Computer program, device, and method for controlling printing device

Abstract

The present invention provides a technology for improving user convenience. This computer program for controlling a printing device causes a computer to function as the following units, specifically: a first reception unit that receives, from a user, an input of a natural-language sentence representing an inquiry about the printing device; an acquisition unit that acquires device-related information related to the printing device; a supply unit that supplies the natural-language sentence and the device-related information to a language processing unit; a second reception unit that receives, from the language processing unit, answer information that is generated by the language processing unit on the basis of the natural-language sentence and the device-related information and represents an answer corresponding to the inquiry; and an output control unit that causes an output device to output the answer information.

Description

Computer Program, Device, and Method for Controlling a Printing Device

[0001] This specification relates to a technology for controlling a printing device.

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for causing a printer to execute printing by using an application installed on a terminal.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-085588

[0004] This specification provides a technology for improving user convenience.

[0005] This specification discloses a computer program for controlling a printing device. The computer program may cause a computer to function as the following units: a first reception unit that receives an input of a natural sentence representing an inquiry about the printing device from a user; an acquisition unit that acquires device-related information related to the printing device; a supply unit that supplies the natural sentence and the device-related information to a language processing unit; a second reception unit that receives, from the language processing unit, response information generated by the language processing unit based on the natural sentence and the device-related information and representing a response corresponding to the inquiry; and an output control unit that causes the response information to be output to an output device.

[0006] According to the above configuration, when a natural sentence representing an inquiry about the printing device is received from a user and device-related information related to the printing device is acquired, the natural sentence and the device-related information are supplied to the language processing unit, response information representing a response corresponding to the inquiry is received from the language processing unit, and the response information is output. The user can confirm the response corresponding to the inquiry by viewing the output response information. Therefore, user convenience is improved.

[0007] A computer-readable recording medium storing the above computer program, the device itself realized by the above computer program, and the method executed by the device are also novel and useful.

[0008] This is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a communication system. This is a sequence diagram of the first embodiment. This is a screen transition diagram of the screen displayed on the terminal. This is a screen transition diagram continuing from Figure 3. This is a diagram illustrating Case A. This is a diagram illustrating Case B. This is a diagram illustrating Case C. This is a diagram illustrating Case D. This is a diagram illustrating Case E. This is a diagram illustrating Case F. This is a diagram illustrating Case G. This is a diagram illustrating Case H. This is a sequence diagram of the second embodiment.

[0009] (First Embodiment) (Configuration of the communication system; Figure 1) As shown in Figure 1, the communication system 2 comprises a terminal 10, printers 100A and 100B, and an Artificial Intelligence (AI) server 200. The terminal 10 and printers 100A and 100B are connected to a Local Area Network (LAN) 4. The terminal 10 and each printer 100A and 100B can communicate with each other via LAN 4. LAN 4 may be a wired LAN or a wireless LAN. The AI ​​server 200 is located on the Internet 6. Each device 10, 100A, and 100B and the AI ​​server 200 can communicate with each other via LAN 4 and the Internet 6.

[0010] (Configuration of Terminal 10) Terminal 10 is a portable terminal device such as a mobile phone, smartphone, PDA, or tablet PC. In a modified example, terminal 10 may be a stationary PC, laptop PC, etc. Terminal 10 comprises an operation unit 12, a display unit 14, a communication interface 16, and a control unit 30. Each unit 12 to 30 is connected to a bus line. Hereafter, the interface will be referred to as "I / F".

[0011] The operation unit 12 is a user interface that allows the user to input various information to the terminal 10. The operation unit 12 includes, for example, a touch panel, hardware keys, or both for displaying software keys (operation objects). Hardware keys include, for example, buttons or switches. The display unit 14 is a display or panel for displaying various information. The panel may or may not be a touch panel. The panel may also be, for example, a liquid crystal panel or an organic EL panel. The communication interface 16 is connected to the LAN 4.

[0012] The control unit 30 comprises a CPU 32 and a memory 34. The memory 34 comprises a main memory and an auxiliary memory. For example, the main memory includes RAM and cache memory. For example, the auxiliary memory may be ROM, flash memory, Solid State Drive (SSD), Hard Disk Drive (HDD), or a combination thereof. The auxiliary memory of the memory 34 stores an OS program 36 and an application program 38. Hereinafter, the OS program and the application program will be referred to as "OS" and "app," respectively. The OS 36 controls the basic operation of the terminal 10. For example, the app 38 is downloaded from a server on the Internet 6 and installed on the terminal 10. That is, the app 38 is a so-called native app. The CPU 32 performs various processes according to the program loaded from the auxiliary memory to the main memory. Hereinafter, it may be described that the OS 36 or the app 38 takes the lead in performing the various processes that the CPU 32 performs according to the program.

[0013] The application 38 can cause printers 100A, 100B, etc., to perform printing. In particular, when the application 38 in this embodiment receives an inquiry from a user, it sends the inquiry and predetermined information to the AI ​​server 200, receives a response from the AI ​​server 200, and displays it.

[0014] (Configuration of Printer 100A) Printer 100A is a peripheral device capable of performing printing functions, for example, a peripheral device of terminal 10. In a modified example, printer 100A may be a multi-function device capable of performing scanning functions, facsimile functions, etc., in addition to printing functions. Printer 100A is assigned a device ID "dv1", which is information that identifies printer 100A. The device ID is, for example, a model name, an IP address, or a combination thereof. In this specification, the device ID is the model name. The model name is the model identification information of the device. The model name may be a higher-level model name that encompasses multiple model names. For example, it may be a model name called ABC Series that encompasses model names ABC1 and ABC2. Printer 100A supports an automatic consumables shipping service. The automatic consumables shipping service is a service that automatically ships a new ink cartridge to the user of the printer when the amount of ink remaining in the ink cartridge installed in the printer falls below a predetermined amount. The printer 100A comprises an operation unit 112, a display unit 114, a communication interface 116, a print execution unit 118, and a control unit 130. Each of the units 112 to 130 is connected to a bus line.

[0015] The operation unit 112 is a user interface that allows the user to input various information to the printer 100A. The operation unit 112 includes, for example, a touch panel, hardware keys, or both for displaying software keys. Hardware keys include, for example, buttons or switches. The display unit 114 is a display or panel for displaying various information. The panel may or may not be a touch panel. The panel may also be, for example, a liquid crystal panel or an organic EL panel. The communication interface 116 is connected to LAN 4. The print execution unit 118 includes an electrophotographic, inkjet, or thermal printing engine. The electrophotographic printing engine includes a photoreceptor and an exposure device that emits light to expose the photoreceptor. The inkjet printing engine includes a print head that ejects ink droplets. The thermal printing engine includes a print head that generates heat using a heater.

[0016] The control unit 130 comprises a CPU 132 and a memory 134. The memory 134 comprises a main memory and an auxiliary memory. For example, the main memory includes RAM and cache memory. For example, the auxiliary memory may be ROM, flash memory, SSD, HDD, or a combination thereof. The program 136 is stored in the auxiliary memory of the memory 134. The CPU 132 performs various processes according to the program loaded from the auxiliary memory to the main memory.

[0017] (Configuration of Printer 100B) Printer 100B has the same configuration as Printer 100A, except that it has a device ID "dv2" and does not support the automated shipping service.

[0018] (Configuration of AI Server 200) The AI ​​Server 200 generates responses to inquiries received from the terminal 10. The servers described herein (for example, the AI ​​Server 200, the management server 300 (see Second Embodiment), and the print server (not shown)) are installed on the Internet 6 by the vendor of the printer 100 (hereinafter simply referred to as "vendor"). The AI ​​Server 200 will be described in particular below, but the same applies to other servers described herein, such as the management server 300. The AI ​​Server 200 may be a physical server, a virtual server on the cloud, a virtual machine, etc. The AI ​​Server 200 may be a single server, or a collection of multiple servers. The AI ​​Server 200 may be a server on an intranet, or a cloud server on the Internet 6. In a modified example, the AI ​​Server 200 may be installed on the Internet 6 by a different operator than the vendor. In another modified example, the vendor may not prepare the hardware for the AI ​​Server 200 itself, but may use an environment provided by an external cloud computing service. In this case, the vendor may realize the AI ​​server 200 by preparing the program (i.e., software) for the AI ​​server 200 and installing it in the environment described above. In this embodiment, as an example, a configuration in which the AI ​​server 200 is a physical server will be described.

[0019] The AI ​​server 200 includes a communication interface 216 and a control unit 230. The communication interface 216 and the control unit 230 are connected to a bus line. The communication interface 216 is connected to the Internet 6.

[0020] The control unit 230 comprises a processor 232 and a memory 234. The processor 232 includes a CPU, a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), a Neural Processing Unit (NPU), or a combination thereof. The memory 234 comprises a main memory and an auxiliary memory. For example, the main memory includes RAM and cache memory. For example, the auxiliary memory may be ROM, flash memory, SSD, HDD, or a combination thereof. The program 236 is stored in the auxiliary memory of the memory 234. The processor 232 performs various processes according to the program loaded from the auxiliary memory to the main memory.

[0021] Program 236 incorporates a pre-trained model. The AI ​​server 200 generates responses to queries based on the pre-trained model incorporated in Program 236. The pre-trained model includes a program and various parameters. The pre-trained model includes, for example, language models such as large-scale language models (LLMs) and small-scale language models (SLMs). In a modified example, the pre-trained model may use Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) to generate responses to queries by referring to the correspondence between queries and their corresponding answers.

[0022] (Processing performed between each device; Figures 2-4) Next, the processing performed between each device will be explained with reference to Figures 2-4. For the sake of clarity, in the following, the processing performed by the CPU (e.g., 32, 132) or processor (e.g., 232) of each device (e.g., terminal 10, printers 100A, 100B, AI server 200) will be described as being performed by each device, rather than each CPU or processor. Furthermore, communication between each device is performed via a communication interface (e.g., 16, 116, 216). Therefore, in the following explanation, the phrase "via the communication interface" will be omitted when describing communication.

[0023] In the initial state shown in Figure 2, information about two or more printers, including printers 100A and 100B (for example, the printer's device ID, IP address, etc.), is already registered in the terminal 10's memory 34 (i.e., application 38).

[0024] When terminal 10 receives an application launch operation from the user in T2 to launch application 38, it launches application 38 and displays the home screen SC1 on the display unit 14 in T4. As shown in Figure 3, the home screen SC1 includes one or more device objects OB11, OB12 and a plurality of function objects OB13 to OB15.

[0025] Device object OB11 is an object corresponding to the registered printer 100A and includes the device ID "dv1" of printer 100A. As described above, the device ID "dv1" is the model name of printer 100A. Note that the device ID "dv1" may also include the IP address of printer 100A in addition to the model name of printer 100A. In Figure 3, part of it is hidden and not visible, but device object OB12 is an object corresponding to printer 100B that is registered with terminal 10 and includes the device ID "dv2" of printer 100B. Note that in a situation where only one device (for example, printer 100A) is registered with terminal 10, device object OB12 may be an object for registering a new device. Function objects OB13 to OB15 are objects corresponding to the document printing function, photo printing function, and audio printing function, respectively. The document printing function is a function that prints images represented by document files (for example, Word files, PDF files, Text files, etc.). The photo printing function prints images represented by photo files (e.g., JPEG files). The audio printing function prints images represented by audio files (e.g., MP3 files). Here, the image represented by the audio file is the image represented by the document file obtained by transcribing the audio represented by the audio file.

[0026] At T10, terminal 10 accepts the selection of a function object OB14 corresponding to the photo printing function from the user, provided that device ID "dv1" or "dv2" has been selected. Here, "device ID selected" means that the entire device object including the device ID is displayed. In the example in Figure 3, an example is shown where the selection of a function object OB14 corresponding to the photo printing function is accepted when device ID "dv1" has been selected. Hereafter, the printer corresponding to the selected device ID may be referred to as the "target printer". In this case, at T12, terminal 10 displays the file selection screen SC2 on the display unit 13. As shown in Figure 3, the file selection screen SC2 includes multiple file objects OB21, OB22 corresponding to multiple photo files stored in memory 34, and a cancel button OB23. Each file object OB21, OB22 includes a file name (e.g., F1, F2). In the modified version, the file selection screen SC2 may contain thumbnail images of multiple photo files stored in memory 34 instead of file objects.

[0027] When terminal 10 receives a selection from the user for a file object OB21 corresponding to the file name F1 at T20, it displays a print preview screen SC3 on the display unit 14 at T22. As shown in Figure 3, the print preview screen SC3 includes a print preview image P1 corresponding to the image represented by the photo file having the file name F1, a device object OB31, a setting object OB32, a chat object OB33, and a print object OB34.

[0028] The device object OB31 includes the device ID of the target printer corresponding to the device object selected when the function object OB14 is selected on the home screen SC1, and the paper size. In the example in Figure 3, the device object OB31 includes the device ID "dv1" of printer 100A and the paper size "A4". That is, the device object OB31 is an object that indicates the size of the device and printing medium for printing the image corresponding to the print preview image. In the modified example, the device object OB31 does not have to include the paper size, or it may include information other than the paper size, such as the paper type. The paper type is, for example, plain paper, glossy paper, etc. Also, when the selection of the device object OB31 by the user is accepted, it may be configured to allow the setting of the paper size, etc. The setting object OB32 is an object for displaying the print settings screen. The chat object OB33 is an object for displaying the chat screen SC10, which will be described later. The print object OB34 is an object for executing the printing of the image.

[0029] When terminal 10 receives a selection of print object OB34 from the user at T30, it converts the image data corresponding to the print preview image P1 into print data, and then sends the converted print data to the target printer at T32. The print data has a data format that can be interpreted by the target printer. Note that the display of the print preview screen SC3 is maintained even after the selection of print object OB34 is received at T30.

[0030] When the target printer receives print data from terminal 10 at T32, it causes the print execution unit 118 to print the image represented by the print data at T34. As a result, the user can obtain a printed medium on which the image has been printed.

[0031] The following scenario assumes a case where the user is not satisfied with the quality of the image printed on the print medium. At T100, the user selects the chat object OB33 within the print preview screen SC3. In this case, at T102, the terminal 10 displays the chat screen SC10 on the display unit 14, overlaid on the print preview screen SC3. As shown in Figure 4, the chat screen SC10 includes a chat area R1, an input area R2, and a send button OB41. The chat area R1 is the area where the response received from the AI ​​server 200 is displayed. The input area R2 is the area for the user to input natural language text representing their inquiry (for example, "the print quality is poor," "I want to print nicely," etc.). The natural language text may be entered via the operation unit 12 or by voice. The send button OB41 is an object for sending the entered inquiry to the AI ​​server 200. In T32, after print data has been sent from terminal 10 to the target printer, the user can enter natural language text into the input area R2 of the chat screen SC10 while the print preview screen SC3 is displayed. That is, after the user has confirmed the printed medium on which the image has been printed, the user can enter natural language text expressing an inquiry about the print result. In cases such as Case E described later, the user can enter natural language text into the input area R2 of the chat screen SC10 while the print preview screen SC3 is displayed, even before the print data has been sent from terminal 10 to the target printer.

[0032] Terminal 10, at T110, accepts the user's input of natural language representing an inquiry, and then accepts the selection of the send button OB41. In this case, at T112, terminal 10 sends a printer information request to the target printer. The printer information request is a signal that requests the target printer to send printer information. The printer information in this embodiment includes, for example, the device ID of the target printer, information indicating the communication status of the target printer, information indicating the remaining amount of consumables such as colorants and paper, information regarding the automatic consumable delivery service, maintenance information, and history information. The information regarding the automatic consumable delivery service includes information indicating whether or not the target printer supports the automatic consumable delivery service. In particular, if the target printer supports the automatic consumable delivery service, the information regarding the automatic consumable delivery service includes information indicating whether or not the user of the target printer has subscribed to the automatic consumable delivery service. The maintenance information is information used for the maintenance management of the target printer and includes, for example, information indicating a high number of discharge errors, information indicating the number of times consumables such as ink cartridges have been replaced, and information indicating the error history. History information refers to information that shows the usage history of the target printer, and includes, for example, the total operating time and total number of prints of the target printer. Note that printer information is not limited to the above information and may also include, for example, information indicating the printing speed of the target printer, information indicating the maximum printing resolution, and information indicating finishers (e.g., staplers, mailboxes, etc.) attached to the target printer. Furthermore, the information included in the printer information in this embodiment is just an example, and some of the above information may not be included in the printer information.

[0033] When the target printer receives a printer information request from terminal 10 at T112, it identifies its own printer information at T114 and sends the printer information to terminal 10. In this way, terminal 10 can receive printer information from the target printer.

[0034] Terminal 10 receives printer information from the target printer at T114. In this case, terminal 10 identifies terminal information stored in memory 34. The terminal information in this embodiment includes, for example, information indicating the communication status of terminal 10, information indicating that the function object OB14 corresponding to photo printing has been selected, and print setting values ​​specified via application 38. Note that the terminal information is not limited to the above information and may also include, for example, information indicating the version of application 38. Furthermore, the information included in the terminal information in this embodiment is just an example, and some of the above information may not be included in the terminal information. At T120, terminal 10 sends the input natural language text, the received printer information, and the identified terminal information to the AI ​​server 200.

[0035] At T120, the AI ​​server 200 receives natural language, printer information, and terminal information from terminal 10. In this case, at T122, the trained model of the AI ​​server 200 generates an answer to the natural language (i.e., query) based on the printer information and terminal information. Specific examples of answers generated by the trained model of the AI ​​server 200 will be described later with reference to Figures 5 to 12. At T124, the AI ​​server 200 sends the generated answer to terminal 10.

[0036] When terminal 10 receives a response from the AI ​​server 200 at T124, it displays the received response on the display unit 14 at T130. Specifically, as shown in Figure 4, terminal 10 displays the received response in the chat area R1 of the chat screen SC10. The user can confirm the answer to their inquiry by checking the response displayed in the chat area R1.

[0037] (Case A; Figure 5) The following describes a specific example of a response generated by the trained model of the AI ​​server 200. First, let's explain Case A with reference to Figure 5. In Figure 5, "local information" refers to the combination of printer information received from the target printer and terminal information identified from memory 34. Case A is a case in which the user is not satisfied with the print quality of the printed image after the printer 100A has been ordered to print an image.

[0038] First, let's explain the various types of information included in the local information. The items in the local information, "Device ID," "Printer Wi-Fi Connection," "Ink Level," "Paper Tray," "Service," "Maintenance Information," "Supported Paper Types," and "History Information," are included in the printer information received from printer 100A. The items in the local information, "Terminal Wi-Fi Connection," "Same Network," "Print Quality," "Paper Size," "Paper Type," and "Operation Information," are included in the terminal information identified from memory 34. Note that the information included in the local information in this embodiment is just an example, and it may also include information corresponding to items other than those listed above, or it may not include information corresponding to some of the items listed above.

[0039] The item "Terminal Wi-Fi Connection" indicates whether terminal 10 has already established a Wi-Fi connection. If terminal 10 has already established a Wi-Fi connection, this information includes, for example, the Service Set Identifier (SSID) of the Wi-Fi network to which terminal 10 belongs. The item "Printer Wi-Fi Connection" indicates whether printer 100A has already established a Wi-Fi connection. If printer 100A has already established a Wi-Fi connection, this information includes, for example, the SSID of the Wi-Fi network to which printer 100A belongs. The item "Same Network" indicates whether terminal 10 and printer 100A belong to the same Wi-Fi network. If the SSID of the Wi-Fi network to which terminal 10 belongs and the SSID of the Wi-Fi network to which printer 100A belongs are the same, the information in the item "Same Network" indicates "YES". If the former SSID and the latter SSID are different, the information in the item "Are they on the same network?" will show "NO".

[0040] The items "Print Quality," "Paper Size," and "Paper Type" represent the print settings specified when the print object OB34 was selected in T30 of Figure 2, respectively. In Case A, the items "Print Quality," "Paper Size," and "Paper Type" represent "Standard," "A4," and "Plain Paper," respectively.

[0041] The item "Ink Level" indicates the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridges installed in printer 100A. In case A, the item "Ink Level" shows "Low," meaning that there is little ink left in the ink cartridges. The item "Ink Level" may also include information indicating the ink level for each color installed in printer 100A. For example, if printer 100A has four CMYK ink cartridges installed, the item "Ink Level" may include information indicating the ink level for each color. The item "Paper Tray" indicates the number of sheets of paper remaining in the paper tray. In case A, the item "Paper Tray" shows "Full," meaning that there are enough sheets of paper in the paper tray. The item "Paper Tray" may also include information indicating the number of sheets of paper remaining in each of the multiple paper trays of printer 100A. For example, if printer 100A is provided with a paper tray for A4-sized paper and a paper tray for B5-sized paper, the item "paper tray" may include the remaining number of A4-sized sheets and the remaining number of B5-sized sheets.

[0042] The "Service" item indicates whether or not printer 100A supports the automatic consumables shipping service, and if printer 100A supports the automatic consumables shipping service, it also indicates whether or not the user of printer 100A is subscribed to the automatic consumables shipping service. The "Maintenance Information" item indicates information used for the maintenance and inspection of printer 100A.

[0043] The item "Supported Paper Types" indicates the types of paper on which Printer 100A can perform printing. Note that the local information may not include the item "Supported Paper Types". In this case, in AI Server 200, the supported paper types may be specified based on the device ID "dv1" included in the local information.

[0044] The item "History Information" indicates the usage history of Printer 100A. In Case A, the item "History Information" indicates "High Total Print Count", which means that the total number of prints is more than a predetermined threshold.

[0045] The item "Operation Information" indicates the operations received from the user. Specifically, the item "Operation Information" indicates which of the function objects OB13 to OB15 was selected in the most recent operation. In Case A, the item "Operation Information" indicates "Photo Printing", which means that the function object OB14 corresponding to the photo printing function was selected.

[0046] As described above, after Terminal 10 receives an input of a natural sentence in the input area R2 within Chat Screen SC10 from the user, when the send button OB41 is selected (T110 in FIG. 2), Terminal 10 receives printer information from Printer 100A (T114) and identifies terminal information from Memory 34. In this way, the local information in FIG. 5 is collected by Terminal 10. The local information collected by Terminal 10 is transmitted to AI Server 200 together with the natural sentence input by the user (T120).

[0047] In Case A, the user inputs the natural sentence "The print quality is poor" at T110 in FIG. 2. In this case, AI Server 200 generates a response to the query as follows.

[0048] First, based on the natural sentence "The print quality is poor", the AI server 200 uses a learned model to identify, among the items included in the local information received from the terminal 10, the items related to print quality. In this case, the items "operation information", "print quality", "paper type", "corresponding paper type", "ink level", "maintenance information", and "history information" are identified. Note that instead of the item "corresponding paper type", the item "device ID" may be identified. In this case, the AI server 200 may identify the corresponding paper type of the printer of the model having the device ID. Note that the AI server 200 may generate a message "The quality of the photo print is different from what was expected. I'm very sorry." based on the natural sentence "The print quality is poor" and the information "photo print" corresponding to the item "operation information".

[0049] Next, when the AI server 200 identifies that the item "operation information" indicates "photo print" and also identifies that the information corresponding to the items "print quality", "paper type", and "corresponding paper type" are "standard", "plain paper", and "plain paper, glossy paper", respectively. The learned model has learned that in the case of photo printing, the quality of the image can be improved by setting the print quality setting value to high quality and printing the image on glossy paper. Therefore, although photo printing is selected, the AI server 200 determines that there is a possibility that the print quality is poor because the items "print quality" and "paper type" are "standard" and "plain paper", respectively. Also, in this case, since the item "corresponding paper type" indicates "plain paper, glossy paper", the AI server 200 determines that the printer 100A is capable of performing printing on glossy paper. As a result, the AI server 200 generates a message "It is recommended to set the paper type to glossy paper and the print image quality to high quality when doing photo printing." to recommend to the user to specify a specific print setting value. The user can recognize that the print settings should be changed by checking the message.

[0050] In a modified version in which the item "Device ID" is identified instead of the item "Supported Paper Types," the AI ​​server 200 may identify the supported paper types of the printer model having the identified Device ID based on the information corresponding to the item "Device ID," and then perform the same processing as described above.

[0051] In a modified version, if the item "Operation Information" indicates "Document Printing," the AI ​​server 200 may generate a message recommending that the user specify a particular print setting value: "We recommend setting the print quality to high." In other words, the AI ​​server 200 does not need to generate a message recommending that the user print on glossy paper. This is because printing on glossy paper when printing a document file is unlikely to contribute to improving print quality. In another modified version, if the item "Supported Paper Types" indicates only "Plain Paper," that is, if the printer 100A is unable to print on glossy paper, the AI ​​server 200 may generate a message that does not recommend that the user print on glossy paper: "We recommend setting the print quality to high." Thus, in this embodiment, print settings that are unavailable to the printer 100A are not recommended.

[0052] Next, the AI ​​server 200 identifies that the item "Ink Level" indicates "Low". The trained model has learned that low ink levels can lead to poor print quality. Therefore, the AI ​​server 200 generates a message recommending that the user replace the ink: "Low ink levels may result in blurry print. Ink replacement is recommended." By seeing this message, the user can recognize that they should replace the ink cartridge installed in the printer 100A. In the modified version, if the item "Ink Level" indicates "Normal," meaning there is sufficient ink, the AI ​​server 200 does not generate the above message.

[0053] Next, the AI ​​server 200 identifies that the item "Maintenance Information" indicates "Normal". The trained model has learned that if the maintenance information is not "Normal", there is a possibility that some kind of malfunction has occurred in the printer 100A. In this case, since the item "Maintenance Information" indicates "Normal", it is determined that there is no malfunction in the printer 100A. Therefore, in this case, no message is generated based on the information corresponding to the item "Maintenance Information". In a modified example, if the item "Maintenance Information" indicates "High number of discharge errors", which means that the printer 100A has experienced a discharge error more than a predetermined number of times, the AI ​​server 200 may generate a message indicating that there is a possibility of a malfunction in the printer 100A, "There is a possibility of a malfunction in the printer itself" (see Case G).

[0054] Next, the AI ​​server 200 identifies that the item "History Information" indicates "High Total Print Count." The trained model has learned that a high total print count makes malfunctions, such as ink head clogging, more likely to occur. Therefore, the AI ​​server 200 generates a message recommending that the user perform maintenance on the printer 100A: "If the quality is not what you expected even after changing print settings or replacing ink, try performing a head cleaning." It also generates a message indicating how to perform a head cleaning. By checking these messages, the user can recognize that they should perform a head cleaning. In a modified version, if the item "History Information" indicates "Normal," that is, if both the total operating time and the total number of prints are below a predetermined threshold, the AI ​​server 200 does not generate the above message. In another modified version, if the item "History Information" indicates "Long Total Operating Time," that is, if the total operating time of the printer 100A is above a predetermined threshold, the AI ​​server 200 may generate a message recommending that the user purchase or rent a new printer.

[0055] The trained model is further trained to determine whether the natural language text received from terminal 10 has a positive or negative connotation. The AI ​​server 200 determines whether the natural language text has a positive or negative connotation if the item "ink level" indicates "Low" or "Empty". In the modified version, the AI ​​server 200 may perform the above determination regardless of the information corresponding to the item "ink level".

[0056] In Case A, the trained model determines that the natural language statement "poor print quality" has a negative connotation. In this case, the AI ​​server 200 generates a message recommending that the user contact customer service, "If the above method does not resolve the issue, please contact customer service," without identifying the item "Service" included in the local information, and includes the URL of the customer service website after the message. The reason why the item "Service" is not identified when the natural language statement is determined to have a negative connotation is as follows: The information corresponding to the item "Service" is used to determine whether or not to recommend that the printer user subscribe to the automatic consumables delivery service. Specifically, if the item "Service" indicates "Supported and Unsubscribed," meaning that printer 100A supports the automatic consumables delivery service and the user of printer 100A has not yet subscribed to the service, a message recommending that the user subscribe to the consumables delivery service is generated. However, if the natural language statement is determined to have a negative connotation, recommending that the user subscribe to the automatic consumables delivery service may cause the user to feel uncomfortable. To suppress such phenomena, the item "Service" is not identified if the natural language has a negative connotation. In this case, the AI ​​server 200 may, for example, generate a message recommending subscription to the automatic consumable delivery service when it receives natural language from terminal 10 indicating that the print quality has improved (e.g., "Resolved").

[0057] (Case B; Figure 6) Next, we will explain Case B. In Case B, the natural language input from the user is different from that in Case A. In Case B, the information for each item included in the local information is the same as the information for each item in the local information in Case A.

[0058] In Case B, the user inputs the natural language phrase "I want to print it nicely" at T110 in Figure 2. In this case, the AI ​​server 200 generates a response to the query as follows.

[0059] First, based on the natural language phrase "I want to print nicely," the AI ​​server 200 uses a trained model to identify items related to print quality from among the items included in the local information received from terminal 10. In this case, the items "operation information," "print quality," "paper type," "supported paper types," "ink level," "maintenance information," and "history information" are identified. The message generated based on these items is the same as the message generated in Case A, since the information for each of the above items included in the local information is the same as in Case A. Alternatively, the AI ​​server 200 may generate the message "You want to print photos nicely, right? Here are some hints." based on the natural language phrase "I want to print nicely" and the information "photo printing" corresponding to the item "operation information."

[0060] Furthermore, the trained model determines whether the natural language sentence received from terminal 10 has a positive or negative connotation. In case B, the trained model determines that the natural language sentence "I want to print neatly" has a positive connotation. In this case, the AI ​​server 200 identifies the item "Service" included in the local information. In case B, the item "Service" indicates "Supported and not subscribed." In this case, the AI ​​server 200 generates a message recommending subscription to the automatic consumables delivery service, "If you print frequently, we recommend subscribing to the subscription service," and includes the URL of the site for subscribing to the automatic consumables delivery service after the message. When the natural language sentence is determined to have a positive connotation, recommending that the user subscribe to the automatic consumables delivery service is unlikely to cause the user discomfort. By recommending that the user subscribe to the automatic consumables delivery service, information that may be beneficial to the user can be provided.

[0061] (Case C; Figure 7) Next, Case C will be explained with reference to Figure 7. Case C is a case in which printing is performed on printer 100B instead of printer 100A. The local information for Case C is the same as the local information for Case A, except that the item "Device ID" shows "dv2" and the item "Service" shows "Unsupported".

[0062] In Case C, the user, as in Case A, inputs the natural language phrase "poor print quality" at T110 in Figure 2. In this case, the AI ​​server 200 generates a response to the inquiry as follows.

[0063] First, based on the natural language phrase "poor print quality," the AI ​​server 200 uses a trained model to identify the items related to print quality from among the items included in the local information received from terminal 10. In this case, the items "operation information," "print quality," "paper type," "supported paper types," "ink level," "maintenance information," and "history information" are identified. The message generated based on these items is the same as the message generated in Case A, since the information for each of the above items included in the local information is the same as in Case A.

[0064] Furthermore, the trained model determines whether the natural language text received from terminal 10 has a positive or negative connotation. In case C, the trained model determines that the natural language text "poor print quality" has a negative connotation. In this case, the AI ​​server 200 generates the message "If the above method does not resolve the issue, please contact customer service," without specifying the item "Service" included in the local information, and adds the URL of the customer service website after the message. In other words, similar to case A, the item "Service" is not specified when the natural language text is determined to have a negative connotation. If the item "Service" indicates "Not Supported," meaning that printer 100B does not support the automatic consumable shipping service, a message is generated instructing the user to purchase genuine consumables. However, if the natural language text is determined to have a negative connotation, instructing the user to purchase consumables may cause the user to feel uncomfortable. To suppress such occurrences, the item "Service" is not specified when the natural language text has a negative connotation. In this case, the AI ​​server 200 may, for example, generate a message guiding the user to purchase genuine consumables when it receives natural language text from terminal 10 indicating that the print quality has improved (e.g., "Resolved").

[0065] (Case D; Figure 8) Next, we will explain Case D with reference to Figure 8. In Case D, the natural language input from the user is different from that in Case C. In Case D, each piece of information included in the local information is the same as the information corresponding to each piece of local information in Case C.

[0066] In Case D, the user inputs the natural language phrase "I want to print it nicely" at T110 in Figure 2. In this case, the AI ​​server 200 generates a response to the query as follows.

[0067] First, the AI ​​server 200, based on the natural language phrase "I want to print nicely," uses a trained model to identify items related to print quality from among the items included in the local information received from terminal 10. In this case, the items "operation information," "print quality," "paper type," "supported paper types," "ink level," "maintenance information," and "history information" are identified. The message generated based on these items is the same as the message generated in Case A, since the information for each of the above items included in the local information is the same as in Case A.

[0068] Furthermore, the trained model determines whether the natural language text received from terminal 10 has a positive or negative connotation. In case D, the trained model determines that the natural language text "I want to print neatly" has a positive connotation. In this case, the AI ​​server 200 identifies the item "Service" included in the local information. In case D, the item "Service" indicates "Not supported". In this case, the AI ​​server 200 generates a message "You can purchase genuine ink from the following site," which guides the user to purchase genuine consumables, and adds the URL of the site for purchasing genuine consumables after the message. When natural language text is determined to have a positive connotation, it is unlikely that the user will feel offended by being guided to purchase genuine consumables. By guiding the user to purchase genuine consumables, information that may be beneficial to the user can be provided.

[0069] (Case E; Figure 9) Next, Case E will be explained with reference to Figure 9. Case E is a case in which terminal 10 cannot send print data to printer 100A because terminal 10 and printer 100A do not belong to the same Wi-Fi network. For example, in this case, terminal 10 cannot send print data to printer 100A when it accepts the selection of print object OB34 at T30 in Figure 2. Normally, when printing is completed on printer 100A, terminal 10 receives a print completion notification from printer 100A. In this case, if terminal 10 does not receive a print completion notification from printer 100A even after a predetermined time has elapsed since accepting the selection of print object OB34, it displays an error screen (not shown) indicating that it could not connect to printer 100A.

[0070] Upon seeing the error screen, the user selects the chat object OB33 to display the chat screen SC10 on the display unit 14. The user then enters natural language text into the input area R2 within the chat screen SC10 and selects the send button OB41 (see T110 in Figure 2).

[0071] As described above, in this case, terminal 10 and printer 100A do not belong to the same Wi-Fi network, so terminal 10 cannot obtain printer information from printer 100A. For this reason, in this case, the processes T112 and T114 in Figure 2 are skipped, and terminal information is identified from memory 34. Also, if terminal 10 has previously established a Wi-Fi connection with printer 100A, terminal 10 may have stored printer information for printer 100A. In this case, it is assumed that the printer information for printer 100A is already stored in the memory 34 of terminal 10. In this case, terminal 10 also identifies the printer information stored in memory 34. In case E, local information is collected in this way. Then, terminal 10 sends the natural language input by the user and the local information to the AI ​​server 200 (see T120 in Figure 2). The local information for Case E is the same as that for Case A, except that the items "Same network?" and "History information" indicate "NO" and "Normal range," respectively.

[0072] In Case E, the user inputs the natural language phrase "A 'Connection failed' error was displayed, and printing was not possible" at T110 in Figure 2. In this case, the AI ​​server 200 generates a response to the inquiry as follows.

[0073] First, based on the natural language statement "A 'Connection failed' error was displayed, and printing was not possible," the AI ​​server 200 uses a trained model to identify the items related to communication from among the items included in the local information received from terminal 10. In this case, the items "Terminal's Wi-Fi connection," "Printer's Wi-Fi connection," and "Same network" are identified.

[0074] In this case, the items "Terminal's Wi-Fi connection," "Printer's Wi-Fi connection," and "Same network" indicate "Connected," "Connected," and "NO," respectively. That is, both Terminal 10 and Printer 100A have established Wi-Fi connections, but the Wi-Fi network to which Terminal 10 belongs and the Wi-Fi network to which Printer 100A belong are different. Based on this information, the AI ​​server 200 uses a trained model to determine that print data could not be sent from Terminal 10 to Printer 100A because Terminal 10 and Printer 100A do not belong to the same Wi-Fi network. In this case, the AI ​​server 200 first generates a message prompting the user to connect Terminal 10 and Printer 100A to the same Wi-Fi network: "It appears that the terminal is not connected to the same Wi-Fi as the printer. To print, the terminal and printer must be connected to the same Wi-Fi network." Furthermore, the AI ​​server 200 includes, after the above message, a URL to a website containing a message regarding changing the communication settings of terminal 10 and instructions on how to change the communication settings of terminal 10. Furthermore, the AI ​​server 200 includes, a URL to a website containing a message regarding changing the communication settings of printer 100 and instructions on how to change the communication settings of printer 100A. By confirming the response containing the above message and URLs, the user can learn that terminal 10 and printer 100A should belong to the same Wi-Fi network, and how to do so.

[0075] (Case F; Figure 10) Next, Case F will be explained with reference to Figure 10. Case F is a case in which print data cannot be sent from terminal 10 to printer 100A because terminal 10 has not established a Wi-Fi connection. That is, the local information for Case F is the same as the local information for Case E, except that the item "Terminal's Wi-Fi connection" indicates "Not connected".

[0076] In Case F, the user inputs the natural language phrase "A 'Connection failed' error was displayed, and printing was not possible" at T110 in Figure 2. In this case, the AI ​​server 200 generates a response to the inquiry as follows.

[0077] First, based on the natural language statement "A 'Connection failed' error was displayed, and printing was not possible," the AI ​​server 200 uses a trained model to identify the items related to communication from among the items included in the local information received from terminal 10. In this case, the items "Terminal's Wi-Fi connection," "Printer's Wi-Fi connection," and "Same network" are identified.

[0078] In this case, the items "Terminal's Wi-Fi connection," "Printer's Wi-Fi connection," and "Same network" indicate "Not connected," "Connected," and "NO," respectively. That is, terminal 10 has not established a Wi-Fi connection. Based on this information, the AI ​​server 200 uses a trained model to determine that print data could not be sent from terminal 10 to printer 100A because terminal 10 has not established a Wi-Fi connection. In this case, the AI ​​server 200 first generates a message prompting the user to connect terminal 10 and printer 100A to the same Wi-Fi network: "It appears that the terminal is not connected to Wi-Fi. To print, you need to connect the terminal to the same Wi-Fi network as the printer." Next, the AI ​​server 200 adds a message regarding changing the communication settings of terminal 10 and a URL to a site that describes how to change the communication settings of terminal 10. Furthermore, the AI ​​server 200 displays a message indicating that printing can be performed on printer 100A using Wi-Fi Direct, and a URL for a website describing how to use Wi-Fi Direct. By confirming the response containing the above message and URL, the user can learn that terminal 10 and printer 100A should belong to the same Wi-Fi network, and how to do so.

[0079] (Case G; Figure 11) Next, Case G will be explained with reference to Figure 11. The local information in Case G is the same as the local information in Case A, except that the items "Print Quality," "Paper Type," "Ink Level," "Maintenance Information," and "History Information" indicate "High Quality," "Glossy Paper," "Normal," "High Number of Discharge Errors," and "Normal Range," respectively.

[0080] In Case G, the user, as in Case A, inputs the natural language phrase "poor print quality" at T110 in Figure 2. In this case, the AI ​​server 200 generates a response to the inquiry as follows.

[0081] First, based on the natural language phrase "poor print quality," the AI ​​server 200 uses a trained model to identify items related to print quality from among the items included in the local information received from terminal 10. In this case, the items "operation information," "print quality," "paper type," "supported paper types," "ink level," "maintenance information," and "history information" are identified.

[0082] First, the AI ​​server 200 identifies that the item "Operation Information" indicates "Photo Printing," and that the items "Print Quality," "Paper Type," and "Supported Paper Types" indicate "High Quality," "Glossy Paper," and "Plain Paper, Glossy Paper," respectively. Since the items "Print Quality" and "Paper Type" indicate "High Quality" and "Glossy Paper," respectively, the AI ​​server 200 determines that there is no problem with the print settings. In this case, the AI ​​server 200 generates the message "The print settings have been confirmed to be fine," indicating that it is unlikely that the print quality is poor due to the print settings.

[0083] Next, the AI ​​server 200 determines that the information corresponding to the item "ink level" indicates "normal". In this case, the AI ​​server 200 does not generate a message based on the information corresponding to the item "ink level".

[0084] Next, the AI ​​server 200 identifies that the information corresponding to the item "Maintenance Information" indicates "High number of discharge errors." Therefore, in this case, the AI ​​server 200 determines that there may be some kind of malfunction in the printer 100A. For this reason, the AI ​​server 200 generates a message indicating that there may be a malfunction in the printer 100A, "There may be a malfunction in the printer itself. Please contact customer service," and includes the URL of the customer service website after the message. By checking this message, the user can understand that there may be a malfunction in the printer 100A itself and that they should contact customer service.

[0085] Next, the AI ​​server 200 determines that the item "History Information" indicates "Normal Range". In this case, the AI ​​server 200 does not generate a message based on the information corresponding to the item "History Information".

[0086] Furthermore, since the information corresponding to the item "ink level" indicates "normal," the trained model does not perform a judgment on whether the natural language sentence has a positive or negative nuance. This is because there is a sufficient amount of ink remaining in the ink cartridge installed in printer 100A, so there is no need to recommend subscribing to the automatic consumables delivery service at this stage. In the modified example, the trained model may, as in Case A, perform a judgment on whether the natural language sentence has a positive or negative nuance. In this case, as in Case A, the trained model will not generate a message recommending subscribing to the automatic consumables delivery service if it determines that the natural language sentence has a negative nuance.

[0087] (Case H; Figure 12) Next, we will explain Case H with reference to Figure 12. The local information for Case H is the same as that for Case G, except that the item "Maintenance Information" shows "Normal".

[0088] In Case H, the user, as in Case A, inputs the natural language phrase "poor print quality" at T110 in Figure 2. In this case, the AI ​​server 200 generates a response to the inquiry as follows.

[0089] First, based on the natural language phrase "poor print quality," the AI ​​server 200 uses a trained model to identify items related to print quality from among the items included in the local information received from terminal 10. In this case, the items "operation information," "print quality," "paper type," "supported paper types," "ink level," "maintenance information," and "history information" are identified.

[0090] First, the AI ​​server 200 identifies that the item "Operation Information" indicates "Photo Printing," and that the items "Print Quality," "Paper Type," and "Supported Paper Types" indicate "High Quality," "Glossy Paper," and "Plain Paper, Glossy Paper," respectively. Furthermore, since the items "Print Quality" and "Paper Type" indicate "High Quality" and "Glossy Paper," respectively, the AI ​​server 200 determines that there are no problems with the print settings. In addition, since the item "Maintenance Information" indicates "Normal," the AI ​​server 200 determines that there are no problems with the printer 100A. In this case, the AI ​​server 200 generates the message "We have confirmed that there are no problems with both the print settings and the printer itself," indicating that it is unlikely that the poor print quality is due to a malfunction in the print settings or the printer 100A itself.

[0091] Next, the AI ​​server 200 determines that the item "Ink Level" indicates "Normal". In this case, the AI ​​server 200 does not generate a message based on the information corresponding to the item "Ink Level".

[0092] Next, the AI ​​server 200 determines that the item "History Information" indicates "Normal Range". In this case, the AI ​​server 200 does not generate a message based on the information corresponding to the item "History Information".

[0093] Thus, in this case, the AI ​​server 200 cannot identify the cause of the poor print quality from the information corresponding to each item in the local information. In such cases, the AI ​​server 200 generates a message "Please check the resolution of your print data." indicating that the poor print quality may be due to low resolution of the print data. Furthermore, the AI ​​server 200 generates a message after this message indicating that the user should contact customer service, "If the problem persists, please contact customer service," and includes the URL of the customer service website after this message. By checking the response, the user can understand that they should check the resolution of their print data and contact customer service if the problem persists.

[0094] (Effects of the First Embodiment) According to the above configuration, when terminal 10 receives natural language text from a user representing an inquiry about the target printer (T110 in Figure 2) and printer information related to the target printer is obtained (T114), terminal 10 supplies the natural language text and printer information to the AI ​​server 200 (T120). Then, when terminal 10 receives a response from the AI ​​server 200 corresponding to the inquiry (T124), it displays the response (T130). The user can confirm the response corresponding to the inquiry by looking at the displayed response. This improves user convenience.

[0095] (Correspondence) The target printer is an example of a "printing device". The AI ​​server 200 is an example of a "language processing unit". The CPU 32 and application 38 of the terminal 10 are examples of a "computer" and a "computer program", respectively. The display unit 14 of the terminal 10 is an example of an "output device" and a "display device". The automatic consumable shipping service is an example of a "specified service". The natural language phrases "poor print quality" and "I want to print nicely" are examples of "Type 1 natural language phrases" and "Type 2 natural language phrases", respectively. The information representing the response generated by the AI ​​server 200 is an example of "response information". In particular, a response that does not include a message recommending subscription to the automatic consumable shipping service or a message informing the user to purchase genuine consumables is an example of "Type 1 response information". A response that includes a message recommending subscription to the automatic consumable shipping service or a message informing the user to purchase genuine consumables is an example of "Type 2 response information". The above message is an example of "shipping-related information". In particular, the former message mentioned above is an example of "information for introducing the specified service to the user."

[0096] Printer information is an example of "device-related information." In particular, information corresponding to the item "Service" is an example of "support information" and "subscription information." Information corresponding to the item "device ID" is an example of "model information." Information corresponding to the item "printer Wi-Fi connection" is an example of "communication information." Information corresponding to the item "ink level" is an example of "remaining ink information." "Low" in the item "ink level" is an example of "low ink information." Information corresponding to the item "supported paper types" is an example of "capacity information." Information corresponding to the item "history information" is an example of "history information." Information corresponding to the item "maintenance information" is an example of "maintenance information." Information corresponding to the items "operation information," "print quality," "paper size," and "paper type" is an example of "operation information." In particular, information corresponding to the items "print quality," "paper size," and "paper type" is an example of "setting value information." The print setting values ​​"high quality" and "glossy paper" are examples of "specific print setting values."

[0097] The processes at T22 and T32 in Figure 2 are examples of processes executed by the "Display Control Unit" and the "Print Control Unit," respectively. The processes at T110, T114, T120, T124, and T130 are examples of processes executed by the "First Reception Unit," "Acquisition Unit," "Supply Unit," "Second Reception Unit," and the "Output Control Unit," respectively.

[0098] (Second Embodiment) Next, a second embodiment will be described. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the terminal 10 receives printer information from the management server 300 rather than from the target printer. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system 2 of the second embodiment further includes a management server 300.

[0099] The management server 300 is a server that manages multiple printers, including printers 100A and 100B. The management server 300 stores printer information for the printers under its management.

[0100] (Processing performed between each device; Figure 13) Next, the processing performed between each device will be explained with reference to Figure 13. In Figure 13, the same reference numerals and references as in Figure 2 are used for the same processing as in Figure 2. In the following, only the differences from the processing in Figure 2 will be explained, and detailed explanations of the processing that is the same as in Figure 2 will be omitted.

[0101] The target printer sends printer information to the management server 300 via T200. In particular, the printer information sent here includes the device ID of the target printer.

[0102] When the management server 300 receives printer information from the target printer in T200, it stores the printer information in T202. The processes in T200 and T202 are executed periodically (for example, every hour). In a modified example, the management server 300 may periodically send printer information requests to the printers under its management. Each printer under its management may then send printer information to the management server 300 in T200 when it receives a printer information request from the management server 300.

[0103] Terminal 10, at T110, accepts the user's input of natural language text representing an inquiry, and then accepts the selection of the send button OB41. In this case, terminal 10 sends a printer information request to the management server 300 at T212. This printer information request is a signal requesting the management server 300 to send printer information and includes the device ID of the target printer.

[0104] When the management server 300 receives a printer information request from the terminal 10 at T212, it identifies the device ID included in the printer information request and identifies the printer information containing that device ID. Then, at T214, the management server 300 sends the identified printer information to the terminal 10. In this way, the terminal 10 can obtain printer information from the management server 300.

[0105] (Effects of the Second Embodiment) In the configuration of the second embodiment, user convenience can be improved in the same way as in the first embodiment. The management server 300 is an example of a "server". The processing at T214 in Figure 13 is an example of processing performed by the "acquisition unit".

[0106] The specific examples of the technology disclosed herein have been described in detail above, but these are merely illustrative and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technology described in the claims includes various modifications and changes to the specific examples illustrated above. Modifications of the above embodiments are listed below.

[0107] (Modification 1) In the above embodiment, app 38 was described as an example of a native app installed on terminal 10. In modification, app 38 may be an app installed on printer 100A, for example. In this case, printer 100A may display the various screens of the above embodiment and the responses received from AI server 200 on the display unit 114 of printer 100A. In this case, printer 100A may also obtain printer information from its own memory 134. In this modification, the CPU 132 of printer 100A is an example of a "computer", and the display unit 114 of printer 100A is an example of an "output device" and a "display device". Also, the process by which printer 100A obtains printer information from its own memory 134 is an example of a process executed by an "acquisition unit". Furthermore, in the above modification, printer 100A may print the responses received from AI server 200 on the print execution unit 118 of printer 100A. In this modification, the print execution unit 118 is an example of an "output device".

[0108] (Modification 2) Instead of the native app 38 installed on the terminal 10, for example, a web app may be used, a cloud app may be used, or an app implemented by a combination of at least two native apps, web apps, and cloud apps may be used. Here, "at least two combinations" means, for example, a combination of a native app and a web app (a so-called hybrid app), a combination of a native app and a cloud app, etc.

[0109] For example, in an example where a web application is used instead of application 38, the various processes of the above embodiment are implemented by a print server (not shown). In this modified example, the CPU of the print server is an example of a "computer," and the web application is an example of a "computer program." Also, the display unit 14 of the terminal 10 is an example of an "output device" and a "display device." The print server operates according to the web application on the server. The print server sends corresponding screen data (e.g., web page data, etc.) to the terminal 10, causing the various screens (SC1 to SC3, SC10, etc.) described in the above embodiment to be displayed on the display unit 14 of the terminal 10 via a web browser or WebView. The print server receives information from the terminal 10 indicating the operation received on the various screens (e.g., operation ID), various data indicating that a selection has been received, etc., and executes processing according to the operation. The operation ID is information indicating that an operation (i.e., selection) of an object such as object OB14, OB21, OB33, OB34 has been received. The various data for which selections are accepted include, for example, the selected device ID "dv1", the target file specified on the file selection screen SC2, and data indicating natural language entered in the input area R2. In other words, the print server accepts operations on various screens by receiving the above operation ID, various data, etc. When the print server receives an operation ID from the terminal 10 indicating that an operation on the print object OB34 has been accepted, it sends the print data to the printer 100A identified by the device ID "dv1". In this modified example, the device ID "dv1" may include, in addition to the model name, a token for the print server to communicate with the printer 100A, authentication information, the global IP address to which the printer 100A belongs, etc.

[0110] Furthermore, if, for example, the print server cannot obtain local information such as the device ID from a web browser due to security settings, a hybrid application may be created by combining a web application with a native application installed on the terminal 10. In this case, the native application can obtain information such as the device ID stored in the memory 34 of the terminal 10 and send that information to the print server. In this case as well, the print server performs the same processing as described above via the native application. The same applies when a cloud application is used instead of a web application.

[0111] (Modification 3) The communication system 2 does not need to include the AI ​​server 200. In this modification, for example, an AI engine that performs various processes may be provided in the terminal 10 instead of the AI ​​server 200. The AI ​​engine includes a trained model. In this modification, the terminal 10 includes a "language processing unit". In another modification, an AI engine that performs various processes may be provided in the printer 100 instead of the AI ​​server 200. The AI ​​engine includes a trained model. In this modification, the printer 100 includes a "language processing unit".

[0112] (Modification 4) In the above embodiment, the chat screen SC10 is displayed overlaid on the print preview screen SC3. In this modification, the chat screen SC10 does not need to be displayed. In this case, an input area R2 may be provided on the print preview screen SC3. In another modification, when the chat object OB33 is selected, the print preview screen SC3 and the chat screen SC10 may be split into two screens and displayed on the display unit 14. In yet another modification, when the chat object OB33 is selected, the display of the print preview screen SC3 may be terminated and the chat screen SC10 may be displayed on the display unit 14. In this modification, the "first reception unit" does not need to accept natural language input from the user when the print preview screen is displayed.

[0113] (Modification 5) The trained model of the AI ​​server 200 does not need to have learned whether the natural language has a positive or negative nuance. In this case, the AI ​​server 200 may decide whether or not to generate a message recommending subscription to the automatic consumable delivery service or a message guiding the purchase of genuine consumables, based on the information corresponding to the items "ink level" and "service," without determining whether or not the natural language has a positive or negative nuance.

[0114] (Modification 6) In the first embodiment described above, the terminal 10 sent a printer information request to the target printer (T112) when the send button OB41 was selected after natural language input was received from the user (T110 in Figure 2). The timing at which the terminal 10 sends printer information to the target printer is not limited to the form of the above embodiment. For example, the terminal 10 may send a printer information request to the target printer when the chat object OB33 is selected (T100).

[0115] (Modification 7) As described in Case E, if the terminal 10 does not receive a print completion notification from the printer 100A even after a predetermined time has elapsed since accepting the selection of the print object OB34, it displays an error screen indicating that it could not connect to the printer 100A. This error screen may include an object for displaying the chat screen SC10. In another modification, the terminal 10 may automatically display the chat screen SC10 on the display unit 14 if it does not receive a print completion notification from the printer 100A even after a predetermined time has elapsed since accepting the selection of the print object OB34. This chat screen SC10 may include a message included in the error screen (for example, "Cannot connect to the printer").

[0116] (Modification 8) In the above embodiment, the processing of each step in Figure 2 is implemented by software (for example, OS 36, application 38, programs 136, 236), but at least one of these processes may be implemented by hardware such as a logic circuit.

[0117] The technical elements described herein or in the drawings demonstrate technical usefulness individually or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of filing. Furthermore, the technologies illustrated herein or in the drawings can achieve multiple objectives simultaneously, and achieving even one of these objectives constitutes technical usefulness in itself.

[0118] Even if, in the claims as of the filing date of this patent application, each claim is dependent on only some of the claims, it is not limited to the claim being dependent only on those some of the claims. To the extent that it is not technically contradictory, each claim may be dependent on other claims that were not dependent at the time of filing. That is, the technology of each claim can be combined in various ways as follows: (Item 1) A computer program for controlling a printing apparatus, wherein the computer program causes the computer to function as the following parts, namely: a first receiving unit that receives input of natural language text from a user representing an inquiry about the printing apparatus; an acquisition unit that acquires device-related information relating to the printing apparatus; a supply unit that supplies the natural language text and the device-related information to a language processing unit; a second receiving unit that receives response information from the language processing unit, which is response information generated by the language processing unit based on the natural language text and the device-related information and represents a response corresponding to the inquiry; and an output control unit that causes the response information to be output to an output device. (Item 2) The computer program described in Item 1, wherein the device-related information includes support information indicating whether the printing device supports a predetermined service, including an automatic consumable delivery service. (Item 3) The computer program described in Item 2, wherein, if the support information indicates that the printing device supports the predetermined service, the response information includes information for introducing the predetermined service to the user. (Item 4) The computer program described in any one of Items 1 to 3, wherein the device-related information includes subscription information indicating whether the user of the printing device has subscribed to a predetermined service, including an automatic consumable delivery service. (Item 5) The computer program described in any one of Items 1 to 4, wherein the device-related information includes model information indicating the model of the printing device. (Item 6) The computer program described in any one of Items 1 to 5, wherein the device-related information includes communication information indicating the communication status of the printing device. (Item 7) The computer program described in any one of Items 1 to 6, wherein the device-related information includes remaining amount information indicating the remaining amount of consumables installed in the printing device.(Item 8) A computer program according to Item 7, wherein, when the remaining amount information indicates that the remaining amount of the consumables installed in the printing device is less than a predetermined amount, the response information includes information for recommending to the user that the consumables be replaced. (Item 9) A computer program according to any one of Items 1 to 8, wherein the device-related information includes capability information indicating the capabilities of the printing device. (Item 10) A computer program according to any one of Items 1 to 9, wherein the device-related information includes history information indicating the usage history of the printing device. (Item 11) A computer program according to any one of Items 1 to 10, wherein the device-related information includes maintenance information used for maintenance and inspection of the printing device. (Item 12) A computer program according to any one of Items 1 to 11, wherein the supply unit further supplies operation information indicating operations received from the user to the language processing unit. (Item 13) A computer program according to Item 12, wherein the operation information includes setting value information indicating print setting values ​​when the printing device is to print an image, and the response information includes information for recommending to the user that a specific print setting value be specified. (Item 14) The computer program further causes the computer to function as a display control unit that displays a print preview screen on a display device, and the first receiving unit receives the natural language input from the user while the print preview screen is displayed, as described in any one of items 1 to 13. (Item 15) The computer program further causes the computer to function as a print control unit that causes the print execution unit of the printing device to print an image, and the first receiving unit receives the natural language input from the user after the print execution unit has printed the image, as described in any one of items 1 to 14. (Item 16) The acquisition unit acquires the device-related information from the printing device, as described in any one of items 1 to 15. (Item 17) The acquisition unit acquires the device-related information from a server different from the printing device, as described in any one of items 1 to 15.(Item 18) The computer program described in any one of items 1 to 17, wherein the device-related information includes low-remaining-amount information indicating that the remaining amount of consumables installed in the printing device is below a threshold, the second receiving unit receives first-type response information from the language processing unit when the language processing unit determines that the natural language sentence is a first-type natural language sentence, and the language processing unit receives second-type response information different from the first-type response information from the language processing unit when the language processing unit determines that the natural language sentence is a second-type natural language sentence different from the first-type natural language sentence, the first-type response information does not include shipping-related information related to the shipment of consumables used in the printing device, and the second-type response information includes the shipping-related information.

[0119] 2: Communication system, 4: LAN, 6: Internet, 10: Terminal, 12, 112: Operation unit, 14, 114: Display unit, 16, 116, 216: Communication I / F, 30, 130, 230: Control unit, 32, 132: CPU, 34, 134, 234: Memory, 36: OS program, 38: Application program, 100A, 100B: Printer, 118: Print execution unit, 136, 236: Program, 200: AI server, 232: Processor, 300: Management server

Claims

1. A computer program for controlling a printing device, wherein the computer program causes the computer to function as the following units: a first receiving unit that receives input of natural language text from a user representing an inquiry about the printing device; an acquisition unit that acquires device-related information related to the printing device; a supply unit that supplies the natural language text and the device-related information to a language processing unit; a second receiving unit that receives response information from the language processing unit, which is response information generated by the language processing unit based on the natural language text and the device-related information and represents a response corresponding to the inquiry; and an output control unit that causes the response information to be output to an output device.

2. The computer program according to claim 1, wherein the device-related information includes support information indicating whether or not the printing device supports a predetermined service including an automatic consumables delivery service.

3. The computer program according to claim 2, wherein, if the support information indicates that the printing device supports the predetermined service, the response information includes information for introducing the predetermined service to the user.

4. The computer program according to claim 1, wherein the device-related information includes subscription information indicating whether or not the user of the printing device is subscribed to a predetermined service, including an automatic consumables delivery service.

5. The computer program according to claim 1, wherein the device-related information includes model information indicating the model of the printing device.

6. The computer program according to claim 1, wherein the device-related information includes communication information indicating the communication status of the printing device.

7. The computer program according to claim 1, wherein the device-related information includes remaining quantity information indicating the remaining quantity of consumables installed in the printing device.

8. The computer program according to claim 7, wherein, when the remaining amount information indicates that the remaining amount of the consumable installed in the printing device is less than a predetermined amount, the response information includes information for recommending to the user that the consumable be replaced.

9. The computer program according to claim 1, wherein the device-related information includes capability information indicating the capabilities of the printing device.

10. The computer program according to claim 1, wherein the device-related information includes history information indicating the usage history of the printing device.

11. The computer program according to claim 1, wherein the device-related information includes maintenance information used for maintenance and inspection of the printing device.

12. The computer program according to claim 1, wherein the supply unit further supplies operation information indicating an operation received from the user to the language processing unit.

13. The computer program according to claim 12, wherein the operation information includes setting value information indicating print setting values ​​for causing the printing device to print an image, and the response information includes information for recommending to the user that a specific print setting value be specified.

14. The computer program according to claim 1, wherein the computer program further causes the computer to function as a display control unit that displays a print preview screen on a display device, and the first receiving unit receives input of natural language from the user while the print preview screen is displayed.

15. The computer program according to claim 1, wherein the computer program further causes the computer to function as a print control unit that causes the print execution unit of the printing device to print an image, and the first receiving unit receives the natural language input from the user after the print execution unit has performed the printing of the image.

16. The computer program according to claim 1, wherein the acquisition unit acquires device-related information from the printing device.

17. The computer program according to claim 1, wherein the acquisition unit acquires device-related information from a server different from the printing device.

18. The computer program according to claim 1, wherein the device-related information includes low-remaining-amount information indicating that the remaining amount of consumables installed in the printing device is below a threshold, the second receiving unit receives first-type response information from the language processing unit when the language processing unit determines that the natural language sentence is a first-type natural language sentence, and when the language processing unit determines that the natural language sentence is a second-type natural language sentence different from the first-type natural language sentence, it receives second-type response information different from the first-type response information from the language processing unit, the first-type response information does not include shipping-related information related to the shipment of consumables used in the printing device, and the second-type response information includes the shipping-related information.

19. A device for controlling a printing device, comprising: a first receiving unit that receives input of natural language from a user representing an inquiry regarding the printing device; an acquisition unit that acquires device-related information related to the printing device; a supply unit that supplies the natural language and the device-related information to a language processing unit; a second receiving unit that receives response information from the language processing unit, which is response information generated by the language processing unit based on the natural language and the device-related information and represents a response corresponding to the inquiry; and an output control unit that causes an output device to output the response information.

20. A method for controlling a printing apparatus, comprising: a first receiving step of receiving input from a user in natural language form representing an inquiry regarding the printing apparatus; an acquisition step of acquiring apparatus-related information relating to the printing apparatus; a supply step of supplying the natural language form and the apparatus-related information to a language processing unit; a second receiving step of receiving response information from the language processing unit, which is response information generated by the language processing unit based on the natural language form and the apparatus-related information and represents a response corresponding to the inquiry; and an output control step of causing an output device to output the response information.

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