Expendable management method and system
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsKazuma Sato, Yuji Sakabe, Toru Niki, Yuko Suzuki, Kengo Kawamoto
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Abstract
When data of the number of printed paper sheets is transmitted from a user device to a service center, the service center charges on the basis of a unit price corresponding to the agreement contents of each user and the number of printed paper sheets and notifies the user of the payable amount. In addition, upon receiving toner low information from the user device, the service center predicts the toner out time and issues a notification of cartridge supply and empty cartridge collection to the user.
Claims34
An information processing apparatus for managing maintenance agreement information corresponding to an identifier for specifying an image forming apparatus, comprising:
- a memory for storing a variety of charge amounts per paper sheet printed and output by the image forming apparatus in accordance with whether the maintenance agreement information includes maintenance information by a serviceman of the image forming apparatus;
- and
- a calculation section for calculating a payable amount on the basis of the charge amount stored in said memory.
An information processing method of calculating a charge for use of an image forming apparatus by a user, comprising the steps of:
- determining contents of a maintenance agreement of each image forming apparatus, which is stored in a memory;
- and
- calculating a payable amount on the basis of a unit price corresponding to the contents of the maintenance agreement and a charge amount stored in the memory.
A computer program to be executed by a computer, comprising:
- a program code for determining contents of a maintenance agreement of each image forming apparatus, which is stored in a memory;
- and
- a program code for calculating a payable amount on the basis of a unit price corresponding to the contents of the maintenance agreement and a charge amount stored in the memory.
A computer-readable storage medium which stores a computer program to be executed by a computer, said program comprising:
- a program code for determining contents of a maintenance agreement of each image forming apparatus, which is stored in a memory;
- and
- a program code for calculating a payable amount on the basis of a unit price corresponding to the contents of the maintenance agreement and a charge amount stored in the memory.
An information processing apparatus for executing processing related to an expendable used in an image forming apparatus, comprising:
- a window information generation section for generating window information for designating a time of delivery of a new expendable and collection of a remaining component of a used expendable;
- and
- a transmission section for transmitting the window information generated by said window information generation section to the image forming apparatus.
An information processing method by an information processing apparatus for executing processing related to an expendable used in an image forming apparatus, comprising:
- the window information generation step of generating window information for designating a time of delivery of a new expendable and collection of a remaining component of a used expendable;
- and
- the transmission step of transmitting the window information generated in the window information generation step to the image forming apparatus.
A program code to be executed by a computer, comprising:
- a program code for generating window information for designating a time of delivery of a new expendable to be used by an image forming apparatus and collection of a remaining component of a used expendable;
- and
- a program code for transmitting the window information generated by a window information generation section to the image forming apparatus.
A computer-readable storage medium which stores a computer program to be executed by a computer, said program code comprising:
- a program code for generating window information for designating a time of delivery of a new expendable to be used by an image forming apparatus and collection of a remaining component of a used expendable;
- and
- a program code for transmitting the window information generated by window information generation section to the image forming apparatus.
An information processing apparatus comprising:
- reception means for receiving malfunction information of an image forming apparatus;
- and
- transmission means for transmitting the received malfunction information to a computer provided in a service division for coping with a malfunction of the image forming apparatus.
An information processing method comprising:
- the reception step of receiving malfunction information of an image forming apparatus;
- and
- the transmission step of transmitting the received malfunction information to a computer provided in a service division for coping with a malfunction of the image forming apparatus.
A program code to be executed by a computer, comprising:
- a program code for receiving malfunction information of an image forming apparatus;
- and
- a program code for transmitting the received malfunction information to a computer provided in a service division for coping with a malfunction of the image forming apparatus.
A computer-readable storage medium which stores a computer program to be executed by a computer, said program code comprising:
- a program code for receiving malfunction information of an image forming apparatus;
- and
- a program code for transmitting the received malfunction information to a computer provided in a service division for coping with a malfunction of the image forming apparatus.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.