JP5303005B2 - Ink jet printer, ink charging system, and control method of ink jet printer - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an ink jet printer, an ink billing system, and an ink jet printer control method, and more particularly to an ink jet printer capable of appropriately grasping the amount of ink used as a consumable and suitable for use in an ink billing system. .

In general, an ink jet printer is an image recording apparatus that records an image such as a character or a picture on a sheet by fixing ink on a sheet of plain paper or special paper. A cartridge filled with ink is detachably attached to this type of image recording apparatus. If the ink in the cartridge runs out due to the use of ink, a new cartridge is attached to replenish the ink.

In general, from the viewpoint of the user, printing that consumes a large amount of ink is not preferable from the viewpoint of running cost, and it is preferable to perform printing with high expressiveness with as little ink as possible. Here, if image data is selected well, a high quality image may be printed even with a small amount of ink consumption. As an example, even if the background color is changed from a dark color to a light color, the ink consumption can be suppressed while maintaining high print quality without changing the impression of the image so much.

In order to reduce the cost required for printing, in the printing system described in Patent Document 1, when a print job is received from a host computer, the print job is converted into print data required for printing by a print engine. A total job cost required for printing a print job by the print engine is estimated, and the estimated total job cost is transmitted to the host computer. In this printing system, the host computer side is configured to present the received total job cost to the user and cause the printing system to execute printing only when a printing execution instruction is issued from the user.

Further, Patent Document 2 stores the toner usage amount and the printing paper usage amount for each print job, calculates the printer usage for a predetermined period for each user name included in the print job and identifies the user, A printer is described that is configured so that a charge corresponding to the printer usage amount can be made for each user.

In Patent Document 3, an average amount of toner used per pixel and an average number of pixels per page are set in a nonvolatile memory in advance, and from the number of actually printed prints and the number of pixels of a print image, A printer having a function of calculating toner usage is described.

Patent Document 4 describes the progress of each print job reception process, image creation process, and print process.
Display detailed information about the print job including the host device and communication path of each print job, the consumption status of consumables for each print job, and the contents of errors that occurred in relation to each print job. There is a description.
Further, Patent Document 5 stores the status of the printer, such as the status of the print engine, the free capacity of the reception buffer, whether an error has occurred, whether printing has succeeded for each page, and the like.
There is a statement that this status is returned in response to a request from the host computer.

JP 2003-228474 A JP 2003-228475 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-120345 JP 2001-175622 A JP 2002-019212 A

A system such as Patent Document 1 is a system that confirms with a user whether or not printing can be performed every time a print job is received. Therefore, this is not a problem in an environment where relatively slow printing is performed with a low frequency of printing, but in an environment where timely printing such as ticketing on a commercial basis is performed, confirmation should be performed step by step. Cannot be performed because it hinders business execution.

In addition, a billing system that charges the amount of ink consumed according to the amount used in ticket issuance has been proposed. In such a billing system, when the same image is repeatedly printed, an environment is required in which the amount of ink consumed per sheet can be grasped and image data can be selected as necessary.

In such a billing system, it is a precondition that printing using ink is completed and printing is output. However, in some cases, if printing is interrupted halfway due to circumstances on the printer side, there is a possibility that an undesired situation may occur for the user of the charging system, such as charging for a halfway print.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an ink jet printer, an ink billing system, and an ink jet printer control method capable of notifying a host computer of information on ink consumption and / or printing results as necessary. The purpose is to provide. It is another object of the present invention to correctly notify information related to ink consumption and / or printing results to a corresponding host computer even in a network environment in which a plurality of host computers and inkjet printers are connected. .

The above problem is solved by the following means.
(1) An inkjet printer that is communicably connected to a host computer and executes printing in response to a print job transmitted from the host computer,
A job information storage unit capable of storing various information related to a print job;
A receiving unit for receiving the print job from the host computer;
A print control unit that executes printing on paper using predetermined ink in accordance with the print job;
An ink shot number calculation unit for calculating the number of ink shots used for printing corresponding to the print job;
The job ID of the print job, the number of ink shots used for printing corresponding to the print job, and the print job, which is included in the print job, identifies the host computer from other host computers, and transmits the print job An ink-jet printer comprising: a job information management unit for associating and recording apparatus identification information indicating the host computer recorded in the job information storage unit.
(2) The ink shot number calculation unit calculates the number of ink shots of a plurality of colors that are actually ejected based on dot pattern data generated from the print job. Inkjet printer.
(3) The job information management unit transmits the used number of ink shots to the host computer in response to a job information transmission request received from the host computer (1) or (2) The inkjet printer described in 1.
(4) The job information transmission request includes job ID designation information for designating a print job.
The ink jet printer according to (3), wherein the job information management unit transmits the number of used ink shots associated with a job ID corresponding to the job ID designation information to the host computer.
(5) In response to the job information transmission request received from the host computer, the job information management unit uses the device identification information specified in the job information transmission request and the number of used ink shots associated with the job ID. Are transmitted to the host computer. The inkjet printer according to (1) or (2).
(6) A method for controlling an inkjet printer, which is communicably connected to a host computer and executes printing in response to a print job transmitted from the host computer,
Receiving the print job from the host computer;
A printing step of performing printing on a sheet using predetermined ink according to the print job;
An ink shot number calculating step for calculating the number of ink shots used for printing corresponding to the print job;
The job ID of the print job, the number of ink shots used for printing corresponding to the print job, and the print job, which is included in the print job, identifies the host computer from other host computers, and transmits the print job An inkjet printer control method comprising: a recording step of associating device identification information indicating a host computer with a job information storage unit capable of storing various information relating to a print job in association with each other.
(7) In the ink shot number calculating step, the number of ink shots of a plurality of colors actually ejected is calculated based on dot pattern data generated from the print job. Inkjet printer control method.
(8) The method according to (6) or (7), further comprising a transmission step of transmitting the used number of ink shots to the host computer in response to a job information transmission request received from the host computer. Inkjet printer control method.
(9) The job information transmission request includes job ID designation information for designating a print job.
In the transmission step, the number of used ink shots associated with a job ID corresponding to the job ID designation information is transmitted to the host computer.
(10) In response to a job information transmission request received from the host computer, device identification information specified in the job information transmission request and the number of used ink shots associated with a job ID are transmitted to the host computer. The inkjet printer control method according to (6) or (7), further comprising a transmission step.
(11) a print result determination unit that determines a print result of printing corresponding to the print job;
The job information management unit includes a job ID of the print job, the number of ink shots used for printing corresponding to the print job, the device identification information indicating a host computer that has transmitted the print job, and the print job. The inkjet printer according to (1), wherein a print result of printing corresponding to is recorded in the job information storage unit in association with each other.
(12) The ink shot number calculation unit calculates the number of ink shots of a plurality of colors that are actually ejected based on dot pattern data generated from the print job. Inkjet printer.
(13) The job information management unit transmits the used number of ink shots and the printing result to the host computer in response to a job information transmission request received from the host computer (11). Or the inkjet printer as described in (12).
(14) The job information transmission request includes job ID designation information for designating a print job.
The job information management unit transmits the number of used ink shots associated with a job ID corresponding to the job ID designation information and the print result to the host computer (13). Inkjet printer.
(15) The job information management unit uses the device identification information specified in the job information transmission request and the number of used ink shots associated with the job ID in response to the job information transmission request received from the host computer. And the printing result is transmitted to the host computer. The inkjet printer according to (11) or (12),
(16) Using the inkjet printer according to any one of (11) to (15),
In an ink billing system that grasps the number of ink shots and the printing result and charges according to the number of ink shots,
The ink charging system according to claim 1, wherein the charging is performed by counting the number of ink shots only when the printing result is successful.
(17) a determination step of determining a print result of printing corresponding to the print job;
In the recording step, the job ID of the print job, the number of ink shots used for printing corresponding to the print job, the device identification information indicating the host computer that transmitted the print job, and the print job (6) The method for controlling an ink jet printer according to (6), wherein a print result of printing to be performed is associated and recorded in the job information storage unit.
(18) In the ink shot number calculating step, the number of ink shots of a plurality of colors that are actually ejected is calculated based on dot pattern data generated from the print job. Inkjet printer control method.
(19) A transmission step of transmitting the number of used ink shots and the printing result to the host computer in response to a job information transmission request received from the host computer (17) or (17) The control method of the inkjet printer as described in 18).
(20) The job information transmission request includes job ID designation information for designating a print job.
In the transmission step, the number of used ink shots associated with the job ID corresponding to the job ID designation information and the printing result are transmitted to the host computer. (19) Control method.
(21) In the transmission step, in response to a job information transmission request received from the host computer, the apparatus identification information specified in the job information transmission request and the number of used ink shots associated with the job ID and the (17) or (18), wherein the printing result is transmitted to the host computer.

According to the ink jet printer and the control method thereof of the present invention, the number of ink shots used for printing and / or the printing result can be recorded every time a print job is received and printing is performed according to the print job. . Therefore, each time a print job is received and printing is performed according to the print job, the number of ink shots used for printing and / or the printing result of the printing can be recorded. Therefore, the user of the ink jet printer can grasp the number of ink shots used for printing by referring to the recording inside the ink jet printer as necessary, and grasp the success or failure of printing. Is also possible.

Thereby, for example, when printing a coupon ticket, it is possible to grasp how much ink the coupon ticket uses and to clearly recognize the ticketing cost per coupon ticket. Therefore, according to the ink jet printer of the present invention, by checking the number of ink shots, it is possible to easily execute an operation of selecting an image that still has high expressive power while reducing cost. For example, in the case where a large number of coupons are issued continuously, if the number of ink shots recorded on the ink jet printer is confirmed and it is felt that the ticketing cost is high, the color of the coupon is reduced and the ink is printed. By reducing the number of shots or changing the coupon design so that the number of ink shots is reduced, a high cost reduction effect can be obtained.

In addition, when each ink cartridge provided in the ink jet printer has a plurality of color ink tanks, only a certain color of ink is used,
It is conceivable that the ink cartridge needs to be replaced even though other colors of ink remain. By grasping the number of ink shots of each ink using the configuration of the present invention, it is possible to select an image that does not fall into a reduced state.

In addition, according to the inkjet printer of the present invention, each time a print job is received and printing is performed according to the print job, a print result indicating whether the printing has been executed correctly can be recorded together with the number of ink shots. Therefore, the user of the ink jet printer can grasp whether or not printing has been performed according to the print job by referring to the recording inside the ink jet printer as necessary. Therefore, for example, in the printing of a coupon ticket, it is possible to grasp whether the coupon ticket is properly issued as instructed.

According to the inkjet printer of the present invention, the job information management unit transmits the number of used ink shots to the host computer in response to a job information transmission request received from the host computer. Therefore, the user can easily obtain information about the number of used ink shots by transmitting a job information transmission request from the host computer, and can use it for cost reduction.

According to the ink jet printer of the present invention, the job information transmission request includes job ID designation information for designating a print job.
The number of used ink shots associated with the job ID corresponding to the designation information is transmitted to the host computer. Therefore, even when performing multiple types of printing, if the user knows the relationship between the print job and the image corresponding to the print job, the user specifies the print job corresponding to the image for which the number of ink shots is desired, The number of ink shots used for the printing can be grasped from the ink jet printer. Therefore, even when a plurality of types of printing are performed, it is possible to optimize the image and reduce the printing cost for each printing.

In addition, when operating an ink billing system that charges according to the number of ink shots using the inkjet printer of the present embodiment, for example, by combining the number of ink shots corresponding to the print job and the print result, for example, the print result It can be configured to charge only in accordance with the number of ink shots only when is successful. Thus, even if printing fails due to the circumstances of the ink jet printer, the user of the ink billing system is not charged, and is the original purpose of the ink billing system. Can be charged according to the amount of ink used.

According to the present invention, a job information transmission request specifying device identification information and a job ID is transmitted to the inkjet printer, and the inkjet printer responds to the print job information corresponding to the device identification information and job ID. May be transmitted to the host computer. In such a case, for example, a plurality of host computers have the same job ID.
Even when a print job is transmitted with a mark, the print job information stored in the job information storage unit in the ink jet printer can always be identified from the other without having a duplicate number. Therefore, when a job information transmission request is received from a certain host computer, the confusion that the ink jet printer notifies the number of ink shots and / or the printing result corresponding to the print job transmitted from another host computer has occurred. It can be avoided and can be operated in the same way even in a network environment.

1 is a perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of a printer according to an embodiment. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a printer according to an embodiment. 4 is a table schematically showing print job information stored in a job information storage unit of the present embodiment. 6 is a flowchart showing a flow of recording processing of print job information in the present embodiment. 6 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing for transmitting print job information to a host computer in the present embodiment. FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a connection state between a plurality of host computers and a printer according to a modification of the embodiment. 10 is a table schematically showing print job information stored in a job information storage unit in a modification of the present embodiment. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of print job information recording processing in a case where a print result determination unit of the host computer is not provided in the present embodiment.

Embodiments of a printer and a printer control method according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of the printer according to the first embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 100 of this embodiment uses a plurality of types of color inks,
An ink jet printing apparatus (image recording apparatus) that performs image recording (multi-color printing) on a sheet of recording medium and issues a coupon is a so-called ink jet printer.

As shown in FIG. 1, a printer 100 according to this embodiment includes a power switch 3, a roll paper cover 5, and a mounting portion opening / closing cover in order from the left side on the front surface of a printer case 2 including a front upper panel 2a and a case cover 2b. 7 is arranged. A plurality of LED lamps 6 for notifying the user of the printer status are provided above the power switch 3. Each of the roll paper cover 5 and the mounting portion opening / closing cover 7 is provided so as to be openable and closable forward via a hinge (not shown) provided in the lower portion.

The roll paper cover 5 is loaded with roll paper (not shown) as paper, and the roll paper can be exchanged by opening the roll paper cover 5. On the other hand, an ink cartridge (not shown) is mounted inside the mounting portion opening / closing cover 7.
By opening the, the ink cartridge can be attached and detached.

In this embodiment, the ink cartridge is a cartridge case in which three color ink packs of yellow, cyan, and magenta are packaged together. The printer 100 rolls using these three color inks. Execute color printing of images such as letters and designs on paper.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the printer 100 according to the present embodiment.
The printer 100 is communicably connected to the host computer 300 via various interfaces such as serial, parallel, and USB, and operates according to various commands transmitted from the host computer 300. When printing, the host computer 3
00 transmits a print job including commands instructing various operations necessary for printing and data corresponding to an image to be printed. Each print job is assigned a print job ID for identifying the other print job. The printer 100 issues a single coupon by operating according to the print job.

Specifically, the printer 100 mainly includes a reception unit 110 that receives various commands and print data transmitted from the host computer 300, and a reception buffer 120 that temporarily stores various commands and print data received by the reception unit 110. Is provided. The data received by the reception buffer 120 is sequentially read and analyzed by the command analysis unit 130, and is sent to the main control unit 160 in the case of a control command, and the print buffer 1 in the case of print data.
Transferred to 40 by DMA transfer or the like and temporarily stored.

The print data temporarily stored in the print buffer 140 is subjected to data expansion processing by the print control unit 150 and converted, and dot pattern data (print image data) corresponding to a nozzle array of a print head (not shown) is generated. And stored in the print buffer 140. This dot pattern data is, for example, 2-bit gradation information data, and (1) ink ejected from each nozzle of the print head is not ejected, (2) small dots, (3) medium dots, (
4) Indicates which of the large dots corresponds.

The print control unit 150 creates a coupon by driving the print head based on the dot pattern data stored in the print buffer 140 and forming an image on the roll paper.

On the other hand, for various commands read by the main control unit 160, various processes such as paper feeding and paper cutting are executed according to the instructed contents.

Next, the shot number analysis unit (ink shot number calculation unit) 170 will be described.
Based on the print data stored in the print buffer 140 or the dot pattern data generated based on the print data, the shot number analysis unit 170 sets the amount of ink ejected from the print head as the number of shots for each color in dots. Count. The amount of ink used by the print head varies depending on the small dots, medium dots, and large dots. The shot number analysis unit 170 calculates how many shots are discharged from each dot in terms of the number of shots. The number of shots calculated by the shot number analysis unit 170 is the job information storage unit 190 described later.
Is remembered.

Note that the shot number analysis unit 170 counts the ink amount corresponding to the ink ejection from the print head accompanying printing on the roll paper according to the print job, such as issuing a coupon, as the number of shots for each color in dot units. Is. For example, ink discharged from the print head by the flushing operation, ink sucked from the print head by an ink suction means (not shown), ink used from the clogging recovery operation or ink filling operation, and the like are discharged from the print head. The ink usage is not counted for the amount of ink used to make it possible. Even when the ink cartridge reaches the ink end, the ink may remain in the ink cartridge, but the process for counting the remaining ink is not performed. Only when ink is actually ejected onto roll paper and used for printing, the number of shots is counted.

The print result determination unit 175 is a determination unit that determines whether printing corresponding to a certain print job has succeeded or failed. The print result determined by the print result determination unit 175 is
It is stored in a job information storage unit 190 described later.

Here, “successful printing” means that all commands from when a print job start command for starting a print job to when a print job end command is received are processed normally,
This indicates a state in which all images corresponding to the print job are formed on the roll paper and the ticket is issued correctly. On the other hand, when printing fails, a print job end command is issued after receiving a print job start command to start a print job due to roll paper (paper) out, ink out, various cover open, or other fatal errors. It means a state in which a command until reception is not processed at all or processing is interrupted and printing cannot be executed or is interrupted.

The relationship between the shot number analysis unit 170 and the print result determination unit 175 will be described. Since the shot number analysis unit 170 counts the number of ink shots ejected on the roll paper, the last print corresponding to the print job is performed. Even if it is not completely performed, the number of ink shots is counted. Therefore, only by looking at the number of ink shots calculated by the shot number analysis unit 170, printing corresponding to a certain print job is completed normally, and it is not sure whether the consumption of ink contributes to the issuance of a coupon ticket. . Therefore,
In the present embodiment, the print result determination unit 175 is configured to ensure that the print result is normally obtained with the ink used by the shot number analysis unit 170.

Next, the job information management unit 180 and the job information storage unit 190 will be described.
The job information management unit 180 records and manages each print job transmitted from the host computer 300 as the print job information in association with the number of ink shots and the print result used in the printing performed corresponding to each print job. It is a control part.
On the other hand, the job information storage unit 190 is a storage area in which the job information management unit 180 records print job information to form a job information history, and can store the value even when the power is turned off, such as an EEPROM or a flash ROM. Is set on a non-volatile storage medium.

FIG. 3 is a table schematically showing print job information stored in the job information storage unit 190.
The job information management unit 180 associates at least the print job ID included in each print job, the amount of ink used corresponding to the print job, and the print result of printing corresponding to the print job, into a job information storage unit 190. In the present embodiment, the used ink amount is represented for each ink color (here, C: cyan, M: magenta, Y: yellow) as the number of ink shots counted by the shot number analysis unit 170.

The print result is recorded in association with each print job ID. For example, in the case of FIG. 3, “0” is set as a flag when succeeding, and “1” when failing.
Can be shown. As can be seen from FIG. 3, by referring to the job information storage 190, it is possible to grasp how much ink is consumed for each color for each print job based on the number of ink shots, and the print job It is possible to confirm whether or not the coupon has been issued correctly.

Next, the print job information recording process will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of print job information recording processing.
The printer 100 receives a print job transmitted from the host computer 300 as a reception unit 11.
Wait until 0 is received (step S11). When a print job is received, dot pattern data as print image data is generated in the print buffer 140 based on the received print job (step S12). Thereafter, the print control unit 150 drives the print head according to the generated dot pattern data to execute a printing process (image formation) on the roll paper to issue a coupon ticket, and a shot number analyzing unit. 170 calculates the number of ink shots used for the printing based on the dot pattern data (step S13).

Further, the print result determination unit 175 monitors the print processing while referring to the print job, and determines whether the print job has been processed correctly (step S14). If it is determined in step S14 that the print job has been correctly processed, the job information management unit 180 adds a flag (in this case, 0) indicating successful printing to the job ID included in the received print job. The job information storage unit 1 as print job information together with the calculated number of ink shots
90, and the process is terminated (step S15). On the other hand, if it is determined in step S14 that the print job has not been processed correctly, the job information management unit 180 sets a flag (in this case, 1) indicating print failure in the job ID included in the received print job. Then, it is stored in the job information storage unit 190 as print job information together with the calculated number of shots, and the process is terminated (step S16).

As described above, in this embodiment, every time printing is performed according to a print job, the amount of ink used (number of shots) used by the print job and the print result of printing corresponding to each print job are printed. It is recorded in the printer 100 together with the job ID.

Next, processing for transmitting print job information to the host computer 300 will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing for transmitting print job information to the host computer 300.

The printer 100 waits until the receiving unit 110 receives a print job information request command transmitted from the host computer 300 (step S21). This print job information request command includes job ID designation information in which either (1) designation of a specific print job ID or (2) designation of all print jobs is set. When the printer 100 receives the print job information request command in step S21, the job information management unit 180 displays
Depending on the job ID designation information in the print job information request command, a specific print job I
D and the corresponding ink shot number information and print results, or all print job IDs and corresponding ink shot number information and print results are retrieved and read (step S22).
) To the host computer 300 (step S23). The printer 100 may delete the transmitted print job ID, the ink shot number information and the print result corresponding to the transmitted print job ID, and store the print job ID as it is, and when the storage capacity of the job information storage unit 190 becomes full, the oldest one is sequentially installed. It may be overwritten.

As described above, in this embodiment, the number of ink shots and the print result corresponding to the print job specified by the print job request command are received by the printer 1 in response to the reception of the print job request command.
00 to the host computer 300.

As described above, the printer 100 according to the present embodiment is communicably connected to the host computer 300 and executes printing according to a print job transmitted from the host computer 300. In particular, the printer 100 includes a job information storage unit 190 that can store various types of information related to a print job, and a reception unit 110 that receives a print job from the host computer 300.
And a print control unit 150 that executes printing on paper using ink according to the print job.
A shot number analysis unit (ink shot number calculation unit) 170 that calculates the amount of ink used for printing corresponding to the print job, and a print result determination unit 175 that determines a print result of printing corresponding to the print job. , Job information management for recording the job ID of the print job, the number of ink shots used for printing corresponding to the print job, and the print result of printing corresponding to the print job in the job information storage unit 190 Part 180.

According to the printer 100 of this embodiment, each time a print job is received and printing is performed according to the print job, the number of ink shots used for printing and the printing result of the printing can be recorded. Therefore, the user of the printer 100 can grasp the number of ink shots used for printing as well as the success or failure of printing by referring to the records in the printer 100 as necessary.

Thereby, for example, when printing a coupon ticket, it is possible to grasp how much ink the coupon ticket uses, and to clearly grasp the ticketing cost per coupon ticket. Therefore, according to the printer 100 of the present embodiment, it is possible to easily execute an operation for selecting an image having high expressive power while reducing the cost by checking the ink usage amount. For example, in the case where a large number of coupons are issued in succession, if the usage amount of ink recorded on the printer 100 is confirmed and the ticketing cost is felt high, the color of the coupon is reduced. A high cost reduction effect can be obtained by reducing the amount of ink used or changing the coupon design so that the amount of ink used is reduced.

Furthermore, according to the printer 100 of the present embodiment, each time a print job is received and printing is performed according to the print job, a print result indicating whether the printing has been executed correctly is recorded together with the number of ink shots. The user of the printer 100 can use the printer 10 as necessary.
By referring to the record in 0, it is possible to determine whether printing has been performed according to the print job. Therefore, for example, in the printing of a coupon ticket, it is possible to grasp whether the coupon ticket is properly issued as instructed.

In addition, when an ink billing system that charges according to the number of ink shots using the printer 100 of this embodiment is operated, for example, by combining the number of ink shots corresponding to the print job and the print result, for example, the print result It can be configured to charge only in accordance with the number of ink shots only when is successful. As a result, even if the printing fails due to the convenience of the printer, the user of the ink billing system is not charged, and the substantial purpose of the ink billing system is substantially reduced. Charges can be made according to ink usage.

Further, in the printer 100 of the present embodiment, the print control unit 150 controls the inkjet print head that discharges a plurality of colors of ink to form an image, and the shot number calculation unit 170.
Is configured to calculate the number of ink shots of a plurality of colors actually ejected based on dot pattern data generated from a print job.

Accordingly, when the ink cartridges provided in the printer 100 have ink tanks of a plurality of colors, only one color ink is used in a reduced state, and other color inks remain. Nevertheless, it is conceivable that the ink cartridge must be replaced. By grasping the number of ink shots of each ink using the configuration of the present embodiment, it is possible to select an image that does not fall into a reduced state. In addition, since the number of ink shots can be accurately grasped for each color, even in the ink billing system, the billing amount can be accurately calculated without error according to the billing unit price set for each color. Of course, even if the charging unit price for each color is the same, the total number of ink shots can be calculated accurately, so that the charging amount can be accurately calculated without error.

In the printer 100 of this embodiment, the job information management unit 180 transmits the number of ink shots and the print result to the host computer 300 in response to a job information transmission request received from the host computer 300. Therefore, the user can use the host computer 30.
By transmitting a job information transmission request from 0, the number of used ink shots can be easily obtained and used for cost reduction. Also, when operating the ink billing system,
For example, by periodically sending the number of ink shots and the printing result to the host computer 300, only the printing result is successful on the host computer 300 or the aggregation server connected to the host computer 300 so as to be communicable. By configuring so that ink charging is performed, a fair ink charging system can be realized.

In the printer 100 according to the present embodiment, the job information transmission request includes job ID designation information for designating a print job.
The amount of used ink and the print result associated with the job ID corresponding to the designation information are transmitted to the host computer 300. Therefore, the user can use the host computer 300.
By transmitting a job information transmission request designating a job ID from, information on the number of ink shots used for each printing can be easily obtained and used for cost reduction, an ink billing system, and the like.

In the above description, the printer 100 is described in a state where it is communicably connected to one host computer 300. However, the printer 100 may be connected to a plurality of host computers in a network such as a LAN. Can be used.

Hereinafter, as a modification of the present embodiment, processing in a situation where the printer 100 is connected to a plurality of host computers will be described.
FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a situation where the printer 100 is connected to a plurality of host computers, and FIG. 7 is a table schematically illustrating print job information stored in the job information storage unit 190 according to this modification. is there.

In this modification, as shown in FIG. 6, the printer 100 is communicably connected to a plurality of host computers 310, 320, 330, and 340 through a network 400 configured by a LAN or the like. Since the basic configuration of the printer 100 of this modification is the same as that described in the previous embodiment, the description thereof is omitted.

In this modification, each host computer 310, 320, 330, 340 transmits a print job to the printer 100 to print an image or the like. At this time, each host computer 310, 320, 330, 340 Transmits the device identification information indicating the transmission source of the print job in each print job. Here, the apparatus identification information is, for example, when the host computer 310 transmits a print job, the host computer 31 that is the transmission source.
This distinguishes 0 from other host computers 320, 330, and 340. Device identification information may be device-specific numbers such as device serial numbers or identification information (such as IP addresses) that can be used to identify others in the network.

When the printer 100 receives the print job with the device identification information, when the job information management unit 180 stores the number of ink shots in the job information storage unit 190, as shown in FIG. At the same time, the apparatus identification information included in the corresponding print job is associated and recorded in the job information storage unit 190. Thus, when viewed from the printer 100, the host computer that has transmitted the print job can be immediately identified.

Further, the host computers 310, 320, 330, and 340 add device identification information that identifies the host computers 310, 320, 330, and 340 to the job information transmission request, and transmit the device information to the printer 100. The printer 100 that has received the job information transmission request
The print job information is searched according to the job ID and device identification information in the job information transmission request via the job information management unit 180, and the ink usage and the print result in the corresponding print job information are the transmission source. The data is transmitted to any one of the host computers 310, 320, 330, and 340.

As described above, in this modification, a job information transmission request specifying the device identification information and the job ID is transmitted to the printer 100, and the printer 100 transmits the device identification information and the job ID.
Therefore, even if a plurality of host computers 310, 320, 330, 340 send the print job with the same job ID, for example, the corresponding print job information is retrieved. The print job information stored in the job information storage unit 190 can always be identified from the other without having duplicate numbers. Therefore, when a job information transmission request is received from a certain host computer, the confusion that the printer 100 notifies the number of ink shots corresponding to the print job transmitted from another host computer and the printing result is avoided. It can be operated in the same way even in a network environment.

In the above description, the device identification information and the job ID are described as being different from each other. However, for example, the job ID of the print job such that the device identification information for identifying the device is included in the job ID. In the case where an environment that does not overlap is prepared, the print job information may be searched using only the job ID as a key as in the previous embodiment.

It should be noted that the printer 100 in the above-described embodiment and modification example includes the print result determination unit 175.
However, when charging corresponding to the total number of ink shots is performed regardless of whether the print result is successful, the print result determination unit 175 may be omitted.
The flow of print job information recording processing in this case will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of the print job information recording process when the print result determination is not performed.
The printer 100 receives a print job transmitted from the host computer 300 as a reception unit 11.
Wait until 0 is received (step S31). When a print job is received, dot pattern data as print image data is generated in the print buffer 140 based on the received print job (step S32). Thereafter, the print control unit 150 drives the print head according to the generated dot pattern data to execute a printing process (image formation) on the roll paper to issue a coupon ticket, and a shot number analyzing unit. 170 calculates the amount of ink used for the printing as the number of ink shots based on the dot pattern data (step S33). Then, the job information management unit 180 stores the number of ink shots calculated together with the job ID included in the received print job in the job information storage unit 190, and ends the process (step S34).

In this way, each time printing is performed according to a print job, the number of ink shots used by the print job is recorded in the printer 100 together with the print job ID, so that a print job request command from the host computer 300 can be obtained. In response to the reception, the number of ink shots corresponding to the print job specified by the print job request command is transmitted from the printer 100 to the host computer 300.

Accordingly, the job information management unit 180 can transmit only the number of used ink shots to the host computer in response to a job information transmission request received from the host computer 300, and all the ink shots can be transmitted regardless of whether the print result is successful. When operating an ink billing system that performs billing equivalent to the number, it is not necessary to determine whether the printing result is successful. For this reason, the print job information recording process can be speeded up, and the amount of information transmitted when the job information is transmitted from the printer 100 to the host computer 300 can be reduced.

100: printer, 110: reception unit, 120: reception buffer, 130: command analysis unit,
140: Print buffer, 150: Print control unit, 160: Main control unit, 170: Shot number analysis unit, 175: Print result determination unit, 180: Job information management unit, 190: Job information storage unit, 300 (310, 320) , 330, 340): Host computer

Claims (5)

A coupon ticketing system comprising a printer communicably connected to a host computer,
The host computer includes
A print job comprising commands for instructing various operations necessary for issuing a coupon and data corresponding to an image to be printed is transmitted to the printer, and printing corresponding to the print job transmitted from the printer is successful. Or a transmission / reception unit that receives job information associated with a print result indicating failure,
The printer includes
A job information storage unit capable of storing various information related to the print job;
A receiving unit that receives the command or the print job from the host computer;
A print control unit that executes printing on paper using predetermined ink in accordance with the print job;
An ink shot number calculation unit for calculating the number of ink shots used for printing corresponding to the print job;
A print result determination unit that determines whether printing corresponding to the print job has succeeded or failed;
The job information associating the job ID of the print job, the number of ink shots used for printing corresponding to the print job, and the print result of whether the printing corresponding to the print job succeeded or failed A job information management unit that transmits the job information to the host computer in response to a print job information request command transmitted from the host computer.
The printing result determination unit, from the reception of the print job start command for starting the print job, command out roll paper (paper) between to said print job to receive a print job end command indicating that ended , out of ink, open various covers, not processed Geez or by other errors, or the process will be interrupted on the way, when a state in which printing can not be executed, it is determined that printing fails, the job information management unit A coupon ticketing system, wherein the received job ID is recorded in association with a flag indicating printing failure and the number of ink shots .   In the issuance management of the coupon, it is possible to reduce the amount of ink used by checking the amount of ink used to issue a coupon that has been successfully printed and making the color of the coupon thin. The coupon issuing system according to claim 1.   In the issuance management of the coupon, it is possible to reduce the amount of ink used by checking the amount of ink used to issue a coupon that has been successfully printed and changing the design of the coupon. The coupon issuing system according to claim 1. In the case where ink packs of multiple colors use ink stored in one package,
The coupon issuance management can grasp the amount of each color ink pack used for both successful and unsuccessful printing, select the coupon image, and prevent the ink from being reduced. is there,
The coupon ticket issuing system according to claim 1.   The coupon ticket issuing system according to claim 1, wherein the ink shot number calculation unit records the number of ink shots for each ink color.

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