Information Processing Apparatus for Automatic Order of Consumable Items

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016292772-A1
Application number	US-201615085471-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 30, 2016
Priority date	Mar 31, 2015
Publication date	Oct 6, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

An information processing apparatus includes a communication interface, a storage, and a controller. The controller is configured to acquire consumable item information including remaining amount information about a remaining amount of a consumable item, determine whether an order condition for ordering a new consumable item is met on the basis of the remaining amount information, determine whether the consumable item has been used in rapid pace on the basis of the remaining amount information, receive a user instruction whether an order of the new consumable item is placed when determining that the consumable item currently in use has been used in rapid pace, and transmit order information including information about the order of the new consumable item to a server when determining that the order condition is met or in response to receipt of the user instruction to place the order of the new consumable item.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An information processing apparatus comprising:
a communication interface configured to communicate with a server; a storage; and a controller configured to:
acquire consumable item information including remaining amount information about a remaining amount of a consumable item currently in use;
determine whether or not an order condition for ordering a new consumable item is met on the basis of the remaining amount information;
determine whether or not the consumable item currently in use has been used in rapid pace on the basis of the remaining amount information;
in response to determining that the consumable item currently in use has been used in rapid pace, receive a user instruction whether or not an order of the new consumable item is placed; and
in response to determining that the order condition is met or in response to receipt of the user instruction to place the order of the new consumable item, transmit order information including information about the order of the new consumable item to the server.

2 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
acquire the consumable item information at a predetermined time interval; calculate a first consumption inclining of the consumable item currently in use on the basis of a plurality of pieces of the remaining amount information acquired during a first period of time, the first period of time spanning from a first timing when the consumable item currently in use replaces a consumable item immediately previously used to a second timing when the latest consumable item information is acquired; determine a first threshold value on the basis of the first consumption inclining; when the remaining amount represented by the remaining amount information reaches the first threshold value, determine that the order condition is met; calculate a second consumption inclining of the consumable item currently in use on the basis of a plurality of pieces of the remaining amount information acquired during a second period of time, the second period of time spanning from a third timing traced back from the second timing by a predetermined period of time shorter than the first period of time to the second timing; and perform the determination whether or not the consumable item currently in use has been used in rapid pace on the basis of the second consumption inclining.

3 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the second consumption inclining is represented by a primary regression straight line expressing a variation with time in the remaining amount of the consumable item currently in use during the second period of time, and
wherein the controller is further configured to determine that the consumable item currently in use has been used in rapid pace when an absolute value of a gradient of the primary regression straight line exceeds a specific value.

4 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
acquire the consumable item information at a predetermined time interval, calculate a consumption inclining of the consumable item currently in use on the basis of a plurality of pieces of the remaining amount information acquired during a period of time, the period of time spanning from a first timing when the consumable item currently in use replaces a consumable item previously used to a second timing when the latest consumable item information is acquired, determine a threshold value on the basis of the first consumption inclining, when the remaining amount represented by the remaining amount information reaches the threshold value, determine that the order condition is met, and determine whether or not the consumable item currently in use has been used in rapid pace on the basis of a difference value between a first remaining amount and a second remaining amount, the first remaining amount being represented by the currently acquired remaining amount information, the second remaining amount being represented by the immediately previously acquired remaining amount information.

5 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the controller is further configured to determine that the consumable item currently in use has been used in rapid pace when the difference value exceeds a specific value.

6 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the specific value is determined by the controller on the basis of:
the remaining amount represented by the most recently acquired remaining amount information; the second timing; and number of required delivery days required for completion of delivery of the new consumable item.

7 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the specific value is determined by the controller on the basis of:
the remaining amount represented by the most recently acquired remaining amount information; the second timing; number of required delivery days required for completion of delivery of the new consumable item; and the predetermined time interval.

8 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the controller is further configured to acquire the consumable item information at a time interval shorter than the predetermined time interval after the remaining amount represented by the remaining amount information has reaches a second threshold value larger than the first threshold value.

9 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
determine whether a difference value between the first threshold value and the remaining amount represented by the remaining amount information is equal to or smaller than a specific value; and in response to determining that the difference value is equal to or smaller than the specific value, perform the determination whether or not the consumable item currently in use has been used in rapid pace.

10 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
in response to determining that the order condition is met after the user instruction not to place the order of the new consumable item is received, transmit the order information, and in response to determining that the order condition is met after the user instruction to place the order of the new consumable item is received, notify a user, without transmitting the order information, that the order of the new consumable item has been placed.

11 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the consumable item information includes unique information and type information, the unique information being for specifying a printer in which the consumable item is used, the type information being about a type of the consumable item.

12 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the order information includes unique information and type information, the unique information being for specifying a printer corresponding to the acquired consumable item information, the type information being about a type of the consumable item to be ordered.

13 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to acquire the consumable item information at a predetermined time interval.

14 . A printer comprising the information processing apparatus according to claim 1 .

15 . A management server comprising the information processing apparatus acco

Assignees

• Brother Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Nagasaki Takeshi

Classifications

• H04N2201/0094

  Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception · CPC title

• H04N1/00832

  Recording use, e.g. counting number of pages copied · CPC title

• H04L67/02

  based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP] · CPC title

• G06Q10/083

  Shipping · CPC title

• G06K15/102

  using ink jet print heads · CPC title