Consumable goods management system

• US 7,231,166 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2005
• Issued: 06/12/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Miyaji, Kazuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Brase; Sandra L.
• Application Number:
  US11/094,238
• Publication Number:
  US 20050220462A1
• Time in Patent Office: 803 Days
• Field of Search: 399/12, 399/24, 399/109, 358/1.14, 358/1.16, 347/19, 347/86, 340/612, 340/617
• US Class Current: 399/109
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/55 Self-diagnostics; Malfunction or lifetime display
• 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

Abstract

The present invention provides a consumable goods management tag, comprising: a rewritable memory for storing remaining quantity data representing a remaining quantity of consumable goods, and a rewrite controlling unit for controlling a rewrite of the remaining quantity data stored in the memory on the basis of a remaining quantity data writing request inputted from outside, carrying out the rewrite of the remaining quantity data responding to increase of the remaining quantity only when a predetermined rewrite condition is fulfilled, and carrying out the rewrite of the remaining quantity data responding to decrease of the remaining quantity even when the rewrite condition is not fulfilled.

Claims

1. A consumable goods management tag, comprising:

a rewritable memory for storing quantity data representing a remaining quantity of consumable goods, and

a rewrite controlling unit for controlling a rewrite of the remaining quantity data stored in the memory on the basis of a remaining quantity data writing request inputted from outside, the rewrite controlling unit for carrying out the rewrite of the remaining quantity data responding to increase of the remaining quantity only when a predetermined rewrite condition is fulfilled, and for carrying out the rewrite of the remaining quantity data responding to decrease of the remaining quantity even when the rewrite condition is not fulfilled.

2. The consumable goods management tag according to claim 1, wherein the remaining quantity data is the data indicating the current quantity of the consumable goods or the data indicating a ratio between the initial quantity of the consumable goods and the current quantity.

3. A consumable goods holding component for holding consumable goods, comprising a consumable goods management tag according to claim 2.

4. A device using consumable goods, comprising:

a consumable goods consuming unit for receiving a consumable goods holding component according to claim 3 and consuming the consumable goods from the consumable goods holding component;

a consumption data outputting unit for outputting the remaining quantity data writing request in accordance with a consumption or the consumable goods in the consumable goods consuming unit to the consumable goods management tag;

a remaining quantity data reading unit for reading the remaining quantity data from the memory; and

a remaining quantity management unit for forbidding the operation of the consumable goods consuming unit when the remaining quantity represented by the remaining quantity data is less than a predetermined value.

5. The device using consumable goods according to claim 4, further comprising:

a remaining quantity measuring unit for measuring the remaining quantity of the consumable goods held in the consumable goods holding component; and

a remaining quantity comparing unit for forbidding the consumable goods consuming unit to operate when the remaining quantity measured by the remaining quantity measuring unit is more than the remaining quantity represented by the remaining quantity data by a predetermined permissible difference.

6. The device using consumable goods according to claim 5, further comprising a warning unit for warning a user that the remaining quantity comparing unit forbid the consumable goods consuming unit to operate.

7. A device using consumable goods, comprising:

a consumable goods consuming unit for receiving a consumable goods holding component according to claim 3 and consuming the consumable goods from the consumable goods holding component;

a remaining quantity data reading unit for reading the remaining quantity data from the memory;

a consumption management unit for recording a cumulative consumption of the consumable goods in the consumable goods consuming unit after the consumable goods holding component is received and forbidding the consumable goods consuming unit to operate when the difference between the cumulative consumption and the remaining quantity represented by the remaining quantity data when the consumable goods holding component was received is less than a predetermined value; and

a consumption data outputting unit for outputting the remaining quantity data writing request in accordance with the cumulative consumption to the consumable goods management tag.

8. The device using consumable goods according to claim 7, further comprising:

a remaining quantity measuring unit for measuring the remaining quantity of the consumable goods held in the consumable goods holding component; and

a remaining quantity comparing unit for forbidding the consumable goods consuming unit to operate when the remaining quantity measured by the remaining quantity measuring unit is more than the remaining quantity represented by the remaining quantity data by a predetermined permissible difference.

9. The device using consumable goods according to claim 8, further comprising a warning unit for warning a user that the remaining quantity comparing unit forbid the consumable goods consuming unit to operate.

10. A consumable goods supplying device, comprising:

a consumable goods supplying unit for receiving consumable goods holding component according to claim 3 and supplying the consumable goods to the consumable goods holding component; and

a supplied quantity data outputting unit for outputting the remaining quantity data writing request in accordance with a supplied quantity of the consumable goods in the consumable goods supplying unit to the consumable goods management tag.

11. The consumable goods management tag according to claim 1, wherein the remaining quantity data is the data indicating cumulative consumption of the consumable goods or the data indicating a ratio between the initial quantity of the consumable goods and the cumulative consumption, and wherein the quantity is represented by the difference between the initial quantity and the cumulative consumption.

12. A consumable goods holding component for holding consumable goods, comprising a consumable goods management tag according to claim 3.

13. A device using consumable goods, comprising:

a consumable goods consuming unit for receiving a consumable goods holding component according to claim 12 and consuming the consumable goods from the consumable goods holding component;

a consumption data outputting unit for outputting the remaining quantity data writing request in accordance with a consumption of the consumable goods in the consumable goods consuming unit to the consumable goods management tag;

a remaining quantity data reading unit for reading the remaining quantity data from the memory; and

a remaining quantity management unit for forbidding, the operation of the consumable goods consuming unit when the remaining quantity represented by the remaining quantity data is less than a predetermined value.

14. The device using consumable goods according to claim 13, further comprising:

a remaining quantity measuring unit for measuring the remaining quantity of the consumable goods held in the consumable goods holding component; and

a remaining quantity comparing unit for forbidding the consumable goods consuming unit to operate when the remaining quantity measured by the remaining quantity measuring unit is more than the remaining quantity represented by the remaining quantity data by a predetermined permissible difference.

15. The device using consumable goods according to claim 14, further comprising a warning unit for warning a user that the remaining quantity comparing unit forbid the consumable goods consuming unit to operate.

16. A device using consumable goods, comprising:

a consumable goods consuming unit for receiving a consumable goods holding component according to claim 12 and consuming the consumable goods from the consumable goods holding component;

a remaining quantity data reading unit for reading the remaining quantity data from the memory;

a consumption management unit for recording a cumulative consumption of the consumable goods in the consumable goods consuming unit after the consumable goods holding component is received and forbidding the consumable goods consuming unit to operate when the difference between the cumulative consumption and the remaining quantity represented by the remaining quantity data when the consumable goods holding component was received is less than a predetermined value; and

a consumption data outputting unit for outputting the remaining quantity data writing request in accordance with the cumulative consumption to the consumable goods management tag.

17. The device using consumable goods according to claim 16, further comprising:

a remaining quantity measuring unit for measuring the remaining quantity of the consumable goods held in the consumable goods holding component; and

a remaining quantity comparing unit for forbidding the consumable goods consuming unit to operate when the remaining quantity measured by the remaining quantity measuring unit is more than the remaining quantity represented by the remaining quantity data by a predetermined permissible difference.

18. The device using consumable goods according to claim 17, further comprising a warning unit for warning a user that the remaining quantity comparing unit forbid the consumable goods consuming unit to operate.

19. A consumable goods supplying device, comprising:

a consumable goods supplying unit for receiving consumable goods holding component according to claim 12 and supplying the consumable goods to the consumable goods holding component; and

a supplied quantity data unit for outputting the remaining quantity data writing request in accordance with a supplied quantity of the consumable goods in the consumable goods supplying unit to the consumable goods management tag.

20. A consumable goods holding component for holding consumable goods, comprising a consumable goods management tag according to claim 1.

21. A device using consumable goods, comprising:

a consumable goods consuming unit for receiving a consumable goods holding component according to claim 20 and consuming the consumable goods from the consumable goods holding component;

a consumption data outputting unit for outputting the remaining quantity data writing request in accordance with a consumption of the consumable goods in the consumable goods consuming unit to the consumable goods management tag;

a remaining quantity data reading the remaining quantity data from the memory; and

a remaining quantity management unit for forbidding the operation of the consumable goods consuming unit when the remaining quantity represented by the remaining quantity data is less than a predetermined value.

22. The device using consumable goods according to claim 21, further comprising:

a remaining quantity measuring unit for measuring the remaining quantity of the consumable goods held in the consumable goods holding component; and

a remaining quantity comparing unit for forbidding the consumable goods consuming unit to operate when the remaining quantity measured by the remaining quantity measuring unit is more than the remaining quantity represented by the remaining quantity data by a predetermined permissible difference.

23. The device using consumable goods according to claim 22, further comprising a warning unit for warning a user that the remaining quantity comparing unit forbid the consumable goods consuming unit to operate.

24. A device using consumable goods, comprising:

a consumable goods consuming unit for receiving a consumable goods holding component according to claim 20 and consuming the consumable goods from the consumable goods holding component;

a remaining quantity data reading unit for reading the remaining quantity data from the memory;

a consumption management unit for recording a cumulative consumption of the consumable goods in the consumable goods consuming unit after the consumable goods holding component is received and forbidding the consumable goods consuming unit to operate when the difference between the cumulative consumption and the remaining quantity represented by the remaining quantity data when the consumable goods holding component was received is less than a predetermined value; and

a consumption data outputting unit for outputting the remaining quantity data writing request in accordance with the cumulative consumption to the consumable goods management tag.

25. The device using consumable goods according to claim 24, further comprising:

a remaining quantity measuring unit for measuring the remaining quantity of the consumable goods held in the consumable goods holding component; and

a remaining quantity comparing unit forbidding the consumable goods consuming unit to operate when the remaining quantity measured by the remaining quantity measuring unit is more than the remaining quantity represented by the remaining quantity data by a predetermined permissible difference.

26. The device using consumable goods according to claim 25, further comprising a warning unit for warning a user that the remaining quantity comparing unit forbid the consumable goods consuming unit to operate.

27. A consumable goods supplying device, comprising:

a consumable goods supplying unit for receiving consumable goods holding component according to claim 20 and supplying the consumable goods to the consumable goods holding component; and

a supplied quantity data outputting unit for outputting the remaining quantity data writing request in accordance with a supplied quantity of the consumable goods in the consumable goods supplying unit to the consumable goods management tag.

28. A consumable goods system, comprising:

a consumable goods management tag, said consumable management tag comprising;

a rewritable memory for storing remaining quantity data representing a remaining quantity of consumable goods, and

a rewrite controlling unit for controlling a rewrite of the remaining quantity data stored in the memory on the basis of a remaining quantity data writing request inputted from outside, the rewrite controlling unit for carrying out the rewrite of the remaining quantity data to increase of the remaining quantity only when a predetermined rewrite condition is fulfilled, and for carrying out the rewrite of the remaining quantity data responding to decrease of the remaining quantity even when the rewrite condition is not fulfilled;

a consumable goods holding component for holding consumable goods;

a device using consumable goods, said device using consumable goods comprising;

a consumable goods consuming unit for receiving the consumable goods holding component and consuming the consumable goods from the consumable goods holding component;

a consumption data outputting unit for outputting the remaining quantity data writing request in accordance with a consumption of the consumable goods in the consumable goods consuming unit to the consumable goods management tag;

a remaining quantity data reading unit for reading the remaining quantity data from the memory; and

a remaining quantity management unit for the operation of the consumable goods consuming unit when the remaining quantity represented by the remaining quantity data is less than a predetermined value; and

a consumable goods supplying device, said consumable goods supplying device comprising;

a consumable goods supplying unit for receiving the consumable goods holding component and supplying the consumable goods to the consumable goods holding component; and

a supplied quantity data outputting unit for outputting the remaining quantity data writing request in accordance with a supplied quantity of the consumable goods in the consumable goods supplying unit to the consumable goods management tag.

29. A consumable goods management system, comprising:

a consumable goods management tag, said consumable management tag comprising;

a rewritable memory for storing remaining quantity data representing a remaining quantity of consumable goods, and

a rewrite controlling unit for controlling a rewrite of the remaining quantity data stored in the memory on the basis of a remaining quantity data writing request inputted from outside, the rewrite controlling unit for carrying out the rewrite of the remaining quantity data responding to increase of the remaining quantity only when a predetermined rewrite condition is fulfilled, and for carrying out the rewrite of the remaining quantity data responding to decrease of the remaining quantity even when the rewrite condition is not fulfilled;

a consumable goods holding component for holding consumable goods;

a device using consumable goods, said device using consumable goods comprising;

a consumable goods consuming unit for receiving the consumable goods holding component and consuming the consumable goods from the consumable goods holding component;

a remaining quantity data reading unit for reading the remaining quantity data from the memory; and

a consumption management unit for recording a cumulative consumption of the consumable goods in the consumable goods consuming unit after the consumable goods holding component is received and forbidding the consumable goods consuming unit to operate when the difference between the cumulative consumption and the remaining quantity represented by the remaining quantity data when the consumable goods holding component was received is less than a predetermined value; and

a consumption data outputting unit for outputting the remaining quantity data writing request in accordance with the cumulative consumption to the consumable goods management tag; and

consumable goods supplying device, said consumable goods supplying device comprising;

a consumable goods supplying unit for the consumable goods holding component and supplying the consumable goods to the consumable goods holding component; and

a supplied quantity data outputting unit for outputting the remaining quantity data writing request in accordance with a supplied quantity of the consumable goods in the consumable goods supplying unit to the consumable goods management tag.