KR101592900B1 - Management system and method for office machine consumables, and a computer-readable storege medium having program to perform the same - Google Patents

Abstract

There is provided a computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer-readable recording medium storing a program for performing the method. The office equipment consumables management system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a code receiving unit for receiving code information generated from an office equipment, a determination unit for analyzing the consumables status of the office equipment based on the code information, And a predictor for calculating a predicted replacement time point of consumables corresponding to the status information.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to an office equipment consumable item management system and method, and a computer readable storage medium storing a program for performing the method. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a system and method for managing office supplies, and a computer-readable storage medium storing a program for performing the method. More particularly, And a computer-readable storage medium storing a program for carrying out the method.

Due to the influence of office automation, companies and organizations are actively utilizing office equipment such as printers and multifunction devices. Office equipment, by its nature, contains a plurality of consumables. For example, in the case of a laser printer, a plurality of consumables such as a toner, a drum, a roller, a waste toner bottle, a transfer belt, and a fixing device are disposed.

Since the consumable time varies depending on the maker or type, and the replacement time and the cleaning cycle are different, a system capable of systematically and integrally managing consumables is required in a place where a plurality of office machines are used.

Conventionally, when the office equipment fails to sufficiently exhibit its function or malfunction occurs, after that, the state of wear of the consumables is checked and the remaining amount is taken, and the post office measures the efficiency of the work using the office equipment .

In addition, there could be a cost loss in companies or organizations, such as receiving the help of external experts due to lack of professional manpower or system for managing office equipment.

The technical problem to be solved by the present invention which is found out from the above problems is to provide an office equipment consumable goods management system capable of recognizing information on consumables of office equipment expected to be required to be managed or replaced in advance, And a computer readable storage medium storing a program for carrying out the method and the method.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an interactive cultural content providing and displaying method capable of effectively grasping the position of an office equipment requiring replacement of consumables.

The technical objects of the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned technical problems, and other technical subjects not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system for managing office supplies, comprising: a code receiver for receiving code information generated from an office device, the code information including a unique MAC address Information including the individual identification value of the office equipment including information or serial number information assigned at the time of manufacture of the office equipment; A determination unit for analyzing a consumable status of the office equipment based on the code information to generate status information, the status information including an individual identification value of the office equipment; A predictor for calculating a predicted replacement time point of consumables corresponding to the status information; A location management unit for generating location information on the basis of the individual identification values included in the status information; And an integrated management unit for managing the office equipment on the basis of the status information and the estimated replacement time point, wherein the integrated management unit transmits the status information or the estimated replacement time to the client, Wherein the location information included in the status information is displayed in a map form so that the client can recognize the replacement time and the replacement target of the consumable item, When the visit service based on the viewpoint is performed, the location of the office equipment can be found in a map format.

delete

The integrated management unit may further include a notification unit for generating a notification signal when the status information is out of a threshold value.

delete

The status information may include at least one of usage amount, remaining amount, life span, manufacturer, first use date, use time, manufacturing date, and individual identification value information of the consumables.

A method of managing office supplies in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention includes receiving code information generated by a code receiving unit from an office equipment, wherein the code information includes unique MAC address information of the office equipment, And receiving the code information including the individual identification value of the office equipment including the serial number information, wherein the determination unit analyzes status of consumables of the office equipment based on the code information to generate status information Wherein the state information includes an individual identification value of the office equipment; calculating a predicted replacement time of the consumable corresponding to the status information; Generating position information on which the office equipment is arranged based on the state information and the estimated replacement time; Wherein the integrated management unit performs a visit service for transmitting the status information or the expected replacement time to a client or visiting a place where the office equipment is disposed, Wherein the location information is displayed in a map form so that the client can identify the replacement time and the replacement target of the consumable item, and the location information included in the status information indicates that the office It appears in map format to help you locate your device.

delete

The managing step may further include generating a notification signal of the notification unit of the integrated management unit when the status information is out of the threshold value.

The managing step may further include generating and managing location information on which the office equipment is disposed based on the individual identification value.

The status information may include at least one of usage amount, remaining amount, life span, manufacturer, first use date, use time, creation date, and individual identification value information of the consumables.

A computer-readable storage medium according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a step of receiving code information generated by a code receiving unit from an office device, a determination unit analyzing the state of the consumables of the office equipment based on the code information, Calculating a predicted replacement time point of consumables corresponding to the status information, and generating a position information on which the office apparatus is disposed based on the status information, A program for performing a method of managing office supplies, which is displayed in a map format when a visit service is performed based on the estimated replacement time, is stored.

According to the present invention, the state of the consumables of the office equipment can be analyzed based on the received code information, and the predicted replacement time of the consumables can be predicted.

In addition, the position information included in the code information can quickly identify the location of the office equipment requiring replacement and management of consumables, and efficiently manage a plurality of office machines without requiring a specialist.

1 is a schematic diagram showing a basic configuration of a consumables management system for office equipment according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a diagram illustrating an example of analyzing the state of consumables using the code information in the system of FIG.
Figs. 3-4 illustrate various embodiments for managing consumables based on the location of the office equipment in the system of Fig. 1. Fig.
5 is a flowchart for sequentially showing an example of the configuration method of FIG.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The advantages and features of the present invention, and the manner of achieving them, will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiments described hereinafter in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The present invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. To fully disclose the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art, and the invention is only defined by the scope of the claims. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the specification.

Unless defined otherwise, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein may be used in a sense commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Also, commonly used predefined terms are not ideally or excessively interpreted unless explicitly defined otherwise.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of illustrating embodiments and is not intended to be limiting of the present invention. In the present specification, the singular form includes plural forms unless otherwise specified in the specification. The terms " comprises "and / or" comprising "used in the specification do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other elements in addition to the stated element.

Hereinafter, a method for providing and displaying interactive cultural contents according to embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

Referring to FIG. 1, a basic configuration of an office supplies management system 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention is disclosed. The office supplies management system 10 according to the present embodiment includes a code receiving unit 100, a determining unit 200, and a predicting unit 300.

Specifically, the office equipment consumable article management system 10 according to the present embodiment includes a code receiving unit 100 for receiving code information generated from an office equipment, a status analyzing unit 102 for analyzing the consumables status of the office equipment on the basis of the code information, A determination unit 200 for generating information, and a prediction unit 300 for calculating a predicted replacement time point of consumables in response to the status information.

The code receiving unit 100 may receive the code information generated by the office equipment. The code receiving unit 100 may be implemented as an application program and receive the code information from the client apparatus connected to the office equipment and the wired / wireless network . For example, when an application program installed in a computer device is implemented, code information generated in a printer connected to a computer and a wired / wireless network can be acquired.

The code information may be in the form of source code for indicating the operation of the office equipment and the part status. For example, the code information may be in the form of an open source, but is not limited thereto, and may be encrypted source code corresponding to the manufacturer of the office equipment.

The determination unit 200 may analyze the current state of the consumable based on the code information transmitted from the code reception unit 100. [ Since the code information may be in the form of a programming language, the determination unit 200 may analyze the code information and convert the code information into state information that can be understood by the client apparatus, or may match the machine language corresponding to the code information.

The status information may include various pieces of information on consumables, for example, usage amount, remaining amount, life span, manufacturer, manufacture date, first use date, use time, individual identification value, and the like. In other words, the determination unit 200 may analyze the code information including the various information to generate status information expressed in a language understood by the client apparatus.

The predicting unit 300 may calculate the estimated replacement time of consumables in response to the status information. The expected replacement time may vary depending on the type and status information of the consumable, but in some other embodiments the expected replacement time may be predetermined. For example, in the process of manufacturing office equipment in a specific manufacturer, the average replacement time may be determined in advance based on the cumulative data of a specific consumable, so that a predicted replacement time can be determined in the manufacture of consumables.

In some other embodiments, the office supplies management system 10 includes an integrated management unit for managing consumables of the office equipment based on the state information generated by the determination unit 200 and the estimated replacement time generated by the prediction unit 300 . That is, the integrated management unit manages the consumable status information and the expected replacement time of a plurality of office devices arranged in each of the plurality of areas, and notifies the user of the problem before the user notices a problem with consumables of the office machine, Can be performed.

To this end, in some other embodiments, the integrated management unit may include a notification unit for generating a notification signal when the state information generated by the determination unit 200 is out of the threshold value. For example, if the current usage amount of the toner included in the status information is compared with a preset threshold value, and a threshold value is exceeded, a signal indicating the toner shortage can be generated and transmitted to an administrator or a user.

In some other embodiments, the office equipment consumable goods management system 10 may further include a location management unit for generating location information on which the office equipment is disposed based on the status information. A detailed process of locating the office equipment on the basis of the location information will be described later with reference to FIG. 3 to FIG.

Referring to FIG. 2, an example of analyzing the state of the office equipment consumables is shown.

Generally, when a malfunction such as a toner exhaustion or a paper jam occurs during the processing of a requested job, the office device transmits the corresponding code information to the client device, and the client device interprets the code information to visualize the cause of the malfunction do.

As mentioned above, such code information may include various information about office equipment as well as consumable defects. For example, looking at the test page of the printer, various information such as the connected client device, the network protocol used, and the name of the office equipment are included. In addition, the present state and remaining amount of various consumables may be specifically specified.

In the present embodiment, the code receiving unit 100 can directly receive the code information from the office apparatus or receive the code information from the client apparatus connected to the office apparatus.

In some other embodiments, the code receiving unit 100 may be placed in a limited place where data such as a central control room of a company or an industry is concentrated. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and an individual client apparatus connected to the office apparatus through a wired or wireless network Respectively.

In addition, the code receiving unit 100 may be in the form of a physically implemented receiver or the like, but is not limited thereto, and may be in the form of an application program installed in the client apparatus.

The code information received by the code receiving unit 100 is transmitted to the determining unit 200. The determining unit 200 may analyze the received code information to generate status information including various pieces of consumable information.

For example, code information related to consumables can be analyzed by analyzing code information that is a programming language, and the machine language corresponding to the information represented by the selected code information can be matched and the status information can be generated based thereon.

The predicting unit 300 may calculate a predicted replacement time of consumables in response to the received status information. The estimated replacement time may be calculated based on the remaining amount of consumables, usage amount, or usage time, but is not limited thereto. For example, it is possible to calculate the expected replacement time of the toner on the basis of the status information on the remaining amount and life of the toner. As another example, the average life of the drum may be set in advance as a threshold value from the number of times the printer has executed the print job or the date of the first use of the printer, and the usage amount or the usage time included in the status information exceeds the threshold value, It can be determined as the expected replacement time.

In some other embodiments, the office supplies management system 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be configured such that the office equipment consumable item management system 10 includes the office information management system 10, And an integrated management unit 400 for managing devices and consumables.

The integrated management unit 400 may transmit the status information of the office equipment consumables or the estimated replacement time to the client or perform proactive management of consumables based on the information. For example, if the estimated replacement time of the toner is five days, the user can visit the place where the office equipment is disposed within 5 days, and replace the toner in advance or notify the client in advance, thereby minimizing the inconvenience between office equipment use .

For this, the office supplies management system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a notification unit 10 for generating a notification signal when the status information is out of a threshold value, And a location management unit for generating the location information.

3 to 4, there is shown an embodiment in which consumables are managed according to the position in which the office equipment is disposed.

As shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of office devices 20_1 to 20_4 may be disposed in a predetermined area 20. [ For example, in the case of an enterprise, it may be a plurality of office machines disposed in a plurality of layers included in a building. In addition, the office equipment consumables management system 10 according to the present invention may be in the form of a server, but is not limited thereto.

Each of these office machines can transmit an individual identification value to the server 10. [ For example, it is possible to transmit the unique MAC address of the office equipment or the information of the independent serial number assigned at the time of manufacturing the office equipment to the server 10, and the server 10 can determine the location of each office equipment based on this have.

When the status information or the predicted replacement time is received in the server 10, the individual identification value included in the status information can be analyzed to know which office device the status information or the predicted replacement time is transmitted from.

As shown in FIG. 4, the server 10 can manage the location information of the office equipment including the plurality of areas 20 to 40. Even when a plurality of pieces of status information are received, the position of the individual office equipment can be known based on the position information included in the status information. For example, when performing a visit service based on the estimated replacement time, The location of the office equipment can be efficiently found.

Referring to FIG. 5, an example of a method for managing office equipment consumables is shown sequentially.

First, step (S10) of receiving code information generated from the office equipment can be performed. The code information may be the source code determined at the time of manufacturing the office equipment, and various information indicating the state of the office equipment may be implemented in the form of a programming language.

Next, step (S20) of analyzing the consumables status of office equipment based on the code information and generating status information may be performed. The status information may be generated by matching various information included in the code information with a machine language that can be read by the computer apparatus, and may include various information such as consumption amount, remaining amount, and life span of consumables.

(S30) of calculating a predicted replacement time point of consumables in accordance with the status information. The expected replacement time may vary depending on the type of consumable and the status information.

Finally, step S40 of managing the office equipment based on the state information and the estimated replacement time point may be performed. Based on the location information of the office equipment included in the status information, it is possible to know the replacement time and the replacement target of the consumables, and it is possible to notify the user in advance based on the estimated replacement time.

Meanwhile, the present invention can be realized by storing computer-readable codes in a computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable storage medium includes all kinds of storage devices in which data that can be read by a computer system is stored.

The computer readable code is configured to perform the steps of implementing the office equipment supplies management system and method according to the present invention when read and executed by the processor from the computer readable storage medium. The computer readable code may be implemented in a variety of programming languages. And functional programs, codes, and code segments for implementing embodiments of the present invention may be readily programmed by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains.

Examples of computer-readable storage media include ROM, RAM, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, optical data storage, and the like, as well as implementations in the form of carrier waves (e.g., transmission over the Internet). In addition, the computer-readable storage medium may be distributed over a networked computer system so that computer readable code is stored and executed in a distributed fashion.

While the present invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be practical exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, You will understand. It is therefore to be understood that the above-described embodiments are illustrative in all aspects and not restrictive.

100:
200:
300: prediction unit
400: Integrated Management Department

Claims (11)

A code receiving unit for receiving code information generated from an office equipment, wherein the code information includes an individual MAC address information of the office equipment or an individual identification value of the office equipment including serial number information given at the time of manufacturing the office equipment A code receiving unit for receiving the code;
A determination unit for analyzing a consumable status of the office equipment based on the code information to generate status information, the status information including an individual identification value of the office equipment;
A predictor for calculating a predicted replacement time point of consumables corresponding to the status information;
A location management unit for generating location information on the basis of the individual identification values included in the status information; And
And an integrated management unit for managing the office equipment on the basis of the state information and the estimated replacement time,
The integrated management unit performs a visiting service for transferring the state information or the estimated replacement time to the client or visiting the place where the office equipment is disposed,
The position information included in the status information is displayed in a map form so that the client can recognize the replacement time of the consumables and the replacement target,
Wherein the location information included in the state information is displayed in a map form so that the location of the office equipment can be found when the visiting service is performed based on the estimated replacement time. delete The method according to claim 1,
The integrated management unit
And a notification unit for generating a notification signal when the status information is out of the threshold value. delete The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the status information includes at least one of usage amount, remaining amount, life span, manufacturer, initial use date, use time, manufacturing date, and individual identification value information of the consumable. The method of claim 1, wherein the code information includes at least one of the unique MAC address information of the office equipment, serial number information assigned at the time of manufacture of the office equipment, The method comprising: receiving code information;
Wherein the status information is generated by analyzing the consumable status of the office equipment based on the code information, and the status information includes an individual identification value of the office equipment;
Calculating a predicted replacement time point of consumables corresponding to the state information;
The location management unit generating location information on the basis of the individual identification value included in the status information; And
The integrated management unit managing the office equipment based on the state information and the estimated replacement time,
The integrated management unit performs a visiting service for transferring the state information or the estimated replacement time to the client or visiting the place where the office equipment is disposed,
The position information included in the status information is displayed in a map form so that the client can recognize the replacement time of the consumables and the replacement target,
Wherein the location information included in the status information is displayed in a map form so that the location of the office equipment can be found when the visiting service is performed based on the estimated replacement time. delete The method according to claim 6,
The managing step
And generating a notification signal of the notification unit of the integrated management unit if the status information exceeds a threshold value. delete The method according to claim 6,
Wherein the status information includes at least one of usage amount, remaining amount, life span, manufacturer, first use date, use time, creation date, and individual identification value information of the consumables. 10. A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a program for performing the method of any one of claims 6, 8 and 10.

Images