Consuming device operating while consuming consumable and consumption management system including server and the consuming device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12155805-B2
Application number	US-202318451546-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 17, 2023
Priority date	Aug 19, 2022
Publication date	Nov 26, 2024
Grant date	Nov 26, 2024

Abstract

In a consuming device, a controller is configured to perform, when an operating mode is set to a non-billing mode: executing. The executing executes, in response to receiving an execution instruction, a prescribed operation consuming a consumable. The prescribed operation is executed while consuming the consumable irrespective of a permitted consumption quantity without decreasing the permitted consumption quantity. The controller is configured to perform: when the operating mode is set to a billing mode: acquiring; and executing. The acquiring acquires the permitted consumption quantity including a newly purchased consumption quantity paid for by a user. The executing executes, in response to receiving the execution instruction, the prescribed operation. The prescribed operation is executed while consuming the consumable and decreasing the permitted consumption quantity acquired in the acquiring until the decreased permitted consumption quantity reaches a predetermined quantity.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A consuming device comprising:
a holder configured to hold therein a consumable;
a display; and
a controller,
wherein the consuming device is operable in an operating mode, the operating mode being switchable between a billing mode in which the consuming device can consume the consumable within a permitted consumption quantity and a non-billing mode in which the consuming device can consume the consumable without any restriction imposed by the permitted consumption quantity,
wherein the controller is configured to perform:
(a) setting the operating mode to one of the billing mode and the non-billing mode;
when the operating mode is set to the non-billing mode in (a):
(b) executing, in response to receiving an execution instruction, a prescribed operation consuming the consumable, the prescribed operation being executed in (b) while consuming the consumable irrespective of the permitted consumption quantity without decreasing the permitted consumption quantity;

when the operating mode is set to the billing mode in (a):
(c) acquiring the permitted consumption quantity including a newly purchased consumption quantity paid for by a user;
(d) displaying the permitted consumption quantity on the display; and
(e) executing, in response to receiving the execution instruction, the prescribed operation, the prescribed operation being executed in (e) while consuming the consumable and decreasing the permitted consumption quantity acquired in (c) until the decreased permitted consumption quantity reaches a predetermined quantity, and

wherein when the operating mode is set to the non-billing mode in (a), the controller does not display the permitted printing quantity on the display.

2. The consuming device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the consuming device is a printing device configured to consume a printing consumable as the consumable,
wherein in (b) the controller executes a printing operation as the prescribed operation, the printing operation being executed in (b) while consuming the printing consumable irrespective of a permitted printing quantity as the permitted consumption quantity,
wherein in (c) the controller acquires the permitted printing quantity including, as the newly purchased consumption quantity, a newly purchased printing quantity paid for by the user,
wherein in (d) the controller displays the permitted printing quantity on the display, and
wherein in (e) the controller executes the printing operation, the printing operation being executed in (e) while consuming the printing consumable and decreasing the permitted printing quantity until the decreased permitted printing quantity reaches the predetermined quantity.

3. The consuming device according to claim 2 ,
wherein when the operating mode is set to the billing mode in (a) and a type of the printing consumable held in the holder is a special type used for the billing mode, the controller executes the printing operation in (e) while consuming the printing consumable within the permitted printing quantity.

4. The consuming device according to claim 3 ,
wherein the controller is configured to further perform:
when the permitted printing quantity reaches the predetermined quantity during the printing operation being executed in (e):
(f) suspending the printing operation; and
(g) resuming, in response to another printing consumable whose type is not the special type being newly held in the holder, the printing operation while consuming the printing consumable irrespective of the permitted printing quantity without decreasing the permitted printing quantity.

5. The consuming device according to claim 3 ,
wherein the controller is configured to further perform:
when the permitted printing quantity reaches the predetermined quantity during the printing operation being executed in (e):
(f) suspending the printing operation;
(g) acquiring, in response to a newly purchased printing quantity being purchased through an operation on a terminal device of the user, the permitted printing quantity including the newly purchased printing quantity; and
(h) resuming, in response to acquiring the permitted printing quantity in (g), the printing operation while consuming the printing consumable and decreasing the permitted printing quantity acquired in (g) until the decreased permitted printing quantity reaches the predetermined quantity.

6. The consuming device according to claim 3 ,
wherein when the type of the printing consumable held in the holder is the special type, the controller displays on the display a first screen including the permitted printing quantity in (d), and
wherein when the type of the printing consumable held in the holder is not the special type, the controller displays on the display a second screen not including the permitted printing quantity in (d).

7. The consuming device according to claim 2 ,
wherein when the operating mode is set to the billing mode in (a) and a type of the printing consumable held in the holder is not a special type used for the billing mode, the controller executes the printing operation in (e) while consuming the printing consumable without decreasing the permitted printing quantity.

8. The consuming device according to claim 1 ,
wherein when the operating mode is set to the billing mode in (a) and a type of the consumable held in the holder is a special type for the billing mode, the controller displays on the display a screen including the permitted consumption quantity in (d).

9. The consuming device according to claim 8 ,
wherein when the operating mode is set to the billing mode in (a) and the type of the consumable held in the holder is not the special type, the controller does not display on the display the screen including the permitted consumption quantity in (d).

10. A consumption management system comprising:
a server; and
a consuming device comprising:
a holder configured to hold therein a consumable;
a display; and
a controller,

wherein the consuming device is operable in an operating mode, the operating mode being switchable between a billing mode in which the consuming device can consume the consumable within a permitted consumption quantity and a non-billing mode in which the consuming device can consume the consumable without any restriction imposed by the permitted consumption quantity,
wherein the controller of the consuming device is configured to perform:
(a) setting the operating mode to one of the billing mode and the non-billing mode;
when the operating mode is set to the non-billing mode in (a):
(b) executing, in response to receiving an execution instruction, a prescribed operation consuming the consumable, the prescribed operation being executed in (b) while consuming the consumable irrespective of the permitted consumption quantity without decreasing the permitted consumption quantity;

when the operating mode is set to the billing mode in (a):
(c) acquiring the permitted consumption quantity including a newly purchased consumption quantity paid for by a user;
(d) displaying the permitted consumption quantity on the display; and
(e) executing, in response to receiving the execution instruction, the prescribed operation, the prescribed operation being executed in (e) while consuming the consumable and decreasing the permitted consumption quantity acquired in (c) until the decreased permitted consumption quantity reaches a predetermined quantity, and

wherein when the operating mode is set to the non-billing mode in (a), the controller of the consuming device does not display the permitted consumption quantity on the display.

11. The consumption management system according to cl

Assignees

• Brother Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Minamikawa Shunsuke
• Tsugimura Koichi
• Kimoto Taichiro
• Deura Yushi
• Kitahashi Yuki

Classifications

• H04N1/346

  Accounting or charging based on a number representative of the service used, e.g. number of operations or copies produced · CPC title

• H04N1/32673

  Adjusting or controlling an operating mode, e.g. from paper reception to memory reception (H04N1/32678 takes precedence; inhibiting an operation H04N1/00925) · CPC title

• G06F3/1292

  Mobile client, e.g. wireless printing · CPC title

• G06F3/1285

  Remote printer device, e.g. being remote from client or server · CPC title

• G06F3/1239

  Restricting the usage of resources, e.g. usage or user levels, credit limit, consumables, special fonts · CPC title