Systems and methods for automatic status tracking of automatically ordered replaceable components for printing devices

• US 6,947,161 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2001
• Issued: 09/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Suyehira, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Coles, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): Qin, Yixing
• Application Number:
  US09/859,569
• Publication Number:
  US 20020172520A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,588 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.15, 714/47, 705/28
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/5079 for maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/553 Monitoring or warning means for exhaustion or lifetime end of consumables, e.g. indication of insufficient copy sheet quantity for a job
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/556 for toner consumption, e.g. pixel counting, toner coverage detection or toner density measurement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

A printing device component is configured to automatically order a replacement component when a signal indicates that the component is nearing the end of its functional life cycle. The printing device includes an order tracker which is configured to receive and process order tracking information regarding the status of the component order. If the component is not received on or before an expected receipt date, a warning message is generated to allow appropriate action to avoid printing device down time. If the component is unavailable for shipment or must be backordered, a warning message is generated. When the component is received, the order tracking subsystem is provided with a received date. The order tracking information is stored in an order tracking database. Database records involving received items may be purged or archived for later reference.

Claims

1. A printing device, comprising:

a detector configured to detect when a first replaceable component needs to be replaced;

an orderer configured to automatically order a second replaceable component to replace the first replaceable component; and

an order tracker configured to receive order tracking information regarding the second replaceable component order.

2. The printing device as recited in claim 1, wherein the order tracker is further configured to store the order tracking information in an order tracking database.

3. The printing device as recited in claim 1, wherein the order tracking information further comprises a shipped date on which the second replaceable component was shipped.

4. The printing device as recited in claim 1, wherein the order tracking information further comprises a received date on which the second replaceable component was received.

5. The printing device as recited in claim 1, wherein the order tracking information further comprises an unavailable message that indicates that the second replaceable component is unavailable for shipment.

6. The printing device as recited in claim 1, wherein the order tracking information further comprises a backorder message that indicates that the second replaceable component is backordered for shipping on a backorder shipping date.

7. The printing device, as recited in claim 1, wherein the order tracker is further configured to initiate a warning message if the order tracker has not received order tracking information indicating that the second replaceable component has been received prior to an expected receipt date.

8. The printing device as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the first replaceable component is a laser printer toner cartridge;

the second replaceable component is a laser printer toner cartridge; and

the detector is a toner low detector that indicates when toner contained in the first toner cartridge is nearing depletion.

9. One or more computer-readable media containing computer-executable instructions that, when executed on a computer, perform the following:

receiving notice that a replacement printing device replaceable component should be ordered to replace a printing device replaceable component that is nearing or has reached the end of a functional life cycle;

placing an order for the replacement replaceable component; and

receiving order tracking information regarding the replacement printing device replaceable component order.

10. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 9, further comprising storing the order tracking information.

11. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 9, wherein the order tracking information further comprises a shipped date on which the replacement printing device replaceable component was shipped.

12. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 9, wherein the order tracking information further comprises a received date on which the replacement printing device replaceable component was received.

13. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 9, wherein the order tracking information further comprises an unavailable message that indicates that the replacement printing device replaceable component is unavailable for shipment.

14. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 9, wherein the order tracking information further comprises a backorder message that indicates that the replacement printing device replaceable component is backordered for shipment on a backorder shipping date.

15. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 9, further comprising initiating a warning message if the replacement printing device replaceable component has not been received prior to the occurrence of an expected receipt date.

16. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 9, wherein the printing device replaceable component and the replacement printing device replaceable component are laser printer toner cartridges.

17. A laser printer that embodies the one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 9.

18. A laser printer, comprising:

memory;

a processor;

a replaceable component;

a detector configured to detect when the replaceable component is at or nearing the end of a life cycle;

an orderer configured to automatically order a replacement component for the replaceable component when the detector detects that the replaceable component is at or nearing the end of a life cycle; and

an order tracker configured to receive order tracking information regarding the replacement component order.

19. The laser printer as recited in claim 18, further comprising an order tracking database stored in the memory, and wherein the order tracker is further configured to store the order tracking information in the order tracking database.

20. The laser printer as recited in claim 18, wherein the order tracking information further comprises a shipped date on which the replacement component was shipped.

21. The laser printer as recited in claim 18, wherein the order tracking information further comprises a received date on which the replacement component was received.

22. The laser printer as recited in claim 18, wherein the order tracking information further comprises an unavailable message that indicates that the replacement component is unavailable for shipment.

23. The laser printer as recited in claim 18, wherein the order tracking information further comprises a backorder message that indicates that the replacement component is backordered for shipment on a backorder shipping date.

24. The laser printer as recited in claim 18, wherein the order tracker is further configured to generate a warning message if the replacement component is not received by an expected receipt date.

25. The laser printer as recited in claim 18, wherein the replaceable component is a toner cartridge.