Printing apparatus, printing method, and storage medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023182481-A1
Application number	US-202217988109-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 16, 2022
Priority date	Dec 14, 2021
Publication date	Jun 15, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

A printing apparatus to which a consumable part filled with a printing material can be detachably attached, so as to perform printing according to a color mode setting by use of the printing material filled in the consumable part whose type differs according to a contract, includes: a setting unit configured to set a contract status, based on information related to the contract; a first obtainment unit configured to obtain a set color mode; a second obtainment unit configured to obtain the type of mounted consumable part which corresponds to the contract status; and a print control unit configured to control printing by allowing or restricting the printing, based on the contract status that is set by the setting unit, the color mode that is obtained by the first obtainment unit, and the type of consumable part that is obtained by the second obtainment unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A printing apparatus to which a consumable part filled with a printing material can be detachably attached, so as to perform printing according to a color mode setting by use of the printing material filled in the consumable part whose type differs according to a contract, the printing apparatus comprising:
a setting unit configured to set a contract status, based on information related to the contract; a first obtainment unit configured to obtain a set color mode; a second obtainment unit configured to obtain the type of mounted consumable part which corresponds to the contract status; and a print control unit configured to control printing by allowing or restricting the printing, based on the contract status that is set by the setting unit, the color mode that is obtained by the first obtainment unit, and the type of consumable part that is obtained by the second obtainment unit.

2 . The printing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the contract status includes a first contract status and a second contract status, and wherein, if the contract status is the second contract status, the print control unit
allows printing in a case where the consumable part filled with the printing material to be used for printing in the color mode is a consumable part corresponding to the second contract status and
restricts printing in a case where at least one of the consumable parts is a consumable part corresponding to the first contract status.

3 . The printing apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising
a holding unit configured to hold at least one of a first log, which is a log of the contract status that is set by the setting unit, and a second log, which is a log of the type of consumable part that is obtained by the second obtainment unit,
wherein the print control unit controls printing by allowing or restricting the printing, based on at least one of the first log and the second log, the contract status that is set by the setting unit, the color mode that is obtained by the first obtainment unit, and the type of consumable part that is obtained by the second obtainment unit.

4 . The printing apparatus according to claim 3 ,
wherein the contract status includes a first contract status and a second contract status, and wherein, if the contract status is the second contract status, the print control unit
allows printing in a case of satisfying a first condition that: it is determined, based on at least one of the first log and the second log, that a consumable part corresponding to the first contract status has been mounted in the first contract status in a past; and the consumable part filled with the printing material to be used for printing in the color mode is a consumable part corresponding to the second contract status, and
restricts printing in a case where the first condition is not satisfied.

5 . The printing apparatus according to claim 3 ,
wherein the holding unit further holds a third log, which is a log of attachment and detachment of the consumable part corresponding to the contract status, and wherein the print control unit allows or restricts printing, based on at least one of the first log and the second log, the third log, the contract status that is set by the setting unit, the color mode that is obtained by the first obtainment unit, and the type of consumable part that is obtained by the second obtainment unit.

6 . The printing apparatus according to claim 5 ,
wherein the contract status includes a first contract status and a second contract status, wherein the third log is a log of attachment and detachment of a consumable part corresponding to the first contract status, and wherein, if the control status is the second control status, the print control unit
allows printing in a case of satisfying a second condition that: it is determined, based on at least one of the first log and the second log, that the consumable part corresponding to the first contract status has been mounted in the first contract status in a past; it is determined, based on the third log, that the consumable part corresponding to the first contract status has not been attached or detached after shifting to the second contract status; and the consumable part filled with the printing material to be used for printing in the color mode is a consumable part corresponding to the second contract status, and
restricts printing in a case where the second condition is not satisfied.

7 . The printing apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the first contract status is a flat-rate status in which a flat-rate contract is signed by paying a flat-rate fee in every predetermined time period so that a cost for the consumable part does not occur, and wherein the second contract status is a non-flat-rate status in which the flat-rate contract is not signed so that the cost for the consumable part occurs.

8 . The printing apparatus according to claim 7 ,
wherein the information related to the contract includes a contract start date and time and contract end date and time of the flat-rate contract, and wherein the setting unit sets the contract status as the flat-rate status only in a case where, with reference to a timing for performing printing as a starting point, the contract start date and time is in a past and the contract end date and time is in a future as well as the contract start date and time is in the past and the contract end date and time is undecided.

9 . The printing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the printing apparatus is connected to a management apparatus that manages the contract, and wherein the setting unit updates the contract status by obtaining the information related to the contract from the management apparatus periodically or based on an instruction for an update.

10 . The printing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein a mode in which printing is controlled by allowing or restricting the printing, based on information including the contract status that is set by the setting unit, the color mode that is obtained by the first obtainment unit, and the type of consumable part that is obtained by the second obtainment unit, or a mode in which the control is not performed can be selected.

11 . The printing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the consumable part is an ink tank or a toner cartridge.

12 . The printing apparatus according to claim 4 further comprising
a notification unit configured to be capable of providing a notification of various kinds of information,
wherein, in the second contract status, if the consumable part corresponding to the first contract status has not been mounted in the first status in the past, the notification unit provides a notification for prompting shifting to the first contract status.

13 . The printing apparatus according to claim 6 further comprising
a notification unit configured to be capable of providing a notification of various kinds of information,
wherein, in the second contract status, if the consumable part corresponding to the first contract status has been attached or detached after shifting to the second contract status, the notification unit provides a notification for prompting shifting to the first contract status.

14 . A printing method of a printing apparatus to which a consumable part filled with a printing material can be detachably attached, so as to perform printing according to a color mode setting by use of the printing material filled in the consumable part whose type differs according to a contract, the printing method comprising:
setting a contract s

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Shioiri Hiroyuki

Classifications

• B41J2/2132 Primary

  Print quality control characterised by dot disposition, e.g. for reducing white stripes or banding (methods for local corrections by dot omission, image edge enhancement, or multi-pass mask selection G06K15/102; colour conversion H04N1/40) · CPC title

• B41J2/2103

  Features not dealing with the colouring process per se, e.g. construction of printers or heads, driving circuit adaptations · CPC title

• G06F3/1224

  Client or server resources management · CPC title

• G06F3/1239 Primary

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

• G06F3/1203

  Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. print management · CPC title