JP6676992B2 - Information processing device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing device.

  Patent Document 1 discloses an image forming apparatus that transmits a toner cartridge delivery request to a consumable supplies management system when the remaining amount of toner falls below a delivery threshold. In the technique of Patent Document 1, the delivery threshold is determined by determining whether the toner cartridge is delivered after transmitting a delivery request and statistical data for predicting the future toner consumption obtained based on the actual measurement data of the toner consumption. This is done using the required number of days until delivery.

JP 2013-109202 A

  Fluctuations in the amount of toner consumption may vary greatly depending on the convenience of the user. In that respect, Patent Document 1 does not consider at all. The technique described in Patent Document 1 determines a delivery threshold from a prediction based on actually measured data of toner consumption, and therefore, the toner consumption is larger at certain times depending on the user's convenience than at other times. If there is a change, the change may not be sufficiently reflected in the statistical data, and the transmission timing of the delivery request may be delayed, and the delivery of the toner cartridge may not be able to be completed in time. As described above, there is a limit in determining the order timing based on the actual measurement data.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide an information processing apparatus capable of delivering consumables at an appropriate time according to the situation of a user.

  In order to achieve this object, an information processing apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention is a server and an information processing apparatus, comprising: a communication unit, a storage unit, and a control unit, wherein the control unit includes a consumable item. First obtaining means for obtaining consumable information including remaining amount information related to the remaining amount, first output means for outputting information regarding an input screen for inputting information regarding ordering conditions, which are conditions for ordering consumables, A first receiving unit for receiving information on the order condition input through the input screen based on the information on the input screen output by the first output unit; and a case where the consumable information is acquired by the first acquiring unit. A first determining means for determining whether or not the consumable supplies an order condition according to the information received by the first receiving means; and a first determining means for determining whether the order condition is satisfied by the first determining means. Comprises a second output means for outputting order information including information on ordering consumables to the server, the.

  An information processing apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention includes a storage unit and a control unit, wherein the control unit obtains consumables information including remaining amount information on the remaining amount of consumables; A first output unit for outputting information on an input screen for inputting information on ordering conditions, which is a condition for ordering consumables, and an information processing device or an external device which is an output destination of the first output unit. A second acquisition unit for acquiring information on order conditions, and when the consumables information is acquired by the acquisition unit, it is determined whether or not the consumables satisfy an order condition according to the information acquired by the second acquisition unit. There is provided a first determining means, and a determining means for determining an order for consumables based on the first determining means determining that the order condition is satisfied.

  A management server according to a first aspect of the present invention is a management server capable of communicating with a printer, a server, and an information processing apparatus, and includes a communication unit, a storage unit, and a control unit, wherein the control unit includes the storage unit. Receiving means for receiving consumables information including remaining amount information on the remaining amount of consumables of the printer specified by the unique information stored in the unit, and information on ordering conditions which are conditions for ordering consumables. First transmitting means for transmitting information on an input screen to be input to an information processing device or a printer, and first receiving means for receiving information on the ordering conditions input from the information processing device or the printer of the transmission destination by the first transmitting means And when the consumables information is received by the receiving unit, the information received by the first receiving unit for the consumables of the printer specified by the unique information is First determining means for determining whether or not the same ordering condition is satisfied, and information relating to the ordering of the consumables of the printer specified by the unique information based on the first determining means determining that the ordering condition is satisfied. And a second transmitting means for transmitting order information including the following to the server.

A management server according to a second aspect of the present invention is a management server that can communicate with a printer and an information processing device, and includes a communication unit, a storage unit, and a control unit, wherein the control unit includes Acquisition means for acquiring consumable information including remaining amount information on the remaining amount of consumables of the printer specified by the stored unique information, and information on ordering conditions, which are conditions for ordering consumables, are input. First transmission means for transmitting information about the input screen to an information processing device or a printer, first reception means for receiving information about the order condition input from the information processing device or the printer of the transmission destination by the first transmission means, When the consumables information is acquired by the acquiring unit, the emission of the printer consumable specified by the unique information is performed according to the information received by the first receiving unit. First determining means for determining whether a condition is satisfied, and determining means for determining an order for a consumable of the printer specified by the unique information based on the first determining means determining that the order condition is satisfied. And a management server comprising:

  The management server of the present invention can be configured in various forms such as a control device for controlling the information processing device, a control method, a control program, a recording medium for recording the control program, and the like.

  According to the information processing apparatus and the management server of the first aspect disclosed in the present specification, when the information regarding the input screen is transmitted to the information processing apparatus or the printer, the first receiving unit sets the information processing apparatus at the transmission destination. Alternatively, information on order conditions input from the printer is received. The input screen is a screen for inputting information on order conditions, which are conditions for ordering consumables. When receiving the consumables information including the remaining amount information on the remaining amount of the consumables of the printer specified by the unique information, according to the information received by the first receiving unit about the consumables of the printer specified by the unique information. It is determined by the first determination unit whether the order condition is satisfied. Based on the first determining unit determining that the order condition is satisfied, order information including information on ordering the consumables of the printer specified by the unique information is transmitted to the server. This makes it possible to determine whether or not to place an order based on ordering conditions based on the contents entered on the input screen, so that consumables can be collected at an appropriate time according to the situation of the user who has made an input on the input screen. Can be delivered.

  Further, when the first receiving unit receives the information on the order condition from the transmission destination of the information on the input screen, the information is stored in the storage unit. The first determination means determines whether or not the order condition is satisfied, based on information stored in the storage unit. Accordingly, the first receiving unit can determine whether or not the order condition is satisfied, according to the information input in advance at the transmission destination of the information regarding the input screen.

  If the information on the order condition is information specifying a threshold value on the remaining amount of consumables, the threshold value according to the delivery destination information on the delivery destination of the consumables is displayed as a default value or one of options. Information about the screen is transmitted by the first transmission means. Thereby, the threshold value regarding the remaining amount of the consumable item can be selected according to the delivery destination of the consumable item.

  When it is determined by the first determination unit that the order conditions are satisfied, it is determined whether there is any consumable item that satisfies the order conditions being delivered. Order information is transmitted to the server on condition that it is determined that there is no consumable being delivered. Thus, if consumables being delivered already exist when the order condition is satisfied, duplication of consumables can be prevented.

  If the first determination means determines that the order conditions are satisfied, first inquiry information for inquiring whether or not to order the consumable is transmitted to the information processing apparatus or the printer. When the second receiving unit receives the information indicating whether or not to order the consumables, which is input from the transmission destination of the first inquiry information, the order information is transmitted to the server. Thus, even if the order conditions are satisfied, it is possible to select whether or not to order the consumables as needed.

  In particular, the first inquiry information is transmitted when it is determined by the first determination unit that the order condition is satisfied, and when it is determined that there is a consumable item that is being delivered for the consumable item that satisfies the order condition. Thereby, even if there is a consumable item being delivered when the order condition is satisfied, it is possible to appropriately order the consumable item.

  Further, when the first receiving means receives information specifying a first threshold value regarding the remaining amount of the consumable as the information regarding the order condition, the first determining means determines whether or not the consumable indicated by the remaining amount information received from the printer. When the remaining amount reaches the first threshold, it is determined that the order condition is satisfied. Therefore, whether or not the order condition is satisfied is determined based on the first threshold value received by the first receiving unit, so that it is possible to order consumables suitable for the user who inputs the first threshold value.

  In addition, the first issuing unit accepts the first threshold value and the second threshold value as a threshold value of the number of times that the remaining amount of the consumable indicated by the remaining amount information received from the printer reaches the first threshold value as the information on the order condition. Is received, the first determination unit determines that the remaining amount of the consumable indicated by the remaining amount information received from the printer has reached the first threshold and the number of times that the first threshold has been reached has reached the second threshold Then, it is determined that the order conditions are satisfied. Therefore, whether or not the order condition is satisfied is determined based on the first threshold value and the second threshold value received by the first receiving unit, and consumables suitable for the user who inputs the first threshold value and the second threshold value. Ordering can be realized.

  If the number of replacements indicated by the information on the number of replacements received from the printer is a value that is not continuous with the number of replacements indicated by the information on the number of replacements received previously, a second inquiry for inquiring whether or not to order consumables. Information is sent. The third receiving means receives information indicating whether or not to order consumables, which is input from the transmission destination of the second inquiry information. The first determination unit determines that the order condition is satisfied when the information received by the third reception unit indicates that an order for consumables is to be made. Thus, the consumables that have been replaced by the printer but have not been ordered by the management server, and whether or not to order can be determined according to the reply to the second inquiry information.

  In particular, when the number of replacements indicated by the number of replacements received from the printer is a value that is not continuous with the number of replacements indicated by the information of the number of replacements received previously, the third inquiry unit is transmitted to order the consumables. Can be performed with the number of orders within a range corresponding to the difference between the current exchange count and the previous exchange count. As a result, it is possible to suppress an order or shortage of consumables in an excessive number.

  Further, fourth inquiry information for inquiring about the delivery mode of the consumable is transmitted to the information processing apparatus or the printer. The fifth accepting unit accepts information on the delivery mode of the consumable, which is input from the transmission destination of the fourth inquiry information. The order information transmitted to the server includes information on the delivery mode of the received consumable item. Therefore, the delivery mode of the ordered consumable can be set to a mode desired by the user.

  Further, the remaining amount of the consumables predicted based on the consumption transition of the consumables calculated from each value of the remaining amount of the consumables indicated by each remaining amount information included in each of the consumables information received a plurality of times is the first. The period between the time when the threshold value specified by the information received by the receiving unit is reached and the time when the remaining amount of the consumables predicted based on the consumption transition reaches a value at which the consumables cannot be used is a period of the consumables. If it is shorter than the number of delivery days, a notification is made by the notification means. As a result, when the threshold value of the remaining amount of consumables is changed, the consumables used in the current usage transition become unusable before the ordered consumables arrive based on the changed threshold value. Can be suppressed.

  In addition, the consumable information includes information on the type of the consumable. This makes it possible to determine whether or not the order condition is satisfied for each type of consumable. The order information includes information on the type of the consumable to be ordered and unique information for specifying the printer that has transmitted the received consumable information. Thereby, a consumable used in the printer specified by the unique information can be ordered according to the type of the consumable. In addition, the consumable information is received at predetermined intervals. Thereby, the consumables information can be received periodically.

  According to the information processing apparatus and the management server of the second aspect disclosed in the present specification, when the information regarding the input screen is transmitted to the information processing apparatus or the printer, the first receiving unit sets the information processing apparatus of the transmission destination Alternatively, information on order conditions input from the printer is received. The input screen is a screen for inputting information on order conditions, which are conditions for ordering consumables. When the consumable information including the remaining amount information on the remaining amount of the consumable of the printer specified by the unique information is obtained, the consumable information of the printer specified by the unique information is determined according to the information received by the first receiving unit. It is determined by the first determination unit whether the order condition is satisfied. Based on the determination by the first determining means that the order conditions are satisfied, the order of the consumables of the printer specified by the unique information is determined. This makes it possible to determine whether or not to place an order based on ordering conditions based on the contents entered on the input screen, so that consumables can be collected at an appropriate time according to the situation of the user who has made an input on the input screen. Can be delivered.

It is a block diagram showing the whole consumables ordering system composition. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an electrical configuration of a management server. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the input screen for inputting the information regarding order conditions. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a table stored in a management server. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining a problem that may occur when order conditions are changed. It is a flowchart which shows an order condition setting process. It is a flowchart which shows a consumables ordering process. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of an inquiry mail. FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a consumable supply ordering system according to another embodiment 1. FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating the overall configuration of a consumable supply ordering system according to another embodiment 2. It is a block diagram showing the whole consumables ordering system composition of other embodiments. 16 is a flowchart illustrating an order condition setting process according to another embodiment 3.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the consumable goods ordering system 1. The consumables ordering system 1 includes a printer 10, a personal computer (hereinafter, referred to as “PC”) 50, a management server 100, and a shipping server 200. The management server 100 is an embodiment of the management server of the present invention. Although details will be described later, the management server 100 of the present embodiment determines whether to automatically order consumables based on order conditions set by the user.

  In the consumables ordering system 1, the PC 50 transmits information on ordering conditions to the management server 100. The information on the order condition includes, for example, a threshold value of the remaining amount of consumables, an order frequency, and handling in a case where there is a possibility that a plurality of orders may be required. Information regarding order conditions will be described later with reference to FIG. Note that the PC 50 may be configured to transmit information on order conditions to the shipping server 200 and transmit the information to the management server 100 via the shipping server 200.

  The printer 10 transmits the unique information for specifying the printer 10 and the consumables information to the management server 100 at a predetermined timing (for example, a predetermined time every day). In the present embodiment, the management server 100 transmits a consumables information notification request at a predetermined timing, and the printer 10 transmits consumables information to the management server 100 in response to receiving the consumables information notification request. Send. The printer 10 may periodically transmit the consumables notification information to the management server 100 without using the consumables information notification request.

  The unique information is, for example, a MAC address of the printer 10, a node name of the printer 10 registered in advance, or a unique character string such as a model number of the printer 10 or a serial number assigned to each printer 10. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the unique information of the printer 10 is the model number and the serial number of the printer 10. The “unique information” described in the claims may be both the model number and the serial number of the printer 10 or any one of them. Further, the “unique information” described in the claims may be a MAC address of the printer 10 or a node name of the printer 10 registered in advance.

  The consumable information includes information on the remaining amount of consumables used in the printer 10 (hereinafter, referred to as “remaining amount information”). The consumable is, for example, an ink cartridge. The printer 10 has a sensor for detecting the remaining amount of the consumables, detects the remaining amount of the consumables every time the consumables information is transmitted, and includes the remaining amount information indicating the detected remaining amount. Is transmitted to the management server 100. Note that the remaining amount indicated by the remaining amount information may be a ratio of the remaining amount represented by% or a physical amount represented by ml, g, or the like.

  When the consumable is an ink cartridge, the printer 10 has a plurality of ink cartridges for each available color. The consumable information includes information on the type of the consumable (hereinafter, referred to as “type information”). In other words, the consumable information includes, for each type of consumable, type information and remaining amount information for the type of consumable indicated by the type information. In this embodiment, the type of consumable indicated by the type information is the model number of the consumable. The color and capacity of the consumable can be specified by the model number of the consumable. The type of consumable indicated by the type information may be the color or capacity of the consumable.

  The consumable information includes the number of times the type of consumable indicated by the type information has been replaced (hereinafter, referred to as “replacement count”). The printer 10 has an exchange counter that counts the number of replacements of the consumable for each type of consumable. The replacement counter is initialized to zero when the printer 10 is shipped from the factory. The printer 10 includes the number of replacements according to the value of the replacement counter in the consumable information.

  The management server 100 analyzes the consumable information received from the printer 10 and determines whether or not the order conditions set by the PC 50 are satisfied. When the management server 100 determines that the order conditions are satisfied, the management server 100 determines the order of the consumables and transmits the order information to the shipping server 200. The analysis of the consumables information is performed for each type indicated by the type information included in the consumables information. The order information includes type information corresponding to the type of the consumable to be ordered, unique information of the printer 10 that has transmitted the consumable information for the consumable to be ordered, and an order request.

  For each of the plurality of printers 10, the shipping server 200 stores, for each user, the unique information of the printer 10 registered by each user, the model number of the consumable item that is the type of consumable item, and information on the delivery destination of the consumable item (hereinafter, “consumable item delivery destination”). And a delivery information table that is associated with “delivery destination information”. The delivery destination information is, for example, a delivery destination address. Each piece of information stored in the shipping information table is registered in advance by the user. In the shipping information table, the color of the consumable item and the model number of the consumable item for each color may be associated as the type of the consumable item.

  When receiving the order information from the management server 200, the shipping server 200 refers to the shipping information table, specifies the model number and the delivery destination information of the consumable according to the unique information included in the received order information, and specifies the order. The consumable having the model number is delivered to the delivery destination indicated by the specified delivery destination information. As a result of the processing, the consumable having the model number corresponding to the order information transmitted from the management server 100 to the shipping server 200 based on the consumable information received from the printer 10 is transmitted to the delivery destination corresponding to the order information, that is, the order information. Is delivered to the user who owns the printer 10 which is the target of the above.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the management server 100. The management server 100 is provided by, for example, a vendor of the printer 10. The management server 100 may be any device having a known server function. The management server 100 mainly includes a control unit 101, a storage unit 102, and a network interface (hereinafter, referred to as "network I / F") 103. These components are connected to each other via an input / output port 104.

  The control unit 101 includes a CPU (not shown), a ROM and a RAM electrically connected to the CPU, and forms a computer. The CPU controls the operation of the management server 100 according to programs and data stored in the ROM and the storage unit 102.

  The storage unit 102 is a nonvolatile storage device. The storage unit 102 is, for example, a hard disk drive. The storage unit 102 stores various programs for controlling the operation of the management server 100, for example, a program for the control unit 101 to execute each process in FIGS. 6 and 7 described below. Further, the storage unit 102 stores the unique information of the printer 10 registered by the user. The unique information may be stored in association with each user account. The network I / F 103 is a device for communicating with another device connected to the Internet 800. As the network I / F 103, a known network card can be adopted. The management server 100 is connected to the Internet 800 via the network I / F 103.

  The printer 10 mainly includes a control unit 11, a printer unit 12, a connection unit 13, a reading unit 14, a detection sensor 15, and a network I / F 16. These components are connected to each other via an input / output port 17. The control unit 11 includes a CPU (not shown), a ROM and a RAM electrically connected to the CPU, and forms a computer. The CPU controls the operation of the printer 10 according to programs and data stored in the ROM.

  The printer unit 12 is a printing mechanism and has an inkjet head. The control unit 11 inputs a drive signal to the printer unit 12, and the inkjet head discharges ink from the nozzles according to the input drive signal. The printer unit 12 may be a printing mechanism using a laser method.

  The connection unit 13 is for connecting a cartridge 21 filled with ink used in the printer unit 12. It should be noted that the cartridges 21 can be connected to the connection unit 13 by the number of ink colors that can be used according to the model of the printer 10. That is, one or a plurality of cartridges 21 corresponding to the model of the printer 10 can be connected to the connection unit 13. An IC chip storing a serial ID for identifying the cartridge 21 is attached to the cartridge 21.

  The reading unit 14 reads the serial ID from the IC chip of the cartridge 21 connected to the connection unit 13. The detection sensor 15 detects the remaining amount of ink in each cartridge 21 connected to the connection unit 13. The network I / F 16 is a device for communicating with another device connected to the Internet 800.

  The printer 10 connects to the router 30 via the network I / F 16. The PC 50 is also connected to the router 30 via a built-in network I / F (not shown). Thus, the printer 10 and the PC 50 are connected to the Internet 800 via the router 30. Although FIG. 2 shows an example in which the printer 10 and the PC 50 are connected to the same router 30, the printer 10 and the PC 50 may be connected to the Internet 800 via different routers.

  The communication between the management server 100 and the printer 10 is performed according to a connection establishment type protocol, more specifically, an XMPP over BOSH (Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol Over Bidirectional-Streams Over Synchronous) HTP. XMPP over BOSH is an always-on or connection-maintaining protocol that keeps a connection established almost all the time. On the other hand, communication between the management server 100 and the processing server 200 or the PC 50 is performed in accordance with HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol).

  FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a screen (hereinafter, referred to as a “condition input screen”) for inputting information on order conditions, which is displayed on a display unit (for example, a liquid crystal display device) of the PC 50. The PC 50 displays the condition input screen based on an instruction from the management server 100. The input screen may be displayed based on an instruction from the shipping server 200. The condition input screen is displayed after registering the user of the printer 10 or when the user requests the display of the condition input screen from the PC 50 as necessary, for example, when changing the shipping conditions. In any case, the display of the condition input screen is displayed in a state where the user has signed in to the management server 100 with the user account assigned to the user and specified the unique information of the printer 10. . That is, the condition input screen is displayed on the PC 50 with the user and the printer 10 specified.

  The condition input screen includes areas 20 to 26 and a button 27. The area 20 is an area for inputting a model number of the printer 10 to be set. In the area 20, options of various model numbers are displayed as a drop-down list, and the model number selected from the list is input. In the present embodiment, the drop-down list displayed in the area 20 includes not only the model numbers of printers provided by the vendor managing the management server 100 but also printer model numbers of various manufacturers as options. Alternatively, only the model number of the printer 10 registered by the signed-in user may be displayed in the area 20.

  The area 21 is an area for inputting a serial number assigned to each printer 10. The serial number is input to the area 21 by direct input by the user. The area 21 may be configured so that the serial number acquired by the PC 50 from the printer 10 is automatically input. In the condition input screen, an area for inputting the MAC address of the printer 10 or a node name of the printer 10 registered in advance may be provided instead of the areas 20 and 21.

  The area 22 is an area for inputting a model number of an ink cartridge which is a consumable. The area 22 is provided for each color of the ink cartridge that can be mounted on the printer 10. In the example shown in FIG. 3, four areas for cyan, magenta, yellow, and black are provided. In the area 22, a drop-down list is displayed in which the model numbers of the ink cartridges usable in the printer of the model number input in the area 20 are selected, and the model number selected from the drop-down list is input. The management server 100 stores information for specifying the color and capacity of the ink cartridge for each model number. Therefore, when the model number input to the area 22 is transmitted to the management server 100, the management server 100 can determine the color and capacity of the ink cartridge from the received model number.

  Since the number of colors of the ink cartridges that can be mounted on the printer 10 differs depending on the model number of the printer, the number of the areas 22 displayed on the condition input screen is increased or decreased according to the model number input to the area 20. What should I do? Alternatively, the area 22 is displayed according to the largest number of ink cartridge colors that can be installed, and if there is a color that cannot be installed in the printer of the model number input in the area 20, that color cannot be selected. It may be.

  The area 23 is an area for inputting an index for ordering an ink cartridge (hereinafter, referred to as an “order index”). The area 23 is provided for each area 22, that is, for each color of the ink cartridge that can be mounted on the printer 10. In the area 23, available order index options are displayed as a drop-down list, and the order index selected from the drop-down list is input. The order index is, for example, a ratio of the remaining amount of ink expressed in% or a physical remaining amount of ink expressed in ml or g. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the ratio of the remaining amount of ink expressed in% is input to the area 23 as a default of the order index.

  The area 24 is an area for inputting a threshold value according to the order index input to the area 23. The region 24 is provided for each region 23, that is, for each color of the ink cartridge that can be mounted on the printer 10. In the area 22, a choice of a threshold corresponding to the order index input to the area 23 is displayed as a drop-down list, and the order index selected from the drop-down list is input.

  In the example shown in FIG. 3, a value of 20% is input to the area 24 as a default of the threshold. In the present embodiment, a threshold option is prepared for each order index. Specifically, the storage unit 102 of the management server 100 stores a table 102a for managing options to be displayed as drop-down lists in the areas 23 and 24.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, in the table 102a, an item (that is, an order index) 102a1 corresponding to the region 23 and an item (that is, the threshold) 102a2 corresponding to the region 24 are provided as options. A value has been assigned. Specifically, for the item 102a1, "the remaining ink amount (%)" which is the remaining ink amount in units of%, "the remaining ink amount (ml)" which is the remaining ink amount in units of ml, and , The remaining ink amount (g), which is the remaining ink amount expressed in g, is assigned. As a result, a drop-down list including options of “remaining ink amount (%)”, “remaining ink amount (ml)”, and “remaining ink amount (g)” is displayed in area 23.

  On the other hand, in the item 102a2, each value as an option is assigned to each value of the item 102a. Specifically, for the remaining ink amount (%) of the item 102a1, the options of the remaining ink amount (%) are “10%”, “20%”, “40%”, “60%”, and “80”. % "Has been assigned. Accordingly, when the remaining ink amount (%) is selected in the area 23, the area 24 includes “10%”, “20%”, “40%”, “60%”, and “80%”. A drop-down list of choices appears. Also, each value as an option is assigned to the remaining ink amount (ml) and the remaining ink amount (g) of the item 102a1.

  The management server 100 acquires the delivery destination information corresponding to the target printer 10 from the shipping server 200, and sets a threshold corresponding to the delivery destination indicated by the delivery destination information in the area 24 as a default. Is also good. For example, as the delivery destination is farther, the threshold value displayed as a default is set higher. Note that the delivery destination information may be stored in the management server 100.

  The range of options that can be selected in the area 24 may be different depending on the delivery destination. For example, the range of options that can be selected in the area 24 is increased as the delivery destination is farther. The number of days required for delivery of consumables (hereinafter referred to as “delivery days”) differs depending on the delivery destination. Therefore, by changing the range of options that can be selected in the area 24 according to the delivery destination, the number of delivery days can be increased. Can be shown to the user with an appropriate threshold value in consideration of. Note that the value input to the area 24 may be a direct input to the area 24 instead of a selection from the drop-down list.

  The area 25 is an area for inputting an order frequency N (N is an integer of the above). The order frequency N is the number of ink cartridges whose remaining amount has reached the threshold value set in the areas 23 and 24 before the automatic order is placed. When the ordering frequency N is 1, it indicates that the automatic ordering is performed every time the remaining amount of the ink cartridge reaches the threshold value. On the other hand, when the order frequency N is plural, it indicates that one automatic order is performed each time the number of ink cartridges whose remaining amount has reached the threshold value set in the regions 23 and 24 reaches N. In the area 25, as the order frequency N, options of N value candidates are displayed as a drop-down list.

  Specifically, the storage unit 102 of the management server 100 stores a table 102b for managing options to be displayed as a drop-down list in the area 25. As shown in FIG. 4B, in the table 102b, each value as an option (ie, a candidate for the value of N) is assigned to an item (ie, order frequency) 102b1 corresponding to the area 25. . Specifically, “1”, “3”, and “5” are assigned to the item 102b1. As a result, a drop-down list including the options “1”, “3”, and “5” is displayed in the area 25.

  The area 26 is an area for inputting the behavior of multiple orders, more specifically, the handling when a situation that may require multiple orders occurs. As a situation where a plurality of orders may be required, for example, after an automatic order is placed by the management server 100, although the user has replaced the next ink cartridge, ink consumption is faster than the number of days of delivery of consumables. During the delivery based on the automatic order, a new order condition may be satisfied for the next replaced cartridge.

  Alternatively, because the network environment is bad and the printer 10 is not connected to the management server 100, or because the consumption of the consumables is faster than the reception interval of the consumables information, the management server 100 is Even when the number of replacements included in the received consumable information is not the same value as the previous value and is not continuous, a situation may arise in which a plurality of orders may be required. That is, the management server 100 handles ink cartridges that have been replaced by the printer 10 during the period from the previous reception timing of the consumables information to the latest reception timing, but have not been ordered automatically. .

  In a region 26, in a situation where a plurality of orders may be required, options for selecting whether to order all the plurality of orders, only one order, or inquire the user are displayed as a drop-down list. The item selected from among them is input as a handling in the case where a situation that may require a plurality of orders occurs. The “situation that may require a plurality of orders” includes, as described above, a situation in which a new order condition is satisfied for the next consumable during delivery based on the automatic order, and a case in which the management server 100 Is a situation in which the number of replacements included in the consumables information received most recently from the printer 10 is not the same value as the previous value and is not continuous.

  Specifically, the storage unit 102 of the management server 100 stores a table 102c for managing options displayed as a drop-down list in the area 26. As shown in FIG. 4C, in the table 102c, for each item 102c1 corresponding to the area 26 (that is, handling when there is a possibility that a plurality of orders may be required), each value as an option is displayed. Have been assigned. Specifically, for the item 102c1, "all orders" indicating that all of a plurality of orders are to be ordered, "only one order" indicating that only one is to be ordered, and "inquiry to indicate to the user" Is assigned. As a result, a drop-down list including options of “order all”, “order only one”, and “inquire” is displayed in the area 25.

  The button 27 is an operation element for instructing confirmation of an input to each of the areas 20 to 26. When the button 27 is operated, the input values of the respective areas 20 to 26 are transmitted to the management server 100. The management server 100 stores the printer model number input to the area 20 and the serial number input to the area 21 in the storage unit 102 as unique information. The value stored as the unique information may be one of the printer model number and the serial number.

  The management server 100 stores the model number of the ink cartridge input to the area 22 as type information in the storage unit. In addition, the management server 100 associates each value input in the areas 23 and 24 as an automatic order threshold, which is one of the order conditions, with the model number (type information) input in the corresponding area 22 in a storage unit. Stored in 102. The management server 100 stores the order frequency input to the area 25 in the storage unit 102 as one of the order conditions. The management server 100 stores, in the storage unit 102, the handling that is input to the area 26 when a situation that may require a plurality of orders occurs, as one of the order conditions.

  Specifically, the storage unit 102 of the management server 100 stores a table 102d that manages the contents received from the printer 10 and input to the areas 20 to 26 of the condition input screen. As shown in FIG. 4D, in the table 102c, for the user account 102d0, the printer model number 102d1, serial number 102d2, ink model number 102d3, capacity 102d4, order index 102d5, threshold value 102d6, order The frequency 102d7, the behavior 102d8 of a plurality of orders, the remaining amount 102d9, and the number of replacements 102d10 are associated with each other.

  When the management server 100 receives the input values of the areas 20 to 26 of the condition input screen from the printer 10, the value input to the area 20 is changed to the printer model number 102d1 for the signed-in user account 102d0. The value input to the area 21 is set to the serial number 102d2, the value input to the area 22 is set to the ink model number 102d3, the value input to the area 23 is set to the ordering index 102d5, the value input to the area 24 is set to the threshold value 102d6, The value input to the area 25 is stored in the order frequency 102d7, and the value input to the area 25 is stored in the plural order behavior 102d8.

  The capacity of the ink cartridge specified by the model number stored in the ink model number 102d3 is stored in the capacity 102d4. Since the management server 100 stores information for specifying the capacity of the ink cartridge for each model number, when the management server 100 receives the model number of the ink cartridge from the printer 10, the management server 100 corresponds to the model number based on the received model number. The capacity of the ink cartridge is specified, and the specified value is stored in the capacity 102d4.

  The remaining amount 102d9 stores the remaining amount of the ink cartridge used in the printer 10. When receiving the consumables information from the printer 10, the management server 100 indicates the remaining amount indicated by the remaining amount information included in the consumables information by the type information corresponding to the remaining amount included in the consumables information. It is stored in the remaining amount 102d9 corresponding to the model number of the ink cartridge (that is, the value of the ink model number 102d3).

  The number of replacements 102d10 stores the number of replacements included in the consumables information received from the printer 10. When the consumables information is received from the printer 10, the management server 100 determines the number of replacements included in the consumables information by the model number of the ink cartridge indicated by the type information corresponding to the number of replacements included in the consumables information, that is, , The number of replacements 102d10 corresponding to the ink model number 102d3).

  When the button 27 is operated, the transmission destination of the input value of each of the areas 20 to 26 may be the shipping server 200. In such a case, the management server 100 acquires the input values of the respective areas 20 to 26 via the shipping server 200.

  As described above, since the condition input screen can be displayed by making a display request, the user can appropriately change the order condition from the condition input screen. However, when the user changes the automatic order threshold, the changed threshold may be inappropriate. That is, with the changed automatic order threshold, a situation may occur in which the order of the consumables cannot be made in time when the remaining amount reaches the threshold.

  Here, referring to FIG. 5, a situation where the above problem occurs will be described. The management server 100 calculates the use prediction information of the consumable based on the remaining amount information included in the consumable information received from the printer 10 at a predetermined timing (for example, a predetermined time every day).

  Specifically, the usage prediction information is calculated based on a temporal change in the remaining amount of the consumable indicated by the remaining amount information included in the consumables information. For example, when the consumable information is acquired at a predetermined time every day, every time the consumable information is received from the printer 10 from the date P when the consumable is replaced, The remaining amount of the consumable indicated by the remaining amount information is plotted as the current remaining amount of the consumable of the type indicated by the type information.

  The use prediction information is calculated based on a plot indicating a temporal change in the remaining amount. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, on a date Q that is Da days after the date P, a linear regression line L of each point plotted on each day from the date P to the date Q is calculated as use prediction information. In calculating the linear regression line L, it is not necessary to use all the points plotted on each day from the date P to the date Q. In FIG. 5, illustration of each point in a plot showing the time change of the remaining amount is omitted.

  The primary regression line L calculated in this way reaches the remaining amount A at which it is determined that the consumables cannot be used in the printer 10, the date R, the primary regression line L, and the threshold value set by the input on the condition input screen ( When the number of days between the date S1 corresponding to the intersection J1 with the TH1 and the date S1 is equal to or more than the number of days required for delivery of the consumables (hereinafter referred to as “the number of days for delivery”) Db, the consumables are automatically set to the date S1. By placing an order, the ordered consumable can be delivered before the consumable in use becomes unusable.

  Note that the delivery days Db is calculated based on the delivery destination information. When the delivery destination information includes, for example, an address, a postal code, a telephone number, and the like, the number of delivery days Db is calculated as the number of days required to deliver the consumable to a house or an area specified by the address. In the present embodiment, the delivery destination information is stored in the shipping server 200 for each unique information. Therefore, when calculating the number of delivery days Db, the management server 100 obtains, from the shipping server 200, delivery destination information corresponding to the unique information of the printer 10 that is the source of the consumables information.

  On the other hand, when the user changes the threshold from TH1 to TH2, the number of days between the date R and the date S2 corresponding to the intersection J2 of the linear regression line L and the threshold TH2 becomes shorter than the number of delivery days Db, and consumables Is automatically ordered on the date S2, there is a high possibility that the ordered consumable cannot be delivered before the consumable in use becomes unusable. That is, the changed automatic order threshold value TH2 is a threshold value at which there is a possibility that an order for consumables cannot be made in time, and a change to the threshold value TH2 is inappropriate.

  When an inappropriate order condition is set from the condition input screen, the management server 100 of the present embodiment displays a confirmation screen (not shown) on the display unit of the PC 50. Thereby, the user can know that the order condition is inappropriate.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the order condition setting process. This process is a process executed by the CPU of the control unit 101 of the management server 100. This processing is started when a condition for displaying the condition input screen on the PC 50 occurs. The condition input screen may be displayed on the PC 50 after the user registration of the printer 10 or when the user requests the display of the condition input screen from the PC 50 as necessary when the user wants to change the shipping conditions. And so on.

  The CPU of the control unit 101 (hereinafter, simply referred to as “CPU”) acquires from the shipping server 200 the unique information of the target printer 10, that is, the delivery destination information for the unique information corresponding to the signed-in user account. (S500). The CPU causes the browser of the PC 50 to display a condition input screen (S501). Note that the CPU causes the browser to display a condition input screen in which a threshold corresponding to the delivery destination indicated by the delivery destination information acquired in S500 is displayed in the area 24 as a default. The PC 50 as the display destination of the condition input screen is the PC 50 that has registered the user of the printer 10 or the PC 50 that has transmitted the request for displaying the condition input screen.

  The CPU waits for receiving a notification from the browser of the communication destination (S502). The CPU determines whether a notification has been received from the browser (S503). When determining that the notification has not been received from the browser (S503: No), the CPU shifts the processing to S502.

  On the other hand, when determining that the notification has been received from the browser (S503: Yes), the CPU determines the type of the received notification (S504). When determining that the received notification is a notification of order conditions (S504: order conditions), the CPU determines whether the notification of order conditions received this time is for changing the order conditions (S504). S505). The management server 100 stores order conditions in the table 102d for each user account. The management server 100 determines which user (user account) is using the PC 50 on which the condition input screen is displayed, based on the user account input from the PC 50.

  When the order condition of the user using the PC 50 is not stored, the CPU determines that the notification of the order condition received this time is not for changing the order condition but is a new order condition (S505). : No). The CPU stores each order condition included in the received notification in the table 102d of the storage unit 102 in association with the user account (S507), and ends this processing.

  More specifically, the CPU sets the order conditions for the signed-in user account 102d0 in the table 102d, the order index 102d5, the threshold 102d6, the order frequency 102d7, and the multiple order behavior for the corresponding user account 102d0. This is stored in 102d8. Each order condition such as an automatic order threshold is stored in association with the ink model number 102d3, which is the model number of the ink cartridge indicated by the type information corresponding to the order condition. Each order condition stored in the storage unit 102 in S507 is referred to in the consumables ordering process (see FIG. 7).

  Further, the CPU stores the printer model number and the serial number included as the unique information in the received notification in the table 102d of the storage unit 102 in association with the user account 102d0. More specifically, the CPU stores the printer model number and the serial number included as the unique information in the received notification in the printer model number 102d1 and the serial number 102d2 for the signed-in user account 102d0, respectively.

  On the other hand, if the order conditions of the user using the PC 50 are already stored, the CPU determines that the notification of the order conditions received this time is for changing the order conditions (S505: Yes), It is determined whether or not the automatic order threshold included in the received notification is appropriate for the current use prediction information (S506). In other words, the CPU determines whether a situation may occur in which it is not possible to order consumables by changing to the automatic order threshold included in the received notification.

  When determining that the automatic order threshold included in the received notification is appropriate (S506: Yes), the CPU shifts the processing to S507. On the other hand, if the CPU determines that the automatic order threshold is inappropriate (S506: No), the CPU displays the confirmation screen (not shown) on the browser as described above (S508), and shifts the processing to S502. I do.

  The confirmation screen is a screen for inquiring about an improper automatic order threshold, and a message indicating that the automatic order threshold entered this time is inappropriate on the condition input screen, and changing the inappropriate automatic order threshold. And a button for selecting whether or not it is possible. When the user inputs an instruction to make a change using the button displayed on the confirmation screen, a notification including an instruction to make the change is input to the management server 100 as a notification of the change confirmation. On the other hand, when the user inputs an instruction not to make a change, a notification including an instruction to make no change is input to the management server 100 as a notification of change confirmation.

  When determining that the received notification is a change confirmation notification (S504: change confirmation), the CPU determines whether the notification includes an instruction to make a change (S509). If the CPU determines that the notification of the order condition includes an instruction to make a change (S509: Yes), the CPU shifts the processing to S507. On the other hand, when the CPU determines that the notification of the change confirmation includes an instruction not to perform the change (S509: No), the CPU ends the process. When the notification of the order condition includes an instruction not to change, the inappropriate automatic order threshold is not changed, and the appropriate automatic order threshold is changed according to the input from the condition input screen. Good.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating the consumable supply ordering process. This process is a process executed by the CPU of the control unit 101 of the management server 100. This processing is started in response to the power being turned on to the management server 100. The CPU waits for receiving a notification from the printer 10 (S601). The CPU determines whether a notification has been received from the printer 10 (S602). If the CPU determines that the notification has not been received from the printer 10 (S602: No), the CPU shifts the processing to S601.

  On the other hand, when determining that the notification has been received from the printer 10 (S602: Yes), the CPU determines the type of the received notification (S603). When the CPU determines that the received notification is a notification of consumable information (S603: consumable information), the CPU analyzes the received consumable information and updates the use prediction information (S604). That is, the CPU calculates the primary regression line L shown in FIG. 5 as the use prediction information. Note that the CPU stores the remaining amount indicated by the remaining amount information included in the received consumable information in the table 102d of the storage unit 102 in S604.

  The CPU determines whether the number of replacements included in the received consumable information is an abnormal value (S605). Specifically, if the number of replacements included in the consumables information received this time is not the same as the number of replacements included in the consumables information received last time and is not a continuous value, the CPU replaces the number of times of replacement this time. Is determined to be an abnormal value. The replacement count included in the consumables information received last time is stored in the table 102d of the storage unit 102.

  When the CPU determines that the number of replacements this time is not an abnormal value (S605: No), the number of replacements this time is stored in the storage unit 102 as the number of replacements included in the consumables information received last time (S606). . More specifically, the CPU stores the value of the number of replacements included in the consumables information received this time in the number of replacements 102d10 of the table 102d. The CPU determines whether the remaining amount of the consumable indicated by the remaining amount information included in the received consumables information has reached the automatic order threshold set from the input condition setting screen, that is, has fallen below the threshold. S607). The threshold value used for the determination in S607 is an automatic order threshold value defined by the values input to the areas 23 and 24 of the input condition setting screen, and is provided for each type of consumable. More specifically, it is defined as the order index 102d5 and the threshold value 102d6 for each ink model number 102d3 in the table 102d.

  If the CPU determines that the remaining amount according to the received consumable information has not yet reached the automatic order threshold (S607: No), the CPU shifts the processing to S601. On the other hand, when determining that the remaining amount according to the received consumable information has reached the automatic order threshold (S607: Yes), the CPU adds 1 to a frequency counter provided in the storage unit 102 (S608). The frequency counter is a counter that counts the number of consumables whose remaining amount has reached the automatic order threshold but is not sent. The frequency counter is provided for each unique information, that is, for each printer 10.

  The CPU determines whether the value of the frequency counter has reached N (S609), and the value of N is the order frequency input to the area 25 of the condition input screen. More specifically, it is the value of the order frequency 102d7 in the table 102d. When determining that the value of the frequency counter has reached N (S609: Yes), the CPU determines whether there is a consumable item being delivered (S610). In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the shipping server 200 manages the delivery status of consumables, and the CPU inquires of the shipping server 200 whether there is a consumable being delivered. Alternatively, the management server 100 stores the date on which the order information was transmitted to the shipping server 200, and the CPU obtains the date and the number of days of delivery based on the delivery destination information from the shipping server 200, so that the consumption during delivery is reduced. It may be determined whether there is a product.

  If the CPU determines that there is no consumable item being delivered (S610: No), the CPU sets the order number to 1 (S611), and transmits order information of the consumable item having the set order number to the shipping server 200. (S612). As described above, the order information transmitted to the shipping server 200 includes the type information corresponding to the type of the consumable whose remaining amount has reached the automatic order threshold, and the printer that transmits the consumable information for the consumable to be ordered. 10 unique information and an order request. The CPU initializes the value of the frequency counter to zero (S613), and shifts the processing to S601.

  If the CPU determines that there is a consumable item being delivered (S610: Yes), the order condition input in the area 26 of the condition input screen, that is, the handling in the case where there is a possibility that a plurality of orders may be required Is determined (S619). The CPU makes the determination in S619 based on the value stored in the multiple order behavior 102d7 of the table 102d. If it is determined that the handling when a situation that may require a plurality of orders occurs is to place all orders (S619: all), the CPU determines that one consumable based on the remaining amount reaching the automatic order threshold value In order to place an order, the order quantity is set to 1 (S611). Thereby, one consumable item based on the remaining amount having reached the automatic order threshold arrives to the user together with the consumable item currently being delivered.

  The CPU shifts the processing to S601 when it is determined that the handling when a situation that may require a plurality of orders occurs is to order only one (S619: 1). As a result, no order is placed for consumables based on the remaining amount having reached the automatic order threshold, and only one consumable being delivered reaches the user.

  When it is determined that the handling when a situation that may require a plurality of orders occurs is to be inquired to the user (S619: inquiry), the CPU sends an inquiry e-mail to an e-mail address registered in advance in the shipping server 200. The data is transmitted (S620), and the process proceeds to S601. The CPU acquires, from the shipping server 200, a mail address associated with the unique information of the printer 10 that has transmitted the consumables information received this time. The management server 100 may be configured to store a mail address.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the inquiry mail transmitted in S620 includes a message 61 reporting the current situation, a URL 62 for transmitting an order request to the management server 100 as a response to the mail, and an order unnecessary. Is transmitted to the management server 100 as a response to the mail. When the URL 62 is clicked, the management server 100 receives the notification of the order request. On the other hand, when the URL 63 is clicked, the management server 100 receives a notification that the order is unnecessary.

  Returning to the description of FIG. If the CPU determines in S605 that the current number of replacements is an abnormal value (S605: Yes), the CPU stores the current number of replacements as the number of replacements included in the previously received consumables information, as in S606. The information is stored in the unit 102 (S614). As in S619, the CPU determines which order condition is input to the area 26 of the condition input screen (S615).

  If it is determined that the case where a situation that may require a plurality of orders is to be ordered (S615: All), the CPU sets the number of orders to M (S616), and shifts the processing to S612. I do. The value of M is a value obtained by subtracting the number of replacements included in the previously received consumables information stored in the storage unit 102 from the number of replacements included in the consumables information received this time. As a result, the number of consumables corresponding to the number of replacements that cannot be counted reaches the user.

  When it is determined that the handling when a situation that may require a plurality of orders occurs is to order one (S615: 1), the CPU sets the number of orders to 1 (S617), and proceeds to S612. Transition. Accordingly, regardless of the difference between the number of replacements included in the consumable information received this time and the number of replacements included in the previously received consumable information stored in the storage unit 102, one consumable item is stored in the user Reach the source.

  When it is determined that the user is to be inquired of when a situation that may require a plurality of orders is issued (S615: Inquiry), the CPU sends the e-mail to the mail address registered in advance in the shipping server 200 as in S620. (S618), and the process proceeds to S601.

  The inquiry mail transmitted in S618 is, like the inquiry mail transmitted in S620, a message reporting the current situation, a URL for transmitting an order request to the management server 100 as a response to the mail, and an order mail. URL for transmitting unnecessary to the management server 100 as a response to the mail. When the former URL is clicked, the management server 100 receives the notification of the order request. When the latter URL is clicked, the management server 100 receives an order unnecessary notification.

  If the CPU determines in S603 that the received notification is an order request notification (S603: order request), the CPU sets the number of orders to X (S621), and shifts the processing to S612. As described above, when the URL that answers the order request, such as the URL 62, is clicked in the inquiry mail, the management server 100 receives the order request notification.

  The value of the order quantity X set in S621 is 1 when the management server 100 receives the notification of the order request as a reply to the inquiry mail transmitted in S620. When the management server 100 receives the notification of the order request as a response to the inquiry mail transmitted in S618, the management server 100 stores the previous order stored in the storage unit 102 based on the number of replacements included in the consumable information received this time. A value obtained by subtracting the number of times of replacement included in the consumables information received at the time is set as the number of orders X.

  When the management server 100 receives the order request notification as a response to the inquiry mail transmitted in S618, the number of orders may be set to one. Alternatively, within the range of the value obtained by subtracting the number of replacements included in the previously received consumables information stored in the storage unit 102 from the number of replacements included in the consumables information received this time, the May be selected by an inquiry mail. In such a case, the selected order number is set as the order number X.

  According to the management server 100 of the present embodiment, it is possible to determine whether or not to order a consumable based on order conditions such as an automatic order threshold and an order frequency input from the condition input screen. Consumables can be delivered at an appropriate time according to the situation of the user who made the input.

  In particular, when the automatic order threshold is changed from the order input screen, if the current use prediction information (primary regression line L) is inappropriate, that is, if a situation may occur where the order of consumables cannot be made in time, The management server 100 causes the browser of the PC 50 to display a confirmation screen. Therefore, when the user changes the automatic order threshold from the order input screen, before the consumable ordered based on the changed automatic order threshold arrives, the consumable used in the current usage transition becomes unusable. Can be suppressed.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to input the handling in the case where a situation that may require a plurality of orders occurs from the condition input screen as order conditions. The situation is, for example, a situation in which the same consumable as the order target is being delivered, or a situation in which the number of replacements included in the most recently received consumable information is not continuous with the previous value. Therefore, when such a situation occurs, an order is placed according to the intention of the user who has made an input on the order entry screen, and consumables can be prevented from being duplicated against the user's intention. .

<Other Embodiment 1>
Hereinafter, other embodiments will be described in addition to the above embodiments. First, another embodiment 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The present embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the delivery server 200 is not provided, and the management server 100 (an example of an information writing device) has the role of the delivery server 200. Therefore, the CPU of the management server 100 sends out the consumable without sending the order information to the delivery server 100 in S612 of FIG.

<Other Embodiment 2>
Another embodiment 2 will be described with reference to FIG. This embodiment is different in that the management server 100 is not provided, and a PC (personal computer) 50 has the role of the management server 100. The printer 10 and the shipping server 200 have the same configuration as in FIG.

  The PC 50 (an example of an information processing device) of the present embodiment includes a control unit 51 as shown in FIG. The control unit 51 includes a CPU, a ROM and a RAM electrically connected to the CPU, and forms a computer. The CPU controls the operation of the PC 50 according to programs and data stored in the ROM and the storage unit 302.

  The storage unit 52 is a nonvolatile storage device. The storage unit 52 is, for example, a hard disk drive. The storage unit 52 stores various programs for controlling the operation of the PC 50, and the like. Further, the storage unit 52 stores, for each user, unique information of the printer 10 registered by each user. The display unit 59 is, for example, a liquid crystal display or the like, and displays various screens.

  The network I / F 53 is a device for communicating with another device connected to the Internet 800. As the network I / F 53, a known network card can be adopted. The PC 50 is connected to the router 30 via the network I / F 53. It is connected to the Internet 800 via the router 30. Further, the USB I / F 58 is connected to the USB I / F 18 of the printer 10. That is, the PC 300 is connected to the printer 10 via the USB I / F.

  These components are connected to each other via an input / output port 54.

  In the present embodiment, the CPU of the PC 50 executes the order condition setting process of FIG. 6 and the consumable item ordering process of FIG. Although detailed description will be made below, detailed description of the same steps as in FIG. 5 of the above embodiment will be omitted, and only different points will be described. In S500 of FIG. 6, the CPU of the PC 50 acquires the delivery destination information from the shipping server 200. In S501 and S501, a condition input screen is displayed (output) on the browser of the display unit 59 of the PC 50, and a notification from the browser is received in S502. That is, the CPU receives the notification from the display unit 59. In step S509, the CPU causes the browser on the display unit 59 to display a confirmation screen (not shown). Here, information about the confirmation screen may be transmitted to the printer 10 and the confirmation screen may be displayed on the display unit 19 of the printer 10.

  Subsequently, in S602 of FIG. 7, the CPU of the PC 50 receives the notification. Here, communication with the printer 10 may be performed via the network I / F 53 or may be performed via the USB I / F 58.

  In S612 in FIG. 7, the CPU transmits order information based on the unique information stored in the storage unit 52 to the shipping server 200 via the network I / F.

<Other Embodiment 3>
Another embodiment 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 to 12 and FIG. The present embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the management server 100 is not provided, and the printer 10 (an example of an information processing apparatus) has the role of the management server 100. That is, the CPU of the printer 10 executes the order condition setting process of FIG. 6 and the consumable item ordering process of FIG. Although the details will be described below, the detailed description of the same processing as the above embodiment will be omitted, and only different points will be described.

  The printer 10 according to the present embodiment illustrated in FIG. 11 transmits order information of consumables of the printer 10 to the shipping server 200. The type information of the consumables and the unique information of the printer 10 are stored in the ROM or the like of the control unit 11 of the printer 10.

  Next, the order condition setting process will be described with reference to FIG. The same steps as those in FIG. 6 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

  This process is a process executed by the CPU of the control unit 11 of the printer 10. This processing is started when a condition for displaying the condition input screen on the display unit 19 or the PC 50 occurs. The condition input screen may be displayed after the user registration of the printer 10 or when the user wants to change the shipping conditions, if necessary, from the display unit 19 or the PC 50 to display the condition input screen. And so on.

  The CPU of the control unit 11 (hereinafter, simply referred to as “CPU”) acquires the delivery destination information corresponding to the own device from the shipping server 200 (S500). The CPU displays (outputs) a condition input screen on the display unit 19 (S801). At this time, the CPU may transmit (output) information regarding the input screen to the PC 50 via the network I / F 16 or the USB I / F 18 and display the information on the browser on the display unit 59 of the PC 50.

  The CPU waits for reception of a notification from the display unit 19 or the PC 50 (S802). At this time, when the CPU displays the input screen on the browser of the PC 50, a notification from the browser may be received. The CPU determines whether a notification has been received (S503). When determining that the notification has not been received (S503: No), the CPU shifts the processing to S602.

  On the other hand, when determining that the notification has been received (S503: Yes), the CPU determines the type of the received notification (S504).

  In S505, when the CPU determines that the new order condition is satisfied (S505: No), the CPU associates each order condition included in the received notification with the user account, for example, in the ROM or the like in the control unit 11, for example. The information is stored in the table 102d (S507), and the process ends. That is, in the present embodiment, the table 102d is assumed to be inside the printer 10.

  Next, in S506, when the CPU determines that the automatic order threshold is inappropriate (S506: No), the CPU causes the display unit 19 to display (output) the confirmation screen (not shown) as described above. (S808), the process proceeds to S502. At this time, information on the confirmation screen may be transmitted (output) to the PC 50 and displayed on the browser of the PC 50.

  Next, a flowchart illustrating a consumable goods ordering process according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. This process is a process executed by the CPU of the control unit 11 of the printer 1010. This process is started when the power of the printer 10 is turned on. The CPU waits for a notification from the printer 10 (S601). The CPU determines whether a notification has been received from the printer 10 (S602). If the CPU determines that the notification has not been received from the printer 10 (S602: No), the CPU shifts the processing to S601.

  On the other hand, when determining that the notification has been received from the printer 10 (S602: Yes), the CPU determines the type of the received notification (S603). If the CPU determines that the received notification is a notification of consumables information (S603: consumables information), that is, if the CPU receives information on the remaining amount of consumables from the detection sensor 15, the received consumables information Is analyzed, and the use prediction information is updated (S604). That is, the CPU calculates the primary regression line L shown in FIG. 5 as the use prediction information. In step S604, the CPU stores the remaining amount indicated by the remaining amount information included in the received consumable information in a table 102d such as a ROM in the control unit 11.

If the CPU determines in S610 that there is no consumable item being delivered (S610: No), the CPU sets the order number to 1 (S611), and sends the order information of the consumable item with the set order number to the shipping server 200. (S612)
Subsequently, if it is determined in S619 that a situation in which a plurality of orders may be required occurs when the user is inquired (S619: Inquiry), the CPU sends the mail to a mail address registered in advance in the shipping server 200. (S620), and shifts the processing to S601. The CPU acquires, from the shipping server 200, a mail address associated with the unique information of the printer 10 that has transmitted the consumables information received this time. The printer 10 may be configured to store a mail address.

  As shown in FIG. 8, for example, the inquiry mail transmitted in S620 includes a message 61 reporting the current situation, a URL 62 for transmitting an order request to the printer 10 as a response to the mail, and a message indicating that the order is unnecessary. And a URL 63 to be transmitted to the printer as a response to the mail. When the URL 62 is clicked, the management server 100 receives the notification of the order request. On the other hand, when the URL 63 is clicked, the printer 10 receives an order unnecessary notification. The form of receiving the inquiry and the response to the inquiry is not limited to mail, and may be performed via the network I / F 16 or via the USB I / F 18.

  If it is determined in step S618 that a situation in which there is a possibility that a plurality of orders may be required is to be handled by the user (S615: inquiry), the CPU sends the mail registered in advance to the shipping server 200 as in step S620. An inquiry mail is transmitted to the address (S618), and the process proceeds to S601.

  According to the above-described other embodiments 1 to 3, handling when a situation that may require a plurality of orders can be input from the condition input screen as order conditions. The situation is, for example, a situation in which the same consumable as the order target is being delivered, or a situation in which the number of replacements included in the most recently received consumable information is not continuous with the previous value. Therefore, when such a situation occurs, an order is placed according to the intention of the user who has made an input on the order entry screen, and consumables can be prevented from being duplicated against the user's intention. .

  In the above-described embodiments, the management server 100 is an example of a management server, an information processing device, and a server. The printer 10 is an example of a printer and an information processing device. The PC 50 is an example of the information processing device. The shipping server 200 is an example of a server. The control unit 101 is an example of a control unit. The network I / F 103 is an example of a communication unit. The storage unit 102 is an example of a storage unit. The control unit 101 that executes the process of S603 is an example of a receiving unit, a first obtaining unit, a second receiving unit, and a third receiving unit. The control unit 101 that executes the processes of S501 and S801 is an example of a first transmission unit and a first output unit. The control unit 101 executing the process of S503 is an example of a first receiving unit. The control unit 101 that executes the processes of S607 and S609 is an example of a first determination unit. The control unit 101 that executes the process of S612 is an example of a second transmission unit and a second output unit. The control unit 101 that executes the process of S507 is an example of a storage unit. The control unit 101 that performs the process of S500 is an example of an obtaining unit and a second obtaining unit. The control unit 101 that performs the process of S610 is an example of a second determination unit. It is an example of a third transmission unit and a third output unit that execute the process of S620. The control unit 101 executing the process of S618 is an example of a fourth transmission unit and a fourth output unit. The control unit 101 that performs the process of S506 is an example of a third determination unit. The control unit 101 that performs the processing of S508 and S808 is an example of a notification unit.

  As described above, the present invention has been described based on the embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and it is easy to make various improvements and modifications without departing from the spirit of the present invention. It can be inferred.

  For example, in the above embodiment, one physically existing server has been illustrated as the management server 100 which is the management server of the present invention. The management server 100 may be a virtual machine in which a plurality of physical devices cooperate to function as one server. For example, the management server 100 includes a first server that receives consumables information from the printer 10 and a second server that determines whether to place an order based on the consumables information acquired from the first server. May cooperate and function as one server. Further, the management server 100 may be configured to have the function of the shipping server 200.

  In the above embodiment, the printer 10 is exemplified as a device connected to the management server 100. However, the present invention can be applied to any multifunction peripheral device having at least a printing function. In the above embodiment, the ink cartridge is exemplified as the consumable, but the present invention can be similarly applied to a toner cartridge.

  In the above embodiment, the printer 10 is configured to directly transmit the consumable information to the management server 100 via the Internet 800. Instead, the consumables information of the printer 10 may be indirectly transmitted to the management server 100 via an information processing device such as the PC 50 or another PC. In such a case, the connection between the printer 10 and the information processing device that relays the consumable information from the printer 10 may be a wired connection such as a USB or a LAN or a wireless connection such as a wireless LAN.

  Therefore, the “management server that can communicate with the printer” in the claims intends both the case where the printer and the management server communicate directly, and the case where the printer and the management server communicate indirectly. Further, the reception of the consumables information by the “receiving means” in the claims intends both the case of directly receiving the consumables information from the printer and the case of receiving the consumables information indirectly from the printer. The output of the "output means" intends both information output to an external device and screen output (display) to its own device. Further, “acquisition” intends both information acquisition from an external device and information acquisition inside the own device.

  In the above embodiment, the use prediction information of the consumables is a linear regression line. However, any information that can statistically predict the consumption state of the consumables is not limited to the linear regression line, and may be variously calculated. A prediction formula can be used. In the above-described embodiment, each time a consumable attached to the printer 10 is exchanged, a plot showing a temporal change in the remaining amount is created, and the use prediction information (the linear regression line L) is calculated. As the usage prediction information, a configuration may be used in which past data, that is, each value of the remaining amount change for the consumable that is mounted before the currently mounted consumable is used.

  When the past data is used, the processing of S505 may be omitted. That is, when a new order condition is input from the condition input screen, it may be determined whether or not the automatic order threshold is appropriate based on use prediction information calculated from past data.

  In the above embodiment, the remaining amount information is a value indicating the remaining amount of the consumables. However, if the consumables information includes a print count, the print count may also serve as the remaining amount information. That is, the value of the print count may be used as an index of the remaining amount of consumables. The “print count” is a value indicating the number of pages that have been printed using the current consumable item for the type of consumable item indicated by the type information included in the consumable item information. The printer 10 has a print counter for counting the number of pages printed using the current consumable item for each type of consumable item. The print counter is initialized to zero each time the corresponding consumable is replaced. The printer 10 includes the value of the print counter as the print count in the consumable information.

  In the above embodiment, the condition input screen and the confirmation screen are displayed on the browser of the PC 50. However, the display destination of these screens may be a terminal such as a smartphone or a tablet. Alternatively, these screens may be displayed on a display unit (such as a liquid crystal display device) of the printer 10.

  In the above-described embodiment, the configuration is such that the inquiry mail is transmitted in S618 and S620. However, a screen having the same content as the inquiry mail may be displayed on the browser of the PC 50, the display unit of the printer 10, or the like.

  In the above-described embodiment, the inquiry e-mail transmitted in S618 includes a URL for returning an order request or an order unnecessary reply to the management server 100. In addition to this, when an order request is made to the inquiry mail, a response designating the number of orders may be returned. For example, an order request URL for each order is provided in the inquiry mail. In the present modified example, the control unit 101 that executes the processing of S618 and S603 is an example of a fifth transmission unit, a fifth output unit, and a fourth reception unit, respectively.

  Alternatively, the management server 100 may be configured to transmit an e-mail inquiring about the number of orders when receiving a response to the order request. In this modified example, by setting the selectable order number in a range corresponding to the difference between the number of times of replacement this time and the number of times of previous replacement, it is possible to suppress an excessive number of consumables from being ordered.

  The condition input screen may be configured so that the delivery mode can be selected. In other words, on the condition input screen, whether to use the first delivery mode for delivering consumables in a normal delivery time or use the second delivery mode for delivering consumables in a special delivery time shorter than usual. It is good also as a structure which can be selected. In this modified example, when transmitting the order information in S612, the management server 100 transmits the information including the information indicating the delivery mode input on the condition input screen. In the modified example, the control unit 101 that executes the processing of S501, S801, and S504 is an example of a sixth transmission unit, a sixth output unit, and a fifth reception unit, respectively. The delivery mode may be configured to be set at a timing different from the condition input screen.

  In the above embodiment, the delivery destination information is stored in the shipping server 200, and the management server 100 is configured to acquire the delivery destination information from the shipping server 200. However, the delivery destination information may be stored in the storage unit 102.

  In the above embodiment, if it is determined in S610 that delivery is not being performed, the order information is transmitted to the shipping server 200 in S612. However, before S612, whether or not to place an order is notified by e-mail or the like. It is good also as a structure which inquires. Thus, even if the order condition is satisfied, it is possible to prevent the order from being placed if it is not necessary according to the situation at the time of the user.

  In the above embodiment, each processing described in FIGS. 6, 7, and 12 is described as a configuration that is executed by the CPU of the control unit 101 or the control unit 11. However, each processing described in each of the above drawings is A configuration may be adopted in which a plurality of CPUs execute the operations cooperatively. In addition, an IC such as an ASIC may be configured to execute each process described in each of the above drawings alone or in cooperation with a plurality of ICs. Further, the CPU 11 and an IC such as an ASIC may cooperate with each other to execute the processes shown in the above-described drawings.

1: Consumables ordering system, 10: Printer, 100: Management server, 200: Shipping server

Claims (28)

An information processing device capable of communicating with the server,
A communication unit;
A storage unit,
A control unit;
With
The control unit includes:
First acquisition means for acquiring consumable information including remaining amount information on the remaining amount of the consumable;
First output means for outputting information about an input screen for inputting information about order conditions that are conditions for ordering consumables;
First receiving means for receiving information on the order condition input via the input screen based on information on the input screen output by the first output means;
When the consumables information is acquired by the first acquisition unit, a first determination unit that determines whether or not the consumables satisfy an order condition according to the information received by the first reception unit;
When the first determination unit determines that the order condition is satisfied, a second determination unit that determines whether there is any consumable item that is being delivered, which satisfies the order condition;
A third output unit that outputs first inquiry information for inquiring whether or not to order the consumables when it is determined by the second determination unit that there is a consumable being delivered;
A second receiving unit that receives, from the information processing apparatus or the printer to which the first inquiry information is output by the third output unit, information indicating whether or not to order a consumable,
A second output unit configured to output, to the server, order information including information on ordering of a consumable, when the second receiving unit receives information indicating that the consumable is ordered;
An information processing apparatus comprising: An information processing device capable of communicating with the server,
A communication unit;
A storage unit,
A control unit;
With
The control unit includes:
First acquisition means for acquiring consumable information including remaining amount information on the remaining amount of consumables and replacement count information indicating the number of replacements of the consumables;
First output means for outputting information about an input screen for inputting information about order conditions that are conditions for ordering consumables;
First receiving means for receiving information on the order condition input via the input screen based on information on the input screen output by the first output means;
When the consumables information is acquired by the first acquisition unit, a first determination unit that determines whether or not the consumables satisfy an order condition according to the information received by the first reception unit;
A second output unit configured to output order information including information on ordering a consumable to the server based on the first determination unit determining that the order condition is satisfied;
With
The information on the order condition is such that the number of replacements indicated by the replacement count information included in the consumables information acquired by the first acquisition unit is included in the consumables information acquired last time by the first acquisition unit. If the value is not continuous with the number of replacements indicated by the number of replacements information, it is information indicating whether to order the consumables,
The control unit further includes:
The number of replacements indicated by the replacement count information included in the consumables information acquired by the first acquisition unit is indicated by the replacement count information included in the consumables information acquired last time by the first acquisition unit. Fourth output means for outputting second inquiry information for inquiring whether or not to order the consumable when the value is not continuous with the number of replacements;
A third reception unit that receives, from the information processing apparatus or the printer to which the second inquiry information is output by the fourth output unit, information indicating whether or not to order a consumable,
With
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first determination unit determines that the order condition is satisfied when the information received by the third reception unit indicates that the consumable is ordered. The control unit includes:
The number of replacements indicated by the replacement count information included in the consumables information acquired by the first acquisition unit is indicated by the replacement count information included in the consumables information acquired last time by the first acquisition unit. If the value is not continuous with the number of replacements, a fifth output unit that outputs third inquiry information for inquiring the number of ordered consumables within a range corresponding to a difference between the number of times of replacement and the number of times of previous replacement. When,
Fourth receiving means for receiving information on the number of ordered consumables, which is input from the information processing device or printer to which the third inquiry information is output by the fifth output means,
With
The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the second output unit outputs the order information including information indicating the number of orders received by the fourth receiving unit to the server. An information processing device capable of communicating with the server,
A communication unit;
A storage unit,
A control unit;
With
The control unit includes:
First acquisition means for acquiring consumable information including remaining amount information on the remaining amount of the consumable;
First output means for outputting information about an input screen for inputting information about order conditions that are conditions for ordering consumables;
First receiving means for receiving information on the order condition input via the input screen based on information on the input screen output by the first output means;
When the consumables information is acquired by the first acquisition unit, a first determination unit that determines whether or not the consumables satisfy an order condition according to the information received by the first reception unit;
A second output unit configured to output order information including information on ordering a consumable to the server based on the first determination unit determining that the order condition is satisfied;
With
The information on the order condition is information for specifying a threshold value on the remaining amount of the consumables,
The control unit further relates to the consumable item calculated from each value of the remaining amount of the consumable item indicated by the remaining amount information included in each of the consumable item information acquired a plurality of times by the first acquisition unit. The time when the remaining amount of the consumables predicted based on the consumption transition reaches the threshold value specified by the information received by the first reception unit, and the remaining amount of the consumables predicted based on the consumption transition is Third determining means for determining whether a period between the time when the expendable supplies reach an unusable value is shorter than the number of days for delivering the consumable supplies,
Notification means for notifying when the third determination means determines that the period is shorter than the delivery days,
An information processing apparatus comprising: The control unit includes:
When the first determining means determines that the order conditions are satisfied, the apparatus further includes second determining means for determining whether there is any consumable that is being delivered that satisfies the order conditions,
5. The server according to claim 2, wherein the second output unit outputs the order information to the server on condition that the second determining unit determines that there is no consumable being delivered. 6. An information processing device according to any one of the above. The control unit includes:
A third output unit that outputs first inquiry information for inquiring whether or not to order the consumable when the first determination unit determines that the order condition is satisfied;
A second receiving unit that receives, from the information processing apparatus or the printer to which the first inquiry information is output by the third output unit, information indicating whether or not to order a consumable,
With
5. The method according to claim 2, wherein the second output unit outputs the order information to the server when the second receiving unit receives information indicating that the consumable is ordered. An information processing device according to any one of the above. The control unit includes:
Storage means for storing the information received by the first reception means in the storage unit;
The first receiving means receives information on the order condition input to the input screen based on the information on the input screen output by the first output means,
The first determination unit performs the determination using an order condition corresponding to the information stored in the storage unit,
7. The information according to claim 1, wherein the second output unit outputs the order information to the server when the first determination unit determines that the order condition is satisfied. Processing equipment. The information on the order condition is information for specifying a threshold value on the remaining amount of the consumables,
The control unit includes:
A second acquisition unit for acquiring delivery destination information on a delivery destination of the consumable,
The first output unit outputs information relating to an input screen on which the threshold according to the delivery destination information acquired by the second acquisition unit is displayed as one of a default value or one of options. The information processing device according to claim 7. The information on the order condition is information specifying a first threshold value that is a threshold value on the remaining amount of the consumables.
The first determining unit is configured to specify a remaining amount of the consumable indicated by the remaining amount information included in the consumables information acquired by the first acquiring unit based on the information received by the first receiving unit. 9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the first threshold value is reached, it is determined that the order condition is satisfied. The information on the order condition includes the first threshold and the number of times that the remaining amount of the consumable indicated by the remaining amount information included in the consumables information acquired by the first acquiring unit has reached the first threshold. Is information that specifies a second threshold value that is a threshold value of
The first determining unit is configured to specify a remaining amount of the consumable indicated by the remaining amount information included in the consumables information acquired by the first acquiring unit based on the information received by the first receiving unit. When the number of times the first threshold has been reached and the number of times the first threshold has been reached has reached the second threshold specified by the information received by the first receiving means, it is determined that the order condition is satisfied. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein: The control unit includes:
Sixth output means for outputting fourth inquiry information for inquiring about the delivery form of the consumable,
Fifth receiving means for receiving information on the delivery mode of the consumable, which is input from the information processing device or printer to which the fourth inquiry information is output by the sixth output means,
With
11. The server according to claim 1, wherein the second output unit outputs the order information including information on a delivery mode of the consumable received by the fifth receiving unit to the server. 12. Information processing device.   The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the consumable information includes unique information for specifying a printer and information on a type of the consumable.   The order information includes information on a type of the consumable to be ordered and unique information for specifying a printer corresponding to the consumable information acquired by the first acquiring unit. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein   14. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first obtaining unit obtains the consumable information at predetermined intervals.   The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the information processing apparatus is a printer.   The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the information processing apparatus is a management server.   The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the information processing apparatus is a personal computer.   18. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the consumable is a consumable of the printer specified by unique information for specifying the printer.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the unique information is stored in the storage unit. A storage unit,
A control unit;
With
The control unit includes:
First acquisition means for acquiring consumable information including remaining amount information on the remaining amount of the consumable;
First output means for outputting information about an input screen for inputting information about order conditions that are conditions for ordering consumables;
A second acquisition unit that acquires information on the order condition input from the information processing device or an external device of an output destination by the first output unit;
When the consumables information is acquired by the first acquisition unit, a first determination unit that determines whether an order condition according to the information acquired by the second acquisition unit is satisfied for the consumables;
When the first determination unit determines that the order condition is satisfied, a second determination unit that determines whether there is any consumable item that is being delivered, which satisfies the order condition;
A third output unit that outputs first inquiry information for inquiring whether or not to order the consumables when it is determined by the second determination unit that there is a consumable being delivered;
A second receiving unit that receives, from the information processing apparatus or the printer to which the first inquiry information is output by the third output unit, information indicating whether or not to order a consumable,
Determining means for determining an order for a consumable, when the second receiving means receives information indicating that the consumable is ordered;
An information processing apparatus comprising: A storage unit,
A control unit;
With
The control unit includes:
First acquisition means for acquiring consumable information including remaining amount information on the remaining amount of consumables and replacement count information indicating the number of replacements of the consumables;
First output means for outputting information about an input screen for inputting information about order conditions that are conditions for ordering consumables;
A second acquisition unit that acquires information on the order condition input from the information processing device or an external device of an output destination by the first output unit;
When the consumables information is acquired by the first acquisition unit, a first determination unit that determines whether an order condition according to the information acquired by the second acquisition unit is satisfied for the consumables;
Determining means for determining an order for a consumable based on the first determining means determining that the order condition is satisfied;
With
The information on the order condition is such that the number of replacements indicated by the replacement count information included in the consumables information acquired by the first acquisition unit is included in the consumables information acquired last time by the first acquisition unit. If the value is not continuous with the number of replacements indicated by the number of replacements information, it is information indicating whether to order the consumables,
The control unit further includes:
The number of replacements indicated by the replacement count information included in the consumables information acquired by the first acquisition unit is indicated by the replacement count information included in the consumables information acquired last time by the first acquisition unit. Fourth output means for outputting second inquiry information for inquiring whether or not to order the consumable when the value is not continuous with the number of replacements;
A third reception unit that receives, from the information processing apparatus or the printer to which the second inquiry information is output by the fourth output unit, information indicating whether or not to order a consumable,
With
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first determination unit determines that the order condition is satisfied when the information received by the third reception unit indicates that the consumable is ordered. A storage unit,
A control unit;
With
The control unit includes:
First acquisition means for acquiring consumable information including remaining amount information on the remaining amount of the consumable;
First output means for outputting information about an input screen for inputting information about order conditions that are conditions for ordering consumables;
A second acquisition unit that acquires information on the order condition input from the information processing device or an external device of an output destination by the first output unit;
When the consumables information is acquired by the first acquisition unit, a first determination unit that determines whether an order condition according to the information acquired by the second acquisition unit is satisfied for the consumables;
Determining means for determining an order for a consumable based on the first determining means determining that the order condition is satisfied;
With
The information on the order condition is information for specifying a threshold value on the remaining amount of the consumables,
The control unit further relates to the consumable item calculated from each value of the remaining amount of the consumable item indicated by the remaining amount information included in each of the consumable item information acquired a plurality of times by the first acquisition unit. The time when the remaining amount of the consumables predicted based on the consumption transition reaches the threshold value specified by the information acquired by the second acquisition unit, and the remaining amount of the consumables predicted based on the consumption transition A third determining means for determining whether a period from when the expendable supplies reach an unusable value is shorter than the number of days for delivering the consumable supplies,
Notification means for notifying when the third determination means determines that the period is shorter than the delivery days,
An information processing apparatus comprising: A management server capable of communicating with the printer, the server, and the information processing device,
A communication unit;
A storage unit,
A control unit;
With
The control unit includes:
A receiving unit that receives consumables information including remaining amount information on the remaining amount of consumables of the printer specified by the unique information stored in the storage unit;
First transmission means for transmitting information on an input screen for inputting information on ordering conditions that are conditions for ordering consumables to the information processing apparatus or the printer;
First accepting means for accepting information on the order condition input from the information processing apparatus or printer at the transmission destination by the first transmitting means;
When the consumable information is received by the receiving means, first determining means for determining whether or not the consumables of the printer specified by the unique information satisfy an order condition according to the information received by the first receiving means. When,
When the first determination unit determines that the order condition is satisfied, a second determination unit that determines whether there is any consumable item that is being delivered, which satisfies the order condition;
A third output unit that outputs first inquiry information for inquiring whether or not to order the consumables when it is determined by the second determination unit that there is a consumable being delivered;
A second receiving unit that receives, from the information processing apparatus or the printer to which the first inquiry information is output by the third output unit, information indicating whether or not to order a consumable,
When the second receiving unit receives the information indicating that the order of the consumable is to be performed, a second transmission for transmitting to the server order information including information on the order of the consumable of the printer specified by the unique information. Means,
A management server, comprising: A management server capable of communicating with the printer, the server, and the information processing device,
A communication unit;
A storage unit,
A control unit;
With
The control unit includes:
Reception for receiving consumables information including remaining amount information on the remaining amount of consumables of the printer specified by the unique information stored in the storage unit and replacement count information indicating the number of replacements of the consumables. Means,
First transmission means for transmitting information on an input screen for inputting information on ordering conditions that are conditions for ordering consumables to the information processing apparatus or the printer;
First accepting means for accepting information on the order condition input from the information processing apparatus or printer at the transmission destination by the first transmitting means;
When the consumable information is received by the receiving means, first determining means for determining whether or not the consumables of the printer specified by the unique information satisfy an order condition according to the information received by the first receiving means. When,
A second transmission unit configured to transmit, to the server, order information including information on ordering a consumable of the printer specified by the unique information, based on the first determination unit determining that the order condition is satisfied;
With
Information regarding the ordering condition, exchange number of times the frequency of replacement information indicating included in the consumable information received by the receiving means, the number of exchanges included in the consumable information received the previous by the receiving means If the information is a value that is not continuous with the number of replacements, the information indicates whether or not to order the consumables,
The control unit further includes:
Continuous replacement number of the shown number of exchanges information included in the consumable information received by the receiving means, the number of exchanges indicated by the number of exchanges information included in the consumable information received the previous by the receiving means A fourth output means for outputting second inquiry information for inquiring whether or not to order the consumables,
A third reception unit that receives, from the information processing apparatus or the printer to which the second inquiry information is output by the fourth output unit, information indicating whether or not to order a consumable,
With
The management server, wherein the first determination unit determines that the order condition is satisfied when the information received by the third reception unit indicates that the consumable is ordered. A management server capable of communicating with the printer, the server, and the information processing device,
A communication unit;
A storage unit,
A control unit;
With
The control unit includes:
A receiving unit that receives consumables information including remaining amount information on the remaining amount of consumables of the printer specified by the unique information stored in the storage unit;
First transmission means for transmitting information on an input screen for inputting information on ordering conditions that are conditions for ordering consumables to the information processing apparatus or the printer;
First accepting means for accepting information on the order condition input from the information processing apparatus or printer at the transmission destination by the first transmitting means;
When the consumable information is received by the receiving means, first determining means for determining whether or not the consumables of the printer specified by the unique information satisfy an order condition according to the information received by the first receiving means. When,
A second transmission unit configured to transmit, to the server, order information including information on ordering a consumable of the printer specified by the unique information, based on the first determination unit determining that the order condition is satisfied;
With
The information on the order condition is information for specifying a threshold value on the remaining amount of the consumables,
The control unit further includes a consumption transition relating to the consumable calculated from each value of the remaining amount of the consumable indicated by each remaining amount information included in each of the consumables information received by the receiving unit a plurality of times. When the remaining amount of the consumables predicted based on the consumption reaches the threshold value specified by the information received by the first reception unit, and the remaining amount of the consumables predicted based on the consumption transition is the consumption amount. Third determining means for determining whether a period between the time when the consumable item reaches an unusable value and the time period for which the consumable item is delivered is shorter,
Notification means for notifying when the third determination means determines that the period is shorter than the delivery days,
A management server, comprising: A management server capable of communicating with the printer and the information processing device,
A communication unit;
A storage unit,
A control unit;
With
The control unit includes:
Acquiring means for acquiring consumable information including remaining amount information on the remaining amount of consumables of the printer specified by the unique information stored in the storage unit;
First transmission means for transmitting information on an input screen for inputting information on ordering conditions that are conditions for ordering consumables to the information processing apparatus or the printer;
First accepting means for accepting information on the order condition input from the information processing apparatus or printer at the transmission destination by the first transmitting means;
When the consumable information is acquired by the acquiring means, first determining means for determining whether or not the consumables of the printer specified by the unique information satisfies an order condition according to the information received by the first receiving means. When,
When the first determination unit determines that the order condition is satisfied, a second determination unit that determines whether there is any consumable item that is being delivered, which satisfies the order condition;
A third output unit that outputs first inquiry information for inquiring whether or not to order the consumables when it is determined by the second determination unit that there is a consumable being delivered;
A second receiving unit that receives, from the information processing apparatus or the printer to which the first inquiry information is output by the third output unit, information indicating whether or not to order a consumable,
Determining means for determining an order for a consumable of the printer specified by the unique information, wherein the second receiving means receives information indicating that the consumable is ordered;
A management server, comprising: A management server capable of communicating with the printer and the information processing device,
A communication unit;
A storage unit,
A control unit;
With
The control unit includes:
Acquisition that acquires consumables information including remaining amount information on the remaining amount of consumables of the printer specified by the unique information stored in the storage unit and replacement count information indicating the number of replacements of the consumables. Means,
First transmission means for transmitting information on an input screen for inputting information on ordering conditions that are conditions for ordering consumables to the information processing apparatus or the printer;
First accepting means for accepting information on the order condition input from the information processing apparatus or printer at the transmission destination by the first transmitting means;
When the consumable information is acquired by the acquiring means, first determining means for determining whether or not the consumables of the printer specified by the unique information satisfies an order condition according to the information received by the first receiving means. When,
Determining means for determining an order for a printer consumable specified by the unique information based on the first determining means determining that the order condition is satisfied;
With
Information regarding the order condition, the replacement number of times indicated by the number of exchanges information included prior Quito said consumable information acquired by the obtained unit is included in the consumable information acquired last time by the pre-Quito obtain means If the number of replacements is a value that is not continuous with the number of replacements indicated by the replacement number information, the information indicates whether to order the consumables,
The control unit further includes:
Exchange number of times indicated by the number of exchanges information included before Quito exchange number of times indicated by the number of exchanges information included in the consumable information acquired by the obtained unit, the consumable information acquired last time by the pre-Quito obtain means A fourth output means for outputting second inquiry information for inquiring whether or not to order the consumables, when the value is not continuous with
A third reception unit that receives, from the information processing apparatus or the printer to which the second inquiry information is output by the fourth output unit, information indicating whether or not to order a consumable,
With
The management server, wherein the first determination unit determines that the order condition is satisfied when the information received by the third reception unit indicates that the consumable is ordered. A management server capable of communicating with the printer and the information processing device,
A communication unit;
A storage unit,
A control unit;
With
The control unit includes:
Acquiring means for acquiring consumable information including remaining amount information on the remaining amount of consumables of the printer specified by the unique information stored in the storage unit;
First transmission means for transmitting information on an input screen for inputting information on ordering conditions that are conditions for ordering consumables to the information processing apparatus or the printer;
First accepting means for accepting information on the order condition input from the information processing apparatus or printer at the transmission destination by the first transmitting means;
When the consumable information is acquired by the acquiring means, first determining means for determining whether or not the consumables of the printer specified by the unique information satisfies an order condition according to the information received by the first receiving means. When,
Determining means for determining an order for a printer consumable specified by the unique information based on the first determining means determining that the order condition is satisfied;
With
The information on the order condition is information for specifying a threshold value on the remaining amount of the consumables,
Wherein the control unit is further consumption relating to the consumable calculated from the values of the remaining amount of the consumable represented by each of said remaining information included in each of said consumable information acquired a plurality of times by prior Quito obtain means The time when the remaining amount of the consumables predicted based on the transition reaches the threshold value specified by the information received by the first receiving unit, and the remaining amount of the consumables predicted based on the consumption transition are Third determining means for determining whether a period between the time when the expendable supplies reach an unusable value is shorter than the number of days for delivering the consumable supplies,
Notification means for notifying when the third determination means determines that the period is shorter than the delivery days,
A management server, comprising:

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