SYSTEM FOR MANAGING APPROPRIATENESS OF USE OF CONSUMABLES FOR PRINTING APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MANAGING APPROPRIATENESS OF USE OF CONSUMABLES FOR PRINTING APPARATUS

• US 20200130359A1
• Filed: 12/30/2019
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Kiyohara, Satoru
• Granted Patent: US 11,046,083 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/175 Ink supply systems ; Circuit parts therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17509 Whilst mounted in the printer
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17533 Storage or packaging of ink cartridges
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17546 electronically
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17553 Outer structure
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17559 Cartridge manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9554 by using bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06037 multi-dimensional coding

Abstract

A bottle for ink supply is shipped with a two-dimensional code attached to the bottle, individual information being embedded in the two-dimensional code. A user reads the two-dimensional code with a portable information terminal and thereby transmits the individual information to a management server. If there is no fraud or problem, the management server transmits a passcode to the portable information terminal. When the bottle is placed in a bottle storing unit, the two-dimensional code is read by a two-dimensional code reader, and a passcode is created based on the individual information embedded in the two-dimensional code. Only when the passcode matches the passcode registered by the user, ink in the bottle becomes ready to use.

Claims

1. A system for managing appropriateness of use of consumables for a printing apparatus, the system comprising:

an information recording unit attached to a container containing consumables for a printing apparatus, individual information of the container being recorded in the information recording unit;

a management apparatus configured to manage quality information about consumables contained in each container;

a terminal apparatus configured to be able to read individual information recorded in an information recording unit attached to a target container, and transmit the read individual information to the management apparatus; and

a printing apparatus including;

a passcode input accepting unit configured to accept input of a passcode from an external source; and

an information reading unit configured to read the individual information recorded in the information recording unit, the printing apparatus performing printout using the consumables, wherein

when the management apparatus receives the individual information transmitted from the terminal apparatus, the management apparatus determines, based on the quality information, whether to allow use of consumables contained in the container corresponding to the received individual information, and when the management apparatus determines to allow use of the consumables, the management apparatus creates a passcode based on the received individual information and transmits the created passcode to the terminal apparatus, and

the printing apparatus performs a predetermined authentication verification process based on the individual information read by the information reading unit from the information recording unit attached to the target container and the passcode accepted by the passcode input accepting unit, to determine whether to allow use of the consumables contained in the target container.

2. The system for managing appropriateness of use of consumables for a printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the printing apparatus further includes a container storing unit configured to store the container, and

the reading of the individual information by the information reading unit is performed by storing the target container in the container storing unit.

3. The system for managing appropriateness of use of consumables for a printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the printing apparatus further includes a consumables holding unit configured to accept pouring of the consumables contained in the target container and hold the consumables in a ready-to-use state for printout, and

when the printing apparatus determines, by the authentication verification process, not to allow use of the consumables contained in the target container, the printing apparatus maintains a state in which pouring of the consumables into the consumable holding unit is not allowed.

4. The system for managing appropriateness of use of consumables for a printing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the printing apparatus:

increases an amount of the consumables allowed to be used, every time pouring of the consumables into the consumable holding unit is allowed;

decreases the amount of the consumables allowed to be used, depending on use of the consumables by printout; and

does not allow printout using the consumables when the amount of the consumable allowed to be used reaches zero.

5. The system for managing appropriateness of use of consumables for a printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

when the management apparatus creates a passcode, an expiration date is set for the passcode, and

when the authentication verification process is performed after an expiration date expires, the printing apparatus determines not to allow use of the consumables contained in the target container, the expiration date being set for the passcode accepted by the passcode input accepting unit.

6. The system for managing appropriateness of use of consumables for a printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the information recording unit is a two-dimensional code, and

the information reading unit is a two-dimensional code reader.

7. The system for managing appropriateness of use of consumables for a printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein lot number information is recorded as the individual information in the information recording unit.

8. The system for managing appropriateness of use of consumables for a printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

serial number information is recorded as the individual information in the information recording unit, and

the passcode is created by the management apparatus using the serial number information.

9. The system for managing appropriateness of use of consumables for a printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the individual information recorded in the information recording unit is read by the terminal apparatus, a screen to input an ID for identifying the printing apparatus is displayed on the terminal apparatus, and when an ID is inputted on the terminal apparatus, the inputted ID, together with the individual information, is transmitted from the terminal apparatus to the management apparatus.

10. The system for managing appropriateness of use of consumables for a printing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the management apparatus checks, for each ID transmitted from the terminal apparatus, whether there is compatibility between individual information transmitted last time and individual information transmitted this time, and when there is compatibility, the management apparatus transmits a passcode created based on the individual information received this time, to the terminal apparatus.

11. The system for managing appropriateness of use of consumables for a printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the printing apparatus creates, by the authentication verification process, a passcode using the individual information read by the information reading unit and in accordance with a same rule as a rule used when the management apparatus creates the passcode, and

when the passcode created in the authentication verification process matches the passcode accepted by the passcode input accepting unit, the printing apparatus makes the consumables contained in the target container ready to use.

12. A method for managing appropriateness of use of consumables for a printing apparatus, the method comprising:

a consumables shipping step of shipping a container containing consumables for a printing apparatus, with an information recording unit attached to the container, individual information of the container being recorded in the information recording unit;

an individual information transmitting step of reading individual information recorded in an information recording unit attached to a target container, and transmitting the read individual information to a management apparatus that manages quality information about consumables contained in each container, the individual information transmitting step being performed by a terminal apparatus;

a passcode transmitting step of receiving the individual information transmitted from the terminal apparatus, determining, based on the quality information, whether to allow use of consumables contained in the container corresponding to the received individual information, and creating a passcode based on the received individual information to transmit the created passcode to the terminal apparatus when it is determined to allow use of the consumables, the passcode transmitting step being performed by the management apparatus;

a passcode input accepting step of accepting input of a passcode from an external source; and

a use-of-consumables allowed/not-allowed determining step of reading the individual information recorded in the information recording unit attached to the target container by using an information reading unit provided in advance, and performing a predetermined authentication verification process based on the read individual information and the passcode accepted in the passcode input accepting step, to determine whether to allow use of the consumables contained in the target container, the use-of-consumables allowed/not-allowed determining step being performed by a printing apparatus.