Image forming device and device, system, recording medium with program codes for managing consumables in image forming device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016286059-A1
Application number	US-201615073393-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 17, 2016
Priority date	Mar 25, 2015
Publication date	Sep 29, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A storage unit stores therein registered data about image forming devices connected to each other via a network. An acquisition unit refers to the registered data to acquire the number of the image forming devices. A consumption ratio monitor unit monitors a consumption ratio of consumables in at least one of the image forming devices. A prediction unit predicts a predicted time for replenishment or replacement of consumables for each image forming device monitored by the consumption rate monitor, based on the consumption ratio of consumables thereof, and corrects the predicted time based on comparison between a number that the acquisition unit has acquired and another number that the acquisition unit previously acquired. A requisition unit issues a request for replenishment or replacement of consumables at the predicted time.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A system comprising image forming devices that are connected to each other via a network, the system further comprising:
a storage unit configured to store therein registered data about the image forming devices; an acquisition unit configured to refer to the registered data to acquire the number of the image forming devices; a consumption ratio monitor unit configured to monitor a consumption ratio of consumables in at least one of the image forming devices; a prediction unit configured to predict a predicted time for replenishment or replacement of consumables for each image forming device monitored by the consumption ratio monitor, based on the consumption ratio of consumables thereof, and to correct the predicted time based on comparison between a number that the acquisition unit has acquired and another number that the acquisition unit previously acquired; and a requisition unit configured to issue a request for replenishment or replacement of consumables at the predicted time.

2 . The system according to claim 1 , wherein:
the prediction unit predicts the predicted time for replenishment or replacement at first intervals; and the acquisition unit acquires the number of the image forming devices at second intervals, each of the second intervals being equal to or shorter than each of the first intervals.

3 . The system according to claim 1 , wherein:
the registered data contains identification data items of the image forming devices; and the acquisition unit counts the number of the identification data items of the image forming devices and sets the counted value as the number of the image forming devices.

4 . The system according to claim 1 , wherein:
the prediction unit expresses the predicted time as a threshold value for the consumption ratio of consumables; the requisition unit defines the predicted time as being reached when the consumption ratio of consumables reaches the threshold value; and whenever the acquisition unit acquires the number of the image forming devices, the prediction unit corrects the threshold value based on the ratio of the number to another number previously acquired.

5 . The system according to claim 1 , further comprising
a status monitor unit configured to monitor operational statuses of the image forming devices via the network, wherein based on a result that the status monitor unit monitors, the acquisition unit counts the number of operable image forming devices of the image forming devices and sets the counted value as the number of the image forming devices.

6 . The system according to claim 5 , wherein:
the prediction unit expresses the predicted time as a threshold value for the consumption ratio of consumables; the requisition unit defines the predicted time as being reached when the consumption ratio of consumables reaches the threshold value; the operational statuses of the image forming devices monitored by the status monitor unit includes frequencies in use of the image forming devices; and when the prediction unit corrects the predicted time in response to a decrease in the number of the image forming devices, the prediction unit
distributes the frequency in use of a previously-operable image forming device among the operable image forming devices equally or in proportion to increments in the frequencies in use thereof, wherein the previously-operable image forming device is a device classified as operable in a result that the status monitor unit monitored and the acquisition unit used to acquire the number of the image forming devices before the decrease in the number, and
corrects the threshold value based on change in the frequencies in use of the image forming devices before and after the distributing.

7 . The system according to claim 1 , further comprising a manager device that is connected to the image forming devices via the network, wherein
the acquisition unit is incorporated into the manager device, while the consumption ratio monitor unit, the prediction unit, and the requisition unit are incorporated into a specific one of the image forming devices, the manager device includes a notification unit configured to notify the specific image forming device of data about the number that the acquisition unit has acquired, and in response to the data from the notification unit, the prediction unit corrects the predicted time based on comparison between a number that the acquisition unit previously acquired and another number that the acquisition unit has newly acquired.

8 . The system according to claim 7 , wherein the data of which the notification unit notifies the specific image forming device indicates the number of the image forming devices other than the specific image forming device.

9 . The system according to claim 7 , wherein:
the registered data contains an item showing which types of sheet and job each of the other image forming devices can process; based on the item, the notification unit counts the number of the other image forming devices that can process each type of sheet and job; and based on the counted number of the other image forming devices that can process each type of sheet and job, the prediction unit corrects the predicted time for each type of sheet or job that the specific image forming device can process.

10 . The system according to claim 8 , wherein a type of job that at least one of the other image forming devices can process indicates whether an image to be processed is monochrome or color.

11 . The system according to claim 7 , wherein the manager device is built into a device configured to direct a job to at least one of the image forming devices.

12 . The system according to claim 7 , wherein the manager device is built into an electronic device connected to the network and retrieves information about the image forming devices from device drivers installed in an operating system of the electronic device.

13 . An information processing device connected to image forming devices via a network, comprising:
an acquisition unit configured to refer to registered data about the image forming devices to acquire the number of the image forming devices; a consumption ratio monitor unit configured to monitor a consumption ratio of consumables in at least one of the image forming devices; a prediction unit configured to predict a predicted time for replenishment or replacement of consumables for each image forming device monitored by the consumption ratio monitor, based on the consumption ratio of consumables thereof, and to correct the predicted time based on comparison between a number that the acquisition unit has acquired and another number that the acquisition unit previously acquired; and a requisition unit configured to issue a request for replenishment or replacement of consumables at the predicted time.

14 . The information processing device according to claim 13 , wherein:
the information processing device is, as a consumable manager device, connected to the image forming devices via the network.

15 . The information processing device according to claim 14 , wherein:
the acquisition unit acquires the number of the image forming devices other than a specific one of the image forming devices; the consumption ratio monitor unit monitors a consumption ratio of consumables in the specific image forming device; and the prediction unit corrects the predicted time for the specific image forming device according to a change in number of the other image forming devices.

16 . The information processing device according

Assignees

• Konica Minolta Inc

Inventors

• Hitaka Masatoshi

Classifications

• H04N1/32539

  Detecting or indicating the status of the output devices · CPC title

• G03G15/556

  for toner consumption, e.g. pixel counting, toner coverage detection or toner density measurement · CPC title

• G03G15/553

  Monitoring or warning means for exhaustion or lifetime end of consumables, e.g. indication of insufficient copy sheet quantity for a job · CPC title

• G03G15/5079 Primary

  for maintenance · CPC title

• G06F3/1239

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