JP2024147380A - Image forming apparatus and supply management system - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To reduce the possibility of running out of toner compared to the conventional method. [Solution] When a toner pouch (3) is attached to the outside of a main body (10), a controller (61) of an image forming device (1) reads old/new information from a toner memory (32), and when the old/new information indicates that the toner pouch is new, it sends a delivery request for a new toner pouch (3) to a server (8). [Selected Figure] Figure 2

Description

This disclosure relates to an image forming apparatus and a supply management system.

There are services that allow users to enter into a contract with a business operator and use contract-specific consumables or replacement parts on image forming devices. Such services are called "subscription services."

Patent document 1 discloses an image forming device that can replenish toner into a storage unit from a refill pack that has a memory chip that stores an identification code, and that orders a refill pack when triggered by a decrease in the amount of toner remaining in the storage unit.

JP 2023-290 A

In the image forming device described in Patent Document 1, when the amount of toner remaining in the storage unit falls below a specified amount, a new toner pouch is ordered. With this method, the toner may run out before the ordered new toner pouch arrives, making it impossible to print.

This disclosure was made in consideration of the above problems, and aims to provide an image forming device that reduces the possibility of running out of toner compared to conventional devices.

In order to solve the above problem, the image forming device of the first aspect of the present disclosure is an image forming device capable of communicating with a server, and includes a main body to which a toner pouch that contains toner can be attached from the outside, and a controller, and the toner pouch has a toner memory that stores new/old information indicating whether the toner pouch is new or old, and the controller executes a first read process to read the new/old information from the toner memory when the toner pouch is attached to the outside of the main body, and a delivery request process to send a delivery request for a new toner pouch to the server when the first read process reads the new/old information indicating that the toner pouch is new.

The image forming device of the second aspect of the present disclosure is the image forming device of the first aspect, and the controller rewrites the old/new information stored in the toner memory to information indicating that the toner is an old product during the delivery request process.

The image forming device of the third aspect of the present disclosure is the image forming device of the first aspect, in which the toner memory stores identification information for identifying the toner pouch, and the image forming device further includes a main body memory, and the controller further executes a second read process for reading the identification information from the toner memory when the toner pouch is attached to the outside of the main body, and a storage process for storing the identification information in the main body memory when the identification information read by the second read process is not stored in the main body memory.

The image forming device of the fourth aspect of the present disclosure is the image forming device of the third aspect, further comprising a display, and the controller further executes a first display process to display on the display that an old toner pouch is present when the identification information is stored in the main memory and the identification information read by the second read process is not stored in the main memory.

The image forming device of the fifth aspect of the present disclosure is the image forming device of the fourth aspect, and in the first display process, the controller causes the display to display a first message indicating whether or not to replenish the toner using a new toner pouch.

The image forming device of the sixth aspect of the present disclosure is the image forming device of the fifth aspect, further comprising an input unit that accepts input from a user, and the controller executes a reception process for accepting an input regarding whether or not to supply the toner from the toner pouch attached to the outside of the main body to the main body via the input unit after displaying the first message in the first display process, and when the controller receives an input indicating that the toner will not be supplied to the main body from the toner pouch attached to the outside of the main body in the reception process, the controller does not execute the storage process and the delivery request process.

The image forming device of the seventh aspect of the present disclosure is the image forming device of the sixth aspect, and when the controller receives an input in the reception process indicating that the toner will not be replenished from the toner pouch attached to the outside of the main body to the main body, the controller executes a second display process to display on the display a second message that prompts the user to use the toner pouch indicating the identification information stored in the main body memory.

The image forming device of the eighth aspect of the present disclosure is the image forming device of the third aspect, in which the toner memory stores remaining amount information regarding the remaining amount of the toner contained in the toner pouch, and the controller executes a third read process to read the remaining amount information from the toner memory when the toner pouch is attached to the outside of the main body, a first determination process to determine whether the toner in the toner pouch attached to the outside of the main body has run out based on the remaining amount information, and an erasure process to erase the identification information of the toner pouch from the main body memory when it is determined in the first determination process that the toner in the toner pouch has run out.

The image forming device of the ninth aspect of the present disclosure is the image forming device of the eighth aspect, in which the controller executes a measurement process that measures the time during which the toner is replenished from the toner pouch attached to the outside of the main body to the main body, a determination process that determines the remaining amount of toner contained in the toner pouch and the main body based on the time measured in the measurement process, and a rewrite process that rewrites the remaining amount information stored in the toner memory based on the remaining amount of toner determined in the determination process.

The image forming device of the tenth aspect of the present disclosure is the image forming device of the ninth aspect, in which the controller executes a second determination process to determine whether or not to terminate the supply of the toner from the toner pouch to the main body based on the remaining amount information rewritten in the rewrite process.

The image forming device of the eleventh aspect of the present disclosure is the image forming device of the fifth aspect, and the controller executes a third determination process in the delivery request process to determine whether or not a predetermined number of pieces of identification information are stored in the main memory, and a third display process to display a third message indicating the number of pieces of identification information stored in the main memory on the display if the predetermined number or more of identification information are stored in the main memory in the third determination process.

The image forming device of the twelfth aspect of the present disclosure is the image forming device of the first aspect, in which the amount of toner that can be stored in the toner pouch is greater than the amount of toner that can be stored in the main body.

A supply management system of a thirteenth aspect of the present disclosure is a supply management system including an image forming device of any one of the first to twelfth aspects and the server, and the server is capable of receiving the delivery request.

The image forming device according to each aspect of the present disclosure may be realized by a computer. In this case, the control program for the image forming device that causes the computer to operate as each unit (software element) of the image forming device to realize the image forming device, and the computer-readable recording medium on which it is recorded, also fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

According to the first embodiment of the image forming device, when new/old information indicating that the toner pouch is new is read from the toner memory of the toner pouch attached to the outside of the main body, a request to send a new toner pouch is sent to the server. Since the request to send a new toner pouch is executed before starting to replenish toner from a new toner pouch, a longer period of time can be secured until the toner is used up than before, and the possibility of running out of toner can be reduced.

When replenishing toner in an image forming device, it is conceivable that a user may repeatedly attach and detach a toner pouch. If a toner pouch is determined to be new or old based on the amount of toner remaining in the pouch, there is a risk that a delivery request for a new toner pouch will be made every time the same toner pouch is attached to the main body if the same toner pouch is repeatedly attached and detached. According to the image forming device of the second aspect, the controller of the image forming device determines whether a delivery request is necessary based on the new/old information as to whether the toner pouch is new or old. Then, in the delivery request process, the controller of the image forming device rewrites the new/old information of the toner pouch attached to the main body to information indicating that it is an old product. This makes it possible to prevent excessive ordering of new toner pouches even if the same toner pouch is repeatedly attached and detached.

According to the image forming device of the third aspect, the controller of the image forming device stores the identification information of the toner pouch attached to the main body in the main body memory. This allows the controller to easily identify old toner pouches based on whether or not the identification information is stored in the main body memory.

According to the fourth aspect of the image forming device, when one or more pieces of identification information are stored in the main memory and the identification information read by the second read process is not stored in the main memory, the controller of the image forming device notifies the user that an old toner pouch is present. This makes it possible to encourage the user to use the old toner pouch and to prevent requests to ship unnecessary toner pouches.

According to the fifth aspect of the image forming device, the controller of the image forming device displays on the display a first message indicating whether or not to use a new toner pouch for replenishment. This allows the user to reconsider whether or not to use a new toner pouch.

According to the sixth aspect of the image forming device, when the controller of the image forming device receives an input indicating that replenishment from a toner pouch attached to the outside of the main body will not be performed, the controller does not store the identification information of the toner pouch attached to the outside of the main body in the main body memory and does not execute the delivery request process. Because the controller does not execute the delivery request process, it does not rewrite the old/new information of the toner pouch attached to the outside of the main body to information indicating an old product. Therefore, if the user cancels replenishment from a new toner pouch, it is possible to prevent the new toner pouch from being treated as an old product.

According to the seventh aspect of the image forming device, when the controller of the image forming device receives an input indicating that toner replenishment is not to be performed from a toner pouch attached to the main body, the controller displays on the display unit a guide including identification information of the toner pouch stored in the main body memory. This makes it possible to inform the user of the toner pouch that should be used to replenish toner.

According to the eighth aspect of the image forming device, the controller of the image forming device determines that the toner pouch has run out based on the remaining amount information stored in the toner memory of the toner pouch. The controller then erases the identification information of the toner pouch determined to have run out of toner from the main body memory. This allows the controller to maintain a state in which only the identification information of toner pouches that can be used to refill the tank with toner is stored in the main body memory.

If the remaining amount information were updated only once after toner replenishment was completed, there was a risk that the remaining amount information would diverge from the actual amount of toner remaining if the user interrupted the process while toner was being replenished. According to the ninth aspect of the image forming device, the controller updates the remaining amount information stored in the toner memory every time a predetermined time has elapsed, thereby preventing the remaining amount information from diverging from the actual amount of toner remaining.

According to the image forming device of the tenth aspect, even when one toner pouch is used to supply toner to multiple image forming devices, it is possible to appropriately determine whether to end the supply of toner based on the remaining amount information rewritten in the rewriting process.

According to the image forming device of the eleventh aspect, the controller can inform the user of the remaining number of old toner pouches and urge the user to use up the old toner pouches by displaying on the display a third message indicating the number of pieces of identification information stored in the main body memory.

According to the image forming device of the twelfth aspect, the amount of toner that can be stored in the toner pouch is greater than the amount of toner that can be stored in the tank. Therefore, even if the toner in the tank runs out after a delivery request for a new toner pouch is made and before the toner pouch arrives, the toner remaining in the toner pouch can be replenished to avoid a situation in which printing is not possible.

1 is a diagram showing an overview of a supply management system according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. 1 is a schematic diagram of an image forming apparatus included in a supply management system according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. 2 is a diagram showing the internal structure of an image forming apparatus, a toner pouch, and a server included in the supply management system according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the flow of a process executed by an image forming apparatus when a toner pouch is attached to the outside of a main body of the image forming apparatus in the supply management system according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. 1A is a diagram showing an example of a first message displayed on the display of the image forming apparatus, and FIG. 1B is a diagram showing an example of a second message displayed on the display of the image forming apparatus. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the delivery request process of FIG. 4. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a process flow of the image forming apparatus when toner is replenished from a toner pouch. FIG. 11 is a schematic perspective view of an image forming apparatus included in a supply management system according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow of a process executed by an image forming apparatus when a toner pouch is attached to the outside of a main body of the image forming apparatus in a supply management system according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure.

[Embodiment 1]
[Supply Management System Overview]
Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an overview of a supply management system according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Fig. 1, a supply management system 100 includes an image forming device 1 and a server 8. The image forming device 1 is a device for realizing a service provided by concluding a contract for the image forming device 1. The "contract" is a contract concluded between a user U of the image forming device 1 and a business entity SP. In the following description, it is assumed that the user U of the image forming device 1 has concluded a contract with the business entity SP.

The image forming device 1 is a laser printer that can consume toner to form an image on a print medium. Examples of print media include plain paper, cardboard, glossy paper, and label paper. In the following, consuming toner to form an image on a print medium is referred to as printing. The image forming device 1 can replenish toner from a toner pouch 3.

The server 8 is an external device that can communicate with the image forming device 1 via the network NW, and is managed by the business operator SP. The server 8 can accept a delivery request for the toner pouch 3 from the image forming device 1 that is the subject of the contract via the network NW. When the server 8 receives a delivery request for the toner pouch 3, the business operator SP delivers the toner pouch 3 to the user U of the image forming device 1.

[Overview of Image Forming Apparatus]
Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of an image forming apparatus included in the supply management system according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Fig. 2, the image forming apparatus 1A according to the first embodiment is a monochrome laser printer.

The image forming device 1A includes a main body 10. The main body 10 includes a supply unit 12, a tank 13, a paper feed tray 20, a pickup roller 21, a separation roller 22, a transport roller 23, a developing roller 41, a charging roller 42, a transfer roller 43, a photoconductor drum 44, a cleaning unit 45, a light source unit 50, a controller 61, a main body memory 62, a display 65, an input unit 66, a fixing unit 70, a discharge roller 74, and a discharge tray 75. Note that a configuration having a scorotron type charger may be used instead of the charging roller 42.

The paper feed tray 20 contains print media S. The pickup roller 21 picks up the print media S contained in the paper feed tray 20. The separation roller 22 separates one sheet of print media S. The separation roller 22 and the transport roller 23 transport the recording medium S toward the transfer nip between the transfer roller 43 and the photosensitive drum 44.

The charging roller 42 is pressed against the photosensitive drum 44, and uniformly charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 44. The light source unit 50 is disposed facing the surface of the photosensitive drum 44. The light source unit 50 is electrically connected to the controller 61. The controller 61 exposes the photosensitive material disposed on the outer circumferential surface of the photosensitive drum 44 according to the input image data. The tank 13 contains toner. The developing roller 41 supplies the toner contained in the tank 13 to the outer circumferential surface of the photosensitive drum 44. A toner image is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the photosensitive drum 44 to which the toner has been supplied. The transfer roller 43 transfers the toner image formed on the outer circumferential surface of the photosensitive drum 44 to the recording medium S conveyed to the transfer nip. The cleaning unit 45 removes the toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 44.

The fixing device 70 has a pressure roller 71 and a heating roller 72. The pressure roller 71 forms a nip with the heating roller 72. The pressure roller 71 conveys the recording medium S to the nip between the pressure roller 71 and the heating roller 72. The heating roller 72 has a heater 73 and heats the recording medium S. A toner image is fixed onto the recording medium S that has passed through the nip between the pressure roller 71 and the heating roller 72. The printing medium S with the fixed toner image is discharged to a discharge tray 75 by a discharge roller 74.

The toner pouch 3 has a nozzle 30 and a storage section 31. The storage section 31 can store more toner than the amount of toner that can be stored in the tank 13 of the image forming device 1. The toner stored in the storage section 31 can be supplied from the nozzle 30 to the tank 13.

The toner pouch 3 can be attached to the supply unit 12 of the main body 10 from outside the main body 10. The supply unit 12 supplies toner to the tank 13 of the main body 10 from the nozzle 30 of the attached toner pouch 3. The supply unit 12 has, for example, a toner supply path to the tank 13, a valve for opening and closing the supply path, a pump for sucking the toner into the tank 13, etc.

The controller 61 is, for example, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit
The controller 61 executes various programs to control each section of the image forming apparatus 1A and cause it to perform printing processing and associated processing.

The display 65 is disposed, for example, on the outer surface of the main body 10. Under the control of the controller 61, the display 65 displays an operation screen of the image forming device 1A and the like. The input unit 66 is an input member that allows the user U to perform operation input. The input unit 66 is, for example, an operation button provided on the outer surface of the main body 10. The display 65 may be a touch panel. When the display 65 is a touch panel, the input unit 66 includes a touch sensor that detects the position where the user U touches the touch panel.

[Internal structure of image forming apparatus]
3 is a diagram showing the internal structures of the image forming device 1, the toner pouch 3, and the server 8. As shown in FIG. 3, the image forming device 1 further includes a main body memory 62, a first communication unit 63, and a second communication unit 64.

The toner pouch 3 further includes a toner memory 32 and a third communication unit 33. The toner memory 32 is, for example, an IC tag. The toner memory 32 stores new/old information 91, identification information 92, and first remaining amount information 93. The new/old information 91 is information indicating whether the toner pouch 3 is new or old. The toner pouch 3 being new means that it has never been used to replenish toner. The toner pouch 3 being old means that it has been used at least once to replenish toner.

The identification information 92 is information for identifying the toner pouch 3. The identification information 92 is, for example, information indicating a manufacturing number. The first remaining amount information 93 is an example of remaining amount information, and is information indicating the remaining amount of toner contained in the storage section 31 of the toner pouch 3.

The main memory 62 of the image forming device 1 is a non-volatile memory from which information can be read and written. The main memory 62 is, for example, a flash ROM or an EEPROM (registered trademark). The main memory 62 stores main body remaining amount information 621 and an identification information table 622.

Main body remaining amount information 621 is information that indicates the remaining amount of toner contained in tank 13.

The identification information table 622 stores the identification information 92 and second remaining amount information indicating the current remaining amount for a toner pouch 3 that has been used to replenish toner and has toner remaining in the storage section 31. In other words, a toner pouch 3 for which the identification information 92 is stored in the identification information table 622 is an old product that has been used to replenish toner and has toner remaining in the storage section 31.

The first communication unit 63 is a communication interface that transmits and receives information to and from the server communication unit 83 of the server 8. The first communication unit 63 transmits and receives information to and from the server communication unit 83 of the server 8 via the network NW shown in FIG. 1.

The second communication unit 64 of the image forming device 1 and the third communication unit 33 of the toner pouch 3 have, for example, electrical contacts. The second communication unit 64 is provided, for example, in the supply unit 12. The third communication unit 33 is provided, for example, in the nozzle 30 of the toner pouch 3. When the toner pouch 3 is attached to the supply unit 12, the third communication unit 33 comes into contact with the second communication unit 64 and is electrically connected. The controller 61 can write information to and read information from the toner memory 32 of the toner pouch 3 attached to the supply unit 12 via the second communication unit 64.

The server 8 has a server control unit 81, a server memory 82, and a server communication unit 83. The server control unit 81 has a processor such as a CPU. The server memory 82 stores a program executed by the server control unit 81. The server communication unit 83 is a communication interface that transmits and receives information with the first communication unit 63 of the image forming device 1. The server control unit 81 processes a delivery request for the toner pouch 3 received via the server communication unit 83 by executing the program stored in the server memory 82.

[Processing performed when installing a toner pouch]
4 is a flow chart showing a flow of processing of the image forming apparatus 1 when the toner pouch 3 is attached to the outside of the main body of the image forming apparatus 1. The processing shown in FIG.

In S1, the controller 61 of the image forming device 1 determines whether or not the toner pouch 3 is attached to the supply unit 12 of the main body 10. For example, when the second communication unit 64 is able to communicate with the third communication unit 33, the controller 61 determines that the toner pouch 3 is attached to the supply unit 12 of the main body 10. When the toner pouch 3 is not attached to the supply unit 12 of the main body 10 (S1: NO), the controller 61 does not execute any particular process and waits until the process shown in FIG. 4 is executed again. When the toner pouch 3 is attached to the supply unit 12 of the main body 10 (S1: YES), the controller 61 controls the second communication unit 64 to execute a second read process to read the identification information 92 from the toner memory 32 (S2).

In the next step S3, the controller 61 determines whether one or more pieces of identification information 92 are stored in the identification information table 622 of the main memory 62. If one or more pieces of identification information 92 are stored in the identification information table 622 of the main memory 62 (S3: YES), the controller 61 proceeds to processing S4. That is, if there is an old toner pouch 3 that can be used to replenish toner, the controller 61 proceeds to processing S4. If there is not one or more pieces of identification information 92 stored in the identification information table 622 of the main memory 62 (S3: NO), the controller 61 proceeds to processing S7. That is, if there is no old toner pouch 3 that can be used to replenish toner, the controller 61 proceeds to processing S7. If there is no old toner pouch 3 that can be used to replenish toner, for example, a toner pouch 3 is attached to the replenishment unit 12 of the image forming device 1 for the first time, or all the toner in the toner pouch 3 owned by the user U is used up in the previous toner replenishment.

In S4, the controller 61 determines whether or not the identification information 92 read in S2 is stored in the identification information table 622 of the main body memory 62. If the identification information 92 read in S2 is stored in the identification information table 622 of the main body memory 62 (S4: YES), the controller 61 ends the process shown in FIG. 4. The controller 61 starts the replenishing process described below, and starts replenishing toner from the toner pouch 3 attached to the replenishing unit 12 to the tank 13.

If the identification information 92 read in S2 is not stored in the identification information table 622 of the main body memory 62 (S4: NO), the controller 61 proceeds to processing S5. That is, if the toner pouch 3 attached to the supply unit 12 is new, the controller 61 proceeds to processing S5. In S5, the controller 61 performs a first display process to display on the display 65 that an old toner pouch 3 is present.

Figure 5 (A) is an example of a first screen 110 displayed on the display 65 in the first display process (S5). The first screen 110 includes a first message 111 indicating that an old toner pouch 3 is present and indicating whether to replenish toner using a new toner pouch 3 attached to the replenishing unit 12. The first message 111 includes at least one piece of identification information 92 of the old toner pouch 3 stored in the identification information table 622.

A first button 112 and a second button 113 are displayed in the display area below the first message 111 on the first screen 110. The user U can use the input unit 66 to input to select either the first button 112 or the second button 113. The first button 112 is a button for inputting an indication that toner will be replenished using a new toner pouch 3 attached to the supply unit 12. The second button 113 is a button for inputting an indication that toner will not be replenished using a new toner pouch 3 attached to the supply unit 12.

When one or more pieces of identification information 92 are stored in the identification information table 622 of the main memory 62 and the identification information read by the second read process in S2 is not stored in the identification information table 622 of the main memory 62, the controller 61 informs the user U that an old toner pouch 3 is present. This makes it possible to encourage the user U to use the old toner pouch 3 and to prevent requests to ship unnecessary toner pouches 3.

The controller 61 causes the display 65 to display a first message 111 indicating whether or not to use a new toner pouch 3 for replenishment. This allows the user U to reconsider whether or not to use a new toner pouch 3.

In S6 of FIG. 4, the controller 61 executes a reception process to receive an input via the input unit 66 regarding whether or not to supply toner from the toner pouch 3 attached to the supply unit 12 to the tank 13. For example, when the controller 61 receives an input to select the first button 112 on the first screen 110 shown in FIG. 5(A), the controller 61 determines that an input to supply toner from the toner pouch 3 attached to the supply unit 12 to the tank 13 has been received (S6: YES). For example, when the controller 61 receives an input to select the second button 113 on the first screen 110 shown in FIG. 5(A), the controller 61 determines that an input to not supply toner from the toner pouch 3 attached to the supply unit 12 to the tank 13 has been received (S6: NO).

When the controller 61 receives an input via the input unit 66 indicating that toner is to be replenished from the toner pouch 3 attached to the replenishing unit 12 to the tank 13 (S6: YES), it executes a storage process to store the identification information 92 of the toner pouch 3 attached to the replenishing unit 12 in the identification information table 622 of the main body memory 62 (S7). By performing the storage process, the controller 61 can easily manage old toner pouches 3 based on the identification information table 622 of the main body memory 62.

After the storage process (S7), the controller 61 executes a delivery request process (S8), the details of which will be described later, and ends the process shown in FIG. 4. The controller 61 then starts a supply process (described later), and starts supplying toner from the toner pouch 3 attached to the supply unit 12 to the tank 13.

When the controller 61 receives an input via the input unit 66 indicating that toner will not be replenished from the toner pouch 3 attached to the replenishing unit 12 to the tank 13 (S6: NO), it does not execute the delivery request process and proceeds to processing of S9.

In S9, the controller 61 executes a second display process that causes the display 65 to display a message encouraging the use of the old toner pouch 3 stored in the identification information table 622. FIG. 5B is an example of a second screen 120 that is displayed on the display 65 in the second display process (S9). The second screen 120 includes a second message 121 encouraging the replacement of the toner pouch 3, a display 122 indicating the free space in the tank 13 of the main body 10, a confirmation button 123, and a list 124 that displays the identification information 92 and second remaining amount information for the old toner pouch 3 stored in the identification information table 622. By executing the second display process, the controller 61 can inform the user U of the toner pouch 3 that should be used to replenish toner.

The controller 61 ends the process of FIG. 4 when, for example, an input is received from the input unit 66 to operate the confirmation button 123, when the user U removes the toner pouch 3 from the supply unit 12, or when a predetermined time has elapsed after the second screen 120 was displayed. After the process of FIG. 4 ends, if the user U attaches the toner pouch 3 to the supply unit 12 (S1: YES), the controller 61 reads out the identification information 92 from the toner memory 32 of the toner pouch 3 attached to the supply unit 12 (S2).

[Delivery request processing]
6 is a flow chart showing an example of the flow of the delivery request process executed in S8 of FIG. 4. In the delivery request process, the controller 61 executes a first read process to read the old/new information 91 from the toner memory 32 of the toner pouch 3 attached to the replenishing unit 12 (S20). In the following S21, the controller 61 judges whether the toner pouch 3 attached to the replenishing unit 12 is new or not based on the old/new information read in S20. If the old/new information 91 read in S20 indicates that the toner pouch 3 is new (S21: YES), the controller 61 transmits a delivery request to the server 8 via the first communication unit 63 to request the delivery of a new toner pouch 3 (S22). If the old/new information 91 read in S20 indicates that the toner pouch 3 is old (S21: NO), the controller 61 ends the process of FIG. 6.

When old/new information indicating that the toner pouch 3 is new is read from the toner memory 32 of the toner pouch 3 attached to the supply unit 12 of the main body 10, the controller 61 transmits a request to send a new toner pouch 3 to the server 8. Since the request to send a new toner pouch 3 is executed before starting to supply toner from a new toner pouch 3, a longer period of time can be secured until the toner is used up than before, and the possibility of running out of toner can be reduced.

The toner pouch 3 also contains more toner in the storage section 31 than the tank 13 can contain. Therefore, even if the toner in the tank 13 runs out after a delivery request for a new toner pouch 3 is made and before the new toner pouch 3 arrives, the toner remaining in the toner pouch 3 can be replenished to avoid a situation where printing is not possible.

After making a request to ship the toner pouch 3 (S22), the controller 61 rewrites the old/new information 91 stored in the toner memory 32 of the toner pouch 3 attached to the supply unit 12 to information indicating that it is an old product (S23), and ends the processing of FIG. 6.

It is considered that the user U may repeatedly attach and detach the toner pouch 3 when replenishing toner in the image forming device 1. If it is determined whether the toner is new or old based on the remaining amount of toner contained in the toner pouch 3, when the same toner pouch 3 is repeatedly attached and detached, there is a risk that a delivery request for a new toner pouch 3 will be made every time the toner pouch 3 is attached to the main body.
The controller 61 determines whether a delivery request is necessary based on the new/old information as to whether the toner pouch 3 is new or old. In the delivery request process, the controller 61 rewrites the new/old information of the toner pouch 3 attached to the main body 10 to information indicating that it is an old product. This makes it possible to prevent excessive ordering of new toner pouches 3 even if the same toner pouch 3 is repeatedly attached and detached.

When the controller 61 receives an input indicating that replenishment from the toner pouch 3 attached to the supply unit 12 of the main body 10 will not be performed (S6: NO in FIG. 4), it does not store the identification information 92 of the toner pouch 3 attached to the supply unit 12 in the identification information table 622 of the main body memory 62, and does not execute the delivery request process shown in FIG. 6. Because the controller 61 does not execute the delivery request process shown in FIG. 6, it does not rewrite the old/new information of the toner pouch 3 attached to the supply unit 12 to information indicating an old product. If the user U cancels replenishment from a new toner pouch 3, it is possible to prevent the new toner pouch 3 from being treated as an old product.

[Toner Supply]
7 is a flowchart showing a process flow of the image forming apparatus 1 when toner is replenished from the toner pouch 3 attached to the replenishing unit 12. Hereinafter, the toner pouch 3 attached to the replenishing unit 12 will be simply referred to as the toner pouch 3.

In S40, the controller 61 determines whether to start replenishment of toner from the toner pouch 3. For example, if the identification information 92 stored in the toner memory of the toner pouch 3 is stored in the identification information table 622 (S4 in FIG. 4: YES), or if a delivery request process (S8 in FIG. 4, FIG. 6) has been performed, the controller 61 determines to start replenishment of toner from the toner pouch 3 (S40: YES) and proceeds to the process of S41. While the controller 61 determines not to start replenishment of toner from the toner pouch 3 (S40: NO), it waits without replenishment of toner from the toner pouch 3.

In S41, the controller 61 performs a third read process to read the first remaining amount information 93 from the toner memory 32 of the toner pouch 3 via the second communication unit 64. The controller 61 updates the second remaining amount information stored in the identification information table 622 based on the first remaining amount information 93 read from the toner memory 32 of the toner pouch 3.

In S42, the controller 61 determines whether the remaining amount of toner contained in the storage section 31 of the toner pouch 3 is 0. The controller 61 performs a first determination process to determine whether the remaining amount of toner is 0 based on the first remaining amount information 93 read from the toner memory 32 of the toner pouch 3 in S41, or the second remaining amount information stored in the identification information table 622 for the toner pouch 3. If the remaining amount of toner contained in the storage section 31 of the toner pouch 3 is 0 (S42: YES), the controller 61 proceeds to the process of S55.

If the remaining amount of toner contained in the storage section 31 of the toner pouch 3 is not 0 (S42: NO), the controller 61 starts a measurement process to measure the replenishment time t during which toner is being replenished (S43). The controller 61 controls the resupply section 12 to start replenishing toner from the toner pouch 3 to the tank 13 (S44). After S44, the resupply section 12 replenishes toner from the storage section 31 of the toner pouch 3 to the tank 13 of the main body 10. The controller 61 controls the resupply section 12 so that the amount of toner replenished per unit time X is constant.

In S45, the controller 61 determines whether the refill time t has reached a predetermined remaining amount update time T1. The remaining amount update time T1 is preset to a value longer than the time required to write information to the toner memory 32. The controller 61 continues refilling toner until the refill time t has reached the predetermined remaining amount update time T1 (S45: NO), and if it is determined that the refill time t has reached the predetermined remaining amount update time T1 (S45: YES), the controller 61 proceeds to processing in S46.

In S46, the controller 61 determines the current remaining amount of toner in the toner pouch 3. The process of S46 is an example of the determination process. For example, the controller 61 determines whether the current remaining amount of the toner pouch 3 indicated by the second remaining amount information of the toner pouch 3 stored in the identification information table 622 is greater than the toner supply amount determined by the product of the toner supply amount X per unit time and the supply time t. When the controller 61 determines that the current remaining amount of the toner pouch 3 is greater than the toner supply amount, the controller 61 determines the current remaining amount of the toner pouch 3 by subtracting the toner supply amount from the current remaining amount of the toner pouch 3 indicated by the second remaining amount information of the toner pouch 3. On the other hand, when the controller 61 determines that the current remaining amount of the toner pouch 3 is less than the toner supply amount, the controller 61 determines the current remaining amount of the toner pouch 3 to be 0. That is, if subtracting the product of the toner supply amount X and the supply time t from the second remaining amount information of the toner pouch 3 results in 0 or less, the controller 61 determines the current remaining amount of the toner pouch 3 to be 0. The controller 61 updates the second remaining amount information in the identification information table 622 for the toner pouch 3 using the determined current remaining amount.

In the next step S47, the controller 61 executes a rewrite process to rewrite the first remaining amount information 93 stored in the toner memory 32 of the toner pouch 3 to the current remaining amount of toner in the toner pouch 3 determined in S46. That is, the controller 61 writes the current remaining amount of toner in the toner pouch 3 determined in S46 to the storage area in the toner memory 32 of the toner pouch 3 that stores the first remaining amount information 93.

In the next step S48, the controller 61 determines the current remaining amount of toner contained in the tank 13 of the main body 10. The process of S48 is an example of a determination process. For example, the controller 61 determines whether the replenishable amount, which is the amount of toner that can be replenished to the tank 13 of the main body 10, is greater than the toner replenishment amount determined by the product of the toner replenishment amount X per unit time and the replenishment time t. The replenishable amount can be calculated by subtracting the remaining amount of the tank 13 of the main body 10 indicated by the main body remaining amount information 621 from the maximum amount of toner that can be accommodated in the tank 13 of the main body 10. When the controller 61 determines that the replenishable amount is equal to or greater than the toner replenishment amount, it determines the current remaining amount of toner contained in the tank 13 of the main body 10 by adding the product of the toner replenishment amount X and the replenishment time t to the main body remaining amount information 621. On the other hand, the controller 61 determines the current remaining amount of toner contained in the tank 13 of the main body 10, which is equal to or less than the product of the toner supply amount X and the supply time t, to be the maximum amount of toner that can be contained in the tank 13 of the main body 10.

In the next step S49, the controller 61 writes the current remaining capacity of the main unit 10 determined in S48 to the main unit memory 62. That is, the controller 61 updates the main unit remaining capacity information 621 based on the current remaining capacity of the main unit 10 determined in S48.

If the information on the current remaining amount were updated only once after toner replenishment was completed, there was a risk that the information on the current remaining amount would diverge from the actual remaining amount if user U interrupted the process while toner was being replenished. By having controller 61 update first remaining amount information 93 stored in toner memory 32 every time a predetermined replenishment time t has elapsed, it is possible to prevent the first remaining amount information 93 from diverging from the actual remaining amount of toner.

In the next step S50, the controller 61 executes a second determination process to determine whether to end the supply of toner. The controller 61 determines to end the supply of toner when any of a plurality of predetermined supply end conditions is met. The supply end conditions include at least that the current remaining amount in the toner pouch 3 is 0 and that the current remaining amount of toner contained in the tank 13 is the maximum amount. The controller 61 determines that the supply end condition is met when, for example, the current remaining amount in the toner pouch 3 determined in S46 is 0 or the current remaining amount of toner contained in the tank 13 of the main body 10 determined in S48 is the maximum amount. The supply end condition may include, for example, that the toner pouch 3 is removed from the supply unit 12, that the user U has performed a predetermined end operation, and the like. The controller 61 may also determine that the current remaining amount in the toner pouch 3 is 0 based on the first remaining amount information 93 rewritten in S47. If none of the supply end conditions are met (S50: NO), the controller 61 resets the supply time t, proceeds to processing in S45, and continues to supply toner. If any of the supply end conditions are met (S50: YES), the controller 61 ends the supply of toner (S52) and ends the measurement of the supply time t (S53).

In S54, the controller 61 executes a first determination process to determine whether the current remaining amount of toner stored in the storage section 31 of the toner pouch 3 is 0. If the current remaining amount of the toner pouch 3 determined in S46 is 0 (S54: YES), the controller 61 proceeds to the process of S55, and if the current remaining amount of the toner pouch 3 determined in S46 is not 0 (S54: NO), the controller 61 ends the process of FIG. 7. In S55, the controller 61 executes an erasure process to erase information about the toner pouch 3 attached to the supply section 12 from the identification information table 622, and ends the process of FIG. 7.

The controller 61 determines the current remaining amount of toner based on the remaining amount information stored in the toner memory of the toner pouch 3, and determines that the toner stored in the storage section 31 of the toner pouch 3 has run out based on the determined current remaining amount of toner. The controller 61 then erases the identification information 92 for the toner pouch 3 determined to have run out of toner from the identification information table 622 of the main memory 62. This allows the controller 61 to maintain a state in which only the identification information 92 of the toner pouch 3 that can be used to replenish the tank 13 with toner is stored in the identification information table 622 of the main memory 62.

[Embodiment 2]
A second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below. For ease of explanation, the same reference numerals will be used to designate components having the same functions as those described in the first embodiment, and the description thereof will not be repeated.

Figure 8 is a schematic perspective view of an image forming apparatus 1B according to embodiment 2 of the present disclosure. Image forming apparatus 1B is different from image forming apparatus 1A according to embodiment 1 in that it has a cover 11 on the top of the main body 10. Image forming apparatus 1B according to embodiment 2 of the present disclosure has a cover 11 on the top of the main body 10. The cover 11 can rotate around a rotation axis 11A. As shown in FIG. 8(A), when the cover 11 is in the closed position, the toner pouch 3 cannot be attached to the outside of the main body 10. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 8(B), when the cover 11 is in the open position, the toner pouch 3 can be attached to the supply unit 12 located on the outside of the main body 10. Since image forming apparatus 1B according to embodiment 2 of the present disclosure has the cover 11, it is possible to prevent foreign matter other than toner from entering through the supply unit 12.

[Embodiment 3]
A third embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below. For ease of explanation, the same reference numerals will be given to members having the same functions as those described in the first and second embodiments, and the description thereof will not be repeated.

The image forming device 1 according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure differs from the first embodiment in that an upper limit is set for the number of pieces of identification information 92 that can be stored in the identification information table 622 of the main body memory 62.

Figure 9 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing of the image forming apparatus 1 when a toner pouch 3 is attached to the outside of the main body of the image forming apparatus 1 according to embodiment 3 of the present disclosure. In embodiment 3 of the present disclosure, when the controller 61 determines in S6 that it has received an input related to replenishing toner from the toner pouch 3 attached to the replenishing unit 12 to the tank 13 (S6: YES), it proceeds to processing of S60 shown in Figure 9.

In S60, the controller 61 executes a third determination process to determine whether the number of the identification information 92 of the toner pouch 3 stored in the identification information table 622 of the main memory 62 is equal to or greater than a predetermined number. If the number of the identification information 92 of the toner pouch 3 stored in the identification information table 622 of the main memory 62 is equal to or greater than a predetermined number (S60: YES), the controller 61 executes a third display process to display a third message indicating the number of the identification information 92 of the toner pouch 3 stored in the identification information table 622 of the main memory 62, and ends the process of FIG. 9 (S61). If the number of the identification information 92 of the toner pouch 3 stored in the identification information table 622 of the main memory 62 is less than the predetermined number (S60: NO), the controller 61 proceeds to the process of S7.

In S61, the controller 61 causes the display 65 to display a third message indicating the number of pieces of identification information 92 stored in the identification information table 622 of the main body memory 62. By displaying the third message on the display 65, the controller 61 can inform the user U of the remaining number of old toner pouches 3 and urge the user U to use up the old toner pouches 3.

(Modification)
In the above embodiment, the image forming apparatus 1 is a monochrome laser printer. However, the image forming apparatus 1 is not limited to a monochrome laser printer. The image forming apparatus 1 may be, for example, a color laser printer.

In the above embodiment, the controller 61 has an ASIC. However, the controller 61 may also have a processor such as a CPU and execute various control programs stored in the main body memory 62.

In the above embodiment, the second communication unit 64 of the image forming device 1 and the third communication unit 33 of the toner pouch 3 are electrical contacts that are electrically connected when the toner pouch 3 is attached to the supply unit 12. However, the second communication unit 64 of the image forming device 1 and the third communication unit 33 of the toner pouch 3 are not limited to a configuration using electrical contacts. For example, the second communication unit 64 of the image forming device 1 and the third communication unit 33 of the toner pouch 3 may be configured to send and receive information using RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology.

In the above-mentioned first and second embodiments, in S7 of FIG. 4, the controller 61 stores the identification information of the attached toner pouch 3 in the identification information table 622 of the main body memory 62, and then executes the delivery request process (S7). However, the process of S6 and the delivery request process of S7 may be interchanged in order.

In the image forming device 1B of the second embodiment, the light source unit 50 may be disposed in the cover 11.

In the above-described third embodiment, the controller 61 does not execute the delivery request process (S8) if the number of identification information 92 of the toner pouch 3 stored in the identification information table 622 of the main body memory 62 is equal to or greater than a predetermined number. However, the controller 61 may rewrite one of the identification information 92 of the toner pouch 3 stored in the identification information table 622 after the third display process and then execute the delivery request process (S8). The toner pouch 3 to be rewritten may be the toner pouch 3 with the oldest date and time stored in the identification information table 622, or the toner pouch 3 with the smallest second remaining amount information, or the user U may select it via the input unit 66.

In the above embodiment and modified example, the toner pouch 3 is mounted on the outside of the main body 10 of the image forming device 1. However, instead of the toner pouch 3, a toner cartridge may be mounted on the inside of the main body 10 of the image forming device 1. Even when the toner cartridge is mounted on the inside of the main body 10 of the image forming device 1, the same effect as when the toner pouch 3 is mounted on the outside of the main body 10 of the image forming device 1 can be obtained. The image forming device 1 has a cartridge storage section on the inside of the main body 10 that stores the toner cartridge delivered from the business SP. Mounting the toner cartridge on the inside of the main body 10 of the image forming device 1 means, for example, mounting the toner cartridge in the cartridge storage section. In addition, the identification information table 622 of the main body memory 62 may store the identification information 92 of the toner cartridge. In the process of S60 in FIG. 9, the controller 61 may determine whether the number of the identification information 92 of the toner cartridge stored in the identification information table 622 of the main body memory 62 is equal to or greater than a predetermined number.

[Software implementation example]
The functions of the image forming apparatus 1 (hereinafter referred to as the “apparatus”) can be realized by a program for causing a computer to function as the image forming apparatus 1, and a program for causing a computer to function as a controller 61 of the image forming apparatus 1.

In this case, the image forming device 1 includes a computer having at least one control device (e.g., a processor) and at least one storage device (e.g., a memory) as hardware for executing the above program. The above program is executed by the control device and storage device, thereby realizing each of the functions described in each of the above embodiments.

The above program may be recorded on one or more computer-readable recording media, not on a temporary basis. The image forming device 1 may or may not have the recording media. In the latter case, the above program may be supplied to the image forming device 1 via any wired or wireless transmission medium.

In addition, some or all of the functions of the controller 61 can be realized by a logic circuit. For example, an integrated circuit in which a logic circuit that functions as each of the above control blocks is formed is also included in the scope of this disclosure.

[Additional Notes]
The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present disclosure.

Reference Signs List 1, 1A, 1B Image forming apparatus 3 Toner pouch 8 Server 10 Main body 32 Toner memory 62 Main body memory 61 Controller 65 Display 66 Input section 91 Old/new information 92 Identification information 93 First remaining amount information 100 Supply management system 111 First message 121 Second message

Claims (13)

An image forming apparatus capable of communicating with a server,
A main body to which a toner pouch for storing toner can be attached from the outside;
A controller,
the toner pouch has a toner memory for storing new/used information indicating whether the toner pouch is new or used;
The controller:
a first read process for reading the old/new information from the toner memory when the toner pouch is attached to the outside of the main body;
a delivery request process for transmitting a delivery request for a new toner pouch to the server when the new/old information indicating that the toner pouch is new is read by the first reading process. The controller:
2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in the delivery request process, the old/new information stored in the toner memory is rewritten to information indicating that the toner is an old product. The toner memory includes:
storing identification information for identifying the toner pouch;
The image forming apparatus includes:
Further equipped with a main body memory,
The controller:
a second reading process for reading the identification information from the toner memory when the toner pouch is attached to the outside of the main body;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising: a storage process for storing the identification information in the main memory when the identification information read out by the second read process is not stored in the main memory. Further comprising a display,
The controller:
4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising: a first display process for displaying on the display that an old toner pouch is present when the identification information is stored in the main memory and the identification information read by the second reading process is not stored in the main memory. The image forming device according to claim 4, wherein the controller, in the first display process, causes the display to display a first message indicating whether or not to replenish the toner using a new toner pouch. further comprising an input unit for accepting an input by a user;
The controller:
In the first display process, after displaying the first message,
a receiving process for receiving an input regarding whether or not to supply the toner from the toner pouch attached to the outside of the main body to the main body via the input unit;
The controller:
In the reception process, when an input indicating that the toner is not to be replenished from the toner pouch attached to the outside of the main body to the main body is received,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the storage process and the delivery request process are not executed. The controller:
In the reception process, when an input indicating that the toner is not to be replenished from the toner pouch attached to the outside of the main body to the main body is received,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 6 , further comprising a second display process for displaying on the display a second message indicating the identification information stored in the main body memory, the second message encouraging the use of the toner pouch. The toner memory includes:
storing remaining amount information regarding the remaining amount of the toner contained in the toner pouch;
The controller:
a third reading process for reading the remaining amount information from the toner memory when the toner pouch is attached to the outside of the main body;
a first determination process for determining whether the toner in the toner pouch attached to the outside of the main body has run out based on the remaining amount information;
4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising: a deletion process for deleting the identification information of the toner pouch from the main body memory when it is determined in the first determination process that the toner in the toner pouch has run out. The controller:
a measurement process for measuring a time during which the toner is replenished from the toner pouch attached to the outside of the main body to the main body;
a determination process for determining the remaining amount of the toner contained in the toner pouch and the main body based on the time measured in the measurement process;
9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising: a rewrite process for rewriting the remaining amount information stored in the toner memory based on the remaining amount of toner determined in the determination process. The controller:
10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising: a second determination process for determining whether or not to terminate the supply of the toner from the toner pouch to the main body, based on the remaining amount information rewritten in the rewriting process. The controller:
a third determination process for determining whether or not a predetermined number of pieces of identification information are stored in the main body memory in the delivery request process;
6. The image forming apparatus of claim 5, further comprising: a third display process for displaying on the display a third message indicating the number of the identification information stored in the main memory when the third judgment process finds that the identification information is stored in the main memory in a number equal to or greater than the predetermined number. The amount of the toner that can be accommodated in the toner pouch is
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the amount of the toner is greater than an amount that can be accommodated in the main body. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
A supply management system comprising the server,
The server,
A supply management system capable of accepting the delivery request.

Images