Terminal apparatus, a consumables residual quantity display program, and a recording medium

• US 7,885,551 B2
• Filed: 01/22/2008
• Issued: 02/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Ogawa, Masahiro, Shimokawa, Katsumi, Niwa, Yuichi, Matsuura, Hiroki
• Primary Examiner(s): Hannaher; Constantine
• Application Number:
  US12/017,700
• Publication Number:
  US 20080205908A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,113 Days
• Field of Search: 399/8, 399/23, 399/24, 399/27, 399/81
• US Class Current: 399/8
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/0856 Detection or control means for the developer level
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/502 relating to the structure of the control menu, e.g. pop-up menus, help screens
• 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 2215/00109 Remote control of apparatus, e.g. by a host
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/00113 Plurality of apparatus configured in groups each with its own host
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/0695 using identification means or means for storing process or use parameters

Abstract

A terminal apparatus, a consumables residual quantity display program, and a recording medium are disclosed. The terminal apparatus, which is connected to a printing apparatus through a network, includes an acquisition unit for acquiring information about consumables of the printing apparatus from the printing apparatus; and a display controller for displaying the information about the consumables, which information is acquired by the acquisition unit, if the information of at least one item of the consumables fulfills a predetermined condition. The display controller may display a no-display specifying screen that prompts a user to specify whether a “no-display” mode should be activated, in which “no-display” mode, displaying the information about the consumables is stopped even if the predetermined condition is fulfilled when the information is to be acquired by the acquisition unit at a next time.

Claims

1. A terminal apparatus capable of communicating with a printing apparatus through a network, the terminal apparatus comprising:

an acquisition unit for acquiring information about the residual quantity of a consumable of the printing apparatus from the printing apparatus;

a first determining unit for determining whether the consumable is in a first state or a second state based on the acquired residual quantity;

a storing unit for storing a setting indicating whether to display information about the consumable in the first state;

a second determining unit for determining whether to display information about the consumable in the first state, based on the stored setting;

a first display change unit for changing a display, when the consumable is in the first state, from a “

display”

mode in which the first state is displayed to a “

no-display”

mode in which the first state is not displayed; and

a second display change unit for changing the display, when the consumable is in the second state, from the “

no-display”

mode to the “

display”

mode.

2. The terminal apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a third display change unit for changing the display, when said first determining unit determines that the consumable is not in the first state or a second state, from the “

no-display”

mode to the “

display”

mode.

3. The terminal apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the third display change unit changes the display from the “

no-display”

mode to the “

display”

mode when the acquisition unit acquires information from the printing apparatus indicating that the consumables of the printing apparatus are in normal supply.

4. The terminal apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein

the information about the consumables which is acquired by the acquisition unit is displayed according to a predetermined rule even when the display is in the “

no-display”

mode.

5. The terminal apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the information about the consumable acquired by the acquisition unit includes a residual quantity of a toner of the printing apparatus being less than a predetermined threshold value, and a residual quantity of stacked paper in a paper feed tray of the printing apparatus being less than a predetermined threshold value.

6. The terminal apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a consumable inventory control apparatus that manages inventory information about the consumable;

wherein

the consumable inventory control apparatus is connected to the terminal apparatus through the network,

the acquisition unit acquires the inventory information from the consumable inventory control apparatus, and

displays the inventory information acquired by the acquisition unit is displayed by the display.

7. A computer-readable, non-transitory recording medium that stores a consumable residual quantity display program for performing processes of a terminal apparatus capable of communicating with a printing apparatus through a network, the terminal apparatus comprising:

an acquisition unit for acquiring information about the residual quantity of a consumable of the printing apparatus from the printing apparatus;

a first determining unit for determining whether the consumable is in a first state or a second state based on the acquired residual quantity;

a storing unit for storing a setting indicating whether to display information about the consumable in the first state;

a second determining unit for determining whether to display information about the consumable in the first state, based on the stored setting;

a first display change unit for changing a display, when the consumable is in the first state, from a “

display”

mode in which the first state is displayed to a “

no-display”

mode in which the first state is not displayed; and

a second display change unit for changing the display, when the consumable is in the second state, from the “

no-display”

mode to the “

display”

mode.

8. The computer-readable, non-transitory recording medium as claimed in claim 7, wherein the terminal apparatus further comprises third display change unit for changing the display, when said first determining unit determines that the consumable is not in the first state or a second state, from the “

no-display”

mode to the “

display”

mode.

9. The computer-readable, non-transitory recording medium as claimed in claim 8, wherein the third display change unit changes the display from the “

no-display”

mode to the “

display”

mode when the acquisition unit acquires information from the printing apparatus indicating that the consumables of the printing apparatus are in normal supply.

10. The computer-readable, non-transitory recording medium as claimed in claim 9, wherein

the information about the consumables which is acquired by the acquisition unit is displayed according to a predetermined rule even when the display is in the “

no-display”

mode.

11. The computer-readable, non-transitory recording medium as claimed in claim 7, wherein the information about the consumable acquired by the acquisition unit includes a residual quantity of a toner of the printing apparatus being less than a predetermined threshold value, and a residual quantity of stacked paper in a paper feed tray of the printing apparatus being less than a predetermined threshold value.

12. The computer-readable, non-transitory recording medium as claimed in claim 7, wherein the terminal apparatus is connected to a consumable inventory apparatus through the network, and

the consumable inventory control apparatus manages inventory information about the consumable;

and wherein

the acquisition unit acquires the inventory information from the consumable inventory control apparatus, and

displays the inventory information acquired by the acquisition unit is displayed by the display.