Information processing apparatus, consumables stock management system, consumables stock managing method, consumables stock managing program, and memory medium

• US 8,407,109 B2
• Filed: 09/03/2002
• Issued: 03/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Niki, Toru
• Primary Examiner(s): ADE, OGER GARCIA
• Application Number:
  US10/232,514
• Publication Number:
  US 20030050873A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,857 Days
• Field of Search: 705/28
• US Class Current: 705/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

A frequency of a residual amount signal which includes the absence of consumables and is issued by a printing apparatus is analyzed, whether new consumables have been attached or not is properly discriminated, and proper stock management is made.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus for enabling management of a stock number of a toner cartridge detachably placed in a printing apparatus by referring to a number of print sheets consumed in a printing process of the printing apparatus, the information processing apparatus comprising:

a receiver that receives, via communication from the printing apparatus, a notification of a residual amount of toner in the toner cartridge, wherein the notification is issued by a sensor mounted on the printing apparatus for detecting the residual amount of the toner in the toner cartridge and indicates entering into a low residual amount of toner or exiting out of a low residual amount of toner;

a discriminator that discriminates that (i) a current notification of the residual amount of the toner in the toner cartridge received by said receiver is to be used to decrease the stock number of the toner cartridge if a predetermined number of the print sheets have been consumed in a period between a previous notification of the residual amount of the toner in the toner cartridge and the current notification, or (ii) the current notification is not to be used to decrease the stock number of the toner cartridge if the predetermined number of the print sheets have not been consumed in the period, wherein the previous notification is a notification by which it is recognized that the toner cartridge has been exchanged in the printing apparatus; and

a controller that controls stock management such that the stock number is decreased based on the current notification if said discriminator discriminates that the current notification is to be used to decrease the stock number,

and such that the stock number is not decreased if said discriminator discriminates that the current notification is not to be used to decrease the stock number.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said discriminator makes a discrimination for each of a plurality of printing apparatuses.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the notification is a response to an event or to a request for information.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said discriminator makes a discrimination for each of a plurality of printing apparatuses and the stock management is performed in accordance with a discrimination result for each printing apparatus.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an input device that inputs a stock threshold value; and

a storage device that stores the stock threshold value input by said input device.

12. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an acquiring device that acquires sheet information on the number of print sheets from the printing apparatus,

wherein said discriminator measures the number of print sheets consumed in the period between the previous notification and the current notification based on the sheet information acquired by said acquiring device and discriminates whether or not the current notification is to be used to decrease the stock number based on whether or not the measured number of print sheets is equal to the predetermined number.

6. A method of managing a stock number of a toner cartridge detachably placed in a printing apparatus by referring to a number of print sheets consumed in a printing process of the printing apparatus, the method comprising steps of:

receiving, via communication from the printing apparatus, a notification of a residual amount of toner in the toner cartridge, wherein the notification is issued by a sensor mounted on the printing apparatus and indicates entering into a low residual amount of toner or exiting out of a low residual amount of toner; and

discriminating, using a processor, that (i) a current notification concerning the residual amount of the toner in the toner cartridge received in said receiving step is to be used to decrease the stock number of the toner cartridge if a predetermined number of the print sheets have been consumed in a period between a previous notification of the residual amount of the toner in the toner cartridge and the current notification, or (ii) the current notification is not to be used to decrease the stock number of the toner cartridge if the predetermined number of the print sheets have not been consumed in the period, wherein the previous notification is a notification by which it is recognized that the toner cartridge has been exchanged in the printing apparatus; and

wherein the stock number is not decreased if it is discriminated in said discriminating step that the current notification is not to be used to decrease the stock number.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein said discriminating step involves a discrimination for each of a plurality of printing apparatuses.

8. A method according to claim 6, wherein the notification is a response to an event or to a request for information.

9. A method according to claim 6, wherein said discriminating step makes a discrimination for each of a plurality of printing apparatuses and the stock management performing step is performed in accordance with a discrimination result for each printing apparatus.

10. A method according to claim 6, further comprising steps of:

inputting a stock threshold value; and

storing the stock threshold value input in said inputting step.

13. A method according to claim 6, further comprising acquiring sheet information on the number of print sheets from the printing apparatus,

wherein said discriminating step includes measuring the number of print sheets consumed in the period between the previous notification and the current notification based on the sheet information acquired in said acquiring step and discriminating whether or not the current notification is to be used to decrease the stock number based on whether or not the measured number of print sheets is equal to the predetermined number.

11. A computer-readable memory medium storing computer-executable program code for instructing a computer to process management of a stock number of a toner cartridge detachably placed in a printing apparatus by referring to a number of print sheets consumed in the printing process of the printing apparatus, the processing comprising the steps of:

receiving, via communication from the printing apparatus, a notification of a residual amount of toner in the toner cartridge, wherein the notification is issued by a sensor mounted on the printing apparatus and indicates entering into a low residual amount of toner or exiting out of a low residual amount of toner; and

discriminating that (i) a current notification concerning the residual amount of the toner in the toner cartridge received in said receiving step is to be used to decrease the stock number of the toner cartridge if a predetermined number of the print sheets have been consumed in a period between a previous notification of the residual amount of the toner in the toner cartridge and the current notification, or (ii) the current notification is not to be used to decrease the stock number of the toner cartridge if the predetermined number of the print sheets have not been consumed in the period, wherein the previous notification is a notification by which it is recognized that the toner cartridge has been exchanged in the printing apparatus;

wherein the stock number is not decreased if it is discriminated in said discriminating step that the current notification is not to be used to decrease the stock number.