining amount information related to the consumables remaining amount information transmitted from the mobile terminal 300.

[0064] This allows the consumable remaining amount information to be rejected, for example, if the printer ID of the printer 200 related to the consumable remaining amount information is different from that of the printer 200 managed by the service management server 100, or if the acquisition date and time of the consumable remaining amount information is older than the allowable range.

[0065] Note that the service management server 100 does not necessarily acquire the server communication status information from the mobile terminal 300 itself. Alternatively, the mobile terminal 300 may acquire the information from a health check server 500 provided separately, as shown in FIG. 7 . In this case, the health check server 500, which has communication functions equivalent to those of the service management server 100, connects the mobile terminal 300 and the service management server 100 via the network NT. When the mobile terminal 300 transmits a signal requesting server communication status information from the service management server 100 to the health check server 500, the health check server 500 responds by checking the communication status between the service management server 100 and the printer 200, and returns server communication status information to the mobile terminal 300 based on the results. Note that this health check server 500 is an example of a communication monitoring server.

[0066] In this way, if a separate health check server is provided to monitor the external communication status of the service management server 100, the mobile terminal 300 can obtain server communication status information from the health check server 500 in the processing of steps S20 and S25.

[0067] In addition to the mobile terminal 300 itself and the health check server 500, the printer 200 may also acquire server communication status information, as shown in FIG. 8 . In this case, the mobile terminal 300 periodically transmits a signal to the printer 200 requesting server communication status information. In response to this, the printer 200 transmits a signal such as a Ping to the service management server 200, and checks the communication status between the printer 200 and the service management server 100 based on the response. This allows the printer 200 to return server communication status information to the mobile terminal 300 indicating whether normal information exchange with the service management server 100 is possible or has been interrupted. This allows the printer 200 to detect the communication status with the service management server 100, and the mobile terminal 300 can acquire server communication status information from the printer 200 in the processing of steps S20 and S25.

[0068] As described above, when the mobile terminal 300 acquires server communication status information from the health check server 500 or the printer 200 itself, it may acquire access information for accessing the service management server 100 from the health check server 500 or the printer 200. That is, the CPU 310 of the mobile terminal 300 is caused to execute a process in advance to acquire access information for the service management server 100 from the health check server 500 or the printer 200. Then, in the process of step S50, the access information acquired in the above process is used to send consumable remaining amount information to the service management server 100. Note that the process of acquiring access information in this case is an example of an access information acquisition process.

[0069] As a result, even if the mobile terminal 300 does not store the access information in the mass storage device 350 in advance, the access information of the service management server 100 can be acquired from the health check server 500 or the printer 200. In the process of step S50, the acquired access information can be used to smoothly transmit the remaining amount information of consumables to the service management server 100.

[0070] Furthermore, in the above, the flowchart shown in Figure 6 does not limit the present invention to the procedures shown in the flowchart, and procedures may be added, deleted, or the order may be changed within the scope that does not deviate from the intent and technical idea of ​​the invention.

[0071] In addition to the above, the methods according to the above embodiments and modifications may be used in appropriate combination.

[0072] Although not specifically illustrated, the present invention can be implemented with various modifications within the scope of the invention.

[0073] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Printing service providing system 100 Service management server 200 Printer (an example of a printing device) 270 Communication interface (an example of a communication unit) 300 Mobile terminal (an example of a terminal device) 310 CPU (an example of a calculation unit) 350 Large-capacity storage device (an example of a storage unit) 400 Transaction server 500 Health check server (an example of a communication monitoring server) NT Network

Claims

1. An information processing program for a terminal device capable of communicating with a printing apparatus and a service management server, wherein the printing apparatus includes a printing unit that prints an image on a printing medium using printing consumables and a communication unit capable of communicating with the service management server that manages a delivery service of the printing consumables, the terminal device is capable of communicating with the printing apparatus and the service management server that can operate based on a contract of the delivery service, and the information processing program causes an arithmetic unit of the terminal device to execute a state information acquisition process of acquiring communication state information indicating whether the service management server is in a normal state in which information can be transmitted and received with the communication unit of the printing apparatus or in an interrupted state in which information cannot be transmitted and received with the communication unit, a remaining amount acquisition process of acquiring remaining amount information of the printing consumables in the printing apparatus from the printing apparatus, and a remaining amount transmission process of transmitting the remaining amount information of the printing consumables acquired in the remaining amount acquisition process to the service management server when the communication state information indicating the interrupted state is acquired in the state information acquisition process.

2. The information processing program according to claim 1, wherein in the state information acquisition process, the communication state information is acquired from a response status of the service management server to an inquiry signal transmitted to the service management server.

3. The information processing program according to claim 1, wherein in the state information acquisition process, the communication state information is acquired from a communication monitoring server that monitors an external communication status in the service management server.

4. The information processing program according to claim 1, wherein in the state information acquisition process, the communication state information is acquired from the printing apparatus that has detected a communication status with the service management server.

5. The information processing program according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein in the state information acquisition process, the communication state information is acquired at predetermined intervals.

6. The terminal device has a storage unit that stores access information of the service management server in advance, and in the remaining amount transmission process, the remaining amount information is transmitted to the service management server using the access information stored in the storage unit. The information processing program according to claim 1.

7. The information processing program according to claim 3 or claim 4, further configured to cause the arithmetic unit of the terminal device to execute an access information acquisition process of acquiring access information of the service management server from the communication monitoring server or the printing device, and in the remaining amount transmission process, transmit the remaining amount information to the service management server using the access information acquired in the access information acquisition process.

8. A printing system including a printing device operable based on a contract for a printing consumable delivery service, a service management server for the delivery service, and a terminal device, wherein the service management server has a state information acquisition unit that acquires communication state information indicating whether it is in a normal state where information can be transmitted and received with the printing device or in an interrupted state where information transmission and reception are impossible, a remaining amount acquisition unit that acquires remaining amount information of the printing consumables in the printing device from the printing device, and a remaining amount transmission unit that transmits the remaining amount information of the printing consumables acquired by the remaining amount acquisition unit to the service management server when the communication state information indicating the interrupted state is acquired by the state information acquisition unit.

9. The printing system according to claim 8, wherein the terminal device includes the state information acquisition unit.

10. The printing system according to claim 8, further including a communication monitoring server that monitors the external communication status of the service management server, and the communication monitoring server includes the state information acquisition unit.

11. The printing system according to claim 8, wherein the printing device includes the state information acquisition unit.

12. The printing system according to claim 8, wherein the service management server is configured to determine the delivery timing of the printing consumables based on the remaining amount information transmitted from the remaining amount transmission unit and the period required for delivering the printing consumables.

13. The printing system according to any one of claims 8 to 12, wherein the service management server is configured to determine whether to apply the remaining amount information transmitted from the remaining amount transmission unit based on predetermined determination material information.

14. The printing system according to claim 13, wherein the determination material information includes at least one of identification information of the printing device related to the remaining amount information and acquisition date and time information of the remaining amount information by the remaining amount acquisition unit.

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